A hat, a sock and a chain

Doubt - Why Is It So Hard To Believe These Days?

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 14:24:00 +0000

Do you have doubts? Everyone does once in awhile. We really can't help it.

Perhaps it is suspicion, skepticism, uncertainty and information overload. A focus on the negative: there is a 20% chance of rain, not an 80% chance of Sun. Why is rain a bad thing?

The constant media barrage of doom, doom, doom, and more gloom. How could there possibly be anything good? Constantly Negative News (CNN) does their part very well.

The perceptions of the "if it seems to good to be true, it usually is" crowd. What nonsense! Who ever came up with that one? True, one needs to be diligent but if an opportunity opens up in front of you, don't fear checking it out.

Throw in a lack of faith, lack of trust along with continued verbal and non-verbal pummeling from parents, siblings, friends, and whomever else is out there enable doubt and self-doubt become huge.

It is seemingly easier to focus on doubt as it is less resistant to disbelieve than it is to believe. Doubt doesn't require proof or faith or even action, it just is.

Maybe doubt is a seed of thought planted, a seed that could grow with direction. To doubt, then disprove the negative and turn that into a positive and constructive thought.

Do I doubt? I doubt it.

Goverment Control of Your Paycheck

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 19:46:00 +0000

You’ve Been Warned
Posted By Derek Broes On April 3, 2009

Over the past three months we have witnessed some truly amazing movements by the Obama administration. He has proposed more spending than all Presidents in history combined; he has trampled the Constitution by allowing the Treasury to take on a dictator style infringement on private companies, and now the democratically lead Congress has proposed the “Pay for Performance Act” which passed Thursday with even some Republican Congressman voted for it.

This bill essentially allows the Treasury to define “fair pay” for all employees, at any level. Worse, the Treasury would like to be able to take over any company it deemed as important enough to take over regardless of whether or not it had accepted bailout funds. Worse still, the Serve Act proposes to make volunteering for the government mandatory (with pay, of course). Last time I looked, working for pay was called A JOB.

The scariest part of the bill is that while you’re serving as a “volunteer,” you’re prohibited from participating in worship and church activities, political rallies and being involved in a union. In short, your essential freedoms are gone. I keep hearing about Obama being a socialist but, I have to disagree. Based on these measures he appears to more like a person pursuing Communism or Fascism.

Let’s face it; if you wanted to tear down the Republic and install a Communist Oligarchy you would first have to take over all major industries where corporate power resides, then you must get the wealth away from the rich — but how would you do that? Well, you create an even larger economic crisis so the country thinks your massive debt spending is a way to help the country when your real plan is to incur so much debt that the only way to prevent the country from bankruptcy is to impose a tax system that depletes the wealth of the top 1% until we’re all equally “wealthy.” …Well, except for those wealthy people who helped you get there. You know the ones I’m talking about. I don’t mean to HARPO on the subject, but we seemed to have forgotten what we’re protecting. What about the Republic? Is it already gone?

When the government ignores legal contractual obligations because they judge someone’s bonus as unfair the law has been ignored, which means it was violated and this violation occurred at the highest level of government. I’m not saying the AIG bonuses weren’t excessive. My point is, we don’t know what these people did to deserve or NOT to deserve them because this was never mentioned or examined. Maybe some of those people brought in a billion dollars of business and their bonuses were based? Maybe the CEO is the main reason the company is failing? Does that mean that some guy who worked hard to bring in that billion dollars in business shouldn’t be rewarded? But Obama needs a way to regulate pay and the bill proposed doesn’t even stop at executives, it doesn’t even stop at dollar amounts. In fact, it has [2] no specification whatsoever.

So we can all look forward to government cars, government jobs, paid civilian volunteers who watch our every move and the the loss of our ability to reach for our dreams. The sad part is that Obama told us exactly what he was going to do and 52% of you refused to hear what he said. In fact many of you cheered at these things. Let’s remember just of few of the things he said.

1. The Constitution is fundamentally flawed. It only protects the rights of the people but does not allow the government to do anything on your behalf.
2. He wants a civilian Army as large as our military, and as well funded ($650 billion annually).
3. He wants to “spread the wealth.” Oh, don’t pretend you don’t remember Joe the Plumber.

And let’s not forget good ole Reverend Wright whose teachings about America being evil and unequal ring in Obama’s ears. Funny … It’s equality that got Obama elected. Change? Oh yes, there’s change and if we don’t act soon the meaning of hope will have a very different meaning.

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US House begins debating "pay-for-performance" bill
Wed Apr 1, 2009 6:26pm BST

By David Lawder

WASHINGTON, April 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday opened debate on legislation to curb employee pay at financial firms that receive government bailouts, a bill that could supplant an earlier effort to heavily tax executive bonuses.

The "Pay for Performance Act of 2009" would give U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner broad powers to "prohibit unreasonable and excessive compensation and compensation not based on performance standards."

The move comes in the wake of public anger over bonuses paid to employees of the American International Group unit that nearly collapsed the company.

It would replace the bill previously passed by the House of Representatives that aimed to impose a 90 percent tax on bonuses for certain executives at companies that receive taxpayer bailouts. That measure appeared to be losing momentum in the Senate.

The new legislation would allow the Treasury to provide the guidance on what is unreasonable or excessive, but it would be limited to only those companies that have received capital investments from the Treasury's $700 billion financial rescue fund.

"If you've received a capital investment of American tax dollars...to make it through these extraordinary times, there should be common-sense limits on bonuses," said Rep. Ed Perlmutter, a Colorado Democrat. "My constituents in Colorado don't want their hard-earned dollars going to inflate senior executives' life rafts as the ship steers close to the rocks."

The pay-for-performance bill and the earlier measure to tax bonuses are part of a legislative backlash sparked by the March 15 payment by AIG of $165 million in employee retention bonuses to employees of its AIG Financial Products unit, which made bad bets on credit default swaps and complex mortgage-backed securities. The retention payments were decided last year before the company was rescued by the government to the tune of nearly $180 billion, but the Obama administration determined that it was legally bound to make the payments.

The administration has vowed to try to claw back the bonus payments from AIG, in which the government now owns an 80 percent stake.

Some financial firms have said the prospect of compensation limits have made them reluctant to participate in the Treasury program, which could diminish its power to cleanse toxic assets from banks' books and jump-start lending.

Although 85 Republicans voted in favor of the bonus tax, Republicans on Wednesday spoke out against the broader pay-for-performance bill.

Rep. Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican, characterized the bonus tax as a "message" to AIG executives, but said the government was stepping too far into management territory in the current bill.

"It is all we can do to run the government," he said. "And to try to tell these companies how to pay the people that work for them is not the right thing to do."

The House was expected to consider several amendments to the measure before final vote on Wednesday afternoon. (Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Andrea Ricci)

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Reasons To Start Your Own Business - Today!

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 03:35:00 +0000

Start Your Own Business

In this age of uncertain economic times, it’s currently easier than ever to start your own successful business. And wiser. People from different backgrounds, with varying degrees of limitations, have all started and built thriving businesses. And they have enjoyed varying levels of success by focusing on three key components.

First, you must find the right business for you. Next, you need to be passionate about the business you choose. And lastly, you must be willing to dedicate time and effort to the business before realizing any fruits from your labor. Follow these basic principles, and you, too, can be an entrepreneurial success story.

An amazing seventy-four percent of all self-made millionaires in America today made their fortune by building their own successful businesses. And here’s an important point: Many of these people never owned a business previously. You do not need to have experience in entrepreneurship. You just need to learn everything necessary about your particular business and then apply it as you go along.

Confucius said, “A journey of a thousand leagues begins with a single step.” The most important single quality in starting and building your own successful business is courage. Like the Starship Enterprise, you have to have the courage to go where you’ve never gone before. To "Engage" as Jean-Luc Picard so aptly puts it. No matter how many other people have started and built businesses, when you embark on this journey, you are going to feel like you are the first person who has ever done it. And, in your terms, you are.

What Does It Take to Start Your Own Business in America?

Of course, if you have a clear idea of the kind of business you want to be in, that’s a great place to start. But if you aren’t sure, how do you find one? There are a hundred different ways. But the most important is to get into something you really like, enjoy and care about. Passion is the critical factor in determining business success. As Peter Drucker said, “Whenever you see something getting done, you fi nd a ‘monomaniac’ with a mission.” Every single business needs a dedicated champion who lives and breathes the success of that business and enterprise. Without a champion, a person who is passionately committed to making that business successful, who cares deeply about the business, the products, services and the customers, the business will defi nitely fail.

This is why you have to pick something you care about and enjoy. Many people start businesses selling products they particularly like using themselves. Others start businesses because they are passionate about the technology or the science involved. Some start businesses as outgrowths of their hobbies or their interests in life. Look around you at the parts of your life you enjoy the most. Think about the products and services you have the strongest feelings about.

In Search of Financial Freedom

Many people think the reason for starting a business is to make a lot of money. The primary reason people turn to owning their own business, however, is for the sense of personal freedom it offers. Many entrepreneurs don’t initially earn as much after taxes as they would as an employee. However, they are their own bosses. They are free. And this is worth more to them than the security of a corporate environment.

Whatever your motivations, if you’ve ever thought of starting your own business, you should just get on with it, right now. You can start small, with a direct selling business, for instance. Start working out of your house, offering a product or service part time, in the evenings and on weekends. You have to get
your entrepreneurial experience and there is no other way to get it except by taking the plunge and learning as you go along.

Human beings are wonderful in the sense that they are “learning organisms.” You learn at an incredible rate, depending upon the amount of experiences you subject yourself to. Most entrepreneurs who become successful have many months and even years of experience as entrepreneurs under their belts. They have
been through every up and down, every twist and turn that is possible for a small-business person to experience. As a result, they become wiser and they make fewer mistakes. They do more of the right things and they not only earn more, but also hold on to a greater percentage of their profi ts. The cumulative result over a lifetime is financial success and independence.

Explore and Investigate

Once you have decided you want to experience the rewards of small business success, your job is to explore every single detail of the business. Leave nothing to chance; investigate before you step; talk to lots of people and get lots of input. Your job is to minimize, reduce and eliminate risk wherever possible in the pursuit of profit, so the profits are real and the losses are minimal or non-existent. You should plan to grow by bootstrapping. This means you start small and your business grows out of your commitment to learning and the sales generated from your belief in the product or service you offer. One of the advantages of a direct selling business is that it enables you to gradually develop the skills and abilities you will need as your organization grows.

When you start your new business, the most valuable assets you have are your energy, imagination, character and discipline. It is your ability to get in there and do the work to create the results. It is your ability to make the key decisions and to get out there face to face with the customers and make the sales. It is the ability to follow through on your commitments and promises. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “A great institution is the length and shadow of a single man.” Well, even a small organization or company is the length and shadow of a single person. You are the business. The business is you. The business can never be more or less, better or worse, than you are, on an hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute basis. The business is really a mirror image of your character and ability. Your business tells you and the world who you really are.

What Are the Chances I Will Be Successful?

According to studies by the major accounting firms, investigating the finances and fortunes of tens of thousands of businesses over the years, the statistics are consistent and usually unavoidable. It takes about two years after a business starts up for the business to break even. During that two year period, the business will suffer mostly losses that will have to be made up from the energy and resources of the entrepreneur.

In years three and four, the business will make a profit, and most of those profits will go into paying back the bills and debts that were incurred in the first two years. After four years, the business will start to break into the clear and the entrepreneur will start to make some good money. It is only after the seventh year of entrepreneurship that the business starts to really be successful and the entrepreneur begins to enjoy the good life that is possible for a highly paid person in America. Remember, most of the highest-paid people in America are entrepreneurs who have passed the seven-year point in building and running their own businesses.

When you decide to start your own business, you can do it impulsively because of a significant emotional experience or event in your life, like the loss of a job or the appearance of an opportunity, or you can do it slowly and deliberately by spending several weeks or months in study and preparation. In either case, investigate before you invest your time and money. I learned from a very wealthy man many years ago that it is much easier to get into something than it is to get out of it. It is much more important to spend lots of time investigating, in advance, before committing time and resources to a particular business venture. This will do more to assure your long-term success than anything else.

You’ve heard of the 80/20 Rule. This tenet says that 20 percent of what you do will account for 80 percent of your results. There is also a 20/80 Rule that says the 20 percent of the time you spend in planning and evaluating at the beginning will be worth 80 percent of the results you eventually experience.

When most people think of owning their own business, they often think of one word, franchise. Buying into a franchise is a proven, simple plan. Unfortunately, with franchise fees ranging from $20,000 to $1 million or more, it makes the “average” franchise a difficult start-up business for the “average” person.

Let me give you an example: Let’s say you decided to open a very popular, successful fast-food hamburger franchise. Just recently, the cost to open that franchise ranged between $400,000 and $1.4 million. Most franchisor's require a minimum of $175,000 of “non-borrowed personal resources” for an individual to purchase a franchise. “Non-borrowed personal resources” are liquid assets such as securities, bonds and real estate equity other than your house.
There is an additional franchise fee of $45,000, and a percentage of your gross revenue (not profit) is paid to the company every month. On top of that, one-third of all franchises fail. You can become a freelancer or independent contractor and have the freedom to take the jobs you want, when you want. You handle your marketing, negotiating and revenue collecting. Most independent contractors spend about 90 percent of their time running the business and about 10 percent of their time making money. They often say they don’t own a business at all; the business actually owns them!

You could open up your own shop or specialty store if you wanted to make more money. You could turn your hobby or passion into a successful venture. But be sure to allow enough for the overhead cost for rent, advertising, liability insurance and employees. Most store owners work 6 or 7 days a week, opening the doors in the morning and locking them at night.

You, Too, Can Do What More Than 13 Million Have Done Direct selling is another possible avenue for starting a business. You can begin in many direct selling businesses for very little or absolutely nothing. The average cost to get into a direct selling business is very low, under $500. Do your homework. Of course, you also have the advantages of not carrying inventory, investing in product development costs, setting up operations, or developing marketing plans and materials. When you start a direct selling business, the company takes care of most, if not all, of the costs typically associated with starting your own business. Essentially, you are free to begin selling your new company’s product or service immediately.

There are many outstanding direct selling companies in America today. Unfortunately, there are quite a few fly-by-night direct selling companies as well. But here’s the catch: Everything that applies to starting your own business, in terms of business planning, selling, budgeting, projecting, and investing many months and even years, applies to building a successful direct selling business. If you are not prepared to invest three to five years building your business, don’t get in it in the first place.

The greatest trap for would-be entrepreneurs in America is the lure of get-rich-quick schemes, easy money, something-for-nothing ideas that are advertised and promoted everywhere. There is within the psyche of most young people a passionate desire to shortcut the process of success by finding a quick, easy way to jump the line and get to the head of the class without paying the full price in terms of hard work. Make the decision this is not for you. Refuse to look for or listen to any get-rich-quick schemes. Walk away. The very act of looking for something for nothing can be fatal to your future.

Once you decide on a new business, remember the primary sources of value in America today are time and knowledge. Time refers to the speed at which you can deliver your product or service to your customers. Knowledge refers to the expertise you put into your product or service.

By starting your new business at home, you can enjoy specific financial and tax benefits. Find out what they are. Be perfectly correct in all your financial dealings with everyone in your financial life: your bankers, your suppliers, your customers and tax people. Remember, life is very long and everything you do financially follows you for years and years.

There has never been a better time to achieve financial independence by starting your own business than today. Anything that anyone else has done, and especially something that millions of other people have done, you can do as well, and probably even better. You can piggyback on the knowledge and experience of hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs who have put their best ideas and insights into books, tapes and courses. You can become one of the most successful businesspeople in America by simply doing what others have done before you. There are no limits, except the limits you place on your own imagination.

Originally written by Brian Tracy

My All-Time Daily 13 Success Tips

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 02:46:00 +0000

1. Attitude is everything.
"Success begins with an attitude. Winners habitually face the work of the day with the purpose of discovering what can be done instead of worrying about what cannot be done." Paul J. Meyer. Think like a winner, approach life with the confident expectation that you can overcome any problem. When you believe in yourself, others believe in you.

2. Set specific goals and action steps, and write them down.
Zig Ziglar tells us that we will hit our target every time if we don’t have one. The single most important step in getting somewhere is knowing where you're going and having a plan for getting there. Your goals have to be written out, and so does your plan. Be specific, date each goal and each step on your action plan. Then follow it.

3. Read and review your goals daily.
This one could change your life. Keep your goals in front of you. Always know what you plan to do next, and always take the action your plan calls for. Write your goals out on 3x5 cards and carry them where ever you go. Review your goals, review your plan, change them as necessary, and stay with it. It only takes two or three minutes each morning to read your goals and glance over your plans. You're going to spend the next 24 hours that day doing something; you might as well be doing something that counts.

4. Set daily priorities.
Your goals and action plan will tell you what to do. Next, put your priorities in order. Crystalize your thinking, set up a daily priority list the night before and follow it to its completion. Develop a dogged determination to follow through on your plan, regardless of obstacles, criticism or what others say, think or do.

5. Winners are willing to accept responsibility and be creative.
Learn to exercise initiative. Do what it takes, what is needed and become personally responsible. Never make excuses. Acknowledge mistakes or failures and learn from them. Pursue your responsibility to do and be your best. Winners cultivate their creativity, trust it and exercise it. Do not give any recognition of the possibility of defeat. Eliminate it from your mind.

6. Turn off the television.
The less television you watch, the more successful you will be. Most television wastes your time, while it programs your mind with the wrong input to be successful. Do your future and your family a favor. As much as you can, break the habit, spend your time doing something of value, and turn the television off. Cut the cable, watch positive and success oriented DVD's.

7. Believe in yourself.
Winners are willing to pay the price of success. Never listen to the negative opinions of others, and make the choice to eliminate negativity from your life - completely. A good attitude is not an accident; it is a habit and a skill that you have to build for yourself. Practice going through life with your success switches being turned "on." Develop a no-limitations belief in yourself.

8. Associate with people who are more successful than you are.
You may have to change your friend-base. We become most like the people we spend our time with most. Seek out the successful people; people of quality, honor, integrity, and achievement. Spend time with them in person. Listen to them on CD. Make your car your own "rolling university." Or read their stories in books. We get the most from the people who have the most to give.

9. Live your life based on "values."
Your values are the pages on which the story of your life will be written. Practice the values of honesty, integrity, trust, determination, compassion, patience, personal responsibility, the willingness to work, and the courage to endure. All lasting success is built on positive values. Your values will determine the "dash" or what others will remember you by.

10. Practice your faith.
In the lives of people who are truly successful in every way, you will always find a foundation of faith. If you want to live your life at your best, practice your faith. Not just an hour a week bur every hour of every day. Let your light shine. Develop a no-limitations belief in your Creator.

11. Make the choice to believe in yourself and in your future.
Believing in yourself is a choice. The people who are the most successful learn to tell themselves they can do it. Practice believing in yourself. Practice telling yourself you can do it; no matter how difficult, no matter what it takes. You've got what it takes. You can do it! You are capable of more than you have ever imagined! Now tell yourself that.

12. Do at least two things each day to improve yourself.
This is one of the top ideas on every achiever's list of how to be successful. If you want to get more successful, you have to learn more. Each day, think of two things you can do to improve yourself that day. Take small steps. Read something. Listen to something new. Learn something. If you want your life to get better, you have to start by improving yourself, first. Start slow if you aren’t doing it already. Read five pages per day or spend 15 minutes each day in personal development. It will change your life.

13. Never quit. Never Stop. Never give up!
If you want to be successful at anything, make it your passion! Be determined, persevere, stay with it, refuse to give in, don't hesitate, don't hold back, and don't quit until the job is done. If it hasn't worked yet, try harder. If you haven't reached your goal, refocus your sights. Visualize the outcome, recommit to making it. Start again. Take action, stay with it, and never, ever, give up!

Opportunities never come to those who wait, they are captured by those who are ready and dare to attack.

The Victor

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:39:00 +0000

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win but think you can't,
it's almost a cinch you won't.

If you think you'll lose, you're lost.
Far out in the world we find
success begins with a fellow's will.
It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are.
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of your-self before
you can ever win the prize.

Life's battles don't always go
to the stronger or the faster man.
But sooner or later, the man who wins
is the man who thinks he can.
C. W. Longnecker

How Are Your Goals Coming Along?

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:59:00 +0000

Tomorrow is April 1, the holiday of fools and jokers, a holiday that I choose not to participate in. April 1 is also the start of the Second Quarter of the year, how did the First Quarter treat you? Did your preset goals keep you on track through uncertain times? Or did you cast them aside and fail to follow through?

If you did indeed falter, you are not alone. Here are some tips for getting back in the saddle and forging ahead. First, find your list - Um, I am assuming that you have a list, you did write them down, right? Well, if you didn't, do it now. Most experts agree on this one, writing them down is the most important step. Write your goals on 3x5 note cards to enable you to take them along with you to review from time to time like during your breaks or down time.

You have permission to dream. Some have forgotten how or have given up on dreaming. As we are battered endlessly about how bad it is, dreams just don't seem so important anymore. Don't buy into that line of thought - DREAM! Let yourself think big, imagine success, imagine prosperity and understand that change, if necessary, is up to you. If you have to, ad "Dream" to you list of goals and follow through on it.

Turn off the TV. That one might be difficult for some of you, I understand, but it is extremely important. Reconnect with your family, read, talk to your spouse or partner or friend, go for a walk or exercise. Acquire additional skills or education to improve your abilities, write a blog, watch an athletic event or participate in one. The point is, any of these ideas will get you away from the tube, the "Boob Tube," they call it that for a reason.

Limit your participation in Social Media. Another tough one, sorry. If you Twitter, use facebook, ning, or whatever, assign one to a specific day and spend 15 minutes on it. Carrie Wilkerson of The Barefoot Executive uses Twitter for "communication, credibility, connections, content creation, and cash and compensation." The same could be said for facebook and the others. The point is, do not allow any of them to waste your day or your opportunities. You can do it!

Above all, think positively. I'll not sugar coat this, I know these are tough times but if you dwell on the darkness, you will be consumed by it. Take each day as it comes and focus on your goals and beliefs. Find a Mentor and watch what he or she does to create success and stay positive. Read those note cards, read positive personal development materials or listen to positive CD's in your vehicle. If you are Spiritual, refocus you time to get closer to your belief and if you're not, maybe take another look.

Dream and dream big. A little refocus today will make for a big change tomorrow.

In The Beginning...The Business Plan

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:51:00 +0000

Whatever it is that has influenced you to start your new Small Business Venture, whether it be brick and mortar, home based or online, it is vital that you make a sound business plan before beginning. There is little room for fits and starts and trial and errors if you really want to succeed in a Small Business, the competition is fierce. Here are some basic things that should be included in your business plan.

The Business Summary is an integral part of the overall business plan and should start with a brief description of the entire business. After this, list the objectives or the goals that you want to accomplish through the business.

Next, and perhaps most importantly, you should develop your Marketing Plan. The marketing plan should address all the specifics of the business. When developing the marketing strategy, you should consider the following:
1 - Your Target Market - These are the customers that you expect to see visiting your store or website. Who will your product appeal to more, young or old? "Gens" or Baby Boomers? Workers or to those who have retired?

2. The Competition for your product - Choose a product that will be seen as unique and useful. Know your competitors that offer the same or similar products. Find out the cost and how these products are being marketed. Research the pros and cons of these business methods and try to improve your product based on their flaws.

3. The various methods for Advertising - Probably the most cost effective is Online Advertising. Do research on search engines and learn how they work as each one is different. Make sure that you learn how to submit your website to search engines. Build your site with SEO, (Search Engine Optimization,) in mind. Be prepared to allocate a small amount of money on advertising; the profits gained from the advertisements will make your investment worth it.

4. Think about Pricing - Again, look at the competition and see what similar products are selling for. Pricing can play a significant role in the success of your product. Selling a product well below the average market price may lead customers to think that there may be a problem with the product, or that it is inferior in quality. On the other hand, pricing items too high could also deter customers from purchasing.

5. Determine how you will Ship the product - Make sure that you know how products will be shipped so that shipping details are clearly posted on your website. When shipping things of great value, you should consider providing shipping insurance. Consider also shipping outside the country that you live in.

6. The different Payment Methods to accept - If your business does not accept credit cards, you should be prepared to give up half, if not more, of your sales. Should you decide to accept credit cards, you can choose to use a Merchant Account or a Third Party Credit Card Processing Center. While both will help you get started, the third party processing center will handle all of the business so you don’t have to. It is essential to have a secure server when taking credit cards. You must also decide if you will accept checks or money orders.

These few things will help jump-start your New Small Business to become a great success and also provide you with peace of mind knowing that you have thoroughly thought about, and planned for, the opening of your online business.

Understanding Financial Statements

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:43:00 +0000

In Financial Accounting or Reporting, the 3 most important financial statements for budding entrepreneurs are:
1. The Statement of Financial Position or the Balance Sheet
2. The Statement of Income or The Profit & Loss Statement
3. The Statement Of Cash Flows.

The Balance Sheet shows the business's assets, the liabilities, and the equities of a business. It is a 'snapshot' of the business economic resources at a certain date. That is why when you see one, it says something like, "The Statement Of Financial Position as at dd/mm/yyyy." Your Balance Sheet shows you what you own and how you acquired them (borrowed from others or contributed by you).

Unlike a Balance Sheet that is a 'snapshot' of economic resources, the Profit and Loss Statement is a summary of the flows of earned revenues and incurred expenses of a business for a period of time. That is why when you see one, it says something like: "Profit & Loss Statement for the year 200X." Your Profit And Loss shows you how much you are expending each period and how much you are earning.

The Statement of Cash Flow summarizes the 'cash' effects of the activities of a business for a period of time. These activities can be operating, investing and financing. The keyword that I would like to emphasize in the above definition is the word 'cash'. It only records activities that involved the transfer of cash. The statement of Cash Flow summarizes the exchange of cash in your operating, investing and financing activities.

For most entrepreneurs, when starting a small business, the attention should be placed on your Profit and Loss statement because that is your record of how much income is coming in and how much expenses is going out. Take a look at the revenue items there to know which activity is bringing in money and take a look at the expense items to see which ones are costing you the most and ask yourself whether those expenses are really necessary.

Are there ways in which you could cut your costs? Costs are what any entrepreneur has to control at the start of every business. No cost item should go by unnoticed or unmonitored. Their existence must be justified. Every dollar counts. Every dollar that gets tied up in one thing is a dollar that could otherwise be used somewhere else

The Top Three Things To Look at While Researching Home Business Opportunities

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:26:00 +0000

There are many people out there that have dreams of becoming their own boss. Now more than ever, it is easier for us to take that plunge because there are so many products we can sell. Some companies present their opportunity so well that we make an emotional decision to jump into business before we consider it.

Owning your own home business can be very rewarding. However, we must proceed with care to get the business up and running. The next time you are presented with a great opportunity, consider the following three things. Please note this is not something we should look at in a negative light. However, they are simply a few items that we should address in order to try and sustain our business as long as possible.

Research the Product and the Company.

This is probably the single most important question you can answer. Let me explain. The product and the company is what you’re selling to your prospects. You will be required to display expertise on the product. The product is something you will live and work with for a long time. Gaining product knowledge and learning about the company that sells it is the central point of any home business.

Be honest with your self. Is this a product you would use and enjoy on a daily basis? People buy from others based on trust and body language during a product demo. The way to gain that trust is to be an expert on the product. This way you sound confident talking about the product.

You will also need a good company that can provide you the backing and sales materials you desire to help you get clients. The company you are dealing with needs to be responsive enough to meet you and your clients’ needs.

Identify How You Make Money Selling the Product.

To be honest, you are in business to enjoy what you are doing and to make money. Most specifically, how do you earn that money? Don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions. If you don’t know how you make money then you may set yourself up for disappointment.

You should learn and embrace the successful methods of selling the product. Find out if you can sell the products to individuals and businesses. See if you can make money off of others selling the product. You may have the opportunity increase earning power to build your own down line of sales people. In my opinion these are the best types of opportunities.

Look at Business Start Up Costs and Monthly Fees for The Business.

With many businesses there is always some type of start up costs. You may not have to buy the product yourself. However, there may be other costs involved. For example, you may need a home computer or a mobile phone. Ask as many questions as you can. Try to think about what steps you need to take in order to sell the product to someone. Then identify and create a list the equipment you will need. The list should be part of your start up costs.

When I started my Arbonne business, I could not predict all the costs that were involved initially. I needed to focus in other areas of the business that I never considered. I suggest you take the time think through all the process from selling the product to creating orders for your clients.

A lot of businesses fail on insufficient funds and bad budgeting. Take the time to seek advisement from other home business owners. You can probably find some advice on a popular forum. Try to learn as many costs that may be related to your business.

In conclusion, starting a business is very exciting and liberating. Try to keep in mind of what you need to accomplish. You should love the product you sell so you can show that passion to your prospects. Then take the time to identify how you make money so you can set goals and expectations of yourself. Finally, we must be very cautious and figure out as many costs as possible in order to sustain the business. Always seek as much advisement as you can and use the good advice to your advantage. After all, it is your business.

About The Author: Sheri Purfield is a webmaster for http://www.independentskincareconsultant.com.

5 Ways ANYONE can Make Money Online

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:20:00 +0000

First of all let me start with an apology. I’ve slightly misled you with the title. When I say ‘5 ways ANYONE can make money online’ I don’t mean anyone can make money online.

To be able to make money online you have to have two things - a computer and an Internet connection. So only people with these two things can earn money on the Internet.

‘Don’t be stupid’ I hear you saying ‘If I didn’t have these I wouldn’t be reading this article’. Correct (and I know this) the point I want to make is there are no barriers to earning money on the Internet. You don’t need to be an Internet ‘whizzkid’, you don’t need loads of money to invest and you don’t need previous experience. All you need is your trusty computer an Internet connection and a willingness to learn and work to achieve your goals.

Ok enough of my pre-amble let me give you a brief overview of the ways ANYONE can make money online.

Paid Online Surveys

Companies spend millions of dollars each year asking people like your self questions on various topics. Why? Fundamentally they need to know what people think and the only way they can do this is by asking people. The more they know about their customer base the better they will be able to market their products. And the better they market their products the more of these products they sell and the more money they make. As a result your opinion is valuable to hundreds of companies each year and these companies will pay as much as $75 per survey (average payment however is probably between $5 – $15 per survey).

You won’t earn enough to give up you job but you can earn a tidy extra sum each month.

ebay

Now I’m sure you’ve heard of the phenomenon that is ebay. This online service allows millions of people across the world to buy and sell goods in a giant online auction house.

Many people make money from ebay by selling unwanted items. However some people have gone further and make a living by buying stuff (from flea markets, yard / garage sales, charity shops etc.) and selling it on ebay at a profit.

Some of the really clever people out there do this by buying stuff on ebay and selling it back on ebay for a profit!! This is called ebay arbitrage. For this to work you need an expertise in a genre enough to see when a product is worth a lot of money but isn’t attracting a lot of bid attention (usually due to poor presentation, marketing or being put in the wrong ebay category). Once purchased at (what you know) to be a bargain price you place it on ebay yourself. This time however you place it in the right category, present it superbly and market it successfully and make a great big profit.

Think you don’t have the expertise? You’d be surprised. Look on ebay and see what sort of things they sell. There’s bound to be something that you have knowledge of through work or hobbies. With some research you’ll soon learn to spot a bargain in your area and as time goes on you’ll become more and more of an ‘ebay expert’ in your field and this is when the cash will start to role in.

Google Cash/Adsense

Not as well known as ebay but still profitable for thousands and no website required.

Basically you find online business that will pay you commission for every customer that you send to them that buys one of their products. This is called Affiliate marketing.

Then you advertise these products using Google AdWords or another pay-per-click ad system.

When someone clicks on one of your ads and goes on to make a purchase from one of the online businesses mentioned above you get paid your commission.

Obviously you have to pay the company that hosts the pay per click ads every time someone clicks on your ads. However if you’re clever and do your research this will only cost you a few cents each time. With the rewards for each sale generated by one of these ads going into $30/40/50 you can see how this can be very profitable. This methods major advantage is flexibility. As a new craze hits you’re firmly aboard the gravy train. As interest starts to wane you pull you ads and advertise the next ‘big thing’.

Affiliate Marketing with your Website/Blog

As mentioned above affiliate marketing is where you generate leads for companies selling products on the Internet. If one of these leads makes a purchase you get an agreed commission.

For example say you have a website or blog on the subject of travel. As well as details about various destinations around the world you could host advertisements for companies providing flights to those destinations and hotels at those destinations. If one of your visitors clicks on one of these advertisements and makes a subsequent purchase you earn money.

There are also schemes (such as Google AdSense) where you get paid commission for one of your visitors just clicking on one of your ads. No Sale required!

Don’t be put off by the thought of building a website. You don’t have to be a programmer nowadays to build a website. There are many tools available now that allow you build a website just by typing and organising blocks.

Build an Online Store

An online store is a website where you can shop for products or services. Visitors to these sites search or browse for their required item and when found add it to their shopping cart. When ready to make a purchase the visitor checks out and pays for the product via Credit Card or another online payment system such as PayPal.

The biggest and best example of this is Amazon, which started off selling books, and Cds before expanding to sell almost everything.

Obviously I wouldn’t recommend going into competition with Amazon (that would be madness!) but if you can find a niche and market it properly an online store is the most profitable online business there can be.

About The Author: Paul Middleton is a successful Internet entrepreneur. He shares some of his secrets on his website http://www.makingonlinemoney.com where he reveals how ANYONE can make money on the Internet. Included on this site is a more in depth analysis of the above online money making methods.

Start A Virtual Assistant Business

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Mon, 12 May 2008 15:59:00 +0000

A Virtual Assistant does many different things. The area of expertise for a VA is going to depend on each individual. Most virtual office assistants provide services to business owners that they do not have the time to do themselves such as checking and replying to emails, article submissions, website updating, forum moderation, transcribing audio, sending newsletters, and many more.

What skills are helpful a virtual office assistant?

To be a VA or to become one it is helpful to have some skills such as basic computer knowledge, time management, organizational skills, and self discipline. Self discipline is important because you need to be able to make yourself sit down and work even if you don’t feel like it; working from home there will always be ‘life’ to get in the way but with a little self discipline you can make it work.

Time management is another important area tahat you should have some area of skill in. You need to be able to manage your time well so that you can complete projects in a timely fashion; you want to have a pretty quick turn around time on projects if possible. Last but certainly not least is organizational skills. You have to keep your clients information organized so that you can easily access things such as instructions for ongoing projects, etc.

What tools are needed?

You want to have a phone line, computer, printer and high speed internet connection. A fax line is another option that you might want to consider. Depending on the services you will be offering you might also need Microsoft Front Page, Word, Excel, etc. The basic tools needed are the first few that were mentioned – phone line, computer, printer and high speed internet – but depending on the areas of expertise that you will be offering will help you decide on any additional tools that you might need.

Starting a virtual assistant business.

To get started as a virtual assistant you need to purchase a domain name and create a website (or have one built for you) explaining your services and what you offer. Get involved in some online networking groups so that you can get the word out about your business and so that you can build relationships with possible clients.

Finding that first client will be the hardest and probably most challenging aspect of creating your VA business but once you have picked up that client and done some great work for them keep in mind that word of mouth goes a long way! Happy clients will refer other people to you for your services!

Keep in mind that beginning a VA business, along with any other business is a process that will take time, dedication, discipline and the motivation to keep going. Many people expect to start a home based business and make money overnight but the reality is that it takes time to build up a business. Get involved in some online networking groups/forums where you can ask questions, receive feedback and encouragement and build some friendships. Find a mentor or someone that will help you through the process. Remember the saying – where there is a will there is a way!

Why Positive Thinking Doesn’t Work

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Mon, 12 May 2008 15:52:00 +0000

One of the great fallacies in the self-help industry is the notion that you can change your life with "positive thinking."

The purveyors of positivism, starting with Napoleon Hill and including the people who now promote The Secret, contend that we all have, at our conscious disposal, the means to transform ourselves into walking, breathing success machines. Some self-help gurus sell positive thinking because they know it is one of the most lucrative products to put in the marketplace. Change one thought and you can change your life! What better promise can you make to an underachieving, wanna-be-rich-and-successful couch potato?

And purely from a profit point of view, they are right. Positive thinking products making quick-and-easy promises account for more than a billion dollars a year in direct-mail and Internet sales. And that’s just for the companies I personally know. The total number is probably multiples of that. I am not saying all proponents of positive thinking are hucksters. Many are honest men and women who believe in the concept because they use it successfully in their own lives. They are usually people who have always been accomplished, excelling in sports or academics or business almost from the start. Their repeated successes gave them confidence that they can do just about anything. And they readily tap into that underlying feeling of confidence whenever they face a new challenge. In their hearts, they know they can succeed. So when they take on anything new, they can’t help but believe they will be successful.

But what about the rest of the world? The 80 percent of the population that got C’s in school and sat on the bench during ball games and had little or no success in business? What messages are buried in their hearts? Well, the positive thinkers will tell you that is exactly the point. The people who struggle on without success are failing because they don’t really think they can succeed. If only they could change their thinking, they would do better. And so the therapy for these self-doubters is positive thinking. Stand in front of the mirror in the morning and repeat 20 times: "I am a good person. I can do anything. I will be successful."

It’s very appealing. Two or three minutes of talking to your mirrored image, and a mental switch will be turned. Everything after that will come to you effortlessly.

The reality is different. Does Positive Thinking Work? A study mentioned by Julie Norem in her book The Positive Power of Negative Thinking confirms my belief that though positive thinking may work for people who already have an optimistic way of looking at their abilities, it doesn’t work for people who are pessimists. Researchers divided their subjects (all identified as pessimists) into two groups. They told one group that, based on their past performance, they were going to do well on a standardized test they were about to be given. And these subjects indicated on a pre-test survey that they did, indeed, feel optimistic about their results. The second group was not given any encouragement. The results? The first group, the temporarily optimistic pessimists, actually performed worse on the test.

I’ve been critical of the idea of positive thinking for years, because I think it is useless to the people who most need help in changing their lives: people who have deeply held negative feelings about what they can accomplish. Positive thinking works only for those who are emotionally positive. Usually, these are people who have a history of being successful. People who have been good wrestlers, for example, find it easy to believe they will win their next wrestling match. Entrepreneurs like yours truly find it easy to believe their next business venture will be successful.

When you are emotionally positive, you can’t help but think positively about everything. So thinking positively helps. But it only helps the 20 percent of the population that is already emotionally positive. The rest of the population, the 80 percent of the world that is emotionally negative, cannot be helped by positive thinking. I knew this was true, though I didn’t know exactly why. When I wrote about it in the past, many ETR readers objected. When I spoke about it at conferences, attendees complained to me afterward. They seemed angry. As if I was trying to take something precious away from them. They believed I was trying to deny their best chance of succeeding. Meanwhile, what I was really trying to do was get them to stop conning themselves and take the specific actions that would help them achieve their goals.

As the years passed, I would meet some of these same people at other conferences. They were still attending self-improvement seminars, still carrying positive-thinking books, and still upset with me for telling them that positive thinking wouldn’t change their fortunes. It had, after all, worked for the people promoting all those seminars and books. Year after year. Decade after decade. They stayed poor. They stayed stuck. But they wouldn’t give up their dream of changing their lives quickly and easily by changing their thinking.

I was never able to articulate why it was that I knew positive thinking would never work for these people. But then I read a book that helped me understand: A General Theory of Love. It was written by three eminent psychotherapists and neuroscientists. I have posted my notes on this book on my website (which I recommend you read), but let me tell you very briefly what it taught me that sheds light on this issue. Essentially, our emotions are deeply rooted in the way our minds are wired. There is a scientific basis for many of our emotional responses and how we relate to others. At the same time, our interactions with the world and people around us have a profound impact on our attitude. This interaction, which can actually alter neural pathways in the brain, begins in infancy and influences our development. So if you grew up with negative feelings about your ability to achieve success, that’s the way your brain is wired. And no amount of positive thinking will change it.

Here is what the authors of A General Theory of Love have to say about the self-help industry:
"A vigorous self-help movement has championed the hoax that a strong-willed person, outfitted with the proper directions, can select good relationships. Those seduced into the promise of a quick fix gobble it up. But the physiology of emotional life cannot be dispelled with a few words...
"… Self-help books are like car repair manuals: You can read them all day, but doing so doesn’t fix a thing."

To change yourself from being emotionally negative to emotionally positive, you have to get some solid successes under your belt. And that’s where another success technique - visualization - comes in. But this one works. Visualization is a proven and useful technique for achieving peak performance. It’s no secret that many of the most successful people in the world - including entertainers, athletes, and CEOs - used visualization to help them achieve their goals.

Take Tiger Woods…
"Visualization has become a major part of my shot-making, especially as it pertains to shaping shots… It makes a huge difference in your performance."

And Jack Nicklaus, one of the greatest golfers to ever grace the game, said, "I never hit a shot, not even in practice, without having a very sharp in-focus picture of it in my head. It’s like a color movie."

Famed sports psychologist Bob Rotella charges thousands of dollars per session to help pro athletes and business executives achieve success through visualization. In addition to coaching pro PGA golfers and top athletes in the NBA and NFL, he coaches high-ranking executives at Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, General Electric, Coca-Cola, and many other companies.

Matt Furey - world-class martial artist and top Internet marketer - credits visualization for his success. Matt’s wrestling coach told the scrawny, uncoordinated high school teen he never had a chance. But by using the power of visualization, Matt gained the confidence to win match after match - and became a champion wrestler in high school and college.

Later, Matt became World Kung Fu Champion - thanks, again, to visualization and the very positive attitude that was now buried deep in his limbic brain (the part of the brain involved in emotional behavior).

As I said, people who are emotionally positive about their chances for success have a history of succeeding. They’re doers, not dreamers. So forget about positive thinking. Instead, start rewiring your brain by working toward the goal you want to achieve or practicing the skill you want to master. At first, you won’t feel very good about what you’re doing, because you won’t be very good at it. But stick with it. Remember that it takes about thousand hours to achieve competency in anything that’s worthwhile.

Start by setting very modest objectives. Use visualization to help you excel at specific tasks and overcome specific challenges. But don’t waste your time repeating useless mantras. Actions - only actions - will reprogram your limbic brain and turn you into a real "success machine."

by Michael Masterson

Eye on the Prize

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Mon, 12 May 2008 15:49:00 +0000

“The daily grind.” “Back to the salt mines.” “Another day another dollar.” “Thank god it's Friday.” These are all phrases of the working world with 9 to 5 jobs. For some, this situation works. Others feel trapped, as if all the work they do only benefits others. There’s a reason these phrases came about. There are millions of people who would rather be doing anything other than working. If people loved their jobs, these phrases would be more like "The daily party", "Back to my dream", and "I can't wait till Monday!"

Is there a way for you to sing the latter phrases? Yes there is, but it takes hard work, determination, and focus.

Where would you like to be in say twenty years? Do you see yourself in an office job working for a large corporation where you work hard for someone else?

Starting your own business is one of the ways to get out of the daily march through work where all you can do is wait for the clock to spin ahead 8 hours. When you are working for your own growth and benefit, it suddenly doesn't seem like so much work. I recently spent 5 straight hours working on my web site, adding content, checking links, researching key words. When those 5 hours were up, it felt like I had been there for only 30 minutes. This gives new meaning to, "Time flies when you're having fun”.

Now I know that starting your own business sounds like quite a daunting task right? Well, it’s a lot easier than you think.

The key is to find something that you love, something that interests you. Something that you want to learn more about or will have long term affect on your life. Sometimes finding the right product or service, one that you believe in and love, can be tough. Other times it will be staring you right in the face. However long it takes, find it!

Once you find that one thing, find a way to sell it. In this day and age, a website can be had for low cost. There are many hosting companies out there that range in price from free to cheap to expensive. Be careful which one you go with. The free web hosting services will probably require you to have some advertising on your site. The cheap services may not have all the bells and whistles that the expensive services offer. Whichever one you go with, do some research before hand and make sure that you are comfortable with them.

There are some services that will pay you a commission for referring someone to that hosting company. This is just one of the many types of affiliate programs on the internet that you can get involved with. Find that product or service that suits you. Something that you have profound interest in.

The next step is to define your goals. What is it that you want to accomplish? How are you going to get there? What will you need to fulfill your goals? What steps can you take right now to get closer to your goal? What steps do you need to take to accomplish some of your more complex tasks?

Create a plan with the answers to those questions and… get out there and do it! Start with tasks you can do easily just to get you started. Work up to your more complex tasks. If you get stuck, and you will more than likely get stuck, do some research about your problem. There are many resources on the internet about HTML, affiliate marketing, web site hosting, and any other information you will need. Use Google, Excite, or Yahoo to find information about the subjects you need help with. Find a way to conquer your issue.

Once you are into your project, you will find that you motivate yourself to get through the steps you need to take to accomplish your goals. Why you ask? Because you are working for your own benefit! As long as you keep your eye on the prize and are determined not to be distracted, you are well on your way to freeing yourself from, “The daily grind”.

About The Author: Dave Roggeman provides internet income and marketing solutions at http://www.homeprofitbase.com and highly recommends Plugin Profits http://www.homeprofitbase.com/pips.html to start building an online income stream.

What Would You Do With A Second Chance?

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Sun, 11 May 2008 23:02:00 +0000

How many times have you said, “If I only knew then what I know now?”

We’ve all wished that we could go back in time with our heads full of knowledge and our belts busting with experience and do it all over again. The proverbial “second chance” is something we’ve all wished for - some of us more than others. Imagine how different our lives would be if we came equipped with unlimited “do overs.”

You could avoid the mistakes you previously made and build on the successes you previously enjoyed. You could nurture the positive relationships and avoid the bad. You could tap into your wealth of experience during times of indecision and always know where and when your time and money would be best spent.

Now apply that question to your business. What would you do if you had the opportunity to build your business all over again, but do so with the wisdom gained from building the business all these past years?

If you could take the knowledge and experience gained from years of running your business, as well as your credibility, good name, and customer list, and start anew from square one what would you do? Oh, and did I mention that you had a nice check to fund it all this time so you won’t have to scrimp and save and bootstrap your way back to the top?

Here’s why I’m posing this question: a few weeks ago a young business here in Huntsville was destroyed by fire. It was a devastating loss for the owners who could do nothing but stand by and watch as years of hard work went up in flames.

The fire destroyed the building, some equipment and inventory. The business was insured and the owners have already vowed to rebuild, which means the fire did not destroy the business itself, only the physical aspects of it.

Brick and mortar and inventory do not a business make. Brick and mortar house the business. Inventory brings the business revenue, but the heart of the business – the spirit and soul and purpose – lives inside the entrepreneur building that business. If the entrepreneur survives and rebuilds, so survives the business.

Starting over can be tough even with an insurance check to fund it all, but I hope these entrepreneurs understand that this is an opportunity to take the lessons learned over the last few years and put them to work for the future. This is a chance to do all the things they always talked about that they should have done differently in the beginning.

So back to the original question: if you could go back and rebuild your business knowing what you know now, with an insurance check to fund it, what would you do differently and what would you do the same?

Let me put it into perspective for you. Imagine building your dream home and living in it for a few years until one day the house is destroyed by fire. A devastating loss, no doubt, but no one is injured and everything is insured.

You now have to make a decision; will you build the exact same house or build a different house that takes into account all the things you wanted to change about the old house.

Maybe after living there for a few years you discovered that you should have put in a downstairs bathroom or added more closet space in the master bedroom. Maybe the kitchen was too small or the laundry room too large. Now you have the chance to rebuild your dream home with all the lessons learned from years of living in the house.

So to these entrepreneurs who are living this experience, I encourage you to keep the faith and keep looking toward the future. I understand that you felt completely helpless watching that fire engulf the building. I know that you are now mourning the business as if you’d lost a close friend. But please, keep in mind that disaster gives rise to opportunity.

Rise from the ashes, become the Phoenix. Rebuild your business into something truly amazing. We’ll all be with you as you do.

Tim Knox
Entrepreneur, Author
"Everything I Know About Business I Learned From My Mama"

Search Engine Basics

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Sun, 11 May 2008 22:39:00 +0000

It is the search engines that finally bring your website to the public, those who are searching for something that you have or can get for them. Therefore, it is to your advantage to know how these search engines actually work and how they present information to the customer initiating the search.

Search Engines use spiders to index websites. When you submit your website pages to a search engine by completing their required submission page, the search engine spider will index your entire site. A 'spider' is an automated program that is run by the search engine system. "Spidey" visits a web site then reads the content on the actual site, notes the site's Meta-tags and also follows the links that the site connects to. The spider then returns all that information back to a central depository where the data is indexed. Spidey will visit each link you have on your website and index those sites as well. Some spiders will only index a certain number of pages on your site, so don't create a website with 500 pages!

The spider will periodically return to the sites to check for any information that has changed. The frequency with which this happens is determined by the moderators of the search engine.

A spider is almost like a book containing the table of contents including the actual content and the links and references for all the websites that it finds during its search. It may index up to a million pages a day.

When you ask Google to locate information, it is actually searching through the index which it has created and not actually searching the Web and it will tell you how long it took to search for the information you requested. Different search engines produce different rankings because not every search engine uses the same algorithm to search through the indices. As Google appears to be the fastest, it is the most popular.

One of the things that a search engine algorithm scans for is the frequency and location of keywords on a web page, but it can also detect artificial keyword stuffing or spam-dexing. Then the algorithms analyze the way that pages link to other pages in the Web. By checking how pages link to each other, an engine can both determine what a page is about, if the keywords of the linked pages are similar to the keywords on the original page.

Obsidian Gray

Death By The Numbers

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Tue, 06 May 2008 18:08:00 +0000

For some reason, mortality struck me as a subject for a post and a little research brought to light some amazing facts and numbers. Bear with me for a bit.

Death comes to everyone. Someone you know will die. Check that, EVERYONE you know will die, including you and me.

- How many Americans die every year? Over 2,420,000.* Of that number, roughly 40% die suddenly. To put that in perspective, 2,600 Americans woke up yesterday expecting to live for a long time to come, but today, they have passed away.

- How do people die?
Heart disease is America’s No 1 killer, taking one life every 35 seconds. Cancer causes one death every 56 seconds. There are other reasons, daily:

In a hospital: 250 die from a medical error, procedure or a lethal infection.
Transport: 119 die in a vehicle accident (all types.)
Poisoning: 53 are accidentally poisoned.
At home: 49 are killed in an accident at home.
Falls: 47 are killed in a fall every day
Homicide: 44 are murdered every day
Drowning: 9 people are drowned every day
All the above are DAILY!
* Source: National Vital Statistics Report, 2006.

- According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than three million men, women, and children died on America's roads and highways in the Twentieth Century. Five times as many Americans were killed on our highways as were killed in all the wars ever fought, ever since the US Constitution was ratified. For the past two decades, an average of 40,000 people died on America’s roadways. When ranked by specific ages, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for ages 3 to 6 and 8 to 34.

In 2006, 42,642 people died on America's roadways, 13,478 in alcohol-related crashes. California, Florida and Texas lead the way in state fatality tolls, averaging almost 3,700 victims per year between them. Also, in 2006, it was reported that 1.2 MILLION people lost their lives on highways Worldwide.

Wars and Massacres* play their part as well. Some of the numbers of history are amazing. Here are but a few:

- Leningrad, World War II (900 Days: 8 Sept. 1941-27 Jan. 1944) 850,000 Total number of soldiers and civilians who perished: 1.6M-2.0M ( or approx. 2,300/day.)
- Somme, World War I (1 July-18 Nov. 1916): 306,000 with 20,000 killed on the first day.
- Kuwait, Gulf War (24-27 Feb. 1991): 1,500-9,500 Iraqi soldiers killed in country; The US lost 147 killed in battle and the British lost 47 soldiers.
- D-Day (6 June, 1944) alone: 2,500 Allied KIA, including 1,465 USA and 340 Canadian soldiers.
- Iraq War 4,070 US KIA as of Apr. 2008. (Unofficial.)

Massacres
- Auschwitz, Poland 1,200,000-1,500,000 victims, of which 800,000-1,100,000 were Jews
- Manila, Philippines (massacre of civilians by Japanese: Nov. 1944-Feb. 1945): 100.000 men, women and children.
- Hiroshima, Japan (nuclear strike by US: 6 Aug. 1945): 92,000 souls.
- 9/11/2001: Total: 3,018, not incl. 19 hijackers on 4 planes
*Source: Twentieth Century Atlas - Casualty Statistics - Battles and Massacres

Natural disasters also happen world wide, bringing unimaginable statistics with them, the Myanamar (Burma) Cyclone disaster of this week included.

Politicians lament, reporters accuse, blogger's write and people cry out for change, but do you know what?

Death happens. History records. Survivors mourn. Life goes on.

That is the Big Picture as I see it. Except for a Biblical few, everyone who has ever lived on this Rock has died. Everyone that lives today and will live tomorrow, will die. For those who believe in the Rapture, those numbers might change, but for the most part, you can count on death. It is a sure thing.

The moral? Kiss and hug your loved one when you leave for the day. Don't go to sleep with an issue unresolved between you and another. If you are of Faith, understand what Eternity means. If you are of Faith, there is nothing to fear except maybe, the means of what is coming.

Romans 6:23 sums it up for me - (CEV) Sin pays off with death. But God's gift is eternal life given by Jesus Christ our Lord.

To Try

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:40:00 +0000

“Everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on this earth to climb. You may never reach the summit; for that you will be forgiven. But if you don’t make at least one serious attempt to get above the snow-line, years later you will find yourself lying on your deathbed, and all you will feel is emptiness.” - Huch Macleod

Changes

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:39:00 +0000

Some thoughts.

For the people that are still waiting for the clocks to stop when the New Millennium arrives, get over it. We are less than two years away from the end of the 1st DECADE of the New Millennium and this Millennium seems to be clicking along just like the previous Millennium ended.

For the Gloom and Doom crowd. Yes, I will concur that we live in a challenging economic period. That which we have grown accustomed to is changing and we are not prepared for the economic struggle that seems to be charging down on us.

Desk Logic

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:16:00 +0000

What a mess... my desk I mean. I've several books lying around that I AM going to read. Books like "Cash Machine for Life" and "The Millionaire Maker" by Loral Langemeier and "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki. "The Adsense Code" by Joel Comm and "Make a Fortune Promoting Other People's Stuff Online" by Rosalind Garnder are within arms length. I have several more lying about our living room. I am really going to get to them, I am. I am.

Probably not.

I'll never get to them. At least not right away. I spend my days in a dizzying array of tasks. All important but all take up time that should be spent on other tasks.
Take today, a day like any other day. I generally start out by listening to a Bible passage or a chapter read by Max McLean on Bible Gateway. Today, I chose all four chapters of Colossians, ESV. For no reason, just because.

After that, actually during, on to Twitter. Twitter is amusing and is chocked full of information, some of which will eventually find its way into and onto this Blog. There is lots of just Twit as well but it is quick and easy to sort through. While reading, I usually try to listen to something constructive. Erik Cloud, a top Vemma sales person recorded several presentations relating to his success and I've been listening to him today.

Next, I'll check out my Yahoo! account. I have several emails but the one that is my "main" one is on Yahoo! To many in the inbox usually but a few are useful. And I love getting email from my Beautiful Bride too.

A quick scan through Monster Jobs, Career Builder, Yahoo! Hot Jobs and the local employment websites let me know if there are any prospective W2 opportunities nearby. Dismal today. I need Dan Miller's creative job search tools I guess. "48 Days to the Work You Love" is in my library. I need to devour it I think.

I generally gather ideas for what I want to write about next. While I may have a general idea, a check of Google Adwords will sometimes help out. Or maybe I'll check out the major newspaper websites for headlines. Fox News, Drudge and others. Today I also went to www.ustream.tv to see what is happening. When I signed in, there were over 600 live "shows" on, amazing. I watched one fellows' take on the forthcoming NFL Draft for a minute or two. Yesterday, I watched Joel Comm and Dan Nickerson field and answer questions from ustreamers, myself included. It was way cool!

Anyway, other than my messy desk, I really didn't find anything out of the ordinary to write about today. I try to stay away from politics or religion or conspiracy theories, you can read about that anywhere. I may throw in an opinion occasionally but that is why this is my blog.

So, I'm going to organize my desk and put some of the books in the shelves for future use. keeping one or two within arms reach though. Now if I can sort out all of these notebooks and notepads, then I might really feel like I accomplished something today.

Original Thought

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:17:00 +0000

Blogging. I love it and I hate it too. Well, I can't say I hate it but it perplexes me to some degree.

My question is, do any of us have an original thought anymore? Google is a case in point, type almost anything into the search bar and Google will find what you are looking for in most cases or at least determine what you are looking for. Isn't that amazing?

Check out your local Barnes & Noble or Borders stores, you find hundreds and thousands of books on every conceivable subject. There is no way you can read them all of course, but if you glance into a few, you can glean some info or ideas from the writing. That info stays with you, if you use it someday, can it be considered an original idea anymore?

I am an information junkie. I cannot get enough of it, no matter the subject. But what should I do with it? I need to share it but am I plagiarizing? Such a perplexing thought.

I expect I'll keep writing and sharing. If I ever use a thought or phrase that you might have heard before, well, just go with it.

Perplexing.

The Illness

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:44:00 +0000

Where have I been? According to the Dashboard, I haven't been here since February 14, how rude to leave you in the lurch, I'll try to not let that happen again.

In my minimal defense, I was ill for a bit, almost two weeks. I had an interview for an Automotive Sales Consultant Position with a fine local livery on a Thursday and fell ill almost immediately after with the Influenza, shared locally by countless others. I spent most of the following week in a prone position, in and out of any sense of life as someone who is otherwise healthy would know it.

My fever broke on the sixth day and whatever I had promptly turned into Pneumonia. Breathing deeply was not possible, it was as if my lungs were filled with Jell-O, and my cough and wheeze would have reminded you of a much more elderly fellow on suffering from a more serious lung ailment. (Well, in my own mind, that is what you would have thought, I'm sure of it.)

A trip to the Urgent Care Center to share most of the Sunday with a room full of others in suffering eventually led to a Z-Pack prescription along with Codine-laced Robitussin Cough Formula that seemed to do the deed. I was feeling much better as I popped the last pill four days later. I think I finally snapped out of my illness induced stupor on February 27th, almost two weeks since the bug's birth. Probably as ill as I have been in a while.

I forgot to mention that while under the spell of Pneumonia, I completely lost my voice. That was very comical, frustrating but comical.

So, by the miracles of modern medicine, lots of fluids, bedrest, a very understanding Bride, a few Z-Pack meds, some Codine-laced and regular Robitussin and an undetermined amount of Ibuprofen, I have recovered. I still have coughing spells and I must retreat to the Puff's box occasionally to stop deluge out of my sinuses, but my strength and stamina are returning to pre-bug state.

I will return to a more regular time frame to keep you up-to-date on the happenings in my world but I again apologize for letting the time go by. None of us are promised tomorrow but it is nice to share today with you.

Interview No More

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 17:07:00 +0000

I've had some interesting interviews throughout my time as a W-2 worker. I've been hired on the spot and I've been told in an interview that I wasted my time coming in. I've even had a flat tire on the way to an interview. Really, I did.

My ultimate dream or quest is to start my own entity, work from home and watch the mailman fill up my mailbox.

Um, with checks instead of bills that is. All the "Guru's" say it can be done. I'm ready for that, let's get it rolling.

So I'm searching, applying and waiting.

At least I don't have to interview.

Like A Rock

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 13:28:00 +0000

This is from the Associated Press, a new record for longevity?

Associated Press
February 1, 2008

MEDFORD, Wis. - Frank Oresnik is on the verge of making history driving his old standby — the pickup truck he says is about to pass the 1 million mile mark.

Oresnik took the 1991 Chevrolet Silverado to the Oil Ex-Change Quick Lube in Medford on Thursday for what he expects will be its last oil change and tuneup before hitting the magic number. He said the truck is 1,200 miles from a million, and once he hits the mark he will retire the vehicle.

"I feel almost like the longtime NFL player as he goes into his last training camp knowing this is the end," Oresnik said.

He credits proper maintenance and a good measure of luck for allowing the truck to rack up so many miles. He said he's had more than 300 oil changes and tuneups at the Medford business, going in every 3,000 miles.

The truck has had four radiators, three gas tanks, five transmissions and six water pumps, but the engine has never been overhauled, Oresnik said. He bought the Silverado in June 1996 after the original owner put 41,000 miles on it. Oresnik uses the vehicle to deliver seafood in three states, putting on about 85,000 miles a year.

I'm impressed. I'd love to here from you. How far have your vehicles gone?

Team Building

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:29:00 +0000

Do you kow that the term "Self-made" is untrue? We hear about self-made millionaires for example, it just isn't so. For the individual to get from Point A to Point B, the individual had to amass a team of support people ranging from house cleaners to high power CPA's. Let's take a look at how this is done.

Sometimes you don’t have the ability conduct team building strategies from the point of a business startup. When a new business is launched the owner has a couple of choices when it comes to filling available positions within the company. Your first choice is an obvious path of least resistance. In this scenario you simply place a classified ad in the biggest regional newspaper in your area and you find the most willing individual that has skills that are the closest to matching your job description. There is nothing wrong with this approach, but you don’t always get a team oriented staff this way. The second approach may be a bit more costly and require more time and attention to recruiting. In this second approach you work statewide, nationally or even internationally to find the key players that will develop a team. These individuals may possess skills necessary for the job, but more importantly they will likely be a good fit for the overall team concept. Where the second approach is not in place the primary view of the job is simply a staff of underlings that report to an overseer who dictates what they will do, how they will do it and when they will have it done – no staff input required. In this scenario the only person that may be enjoying himself or herself would be the boss and even then it is doubtful. You see there is something liberating about pulling a group of motivated team members together. When you work to ensure everyone is on the same page and willing to work together to forge something altogether new you will discover the passion your team may have for the core idea and principles of the organization. Team building is becoming an art form for many businesses. The old saying, “Many hands make light the load,” doesn’t always address the fact that when the ‘many hands’ are happy the load becomes even less of a burden and more a game day adventure. It’s probably safe to say that most of us have had jobs where we feel like no one wants our input and we are simply allowed to retain a job at the express will of the boss and in direct proportion to our willingness to conduct ourselves in a manner similar to servants. We have no passion for the job and the thought of a collaboration exists only in taking out the trash or moving office furniture. Perhaps the lack of team building is the reason overall job satisfaction continues to decline. It may also explain why home-based and ecommerce business has seen a sharp rise in alternative personal finance. Ultimately from both the employer’s and the employee’s perspective team building is a dynamic that can both improve job satisfaction and increase productivity. These can happen, but it requires businesses brave enough to change the way they think about their employees and the role those employees have in relation to the ongoing success of a company every team member is passionate about

Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur.

Ethics, Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (gw3) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:23:00 +0000

I am passionate about information. I love to do research, even if it is meaningless to anyone else. But this particular post might be meaningful to someone, how about you?

Every business needs to have a unique selling position(USP)...something that makes them unique from the competition. There are a multitude of different unique selling positions you could make, and we will explore some of them in a future article. But the First(and in my opinion the Best) way to get people to do business with you is to Personalize your business. What do I mean by that? Well, let's look at some examples of what I call "personalization"

1) Kentucky Fried Chicken-Actually, they have used 2 USPs. First, they used personalization with Col Harlan Sanders. It was "Colonel Sanders Kentucky Fried Chicken" with a logo of the gray headed and bearded Colonel at every resturaunt, on every bucket of chicken, on every cup of soda, etc. The second USP was the slogan "the Colonels secret blend of 11(or 18 or whatever it was) herbs and spices." Again, they made it personal.

2) Wendys Hamburgers-Originally, the red-haired Wendy was the daughter of the founder of Wendys-Dave Thomas. However, that did NOT really do the job of selling the product. When Wendys needed to really boost sales, they had Dave Thomas, the down home, slow talking "regular" guy, appear in the commercials. Dave Thomas and his picture started appearing in more and more Wendys restaraunts and the sales kept climbing.

3) Chrsyler and Lee Iacocca-When Chrysler was facing bankruptcy, their new CEO took the bull by the horns. He immediately dropped his salary to $1 per year and started appearing in ads for the new Chrysler models. He also got involved in things like restoring the Statue of Liberty and other humanitarian efforts. Whatever Iacocca did, it became news! And any time you thought of him, you thought of Chrysler. Needless to say, Sales skyrocketed and Lee Iacocca was considered a marketing genius. He also made himself millions of dollars by exercising stock options that he was given in light of the way he turned Chrysler around.

4) Maytag and the lonely repairman-You can not get much more basic than a washer and dryer. It is just a basic commodity. How can you make selling that unique? Maytag had a brilliant concept-create a repairman that has nothing to do(because, they want you to reason, the product is so good it never breaks down.) Obviously, this is not a real person, but a concept, almost subconcous, that makes you think you must buy a Maytag if you do not want to spend money on repairs.

5) Mcdonalds-They have lots of USPs but the personalized one I want to talk about is Ronald Mcdonald. Again, like the Maytag repairman, he is a fictional character, but he is a clown (happy, fun) and he does good things, like run the Ronald Mcdonald House for charity. Ronald appeals to children and encourages them to want a "happy meal." Burger King has attempted to copy this, but their "King" is just a guy with a mask, so you can NOT see his face move when he talks. In MY opinion, this is really dumb on the part of Burger King. They should get a "real" person or just forget the idea.

6) Ken Nugent-"One call, that's all"- Ken Nugent is a real attorney, but he has satelite offices in many major cities. Ken may not even be practicing law anymore, but he is the personalization of a network of law firms. Many people do not like the idea of meeting with a lawyer, especially a stranger. Ken Nugent has put a face to lawyers everywhere. Now they can call and talk to "Ken." This is really a brialliant marketing strategy.

There are countless other examples, but I think the 6 listed give us a good foundation to prove that personalizaton works.

How can You use it in your home business or internet business? Start by asking yourself the questions that your potential customer will ask. Do I want to do business with a nameless corporation? Do I want to be regarded as a number instead of as a person?

What happens if I need a product replaced or even a total refund? How I "personalize" everything I do To answer those questions, I realize that people want to do business with a person-not a "company."
For that reason, in my business, every business card, every website, every blog, EVERY resource of my business has my name, picture, phone number, and address. That does two things: 1) First of all, it lets people know I am a REAL person. They can see what I look like, call me on the phone or even know what part of the country I live in. It shows that I am not a stranger and I am, hopefully, on the way to becoming a friend. 2) Because my name is on everything, it helps me avoid the temptation to take shortcuts! In other words, since I do value my reputation, you can be darn sure that I will do everything I can to make sure my customers are completely satisfied when doing business with me. Conversely, a lot of shabby internet marketers hide behind a P O Box and use automated phone services. I may use these as well, but I am also using my REAL name and picture and not hiding behind a false address.

What this means to you is since the internet can be a cold, impersonal tool, I strongly suggest you do everything you can to make it more warm and friendly. I suggest that you include your picture, your personality and your individuality into your internet business. Don't just be one of the numbers. Be the unique individual that you are! And, if you provide a good service at a good price, I am sure you also will not just be an internet marketer, but you will become a wealthy marketer as well!