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At 5:09 a.m. on October 9, 2009, the White House staff received an email message from the White House Situation Room, which monitors worldwide events around the clock. The subject line of the message read “item of interest.”

Soon after, the White House was abuzz with excitement. President Barack Obama was awakened immediately by a telephone call from Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, and was said to have been “very surprised” on hearing that he has been declared the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009.

This decision to confer the peace prize was taken much earlier, somewhere during the middle of the night, but the Nobel committee did not tell the President before the announcement, and the chairman said, “Waking up a president in the middle of the night, this isn’t really something you do.”

Amidst cries of it happening too soon, the President agreed to accept the Nobel Peace Prize that the Norwegian Nobel Committee decided to confer on him.  He said that he was “surprised and deeply humbled” by this decision to award him the peace prize. According to the committee, it honored Obama for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people,” but the President said that he views it more as a “call to action” rather than recognition of his accomplishments.

This decision took everyone by surprise, including the reporters who gasped when this was announced by the chairman of the Nobel committee, and in his words, “Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future.”

Is this happening too soon and does he deserve it? Is it more of a burden for the President than glory? These are the questions being raised from all quarters.

Obama is the fourth US president to win this prestigious prize and the third president in sitting to do so.  The other sitting American presidents were Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, Woodrow Wilson in 1919 and Jimmy Carter in 2002.

Republicans feel he won this more for his oratorical skills and star power than for any achievements. Chairman of the Republican National Committed said, “The real question Americans are asking is, ‘What has President Obama actually accomplished?’”  The Democrats also privately wonder if he deserved it.

While most world leaders expressed surprise, former Nobel peace laureates were more tolerant and viewed it as an encouragement for President Obama to handle all the issues he has been discussing on world stage. They feel this will work as a reminder and prod Obama along when he hits any hurdles on his path towards peace.

The Nobel committee in Norway reiterated that its decision was solely based on Obama’s efforts toward nuclear disarmament as well as American engagement with the world relying more on dialogue and diplomacy. According to the chairman, “The question we have to ask is who has done the most in the previous year to enhance peace in the world.  And who has done more than Barack Obama?”

The President will travel to Oslo to accept the award on Dec 10 and will donate the $1.4 million prize money to charity.  There have been people who thought that respect for the President would have increased by leaps and bounds if he did not accept this prize.

The President himself was not convinced and said, “To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who have been honored by this prize, men and women who’ve inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.”

Observers note that Obama did generate a lot of goodwill overseas, and became hugely popular.  He has vowed to pursue a world with no nuclear weapons; reached out to the Muslims; sought to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.  But all this is just in the beginning stages, as he had to concentrate on the economic crisis and other domestic problems first.

Obama’s supporters hope that the prestige of being a Nobel peace laureate strengthens the president’s hand in the health care reform debate. They are of the opinion that in a world where people were pushed around by the Bush administration, this peace prize seems to be wrapped in gratitude for his willingness to listen and negotiate, as well as taking a stand on nuclear disarmament and climate change.

Spinning is the favorite tool of these criminals. Since humans live on hope, they are sold hopes and dreams through lies. It is a common thing for accountants of companies to employ several tricks to dupe auditors, but one trick that was much talked about involves using women.

Sam Antar

As a former CPA and former Chief Financial Officer for Crazy Eddie, Inc.; Sam Antar had become (in)famous in the 1980s for masterminding one of the largest securities frauds of its time, which shaved investors off by hundreds of millions of dollars.  Many lost their life savings, some lost their careers, cost creditors lost hundreds of millions of dollars and overall was responsible for immeasurable suffering of thousands of people, including shareholders, creditors, financial analysts, employees, public accounting firms, Wall Street firms etc.  The fraud hit so many people that Antar was called, “the Darth Vader of Capitalism,” by US Attorney Michael Chertoff.

Compared to today’s frauds which go into billions of dollars, the fraud at Crazy Eddie may seem small; however, it was much more outrageous than most frauds committed during those years because it went on for 18 long years (1969-1987), and it used multiple methods.

Antar used several complicated accounting tricks, but one of the simple methods used by him was to pair hot female employees with young male auditors who were in their 20s. He later said, “These auditors from the Big Four accounting firms are usually single kids just a few years out of school. What do kids in their 20s think about all the time? Sex. In effect, I was a fraudster, matchmaker and pimp.”

In Sam Antar’s words, “We committed crime simply because we could. Criminologists like to analyze white collar crime in terms of the ‘fraud triangle’ — incentive, opportunity, and rationalization. We had no rationalization. Simply put the incentive and opportunity was there, but the morality and excuses were lacking. We never had one conversation about morality during the 18 years that the fraud was going on.”

Eventually Antar took full responsibility for his actions and to avoid jail time, worked with the U.S. government, and now has taken up a position as advisor to the government agencies and other businesses on avoiding accounting fraud.

Accounting Scams of Today

The current financial crisis has seen several such accounting scams, including the Bernard Madoff scheme, which is a multi-billion dollar fraud.  But Bernie Madoff may just be the tip of the iceberg with the unraveling of several such frauds.

Accounting firm, KPMG, another of the Big Four accounting firms (with Ernst, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu being the other three), had its Executive siphon as much as $900,000 of the company funds for personal use.  Ernst & Young had one of its Hong Kong executives detained by police because of evidence of false audit documents came to fore in a court case.

According to a former FBI accounting fraud investigator, “There’s always an uptick in fraud activity when the economy goes down.  It’s like the ocean going out and you can see everything that was hidden under water.”

The Need for Accounting Education

Antar feels that reform has to start with accounting education. He says, “The kids who are out on the front lines of auditing, they know nothing about people like me.  It is easy to fool them.” He wrote in one of his posts, “Accounting students must take separate in-depth courses in criminology, securities laws, internal controls, insurance/risk management, and other ‘real experience’ areas they require for the fieldwork they will encounter on audits.”

Key Elements In Fraud Cases

In spite of there being millions of ways to commit fraud, the key elements in most employee fraud cases are found to be incentive, opportunity and rationalization.

Incentive – A deeper look into the whole thing reveals that while greed is the main incentive, there are other strong incentives, such as gambling debts, drug usage, infidelity or just ego. There have been cases where fraud was conducted just to satisfy the psyche, and not for monetary reasons.

Opportunity – This is when an employee feels that there is a lesser chance of being caught and this happens in private companies where there are less internal checks and controls rather than in public limited companies.

Rationalization – The white-collar criminal consoles their conscience and rationalizes his or her behavior, usually when there exist internal problems such as downsizing or overworking.

Antar says accounting fraud is all about “distraction,” like diverting the auditors’ attention with attractive young females.  He says, “It’s like David Copperfield, it’s an illusion … I want you to look over here so you don’t see what I’m doing over there.”

Another tactic is “delay.” If the auditors have five weeks to do the audit, the fraudster’s goal would be to leave 80% of the work till the last minute, so that the auditors feel rushed.

According to another white-collar fraudster, accounting fraud means understanding the difference between truth and accuracy.  He said that every financial statement he has ever created was completely accurate – but not truthful.

One of the best ways of detecting fraud is said to be by asking questions and if someone gets offended in the process when asked a question about verification, then something is wrong there. Honest people do not get offended when asked to verify something official.The one good thing that came out of the financial crisis was that several people were being trained to detect this fraud. Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, a US based company, trains accountants in fraud investigation, and 10,000 of its 47.000 members joined last year alone. Could this be the beginning to the end of white-collar fraud?

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The Group of Twenty (G-20) is a forum of central bank governors and finance ministers of the biggest industrialized and developing economies created to discuss key issues affecting the global economy.  The G-20 countries account for two-thirds of the population in the world, 80% of world trade and 90% of global GDP.

Reason for forming the G-20

In the year 1997 and 1998, the Asian financial crisis led to fear of an economic meltdown globally and the need for a platform to discuss these issues and look into the improvement was felt by world leaders.  Thus, in 1999, the G-20 was created in response to this need.

How does the G-20 work?

Although, there are no criteria for membership, the group has nineteen of the world’s largest economies as members. Along with the G-7 industrialized nations, the group also consists of emerging economies like India, China, Brazil, Russia, South Korea, South Africa, Argentina, Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Australia.  The last member (20^th) is the European Union, where the country holding the current EU presidency acts as its representative at the G-20.   Right now, it is the Czech Republic that holds the presidency.

Apart from this group of twenty, the World Bank and the IMF also attend G-20 meetings.

The first meeting was held in the year 1999 and the chairmanship rotates each year, with Britain heading the G-20 for 2009.

How the G-20 has evolved

G-20, as we have seen was formed in a crisis situation to discuss ways of averting a global meltdown.  Over the years, the range of issues discussed have increased, with the inclusion of domestic reforms, commodity markets, global energy resources, clean energy and a host of others.

In 2008, at the Washington summit, there was yet another change introduced, where along with the central bank governors and finance ministers, a leader level meeting was also conducted to discuss the financial crisis of 2008.  The Washington summit was followed by the London summit on April 2, 2009.

Details of the London Summit

With the current global economy in the dumps, the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President, Nicolas Sarkozy took the initiative and asked for the meeting, to discuss this pressing issue.  They had also invited Thailand, which is the chairman of Asean (the Association of South East Asian Nations) and Ethiopia, which is the chairman of Nepad (the New Partnership for Africa’s Development).

Although, there were huge expectations from the London summit; locally, it is being seen more as an attempt by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, to boost his popularity at home. Critics are also not convinced of Brown’s stand that it is an initiative for the leaders of world’s major economies and important institutions to discuss and take the necessary action to stabilize the world economy and secure jobs.

Commitments to strengthen the financial system and resources of around 1.1 trillion dollars to support jobs and growth across the world, were made at the London Summit.

G-20’s future issues

With the world economy and financial markets facing serious global challenges and the severity of ongoing uncertainties, there is need for urgent action.  The G-20 is now driving forward to work between advanced and emerging economies to handle this crisis situation sensibly, restore financial stability worldwide and lead the international economic recovery. To be able to secure the future of all countries, it is important to identify and understand the root causes of the current international financial crisis to ensure this does not repeat again in the future.

Another agenda on the G-20 to-do list is the long-term issue of climate change.  The main challenge for the G-20 was financing the global carbon emission reductions and helping developing nations that are worst affected by the climate change.  Poor nations asked for funds to help them develop sustainability to the expected increase in warming.  The question remains as to what the world leaders will think of this.   Countries like the US and Japan are doing their best to combat this.  In the US, tighter energy efficiency standards are being passed and in Japan, deep emission cuts are being pledged.   But there is not much time left. Environmentalists hoping for some sort of a concrete action on climate change remain disappointed, and G-20 has a big task on its hands.

G-20 is the coming together of the nations to collectively look into the needs of the world today and find solutions to key issues.

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Whether you’re leasing an office for several employees or running a business from home and you simply want an additional phone line, choosing a small business phone service is a big decision. That’s not because it’s likely to be your biggest expense, but because it’s potentially a decision you’ll be stuck with for a while depending on your phone company’s contract.

To help you make the right decision the first time, here are some things you should consider when choosing a small business phone service:

1. Do you really need a full-service package? – If you only work with local clients, it might save you money to sign up for a small business phone service tailored to local or regional calls. You’ll pay extra for long-distance calls, but you save money in the end over a package featuring unlimited long distance.


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2. Do you only need phone services? – Many small business phone services these days offer much more than calling services. For example, you can get business voicemail for each of your employees, DSL if you want to get Internet service through the same company, and even television services to compete with cable (while it might not apply to many small businesses, you might want to consider it for an employee break room).
3. Is VoIP an option? – VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) telephone services operate through your Internet connection. VoIP phone services can save money on your monthly bill, but the quality of the calls might be slightly less predictable (and it won’t be available in all areas). Another benefit is that you can use a VoIP phone service to get a phone number in a different location (such as a nearby metropolitan area where many of your customers are as opposed to a number in your small suburb).
4. Do you need a toll-free number? – If you expect to receive a large volume of phone calls from customers or prospective customers, you might want to have a toll-free number available to them (especially if you’re asking your leads to call you instead of vice versa). With a toll-free number, you pay for the incoming calls, but the calls are free to your customers.
5. What kind of in-office phone services do you need? – Forget about making outgoing calls for a minute. Do your employees need to be able to reach each other easily internally? If so, you’ll need to make sure your small business phone service is equipped with adequate extension, intercom, or other capabilities to help employees keep in touch.
6. Do you need business mobile phone services? – You can either have typical small business land line services and additional mobile phone services for employees, or you could operate on a strictly mobile phone basis. Going all-mobile could be a good solution for a home-based business if you don’t want to have a second phone line installed (or if you rent and aren’t allowed to have another phone line installed).
7. Will your business expand? – Even if you’re starting out with just one or two employees, think about the foreseeable future. Will the phone company you’re considering now be able to provide the services you’ll need when your team expands, or will you be stuck shopping for a new small business phone service all over again?
8. What kind of technical support is available? – A small local phone company could be worse than a larger phone company when it comes to technical support, because they might have fewer support reps available. Then again, if your larger area phone company is known for less-than-ideal customer service wait times (which isn’t unusual), a smaller company might cater more to your needs. Look for a phone company that offers dedicated support staff for business customers, so you don’t have to compete for their time with residential customers as well.
9. Do you need to choose your own phone number? – While many telephone companies will allow you to choose your own phone number for your business (from available numbers obviously), some smaller phone companies might not. If you need a vanity number so you can market the phone number more easily (think of 1-800-FLOWERS as an example), you might want to make sure you’ll have the option to choose your own number.
10. Do you need access to call recording? – Not all telephone companies will offer you access to call recording for your business. In those cases you would have to rely on a third party system, or hardware, to record your business calls. Either way, if you plan to record business phone calls, review your state law first. Laws vary across the U.S. — in some states both parties must know and accept that the call is being recorded for it to be legal, and in other states only one party (your business for example) has to be aware. Call recording can be a valuable service though for anyone from writers (who might want to record interviews for news stories) to any kind of customer service call center.

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Here’s one last thing to consider: If you work independently or have a small staff, and you know you won’t be able to handle all incoming calls yourself, you might want to look into outsourcing some or all of your calls to an answering service company. Their reps will take your calls for you (even if only when your own line is busy or if it’s after-hours), and pass along any messages to you. You can even outsource full call centers if you need to (an option if you’re running a small company selling products to consumers for example).

On the surface, all small business phone services can start to look alike. The best way to choose the right one for your own business is to write down a checklist of all of the features your business needs and wants, as well as your budget. Then review the plans from phone service providers in your area side-by-side, checking off the features from your list that they do and don’t have. With any luck, you’ll find at least one phone company that can give you what you need within your budget.

There are various things they can do, such as walking dogs for the neighbours, delivering newspapers, mowing lawns, or setting up stands selling lemonade.  But before letting them go ahead with anything, you have to be sure your child is ready to work and has the time.

Here are just a few things they can do:

Lemonade Stand

This can be ideal for kids during their summer vacation.  They can set up a lemonade stand and sell freshly squeezed lemonade.  It does not have to be anything big, just a simple stand will do the trick.

The only problem with kids is that they think they can handle everything on their own, which may not be possible with the number of unscrupulous elements out there.  It is important for an adult to be present around the children, while not interfering in what they are doing.

This is a wonderful way of teaching the value of money.  They will soon learn how to make a profit. It can also be a good lesson in math, counting money, checking the investment and calculating the profit for the day, to come up with the net profit.

Parents should leave it to the children to decide on the details of their lemonade stand project.  Make it seem like a real business, which is what it is, and buy a couple of lemonades to see if they’ve got the formula right.  If the sales are not good, parents can offer suggestions and tips to better them.

Car Washing

Washing cars is something an older kid can do with ease.  You child can get together a few friends to wash cars in the local area. In addition to this, they can even combine it with the above mentioned lemonade stand and serve customers while they wait for their cars to be washed.   Check out the other car washing services in the area and price competitively.

Dog Walking

For safety reasons, this is not for the younger kids, but the older ones can take this up as a small business.  They can walk dogs for people in the neighbourhood.  There is always a need for people who are not able to take their dogs out for a variety of reasons.

Kids can advertise their services by posting flyers in the neighbourhood or even putting the flyers in the mailboxes.

If, as a parent, you are concerned about your kid’s safety, you can ensure they only walk the smaller dogs and the well-behaved ones.  It will not be difficult to find such dogs.  This sort of business can be easy to follow through in apartment complexes.

Parents can help the child set up the pricing for their services and the timings when they will be able to offer their services.  In fact, many people charge a higher fee for larger dogs as they are not as easy to walk as the smaller ones.

Newspaper Delivery

This is one of the most common businesses for kids.  In fact, many of the local newspapers hire kids to deliver papers.  This is a great way of teaching your kid to be responsible.  This again is for older kids who can go out on their own on their bikes or even on foot.

This may not actually be a small business, but it will certainly get them started on earning money and teach them valuable lessons in money and responsibility.  You don’t have to force your child to wake up in the mornings.  It will become a habit as newspapers are delivered early in the mornings.  Parents can help their child get started initially, but very soon they will be on their own, counting their money.

Whatever the business your child wants to do, it becomes the parents’ duty to ensure the child is safe.  There are certain safety precautions that need to be taken.  It is important to know where your child is at all times and never allow them to go door to door alone.  Another thing to make sure is to not let their business interfere with school work.

Doing something on their own at a young age teaches kids money management and the art of saving money.

The name Blackwater sounds scary enough without mentioning the death squads. Blackwater, which has now been renamed Xe Services LLC, is a U.S. private security firm based in North Carolina. It was one of the security firms engaged after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.  Initially, it also provided training support to law enforcement and military organizations.  The company played an important role during Iraq War, training the police and new army, guarding officials and providing a host of support services to occupation forces; earning over a billion dollars in government contracts.

The connection between Blackwater and CIA goes back a long way.  There have been several senior CIA officers that have worked with this company.  One of them, Ric Prado, who was the chief of Counterterrorism Center, is said to have run the death squad program.

In 2004 the CIA approached Blackwater for reviving its secret death squad operation, which involved capturing and assassinating terrorists.

It is said that Blackwater was capable of undertaking these jobs and offered its services of tracking terrorists, as it had contacts in almost all the “sensitive” regions of the world, such as lawless regions or where the CIA does not have relations with the government.

The death squad program was brought out into the open recently by Leon Panetta, the newly appointed CIA director.  Panetta terminated this program in June and informed the Congress of its existence.  It is said that millions of dollars went into the planning and training of the members of the squad.

The duration of the operation was eight years and during this span of time, it underwent transformation in the hands of different CIA directors. This was initially started by George Tenet, a CIA director during the Bush administration, but it was later canceled as it was felt to be too risky.  It was later revived by Porter Goss, who came after Tenet in 2004.  In 2006, the then CIA director Michael Hayden, converted the program to “intelligence gathering only.”  The program finally died in June, in the hands of the current director, Leon Panetta, who also made it public.

With the news now becoming public knowledge, there have been concerns expressed from different quarters.  Many find it highly inappropriate for the CIA to assign a sensitive task of this nature to Blackwater, which has earned the confidence of the government by taking care of the training and security in regions like Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ever since the emergency briefing by Panetta, there has been a lot of information floating around and it is said that a dozen people were hired to be part of the death squad, and these people were not told by the company that they were working on the project for the CIA.

Although, the plan was revived under Goss in 2004, it was given birth as early as 2001, after the September 11 attacks. CIA sources reveal that they wanted to find an alternative to air strikes, which were potentially dangerous for civilians.

Whatever the reason for choosing Blackwater, rumors abound that it was not the only company hired to capture or kill terrorists.

Early this year, the U.S. State Department has put its foot down and informed Blackwater that the contract in Iraq will not be renewed.  A spokesman for the State Department said, “The department notified Blackwater in writing on January 29 that we do not plan to renew the company’s existing contract for protective security details in Iraq.”  This move comes in the light of Iraq denying a license to Blackwater.  However, Blackwater will continue its services to the U.S. government in the rest of the world.

The House Intelligence Committee is in the process of investigating whether CIA is at fault and has done something illegal in not letting the Congress in on the secret death squad program.

With so many reports doing the rounds, many believe that the complete story is not out yet.  They wonder why CIA had to keep this from the Congress, when the US military has openly tried to catch Osama bin Laden and others “deal or alive,” immediately after the 9/11 tragedy.  We will just have to wait and see how things unfold.

Before you decide that you need a pay hike, sit down and do some self appraisal.  Are you able to fulfill your work obligations well?  Does your employer value your work but resists from letting it reflect in your pay?

It is important to remember that good performance doesn’t go unnoticed.  Working hard, remaining focused and willing to take on any responsibilities within the company are the key to making your boss think about you.

Seek results!  Management experts say that you could still get your boss to give you a raise, even in the current scenario.

Here are a few tips that could pave the way to your pay hike:

Justify a pay hike – You must command a hike and not demand it.  In the current scenario, it’s not enough to fulfill your job requirements.  You will have to show your boss that you’re working much more than what is expected of you.  Is there new business that you brought in or have you been doing the job of two people?

Study the market –  Before asking for a pay raise, find out the market value for similar jobs.  See what your colleagues fulfilling the same responsibilities as you are getting.

Work smarter – An intelligent employee is one who works smarter and not harder. In fact, employers look at this as a positive trait that separates the leaders from the followers.  Employees who make a difference to the company by concentrating on what is most important for the company are those that are looked at favorably by the management, and are kept in mind for any pay increases or bonuses.

Invest your energy wisely - When you join a company, you are given a specific role to play.  This role should be fulfilled to the best of your ability by keeping the company’s goals in mind. Everything you do should be aligned to the goals of the company.  If you know that the company is looking at cutting costs, then that is what you should be working towards, even if you are not told to do so.

Approaching the boss – When approaching your boss for a pay raise, you have to make it seem like a good deal.  You cannot just barge in and ask for an increase.  You can tell your boss that you are looking for a better pay and are willing to take on more responsibilities to justify the raise. Creating extra value works better than simply going up to the boss and asking for extra money.

Discuss the increase politely – When most employees start thinking of a pay hike, it is usually with negative feelings towards the management and with frustration that they are not getting what they deserve – all this, even before approaching the boss.  It is necessary to have a completely positive attitude and arrange for a meeting with the boss, where you discuss this in the most appropriate manner.

There is nothing wrong in asking for a pay rise even in the recession, as long as you know for sure you deserve it.  There are many companies that do give pay raises even in this downturn, because they understand the value of human resources and their need to retain talent at any cost.  They are aware of the young employee mindset, which prompts them to shift jobs easily if they get a better offer.  They know that competitors are always on the prowl, looking to attract the best talent from other companies. You must ensure you are considered essential talent that the company cannot afford to lose.

You are in luck if you happen to be a part of the shortage areas of the labor market, where supply is less than the demand.  Since such people are hard to come by, employers take care of their needs to keep them satisfied.

On the other hand, you, as an employee should also understand that times are tough and you will have to base your decision on your contribution and the company’s current financial status.

Do you have to work longer hours because of all the layoffs in your company? Are you working two jobs to make ends meet? Are you feeling burned out due to financial problems, family needs and busy schedules?

I wouldn’t be surprised if you say yes to all of the above. Who said a mother’s role in the current day was easy?

With most companies being affected by the economic gloom, working mothers are feeling the pressure of having to do the jobs left behind by their laid off colleagues, of having to complete their own jobs to perfection and of having to take care of their family. A mother’s heart never compromises on the time spent at home with the family, but the fear of losing their jobs is making them take on more than they can handle.

But a survey found that there are a large percentage of women who manage to do everything with great aplomb. They manage their time so well, that it could be a great lesson in time management. It makes you wonder how they do it all with days not getting any longer.

These women consider time as the most precious gift and they make best use of it, to be able to balance their home and work responsibilities.

Although, there are no fixed things one needs to do to maintain a balance between work and family, there are a few things these time experts follow, to manage all aspects of their lives perfectly.

If you are a mother who’s having a hard time managing time, look at what others suggest you do:

Relieving stress

Many working women who are able to keep up with the pressures of work and home, and stay happy even with all the running around say they take time out for themselves and indulge in their favorite activities to relieve stress. They block off some time as an appointment on a calendar weekly and follow through on that without fail. You can do this as it helps you take on whatever comes your way during the week and stay motivated.

Maintaining timings and flexible working hours

Manage time by completing tasks by the appointed hour so that you can leave for home. Women must be assertive with their bosses so that your boss does not get used to making demands just when you are above to leave. Tell your boss politely but firmly that the day’s work is over and you would be pleased to complete the remaining tasks the next morning. Once in a while, an exception can be made in case of an emergency, but never make it a habit. Many working women say they manage to get flexible work hours by talking to their bosses and impressing upon them the importance of balancing work and personal life, so that they can give the best to the company. For example, you may ask for flexible hours to arrive a little earlier than the usual working hours and leave earlier).

Sharing responsibilities at home

It is important to divide household responsibilities; such as bill paying, chores, dinner preparation and other work between you and your family members so that every member of the household is involved. You can share responsibilities with your partner so that none of you is over-burdened with all the chores and doing things together will also let you enjoy quality time together, which otherwise may not be possible. Good communication between couples helps each spouse understand the other partner’s feelings and roles. There are not hard and fast rules in a loving environment, just the respect to lessen the other’s responsibilities. Seeing their parents share everything with mutual respect motivates children to do their bit.

Separating personal life from professional

It is not easy for mothers to shift from the role of a professional to that of a mother each and every day. Whatever your work situation and worries, do not bring them home to the kids. Your family needs your undivided attention at least during the few hours you spend with them. It is important to learn to compartmentalize your roles and get completely involved with the kids and your partner when at home. Similarly, be professional enough not to carry your personal life to work. Many women use commuting to their advantage. During the time it takes to get back home from work, they shift gears and make plans for their responsibilities at home. This helps in being in a better frame of mind by the time they reach home. There are others who use this time to relax by reading a book or doing something that takes them away from their demands at home or work.

Lightening the work load

Many working women feel they are capable of doing a lot and take on more than they can handle. If you have staff under you, then learn to delegate and get them used to the fact that you may not be available for every meeting. Once your staff learns to do their jobs perfectly, your stress will be reduced.

The modern educated working woman things she can multitask and do everything for everybody, but this is not the case. No woman can be a super being, she is human after all. In order to provide the best to loved ones and to do justice at work, management of time is extremely crucial. When thousands of working moms all over the world are managing their time most efficiently and leading balanced lives, there is no reason why you as a mom, cannot.

In today’s economic climate, amidst layoffs, downsizing and the general tightening of corporate belts in order to maintain bottom line profit margins, more and more people are choosing to see this as an opportunity to follow their dreams of becoming a small business owner.

Don’t Jump The Entrepreneurial Shark On A Whim

Before quitting your day job there are some important things to consider and take care of long before you even think of launching your own entrepreneurial venture. That said, here are 14 things to think about in advance – some of which seem obvious, but are surprisingly overlooked by new small business owners far & wide.

Narrow Down Your Product/Service Offering

Have you ever heard someone say “Over 90% of small businesses fail?” I hear it all the time. And while I believe numbers and statistics can be easily manipulated to say just about anything, that’s still pretty staggering. Much of that failure can likely be attributed to small businesses having too broad a focus from the start. New small businesses tend to try to generate revenue from virtually any source and, as such, often spread themselves far too thin. Make sure your focus from the start is narrow and specialized to match your skills, goals and business model.  A successful entrepreneur doesn’t shift focus.

Decide On A Company Name

Seems pretty obvious, right? Right. What isn’t so obvious is what goes into creating a brand based on your new company name, or the time that goes into researching a potential company name. Consider these factors when choosing a company name:

• Availability – is any other company anywhere in the United States (or you country of origin) using the same or similar company name? If there is another company using a similar name, but in a completely unrelated industry, you may still want consider it. However, at some point – even if the other company is not in competition with you in any way – there could be some branding issues from an Internet marketing standpoint. It is best to be completely unique whenever possible.
• Market Research – knowing your audience is key. Check out some of the most successful companies you will be in competition with. Is there anything that stands out about them? What are their company names? Do they market using their full company name or a DBA? Corporations spend tons of money researching what will appeal to their target demographic. Whenever you can, take advantage of their investment to gain some insight into the psyche of your market without spending a dime.

Where Will Your Business Be Located?

Again, this seems obvious…but you’d be surprised how many small business owners rent retail, industrial or office space without fully considering what they will need out of the space. You want to make these decisions long before they have the potential to impact your business. Is this a home based business? Do you need a retail location? What is the cost for the space you want to occupy? Will you own, rent, lease to buy?

Will You Have A Staff or Are You On Your Own?

How much of this work are you going to be able to handle on your own from the start? Will you need a full-time staff to meet the demand for your products or services? Will part-time help be sufficient? Who will handle the employment paperwork? Payroll? Recordkeeping? Hiring employees certainly does raise the bar on the level of difficulty for a start up, so great consideration should be given to this issue long before you launch.

Corporate Structure Options

There are a lot of corporate structures that address a variety of business needs. Should you opt for an LLC, a sole-proprietorship, S-corporation, C-corporation? Consult an accountant and/or attorney to help determine which corporate structure will work best for your business.

Establish Your Business Entity

Once you’ve decided on a business name and corporate structure, it’s time to file the paperwork. Can you do it yourself? Sure…but you probably shouldn’t go it completely alone. You could hire an attorney to handle it for you, but that can get a little pricey. There are a variety of companies out there that can help you. The Company Corporation and Legal Zoom are two such companies.

Projecting Sales and Expenses

It’s important to know where you are now and have a plan for moving forward. Estimating your monthly expenses and projecting sales on a cash flow statement is an integral part of the planning for any small business venture. More detailed cash flow statements will be created during the development of the business plan, but having an estimate in mind from the start is important.

Additional things to take into consideration:

• Complete a break-even analysis
• Establish a business-specific bank account
• Business communication system – cell phone, e-mail, VoIP, etc.
• Buy basic necessary equipment – computer, manufacturing, etc.
• Start building a list of potential customers
• Find a graphic/web designer & SEO/Internet Marketing
• Consider your future plans – investor control, your ownership percentage, etc.

Whether you’re a casual business traveler only taking trips for things like industry conferences or you’re a regular business traveler, you probably know about all of the basic business travel products — luggage, laptop bags / briefcases, plugs and adapters, etc. But sometimes the basics aren’t enough. Here are ten cool business travel gadgets and other business travel products you might not have yet.

1. USB Rechargeable Batteries

Do you hate having to carry extra batteries with you when you travel, whether for a camera, cell phone, or something else, just because you can never be sure when you’ll have access to a charger? If so, USB rechargeable batteries might be a perfect business travel product for you. No bulky recharging docks necessary — you just charge the batteries through your laptop or other USB compatible device.

Right now you can only get AA USB rechargeable batteries called USBCELLs, but in the future, USBCELL.com will also be releasing AAA, 9 volt, and cell phone batteries that can be recharged using your USB device.

Credit: USBCELL.com

Credit: USBCELL.com

2. Trackstick

Are you terrible with directions? Does your company want to keep better track of your business travel? In either case, you might want to consider taking a Trackstick with you on your next business trip. These little GPS trackers come in several varieties from personal trackers to pro models. Set them up in your rental car with a clear view of the sky, and your Trackstick will remember your driving routes. Just plug it into a USB port on your laptop if you get lost and need to retrace your steps (the Trackstick exports your GPS data to Google Maps for you), or bring it back to the office so your employer can download and export travel data for company records.

Trackstick Mini - Credit: Trackstick.com

Trackstick II - Credit: Trackstick.com

3. Trace Me Luggage Tracker

Have you ever lost your luggage while traveling for business? Worse, have you ever lost your luggage and not gotten it back? If so, this handy little business travel product might leave you resting easier. Never worry about untraceable luggage again.

With the durable Trace Me Luggage Tracker tags attached to your bags, you won’t have to worry about them falling off. The barcode on the tags ties your luggage to your unique registration details in a database accessed by luggage handling personnel and law enforcement agencies. Why should your belongings end up auctioned off because of a little airport mishap where your bags can’t be traced back to you? Never again with the Trace Me Luggage Tracker!

Trace Me Luggage Tracker - Credit: TraceMeLuggageTracker.com

4. Iqua SUN Solar Powered Bluetooth Headset

Whether you’re an eco-conscious business traveler or simply an efficient one who doesn’t want to load down luggage with unnecessary chargers and cables, a solor powered Bluetooth headset could be a good product for you on your next business trip.

The Iqua SUN was the world’s first solar powered Bluetooth headset, and it can be charged on either outdoor or inside light (so don’t worry if you face a few gray days on your trip). Technologically sound, space-saving, and environmentally friendly — what more could you ask for in a business travel gadget?

Iqua SUN - Credit: Iqua.com

5. Electronic Translator

If your business traveling consists of visiting several international locations, and you don’t speak the languages fluently, an electronic translator like the Nyrius 12 Language Talking Translator might come in handy.

The biggest perk of this electronic translator over others is that it’s a talking translator. Not only can you see the translations, but you’ll learn how to say the words properly when asking the locals for help, ordering a meal, or getting directions.

Credit: Amazon.com

6. Flat Resistance Bands

Not all business travel products have to be cool little gadgets. Sometimes it’s about simplicity. That’s the case when you want to continue your workouts away from home on business trips.

Resistance bands are natural options. They’re portable and lightweight, and can give you a good workout in confined spaces like hotel rooms. However, the popular tube-style resistance bands with handles can be a bit too bulky when packed in your luggage. These flat resistance bands do the trick. They can be folded flat and stored in sealed plastic bags (to keep the rubbery smell away from clothing), and they take up less room in your suitcase.

Credit: Amazon.com

7. Amazon Kindle / Amazon Kindle DX

I’m actually not a supporter of e-book readers in general (for many reasons, one being that they’re just another piece of technology to be stuck carrying around when other options exist that can do the same thing and more, with similar sizes, and for similar price ranges). However, if you normally take long flights for business traveling, and you like to carry a few magazines on board with you, then a Kindle might at least save you some space and weight of lugging the paper versions around.

You can get the regular Kindle if your biggest concern is compact space, or if you want a larger reading area, you can try the Kindle DX (both pictured below).

Amazon Kindle - Credit: Amazon.com

Amazon Kindle DX - Credit: Amazon.com

8. Instant Cell Phone Charger

Chances are good that your cell phone will be glued to your ear during a significant portion of your business trip — checking in with clients, checking back in with the office, etc. There’s also a chance you’ll find yourself in a situation at least once where your battery is dying and you don’t have access to an outlet or charger (it never fails to happen when you can’t afford it to).

If that’s a concern for you, a simple and affordable option exists — instant cell phone chargers like the Eveready Energizer Energi instant cell phone charger pictured below. For less than ten bucks you’ll have a backup plan when your cell phone unexpectedly needs a jolt of juice.

Credit: Amazon.com

9. Airline Comfort Set

Traveling on a cramped airplane is no excuse not to be as comfortable as you can. You should be well-rested and in the right mindset for work when you arrive at your destination.

One of the best ways to do that is to either purchase an airline comfort set like the one pictured below, or put your own together (just combine your favorite compact pillow, lightweight blanket — you don’t want it to take up too much room in your bag, so a throw works nicely, and an eye mask). You could throw in some earplugs or headphones and your favorite mp3 player too, and enjoy as peaceful a flight as possible.

Credit: Amazon.com

10. Global Phone

Sometimes your regular mobile phone isn’t enough. If you travel internationally for business regularly, a global phone is a must-have business travel gadget. While you can rent them, the cost really adds up. If you’ll be traveling overseas more than once this year, it might be worth investing in your own.

The model pictured below is the National Geographic Talk Abroad Duet Travel Phone. It comes with a UK-based phone number setup, and allows you to receive free incoming calls in over 60 countries while you’re away (making it easy to keep in touch with the boss back in the office while better managing costs). This model has dual SIM card capabilities, allowing you to add an extra line for local calls if you prefer.

Credit: Amazon.com

What other business travel gadgets or other business travel products do you consider must-haves when going on a business trip? Leave a comment and share your favorites with other business travelers looking to make life easier.