news , trends , report , issues

2011-06-25T05:03:00.000-07:00

2011-06-19T02:09:00.000-07:00

news , trends , report , issues

2011-05-31T06:32:00.000-07:00

news , trends , report , issues

Facebook, Google, or your Website: Which do you trust more?

2011-05-28T04:44:00.000-07:00

May 19th, 2011

The month of May has turned out to be a doosey in the online privacy department, which got to me thinking: do people really care about their personal data being bandied about by the largest Internet companies in the world?
Earlier this month, top-five PR firm Burson-Marsteller initiated a campaign pitching major media outlets, such as USA Today, with a story that slammed Google and its privacy policies in regards to a new product they may be launching called Social Circles. The problem with the smear campaign is it was bought and paid for by the ethically challenged Facebook. If you’ve seen The Social Network, this lack of character should be no surprise at all. Just ask the Winklevoss twins.

So, why did Facebook do this? Because they are scared of Google. What company wouldn’t be? Regardless, Facebook looks like a bunch of clowns who can’t be trusted now. And trust, like the hokey pokey, is what it’s all about. While the story of Facebook secretly hiring this PR firm is pretty sensational, there could be some grains of truth to it. The problem is, it takes the privacy spotlight off of Google for the time being, which in my opinion, is not good.
I find it ironic that Internet users at-large are so concerned with “third-party cookies” and advertisers that track your ad views across websites but have no gumption about handing over their personal data from their Facebook profiles to Zynga so they can play Farmville. On the one hand, you have advertisers like DoubleClick (which was purchased by Google in 2007) who anonymously serve up ads across different websites and tailor those ads to you based on your behavior. On the other hand, you have Facebook, where you VOLUNTEER tons of personal information without thinking twice about it. So, what’s the big deal, you ask? When 500,000 Facebook users “may have had information leaked to advertisers,” it’s a big deal.
The privacy concerns have reached such a boiling point that we have legislation cruising through the House of Representatives called the “Do Not Track Me Online Act of 2011,” introduced in February by Rep. Jackie Speier. Last week, Rep. Edward J. Markey and Rep. Joe Barton , the co-chairmen of the bi-partisan Congressional Privacy Caucus, released the “Do Not Track Kids Act of 2011,” which would enact numerous protections for children and teens, including the requirement of parental consent to collect personal information. While I believe the intent of these bills are good, they raise some interesting concerns such as the ability for companies to implement systems that will actually comply with these proposed laws, should they get passed. For example, the DNT Kids Act would require site operators to ensure that they properly handle the data of any children who visit their sites rather than the individual data of a child who has registered with the site with their parents’ consent. Does this mean that all general websites that might get the occasional kid visitor will have to create an age verification process before you can even read a newspaper article, for example? I hope not.
As business owners and marketing folk, do we unwittingly sully our brands when we use trust-challenged social media outlets as the main communication channels with our clients and prospects? Not yet, perhaps. However, if these shenanigans (always wanted to use that word) by Facebook continue, be warned that your audience may flee your Company Page as fast as a bunch of college students abandoning MySpace. So, what are we to do? Never fear. The answer has been in front of us the whole time. It is called your website. Yes, your website. This is where you can create an information universe for your customers and prospects and all the rules that govern it. You have control and so do your users

20 Interesting Financial Facts About Google

2011-05-28T04:40:00.000-07:00

One of the best ways to analyse a set of financial statements is to look at a public company’s 10-K. The 10-k is a mandatory annual filing for all public companies’ and provides a wealth of information about the business, operational and financial information about the entity. Google’s is particularly interesting, as most of us are intimately familiar with at least some of Google’s wide array of services, yet its business model is fairly simple and accessible. The bulk of its revenues are derived from advertising and its expense comprise primarily of amounts paid to adsense members, employee salaries and stock compensation and maintenance of its data centres. Whether you are considering Google as an investment or trying to glean some insight into how one of the world’s most successful companies’ operates, a review of their 10-k is interesting (it helps if you are a finance geek) and insightful reading. Below is a review and analysis of some financial facts and figures from their 2010 10-K.
EMPLOYEES

At December 31, 2010, Google had 24,400 full-time employees

All of Google’s employees are also equityholders.
Google invested $3.8 billion in research and development in 2010 and represents their largest indirect expense.
The combined shareholdings of Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Eric Schmidt represented 67% of the voting power of the company at the end of 2010. This is achieved through their ownership in a different class of stock which provides for a greater number of votes.

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Google’s provides products and services in more than 100 languages to more than 50 countries. The US still accounts for the most significant portion of their business at 48%, while the UK accounts for about 11%.
They note that Internet usage is much lower in the summer month, while highest internet usage is in the last quarter of the year.
Their competition includes Facebook, Bing, Amazon,Ebay, Twitter, Monster, all types of advertising and providers of online products and services.

REVENUES AND EXPENSES

Gross revenues from 2006 to 2010 were:

Revenues have increased almost tenfold since 2004.
Net income after taxes was $8.5billion, representing a 30% net profit margin.
Approximately 96% of their revenues came from Advertising. This is essentially unchanged from previous years. This is an area of weakness from Google as any changes to the internet advertising market could have a significant impact on their revenues.
Combined Income taxes expense, in various jurisdictions, totalled 21% of their net income.
Cost of revenues i.e. the direct costs of sales included amounts paid to adsense members as well as operation of data centres and amounted to $10.4 Billion.

CASH AND INVESTMENTS

Google held $34 billion in cash and marketable securities at the end of 2010

They earned $346 million in investment income in 2010.
As of December 31, 2010, $16.7 billion of the $35.0 billion of cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities was held by foreign subsidiaries. Google notes that if these funds are needed for operations in the U.S., they would be required to accrue and pay U.S. taxes to repatriate these funds, although they do not expect to need the funds.
Since Google is not an investment company, it should be noted that they appear to have an excessive amount of cash. Their net return in 2010 was approximately 1% of their ending cash balance, significantly and negatively affects their overall return.

ACQUISITIONS

In December 2010, Google completed an acquisition of an office building in New York City for total cash consideration of $1.8 billion
Major business acquisitions during 2010 included:

During the year ended December 31, 2010, 44 other acquisitions for a total cash consideration of approximately $669 million were made.
This is a strategy that has worked very well for Google in the past and is a good use of excess cash. It also represents their commitment to expanding their product and service offerings.

It will be exciting to see how Google continues to perform in the face of significant competition (Facebook, Microsoft, Apple), changes in leadership (Larry Page replacing Eric Schmidt as CEO) and the numerous risks that are inherent for an internet and technology company.

What Makes A Small Business More Likely To Succeed

2011-05-28T04:37:00.000-07:00

venture capitalists David Lee and Ron Conway discuss some of the key attributes of their most successful portfolio company investments. The video is definitely worth a watch if you have a spare 15 minutes or so. You can find the video here as well as my own take below.

Photo By SashaW

While the businesses that I encourage readers to start on MyWifeQuitHerJob.com are not crazy startups where you’re working 16 hour days, trying to hit a home run and earn millions and billions of dollars, there are many parallels between a lifestyle business and a venture backed startup.

In other words, many of the same traits that make a venture backed startup more likely to succeed apply to small businesses as well. Here’s my take on David and Ron’s findings.

Get A Partner

According to Ron and David, startups with multiple cofounders are far more likely to succeed than companies with just a single founder. This is a no brainer in my book. When my wife and I first started our online store, we took turns encouraging each other to push forward with the business when sales were slow or nonexistent. Running a small business is a tremendous mental and physical burden to take on by yourself. Without my wife, I probably wouldn’t have been able to stick it out long enough to experience success.

Whenever I was down about the business, my wife was upbeat, patient and encouraging. Likewise, whenever she was feeling negative, I was there to cheer her up. What’s funny is that we both got depressed about different aspects of the business. In general, I was discouraged whenever we had a bad day of sales. On the other hand, my wife became discouraged whenever we received a product return or a customer complaint. But overall, we kept each other going during the early stages of our business.

What also made us a great team was our complementary skill sets. My wife has a finance and operations background whereas I have a technical background. As a result, the lines of responsibility are drawn very clearly for the business. Whenever there’s an issue with the website or something computer related, that’s my domain. Anything related to finance or product is my wife’s area of expertise. And while we both share the marketing responsibilities for the business, we’re pretty good about not stepping on each others toes.

The other reason why things work with my wife as my partner is that we can be blunt if we need to. If I have an idea that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, my wife will let me know. Likewise, I don’t have any problems voicing my opinion when my wife is off base.

Of course, expressing my opinion sometimes results in me sleeping on the couch for a night but in general it’s all good:) Overall, I strongly believe that finding a good, reliable partner is the way to go and will greatly increase your chances for success. Find someone who you get along with and complements your skill set

Get Some Experience Under Your Belt

There other statistic that David and Ron disclosed was that repeat entrepreneurs are far more likely to succeed than new entrepreneurs. Once again, this is a no brainer. These days, I have the utmost confidence that if my wife and I wanted to start another online store, we would definitely be successful. We learned so much from the early mistakes of our first venture that we now know what it takes to run a profitable business.

So if you want to increase your chances of success, you need to start a business now and kick start the learning curve. Just because it’s your first business doesn’t mean you are going to fail. But even if you don’t initially make as much money as you would like, you’ll learn a ton of things which will add to your foundation of knowledge.

While making mistakes is a part of entrepreneurship, I personally hate it when I feel like I’ve wasted a ton of time learning something the hard way when an expert could’ve pointed me in the right direction from the start. My time is precious which is why I’m a strong proponent of paying money for training courses and other learning materials which expedite the learning process.

In fact, I spend thousands of dollars every year on books, courses and other training materials which make me a better entrepreneur, web developer and small business owner. Whether you choose to fumble around and learn things on your own or take a training course, you should know that every minute you spend learning something new will increase your chances of business success.

It Only Gets Tougher The Longer You Wait

The last interesting tidbit from the video was that David and Ron found that younger entrepreneurs were more likely to succeed than their older counterparts. In fact, they found that 25 is the optimal age to start a successful business. While I can see why this could be true for a full blown startup company, with lifestyle businesses I strongly believe that you can start at any age and still be successful. However the longer you wait, the harder it will get.

For example if you have kids and a family, it will be more difficult to find the time to commit to your business. But in reality, it doesn’t take a large block of time to start a small ecommerce store on the side, especially if you go the dropshipping route. Consistency is the key. If you can devote just 4-5 hours per week on a regular basis, you have the necessary time to give your business a fighting chance.

So is age 25 the optimal age? Perhaps…but part of being an entrepreneur is defying the statistics. The key thing to realize is that you don’t have to swing for the fences. Unlike a venture backed startup company, you can start your business and go at your own pace and the sooner you start, the better off you’ll be.

5 Estimated Tax Strategies For Business Owners

2011-05-28T04:32:00.000-07:00

Most business owners don’t have withholding from a paycheck to cover their income tax bill for the year. Even the paychecks of S corporation owner-employees may not be large enough to allow for withholding to cover taxes due on their share of profits. Estimated taxes, which work as a substitute for withholding, are necessary for most business owners. With the second estimated tax payment for 2011 due June 15th, you should review your tax payment amounts and procedures to avoid penalties or overpayments as well as to simplify the payment process.
Figure estimates properly
The goal of estimated taxes is to approximate the tax liability that will be figured when the 2011 income tax return is completed next year. Pay too little and you’ll owe penalties; pay too much and you’ll have made an interest-free loan to the government.
Estimated taxes must cover:

Income taxes. This includes your share of business profits.

Self-employment taxes. If you’re self-employed, self-employment tax is comprised of Social Security and Medicare taxes on your net earnings from self-employment.

Rely on safe harbor rules
You can avoid any penalties for underpaying estimated taxes by relying on certain safe harbors.
Prior year safe harbor
If you anticipate that your income for 2011 will be the same or greater than it was in 2010, then fix this year’s estimated tax payments based on last year’s tax liability—the amount of tax reported on the 2010 income tax return. This is called the 100 percent prior year safe harbor. Of course, if you discover that you’re short when you complete your 2011 return next year, you’ll have to come up with the money to pay what you owe, but at least you won’t owe any penalties, no matter how large the shortfall.
If your adjusted gross income (AGI) in 2010 was more than $150,000 ($75,000 if you were married and filed a separate return), then you’ll have to set your 2011 estimates at 110 percent of your 2010 taxes to avoid penalties. For example, if you’re single and paid $20,000 in taxes on your 2010 return and expect 2011 to be a better year than last year, set your estimated taxes for 2011 at $20,000 (or $22,000 if your AGI in 2010 was more than $150,000).
Current year safe harbor
Instead of basing your payments on last year’s taxes, you’ll avoid penalties if payments for the current year are at least 90 percent of what you ultimately owe. This method is preferable if you expect this year’s taxes to be lower than last year’s. Thus, if you expect to owe $20,000 in taxes and you pay at least $18,000 in estimated taxes, you’ll escape penalties.
Other safety nets
There are other ways in which to figure estimated taxes in order to avoid penalties. These are explained in IRS Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax.
Use set-asides to ensure sufficient funds
One of the key reasons some owners fail to pay required estimated taxes is lack of cash. Make sure you have enough money on hand when needed. One way to do this is to set up a separate account for estimated tax purposes. Create a schedule to use for putting money into this account—weekly, monthly, etc.—and stick to it.
Make payments online
Business owners may be too busy to remember the estimated tax payment dates or may be traveling away from home at these times. To ensure that a payment won’t be late or overlooked, use the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS). You can schedule payments up to a year in advance. There is no charge by the government for using this payment method (check with your bank regarding any fees it may charge for electronic transfers). Using EFTPS.gov does not give the IRS access to the funds in your bank account or any authority to tap them for any reason.
Charge payments to your credit card
If you lack sufficient funds to pay estimated taxes and want to avoid late payment penalties, consider charging your payment to a major credit card. While the IRS and U.S. Treasury do not charge any fee for paying taxes this way, the IRS-approved card processor charges a “convenience fee” of between 1.95 percent and 2.35 percent of the amount charged (there’s a flat dollar amount imposed for using debit cards instead of credit cards).
To charge tax payments, go to:

7 Traps to Avoid When Starting Your Business

2011-05-28T04:30:00.000-07:00

While economists continue to debate whether we're truly rising out of the recession or entering into a double-dip, one thing is clear: The employment sector is still in a slump. The Congressional Budget Office predicts a 9% unemployment rate through 2011, and according to a Gallup Poll released this month, 19% of workers nationwide report that their firms are still downsizing. The strongest job growth seems to be in the small business sector, which has accounted for 65% (or 9.8 million) of the net new private sector jobs created in the US between 1993 and 2009, according to the Small Business Administration. The small business sector is actually seeing a surge in activity: Research from the Kauffman Foundation indicates that the number of American businesses created in 2009 marked a 14-year high, surpassing the number of businesses created during the 1999 and 2000 high-tech boom.
If you're thinking about starting or joining a small business in this economy, here are seven traps to avoid:
1. Don't let the economy get you down. While many workers view precarious economic conditions as a time to hunker down in their jobs and try to weather the economic storm, others see it as a window of opportunity. Starting a business in a weak economic environment can have several clear benefits: The cost of doing business can decline because suppliers and partners may be more willing to negotiate on pricing and conditions, and the opportunity cost of lost income from a traditional job may be lower. Access to capital is also improving: The Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy reports that in mid-2010 commercial banks started easing lending conditions while levels of venture capital investments increased.
Of course, there are also precautions to starting a business in a weak economy: Discretionary spending is down, so businesses selling goods or services that appeal to budget-minded customers may have an easier time gaining new customers in this economy than sellers of full-priced luxury items. Similarly, do-it-yourself services and low-cost substitutes may fare better than full-service or premium alternatives. For example, self-service storage and organizational retailer Organize.com saw a greater than 10% increase in year-over-year sales from 2007 to 2008 and again in 2009. Explains Terry Shearer, CEO of Organize.com, "Even in a recession, people want to improve their homes, but they want to do it inexpensively. Buying good home products from a reasonably priced online retailer is a much less expensive way to improve your home than, say, hiring a construction team or designer."
2. Don't think that an idea equals a plan. Too often people start businesses with a general notion of what they want to accomplish but lack a solid, well-conceived plan. While a business plan is always important, in a tough economy, it's even more vital to think critically about your product or service, customer acquisition strategy, pricing and promotion plans, and key logistics like inventory management and fulfillment. Similarly, it's important to be very clear about your unique business angle and your differentiation from competitors.
3. Don't be an island. Though entrepreneurs tend to be well versed in a wide variety of areas, even the most skilled entrepreneur cannot expect to be an expert in every aspect of business. From IT issues like network maintenance and website development, to marketing and customer acquisition, to accounting, payroll and legal services, there's too much for most people to handle alone. Have a clear sense of your own strengths, and surround yourself with the right partners and advisors for the remaining tasks.
4. Don't expose yourself to unnecessary financial stress. Starting a business can be extremely costly, both in terms of lost income from a full-time job and in terms of capital investments — but it doesn't have to be. Don't quit your day job too soon, seek outside investors in addition to your own personal assets, and consider lower-cost options for starting your business. For example, if you're going into a retail business, make sure you consider both brick and mortar and online business models, given the considerable difference in capital requirements for each model.
5. If you build it, they may not come. Having a great idea and even a great skill and product are very useful in starting a business, but you also need to have a carefully thought-through marketing plan. Customers won't just come to you. You need to think through all of the tactics at your disposal — from newspaper and radio advertising, to online marketing, to good old-fashioned referrals — to consider how to acquire customers and then turn those customers into repeat buyers.
6. Don't launch without specific goals in mind. Starting a business can be as simple as turning your hobby into an online store or as complicated as building a capital-intensive new product or service requiring research and development. In any scenario, it's important to map out clear goals for yourself and set up times to reassess your progress. Consider setting targets for product availability, establishments of key partnerships and vendor relationships, sales levels, and profitability levels. You don't want to wait until you're two years into a business to discover that you need to make fundamental shifts in your strategy that could have been identified 18 months earlier. Set regular, realistic goals and review periods to learn from your experiences and make changes as needed.
7. Don't be afraid to fail. Many of the most successful entrepreneurs failed before they were successful, and most have had significant failures along their paths to success. Henry Ford failed multiple times before finally launching his successful car company, and Bill Gates and Paul Allen formed a firm called Traf-O-Data before going on to create Microsoft.
Fortunately, more new businesses succeed than fail. According to the Census Bureau, nearly 7 in 10 new small businesses survive at least two years. What's most important isn't whether you succeed or fail in your intended milestones, but rather that you assess and learn from your actions along the way so that no mistake — or spectacular success — takes place in vain.

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg Only Eating Animals He Kills Himself

2011-05-28T04:20:00.000-07:00

This week Facebook’s founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is making headlines over his decision to eat only animals he kills himself.

His choice comes as part of an annual challenge he poses for himself. Last year’s challenge was to learn Mandarin. This year’s challenge is a little bit different.

“This year, my personal challenge is around being thankful for the food I have to eat. I think many people forget that a living being has to die for you to eat meat, so my goal revolves around not letting myself forget that and being thankful for what I have. This year I've basically become a vegetarian since the only meat I'm eating is from animals I've killed myself. So far, this has been a good experience. I'm eating a lot healthier foods and I've learned a lot about sustainable farming and raising of animals,” wrote Zuckerberg in a letter to Fortune.

He started off with a lobster, moved on to a chicken, then proceeded to kill a pig and a goat. He’s being walked through the process by Jesse Cool, owner of the Flea Street Café, who has been introducing Zuckerberg to farmers and educating him on slaughter methods, which for Zuckerberg, involves slitting throats. According to Cool, this is the most “kind” way to do it.

“I started thinking about this last year when I had a pig roast at my house. A bunch of people told me that even though they loved eating pork, they really didn't want to think about the fact that the pig used to be alive. That just seemed irresponsible to me. I don't have an issue with anything people choose to eat, but I do think they should take responsibility and be thankful for what they eat rather than trying to ignore where it came from,” he also stated in his letter.

Like Zuckerberg, many consumers are growing increasingly aware, and concerned with, where exactly their food is coming from and it’s becoming harder to ignore the intense suffering of innocent animals who are treated as mere commodities with dollar signs attached.

While the decision to eat meat or consume animal products is a personal choice, it has become a collective action with repercussions that can be seen around the world.

Each year, billions of cows, pigs, chickens, sheep, and other innocent, sentient animals are caged, crowded, deprived, drugged, mutilated, and manhandled in U.S. factory farms. They are then hauled to the slaughterhouse and killed under atrocious conditions. Millions never even make it to the slaughterhouse, dying from stress-induced diseases or injuries.

It’s becoming more difficult to ignore the level of violence, environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, pollution, misuse of antibiotics that are affecting human health, workers rights violations and animal abuse, among other problems the meat industry causes, yet somehow, there is a disconnect between packages that get neatly wrapped in cellophane and placed on store shelves and their origins.

The argument could easily be made to support Zuckerberg’s decision to take responsibility for what’s on his plate and do what many of us won’t or can’t. It's hard to understand how people can be bothered by industrialized farming, or the fact that what they were eating used to have a life of it's own, and turn a blind eye and keep contributing to it on a regular basis allowing agribusinesses to carry on simply because it's profitable to do so.

Of course, there are also arguments against it. Killing an animal yourself and eating it doesn't make you a vegetarian. Additionally, a living being doesn’t have to die just to satisfy human desire for meat.

The animals who are killed have just as much of an interest in their own lives as we do in ours. Doing it yourself and watching an animal choking on their own blood and gasping for their last breaths doesn't make it any more ethically justifiable than having someone else do it and buying it in a store even if you're "thankful."

news , trends , report , issues

2011-05-22T23:46:00.000-07:00

news , trends , report , issues

Adopt Plans and Avoid Procrastination for More Success in Business

2011-05-22T04:21:00.000-07:00

Success doesn't come easy. You have to work hard for it. No matter where you work - for your own business or for some company - you can achieve success only through hard work. You have to stick to the schedule, meet your deadlines, take decisions on time, and probably even work in stressful conditions to get the job done.
It's particularly helpful if you already have a passion for your work. The only thing then left is to control your urge of procrastination. In fact, you should try to avoid procrastination at all costs for more success at work.
Avoid procrastination
Always remember - the more you procrastinate, the more opportunities you'll miss. And I'm not just talking about the opportunity at hand. When you procrastinate, you are simply pushing away the opportunity at hand, as well as upcoming opportunities related to it.
For instance, when you are late in project submissions, your manager is most likely NOT going to assign you to any important high-profile projects at work in the future. Missing out on such projects can reduce your visibility among the important decision makers in your organization, hence affecting your chances at promotions and other perks.
The aftermath of procrastination is even more harsh for a business owner. Missed deadline will probably spell out missed sale, and of course missed sale means you can bid goodbye to that particular client forever. The stakes are a lot higher when you're self-employed, so it's best to avoid procrastination in order to achieve success in business.
However, don't confuse procrastination with planning.
Adopt planning

Planning is an integral part of your business plan. You have to take out time to plan your work. In order to avoid missing sales and encourage returning clients, it's best to plan your work according to your business cycle. Find out how your business works -
Is there any particular time of the day when you receive leads?
Which days of the week do you expect any clients?
How do you schedule work when you're on vacation?
There are scores of questions you need to answer to plan out your work efficiently. One way to do that is by charting out the amount of time you take every day on different tasks. By comparing these daily tasks over a period of time, you'll be able to understand how you can maximize your business cycle to earn more clients, and manage your time more efficiently not just at work, but outside work as well.
Put some thoughts in your business plan, set up automated systems, and kick procrastination out of the door. This planning can also help you enjoy your personal life, outside your workplace.

Hair Care Styling Tools

2011-05-21T07:42:00.000-07:00

Nearly every single hair care regime involves a brush or a comb at some point during the process. Combs are generally used as careful detanglers, for precise parting, for straightening wet or damp hair, or for styling shorter hair with a gel or pommade. There are multiple varieties, for example, picks, fine-toothed, wide-toothed, wood, plastic, or the standard black barber's comb.
Brushes also come in a multitude of options. Amongst the favorites are bristle-brushes, round bristle-brushes, and paddle brushes. Brushes can be used for smoothing hair during styling, detangling, massaging the scalp, and for adding volume during the styling process. They are easy to clean and one of high quality will last you for many years.
Intermediate Tools
For those with longer or thicker hair, for those who live in continually humid environments, and for those of us who do not have time to air-dry, blow dryers are a time-saving ingenious invention. Not only do they dry hair quickly and efficiently, they can also be applied as part of the styling process. Many people with long hair will use a round bristle-brush to help smooth their hair as they also blow dry it.
This helps increase shine and adds a polished look to otherwise slightly frizzy hair. Diffusers have also become a popular part of the process. This is an attachment for the end of your blow dryer that helps to spread the air through wider portions of your hair, adding bounce and body that plain air-drying does not.
A combination tool that helps to free up your hands is a hot-air brush. This clever modification allows you to apply hot air to your hair through the very same brush, instead of managing two tools at once. The hot-air brush is very useful in tight spaces, for travelers, or for more advanced multi-taskers, one hand is left free for other tasks.
Advanced Tools
An ability to change the look of your hair rather quickly is easily accomplished with such tools as curling irons, straightening irons, hair rollers, crimping irons, and braiders. These tools are excellent for daily use without the risk of a perm or for a whim change-up in your styling routine. They are also very useful for creating more "formal" hairstyles, up-dos, and for controlling fly-away hair in difficult environments.
Ceramic is currently the most popular type of hair iron. The elements heat very quickly and, most importantly, evenly for a reliable tool that will curl or straighten your hair correctly from start to finish. They also have a large range of adjustable heat settings, wide or narrow curls, large or small flat-irons, and crimping-irons for a wavy look.
Hair rollers come in many sizes and are for those of us that typically have more time to prepare. They self-heat on their electric stand, you roll them into your hair, then let them sit while you finish other preparations. Remove them just before completing your regime and style according to your preference.
Braiders are relatively new tools on the market, but they accomplish just what they say--they automatically braid your hair for you very quickly. With this tool, you will get what you pay for, so do your research before making a purchase. They also take a little practice to achieve a smooth and well-made braid.
Hair accessories come as anything as simple as a hair tie to beautifully rhinestoned clips and barrettes. These are often the finishing piece on a complex hairstyle or the tiny detail that brings a simple pony-tail to a new level.
Experimenting with hair care tools and accessories is affordable, easily altered, and a fun way to expand your personal style.

Be sure to visit the Hair Care Store online for the best deals on the following products: Conditioners, Hair & Scalp Treatments, Hair Color, Hair Loss Prevention and Treatment, Hair Perms & Texturizers, Hair Relaxers, Regular Shampoos, Shampoo Plus Conditioner, Styling Products & Tools, and much more

Women Can Shine Very Well In Home-Based Businesses

2011-05-21T07:37:00.000-07:00

Women Can Shine Very Well In Home-Based Businesses If you are a woman and want to take charge of your life completely, you should have an income of your own. But, not every one can have an office job for earning. Some women may have their own constraints. But, in the heart of hearts, they may wish to do something and earn a regular income. For them, the best idea is to do a home-based job or a business. In fact, the number of women who have started their own business is increasing day by day. The idea of home-based business or job for women is not a new concept at all. Even a desultory peep into the history of mankind will show that women have been doing home-based jobs even during the periods of ancient civilizations. But, these women are now being called as "the empowered women". This phrase itself is a misnomer because during ancient times, there were women who were wielding a great power. But, unfortunately, there came a slump and most of the women thought that they were better suited for the role of home-makers than being bread-winners. Now, times have changed and women have entered almost all the fields. These successful women are able to manage their families and at the same time, show their efficiency in whatever job they take up. There are women who come out with great inventions. Women are there into marketing and selling. They are into traditional jobs as well as in the most high-tech jobs. The number of women who are becoming entrepreneurs is also increasing at a rapid pace. Many women are now exploring ways to earn through home-based businesses and jobs. A survey shows that in the US alone, almost 53 per cent of businesses are home-based which is a significant 15% increase from the figures of the year 1995. As of now, in the US, there are about 14 million home-based businesses generating a total revenue of about $1 trillion every year. In the home-based business also, the sales that happen due to direct selling is a whopping $30 billion in the US and $100 billion throughout the world. Every year, about 175,000 people join direct selling in the US and in the entire world, about 300,000 join direct selling. Another interesting fact is that the percentage of women in home-based business is much more than that of men. Especially, women between 35 and 55 take up home-based businesses and succeed in them. Most of them work part-time and so, are enjoying flexible working hours. Regular corporate houses encourage these women by offering various business opportunities. These women are also working in their expert niches and are showing terrific efficiency in their endeavors. Since most of these women do not hesitate to acquire the required skills, they excel and most of the times, out-smart their male counterparts. So, home-based business is a viable and great option and if you have the required drive and enthusiasm, you can also achieve financial success by taking a plunge into this. But, before making a decision, you should do an honest analysis and ask yourself a few serious questions: - If you have made any invention that can be marketed and sold. - If you can commit to work at least for a few hours daily. - If you are opting to take up a sales-oriented business, if you are interested in meeting and talking to strangers. This is very important in sales because if you hesitate to talk to new people, you may not be able to expand your customer base and you can not have more sales. In fact, the first instruction you will get in your "sales and marketing" class is "Talk to strangers". Once you have made a serious assessment of yourself and decided to take the plunge, you should not be over-ambitious and set unrealistic goals. You should never forget the old adage that "a thousand mile journey starts with taking a small step". You should take small but firm steps. You should be ready to put forth your time, efforts and money to achieve the set targets. You should have complete knowledge of your products or services and also what you are doing. You should never lose your focus. Even though you have the liberty of flexible working hours, it is better you set aside fixed hours daily so that you can work in a disciplined manner. There may be obstacles but you should never lose heart. You must understand that from such obstacles, you can learn a lesson or two. You must avoid the mistakes that cause the obstacles and proceed on the right track to achieve success in your business. If you are focused, you are sure to reach your goal faster than you expect.

news , trends , report , issues

2011-05-21T06:44:00.000-07:00

news , trends , report , issues

Santorum goes to dinner and comes up with a win

2011-05-10T01:25:00.000-07:00

Woody Allen once said that "80 percent of life is showing up." Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum sure believes it. He was the only potential presidential candidate to accept the South Carolina GOP's invitation to its annual Silver Elephant fund-raising dinner Friday, a day after the first debate of the 2012 primary campaign.
The diligence paid off: Santorum crushed the opposition in a straw poll of dinner attendees. He took 150 of 408 votes, or 37 percent. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was a distant second with 15 percent (61 votes).
"America was founded great," Santorum said Monday on Fox News' Glenn Beck Show, reprising the message he carried to the South Carolina activists. He was blasting President Obama's recent pronouncement that the nation "wouldn't be great" without Medicare, Medicaid, and unemployment insurance.

Rochester Red Wings' bats go cold in loss to Gwinnett

2011-05-09T03:05:00.000-07:00

The Rochester Red Wings and Gwinnett Braves were quite a contrast in execution with the baseball bat on Sunday afternoon.
The Braves efficiently manufactured runs and came through with timely hits. The Wings had chances to score but did nothing with them.
And so Gwinnett leaves town with a split of the four-game series at Frontier Field, winning the final two games — 5-1 on Sunday — and tarnishing the luster from walk-off victories by Rochester on Thursday (3-2) and Friday (7-5).
From an offensive standpoint, the day was bleak for the Red Wings. They collected just six hits (five singles and a double), struck out eight times and squandered quality scoring chances in the sixth and seventh innings.
In the four games against the Braves, the Wings as a team batted .198. They batted just .167 with runners in scoring position.
Put Rene Tosoni, Trevor Plouffe and Ben Revere back in the lineup and maybe the Wings are more dangerous at the plate. As it is, the parent Minnesota Twins still need them.
"We have to hang in there," Wings manager Tom Nieto said. "When the big-league club starts to get a little more healthy, that's going to help our lineup."
The big hits were lacking on Sunday, when the Wings wore special pink Mother's Day jerseys as part of a breast cancer awareness campaign.
Trailing 5-1 in the sixth, the Wings loaded the bases with walks to Steve Singleton, Jeff Bailey and Dustin Martin. But the slumping bats of Chase Lambin and Matt Brown stayed cold.
Lambin struck out — beginning the at-bat with a mighty swing at a pitch that dived low and away — and Brown popped to short.
Lambin, who represented the Syracuse Chiefs in the Triple-A All-Star Game last summer, is in an 0-for-10 hit drought and went 5-for-39 against the Braves. He is batting .211. Brown is in an 0-for-19 slump and batting .215.
"When you have the amount of guys struggling like we do, it's hard not to notice," Nieto said.
In the seventh, with runners on first and third and one out, Ray Chang struck out and Singleton fouled to third.
"When you have an opportunity to get runs by putting the ball in play, you have to put the ball in play," Nieto said, referring to the strikeouts by Lambin and Chang.
At least Nieto's daily report to the Twins will include a positive review of his bullpen. Four relievers combined to pitch 51/3 scoreless innings, including a strong outing by Jeff Manship.
Manship went 7-10 as a starter the past two seasons, but the plan this season is for him to be used exclusively in long relief. The Twins have decided to use him in that role when he is called up.
He retired six straight and faced seven batters during his two innings after starter Jeff Diamond allowed eight hits and five runs in 32/3 innings.