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	<title>Small Business Articles</title>
	<link>http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/cat/index/56/Small-Business-Articles.php</link>
	<description>Small Business Articles - Latest business
news &amp; management advice on how best to build your own business -
Free, independent business articles on Strategy, eBusiness, Change
Management &amp; much, much more.</description>
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	<pubDate>Sun, 04 Sep 2011 09:19:46 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title><strong>The Critical Path</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[As the final installment in our five-part series on creating effective marketing projects we’re going to focus on how a project should come together efficiently and effectively. In a perfect world you would initiate a project by accepting a written quote and submitting your creative brief, and the workflow would go something like this…

Step 1: Initial concepts are presented for your review.

Step 2: You consult with the designer to discuss the direction that should be taken from here, or possibly request an alternate concept.

Step 3: A revised or new design is submitted for your review and should be right on target based on your previous feedback.

Step 4: The chosen design is analyzed to determine how effectively it meets your defined goals. Final revisions are made, if needed.

Step 5: You proof the job for accuracy and the designer makes any required corrections, which you then approve.

Step 6: Thee job is checked for technical quality and sent to production.

Step 7: Your campaign goes public and you start raking in the customers.

Seriously, it could happen. ]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Image Is (almost) Everything</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Photos and illustrations can work wonders to successfully convey your message to your audience. Unfortunately, images tend to also be a huge stumbling block for many people in producing effective marketing materials. For our fourth installment in our five-part series on creating effective marketing projects we’ll explore a few of the most common problems with images and how to avoid them.

Image Quality
The single biggest problem we encounter with client supplied images is poor quality. The biggest offenders are: glare caused by direct flash, low resolution image files, and poor composition. All three of these issues can be easily overcome by simply hiring professional photographer — and yes, that is a shameless plug. However, if photography fees are not in your budget there are simple things you can do to overcome these three common pitfalls…

Flash Glare: Do not under any circumstances use the built-in flash unit on your camera. Instead, use natural sunlight either through a window or go outdoors. As much as you should avoid flash glare, you should also avoid harsh sunlight. The very best general purpose lighting is outdoors on an overcast day. Another option is to filter harsh sunlight through a thin white sheet or white plexiglass.

Low Resolution: Images intended for publishing online only need to be 72 dpi at the actual size they will be used, while images intended for print must be at least 300 ppi at the intended output size. If you shoot your own photos or hire a photographer, be sure to use at the highest available resolution on the camera. This way, even if your immediate purpose is a website, you will have the high resolution images should you need them for printed materials later. If the image is low resolution because you downloaded it from the web, there really isn’t anything you can do to salvage it. But then again, if you downloaded it from the web, you probably shouldn’t be using it in the first place.

Poor Composition: This is  ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Say It Like You Mean It!</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Design is about telling a story. It’s a story that — if told well — will engage consumers, build your brand, and sell your products. But it is difficult to produce effective design without first putting your story into words. Which brings us to the topic of copywriting as the third installment in our five-part series on effective marketing projects.

While we often focus on visuals when planning our marketing projects, we should really consider shifting our initial focus to writing good copy. After all, the visual design grabs attention and guides the reader, but it’s the words that usually make the sale. It could even be argued that a really well written headline needs no visuals at all.

When we write ad copy we convey a personality and set a tone. We also set expectations. When potential customers visit your website or skim over your magazine ad, they can’t really size you up as they could had they met you in person. The words you choose and the tone you set when writing ad copy must project and support your brand personality while building trust. It must also remain consistent across all media in order maintain that trust.

Don’t rely on vague statements like, “Dedicated to the very best customer service”. Anyone can say that. It doesn’t give your audience any useful information and it doesn’t do anything to build trust or support your unique brand position. Instead, try setting yourself apart with a statement that your competition honestly cannot make. This is key to giving any potential customer a reason to buy from you and not the other guy. Consider the line made famous by Bounty paper towels, “The quicker picker-upper.” Clever yes, but also relevant and easy to remember. The message was supported with demonstration of the product doing what it does best — soaking up spills. This tagline, combined with visual support, gave Bounty a huge advantage over their competition.

Should you write your own copy? If you happened to be  ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>7 Market Focused Questions You Must Ask To Help You Grow</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
There is a lot of attention directed at small businesses this year. President Obama talked about the need to help and support small businesses in his State of the Union address. And one outcome was the launch of Startup America. Also, states are talking about easing regulations and the tax burden on small businesses in their quest to reduce unemployment. 

Is this the year of the small business? 
Possibly. 

Is this an opportunity for you as a small business owner? 
Maybe. 

Now, a Warning to Small Business Owners...

As a small business owner, however, it is not a good strategy to hope that the federal or state governments will pass the right legislation and write regulations, which will help you succeed in the next 12 months. Hope may spring eternal, but it is not a good business strategy.

Be wary of generalizations about how the economy is doing: who the winners are and who the losers are or will be. It's distracting and frankly, it's filled with conflicting information. 

It's like trying to decide on what is the best way to add 10 years to your life. You would be correct if you said – it depends on whom you ask. A dietician will tell you to focus on good nutrition. A trainer will tell you to exercise and use protein supplements. Some physicians would say hormone therapy. As the adage goes: when all you have is a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail.

Yes, we'll admit that the economy is showing signs of recovery, but the real question is... whether it's showing signs of recovery for you and your business. To answer this question you need to stop thinking like a small business owner and start thinking that you are running a multi-million dollar enterprise. Why, because many small business owners tend to think like a small company. And the answer to growth is to think big.

Here Are 7 Questions to Think About and Respond to When Planning for Business Growth:

1.  Do you have a strategic vision that outlines your business direction fo ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/6186/7-Market-Focused-Questions-You-Must-Ask-To-Help-You-Grow.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/6186/7-Market-Focused-Questions-You-Must-Ask-To-Help-You-Grow.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Peptide-affinity Purified Polyclonal Antibody to RAD17</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Rad17 also known as cell cycle checkpoint protein RAD17 is a nuclear protein belonging to the Rad17/RAD24 family and necessary for sustained cell growth, maintenance of chromosomal stability, and ATR-dependent checkpoint activation upon DNA damage. Rad17 is known to have a weak ATPase activity and is required for binding to chromatin and also participates in the recruitment of the RAD1-RAD9-HUS1 complex onto chromatin, and in CHEK1 activation. It may also serve as a sensor of DNA replication progression, and may be involved in homologous recombination. Rad17 is a part of a DNA-binding complex containing RFC2, RFC3, RFC4 and RFC5. Four isoforms have been reported by X-ray irradiation. Overexpression of this protein is seen in various cancer cell lines and in colon carcinoma.  
Antigen
A portion of human Rad17 protein containing a phosphorylated serine residue at position 645 was used as the immunogen. This product is antibody from the nonphosphorylated fraction of the immune response. 

Application Notes
The amino acid sequence used as immunogen is 100% homologous in human (isoforms CRA_a, CRA_f and CRA_d), rhesus monkey, chimpanzee and orangutan, 92% homologous in horse, cow and mouse and 85% homologous in dog and rat. ]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/6123/Peptideaffinity-Purified-Polyclonal-Antibody-to-RAD17.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/6123/Peptideaffinity-Purified-Polyclonal-Antibody-to-RAD17.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Polyclonal Antibody to SNAI2</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Researchers have indicated that they want access to novel target antibodies quickly to aid in their research. IMGENEX is therefore pleased to be able to offer researchers access to products that are not fully characterized or validated. IMGENEX IMX antibodies are shown by Peptide ELISA to bind to the peptide used as immunogen. Investigators should empirically determine the suitability of the antibody, including optimal dilutions, for other applications of interest. 
We cannot guarantee that the IMX antibody will work in any application other than in a Peptide ELISA against the peptide used as immunogen and therefore can not offer a refund if the antibody does not work in your application. 
IMX antibodies are offered at a lower price compared to more highly validated antibodies. 
We are not able to provide the peptide used as immunogen for IMX antibodies. 
As IMX antibodies are not fully validated we appreciate your feedback. Customer feedback is used to help generate testing methodologies which can lead to further product validation or withdrawal.

Zinc finger transcription factor SNAI2/SNAIL2/Slug is found to have some functional significance in formation of axis and mesoderm in Drosophila. SNAIL2 and Twist act as negative regulators of level of Cerberus RNA, which encodes a Nodal, bone morphogenic protein (BMP) and WNT inhibitor. mRNA levels of SNAI2 are regulated by NF-kappaB in early embryo. Partial functional redundancy between Twist, SNAI2 and SNAI1 may be developmentally and physiologically significant given their roles in the induction and progression of various forms of epithelial–mesenchymal transition and the metastasis of cancer cells, the regulation of apoptosis, and their ability to generate stem cell like behaviors in immortalized human epithelial cells. 
Antigen
Amino acids 82-100 (SLGRVSPPPPSDTSSKDHS) of human SNAI2 were used as the immunogen. ]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/6122/Polyclonal-Antibody-to-SNAI2.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/6122/Polyclonal-Antibody-to-SNAI2.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Polyclonal Antibody to MIB2</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Researchers have indicated that they want access to novel target antibodies quickly to aid in their research. IMGENEX is therefore pleased to be able to offer researchers access to products that are not fully characterized or validated. IMGENEX IMX antibodies are shown by Peptide ELISA to bind to the peptide used as immunogen. Investigators should empirically determine the suitability of the antibody, including optimal dilutions, for other applications of interest. 
We cannot guarantee that the IMX antibody will work in any application other than in a Peptide ELISA against the peptide used as immunogen and therefore can not offer a refund if the antibody does not work in your application. 
IMX antibodies are offered at a lower price compared to more highly validated antibodies. 
We are not able to provide the peptide used as immunogen for IMX antibodies. 
As IMX antibodies are not fully validated we appreciate your feedback. Customer feedback is used to help generate testing methodologies which can lead to further product validation or withdrawal.

E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase MIB2 is both a Notch Signaling Pathway and Ubl conjugation pathway protein. It contains nine ANK repeats, two MIB/HERC2 domains, two RING-type zinc fingers and one ZZ-type zinc finger. MIB2 protein has an E3 ubiquitin ligase activity in its C-terminal RING domain and interacts with Xenopus Delta (XD) via the N-terminal region. MIB2 is also able to ligate ubiquitin to XD and shift the membrane localization of Delta to intracellular vesicles. MIB2 rescues both the neuronal and vascular defects in the zebrafish mib (ta52b) mutants. It is also reported that MIB2 acts sequentially in myoblast fusion and sacromeric stability by two separable processes. 
Antigen
Amino acids 115-131 of human MIB2 DQGTRTNYRAGYQGAHD protein were used as the immunogen. ]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/6121/Polyclonal-Antibody-to-MIB2.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/6121/Polyclonal-Antibody-to-MIB2.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Polyclonal Antibody to FBXO9/F-box protein 9</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Researchers have indicated that they want access to novel target antibodies quickly to aid in their research. IMGENEX is therefore pleased to be able to offer researchers access to products that are not fully characterized or validated. IMGENEX IMX antibodies are shown by Peptide ELISA to bind to the peptide used as immunogen. Investigators should empirically determine the suitability of the antibody, including optimal dilutions, for other applications of interest. 
We cannot guarantee that the IMX antibody will work in any application other than in a Peptide ELISA against the peptide used as immunogen and therefore can not offer a refund if the antibody does not work in your application. 
IMX antibodies are offered at a lower price compared to more highly validated antibodies. 
We are not able to provide the peptide used as immunogen for IMX antibodies. 
As IMX antibodies are not fully validated we appreciate your feedback. Customer feedback is used to help generate testing methodologies which can lead to further product validation or withdrawal.

F-box only protein 9 is a Ubl conjugation pathway protein and it contains one F-box domain and one TPR repeat. FBXO9 may act as a potential sepsis biomarker or therapeutic target. The F-box proteins constitute one of the four subunits of the ubiquitin protein ligase complex called SCFs (SKP1-cullin-F-box), which functions in phosphorylation-dependent ubiquitination. 
Antigen
Amino acids 8-25 CHSDADRVGDEGNESPAE of mouse FBXO9 protein were used as the immunogen. ]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/6120/Polyclonal-Antibody-to-FBXO9Fbox-protein-9.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/6120/Polyclonal-Antibody-to-FBXO9Fbox-protein-9.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Polyclonal Antibody to DTX1</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Researchers have indicated that they want access to novel target antibodies quickly to aid in their research. IMGENEX is therefore pleased to be able to offer researchers access to products that are not fully characterized or validated. IMGENEX IMX antibodies are shown by Peptide ELISA to bind to the peptide used as immunogen. Investigators should empirically determine the suitability of the antibody, including optimal dilutions, for other applications of interest. 
We cannot guarantee that the IMX antibody will work in any application other than in a Peptide ELISA against the peptide used as immunogen and therefore can not offer a refund if the antibody does not work in your application. 
IMX antibodies are offered at a lower price compared to more highly validated antibodies. 
We are not able to provide the peptide used as immunogen for IMX antibodies. 
As IMX antibodies are not fully validated we appreciate your feedback. Customer feedback is used to help generate testing methodologies which can lead to further product validation or withdrawal.

Protein deltex-1 is a Notch Signaling Pathway protein which belongs to the Deltex Family of proteins. It contains one RING-type zinc finger and two WWE domains. DTX1 acts as regulator of Notch signaling and has functional significance in cell-fate determinations. It mediates the antineural activity of Notch by inhibiting the transcriptional activation mediated by MATCH1. It is involved in neurogenesis, lymphogenesis, myogenesis and MZB (Marginal Zone B) cell differentiation. It promotes B-cell development at the expense of T-cell development, suggesting that it can antagonize NOTCH1. It functions as an ubiquitin ligase protein in vitro, suggesting that it may regulate the Notch pathway via some ubiquitin ligase activity. DTX1, along with DTX2 and DTX3, functions as E3 ligases based on their capacity for self ubiquitination. 
Antigen
Amino acids 583-599 KTEFGSNLTGHGYPDAS of human DTX1 protein were used as the immun ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/6119/Polyclonal-Antibody-to-DTX1.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/6119/Polyclonal-Antibody-to-DTX1.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Advertising Design: Planning For Success</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[This is the first in a five part series to help you, as a marketer, get the most from your design and advertising projects. The following information, advice, and tips are compiled from 22 years experience dealing with the best and worst habits of a wide variety of clients on an even wider variety of projects.

Getting started on your next marketing project shouldn’t mean staring at a blank page wondering where to start. It also shouldn’t mean jumping on the latest hot trend — you don’t need to be on Facebook if it doesn’t fit into a real strategy. Smart marketers do their homework and create a strategic plan. This means developing a strategy for the project at hand that meshes with the strategy of your brand overall. It’s all about research and decisions and it’s far too much to cover here. We strongly recommend the Principles of Marketing Tutorials from KnowThis.com [http://www.knowthis.com/principles-of-marketing-tutorials/] to get you off on the right foot.

Once all the legwork is done, you'll be in a position to determine a realistic budget that covers all of the following project phases…

    * Creative
      (Concept development, copywriting, graphic design, photography, etc.)

    * Production
      (Printing, videography, web development, etc.)

    * Media/Delivery
      (Broadcast, print, outdoor, online, direct mail, guerrilla, etc.)

Next, you should plot a timeline for getting things done and be prepared to stick to it. Including reasonable time for all of the above phases will save you from unnecessary rush charges and the risk missing deadlines — media deadlines often do not budge and missing them can be costly. Even being generally unorganized will likely create the need for additional administrative tasks, resulting in additional billable time and delays in production. Smart time management goes hand-in-hand with smart planning.

Finally, you need to put the general scope of your project on paper. Using our Creat ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/6108/Advertising-Design-Planning-For-Success.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/6108/Advertising-Design-Planning-For-Success.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Resolutions In Focus</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Scour the Internet this time of year and you’ll find post after post offering guidance on New Year’s resolutions for marketers and entrepreneurs. The typical ideas usually fall into the realms of budgeting, customer relations, branding, strategies and SEO and social media. Some of these suggestions can get pretty specific about setting goals. I’d like to be a little more vague this year.

I’d like to suggest that your number one resolution for this year should be to get focused. Focus on what you do best and delegate the rest. This means investing all of your time in the things that you can do better than anyone else. Are you the founder of a company with an innovative product? Perhaps your time should be spent almost entirely on product development. Does your strength lie in crunching numbers? You should be focused on budgeting and fiscal planning. Or maybe you’re a top notch people person? You should be leading the sales force or out in the field rubbing elbows with consumers. Whatever the case may be, the thing you do best is the thing you should focus on doing.

Focus also means to stop stretching yourself thin with tasks that someone else could do better. Delegating the tasks that are not your specialty will help you get everything done more efficiently and more effectively. This could mean giving your administrative staff more responsibilities or hiring a personal assistant if your are self-employed. It might also mean hiring more specialists for your staff and farming out more work to independent contractors or partnering with specialty firms.

Being focused will result in being more efficient and, in turn, more productive. More productivity always helps the bottom line.

Catch Light Productions
http://www.catchlight.com/

Established in 1989, Catch Light Productions is a creative agency specializing in turnkey advertising, marketing solutions and graphic design for small business, new business, and the entrepreneur.]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Why do you exist?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Normally at the end of year I would write a post about getting your marketing plan and budget in shape for the coming year. Not this time. This time I’m going to ask a simple question… Why do you exist? Or, more specifically… Why did you start a business in the first place?

The obvious answer for most is to make a profit selling a product or service. Some may even say it’s to make a profit doing something they are passionate about. But, that’s not really why your business exists. As Simon Sinek describes it in his book Start With Why, why your business exists is “The problem it set forth to solve or the change it wanted to make.” It is not your strategies or your goals, it is your reason for being.

This reason must lie outside the business itself. It must lie in society, because business is a major force in shaping society. No, I’m saying that all businesses must be philanthropic in nature — but wouldn’t that be wonderful — what I’m saying is that your reason for existing as a business is to make an impact on society. This impact may come in the form of helping underprivileged children get shoes on their feet. It may be that you intend to change how the world uses computers. Or it may be something more practical like helping dog owners find a good place to eat. Whatever the case may be, this is the reason that drives your business. this is why you exist.

Why does Catch Light Productions exist? That’s an easy one. We want to help small businesses stop settling for less when it comes to their marketing — to fill the gap between modest budgets and outstanding results. We achieve this by remaining lean and pulling together specialized teams to match the specific needs of each individual client.

So, as the new year approaches take some time to think about why you exist. When you realize your reason for existing, the game changes. Your marketing efforts will seek to fill a valid and well defined need rather than simply persuade a co ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Social Media for Small Business: 52 Points Toward An Informed Decision</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Information overload emerged as a public health concern in the mid-nineties. An increasing volume of e-mail, voice mail, and faxes were competing with other media for people’s attention more than ever before. Psychologists were speaking of Information Fatigue, a new syndrome with symptoms plaguing a growing number as communication escalated in the information age.

Since then, things have changed and stayed the same. The fax has become uncommon. The 24-hour work day has become a passé concept. Companies still need to get their messages through effectively to develop and maintain business relationships, to protect and increase market share, and to get attention when they have something to say. 

This article enables comparison of four media now in widespread use by small businesses: Twitter, Facebook, blogging, and newsletters. As means for small companies to achieve marketing and public-relations objectives, these four media deserve attention. Here are 13 basic points about each to support decision-making about effective business communications now and in the near future.

Twitter
1.	Each tweet is a text post of up to 140 characters.
2.	Twitter is the most-used medium for microblogging.
3.	A Tweet Deck is like a Facebook profile page with news feed.
4.	A company using Twitter can direct-message only its followers.
5.	Any user can start or stop following another user anonymously.
6.	Companies must tweet often and respond promptly to seem in-the-game.
7.	A company can attract followers by using the right key words and phrases.
8.	Good tweets get re-tweeted and re-tweets help to increase the number of followers.
9.	Many users find Twitter addictive and develop an insatiable appetite for good tweets.
10.	Businesses often use Twitter to redirect people to their blogs or websites for more information.
11.	The service is free of financial cost, though potentially quite costly in time, attention, and creativity.
12.	Frequent tweeting that demonstrates r ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/5780/Social-Media-for-Small-Business-52-Points-Toward-An-Informed-Decision.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/5780/Social-Media-for-Small-Business-52-Points-Toward-An-Informed-Decision.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Working With A Creative Marketing Firm</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Working with a creative marketing firm for the first time often prompts a few concerns. How successful will they be in interpreting your needs? How can they meet those needs most effectively? How can they do it most efficiently? How much will it cost?

Laying The Foundation. The first thing most firms normally do after being assigned a project is to schedule an information-gathering session with you and your key staff. They’re interested not only in scheduling, budget and job specifications, but also in your competition, target audience, and objectives. And they want to know all the features and benefits of your product or service. This will help sharpen the focus and objectives and in turn, ensure that the solution they produce is not only creatively excellent, but strategically targeted.

The Right Ideas. It’s best if you designate only one or two key decision makers at your company to work directly with your marketing firm. This way everyone stays focused on real solutions and are not distracted by too many personal opinions. Expect the creative team to present only two or three initial concepts showing completely different approaches to the project at hand. Many clients ask for five, six, seven or even more concepts, but offering too many solutions up front only complicates things and usually results in a poorly developed marketing piece.

The Schedule. Despite popular misconceptions, good creative work doesn’t normally come in a flash of inspiration. It usually comes from much trial and error. This is why the creative team needs to take the time to consider several approaches, work them through, and revise them. In addition, your marketing firm usually needs to address budgeting, printing, media placement, scheduling, and other issues relevant to the success of the project. All this, plus the need to perform in a businesslike fashion, means that your promptness in providing materials and making approvals is crucial if your deadlines are to be met.
 ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Polyclonal Antibody to PARP</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[We suggest an incubation period of 30 minutes at room temperature. However, depending upon the fixation conditions and the staining system employed, optimal incubation conditions should be determined by the user. High temperature treatment of formalin-fixed tissue sections with 10mM citrate buffer, pH 6.0 must be performed prior to the immunostaining. Specificity: This antibody reacts with a 116 kD protein, known as PARP. Proteolysis of PARP to its stable 85 kD fragment is an early marker of apoptosis and is mediated by Caspase (CPP32) protein. PARP uses nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (oxidized form) as a substrate to catalyze the transfer of ADP-ribose to a variety of nuclear acceptors. This antibody cross reacts with human, mouse and rat. Cellular Localization: Nuclear.We suggest an incubation period of 30 minutes at room temperature. However, depending upon the fixation conditions and the staining system employed, optimal incubation conditions should be determined by the user. High temperature treatment of formalin-fixed tissue sections with 10mM citrate buffer, pH 6.0 must be performed prior to the immunostaining. Specificity: This antibody reacts with a 116 kD protein, known as PARP. Proteolysis of PARP to its stable 85 kD fragment is an early marker of apoptosis and is mediated by Caspase (CPP32) protein. PARP uses nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (oxidized form) as a substrate to catalyze the transfer of ADP-ribose to a variety of nuclear acceptors. This antibody cross reacts with human, mouse and rat. Cellular Localization: Nuclear.We suggest an incubation period of 30 minutes at room temperature. However, depending upon the fixation conditions and the staining system employed, optimal incubation conditions should be determined by the user. High temperature treatment of formalin-fixed tissue sections with 10mM citrate buffer, pH 6.0 must be performed prior to the immunostaining. Specificity: This antibody reacts with a 116 kD protein, known as PARP. Prot ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Monoclonal antibody to TRF2 (TTAGGG repeat binding factor 2)</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[TRF2 is a ubiquitously expressed protein that is implicated in the control of telomere length (1). TRF2, like TRF1 contains a Myb-related DNA binding motif. It binds to duplex TTAGGG repeats and is localized to all human telomeres in metaphase chromosomes (1). TRF2 is thought to protect chromosome ends by maintaining the correct structure at telomere termini (2). The use of mutant forms of TRF2 has implicated a role for TRF2 in the prevention of senescence in primary human cells (2). Recently, it has been shown that inhibition of TRF2 resulted in apoptosis in a subset of mammalian cell types (3). TRF2 is a ubiquitously expressed protein that is implicated in the control of telomere length (1). TRF2, like TRF1 contains a Myb-related DNA binding motif. It binds to duplex TTAGGG repeats and is localized to all human telomeres in metaphase chromosomes (1). TRF2 is thought to protect chromosome ends by maintaining the correct structure at telomere termini (2). The use of mutant forms of TRF2 has implicated a role for TRF2 in the prevention of senescence in primary human cells (2). Recently, it has been shown that inhibition of TRF2 resulted in apoptosis in a subset of mammalian cell types (3). TRF2 is a ubiquitously expressed protein that is implicated in the control of telomere length (1). TRF2, like TRF1 contains a Myb-related DNA binding motif. It binds to duplex TTAGGG repeats and is localized to all human telomeres in metaphase chromosomes (1). TRF2 is thought to protect chromosome ends by maintaining the correct structure at telomere termini (2). The use of mutant forms of TRF2 has implicated a role for TRF2 in the prevention of senescence in primary human cells (2). Recently, it has been shown that inhibition of TRF2 resulted in apoptosis in a subset of mammalian cell types (3). 
http://www.imgenex.com]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Apoptosis Detection Kits</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[CytoGLO™ Annexin V-FITC Apoptosis Kit
The Annexin V Assay, a classical technique for detecting apoptosis, is the most commonly used method for detecting apoptosis by flow cytometry. Annexin V is a calcium-dependent phospholipid binding protein that has a high affinity for the phophatidylserine (PS), a plasma membrane phospholipid. One of the earliest features of apoptosis is the translocation of PS from the inner to the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane, thereby exposing PS to the external environment. Annexin V binds to PS exposed on the cell surface and identifies cells at an earlier stage of apoptosis than assays based on DNA fragmentation. CytoGLO™ Annexin V-FITC is supplied with proprietary stabilized control cells for simple and fast compensation adjustment.
Benefits 
• Set compensation with control cells
• Avoid using precious sample for compensation adjustment
• Validate assay technique with control cells
• Proprietary control cell preparation ensures long-term stability 
• The kit includes wash buffer, optimized binding buffer, and Propidium iodide (PI), a dye 
vital for determining cells that have lost membrane integrity, an indication of late apoptosis 
or necrosis.
http://www.imgenex.com]]></description>
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You want a niche that has a right quantity of durability attached to it. You might look for it much simpler to select [URL=http://www.dhgate.com/wholesale+apparel.html]wholesale apparel[/URL] items when you discern what gentle of person you'll be trading them to. Many individuals ponder that it is the some way around, nonetheless it need be target customer first, second might be the item. For instance, if you decide that you desire to target bigger women, or even pregnant women, then you hold to behold into wholesale plus size wholesale apparel. The good stuff nearly purchasing wholesale plus size apparel is that it allows you to market it at a lower rate. Ladies are continually looking to get a good deal, chiefly when it applies to garments.

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      <title><strong>Wholesale CA Womens Long Sleeve T-shirts</strong></title>
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      <title><strong>Fruit Smoothies A Sweet Life for Ocala Entrepreneur</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Davie, Florida (May 19, 2009) - For too long, mall employees have been a captive audience for high-fat quick service foods, such as provided in mall food courts around the country. It's just easier to grab a quick snack than it is to drive somewhere to find a healthier alternative during a short meal break.  But there's one mall where employees - and shoppers - can actually get delicious and healthy food, thanks to entrepreneur Sandy Oroski.

Sandy, a 24-year resident of Ocala, Florida, recently opened a FROOTS restaurant in the Paddock Mall Food Court. &amp;quot;I saw a need for a 'healthy food' concept for our area in general and particularly for the employees in the mall,&amp;quot; said Sandy. &amp;quot;I did some research on food franchises and the FROOTS concept was appealing to me.  After visiting a store and trying the food and doing some comparison shopping, I felt it had a great product and a great look that would do well in the food court location.&amp;quot;

FROOTS offers diners a real change from typical quick service menus. Offerings include everything from gourmet soups to wraps, to Greek salad with hummus. Specialty beverage choices include fresh squeezed juices and 100% natural mixed fruit smoothies. For the body conscious, performance smoothies, combining protein, fat burner or energy enhancing powders, are available. Green tea and wheatgrass shots are also served. Sandy was particularly impressed with FROOTS because, &amp;quot;new menu items are rolled out quarterly to give the customer new choices.&amp;quot;

The Paddock Mall FROOTS opened in January and Sandy is busy carving a niche in the food court offerings. &amp;quot;Customers can usually expect to see me at the register, giving personalized customer service.  Many of our customers are regulars and I try to learn each one by name and they love that! I take special requests for soup or a particular flavored coffee,&amp;quot; she added. &amp;quot;I believe we are the only place in the food court that offers personalized ser ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Small Business Advice: Creativity Boost Via Online Counseling</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Firts, some methodological remarks about Online Consulting: it is the process of interacting with a professional online, in ongoing conversations over time, when the client and the online consultant are in separate locations and utilize phone, e-mails or internet video-conferencing technology to communicate with each other. 

We can proceed now to the Online Counseling Case Summary; here is a manager's question:  
&amp;quot;We have some rough time at my workplace, due to hostile competitors. Our boss is frequently demanding: ‘Be more creative. Think differently’. I would like a professional Small Business Advice Provider to clarify: what it is all about?&amp;quot;

As a Small Business Advice provider I sometime help to transform ideas to reality but some other times just to read together the dictionary; so let me first explain the terms that are being used by your boss:

The ‘regular’ way of thinking will be discussed now, in order for us, later, to understand the demand for a ‘different’ one.
The regular, which is the more conventional and common, type of thinking and decision making, is the ‘logic’, sometimes called ‘analytic’ thinking process. It is usually described as an ongoing flow type of a process, in which one stage of conclusion is leading to the next one, until the best solution is reached.

A simple example of that case, which is not a real Small Business Advice, is the process that most of us use once we cannot find our keys: we search the pockets, then the briefcase, then the table and thereafter the last place that we have been, according to our memory, and so on.

A researcher that taught us a lot regarding our thinking processes, Eduard DeBono, labeled this process as ‘Vertical Thinking’: the stream of thoughts moves like an arrow that continues its motion until the target is hit.

Let us now deal with the other term that your boss waves with: the ‘be creative’ challenge.

The proper way to describe the creative  ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>THE INS AND OUTS OF OUTSOURCING BOOKKEEPING</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Outsourcing can be one of the most strategic management decisions that a small business could make. Daily struggles with trying to maintain operations can be overwhelming for most, and tragic for some. Trying to keep it all together will definitely take its toll on a small operation. A person can only handle but so much before reaching their breaking point. Besides, why would you want to put your business under such unnecessary stress, when you can outsource to alleviate the burdens of having to do it all?

In-House Bookkeeping
Although many small businesses believe it’s necessary to handle their own bookkeeping in order to cut cost, the downside is that managing your books in-house will minimize your ability to focus on the promotion and development of your business. Actually, in the long run, you will end up spending more. The time spent figuring out your debits and credits can be used more wisely and efficiently by allowing a skilled professional to handle the task. They are better equipped to work faster, which saves you money and time, and allows you to spend more time focusing on revenue building activity.

Out-of-House (Outsourcing) Bookkeeping
 I can’t stress enough how cost effective this method is, but I will. Not only will you reduce operating costs such as payroll, employee benefits, and employment taxes, the cost savings can be shifted to areas that will promote business development, which in turn will increase revenues. Also, consider not having to spend time recruiting, training and maintaining staff. No more trouble with managing your staff’s behavior and personal issues. Besides, a professional working off site will be less subject to distractions from your office environment.
 
Outsourcing Abroad
With the rise in conducting business on a global scale, many companies are outsourcing internationally. Countries such as India, Canada, and Mexico, are becoming big contributors to the labor pools of American companies. As international gov ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>How to Avoid Self Sabotage</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[With the conclusion of the year, holiday stress, and economic pendulum swings, it is very easy to self-sabotage. Statistics prove that internal stress is the key factor in self-sabotage. More important, we sabotage because we focus on negative aspects; we focus on failure. Research shows that individuals have a fear of failure, but too often the real problem is fear of success. Failure is a manifestation of looking at the past. Our success lies in the future. Self-sabotage is really a form of denial. It also brings up the question of what is versus what can be. To avoid sabotage you must respect YOU and you must view the future. You must learn to love yourself.

Are you going to allow the negative self-talk or are you going to build a better future, brick by brick? There are seven vital techniques to avert sabotage.

1.	Self-Talk – Terminate the negative self-talk. Negative behavior and talk stimulates depression and anxiety. You must look in the mirror; understand the positive aspects you provide. Create positive speak, avoid negative terminology, and change your body mechanics. Smile at others and smile at yourself.
2.	Failure – Simply avoid it. Do the things you hate to do first. Sabotage stems from individuals believing they will fail if they attempt something uncomfortable. Not true. Failure is learning, creativity, and innovation. Some of our famous ancestors failed and created great things. King, Lincoln, Bell, and others believed they failed, only to have their dreams come true. Stop worrying about failure; it is the best education. However, in order to fail you must confront it head on and remove yourself from the comfort zone. Stop procrastinating today!
3.	Positive People – Depression and anxiety manifest when we gather with other negative people. Avert disaster by moving away from those that depress you. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill discusses the power of the Mastermind, small groups that share similar desires educating each other. Mo ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/3496/How-to-Avoid-Self-Sabotage.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/3496/How-to-Avoid-Self-Sabotage.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Use WordPress To Create A Website For Your Small Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Small Business owners frequently struggle with the right way to set up a web presence for their business.  How much should a professional looking website cost? How do I make sure it gets noticed by the search engines? Where do I start? 

Questions like these make many of them put this critical marketing decision off for another day. The tragedy is that they are missing out on harnessing the Internet as an amazing new way to promote their business. 

One excellent way to put your business online is with a free, open source tool called WordPress. WordPress is known by the tech elite as one of the most popular blogging tools on the Internet. But what some people don’t know, is that WordPress is a powerful website content management system that can be used for websites as well as blogs.

Why Use WordPress? Here are Some of the Benefits:
1) It’s cost effective. 
A decent looking website designed by a professional can cost you $2,000 and up. WordPress is a free tool, built and tested by Internet experts. All you will have to pay for is a domain name and hosting, which you can get for $10/month or less.

2) Professional designs are available for free. 
There are literally thousands of WordPress “Themes” available , many of them created by professional website designers. A WordPress Theme is essentially a website design template that you can use once you install WordPress. Many of these themes are free, and many “premium” themes that come with documentation and support are available for under $100.

3) It’s easy to add functionality to your website. 
There are thousands of WordPress “Plugins” available, which allow you to add all kinds of features to your website. Most of these plugins are free, and allow you to add features like photo slideshows, maps and directions, contact forms, click-to-call buttons, announcements, or just about anything you can imagine to your website in minutes.

4) Search Engine Optimization is built in. WordPress w ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/3473/Use-WordPress-To-Create-A-Website-For-Your-Small-Business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/3473/Use-WordPress-To-Create-A-Website-For-Your-Small-Business.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Which software is right for your company?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
As a business owner, I understand the plight of trying to keep it all together while running a business. So much to do, in so little time. From project management, to marketing, to keeping “The Books”, one literally has to become the “Jack of all trades”. But is this effective? OF COURSE NOT! We all are familiar with this dilemma. So now, what about the solution? The first step is to take an honest assessment of your needs, from every aspect of your business, from the daily operations to financial management. What type of resources do you need to function not only on a daily basis, but overall? 
Financial management, by far, is the most important aspect of running a business. Without managing this function properly; most businesses are doomed to fail. It’s a known fact that most new businesses fail within the first 2 years due to poor record keeping. The best solution for this scenario is to search for the necessary resources in order to properly manage your system. Whether you outsource or not, choosing the appropriate tools will determine the success of your system.

We all know that in this day and time, to keep your records manually, is not an effective practice. This method leaves much room for numerical errors, incorrect classifications, and missed entries. In this age of technology, it makes better sense to use a software package which is capable of handling your type of business and the level of information your company needs to process. Many factors come into play when making such an important decision. Such as company size, number of employees, systems support &amp;amp; maintenance, and features. Let’s take a closer look at what you need to consider when choosing a software package.

Company size
The software package that’s suitable for your company will need to accommodate the number of users who are designated for access to the system. The number of employees that your company has will help you to decide who should have access and for w ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>How To Make Your Small Business Look Big</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Establish a Professional Image with a Hosted PBX Solution

Many small businesses are established on a very tight budget and most are run by a single person – the business owner – or possibly two people if there is a joint partnership. Hiring employees is usually pretty low on the list of priorities until the business starts turning a profit and sometimes that takes as long as two years.

Even though this might be good money management, sometimes small businesses are put under scrutiny because of their small size. Customers question if a small, one-person business can handle their needs in the same manner as a larger competitor. They might even wonder if a small business will keep its doors open long enough to complete a job or will they close up shop without notice.

Creating Your Business Image

For small businesses that are fighting these perceptions, using a [URL=http://www.expand2web.com/blog/2008/09/15/introduction-to-virtual-phone-systems/]virtual phone system[/URL] can give the image that your company is larger, which instills confidence in your first-time callers.

You’ve heard before that you only get one chance to make a good first impression? Well, many times that first impression takes place on the telephone. Most of the virtual phone providers offer professional voice overs and on-hold music features helps to make your business sound more professional.

Many mothers are jumping on the work from home bandwagon and are opening their own home-based businesses. While this is not unusual today with the advances of technology and it’s admirable that they want to stay home to care for their children, clients or customers whose calls are answered by a sweet child’s voice may question the professionalism of the owner.

By using a virtual phone system, these work at home moms have a professional voice answering their calls and the calls are then forwarded to the owner’s phone. At this point, the customer knows he reached the correct numb ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>What You Must Know Before buying a Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A very rewarding endeavor could be buying a business that already exists. What comes to mind first in regard to buying an existing business is avoiding 'start-up' costs. Since you are not guaranteed to make a profit with a new business, the cost of advertising the business and creating it can be very expensive. However, The existing business will have a track record that you can look at for information on income and expenses. This can give you an idea of what you can expect even though you can not be sure that it will be exactly the same as the last performance.

When an investor wishes to purchase a [URL=http://www.canadabizmart.com]small business for sale[/URL], there are many legal considerations which must be thoroughly explored first. The most important thing is to be sure of what you want to buy. Are you just purchasing the assets of the business, or are u actually going to purchase the entirety of the business along with all components? 

What specifically is your money purchasing? 
When buying assets, it is critical to have a detailed written description of the assets to be purchased in order to avoid any confusion. Make a list of all assets that are identifiable physically.   For example the copier, the client roster, the office furniture, etc... You need to consider making a list of intangible assets aswell, i.e. the phone number to the business. There is often a failure to consider the precise assets included within the purchase, which lead to many business transaction disputes.

Will the landlord let you take over the lease? 
A fair lease in a good location is part of the value of a business, for some business valuations. If you are purchasing a business on leased premises, you will need to obtain the consent of the landlord prior to assuming the existing lease. This is generally incorporated as one of the conditions of the Agreement. Before agreeing to a lease, a landlord will be looking for information on your credit as well as your experience  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/3242/What-You-Must-Know-Before-buying-a-Business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/3242/What-You-Must-Know-Before-buying-a-Business.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Time Management For New Business Owners </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Starting a business can be very exciting, yet frustrating at the same time. There are things that you need to do, things that you want to do and emergency situations that creep up on you in your sleep at night. Finding time to get everything done seems to be a futile effort and you sometimes seem to end your days without marking a single item off your to do list. Here are a few tips that will make you more productive and leave you with a sense of accomplishment, without burning you out.  

Keep Your Workspace Organized

Working in a cluttered space can be very distracting and lead to lots of wasted time. The three minutes you spend searching for a pen before an important phone call could have been three minutes spent on one of your smaller tasks for the day. Take the time after ending your workday or before starting the next to organize yourself and maximize productivity. 

Create A Realistic To-Do List 

As you start your day, write a list of the things that you need to accomplish for the day. Be sure to make your list no longer than you can realistically accomplish within a single day. Though there is always more to be done, completing a list and starting a new one for the next day will give you a larger sense of accomplishment than carrying more over to the next day than you finished. 


Break Up Larger Projects - Rather than spending an entire day working on the same project, break it up into manageable chunks, spread over several days. This will help to prevent burnout and will ward off procrastination. 
 

Prioritize Your Tasks - Though it might be tempting to start with smaller projects to feel as if you accomplished more in your day, prioritizing is a better way to go. This way, you can assure that the must-do tasks are completed on time.  

Develop A Personal Schedule 

Set specific timeframes for each task on your list. This will help to keep you from wasting too much time on a single task, causing other items on your list to be reschedul ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>An Entrepreneur Success Coach's Tips - Launching a 7 Figure Income Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The field of information marketing has opened doors to limitless opportunities for lucrative online, home-based businesses.  Yet, according to the Small Business Association more than half of all new businesses still continue to fail. There are many reasons why new businesses fail to succeed. But the biggest reason is unsuccessful entrepreneurs fail to take action.  Many entrepreneurs face too many distractions, a lack of knowledge, competing priorities, poor planning and time management issues, to name a few.  
 
My friend and fellow Dan Kennedy follower, Melanie Benson Strick, a success coach for entrepreneurs, points out that successful entrepreneurs know how to create a balance between a speedy (and profitable) start-up and a reckless one.  We've all heard the saying &amp;quot;strong and steady wins the race.&amp;quot; And, it couldn't be truer than when it comes to getting a new venture up, running and profitable in record time.  
.
In my new book, &amp;quot;Start Your Own Information Marketing Business,&amp;quot; which is an essential how-to guide for anyone interested in starting an information marketing business, Melanie explains that speed implementation is not just about moving fast.  It's how you move forward that really matters.  
 
Melanie's 5 Speed Habits of Successful Entrepreneurs That Can Guarantee the Success of Any Start-Up 
 
1. Good is Good Enough
 
Knowing when to stop trying to achieve perfection is an important part of speed implementation.  Trying to be perfect is near impossible and, in the mean time, someone else is capitalizing on your idea.  Sometimes it's ok to learn from mistakes as you go.  
 
2. High Payoff Focus
 
Understanding the difference between a distraction and a high payoff opportunity is like money in the bank.  Focus your time and energy on the things that get you results quickly.
 
3. Power Planning
 
By creating a written plan and strategy for success, you will be able to identify weaknesses and potential roadblocks. T ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/3217/An-Entrepreneur-Success-Coachs-Tips--Launching-a-7-Figure-Income-Business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/3217/An-Entrepreneur-Success-Coachs-Tips--Launching-a-7-Figure-Income-Business.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Fall Gift Baskets for Your Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Autumn is in the air.  Apple pie, falling leaves, football- all these things indicate it is fall.  If you have noticed the change in seasons then so have your clients and employees.  What a perfect time of year to celebrate fall and attract new clients by sending autumn themed gift baskets.

Small businesses and corporations are finding that gourmet gift baskets can increase business and retain customer loyalty.  Customized gift baskets can also be sent to employees to increase morale.  Each time of year can be made a special time of year by sending a gift basket.  

Here are five ideas for baskets that represent fall and the splendor it brings.  Use these ideas to attract new clients or retain loyal ones.  No matter how you use them, your business will stand out in this person's mind. 

Apple Pie
Who doesn't love apple pie?  In the fall the scent of apple pie seems to be everywhere.  Entice a new client by sending them a basket with an apple pie candle, red and green apples and a gift certificate to a local restaurant that serves apple pie.

Football Time
Fall is the time for football.  Why not send a customized gift basket of your client's favorite football team.  Maybe their team won a big game, or you would like to razz them a bit for a big loss.  This could be made simple by using tissue paper in the colors of a client's favorite team.  Include a nerf football and a big bag of chips and dip to eat during the next game.

Pumpkin Patch
Have you ever noticed how some people just love pumpkins?  Maybe you have a client that especially loves fall and the pumpkins that come with it.  Create a food gift basket with a pumpkin theme-  pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies and pumpkin salt and pepper shakers.   

Halloween
Employees and clients with children are already thinking about Halloween.  Send a Halloween gift basket with special goodies.  Spider cupcakes, ghost cookies and gummy worms make for a festive treat that someone could share with their family.
 ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>4 Secrets To Selling Value Versus Price</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Do you find that your prospects are focused on the price of your products and services and often pressure you to give them discounts? 

You've told your prospects in so much detail about all the great value they will receive but they just don't seem to get it. You know that if only they could see the value in your products and services then price would not be such an issue. 

Here are four secrets, if learned and applied, will guarantee that your prospects will see the value in your products and services so that price is no longer the issue. These four secrets are commonsense and obvious once you know them but in selling what is commonsense and obvious is rarely applied. 

Secret #1: Forget about selling and trying to get your prospect to buy your products and services. 
The common trap, that you don't want to fall into, is to start selling your products and services from the very first conversation with your prospect. Instead, you want to forget about selling and trying to get your prospect to buy your products and services. Just have a conversation and ask the right questions so you can understand their problem and determine, if in fact, you can help them. I call this initial phase the 'Discover Phase' and it is where you should be spending the majority of your time in the sales process. 

Secret #2: Have your prospect tell you the value (instead of you tell them). 
If you tell your prospect about the value you offer, they may or may not see this as relevant, of interest or of value. However if you ask the right questions so your prospect tells you the value of solving their problem, they will then see this value as relevant, of interest and of value. The big difference is that they have told you (and themselves) the value as opposed to you telling them. 

Secret Number #3: Have valuable conversations. 
The conversations you want to have with your prospect should include so much value that they actually thank you for speaking with them and, in fact, l ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Mom Entrepreneurs Achieve Notable Success</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In 2006, the Center for Women's Business Research reported there are 10 million privately held firms in the U.S. that are 50 percent or more owned by a woman--and 72 percent of the firms are run by moms.  Even the acronyms you read show the prevalence of women with successful companies--terms like MEs (for mom entrepreneurs) and sprightly &amp;quot;Mompreneur&amp;quot;  fill the research, while&amp;quot;WAHM&amp;quot; (which means &amp;quot;work at home moms) and sounds awfully like &amp;quot;WHAM&amp;quot;, reminding you of the sound a superhero, caped-crusader makes when she crashes through obstacles and nails her financial success. 

Moms earn extra money while keeping their families’ needs central.   Entrepreneurial women often see opportunities in areas which are complete departures from their career experience or education.  They do this by noticing what interests their children:  Pam X. (a journalist) sewed braided ribbons onto her son Nathan's blankets.  He continually played with these, developing early skill in hand-eye coordination.  She called them &amp;quot;taggies.&amp;quot;  Other mothers at the playground asked her to sew for them--and a business was born.  Within a year, Pam's company was making $5 million dollars in sales.  

Moms have targeted their businesses into providing services (baby delivery planning, financial services, web marketing) for moms.  The mom vision creates new markets, services, and products.  Independence and control over the final product or outcome attracts some moms to business ownership--especially the desire to create a flexible work environment.  &amp;quot;The reality for women, especially women with children is cultural:  women are still the primary caretakers of children--and now, aging parents&amp;quot; writes Alicia Rodriguez in a Business Week.com article &amp;quot;Women Leading the Way in Startups&amp;quot; (May 17, 2006).  Women's businesses function in family friendly environments, the home office or conference room in a firm with 200 employees, where childr ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Coping With Information Overload</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Henry David Thoreau once said, &amp;quot;Things are in the saddle and ride mankind.&amp;quot; Today, INFORMATION is in the saddle and it's riding us into the ground! Information overload is a serious problem today. We are overwhelmed with information. We fear that if we don't read it all, we'll miss something really important. So we pile it, unread, and the piles keep growing.

We won't discard the unread magazines or books, no matter how long they've been sitting there. We want to hang onto them because &amp;quot;it's good information.&amp;quot; But realistically, the only way we can &amp;quot;catch up&amp;quot; is to spend our next three vacations doing nothing but reading. Most of us aren't willing to do that.

= Help for Information Hoarders = 
Time to face reality, then. People talk as if information has mystical power--as if the act of buying a book or magazine is enough. But information is not absorbed through osmosis. You must take the time to read it. Until you read it, information has no value. None! I'm an info-maniac myself, so it took me a long time to understand this. Once I did, a huge burden of impossible expectation was lifted from my shoulders.

You can get some reading done in odd moments: waiting for appointments, riding the train or bus. But most of us could benefit from a regular weekly reading time. You don't have time? Bump something else from your schedule.

= Prioritize = 
If you still can't get caught up, your only choice is to reduce the amount of reading material you bring into your life. Cut back on your purchases of books, magazines, and newsletter subscriptions. This can be difficult, because it forces you to face that you will never have time to do it all. But this hard-nosed realism enables you to make conscious decisions about what you will read--which is better than leaving it to chance.

Important magazine and newsletter articles should be clipped and filed by topic so you can find them later. If you don't file it, you won't be able to find  ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>The Power of Planning Ahead</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[People suffer needlessly by postponing tasks until the last minute. A lot of tasks we race to finish at the 11th hour could be completed with ease if started early enough. 
You don't feel the need to start doing your taxes in January - what's the hurry? There's still plenty of time. February and March pass, still no action. By April you spring into a whirl of anxious activity. You scramble to obtain the correct forms. You frantically start gathering your receipts, but because there isn't enough time to find all of them, you miss out on legitimate deductions. You may even be forced to do it all yourself because every CPA is booked. What was unpleasant to begin with has become a much worse ordeal due to procrastination. 

-- Don't Procrastinate, Plan! --

The solution is to do things before they need to be done. Make the most important task your first task of the week. Then, no matter what problems arise later, the most important thing got done. Also remember that things often take longer than we expect. If a report is due next week, schedule time a few days in advance to prepare it. This way, if more time is needed, you've got it.

We know that working up to the last minute before leaving for the airport is not worth the risk of missing your plane, so we leave for the airport early. The same principle can be applied in other areas. Call the pharmacy to have that prescription refilled before the last pill is gone. Buy an extra battery for your cell phone before it goes dead. Take your clothes in for dry cleaning before every single suit you own is dirty. Whether it's your office printer, your teeth, or your car, taking care of problems as soon as they begin to surface will save you time, money, and anxiety. If you make this a habit you'll be amazed at how much easier life is. 

-- Schedule Appointments With Yourself --

You feel some pressure to go in for a check up if your car's making funny noises or you have a toothache. But how about projects with long- ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Planning the Sale of a Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Selling a business is one of the more important things any business owner will do in their lifetime. Years of  physical &amp;amp; mental effort has been invested into building the business, so finding the right buyer to pay the right price is important, but an undertaking in itself.

The sale of a business, is something you as a business owner should carefully plan and manage months before putting it on the market. To start with, you should be putting yourself in the shoes of a potential buyer, who is looking for a business to buy, this means you should;

1.Clean up all the loose ends.
2.Minimize wastage in the business.
3.Have proper financial statements and projections.

By actioning theses three main things you will help the business sell, by being more attractive to buyers. So if someone was to step in tomorrow, the business should be able to run as well as if you weren't there. Things that you should be looking at;

&amp;gt; Review leases, make sure they don't set to expire while you're trying to sell.
&amp;gt; Having your customer/clients, invoices digitalized.
&amp;gt; A manual for unwritten rules &amp;amp; techniques.


Preparation is key in the process, and taking a step back months in advance before selling to make the improvements to the business, will only increase your chances of selling your business. On average Businesses take 9 months to sell, with a large percentage of sales before this falling through because of a disagreement over price, or buyers getting cold feet. So with the help of an accountant, and business broker, and comparables ([URL=http://www.canadabizmart.com/businesses-for-sale/]businesses for sale[/URL]) on websites like [URL=http://www.canadabizmart.com]canadabizmart.com[/URL], you should be able to arrive at a realistic valuation, with the proper help to guide you through a smooth sales process.
]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/2980/Planning-the-Sale-of-a-Business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/2980/Planning-the-Sale-of-a-Business.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Make More Sales By Avoiding The Product Trap </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The majority of salespeople fall into the product trap when selling their products and services. Are you falling into this product trap too? 

You will know if you are falling into the product trap if: 

* When you are having a sales conversation, you are passionate about your products and services. 

* Your sales conversations are focused around telling people about your products and services. You think that the more they know about your products and services, the more they will see how great they are and want to buy them. 

* Your marketing materials and website are all about your products and services. 

* You define yourself and what you do by your products and services.

If you are selling for a company, it is highly likely that the company has fallen into the product trap too. Take a fresh look at all their marketing materials to see if the focus is on their products and services. Another sign is that they focus on giving you product training so you know all about the features and benefits of all their products. 

So what is wrong with the product trap you may ask? Well if you, or the company you work for, have fallen into the product trap, there will be a direct negative impact on your sales results. Also, selling will be a lot harder than it needs to be. This is because, if you have fallen into the product trap, you will consequently be selling the wrong thing. You will be selling your products and services and your products and services are not what people buy. 

People do not buy your products and services. They buy an outcome that they want and your products and services simply play a part in delivering that outcome. You don't buy a drill because you want a drill. You buy a drill because you want the outcome, the hole, which the drill delivers. Similarly people want to buy an outcome from you. Hence to make it easy for them to buy an outcome from you, the first thing you can do is to stop falling into the product trap. 

So if you are fa ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/2907/Make-More-Sales-By-Avoiding-The-Product-Trap.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/2907/Make-More-Sales-By-Avoiding-The-Product-Trap.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Ten Tips on writing the perfect resume</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
It is a well known fact that thousands of people apply for a single job. Then imagine the employer sitting in front of a table with a stack of resumes. He or she is not going to read every one. Isn’t it? So how can you ensure that you make him/her read your one. Stand out from the rest! It is simple to say. But how?
 
The rest of the article discusses ten tips which will assist you to write the perfect resume.
 
1. Analyze the vacancy and determine the skills, capabilities, experience required for the job. This is important since each job advertisement although for the same post will have a unique set of requirements. You need to grasp them by carefully reading the advertisement and understand what takes prominence.    
 
2. Create a comprehensive list of your skills, qualifications, business exposure. Then critically evaluate each of them focusing on the job at your hand. Drop out the ones which seem irrelevant and retain the relevant content.
 
3. Once you get rid of the distracters, you may elaborate the relevant content of the list by drawing from your past experience, stating accomplishments and highlighting your abilities that prove your capacity to assume the job responsibilities.
 
4. Skills, Qualifications, and Experience make the core of your resume. So ensure it is not a boring story just about your past but an interesting narrative spiced up with what you intend to do in the future especially within the job applied including the contribution you expect to deliver to the organization.
 
5. Remember to include a concise and customized career objective at the beginning of the resume. Customization to suit the job being applied is utmost important because this allows you to grab the attention of the employer at once.
 
6. Don’t stop over there, please go on to explain how this job will facilitate the achievement of your ultimate objective. In other words you will be explaining how you as well as your employer will mutually benefit from th ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/2826/Ten-Tips-on-writing-the-perfect-resume.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/2826/Ten-Tips-on-writing-the-perfect-resume.php</link>
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      <title><strong>How to Get Repeat Customers</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[When someone purchases from you it is because they have developed a relationship with you. There is an affinity between you that they enjoy. This has built a trust between you and you want to honor that trust. It is the key to future purchases. They will trust you: 

1. To tell the truth about products and services
2. To give them a fair price for products and services
3. To keep them informed about other products and services that can assist their businesses.

This last point is critical. Businesses grow and need new products and services all the time. They want to be on the cutting edge of technology and all they use to run their business. Because of the trust you developed they rely on you to keep them informed of the developments in your industry. 

The companies that bought from you did not expect to purchase something and never hear from you again. They expect you to contact them and communicate with them frequently. It is a relationship that needs attention.

A company will use all their resources to keep their business thriving and they do not have time to research your industry. The knowledge and understanding you have is a very valuable resource to them. If you want people to purchase from you again share this resource. 

Call or email them and let them know what is new in your industry that they could benefit from. Often this is not a necessarily a product or service to purchase from you. It can be information about new developments, trends in the market or shifts that the economy is taking in your sector. How this will impact your clients is important information for them to have. 

It is easy to stay in touch and grow these relationships. You can create an email list of those who have purchased from you.  When you hear of new developments or read an interesting article, send it on to your list. To increase your prospects ask them to forward your news to other companies that they think could benefit from the information. 

Companies have  ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Is Selling Simple or Complicated? </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I'd like you to take a moment right now and, before you continue reading this article, decide whether you think selling is simple or complicated? Please now read on. 

Before I start to specifically talk about selling, I'd like to first discuss 'complicated' versus 'simple'. 

In the past we have been taught to respect and value the 'complicated.' Whole industries have cropped up to make complicated products, to convince us we need these complicated products and to then help us use these complicated products. 

On the other hand, in the past we have not respected or valued the 'simple'. The simple is seen as common sense and by definition, since it's 'common' sense, its perceived value is diminished. 

The absolute irony is that to make something complicated is simple and to make something simple is complicated! To make something simple requires a lot of effort and skill. To make something simple often requires a lot more time and expense than to make it complicated. 

Recently people have started to demand the simple in their lives and are seeing the value in simple. Simplicity now sells and people are even starting to pay more money for the simple. 

Now let's come back to selling and whether it is complicated or simple. 

I think that not only have we been convinced that selling is complicated but we also use the perspective that selling is complicated as an excuse. Let me explain further. 

We have been told that selling is complicated. We have been convinced that: 

* As the products we are selling get more and more complicated, the selling of these complicated products must by definition get more complicated as well. 

* As the number of people involved in making a single purchasing decision increases, the more complicated the selling becomes. 

Since we've been convinced that selling is complicated, we believe we need complicated sales processes and sales tools in order to sell. As a result, lots of companies have appeared over the years ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>10 Ways To Use Private Label Rights Special Reports </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The major benefit of using private label rights (also known as PLR) special reports is that it can save you a lot of time and money. Hiring a professional ghostwriter to write a special report can cost you a $100 or more. With so much time invested in research, writing, proofreading and editing on the part of the writer, their service doesn’t come cheap. On the other hand, if you were to do the writing yourself, you would be taking time away from the money making tasks that your business thrives on.
   
Fortunately, private label rights content offers a win-win solution to your content needs. Not only does this option save you time and money, but you can use PLR special reports to make some extra cash.

Here Are 10 Ways You Can Do This:

1. You can easily monetize your special report by using your affiliate links. There will almost always be an opportunity to make a reference to a particular product, service, or website in a report. For instance, if you have a report on teleseminars you can use your affiliate link to recommend a service that can be used to set up a phone line and record the seminar.

2. Using special reports as a bonus incentive is a great way to get people to subscribe to your mailing list. Once they’re on your list, you’ll not only be able to provide them with valuable information, but you can promote your products and services to them as well. Don’t forget to surprise your current subscribers every so often with a new, and free, special report that they can download. They’ll love you for it.

3. Beef up the value of your current products and services by giving away special reports as a bonus gift to those who buy from you.

4. If you have a membership site you can quickly add a lot of beneficial content by providing them as a resource to your members.

5. Surveys are a great way to find out what your customers want, but sometimes it can be difficult to get people to take the time to answer your questions. Giving a report a ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/2545/10-Ways-To-Use-Private-Label-Rights-Special-Reports.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/2545/10-Ways-To-Use-Private-Label-Rights-Special-Reports.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Seven Calculated Choices to Make Your Career Leap Like a Geyser</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[&amp;quot;Life leaps like a geyser for those willing to drill through the rock of inertia.&amp;quot; -- Alexis Carrel
 
When I was 10 years old, our family vacation was to Yellowstone Park in Wyoming. I remember watching in awe as the Old Faithful geyser of its own free will and choice erupted out of what appeared from a distance to be solid rock, sending hot water and steam high in the air.
 
This experience made it possible for me to visualize the above quote by Alexis Carrel, &amp;quot;Life leaps like a geyser for those willing to drill through the rock of inertia.&amp;quot;
 
Inertia is that quality keeping us at rest, or at the same level of achievement you had last month. To go from rest to action, to go from lethargic to energetic, to go from procrastination to productive work, requires an external force. 
 
Just like Old Faithful, the desire for more success and achievement can erupt inside of you. When it does, take the time to reevaluate, reexamine, rethink, and reorganize – all activities geared to help you drill through the rock of inertia and heat tepid attempts at success into the sizzling, boiling actions that will send your career dancing like a geyser, erupting by its own free will and choice. 
 
These seven calculated choices will help you drill through the rock of inertia to the success you have always wanted. Be bold and choose to:
 
1. Reevaluate and reexamine your purpose. By reevaluating and reexamining your life will you receive the gut feelings, the inspirations, and the revelations to take you to the next level you long for in your soul. 
 
2. Believe in your abilities. You are not human if you have not had the desire to do, then immediately had distinct feelings of inadequacy. For some strange reason, we doubt ourselves before we believe in our abilities. As your true potential is unknown, keep discovering who you are by unwavering belief in yourself.
 
3. Plan, visualize, imagine, and &amp;quot;picturize&amp;quot; your future. The majority of i ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/2521/Seven-Calculated-Choices-to-Make-Your-Career-Leap-Like-a-Geyser.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/2521/Seven-Calculated-Choices-to-Make-Your-Career-Leap-Like-a-Geyser.php</link>
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      <title><strong>How A Window Cleaning Business Survives During The Winter</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In some parts of the country window cleaners are able to clean commercial and residential windows year round regardless of what month it is, because the seasons in their part of the country are much milder and more constant.

Well that's great for them, but what about the rest of us? Is the sentiment I hear expressed most often in regards to this topic. But I have good news for you. Just because its winter time doesn't mean that your income has to die, it just means that you have to adapt and expand on the services you offer.

Before I get into describing some of the various ways a window cleaner can make money during the winter, let me remind you that while the residential market may die down during the winter months, the commercial market still continues to provide stable income. Why? Because commercial businesses need to maintain clean storefronts and office spaces in order to make them inviting for customers. This means that they need your window cleaning services as much if not more during the winter than they do in the summer.

Now on to some different ways you can keep your window cleaning business in profit during the slow winter months. I will share with you several services you can offer, but please don't let yourself be limited to only these services. Think outside the box and think about what your customers need during the winter months besides window cleaning.

Christmas Light Installation
One of the most profitable services you can offer your existing and potential customers in the winter time is a Christmas light installation service. In this case your customers would pay you to hang up there holiday lights and then come back at the end of the season and take them down. This can be extremely profitable if done right as you charge the customer upfront for both the installation and the removal. This can lead to a nice chunk of change in your hand right before Christmas time. Christmas Light Installation has become such a large part of my winter ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/2516/How-A-Window-Cleaning-Business-Survives-During-The-Winter.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/2516/How-A-Window-Cleaning-Business-Survives-During-The-Winter.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Should I Start a Blog for My Small Business?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If your company has an online presence, starting and maintaining a blog is a great way to grow your business by driving traffic to your website. Assuming that you have a good marketing-oriented website, increased traffic should result in new customers, increased sales, and a better bottom line. 

When you want to grow your business, one of the best things you can do is start a blog that will appeal to members of your target audience. The blog shouldn't be all about your company. No one is going to visit your blog more than once if it doesn't provide information that is useful to them. Your blog content should focus on providing useful tips, advice, and information that will benefit the types of individuals that make up your primary customer base. 

It's important to remember that blogs must be updated with valuable content on a regular basis. There are several ways to approach populating your blog with content. Some bloggers feel that all blog content must be unique. Others take advantage of free reprint articles, feeling that frequency of publication is more important than unique content. Many business owners whose goal is to attract customers and keep them coming back choose to use a combination of both types of blog content. 

It's also important to let people know about your blog. Link it directly to the main page of your company's website so that it's easy for website visitors to find your blog. You also need to promote the blog to people who aren't finding their way to your website on their own. After all, you want to attract new visitors to your company's website. 

There are many ways to promote your blog online, including social networking, using your blog's URL in your e-mail signature line, and making posts with links to your blog on other relevant blogs and forums. You can also promote your blog by adding it's website address to your business cards, advertising material, and other company marketing materials. 

If you don't know where to begin  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/2444/Should-I-Start-a-Blog-for-My-Small-Business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/2444/Should-I-Start-a-Blog-for-My-Small-Business.php</link>
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      <title><strong>What is Web 2.0?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[   	

What is Web 2.0?

The buzzword “Web 2.0” has been floating around for a couple of years now. Some define the term as a general description of the second generation of the web – moving away from “brochure type” websites through the use of interactive technologies. Other people use “Web 2.0” to mean a certain “look” for website elements, including 3D tabs and buttons, more cutting edge graphics, and a less boxy or grid-based website layout.

The attempt to clarify the exact meaning of this now ubiquitous term has caused quite a bit of disagreement between groups.

Whether you are gung-ho for Web 2.0, not too enthusiastic about embracing the concept, or have no idea of what it is — read on, so you can weigh in the next time it’s brought up at a business luncheon.

The term stems from O’Reilly Media in 2004. It suggests a new version of the WWW, yet doesn’t refer to any update of technical specifications – only to the ways the developers and users will use the web.

Technologies included:

    * Blogs
    * Mashups
    * Social Bookmarking
    * Wikis
    * Podcasts
    * RSS Feeds
    * APIs (Application Programming Interfaces)
    * Online Web Services


Many more technologies are included.

Characteristics often include browser-based programs, which allow :

    * Interactivity
    * Participation
    * Syndication


Many people today are requesting website design that is Web 2.0 compliant. Often what they are referring to is a “look”. Examples are gradient boxes, shiny floor effect, and bright shiny plump logo design, rather than any specific functionality.

In a nutshell, the term “Web 2.0” means different things to different people. Like abstract art, it’s what you want it to be. Since there aren’t any set standards, you are free to interpret what it means to you and whether to apply the principle to your website design.]]></description>
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      <title><strong>How to Make Your Small Business More Efficient - ISO 9000 for Very Small Co</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[When people think of ISO-9000 quality systems, they usually think of huge manufacturing corporations with extensive staffs of cubicle workers keeping track of all of the bureaucratic paperwork needed to keep up their compliance. This is a complete misconception. ISO-9000 isn't so much a complex, piles-of-paperwork system as it is a way of approaching business. You could apply the principles of ISO-9000 to a business as small as a one-person operation, and actually improve your business's performance.

ISO-9000 is about saying what you do, doing what you say, and having a way of checking that what you say and what you do are the same thing. Do you have a procedure for everything you do even if you’re a one-man operation? Well, yes, you do, even if it’s only in your head. How tough is it to write that down. Make a list. Here’s how I handle a new order. Here’s how I decide how much to charge for a certain service. Here’s how I prepare my product for delivery. 

With the business procedures you follow already in your head, the act of writing them down forces you to think them through. It lets you look at them and ask why you do them. It pares down the steps to only the vital operations and ignores the fruitless ones. When you first do this, you’re very likely to discover all sorts of wasted motion, things that can be pared from your operation that have no purpose at all. You’ll actually gain time finding these procedural efficiencies.

The next characteristic of an ISO mindset is doing what you say. Do you follow your own procedures every time? If they’re written down, you’re far more likely to follow them than if they’re just in your head. Fewer things fall through the cracks so your productivity is improved and your customers more satisfied.

Another aspect of ISO-9000, is that it forces you to fix your mistakes and problems. Instead of simply telling yourself you’ll try to remember not to make that mistake again, you actually apply corre ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/2343/How-to-Make-Your-Small-Business-More-Efficient--ISO-9000-for-Very-Small-Co.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/2343/How-to-Make-Your-Small-Business-More-Efficient--ISO-9000-for-Very-Small-Co.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Competing with Big Brands</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Competing with Big Brands
Rishi Rajan
Marketing Consultant
What your business should do to compete in oligopolistic environments.
A potential coffee shop manager once asked me how he could compete with big brands such as Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks.
It can be quite a challenge to compete with big brands that have been well established in a city. Companies like Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks spend millions of dollars a year marketing themselves to get people to buy their coffee and baked goods. On top of that, these stores are at the corner of almost every street. But where does your small coffee shop business fit in?
Does your coffee shop have hope? Yes, it does. However, it depends on a few important factors:
Location: Your coffee shop should be at least 500 metres away from the nearest Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks. If you hear of any of these stores proposing to build a store near yours, I suggest you sell something other than coffee because I am 110% sure that you will not be able to compete with them. In the end, it’s not up to you; it’s up to your customers. However, if you want to continue selling coffee, I suggest relocating to another area where the competition is minimal.

Product: Your coffee should be almost similar to Dunkin Donuts’ or Starbucks’ coffee. Me personally, I love the coffee at Dunkin Donuts. Hence, the only reason I would love your coffee was if it tasted like theirs. Please don’t think of trying any “product differentiation” strategies. For example, where I live, there is a smaller coffee franchise that has around ten stores. Their coffee is different from Dunkin Donuts’ coffee, and that’s why I hate it. This could be because millions of people are so used to drinking Dunkin’s or Starbucks’ coffee, that another coffee just wouldn’t make their day feel right – sort of like wearing those uncomfortable pants that you’re not used to wearing to work. So what’s my advice? Make your coffee taste like Dunk ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>10 Smokin' Hot Business Startups</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The small business owners in the United States are world class entrepreneurs. Always thinking – always on their feet. While many job opportunities are being given to foreign countries, local business owners are coming up with amazingly innovative concepts for saleable products and services.  CNN Money and BusinessWeek give some of the best samplings of the stratosphere for entrepreneurs in the U.S.

Disease Mapping - Through the use of satellite imaging and databases, this business provides an important service to the United Nations, governments, universities and consulting firms for determining how disease epidemics spread around the world. Andy Tatum is a 29-year-old with a Ph.D. that carefully plots out the data he has collected to predict for example, where the next malaria outbreak will happen.

Online Media Publishing - The CulturalConnect is a collection of four interlocking Web sites and e-magazines aimed at spotlighting and connecting young minority professionals with each other and to the nonprofit world. 24-year-old Sumaya Kazi is the co-founder of the company with a staff all under 30 that work remotely. The site, which had more than 560,000 page views in September and spends no money on advertising, is profitable, relying mainly on banner advertising.

Robot Programming - We now can use industrial robots for everything from analyzing blood samples to mixing drinks for cocktail hour. Some of the largest technology companies and auto manufacturers, such as Panasonic and Toyota need industrial robot programmers. Matt Zeigler is a 35-year-old self-trained robot programmer that calibrates the moving parts to work with perfect precision.  Industrial robots are helping to get people off assembly lines and into fields of business where more technological skill is required.

Healthy Food Provider - 23-year-old Sean Kelly founded Fit Fuel in 2002, a health food and vending machine supply business, to tap into what he saw as prime vending real estate. He ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Multimedia and Search Engine Optimization</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[After an email inquiry from a small business website owner who had considered adding a flash presentation to their website, it's time to emphasize the search engine optimization value of flash and other multimedia website content.  For a small business commercial website design, my advice is avoiding content that requires a large file size such as multimedia.  Unless it is absolutely required and does NOT load automatically, visitors on dialup will leave immediately due to the intolerable load time.

Exceptions might be photographers or graphic artists showing high resolution versions of their work, or perhaps a recording studio with sample music or videos.  The average small business owner does not need autoloading multimedia.

Here is a response to the email from the site owner previously mentioned who was considering flash: 

&amp;quot;Why would you want to add a flash scene to your site?  In my list of &amp;quot;Don't do this&amp;quot; for website design, flash is at the top of the list.  It has zero SEO value, and the file size is intolerable for people on dialup.  With more than 50% of internet users still on dialup you cut off half your potential visitors by having flash.  Unlike videos that allow visitors to make a choice of play or not, flash loads automatically and cannot be avoided.  People visit commercial websites for information.  Flash is &amp;quot;entertainment&amp;quot; and most people want answers to problems, so my advice is stay focused on text content that search engines can index.&amp;quot;

Let's consider audio and video next.  Another client wants background music to play automatically when a visitor arrives at any page of her restaurant website.  This is an intrusion of the visitor's expectations and privacy, and could actually get them in trouble. Imagine a visitor at work with their speakers turned up, and searching for an area restaurant to visit that evening.  The embarrassment of being caught engaged in non-work related surfing on company time could ge ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Business Credit Cards</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The phrase &amp;quot;business credit card&amp;quot; is one of the most populat keyword searches on the internet. Every small business owner needs to have a credit card to do business transactions. Having the business credit card in the name of the business rather than in the personal name has advanatages. 

Early on, a small business may not be eligible for a small business credit card. Later on, the credit score for the small business may be a hindrance to obtaining a business credit card. A secured business credit card requires that you pay a specified amount of cash on the account before you can use it. You then use the business credit card as you would any other business credit card, sending the payment with your monthly statement. The initial deposit you made on the account is not used to pay the balance of the business credit card unless you default on the payments. Specific secured business credit cards exist to help a small business build or repair its small business credit score. 

A true business credit card is a line of credit that is taken in the name of the business, under the business' credit. Activity, whether good or bad, is reflected on your business' credit report through D&amp;amp;B and other financial institutions, and the liability for any debts incurred and bills owed is with the business. 

However, some companies out there offer &amp;quot;business&amp;quot; credit cards which they require a person guarantee for. These institutions will often ask for a personal guarantee, and will almost always ask for a social security number from the person applying for the business credit card. If this is the case, the credit card is not a business credit card, but is simply a personal credit card which is used for the business. The business is not liable for bills and debts - you are. 

When applying for a business credit card for your business, watch out for areas asking for your SSN (and not your TaxID orEIN) and be wary of any business credit card that asks for a p ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Working with a Spouse in a Small Business Partnership</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Two of the most challenging endeavors that people can take are marriage and a small business partnership. Combining the two creates a whole new world of potential problems, but done right, a harmonious balance in small business partnership can be struck. Partnerships, both small business partnerships and personal partenrships, can be enhanced. Many of the problems of being in business on your own can be eliminated by having your spouse in a small business partnership. Your spouse can't say they don't spend enough time with you if they're working alongside you in a small business partnership, after all! 

In a small business partnership, to help both your business and your marriage thrive, it's best to really think things through before taking the first steps. Take a few weeks to make sure you'll really work well together before putting any significant money into a small business partnership. If your business, your marriage or both are relatively new, you may want to take a little bit more time to assess both situations before making final decisions about a small business partnership. 

Keep your business life and personal life separate. You may work together in a small business partnership and live together, but you shouldn't work and live together at the same time. Businesses create stress and relationships create stress epsecially with a small business partnership. Dealing with both at the same time can be more than one person (or two) can handle. Make sure that time spent on the small business partnership is dedicated to the business, and time spent together away from the small business partnership is not a forum to discuss business matters. If you're going to spend time together away from the small business partnership, really spend time away from the business. 

]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Business Branding</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Business Branding

Whether you are just starting a new company, or have been around for a while and need some marketing tips, branding your business should be on the top of your list.

Marketing your business by building a brand name isn’t just for large companies.  Branding your business is essential for growing your company, no matter what size it is.  Repetition, consistency, and visibility are the key to success in achieving brand power.

What is branding?

[URL=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand]Wikipedia[/URL] defines brand as  including a name, logo, slogan and /or design scheme associated with a  product or service.

If you are in business today, it’s imperative that you brand your business first-rate including logo, website, business cards, letterhead, print ads, television, radio and signage.

Let’s break down the key elements for branding your business:

Logo

An effective logo should reflect your business.  If you examine successful brands that have achieved instant recognition, you’ll notice they all have one thing in common – simplicity.  It’s important that your logo design can be used in many different forms, not just on your website design, letterhead and business cards.  Think of how you may want to advertise in the future – will you want to place print ads?  Will your logo reproduce well in black and white, and in varied sizes?  What about apparel? Will your logo hold up when printed on the t-shirts you’ll be passing out at the next trade show?

Website

Your website is your online business card.  Your logo should be presented on each of your website pages.  Your website design should have intuitive navigation, clear navigation and valuable content.  Once your website is up and ready to go, you should promote your site online via press releases and business networking sites.  Don’t forget to register your site with Google and most importantly, your contact information should be visible on every page – especi ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>New Business Website Help</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Congratulations!  You've started your new business and now you're ready to have your new website built.  It's an important step in your business success.  Naturally, as this may be new territory for you - you have some questions.  We're here to help you!

Whether you've decided you'd like an online business card or catalogue, or you'd like to open an online store (Ecommerce website) - it'll help if you understand the basics of the Internet and websites and how it all works.

Once you understand the basics, it's not complicated at all.  For simplicity, I like to use the analogy of your home to describe how websites work:

    * Website: A website is your &amp;quot;home&amp;quot; on the Internet.
    * URL: A URL is your &amp;quot;address&amp;quot; on the Internet, and it includes your Domain Name.
    * Hosting: Hosting is your &amp;quot;rent&amp;quot; for being on the Internet.

Where to start?

First you'll need a domain name.  What is a domain name? Your domain name, or URL, is your “address” on the Internet, with your website being your “home”. Take your time in selecting a domain name, as it will be a reflection of your company and its offerings, as well as instrumental in directing people to your website.

Next up, you'll need to find hosting.  Many web design firms are now offering hosting in addition to website design and you may be able to find a designer that can help you with all four of your requirements:

   1. Domain Name
   2. Hosting
   3. Website Design
   4. Website Maintenance

Finally, you'll need to work on your website layout in order to communicate with your web designer what you'll require for your website.  We've listed the basics for you:

Decide what type of website you'd like to have:

    * Brochure:  A website that showcases your products or services with images and descriptions.
    * Educational:  A website for people to read information about your company or services.
    * Ecommerce:  A website where you can sell your prod ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Google Crawlers and Stray Cats</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A favorite topic that I write about is advice for small business website owners to add fresh content often for the benefit of their visitors. Those visitors include search engine crawlers, and the search engine optimization value is enhanced by adding new content frequently. A small business blog is the perfect way to create new site content, and making a post once a week may give you an edge over your competition. 

Consider how many of your small business competitors have a blog. The majority do not. If you are a blogger, a weekly post could be the key advantage beating out the competition and attracting new prospects to your website. 

Let's compare Google crawlers and stray cats with this fun analogy to illustrate the value of providing visitors with tidbits of advice compared to seeing a stray cat near your home and tossing it a small chunk of steak. Do it again each night for 2-3 days. Skip a day and do it again and eventually that cat will come back every day even if you toss the scrap of steak once a week. Search engines are no different. Fresh content, no matter how small, attracts search engines to your site more often. 

Here's an example of the value of posting fresh blog content often. Search Google for tips shooting Moose+Maine and view results. As of the date this article was published, my personal blog was listed #3 and #4 on Google page one out of 353,000 results. It may be different as you read this, yet my Growin' Up in Maine bog is probably still on page one. Here's an explanation of why the results were exceptional which may relate to your small business website or blog because that personal site hasn't been around very long. 

The storytelling blog was a test site for customizing templates and graphics for the new Blogger, and after a couple of weeks my plan was to scrap it. The topic is childhood stories and it ended up being fun, so I kept it online. The Google page one search results for the moose tips happened when the blog was less ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Out of Control WWW Domains</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[People take advantage of small business owners who leap into the online world without the knowledge to make proper choices.  Registration of a www domain gives you a license for a set period of time, and must be renewed to retain control, so you do not own it.  Don't wait to be asked the next question &amp;quot;Do you control your website domain?&amp;quot; because twice in 2007 I designed custom websites for clients who lost control due to an uncooperative originating party who registered the domains in question.

In both cases the client paid for their domain.  In the first instance the registrar simply registered the new domain in their company name, not the client's.  In the more recent situation, my client bought a business and the previous owner did not take action to transfer the registrant information.  Each relationship deteriorated to the point where the clients felt compelled to register another domain, and fortunately the productivity of each business site was insignificant, so the downside of letting it go was minimal.

Each finally realized the risk of a hostile party pulling the plug on their website, and came to me for help.  After lengthy discussions, and advice for attempting to regain control of their www domains, each entrusted me to register a new domain.  The only recognized authority as the bona fide registrant of a domain is the administrative contact listed in the worldwide registry for a given www name.  To be more specific, it is not the person shown, but the email address of the administrative contact in the registration who controls a domain.  

It is not the billing contact.  It is not the registrant.  It is not the technical contact.  All correspondence affecting control of a www domain must originate from the administrative contact email address listed in the registration files.  Regardless of the person listed, whoever can reply to emails as the adminsitrative contact for that domain is the only recognized authority.

Small business o ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Choosing Small Business Website Names</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I disagree with the comment made by some web developers that all the good domain names are taken.  Search engine optimization, or seo, does not depend heavily on the www name you select.   For my clients just starting out the decision choosing small business website names has never been an issue.  It is a fact that all the 3 character and 4 character domain names with the key extensions are taken.  Furthermore, I agree that a vast number of choice domain names are no longer available; however, the selection of a suitable www domain for your small business is possible if you remain flexible.

The real value in the name you choose from a search perspective is how easy it is to spell and remember.  Of the two types of visitors to your site, the human visitors and search engines, the ability of a person to remember your domain name and spell it correctly to pass it on to others outweighs any SEO value.  Search engines are robots and don't care.

Using words like &amp;quot;greatest&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;best&amp;quot;, or other exaggerated terms in your domain name is thought by some to be a disadvantage and penalized by search engines.  Search algorithms change often and likewise that theory, and although you may not be penalized for using such words, consider the reaction of your human visitors.  They may not stick around if they feel you boast without the content to back it up.  For a serious small business commercial enterprise, my advice is avoiding adjectives in the domain name entirely. 

In some cases new clients approach me to redesign an existing website, and it surprises me that some of the basics are overlooked.  For example, a commercial enterprise in business for profit should not select a dot ORG domain simply because the dot COM was taken.  This was the case from a conversation with a client interested in a site makeover.  Their ORG version was online for two years with little or no backlinks or serious indexing from search engines.  The mindset of getting one parti ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Solve the Mystery of Lost Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A new home construction subcontractor was seeking advice about the mystery of lost business because their book rate was less than 20%.  This person was an electrician, yet the principles I present in this article apply to just about any small business.  The opening remark began with a statement that they thought they knew why, so this theorizing meant they were actually uncertain and probably needed a trusted neutral opinion.  Don't guess the reason for lost business when you don't know. Find out.

Many solo small business owners cannot state why they get business or why they lose business.  We make assumptions, or just don't ask.  Until you make it a priority to get both these questions answered, you'll never understand your strengths and weaknesses.  Consider the dynamics of conscious marketing and sales efforts.

After the marketing is done and you find prospects the sales cycle is preapproach, approach, presentation, trial close, answer objections, and final close.  Ask a trusted friend to tell you bluntly if you are weak in any of those areas.  If you lack knowledge of basic sales techniques, it's time to learn.  Marketing extends into the preapproach to understand how decisions are made and the price structure.  The more you prepare and form a strategy, the more likely you are to succeed.

The small business owner in this instance felt his bid invitations were received to leverage the existing contractor on price.  For some of the new home construction jobs he was told his proposal was cheaper, but they awarded the contract based on an established relationship.  People buy based on trust, not just price.  To win over an existing source you need to demonstrate outstanding credibility and trust.  The mystery of lost business for this contractor was still elusive because the right questions were never posed.  

People without any intention of ever buying from you may tell you outright to save both parties time, or perhaps they like you and keep you hangin ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Liability in a Partnership or a Sole-Proprietorship </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The main differences between partnerships/sole-proprietorships and incorporation is in the liability the business owner(s) assume on behalf of the business.

In a sole-proprietorship, there is only one business owner who may also be the only employee of the business. Without incorporating a small business, the business owner assumes all liability for the business, should anything go wrong. The business owner takes responsibility for all debts and legal matters, including compensation for accidents and wrongdoings. If the business owner is successfully sued and does not possess the liquid assets to pay the plaintiff, the business owner's personal property, including his or her home, car and possessions may be seized to meet the costs. Being sued as a sole-proprietorship is, in essence, exactly the same as being sued yourself, as a private individual. In addition, the business owner does not pay corporate taxes, only personal income taxes on profits made.

In a general partnership (there are other forms of partnerships that reduce liability), the business owners assume the same liability as the sole-proprietor, however it is more risky for each individual involved, as you may be held responsible for the actions of your partner(s). For example, if your business partner takes on several business loans and fails to pay them back, you may be held responsible for his or her actions if he or she is unable to be held responsible for them. Other than the shared liability, the differences between a general partnership and a corporation are very similar, in that your personal assets and property can be used to settle your debts or to pay the plaintiff if you are successfully sued.

But most importantly, in order to be incorporated, one must file paperwork with state and federal agencies, registering your corporation. This paperwork is known as &amp;quot;Articles of Incorporation.&amp;quot; Without filing them, your small business is not incorporated and you will not be recognized ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/2056/Liability-in-a-Partnership-or-a-SoleProprietorship.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/2056/Liability-in-a-Partnership-or-a-SoleProprietorship.php</link>
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      <title><strong>What is a web Content Management System (CMS) and why do I need one?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In a nutshell, A web CMS is a tool that allows you to update your website yourself without having to learn any complicated programming.

Case in point:

You just paid a pretty good chunk of money to get your website designed.  You've secured hosting, you have your website up on the Internet and are open for business.  A few months later, you decide you'd like to add some updated content to your website.  What does that entail?  You'll have to go back to your original designer or hire another designer to make the changes for you.  Additionally, you have to wait for them to make those changes and then upload them to the Internet.  Again, you have to shell out more money for this work.

With a CMS integrated into your website you can easily make those changes on your timeframe and publish them to the Internet yourself without eating into your profit margin.  You're in business to make money, not lose it!

Another advantage to using a CMS is fresh website content.  Search engines not only rank pages upon relevant content, but by fresh content as well.  Using your CMS, you can publish to your blog, add articles, inbound links and more, to easily achieve that goal.

There are many Content Management Systems available; finding the right one for you or your organization is a matter of choice.  Some CMS are extremely easy to use, just like a word processing program.  Others can be quite complicated; you may have a hard time figuring out how to use them and may up needing to hire a designer to make the changes for you.

There are website builders such as SpinSite which have the CMS integrated into their website building program and are easy to use for the novice.  There are also open source CMS programs such as Joomla and Drupal which you can have your designer implement into your site.  Additionally, there are CMS you can use with your blog such as WordPress.

Before making a decision as to which CMS you want to use with your website, make sure it's right for y ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/2013/What-is-a-web-Content-Management-System-CMS-and-why-do-I-need-one.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/2013/What-is-a-web-Content-Management-System-CMS-and-why-do-I-need-one.php</link>
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      <title><strong>3 Biggest Time Wasters</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[By Amanda Young

Have you ever stopped and consider how much time you have during the day? How about during the week? How much of this time do you spend on activities and people that waste your valuable time? What are your time waster during the day? Sometimes we go through life surrounding ourselves with activities and people that take away our time. Once time is gone. It is gone forever. Only by realizing what and who takes away are time will we move forward to the next level. 

Time wasters are poor decisions or not making a decision during our day. They cost time and also money. It is a vicious cycle. Poor decision making and being indecisive is like a tornado. It goes round and round. It destroys everything goals, dreams in your path. It becomes a habit. Look at you life right now. What were you doing 1 year ago? What were you doing 3 years ago? Does it look about the same? It is based on the decisions that you made.

There are 3 biggest time wasters. Your ability to deal with them will determine where you will be in the next year. 

1.Procrastination.  Procrastination is one of the biggest time waster of them all. You probably have heard or even know people that live their lives in quiet desperation and end up retiring poor. Have you meet people that go through life that find every reason or excuse not to do it today. They do it over and over. They make excuses day after day. Then one day their lives are OVER.

2.Not making decisions. Not making decisions rob more time than you realize. It cost you money too. It can produce unnecessary tasks. Decision making requires courage and moving forward. When you are wishy-washy, you are unable to make decisions with family, kids, or careers. Nobody likes to follow someone that is indecisive not even kids.

3.Putting out fires and taking care of emergencies. This is a huge time waster. When you are about to settle down to do a task or go to work. Something unexpected happens and pulls you away from that task ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Procrastination Kills</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[By Amanda Young

Ever find some things you start without ever thinking about it. Other things just get set aside and end up at the bottom of your &amp;quot;to do list&amp;quot;. Quit procrastination and start taking steps to end this dreadful disease.

Stopping procrastination is not very hard actually. It is just hard in our minds. There are two simple ways to put an end to procrastination. The first way to put an end to procrastination is to make a decision. Either do it or don't do it. If you are going to do it put it in your planner right away and block a time to get it done. By making a decision, there is no reason to procrastinate. Most decisions take only a few minutes to decide on. When you ignore or walk away from the decisions, you will pay a consequence at the end, whether it will be good or bad. 

The second way is to learn to recognize your behaviors. Some people avoid making decisions by watching T.V., going shopping, going to bars, all attempts to hind the decision that needs to be made at that time. I know this first hand because I have used shopping to walk away from decisions that need to be taken care of in the past. Ignoring issues don't make them go away. So recognize your behaviors, step up, and make a decision. Take action today.

Amanda Young, founder of The Time Mastery, specializes in helping people get more done in less time in their career and personal life. To learn more on how you can get more done and gain balance in your life today. Grab your free simpleology course at http://www.thetimemastery.com]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Small Business Blog Writing Tips</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[You launch a new small business blog, and then writer's block kicks in.  What to do?  Here are some tips to help you with ideas for new posts to your blog.  Your blog writing style does not have to be textbook perfect, so informal writing is suitable as long as you check grammar and spelling.  It's okay to entertain as you provide information, too.  Visitors will not expect literary works suitable for a Nobel prize when you create blog posts, so relax.

Write short paragraphs and cover one aspect of what you present in each.  Visitors want information quickly; so long paragraphs should be avoided.  Short posts of 1-2 paragraphs are fine, too.  Most website content is quickly scanned, so headlines and the first few words of each paragraph may be all that most visitors view before deciding to read details, or exit.  

Include key words relative to your subject, and place some near the beginning of sentences for each paragraph, so your visitors get the general feel as they scan your post.  Search engines will visit and index your blog content, too, so key words are important for attracting the search engine crawlers.

Google Alerts and blog labels are two techniques to help you generate new blog post ideas.  Each will be presented in the report Blog Your Way to Fresh Content from my series of free PDF SEO Reports about do-it-yourself small business website promotion that I began to release during 2007.  Some of my clients could not wait, so this article is a preview of how to use these two techniques to come up with post ideas for your blog:

1. Google Alerts is a free service that delivers links to content by email.  Once set up, you automatically receive a collection of current news stories or related content by email with summaries and links to the information.  

2. Your blog labels are the filing system for your blog that cross references your posts by subject category, so visitors may click a label and view all posts about that subject on one page.  Use ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Network to Gain Business Credibility and Results</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Most business experts would say that networking is a business activity we engage in for the purpose of building our businesses. We network specifically to find customers. How else will you meet the contacts and prospective new customers necessary to grow your business? 

Effective networking is all about getting to know people who will do business with you or introduce you to those who will.  You will get a lot more leverage from your business networking efforts if you work on building relationships with people you could collaborate with. In just about any business there are natural referral partners. By identifying these complimentary businesses you both win by getting business that either of you might not have known about, or thought about before. Your customer also wins by working with businesses that are accustomed to working together.


Why is networking important to growing your business? 

Here are the best reasons for networking to build your business: 

*When done effectively you will get better referrals than from any other source. 

*Networking is the easiest way to continuously meet new prospects, get more clients, and grow your business. 

*Through effective networking you will form new relationships and continuously have a ready group of people to consider when growing your business; your efforts will be stretched much, much further.

*Through networking, your visibility and credibility are heightened in your industry. 


How do you rate your networking skills?

Now look at good networking skills. Profit Magazine (October, 2006) offered its readers a quiz on networking skills. This quiz asked questions about whether you dedicate time and effort to: 

*developing sincere relationships through networking groups
 
*sending follow-up notes to people you meet thanking them for their help 

*participating regularly in an online networking site 

*attending one industry specific conference a year 

*creating positive first impres ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Business Success and Growth Through Collaboration</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Collaboration is not only important to growing your company, it is essential to growing your company. Collaboration is no longer an option or a luxury. It is a necessity for you to realize your business advantage. Why? It helps you maximize your business potential, while at the same time addresses your areas of business weakness. When working with other businesses, you pool your resources, talents, and opportunities.

My clients often ask me how they can collaborate with others or form strategic alliances for business growth. How can I form alliances when I am a small company?  What do I have to offer other businesses? Is it really that important to growing my business?    My answer to this last question is always an unequivocal yes!

If you are ready to access the incredible power of collaboration, start to create your ideal partnerships now. Start by answering these key questions and then take action!

The key questions you need to answer

What do I want from a partnership or an alliance? 

Think about whether you want immediate profits, long-term cash flow, increased exposure, recognition, to sell a new product, or new clients.

What can I offer to a partner: knowledge and expertise, mailing list, product or program, connections, special skills or talent, special resources, time and energy?


Call to Action

Here are four action steps you can take right now to create your own collaborative partnerships.

Step 1: Make a list of 5 businesses that target the same customers as you
  do.

Step 2: List 5 specific people you know in each of these businesses. These
   could be people you have met online, at events, your customers,
   and even your competitors. 

Step 3: Research their websites, their products, and their services to get
   some insight into what they may be looking for. Learn what they
   want. Do they want immediate profits, long-term cash flow,
   increased exposure, recognition, new clients, retire from business?


Step  ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Small Business Blog Integration Advice</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Small business owners considering a blog to enhance their website should review the different methods of integrating the content into their main site.  Three options for blogging will be reviewed with suggestions to help you maximize the value to your visitors and search engines.  A blog is an easy method for adding fresh content to your site without paying a web developer for each new page created.

Blogs, aka weblogs, first began as personal daily journals.  An online diary with what you had for lunch does not seem like a practical way to promote a small business.  The vast majority of blogs are still personal and non-commercial, while others have become monetized by including advertisements.  Blogging for business is a trend that deserves attention. 

Times have changed.  Small business blogs are a great opportunity to provide your customers advice, news, and reviews. The value a blog provides to small business owners is fresh content that you may easily add to your site.  Websites that are launched and collect dust without growing will not be search engine magnets.  A good blog should result in your site being visited and indexed by the major search engines frequently.

It's important to understand the structure of a blog compared to your commercial website.

The big difference between your site and the blog is how each is created.  Most websites are done in HTML.  Individual pages are usually created by a web designer with a significant cost per page.  Blogs use templates which allow the owner to easily create posts from a control panel.  Each post becomes a new page, so adding one a week adds 52 pages to your website per year.  Several major online service companies allow you to create a free blog, and you may begin adding content immediately.

For the small business owner, the template and control panel with automatic uploading makes it easy.  Where you choose to host determines how your content is integrated into your site.  This can be a critical  ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Solutions to Stop Friendly Spam</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There is no excuse for forwarding what I call friendly spam which is junk email from known contacts which appears convincing, but is actually spam. Small business owners should be cautious, or you may risk loss in credibility.  In most cases the spam contains an alarming message quoted from a supposedly credible source that shocks the reader and requests that you forward this to everyone you know.  

Unwittingly many small business owners forward junk email without a second thought.  Did they really leave out &amp;quot;In God We Trust&amp;quot; on the new US one dollar coin?  No.  It's stamped on the edge of the coin not on the flat surface.  Sometimes the message is an apparent windfall like this one.  Will Microsoft track your chain letter email and send you $250 for each person who receives it as part of a new test?  No.  It's false, and impossible.  There is no way they could track and collect your outgoing email recipient addresses.

The junk themes are ageless.  In some cases recycled messages that circulated more than 5 years ago get sent years later in the original and identical form or with a slight revision or current twist.  You can and should do something about this every time you get a message that is questionable.

My advice for everyone including small business owners is visit the Urban Legends website and do a search on key words in the topic of any email you receive begging you to forward it to everyone you know.  Urban Legends at www.snopes.com is my choice for debunking false emails.  They track and investigate vast numbers of email hoaxes and give detailed reports on each with either a true or false conclusion.  It is extremely rare that I search a suspicious message and find out that Urban Legends determined it was not a hoax, but that happens, too.

Tip:  When you do have reason to mass email a message, address the message to you or your company as the recipient as well as the sender, and then enter all your contacts in the BCC field.  The BCC  ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Overcoming Rejection: 5 Secrets for Turning Failure Into Success in 6 Month</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[What if, starting today, the word �no didnt stop you anymore? 
 
What if every time you heard the word no, you became stronger, more powerful, and more resilient? 
 
What if the greatest success strategy in the world was not to go for yes, but to go for no? 
 
Well, it is. 
 
The word �no doesnt have to debilitate you. In fact, it can empower you to achieve a whole new level of greatness you never dreamed possible. You might think this is just a sales strategy. It is a sales strategy. But, its a life philosophy too.  
 
Whether we define ourselves as salespeople or not, we are all engaged in the sales process. We all must overcome fears of failure and rejection to be successful and achieve what we want. 
 
Here are My Top 5 Secrets to Help You Turn Failure into Success Immediately!
 
1) Change your mental model of success and failure
 
Most people operate with the following mental model:  
 
SUCCESS &amp;lt;== YOU  ==&amp;gt; FAILURE
 
They see themselves in the middle, with success on one end and failure on the other. They do everything they can to move toward success and away from failure. But, what if you reconfigured that model?    
 
 YOU ==&amp;gt;FAILURE ==&amp;gt;SUCCESS
 
Instead of viewing failure as something to be avoided, turn it into a stepping-stone on the path to success and gratification. In other words: Success is the destination. Failure is how you get there. 
 
To achieve significant success in todays world, failure is not just a possibility. Its a requirement.  We must see success and failure for what they truly are. Theyre not opposites, but instead opposite sides of the same coin.
 
2) Intentionally increase your failure rate
 
If its true that the more we fail, the more we succeed (and it is), then your immediate goal should be to intentionally increase your failure rate! With this thought in mind, youre succeeding even when you fail. Yes, this is a counter-intuitive, reverse thinking philosophy. But trust me, it works! 
 
Int ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Free Ad Supported Website Hosting</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Millions of website owners select low cost or free hosting options that may not be appropriate for commercial or small business websites.  Based on one recent experience with a custom website client, I feel site owners need to understand that free ad supported website hosting is not for everyone.

The ads exchanged for free hosting offered from one major hosting company are described as done by inserting &amp;quot;advertising on a small portion of the site&amp;quot;.  In fact this &amp;quot;small ad&amp;quot; is a top banner that covers the width of the screen with a height of 1.2 inches (30.4mm), and displays 3 separate ads.  The choice of ads placed in the banner advertising is fed based on page content, so your site might feature an advertisement from your competition.  This is fine for non-commercial personal sites, or a website monetized for advertising revenue only.  It is senseless to advertise for your competition.

Website hosting is inexpensive.  The decision to use free ad supported hosting should be considered carefully.   

The cost for paid hosting ranges from modest to outrageous, so many business owners fall victim to overpriced hosting services because of inexperience.  Some pay $1000's USD per year for their domain, hosting, and maintenance when in fact their site is static and nothing is ever added.  A monthly fee based on the contingency that something might need to be changed in the future is a waste of money if your website is launched and just gathers dust.  If it is dynamic adding content frequently and you receive value for money, monthly fees are practical.

Tip: You do NOT have to include the copyright date on your web pages.  Using the copyright symbol and the year means you have an obsolete website a year later.  The cost to change the date each January hardly justifies paying thousands annually in monthly fees.  Published material is covered locally and internationally by copyright law without specifying the year or including a copyright statem ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Small Business Website Failures</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Before starting that great new website for your small business, consider your expectations carefully.  Most entrepreneurs with their first website lack the experience to know what is truly required to be successful online.  Website failure may be defined as anything from total catastrophe to simply results less than expectations.  Each can occur even if you have a gorgeous well-designed site.

Don't expect search engine success with high traffic and added revenue instantly.  It is rare.

Here's the short list of what you need if your goal is website traffic and new customers.  These facts have been overlooked or misunderstood by many of my small business clients, and in most cases the errors of omission are due to inexperience.

1. You need a trusted site with name, address and phone number, not just a PO Box.
2. You need to be online 6-12 months or longer to achieve search engine ranking.
3. You need a large site with 10-20 or more pages of quality content for credibility.

Discuss your needs with your site designer.  It should not be a cousin, uncle, or friend who happens to have software to make websites.  A truly successful site takes more... much more.  Professional help may be more cost effective than you realize.  Some service providers will try to take advantage just because you are in business.  I regularly save clients more than they pay me for designs by helping them shop for economical service providers for their domain and hosting.

Realistic expectations up front will help you avoid disappointment.  Be prepared with an ongoing annual budget to add fresh content and features to your site.  A smaller site is okay to get started.  If you cannot meet the goals in the above list, your traffic and new customers must be pointed to your site with direct marketing efforts.  If presenting your company online achieves a positive first impression that may be enough to begin.  As your budget increases you can revise expectations as you continue to grow  ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Keeping it Real</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[When you first make the decision to work from home, whether its starting your own business or working for someone else, its easy to get caught up in the excitement of it all and sometimes certain aspects fall through the cracks.

Unfortunately, if you dont take the time to plan out your business and consider every angle of working from home, you may find yourself quickly becoming a part of the 70% of home business owners that fail within the first year.

If you dont think this can happen to you, check out Kelly McCauseys latest guest, the owner of Marlo Quinn, on wahmtalkradio.com and I can guarantee that youll be reconsidering. 

Its not about having the motivation, the ideas, and the knowledge to create a viable home business; its about having the plan to guide you there. While its true that many women who own successful home businesses did so without a plan, it certainly does no harm for you to create one for yourself as a way to get things rolling.

Here are 3 things that you might not take into consideration when you decide to work from home:

1.	Do you have the time? You might be thinking, well yes, Im at home all day. But what about your children, activities, household duties? Are you capable of balancing all those things so that you can run a home business too? Just because youre going to be working from home doesnt mean you dont have to work. The truth is, youre going to have to work harder then youve ever worked before. Are you ready to miss time with your family, work until the wee hours of morning, work within a schedule and manage your time wisely? Dont kid yourself into thinking that you can work when you want and still make tons of money. The truth is, youre going to have to make plenty of sacrifices to get to that point. However, it really is possible to set your own hours and make a good income, but it takes months of hard work to get there first. So if youre not ready to make sacrifices in the name of business, then maybe you should recon ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>BABY BOOMERS HOT BUSINESS STARTUPS</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Get ready world, here comes the next huge wave of business start-ups that is fully expected to exceed the impact of the dot.com phenomenon! Twenty-somethings move over. Baby Boomers here we come!

A significant and sizable portion of our population, born between 1946 and 1966, is getting ready to take a serious look at their impending retirements. What many are seeing is a less than promising future. The question of whether or not there will be enough social security funds to support this very large group of Americans continues. The idea of being able to live out their golden years under the safety net of social security is longer a sure thing. With such a gloomy outlook on their retirement years, Baby Boomers and other retirees are wisely taking a serious look at starting their own small businesses as a supplement or replacement (if need be) to social security funds.

While there may be a good number of Baby Boomers that planned well ahead and dutifully set up their 401ks, there are a great many that will not be able to retire at the traditional age of 65 (much less retire early). They may have lost a significant chunk of their funds with the dot.com bust or after 9/11 or due to mega corporations dissolving their pension plans. 

As such, Baby Boomers will be looking within and opting to start their own small businesses to make up for their less than adequate retirement accounts. 

No doubt many Boomers will want to continue working well past 65 anyway. They will be healthier and likely to live longer than past generations. They will have options available to them that previous retirees never had. They will be able to create their own Internet businesses and work from home. 

Corporate downsizing has produced a great number of older workers with tremendous experience being forced to take lower paying jobs. As that group of employees leaves the work force, those same companies now filled with younger, less experienced, less motivated employees, will be loo ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Fight Against Phishing to Protect Your Reputation and Money</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The problem of phishing, pronounced just like &amp;quot;fishing&amp;quot; and very similar in tactics, continues to grow in the USA.  In short, unscrupulous persons attempt to defraud unsuspecting consumers by imitating legitimate businesses through email and fake websites.  Most scams begin with an email that is broadcast to millions in the hope that a small percentage will take the bait.  

These thieves impersonate real businesses such as eBay or PayPal and large banks or credit card companies, and they use scare tactics in their email message asking the reader to visit their site immediately to help them recover missing information.

The link provided in the email then takes the victim to a bogus site designed to look like an official website, however, the request to reconfirm personal information such as account numbers, passwords, or social security numbers is a scam.  Once the criminal has collected your personal data the real nightmare begins.

Crime never takes a vacation, and daily errors in judgment has cost countless people and small business owners in the USA time and money attempting to recover losses from stolen identity.  Avoid becoming a victim if you receive any email that may be suspicious.  Instead of following the website link in the email, open your browser and visit the official site and look for &amp;quot;support&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;news&amp;quot;, or &amp;quot;FAQs&amp;quot; to search for details.

The legitimate companies will have announcements on their sites including advice if there is a problem.  If you have any doubt, email their customer support department and explain the message you received or call them by telephone.     

Have you become a victim of phishing or identity theft?  The US Federal Trade Commission outlines 4 steps to take if you suspect your identity and personal financial information has been compromised. 

1. Contact the fraud departments of any one of the three consumer reporting companies to place a fraud alert on your credit report.
 ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Why Use A Corporate Turnaround Expert?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In the movie, 'Ghost Buster', the theme song starts off, &amp;quot;If there is something strange in the neighbourhood, who do you call: Ghost buster&amp;quot;. Similarly, a sick company needs to call on the Corporate Turnaround Expert if you find something awfully unwell in your company.

Sick companies have waited, hoping that their nightmare would be over soon. But things often get worse before they get better.

It is normal that when a person falls sick, the first thing you do is to see a doctor. But why allow this situation to explode into a financial crisis? The company needs to go into intensive care, otherwise, it will go under and the owners will become a bankrupt or lawsuits could be filed against them.

What has just described happens to thousand of companies every day in Asia. Many of us just do not seek help early enough for our corporate woes due to unfounded fears and reasons - what if the bank learns about it and pulls the credit facilities? What if the employees learn about the poor state of health and jump ship? With the face-saving culture in Asia, what if my friends, customers and business associates learn that I am not doing well, would they reject me? Why should I call on the Corporate Turnaround Expert in Asia?

When you need a heart by-pass, you naturally call in a cardiologist rather than any general practitioner. When you have tax problems, you call in a tax consultant and not any accountant. Yet, many troubled companies make the fatal mistake of not approaching the right professional for help. Many continue to use their own internal management who are already like a deer caught in the floodlights, petrified and totally clueless on how to move forward.

Many of us would not use self-medication if we were seriously sick. Yet, we make this mistake when managing our troubled businesses. Most of the time, a troubled company cannot be fixed solely from the within. The management may harbour too much prejudices, vested interests and baggage. If  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/1480/Why-Use-A-Corporate-Turnaround-Expert.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/1480/Why-Use-A-Corporate-Turnaround-Expert.php</link>
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      <title><strong>Recognising Signs That Tell You Your Business Is Heading For Trouble</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Has your business started to take a turn for the worse recently? Are your cash flow worries keeping you awake at night?

The following ten questions will help you to determine if your business is the lean mean fighting machine you believed, or a bed-ridden sick note, coughing and spluttering its way on a wobbly pair of last legs.

1. Increase in staff turnover

If you've watched a number of your key employees walk away from the business recently you should sit up and take notice. Staff is arguably a company's most valuable asset and if your people are leaving, it's often the first sign that something is going wrong.

The problem is not just the associated cost of recruitment, but also training new starters and the additional burden on remaining staff while the new team members get up to speed, that add further strain on the business.

Remedy

One of the best ways to keep track of staff morale is to hold regular reviews where employees can air their views on both the business and their specific concerns without fear of recrimination.

2. You lose a key account

It's believed that winning a new customer is seven times more expensive than keeping an existing customer happy. Small businesses are often too reliant on a couple of main customers, as demonstrated in the collapse of MG Rover and Courts not that long ago.

There are a number of reasons key accounts could defect: Your product or service is not of the standard promised or expected, or you could be beaten on price, quality or service.

Losing a key account can have a serious impact on your cash flow. Credit companies such as Experian offer a credit scoring service which can be invaluable when setting credit terms for key accounts. This is important: You wouldn't lend a stranger £20,000, so why offer new customers this kind of credit facility without checking their financial strength? 

In order to manage this risk further, there is a wide range of bad debt protection policies available whi ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Another Turnkey Online Business Disaster Report</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[This is an excerpt from an emailed reply to a small business client who lost more than $10,000 making poor choices buying several online turnkey websites.  Read between the lines for important advice to help you avoid this costly mistake.

Case Study Background Information

A single Mom with online business ambitions became a website design client after experiencing total disaster the previous two years.  The client is foreign born and speaks conversational English, so without adequate pc skills or the ability to create business correspondence in English, over the course of time she fell victim to what I would characterize as online scams.  Many decisions were based on late night television commercials, and trusted advisors were what she really needed.  Each of her 8-10 www domains made zero dollars over two years, yet she continued ignoring my advice in the hope of salvaging these cookie cutter sites into a profitable business.

Here is the message sent by email.  Company names have been replaced with their product or service to avoid identifying them or her.  

You shouldn't do too many web sites all at once.  Success on the internet takes more than just having web sites.  If you don't have products from companies that you can trust, you will be lost and your money will be lost, too.  
 
I'm not sure if you have someone giving you advice, or if you search the internet and decide what to do next, but the success you imagine can't happen by magic.  It takes knowledge and experience, and then long hours and hard work.  The commercials on television late at night are often too good to be true, and with them you have one web site that looks like 1000 others (or 10,000 in the case of the gas pill company).
 
The gas pill business was a big disaster no matter what happens with their legal case later this year.  Like the wholesale products company, buyers have 1000's of online stores that all look the same, so you need to understand competition, and how to win ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Cost control is an important antidote to administer in desperate turnaround</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Most firms start out small and lean. Over time, some of them put on fat as they grow and prosper. Corporate fats result from the accumulation of unnecessary and excessive or out-of-date business practices. It also places excessive and opulent perks and benefits of employees and shareholders ahead of customers interests. Ultimately, it fails to provide sustained value to customers. Corporate fats can also be in the fiber of the culture. It is not my money but the companys is a common nonchalant attitude adopted by many in the fat culture that accepts wasteful work styles and attitudes as the norms. Culture becomes fat when they support individual needs at the expense of the firm or when they are no longer suitable for the new environment. A successful firm can become smug and take the easy way out and curtail product innovation and customer satisfaction. A culture is unsuitable for the new environment when it perpetuates hierarchical and top down decision-making when the marketplace requires creativity, flexibility and adaptability.

Any first-year business student will know how to cut costs. The key here is how the costs can be cut to restore financial health in the short term without hurting the ailing company in the long term. The turnaround manager should discuss the pertinent details with the respective department managers, soliciting their advice early in the exercise as this can improve remarkably the chance for full cooperation and success. Sometimes, staff can offer valuable suggestions that can save time or money or both for the company.

Remember, this is not the time to create unnecessary stress by finger pointing. The key is to foster a conducive environment for problem solving, establish solidarity and put everybodys self-interest to work for future gains.

Sometimes, cost reduction can be achieved through streamlining procedures and operations. Through this, duplication and inefficient methodologies can be pared down to a minimum. In some instanc ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Tap Customer Referrals, The Hidden Gold Mine</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[This simple yet effective technique can boost your sales with very little effort. Learn what many small business owners have overlooked and how this easy referral system can help promote your business!

Boost your sales with an easy to execute plan for gaining recommendations from your customers. For small business owners, referrals are one of the most overlooked means of increasing revenue. Here's some advice and a sales lesson so you don't miss this gold mine of opportunity, plus a few tips to help you feel comfortable doing it. The last and most effective step in the sales process is &amp;quot;ask for the order&amp;quot;.

This applies to referrals. Try it with your customers instead of taking a passive approach waiting for someone to recommend your product or service. Contact your existing clients and ask. You may be surprised with the results. This advice works equally well for land based or online businesses. Your customers appreciate what you do. Most of us lose touch or just forget to say thank you. By tactfully asking for a referral, most clients will jump at the opportunity.

Contact them. Thank them. Ask &amp;quot;How would you feel about referring me to your business neighbors or peers?&amp;quot; Most will say &amp;quot;Sure.&amp;quot;, so be prepared to help them in the process with &amp;quot;Great! Thanks. What can I do, or what can I provide to help? You need my brochure, web address, or business card?&amp;quot; Hint: Begin your question open ended. If you simply ask &amp;quot;Will you give me a referral?&amp;quot; the answer can be &amp;quot;yes&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;no&amp;quot;, so let them open up. &amp;quot;How would you feel...&amp;quot; gives the person an opportunity to explain in more depth. My scenario may not fit your business precisely, so think through how you would offer to help, but ASK. Your customers are yours for a reason. They appreciate what you do. They just haven't found time to thank you. With this request for a recommendation, you open the door for them to do something for you that c ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>A sick company needs to undergo surgery, resuscitation and nursing </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Seriously ill companies need to be placed in intensive care unit. As with grave medical crisis, dealing with the business failure quickly becomes extremely exhausting and requiring special care and medical attention. You need a team of specialists to intervene and take the swift control of events. This is akin to the manner that doctors, counsellors and insurance companies step in to sort out the problems in the life of a gravely ill patient.

As in a medical crisis, a companys initial ill health may suddenly deteriorate into life threatening mode. The ailment appears mild initially and may have already established a foothold in the patient much earlier. Sometimes, it can be a case of bad DNA in its business model or a genetic flaw in its corporate culture. These weaknesses predispose the firm to failure. As with very sick patients, the companys health may spiral quickly downward and eventually become irreversible. It is at this stage that these symptoms of failure become apparent. By the time the management and all the other interested parties are aware of the problem, the crisis has already escalated beyond redemption.

Many companies are falling sick due to corporate diseases such as global economic recession, competition brought forth by globalization, terrorist attacks and diseases such as SARS and bird flu. When a company falls ill, it needs to undergo the three phases of corporate turnaround, namely:

Phase 1: Surgery: This is to restructure the troubled organisation to face the harsh and new reality and quickly improve its cash flow. During this phase, the company may need to downsize, right size, re-engineer or delayer in order to turn the ailing company around. The use of financial control is critical in this phase.

Phase 2: Resuscitation: This is to revitalise the business so as to increase its sales revenues and profits. After obtaining a brief reprieve from cash flow collapse, the company has to grow its business quickly. The use of marketing s ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Internet Explorer 7 Browser and Small Business Websites</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[From BETA version to final release on 18 Oct 2006, the talk about the new Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 browser replacement for the 5 year old IE6 includes a variety of conflicting opinions.  Some sources of information are outdated from as far back as 2005, so use caution when searching for advice or reviews from experts you find online.  Here is an example that may cause concern with small business website owners.

Quote: In July 2005, this comment about the BETA version of the IE7 browser was published and quoted on PC Magazine's website:  &amp;quot;At present, IE7 has a problem rendering some web pages. According to Microsoft, this is caused by the sites, which need to update their detection code for IE7.&amp;quot;

As of 19 Oct 2006, the link to this comment still displays near the top listings if you search in Google for &amp;quot;IE7+reviews&amp;quot;, so don't be deceived by outdated information.

According to Microsoft &amp;quot;Internet Explorer 7 provides significant security improvements, making it far more secure than IE6. While Microsoft is encouraging everyone to upgrade to IE7, the application will not be installed without user consent during the Auto Update process. In addition, users will be able to rollback to Internet Explorer 6 by removing Internet Explorer 7 through the Windows Control Panel Add/Remove Programs utility.&amp;quot;

Small business owners may not have the time to study the latest trends in online browsers, and some changes may take them by surprise.  The new version of the browser is offered during automatic updates.  For business owners inexperienced in selecting options for auto updates, the new IE7 may be installed without realizing alternatives exist.  If this happens to you, do not be alarmed.  You probably needed it, especially the security enhancements.  

Misinformation abounds, so use caution when anyone makes statements comparing IE7 to Y2K.  Based on a variety of comments seen already, some website designers would have you believe th ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>A Great Retirement Job � Become an Affiliate</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Internet affiliate programs are the best return for your effort with the least demand on your time.  Being an affiliate is a great retirement job since it allows a very flexible work schedule.

Internet affiliate programs are the best return for your effort with the least demand on your time.  This has an appeal to the Boomer Entrepreneur as a retirement job since we want to run the business and not have it run us.  We want to have time to kick back and smell the roses.

The attraction to this model as a retirement job is that it is virtually risk free except for your time.  It costs you nothing to sign up as an affiliate.  You recommend the product and send your visitors to the website where the product is sold. If the customer purchases the product, you are paid a commission.  Amazon.com is credited with being the first businesses on the Net to fully develop the affiliate concept and now all the major companies have affiliate programs.

How does it work?

When you sign up as an affiliate, you will be given an affiliate number, and a special link to use for linking to the affiliate website.  This link will send your visitor to the business site and at the same time tell the business that you sent the visitor so you will receive the commission in the case of a sale.

As an example, here is what an affiliate link to eBay looks like.  This article site does not allow active affiliate links so this is presented without the standard prefix of the http :// and the world wide web abbreviation (.anrdoezrs.net/click-1929835-5902069).  The text presented would show a link to eBay, but the underlying code would be to the anrdoezrs.net site.

This link with all these numbers that does not even reference eBay is called a hoplink.  It is called this since it goes to an intermediate website that does the accounting for the affiliate program.  The intermediate site records the affiliate ID which is one of the numbers in the link and then hops the visitor to the proper  ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Apache on the Internet is not an Indian Tribe</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Apache server is the most popular web server on the Internet today.  How much do you know about Apache?  Read on for some interesting facts.

Statistics show that as of October 2006, the percentage of websites hosted on Apache server is 61.64% of all websites.  Another interesting statistic is that in the October 2006 survey, the total number of websites reported was almost 98 million sites.  This number grew from September to October by 1.08 million.  

More amazing statistics on web growth is that the first ten months of 2006 is outpacing the same period for 2005.  2006 added 23.9 millions sites in the first ten months compared with 17.1 million for the same period in 2005.  If this growth rate holds in the last two months of 2006, the total sites could top 100 million by the end of the year.  Read more on these statistics at http://news.netcraft.com/archives/web_server_survey.html.

Enough statistics.  We started the statistics discussion to talk about Apache!

Apache server is the leading server for hosting websites on the Net.  Second place is Microsoft IIS (Internet Information Services) at 31.26%.  Apache is open source software which means it is free.  If you want to download Apache and use it you can do so.

Read the Wikipedia definition of Apache server.  The derivation of the name is amusing.  The logo for the server is an Indian feather which seems fitting for the name.  However, the amusing part is that the development team that built Apache came from another server project.  It seems that they collaborated on building Apache, and they did a lot of software patches to the server in the process.  You guessed it! They called it a patchy server.  Hence, the name Apache. 

The webmaster for a website uses a control panel to interfaces with the Apache server.  The format of the control panel interface may vary from web host to web host.  Some control panels are text and some are icon based.  However, the functions that the control panel provides  ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Outsourcing Projects on the Internet</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Many times people working on the Internet quit because they encounter problems that they cannot solve themselves due to lack of expertise or lack of time.  Solutions can be found on outsourcing websites like eLance.com where you can hire an expert to help you solve your problem.

Outsourcing websites are some of the best tools that an online entrepreneur can have in his/her tool kit.

What are outsourcing websites?  These are sites like eLance.com, Rentacoder.com and others where there is a tremendous pool of talent waiting for the opportunity to bid on your job and help you.

Generally, as entrepreneurs, we are one man/woman shows.  We cannot possibly know all about everything.  I once heard a saying that the smart person is the one who knows how much he doesnt know.  We need to have resources to call upon when we hit that roadblock where we recognize that we need help.

The resources that we need can usually be found through one of these sites.  Examples of work that you can have done on eLance.com include creation of a new logo (Boomer logo), translation of English to Italian for a Google Adword campaign, moving and converting a phpBB discussion forum, reorganize a MySQL database, posting articles to numerous article sites, ghost writing, legal services, accounting services, web page design and creation, creation of a web site for book reviews, etc. This list goes on and on.

The contractors on these sites make their living by doing a good job for a reasonable fee.  If they do not perform well, they receive negative feedback (just like eBay) and future customers will not do business with them.

When evaluating a contactor half way around the world, look how long the company or individual has been in business, look at the projects that they have done, study the feedback on the company.  This process is very similar to studying an item on eBay to see if you want to trust the seller to perform.

It seems that many entrepreneurs are uncomfortable doing  ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Write Articles and Multiply the Results of Your Effort</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Being an online entrepreneur is usually a solo experience.  Since usually they are a company of one, they must find ways to multiply their efforts and get the most bang for their time. This can be done by writing articles and using them or using the basic information in them many times over.

Being an online entrepreneur is usually a solo experience.  Since usually they are a company of one, they must find ways to multiply their efforts and get the most bang for their time. This can be done by writing articles and using them or using the basic information in them many times over.

An example of how to accomplish this is to write a good article and submit it to an article site that you have determined has the standards that your article must meet to be credible.  This is your test site.  

Publishing articles on sites like these gives you exposure on the Net and establishes you as an expert in your field. It is an important part of creating traffic to your website and establishing your credibility. When a person has the word author in his/her credentials, the reader immediately has an increased level of respect for the person.

Creating a 300 (minimum of 200 words) word article is not difficult if you follow the guidelines for publishing that are posted on each site. A good site to start with is www.ezinearticles.com.   It is one of the most difficult site on which to publish an article. In most peoples opinion, if you get an article accepted by eZine Articles, it will be accepted by most other sites.

After your article is accepted by eZine Articles, post it on the many other article sites on the Internet.  There are article posting services that will post your article (you can locate these services using eLance.com) that will publish the article on over 100 article sites for a VERY minimal fee. 

Article publishing is using the same basic information over and over again. This is leveraging your efforts. One article posted in over 100 websites with links ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Making money with Your Publications</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There are several ways to publish on the Internet and if you are profit motivated in your publishing, you need to know how to profit from your efforts.

You can publish on the Internet in the form of an ezine, a blog, a website, or use RSS (really simple syndication) to spread the word.  If you write for a hobby and publish for fun, then your reward is the joy of providing material for other people to enjoy.  However, if you publish for profit, lets discuss how to make money for your efforts.

One of the easiest ways to make money is to place Google AdSense advertising on your publication.  You cannot put Adsense ads in a text newsletter, but you can put them in the archived pages on your eZine website or blog.  If you are blogging, you can place them in the blog pages.

Lets discuss Adsense a little more.  It is a program from Google and is a very important part of Internet advertising.  A good definition of AdSense is from Wikipedia.org.

AdSense is an advertising program run by Google. Website owners can enroll in this program to enable text and image advertisements on their sites. These ads are administered by Google and generate revenue on a per-click basis. Google utilizes its search technology to serve ads based on website content, the user's geographical location, and other factors.

AdSense works like this. When you sign up as an affiliate of the Adsense program, Adsense provides you with a snippet of HTML code that you insert in your web page where you want the Adsense ads to appear.  Google reads the content of the page where the code is placed and it automatically places ads on the page that match the pages theme or content.

When a reader clicks on an AdSense ad on your page and makes a purchase, you receive a commission for the sale.  All you have to do is allow the AdSense program on your pages and Google does the rest.  It is an ingenious system and is one that has revolutionized advertising on the Internet.

It is very easy to join Ads ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Using Bookmarks for Site Navigation</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Bookmarks are very helpful tools for making the navigation of your site easier for your reader.  Well placed bookmarks can allow your reader to link directly to specific topics on a large web page without having to scroll down to find the topic.  The result is a happy reader who stays on your site longer.

Navigation within a large web page can be accomplished by specifying bookmarks on the page.  These are locations to which you can link.  Some HTML editors have tools that make it simple to set a bookmark.

Lets say you have a large page and down in the middle of the page, you have a heading called Infopreneur.  You want to allow your reader to link directly it.  You can do so with some simple HTML code shown in the following example.

To set the title Infopreneur as a bookmark with HTML:

  &amp;lt;xmp&amp;gt;  &amp;lt;a name=&amp;quot;#Bookmark name&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Infopreneur&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; &amp;lt;/xmp&amp;gt;

Authors note:  The xmp and /xmp tags tell the browser to accept what it between the tags as text and do not execute it as HTML.

The HTML &amp;lt; a name identifies this as an anchor for a link.  This is the same as the link target.  The Bookmark name is preceded by the #.  The word Infopreneur is what actually shows on the web page.  This is very simple to do if you want to insert a bookmark into your page using HTML.

When you do a link to #Bookmark name, the browser will shift the page so the heading Infopreneur is at the top of the monitor.

Bookmarks are also useful for creating links in a table of contents so the reader can link directly to the topic from the table of contents entry without having to scroll down to find the topic.

One last tip on bookmarks�  You can link to another web page and go directly to the bookmarked topic without having to go to the top of the page and make the reader scroll down to the topic.  Here is a link to Volume 1 Issue 18 of Boomer eZine.  It specifically links to the topic, Authors Comments which is set up as the anchor for the link:
 ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Autoresponder � A Major Consideration in Building a List</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[One of the first considerations in building a mailing list should be how am I going to handle all those names that I will have in my list.  An autoresponder is the answer to this nice to have problem.

When you study successful Internet entrepreneurs, the most common theme that runs through the success of these individuals is building a list of customers who then become faithful repeat customers.  You know from your off-line life that the businesses that you continually use are the ones that do a good job and treat you right.  Once you gain confidence in them, you continue to go back to them.  The same is true on the Internet.

An eBook called The 30 Day Blueprint for Success tells convincing stories of the importance of building a mailing list.  The book is a compilation of articles from 15 highly respected Internet professionals from different arenas of the Net who were challenged with the following scenario:

Dear Internet Marketing Expert,

You suddenly lose all your money, along with your name and reputation, and only have your marketing know-how left.

You have bills piled high and people harassing you for money over the phone.

Plus, you have a guaranteed roof over your head, a phone line, and an Internet connection for only one month.

You no longer have your big guru name or JV partners.  Other than your vast marketing experience, youre an unknown newbie.

What would you do, from day 1 to day 30, to get yourself back on top?

(The above quote was excerpted from Volume I of The 30 Day Blueprint for Success.)

The most common method that these individuals used was to rebuild a customer list as quickly as possible so they could be effective in rebuilding the business they once had.  Just as an aside, the book was very revealing about the thought patterns of these experts during their 30 day quest to restore the income stream that they once enjoyed. 

I was fortunate to be able to attend a class taught by my friend and mentor, Jim Cockrum  ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Affiliate Programs � How to Use Commission Junction</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Commission Junction is the largest affiliate program provider.  It handles many great companies including eBay.  To fully explore what is available through Commission Junction, you need to sign up at Commission Junction and look for affiliates there.

The affiliate program is probably the best return for your effort with the least demand on your time.  This has an appeal to the Boomer Entrepreneur since we want to run the business and not have it run us.  We want to have time to kick back and smell the roses.

The attraction to this model is that it is virtually risk free except for your time.  It costs you nothing to sign up as an affiliate.  You recommend the product and send your visitors to the website where the product is sold and if the customer purchases the product, you are paid a commission.  Amazon.com is credited with being the first businesses on the Net to fully develop the affiliate concept and now all the major companies have affiliate programs.

When you sign up as an affiliate, you will be given an affiliate number, and a special link to use for linking to the affiliate website.  This link will send your visitor to the business site and at the same time tell the business that you sent the visitor so you will receive the commission in the case of a sale.

There are companies that do the accounting and act as the coordinator between affiliates and the companies they represent.  These are called affiliate program providers (APPs).  One of the major sites for handling affiliate accounting is called Commission Junction.  It handles eBay and others.  The major site for electronic products is ClickBank.  Other sites are BeFree, Linkshare, and Performics.  A German APP is Affili.net.

Commission Junction is the largest APP and handles many great companies.  To fully explore what is available, you need to sign up at CJ and look for affiliates there.  You will be able to see who the companies are and the commission structure of each.  You can then j ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Board of directors should act like �T cells in the body to protect shareho</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[�T cells contribute to the immune defences in two major ways. Some help regulate the complex workings of the immune system, similar to the board of directors setting the direction.

It is not just the quality of these CEOs that companies have to be mindful of. Undesirable board members are men or women whose sole qualifications are based on their race, gender and social status. However, in the interest of the company, you need to appoint the best people on its board. These are the people who have demonstrated track records as great CEOs and not CEOs who failed and merely filling the board positions as their second jobs. You also need people who have extensive global experience and overseas connections to understand the demands and challenges involved in the marketplace. If you are a listed company, you need people who have good knowledge of the listing mechanism and stock exchange requirements.

These directors should not be serving on too many company boards, otherwise, they would not have enough time to contribute effectively. Even if they have contributed, the tenure of their appointment should be limited to serve on the board. This is a form of check and balance so that long serving board members do not become too comfortable and complacent with the management, which may not be on the right track. Also, it is important that board members remain impartial and not become too chummy that may overlook any misdeeds by the management.

The board of directors has to understand that they are not paid to do the CEOs job. When they get unduly involved with the day-to-day operations such as marketing, hiring and calling for regular meeting, they can create problems for the company. The main role of the board is to hire and fire the CEO and determine his compensation. They should participate in the major issues such as approving the overall strategy, acquisitions and major capital expenditures. Ultimately, the board must understand that they are accountable to the sha ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Dead body stinks from the head </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A key reason for companies downhill slide is undoubtedly the quality of CEO. Most turnaround situations arise because of the CEOs incompetence, ineptness, carelessness, ego and /or inexperience. It is simply too much to ask or expect the incumbent management to be objective in evaluating its past performance when the CEO is probably the same person whose mismanagement caused the companys financial health to deteriorate in the first place. The problem is that some CEOs may lack training even though they may think they know it all.

Sir John Harvey Jones said that the reason many companies always find themselves in trouble is almost always due to the problems right at the top. Sir John Harvey-Jones is one of Britains best-known and most respected business leaders. Besides being the Chairman of ICI he won the fame as the star of the BBC TV series �Troubleshooter. Harvards Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter, whose work focuses on leadership of turnarounds pointed out in the Economic and Social Research Council lecture in London: Formal structures and process undergird confidence, but what also matters is the willingness of leaders to believe in people and give them opportunities to share. Behind every winning streak are leaders who care about the team. That is why new leaders are often required to lead turnarounds. Michael Dell of Dell Computers said, When a business goes wrong, look only to the people who are running it.

Sun Tzu acknowledged the critical role played by generals or CEOs when he said: When the general is weak and without authority, when his orders are not clear and distinct, when there are no fixed duties assigned to officers and men and the ranks are formed in a slovenly haphazard manner, the result is utter disorganisation.

Many early ventures into China fared miserably as these companies sent the wrong managers to run the operations there. By merely having a local staff or secretary to handle the Chinese relations is insufficient. Companies should ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>When you are thirsty, you are not going to argue over the temperature of th</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[When you are thirsty and water is available, you are not going to argue over the temperature of the water.

This seems to be an obvious principle. Yet, many troubled businesses are the result of petty quarrels and disagreements amongst partners and major shareholders. There are also many family-run companies where the family members soured their relationships ruining the business.

Oftentimes, the trouble does not start with the competition or the staff, but arise out of major disagreements amongst the key shareholders. Disagreements can be healthy if they are properly controlled and managed. However, the disagreements can become dysfunctional when they are not properly resolved and allowed to fester. These can result in the break-up of the entire company. For instance, the famous Swedish pop group ABBA was once the largest export revenues for Sweden in the 1980s, however the group broke up and its fame went with it. Also Simon and Garfunkel were very popular pop singers as a team. When the partners broke up, they also lost their popularity.

When the major shareholders disagree, a feasible solution is to bring in professional managers from outside to run the business. However, they have to be given the full autonomy to run the company.

Other suggestion to get out of the quandary may include buying out the other dissenting shareholder. Businesses are already fraught with all kinds of challenges. As a house divided cannot stand, a company that has divided teams will not be able to handle the vagaries of the market dynamics. All the energies and valuable resources will be expended on office politics and putting out fires, when these should rightly have been directed externally to manage competition, etc.

In tough times, every body has to compromise and set aside their differences. Political fights should not be allowed to get out of hand. People should concentrate their energies to quickly getting the organisation back on an even keel. A right dose of inte ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>The tongue is the window of your health </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The doctor often examines the tongue to determine the general state of health of the patient. The tongue is the organ used by the body for communication. Similarly, we determine the morale level and state of mental health of the company by examining the manner of its communication. What the heart and mind think, the tongue speaks.

In sick companies, negative comments and rumours abound. Such negative energies that can sap away the morale and fruitful concentration of the company. It is quite easy to ascertain the state of health of the company. If you spend some time talking to the staff individually and you will soon be able to learn about the negative state of health of the organisation. The staff usually know the cause of the problems and the solutions to them.

In addition to talking, the tongue can be used to chew, mix, taste and swallow food. Even when you are sleeping, your tongue is busy pushing saliva down the throat to be swallowed, otherwise you will be drooling all over the pillow. Similarly corporate communication is the tongue of the organisation and is the way all business entities interact with each other during the course of business. . Corporate communication also serves multiple functions of improving corporate image, strengthening teamwork and corporate culture as well as handling difficult situations and customers. How an organisation communicates with its employees, its extended audiences, the press and the public at large will reveal its corporate character and values.

The importance of communication especially the spoken word cannot be over- emphasised. The Bible said: Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it for death or life. It also mentioned that Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaketh. There are many passages in the Bible on the wrong and right uses of the tongue as through the tongue you are bound your words and by your declarations.

Oftentimes, relations ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Clone Your Successes by Planning your Succession</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The downfall of many countries and political leaders are attributable to poor leadership succession. Yugoslavia plunged into civil war with the demise of President Tito in 1980. Till then, he was all-powerful and had no intention of passing control to anybody. Former President Suharto tried to perpetuate his powers too by surrounding himself with weak subordinates. This brought about his downfall and the economic disaster in Indonesia when the Asian economic crisis hit in 1997.

Similarly, many once successful companies have failed because of poor succession planning. Many entrepreneurs want their children to succeed them and take over the reins in their businesses. However, their offspring may not be the best people to take over from them. In the long run, it is more beneficial to the company, the entrepreneur, and his children to employ the best professional manager or managers from outside to run the business. Hence, there is a saying: The first generation builds the business, the second generation enjoys the prosperity and growth, the third generation brings about the downfall.

There is a moral obligation to create a successful next generation. As the Chinese proverb says: If you want happiness for a lifetime � help the next generation. There is a fear and spirit of insecurity among some managers if their subordinates are better than they are. Such subordinates are deemed as threats, capable of rendering them redundant and eventually taking over their jobs in time to come. As a result, we often see managers stifling good subordinates and bringing in incompetent ones instead. To encourage succession planning, companies should introduce the policy that one is not promotable if one does not have a capable successor to take over ones existing portfolio. Succession planning should also become an important part of the companys performance appraisal measurement.

The late Roberto Goizuetta of Coca-Cola had very good succession planning too. He established at lea ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>To Understand The Disease - Learn To Be The Patient</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There is an old saying in Spain: To be a bullfighter, you must first learn to be like a bull. You want to be a good fisherman, think like the fish. Then you will understand where the fishes normally like to hide so that you can cast your line or net at the right spot. In the medical context, the best way to learn about the disease is to learn to be the patient. Usually, the patient knows very well about the disease that is afflicting him. Besides researching about the disease, he will also strive to find a cure for the ailment as he is suffering from the pain of the disease.

In business, a manager needs to be on the ground � talk and interact with the various people: staff, suppliers, customers, business partners and even competitors. Through these various channels, the manager is able to acquire more knowledge of the industry and have better feel of the market. The manager does not operate in a vacuum and is better equipped to make sound decisions and take timely action. All these will curtail declining trends and may even result in future improvements. This is why the worst place for a manager is his air-conditioned room, where he is cut off from the realities and dynamics of the marketplace.

During his tenure, Lou Gertsner, the turnaround CEO of IBM became IBMs most hardworking salesperson � logging thousands of miles to visit key customers and prospects. His approach sent an unmistakable signal to every employee to be hands-on and created a new image for IBM. By staying in contact with the market, Gertsner was able to make the right decision to turn troubled IBM around. Sun Tzu, in the art of war also advocated a staying on the ground policy. Generally, in the case of armies you wish to strike, cities you wish to attack, and people you wish to assassinate, you must know the names of the garrison commander, the staff officers, the ushers, gatekeepers and the bodyguards. You must instruct your agents to inquire into these matters in minute detail.

A desig ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Your low cost competitors want to eat your lunch</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Your low cost competitors will not just nibble at your low price segment, they want to eat your lunch

Many industry leaders are faced with a sea of changes in the marketplace, particularly the onslaught of many low cost competitors. They are minnows and will grow to become sharks if they are not nipped in the bud. Examples abound on the proliferation of the Chinese products in the world market.

The way to handle these manufacturers is to try to nip them in the bud. It is like war. You must not allow your competitions to establish a beachhead. For once they succeed in doing so, it will be so much harder to dislodge them. You want to knock them out in the waters where they are most vulnerable. When customers try the low cost products and they like them, it will be very difficult and expensive to entice them to switch back to your products. If you cannot beat the low cost competitors in the price game everything else being equal, then better to identify another premium niche.

Johnson and Johnson the health-care multi-national company also faces stiff competition and a long wait for the next drug blockbuster. As part of its strategies to hold off competition, it has gobbled up 34 companies in the past 5 years and will keep acquiring. Johnson and Johnson also put existing drugs to new uses � epilepsy drug Topomax now treats migraine. Workers are made to cross the divisional lines to develop products and drug-delivery systems including treatments for stroke, diabetes and schizophrenia.

Teamwork between pharma and device divisions led to the billion-dollar coronary stent. Cost-cutting on the 200-plus units, merger of the back-office operations and centralized purchasing helped to save $1 billion in two years � funds that it will use in the development of badly needed new pharmaceuticals.

On the other hand, Hoover, which makes vacuum cleaners since 1907, has shrunk its unionised staff strength from 1,800 just over 1,500 in 1994. The Chinese competitors have b ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Just as heart ailment is a major killer, competition is the silent killer  </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The management mantra of the 1980s was product quality, and activities involving Quality Control (QC) circles, Total Quality Management (TQM) and ISO 9000 were the order of the day. Back then, consumers were willing to spend enormous sums for quality products. However, product quality has significantly improved and today having a good quality product is a mandatory requirement for the companys effective participation and survival in the marketplace.

Subsequently, the management slogan in the 1990s embraced technology as the cure-all. Companies then tried to distinguish themselves from their competitors through the use of technology, by offering better and more sophisticated features, use of the Internet and communication systems. Huge sums were channelled into technology to build a better mousetrap with more superior state-of-the-art features. Today, the world does not beat down the door of the better mousetrap developer. The collapse of the high tech stocks on Nasdaq in the early part of 2001 illustrates the vulnerability of technology.

The thrust in the new millennium is competition. Competition intensifies with the emergence of a better range of products that are often of superior quality coupled with attractive and affordable pricing. In such a scenario, many products become marginalized, and like commodities, pricing becomes a key determinant in a shrinking market.

In todays competitive environment, your margins for errors are also thinner. In the past, three strikes or major mistakes and you are out, but today, one strike or major mistake and you are history. Customers have many choices and they will switch their suppliers at the turn of the dime if you make a major error in quality, delivery, etc.

Oftentimes, the elusive competition quietly sneaks in by the back door. You may have been losing trickles of disgruntled customers and one day, you come to the sudden realisation that even your major customers are gone.

PSA Corporation learnt too late ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>People tend to do what you inspect rather than what you expect </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Expectation sets the height of the bar, but it is regular inspection that resets the height of the bar so as to ensure it is achievable. The common notion is that what gets measured, gets performed. This is why it is useful to have key performance indicators. They serve to inform management which aspects of the business are performing according to its intended objectives or otherwise. They act as a preliminary diagnostic tool that enables management to identify areas for improvement. The roles of the key performance indicators also add meaning to the financial and accounting information as well as to provide a quick overview of the companys performance.

In theory, if you need to inspect, supervise and manage the staff frequently, the chances are you have hired the wrong candidates. In reality, it is difficult to obtain a good fit of the right people and therefore inspection is necessary.

The key performance indicators used by the company may include financial as well as operational parameters. Financial ratios are common yardsticks derived from financial and accounting statements. The operational parameters may include more generalised criteria such as quality goals, reject rates, production targets as well as balanced scorecards, etc.

Most companies use the budgeting process to formulate the key performance indicators. However, the problem is that the key performance indicators in the budget are artificially stretched so that they become �management goals. The people who are supposed to deliver those goals on the ground may not be committed to them. This renders the whole budgeting exercise futile and a waste of time. Yet the irony is that companies expended immense resources and months of preparing for the annual budget.

Good companies focus on measurements in many ways. They share the information on the key performance indicators to their staff so that they are aware and can be committed to achieving those targets. These good companies hold their staf ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Life is Simple. And in business, the simpler the better. </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If there is one guiding motto in life, it is simplicity. This principle should reign supreme in all areas of life, from language, ideas to business and strategies. Yet, the irony remains that most people are attracted to complexity, thinking that simple efforts run the risk of being ridiculed as being obvious, simplistic or unoriginal. Contrary to what some may think, simplicity is hard to achieve. In fact, Karl von Clausewitz, the famous military historian, once said, Everything is very simple in war, but the simplest thing is difficult.

In business, the most successful ideas are usually stunningly simple. In fact, simplicity is at the heart of many success stories in business. Management consultants are often guilty of clouding things with technical jargon and complex concepts. There is a tendency among business people to indulge in complicated and high-sounding buzzwords that give the impression of being smart and polished. Jack Welch, the chairman of General Electric, hit the nail on the head when he said, Insecure managers create complexity. � Real leaders dont need clutter. People must have the self-confidence to be clear, precise, to be sure that every person in their organization understands what the business is trying to achieve. You cant believe how hard it is for people to be simple, how much they fear being simple. They worry that if theyre simple, people will think theyre simpleminded.

The tenet that business is simple is one of Welchs fundamental beliefs. After all, this is not rocket science, insisted Welch. To further his point, Welch has said that if you gave the same information to a group of business people, they would likely come up with the same answer to any problem put before them. Simplicity and informality have been constants throughout Welchs years.

Very often, the answer to improving company performance boils down to introducing simple ideas and making sure they get done. Success in business usually comes down to the ability to fi ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>To understand the disease, learn to be the patient </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There is an old saying in Spain: To be a bullfighter, you must first learn to be like a bull. You want to be a good fisherman, think like the fish. Then you will understand where the fishes normally like to hide so that you can cast your line or net at the right spot. In the medical context, the best way to learn about the disease is to learn to be the patient. Usually, the patient knows very well about the disease that is afflicting him. Besides researching about the disease, he will also strive to find a cure for the ailment as he is suffering from the pain of the disease.

In business, a manager needs to be on the ground � talk and interact with the various people: staff, suppliers, customers, business partners and even competitors. Through these various channels, the manager is able to acquire more knowledge of the industry and have better feel of the market. The manager does not operate in a vacuum and is better equipped to make sound decisions and take timely action. All these will curtail declining trends and may even result in future improvements. This is why the worst place for a manager is his air-conditioned room, where he is cut off from the realities and dynamics of the marketplace.

During his tenure, Lou Gertsner, the turnaround CEO of IBM became IBMs most hardworking salesperson � logging thousands of miles to visit key customers and prospects. His approach sent an unmistakable signal to every employee to be hands-on and created a new image for IBM. By staying in contact with the market, Gertsner was able to make the right decision to turn troubled IBM around. Sun Tzu, in the art of war also advocated a staying on the ground policy. Generally, in the case of armies you wish to strike, cities you wish to attack, and people you wish to assassinate, you must know the names of the garrison commander, the staff officers, the ushers, gatekeepers and the bodyguards. You must instruct your agents to inquire into these matters in minute detail.

A desig ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>The greatest lesson is to learn faster than your competitors </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Peter Drucker said: Every few hundred years throughout Western history, a sharp transformation has occurred. In a matter of a few decades, society altogether rearranges itself, its worlds views, its social and political structure, its arts, its key institutions. Fifty years later a New World exists. And the people born into that world cannot even imagine the world in which their grandparents lived and into which their own parents were born.

Unfortunately, for most people who live in a hierarchy, the speed of learning tends to be limited by those at the top. If they were a smart Henry Ford or Thomas Watson Jr., the organisation could learn faster than their world changed. If they were not that smart they might get an initial foothold but eventually competition and change would weed them out. We cannot learn faster than the world changes. Many outcomes/outputs especially for business organisations depended on a much wider range of knowledge, skills, values, technologies and competencies. This forces us to learn and grasp a broader range at a faster speed. Why should Bill Clinton be so concerned over a cloned sheep? Why should a commission be set up to investigate cloning? Only because they were surprised by news, for what was assumed to be possible only in science fiction, and by the fact that no one in the government has the faintest clue on the likely consequences. Today change is nonlinear and not first order.

Otto von Bismarck, the German statesman (1815-1898) said: Fools say they learn from experience. I prefer to learn from others experience. Therefore, you too can profit from your competitors success and failure. The incandescent light bulb first emerged some thirty years before Thomas Edison found the right filament. Henry Fords revolutionary assembly line came emulated Singers sewing machine and Campbell Soup meatpacking.

David Kearns former Chairman of Xerox in 1989 said: We realize that we are in a race without a finish line. As we improve, so does ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>There Is A Strong Parallel Between Physical And Fiscal Health</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There is a strong parallel between corporations and medical science. Companies fall sick just as people do. Contrary to the common view, a company is not an inanimate object. Rather, it is a community of people, a living organism and an entity with its own distinctive personality and attitudes. Therefore, without proper care, a company, which has a life of its own, will perish. Rather than understanding businesses by using some mechanical or industrial models, it is useful to understand them from the perspective of ecology of organisms. Like all organisms, the companies exist primarily for their own survival and improvement as well as fulfill their full potential. Similarly, as human beings, we exist to survive and thrive.

At the antenatal stage, just as in the case of the impregnation of the human embryo, a company is incorporated through a concept wherein the founder explores or brainstorms the initial idea. In the case of the person, the foetus will be nurtured through antenatal care till birth. For the company it is conceptualized from a feasibility report on its commercial viability followed by incubation and culminating in its start up. The company may have been born out of a merger or acquisition, the social marriage for corporations. At birth, the start up company is a baby. Some babies are stillborn and aborted due to various congenital defects. Similarly, some start-up companies are aborted due to lack of funds or breakup in the partnerships.

A healthy person is like a profitable company, full of vitality and energy, whereas a patient is akin to a troubled company plagued by problems. The trouble is often financial in nature. When the company is sick, it needs a corporate doctor for healing or turnaround. In many cases, the sick company requires fresh injection of funds to resuscitate it. This is where the company needs to turn to hospital.

The hospital is the bank, private investor or venture capitalist which provides vital financing and cash flo ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>People Work Hard for Money, But They Will Die for a Cause</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Most people will work hard for money if properly motivated. Though it may help, more money is not the key to making your employees more passionate. It is a myth to think that you do not need passion if only you have good staff and pay them well. It helps to have good people and to pay them well. However, passion needs to be embedded in a cause that the people can buy into. This will spur the employees on as they can grasp something out of this cause. It is not just about money. People simply would not follow someone for long if he is not chasing after a big and worthwhile dream.

Thus companies need to provide a deeper meaning or purpose to life for their employees to unleash their fullest potential. If the employees find a meaningful cause for what they are doing, many will be passionate and some will die for that cause. People through the ages have demonstrated this intrinsic desire to die for ones beliefs whether they are religious, political or social. In the same vein, good organisations are those that are great at rallying people around a lofty cause. And the magnitude of this cause can even turn into a crusade.

The Indian born founder of Hotmail Inc, Sabeer Bhatia could only offer a cause to the people who join him in starting up Hotmail. He could not afford to offer them any salary. Many of his people continued to join him because of their faith in his project and the potential of the Internet. They had no goals for immediate monetary gratifications. Today, as a result of the huge success of Hotmail, the people who stuck with Sabeer have struck it rich. Sabeer Bhatia was able to turn the cause into a crusade with cult-like fanaticism. He was able to command the full dedication of his followers.

If what people do on the job is placed in the context of a good cause such as improving the quality of life, contributing to the betterment of mankind etc, the impact can be dramatic. Barnevik, the former chairman of ABB Brown Boveri, says that he is motivated ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Cholesterol is Like the Calibre of Staff</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Cholesterol is like the calibre of staff. LDLs are the dysfunctional staff and the HDL the good ones cleaning up the mess left by the LDLs. The human body requires some cholesterol to function properly. These cholesterol � good (high density lipoprotein or HDL) and bad (low density lipoprotein or LDL) ones � are found in all cells which help to carry fats in the body.

Similarly, in every organisation, there are two categories of employees. There are the bad cholesterol employees as well as the good cholesterol employees. Those in the first category, the bad cholesterol are not natural self-starters and they require prodding by some external forces from the environment before they are compelled towards achieving certain goals.

Too much of bad cholesterol can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, as the bad cholesterol slowly builds up in the walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain. Eventually, their vital supply of blood, oxygen and nutrients are cut off.

In the corporate context, the heart attack would be synonymous with a company suddenly waking up one day and finding that it has lost all its competitiveness. Usually the stroke or heart attack suddenly deals a lethal blow on their victims without any warning signs.

The good cholesterol employees are intrinsically motivated from within. They are intelligent, high achievers and will exercise initiative and assume responsibility towards achieving the goals. They are able to attain the goals even though the external circumstances may not be favourable or supportive of such actions. The good cholesterol carries the bad cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it is metabolised from the body, thus minimising the clogging of the artery walls.

The good cholesterol employees have a high level of internal energy or qi which propels them forward despite the external difficulties. The danger of not establishing the desired corporate culture is that it will not only fail ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>People � Life and Death Matters</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Winning and high-performing companies share the belief that their core asset is the people who have the knowledge, skill and experience. Maximizing the value of those core assets is key to business success. It takes the form of the strategy to acquire, retain, measure, manage and leveraging on the strengths of their people. It is no longer true that people are the key assets of the company. It is the good people that are the key assets and give life and vitality to the organisation. Bad people are the liabilities that spell death and trouble.

Competitors can catch up on core competencies. Benchmarking and reengineering may put them on the cutting edge. But only dedicated individuals can continuously produce new, creative and exciting ideas that allow a company to reinvent itself, manage its selfrenewal process, and foster a true learning organisation. Yet, many companies still fail to use the right management and leadership strategies to motivate and retain their staff.

Creative talent, while arguably the most prized asset for any corporation, is probably also the most unrealized. Creative people are thought to be nonconformist, unpredictable, selfabsorbed and therefore difficult to manage. Because many organisations are filled with conformists who tend to like other conformists, the frustrations and limitations of such stifling organisations drive creative people out. Therein lies the organisations loss. Attracting, developing and keeping maverick talents are a major challenge to any leader. It is essential to create an environment that offers a high degree of freedom and encourages original ideas.

Company CEOs preached about people being their most important assets. However, their managerial actions do not match the rhetoric. Many quote examples of CEOs downsizing and firing of the people the first instance the company is in financial difficulty. Operating budgets are slashed on training and development. Employees can clearly see that the actions of the m ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>If You Want Good Health, Plan for It - If You Want GREAT Health Plan and Do</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Planning tells you what is going to happen, post-mortem tells you what has happened Both planning and post-mortem are essential management tools needed to achieve corporate objectives, as well as to prevent the recurrence of the same mistakes. Planning for change must be the ever-present concern of every executive. At the same time, if events do not happen as planned, a post mortem is to be conducted so as not to repeat the same planning errors.

General Dwight D Eisenhowers famous quote, Planning is nothing and planning is everything was a response to his cynical colleagues, who believed that, because plans never survive first contact with the enemy, planning was a waste of time. In the corporate world, quite often, planning gets thrown out of the window because of mounting short �term pressures to perform and deliver the bottom line.

Those who fail to plan are ultimately planning for a post-mortem. It is not that postmortem is unimportant but companies should always plan to succeed and minimize the occasions to do post-mortem on failed projects. Planning companies outperform those non-planning ones.

Crises and the unexpected changes are no longer a rare, random or abnormal part of our lives. They are built into the very fabric of society and modern-day corporations. While not all crises can be foreseen or even prevented, all of them can be managed if we plan strategically and tactically for what is humanly possible. The impacts of the crises can be minimised if one has a thorough understanding of the basics of crisis planning and management.

Tactical is short term planning whereas strategic is considered long term. Strategic plan looks at the forces in the external environment and responses to them. Tactical planning usually covers one year and is the stepping stone of the strategic plan, which normally covers three to five years.

Having post-implementation analysis or post-mortem is also critical. Just as a postmortem reveals the cause of death, a c ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Vision, Feedback and Action � Three Meals a Day Keep the Corporate Doctor A</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Someone said that feedback is the breakfast of a champion. However, in todays turbulent marketplace, surviving on breakfast alone is insufficient. You need three meals a day to keep the doctor away.

In the corporate dietary system, you need vision for breakfast, feedback for lunch and action for dinner. Vision is a clear and precise mental portrait of a preferred future. Feedback is the return of a portion of the output to the input. Action is to the take a decision and execute. Vision and feedback without action is dreaming. Action without vision and feedback is wasting time. But vision, feedback and action � feeding on the three meals a day will serve to keep the corporate doctor away.

Some people believe that information is power. However, information without action is useless. It is similar to the treatment of a sick patient. The doctor can have all the right information on how to cure the patient. However, if he does not take the appropriate and timely action to treat the patient, the outcome for the patient remains unchanged. But action must be complemented with the correct information. Acting on the wrong information may kill the patient as the remedies may be worse than the disease. This is why all three � vision, feedback and action � are necessary. They are the meals required to provide the required daily nourishments to the company. It is the harnessing and application of the correct information that unleashes power.

In the context of management theory, it is useful to apply the best blend of Eastern and Western practices. Developing Asia can learn much from the more established and intellectual Western managerial professionalism in the area of clear vision, proper research and feedback. The Asia financial crisis in 1997 has exposed the weakness of some mega corporation in the East. For instance a number of Chaebols in Korea, Keiretsu in Japan and SE Asian banks collapsed.

They were lacking in focus, over extended and diversified. Their produc ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Think Rationally Before You Decide Will Help You To Sleep Well</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Many companies often let their success and euphoria gloat over their heads and forget to do their homework. Expansion is done without proper evaluation or support from adequate market research and survey. Decisions are often overridden by the desire to accomplish business expansion as part of the companys objectives and the risk factors are ignored. If the companies have done rational thinking, simple homework and some reflection, they would have been spared massive headaches and avoided some of these projects. Rational thinking is going back to the basic and not allowing emotions, egos and euphoria to get the better of you when making decisions.

There are many instances of poor rational thinking in business failures. For instance, many pioneering investors in China have lost money because their investments were based upon China statistics. This is based on the assumption that China has a population of 1.0 billion people then. If we are able to capture one percent of the market, which though minuscule, translates into 10 million of captured customers. This is indeed an impressive captive market. Unfortunately, these investors learned to their dismay that China was still a third world country. The bulk of the population was unable to pay for their products and services. The immutable law in marketing that You cannot make money from people who do not have money is applicable here.

History reminds us that there are many companies that embarked upon major mergers and acquisitions but failed miserably. Sometimes, proper homework, reflection as well as rational thinking will reveal that it is better to buy over the key people and grow the business than buy another company lock, stock and barrel. Apart from the strategic synergies of a merger and acquisition (M&amp;amp;A), one also has to be mindful of the cultural fit. An example was the teething problems encountered by both the Chinese and Singaporean partners in the Singapore-China Suzhou Industrial Park project in Ch ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Companies Without Strategies Are Heading For Tragedies</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Many businesses are still focusing on yesterdays problems at the expense of forgoing future opportunities. The best chess players always have a strategy in place. But in businesses, future planning seems to play second fiddle to analyzing of past performance. Architects would not build a house without the architectural plans because selecting the wrong layout or laying the wrong foundation or using the wrong building materials could result in disaster. The house can collapse on you after you move in. A strategic plan is the architectural blueprint for your business.

Executives always have the excuse for not doing strategic planning. They reckon that things are changing so rapidly. It does not make sense to do ten or even five year planning as events will change and it is not possible to preempt changes any more. It is true that nowadays environment changes are very rapid and that makes long-term planning even more difficult. Non-strategic planning companies give the excuse that planning results in paralysis through too much analysis. It is also true that some companies cover their backs with expensive market research and spreadsheet analyses.

However, one should not throw out the baby with the bath water. As a matter of fact, it is even more critical to have strategic planning during turbulent and rapidly changing environment. It is like the Titanic, which had the most modern technology in her times but did not plan for eventuality and disaster when it hit the iceberg. We are living in difficult times today and tomorrow things may be worse. With the possible threats such as terrorist attacks, infectious diseases like SARS, bird flu, mad-cow diseases etc, it will be naive for any CEOs to think that they are immune or protected.

One must not be fooled into thinking that a company is successful because it has a good strategic planning system in place. Your success may be coincidentally due to a buoyant market or weak competition. Also, one must not be mistaken ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Myths in Transformation and Turnaround</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Welcome to the real business world where troubled businesses abound. Distressed business owners and executives need to understand turnarounds and transformations in order to face the challenges in this competitive global market. Corporate turnarounds and transformations are no longer ad hoc. Instead they have become an integral part of daily corporate life with dynamic changes in the economic, political and technological arenas. Business turbulence is here to stay. Yet, there are many myths pertaining to turnaround and transformation.

Myth 1: One common myth held by companies is that they are not vulnerable to financial crisis: My company is doing well. It will not fall sick. Akin to getting AIDS, some patients previously adopted the attitude: This will not happen to me. But when it does happen, be prepared to hear this from the doctor. Sorry, we cannot help you. Many companies have annual medical examinations and health screenings for their employees but are negligent when it comes to their own check-ups. Companies should go for regular health check-up. The key to successful turnaround is early intervention and understand the early warning signs of a sick company.

Myth 2: Management of troubled companies often goes into a state of self-denial. We have seen this before. This is a little hiccup in the economy and our business is seasonal. Nothing has gone wrong. This is a myth. The situation frequently gets worse before it gets better. Such denial is insidious, resulting in delays in the necessary remedial actions during the early stage of under-performance. This is why oftentimes by the time the companies woes are publicly known, they are already basket cases. Proper treatment can only be administered after the acknowledgement that there is pain.

Myth 3: Our creditors and banks are chasing for payments, we have a credit squeeze and firing of our staff must continue till cash flow improves. Yes, troubled companies need to cut cost to the bones without injuri ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Strengthening Corporate Health - 18 Principles (Part 3)</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Step 3: Proper Treatment

Do you know why companies fall sick and die; that there are panaceas that can turn a critically ill organisation around into a healthy one and proper treatment is necessary as the remedies can sometimes be worse than the disease?

PRINCIPLE 13: TO TREAT THE SYMPTOMS, KNOW YOUR COMPETITORS AND CUSTOMERS. TO ELIMINATE THE ROOT CAUSE, KNOW THE MARKET

Sun Tzu, the strategist in The Art of War said: “If you know yourself and the enemy, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” Though it is important to know your competition, one should not do so at the expense of neglecting one’s customers. Merely knowing the competitor is equivalent to a person driving a car and constantly looking out for the competitor’s car at his side. He is so pre-occupied with the competitor that he fails to look at the road ahead and may run into hazards.

Knowing only the customer’s present needs is also merely treating the symptom and not the ailment. Today’s customers are more demanding - they want more of those things they value. If they value cheaper prices, they want even lower ones. If they value convenience or speed at the time of purchase, they want it even easier or faster. Hence, companies’ efforts may yield temporary results if they only deliver what the customers want now. These attempts may not sustain the company’s long-term growth, as they are unable to optimise on profitability, resource allocation and opportunities.

To ensure vibrant business and continued long-term growth, companies must strive to drive the market. They need to pre-empt both the customers’ and competitors’ present and future developments. 3M’s Post It notes, which nobody had asked for previously, are now one of the most commonly used office products. Microsoft’s operating software Windows came not from responding to customers’ demands or competitors’ threat, but from anticipating them. The 1980 launch of CNN by Ted Turner was ridiculed b ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Strengthening Corporate Health - 18 Principles (Part 2)</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Step 2: Early diagnosis

A sick person down with flu may manifest early symptoms of cough, runny nose, fever and body aches. Likewise, there are usually ample warning signs for a company. Prescription without diagnosis is malpractice, and thus carrying out corporate restructuring without knowing the ailments is disastrous. The key is early diagnosis as it increases the chances of curing most diseases.

Principle 7: An annual health check is fundamental

Many companies have annual medical examinations and health screening for their employees, but are negligent when it comes to their own check-ups. Poor management and financial information systems typically get blamed for management’s inability to ‘see it coming’. Usually, there are ample warning signs or symptoms of impending trouble. However, these warning signals are often ignored or suppressed; hence the onset of a crisis comes as a surprise.

It is also tragic that many companies fail, not solely due to the irrevocable downward spiral of their financial health, but because of management’s inability or unwillingness to face those serious problems squarely and take appropriate timely action. Sometimes, top executives fall into the denial trap as acknowledging a problem is tantamount to an admission of failure, exposing them to criticism by the company’s shareholders.

It is important to pre-empt any problems from arising by looking out for warning signals. Therefore, a proverb that says: “The superior doctor prevents sickness. The mediocre doctor attends to impending sickness. The inferior doctor treats the actual sickness.”

Principle 8: To understand the disease, learn to be the patient

There is an old Spanish saying: “To be a bullfighter, you must first learn to be like a bull.” in business, a manager needs to be on the ground — to talk and interact with the various people: staff, suppliers, customers, business partners and even competitors. Through these channels, the manager  ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Strengthening Corporate Health - 18 Principles (Part 1)</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Contrary to common belief, a company is not an inanimate object. In fact, there are many similarities between companies and people, companies are living organisms that comprise communities of people that contribute to their distinctive personalities and attitudes. Like us, companies fall sick, due to various reasons such as economic slowdown, competition and incompetent management.

However, there are workable, preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic steps to treat and restore the health of sick companies. Similar to how we manage our health, a company needs to follow three key steps to ensure and sustain its long-term health, namely prevention, early diagnosis and proper treatment. There are 18 medical principles in corporate health associated with these three steps which will be presented in three parts. The first part is on the first six principles guiding the step on Prevention:

Step I: Prevention

Akin to people, most companies get into trouble simply by neglecting their health. However, the old saying of ‘prevention is better than cure’ applies also to companies.

Principle 1: Laughter and fun are the best medicine

Laughter and fun have been recognised for centuries to be the best medicine. The correct use of laughter and fun in the workplace facilitates learning, and changes people’s behaviour as it helps them feel less threatened by the prospect of change. Laughter and fun have been found to be the best tools for giving the corporate identity a human face.

Disney world is one of the best success stories on the use of this tool. Reputed as a fun place for kids and the ‘kid’ in all adults, Disney World has attracted millions of visitors every year. Many visitors also patronise the playground several times in their lifetime. The fact is, people do like doing business with people who are fun.

A fun working environment is also more productive than a routine one. People who enjoy their work do create more and better ideas. Fun is contagi ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Knowing The Type Of Viruses That Are Plaguing The Company Is Half The Cure</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Just as a competent medical practitioner needs to understand the causes of a disease, a competent turnaround manager must understand the causes of the company’s decline.

Much like human beings, companies are perpetually faced with all kinds of viruses or threats to their health, some are internally created whilst others are externally generated. The human body is always battling all these threats so as to maintain the equilibrium of health or homeostasis. Likewise, an organisation that is able to successfully address both internal and external problems (from operational hiccups to market threats) will bound to enjoy corporate health and longevity.

The troubled company usually gets attacked by two types of problems – internal and external viruses.

Many of the internal viruses are generated by the company and are actually within the company’s control. They are usually associated with weak management and poor financial system. The onslaught of such viral attacks can lead to bad or untimely business decisions, poor financial control and other related problems. The medical analogy for eliminating internal viruses may merit the use of surgery such as downsizing, restructuring or change.

For example a poll of the members of the Turnaround Management Association, people whose job is to rescue troubled businesses revealed that while 22 percent of turnaround professionals cited increased competition as a reason for business failures, a full 58 percent squarely put the blame on faulty management decision-making. Similarly, other studies have found that internal, rather than external causes are behind up to 90 percent of company failures. Peter Tourtellot, former chairman and now a turnaround manager himself noted that one of the most common mistakes was that troubled companies did not listen to their customers. He also found that communication was sadly lacking in most of the troubled businesses.

Business journalist, Bruce G. Posner cited some of managemen ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>WINNING THE RACE TO SUCCESS:  The "Last Mile Advantage"</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Do you know what ***really*** differentiates the winners from the losers in this metaphorical race we call “business success”? Intelligence? Money? Luck? Influence? Is it ...?

These assets can certainly enhance your success. Yet there is still one secret ingredient ... beyond all else ... that can and will determine whether you win or lose in the business world.

Can you guess what it is? You give up?!

The single most powerful ingredient to performance mastery ... the one that above all else separates the Olympic Gold from those who never get to the finish line ... is what I call “The Last Mile Advantage.”

===&amp;gt; What is the “Last Mile Advantage?&amp;quot;

It is giving your goal **everything** you got ... and sometimes more ... in that last mile of your race to get to your finish line.

You see it all the time in the Olympics. Hitting the “wall,” incurring an injury, falling off track ... yet somehow, somewhere that athlete taps into their inner power to not only finish the race, but to also win it.

As business owners, we are constantly being challenged to find the strength within to get to the finish line at each stage of our business. “The journey of a 1000 miles does begin with the first step,” but the true leaps, the true growth, the true breakthroughs happen in the last mile of the race.

Sounds simple yet so few business owners ever really get to the finish line

As a business coach, I have watched literally hundreds of businesses - on the verge of a breakthrough - die, falter or never even get off the ground. They gave up in the last 5% in pursuing their business goals and visions. Getting to the 5 yard line is not good enough in the business world. You must get into the end zone for the touch down.

===============================
COACH'S RECOMMENDED ACTION:
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If you want success, you must get brutally honest with yourself. In the last year, what high priority projects, goals or visio ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Are You Addicted To The Limitations In Your Business?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[&amp;quot;Argue for your limitations and they are yours.&amp;quot;
Richard Bach, Author, Illusions

This weekend, I watched the ground-breaking movie ... for about the fourth time, &amp;quot;What The Bleep Do We Know?!&amp;quot; If you have not seen it yet, put it at the top of your list. If you have seen it, watch it again. I guarantee that you will pick up powerful tidbits you did not catch before.

What makes this a &amp;quot;must see&amp;quot; movie?

Part documentary, part narrative drama and part visual hallucinogen, the main purpose of the movie - regardless of whether you agree or disagree with its theses -is to get you to shift your paradigms about your experience of life and reality.

Integrating interviews with top scientists,neurobiologists and quantum physicists... amazing animation and special effects ... and a storyline featuring Oscar winner Marlee Matlin as a jaded photographer who falls down a metaphysical rabbit hole, this movie promises - if you keep an open mind - to provoke, transform and rattle every limited belief you ever had about life. For the biggest skeptics, it explains from a quantum physics perspective how your mind and perceptions drive every experience  and outcome in your life. That includes every aspect of your business right now.

In this viewing of the movie, the stopper was an interviewee's comment that &amp;quot;we are addicted to our emotions.&amp;quot; i.e., we have a chemical addiction to rejection, conflict, fear, etc. Think about it. Don't you know people who actually get &amp;quot;hooked&amp;quot; on stress and crises? Such states cause a chemical reaction in the body, triggering the &amp;quot;fight or flight&amp;quot; adrenaline response. As a result, we get addicted to the adrenaline &amp;quot;high.&amp;quot;

From an NLP (NeuroLinguistic Programming) perspective, there is a comparable notion called &amp;quot;secondary gains.&amp;quot; Ever had those challenges in your business that no matter how hard you tried to overcome them, you got no shift in results? Or a goal y ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Give Me 5 Minutes &amp; I'll Tell You How Much $$ Is In Your Bank Account </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There’s a huge myth out there that business is booming and everyone is doing just great.  The truth is small business owners, sales people and entrepreneurs are just getting by.  They have enough business rolling in to pay the bills and sometimes take vacation but they are not building wealth or financial freedom.

No, this is not an article about finances, although finances are the end result.  I’ve trained thousands of people in a number of countries and from this experience I have learned how to instantly identify how much money they are making.  That’s because (here’s the secret) the amount of money they are making is directly proportionate to the amount of exposure they are receiving.  The old cliché is true, sales is a numbers game and the way to create massive volume is by creating massive exposure.  Yet, most people I train have only minimal exposure.

Just by asking some basic questions I can quickly identify how much money is in their bank account.  I ask if they rely upon referrals to generate new prospects, if they purchase leads, do direct campaigns or any form of paid advertising.  If they say yes to any of these, I know they are missing out on a lot of money. 

In addition, I ask if they are tapping into the power of free media, doing joint ventures, and what their initial offering is in their marketing funnel.  When that bewildered look appears on their face wondering what I am talking about, I again know they are missing out on a lot of money.

So ask yourself these questions and see how you’re doing.  If you are not raking in the bucks and your bank account balance isn’t quite where you’d like it to be, you need a marketing makeover.   I will teach you 7 key non-traditional, zero cost marketing strategies that will help you generate hundreds of qualified leads per day.  Notice I used the word qualified?  This is essential because my strategies get the people who want what you have to come knocking at your door.  Why waste you ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Write And Publish A Book Eureka Style!</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I had a dream. I wanted to write a book. I have found a neat way to jump over the publishing and marketing hurdles. What do I mean by neat? How about immensely more effective, efficient, and gratifying, for starters?

An Explosive Situation

You see, I love to write. I am also very curious, by nature. That can be a blessing and a curse! Over the years, I have dived into (read “immersed myself”) in a number of activities and fields of knowledge. I have acquired a fair amount of know-how in the process.

That knowledge and know-how, combined with my love of writing, had grown into a very “explosive” situation.

I like to share what I know. It is easy to get me going on a topic that I know and love. I was bursting at the seems to write a book.

Boy! Was I in for a surprise. Quite a number of surprises, in fact.

Gut Wrenching Choices

So, I set off to write a book. I had to do something to relieve this tremendous pressure that was building up inside me.

I was immediately confronted with a very hard choice to make. What should I write about?

All my activities, whether professional or amateur, were like my “children”. I loved each one of them equally. The kind of boundless love we reserve for our children. (If you have children, you will know what I mean. If not, then take my word for it. We love them all so strongly that it hurts sometimes.)

So how could I favor one over the other?

I chose to “solve” the problem the same way I fit things in the family budget. All my children have needs and wants. The family budget can only satisfy a few, at any given time. I have to prioritize.

Likewise, I only had enough time and energy for one book at a time. So I set out to list my favorite topics, as they popped into my head, in no particular order:
	Meteorology and weather services,
	Business planning,
	Amateur radio (Ham radio),
	Radio antenna building,
	Radio wave propagation,
	Speculative trading (stock options and c ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>How to Finance Your Small Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you have a great business idea or plan, or you would like to expand your existing business, don’t let a lack of funds stop you in your tracks. There is a wide variety of financing available for small businesses.  Let’s take a look at the financing opportunities that small business entrepreneurs can take advantage of. 

While the financing sources comprise diverse institutions, such as banks, government sources, venture capitalist and “angel” investors, it is useful to look at what all lenders, regardless of category, want when they loan money or invest in a business enterprise.

When you seek money for an already existing business, lenders will be interested to know about the history of your business; whether it has a track record of good management and good performance.  Lenders will be keen to know whether you have the ability to repay a loan and will look at your present cash-flow to see whether it is sufficient to enable you to meet your current obligations as well as to take on extra debt.

Your credit history will also be under scrutiny.  A good credit history will help you to get a loan. If you have had problems in the past, it is best to bring these to the attention of the lender yourself and explain how you have turned the situation around.

You can also bolster your chances of getting a loan by putting up collateral. This reduces the risk for the bank in case you default. And finally, if you can show that your own personal money is invested in your enterprise then lenders will have more confidence in the proposition.

Many small business loans are turned down due to poorly presented proposals, inadequate collateral, insufficient cash flow and a lack of management experience.

These are the general points that lenders and investors are interested in, now let’s look at the main sources for small business financing.

1. Traditional Lenders:  Banks, credit unions, and finance companies are the main source of loans to small businesses ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Tips Before Buying a Turnkey Online Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[You need to be careful browsing through online turnkey offers to avoid serious financial loss.  Everyone has at least one horror story involving online scams, and some are more personal because they were a victim.  Once I receive my check for $14,000,000 from Nairobi I can retire from writing advice for small business owners and designing web sites.  Wish me luck!

Consider the line from the movie &amp;quot;Field of Dreams&amp;quot; saying &amp;quot;If you build it, they will come&amp;quot;.  This does not apply to websites.  Online, the P.T. Barnum adage &amp;quot;There's a sucker born every minute&amp;quot; is too often the case when it comes to  purchasing a turnkey online business.  Think before you hand off your hard earned cash.  You could become victim of an online scam.

In the real world, individuals with novice internet skills are becoming victims every day.  An honest person is more apt to believe what they read online because it's in their character to trust things in writing.  Stories of instant wealth with turnkey websites help perpetuate the elusive dream, especially when the reader has little or no business experience.  Let's examine a true case involving one of my clients, and the extreme nature of what can happen.

Imagine this single Mom, struggling to make ends meet while living off the proceeds of a real estate sale, and she encounters a variety of online ads filled with exaggeration and promising the opportunity of a lifetime.  Over time, and before meeting me, she purchased 7 prepackaged web sites for a variety of online products and services thinking that money would roll in automatically.  To put her online marketing in perspective, only recently she grew more comfortable sending and receiving email.

Her total cost for 7 sites exceeded $10,000 two years ago with zero profit to date.  Most of the sites were cookie cutter turnkey subdomains with insignificant search engine ranking.  In general, the top level domains were poorly coded with grade school level  ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Overcome Writer's Block to Create New Articles Faster</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Small business owners would do well to consider writing an article a week about the solutions offered when clients do business with you.  These may be published at no cost by online article syndicates, and each will have a link back to your website.  Having outside links TO your site is one of the keys to improving search engine ranking.

Important: Write from a neutral point of view.  You are not selling your product or service; you are selling your reputation as an expert.  Do not include any pricing or offers.  Write as if you were explaining something to your neighbor or someone who would never ever become your customer.

Years ago I had cartoons published in various business newsletters, and sometimes the tough part was coming up with ideas.  I developed a system that worked beautifully.  Instead of taking 8 hours to come up with a humorous situation and then 4 hours to draw the cartoon, I was able to get several concepts in 10 minutes, and do 2-3 cartoons in 8 hours total.  Here's my system with a twist for article writing, and it works.

GETTING IDEAS

Do this exercise and fill in the blanks.  You know _____ when _____.  The first blank is a problem and the second blank is the reason or result of the problem.  It's easy to come up with an idea-a-minute instead of spending late nights in tears with writer's block.  Do half a dozen and then pick the best one to write your article.

Example:
You know your customers will go away when you forget to say thank you.

OUTLINE SKELETON

Next, for the outline of the article, I use a 3-step rough layout that takes the reader to the happy ending in a logical order.  The skeleton can be simple phrases without complete sentences and just enough to keep your thought process on track as you work through the article.

Situation (one liner from fill in the blanks above)
Action (solution to solving the problem)
Results (describe the outcome and include stats if appropriate)

THE ARTICLE

Articles need to b ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>The Small Business Approach to Market Research</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Running a small business or launching a start-up company is very time consuming. Most of the time it feels as if there aren't enough hours in the day to get the job done. Because of this, many small businesses skip some of the most important details in securing their success. Market research is one of these crucial steps that many businesses omit. How can you go ahead with a plan to sell a product when you don't know if it's going to sell? How can you set a price when you don't even know your customer's price sensitivity or your competitors' prices? Market research, although time consuming and frequently omitted by small companies, is largely necessary to ensure a business's success. This article will define market research and provide a step-by-step approach to tackling the subject as a small business.

Market Research - An Introduction

Market research is the process of collecting data on consumers, competitors, marketing and sales channels, and the forces affecting your industry. Consumer research usually contains data on basic customer characteristics and their buying behavior. Competitor research includes gathering data on product lines and pricing, competitors' current advertisements, and some perceptual mapping. Channel research simply means that you must view the overall picture. How do you fit into the industry value chain? Who are the best suppliers, distributors, and retailers? How will your product reach the end consumer? Finally, gathering industry research involves analyzing Porter's Five Forces along with market history and probable forecasts. Legalities and any political issues that may concern your business fit in here as well.

Step 1: Set Goals for Yourself

As with any project, your first step towards completing quality market research is to set some goals. What do you want to accomplish while doing the market research? These goals should focus on the process itself. Setting dates in a timeline is always a good idea if you've outlined mul ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Viral Marketing for Small Businesses</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In my experience and research, I've found that viral marketing can be a positive or negative advertising method. Some companies use it correctly while others let campaigns turn negative and spiral out of control. And some people believe that viral marketing campaigns are so expensive that only big companies can implement them on larger scales. This, however, is entirely untrue as viral marketing can work for any size business. This article will define viral marketing, describe how it works, and discuss examples and strategies for small businesses.

The specific definition of viral marketing differs from person to person. However, everyone generally agrees that viral marketing is an advertising method that gets customers to market your products and services for you. More specifically, I would say that it's an advertising method that capitalizes on humanity's predisposition to share ideas, make new connections, and, of course, get free stuff.

When Does Viral Marketing Work Best?

Viral marketing is a touchy advertising method. Use it at the right times with the right products and your name can spread like wildfire. However, employ it incorrectly and you could see some very negative results. Viral marketing works best when a product or service is easy to use, easy to explain, has a low level of commitment, and is generally seen as &amp;quot;cool&amp;quot; in your customers' eyes. Let's look at these characteristics in order:

Easy to use - Because you are having your own customers do the marketing for you, it is preferable that their experience with the product is positive. If it's difficult to use and they dislike the product, why would they refer it to a friend?

Easy to explain - Your product needs to be simple - that is, people can quickly share it without being bogged down by details. Ever wonder why those videos on file sharing websites get passed around the Internet so quickly? All you have to do is tell a friend about a great video on the Internet and give t ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Taking Ideas to a Whole New Level</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Why Invent When You Can Reverse (Engineer That Is...)?

In an age when new technology erupts into the marketplace daily, finding a niche in business has never been easier. Looking back now, you could have been the first surgeon to broadcast a complex procedure. Maybe you could have been the first college professor to podcast lectures to students. Or maybe you could have been the first artist to set up a personal blog to sell artwork. Many people think of these &amp;quot;could have's&amp;quot; and chalk them up as missed opportunities. But this is just a defeatist attitude.

Sure, people always say a first-mover advantage gives you a great lead time and you can price your product or service any way you want. But what if you're a second-mover? Think of all of the &amp;quot;me too&amp;quot; businesses that have spawned into global successes. Big guys such as Microsoft, Apple, and Dell were not the originators of the products they sold. They capitalized on the mistakes of others, learned from them, and created a bigger and better product. Sometimes that's all you need to do.

Apple's iPod is one of the best examples in my mind. They looked at Compaq's first hard-drive-based MP3 player in 1998, and saw how they could improve upon it. After three years of thinking about what Apple could bring to the table, the company spawned its own MP3 player. Apple's name was already synonymous with user-friendly technology so they simply applied what they did best to Compaq's design. The interface on the iPod and the free software, iTunes, which was released with the product, were raved about because of their ease-of-use and compatibility. And now they've sold almost 30 million iPods based on an idea that wasn't even theirs to begin with! Crazy, right?

Crazy Like a Fox!

The lesson you can learn from these big companies is that anybody can steal a good idea. Especially if it's a good idea that's not protected by intellectual property laws! It gets a little sticky when you're actually takin ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Adsense Revenue Exposed Review</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Are you exhausted from servicing your clients, struggling to find work or overwhelmed while paying the bills? Then you need to invest some time in developing passive income. Passive income is money you make even when you are asleep or working with a client. One avenue of passive income is to partner with Google.

Thousands of businesses are paying Google to carry their advertisements on search results. You can profit from this fact by partnering with Google even if you know nothing about internet marketing. You can create content rich web sites about any topic including your hobbies, your business, current events, a blog and much, much more.

If this sounds interesting you need to read &amp;quot;Adsense Revenue Exposed&amp;quot; by Michael Rasmussena and Jason Tarasi. This e-book is a mere 29 pages and a quick and easy read:

The main chapters included in the e-book:

*Make Sense of Google AdSense - and make money!
*How much can I make with AdSense and how do I get started?
*Join the AdSense Program
*The 5-Step Plan To Success
*Summary and Additional Resources

Some of the topics covered are:

*3 reasons your website should be using Google Adsense (and nothing else) right now.
*How to keep your competitors ads from showing up on your website.
*How to let visitors search the web from your site (and profit while they do it)
*The simple mathematical formula behind Adsense that makes you cash. (And makes some Google Adsense users up to $25,000.00 a month.)
*The trick to creating a website Google will love (and will end up making you the most profits with).
*How to format your ads to get the most clicks (and cash)!
*Where to place your ads for maximum exposure (there's a technique to it).
*5 tips to selecting super-keywords that bring in visitors that are ready to click.

The authors begin with an overview of Google Adsense and Google Adwords. Next you are lead through the steps necessary to set up Google Adsense and install it on your site to create inc ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>29 Easy Steps to Starting Your Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Yeah, sure it's easy, and of course, that title is a little tongue in cheek. It takes a lot of hard work to get a business off the ground. But, it's worth every hour I've spent getting to where I am now. When I decided to start my consulting business, I tried hard to find a good startup guide. I couldn't find any that had all the steps. So, I decided to write one. So far, it's mostly just the bare-bones outline (which is long enough as it is) you see in this article. I'll be adding to it every week or two, so try to stop by and check it out from time to time. Let me know how I'm doing. Shoot off an email if I've forgotten something or you have questions. You'll find my email address at the end of the article.

I'm from Canada, so the government agencies I've mentioned in this guide are Canadian, but really, it can be used by anyone. All you have to do, if you're from somewhere other than Canada, is find out where you need to find some of the things I'll talk about. Some of the steps might be slightly different, and you may not have to worry about things like GST for example, but I'm sure you'll find this discussion helpful all the same.

These steps are in reasonably good order, but you might find yourself varying from it under your particular circumstances. That really isn't a big deal, as long as you get most of it done. There are some steps you'll be able to skip as well, but please don't skip any of the &amp;quot;big ones&amp;quot;, which I'm sure you'll pretty much figure out from taking a look at the list. So, take a deep breath, and let's get started.

1. Determine whether you really want to be in business for yourself. Look at the pros and cons of business ownership and compare your list with a list of positive and negative aspects of being an employee.

2. Evaluate whether you're ready for entrepreneurship. Do you have the personal qualities of a successful business owner? Do you have the management skills necessary to run your business? Is your financial p ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>I Don't Need a Business Plan...Do I?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I get asked that question a lot. In fact, after &amp;quot;how do I start a business?&amp;quot; it's probably the most asked question by new clients. I decided the best way to describe why you might decide to write a business plan is to tell you a few stories about a client of mine. The name and business are fictional. We're going to call him David and he's going to have a mechanic shop. The stories I'm going to tell you over the next few months are a combination of things that have happened to me and to some of my clients.

David's smart. He's got a memory like a steel trap. And he's ambitious. He wants to start a small mechanic shop with the inheritance his dad left him, and he's been very busy trying to get it started. But he's also young and in a bit of a hurry. The way he sees it, he doesn't need a business plan and anytime he's asked about it he just taps his head and says, &amp;quot;I don't need one. I've got it all up here.&amp;quot; Besides, he likes freedom. He's a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of guy. He doesn't want to be tied to what some piece of paper says.

His mother-in-law, Ellen just shakes her head. She's owned a bookkeeping service for the last twenty years, which she started because she wanted to be able to stay home when her kids were small. But David thinks, of course she'd see it that way. She's a bean counter and everyone knows how they are about details. Besides, he's already let her talk him into incorporating his business. The way he saw it, he didn't need to waste his money on it, but it was done. No way was he going to waste any more money on getting a business plan.

A few weeks later, David opened his shop for business. What a day that was. He'd been too excited to sleep the night before, and it ended up being an awfully long day because he didn't have any customers. Not a single one. He'd spent the day cleaning the shop and organizing his tools and sometimes just staring at the phone, trying to will it to ring. Oh well, he thought, what c ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Why Your Small Business Needs a Corporate Identity Package</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you're like many small business owners, you might be wondering just what a corporate identity package is. And if you already know what it is, you might be wondering why your small business would need one. After all, you're just a small business, not one of those big corporations. What's in it for you?

Just as the name implies, a corporate identity package identifies your company to potential clients, suppliers and the general public. It includes your business name, small business logo, your logotype (just a fancy way of saying how things are placed, which font you use, spacing, and other things like that) your motto or company slogan, and associated printed material-- your business card, and letterhead, envelope and forms.

When you started your small business, you might have dreamed of becoming more than just another small business. Maybe you even dreamed about becoming a big business some time in the future. And even if you're a completely practical entrepreneur and didn't have those dreams, you need to attract customers in order to keep your small business open. A corporate identity package can help you do that.

Write a couple of big corporations, ask a question and request a business card. They'll send your answer on their letterhead, in their company envelopes, and include a company business card. If you take a moment or two to look at big corporations' identity packages, you'll soon notice a few important things in common.

Their corporate identity package looks professional. What makes a big corporation look professional? I think one key is simplicity. Generally, a large corporation has a simple symbol or even just graphically represents their name as their logo. Take the Coca-cola logo for example. Or Toyota. Or Cameco Corporation. They're all very simple.

When you look at their corporate identity package, you see quality. They use only high quality printing services and paper. Sure, that's going to cost a little more, but it'll be worth it i ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Small Business Structure--the Canadian Way</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I was approached by a client the other day with a question I couldn't immediately answer. He has a small construction business and was looking for a partner so he could win bigger contracts, and he wondered how he should go about doing that. I had to tell him I couldn't give him advice on structuring a small business because I'm not a lawyer or an accountant, but I knew I could give him information, so I started to research.

I knew from setting up my own company about the various structures Canadian small businesses can use. I thought his choices would be limited to sole proprietorship, partnership and incorporation. There's also a co-operative, but that doesn't apply to my client. I guessed that the best way to help him out would be to define and give him the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Sole proprietorships are owned by one individual, and are legally considered an extension of yourself. That means that any liability or obligation your business incurs is also a personal liability or obligation. So, if your sole proprietorship fails, your personal assets can be seized to pay for that liability of obligation. I'd say that's a pretty big disadvantage. On the plus side though, sole proprietorships are the easiest to set up and, and don't even have to be registered if its name is exactly the same as your own.

A partnership is an agreement between two or more persons to carry on business together. Partnerships are a separate legal entity from you, and must have at least one general partner. All partners can be general, but there must be at least one general partner. Partnerships are relatively easy to set up, but although not a requirement, the parties should have a contract between themselves outlining responsibilities and obligations.

A general partner is responsible for business decisions, running the company and acting on its behalf. Each general partner is jointly and severally liable for partnership debts. This means one partner can be held re ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Thinking About Starting a Small Business?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There are lots of people out there thinking about starting a small business, and tons of great ideas, but few people actually go out and do it. So many people think and think about it until all of a sudden they're fifty-something, still with that great idea, but no business.

There's no doubt it takes a special type of person to be an entrepreneur. It's definitely not for the faint of heart. It takes desire to succeed, courage, perseverance and a great deal of will power to continue to work at it in the face of the setbacks you'll inevitably have to deal with. But what else does it take to be a successful small business owner?

Of course, it takes technical skills. That goes without saying. And, you can't just be good at what you do. You need to be very good at it before you even think about starting your small business. So, assuming you have those technical skills, what else do successful entrepreneurs have in common?

I would think being decisive, self-disciplined and a self-starter have to be a couple of the top traits. If you want to own a business so you can stay in bed in the morning or you think you might not have to work forty hours a week, you might want to stick with your 9 to 5 job. The truth is, you'll be working far more than forty hours a week for quite awhile, and most often with very little money to show for it.

There won't be anyone telling you what to do, how to do it and when it needs to be done (except for your clients of course, and it seems to me they often want things done now!). So, you'll need to be able to make decisions, and be disciplined enough to work at it every day, no matter how discouraged you might be.

And, the fact that you're your own boss means you should be self-directing too. It also means you should be able to prioritize and plan well, meet deadlines and be able to work until the job is done, whether that takes fifteen minutes or eighteen hours a day.

How well do you deal with stress? How do you deal with uncer ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Does My Small Business Really Need a Press Kit?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[When the &amp;quot;experts&amp;quot; tell you you're going to need a press kit for your small business I'll bet you're wondering why on earth you'd need one. At least, I think you'd wonder why if you think a press kit is just for the press. But the term 'press kit' is misleading if you ask me because press kits aren't just what their name implies.

I prefer to call them small business information kits or information packages instead because that's what they really are. They are meant to inform everyone, not just the press about you and your business.

Once you have a small business information kit, you'll find you're often giving them when someone asks for information about your company--who you are, what you do, how you can benefit them. In fact, you'll probably find you'll give out almost as many of your information kits as your business cards.

Sometimes it's more appropriate to simply hand out just your card, but other times, you might like to give someone more information than what's on your business card.

Say you're at a party and someone asks what you do. You'd probably just give them your business card. But your business card gives this business contact only the briefest information about your company.

So, you might also ask for their name and address, and send them an information kit the next day. Sending your information kit the next day also works as an important reminder of the evening's discussion.

On the other hand, if you're a plumbing company, you might want to contact construction companies in your area to see if they're interested in subcontracting your company from time to time, or better yet all the time!

Sending them just a business card probably won't get you very far. Even sending a well-written letter introducing your company together with your business card probably wouldn't be as effective as a complete information kit.

You could think of your business card as the &amp;quot;who and the where, and a little bit of the what&amp;quot; of t ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>How to Create Your Own Small Business Press Kit</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In last week's article, we talked about why your small business needs a press kit. Because they're not just for the press, I prefer to call them small business information package. To recap, you need a small business information package to augment your business card, which has only limited information about you and your company.

Your small business information package is the printed materials to give or send to prospective clients to tell them who you are, where you are, how to contact you, what you do, how to buy, and why to buy from you instead of your competition.

This week, we're going to discuss what you should put inside your information package. For all intents and purposes, anything that promotes your company can go inside it. Some of the more common things include:

* Business card

* Small business brochure

* Letter of introduction

* Product or service review

* Price list

* Press releases

* White papers

* Recent articles written by you or about your company

* Biography of key officers

* Flyers, coupons or direct mail pieces

* Information pamphlets

So, let's talk a bit about each. And let's start with the big one--your small business brochure. Your small business brochure can stand alone. If you decide not to have a complete small business information package, at the very least, create a tri-fold brochure so you have detailed printed information to give clients.

If your prospective client reads only one thing in your whole information package, it will most likely be your brochure. Why? Because it captures the reader's attention better than any other item in your information package. Most of your other items will be letters, articles or reviews. They'll look good, and they'll all match because they're on your letterhead, but they won't jump out at your readers like your full color tri-fold brochure will.

So, you want to make sure it's the first thing people see when they open the front cover of your information p ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Can Your Small Business Afford Not to Have a Website?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I've been accused of being opinionated by more than one person in my life, but try as I might to work on that part of my personality, it remains pretty much the same. So, in this article, I'm going to discuss my &amp;quot;opinion&amp;quot; on one reason why, even if your target market is strictly local, your small business can't afford not to have a web site.

A few statistics from Statistics Canada to start us on our way-. In 2003, there were about 12 million households in Canada, and of those 8 million had regular access to the internet from work, home and/or school. Around 60% of the total households had a computer and internet access at home.

Ok, so now we know how many households had access to the internet, but what were they using it for? Almost 90% used the internet for browsing, but more importantly for our discussion- 34% used the internet for purchasing goods and services, and by the way, that's almost double 1999 figures for purchasing goods and services on the internet.

Industry Canada reports that in 2000, Canadian ecommerce sales were $7.2 billion, a whopping 73% increase over 1999 numbers. And no, it's not a typo, it really is $7.2 BILLION! I'd say there's a pattern brewing--internet usage and sales are increasing rapidly.

And, according to Industry Canada, Canada captured only about 4% of global e-commerce in 2000. Now, numbers may not be my strong suit, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that mean there was 180 billion dollars spent globally in ecommerce?

Let's look for a moment to the United States. www.tamingthebeast.net reports statistics and forecasts collected during December 2001--157million online users forecast to spend $47.8 billion in online retail revenue in 2002. By 2006, the forecast is 210 million users spending $130 billion in retail revenue.

The numbers alone will probably convince many people to invest in a small business web site, particularly if they're in an industry where their target market isn't rest ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>How Not to be a Small Business Failure Statistic</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There were about 146,000 business startups a year, and an average of 12,000 business bankruptcies per year from 1994 to 2004 in Canada. A 2004 Statistics Canada study on small business failure rates &amp;quot;Key Small Business Statistics - January 2005: How Long Do Small Businesses Survive?&amp;quot; found that the first few years were critical. While almost three quarters of small business startups survive the first year, less than one third of micro companies (less than five employees) were in business after five years.

These statistics by themselves may be of little value to you directly. We know how many small businesses survive and for how long, but it's far more important to know why some survive and others do not. There are a lot of studies on small business failure. Searching &amp;quot;reasons for small business failure&amp;quot; with quotations on Google will give you almost 700 results (about 38 million without!). &amp;quot;Why small businesses fail&amp;quot; will give you almost a thousand.

The 1997 study by Statistics Canada &amp;quot;Failing Concerns: Business Bankruptcies in Canada found major internal factors of small business failure was management deficiency, financial management problems and poor marketing.

The Small Business Administration study &amp;quot;Financial Difficulties of Small Businesses and Reasons for Their Failure&amp;quot; in 1998 found several causes of small business bankruptcy: outside business conditions (38.5%), financing (28%), inside business conditions (27.1%), taxes (20%), disputes (18.8%), personal calamities and other (32.9%)

There is a wealth of information on this subject, but what are the common factors? There are four basic areas:

External factors External factors include new competition, your major client moving out of town, poor weather if you're a seasonal business, or economic downturns. They're often largely out of our control, and may be unique to your particular company, but there are often ways to mitigate them. For example, if yo ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Things to Think About for Your Small Business Website</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A web site is a crucial ingredient of your marketing strategy because it can widen your target market to include anyone who has access to a computer and the internet. Almost 60% of Canadians had access to the internet at home in 2003, and around 8 million had regular access to the internet from somewhere, either at home, at work or at school. And that's just in Canada. Ecommerce sales from Canada were $7.2 billion, and we only captured 4% of the global ecommerce market! So, how can you reach some of those internet surfers, and how can you capture some of that $7.2 billion spent in ecommerce?

First, you build it. The first step is designing your website. If your company already has business cards and letterhead, it's best to design your website around them. A matching corporate identity and website helps with branding.

I like uncomplicated websites, with a simple layout and easy navigation. A nice, simple layout, with good graphics, balanced look and good color combinations is my #1 goal when designing a small business web site. Remember to use graphics sparingly and to optimize them for your website because internet surfers are impatient. If your page loads too slowly, they'll leave.

Navigation should be easy to find and to use, and it should be consistent from page to page. I've left more than one site frustrated because I couldn't easily find their navigation.

Small business web sites aren't static. They evolve. You need to start somewhere, and starting with an introductory web site is probably easiest. All you really need to start is five pages. You can always add pages later. The important thing is to just do it--take the plunge and get it out there.

Your five pages could include an index, or home page, about us, services, contact and a sitemap. The index page is your landing page. Typically its design is a little more detailed than the others, but it doesn't have to be that way.

I like to use CSS (cascading style sheets) for designing because  ..]]></description>
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      <title><strong>Will They Actually Read Your Small Business Web Site?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[You may have spent quite a bit of time designing your web site and writing the copy for it, or you may have spent quite a bit of money and had it all done by a professional designer and copywriter.

But there are about 4 billion websites on the internet. That's a lot of competition for your site, so how do you get people to actually read your copy? There have been several interesting studies about website reading patterns and usability. They're referenced at the bottom of this article.

Website users generally leave a site that takes longer than 7 seconds to load, and the average visit length is just over 1 minute. So assuming your site loads in less than 7 seconds, you have on average, one minute to convince your visitor to stay. And how do you get them to stay? The answer is simple: content, content, content.

But it takes an average of 5 to 7 visits in order to get people to buy your product or service, so how do you get them to come back? By changing your content on a regular basis. Delete text, add text. Add whole pages from time to time, and consider splitting long pages into two.

According to research, content in and of itself is not enough. There are several factors to consider when building a superior web site. Several studies tell us how to improve any web site.

How Viewers Read Web Sites

Would it surprise you to know that most web site users won't really read your web site? That's what Jakob Nielsen and John Morkes found in a 1997 study. What they found is that 79% will scan your web site, and only 16% read it word for word. Their recommendations are to use scannable text by using:

* Highlighted words
* Meaningful sub-headings
* Bulleted lists
* One idea per paragraph
* Inverted pyramid style
* Half the word count of conventional writing

Let's look at what the W3school says too. Their article &amp;quot;Web Site Design&amp;quot; confirms that users scan rather than read, leaving in a few seconds if they don't feel they've found what they' ..]]></description>
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