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IRS Certifies 2006 Toyota Hybrid for Clean Fuel Deduction

The Internal Revenue Service has certified the 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid as being eligible for the clean-burning fuel deduction. This certification means that taxpayers who purchase one of these hybrid vehicles new during calendar year 2005 may claim a tax deduction of up to $2000 on Form 1040. Under Working Families Relief Act of 2004, which was signed into law in October of 2004, the clea. . .

Backpacking Clothes - Make Your Own

Okay, do you really want to make all your own backpacking clothes? More power to you, and good luck. After the first hundred tedious hours of sewing I started buying gear again. However, there are SOME backpacking clothes you can make cheaply and quickly. A few examples follow. Making Your Own Ski Mask Find any old thermal underwear top or bottom, preferably made of polypropylene. Cut off a sle. . .

Review: Michael Masterson's Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting

by Karon Thackston © 2005 http://www.thewriterslife.com/bb/mwd6/ I have to tell you, I was very skeptical in the beginning. Nervous even. I had one finger on the "buy now" button, and one finger poised, ready to request a refund. I guess, when I bought Michael Masterson's course, I was anxious that this would be one of those screaming, ranting, raving sales letter courses that tells you tha. . .

Playing With Money To Make More

Ready to start playing with your money? Not interested in complicated businesses or boring bank C.D.'s? Here are some methods that aren't quite a business because you can do them once, or just when you feel like it. Start small and the risk is small. oan Sharking Years ago a friend got a good job when I loaned him $300 to buy the necessary tools. I charged a $6 per week loan fee (don't call it . . .

10 Ways to Start a Business on a Budget

If you’ve been thinking about starting a business, but are held back due to cash-flow issues, there are plenty of ways you can get your plans off the ground. Though your vision may be to own a big store, restaurant, warehouse, or office, consider starting on a smaller scale. Every business must start somewhere. In fact, the founder of Kinkos started with one copy machine and some spiral notebo. . .

New Law Changes Highway Use Tax Rules: Installment Payment Option Eliminated

The IRS is reminding truckers and other owners of heavy highway vehicles that the installment option for paying the federal highway use tax will no longer be available. This change was included in the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 and applies to filers of Form 2290, Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax Return. Beginning with the Form 2290 for the tax year that begins on July 1, 2005 and ends on J. . .

Bar Charts Come Alive through Data Visualization

Bar charts have always been one of the simplest means of conveying information, even somewhat complex information. Bar charts take into account at least two variables and have become one of the most useful tools in corporate reporting. Budget plans, market reports, comparative analysis reports on products or locations, and many other sets of information are communicated within the simple, yet i. . .

IRS Obtains More Than 100 Injunctions Against Tax Scheme Promoters

The IRS announced today that it has obtained civil injunctions against more than 100 promoters of illegal tax avoidance schemes and fraudulent return preparers in an ongoing crackdown that began in 2001. Many of the injunctions, obtained in cooperation with the Department of Justice, also order the promoters to turn over client lists and to cease preparing federal income tax returns for others. . .

A Photocopied Travel Letter To Home

As we drove from Traverse City, Michigan to Tucson, Arizona, I wrote a series of letters, and photocopied them to send to family and friends. This was the first of the three. Travel Letter #1 Saturday, 12/13/03 - Good morning. Welcome to our vacation form letter. We're in Arizona now. The sun is shining and it will be in the sixties today, which should melt the ice on the windows soon. Ana's fo. . .

How to Use Community Relations to Grow Your Business

Community relations is one of those marketing strategies that isn't talked about much, even though I venture to say practically everyone ends up doing it at one time or another. Basically, community relations is when you and your business become involved in your community. For instance: * Your business donates money to nonprofit organizations. * You or your employees volunteer at a fundraising. . .

Mapping Software: Putting Data Visualization on the Map

Mapping Software Improves Data Visualization From the outset, it is important to clarify exactly what mapping software is and what it has to do with data visualization. If you are looking for driving directions for your next road trip, this is not the article for you. If you are looking for a tool to organize and bring to life complex levels of information which revolutionizes tracking and repo. . .

Congress Considers National Data Privacy Law

Legislation was introduced into Congress this week that would establish a national data privacy law. The bill would require businesses to disclose to consumers any breaches that result in the exposure of personal information. The legislation is a reaction to the massive security breaches that have occurred over the last year. In the most notable breach, over 40 million credit card numbers were. . .

Create New Customers

If you do not have an intrest in government grants and small business grants than this may be the small business opportunity for you. Do you want a small business opportunity that could create more business for you? It is a chance to sell to the government. Bring in new customers is always the number one goal of many business owners. It is the life blood of any operation and if you want your . . .

Marketing Your Business Online

Marketing Your Business Online As a business you can’t afford to ignore the Internet Age; in 2002 there was an estimated 605 million people online around the entire globe, today this is estimated at over a billion users worldwide. By using the Internet to market your business an entire world of potential customers are opened up for you, rather than just your local town, city, or country. Some F. . .

Need an Idea for a New Business - Hair & Beauty Salons are Booming Nationwide...

Need an Idea for a New Business - Hair & Beauty Salons are Booming Nationwide! Why? Because the Baby Boomers are Demanding These Personal Care Services. Hair care has been around as long as humans have been on the planet. The earliest record of personal hair care dates back 2.5 million years ago, when brushes used to create cave paintings in Spain and France were adapted for use in hair groom. . .

Virtual Assistants - A Cost Effective Solution for Companies

Companies are changing the way they do business, specifically the way they staff their businesses. Hiring an employee is expensive and time consuming which is why companies are looking for an alternative to full-time employees. More and more companies are looking to use temporary workers to fill in the gaps when necessary. Temporary workers allow companies to bulk up when business is booming . . .

13 Ways to Improve your Perseverance Quotient

You may not have control over what happens to you in every season or cycle of your life, but you most certainly have a choice as to how you deal with everything that happens to you. You may experience health problems, business setbacks and personal difficulties, and have to face the consequence of extensive devastation and loss of lives caused either by the evil of man, such as 9/11 and the b. . .

10 Killer Ways To Make People Click

1. Use reverse psychology on your banner ads. You could tell people not to click on your banner ad. For example "Don't Click Here If You Are Comfortable With Your Looks" 2. Make your banner ad words as attractive as possible. Use words like ultimate, powerful, sizzling, hot, etc. Your words should relate and highlight your total offer. 3. Offer a discount offer on your banner ad. People are alw. . .

Reverse Merger: Have They Taken the Reverse out of Reverse Merger?

Are the promoters and consultants destroying the market for Reverse Merger? First lets take a look at reverse merger. In a Reverse Merger, an operating private company merges with a public company that has little or no assets, nor know liabilities (the “shell”). In some rare instances, the shell may have some amount of cash remaining for investment in the new enterprise. The public corporation . . .

20 Great Ways to Market Your Business Locally

Whether your target audience is in your neighborhood or across the world, you can use your local resources to get the word out about your business. Your local community is easily accessible and provides dozens of opportunities for building a buzz about your product or service. The following are twenty ideas to get you started. 1. Offer Your Product or Service as a Free Give Away For example, i. . .

The Leadership Strategy: An Unmined Comstock Lode of Results

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required: mail to: brent@actionleadership.com Word count: 1450 Summary: Most business leaders can develop a business str. . .

Reading "Between The Lines" In Annual Proxy Statements

Upper Saddle River, N.J. - May 11, 2005 - Now that a large number of the proxy statements for public companies with fiscal years ending December 31, 2004 have been issued, those of us that scrutinize them for a living, as well as those that have invested in those companies, have an opportunity to analyze their executive pay packages in detail. With all of the attention on Corporate Governance . . .

What is a Document Manager without Version History?

Document Manager and Version History In previous articles I have discussed the usefulness of a document manager, such as groupware, in organizing document sharing. I have also discussed the role that a Version History plays in a good document manager. In this article I wish to elaborate on Version History and its ability to make or break your document manager. The reason a document manager bene. . .

Kaizen - How Can It Help You?

What does Kaizen, a Japanese method of production excellence and industrial efficiency have to do with self improvement? Can it be adapted to self-work? What is it, anyhow? It began with the "continuous improvement" theories of efficiency expert W. Edwards Deming in the 30s and 40s. After the war the ideas were picked up by the Japanese and developed into "Kaizen," a method for creating quality. . .

The Relationship between Ear Infection and Sinusitis

A cold, allergies, coughing, and sneezing can all influence in sinusitis. However, the fact that these can be an influence in ear infection is not commonly known. The reason that sinusitis and ear infection are related is that the sinuses and the ear are connected by a tube in the inner ear called the Eustachian tube. Before explaining further how sinusitis and ear infection are connected, I wi. . .

Running Shoes And Thin Socks - A Backpacking Winner

Hiking shoes versus hiking boots? Hiking shoes win. Okay, next issue? No, really. Hiking or running shoes are better for most backpacking trips, at least during late spring, summer and early fall. Boots are heavy, hot, stinky, and stay wet forever. A pound on your feet is like five on your back (some say six), so three-pound boots leave you much more tired at the end of the day. Hiking Shoes An. . .

Customers Say the Electronic Medical Record is the Safer Choice

The management of medical transcription, medicare billing , cpt codes, and other medical records has typically consisted of wall to wall files of paper records. According to a recent survey conducted by Accenture, most health care consumers feel that switching to the electronic medical record would improve the quality of health care and the security of their records. Accenture was not the first. . .

Headline Failure Equals Profit Failure

Arguably, it is often claimed by professional copywriters that the headline contributes 80% or more of the success of any ad, article, or sales letter. Direct marketing expert Jeff Paul goes so far as to credit the headline with 100% of the success or failure of any ad or sales letter, because, as he states, "if the headline fails to pull the reader into the main body of the ad or sales copy, t. . .

A Primer In Executive Compensation In Not-For-Profits

Upper Saddle River, N.J. – July 19, 2005 - A tremendous amount has been written about Executive Compensation, and lately, most of this information has been extremely unflattering. Much of the criticism has resulted from the gross excesses, misinterpretations of regulations, and the rash of criminal cases brought against the top management of a number of large firms, such as WorldCom, Tyco, Enr. . .

Compensation Committee 101: What Does It Do?

Upper Saddle River, N.J. – June 8, 2005 - The increased focus on the size of Executive Compensation Packages and their apparent disconnect with the realities of company performance have placed tremendous concern on a company’s decision making process. Add to that the issues of corporate governance, and you now have placed the Compensation Committee very much in the limelight. But what is the . . .

Coping with Summer Stress

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the byline below is included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated. Email: ronnie@acqyr.com ========================= Coping with Summer Stress The weather is blistering hot, the vacation (or lack there of) is causing conflict among friends or family and your lack of interest . . .

The Facts about Sinusitis

Sinusitis Simply put, sinusitis is inflammation of the lining of your sinuses. Sinuses The sinuses are located behind the eyes, the cheeks, and the jaw. They are chambers in which mucous is produced to clean out the bacteria that we take in every day through the mouth and nose. The mucous moves along the cilia, which are tiny, moving hairs that maneuver the mucous. Sinusitis creates difficultie. . .

Compose Yourself! How to Resolve Conflict without the Aggravation

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the byline below is included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated. Email: ronnie@acqyr.com ========================= Compose Yourself! How to Resolve Conflict without the Aggravation We've all had arguments with siblings as children, whether it was about toys or sharing a cra. . .

Startup Advice: Advice from Experts to Start your own Business

Most entrepreneurs get paranoid over the idea of starting a business. With so many federal, state, and, local laws governing any business, it becomes crucial to make an informed decision about the venture. Here are a few steps worth considering before your business takes off in full swing Most of us get paranoid over the idea of starting a business. With so many federal, state, and, local laws . . .

Weight Loss And Attitude

Weight loss specialists will tell you that attitude has a more powerful effect on losing weight than all other factors. The best plan out there won't cut it, if you don't follow it, and that can be a matter of attitude and motivation. Here are some tips to help you change your thinking and acting: 1. Never dwell on "failures." Look at failures honestly, and then tell yourself, "This setback is. . .

7 Essential Elements To Every Organizational Change

[This article is based on excerpts from the special report "Overcoming Resistance to Change" by Dr. Mike Beitler.] Senior management often creates a plan for implementing an organizational change while completely ignoring the following elements necessary for every organizational change. Without these elements the attempted changes will always create a large amount of resistance. Change leaders . . .

Cheap Family Vacations - Some Suggestions

The real secret to cheap family vacations is to be opportunistic. When a friend offers you their cabin on the lake, say yes. Can you have as much fun at the cheaper, closer amusement park? Then that's where you need to be. Do the kids like the idea of cooking dinner over a campfire? Drive right on by that reastaurant. Find out what everyone really enjoys. It's sad to spend MORE on a trip for LE. . .

Why Six Sigma Will Work in Healthcare

If ever there were an industry where we want zero defects, it’s healthcare. Patients, medical professionals, and healthcare administrators all want mistakes eliminated and quality and efficiency improved. Although most industries have undergone some type of data-supported, systematic, quality-improvement process, healthcare still has not. Medical and technological advances continue to outpace p. . .

Take Your Good Idea One Step Further

Whether you're an executive, manager, professional, or entrepreneur, you need to think ahead. When you do it in a formal sense, it's called it planning, when you do it informally it's something like speculating. Whether you're planning or speculating, the exercise represents just the tip of the iceberg. For the plans or scenarios to amount to something, they have to be implemented. In turn, tha. . .

International Adventure Travel Ideas

International adventure travel: Safaris, balloon tours, swimming with dolphins, bicycling down volcanos, trekking in the Himalayas, Walmart on Christmas Eve - the list is almost endless. This will not be a comprehensive listing of all the adventure opportunities out there. Instead, here is just enough to whet your appetite. My Own International Adventure Travel Long before hitchhiking across th. . .

Outsourced Learning: Are You Ready for Learning BPO?

As the business world enters a period of hyper-competitiveness, every business process will be subjected to examination and possible restructuring. We have already seen outsourcing and offshoring used to an extent that nobody would have dreamed of a few years ago. McDonald’s is testing the offshoring of its drive-thru process to India. How about, “Do you want fries with that?” with a New Delhi . . .

Don't Drink The Water

Definitely don't drink the water if the locals don't. Aside from this travel guideline, it's tough to judge when it is safe to drink the water in another country. It is often best to rely on bottled water, which is available almost everywhere now, and is cheaper in other countries than in the United States. Are you safe if you just drink bottled water? Well, was the salad you ate washed in the. . .

Six Sigma for Small Business

It is not surprising that some people may perceive Six Sigma as being only for large corporations. Major corporations such as Allied Signal, Black & Decker, Dow Chemical, Dupont, Federal Express, General Electric, Johnson and Johnson, Kodak, Motorola, Sony, and Toshiba have all rolled out Six Sigma efforts and achieved outstanding results. Yet, it is incorrect to think that Six Sigma process im. . .

Buying And Selling Cars

Our neighbor Jose doesn't speak much English, which makes it tough to live here in northern Michigan. Despite that, he made a profit of over $30,000 last year selling cars out of his front yard. It's true that he's a mechanic, and that helps, but it isn't the key to his success. The Key To Buying And Selling Cars To make money selling cars you have to know the value of cars. Knowing which cars. . .

A Leadership Lesson: Two Guys With Guns

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required: mail to: brent@actionleadership.com Word count: 768 Summary: All leaders get to a point where they feel blocked. . .

Treasure Hunting - Part 2

Treasure hunting begins at home. People regularly find famous old books and valuable antiques in their attics, so get up there and look. One couple tore open their walls while remodeling, and found them insulated with thousands of old and valuable movie posters, put there by a theater owner in the thirties. The couple sold $200,000 worth of posters, the last I heard. There are many more ways to. . .

Change Thorns into Flowers

If you had to write an annual appraisal on yourself how would you describe yourself? • Are you a mental sprinter who sees things quickly and easily? Do you react to things in a flash? Are you capable of making quick decisions? • Do you find yourself watching others and saying to yourself, I could do that so much quicker? • Do you find yourself taking on more work because you felt it was easier . . .

Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.

Whenever we have a bad experience or we own up to having a weakness people immediately jump on the band wagon and tell us to work with our weaknesses. “Focus on them until you have overcome them and then you can move on”. But we only have a limited period on this earth. And what is more, I don’t know how long that will be. So why oh why should I spend so much time focussing on my weaknesses? Wh. . .

Enough With the Upsells Already!

by Karon Thackston © 2005 http://www.learn-copywriting.com It happened twice during the same week. All I wanted to do was make a purchase, and they were making every effort to keep me from it (or so it seemed). Why would a business who wanted me to buy from them so badly put enough roadblocks in my path to make me want to click off the site and go someplace else? The roadblocks that almost . . .

The Power of 'because...'

"Do it!", "Do it now!", or "Do it because..." Which of these commands is most likely to get the response you want? If you picked the third, the one that includes 'because', you'd be right. Of course, if you're a parent, aunt, or uncle you may know that already. The idea behind 'because...' is to provide an explanation or rationalization for the request you're making. In other words, the command. . .

The Leadership Talk As A Living Hologram

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required: mail to: brent@actionleadership.com Word count: 629 Summary: A growing number of research scientists are persua. . .

Limited Time Only (Shh! It's A Secret)

by Karon Thackston © 2005 http://www.copywritingcourse.com Under normal circumstances, you'd shout it from the rooftops. After all, when you have something urgent to say, you want others to know about it, right? But when it comes to “limited time only” offers, lately I've noticed a disturbing trend. Copywriters seem to actually be hiding the phrase! Let me give you some examples. I receive. . .

Cheap International Travel Secrets

What is the real secret to cheap international travel? It is the same as the secret to doing anything for less. Learn to be an opportunist. Opportunistic travelers get to travel more, see more and do more. Of course, you can ignore this advice if you have unlimited funds. I went to Ecuador because it was cheap. Honestly, aren't there many interesting places in this world? Why not choose one you. . .

Travelers Checks Versus Debit Cards

My first time overseas, I had to exchange cash in $200 of travelers checks to pay a mountaineering guide who hadn't heard of American Express. The bank charged me $8. During the same trip, I used my debit card at an ATM to get $200 from my checking account. Once home, I saw that the charge for this was one dollar, and that was the last time I used traveler's checks. Debit And Credit Cards When . . .

Forbidden Knowledge - What Is It?

Is there really "forbidden knowledge?" Probably not much remains truly hidden or forbidden, but there are little secrets about how things work. Politicians, salesmen and others always learn and use subtle techniques to influence you, for example. Here are some examples. Control Through Words The classic joke, "Have you stopped beating your wife?" is difficult to answer without incriminating you. . .

From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur: Make Money Selling Info Products

The term “Infopreneur” is a relatively new industry buzz word that is making waves because it opens doors for entrepreneurs to generate new streams of income. Simply put, an infopreneur sells information. Information products are offered in a variety of formats including books, e-books, special reports, audio formats, videos, workbooks, tips booklets, and virtually any method in which you can . . .

The Secret to Adding Credibility to Your Business – Testimonials!

The Secret to Adding Credibility to Your Business – Testimonials! You may not realize it, but you already have a gold mine of endorsements waiting to be created. Everyone who is serious about building a business and creating credibility uses this idea. What is it? Yestimonials from your satisfied clients. Whether you are just starting out or have been in business for years, testimonials are . . .

Are You Eligible For Any Of These Tax Credits?

Taxpayers should consider claiming tax credits for which they might be eligible when completing their federal income tax returns. A tax credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction of taxes owed. Some credits are refundable – taxes could be reduced to the point that a taxpayer would receive a refund rather than owing any taxes. Below are some of the credits taxpayers could be eligible to claim: Earn. . .

Paint A Picture That Entices Your Prospect

You are excited about your product or service. Otherwise, you wouldn't be offering it to the world. But your prospect isn't so excited -- yet. He has to be given a reason to be, and most often your product alone isn't enough. He wants to know what's in it for him. What will your product or service do in his life? The best marketing communications paint a vivid picture for him, letting him see. . .

Anger and the American Family: 3 Steps to Diffuse Family by Changing Your In...

Case #1: Jeanette and Tom had been married 15 years. Wanting to surprise him for his birthday, Jeanette, with her own money, bought Tom a big-screen LCD television. Tom’s reaction? He instantly blew up and berated Jeanette for spending so much money—buying more television than they needed, a bigger model than they had previously looked at together. Jeanette was dumbfounded at Tom’s reaction; sh. . .

SEO: When Being Optimized Can Hurt

It’s a marketing dream come true: A potential customer, looking for what you have to offer, types a few words into her favorite search engine and voila! She is led directly to your website where she can go from “prospect” to “customer.” The best part is, it didn’t cost you anything (except time and elbow grease) to get to the top of her results. Unless, of course you paid for someone else’s tim. . .

Ten Wilderness Survival Backpacking Tips

Why should you learn wilderness survival skills just for backpacking? They may save your life someday, and for ultralight enthusiasts like myself, skills replace gear, and therefore weight. The best reason, however, may be that it's just a good feeling to know you can deal with whatever comes up. It makes you feel more at home. To survive means to stay warm and dry, hydrated, uninjured, and to. . .

Are Your Brochures Worth The Paper They're Printed On?

Brochures are one of the oldest marketing weapons in the business arsenal. And for good reason. A well done brochure lends an air of credibility while laying out a persuasive sales message. It conveys a lot of information and moves the customer along in the sales process. When it’s done right. When done wrong, a brochure is an exercise in futility. It bores the reader and makes a beeline to th. . .

How To Use PR To Build Your Business

Everyone knows the value of free publicity. And given the opportunity, most businesses would jump at the chance to have a news article written about them, or to be covered by TV and radio stations. But the chances of those stories coming to you on their own are very slim. That’s why smart businesses go out of their way to create news, and bring free publicity to them. And it takes a lot more th. . .

Better Internal Proposals

A colleague of mine has a problem. We belong to the same association and he's been trying for quite some time, without success, to get support for one of his proposals. His lack of results came to mind when a reader asked for ideas about making internal proposals more effective. As she noted in her message, it's necessary to make a business case for proposals, including costs and returns. She's. . .

Radio Ads That Get Results

Radio advertising can be a small business's best friend. It's relatively inexpensive, very effective, and allows you to target your audience pretty specifically. It's also a level playing field -- your commercials can sound just as good as those of a corporate giant. But not all radio ads are created equal. Too often, they're wasted on "name recognition" spots that have to be run over and over,. . .

Which Types Of Real Estate To Invest In

There are different types of real estate, and different ways to invest in them. Which way is best is for you to decide, according to your particular needs. Here are a few ways to consider, with their advantages and disadvantages. 1. Rental houses. Advantages: One of the easier ways to get started, and good long term return on investment. Disadvantages: Being a landlord isn't much fun, and you . . .

Can Message Board Marketing Work For You?

One of the things that makes the Internet fun is all the message boards and forums. You can sound off about nearly anything, get and give advice, and even build a relationship or two. But message boards can be great for another reason: They’re a free, effective place to market your business. You spend nothing but your time, but you make valuable connections with potential customers, and get you. . .

Wal-Mart Camping

"Do you know about Wal-Mart camping?" We didn't know, but the old man at the campground in Florida insisted WalMart not only allowed RVs and vans to park overnight, but encouraged it. "Free camping," he told us, and we didn't wait long to take advantage of this new knowledge. Somewhere in northern Georgia we pulled into a Wal-Mart, and sure enough, we saw some RVs off to one side of the parking. . .

Why Write Down Your Ideas?

Whether you're a manager, professional, or entrepreneur you need to think ahead. When you do it in a formal sense, it's called it planning, when you do it informally it's something like speculating. Whether you're planning or speculating, the exercise represents just the tip of the iceberg. For the plans or scenarios to amount to something, they have to be implemented. In turn, that usually inv. . .

Taking Action NOW: 9 Key Strategies...Part I

Taking Action NOW: 9 Key Strategies...Part I Awareness, understanding what impacts you! Awareness makes it possible for you to begin to understand what is happening in your life, what is missing in your life, or even what you did or didn't do to be happier than you are now. Without awareness your understanding can be incomplete. Therefore, the choices you make, may be influenced, by a flawed. . .

How to hire a Virtual Assistant

So you have finally made the decision to go out and hire a VA. Now what do you do? Before hiring a VA, you should put down on pen and paper exactly what you expect to obtain from this partnership. You should always check their references and ask to see samples of their work. I recommend that you start off with a small amount of hours for the first month to ensure that you are both happy wit. . .

Volcano Tours In Baños Ecuador

In June of 2004, my wife and I spent a week in Banos, Ecuador. Our clean hotel room, with cable TV, cost $6 per night. It was $12 normally, but we're good negotiators. We paid just $1 for lunch each day ($2.25 total for both, with tip), which was usually chicken, rice, beans, salad and juice. Sometimes we splurged and paid $1.50 at a nicer place. Evenings we went to Santo Pecado ("saint/sinner". . .

Going Public: Now that You Have Successfully Made the Transition, What Do You...

Ok, you have successfully accomplished your dream of being the CEO of a public company. The stock of your company has a symbol and you are continually going to the computer to check the price, you tell all your relatives and friends and you even tried to encourage them to buy the stock. You think your job is done, you selected an excellent market maker, you released an announcement to the finan. . .

Make Money As A Slumlord

Be a slumlord? Okay, I got your attention, now the truth. I really don't recommend that anyone endanger their renters with unsafe housing. Much of what people call slumlording though, is simply providing reasonable housing for those with low incomes. It is of benefit to the renter AND the landlord. Why Do People Rent Dumps? People rent not-so-nice places because they can afford to. A house that. . .

Finding the Groupware with a Grip on Ad Hoc

Groupware Groupware is a software package that manages the ad hoc collaboration needs of the Information Age of business. In an information age of business, new phrases describe new styles of business. The word used to describe today’s fast-paced business collaboration methods: ad hoc. In other words, though the ideal method of collaboration is thorough record keeping, deadlines and demands req. . .

Realtors - Self Promote Your Way To Success

Realtors - Self Promote Your Way to Success By Lanard Perry Okay, so we all can agree - listings are the lifeblood of the real estate industry. And if the keys to selling them are location, location and location, then the challenge in getting them is self-promotion. But how do you promote to the masses without going broke? Below are a few ideas and strategies to effectively market yo. . .

Web Technology in Marketing: Friend or Foe?

Every independent professional should have a web site, an ezine, and an email marketing strategy, right? If you're not taking maximum advantage of web technology to market your professional services, you are behind the times, and missing out on huge opportunities. At least that's what mostmarketing experts would have you believe. But how valid is this advice? And is it for everyone? Before ema. . .

Communicating CEOs

I see a PR firm has done a survey on the amount of time Canadian CEOs spend on communication, and found they spend almost half of their time on communication. I think we're supposed to be impressed that CEOs spend that much time on communication. But, quite frankly, what else does a CEO do? And, if you consider both direct and indirect communication, wouldn't that be more like 90%? So, what do . . .

What Makes A Good Media Story?

Media relations can be difficult, but also rewarding. And the lessons we learn from working with newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and online publications should increase the effectiveness of all our communication initiatives. That's because dealing with the media parallels our dealings with other stakeholders. In media relations, the competition to be heard and get a response intensifi. . .

Your Real Estate Investment Team

I had a hard time at first with real estate investment. One of the reasons was that I tended to be a "lone wolf," trying to do too much myself. I've since learned that to really do well investing in real estate, you need to have a team of people you can trust and rely on. Here are some possible team members, and what they need to be on the team. 1. Real estate agent. A licensed agent with exp. . .

How To Avoid These Ten Costly Search Engine Mistakes

If you have a website then you already know the importance of traffic. Traffic is to Internet marketing as location is to real estate. It's the only thing that really matters. If you cannot generate targeted visitors to your site, you will not make any sales. Usually the owner or designer of the website is the person designated to drive traffic to the site. The chief ingredient in generating t. . .

Are You as Unhappy as T.O.?

Anyone that has been with me during the fall season at anytime in the past 40 years knows that I am a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan. Sundays start early on TV with the Donovan McNabb show, the Andy Reid show, ESPN pre-game, network pregame, the game itself and then postgame live on Comcast for a few hours. Like…don't call me on Sunday when the Eagles are playing. One of my biggest thrills as a k. . .

Carved Hiking Sticks - Make Your Own

What do you need to make your own hand carved hiking sticks? A pocket knife and a walk in the woods. Be sure your knife is solidly built. You don't need more than a three-inch blade, but it needs to be strong enough that it won't snap on you when you hit a knot in the wood. A locking blade is a good idea too, if you value your fingers. What type of wood should you use? Any type you want, but be. . .

Being a Great Boss

Are you one of those bosses that people just love to hate? Maybe successful, maybe very intelligent, maybe organized and moving forward but just can't get along with people. Communication and other people skills are as important to the success of your business as your talent, knowledge and entrepreneurial drive. After all, you cannot do it all by yourself and you need good people. I remember be. . .

The 8 Toughest Business Questions

Do you ever wonder if you will really succeed with your small business? You may have a number of special traits, but how well developed are they? There are qualities of endeavor and achievement that are common to successful business owners. Ask yourself these questions to see if you have what it takes. 1. How will the business affect your family? The first few years of business start­up can be . . .

Contact Existing Customers To Increase Business Sales

You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter on your web site as long as the byline is included and the article is included in it's entirety. I also ask that you activate any html links found in the article and in the byline. Please send a courtesy link or email where you publish to: support@multiplestreammktg.com ----------------------------- Contact Existing Customers To Increa. . .

Use An MRD To Control Your Outsourcing

Is your software development process as unpredictable as the weather? Is your software casting a shadow causing six more weeks of programming? Are you using a marketing requirements document (MRD) or magic to predict your software release schedule? Early in my career, I worked in a lab for a company that sold microwave devices. I was responsible for the HP computer system that ran the software . . .

How To Determine your customer's value

You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter on your web site as long as the byline is included and the article is included in it's entirety. I also ask that you activate any html links found in the article and in the byline. Please send a courtesy link or email where you publish to: support@multiplestreammktg.com ---------------------- How To Determine your customer's value By A. . .

4 Steps to Being More Assertive

45 year old Judy revealed in an anger management class that she was constantly angry at her husband. When asked why, she revealed that her aged mother lives next door and she always felt conflicted whether to spend time with her husband or her mother after work. She loved them both, but resented her husband's becoming demanding and upset when she spent needed time with her mother instead of bei. . .