Tips For Dealing With Contractors

This week continues my series on opening a brick and mortar retail store from scratch. So far we've talked about startup plans, market research, and scouting for locations.

This week we discuss how to find a capable building contractor to build out the location. And as this series has been thus far, this segment is based on my personal experience and offered to you warts and all. As with all of my columns only the names have been changed to protect the innocent, the ignorant, and the overly litigious.

OK, so I signed my name in blood on the lease agreement and the space was mine for the next two years, succeed or fail. It was a large single room, about 1600 square feet, with a small storage area and two restrooms in the back. The floor was painted concrete, the walls were an odd shade of orange, half the lights didn't work, and there was no hot water or air conditioning. And that was just scratching the surface. There were a few dozen other things that would have to be repaired or installed before I could move in.

Now a lesser man would have been intimidated by the huge task of converting this empty money pit into a thriving retail store in less than 60 days, but I'm an entrepreneur - which is a French word meaning "idiot who takes on the impossible," so I was energized by the challenge.

The question then became: who will build out this space? It certainly wasn't going to be me. When it comes to construction I'm about as handy as a one-armed man in a clapping contest. It was time to line up contractors.

I don't know about you, but it's been my experience that a capable, reliable contractor is hard to find. Let me rephrase that: it's been my experience that a capable, reliable contractor is damn near impossible to find. It's easier to pin the tail on Bigfoot while blindfolded in dense fog than to find a contractor who understands the concepts of appointments and commitments. Nevertheless, my quest began with the Yellow Pages and referrals from friends.

I quickly felt like Henny Penny, desperately seeking anyone who would help me bake my bread. I talked to flooring contractors, painters, plumbers, electricians, security system installers, heating and air conditioner guys, and general building contractors. Most of them didn't seem to give a rat's backside if they got my business or not. Several didn't bother returning my calls. Others came late to appointments and others didn't bother showing up at all.

Now I don't mean to say that all contractors are unprofessional, uncaring, and undependable. I'm sure there are many reputable contractors out there who show up on time, do great work, and bill you fairly. Then there's the other 99%, many of whom are good old boys who operate out of their pickup trucks without the benefit of license, bond, or concern for their customers' satisfaction. If you're a contractor and want to argue these points let's make an appointment to talk in person. I'm pretty sure you won't show up.

Fortunately for me I managed to find a contractor in the 1 percentile that went above and beyond the call of duty to get the space built out on time; in spite of my demanding nature and daily changes to the plans. I was very, very, very lucky...

So how can you better your chances of finding a reliable contractor to build out your space? Pray, my brothers and sisters, and follow these guidelines.

Don't be pressured by deadlines. When starting a business you're usually under a tight schedule, which puts you at the contractor's mercy (they can smell fear and desperation). They know that you need them more than they need you. This is a lousy place to be, but you have to be patient and don't hire a contractor simply because he has a hammer and a pulse.

Ask to see licenses and bonds. As mentioned earlier, many contractors forego the formality of business licenses and security bonds. They prefer the "have hammer will travel" mode of business. If the contractor you're interviewing can't show you a business license and proof of a surety bond, move on to the next candidate.

Are they wearing a watch? If the contractor isn't wearing a watch it's probably because he has no concept of time or regard for schedules. I want to see a contractor wearing a watch that he looks at often. I want to see him carrying a daytimer and a cellphone with a number that I have on speed dial.

Ask for references and check the BBB. This should be a no brainer, but I'd bet most entrepreneurs never bother to ask for or check references. You want the names and numbers of at least five previous customers and always check their history with the BBB. Anyone can stencil their name on the side of a truck. Don't be fooled into thinking that makes them a professional.

Next time we'll discuss building permits, zoning laws, and building codes; and how your ignorance of these items can cost you a ton of time and a bundle of cash. The voice of experience sings again.

Tim Knox, Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker, Radio Host
Founder, The Insiders Club, Giving You The Power To Start Your Business Today
http://www.theinsidersclub.com
Bestselling Author of: "Everything I Know About Business I Learned From My Mama"
http://www.timknox.com

Deck Building Books

Things to Do to Make Money Online

The Big question is what do I do to make money and the answer is simple: a Lot, in fact! The rate at which people are rushing to get online these days makes it easier to make money online. There are a lot of opportunities to make money online these days on like three years ago.

Below are a list of ways you can make money online with little or no capital

Become an Affiliate this is the easiest way to make money online, selling and promoting affiliate products (products like reports, ebooks, can make you a sizeable income. You can also sell services like domain registration and web hosting services you be amazed what you can do for people without ever seeing or meeting them, anywhere in the world!)

Online auctions eBay is the most popular online auction and has made thousands to abandon their regular job and are earning full-time incomes from auctioning collectibles, antiques, and even brand new equipment books and gadgets of all types. Products are been sold on eBay.

Membership sites: Target a group of people with particular interest that would love or willing to get information on some niches you can create a membership site around the niches and charged your members for subscription.

Sell information products: Information products are gold mine because every body online is always looking for one information or the other. You don't have to be a guru before you can create this information product you turn your knowledge into information product.

This could be in form of ebook or a report. You could also obtain the right to someone else info products and sell them. Most of the products I sell are other people's products. I just drive traffic to my site, provide information, and point to relevant products related to the information I provide people looking for a way to make money online.

The list can be endless and I can't go on. There are a lot of great way and things to do to make money online. Apart from big corporations, most of the web is made up of sites put up by little businesses people work from home.

Structuring Your 24 Hour Day

Stock Market Recommendations - How to Make Use of Them

This is the twelfth and final article helping you learn how to make money in the stock market. Search for "Learning the Stock Market" to find the first article which lists the entire series.

Where can I find reliable stock market recommendations? Well think about this carefully. Make sure you're reading the best financial newspaper. Here you should find plenty of excellent stocks featured along with their charts and supporting fundamental data. They may not be under the heading of recommended stocks but they could prove to be some of your best leads. Be very wary of specific recommendations.

What interest does the person recommending have in the stock? Will he carry your loss if all goes wrong? Will he tell you when to sell? Do you want to be reliant upon this individual and not really know why you are buying a stock? If you want to develop truly independent financial security you need to be the one recommending stocks to yourself (and possibly you friends and family!) based upon a sound educated analysis.

How do I know if a recommendation is any good? Take a look at the recommended or featured stock and see if it fits your criteria for potentially being a leader. Does it's fundamental data stack up? where is it in terms of building a base on it's chart? Does the corporation have a new feature? Are leading institutions buying it? Where does it sit in it's group in terms of financial performance?

So what do I do with a stock market recommendation? Anything that has a generalized fit on fundamentals may be a decent candidate for your watch list. You watch list should develop into about 80-100 stocks over time. More than this and you will not be able to keep tabs on what is going on but less than 40-50 and you're probably missing some action out there. Keep browsing and pruning your watch list - don't let it become unruly and keep cutting out relative poor performers to make room for up and coming leaders. During a downturn you will find your list naturally shorter.

In fact your list can help to confirm other signals that the market is preparing for a turn. You'll start to find more and more candidates are coming through your screening and reading activities around that time. Develop good and regular habits perhaps consider analysing 1 or 2 stocks in more detail every day - that will give you a list turnover of roughly 10 stocks per week. Of these, likely only 1 will stand head and shoulders above the other 9 but you don't need many provided they are the right ones!

Put analysed stocks that are not up to scratch in a separate list and the excellent potential winners in a short list. Keep your general watch list separate and in this way you keep your work organised and wont be missing opportunities or duplicating work. Hope you found it informative reading about Stock Market recommendations - How to Make Use of Them. There are no more articles in this series entitled Learning the Stock Market. If you missed any just search under Bill Benson to find them all. I hope you've found it profitable to follow along.

More free lessons and educational resources are available at http://www.howtomakemoneyinthestockmarket.net.

It can be confusing and daunting to know where to start but there are some outstanding free resources available to help you on your way to independent financial security.

I'll also show you where to find the best and most cost effective paid products to support you in your progress.

As for me...I've lived in different countries around the world and enjoy traveling. That's the beauty of trading - you can do it from anywhere in the world that has a connection!

Bill Benson

30 Days To Creating Super Habits

Thinking Can Motivate You to Start - Make Money

Anybody can wish for riches, and most people do, but only a few know that a definite plan, plus a burning desire for wealth, are the only dependable means of accumulating wealth.

This statement is at the beginning of Chapter 13 from the book "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill.

There are so many different methods, from so many different people, but most people don't know where to start, or plan their way to success.

I have heard some people mention the hardest part is actually starting, while others say you have to start somewhere, anywhere but start. Starting is usually the hardest part for most people, they get defeated by their own beliefs and of course never even start.

Fear of failure and fear of success, seem to be at the top of the list when thinking about starting a business. It's always been hard to imagine people being afraid to succeed, when this is what they seem to desire the most.

Wishing for riches can motivate you to start, thinking about the many different ways to succeed can motivate you to plan. A burning dire to succeed well often motivate you to start and create a plan eventually.

The key to creating wealth is developing habits and good daily habits performed over a lifetime, most of the time, will lead you to wealth beyond your wildest dream's. Sometimes this wealth is going to have nothing to do with money.

Get some books, talk to some people, watch some biographies about successful people throughout history, find out what they did and start paving your own trail. But you're going to have to start somewhere.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing, marketing and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world.

Getting Up Earlier

What It's Really All About?

Sometimes in the hurry of it all, we forget what its really about. What is it really about anyway? It is about being grateful and simply experiencing the joy that comes from sincerely appreciating everything. Let us realize that with such a fast paced life and the glitz and glamour of wanting it all, it sometimes can be hard to enjoy and appreciate the simple things every day. Perhaps its that we do not appreciate as often as we should. Appreciation is the very essence of personal and business success. How do you show appreciation?

The secret is in building relationships. Building relationships is what success on any business level is all about, no matter what time of year it is. How do you build strong relationships? Start with a smile. It is free and works wonders.. Always be genuine and sincere with clients. Never sell them your product. I realize that this sounds odd because as a business owner this is what you do, sell. Remember why it is that you patron the places you patron. Most likely you shop there because you know that these businesses are not simply selling you a product. They are helping you solve your problem and simply care. Make your clients part of your business. Clients are the main reason for my business. Without them I do not exist. So simply scheduling some special events, writing handwritten thank you notes, fun contests, blog and more really help in creating word of mouth and build a sense of community that people want to belong to. These are just some ways to building relationships in your organization. Do a little cause marketing. Host an auction event and offer some items from your business and invite other surrounding businesses to get involved. This auction can add as part of your holiday party. You will make it more memorable, create entertainment and make people feel good about doing good deeds.

Launching a new product this year. Offer free samples at a party. It could be casual. Take this time to get up close and connect with everyone in your organization. Wait until New Year's to thank your clients. You could offer tips to sweep out the old and create great fortune in the coming year. Write handwritten notes to all of your clients and schedule to have them delivered on New Year's Eve. Hand written notes are a great gesture throughout the year. Send them healthy snack gift baskets instead of chocolates and the other high calorie stuff we eat too much of during the holidays. Trust me they will be glad you gave them something crunchy like popcorn or pretzels. This last tip is really for you. Remember to focus on what is important to you and always be genuine and sincere. Take some time and reflect on what is important to you? Maria Shriver's book," Just who will you be", is a great short read to help you gain some perspective if you need it.

For more marketing tips and other ways to network please visit ExpressionableShopping,com and click on the gift etiquette blog. Happy holidays!

Hello I am Mireya owner of ExpressionableShopping.com, an online gift boutique that features gifts for life' s occasions. I hope to conquer the corporate markets of event specialists and mortgage/realtor companies by helping people build the right relationships and express the best intentions. Shop now at ExpressionableShopping.com

Ask about free shipping for local orders.

Getting Up Earlier

Ways to Make Money Online - Choose Realistic Over Hype

Making money online has become a very popular alternative over the last 10 years or so, because it is certainly easier to make money through the internet that it is within the traditional business model, and also because there are many ways to make money online with the potential to deliver a truly decent income from which anyone can make a comfortable living.

However, as much as running an internet business can be one of the easiest ways to make money, that does not mean that it does not require preparation and a lot of dedication. It is true that you will skip many of the obstacles associated with the traditional business model, but in the end we are talking about a business, and any business will demand preparation and work.

As it turns out, the fact that making money online is easier has opened the door for many misleading and over-hyped offerings that promise overnight riches without any effort, which is the first thing you should avoid in order to really be successful. There is no way you will make money with the internet if you start by thinking you will achieve this effortlessly.

So, the first thing you will need before starting a business is determining what do you think you would want to do, or what do you think would best fit your profile as a business person. Maybe you are an investing oriented person, or maybe you are more of a sales person or simply a multi tasker.

In any case, it is important to have an idea about what would you picture yourself doing business with; once you do that, you then have to move on to getting the tools and resources needed to build that business. For example, if you are an investing oriented person, and you feel that your best shot is at forex trading, then you should start looking for a good forex course (education) or a forex software (tools), as these will be the driving force of your trading operation.

If you do not feel like investing money, but you would rather build a business out of your effort and intelligence, then internet marketing is probably the best option for you and in this case a solid starting point will involve getting a quality educational resource to guide your efforts thus allowing you to make a more efficient and profitable use of your time.

The great thing about doing business online is that once you get the hang of things you can eventually start working less and earning more, which is what makes it a truly remarkable way to make money for anyone with an pc and an internet connection.

There are very lucrative ways to make money online, but in order to see results you will have to put your back into it for a while. This is why many people quit looking for ways to make money online, and it is hard to blame them because I myself had to break my neck for nearly a year before I saw the kind of money I was expecting, which means that I went through countless disappointments and more than $1,000 spent in many different systems, programs and tools, until I found the ones that really helped me build and develop my business.

I do not regret any of what I have been through because that is what ultimately gave me my most precious asset today: know how; but believe me, I was very close to settling for my regular day job forever. Now I know it is perfectly possible to find profitable ways to make money online, but the fact is that you have to be ready to face the truth and to choose realistic over hype, consistent growth over instant millions.

Will you have to invest in education and tools? Will you have to be patient? You will you have to work?

Absolutely, but if you keep going there will be no stopping you, as each day that passes you will become an ever more seasoned business person with the ability to spot profitable business opportunities everywhere you turn, and before you know it, you will have become a full time internet entrepreneur.

Find very important information about online business oriented tools and resources at this site: http://www.specialonlinebusinessreviewauthority.com.

Also, I invite you to visit my website at: http://theworkathomentrepreneur.com, where you will also find information, free tools and resources to help you start a successful online business.

Helpful Habit Planning Tips

Making Business Proposals Work Their Magic

People in the business world usually dread business proposals. That being said, they will also admit their necessity. Writing a good business proposal is usually the difference between failures and successes. You should be able to master the technique, since it is fairly simple.

To begin writing a business proposal, you need to identify what the competition wants. Sometimes you have the luck of asking them, but other times you will not. Giving the client what they require, whether stated or not, will usually ensure you a win.

The second step is to assess the competition. If there is a lot of competition, this deal may require more energy or, conversely, not be worth a whole lot of time and effort. While you should make every effort to remain competitive, avoid situations that may turn into bidding wars. Most businesses will not benefit from undercutting the competition rather than focusing on product. However, you need to remain competitive, especially if you are in a field with a lot of competition.

Step three is to ask pertinent questions. More customers are willing to provide information than you may think. Asking the right questions can clue you to their needs. A lot of people think they know what the customer wants, but if a customer doesn't feel understood, they will find someone who does.

Keeping in mind these tips should help ease your business proposal writing process. Drafting a business proposal that is effective will usher in work as well as distinguish you as an expert. If you have the information needed, you should easily be able to create an effective proposal.

Get your own Free Domain Name! No ads, and free cloaking!

Now you can Get On Demand Profits with this amazing guide!

Finding Something You Don

Five Tips on How to Develop Positive Attitude - Attitude is Everything

Perhaps you have heard somebody said this before... "Attitude is everything." It's quite true indeed. Positive attitude is everything. It gives you many benefits in life. It makes you feel more happy, have more positive energy and attract more positive people in your life.

Positive attitude also allows you to put thing in a better perspective. For example, when you're faced with problem, you will tend to look for a solution instead of trying to find faults and blame others. It can also give you a better health as positive energy will lower your stress level.

Here are 5 tips on how to develop a positive attitude...

1. Mind over Matter. There can be many definitions for this term. In this article, I would like to use it to describe "awareness" or "consciousness". I mean being fully aware of your mind patterns. Our mind patterns were developed since childhood. And most of the time, we are controlled by our minds. Therefore, our attitudes are also controlled by our minds.

If you want to develop a positive attitude, start by becoming more aware of your mind patterns. Be an observer of your mind. When you become an observer, you're in control and you'll be able to notice what your mind says (both positive and negative). Therefore, when you notice your mind saying something negative, you can intercept it and replace it with positive thought.

2. Live Life NOW! Learn to live fully in your present moment. Don't cling on your past or wish you could have this or that. Appreciate what you already have NOW. Express gratitude for everything you have now. HERE and NOW are your life! Once you have accepted that, you can become more positive and appreciative of life. You will do and live your best in your present moment. Only then, you can move forward in life with positive attitude.

3. Associate more with positive people. I'm sure you have heard this saying: "Birds of the same feather flock together." If you flock together with negative people, you will become negative. On the other hand, if you associate yourself with more positive people, they can also influence your characters and attitude. You will become more positive as well.

4. Learn to give compliment to others. You don't need to do this excessively. Just do it in a natural way by focusing on the positive side of other people. A few kind words spoken to another person can really make his or her day. Doing so will make you more likable as well.

5. SMILE and say THANK YOU more. Wherever you are and whatever you do, look for opportunity to offer sincere appreciation to your friends, family members, peers, team members, bosses or any other people you interact with everyday. Smiling and saying thank you more often not only can make you feel good but also cause those around you to become more positive.

Develop your positive attitude daily and make it become second nature to you. This will give you more happiness in life.

Here are more information and tips on positive habits and attitude. You can also find other self improvement articles on various topics at my blog.

30 Days To Creating Super Habits

Attraction Marketing and the Power of Positive Thinking

I would like to focus a little bit on the concept of attraction marketing. Two books that I have read, The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattle and Thought Vibration by William Walker Atkinson, focus on using positive thoughts to overcome the mental barriers that most people have to making money and becoming wealthy. Both of these books were written in the early 1900's and still hold merit today.

I do not know how well the actual money attraction part works, since I have not seen any vast improvements to my income just by thinking positively about it, but I will say that having the proper mindset and focus about what you are doing makes it much easier to write things like this blog, articles, and advertisement emails.

If you have not had the opportunity to read either of these books yet, you need to take the time to do so. The Science of Getting Rich is probably the best known of the two, and was the inspiration for the most recent positive thinking book, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.

According to Wallace D. Wattle, there is a substance that he refers to as the "thinking stuff" that makes up everything that is in the universe. Quantum physics theories now refer to the "thinking stuff" as dark matter.

Positive thinking uses what is referred to as creative thinking. Mr. Wattle's theory can be broken down into 3 main parts:

1 - There is a thinking stuff from which all things are made, and in its original state exists in all areas of the universe.

2 - A thought in this thinking stuff will produce the thing imagined in that thought.

3 - A person can form things in his thoughts, impress that thought upon the thinking stuff, and cause the thing he thinks about to be created.

Using this theory, a person should be able to impress the thought of becoming wealthy onto the thinking stuff, thereby creating wealth for him.

Attraction marketing uses the same theory in the basic Think Rich, Be Rich idea. If a person has a strong enough, and clear enough desire to become rich, then he will become rich because the thinking stuff will create the circumstances needed for him to become rich.

Creative thought vs. Competitive thought.

Creative thought is defined as taking a certain thought (such as getting rich or finding that one special love), thinking about it in a determined fashion, and then holding that thought strongly enough to impress that thought onto the thinking stuff. This will cause the thinking stuff to create the circumstances for you to achieve whatever it is that you desire.

Competitive thought is defined as trying to force your thoughts and desires to work by competing against others for what you desire.

According to the theory outlined in The Science Of Getting Rich, using creative thought allows a person to come into direct mental contact with the thinking stuff, thereby causing the thinking stuff to move into action and create the circumstances necessary to cause that persons thoughts to become reality. Competitive thought stems from greed and envy, and causes the persons thoughts to be impressed onto the thinking stuff in a negative manner, producing negative results for that person.

According to Mr. Wattle, in order to receive the most benefit from impressing your thoughts on the thinking stuff, you need to have a firm image of the thing that you desire in your thoughts and continue to think about this thing in a creative manner. The more firmly you believe that this image is yours and is on its way to you, the more committed that thinking stuff will be in making the image yours.

Thinking in a negative manner, such as giving a lot of thought to poverty and lamenting on personal problems, will cause the thinking stuff to attract these negative thought to you - basically a person that thinks about poverty on a regular basis will remain in poverty, or someone who dwells on illness and disease will attract more illness and disease into his life. Competitive thought increases the negative emotions and thoughts that are impressed upon the thinking stuff.

This adds a fourth element to the basic concepts of The Science Of Getting Rich:

1 - There is a thinking stuff from which all things are made, and in its original state exists in all areas of the universe.

2 - A thought in this thinking stuff will produce the thing imagined in that thought.

3 - A person can form things in his thoughts, impress that thought upon the thinking stuff, and cause the thing he thinks about to be created.

4 - A person must pass from competitive thought to creative thought. This is the only way to be in harmony with the thinking stuff, which is always creative in spirit and never competitive.

Preparing To Receive What You Want

In order to receive the things that you want, the things that you have made your mental image of and impressed onto the thinking stuff, you need to be prepared for when it comes to you. This is not as difficult as it may sound, and mainly requires thinking and acting in a positive manner. According to Mr. Wattle, the following things need to be firmly believed and followed in order to receive what you want.

Each person that desires wealth must live and work in a manner that causes him to more than fill his present place.

In order to do this, the person must not only strive to be the best at what he does, but to be the best that he can be at what he does in his current business. If you are not happy in your current business and are thinking of making your riches in another business, you still need to be the best at what you do so that the business that you would like to be in will come to you more quickly.

When you more than fill you present place, then you will not have a choice except to move higher up. This is how nature works and evolution occurs. When an organism more than fills its present place, then it has no choice except to adapt to a higher plane of existence, and the same applies to people in business. Just being the best at what you do will only work to keep you in the same position that you are in, as your employer will have no reason to move you higher up if you make him more money doing what you do.

Keep in mind the purpose to get rich through realization of the mental image that you have formed in you mind.

Once you have formed the mental image of the life that you desire, and the wealth that goes with that life, then use your idle time to think strongly about that image, refine it, and perfect all of the pieces of the image. During your normal day, while working and interacting with others, keep this mental image in mind always. There is no need to daydream and dwell upon it all the time, since that will be done in your spare time. Just keep the image in your mind along with the belief that you desire and deserve this image.

Hold the thought of the mental image so that the impression will be communicated to everyone and everything you come into contact with.

Since everyone and everything in the universe is made up of the same thinking stuff, the more that you are able to impress the image of your desire on everything you come into contact with, the more the impression will be acted upon by the thinking stuff. Just remember that you do not need to think strongly about your image all of the time, just keep it in your mind once it has been fully formed.

Give to every person a use value in excess of the cash value received.

Depending on the type of business that you wish to enter, in order to receive the highest cash value for what you are giving, you must give a use value higher than the cash value received. This is especially true for the service type business, such as network marketing and online business that does not sell a specific product. A good example would be selling an ebook that tells others how to do something. The use value of the ebook should be higher than the cash value being asked for it - if the ebook is valued at $49.95, then the person buying the ebook should be able to expect more than $49.95 in return value for his investment.

Craig Lovensheimer is a theater carpenter, all around technical effects guy, and semi-newbie network marketer. Learning new things and sharing them with others.

You can check out my blog at http://clovemarketing.blogspot.com/ or sign up for my marketing newsletter at http://www.clove2980.com/newsletter.html

Creating A Habit

Investor Psychology

2008 saw a lot of stunning, almost apocalyptic events. People ask, "What else could possibly go wrong?" The prevailing view seems to be that the economy will get worse before it gets better. As we look out on the year ahead, it is easy to conclude that there are only storm clouds on the economic horizon. So, what are we to think when people start interpreting bad news as good?

A person I recently had coffee with remarked, "The best news I've heard lately is that the recession started a year ago." Her point was that we might already be at least halfway through the downturn. While it may be a bit early for outright optimism, I see several positives that could benefit investors in the year ahead. These are the incoming Obama administration, the lessons learned from past market catastrophes, and the prevailing negative psychology of investors. The last point refers to the notion that once everyone expects bad news, it can actually be good for the markets.

Though November now seems like a long time ago, I still recall the feelings of hope and elation people had following the election of Barack Obama. His victory felt like the first step into a more promising future while also marking a decisive conclusion to the last few dismal years. Regardless of individual political persuasions, optimism for the future is important. It gives us reason to keep going in the face of difficulty.

The incoming administration will be one of the best prepared in memory and will be quick to introduce legislation. Mr. Obama's economic stimulus package will likely approach one trillion dollars. Sometimes large numbers can lose their significance, but I can tell you, a one with 12 zeros after it is big!

We can also take comfort in the fact that the federal government and central banks have gained insights from the Great Depression and from the painfully slow unwinding of Japan's real estate bubble. Though each of these periods in history has its own unique set of circumstances, two points seem salient. Actions required to adequately address problems of such magnitude should be swift and substantial. Thus far, the actions of the world's central banks and governments indicate that they understand this.

When trying to predict what may happen tomorrow or next week people tend to extrapolate from current circumstances. So, as we experience a bad economy we expect it to continue to be that way. Today the consensus view is that the economy and markets will get worse before they get better. Here is where investor psychology comes into play; once a majority of people believes something to be true, it is only a matter of time until the pendulum of opinion swings back in the other direction.

Think about investing in technology stocks back in the year 2000. Almost everyone believed that technology was going to radically change our lives, so we had to be invested there. The ensuing two years witnessed an almost 80 percent drop in the NASDAQ index. Or, more recently we saw consensus form around the idea that you couldn't lose money investing in real estate. We all know now that is not true.

Financial markets are a reflection of expectations about how things will be. They anticipate changes. At some point stocks will stop going down, and in fact will start to rise even in the face of bad news. Just as we are getting more depressed about increasing unemployment numbers and bankruptcy filings, the markets will be sniffing out the beginning of better times ahead.Most people are convinced that 2009 will be bad. As the preponderance of investors accept this as truth the pendulum of belief will begin to swing back in the other direction. New information, like improvements in the housing market for example, will hasten the process.

We have an incoming administration that is ready to act boldly, with the benefit of lessons learned from past crises. While the daily headlines may continue to be discouraging, the markets will eventually anticipate better times ahead. There is hope and potential for positive surprises in the year ahead.

Jeffrey Stoffer CFA, CFP, Principal of Stoffer Wealth Advisors. We are an investment management and financial planning firm serving individuals, families, and business owners in the San Francisco Bay Area. Visit our website at http://www.stofferwealthadvisors.com

Helpful Habit Planning Tips

5 Ways to Motivation at Workplace

1. The cubicle or cabin at the workplace is a great place to self motivate and also stir up others. Get one of those motivational posters and stick it in front of you. I personally recommend one of these motivational quotes:

Every morning in Africa a lion wakes up. It knows that it has to outrun the slowest deer or he'll starve to death.
Every morning in Africa a deer wakes up. It knows that it has to outrun the fastest lion or it'll be killed.
So whether you're a lion or a deer you better be running.

No one can stop an idea whose time has come.
Victor Hugo

Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.
Confucius

2. Company newsletters are a wonderful way to motivate folks at your workplace. The weekly or monthly newsletter can have a motivational story from your company. Besides a video from the net, apart from choice motivating quotes. Invite colleagues to share motivational incidents and keep the staff kicked up.

3. Customised calendars can be ordered from the market. Better still you can make one with self publishers like lulu.com. This can have motivational quotes with pictures and can even be sent to clients and vendors.
It can be easily designed and created as a pdf.

4. A board where managers can pin up some interesting stuff their team did the previous day, can also rev up the spirits of workforce. And bring about better relationships amongst various teams.

5. Daily mailers can send out automatically using an autoresponder service. The daily motivational mailer could have motivating news and quotes.

KS Rajasekar writes on Self Improvement, Motivation, Positive Attitude, Self Confidence, Self Discovery and Spirituality at Self Improvement Tips

Spending 15 Minutes Each Day

Sorting Through the Dropship Suppliers

There are many challenges associated with getting started down the path to dropshipping. One of the biggest challenges is locating the reputable and reliable dropship companies to do business with. The industry has many shady scam artists and here one day gone the next players. The only goal for these dishonest folks is to do everything possible to benefit as much as possible from unwary people who are just trying to make money selling on eBay without being required to invest huge sums of money to get started. If you are considering dropshipping be extremely cautious. Investigate. Be alert and suspicious. Take your time before you decide on the dropship company to supply you products.

First the good news; there are some dropshippers that have already been 'approved' by eBay. Now the bad news. Virtually everything they have to offer is already being sold on eBay by many other sellers. You'll find the way to success is to do the legwork and investigation to locate your own dropship suppliers. Your only other option is to plan on big-time competition and the smallest of profits - if there are profits at all.

If your plan is to use a dropship supplier for your business, you'll soon discover there is a great deal of difference between dropship suppliers. This will be true even when you are looking at exactly the same items. Your job is to make no assumptions. It is to thoroughly investigate every potential dropship supplier before making any decisions about working with one.

Once you've located a prospective dropship supplier to work with you, start asking questions. How long has the company been in business? How long has the company been doing dropshipping? While you may be willing to deal with a company in a dropship relationship, it's important to know if they have experience, or if working with you will be their first dropship experience. If you are the first to work with a company there is the potential for you to make money selling on eBay. However there are also some very real risks to be considered. It is important to go into the relationship knowing those risks are there, and to monitor and stay in control of every transaction.

Complete your investigation with each prospective dropship supplier before making any decisions. Be direct and to-the-point in your questioning. Typically it is the company that provides quick, professional answers that will do the same should an issue arise in the dropship process. Make sure you have an accurate understanding of exactly what products are available for dropshipping, the costs involved and the timeliness of shipment that can be expected. Start carefully to double-check that performance is as expected. Then build your relationship and business with the company as they demonstrate their good performance can be maintained. That's how you will make money selling on eBay using a dropship supplier.

To Your eBay Success!

Find out more about dropshipping.

Bob Hamilton is an entrepreneur, author, writer, business consultant and trainer.

Developing Wealth Building Habit

High Ticket Coaching Selling Revealed - 4 Methods to Make Money by Selling High Ticket Coaching

If you are just like me who's converted my passion and my knowledge to high ticket coaching programs, I am sure you are also in constant search for the most effective methods in selling your products online. Of course, you would surely want to make as much money as possible out of this.

Here's how you can make money by selling high ticket coaching programs:

1. Host teleseminars. When people are offered high ticket products like coaching programs, there is only one thing that they would like to know: "what's in it for me". Although you can create sales letters where you can list down all the benefits that they can get from your products, nothing beats than giving them a sneak peek on what awaits them. Send email invitations to all the people who are most likely to buy from you and encourage them to attend your teleseminars. It would be best if you can do a compelling presentation that can make your attendees say "wow!" Then, increase their trust level by giving them a chance to ask their questions so they'll get the answers directly from you.

2. Be active on blogs. Not all people have the time to attend teleseminars but that doesn't mean that you should cross them on your list. If you want to boost your sales, you've got to connect with them too. Identify the forums or discussion boards that they usually visit. Share your two cents on each relevant discussion and take that extra mile to feed your potential clients some information that can bring difference to their lives. Do not forget to insert your site's URL on each of your post but keep yourself from doing hard selling as this can surely annoy your prospects.

3. Use PPC ads. Every giant ebusiness company does this. A good number of online users are now using search engines each time they go online. If you want your website or your ads to come up on relevant searches, you will need to invest in using PPC ads. For best results, make sure that your ads are compelling, attention-grabbing, benefit-driven, and compelling.

4. Be enthusiastic. If you are not in the mood, I highly recommend that you put your marketing tasks on hold. Why? You will not become an effective marketer if you can't sound enthusiastic as you will not be able to excite your prospects about your offer.

By the way, do you want to learn how to sell high ticket classes and coaching programs via the internet?

Download my new recording: "How to Sell High Ticket Products Online" here: High Ticket Selling Secrets

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Sean Mize teaches coaches, consultants, and small business owners how to package their knowledge and sell it in high priced coaching, consulting, and online class packages. Sean says "If you have an existing marketable service or skill that you can teach others, I can teach you to package it into a high-priced class or coaching program, guaranteed" Visit Sean at: Internet Marketing Coaching

Habits To Prevent Losing Things

Ways to Make Money Online Without Spending a Cent

If you look around the Internet for ways and means to earn money online, you will observe how most online money-making opportunities will require some money to be invested for you. However, you need to note that there are two general ways to make money online, one which involves financial investment and another which only needs you to invest time and effort.

With all the fraudulent sites and scam-filled transactions proliferating around the Internet, you may find it wise to resort to means which do not involve financial investment. They are also generally more profitable as you do not need to worry about investment returns and the likes. This is probably one of the best things about earning money online. Even without investing in a product, setting up a website or general marketing expertise, it is possible to make money based on what you know and what you can do.

What are some ways that you can make money online without investing a cent? Here are some of them:

1. Article writing. If you have good writing skills, coming up with your very own blog is a great way to make money online. There are a number of blog hosts that offer services for free, and you can set-up your very own site within a few clicks of your mouse button. Now, depending on how many viewers you attract into your site, you can earn a limitless amount by incorporating advertisement. The best part about blogging is that you only need to write to your heart's content about topics that you wish to or are familiar with. Closely related to blogging is article writing where you look through sites hiring content writers to write site contents on specific websites.

2. Affiliate programs. Affiliate programs are one of the most profitable ways to make money online. They involve promotion of other people's sites to the rest of the world. All you need to do is come up with your own online marketing strategies to draw people into a site and increase site traffic. You get commissions depending on agreed upon affiliate terms, which may either be on a pay-per-click or pay-per-successful-sale basis. To start with affiliate marketing, you only need to look for a good merchant and sign up for their affiliate marketing program. Good merchants will have the necessary tools to get you started.

3. Answering surveys. Did you know that simply answering surveys allow you to make money online? There are a number of companies doing market research which actually pay online users to answer surveys. This is relatively easy to do, though you need to make sure that you choose reputable signs to sign into.

These are only three of the most popular ways to make money online. There are a whole lot more profitable ventures that you can involve yourself in. Remember that whatever means you choose, the success and the profitability of your efforts lie mostly on your hands. You have to work to earn as much as you expect to. Do not expect overnight success, but trust that with persistence, earning big money online will be within reach.

Want to make big money online in the comfort of your own home? Know how to get started by visiting Make Money Online or FREE Make Money Online information now.

Starting With Simple Things

Creating Your Own Opportunities With Work

Just 10 years ago, people would not have taken the opportunity of working from home using online technology seriously. Although there have been plenty of excellent home-based business ideas using the Internet appearing around that time, people were hesitant and even fearful to take the plunge. Today, however, things have changed. Working from home online is now one of the most convenient ways to earn an income. It's also the best way to create your own opportunities.

Where to find work-from-home online job opportunities

There are many genuine online work-from-home opportunities. The key is finding one that is a good match to your skills and interests, offers sufficient pay and is legitimate. Some of the best sources of information for online work-from-home jobs include:

Freelancing websites

The majority of the jobs online that you can work from home with are freelance jobs or project-based. Don't be put off by this. Many of the people who now work at home began as freelancers and project contractors. After being active in the industry for a while, they now enjoy a steady stream of income as a result of building their reputations and creating a good network of contacts.

Freelancing websites offer plenty of job opportunities for those who wish to work from home online. Jobs are arranged by categories such as industry, skill or even location, making them easy to find. Although there are sites that offer this service for free, many charge a small fee. Once you've become a paying member, you'll gain access to job notices or be allowed to bid on projects.

Job websites

Many people looking for work-from-home online jobs tend to avoid the bigger job sites, thinking that they only post permanent or on-site jobs. That's unfortunate because many of these sites also post freelance or project-based jobs, perfect for working at home. Many opportunities you'll find on these sites offer good income. Obtaining multiple jobs here is quite possible and is a great way to increase your income. Getting two or three good clients will also help you avoid 'dry spells'.

Online classified ads

Craigslist is just one example of a website that posts classified ads online. You may find plenty of job opportunities here but don't just limit yourself; there are others that you can use to search for work-from-home jobs.

Company website

More and more companies are offering project-based jobs and hiring private contractors. Industries such as customer service, computer applications and repair, health, medicine and publishing are quite active in this regard. An advantage here is that although you will not be hired as an employee, you will be assured of a reliable company to work with.

To find work-from-home online jobs being offered by companies, use a search engine and the appropriate keywords or visit company websites. Many of these work-at-home job opportunities are customer service jobs where you will be handling inbound calls. A few examples of these companies include Walgreens, Virgin Atlanta and J. Crew. However, there are others that may be a good match to what you're looking for, so search carefully.

Choosing your opportunity

Much of the success in a work-from-home online opportunity is dependent on what business or job you choose. Many of the unsuccessful attempts at running a home-based business or working from home are the result of wrong choices. Here are some factors to consider:

A good match

It's important to find a work-from-home online job that fits your skills, training and interest. If you know how to do your job, you'll become more productive and excel in your results. Furthermore, you will enjoy what you do.

A job you're equipped for

The kind of equipment required to perform the work-from-home job available is also an important consideration. Since it's an online job, you'll need a reliable computer and fast internet access.

You might also want to check if there are other equipment required in order for you to perform the job. Online medical transcription jobs, for example, will require headsets and a foot pedal to control the recorded file during transcription while a virtual assistant job may call for a fax machine, a printer and a separate phone line.

A legitimate online job opportunity

Probably the most important consideration you should keep in mind is determining if the work-from-home opportunity is a real one. Some job opportunities don't deliver on their promises while others are downright scams. Others make you put in a lot of effort for very little income.

To avoid failing in work-from-home online job opportunities, make sure they are legitimate. Check company backgrounds, participate in online forums or go to websites that review online income opportunities. That way, you will be able to avoid unnecessary expense or waste your time on a home-based job opportunity that will not give you the results you're aiming for.

Finding a profitable Work From Home Online idea is a matter of trying a few and selecting the one(s) that you are comfortable with. Persistence is key in finding this online business that will provide you with the necessary income that can take you out of the rat race. Visit my site and you will find many Legitimate Home Based Businesses that you may want to consider.

Sam Schneider is an expert in home based businesses and internet marketing. He owns several successful on-line businesses and helps other entrepreneurs fulfill their dreams through coaching and mentoring. His sites are full of great ideas about earning a decent living online.

Developing Wealth Building Habit

Stock Market Recommendations - How to Make Use of Them

This is the twelfth and final article helping you learn how to make money in the stock market. Search for "Learning the Stock Market" to find the first article which lists the entire series.

Where can I find reliable stock market recommendations? Well think about this carefully. Make sure you're reading the best financial newspaper. Here you should find plenty of excellent stocks featured along with their charts and supporting fundamental data. They may not be under the heading of recommended stocks but they could prove to be some of your best leads. Be very wary of specific recommendations.

What interest does the person recommending have in the stock? Will he carry your loss if all goes wrong? Will he tell you when to sell? Do you want to be reliant upon this individual and not really know why you are buying a stock? If you want to develop truly independent financial security you need to be the one recommending stocks to yourself (and possibly you friends and family!) based upon a sound educated analysis.

How do I know if a recommendation is any good? Take a look at the recommended or featured stock and see if it fits your criteria for potentially being a leader. Does it's fundamental data stack up? where is it in terms of building a base on it's chart? Does the corporation have a new feature? Are leading institutions buying it? Where does it sit in it's group in terms of financial performance?

So what do I do with a stock market recommendation? Anything that has a generalized fit on fundamentals may be a decent candidate for your watch list. You watch list should develop into about 80-100 stocks over time. More than this and you will not be able to keep tabs on what is going on but less than 40-50 and you're probably missing some action out there. Keep browsing and pruning your watch list - don't let it become unruly and keep cutting out relative poor performers to make room for up and coming leaders. During a downturn you will find your list naturally shorter.

In fact your list can help to confirm other signals that the market is preparing for a turn. You'll start to find more and more candidates are coming through your screening and reading activities around that time. Develop good and regular habits perhaps consider analysing 1 or 2 stocks in more detail every day - that will give you a list turnover of roughly 10 stocks per week. Of these, likely only 1 will stand head and shoulders above the other 9 but you don't need many provided they are the right ones!

Put analysed stocks that are not up to scratch in a separate list and the excellent potential winners in a short list. Keep your general watch list separate and in this way you keep your work organised and wont be missing opportunities or duplicating work. Hope you found it informative reading about Stock Market recommendations - How to Make Use of Them. There are no more articles in this series entitled Learning the Stock Market. If you missed any just search under Bill Benson to find them all. I hope you've found it profitable to follow along.

More free lessons and educational resources are available at http://www.howtomakemoneyinthestockmarket.net.

It can be confusing and daunting to know where to start but there are some outstanding free resources available to help you on your way to independent financial security.

I'll also show you where to find the best and most cost effective paid products to support you in your progress.

As for me...I've lived in different countries around the world and enjoy traveling. That's the beauty of trading - you can do it from anywhere in the world that has a connection!

Bill Benson

Backup Plans Feel Good

The 3 Ways to Make Money Online

If you are looking for ways to make money online, you are not alone; millions of people are trying to make money online. What this means is that you will need to know what you are doing to get ahead of all that competition. There are a lot of moneymaking opportunities on the Internet, but you do have to know what will work, and what will be a waste of time.

There are a few different methods of making money online; the first would be through affiliate marketing. To make money with affiliate marketing you have to first decide what niche you are going to focus on, and what your sales venue will be. This could be a blog, website, or a simple landing page. Once you know these two things, you will then search through affiliate marketing programs to find one with products that will fit with your niche.

You then signup for the program and place affiliate links on your site or blog, and when a sale is made from your link, you will make money. The best place to find affiliate marketing programs is through an affiliate network.

Another option for making money online is through advertising. For this to work you will need a large amount of traffic coming to your site, so first and foremost, you should concentrate on generating traffic. Once you have accomplished this, you can then either offer direct advertising on your site, or go through an advertising broker such as Google AdSense.

Finally, to make money online you can choose to go into ecommerce. Here you have a couple of different choices as well. You have the option of selling your own products, or reselling for someone else; additionally you can run your retail site from your own site or through an online auction site, such as eBay. Many people do a combination of both of these things. How you run your ecommerce business will greatly depend on the product you are selling. Some products sell better on auction sites than others.

There are many people on the Internet making money with all three of these techniques, but before you decide which is best for you, it will be necessary to evaluate your market and which moneymaking venue is most likely to be successful for you. If you plan correctly, you too can make money online with your own Internet based business.

If you're looking for complete blueprints on making money online, check out the only online income program you'll ever need and a great complementary online income guide. Our site has reviewed all the top online income and forex programs on the market today!

Habits To Prevent Losing Things

Make Money Through Internet Marketing Without Spending a Dime

Internet marketing is definitely one of the smartest and most profitable ways to become a business person, because it has the power to literally skyrocket your income within a 6 month period without you having to spend a single buck. Indeed, there is not other business venture that can beat internet marketing in cost vs. benefit, as you can tackle this business and make big money with as little as $30 in your pocket. The only things you will really require to guarantee your success are:

1) Knowhow and brain power.

2) Effort and dedication.

This means that you have to commit yourself to learning and then working a little, so all you need is an educational resource (to ensure an efficient and profitable use of your time) and time dedication (at least few hours during the day at the beginning).

I know this sounds a bit hard for some people, because everyone expects internet money to be easy money, and up to some point this can be true, but not in the sense that you can make money doing nothing, but in the sense that you can make a lot of money spending and doing far less than you would within a traditional business model.

You are well aware that starting any traditional business will demand lot of money and effort right?

Well, making money through internet marketing demands exactly the same, only that you will need nearly zero money and less effort.

On top of that, making money through internet marketing is something you can do anywhere (at home, at your office, on the road) as long as you have access to the internet.

Believe me, I have tried pretty much everything to make money, and absolutely no other business has the potential to deliver a 10,000+ per month income starting with only your brain power and some hard work.

Learn more about the best tools and resources to effectively start a business with little or no money at: http://www.specialonlinebusinessreviewauthority.com.

Structuring Your 24 Hour Day

Make Money Online - Info Overload

Do you know what the number one thing standing between your online success is? If you said not having the right information, I'd have to totally disagree because there is so much info available today it will make your head spin.

How about not having the right product to sell? No, that's important to be sure, but it's certainly not stopping you from hitting it big.

Could it be not taking action (letting the fear of the unknown stop you)?

Well, you're getting closer... because it's the reason why 99.9% of people fail to take action. What is it?

The number one thing standing between you and making money on auto-pilot is mastering info overload and focusing through the overwhelm of too
much information!

That's right it's Info overload! Sorting it all out so you know what's right for you, what model you want to pursue, which 'expert' has the right path to follow.

If I was starting all over from scratch not knowing anything today (at this particular point in time), I think I'd probably feel like overwhelmed because there's simply too much info today... too many choices.... too many people to listen to!

Every time you turn around there's another guru with another magic pill for you to swallow... another teleseminar to attend.... ..another eBook for you.... ..another blog or forum to join... ..another squeeze page for a newsletter or eCourse that promises to put you on the path.

Don't get me wrong, there is more and better info and resources available today than ever before. However, that's a double edged sword because even though there has never been more ingenious methods to make money online today, you still have to get started with the right method for you. There are just too many choices.

And, let's face it. We are all different people with different goals, different wants and desires, different backgrounds, different experiences, different challenges, and different ideas of what success looks like for us, right?

Because of that not every solution will work for everyone.

It's about finding the one that works for you and your life. It's got to fit you instead of you trying to fit yourself to it.

Alex Mirabeau is the creator of the revolutionary 'Business-in-a-Box' concept Make Money Online For Newbies. Everything is there for you. It's a plug and play system. Claim your FREE eBook now at http://www.MakeMoneyOnlineForNewbies.tv and try it for yourself. Please feel free to use this article on your site or blog without changing it.

Helpful Habit Planning Tips

Things to Do to Make Money Online

The Big question is what do I do to make money and the answer is simple: a Lot, in fact! The rate at which people are rushing to get online these days makes it easier to make money online. There are a lot of opportunities to make money online these days on like three years ago.

Below are a list of ways you can make money online with little or no capital

Become an Affiliate this is the easiest way to make money online, selling and promoting affiliate products (products like reports, ebooks, can make you a sizeable income. You can also sell services like domain registration and web hosting services you be amazed what you can do for people without ever seeing or meeting them, anywhere in the world!)

Online auctions eBay is the most popular online auction and has made thousands to abandon their regular job and are earning full-time incomes from auctioning collectibles, antiques, and even brand new equipment books and gadgets of all types. Products are been sold on eBay.

Membership sites: Target a group of people with particular interest that would love or willing to get information on some niches you can create a membership site around the niches and charged your members for subscription.

Sell information products: Information products are gold mine because every body online is always looking for one information or the other. You don't have to be a guru before you can create this information product you turn your knowledge into information product.

This could be in form of ebook or a report. You could also obtain the right to someone else info products and sell them. Most of the products I sell are other people's products. I just drive traffic to my site, provide information, and point to relevant products related to the information I provide people looking for a way to make money online.

The list can be endless and I can't go on. There are a lot of great way and things to do to make money online. Apart from big corporations, most of the web is made up of sites put up by little businesses people work from home.

30 Days To Creating Super Habits

The Host With the Most

You strive to produce the best meetings possible. You plan ahead, prepare, and work hard to make sure everything runs smoothly. There are many tips, ideas, and techniques that you have heard or read about to ensure a good conference, but what if there was one that ensures a unique meeting that you don't have to run yourself?

In face-to-face meetings and conference rooms, organizers have brought in guest speakers, lecturers, and MCs for a long time. The fresh face and different outlook of a professional speaker can not only greatly add to the point of the conference, but also makes it a unique experience for all attendees. Teleconferences have the same dynamic as these meetings - barring actually being there - and there's no reason that the same experience could not be brought to an audio or video conference.

Users of teleconferences may protest here by saying that they already have guest speakers and lecturers attending their meetings. While this is one of the best ways to improve a meeting, these guests are either part of the organization, an affiliate organization, or the industry. Their contributions are valid and vital, but you can take the guest aspect a step further by including a Master of Ceremonies.

A compere, or Master of Ceremonies, can really enhance your conferences. You tell them what you want, when you want it, and they take care of the rest. They can start your conference off with a bang, and keep the energy high. They can introduce you or your speakers. The compere can keep track of time and deftly cut off a speaker that has gone on too long. If there is a time gap somewhere, they can fill it with their own material, specially tailored to the occasion.

If you are having a long conference that straddles a break or even lunch, a compere is the perfect speaker for when you reconvene. After a lunch break, your participants are at their most unresponsive. It's up to the MC, not only to take the brunt of this lethargy, but to get the meeting flying again.

Towards the end of your conference, a MC will run your Q&A session, keeping it on track and on schedule. They can also wrap up the meeting with inspiring observations or witty remarks. Not only does this end your meetings on a high note, but it also gets your participants looking forward to the next meeting.

That is what a Master of Ceremonies can do for your meeting, but think of what they can do for you personally. Let's face it; even the best laid plans can have a bobble or two. If you have ever done a teleconference, you know that it sometimes takes a bit of juggling to get the conference started right while dealing with any issues that might crop up. If you have a compere working for you, they can get things moving while you are free to manage those last minute details.

Another benefit of a compere is greatly evident if you have any public speaking anxieties. They can project your professionalism and management skills, all while you are safely behind the scenes. Delicate situations arise in conferences with long-winded speakers, but the MC can help there too. They will do their best, but if the compere cannot cut them off without any hurt feelings, the situation can be blamed on the MC. You get to remain neutral while playing the diplomat and problem solver.

Looking past the advantages of hiring a professional, a Master of Ceremonies doesn't always have to be an outsider. There may be a particularly outgoing employee or member of your team that would make a perfect MC. With a little coaching and orientation, you could use your in-house compere with all of your meetings. Your conferences will become known as professionally run, if not efficient and entertaining. More importantly, they will have the same standard of quality time after time.

The use of an employee-compere doesn't have to be confined to just your meetings. As their popularity grows, the MC could be used at other company meetings and conferences, with just employees or with clients as well. Over time, your compere could become the voice of your company, not only in conferences, but also on the company voicemail or podcasts. Your logo is seen by all, but now your company can be identified by a voice-brand as well.

While it is debatable that running your own teleconference is easier than hiring out, the additional benefits of a Master of Ceremonies are pretty plain. Your meetings can improve and there could be a bonus to your company as a whole.

David Byrd is the conference call expert at TalkPath LLC.
Read more from David or find out about video conferencing services at http://www.TalkPathConferencing.com

30 Days To Creating Super Habits

How to Tell If Your Website is Really Able to Make Money Online

To make money online requires a healthy conversion rate, which shows on what qualitative level the site is. If you have not used conversion rate to make money from home, or more money, you are not the only one. Most small business owners have not used that, which of course offers you a great chance.

1. You Should Improve The Conversion Rate All The Time.

If you think the idea of how to make money online, it is all about trust building between your website and the site visitors. To be able to make money online means to be able to build trust or credibility and to be able to stand out from the crowd offering useful things to the visitor.

I know from my experience that small improvements can unlock the full potential of your site and can offer at the same time ways to make extra money. The interesting thing is that it increases the number of repeated visitors, i.e. means ongoing residual income. The target is that a visitor gets a positive visit experience.

2. Avoid Small Credibility Destroyers.

Website visitors can be really skittish. Even a tiny impropriety can make them to leave and push the back button. So it is very crucial to test all the elements, even the small ones, on your website and to improve the conversion rate to find out better ways to make money online.

Showing your contact information, picture and telephone number can be a strong sign of opennes and reliability, and can open the gates to make money at home. Also publishing testimonials and customer cases can be a sign about the popularity and, yes, about trust.

3. The First Impression Must Show Quality.

No one wants to visit in a disorganized online shop or in the shop, where you do not really know what are they selling, is there anything for you. If you ask how to make good money online, one of the most important factors is the layout, copy and the overall impression, that your site will give to the visitor.

Technically your site must be in shape. There just cannot be broken links, confusing layouts or incorrect or incomplete product information. They are all signs about a bad owner and will lower the trust factor considerably.

4. The Conversion Rate Can Be Increased By Do It Yourself Method.

Do not imagine that there would be some secret formula or software with which you could improve your conversion rate overnight. The only secret formula is your own common sense and your earlier experiences. A good way is to test and to compare your site with the competing ones, especially with those, which succeed better than you do. What a healthy exercise! But that is the way to make money online, more and more!

Juhani Tontti, B.Sc., Marketing. If You Think Better Ways To Make Money Online, The Conversion Rate Increase Offers Good Ways To Make Money Online. Visit: Make Money From Home

Finding Something You Don

Make Money With Your Computer at Home

When you use your computer do you think of the billions of dollars that have been generated online by people who do nothing more than spend a couple of hours on the internet? If you are beginning to think you are the only one who is not doing this, maybe the time has come to find out how you can make money with computer resources. Find some that are easily accessible and do not cost to start up or are very reasonably priced. You may also want to make sure they have a money back guarantee if you do not feel they are doing what they promise.

The very least you can do if you do not end up with a business of your own is to learn a lesson about what works and what does not when it comes to starting your own business. There are many companies that were started because of a need for something or an idea that just came to someone.

The best way to start your own business online is to find something that interests you and is also affordable. If you have to borrow money to start a business, you are not truly your own boss. You are already working to pay someone back so in effect you are working for the loan company or the bank.

Just remember when you are searching for the right opportunity to make money with computer businesses, there are scams out there. Many companies just use this as a way to get people's money and then they disappear. There is no chance of getting your money back because the company is gone and no one knows where. It has been said a million times but if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

There are so many business opportunities that sound like all you need is a computer and you will have the money rolling in within a matter of hours or at the most a couple of days. Keep in mind that when you find the perfect business it will take some work to get it started. This is true with any business.

The best way to start your own business is to figure out what you like to do more than anything. If you enjoy what you are doing, you will try even harder to make a go of it. Here are just a few things that you could use for an internet business:

Referral for house cleanings
Service to pay bills
Gift service
Garage sales over the internet
Fund raising
Searching family histories
Assistance with taxes

The list can go on and on for the businesses that can be started and can generate an income for you. There are many types of things that some people who are not internet savvy do not know how to do and have no interest in learning. This is where you come in. If you can do practically anything you need to do or if not, you can find a tutorial on the subject to tell you how to do it, you have the ability to make money with computer resources by starting your own business.

I personally recommend the following to start learning how to make money with your computer from home. Click Here to learn more.

Structuring Your 24 Hour Day

Make Money - Working From Home

Are you looking to work from your home? People everywhere are beginning to look at working from home as a serious option. There are many different ways that you can make money working from home, and this article will tell you three of those ways.

1. The first way you can make money working from your home is to sell a product that you have created. If you have a product you believe will be a hit, you should begin marketing it. You can market the product on the internet and through your community.

2. Another way you can earn money at home is being a secretary for a business. Work from home businesses need secretaries just like other businesses, and it is not practical for them to hire someone to come into their home. These businesses hire a secretary who works from their home and take phone calls and reply to e-mails.

3. Finally, you can work on the internet. There are thousands of ways you can make money on the internet from your home. You can be an article writer, writing fresh content for businesses websites; you can be an affiliate marketer, being paid a commission to sell a business's products; or, you can sell items around your house on eBay to clean your house and earn decent money.

It is easy to make money working from home, and there is no reason you should not be able to do it today. Begin making money working from your home by doing any of the businesses listed in this article.

Bill Bettler is an Internet Network Marketer and Coach who teaches Networkers how to Make Money Online. To learn how to generate a Full or Part Time Income on the Internet, and to get your free report Click This Link ==> http://www.10K10Days.com Now!

Backup Plans Feel Good

Dream Big - Self Help Tips

If you are going to dream you might as well dream big. Too many people want to play it safe. You have to have enough confidence or belief in yourself to take a chance. No one ever became successful by playing it safe. Playing it safe will get you just that, safe. If you want the big pay off you have to take the big risks. You have to be able to dream big and plan to fail. Everywhere you look there are examples of this. Let me share just one story of many. We all know who Rocky is or should we say Sylvester Stallone.

If you don't know his story it is one to be respected. Rocky/Sly as most people call him, had a dream. He wanted to make it in Hollywood. He wanted to be a famous movie actor. So he wrote this thing called a screenplay about this kid named rocky that had a dream to make something of his life. Sly packed up everything he had into his broken down station wagon and headed off to Hollywood. When he arrived in Hollywood he started to shop around his script. Everywhere he went people turned him down. Many even scoffed at him. Then one day a big movie producer said they would buy the script and offered Sly a million dollars for it.

The only catch was they were going to hire someone else to play the part of Rocky. He turned it down. At that time he had no money, was living in his car and someone just offered him a million dollars and he turned it down! Why, because it wasn't his dream. It wasn't about the money. You see he wasn't just dreaming, Sly was dreaming big. He could've played it safe and took the million dollars but fast-forward a bit. Someone eventually did buy the script with the conditions he wanted and he did play the role of Rocky. He was also the 1st actor to demand 20 million dollars a movie and the rest is history.

Oh, by the way I had a small role in the movie Rocky V so I did get to meet him and Sylvester Stallone, in my opinion, is a true leader, difference maker, and a Champion.

And by the way, he really does talk like that... "Yo Adrian" LOL

Sylvester Stallone wasn't afraid to dream big, he wasn't afraid to fail.

Are you willing to dream big?

Are you willing to fail?

Real is an expert at helping people achieve their dreams & Goals.

You might recognize him as Lt. Taggert from the ABC Show General Hospital.

http://www.realandrews.com

http://www.realmlmsolutions.com

"THERE IS NO SUCH WORD AS CAN'T!"

"Oh by the way. YOU are a CHAMPION!"

Rosemary Guiley

Steps to a Positive Attitude - Self Help Tips

Habitually, life is a grind, don't you think? Ask your friends, "Why do you go to work everyday?" Nine out of ten of them will probably say, "Because everyone else does." How about that for inspiration? It's that painful attitude that we find ourselves subjected to every living day. Therefore, you could ask me, "What makes you think that I can break free from the bonds of conformity?" And I would answer, "Because you can. It's a choice; as your attitude is a choice and not a feeling."

So you wake up this morning still thinking about last night's argument you had with your spouse about the pile of debt you have collectively constructed. You swing your feet off the couch only to feel the cold remnants of the dog relieving his bladder in the middle of the night because you were too depressed to let him out. You ooze into the bathroom to rinse off and take the obligatory shower and there stands your counter-part. With the argument still lingering in the air you both choose to avoid the topic by not speaking at all.

How frustrating can this be since your son has the biggest game of the season tonight and your daughter's performance at her dance recital this evening will make or break her scholarship opportunity. You have a mountain of responsibility riding on a positive attitude today, but your ghastly experience of last night still lingers like a leach; slowly draining your life's energy one little suck at a time. How do you let go? How do you strap on a positive attitude?

Here is a short process that you can put to work right now to brighten you life...for at least a moment. You decide whether to change your life forever. It just takes a little courage.

First, connect yourself with the discomfort that wrecked your attitude. Whatever created this mountain of debt must be recognized. You granted the power to create the situation that brought on this discomfort, so be proud! At some point, this situation you created served you well, didn't it? It just took a quick turn for the worse. So forgive yourself. Express your gratitude towards the ability to have created the mountain of debt to begin with. Express your gratitude towards the ability to pay the bills that support your purchases. Forgive yourself! Now, reclaim your power so that it can be used for a greater purpose. Reflecting on the current example: to support your children in a time when they need your positive attitude the most. Serving the greater purpose with a positive attitude is a choice.

Secondly,allow your reclaimed power to rush through you like you have just leaped into a cool, fresh-water spring in the middle of a hot summer day! Feel it. Really feel it. Then remember this feeling and revisit this place over and over and over again. Indulge in the wonderful feelings it conjures. Smother your children with a positive attitude when they need it most. Serving this greater purpose with a positive attitude is a choice. And be happy you made the choice.

Third, now that you have reclaimed your power, choose your attitude. While experiencing your heightened state of happiness, make the choice that will carry with you an uplifting, positive attitude throughout the rest of the day. And when you begin to feel the intrusion of discomfort, immediately revert back to step two and remember that you have reclaimed your power. Remember the rush of energy that consumed you and brought you to this happy, powerful moment. Smother your children with a positive attitude when they need it most. This is your greater purpose.

Lastly, practice, practice, practice. Once you become even moderately efficient at reclaiming your power, your positive attitude will become a clear choice. Doors will open that will lead to places and dreams that you had only imagined for you and those for which you feel deep affection.

Make the choice to spread the virus of "positive attitude" with everyone you encounter and try to encounter as many people as you possibly can everyday. This epidemic you create will spread faster than you can presently imagine. However, with practice, you will soon realize how commonplace choosing a positive attitude can be.

Be well and know that you are loved...

Published by J.C. Spearry whose goal is to introduced you to ideas that will transform your life, define your purpose, determine your motivation. Discover effective goal setting techniques that will inspire you, your congregation, your charitable organization or your sales staff so that you can take on the day with integrity and passion! Visit http://www.find-your-purpose-for-life.blogspot.com to gather more information!

Choices We Make In Life

Home Repair Costs - Home Tips

Home repair costs can be quite expensive, that is why it is important to see how you can reduce those costs. You certainly don't want to have to spend money that you don't have, so it will be worth your while to look into what ways you can repair your home without paying an unnecessary price.

Below are ways you can do just that:

1. If some kind of accident occurred on the property that caused the damage, check with your insurance company to see if your home insurance will cover it. If so, that is money that you do not have to spend out of your pocket.

2. Schedule a home inspector to come to your home so that you can have all of the damage assessed. This allows you to see what needs immediate fixing and what doesn't. It also helps you pinpoint areas that could easily become damaged again after making the repairs.

3. Sometimes home repair costs can be reduced by doing things such as painting, cleaning, and waxing. An entire wall may not need replaced. It just might need some cosmetic help.

4. Compare prices at the various home improvement stores. You can reduce home repair costs if you look for the same quality materials at lower prices. Every little bit helps.

5. If you must use a home improvement firm, compare rates. Don't simply go with a company because they claim to be the best. Ask questions.

6. If you don't know how to repair common issues yourself, purchase a manual that can teach you to do so. You can reduce home repair costs by not having to hire a professional.

7. If you must get a loan to cover your home repair, be sure to shop around for the best interest rate.

8. You can also reduce your costs by simply using preventable maintenance. Tackle the problem before it exists.

9. If you use a professional service, be sure they provide you with a signed estimate before they touch anything within your home. That way, you can either negotiate with them or find a cheaper service.

10. If you can establish a relationship with a good home repair service, then you can reduce your home repair costs dramatically over time.

These are simply ten tips that you can use to make sure you don't pay more for home repair costs than what you have to. No one should have to lose money that they don't need to, so use caution and be patient. That way, your home repair costs don't get the best of you.

Ian Pennington is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about home repair costs, please visit Quality Home Repair for current articles and discussions.

Peter G Northouse

Is Jesus A Republican?

As I ponder decisions on an everyday basis, I ask the question, "What would Jesus do under similar circumstances?" Often, it is difficult to decipher the right answer that would lead me down the path of personal piety.

Recently, I had a dream which had a dramatic impact on my way of looking at the world. During the dream, God clearly conversed with me in an audible tone. I recall what He said because it startled me to the point of waking me out of a deep sleep. When I was finally more lucid, I recall Jesus saying to me - "I am a right-wing Republican, and you have been remiss in failing to follow in my footsteps!"

I immediately sensed that His statement would have the affect of turning my world upside down. I got up, took a shower, had breakfast and contemplated what I should do in response to this perplexing news. Immediately my mind flashed to Pat Robertson, the preacher from The 700 Club who miraculously leg-pressed 2000lbs. If anyone could confirm the veracity of my synchronistic, spiritual experience it would Reverend Robertson. It was Pat Robertson, along with Oral Roberts, Jerry Falwell and others who had ample experience with this issue of divine intervention. So I contacted Pat Robertson to make sure that I was not delusional. Pat emailed me back providing me with confirmation that I was clearly hearing the voice of God.

Trusting Pat's wisdom regarding my pipeline to the Almighty, I realized that indeed Jesus had talked to me and was staking His claim as a bonifide right-wing Republican. My mind then aimlessly wandered to another thought. What changes was I supposed to make in response to this dramatic disclosure? In order to follow in His footsteps, what issue did I need to proclaim with evangelical fervor? Numerous ideas flooded my mind. If I was to be God's vessel, I needed to:

Dissociate myself from any vestiges of Hollywood. Burn all of my CD's with the exception of my Bon Jovi collection.

Renounce global warming since it is the brain-child of internet guru Albert Gore.

No longer watch The Oprah Show.

Practice the word abomination. Write it ten times in a sentence for a week.

Learn to think black and white without being wishy-washy.

Believe in my beliefs even if they contradict my experience.

Embrace the euphemism of pro-life even though it is inconsistent with the eyes of despair and death from pre-emptive war.

Believe that the United States is the only country that receives God's special blessing and favor.

Profess that the axis of evil only exists in the hearts and minds of other countries, never our own.

Believe that some sins are worse than others, especially the Big Three.

Renounce the concept of separation of church and state because our country was founded on Christian principles. Faith-based initiatives should receive tax breaks even if they are exclusionary.

Keep the government out of dictating whatever people want to do even if it hurts themselves or others.

As I pondered my new list of proclamations, I felt a sense of relief. All of my new "talking points" were simple and understandable. God had delivered His message. Jesus was as right-wing Republican and He had given me a new set of principles to follow. No longer a "bleeding heart liberal," I made my way out into the community to share my new perspective.

James P. Krehbiel is an author, freelance writer and nationally certified cognitive-behavioral therapist practicing in Scottsdale, Arizona. He has taught Master's level classes in counselor education throught Chapman University of California. James received the Educator of the Year Award for his contribution to the Chandler, Arizona School District. He is published in the Illinois Counseling Journal on the topic of cognitive therapy's application to the treatment of anorexia nervosa. He is a featured writer for Nu Image Magazine, a resource for physicians and patients. He is also a featured writer for http://www.womanspassions.com He has an question and answer format on http://www.theparentstation.com regarding family issues. James specializes in working with patients who have depressive, anxiety and autistic spectrum disorders.

Shad Helmstetter