Ever since the Internet bubble and the 9/11 terrorist attacks, I?ve seen many people; including friends and family lose their jobs and/or personal fortunes overnight. The struggling economy has been merciless on the job market. It has affected every industry at every level, from line operators in m...

Once upon a time, sign writers would fold a piece of paper into a small rectangular cup called a sign writer`s cup. They would fill this with paint before clambering up ladders and scaffolding with brushes and cup in hand to create advertising signs. Signs have been around a long time. Even tod...

Many people who work at home do not understand the importance of a schedule. A work at home schedule is basically a way for a person to keep on task and get their work done in a timely and proper manner. Work at home jobs offer a lot of independence and with that come a need for responsibility. T...

Because we believe that we control our lives, we also believe that by making `conscious` choices we can change the course of our lives. So if `we` decide to eat better, or take more exercise then `we` should be able to make this new thing happen. After all `we` are in charge of our lives, so what `w...

As with any other business, franchising has a number of advantages and disadvantages. Keeping these in view, an investor can decide whether they want to open an independent business or a franchise. One of the major advantages of franchising is that the company would deal with most of the financial a...

Did you know that eBay gets over 1.8 Billion (yes that`s Billion with a B) page views per month, and moves over $15 Billion a year in merchandise? It is the 4th most visited site on the Internet, and at the time of this writing has sites in 26 countries worldwide. So do you eBay? I do! And, thousand...

One type of business planning which is often overlooked is business succession planning. Business succession plans map out the strategy for a company upon the retirement of the current owners. Business succession planning is typically not necessary for venture backed companies as the plans are built...

Competition in the past has embodied such beliefs of ?kill or get killed? which has fostered paranoia with many individuals and companies. Our competitive thinking has been to: defend, hoard, knock off competition, defame and win at any cost. A view propagated by Intel?s Andy Grove that, ?only th...

I remember the time that I swore to myself that I?d never be caught off guard again. I was in my new job on Capital Hill and it was the first week on the job. My new mentor at the office was the daughter of the other US Senator from Nevada so she knew everyone who was anyone. I tagged along with her...

As a therapist, I often suggest to clients that they explore their feelings and thoughts by keeping a journal. Sometimes clients ask for a bit of direction with this process. Here are some journaling ideas if you?re not sure where to start: 1. Write down what happened today and how you felt about it...

In the beginning, Yellow Pages ads were, well, yellow. With black type. Then, in an effort to jump start sales, the clever people who invented Yellow Pages in 1886, the Reuben H. Donnelly Corporation, figured an inexpensive way to add red to the ads. Red borders, red type. Higher rates. With the m...

Do you place back-issues of your Newsletter onyour website? There are two good reasons why you should: (1) It shows potential subscribers that you`reserious about your Newsletter (2) Newsletters are rich in keywords, so it`sa very good idea to turn back-issues of yourNewsletter into HTML documents a...

Yes, I made the move. I was a corporate professional on the outside but inside my body, mind and spirit was an entrepreneur dying to come out. I had it enough. After all I was suppressing how I felt for a long time. I really felt as if I was being pulled down by my ankles while trying to climb the c...

1. Pretending You Are Interested When You Are Not Do yourself a favor and be honest with yourself and the people you spend time with. If you are really not interested in the topic of conversation say so. If possible change the subject or simply postpone that particular conversation until another tim...

Have you ever gone to a networking event and talked to someone about what they do? I certainly have and I am often quite amazed by the total range of services that they offer the public. This is not unusual for a small business, but I begin to wonder what their focus is and I also wonder what they s...

So you have decided to work at home (either by choice or necessity) and now you are faced with the decision as to whether to pursue a work at home job or to start a home based business. That may sound like a minor distinction, but this can pose a dilemma as the differences can actually be quite...

Did you hear about the executive who was asked to give a speech? He talked about his company, himself, and his plans for the future. You haven?t heard this story because the audience fell asleep, so no one reported it. In this era of 500 TV channels, computer access, and awesome video games, a borin...

During my many years of professional experience I was constantly researching the roots for success or failure. I was poised to find out what it was in the end what made a difference. I am sure that is something every entrepreneur would like to know and there are lots of books out there dealing with ...

The FTC, Federal Trade Commission, is considering modifying the franchise rule. So far it has be a ten-year process; just imagine working that slow in your business? In 1995, 1997 and 1999 when the comments were first considered and taken in, which spans a ten-year period. When you combine those com...

Network Marketing Motivation. MLM Motivation. Two very misunderstood concepts. The average network marketer today wants to keep their team motivated and FIRED UP! That is normal, as you always want them to be mentally and psychologically elevated for Success in Network Marketing. But here is the cha...

Don?t worry. We have all done it so there is absolutely nothing to feel guilty about. Daydreaming on the job is nothing new?in fact, it?s perfectly normal. As we plow through the tedium that is the workday it is natural to look ahead and try to envision a future filled with countless weeks of the ...

Ok, today we are going to talk about one of my favorite Big Ticket Marketing tools ? writing articles! You are probably thinking, what does writing articles have to do with Big Ticket Marketing? Well, it turns out, it has plenty to do with it and I`m going to tell you why. It`s about the relationshi...

It?s arguably the most important word in the copywriter`s arsenal. It ranks right at the top with words like "free," "new" and "savings." I?m talking about "you." "You" is the word that gets your prospect?s attention and keeps them involved. As Herschell Gordon Lewis says in "The Art of Writing Copy...

Dear friend, have you been trying and failing in every business opportunities that you have tried? Have you bought so many ebooks and still get nowhere...perhaps you have invested and lost money in many ventures, well i have a quote for you from the author of `Think and Grow Rich`. He said.. "A man ...

One of the key essentials when it comes to making you and your business successful is advertising. Unfortunately most of us cannot afford to advertise during the super bowl with commercials, or place digital signs along Times Square. Beyond the mailers and business cards, there is another way to get...

Introduction Travel writing is part reporting, part diary and part providing traveller information. Travel writers create their art using a multitude of different styles and techniques but the best stories generally share certain characteristics, notably: 1) Clear writing style, without affectation,...

Businesses that depend upon advertising should do everything possible to make sure they are spending their dollars wisely. But as we all know, this is easier said than done. How can we attract attention, develop a powerful message, and effectively persuade our audience? How can we lead them to be...

Filling up the water storage tank on your pressure washer trailer rig is time consuming. If you use a garden hose it can take forever, yet if you use a garden hose 1? or 2? it can be relatively easy and you can continue working while filling. There are some secrets to doing this of course as the gar...

The explosion of information has led to an explosion of confusion. Confusion as it relates to business is a dangerous thing. Let`s put it out there in plain English. Business is the creation, selling and delivery of a product or service for a profit. That`s it. Nothing more and nothing less. It doe...

When meeting face-to-face with a prospect for your cleaning business, you need to prepare yourself ahead of time. Make a list of probing questions that will get your prospect talking about their concerns so you can show them your expert problem-solving skills. You want to do more listening than talk...

Should you accept Visa credit card payments? Why not? More and more often, merchants are coming to appreciate the ease with which a credit card payment system can be implemented in their business through a merchant services account. Customers love the convenience of paying by credit, especially when...

We all are in search of the silver bullet that will put our business on autopilot and the only thing we have to do is to cash the checks. Aren?t you looking for this as well? Isn?t this the reason why you?re actually reading all these articles, including this one? You?re hoping to find the one tool,...

When you first start to look for a work at home job, it?s easy to get discouraged. Postings for work at home jobs can be scarce and when they do come up, competition among applicants is fierce. What many moms new to telecommuting don?t realize is that there is another way to land a work at home job ...

There are principles of marketing, and there are marketing strategies. The principles of marketing have never changed. However, marketing strategies change all the time to reflect the marketing medium in which they`re being used... and the products and services the marketers are selling. One core ma...

Over the past several years, Growthink has had the opportunity to assess the successes and failures of numerous entrepreneurs. In doing so, several lessons have become apparent that can often make the difference between success and failure in entrepreneurial ventures. Here is a review of the top fou...

None of us like to think of ourselves as victims. The term "victim" brings to mind a pathetic image of a person who is powerless. Therefore, It comes as a shock to most of us to realize how often we allow ourselves to be emotional victims. Having counseled individuals, couples, families and business...

Do you feel uncomfortable when you`re in the trade show booth? Like folks are looking at you? Like you`re on stage? Got as little stage fright? Well, folks are looking at you. Yes, it`s like you are on stage.Here are three quick tips to make you comfortable when in the booth. 1. Always face the...

Home party plans, for several decades, have been one of the most effective ways to earn a living or supplement the family income. The home party plan system brings people together in a pleasant environment, to share unique and exclusive products and an exciting income opportunity. This is certainly ...

"A stimulating adventure! Sabine Muir has written a wonderful children?s story that can be read many, many times. This is a time-travel, Christian fantasy novel that reminds me a little bit of one of my favorite childhood books, ?The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?. Here, the main character, M...

Have you ever shopped at Walmart and thought... I need to get my products on those shelves. Did you spot the perfect place for your new product and think, Bingo, that`s where my product will go. I think I`ll give them a call. The truth is, Walmart receives hundreds of calls each day, asking the sa...

The future of the web is so bright, not only do you have to wear shades, but you have to also wear fire retardant clothing just to keep up with the rapid pace of change, without igniting yourself. I say this because when I think back to when I started working for an SEO firm how different it was ...

You`ve put months into having your trade show booth designed. Now it`s finished or very close. You walk around your new booth like a proud parent when it suddenly dawns on you; you need promotional handouts to go with it! Where to start, though? The key to a great promotional handout for a trad...

The main side of the WWW Mountain is made of quantities, volumes, millions, billions and, more than once, a slippery coat of genuineness. That is anyone`s product, in the posters field as well. This new site policy is on the opposite side. Called OnePPM Art Posters these posters are not everybody`...

In large publishing houses, many manuscripts penned by first-time authors, never make it past the "first reader" who for all practical purposes is a gatekeeper of sorts. This person`s job is to weed out manuscripts that do not fit certain established submission criteria. However, many never make it ...

As business owners, we all know that the key to fantastic sales is to let your customers have a personal experience of you. The difficulty, of course is that to give every customer that experience personally requires a tremendous time commitment of ourselves and our staff. So what do we do? One s...

Wisdom can be found in the most unexpected places. Today, wisdom bubbled up from a pineapple under the sea. I suddenly realized that everything you?d want to know about writing articles for your website can be taught by SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends. When you write for your newsletter, blo...

Having problems writing? I don`t know why. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jon Carroll writes up to five columns a week. After all, if he can write five columns, you should be able to write a five-lined poem-but that does not seem to be the case. How does he do it? Carroll claimed to recite lin...

In this free email course, I`ll tell you everything I know about improving your writing, publishing it electronically and in print, and promoting it after the sale. Two questions you should ask: (1) What will it cost me? (2) What does this Michael LaRocca guy know about it? Answer #1 -- It w...

What to do when you get rejected. You`ve just finished your book, sent out query letters and was rejected. What`s left to do? You could give up, but I wouldn`t suggest this. Here`s some brief tips on how to deal with rejection. 1.Take a breather You`ve probably been wondering and rattling your...

Many of us are discouraged by the networking events that we go to. We feel swamped by people just looking to get money from us, and we rarely feel as though the event was worth our time. Yet networking should be one of the best ways to bring in new business. The key is learning to network correc...