Welcome to Startup Essentials!

To Cover, Or Not To Cover? That Is The Question?

2007-03-19T08:08:00.000-05:00

There is one question that seems to be popping up occasionally during our Wednesday night conference calls which we are really not qualified to answer. It is the question of product liability insurance. Many of you are selling products which were manufactured by another company. But some of you actually make the product that you sell. Remember, we are neither lawyers nor insurance agents, and are not licensed to give advice in that area. It is imperative you have a strategic partnership with both of those business professionals. They can lead you to make an informed and wise decision on whether you need that product. But until then, here is an article from our British friends at Startups.co.uk.

Public and Product Liability insurance – do you need them?

Both Public and Product Liability insurance are voluntary for most businesses, but these policies could save you a lot of money in the long term.

Public Liability insurance covers you against any claims made against your business – for example if you were held legally liable for personal injury, or for damage done to property. The insurance will also cover you for any legal costs associated with defending claims against your business.

Even if you work from home it may be that you need Public Liability insurance. If clients often visit you at your home office then this policy will cover you if they injure themselves while they’re on your premises (it could be something as daft as tripping over the carpet!). And don’t forget if you regularly work off-site your policy should apply to off-site as well as on-site jobs.

The premiums will depend on the type of business, your turnover and the number of employees. The problem is working out what level of protection you think you need. The key is not to underestimate – a million dollars may sound like a lot of cover, but if you find yourself facing a series of claims from a group of people the legal fees will be large.

It’s also vital to keep your Public Liability policy up-to-date to reflect any changing circumstances in your business. As your business expands you’re likely to find your risks grow too.

Product Liability

If you manufacture or supply goods, there’s always the possibility that your product could cause damage to a third party – that could be property or another person. A small defect could open you up to massive claims, so this cover is vitally important for product manufacturers.

Look for a policy that guards you against safety claims, manufacturing quality, spoilage and indemnity costs (medical bills and so on). And remember Product Liability is designed to cover you against unforeseen circumstances, if you simply make an inferior product or supply bad services then you’re not going to be able to make a claim.

You can reduce your premiums by taking quality control measures beforehand, and you should make sure your insurer knows of any measures you’ve taken – it could affect your premiums.

Top Ten From CNN

2007-03-12T08:42:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, nearly half of U.S. small businesses still don't have a Web site. Here are 10 ways going online can help boost even the tiniest company.

10 Web tips for entrepreneurs
By Jessica Dickler, CNNMoney.com staff writer

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Web sites seem the way of the world these days, but many small-business owners still don't have an Internet presence.

Hal Hance, a practice manager at a small doctor's office in New York, says having a Web site would be unnecessary at the office he runs. "In medicine, especially in private practice... there really is no point," he said, "except maybe to provide demographic or biographic information."
Hance isn't alone. Indeed, of the nearly 25 million U.S. small businesses, 46 percent do not have a Web site, according to the Kelsey Group, a research firm in Princeton, N.J.

But Web sites are not only powerful tools for e-commerce, they also can boost almost any business, as consumers look into products they might buy. "When customers are doing research for purchases, they are going to the Web," said Jed Alpert, vice president of marketing for WebCollage, a provider of online media technology based in New York City. "Sales that happen in the store are influenced by online research."

Web sites can level the playing field, too, allowing even the smallest business to compete more effectively with larger companies. And while some entrepreneurs fear that going tech will be expensive, companies like Web.com, a provider of do-it-yourself Web sites and Web services, allow business owners to build their own Web site for $10 to $60 a month. The price includes a domain name, e-mail, Web statistics and technical support.

Which means that if your business is not online already, then it should be.

To that end, Jeff Stibel, CEO of Web.com, offers these 10 tips for small-business owners.

1. Stand out from the competition. Online you can be compared side-by-side with your biggest competitor. That means there is a tremendous opportunity to identify what your business does better than the rest. "A Web site is the great equalizer," Stibel says.

2. Establish credibility. This is particularly important for small, relatively unknown firms, he says. For example, a family-run restaurant may want to highlight how long they've been in business so new customers feel they're discovering a hidden gem.

3. Provide in-depth information. Use the Web site to provide background, testimonials, directions, demonstrations or other content that speaks to your target audience.

4. Make shopping easy. Every small-business owner is trying to sell something, whether it is a product, service or idea. Even a doctor's office, which may not have anything tangible to sell online, could provide users with an estimation of the wait time so patients don't have to sit in the lobby all day.

5. Enhance customer relations. E-mailing the company, placing an order or securing a reservation can all be done easily online. "Figure out what your customers need, and then build your customer relations based on that," Stibel says.

6. Increase customer spending. Ultimately you are trying to build a business, not just boost online sales, which means using the site to keep customers informed and make them feel happy about spending more money. This is the end goal, Stibel says.

7. Expand nationally or worldwide. When a business goes online, the dynamics change significantly because Web sites can be viewed by many more potential customers anywhere in the world. That also means that business owners may have to consider enhancing their inventory management, shipping and distribution.

8. Gather customer data. Everything you do as a small business is based on understanding who your customer is. Data from Web traffic can tell you where your customer is coming from and where they are going after visiting your site. Incorporating analytics is invaluable.

9. Brand extension. Offline, your store front is limited by your real estate. Online, your business is unlimited. You can even offer other products and services online that would be difficult to carry in a store due to size and space constraints. For example, a pizza stand could sell slices in the shop but also have t-shirts, hats and other souvenirs available online.

10. Drive traffic either to an online or offline location. Regardless of what type of business you operate, traffic to your site can translate into "qualified" traffic to your store. "Leverage the Web presence to build the business," Stibel says.

A Success Lesson From 1939

2007-02-26T12:10:00.000-06:00

What could the classic movie “The Wizard of Oz” and small business ownership in America possibly have in common? You might be thinking, “Well, they do both head down a yellow brick road”. Or maybe after your business got up and running you said under your breath “I don’t think I’m in Kansas anymore”. But in my opinion, it all comes down to one thing. Watch the clip below because they said it far better than I ever could.

More people would break the chains of job bondage and experience the financial freedom of being self employed if they could only muster up the courage to venture out. Everyone I know wants to have their own business. Few I know have the courage to make that dream a reality. And that is why we applaud you. It takes courage and guts.

If you are reading this, you have made the amazing decision to go into business. Nobody ever promised you that it would be easy. In fact, just the opposite is true. But you know that most things in this world that are true, lasting, and financially rewarding require bravery and risk.

Have you ever thought that if fear were never present, there would never be an opportunity for you to show courage? It’s alright to be afraid. It’s not alright to let fear paralyze you and keep you motionless in advancing towards your goals.

Have you ever considered that smooth seas never made a skillful sailor? If success were easy, everyone would be successful instead of the few ordinary brave people who become heroes.

And there is an amazing parallel to the movie with your life right now. The scarecrow, tin man, and lion all wanted something they believed they lacked. They journeyed a very long way to see the wizard who could give it to them. The truth of the matter is that they already possessed what they wanted in great abundance. They just needed someone like the wizard to remind them of it.

You have courage!

You have everything you need to be successful in business!

You already possess the “right stuff” that it takes to make your financial dreams come true. You don’t need to consult a “wizard”, or even click your heels together three times.

See it in yourself! Believe in yourself and watch what happens!

Steve Foss writes this blog for startup essentials “because of the wonderful things he does”. Feel free to leave a comment. And join him for the Essential Conference Call Wednesday nights.

This One Is For The Ladies!

2007-02-21T14:14:00.000-06:00

If you are a woman in business, chances are you have heard of Suze Orman. She is a master of giving frank, honest, and educated advice about all things pertaining to money. We decided to treat you ladies to an inside look at what she sees are some great qualities of women who are successful in business. Enjoy ladies!

The Eight Qualities of a Wealthy Women
By: Suze Orman

What keeps women from achieving the financial security they -- and their families -- deserve? I believe the root of the problem lies in the dysfunctional relationship women have with money.

That's the launching point for my new book, "Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny." My message to all women: Owning the power to control your destiny requires more than 401(k)s and Roth IRAs. It requires reconditioning from the inside. In this excerpt from "Women & Money," I discuss the eight qualities of wealthy women.

Qualities 1 and 2: Harmony and Balance

Harmony is an agreement in feeling, approach, and sympathy. It is the pleasing interaction between what you think, feel, say, and do.

Balance is a state of emotional and rational stability in which you are calm and able to make sound decisions and judgments.

Harmony and balance are perhaps the most important qualities of all, for they serve as the foundation for the remaining qualities. When you possess true inner harmony, what you think, say, feel, and do is one. We are so accustomed to this split-screen state of mind in which we think one thing, say another, feel something else, and act in a way that has nothing to do with what we just thought, said, or felt. When your thoughts, feelings, words, and actions are not in harmony, it shows up as an imbalance -- you feel agitated, uncomfortable, you sense something is off, so you find it difficult to make rational, calm decisions. This is why these two qualities are a pair.

Quality 3: Courage

Courage is the ability to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear or being deflected from a chosen course of action.

Courage gives harmony expression. When your thoughts and feelings are one, courage helps you manifest them in the form of words and actions. When you are afraid to speak or act, courage helps you overcome your fear. Courage gives you the ability to speak your truth, even when it is not what others may want to hear.

Fear is usually what stands between us and our courage. But if we are to embrace this quality of courage to its fullest, we can no longer allow ourselves to hide behind fear. You can meditate on your fear and think about it rationally and try to will it away, but in the end, if fear is preventing you from acting, you must find your courage and act to overcome your fear.

Quality 4: Generosity

Generosity is when you give the right thing to the right person at the right time -- and it benefits both of you.

Generosity is a quality that most women can tap into very easily -- maybe too easily. As women, we tend to be overly generous with our time, support, love, and money -- but giving simply for the sake of giving does not match the definition of true generosity.

True generosity goes far beyond what you give to others. In giving there is a power, an understanding that you are just the vessel that wealth or energy flows through. You allow money to come in through your hands and out through your heart. To be empowered to give, to be moved to give straight from the heart, is a feeling that all the money in the world could never buy. So let me ask you: Is that how you feel when you constantly give of yourself? Do you feel enhanced or do you feel diminished? You think of yourself as a giver, as generous with your time, your talent, your money. Others probably describe you as a generous woman, but if I were to look at you, I might think you give for the wrong reasons. Do you give because you feel that you should? Do you give out of guilt or embarrassment? Understand that true generosity is as much about the one who gives as it is about the one who receives. If an act of generosity benefits the receiver but saps the giver, then it is not true generosity.

Quality 5: Happiness

Happiness is a state of well-being and contentment.

When you find the courage to live your life in harmony and balance, when you understand and practice generosity in the truest sense, happiness spontaneously appears. When you are happy, you are open and accessible. When you are happy, you tend to be more optimistic. You approach new challenges with a clear mind that seeks positive solutions. You see possibilities rather than problems.

Happiness is not a luxury. It is a necessity for true wealth. When you are happy, you have the satisfaction of knowing that your actions come from a place of purity and balance, that they are correct and generous and kind. There are no regrets in this state of happiness -- and that's a goal worth striving for in all areas of your life.

Quality 6: Wisdom

Wisdom is the knowledge and experience needed to make sensible decisions and judgments, or the good sense shown by the decisions and judgments made from an accumulated knowledge of life that has been gained through experience.

The quality of wisdom is more than intellectual, and it is in no way related to how much schooling you have. Exercising wisdom requires cutting through the noise of life and tapping into your core beliefs to make thoughtful decisions. Wisdom results from inhabiting all the qualities that came before it. A wise woman recognizes when her life is out of balance and summons the courage to act to correct it. A wise woman knows the meaning of true generosity. A wise woman knows happiness is the reward for a life lived in harmony, with courage and grace. A wise woman knows how to summon her courage and do what is right, rather than what is easy.

Quality 7: Cleanliness

Cleanliness is a state of purity, clarity, and precision.

Cleanliness is about respecting the importance of order and organization. When you don't know where your money is, when you have no filing system for your important documents, when you dive into your pocketbook to pull out crumpled bills, when your car looks like a garbage can, when your closets are filled with junk and clutter -- you cannot possibly be a wealthy woman. You need to clean up your act -- quite literally -- to bring true wealth into your life. In India, women sweep the front entrance to their home each morning as a way of welcoming Lakshmi, the goddess of material and spiritual abundance, into their home, for there is a belief that she resides at the threshold of every house. In order for her to enter, she must have a clear path.

You might be reading this and thinking that cleanliness is nice but not essential to your financial well-being. I am here to tell you that if this quality is not up front and center, wealth will elude you and you will be left with the mess that you created. Respect the power of this quality of cleanliness. Tell the universe that you have cleared the path for wealth and abundance to enter.

Quality 8: Beauty

Beauty is the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit.

Beauty is what you create when you incorporate the other seven qualities into your life. When you take the steps to have harmony, balance, courage, generosity, happiness, wisdom, cleanliness, and beauty in your life, you will exude confidence in who you are. And there is nothing more beautiful than a confident woman. Remember, when you are confident you feel secure, and when you feel secure you have no fear. And when you have no fear, you have the courage to say what you think and feel in a calm and wise way. And when you are calm, you make wise decisions with your money, which then allows you to be truly generous to others as well as yourself, which, in turn, makes you a happy, powerful, and beautiful woman. Do you see how all of these qualities work together to help you arrive at the goal of being a woman in control of her destiny?

Summoning the 8 Qualities

I've noticed, in my own life and in others', that the more you summon these qualities, the easier they are to access. Harmony yearns for more harmony, and balance abhors imbalance. Courage begets greater courage. Once you are generous in the right way, a lesser form of generosity will feel inferior to you. True happiness will never permit you to settle for a lesser form of happiness. Cleanliness recoils at disorder. Wisdom, once achieved, is with you forever, and beauty inspires beauty in all things.

Carry these qualities with you throughout your life. Write them on a notecard and keep them close at hand -- in your wallet or in your pocket. Make it into a talisman to guide you every day as you make your way through life and all its impossible demands. These qualities will keep you focused and tranquil. Let them and they will offer you constant reassurance that you are acting powerfully and correctly, with love in your heart and the purest intentions, to realize your goals of security and comfort for yourself and all you love.

Suze Orman's web site full of myriads of financial tips and tricks can be found here.

eCommerce Business Model 101

2007-02-14T18:53:00.000-06:00

I've been answering a number of emails lately from business owners that request that I look at their website and offer my suggestions as to why their website isn't generating more sales. I've also been asked about eBay listing strategies, shipping strategies and finally marketing questions. By "reading between the lines" I've determined that there are a few concepts about the ecommerce business model that seem to be confusing or just not understood clearly by these business owners.

My goal here is to impart some logic to the ecommerce business model.

First, let's define a few basic concepts:

Margin = The money you receive when you sell an item to a customer minus the money you pay to your dropshipper or wholesaler to get that item. This number is usually defined in percentage. (i.e. You purchase a necklace for $5 and sell it for $10. Your margin is 50%)

Variable Costs = The percentage of your sale spent on three items: Shipping, Marketing, and credit card processing
Fixed Costs = Any expense that will occur regardless of whether you have any sales or not. An example of a fixed cost would be a lease on a warehouse.

Obviously the goal is to make positive margin on every individual transaction, and then do enough transactions to cover your fixed costs. Any amount above and beyond this is your profit. (by the way, profit is a good thing and so is paying some taxes. It's the government's way of rewarding you for being successful!)

As an illustration of a successful business model I'll write out the plan for my website, JustGolfBags.com
I price my products to gather an average margin of 40%.

My Marketing costs are around 7.5% of sales
My Shipping expense is about 11% of sales (I offer free shipping on many orders)

My credit card processing is about 3% of sales

Add all of my variable expenses together and my Net Margin per Sale is about 18.5% (40% margin less 21.5% variable expenses).

This translates to say that for every $100 golf bag that I sell I am putting $18.50 in my business checking account. Then, I need to sell enough of golf bags to cover my Fixed Costs such as Rent, Utilities, Phone, Supplies, and Payroll. Whatever is left over becomes the profit for my business. Easy, right?

Ok, so how does this effect me you ask? The truth is I don't know enough about every product being sold to tell you what the correct business model is for your business. What I can tell you is that you should look at each number independently, then pull them all together to see if your business will make money.

The first place to start is by figuring out how much margin the products that you sell will generate. Obviously the higher the margin, the better. Try to stay away from product categories that offer less than 20% margin, it's just too hard to make any profit.

Next, determine how much marketing you'll want to spend to generate traffic and sales. I personally try to keep this number under 10% of my total revenue.

Then, figure out what your credit card processing rate is. I would guess it's between 3.5% and 5% depending on your volume. As your business grows you'll be able to lower this rate because of your business volume and a lower risk of default.

Finally, determine your shipping strategy. This is where I see the majority of the small website owners get stuck. They are trying to charge too much for shipping and people visiting their site are buying elsewhere from a site offering a better rate! Shipping in my business is 11% of my total expense structure for a couple of reasons. First of all, it's expensive to ship golf bags, but more importantly the market conditions almost mandate that I offer free shipping. It's what my competition does so I pretty much need to do the same to remain competitive. Especially since we all are selling similar products as similar pricing.

To really gain an understanding of how all of this works, build a spreadsheet with the some example scenarios. Play with the numbers until you have a plan that makes sense from a financial perspective and is realistic to implement. The great thing about ecommerce is that you can play with the variables until you determine the perfect solution. Is it by offering free shipping? Maybe it's just subsidizing shipping by charging a low flat rate to your customers. The answer might be to sell at a lower margin by offering products inexpensively. Or, maybe the answer is just more marketing?

Sample Business Model

Revenue	A	B	C
Target Margin	30%	45%	60%

Expenses
Credit Card Processing	3.50%	3.50%	3.50%
Marketing	7.50%	10%	25%
Shipping	5%	10%	15%

Net Profit Margin	14%	21.50%	16.50%

I truly wish I had the perfect solution to every business's quest for more sales but since I don't, just follow the simplicity of the above model and you'll be well on your way to building an ecommerce empire!

Marketers in Love with E-Mail

2007-02-13T11:14:00.000-06:00

Below is an article from a newsletter that I receive daily about online marketing tips and tools. The premise is that while Pay-per-click programs continue to grow, it still hasn't surpassed the tried and true method of email marketing.

The main point that I took out of this article is that many online vendors are using email marketing to drive incremental sales from their existing customer base. As you build your business and your online marketing campaigns, don't forget to put together a program to continue to reach out to existing customers. It's been proven to work and is a great deal less expensive than trying to acquire new customers!

Here's a link to the full article on eMarketer.com

eBay Tips by Jody Brothers

2007-02-08T12:36:00.000-06:00

We focused our Essential Conference Call last night on eBay and was really excited to see the positive response to our Q & A. Thanks so much for all of your who sent in questions. As I continued to respond to emails through the evening and again this morning I thought I would address a few issues and offer a few tips.

Use of Dropshippers

I would be extremely careful using dropshippers to fulfill your eBay auctions. Nothing will get you negative feedback from a buyer quicker than not being able to fill a successful completed auction. As much as I'd like to think this is not the case, occasionally dropship companies go out of stock on certain items and have to place the item on backorder. If you want to use an item from a dropshipper and feel strongly that the item will be successful on eBay, I would recommend that you order 4 to 6 pieces of this item and have them shipped to your home for inventory. This will allow you the opportunity to take a few additional photographs if necessary and also will allow you to save any dropshipping fees by ordering in bulk versus individually. You might even get a quantity discount, this increasing your profitability.Another great result of selling the same item multiple times is that the work you do to post the item is saved within your My eBay section and the item can easily be re-listed. In fact, using this approach allows you to run auctions at a variety of times so that you can determine by page views and final selling price the best time to list auctions.

Pricing Strategy

If you have done your research and viewed completed listing for similar auctions of your item, you should have a decent idea of what your item will sell for. I never purchase a product for resell on eBay without first thoroughly researching completed listings. For example, if I know approximately what my item will sell for I can then determine my listing/pricing strategy. If you visit my eBay Store at http://stores.ebay.com/JustGolfBags you will see a number of listings, some of which start at .99c, others much higher.

A golf bag for .99c? Are you nuts? Actually, we aren't... We know that most of these bags that we list will end of selling for $50 to $100, some even higher... Our research has proven this true time and time again. We list this item at .99c because the listing fees (the fee eBay charges us to list the item for auction) is much lower than if we listed the item for a higher opening bid. Also, there is a psychological strategy at work as well. When someone initially views the low opening price, it gets a lot more page views than if the opening bid was higher. More page views and more exposure to prospective bidders all results in a bidding war at the end of an auction. By the time the auction ends people are emotionally attached to the idea of winning the item and will often times bid more than they would have originally planned because they really want to win it! They've invested too much emotional energy to quit now! The result is an auction that I paid very little to list, but often times has great results.

The only time we don't utilize this strategy is when we research a product to sell and there's not much interest in the product. We'll list the product with a Buy it now price at what we would like to sell the item for, and the opening bid amount about 15% less than the Buy it now price. This is also a good strategy to incorporate if you are really unsure what an item will gather in a .99c auction strategy.

As you can see, selling on eBay can be extremely simple, but at the same time very complex strategies are applied to enhance your opportunity for success. The key is to just get out there and do it! When I began my eBay journey I sold everything that wasn't attached at my home. Old golf equipment, hats, vintage clothing, tools, old computer equipment, books, were all target items. As I look back I definitely made a little money, but what I found was the more I used eBay to sell things around the house, the more clear my future as an ecommerce entrepreneur became. Selling on eBay truly prepared me for the challenge of building JustGolfBags.com!

Jody Brothers is an entrepreneur who consults with small business people just like you. His blog can be found here.

Ramping Up On eBay

2007-02-05T17:03:00.000-06:00

As much as we would like to just walk in to our boss's office and quit our jobs so we can devote every waking moment to building a successful eBay business, many times that is not possible. There are bills to pay and responsibilities we must take care of. But the question for many is whether they can keep their job until they have built up enough cash flow to leave without missing a financial beat. Here is an article from an eBay expert that will help you prepare for a smooth transition to becoming a full time entrepreneur.

Managing A Full-Time Job And

An eBay Business

By: Skip McGrath

Working a full-time job and running a profitable eBay business can be a real challenge. Some people seem to handle it with ease while others struggle. I did this for a number of years, and although we were successful, it was a struggle. Of course, I had an advantage - my wife Karen. The truth be told, she did by far most of the work. If you are married with a spouse that stays at home, this is a significant advantage. Many of you, however, either have no spouse or your spouse also works. This means that you are essentially on your own.

The first question you need to ask yourself is: Are you looking for a hobby or a business? If it is a hobby or a very part-time business whose goal is to make a extra hundred dollars a month or so, then you will have a fairly easy time balancing the hours you spend at work and your eBay business. However, if you are running a business designed to earn $1,000 a month or more, then you have different issues.

Another question to ask yourself is: What are my long-term goals? If your job and your career is important to you, then this must always take first priority. If, on the other hand, you are in a boring or dead-end job, then you need to plan for your success and how and when you will leave your job and do eBay full time (as thousands have done before you).

If keeping your full-time job is your priority, you also need to factor in the type of employment you have and your employer's policies. People who work outside for a living rarely have an opportunity to check a computer during the day. Office employees, however, are usually connected to the web at work. Many employers today have very strict policies about using your computer at work to transact personal business. There is also the issue of simple integrity. Is it fair to your employer to do outside business while you are being paid to work by the company? Some employers don't mind if employees use a computer for personal web surfing during their lunch hour or breaks. If this is the case, then you will be able to check emails and auctions a couple of times a day from your office.

No matter which category you fit into, the simple fact is that you are away from your home computer from 8 to 10 hours a day. How you deal with the realities of this will determine your success. Look at some of the problems you will run into. We all know that many eBay buyers can be impatient. They send an email and expect an immediate answer but you can only work on emails for a brief time in the morning before you leave for work and after you get home. There is the matter of shipping. How will you get to the post office or UPS store during the hours they are open if you are at work? There is also the matter of time for your job, time for your business and time for your life and family. With this in mind, let's look at some strategies and ideas:

1. Organization -- The very first thing you will have to do is get organized. Taking the time to set up organized structures and systems can be a huge time (and money) saver. You will have to take a lot of photos and you don't want to spend time setting up lights and a tripod every time you want to launch an auction. Set up a permanent or semi-permanent photo set up in your garage or spare room. Next is a shipping station. Again, you want a table set up with all of your tape, boxes and shipping materials handy. If you have a UPS account you can get one of their small thermal printers to print out your shipping labels. Or, if you use the post office there are several computer programs that will calculate postage and print out labels so you can drop your packages at the post office instead of standing in line. You should automate your auctions with software or an on-line auction management system such as Meridian (www.noblespirit.com) or Vendio (www.vendio.com). These systems will save you time launching your auctions, sending out payment request emails and processing payments, posting feedback and keeping track of your inventory, costs and expenses.

2. Go High Speed -- Time is money, and time is also your most valuable commodity when you have very little of it. Any time you can save, will be repaid several times over in profits. DSL and Cable can be a bit expensive, but these high-speed services will save you several hours a month. If DSL costs you an extra $25 a month and saves you only 2 hours, think what you can do with that two hours. For example, if you are using an auction management service, you can launch anywhere from 10 to 30 auctions in that period of time. (If your product has a standard description and you already have images, you can launch many more in this time) How much do you make on each auction? If you could launch an extra 30 auction a month, would you make more than $25.00?

3. Get your own UPS account -- This can be a real time (and money) saver. If you have your own UPS account you can rent a scale and thermal printer and save hours of time shipping each month. If you volume is high enough, you can also get discounts from UPS. These discounts will often offset the cost of shipping materials allowing you to make a small margin on your shipping and handling costs. UPS will not pick up packages from a private residence1 but once your packages are prepared with the UPS label you can simply drop them at any UPS drop box or UPS store. For example, you can prepare all your shipments in the evening and drop them off at a UPS store in the morning on your way to work.

4. Let your customers know your situation -- People can me a lot more understanding if they know what and who they are dealing with. Most email programs allow you to append an automatic pre-written signature line. For example, you could add a signature line that said something like: "Your complete satisfaction is important to me. Please understand that I work a full-time job during the day, so I cannot always respond to you immediately. Please be assured that I will respond to any request you have at the very first chance I get."

5. Save Some Time for Yourself -- Your mental health and your family's happiness is also important to your success. Working a full-time job and coming home and spending 4 hours a night on the computer, or taking photos or shipping goods is very tiring. It is very easy to get sucked into the business and suddenly you turn around and it is 11:30 in the evening and you have to get up in 6 or 7 hours. Time management is crucial. You must set aside some quality time for yourself and your family. Remember, the goal here is to make some extra money -- not to get a divorce. If you are single, be sure to take some time to relax, eat dinner or have a glass of wine and watch your favorite TV show. Set a limit on how much you will work each evening. If you take the time to actually do a schedule, then you will be more likely to follow it. If you have a family, the same is even more true. You simply have to set aside some time each evening to spend with your spouse and/or children. If you don't do these things you will find yourself becoming stressed out and this stress will be reflected in your eBay business and in your job.

eBay has been a phenomenal success as a company and has provided opportunity to thousands of entrepreneurs and home-based businesses. It is not as easy as it seems to start and run a successful eBay business -- but it can be done by most people. The secret is nothing more than a modicum of talent and intelligence, hard work, a good plan and paying attention to the details. Good luck in your eBay business!

1 There are some exceptions to this rule. You should discuss this with your local UPS representative once you open an account.

Skip McGrath is the author of the eBay Power Seller's Manual and How To Start and Run An eBay Consignment Business. He also publishes a monthly newsletter the eBay Auction Seller's News.

The Hobby/Business Dilemma

2007-01-28T14:51:00.000-06:00

Well friends, there is a real "catch 22" that occasionally comes up when we start a new business. We all know that the best business people are those who absolutely love what they do. They get out of bed in the morning excited because they find pleasure in their entrepreneurial endeavors.

So should we try to make a business out of the hobbies we love so much? Will we eventually get burned out and start hating our hobby? Or could it be the perfect path towards the best way to make money we could ever ask for?

If you have decided to start turning your spare time enterprises into cash flow, here is an article from the National Federation of Independent Business that could help. The NFIB is a solid and trusted resource for small business people.

Turning Your Hobby Into a Business
01/ 24/ 2007

Do you have a product or service that you enjoy offering to grateful friends and family members? Perhaps you've been thinking lately that going professional would be a great way to earn some extra money, or even start your career as a small-business owner. While many successful businesses have been built on a hobby's foundation, so have many failed ones. Here are a few precautions--and tips for proceeding if you decide this is the right move for you.

Precautions

Loving what you do isn't enough. What are your reasons for wanting to turn your hobby into a business? If your only reason is really enjoying your hobby, this simply won't cut it. While having passion for what you do can be a factor in running a successful business, there are so many other considerations in starting up and running one. Also consider that even if you love what you do, running a business will still be work, and you may find yourself loving what you do less and less when you're required to do it instead of wanting to.

Make sure the logistics work

Let's say you edit and offer suggestions on your friends' term papers and are thinking of offering your services campus-wide for a fee. How long does it take you to read and critique a single paper? How much time could you devote to this enterprise without affecting your own studies? If you took on more essays, would you still be able to offer the time and care you're currently taking, which is what makes your service valuable? Could you charge enough to make it worth your time? Figure out all the pertinent logistics before leaping ahead.

Scope out the competition

Sure, your friends might love the mittens you knit them at Christmas, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll be willing to pay for them. Take a trip to the businesses in your area that offer the same services. Compare their pricing with what you're planning to charge and compare quality, too. Can you offer something the competition lacks? If not, it might be hard to draw existing customers away.

Proceeding

Don't skip any steps. Even if you've been at your hobby for years, going into business with it is still an entirely new venture. You'll need a business plan, including cost and earnings projections, space and supplies needed, and so on.

Enlist friends and family to help with the transition
Making the people close to you part of the business launch perhaps will alleviate some of the tension you might feel over asking them to start paying for the services you've always given them for free. Ask them for testimonials and other marketing help. You can offer them a discount for their help, which could further dissipate any awkwardness.

Manage your time like a professional, not a hobbyist
When this was your hobby, all you had to think about was making the product and perhaps filling a few orders. Now you need to think like an entrepreneur, budgeting time for all aspects of your business, such as research and development, marketing and more.

Turning your hobby into a business can be a great thing. You likely have a built-in customer base who knows you're passionate about your offering and will happily help you spread the word. Just take the necessary steps to ensure that your passion can sustain all the headaches (albeit often rewarding ones) that come with owning your own business.

When Inspiration Hits You!

2007-01-23T11:53:00.000-06:00

The great motivator Earl Nightingale said "Everything begins with an idea". You probably get them all the time. But are they all worth pursuing?

Here is an article from our good friends at articlewiz that might help you find the answer.

How Good Is Your Big Idea

By: Tim Knox

Q: I want to start my own business. I have tons of business ideas that all sound great to me, but my husband is not so sure. He says that we need to figure out a way to test my ideas to pick the one that has the best chance of succeeding. I’m ready to just pick one and go for it. What is the best way to determine if a business idea really is as good as it sounds?
-- Hannah C.

A: Heather, I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but your husband is right (first time for everything, huh): before you just pick a business idea and go for it you should test the feasibility of your ideas to make sure they really are as good as you think they are.

Every business idea, no matter how good it sounds while bouncing around inside your head, should be put to the test before you invest time and money into its execution. Success lies not in what you think of your idea, but what the buying public will think. Many entrepreneurs find out too late that the public’s opinion of their idea differs greatly from their own. Wasted time and money aside, the last thing you want to do is hear “I told you so!” from your husband, so take a deep breath, slow down, and let’s look at the ways you can test the feasibility of your idea.

There are many ways to test an idea’s feasibility, though some ways are not nearly as effective or accurate than others. Most people start out by asking everyone they know what they think of their big idea. This is a good way to start the wheels turning because you may get feedback that you have not considered before, but be warned: this is NOT the best way to test the true feasibility of an idea. Never start a business simply based on what your friends and family think.

There are two things that will happen here. First, your mother will tell you what you want to hear and your best friends will be equally kind. No one who really cares for you will want to rain on your parade no matter how insane your parade might be, so take the wisdom you gain here with a hug and a grain of salt.

On the flip side, your coworkers and casual acquaintances will probably tell you the opposite of what they really think. If they think your idea stinks they’ll tell you it’s great and if they think your idea is great they’ll tell you it stinks. Please don’t preach to me about human kindness. Human kindness is often bested by human nature and we humans, by nature, are an envious lot. We hate to see anyone doing better than we are doing and we hate to see anyone who has the potential to leave us behind. Go watch the movie “Envy” and consider this: why would someone who is broke or stuck in dead-end job with no other prospects want to see you succeed? They wouldn’t. End of story.

Instead of conferring with friends and family you should run your idea past a number of neutral third parties who are knowledgeable about business and will give you an honest opinion. Contact the local Small Business Administration (SBA) or The Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) offices and ask to speak with someone knowledgeable who has time to listen to your idea (don’t run it past the receptionist). Or speak with the small business liaison at the Chamber of Commerce. Or seek out a successful entrepreneur who is willing to listen and give you an honest opinion about your idea. Just remember, opinions are like belly buttons: everybody has one and they are all different.

A more accurate way to judge the feasibility of an idea is to create a SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. A SWOT analysis will not only help you gauge the feasibility of your idea, but also help you build on your idea’s strengths, identify and correct the weaknesses, and spot ways to take advantage of potential opportunities while avoiding potential threats.

Here’s how to perform a simple SWOT Analysis. On a piece of paper draw a vertical line down the center of the page. Then draw a horizontal line through the center of the vertical line. The paper is now divided into four quadrants. Label the upper left quadrant “Strengths.” Label the upper right quadrant “Weaknesses.” Label the lower left quadrant “Opportunities” and the lower right quadrant “Threats.”

Now fill in each quadrant based on what you see as the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of your business idea. You should repeat this process for every idea you have and each quadrant should have something written in. If you can think of no strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for a particular idea, that means that you do not have enough information to complete the SWOT analysis, which means you also do not have enough information to effectively execute that idea.

Strengths are those things that make your idea a strong one. Strengths can be personal or product-oriented and may include: prior business experience and success; sufficient funding to start the business; having a customer in hand; having a unique product or service to offer; having an established market; etc.

Next list all of the weaknesses of your idea. It is important that you are honest with yourself and list as many weaknesses as you can. Don’t pretend that your idea doesn’t have any weaknesses because every idea does. You will hurt no one but yourself if you pretend that your idea is bulletproof. Weaknesses might include: lack of capital to start the business; lack of business or management experience; a crowded market place; large competitors; etc.

Opportunities are those things that you can tap into that might fast track your business idea. We’ve talked about opportunities before and how smart entrepreneurs seek out new opportunities rather than waiting for opportunities to come to them. Opportunities might include: a potential partnership with someone who sells products in the same market; a prime storefront location that is coming available; a competitor going out of business, leaving a hole in the market that may be right for you; etc.

Threats are those things that threaten the success of your business idea. Threats might include: uncertain marketplace conditions; strong competitors in the market with lower prices; possible laws or taxes that may impact your idea; etc. Like weaknesses, it is vital that you are honest when it comes to identifying threats.

Once you have filled in all four quadrants, you should have enough information to begin testing the feasibility of your idea. Do the strengths of your idea outweigh the weaknesses or do the weaknesses outweigh the strengths? Are the opportunities available to you ample or nonexistent? Are the threats many or few?

With this information in hand, you can move on to the most accurate method of testing your idea and that is the creation of a detailed feasibility plan, which we will discuss next time.

Here’s to your success!

Tim Knox is awesome. He is an author, speaker, teacher and entrepreneur. His site can be found here.

The New and Improved Journey Is Here!

2007-01-18T12:29:00.000-06:00

After much anticipation, the long awaited second generation of "The Journey" has finally been unleashed. I affectionately call it "J2" because it springs up from the original Journey with dazzling improvements.

The Journey is an amazing system that lays out the process of building a successful business in easy to follow steps.

WHAT'S SO AMAZING ABOUT THE SECOND GENERATION OF THE JOURNEY?

This is a huge step forward in the entrepreneurial experience for each person who has a strong desire to build a lasting business. There is an entirely new Portal which is bursting with state of the art technology, efficient services, vastly improved program content, and an armada of strategic partnerships which could mentor you from neophyte to tycoon.

WHY DO THE PATHS LOOK DIFFERENT?

The Journey is now comprised of four self paced paths which have been re-organized and re-engineered from the ground up to take your success training to a whole new level. The Journey begins with Path 1 which is entitled "Change Your Life". This includes the highly anticipated "J2" version of the goal setting system called "The Journey Map". This sets the foundation for success by focusing on goal setting and personal development.

Onward to Path 2 called "Business University" which gives even the most inexperienced in commerce the knowledge and skills needed to attain their desired level of accomplishment. Designed by Get Started Media, and inspired by some of the most successful e-learning companies on the planet, Business University brings the hallowed halls of business school right into the ease and comfort of your own office chair.

After graduation from Path 2, trek on towards Path 3 which is called "Establish Your Business". This guides each entrepreneur through the key online and offline business building strategies.

Path 4 of the Journey is called "Manage and Grow Your Business". This takes the guesswork out of what a business owner must do to ensure stable growth and profitability.

YOU CAN FINALLY SAY THERE IS AN "I" IN TEAM!

That "I" is YOU, and the team is the amazing group of "Preferred Partners" who are professionals at assisting entrepreneurs. Hand selected companies will offer you significant discounts in services ranging from legal, accounting, marketing, and advertising. In many cases those services are at "no charge" to you. Free is good!

If you haven't gone to the new portal and started J2, what are you waiting for?

Your destiny of success and freedom is just one journey away.

Your Half Hour of Business Power!

2007-01-08T17:14:00.000-06:00

If you haven't been joining us on Wednesday nights for The Essential Conference Call, you have been missing out on a great way to stay educated, motivated, and empowered to reach your entrepreneurial potential. Each weekly conference call lasts around 30 minutes, is absolutely FREE, and will put you in touch with some of the most informed business professionals from every walk of life.

(from left to right) Steve Foss, Davienne Neptune, and Jody Brothers

The call is hosted by three business savvy and highly entertaining telephone personalities. Steve Foss is the voice of much of the motivational content in the portal like "The Daily Spark" and the audio series "15 Minutes That Could Change Your Life". Davienne Neptune has a long, successful history of dealing with small business people. And Jody Brothers lends his expertise from his million dollar company www.justgolfbags.com. Together they present a synergy and a flow of information which challenges each and every listener to achieve maximum results.

THE PEOPLE YOU NEED WITH THE ANSWERS YOU WANT!

The strength of the Essential Conference Call lies in appearances by guest professionals from every aspect of small business. Imagine spending time with an attorney, financial advisor, marketing guru, professional website evaluator, or any of the myriad of business consultants we interview on a regular basis.

DON'T JUST SIT THERE...ASK!

Have a question, concern, or challenge? We take questions from the call family and have them answered "on the spot" via email and live chat. If you have an issue or are seeking advice, we give you expert information within minutes.

REPETITION IS THE MOTHER OF SKILL!

All the calls are recorded and put into the portal where you have access to them for future reference. You can stream them on demand 365 days a year at your convenience. You are never more than a few clicks away from the brightest and best entrepreneurial minds in America.

Corporate V.I.P. Dave DeWitt keeps each call to it's scheduled time

Make Wednesday nights a part of your success routine! Join us for The Essential Conference Call. You can find the schedule of all calls, as well as a library of previous calls on our web site.

When you learn, you will earn!

"Mentee" Thyself This Year

2007-01-02T11:38:00.000-06:00

OK, so I used a funny word to get you to start thinking about something that you can do in 2007 to help you achieve your dreams and accomplish your goals. I am talking about being “mentored” by someone who has already attained the level of success that you are seeking. A person who is under the tutelage of a mentor is called a “protégé” or “mentoree”, and sometimes they can be referred to as a “mentee”. Here is what Wikipedia says about being mentored:

“This is the source of the modern use of the word mentor: a trusted friend, counselor or teacher, usually a more experienced person. Some professions have "mentoring programs" in which newcomers are paired with more experienced people in order to obtain good examples and advice as they advance, and schools sometimes have mentoring programs for new students or students who are having difficulties.

Today mentors provide their expertise to less experienced individuals in order to help them advance their careers, enhance their education, and build their networks. Many of the world's most successful people have benefited from having a mentor including:

• business people - Freddie Laker mentored Richard Branson
• politicians - Aristotle mentored Alexander the Great
• actors - Mel Gibson mentored Heath Ledger
• athletes - Eddy Merckx (five-time Tour de France winner) mentored Lance Armstrong (seven-time Tour de France winner).”

Have you decided who will mentor you this year? If not, please put some thought into that question. It doesn’t mean that you will select a person where you can actually meet face to face, although that is an optimum scenario. It simply means that you have chosen a person who has what you want to have, and has done what you want to do. This way you can learn from them.

One year I chose Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines. I ran a growing business, and he was one of the most successful, inventive, fun CEOs I knew. So I read everything there was to read about that man and how he made his airline into the epitome of success in that industry.

Last year I chose Vic Johnson. I subscribed to all of his web sites and received his daily email inspirations. I read his books, and practically any article I could get my hands on about his history, his philosophy, and his way of doing business to help people. I wanted to learn everything I could about the man.

This year, I have selected to be a student of Bob Proctor. I know the chances of us meeting are extremely slim. But I have already started devouring some of his DVD sets about accomplishment and mental acuity. He is in his seventies and has the energy and passion of a teen. He is doing and getting what I want to do and get.

Who will mentor you in 2007? Will it be the mainstream media via sitcoms and negative news? Will you be mentored by some “naysayer” in your life that sends you an endless supply of messages why you can’t be successful this year? Or will you take advantage of the amazing library of success motivation and instructional material in the success portal?

Jesus found twelve men he could mentor. Bach found himself surrounded by young protégés he could mold into great musicians. Donald Trump started Trump University to help others with the dreams and aspirations to become wealthy. Oprah Winfrey is always sharing her thoughts and dreams with young ladies from all over America.

What about you?

Decide today that you will find someone you respect and admire. Select someone who stands for your core values, and has attained a level of success that you are working towards. And place yourself under their wing. Before you know it, you will be exhibiting the same attributes to people looking up to you that you saw in your mentor. And then you can pay it forward to those who are then where you are now. Bring someone with you as you attain your success.

Merry Christmas To All Our Business Partners!

2006-12-21T17:18:00.000-06:00

Since it is almost Christmas, I thought we would take the week off from success training and do something fun. I would like to dedicate this blog post to everyone who loves trivia. And we want to remind everyone how much we love and appreciate each and every one of you. May you all have a safe and Merry Christmas! May your households be filled with love and laughter this holiday season. And may you get everything you wished for this holiday season!

So you think you know about the history of Christmas, huh? Try this:

Do you know much about the traditions of Christmas? Give this a whirl:

You knew in a flash that it must be Saint Nick, right? What do you REALLY know about Santa Claus?

Here's one for the cosmopolitan world traveller. You think you know how the rest of the world celebrates Christmas? Then this should be a breeze for you. (it ate my lunch)

How did you do? We'll see you next week with our final blog post of the year.

Merry Christmas from the Startup Essentials family!

Listen To Their Wallet, Not Their Mouth!

2006-12-11T10:21:00.000-06:00

While most Americans will tell you that the economy stinks, what they are saying with their wallets is quite another story. If you listen to the talk, you might become discouraged about your chances of success as an Internet entrepreneur.

Here is an article about sales this Christmas season that is very important for you as an online retailer. I have bolded and changed the color on some crucial text, but have put it here verbatim. Check it out, especially the parts that pertain to you.

US Christmas shopping season off to strong start
11-26-2006, 22h41 WASHINGTON (AFP)

They looked, they counted, and they liked the numbers. Less than 48 hours after department stores swung their doors wide open in the pre-dawn chill to let in first Christmas shoppers, the main national retail tracker reported the US holiday shopping season was off to a "relatively strong start."

Sales on Black Friday, as the day following the Thanksgiving holiday is widely known, jumped a healthy 6.0 percent compared to a year ago to reach an estimated 8.96 billion dollars, ShopperTrak RCT Corporation said in its retail performance estimate released Saturday. Christmas sales have been traditionally seen as a reliable barometer of consumer confidence and the overall performance of the US economy. Their strength this year may have come as a surprise as a Gallup poll taken earlier this month found that only 40 percent of Americans believed the state of the nation's economy was either "excellent" or "good," while 59 percent described it as "fair" or "poor."

But the pocketbook vote yielded a different result.

"Although we anticipated a solid consumer turnout for Black Friday, this data shows an even larger increase than expected as consumers proved they were willing to spend," noted Bill Martin, co-founder of ShopperTrak. He cautioned that Black Friday was not the greatest bellwether for the season's performance and retailers needed to remain cautious. "But undoubtedly this type of a season opening is a nice shot in the arm for the industry," Martin stressed.

Scenes of expectation and excitement, sometimes bordering on chaos, mirrored each other from shopping mall to shopping mall -- from New York to Chicago to Seattle. After a traditional brief pause for Thanksgiving Day on Thursday, department stores began opening their doors as early as 5:00 am on Friday, luring early comers with promises of their most juicy bargains. But lines began forming even earlier, with hours of waiting culminating in a frenzied rush toward coveted merchandise the moment attendants unlocked the doors.

ShopperTrak said Friday's "impressive consumer outpouring" should have retailers feeling cautiously optimistic for the 2006 Christmas season when retailers usually make the bulk of their profits. The success, the company concluded, had a lot to do with extended retail discounts and a recent decline in gas and other energy prices that may have left consumers with more disposable income to spend.

J.C. Penney, the nation's largest catalogue merchant and owner of one of the leading department store chains, said in a statement that traffic in its outlets throughout the nation was "brisk," with home entertainment products, jewelry, and children's apparel leading the list of the most popular items. However, at Wal-Mart, the largest US retailer, results were disappointing. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based giant reported that its sales for a four-week period starting October 28 and including Black Friday dropped 0.1 percent. No reason for the loss was given.

The most breathtaking growth, however, was reported in the burgeoning sector of Internet sales, which took off just a few years ago.

Retail Decisions, a Hazlet, New Jersey-based company that specializes in online fraud prevention, said Saturday that Internet trade volumes went up a whopping 109 percent on Black Friday compared to a year ago.

"Through our global fraud prevention and payment processing platforms, we record and analyze a significant percentage of online payment transactions globally," said Carl Clump, the Retail Decisions chief executive officer.

"There has certainly been a significant surge on Black Friday as retailers promote their online shopping channels as vigorously as their brick and mortar stores," he pointed out.

Fridays With Maxell

2006-12-05T11:18:00.000-06:00

The picture above is a rare one indeed. It is not because it is of me, or the fact that I am in Red Square in Moscow. It is rare because it is one of five pictures that survived that trip. Here is the story in a nutshell.

In 2003 I went to Moscow to do some orphanage work. During the three weeks I was there, I took almost 300 pictures that were extremely important to my foundation. I spent all day conducting business. And every evening when I returned to my apartment, I would upload all the pictures I had taken that day with my camera to my lap top. Every time the upload was finished, a box would ask me if I wanted to back up the photos to a disc. Every time I clicked on “NO” because I was going to wait until I came back to America and back them all up on one disc after I sorted them out.

Imagine my panic here in America when I went to power up the laptop and nothing happened. The hard drive was dead. I tried to retrieve the data from the fried hard drive professionally by some serious computer geeks, but it couldn’t be done. Nobody is sure exactly what happened. I could blame Aeroflot airlines for the way they X-rayed my computer. I could blame the myriad of uncaring Russian workers who tossed expensive stuff around like they were bags of laundry. I could blame Chernobyl or the KGB. But the only one I really could blame was myself. Three hundred extremely important pictures were now gone! Five pictures remained because they were still in my camera and had not been cleared.

What is the moral to that story?

Imagine one day finding that the hard drive on your business computer is dead. Imagine all your customer names gone. Imagine all the financial data from your accounting software is missing. Imagine the panic you would feel as everything you have worked so hard to obtain suddenly vanishes.

Now imagine replacing the hard drive with a new one. And imagine putting in your back up and recovery disc and having every single piece of information restored like new.

You Must Do This Weekly!

Back up all your data weekly. When you first power up your Acer laptop, it asks you if you want to make a copy for back up. DO IT! And then weekly add the new data from the week to that disc.

I use a program I bought at Best Buy called Back It Up. It is inexpensive and very easy to use. I have it set to write the week’s information to disc every Friday afternoon. I do nothing but leave the computer on and have the disc in the CD Rom drive. It will add any new and changed data to the CDRW disc. If your data is extremely sensitive, you can literally back it up every night. But every Friday I have a date with Maxell.

Protect Yourself And Your Business!

• Make a copy of all the data on your machine TODAY!
• Back up your files regularly.
• Back up after you reconcile your bank statement every month regardless of what day of the week.

Like the old saying goes:

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Thursday, and Every Day From Now On!

2006-11-19T20:11:00.000-06:00

This week we will be doing what you will hopefully be doing also: Celebrating Thanksgiving Day. There are many successful business people who will tell you that their prosperity and blessing is a direct result of their being thankful for the things that they already have.

We want to let you know how much we appreciate you. We appreciate your courage, determination, and drive. We appreciate your wanting to do whatever it takes to experience the freedom of being successfully self employed. We appreciate you pushing yourself beyond what you thought you were capable of doing and being. And we want to leave you with two gifts this week as our way of saying "thank you" for partnering with us.

Here is a poem that we want you to take to heart:

BE THANKFUL
By Author Unknown

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made a difference.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

And lastly we want to share a video with you. It is fifteen years old, but the content is as fresh and current as today's newspaper. Take five minutes and see what your neighbors and fellow countrymen are thankful for.

May you all have a safe and happy Thanksgiving Day!

Will Your Web Site Make A Difference?

2006-11-15T12:35:00.000-06:00

We are heading into the season where many times our thoughts turn beyond ourselves and our own successes, and on to helping others. This is the time of the year where giving, sharing, and helping the less fortunate seem to be in the spotlight. And did you know that there is a way you can help others with your web site without it costing you a single cent?

There are many charities in the world that are doing magnificent work to make this planet a better place to live. We have no affiliation with any particular organization, cause, or belief system. We believe that each person should decide in their own heart how, where, and why to give. And I would like you to consider two business ideas that might make the holidays brighter for someone less fortunate that you.

1. Link to a charitable organization from your web site.

We have talked many times about the power of linking to other web sites from a marketing and search engine optimization aspect. But have you considered linking to the site of your favorite cause to help drive traffic to THEIR web site? On my blog I link to both my church and a Russian organization. Maybe you are a rocker and want to help Bono of U2 feed starving African children through his ONE campaign. Maybe you want to protect wildlife or fight breast canc er. Inner city youth and orphanages can always use support. And that support doesn't always have to take the form of money. The Red Cross and CARE are always there when disasters strike world wide. Whether you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or any of the world's faiths, you can put a link of support on your web site. Love animals, Public Broadcasting, or feeding the homeless? You can do something quickly and easily to make a small contribution to help by donating some web space for a link or small banner ad.

Check with your accountant, but many times the costs affiliated with helping charities is 100% tax deductible.

2. Give a portion of sales proceeds to your favorite cause.

We have all been on sites where they mention that a certain percentage of all sales will go to a worthy cause. Consider raising your rates for a couple of months to absorb the cost of sending a little of each sale to a hard working charitable organization. There are many people who will buy from a company that has integrity and good character. And is there a cheaper way to show that you are a company that is concerned with pertinent issues than to mention it on your web site?

Starbucks talks about their foundation which does notable works world wide. It is a coffee web site talking about clean water for third world countries and helping children learn how to read. Do you think it detracts from their sales? Heck no! And Amazon.com has a box for "featured partners". Their online sales don't seem to have suffered in the least.

Don't know any charities? No problem. Pick one here. But make sure that you have done your research and that you are supporting a fiscally responsible group. The last thing you want to do is discover you have been linking to a terrorist organization or the Russian mafia.

All the great teachers throughout time have said that it is by giving that we receive. Would you be willing to do a little web work to help a child with terminal cancer have a Merry Christmas? Of course you would. There are Christmas charities that can make it happen for you. The five best rated ones are here.

If you need help making this happen, please contact customer support.

Is There A Thief Next Door?

2006-10-30T08:22:00.000-06:00

Your new laptop just might be the first computer you have owned that is "Wi-Fi" enabled. That means you can connect to the Internet without having to be connected to the wall. It is a great way to run your business from a remote location and feel a real sense of freedom. But it is also an easy way for dishonest neighbors to steal Internet access from you without you even knowing it. Here is a great article that will help you identify the signs of wireless Internet theft and help you see if you have become a victim.

Is Your Neighbor Scamming on Your Wi-Fi?
By Tom Samiljan, The Gadget Hound

A reader writes: How do I know if my neighbor is scamming on my Wi-Fi?

If loading a web page or downloading an MP3 suddenly moves at glacial pace, your next door neighbor (or some kid parked in front of your house) may be using up your bandwidth. To be sure, you can check your router's logs (accessible through your router's Wi-Fi manager software) to see what other computers are linked up to your network.

Now, you could put a sign on your front lawn or in your lobby warning people to keep off your bandwidth, but the best way to prevent intruders from accessing your network is to enable WEP or WPA encryption on your networkÂessentially, setting up a password using your router's software. Don't lose this password, as you'll need it to connect any additional computers or devices you want on your Wi-Fi network.

Using someone else's Wi-Fi without their permission is actually against the law because it's considered unauthorized access into a computer network. Last year, a man in Florida was arrested and charged with a third-degree felony for "war driving," a practice where people park in front of people's houses with a laptop and use their Wi-Fi networks. In most cases, it's a relatively innocuous practiceÂpeople just checking mail or surfing the web.

Nevertheless, cases have been reported where Wi-Fi scammers have used other people's wireless networks to download porn, get credit card numbers, send hate mail, or download illegal music and video. Besides slowing down your Wi-Fi connection, these illicit activities will be traced back to you, so get with the program and make sure you encrypt your Wi-Fi network. For some more advice on Wi-Fi security, check out Chris' post.

Any "war driving" victims out there?

And here is a response he received from someone who read his article and had a strong opinion about it:

"It is against the law to have Wi-Fi trespassing through my house. I will put up a sign if necessary. My point is, if you leave your car door open on the street, you invite thieves over. Use your WEP key or pay somebody to lock it up. Don't freaking tell me I am stealing your Wi-Fi."

If you have any questions on this matter, contact the professionals at Customer Support. We will gladly walk you through the process of having a safe and effective wireless Internet connection.

Our Ghostly Halloween Post

2006-10-23T13:19:00.000-05:00

The late plastic surgeon and author Maxwell Maltz who wrote the book Psycho Cybernetics said that the most important psychological discovery of the last century was the discovery of the self image. His views of success were very controversial at the time. He was a man who believed that we came into this world to succeed and not to fail. And he was derided by some who were surrounded by the masses which lacked the success they had desired to attain. But he discovered that the outer circumstances of those who were not meeting their goals could be changed by following one simple step: quit focusing on the current circumstances and past programming, and start focusing on the circumstances we desire to have.

In his book he talks about a lady who had come to him for plastic surgery. She was born with what she considered to be a very unattractive hook nose. And she wanted him to perform rhinoplasty to give her an attractive nose so she would feel better about herself. The surgery went better than expected, and the result was a beautiful nose. The swelling subsided, and the bandages were removed. When he held the mirror up to her face so that she could see the new nose, her response surprised him. He asked: “How do you like your new beautiful self”? And she replied coldly: “You know, I don’t see much improvement. I still feel ugly.”

She had conditioned herself over a thirty year period to believe that she was ugly. And even though her appearance was dramatically improved, her self image setting was still programmed at the lowest level because of the years of unhealthy, negative self talk.

Dr. Denis Waitley noticed an interesting phenomenon in returning veterans who had lost limbs in the Viet Nam war. He spent time at Walter Reid Hospital visiting with amputees and helping with their rehabilitation. “In reality, at the judgment level of thinking, their limbs were gone” says Waitley. “But for several months, and sometimes years afterwards, the patients would experience an itching or tingling, and even pain in the empty space where the arms, hands, or feet had been. During the night, some would try to get up out of bed and walk. Only after they had fallen would they realize that they had no legs”. These individuals had programmed themselves for many years to use their limbs. And now that the limbs were gone, the automatic response was to follow what they believed about themselves to be true. That phenomenon is called the “phantom limb” by many who have studied it.

We’ve all been programmed in one fashion or another! Maybe we weren’t conditioned to believe that we were ugly. But we might have been programmed to accept mediocrity, failure, or poverty. Possibly we feel the presence of the “Phantom parent” who told us we would never amount to anything, or hear the devastating taunts of classmates making us feel inferior. Maybe the trauma of abuse early in life has us reaching to please a “phantom abuser” who is no longer there. Or possibly the ghosts of failed businesses in the past still hover around, haunting us out of the success we so richly deserve.

Here is a quick test to see if you are being bewitched by ghoulish lies and devilish deceits of false programming from the past. Please take an honest and fearless inventory of what you truly believe about yourself.

1. Do you believe that you came into this world to succeed and not to fail?

2. Do you believe you deserve a better life than you have now?

3. Are you a good person?

4. Are you loved?

5. Are you capable of achieving much more than you are achieving right now?

6. Do you have a destiny that is waiting for your fulfillment?

7. Are you willing to strive, fight, show courage, be persistent, and do whatever it takes to fulfill that destiny?

8. Are you willing to start TODAY?

If you answered “NO” to any of the above questions, you might be just like the lady looking in the mirror. Everyone around her saw a beautiful face. She still felt ugly.

Here is what we see when we look in your mirror. We see someone who is capable of achieving their wildest dreams. We see a person who has reservoirs of untapped potential. We see someone who is strong enough to confront the past, and courageous enough overcome any challenges in the future. We see a champion! And that champion is YOU!

Be all that you were created to be!

The Holidays, Mount Vesuvius, and Me

2006-10-16T08:41:00.000-05:00

Here comes the time of year when a major killer arrives on the scene. Not ony do we have family and deadlines to contend with, but we now have a growing business as well. We must make sure that we resist the urge to either shut down completely and go numb, or explode burying all with our toxic fallout. To keep us from being the subject of a documentary on the History Channel, here is an article on that deadly killer called stress.

Feeling Stressed?
Here are some tips to relieve the pressure of everyday life.
By Serena Gordon HealthDay Reporter

SUNDAY, Oct. 8 (HealthDay News) -- You just missed a deadline at work, you're supposed to chaperone your son's school field trip, and your mechanic called to tell you your car's transmission is shot. Stressed to the max?

Everyone experiences stress. And many people are stressed every day. But, stress isn't always as obvious as in the example above. In fact, some people don't even realize how much stress they're under until they suffer serious physical consequences of that stress.

Psychologist Anie Kalayjian, professor of psychology at Fordham University, said she's had patients end up in the emergency room, convinced they were having a heart attack, but instead, it was just the body's extreme response to stress. "If you're a person running around with high energy or nervous energy, you may not realize that you're stressed until you collapse!" said Kalayjian.

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, some possible signs that you're under too much stress are: Anxiety, back pain, stiff neck, depression, fatigue, trouble sleeping, unexpected weight changes, headaches, relationship troubles and high blood pressure.

"People need to start proactively trying to prevent episodes before they have extreme reactions," recommended Kalayjian.

But that doesn't mean you should make managing stress just another item on your "to-do" list, cautioned Gail Elliott Evo, the integrative medicine coordinator at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. "We talk so much about stress now. It's to the point that people are now feeling judgmental when they experience stress and can't eliminate it. But, unless you're a guru sitting in a temple in Tibet, I don't think you can avoid stress. There will be periods where you'll have stress," she said.

Still, managing stress or reducing it as much as you can is a smart idea, because constant stress leaves your body flooded with stress hormones, which can increase your risk of heart attack and other serious health problems. "Stress causes physical and psychological reactions. It can alter your sleep. It leaves you constantly in fighting-mode and leaves your immune system suppressed. You may get sick a lot," Kalayjian said.

There's no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to managing stress. "Some things will be right for one person but not for another. Be open, and try things. Give something a try, and if it's not right for you, move on to something else. You'll eventually find something that's right for you," said Evo.

Some of the approaches she recommends include: Massage, healing touch, yoga, tai chi, walking, meditation and guided imagery. Kalayjian said a good place to start de-stressing is with deep breathing.

"One minute per each hour of the day, you need to sit and do nothing but focus on breathing. No phones, no lists, no responsibilities. It's almost like how you recharge your battery for your mobile phone. We need to recharge, too," she said.

She also recommends exercise. "Don't wait to feel stressed. Get at least a half an hour of exercise every day. It gets a lot of the toxins and stress out of our bodies," Kalayjian said.

Kalayjian also advocates something she calls "journaling."

"It helps to put things on paper and outside of yourself. You don't have to store it in your heart, body or mind. When we journal, we let go of things and that acts as a release," she said.

She also suggests getting organized. "Many people waste 20 percent of their time looking for things. Try to be organized. Label things. Have organizers. It seems very mundane, but helps tremendously in saving your energy," Kalayjian said.

Evo said many people use a combination of techniques to relieve their stress.

"Be playful with it. Try different things," she said. Kalayjian agreed, adding that people need to "learn how to have a sense of humor, to laugh and make others laugh, too."

Finally, Kalayjian advised that if you try several different methods to "de-stress" and just can't seem to relax, you could probably benefit from seeing a psychotherapist.

More information The National Mental Health Association offers tips on coping with stress (www.nmha.org).

Serena Gordon is a reporter for our good friends at Health Day. For a myriad of articles about health and wellness, visit their site often.

Turn Clippers Into Clickers

2006-10-08T14:32:00.000-05:00

Have you considered using Internet coupons to brand your business and build customer loyalty? Maybe now is a great time to augment your marketing campaign to insure your customer base remains loyal. Check out this article by Cathy Peterson:

What Are Internet Coupons All About?
By: Cathy Peterson

Before answering what internet coupons are, it would be better to answer what a coupon is in the first place. What is a coupon anyway? A coupon is something you use in order to get something of value from the issuer of the coupon. A coupon can be in the form of a ticket. It can also be a simple paper that you cut out from a newspaper. The value that you get from a coupon may come in the form of a discount. It can come in the form of a rebate. It may also be something free from an issuing company or any entity for that matter.

Now that we know what a coupon is, let us now try to define what an internet coupon is. An internet coupon is something that you obtain from the internet in order to use to get something of value from an issuer. If a newspaper coupon is a coupon that you get from the newspaper, then an internet coupon is a coupon that you get from the internet.

Businesses use the internet for several reasons. One of the main reasons that businesses use the internet is to reach consumers from all over the world. If a business would like to push a certain product or service, then using the internet would be a good way to get this job done. Businesses issue coupons over the internet to get customers to patronize their product or service. For example, a business can issue a 10% discount coupon over the internet. A user will see this coupon, print it out, and then bring this coupon to the business establishment. The business will now grant a 10% discount to the person who possesses this coupon. In this way, both the user and the business win. The business will be able to move his product or service and in turn, the user will be able to get a discount from the product or service that he needed in the first place.

Internet coupons nowadays are very powerful. They will be able to move businesses to the next level of sales. They will be able to grant consumers all over the world the discounts they deserve from patronizing a product or service. The internet coupons may be the catalyst that will catapult online commerce to the next level.

Cathy Peterson is a writer who has many articles on articlewiz. Her profile can be found here.

Man's New Best Friend

2006-10-02T15:09:00.001-05:00

Now that you have decided to start a business where selling online is a large part of your marketing campaign, you have a new best friend. It is your computer. The opening line from the great novel by Charles Dickens “A Tale of Two Cities” says that it was the best of times and it was the worst of times. The same can be said of your computer. It can be the best of tools for your success, and can also be your worst enemy if it doesn’t perform up to its best.

Almost everything you do that will make you successful, from shopping the competition and building your web site, to billing customers and reconciling your bank statement takes place on your computer. It contains important information from product images to personal family pictures. And when our computer decides to go on a vacation (otherwise known as crashing) we can be put in a very difficult situation. Here are some things that you should be doing to maintain your computer on a regular basis to keep it fast and happy.

1. Clean House. There is a great success principle that says we should get rid of what we don’t want to make room for what we do want. And it works for computers also. Every web site you visit has images that are saved on your computer’s hard drive. Even things that you have “deleted” aren’t really deleted. They are still hanging around on your computer. So there is a way to do some spring cleaning year round. It is called “disc cleanup”, and here is how to get it done. Go to “Start” and select “All Programs”. Towards the top is “Accessories” and then hit “System Tools”. You will see as an option “Disc Cleanup”. This nifty little program is a great way for you to let windows flush itself out and eliminate all the junk that has been accumulated.

2. Close The Gaps. Your hard drive will run faster if it gets all the important data close to each other and compacted. This way it doesn’t have to go on a safari to find the information it is looking for. After you have cleaned your hard drive, then do something called “defragmenting”. It literally does what it sounds like: gets rid of fragmented space between data. Follow the same procedures as cleanup, but under “System Tools” look for “Disc Defragmenter”. Even if a window pops up telling you that you don’t need to, do it anyway. It will keep your computer running faster than the road runner on El Paso asphault.

3. Stay Current. There are always new updates that software companies come out with that improve performance and increase security. It is important to update your software with regularity. To update Windows, go to “Start” and then “All Programs”. Towards the top you will find a choice called “Windows Update”. You will need an active Internet connection open, and it will contact our friends in Washington State. But your personal information will be safe, and you can keep your operating system fresh as a baby after a bath. And of course you will want to update your virus protection software a couple times a week. Are you scanning for viruses with regularity? Trust me friends, one virus that takes root can bring the whole computer to a grinding halt. It’s just not worth being undisciplined where your business is concerned.

4. Back It Up. A must purchase for your computer is software that will back up your data. This makes a copy of everything on your computer and copies it to a disc that you can keep in a safe place. I arrived home from a trip to Russia years ago to find that somehow my hard drive was fried. I believe they used some strange Soviet x-ray machine on my laptop and it was deader than a slow possum on a Texas highway. Because I was going to wait until I got home to do a backup, I lost invaluable documents and over 400 pictures that could never be replaced. Back up often and keep your discs in a safe and secure place. If you ever need to restore your computer after a disaster, the original software will be restored, but everything you have collected since the day you received it can not be replaced until you restore backed up data. Go here and search the myriads of data backup software programs that you can try for free. I use one called “Back It Up” that I purchased at Best Buy for around $30.

5. Be a Spy Buster. Lots of sites want to put all kinds of tracking cookies and ad ware on your computer to keep track of where you go. Get rid of it with two of the best programs for spyware removal around: Spybot and Ad-aware. They are both free and can also be found here. Don’t forget to update them often and run them weekly.

Love your computer and your computer will love you! Treat her right and she will be the best thing that happened to your business since the post it note. If there are any questions you might have about these maintenance suggestions, support is only a phone call or a quick chat away. And don’t tell your dog, but there is a new “man’s best friend” in the house. And it’s named “Acer”.

Business Tips From Bikers

2006-09-25T10:50:00.000-05:00

I’ll let you in on a little secret about myself. I am a 47 year old man who has been riding motorcycles since he was eight. Well, that’s if you can classify something powered by a 5 horse power lawn mower engine as a motorcycle. But there has always been something with only two wheels propelling me down some road somewhere in America for almost 40 years. And it is amazing the lessons one can learn from motorcycle riding that we should apply to business to keep our companies strong, powerful, and moving at a rapid pace towards our desired destinations. One of the most challenging, dangerous, and exhilarating experiences a rider can have is taking curves on his motorcycle. So here are three lessons every biker knows about taking curves that every small business owner should know about growing a profitable business.

1. Look at where you want to go and not at where you are heading.

For a rider, that seems like an unnatural thing to do. We want to see what our bike is doing and what kind of road we are approaching. But a good rider knows to keep his eyes fixed on the road he wants to be on around the curve and not on the immediate pavement of the curve itself. That may mean having our heads looking at a 45 to 90 degree angle away from the direction the bike is heading. All good riders know that the bike will follow our vision. Our eyes will tell the bike where to go and almost immediately we will be heading in a new direction. The best thing a business owner can do is the same thing: keep your eyes on where you want your business to go and not where it is at the present moment. If your business is heading into an unprofitable curve, look at where it can be; where it should be going and start heading in that direction. There are many stories of small home based businesses that look like nothing. But the businessperson had a dream of what a large, successful, thriving business looked like and they kept moving in that direction. Before they knew it, their business followed their eyes.

2. Don’t apply the brakes.

One of the worst things a rider can do when the curve gets “hairy” is to apply the brakes. It actually causes the rider to lose more control of the bike. The best riders actually lean harder and accelerate. Applying the gas will really cause the bike to master the curve more carefully and be safer. I know it sounds strange, but the same thing happens in business. Many business owners panic and apply the brakes to their business when a curve in the road appears. Instead of thinking of new and creative ways to increase sales when cash flow gets scrawny, they start thinking of all the ways to “throttle back” by laying off people, selling their assets, and going into survival mode. Instead of leaning harder into the adversity, they let up and lose all the momentum they had accumulated. Bob Proctor in his brilliant series “Power Principles for Creating More Wealth” says to attack when times of lack seem to be approaching. There were actually people who made money during the great depression. Why? They saw the scary curve, conquered the fear, leaned harder and hit the gas. And lastly,

3. Enjoy the trip.

I have ridden through the Rockies. I have traveled the twisty roads of the Appalachians. And I can tell you the trip is amazing. There is nothing like fresh air hitting you in the face, the warm sun on your back, and the adventure of picking a road at random and seeing where it goes. It's the freedom that is incredible. Like business, there are people who say that motorcycles are dangerous and I should never be on one. They are also the same people who say “most businesses fail” and you should just stay in the safety of a corporate job. They are wrong on both accounts. Although mortality rates are indeed higher, one is actually safer on a bike than in a car. There are a higher percentage of wrecks in cars than in motorcycles. And there are actually more businesses that make it than fail. Don’t believe me? Check it out for yourself with the Small Business Administration. That 85% statistic that gets thrown around with the negative “nay-sayers” is for the businesses that do fail. If they fail, it usually happens in the first three years. But most of the businesses that have been started are still around. And that should be the testimony of yours.

So do me a favor. Enjoy the trip. You have made the awesome decision to start a business. Know that there will be many twists and dangerous curves ahead on your journey. Don’t hit the brakes and fall back. Accelerate ahead and lean hard. Keep your eyes on where you want your business to go and not on the immediate circumstances around you. But look around you during the trip. The scenery is gorgeous, and you are in the company of the brightest, best, strongest, and most adventurous people in America.

Have fun. And don’t forget to send us a postcard when you arrive!

What's YOUR Excuse?

2006-09-18T11:03:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love Vic Johnson! He has many different businesses that are excellent sources of inspiration and motivation. But one of my favorites is a weekly e-meditation he sends out called "As A Man Thinketh" which is taken from the amazing James Allen book by the same title. Vic selects a line from the book and then uses real life illustrations to exemplify the concept. I received one that really made me take a long, hard look at myself, so I thought I would print it here in its entirety. Enjoy!

"He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart, will one day realize it." As A Man Thinketh

There was an incredible story in the June 18, 2001 issue of Time magazine about Erik Weihenmayer who had recently climbed Mt. Everest. Now there are quite a few people that have climbed the world's highest summit since Sir Edmund Hillary first did it in 1953. But no one had ever climbed Mt. Everest that was blind, until Erik Weihenmayer did. What's even more amazing is that in 2002 he reached the top of Mt. Kosciusko, the highest peak in Australia. That made Erik the first blind climber to reach the top of the traditional Seven Summits, the most challenging peaks in the world.

Erik can't see like most of us can, but he knows, like James Allen knew, that if we settle for what we can see today, we'll never live the life of our dreams. We have to have a vision for our life, for what we want to become. Most importantly, we have to cherish it and hold on tightly to it when circumstances are telling us that we'll never see our vision.

If you read Erik's story you'll discover that Erik stumbled into the Camp on the first floor of Mt. Everest bloodied, sick and dehydrated. And he was still 9,000 feet (almost two miles) from the summit. But Erik had cherished and lived with his vision for years and would not be denied. Like the title of the story says, Erik was "blind to failure." The ancient writer tells us in Proverbs that "Without a vision, the people perish." So we must take the time to determine the vision for our life. But once we've settled on our vision, then it's important that we take James Allen's advice to cherish it in our heart.

And, as Erik says, "Success is not just the crowning moment, the spiking of the ball in the end zone or the raising of the flag on the summit. It is the whole process of reaching for a goal and, sometimes, it begins with failure." And that's worth thinking about.

You know what they say: if one man can do it, so can another. So what's keeping you from reaching your peak?

Are your struggles and obstacles any worse than a blind mountain climber on the most challenging summit in the world?

Do you have a clear vision in mind of where you want to go and what you want your life to be?

Know that there is strength and determination planted within you that will allow you to achieve that which seems impossible to most people. But you and I are destined for something greater than mediocrity. And it's time to start climbing. Let nothing keep you from your success. The view is amazing at the top.

Vic Johnson's inspiration can be found at the following web sites:
AsAManThinketh.net
Goals-2-Go.com
VicJohnson.com
No Dream Too Big LLC
PO Box 2087 St Augustine FL USA 32085

"Would Everyone Just Leave Me Alone?"

2006-09-11T11:23:00.000-05:00

We talk a lot around here about something we call “sharpening the saw”. It is actually a term we borrowed from author Steven Covey in his book “The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People”. Habit 7 in the awesome book is taking the time to sharpen the saw. Here is the story in a nutshell: two lumberjacks challenge each other to a tree cutting contest. The strapping, buff young buck chops wood all day with vigor and fervor. The older and more experiences lumberjack chops for a while, and then stops to sharpen the saw occasionally. Guess who cut down the most trees? That’s right, the experienced one. How can that be you might be asking? I was taught to work as hard as possible every single moment of the day. After all, idle hands are the devil’s workshop, right? Well, sort of. Steven Covey knew that the most successful people in the world didn’t let themselves become burned out and overwhelmed with exhaustion. By renewing the four dimensions of your nature - physical, spiritual, mental and social/emotional, you can work more quickly and effortlessly. To do this, we must be proactive. It takes work to rest. Here’s what some of the brightest and best have to say about rest:

“Sometimes the most urgent thing you can possibly do is take a complete rest” Ashleigh Brilliant, English author and cartoonist

“Rest when you're weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work.” Ralph Marston

“The best of all medicines is resting and fasting” Ben Franklin

“Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” Ovid

“Rest is a fine medicine. Let your stomachs rest, ye dyspeptics; let your brain rest, you wearied and worried men of business; let your limbs rest, ye children of toil!” Thomas Carlyle

Even Jesus advocated rest for his disciples after they had done some great work in Mark 6:31-32 “Jesus said, "Come off by yourselves; let's take a break and get a little rest.” For there was constant coming and going. They didn't even have time to eat. So they got in the boat and went off to a remote place by themselves.”

If Rest Is So Good For Us, Why Don’t We Do It?

1. We Can’t Say “NO”. We have learned to be “people pleasing” individuals. The bad news is that there will always be plenty of people vying for your time and energy. I’m not saying to neglect the kids and never return phone calls. But there comes a time when we have to say “no” to some of the people who want our time. We can’t be all things to all people. So we need to learn how to prioritize our time and efforts. The Startup Essentials Goal Setting Manual has great tools for learning to prioritize our day, discerning between urgent and non-urgent things to do, and getting our roles in order. If you haven’t downloaded a copy, do it now.

2. We think we don’t deserve it. Many people think they don’t “deserve” a vacation or even a day at the Spa. We’ll lie to ourselves and say things like “the company can’t afford to have me gone even for a day”, or “I really can’t afford to take a vacation now”. Both of those are utter nonsense. Are we really so valuable to a company that if we left, they would come to a grinding halt? And aren’t there plenty of free things to do that will sharpen the saw? It doesn’t cost much to take an hour and soak in a bubble bath with a good book, or send the kids to a sitter and have a date night with our spouse. We say we are too busy to exercise or eat right. You and I both know that is not true. Both of those are elements of self sabotage, but let’s not go there in this article.

3. We Don’t Realize It Takes Work. Believe it or not, rest takes some planning. There is the kind of rest where we sit down for a minute, or put our hands on our knees. And then there is the kind of rest that recharges the soul. That takes some planning. I love to travel internationally, and when I return to America I am fired up to get going again. There is something about the Grand Canyon that will cleanse my soul also. What is your rest situation that tops off your tank? Maybe it is the beach. Maybe it is a weekend retreat, time with relatives, locking your self in a room with a good book, or singing karaoke in a dumpy restaurant. Whatever your fuel pump is, use it. Do it, go there, be it, have it, whatever it takes to get your strength back and feel strong, alert, vibrant, and supercharged again.

And lastly, do you want to know the best advice bodybuilding coaches give to people wanting to build massive muscle size? You would think that it is to stay in the gym and pump iron nonstop. Wrong! It is to work with serious intensity, and then rest your muscles. The way to build strength is to give your body adequate time to recover and rebuild. And that is also the way to build a strong, successful, profitable business. Focus and rest aren’t yin and yang. They are actually partners in achievement.

Work with fierce intensity, and then take some time to rest. Sharpen your saw, and then get back to the forest. Rub your feet, and then get back to the race. Fuel your body quality fuel, exercise your mind, strengthen your will to succeed, nourish your heart to love those around you, and never forget that sometimes you need to say “Give Me a Break”. And then take it. You deserve it.

Are You Dealing Winning Cards?

2006-09-04T09:39:00.000-05:00

The ABCs of Business Cards

5 tips for creating a professional business card that leaves a lasting impression

By John Williams

Many people overlook the value of having a professional business card that accurately reflects your brand image, yet this small piece of paper can be an important part of your collateral package. It's often the first item prospects receive from you, so it's your first opportunity to make a strong, positive impression on them.

The preponderance of do-it-yourself online business-card printing companies is an interesting and somewhat troubling phenomenon. With limited exceptions, it's fairly easy to spot an inexpensively produced card. When you choose to "go cheap" on your business cards, what message does that send to those with whom you wish to do business? Are you really doing yourself any favors by missing out on the opportunity to start building a positive brand image right from the start?

Cheaper isn't always better when it comes to first impressions. Give clients a great first impression with these tips and tactics:

Design Tips

Tip #1: Enlist the help of a professional designer unless you have the requisite skills to design your business card yourself. Ideally, this person's also tasked with designing your other collateral (letterhead, brochures, website, etc.), so it'll be intuitive to carry your brand image through from those pieces to your card.

Tip #2: Keep it simple. Business cards are typically just 3.5" x 2" (except when they're not--see below), so you don't have too much space with which to work. Don't make your logo too large, don't make the type too small to be comfortably read, and don't be afraid to use white space.

Tip #3: Keep to the standard business card size--unless you're the adventurous type. There are things you can do to a 3.5" x 2" card to differentiate yourself (e.g., rounded corners), but going with an unusual shape can be tricky. A round card, for instance, is quite memorable, but it certainly won't fit in standard business-card holder devices. You must be willing to trade convenience for memorability if you choose an unconventional shape or size.

Content Tips

Tip #4: Be deliberate in choosing the information to appear on your card. What's most important? Your name certainly needs to be there, along with the name of your company (via your logo), your phone number and your e-mail address. Space permitting, you can add your physical address, fax number, cell-phone number and company website address, if desired. Don't clutter things up too much--as with the design, simpler and cleaner is always better.

Tip #5: Keep the back blank, or use it for non-critical information. How often will people see the back of your business card? Traditional card storage modes assume that side is blank. If you do wish to put copy on it, be sure the information is of a supplemental nature: e.g., your company's mission or tagline. While business cards should promote your brand identity, they shouldn't be confused with advertising.

The Bottom Line:
Think about how you use other people's business cards when you make decisions regarding your own. Do you get frustrated when you can't quickly find the information you need? Or the type is too small to read? Or printed in a font that's hard to decipher? Do cheaply produced cards make you think less of the person or company represented? Does it take you a while to realize whose card it is, or what company that person works for?

Don't make those same mistakes when designing your business card. Make sure it's a positive reflection of both you and your company, and it mirrors your well-defined brand identity.

John Williams is Entrepreneur.com's "Image & Branding" columnist and the founder and president of LogoYes.com, the world's first do-it-yourself logo design website. During John's 25 years in advertising, he's created brand standards for Fortune 100 companies like Mitsubishi and won numerous awards for his design work.

Beware The Four Letter "F" Word!

2006-08-28T12:01:00.000-05:00

Beware of Web Sites Bearing 'Free Gifts'
by Chris Malta & Robin Cowie

If they're offered after the sale, they're NOT free!

One of my best friends, someone that I’ve known since I was a teenager (which seems like a long time ago!), had a great collection of T-Shirts with some of the funniest slogans on them that I’ve ever seen. One of my favorites was his T-Shirt that read: “If You Can’t Dazzle ‘em with Brilliance, Baffle ‘em with Bull****” (You can probably fill in the blanks quite easily!)

There are a tremendous number of web sites selling Information on the Internet who are doing just that. Completely lacking in anything even remotely resembling brilliance, they are spending a great deal of effort, and seriously taxing their few active brain cells, in order to Baffle you into buying sub-standard Information Products.

We are in the business of providing Product Sourcing information to Home-based Internet Businesses. We publish The Drop Ship Source Directory, a Directory of brand name Wholesale Suppliers who are willing to Drop Ship those products directly to your customer from the warehouse, one at a time, at wholesale. It’s an excellent way to do business without spending a ton of money on stocking an inventory.

We also publish The Light Bulk Wholesale Directory; a Directory of genuine Wholesale Suppliers who are willing to sell small bulk quantities of products to Home-based Internet Businesses at larger bulk quantity wholesale prices. We’ve worked very hard for years to provide absolutely honest and complete information.

However, there are other information providers in this business who are either too lazy to do the time-consuming research this business requires, or are just outright scam artists looking to cheat you out of your money. They have a wide range of methods they use to Baffle you into buying from them, but one of the most obvious is Free Gifts.

Two Kinds of Free Gifts

1.) Free Gifts given to you before the sale are usually a good thing.
We do that ourselves; we offer a very comprehensive Free EBook that gives you a tremendous amount of FREE information on starting your Internet Business. We give you that for free, no questions asked, no personal information required, and you never have to buy anything from us. THAT kind of Free Gift is OK, because it really is Free!

2.) Free Gifts that are promised after the sale are the thing to watch out for.
They are designed to make the offer look so attractive to you that you simply cannot turn it down. They are, in fact, given to you because the main informational product itself is so lousy that it’s creators feel that they have to suck you in with after-the-sale freebies, or they’ll never sell anything to you at all. However, in order to get all these Free Gifts, you have to buy something first.

Here’s how these scam artists work:

They pitch their junk Informational Product to you with all kinds of wonderful promises, telling you that you’re going to make incredible amounts of money very quickly. That in itself is not true! NOBODY makes incredible amounts of money quickly on the Internet. In the real world, it takes time, patience, and work!

THEN they tell you that if you order their information, they will include “$750 Worth of Bonus Free Gifts!” with your order, or some such ridiculous statement. They tell you that you will get Marketing Information, Email Generation Software, Important Articles and Reports, Expensive EBooks, Bonus Wholesale Guides, etc., etc., for FREE, after you buy their product.

Freebies that you only get AFTER the sale are there for two reasons:

• They make you think you're getting much more that you are paying for, when in truth you are not; you can pick up that stuff for free without buying anything. All that Free Stuff is just that; it’s FREE, it’s garbage, and you can find it all over the Internet for nothing, without having to pay a cent for anybody’s products. The scam artists certainly do not pay for it; why should you?

• They are a distraction. The scam artists are counting on the very good probability that you will spend so much time with, and get so caught up in all that extra free stuff that you will forget that the original product you paid for is junk, and you'll never bother to ask for a refund!

So Beware of Informational Web Sites offering Free Gifts after the sale, folks. There is a reason for it, and it’s not a good one! Maybe they should also offer a T-Shirt with those “gifts”…I know a guy who can suggest a good one…

About the authors: Chris Malta and Robin Cowie of WorldwideBrands.com are the Writers and Hosts of The Entrepreneur Magazine EBiz and Product Sourcing Radio Shows.

Are You Ready For The Ride Of Your Life?

2006-08-21T16:31:00.000-05:00

You are headed for an amazing ride of thrills, chills, action, and adventure. The best thing I can relate it to is a roller coaster at an amusement park.
By Steve Foss

Congratulations! You have made the courageous decision to be an independent businessperson and sell products to the general population. You also made the very wise decision to have a large part of your marketing strategy be online selling through your web site. What you may not have realized yet is that you are very close to being in a position for the damn to break and business to start flooding your way. But you better get in, sit down, and fasten your seat belt or you might get swept away with the unprepared. And I’m talking about online sales for Christmas 2006.

Internet sales for Christmas 2005 exceeded everyone’s expectations. Analysts expected there to be a 15% increase over 2004 with sales approaching 20 billion dollars. After all the wrapping paper settled, online sales were up 24% over 2004 with sales surpassing a whopping 30.1 billion dollars. Everyone expects the numbers for Christmas 2006 to be just as good. Read what the pros say about it here:

Did you say 2006 looks great?

Did you say 30.1BILLION (with a B)?

It’s August and there are some things you should be doing RIGHT NOW to insure that you are ready to capitalize on the massive amounts of business that will take place starting after Halloween in October.

1. Make sure you have selected the right products to sell. Do all the competitive analysis you must do in order to cash in on the gift giving frenzy.

2. Have your drop shipper relationship solidified. Make sure they are able to handle the type of volumes needed for aggressive online retailers. That partnership MUST be a well oiled machine before orders start coming in, or you will find yourself having a miserable holiday season filled with serious customer service issues. Get it done today.

3. Have your web site built, evaluated, and ready to go. Make sure it is going to keep customer’s attention through captivating content once they get there, and not let them leave until the sale is consummated. A professional website evaluation from our company is a must.

4. Take care of the business end of things. Think about the money flow. Is your shopping cart functional and easy to use? Is your accounting system able to handle the volume? Are you prepared to take the next step and enter the big leagues of e-commerce sales?

5. Get optimized…fast! If you haven’t started your rise to page one of the major search engines, you had better get started immediately. This is a process that doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a couple of months for your relationship with people like Google and Yahoo to get beneficial. Also start your link exchange program with other sites that will see high traffic during the Christmas season.

6. Finish the journey! If you have no idea what I am talking about, you haven’t been on the journey. It is a step by step process that will walk you through everything I have listed above. Get in the portal, sign up for the journey, and finish it. The good book says “having done all, stand”. So do ALL, and then stand.

I spoke with a person one time who was a small business owner about their Christmas sales. What they said floored me. He let me know that he makes enough money in a two month period to pay all his bills for a year. He said that he “played the other ten months”.

Can you hear the click, click, click as you approach the start of the Christmas season roller coaster ride? Remember, if you make only one tenth of one percent of all the sales that will be made this holiday season, you will walk away with almost half a million dollars. Why not you? Seriously! Now go get busy!

Gym Sweet Gym!

2006-08-14T09:19:00.000-05:00

Does your "To Do" list for today include things like:

Growing a successful business,
Juggling all your roles, and
Building the body of a Greek God or Goddess?

Those things may be easier said than done. Most people realize the need for and benefits of an exercise program. But when they are starting a business, finding the time can be challenging. Here is a program we can do from our home office that will be a great way to keep us feeling alert, alive, and strong.

Exercise for the deskbound

 

Take a short break from your routine to relieve some of the back pressures you may feel while sitting at your desk all day. These exercises can help relieve discomfort and prevent injury. First, get the energy flowing through your body. Inhale fresh air through your nose; pause and exhale it out of your mouth. Do this six times. Lift your arms high above your head to stretch your muscles and then lower your arms. Relax and repeat. These moves help your body relax and increase your circulation. Now you're ready for some back relief.

Strengthen Back and Buttocks

* Bend your knees slightly as you stand with hands at your sides.
* Tilt your upper body forward as you push back your arms and buttocks.
* Raise your head and shoulders.
* You'll feel it in your back down to your legs.
* Hold this position for 15 seconds.
* Do this three times.

Relieve Lower Back Pressure

* Exhaling, slowly lean forward, drop head toward knees, and let hands drop at ankles. Hold 15 seconds.
* Inhaling, unwind, slowly bringing up the head.
* Exhaling, stretch arms toward ceiling.
* Do this five times.

Strengthen Upper Back and Shoulder Muscles

* Lift hands to shoulders.
* Keep elbows down as you push shoulders back with your arms.
* Hold this position for 15 seconds.
* Do this three times.

Relieve Back Tension and Stretch Hips

* Stand with feet apart and knees bent.
* Crouch your body as low as you can without pain.
* Hold this position for 15 seconds.
* Do this five times.

Stretch Abdominal and Chest Muscles

* In a standing or sitting position, place your palms on your lower back.
* Stretch back your upper body.
* Hold this position for 15 seconds.
* Do this three times.

Adapted and reprinted with permission from Parlay International, which publishes information resources on a variety of health and wellness topics. For more information on Parlay publications, call 1-800-457-2752.

Don't Bite The Bait or You'll Get Cleaned!

2006-08-07T10:07:00.000-05:00

It looks delicious and inviting but there is always a hook inside. And the people who want to steal your money use a sport called "phishing" to try to get it. Here is one of the most innovative ways they reel in the uneducated.

Electronic Federal Tax Payment System Cited in New E-mail Scam

The Internal Revenue Service is warning taxpayers to be on the lookout for a new e-mail scam that uses the Treasury Department's Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) as a hook to lure individuals into disclosing their personal information. The system, which is used by more than six million taxpayers, allows businesses and individuals to pay all their federal taxes online or by phone.

The new e-mail scam, fraught with grammatical errors and typos, looks like a page from IRS.gov and claims to be from the "IRS Antifraud Comission" (sic), a fictitious group. The e-mail claims someone has enrolled the taxpayer's credit card in EFTPS and has tried to pay taxes with it. The e-mail also says there have been fraud attempts involving the taxpayer's bank account. The e-mail claims money was lost and "remaining founds" (sic) are blocked. Recipients are asked to click on a link that will help them recover their funds, but the subsequent site asks for personal information that the thieves could use to steal the taxpayer's identity.

"The IRS does not send out unsolicited e-mails asking for personal information," said IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson. "Don't be taken in by these criminals." Additionally, the IRS never asks people for the PIN numbers, passwords or similar secret access information for their credit card, bank or other financial accounts.

This latest e-mail scam is the first one known to reference EFTPS. The IRS has seen a recent increase in these scams. Since November, 104 different scams have been identified, with 22 of those coming in June, the most since 40 were identified in March during the height of the filing season. Many of these schemes originate outside the United States. To date, investigations by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration have identified sites hosting more than two dozen IRS-related phishing scams. These scam Web sites have been located in many different countries, including Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, China, England, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Singapore and Slovakia, as well as the United States.

Other scams claim to come from the IRS, tell recipients that they are due a federal tax refund, and direct them to a Web site that appears to be a genuine IRS site. The bogus sites contain forms or interactive Web pages similar to IRS forms or Web pages but which have been modified to request detailed personal and financial information from the e-mail recipients. Tricking consumers into disclosing their personal and financial information, such as secret access data or credit card or bank account numbers, is fraudulent activity which can result in identity theft. Such schemes perpetrated through the Internet are called "phishing" for information. The information fraudulently obtained is then used to steal the taxpayer's identity and financial assets. Typically, identity thieves use someone's personal data to empty the victim's financial accounts, run up charges on the victim's existing credit cards, apply for new loans, credit cards, services or benefits in the victim's name and even file fraudulent tax returns.

When the IRS learns of new schemes involving use of the IRS name or logo, it issues consumer alerts warning taxpayers about the schemes. The IRS also has established an electronic mailbox for taxpayers to send information about suspicious e-mails they receive which claim to come from the IRS. Taxpayers should send the information to: phishing@irs.gov.

More than 8,000 bogus emails have been forwarded to the IRS, with nearly 1,300 forwarded in June alone. The IRS's mail box allows taxpayers to send copies of possibly fraudulent e-mails involving misuse of the IRS name and logo to the IRS for investigation. Instructions on how to properly submit one of these communications to the IRS may be found on the IRS Web site at http://www.irs.gov/. Enter the term "phishing" in the search box in the upper right hand corner. Then open the article titled "How to Protect Yourself from Suspicious E-Mails" and scroll through it until you find the instructions. Following these instructions helps ensure that the bogus e-mails relayed by taxpayers retain critical elements found in the original e-mail. The IRS can use the information, URLs and links in the bogus e-mails to trace the hosting Web sites and alert authorities to help shut down these fraudulent sites.

However, due to the volume the mailbox receives, the IRS cannot acknowledge receipt or reply to taxpayers who submit their bogus e-mails. The phishing@irs.gov mailbox is only for suspicious e-mails and not for general taxpayer contact or inquiries.

For information on preventing or handling the aftermath of identity theft, visit the Federal Trade Commission's consumer (http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/index.html) and OnGuardOnLine (http://onguardonline.gov/index.html) Web sites. Click on "Topics" to find the identity theft and phishing areas on OnGuardOnLine.

For information on identity theft prevention and victim assistance in relation to tax administration, visit the IRS Identity Theft Web page which can be found on IRS.gov. Enter the term "identity theft" in the search box in the upper right hand corner.

For schemes other than phishing, please report the fraudulent misuse of the IRS name, logo, forms or other IRS property by calling the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration's toll-free hotline at 1-800-366-4484.

Death And.....

2006-07-31T11:16:00.000-05:00

You know the old saying. They are the only two things that are certain?

Tax Advantages of a Home-Based Business

What Kind Of Tax Advantages Do Home-Based Businesses Enjoy?

You have probably thought of many of the benefits of running your own successful home based business. From the independence of working for yourself to making better income than you may currently be making, there are many reasons why you made the right decision to become self employed. One consideration that you might not have taken into account is the tax advantages that you will enjoy with a business run out of your home. Let's explore these qualifying deductions, starting with the better-known ones.

The Home Office Deduction
The deduction that likely comes first to mind that home-based businesses can take advantage of is the "Home Office Deduction". The Home Office Deduction allows you to deduct some or all of the expenses of your office at home and related expenses. To qualify for this deduction, your home office must be the principal place where your business is done. Secondly, the office space must be used exclusively for business use to qualify. For example, if you use your kitchen as your primary workspace, it is likely that you cannot take the home office deduction, assuming that you use it for personal use as well. To be on the safe side, set aside a room as your home office where possible. This will keep you on the safe side should the home office use ever come into question. Detailed explanations of who qualifies for the Home Office deduction are defined in detail by the IRS themselves.

Building-Related Expenses
Repairs and improvements to your home office are completely deductible. For example, painting your home office is an expense that relates directly to doing business out of your home, so it is deductible in full. Mortgage interest is deductible as a percentage of the total mortgage paid for your home. For instance, if your home office makes up 200 square feet of your home's 2,000 square feet total, you can write off up to 10% of the mortgage interest for your home as a business cost. Similarly, if you rent your home, the percentage of your home used exclusively for business use would also be deductible. Property taxes paid for your home also qualify at the same percentage rate as the mortgage. Furthermore, if you own your home, you can depreciate the appropriate share of the home over 39 years. Note that home expenses not related to your business, such as landscaping costs, cannot be deducted, even if you are beautifying the appearance of your home to enhance its appearance for business purposes.

How Much Total Can You Deduct?
You can deduct at most in home expenses for your home-based business what its net profit is. Thus, if you don't make much net profit, neither will you be able to deduct many home office expenses. This covers expenses specific to your home itself, such as mortgage/rent and property taxes.

Security
You may deduct the business cost of security devices and monitoring fees as a percentage of the protected area used for business use of the entire protected area (normally the entire home). This is considered an indirect cost of doing business.

Insurance
If you own your home and pay home owner's insurance, you may deduct a percentage of that expense, as with mortgage or rent expenses. If you have additional insurance coverage that covers things specifically for the business, you may deduct these expenses in full as direct business expenses. This may include special riders on your insurance policy to protect business equipment used exclusively for your business. Additionally, if you incur a loss that is not covered by insurance, if it is equipment used exclusively for your business, you can deduct the entire loss. If the property lost is for things used both for personal and business use, you may deduct just the percentage of business use.

Utilities
Using the same percentage that you can write off of your home calculated above, you can write off utilities such as electrical, gas, and other utilities as business expenses.

Transportation
If you work primarily out of your home, you can typically write off the transportation expense of getting to and from your clients' places of business and other business-related transportation costs. For the 2006 tax year, the standard cost per mile that the IRS allows you to deduct is between 18 cents and 37.5 cents per mile. Please see your accountant or contact your local IRS office for exact figures. Transportation as a deductible cost is one area where detailed records is critical. Typically, you will want to record the odometer mileage of your car before and after your trip to determine the number of miles traveled. Alternately, if you have places that you often travel to, you can just record the number of miles once and then multiply by the number of trips to determine total mileage This will prove much easier than recording each trip's mileage.

Moving Expenses
If you move, you can deduct the business portion of the move. For example, if half of the items to be moved were business-related, you could deduct 50% of your moving expenses. Note that moving expenses apply to sole proprietors, LLC's, and S-Corporations only. They do not apply to C corporations. If you have business-related moving expenses, use form 8829, "Expenses for the Business Use of Your Home" to report them.

Phones and Communications
For a home business, the first phone line into your home is considered by the IRS as a personal expense. Additional phone lines for business use, including cell phones used for your business, are tax deductible. Internet service provider fees or broadband costs such as high speed cable connections are deductible as a percentage of business use to total usage.

Meals and Entertainment
If you take a client or prospective client out to lunch and talk about your business, it is often tax deductible as a cost of doing business. If you are doing business out of town or at your convenience on a business-related task, you can typically deduct the amount of meals. If you are entertaining a client, the expenses related to the meeting are deductible if they have a business purpose. Meals and Entertainment is one area that is often abused by small businesses, so if you plan to take deductions for these kinds of expenses, be sure to keep receipts. Also keep records of what the money was used for to avoid any kind of legal entanglements later on. As with most business deductions, as long as you stay within the IRS guidelines for what is allowed and keep good records, you can take this deduction safely. You can only deduct 50% of the cost of meals and entertainment.

Tax Preparation Expenses
Though not specific to home-based businesses, the expenses that you incur to have your tax return itself prepared may be tax deductible. Also, if you use tax-preparation software to prepare your own business' tax returns, the cost of the tax preparation software is possibly deductible.

Software
Software used for business purposes are deductible as a business expense. Note that for software packages in excess of $500 in value, you may need to amortize (write off over a period of time) the software over 3 years. If you have purchased software that costs more than $500 per piece of software, consult the IRS guidelines for software deductions.

Educational Expenses
Educational expenses incurred directly to learn industry-specific skills needed for your business are often tax-deductible. For example, if you purchase the Professional Bookkeeper course to learn Accounting and Bookkeeping skills to start your business, this expense is tax deductible as a start up cost once your business is underway.

Record Keeping
Many small businesses let themselves get cheated every year by not taking deductions they are legally entitled to on their taxes for fear of being audited. As long as you stay within the IRS guidelines for what is and is not tax deductible and keep receipts and good records, you are safe to take the deductions you are legally entitled to. The Home Office Deduction in particular is a deduction that many have wrongly assumed makes them a target for an IRS audit. If ever in doubt, go directly to the source, the IRS themselves. They publish many articles defining exactly what deductions you are entitled to so that you can be sure that you are in compliance with the law.

It is definitely advisable to consult a tax preparer for specific questions regarding what would or would not be deductible, and to what extent. We simply want you to think! And know that to be forewarned is to be forearmed. Why pay those "friendly folks" at the IRS more than you must? An attorney and an accountant are the two most crucial relationships you can develop as a small business owner. If you have neither, GO GET 'EM!

Oh Grow Up!

2006-07-28T11:37:00.000-05:00

This is why we love it when business partners contribute to our blog. It usually is profoundly brilliant.

When I Grow Up I Want To Be.
By Angelina Gutierrez

When I was a kid I used to say, "When I grow up I want to be." Then while I wasn't paying attention, one day, childhood snuck away from me and suddenly I found myself up. I wasn't as prepared as I would like to have been. Who am I kidding? I wasn't prepared at all. I looked out into the world and for the first time I took notice of the pressures that lay before me. They're everywhere. Pressure to act, pressure to try, pressure to follow, pressure to become. The list is too long. Even though no one ever has to really say a word because we have enough criticism within ourselves to pressure us for a lifetime. It's true we are the hardest on ourselves than anyone else.

It's hard enough trying to be still for five minutes when drive-thru's and microwaves aren't fast enough anymore. Suddenly life has become a race and we've fallen into the trap of comparing. But to who's standard? And are standards supposed to change? Because every time I turn around the world has a new set. Loose morals. That's what they are. It's whatever feels comfortable; whatever feels good. It's being spread across the entire earth like a sick disease, and the killer? Conformity.

And then there's disappointment. It likes to walk by your side when you hit that age when you're not where you pictured yourself to be twenty, ten, or five years ago. That's when you have to learn to ease up on yourself and make contentment your friend because no matter how many years we live, we still have a while to go. And no matter how many struggles, sufferings or mistakes we go through we still have a lot more of those coming our way too. So after all is thought through you reach a point where you realize that "In God We Trust" really wasn't just a nice quote to decorate our money. There were those that believed it to the core of their being and died knowing that no matter what changed, their God never would.

I'll be turning thirty in 51 days and yesterday someone asked me, in all seriousness, what I want to be when I grow up. At first I laughed at the feeling I got of being a kid again. I haven't been asked that question for about fifteen years. It got me thinking though. No matter how many times I didn't meet my expectations there's always been room for another chance. I've just recently come to realize that age is not the issue. The issue is we can be whatever we want to be, and we can start today by working towards it, never conforming to what we don't believe in and putting our trust in God.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Angelina Gutierrez is an administrative assistant living in California. She spends her time taking care of her 4 year old daughter, working towards personal goals and achieving the very best that life has to offer.

You Know You Need It! Here's How To Get It!

2006-07-19T11:16:00.000-05:00

"Drop and give me seven!"

C'mon, let's be honest with ourselves. If there is one thing we ALL could use more of in our businesses, it's discipline.

The Practice of Discipline
By: Brian Tracy

Discipline yourself to do what you know you need to do to be the very best in your field. Perhaps the best definition of self discipline is this: "Self discipline is the ability to make yourself do what you should do when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not." It is easy to do something when you feel like it. It's when you don't feel like it and you force yourself to do it anyway that you move your life and career onto the fast track. What decisions do you need to make today in order to start moving toward the top of your field? Whatever it is, either to get in or get out, make a decision today and then get started. This single act alone can change the whole direction of your life.

Seven Steps to Success

There is a powerful seven step formula that you can use to set and achieve your goals for the rest of your life. Every single successful person uses this formula or some variation of this formula to achieve vastly more than the average person. And so can you. Here it is:

Decide What You Want Step number one, decide exactly what it is you want in each part of your life. Become a "meaningful specific" rather than a "wandering generality."

Write it Down Second; write it down, clearly and in detail. Always think on paper. A goal that is not in writing is not a goal at all. It is merely a wish and it has no energy behind it.

Set A Deadline Third, set a deadline for your goal. A deadline acts as a "forcing system" in your subconscious mind. It motivates you to do the things necessary to make your goal come true. If it is a big enough goal, set sub-deadlines as well. Don't leave this to chance.

Make A List Fourth, make a list of everything that you can think of that you are going to have to do to achieve your goal. When you think of new tasks and activities, write them on your list until your list is complete.

Organize Your List Fifth, organize your list into a plan. Decide what you will have to do first and what you will have to do second. Decide what is more important and what is less important. And then write out your plan on paper, the same way you would develop a blueprint to build your dream house.

Take Action The sixth step is for you to take action on your plan. Do something. Do anything. But get busy. Get going. Do Something Every Day Do something every single day that moves you in the direction of your most important goal at the moment. Develop the discipline of doing something 365 days each year that is moving you forward. You will be absolutely astonished at how much you accomplish when you utilize this formula in your life every single day.

Action Exercises Here are two things you can do to put these ideas into action immediately. First, decide exactly what you want, write it down with a deadline, make a plan and take action - on at least one goal - today! Second, determine the price you will have to pay to achieve this goal and then get busy paying that price - whatever it is.

About the author: Brian Tracy is Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, a company specializing in the training and development of individuals and organizations. Brian Tracy has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 4,000,000 people in 4,000 talks and seminars throughout the US, Canada and 40 other countries worldwide. As a Keynote speaker and seminar leader, he addresses more than 250,000 people each year. He has studied, researched, written and spoken for 30 years in the fields of economics, history, business, philosophy and psychology. He is the top selling author of 40 books that have been translated into dozens of languages. To learn more about Brian Tracy, please visit his website – www.briantracy.com. Or you can write to Brian Tracy International, 462 Stevens Avenue, Suite 202, Solana Beach, California 92075 (Phone 858-481-2977 – Fax 858-481-2445).

Want To See Your Future For The Rest Of 2006?

2006-07-11T12:01:00.000-05:00

"Wait a minute, wait a minute...I think I see something."

Kiplingers Agrees With Us!

Get out your shades because your future looks bright.

Web Shoppers Looking for More on the Internet
By Jim Ostroff July 10, 2006

Retailers of all stripes can expect to see their online sales grow next year. More shoppers are tossing a wider array of products into their virtual baskets as they become more at ease shopping online. The rapid spread of high-speed connections and retailers' efforts to make their Web sites more user friendly are also big reasons online shopping is becoming more mainstream.

Web sales of everything from apples to zinnias will climb 20% this year over last and another 20% next year, when Internet sales will top $250 billion, nearing double digits as a share of the $2.9 trillion in total retail sales. "Now that people have had a good experience in buying a video, software or a book online and realize there are no hassles in doing returns, they're buying products they usually wanted to see and feel" in a store, says Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org, an online retail sales trade and research group.

Some of the more surprising products now catching fire online, according to Forrester Research, are autos and auto parts, up 14% so far this year over last; home appliances, up 26%; jewelry, 17%; and cosmetics, 33%.

More-interactive Web sites are a big draw. Just a photo of the item for sale and its price won't cut it anymore. To boost sales, savvy merchants are providing 360-degree views of merchandise, posting product reviews—good and bad—from previous customers and staffing their sites with knowledgeable salespeople who can reply instantly to a shopper's questions online or even by phone once a customer clicks an on-screen call button.

Sophisticated Web sites aren't just for the big boys anymore. A variety of companies, including Amazon Web Services, Fry Inc. and GSI Commerce, can create them for just about any retailer at affordable rates. Yahoo Small Business provides off-the-shelf designs and support from $39.95 a month plus 1.5% of each sale for the most basic type of site to $99.95 a month for sites with nearly every option available. For those wanting to outsource virtually everything about their Web sites except ringing up the sale and filling product orders, a company such as Demandware can help. It promises to keep updating sites with the latest

innovations so retailers won't fall behind their competition. Retailers pay an annual subscription fee based on their revenues.

http://www.kiplingerforecasts.com/home/stories/

Have You Caught A Communicable S.T.E.?

2006-06-30T11:27:00.000-05:00

The month of June is now dead and gone. May she rest in peace. And it is definitely time to see if you have caught an S.T.E.
By Steve Foss

And of course I am talking about a “Success Timetable Evaluation”. This is where we break out the goals we set for ourselves to accomplish in the year 2006. Remember doing that in January? Let me ask you how you are doing? It is now exactly halfway through the year. How are you trending?

If you set a monetary goal for what you want to earn this year, take that number and divide it by two. Now go pull up your accounting software. Which number is higher? Are you ahead of schedule? Excellent! Smash your goals and don’t let up. Is your income goal figure higher than your actual earnings? Bad News! That means that you are trending at a level that is less than your earnings goal. If you don’t change something now, you will fall short of your financial aspirations. Absolutely, positively do not let that happen! Here’s what you should do:

1. Know that it is halftime and you are behind in the game. That is actually OK. Many teams go into half time behind and still win big. You are going to have to make some changes in your game plan in order to come out victorious. Nothing changes until something changes; and that “something” is you!

2. Take the amount left to earn for the year and divide that by six. That figure is now your new monthly goal. If you have to break that figure down to a weekly or daily goal, do it. Do whatever is necessary. Desperate times call for desperate measures. And when a runner is behind, he needs to pour it on. It is called a “kick” in a foot race. It is time to start your kick.

3. Do this same formula for ALL the areas of your life. How are you doing on your physical goals? Have you lost the weight you wanted to lose? Where do you stand on your social, spiritual, or intellectual goals? Have you read the books you planned on reading? Have you accomplished half of the “big rocks” you put down on paper? Have you done some of the fun stuff you planned to do like travel, or do something crazy? What are you waiting for?

Has the spirit of procrastination crept in? Are you lying to yourself that you will eventually get around to it? You and I both know that the end of the year is very hectic with all the holidays. If you aren’t hammering away at your goals now, you never will. Be honest with yourself. Putting off the paper until the day before it was due might have worked for you in college. But that is a habit that needs to be broken. I don't think you will find any highly successful person who does that. They're just not that talented.

Step back and take a good look around you. Evaluate your life. Monitor your progress. And then attack the rest of the year with ferociousness. Be more productive than you ever have. You can do it! We believe in you! Be enthusiastic and determined. And finish the year strong.

Let’s make 2006 our best year ever! It’s not too late!

It's not religious, it's about BUSINESS SUCCESS!

2006-06-27T15:42:00.000-05:00

What do you think of when you see the saying "Repent Sinner"?
By Steve Foss

Whenever someone sees a sign that contains the phrase "Repent Sinner, they usually muster up visions of a religious person trying to get the general population to get their act together and start living a holy and pure life. But that is not the case here. Believe it or not, it is actually one of the best business success sayings around. If we take a good look at the origins of that saying, we will see that it is one of the greatest personal development precepts you can hear.

A friend called me at 6:30 AM this morning and asked me a question about a scripture in the Bible where the word "repent" was used. He had certain questions about the word, so I looked it up. Since the New Testament was written in the Greek language, the word translated into English as "repent" actually means "to change the way we feel about something". The word for sin simply means "to miss the mark". Picture in your mind shooting an arrow at a target. In the middle is a red dot, and there are rings which grow outward from the center. The goal is to hit the center of the target, not be off the mark. So I guess that the expression "repent sinner" could actually mean "Hey person who is missing the mark, change the way you feel about it". Change your attitude about somehow coming up short of the goal or prize. Quit allowing yourself to be substandard. Stop thinking it is OK to be a loser.

How strong is that saying in business?

When we finally get tired of missing the goals we have set, and decide to change our attitudes toward failure, we are now ready to do whatever it takes to succeed. I heard that an addict will not get his life together until he hits what is called "rock bottom". It means that when a person gets so sick and tired of not fulfilling their potential, they might finally start doing the things that lead to change. And when we get so dissatisfied with mediocrity, and so discontented with the direction we are heading with our lives, we will make the necessary changes to start building momentum towards achievement. We will change our direction, or repent.

So let me ask you some questions about your business. Are you making progress as rapidly as you had planned? Are you continually ending the month behind schedule? Are you feeling like a loser in some area of your life? Are you broke, or depressed, or feeling trapped? Do other people rob you of your strength and happiness? THAT IS MISSING THE MARK! Stop it. Decide today to change the way you feel about it. Make the quality decision to start accomplishing, and end the reign of mediocrity that may have infected your life.

You will start winning when you finally get sick and tired of losing. Repent Sinner! The joy of accomplishment is yours for the taking. Go get it! You Deserve it!

Do Your Handshakes Last Forever?

2006-06-22T18:29:00.000-05:00

THEY SHOULD!!!

Getting good customers is one of the hardest things for a business to do. Keeping them is essential. Here is an amazing way for your handshakes to last forever.

Tips for Staying in Constant Contact with your Clients - Effective Opt-In Forms

Email marketing is an extremely powerful and effective marketing technique. It is also the most cost effective way in existence today, to contact prospects and customers. If done incorrectly, by sending unsolicited emails, it is called spam and gets you blacklisted and hated by the ones you were trying to reach. If done right, it is called permission-based email marketing and it will build the value of your brand, increase your sales and keep you in constant contact with your targeted audience, whether prospects or existing clients. When most people think of permission-based email marketing, they automatically associate the concept with the old practice of mass mailing, that is building a list, and emailing a message, or a newsletter to that list. Today, the process is much more elaborate, as you have to push your message across in a way that will not piss people off, that will not get you blacklisted and that will not get you labeled as a spammer. In this article we will discuss one of the most underrated steps in building a successful email marketing campaign: the sign-up form. With the introduction of the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/canspam.htm) it became increasingly important to make sure that your recipients opted in, that is requested themselves to be emailed your information. The easiest way to achieve this is through subscription, or sign-up forms. Here are some tips on how to effectively build sign-up forms, gathered from experienced email marketers:

1. The more often your prospects are exposed to your sign-up form, the greater the chance they will notice it and actually sign up to receive your emails. As with everything else in life, you have to be very careful as not to reach the saturation point, which is the point at which your viewer gets annoyed. Our studies have found that strategically, it is best to place your forms in one of the following locations:- On the top right of a page;- On the left hand navigation bar;- At the bottom of the page, directly after the relevant content.

2. Entice your subscribers. An effective sign-up or opt-in form is as effective as your enticements campaign. You have to convince people to trust you enough to give you their real names and email addresses. Explain the benefits of subscribing (ex. to receive tips, tricks and techniques on how to.), include a few samples and testimonials. Finish it up with a strong call to action.

3. Offer opt-in incentives. Properly used incentives can significantly increase opt-in rates. Some of the most proven and effective incentives in use are:- Free whitepapers or e-books (you can find one on almost any topic, and if you don't, then consider writing one yourself);- Opt-in discount or a free service (for example, if you are a web hosting company, you can offer one month free hosting);- Special report. Whatever incentive you chose to offer, do not forget to follow up on your promise. In your welcome message, you should automatically provide a link to the free product if applicable, for example if you are giving away a free report or an e-book, then provide a download link or a coupon (discount) code that you are ready to take automatically online or via phone.

4. Design your form with the user in mind. Walk through your form yourself after you put it online and see if you would be annoyed by it or if you would find it easy and comfortable.

Some tips to remember:- People use various devices and browsers today. Make sure your form and the entire page the form is on is readable by all browsers. Do not place the form on a page that is heavy in graphics and multimedia, as people generally don't have too much patience if the page is slow to load.- Do not forget people who browse the web on PDAs. You might think I'm nuts, but it's a reality, a lot of people now browse on their Blackberrys and Treos. This is especially important if your opt-in form is a link inside an email message. People do click on those links on their PDAs and you don't want to lose them, as after they read your message, they will not go back to it again, on a regular computer. You want them to sign up right there, on the spot. So make those forms simple, use only plain and traditional HTML. Also, things shift on a PDA screen so try to borrow one and see how your form looks like and make the appropriate size adjustments.- Don't forget to make sure that the TAB key advances through the fields in the proper order and that the ENTER key submits the form. You'll be surprised to know that a lot of people are turned off at the slightest misbehavior of your form. You'll also be surprised to know that the vast majority of form fillers rely solely on the keyboard. If hitting the ENTER key activates a link instead of submitting the form, you lost them.- Do not ask for too much information, at least in the initial opt-in stage. People are reluctant to fill up long questionnaires, especially that their intention was not specifically to fill up your form but you enticed them to do so. Name and email should be sufficient. Collect your demographic data later on.- Have a privacy statement on the page where the form is, or as a link, accessible directly from the page with the form. People trust companies that openly display privacy policies and promise not to sell their data. Remember that with opt-ins, they can't just put fake data on or use those shopping email addresses, but they trust you with their real contact information.

About the Author: Andrei co-owns bsleek - http://www.bsleek.com Â a site that specializes in web hosting, design, promotional items, printing, CD presentations, tradeshow displays, corporate identity marketing and more. Andrei has amassed an extensive technical knowledge and experience through his career as the CIO for a major travel management company and through his past careers in military research, data acquisition and aerospace engineering. He also consults for http://www.trinityinvestigations.com, a New York based PI firm.

Give Me An "R"! Give Me An "S"! Give Me Another "S"!

2006-06-21T15:27:00.000-05:00

What's That Spell?
R-S-S!!! Yeah!

Here's something to cheer about. There is a way you can make your web site a peachy keen money making machine. And it all boils down to these three little letters. Rah-Rah-Sis-Boom-Bah!

RSS... And The 10 Most Powerful Reasons Why You Should Be Using It By: Cory Threlfall

RSS (Real Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary) is widely becoming a VERY powerful marketing tool on the NET and for Internet marketers around the world, the question is...... "Are you using RSS to syndicate your content? "When I first stumbled across RSS syndication while surfing the net, it piqued my curiosity to the point where I couldn't help myself, but, to look into this new form of site promotion further. What I found out about this new technology will absolutely change the way you keep in touch with your subscribers and/or readers, in many ways, for years to come. Just to keep up with the times I recently built a webpage for my website specifically to promote my RSS feed in order to take on new subscribers, and... Most important of all, to put this new technology to the test. Here's what my webpage looks like if you decide to build your own dedicated webpage for your RSS feed. I highly recommend you do, but, that's just me. If you do decide to build one, make sure you give your subscribers and/or readers options. http://www.internetwondersezine.com/rss_feed.html

Now, for those of you who aren't quite up to speed on what RSS is, here's a quick definition for you: RSS is an acronym for "Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary", and the XML extension is the format used for distributing your news headlines via the Web, which is known as Syndication. Syndication is where the TRUE power of RSS is unleashed, getting your message across the web in an Instant to your subscribers and/or readers. That's the basics of RSS (Real Simple Syndication). Now, for the rest of this article I want to focus on the "10 MOST Powerful Reasons WHY You Should Be Using It". So, with that said, let's go to reason #1.

Reason #1. RSS Streamlines communication.RSS streamlines communication between the publishers and readers making it easier for the subscriber to receive your content.

Reason #2. Readers can Opt-In to feeds. RSS gives the subscriber the ability to Opt-In to the feeds they are interested in and the ability to Opt-Out if they wish through there RSS reader just like an auto-responder.

Reason #3. You don't have to maintain an RSS feed. This is a great time saver for the busy marketer because RSS is a great communication supplement that doesn't burden the publisher with having to maintain a "List" or having to follow strict privacy rules.

Reason #4. You have the ability to Syndicate your content. This is where the TRUE power of RSS comes into play because RSS gives you the ability to Syndicate your content to your subscribers and website owners in an INSTANT giving your content the exposure it deserves.

Reason #5. Broadcasts your Sales and Specials. RSS gives you the ability to broadcast your Sales message and Specials to a wider audience in less time it would take to set-up an email broadcast.

Reason #6. No filters to worry about. This is the next best feature to RSS feeds because you don't have to worry about your message being passed through some email filter. By using RSS, your message gets delivered to 100% of your subscribers. This is a very powerful feature.

Reason #7. No more "Spam" complaints. This is yet another great benefit to RSS because you never have to worry about "Spam" complaints or "Privacy Policies" again because they have to add your feed to there reader, not the other way around with email.

Reason #8. You get INSTANT credibility. By publishing your own RSS feed your establishing yourself as an expert in the eyes of your readers as someone who knows his/her industry which will build "Trust".

Reason #9. Multiple ways to read your feed. RSS is very versatile because it allows you to view the feed in many different media platforms. Some examples are, Browser Based readers, Software Based readers, and the ability to view feeds on different operating systems like Windows and Mac.

Reason #10. Free and Easy site promotion. I like to save the best for last because RSS is a great way to get free traffic to your website without the need of spending money on advertising. This benefit alone will save you hundreds, if not, thousands in advertising expenses a year in costs to advertise your online business. Well... are those enough reasons for you to get started with RSS?I certainly hope so because they sure get me excited every time I read through them. Internet technology at its Best.

As I mentioned early in my article, the best way to take advantage of RSS... Starting TODAY! ... is to set-up your own dedicated RSS webpage on your website. If you don't have time to set-up your own webpage I recommend you set-up an account with Blogger.com -- http://www.blogger.com/ -- and then head over to FeedBurner.com -- http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/home -- and set-up an account there. FeedBurner.com will auto-generate you a RSS subscription page with whatever RSS feed URL you choose. Well... there you have it, "RSS... And The 10 MOST Powerful Reasons WHY You Should Be Using It" and more.About the Author: Want to get MORE 'Insider' marketing Secrets on How-To drive HUGE amounts of Laser Targeted Traffic to your website? Then you need to subscribe to Cory Threlfall's ezine called... The Internet Wonders eZine at -- http://www.internetwondersezine.com/Source: http://www.isnare.com/

EXTRA! EXTRA! GEORGIA MAN SURVIVES AFTER GETTING MP3'D!

2006-06-16T11:21:00.000-05:00

Startup Essentials loves to get customer feedback. In fact, we want it enough to give away cool prizes to the folks that will give us that feedback.

We just selected a winner of their latest contest, the iPod Giveaway. The winner is Chase Bell of Georgia.

Chase went to the Startup Essentials website and gave us his feedback on the program. Here's what he said:

"While the keyword selection tool is very helpful, I somewhat expected it to be more robust with a larger feature set. It seems to be our sole tool for researching demand on the net..."

We totally agreed. As a result of Chase's feedback we have added three new tools for finding niche keywords and determining demand and competition. They are all available in the Startup Essentials portal.

Thanks for your feedback Chase! And enjoy your kickin' new Apple iPod Nano!

Watch for more feedback giveaways, coming soon from Startup Essentials!

We couldn't have said it better:

"We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It's our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better." Jeff Bezos (do you know the name? he is the man behind an amazing e-commerce company)

"Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning." Bill Gates

Happy Campers Come Back For S'mores!

2006-06-14T14:45:00.000-05:00

Finally you can light the fires of success without worrying about the mosquitoes. Gather around because it's time to set up camp.

Startup Essentials is now offering a fantastic new tool called "Camp Journey". It is a companion to their step-by-step system for building a business and is a free conference call that helps get you started in the process.

Part orientation, part instruction and part motivation, Startup Essentials is offering the free call at four different times to try to accomodate any schedule (including one on Saturday!).

For more information, login to the Startup Essentials web portal and click on Start My Journey!

Denis Waitley said that "Winners take time to relish their work, knowing that scaling the mountain is what makes the view from the top so exhilarating."

Your own personal Mount Everest is waiting for you, and we have the guides to help you reach the top. Start the journey.....

Thousands Leave On A Journey Never To Return To Mediocrity

2006-06-05T18:04:00.000-05:00

Does this sign look like the direction of your business? Finally, there is a straight and narrow path towards success. All Aboard!

With shouts of elation, "The Journey" launched this month. This is the Holy Grail of small business success. At last, the brightest and best entrepreneurial minds have put down their proven road map for success for all to see. Here is the press release we unleashed upon the world:

Dallas, TX – June 5, 2006

Startup Essentials, a recognized leader in the arena of starting and growing a business, announced today the release of their highly anticipated “Journey”, a step-by-step system for starting a new business.

Startup Essentials currently offers the Achievement Portal which features tools, resources and training for new business owners. The Journey provides a unique comprehensive system for moving from the initial stages of a new business all the way to running a successful business.

Journey is broken into five different self-paced paths and includes detailed step-by-step actions for each path along with an orientation camp and ongoing support. The Journey includes paths like “Change Your Life”, focusing on personal development and goal setting, and “Market Your Business” which guides new business owners through the myriad of various online and offline marketing techniques.

“For our customers who are looking for that next level of training, a more intense and focused learning process, their day is here,” says Jason Langford, Director of Products and Services for Startup Essentials. “Our mission is to take the guess-work out of starting and running a business. The Journey will quickly become an invaluable resource for new business owners facing that often intimidating question, ‘Where do I begin?’.”

The Journey is a one-of-a-kind system that lays out the process of building a successful business in easy-to-follow steps. “The benefit is the same whether customers have been with us for years or are just starting out”, said Langford. “They will now be able to stop looking at their feet and begin focusing their attention on the path ahead.”

The Journey will be available to all new and existing Startup Essentials customers starting Monday, June 5th, 2006. It will be accessible through their online Achievement Portal.

About Startup Essentials

Startup Essentials is a clear market leader in the area of entrepreneurial training, education and resources. Utilizing cutting edge technologies and techniques, such as streaming audio and video, Internet classrooms and conference calls, and step-by-step business building systems, Startup Essentials is dedicated to removing the obstacles traditionally associated with starting a new business. At their core, Startup Essentials believes in and promotes the freedom of being self employed.

Startup Essentials is on the web at: http://www.startupessentials.com/

For more information, contact Jason Langford at Startup Essentials, +1-866-552-8845, jlangford@startupessentials.com.

"Hell begins on the day when God grants us a clear vision of all that we might have achieved, of all the gifts which we might have wasted, of all that we might have done which we did not do." Gian-Carlo Menotti

There's A New Star In The Sky!

2006-04-12T17:07:00.000-05:00

After much anticipation, the long awaited Web Portal is off the ground and heading for success.

This might be the greatest "all in one" business site in the known universe. It contains everything...And I mean EVERYTHING an entrepreneur needs to find the freedom of small business success. No more searching the skies for a needed resource. You are only one click away. Here is the press release we beamed to the press on that historic day:

Startup Essentials Announces the Launch of a New Web Portal

DALLAS, Texas - February 14, 2006

Startup Essentials, one of the top providers of entrepreneurial training and business solutions, announced today the scheduled launch of a new web portal. Their “Achievement Portal” promises customers a “one-stop” home page on the web for everything related to starting and building a business.

The goal of the portal, according to Steve Mayes of Startup Essentials, is to make it easier for a business owner to focus their time and energy on the core of building their business rather than on which website they need to log into next.

“Our customers will now be able to access training and educational materials, motivational and personal development streaming video, business resources, marketing forums and even their web builder all from one spot on the web. This will be a huge advantage and will let them concentrate solely on growing a successful business and becoming a successful person.” stated Mayes.

Mayes said the launch date of the new "Achievement Portal" is March 10th.

Startup Essentials is on the web at http://www.startupessentials.com/.

sfoss@startupessentials.com.

Knowing your destination is half the journey.

"Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars." Casey Kasem

Friends, Countrymen, Lend Me Your Ears!

2006-04-12T17:02:00.000-05:00

You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll learn. And you'll know that nothing can change your destiny more than changing the way you think.

We have added yet another amazing resource to our Achievement Portal. Here is the press release from our media presentation:

Startup Essentials Releases New Audio Series

DALLAS, Texas - February 10, 2006

Startup Essentials, a leader in the field of personal and professional development for business owners, announced today the release of a new audio series dedicated to helping new business owners reach their full potential.

Entitled “15 Minutes That Could Change Your Life”, the series features Steve Foss, corporate trainer, author and public speaker of 20 years' experience.

"I prefer to be called a cheerleader more than a business person because I believe we all have an amazing amount of innate potential that just needs to be discovered and put into good use. That's what this series is all about. If you listen to this program, your perception of who you are and what you are capable of will be changed forever", stated Foss.

The first series, including titles like, "Chisel It In Stone" and "Geronimo's Cadillac", will be available on audio CD and through the Startup Essentials Achievement Portal via streaming audio.

For further information on this series, contact Steve Foss of Startup Essentials, +1-866-552-8845, sfoss@startupessentials.com.

Head for the portal and spend some time on yourself! One audio program can definitely light the spark that will propel you towards business excellence. And after all, aren't you worth it? www.startupessentials.com/portal

Greg Hickman said "It is time to break through the barriers that have held you back and held you down for such a long time. It is time to reach out and indelibly etch your place in history." Let nothing stand in your way.

How Do We Love Business? Let Us Count The Ways!

2006-04-11T11:55:00.000-05:00

It's February and you know what that means: love is in the air.

This is a great time to let all our business partners know how much we appreciate them.

What about you? Have you taken the time to let your loved ones know how you feel?

"Love, like a river, will cut a new pathwhenever it meets an obstacle."- Crystal Middlemas -

"Life without Love is like a harp without strings." Dr. D. Para

"Where life exists, love exists." Anonymous

Here are our love gifts to you. One is a powerful skill that could revolutionize your online presence. The other will help you make your house a home....office. Enjoy!

Write Copy That Sells... or not.

By: Paul Darby

Read both versions of this article and then vote on which one is the most compelling.

Version #1

Here is How to Write the Best Copy in the World and get Anyone You Want To Buy From You…

First rule is to write an attention getting headline. How’d I do? Are you reading this? That good, huh? Well, how would you like another great reason to keep reading?

Still reading? Good, this must be good copy because by now you would heva clicked off of most copy of this length. So here is the secret finally revealed on how you can get others to read your copy too, no matter how long it is.

(keep reading to get the best secrets of effective copy writing?)

Use Attention Getting Headlines

Get the reader involved

Continue listing items of interest

Use bullet points and short paragraphs

Do you want to be known as a copy writing expert? Or, do you want to make more money from more sales? Then use exciting words, and use bold headlines, use short text like you are writing a children’s book.If you do these things your readers will stay glued to what you write, and you will see more conversions from your visitors to customers than ever before!

Isn’t that exciting? Then remember your reader. In this case, I must remember you. And I must give you what you want. And you want to know how to make more money by writing effective, compelling copy…. Right? Right.

So what have you learned so far? Well let’s show you the information, or, the copy the way most people would put it on a website or in their auto-responder and you can decide if the information above was of value or was like most copy… kind of boring and not all that helpful.

Ready? Here we go…

Version #2

The following text will describe in detail the major components in creating good copy on your written documents so as to guide the reader to the logical conclusion of taking the action step desired by the copy creator. Quality copy, or effective copy is defined as the words on a document, webpage or auto-responder or where ever you use words to sell a product or service. And the first rule of writing good copy is to write a good headline for your body of copy. The other important items to consider are, keeping the reader involved, continuing to repeat information that is of interest to your prospect or visitor, and use short paragraphs and bullet points in your presentation.

Ok my reader, friend… that’s your choice; write fun, easy to read copy that everyone enjoys or write the “Usual” way that most people will never even finish.

I hope you enjoyed this article, I enjoyed writing it for you.

About the Author: Paul Darby is an Internet Business Success Coach with Startup Essentials and is owner of over 35 successful Internet businesses. He has been marketing online for 10 years and is a Dale Carnegie Instructor. www.pauldarby.name

Make Your Home Office Workable.

By: John Sheridan

The idea of working from home is rapidly gaining popularity among many people who are finding the daily trudge to and from the office harder and harder to bear. For those who have decided to set up an office in their home as a permanent place of work, whether located in an attic, a bedroom or a garden shed, careful planning is important.

It’s not enough to just place a desk and chair in a room and call it an office. This is where you will spend the majority of the working day; therefore, the provision of comfort should be very high on your list of priorities. The following advice on setting up an office at home contains some fairly obvious suggestions and is not in any order of importance, but surprisingly many people fail to think about them and end up working in very uncomfortable surroundings.

Take time to plan the office layout so that there is sufficient room to move about, ensure that you do not crowd the floor space with too much furniture or superfluous equipment such as extra chairs that may never be used, or a drinks cabinet for example. Try to stick to this simple rule – if you don’t need it – don’t have it in the office.

• If possible, position your desk close to a source of natural light such as patio doors, windows or under skylights. Daylight is more conducive to a pleasant working environment than harsh artificial light. However, a good desk lamp is an asset when working at night. Standard overhead lighting is not generally sufficient for long spells of reading or close work and may cause some strain on the eyes.

• Try to ensure that you have plenty of file and paper storage facilities. Quite often people do not think of this until their office is set up, after which they find there is no room to put a filing cabinet; most of the paperwork then lands up on the desk or the floor, neither of which is acceptable nor professional.

• Invest in a good-quality office chair. Posture is extremely important when an occupation dictates that the majority of the time is spent sitting down. Whilst buying a proper office chair may appear to be an unnecessary expense, it could cost considerably more in time off work as a result of back trouble.

• Avoid installing kitchen appliances in the office. Quite often people add "convenience" items to their home office such as coffee makers, toasters or even microwaves. They are not convenient; they are space-consuming distractions that sooner or later you will have to remove should you find yourself requiring extra room.

The key to having a user-friendly office is forward planning. Take the time and make the effort as you do when deciding how you want to furnish the other rooms in your home. The tips given are by no means exhaustive but should provide a practical starting point for anyone setting up an office at home for the first time.

About the Author: John Sheridan is a professional proofreader of hard copy items and website copy. He also writes web copy and occasionally accepts small copy-editing assignments. He can be contacted via: www.textcorrect.co.uk

Andrew Carnegie said "Think of yourself as on the threshold of unparalleled success. A whole clear, glorious life lies before you. Achieve! Achieve!"

Go make your February the best one ever! "If it's going to be, it's up to me"

Out With The Old, In With The New.

2006-03-09T11:15:00.000-06:00

Ready or Not, Here Comes 2006!

HERE ARE WISE WORDS FROM AN INTERNET MARKETING GENIUS! IF YOU GET THIS, YOU WILL BE MILES AHEAD OF ALL THE INTERNET LOSERS.

I Don't Get To Make Any Money Until I Get Myself Some Traffic
By: Paul Darby

Which Group Are You In?
Group 1 - I got myself a pretty website and put a bunch of stuff on it, and now I make sales and earn enough money to travel around in my big fancy RV and take care of my business on my brand new expensive lap-top computer.
Or...
Group 2 - I got myself a pretty website and put a bunch of stuff on it, and I am waiting for sales and hope to earn enough money to travel around town and be able to buy enough gas to get me home so I can log in to my 6 year old computer to check to see if I got an order yet.

Which one of those two examples best describe you as you are reading this today? I hope you are example number one. And by the way if you are example number one, please tell the pool boy to bring you one of those exotic drinks with the umbrella in it, because they are great!

Now... for those readers who reluctantly fall into category number two, let's give you some tips so you can get the pool boy running when you snap!

Tip number one: If you do not have enough traffic, it does not matter what you are selling, no one will know about it. And if no one knows about it, then it does not matter how good the price is, or how good the product is, you won't make any sales.

Tip number two: Traffic that is not targeted traffic is like having one shoe. You only have part of what you need, and if you try to make due with non-targeted traffic you will be spending your money without getting anything of real value. There is the small amount of value in the fact that search engines do figure in your ranking based in part on the traffic to your site. But you want sales and money - and that takes targeted traffic.

So how do you get targeted traffic?
Make sure the way website surfers who are seeing your ad, your link, your advertisement, your Pay Per Click ads, or your search engine listing, see the keywords that represent what you are selling.

Example: If I am selling parts for 1979 Ford Econo Vans, I do not want people searching for "cars" or "car parts" or "Ford" clicking on my site because they are probably not looking for, parts for 1979 Ford Econo Vans.

So one of your best strategies for getting valuable targeted traffic is to make sure that you use targeted keywords in your, ads, URL's, links and other traffic seeking sources directing to your website.

Your first order of business is to optimize your website so that the search engines list you highly in the search results for keywords that are relevant to what you are selling. Remember the Ford Van example? Good, this is the time to find keywords that are relevant to what you are selling.

So other than search engine optimization, what are some of the the best ways to get targeted visitors to visit your site looking for what you are selling?

Email campaigns, Blogs, RSS Feeds (see article below), Article Sites, Directories, Subdomain Submissions, and other high traffic websites that have a link to your website. Summit Marketing Institute provides listings to all these services for you right from the Startup Essentials Website.

Simply log into http://www.startupessentials.com and click on "Advertising Resources" under the Resources tab. Find the link that reads, Generate Targeted Traffic and you will find free blasters and a service that offers you access to your very own Owners Control Panel that will help you set up a traffic generation system based on highly targeted keywords. And by the way... the pool boy wants a good tip!

About the Author: Paul Darby is an owner of over 35 successful Internet businesses. He has been marketing online for 10 years and is a Dale Carnegie Instructor. And we think he is pretty cool to hang with. www.pauldarby.name

I'll Be Weak In About A Week! (Or "Why I am a self delusional liar for a few weeks every year")

The Real Success Power Of A New Year's Resolution
By: Doug Firebaugh

"The Real Secret of a Successful New Year's Resolution lies within the word itself......"Have you ever made New Year's resolutions and they did not make it past January?

Ever tell someone that you were going to make this the year that you changed your life, and then come January 20th, you have fallen back into the same life pattern that you have been struggling with and it steal your Success?

Ever made a Success resolution to work out every week? You "decided" that you were going to get up and work out, and finally get that body you have always wanted? You were telling everyone that this was the year, and this was the time that they were going to see a new you and you were going to create Success doing it!

Uh huh. I have been there. And I ended up looking quite foolish, until I decided just to start it, and not worry about talking about it. Then you will start to see some changes in your physique!

How about to lose weight? Ever talk to folks and tell them that you were going to lose the weight you want this year, and you were going to become a lean, mean, weight losing machine? And then after 30 days, you were back eating twinkies? Yep. Got that one.

Here's one -- to quit smoking! I know so many folks that have promised themselves that they were going to quit smoking! This is the year! I will be smoke free! Good idea!

Most of the New year's resolutions are made with the best intentions, but most fail miserably. They really never get out of the starting blocks to obtain Success. All the words were nice, but there was no real sustained effort in the change process for Success.

Why? Simple. Lack of proper focus in the word itself. Actually, the word resolution has a very different meaning if you look at the word itself. To me, it carries a little different meaning, if you use a little different perspective and view of the word. Many times, changing how you view something is the "shift" that you need to create Success with something.

I like the word "Re-Solution." In other words, if you make a resolution to change something, you are actually "re-solutioning" it with a different solution. Most people don't do that. They are trying to use the same old solution to a problem that did not work before."Re" means to repeat. So you are repeating the attempt, to create a new success solution, to solve an old problem. Simple. But doesn't work. If it did, you would not have to be attempting the same new year's resolution as last year, and the year before.

Here's an idea:Don't make a resolution, but a REAL Solution! And if you make a REAL Solution, that will cause a DISSOLUTION to your problem.(Dissolves that challenge!)

Ok. How? Simple.
1) What is it you want to change? Write it down.
2) How bad to you want to change it? (Deciding factor!)
3) How will that improve your life? (List them..)
4) What is the very first thing you need to do to start the change process? Do it.
5) What's the second? Do it.
6) What' s the third? Do it.
7) What's after that? Continue to do it till done..Now, you are making a REAL solution to your life, not some wimpy, whiny, weak, wasted, willowy, wishy-washy, won't work, waste of time, woe is me, featherweight promise you know you won't keep!If you look at the word "resolution" for what it really is, and change your mindset to a "REAL solution"..You can change your whole life in a day, as well as the Achievement and Success in your life.

About the Author: Doug Firebaugh is one of the top Success Trainers in the world. Over a million people a month read his training ezine. He spent the last 7 years traveling the world speaking and training on Success. He lives in Birmingham Michigan, and you can receive a FREE subscription to his training ezine- The MLM Success HEAT- at: http://www.passionfire.com/pf_heat_9.html http://www.passionfire.com/Source: www.isnare.com

WANT SOME SWEET FREEBIES? OF COURSE YOU DO! START CLICKING.

The Value of Viral MarketingViral or Word of Mouth marketing has been said to be the best thing that has happened to marketing since the invention of advertisements. What is their real value?

Marketing vs. AdvertisingKnowing the difference between marketing and advertising can mean the difference between success and failure. Find out if you know the difference here...

Five Levels of Internet MarketingLearn how to move your customers through a successful sales process in this three-part article...

Click Here for more traffic to your site: Your Ad Blaster - Massive Email Traffic Program

Zig Ziglar says "What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." Set lofty goals that will change both you, and the world.

Up On the Monitor, click, click, click…

2006-03-09T10:52:00.000-06:00

Welcome Entrepreneurs!

We've been making a list, and checking it twice. Some of you have been naughty, but most of you have been very, very nice. And that's why Santa has a bag o' tools and tips for you for this holiday season.

Tool of the Month: How to get Google to love your site!

Having a site map is important when it comes to search engine optimization. Here is a tool to help you put one on your site. SiteMap Generator

NEWS YOU CAN USE:

They Showed Us The Money.
August was hot in Dallas this year for more than one reason. The Millionaire's Summit held at the Hyatt DFW attracted Internet entrepreneurs from all over the country. The Summit was a literal melting pot of Internet marketing champions sharing ideas and secrets to success with each other. We will be sharing many of the new ideas and techniques we discussed in the months to come here in our newsletter.

Here is a picture of The Internet Marketing Center President, Derek Gehl and Startup Essentials Co-Founder, Steve Mayes during a break at the 2005 Millionaire's Summit.

If you are new to StartUp Essentials, Welcome Aboard! We fully expect 2006 to be our best year ever for Internet business growth. This coming Christmas season will see a 28% increase in online sales over last years record year. If there ever was a time to get your online business started it is now. The wave is just starting!

Life After Christmas: Looking Forward With Your Internet Business

By Steve Mayes

Do you ever feel like a fish sometimes, constantly surprised at that bubbling treasure chest at the bottom of the tank? Every year we find ourselves saying, "It's Christmas Time already?". We know it's coming. It's the same time every year. But it always surprises us how quickly time has gone by.

We all know what Christmas time means for business owners, including those of us in E-Commerce. It means sales, and lots of them. So there is lots of preparation and hype and even some hysteria leading up to the big event. As Internet Business Owners it's hard to fight the thought, "Is there any point in even having a website after Christmas is over?"
Life After Christmas!

Of course having an optimized site that is converting lots of business during the holiday shopping season is a good idea. But it's now time to think of life after Christmas. Typically, the first quarter is a HUGE quarter for Internet sales. Plus, there are more brand new computers waiting to be opened sitting under Christmas trees right now than at any other time in history. All those people, some brand new to the Internet, will be surfing and shopping and buying in the first quarter. Are you ready for them?

If you don't want to have to spend money on Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns then your other options are the "free" engines which return organic search results. While this is usually less expensive in the end, even if you hire a good Search Engine Optimization (SEO) company, and the average return per visitor is higher, it also takes a little longer to get results.

With PPC you could start driving traffic in a couple days, but with free submissions it could take a few weeks or several months to get indexed and start ranking. If you're in a competitive field it will take longer because you have to move up in the rankings high enough to get noticed by your customers. And since about 80% of traffic comes from the top listings on the first page, you'll want to be on the first page of results.

So, if you want to take part in the estimated $123 billion in sales in the coming year, you need to start working today to get results.

Preparation Tips for the New Year:

1. Check with your supplier to make sure they will have stock. There is nothing worse than making a sale just to find out that your supplier is out of stock. Some suppliers are re-stocking right after the holiday season.

2. Plan on spending some money on marketing. This is the quickest and easiest way to get targeted traffic. Some good choices for consumer product sales would be pay per click advertising, email campaigns, and banner ads. Be sure to track your results!

3. Get wish list software on your site. Kids and ladies love to build their wish lists online these days. If they see something they like on your site they can have an email wish list sent to the person most likely to buy it for them.

4. Build your list. Don't let all those visitors leave your site without at least getting them added to your list. Then you can market to them again and again.

5. Optimize new content pages targeting New Year keywords. Think of the people that will be searching for the term "New Year Resolution". Use that to your advantage and optimize some pages on your site including what you would expect people to use.

6. Offer "After Holiday" Sales categories. Make it easy for the person who is looking for after holiday bargains to find them on your site! Give them some links to help them out like: Ladies gift ideas, men's gift ideas, after-holiday blow outs, etc.

Santa Has Business Building Toys For All the Hard Working Girls and Boys:

Find Products To Sell Looking for the perfect products to sell online? Sometimes they can be hard to find. So, to help you start your research, here are ten top places to look...

Add a Human Touch to Your Web Site Why aren't more people making purchases from your website? Hint: A little human interaction on your web site may close the sale...

The News is in the Mail E-mail newsletters can help you spread the word and keep in touch with customers. Here are some tips for doing it right...

Pop Art Pop-up ads are annoying, distracting -- and, occasionally, highly effective. The trick: using them in just the right place at just the right time...

If You Build It, Can They Find It? Tips for shining a searchlight on your company's web site...

Optimum Diet for Good Health? Protecting yourself from Cancer, Stroke Heart Disease and many other illnesses may be easier than you think...

Looking for traffic to your site? At any given moment there are 78 Million people on line. And in order for you to get your share of these people who are looking for your products to visit your website, you will need to become proficient at creating a successful traffic program. Click on the link for an excellen tool to help you.

Click Here for more traffic to your site: Your Ad Blaster - Massive Email Traffic Program

Have a safe and happy Holiday season. Plan on making 2006 your best year ever.

Helen Keller said "One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar." Don’t let fear keep you from soaring up where you belong.

And Then There Was BLOG!

2006-03-02T23:01:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the Startup Essentials Blog.

This is "the place to be" for your daily dose of experiences, tips, tricks and lots of other cool stuff that will help you become a successful entrepreneur. But don't think that you will just be visiting and then leaving with all the great party gifts. We want to hear from you! Your feedback and information is invaluable in helping your five thousand plus fellow business professionals speed along the pathway of success.

We are working really hard to provide you with the absolute best in training, motivational, inspirational and educational tools. Knowledge is power. So get ready to arm yourself with all the provisions you will need for a long and prosperous journey.

The Achievement Portal is now open, and it ROCKS!!! If you don't have access, go get it! You won't believe what's inside. www.startupessentials.com/portal If you are an existing business owner looking to take your business to the next level, you are in the right place!

Contribute! Learn! Achieve! And let absolutely nothing keep you from the destiny you deserve!

Mostly...have fun!

Your SE Team
http://www.startupessentials.com

PS: Walt Disney said "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." The longest journey begins with the first step. Start walking.