A security system is the key to protecting your home or business from intruders and burglars. Today security systems are increasingly popular and are installed in the majority of homes. There are many different models available from wired systems to wireless systems. You can also purchase do it yourself alarm systems that will range in price from $10 to $100, but for a sophisticated whole home security alarm system you will need to call in the experts.
A security system is built around a basic design concept and this concept uses a simple electric circuit. This circuit is built into an entry way and once the circuit is broken the alarm system is triggered. There are two types of circuits that are used and these are closed circuit systems and open circuit systems. Closed circuits are normally seen as the better choice.
Magnetic sensors are also used for closed circuit systems and when a door is closed the magnet closes the circuit. Other methods use small buttons which are embedded in the door frame and these buttons are pushed in when the door closes. If the door is opened the button is released and this will trigger the alarm.
The control box is the next most important piece of equipment used in security systems and these control boxes are normally located just inside your entrance door. Once your alarm system has been triggered you must enter your security code into the control box to disable the alarm.
The control box is also used to turn your alarm system on when you are leaving your home and is crucial to any security alarm system.
These are the key components to a security alarm system; sensors or circuit breakers and a control box. There are many additional components that can be used and these include motion detectors.
Whatever type of alarm system you decide to have installed in your home or business, it is always advisable to shop around before purchasing anything.
Security System – The Way To Protect Your Home Or Business
The Market for Used Business Phone System Equipment
Business phone systems and the companies who sell them exist in a world all their own. The competition is stiff, with several different retailers and wholesalers carrying the same brands. The competition for used and refurbished business phones and business phone systems is even fiercer, as many companies are searching for equipment that can be used to expand their current system. Often, phone and phone system manufacturers engineer their products so that they aren't universal and will not work with a variety of other products.
This can be a poor selling point for buyers of new business phone systems, but if a company already has a system such as this in place and wants to expand, they have little choice but to use the same equipment. This is the reason why there is such a market for used business phone equipment. It is always much cheaper to hunt down a handset that is compatible with your system than it is to replace the entire system every time you need to add a few phone lines.
Additionally, so many businesses are ill prepared for purchasing the right phone system for their particular needs that they often end up replacing the system in a relatively short time. The old equipment can then be sold or refurbished and sold. Often, wholesalers and retailers will give discounts for new systems if they are able to take the system it is replacing as a "trade in". New and even used terminals, KTX add-ons and PBX equipment can be a major expense.
It is often necessary to find out how much it will cost to expand the type of system you have, when possible. In many instances, purchasing a slightly larger system than you what you currently need can save you money as down the road, even used equipment may cost more than what you would have been able to pay for brand new.
Do You Need an Automated Timekeeping System for your Cleaning Business?
As your cleaning business grows and you add employees, keeping track of time sheets and adding up hours can be a big headache. If you have just one or two employees a paper time sheet where employees "clock in" and "clock out" for each location they clean may be all that you need to track their hours. However, deciphering data and adding up hours from numerous time sheets can take time away from other profit-making activities as you burn up your time doing payroll.
There are options available to your cleaning company other than hiring a full-time bookkeeper. Telephone timekeeping systems are ideal for cleaning companies. They allow employees to call from any location they are working at and "clock in" and "clock out" by using their employee pin number and location pin number.
These timekeeping systems have many time-saving benefits and features:
1. Tracks each employee's time down to the minute.
2. Reassurance that there's no cheating, as there can be with a handwritten time sheet.
3. Tracks travel time between buildings.
4. Caller ID capabilities to ensure employees are calling from the correct location.
5. The ability to leave messages for employees. As soon as they call into the system they receive their messages.
6. Employee scheduling and management.
7. Tracking of no shows or late arrivals. The system alerts supervisors with a call to their cell phone or pager.
8. Supervisors can call into the system to see who is clocked into a building at any given time.
9. The ability to track by job number as well as employee.
10. Easy way to import payroll information. Hours are automatically added up for you, including travel time. Various reports available. Two such automated timekeeping systems are: Express Time from A&B Express Products LLC, http://www.expresstime.net/index.html, and MITC's Telephone Timekeeping Software, http://www.mitcsoftware.com.
MITC's software has a one-time fee. You can buy added blocks of support time from them. Express Time is different in that it has a monthly charge as well as a per call fee. The MITC program does require added hardware and software installed on your computer or you can buy a ready-to-use computer from them.
Express Time has two different systems available: Express Time and Express Time Online. Express Time has a one-time fee, and you can buy added support hours. Express Time Online has a recurring monthly fee as well as a 12 cent per charge for each incoming call. Each system has software that must be downloaded on to your computer. They do not have hardware that is installed on to your computer, but they do have specific computer recommendations for the software to work efficiently. Express Time also states high-speed broadband is needed for technical support.
On either system, employees can call in any time of day, seven days a week, as long as you have the software is running on your computer. The MITC system has different modules that can you can add depending on your specific needs.
Either software, MITC or Express Time, will require a time commitment on your part to learn the system, which may seem overwhelming at first. But after a couple of weeks using the system you will be flying around it like pro.
Adding an automated timekeeping system may be the next step to growing your cleaning business. Any type of automated system you buy will require a financial investment, but it will free up your time from doing the mundane tasks of timekeeping and allow you to spend your time in more productive ways.
Growing A Business 101: A Residual Income System
Do you really think you can make money on the Internet overnight? Let me quickly burst your bubble on that... it just ain't so. Online business isn't a lot different from online business, actually. You need to decide what arena you want to work in and then, put your heart and soul into it. Plus, you need to spend some cash. What business offline requires no investment? None of them!
You can't go to a McDonald's franchise manager and say, "Give me this free, and I'll make a good business out of it." Wouldn't that be great? It'll never happen, but think about it: Regardless of where you set up shop, you'll do great. Of course, that would never happen, but let's talk about the franchise for a moment. Why does McDonald's make money?
You have brand recognition, first and foremost. You also know what you're going to get when you walk into a McDonald's in any part of the United States. You know what the atmosphere will be like, what the employees will be wearing, and the taste and quality of the food. It's a system! Systems that work, really work well and they make money for everyone.
So, let's translate that to the Internet. You need to invest not just time, but money, too. Ask any successful person online today and he or she will tell you the same thing. But maybe you don't want to start out with setting up your own domain, your own web site, etc. Maybe you aren't that far along. Or, maybe you are and will recognize a good system when you see it and take advantage of what that system has to offer.
What makes online systems good? How were they set up? Who owns them? Why do they make money? How can you make money, too?
Know these things before joining any program:
1) Who owns it? Who's in charge? What's their record online? How long have they been in the business of Internet Marketing? Is their contact information readily available? What else has been said about them online?
2) Are the programs in their system solid? Do they have owners, who have already proven their ability to succeed so that you can succeed in their programs, too? Is their contact information readily available? What else has been said about them online?
3) Will you have the opportunity to make more money than you're spending pretty quickly? If you really work at it, is the potential as high as the energy you'll need to put out?
4) Is the system proven? Has it been tried and can the owner of the system guarantee that it works? Have they proven it themselves first?
Once you figure these things out... you're halfway toward achieving your goal.
A residual income system with lots of opportunity that will help you to build a passive cash flow, one that continues to grow as time goes on, and one that produces steady growth is what you need to look for.
But remember, in _any_ of these systems, you'll need to build a team as well as cash flow. Actually, it's your team that will build the residual cash for you, but that's a good thing. When you build a team--and it's been proven that ANYONE, regardless of how much time is spent working on building a team--can attract just 3 members. It's not very difficult, especially if you find a program where the tools for building that team are integrated right into the system.
When you find a program that meets all of these criteria, then test it yourself. Go all out and follow the directions as they're laid out for you. What has already been proven to be successful will continue the pattern for you, just as with McDonald's. You just have to follow it to the letter and work your system like a business. It is a business! It's your business. Let it work for you.
How To Set Up A Simplified Accounting System For Your Home Business
A lot of home businesses fail because they lack the necessary financial system to track down the flow of their money. More often than not, home based business owners are not really very keen at keeping their books of accounts, thinking that as long as money keeps coming in, they will be alright.
Unfortunately, things are not really that simply when you are engaged in business. If you want to stay in business for a long time, you will need to keep track of your financial flow for your own use and for taxation purposes. Note that if you do not keep track of your income, sooner or later the IRS will be unto you and you will get into big trouble.
Setting up your own simplified bookkeeping system is not really very complicated. If you like to keep your records in your computer, you might want to buy accounting software or just simply use whatever programs that will allow you to make a spreadsheet in your computer to record your daily transactions.
However, you have some money to spare for an accounting program, it would be better to have one. There is a number of easy to use accounting software being sold in the market today. The good thing about these accounting programs is that you do not need to worry about balancing your books of accounts. You simply input all your data in one page and the program will run on its own. Most accounting programs will automatically perform the different accounting process and will immediately update your statements of accounts. Retrieving data from an accounting program is also easy. All you need to do is to go to it archives and select which ones you want to see. For instance, if you!
want to know how much your net income is for the month, you simply pull-out the income statement page and you will see your income instantly. Another advantage of using a computer accounting program is that you get rid of all the papers and ledgers in your workplace.
Now, in case you are not comfortable using your computer to balance your books, then you just have to you things the old-fashioned way. What if you do not know anything about accounting processes? Never mind if you are not good in accounting and balancing statements of accounts, just keep a simplified records of your transactions. A three column worksheet will do nicely. You can easily find this type of worksheet in the bookstore. When dividing your worksheet, you can have one column for all the money you received in connection with the business, another column for all the money that you spend for your business and the third column will be for your running balance.
Can A Learning Management System Help Your Business?
It is well known in today's time that knowledge is power and the more training your employee's receive, the better the employee, thus having a more successful company. Businesses today need to be constantly looking for a more efficient way to manage their business and it's a smart idea to invest in a learning management system that will help those within the business run a better business. The more knowledgeable the employee the stronger partnership between boss and employee, the better everything runs like a well oiled machine. Businesses are increasingly focusing on knowledge as an asset for survival in a competitive world. Good learning management systems are required if you want your business to be successful. A learning management system gives the stability for a businesses online learning environment by allowing the management, delivery and tracking of different types of learning for employees, stakeholders and customers. A strong learning management system should incorporate with other departments, such as human resources, accounting and e-commerce, so administrative and supervisory tasks can be streamlined and automated and the overall cost and impact of education can be tracked and evaluated. Choosing or having a learning management system designed specifically with your business prospects can be one of the best decisions you can make for you and your employees.
Many companies are starting to realize that by using a learning management system directly in software form, allows their employees to learn better business while they are on the job. This holds down the cost of online classes, or paying an instructor to come in and teach them. The developers of learning management system software are committed to continued learning, development, and knowledge. Knowledge and expertise are a powerful edge in today's harsh business climate. Usually, Learning Management Software isn't typically for companies with only a handful of employees. Most companies that implement learning management systems are medium-to-large-sized organizations with many users of the system with diverse learning and e-learning activities. However, smaller businesses are everywhere; the need to make learning management systems for smaller businesses is in great demand. The owners of small businesses realize that even though they are not huge companies, their employees can still learn valuable business techniques that will help their businesses. Learning management systems can be a powerful tool that will deliver the information needed and manage all training, education, and certification (if needed). Companies large and small must be able to distribute, manage, and assess, an educational program that can be integrated within their own systems in an efficient, and low-cost manner. In the future, the companies that stay in the know will be the ones that have the learning management systems software that keeps up with employee continuing education, development, and e-learning, and any other learning activities needed. Learning management systems will be the foundation of all learning within the company, and a company that continues to learn will continue to grow, and growing is what having a profitable business is what it's all about.
How To Choose Your Accounting System For Your Home Business
Your accounting system is a very important part of your business. Your accounting system allows you to have records of all of your expenses and other financial transactions. These records are important for both personal uses as well as for tax purposes. When it comes to choosing which accounting system you want there are tow choices. You can purchase accounting system software or you can do bookkeeping and accounting by hand. The choice between these two options is really a matter of which system works best for you personally.
Accounting System Software
You can purchase accounting software online or at a local office supply store. These products are usually easy to set up and easy to use. They can be expensive, though prices vary depending on the software company name brand. You can search online or you can speak with a representative at the office supply store for detailed information on each product.
Handwritten Bookkeeping
The uses of books and hand written accounting have been around for centuries. You don’t have to have a fancy journal; instead you can keep track of your finances in notebooks. Keep separate notebooks per area of spending. One notebook for payments another for invoices and so on.
With either of these choices it is very important to input your financial transactions in correctly. If even a slight mistake is made it can cause large amounts of trouble due to just the tiniest miscalculation. If you find that either option leaves you feeling uncomfortable you can choose to hire an accountant. Depending on your budget allowance, will depend on this option is available for you. Do some research for yourself. Look into all three of these options and see which will make your business life easier and which option will keep your affairs in the best order. You can look up more information on home business accounting online or at your local library. There are hundreds of books and websites available to help you know and understand accounting and the system that may suit you best.
Once you know which accounting system you want to use, begin immediately. You want to make sure that past payment information is updated and that all of your spending is calculated and recorded. These records will allow you to know what is being spent, if changes can be made to save money and if you are going to reach your profit goals. Accounting systems keep your business affairs and financial happenings in order that allows you to keep all of your focus on your business and not just the money aspect of it. Once you have your accounting service up and running you will be able to look back and smile. You’ll be glad you made the accounting system choice that you did.
4 Steps To Making Your Home Business A True Automated System
You hear it al the time if you have been involved or are involved in the home business or internet business industry:
“You need a system to succeed.”
I like to take this a step further. You not only need a “system”, but in order to get the most out of your home business opportunity, you need to have an Automated System. To take that even one step further, your Automated System must hit your prospects from EVERY angle in order to achieve the highest levels of prosperity.
Here are four techniques that if used on all of your prospects WILL increase your earnings with ANY home or internet business opportunity.
Step 1: Create a “capture” or “squeeze” page.
Even if you have no idea what this is, you have almost certainly seen a capture page and even been “captured by one. A capture page is simply a page that is set up to give some brief information about a product or service, but then requires the prospect to enter their info to get the full details. It is often a teaser or hyped up page to get the prospect to want to know more. The most effective capture pages touch on the prospects personal or financial needs compelling them to find out more by filling in their information. Once they do, you own their information for life and can continue to follow up with them or contact them about other offers of services you have no, or develop in the future. Capture pages are a MUST to start building your list that you will be able to promote any product or service. A great program that allows even the most novice person to create capture pages in minutes is Lead Page Generator.
Special note: NEVER LOSE YOUR LIST OF CAPTURED NAMES, ADDRESSES, EMAILS, ETC.
Those that are highly successful in any home business or internet opportunity have a list of thousands that they have built over the years. Any time they have a new product, service or opportunity to promote they send it out to their list first. This gives you a big head start and if your products, services and opportunities have been successful in the past, your list will follow you everywhere.
This all leads into the second technique to creating a totally automated system, email auto responders.
Step 2: Follow up with prospects via email
This is the easiest and most recognizable form of follow up. When creating a capture page, all you have to do is tie the information form into an auto responder. This can be done very easily using services such as aweber. Now, when a prospect fills in their information, you not only get to keep their information for your list, but now you can follow up with them daily, weekly, monthly without having to lift a finger. Of course, you have to write your email follow up messages ahead of time, but once you have them completed, you are following up with your prospects over and over while doing no additional work.
While email is a nice tool to make your system automated, it is far too often the ONLY tool people use. This is a huge mistake. Fact is, that email follow up and marketing is becoming far less effective due to spam laws and people filtering their email accounts.
In order to reach as many people as possible, you need to come at them from different angles.
Step 3: Follow up with a voice broadcasting system
Voice broadcasting gives you yet another method of following up with prospects. It is an awesome tool and as of late has been sort of the “new email.” Because email is getting caught by filters and spam control features, it is necessary to try and reach prospects using other methods. Outside of email, voice broadcasting is the easiest and least expensive means of following up. In addition, voice broadcasting can keep your system totally automated. You can record a simple message or series of messages, collect the prospects phone number on your capture page and then simply set up your voice broadcasting software to call them once, weekly, monthly or whatever you choose. There are lots of services to use out there. Goldcalling, voiceshot, probuilderplus, and protus are just a few.
Step 4: Postcard follow up
Direct mail is by far the most forgotten means of follow up, but often the most effective. Postcards are a terrific way to make sure that your prospects hear form you. By simply collecting their mailing info on your capture page, you have set yourself up to use an incredible tool that will definitely help increase your sales and income.
There are a couple of services that allow you to set up a direct mail campaign to work just like an email auto responder. The best service in my opinion is PostCardAutoresponder.com. You can input a prospects mailing address and set up a campaign that will send them a postcard once, twice, weekly, monthly, or whatever you choose. Just set it up once and forget it. You can contact a prospect for an entire year on autopilot . You can even create custom postcards for any business , service or opportunity.
If you use that simple 4 step plan to create an automated system for your business, you will definitely increase sales and income. Plus, you will not only have an automated system that works for you while you are doing the things you enjoy, but it will be one that contacts prospects from every angle so they are sure to get your message early and often. Remember, it is not always enough just to have a system. You need to have an automated system that you can plug each prospect into that will run itself while you focus on building your business.
A Simple 5 Step System For Starting A Home Base Business... The Right Way
Home Base Business and the dream of working from your own home, by your own terms and hours is a dream shared by many, but the unfortunate thing that happens, is they 'Fail' because they started it for all the wrong reasons.
This almost happened to me. My dream of having my own home base business was almost a distant memory until I was forced to make one of the BIGGEST decisions of my life and that was to get a Mentor.
I'm not saying you have to go out and get a mentor, I'm just sharing with you what I did in order to make my dream a reality.
And my mentor wasn't just any mentor either, he was and still is the #1 Business Coach in North America who showed me and thousands of others what we were doing wrong and what we needed to do to make it right.
This was an experience I will carry with me for the rest of my life and think about everyday.
Who was my mentor your probably wondering?
Well... his name is Raymond Aaron, and he is the founder of the Monthly Mentor - http://www.monthlymentor.com
This man changed my life forever with his principles.
So with that said, what I'm about to share with you he taught me and is a simple system that will only take you a few minutes to do.
These few minutes will determine the right home base business for you, whether it's online or offline, so YOU don't fall victim to failure like many home base business start-ups do.
So... with that said, in these next few paragraphs I'm going to show you how to pick the right business for you to start by using a simple little system I was shown that takes only a few minutes to do.
Believe me, this will not be as stressful as you think.
The first step...
Step #1. Get a pen/pencil and note pad.
This is the easy step. All you have to do Right Now is get a pen/pencil and note pad to write on for the next step coming up.
Do you have your pen/pencil and note pad yet?
Step #2. Write down your TOP 10.
This is where your going to have to use your brain a little bit because this TOP 10 list your about to write down are the TOP 10 home base businesses you would like to start-up based on your interests and passions.
Please... take a few minutes to do this. There's no need to rush.
Step #3. Get rid of five of your TOP 10.
Okay, now it's time to make some cuts. This is where you have to really think about the 10 home base business start-ups you have written down infront of you.
Look at them good and hard.
Now it's time to get rid of the five you would MOST likely not want to start.
Pick wisely.
Step #4. Now get rid of two more.
It's now time to break it down your list even more by getting rid of two more of the five home base business start-ups you have listed infront of you on your note pad.
Remember what we are trying to do here. We're trying to figure out the best home base business for YOU.
After this step you should only be looking at three home base business start-ups that you REALLY want to start.
Step #5. Your FINAL decision.
Now it's time for your FINAL decision.
It all comes down to this last step so make sure you make the right choice for it is the one you're go run with to make your entrepreneurial dreams come true.
Of the three you have left on the note pad infront of you choose the ONE that you know you would excel at and are passionate about doing Day In and Day Out.
This is a BIG decision.
Take a few minutes to REALLY think this through... okay.
Go for a walk if you have to or even sleep on it and decide in the morning.
It's up to you.
That's all there is to it.
I know it seems simple from reading this article, and it is if you know how to simplify the process and not make it more difficult then it really has to be.
People always seem to take the hard route at these kinds of decisions(I was one of them) when it really doesn't have to be, so if you haven't already done so, go through the five steps above and give them a try so you don't fall victim to becoming one of those home base business failures, and become one of those home base business "Successes" doing what it is you are most passionate about and love doing everyday.