Title:

First Film, Games and Mobile Business Network starts in Germany

Word Count:

160

Summary:

The International business network gafimo.net -

the mobile, film, games network launches today in

germany. Matthias Pieper, 23, CEO of gafimo.net

is on the move to find as many professionals from

the mobile content, film and games-development

branches as possible to bring them together.

Keywords:

mobile, mobile content, content, film, game, games, developer, business network, germany

Article Body:

The International business network gafimo.net -

the mobile, film, games network launches today in

germany. Matthias Pieper, 23, CEO of gafimo.net

is on the move to find as many professionals from

the mobile content, film and games-development

branches as possible to bring them together. "It

is clear that these industries have to work

together in the future" Pieper says. He knows,

what he´s talking about: after years of working

on the games workforce (giga, etc.) he has

studied film production and often finds himself

between the branches. "Those people are working

on the same topics, using similiar software,

storytellingtools, and so on" he says, "but

hardly know each other and therefore can´t be of

help to one another". Also Pieper believes that

since the devices of games, mobile and film are

merging (playstations, PCs, etc) there has to be

a business-network to combine these industries.

More info´s and free registrations (restricted to

pros) at www.gafimo.net

Title: Contemporary Bar Stools Keep Businesses Sitting Pretty

The only thing that does not change in this world is change. The business world is no exception. At Wall Street, stocks and bonds rise and fall due to hostile takeovers. Multi-billion dollar mergers are a daily thing. Executive decisions are made with the goal of saving a corporation's bottom line, not jobs. In the blink of an eye, seemingly unlimited amounts of money can be zapped from Wall Street to Main Street. In today's every-changing business world, people and corporations trade information at lightning-fast speed. What better way to reflect such exciting, dramatic, and no-nonsense times than through the office furniture? Contemporary bar stools can be as sleek as an iron-clad contract, or as enticing as a job offer.

Furniture in the Offing

The contemporary bar stool is an offspring of the contemporary furniture movement. This furniture can take on several styles, such as traditional, futuristic, and contemporary. In the late half of the 1900s, furniture designers created a style of their own. They avoided the use of flower print fabrics, carvings with details, and dark wood. They opted, instead, for straight lines, smooth styles, and light colors. Light-colored wood, such as birch and maple, was used for various pieces of furniture. Soft curves replaced fancy cut-outs. Furthermore, pieces were upholstered with natural fabrics, such as cotton or silk. Lastly, lighting, art prints, and organic pieces like wood, metal and stone enhanced the use of contemporary furniture.

Not Just for Bars

Contemporary bar stools can be part of an office's motif of contemporary furniture. Although barstools were first used in the Middle Ages, they can be just as useful and attractive in an office setting. The precursors of contemporary bar stools were designed to seat people at a bar. While today's contemporary bar stools may be utilized for the same purpose, they are mostly used to seat office workers, such as architects and artists, who work at an elevated table or counter. What makes barstools so useful? Well, for one, they are more mobile and liberating than typical office chairs. If workers need to frequently adjust their seats' height, or have a free 360 degree range motion, the contemporary bar stool lets them do this with minimal effort.

Executive De-seat-sion

Contemporary bar stools are ideal for offices not exclusively for their function, but also for their form. Companies want options, and such could range from which bidder offers the best product to which burger joint can make and deliver an order within lunch hour. Contemporary bar stools offer worker ants the same diversity of choices. You can choose which luxurious or sleek styles best complement your office's décor. Also, contemporary bar stools are constructed from a variety of materials, including metals, plastics, and vinyl. Other choices you can take your pick from include the features of different contemporary bar stools: headrests, armrests, footrests, swivel action, and a choice between gas or manual power. Clearly, there are no limitations to your seating scheme. You could choose contemporary bar stools that are typically found in someone's kitchen, or one that Captain Kirk himself would be happy to perch on for the U.S.S. Enterprise.

There is no denying the business world has become more cutthroat and competitive. Contemporary bar stools can help your office keep up and look good while doing it.

Title:

Advertising Your Home Business With Google Adwords

Word Count:

469

Summary:

The object to successful advertising is to find a method of conveying your information to as many people as possible, while keeping the cost on the advertising low to begin with. This is the easiest way to generate traffic, and retain your profits. Google Adwords is a great method of getting both of these objectives done and making your site successful. It is very important to try and maintain a low click through cost when trying to target the appropriate customers.

It is ...

Keywords:

home based,home business,work from home,marketing,opportunity,home workers,Search Engine Marketing,

Article Body:

The object to successful advertising is to find a method of conveying your information to as many people as possible, while keeping the cost on the advertising low to begin with. This is the easiest way to generate traffic, and retain your profits. Google Adwords is a great method of getting both of these objectives done and making your site successful. It is very important to try and maintain a low click through cost when trying to target the appropriate customers.

It is no secret that pay per click can really make your business swell with traffic and customers, by placing the highest bid on a keyword, or keywords you can get great page ranking when someone types your keyword into their browser for a search. If you have heard of Google Adwords you will know that it is not really a pay per click search engine, but a very powerful Google tool that can be used as an advertising template. It is said that the largest Internet based network for marketing is indeed Google. It is a global industry and is a very good way to get exposure on the Internet. If you are interested in the Google Adwords you can find it on just about every page that Google showcases, their ad can be found in a little rectangle by the organic search results that are free.

The basic premise of the Google Adwords realm is quite simple, the member makes their own advertisement, and then has to bid on a keyword, this key word will then trigger the next step of the process. The next step is where the appearance of the ad can be showcased, to the viewers online. A members site consists of approximately 25 words or characters, this will include spaces so be mindful, it will also allow for a description segment of up to 70 words or characters, again spaces included in the total so you must watch what you are using as description. The great thing about this feature is your site will be posted within just a few minutes of you submitting it to Google. It could even become one of the sites that are sponsored, where they will sit on the right hand column of the search engine pages.

Google’s Adwords runs a little differently than the standard pay per click programs, it is not entirely based on the bid you place on the keyword. It has other factors penciled into the equation, such as the click through rate, plus the cost per click. This in turn dictates what your page ranking will be in the end of the ratio. You will need a steady flow of traffic to your site prior to this method to be effective, so it is best to get a good game plan in motion.

6 Easy Steps to Separating Your Personal Life from Your Business

If you work from home, chances are you already know that you’re really pulling “double duty”. You probably work on your business while doing the laundry, corralling the kids, or fixing dinner... and let’s not forget all the phone calls from family and friends expecting you to run errands or just "go out" for an afternoon of fun.

One of the hardest parts of running a home business is separating your work from your family and social life. Here are six proven ways to keep your home life running smoothly while keeping your business on track.

1. First, create a work schedule and stick with it. It may be tempting to answer personal calls during the day or take business calls after-hours, but doing this actually shows that you’re expendable – not dependable – and people will take for granted that you’ll “always be there” for any little things that come up. Even though family comes first, stay true to your business hours and resist the urge to chat with friends or pick up groceries during working hours.

2. Your friends may consider “working from home” an invitation to chat during the day or just go out for coffee or shopping for an afternoon. Make it clear that your business hours are just that – for business. Leave personal calls for after-hours, and you’ll find that your friends will gradually accept your schedule without feeling slighted.

3. Just because you have to set up a work schedule, doesn’t mean that you have to keep the same hours as everyone else. One of the benefits of working for yourself is setting your own hours to fit your most productive times. Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, you’ll find that you’ll get much more done when you’re attuned to your body’s own natural rhythms. Some people work in the morning, take a break in the afternoon when the kids are home from school, and work again in the evening. Schedule your work time when you feel the most productive and you’ll find that things get done easier, faster and better than when you were dragging along during those same rigid work hours that everyone else has.

4. If getting after-hours business calls or work day personal calls is a problem, it helps to have a separate business phone line, or at least an answering machine or voice mail, to take the incoming calls. This also gives your business a more professional appearance to clients than if you and your family make and receive calls from the same phone line.

5. If at all possible, try to separate your “home office” from the rest of your home. If you don’t have the luxury of a separate room, a room partition or screen can be just as helpful. This also serves as a visual cue to family that you’re working and shouldn’t be bothered.

6. Dress and act professionally while working. Some people find it helpful to dress in casual business attire during their working hours. This reinforces that just because you’re working from home doesn’t make you any less of a professional. Answer the phone with your name, or business name, and keep your children off the phone during business hours. Also, spend money investing in the tools you need to do your job right. A cell phone, fax machine or even a budget computer can help turn your home office into a true workspace.

If you follow all of these tips and stick with them, chances are you’ll find a routine that not only makes you feel productive and active in your business, but also projects the message that you mean business – literally!

Poor 1 2 3 4 5 Best

Improve Your Business Using Animated Characters

One of the hardest things to do on a website is reaching out to your visitors with the warmth and friendliness that exists in person. Thanks to Sitepal from Oddcast, it is relatively easy and inexpensive to add a lifelike animated character to your website. It isn’t as powerful as a real salesman, but its pretty darn close and a step above graphics and simple flash animations.

Sitepal allows all kinds of businesses to create animated, talking avatars for websites. These avatars can be used for a variety of applications such as customer service agents, virtual salesman, or even a reporter for news sites. Their eyes follow the mouse cursor. They can welcome visitors, inform about products displayed on the page, even answer pre-defined questions.

Personalizing your character is flexible and easy. The system lets you choose hairstyles, shades, necklaces, shirts, mouths, and face models. You can reposition the mouth, adjust the size of the shoulders, and even choose the amount of blush used for make up. It also gives you a decent list of backgrounds to use as well as an option to upload your own. For the audio, you can record a message using a microphone or use the pre-made audio. There is also a text-to-speech option that speaks the text you type in, although the voice often sounds computerized and unnatural. The avatars support 13 languages in 60 different voices.

According to Oren Levy, executive vice president of New York City Oddcast, there are 10,000 eBay auctions running with Sitepal virtual sales representative. These avatars aren’t there for decorative purposes, they produce real results. Some businesses customize characters targeted to sell only one product. Levy says one business saw a 33 percent increase in sales after using Sitepal.

Although Sitepal can be used anywhere, it is most effective with high consideration products like computers, large appliances, and furniture. They’re also effective when used with products facing tough competition. Subscription prices start at $9.95 per month or $99.50 per year.

7 Areas To Focus Your Home Based Business

One of the things I encourage people to do when they start out online is to quickly create a plan of what they want to achieve. A vision for your business is better, but not everyone is ready for a vision. Even a plan for the next six months will help you to focus on what you want to get done.

The internet offers an opportunity to reach a wide market if you are effective, and your “shop” never has to close. It will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to anyone that chooses to visit.

Not only is the potential for customers huge, but the number of areas you can focus on online is also huge, and whilst I will not be covering them all in this article I wanted to give you a flavor of some of the things you can do.

Affiliate Marketing - This involves you selling the products of a supplier. Its one of the more popular things to do when you start out online because you don’t need your own product, and many affiliates don’t own their own website.

When you sell goods on behalf of a supplier they give you a commission based fee – which varies but can be anything from 5% to 75% of the total cost of the product.

It makes for a great start because they take care of all the customer service and delivery of the product. The downside of affiliate marketing is the fact that you never earn as much as someone who actually owns the product.

Info-preneuring or Information Products - Information products are amongst some of the greatest products currently churning out money online. And anyone can create an information product. Imagine you know how to build a pond from scratch. That already makes you a lot more knowledgeable than me -the only thing I know about ponds is that they look great in my garden!

Maybe one person in a thousand will want to know how to build the kind of pond you know how to build.

Offline you can write a book about it but not many publishers will want to publish it (although there is self-publishing now!). because for a publishing company it's just not worth the marketing.

On the internet though, one person in a thousand gives you a potential market of 340,000 customers. If you write a book and sell it online for just $10 per copy you could make as much as $3,400,000. All you have to do is tell people what you know-and tell them it's out there. And that costs next to nothing.

If you love writing, or if you have work that you have tried to get published and failed, this may be a great alternative for you.

Niche Marketing - Now you have your information product on how to build a pond, this is called a niche market. You are not talking about knitting, or how to improve your golf swing so you will not want to market to those people.

Niche marketing is basically marketing your website to a particular market. Once your pond ebook is selling well there is nothing to stop you putting up another website about improving your golf swing, or looking after your new hamster. You just decide on the product, create it and put up a website. But again, you must first do some research into what people want if you really want your site to be successful.

It pays to focus in on one particular niche because then people will arrive at your site knowing that you potentially have the product they are looking for. If they are then presented with 30 different products on different topics they will not hang around long enough to bother looking.

Membership Sites – This has become one of the bigger money earners. Imagine taking everything you know on how to build a pond, filming yourself as you build and then creating it into videos. Interviewing pond and fish experts and turning them into audio. Then putting all that information into a membership area where people pay to gain access. 2,000 members paying a monthly fee of $10 to get access to this membership site is a nice chunk of change! Your site could charge a one-off fee, a yearly fee or a monthly fee (or all 3!)

Google Adsense - Google provide adverts that can be placed on your website, when someone clicks on this advert you get money (don't get any ideas about clicking it yourself, Google monitor that and ban you forever!). What has become popular is to have a site that contains articles on a topic, e.g. Looking after a kitten and the adverts will reflect the topic, so there may be adverts on vets, insurance, food especially for kittens, etc etc.

As this information site will help people they are more likely to read the article and then click on one of the adverts. Even better, if you have a product you are selling and you write the article, chances are people will then take a look at your product and buy it.

Google changed the way it reviews sites late July/early August 2006, which really only affected sites that were setup with the sole purpose of getting people to click on their ad link, rather than provide information. The key is to provide quality unique information that you have written yourself, not just a load of clickable adverts and you will be okay.

Network Marketing - Network Marketing or multi-level marketing (mlm) is an area that is well known offline as well as online. Amway is one of the leading network marketing companies, and now, there are a host of opportunities to get into online.

Network marketing works because it uses leverage. The more people you introduce and help them to introduce others the more money you make. The difficulty can be in just getting people involved and then keeping them interested enough to learn how to replicate your success.

But if you manage that network marketing is definitely a great income generating opportunity. The key is to find a reputable company with years of experience, or a new company with solid backing both financially and in terms of the people who support the business.

Finally....

Turnkey Businesses - A turnkey business (also called plug-in) is a business that provides everything for you. You will usually be given a product, a website and/or some training/tools in how to market. Some turnkey businesses offer incentives to be paid if you recruit others to take up the opportunity.

This is a great way to get started because you have everything you need. It is definitely important to look for a company that provides you with help and support.

A great example of a turnkey business is my business called The Wealth Director at http://www.thewealthdirector.com You receive a website, a newsletter system (with newsletters), subscribers and leads when you buy a package, everything you need is in one place.

There is also a complete business including personal development support at http://www.businessstartuponline.com to help anyone with online business startup and network marketing.

The above is a small part of what is possible online, 7 ways to start making money online. There are many other opportunities and I encourage you to research and find out which one works best for you before getting yourself involved in one.

I also encourage you to focus on one (or two at the most) and enjoy earning a living from them before moving on to running another business.

Business Classes: What Can They Do For You?

Business classes are a great way to learn. Not only do they teach you how to run a business inside and out but they also help you to prepare for personal experiences as well. But, before we get into that, let’s discuss just what business classes are. You can take them as part of a college degree program or you can take them as individual classes to help you learn the things covered in the class. What you will find is that there are many choices to consider in business classes.

Some of the things that you are likely to learn in business classes include the very basics of business such as how it works and why it works like that. You will learn about developing concepts that are unique, marketing, hiring and staffing effectively, becoming an effective leader as well as classes in business communications and diversity. This is only the very beginning of what these classes can hold.

You will also take business financing classes. These classes are an excellent way for you to learn to manage the money that comes in and goes out of your business. Carefully planning the day to day expenses as well as the long term goals is what is necessary in business and these classes can help. You can take this knowledge and apply it to your own life as well. Personal experiences in financial contracts can be helped when it comes to the knowledge you will receive through business classes.

There is a lot to learn. If you are interested in finding out what business classes can do for you, just think about what you would like to learn and then find classes that are offered in that area. You will find a wide range of products available to help you learn such as courses from local and state colleges as well as universities. You will find a wide range of options offered by community colleges as well. What’s holding you back from getting in some business classes that will likely drive you to the next level in business?

Building A Home Business For The Beginner

So you just started your first home business and now you're ready to make millions. Well first let me congratulate you on having the marbles to start your first home business. Many people allow their fear to hold them back from achieving their goals in life. With that being said you must also understand your home business will not build itself, you are going to have to work daily in order to build a successful home business and achieve your financial dreams. No matter what anyone has told you, building a home business does require work and daily effort. If you were thinking you could cash huge checks and not lift a finger you should get that mentality out of your head now. Your home business requires time and effort just like any other business would. It really helps if you also have a great supporting cast around you but it is not necessary if you have the will and determination to become successful. Remember where there is a will, there is a way. And there is always a way.

Ok what is the first thing you should do when starting your home business. You should first setup your marketing campaign. Marketing equals sales, and sales are key. Marketing is the key to your business. You must market. Now if you have no clue on how to market you can do one of two things.First if you have the money, you can hire a marketing company to market your business for you. You will have to do your due diligence when choosing a marketing company. Many marketing companies cannot walk their talk and will take your money and leave you with little or no results. Or you could learn how to market which can prove to be invaluable to you and your home business. Like the saying goes "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." You will need to find a training course, business mentor, or live training to learn how to market. If you can also learn how to market online that is 100 times better. Once you learn how to market online and offline effectively you and your home business will become a powerhouse. For example there is company called Mentors On A Mission which offers exclusive training and courses on how to properly build and market a home business located at http://www.zipbz.com. I truly believe once you learn how to market you can pretty much sell any decent item and make a great living for yourself and your family.

Next once you have cash flow coming in, I would get with a tax specialist. Setting up your taxes is another key element when starting your home business. I see many business owners do their taxes on their own. Unless you have had professional training in setting up taxes, I would not do it myself. It's a pretty simple process hire a bookkeeper to keep track of your accounting info. Then review the info with your tax guy. A great tax guy can help you setup or refer you to professionals who will help you setup corporations. They will teach you how to make the most of your money and teach you the advantages you have as a home business owner compared to just being an employee. It also helps to have professionals just in case you get audited by the IRS.

I believe these are the two most important parts when starting a home business or any business for that matter.

Business Dress Code - What to Wear While Prospecting

Business dress codes can be tricky to navigate as a consultant. You are going into other people's businesses so your personal business dress code has to appeal to a wide range of clients. This is also true when you are prospecting for future clients.

The business dress code that you use when prospecting will depend on the event. You always want to dress to be your best but you also have to know your audience. The first time you attend an event or meeting it is best to wear a sport jacket and tie. This type of business dress code is very middle of the road. Not too conservative but not too casual.

Business Dress Code and Marketing

A very good choice, especially for people who hate getting dressed-up, is to use your clothes to advertise. When you are in a situation where business casual is appropraite, do some branding and marketing through your attire.
Wear a polo shirt with your logo on it
Have your logo put on a sweater
For sporting events, wear a logoed ball hat
At the very least wear a name tag that has your name and logo on it

This is a great way to incorporate a business dress code that is not only professional but productive as well. Don't feel like you have to be the snazziest dresser but use your business dress code to send a marketing message and convey your professionalism.

The Bottom Line On Your Business Dress Code

Incorporating a business dress code that is not too formal and not too causal is often the best bet. This type of business dress code allows you to appeal to the maximum amount of people and it allows you to feel comfortable within a mixed crowd. These will both help boost your confidence and prospecting success. Adding logoed attire to your business dress code is a highly effective way to get your company name out to people while maintaining your professionalism.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Business Dos & Don'ts -- Funny Business Humour

Whenever walking at your place of employment… always carry a clipboard and walk fast. This will make you look extremely busy and your boss will not give you further tasks!

If you are going to the loo and like to read a newspaper whilst… well you know what… carry it in a folder marked "Urgent"… and again walk briskly.

Have huge piles of documents on your desk and whenever the boss walks past… wipe your brow and mutter under your breath… as you rummage through the paperwork trying to find that important piece of work.

If somebody leaves a voicemail for you and it sounds urgent make sure you call them back when you know that they are at lunch and leave a voicemail in return. This means that you have fulfilled your duty in returning their call and the ball is back in their court.

Make sure your computer screen is facing away from everybody else's… this will give you plenty of time to catch up on your personal email, make arrangements for the weekend and still look busy…

Always have the latest and most complicated piece of business software open and minimised so that if your boss happens to walk over to your desk you can maximise it and ask for help! The boss usually doesn't have a clue and will quickly scurry away leaving you plenty of time to sort your next holiday.

Do you want a promotion? Find out what time the boss arrives for work. Make sure you beat him to it by a few minutes every day and leave a couple of minutes after him. Always look busy when he arrives and as he is leaving.

Find out what his hobbies are, his birthday and his favourite treats. By making him feel special you are more likely to be in his mind when he is handing out wage rises.

If you work for a large company make sure you take your holidays at the same time as your boss. This is also the right time to extend your weekends by calling in sick on either Friday or Monday!

The above applies just as well if your boss is female. Can you suggest any other business dos and don'ts?

Business Contacts - Find the User/Influencers

Business contacts are the people you have in your network. These people are all important to your growing business. You need to build and develop relationships with your business contacts in order to move your business forward and expand your customer base.

Business contacts fall into two separate categories. It is important for you to distinguish between the two and develop relationships with them accordingly. The two categories of business contacts are influencer/users and users.

The people who are both influencers and users are prime business contacts. These business contacts have the potential to use your services themselves and influence others to use your services as well. It is true, every client is a good potential referral source, but the real influencer/users are those who are in the referral business so to speak. These influencer/users also come in two categories:

Trusted Advisors to Small Businesses
Business contacts in this arena include:
Accountants
Bookkeepers
Attorneys
Business Managers
Consultants
Just like you call your accountant for referrals to other businesses, other small businesses are doing the same. If you happen to maintain your accountant’s network, who is he or she most likely to recommend?

Niche Technology Providers for Small Businesses
This is another category of business contact that is extremely influential. These are people who are in the IT industry but who are not direct competitors. They include:
Accounting Software Specialists
Industry Niche Software Applications
Phone System Dealers
Software Developers
System Builders
Website Designers
These businesses work for companies that will likely be in your sweet spot. If you develop business contacts with these people they will be in a position to recommend your IT services to their clients.

The Bottom Line on Business Contacts

Business contacts are all important. They do come in different categories and some should be focused on more than others. Those in the influencer/user category are very powerful business contacts because not only can they use your company they can refer you to others who could hire your company.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Beware Of Home Business Scams

We all would love to have the freedom to work for ourselves from the privacy of our own homes. Some of us, want it so badly, that we are easy prey for many of the home business scams that pop up on the internet and in your email inbox on a daily basis.

They make professional looking websites, including testimonials from people talking about all of the money they have made and how great the business is. They try to pull you in by talking about how much they enjoy the flexibility of being able to set their own schedule, work from their own home, and be their own boss.

All the things that we would all like to have, but have yet to find. The question is how do you know if these offers are legitimate? Should we automatically hit delete, assume that they are all scams, and possibly miss the one that might, just might be a true business opportunity, the one that you have been so desperately seeking? This article will tell you about some of the known home business scams that are out there, so that hopefully, you won't be the next victim taken for a ride by them.

We have all seen the advertisements on television and online that offers you the business of your dreams, financial freedom, and unlimited success, and then tells you that all you have to do is call this 1-900 number for more information.

These phone numbers are by no means toll free, and will cost you quite a bit of money just for making the call for more information. Oftentimes, the promised information is just a bunch of garbage that is thrown together in an attempt to keep you on the phone longer, making them more money in the end, money that will come out of your pocket when you have to pay your next telephone bill.

The most well-known home business scam is the envelope stuffing business. You send in a nominal amount of money to a company that promises that in return, they will send you a certain number of envelopes that they need you to stuff and return.

They go on to tell you that they will pay you a certain amount of money for each envelope you do, but what actually happens, is that you send the money in, and never hear from the company again, or you do get the envelopes, stuff them, and send them back in, only to never see any money in return. Not to mention the fact that you are also out the original fee that you sent in for the information to start with. So, this is a total scam, and a total waste of your time and hard earned money. You are just making some scammer's pockets that much fatter!

Much like the envelope stuffing scam, there is a similar scam that involves your email. You get a message in your inbox telling you that you can make a ton of money by sending out emails for this company, and to send them a certain amount of money upfront for more information. They send you back a list that tells you to forward the original email they sent you to someone else, and get them to pay you the fee, and so on. You never really gain anything from this, other than turning yourself into a scam artist, victimizing others.

If you see an ad for a home based business, and it looks as though you can make a ton of money for literally doing nothing, then chances are it is a scam. If you are lucky, you will realize this prior to sending them any of your hard earned money, but if you do, don't be surprised if you never get the money back, or never even hear from the company again.

If you receive a solicitation in your email that you did not sign up for, then delete it right away. Chances are pretty high that it is a scam invented to make someone else rich, certainly not you.

Legitimate companies are not going to expect you to send them money for more information about the job they are offering, so if you get something that looks like it would be the best thing for you, and you get to the bottom and it says all you have to do is send us $20 by check, money order, PayPal, credit or debit card, then chances are it is a scam, and you should leave the site and don't look back.

When looking for a work at home job or home based business, remember that you are looking for ways that you can make money, not ways to lose it. Don't pay someone for information, and don't fall into the spam trap.

Best Home Based Business Opportunity

If you enjoy sales and want to start a home business selling products to others online, then this home based business opportunity may be for you. Because the Internet has become more widely used as a place to buy goods and services, there is greater opportunity for profit than ever before. Depending on the products you want to sell, the level of customer service you can offer, and the amount of marketing time you can put into promoting your business, you can be very successful. There are a few ways to sell products online. You can create a website, upload photos, and take orders directly from the site, or you can sell items through online auction sites. Either way is an acceptable form of selling products online.

Before you jump into this business opportunity, you must consider what it is you want to sell. You can choose to become an affiliate and sell products made by another company, you can create your own products, or you can sell products through auction sites by opening an online franchise offered by another company. While each has the potential to be profitable, you must remember that each will require you to spend time marketing, promoting, shipping, and taking care of your customers so they will return to make another purchase. Running a home business is similar to working for a company except that you are the boss.

If creating a website, setting up payment options, and maintaining the site seem difficult, they really aren't once you become more comfortable using the computer. Many web hosts have templates that you can use in order to build your website. There are easy software products to use that will track, accept payment, and refund money if necessary. Once your website has been created, it is easy to maintain. All you really have to do is check to make sure all internal links are active, upload new product information when needed, and keep the website interesting by adding a few informative articles.

Even though the first few months of home business ownership will be frustrating, confusing, and even depressing at times, once you overcome these hurdles, you will find that your business will begin to show a profit. Once you become more comfortable using the computer to generate sales, you will also begin to enjoy being the boss. There is nothing more satisfying than running your own business on your own terms. You will be able make decisions concerning your business without having to consult anyone else.

One way to increase sales is by launching an effective marketing campaign. When you advertise online and off, you are telling people that your business exists and that they should visit your site to see what you have to offer. There are many ways to market your business based on the types of products you sell. This is what makes selling products online so lucrative. By creating a website, blog, and advertising on other websites and search engines, you can begin to create more awareness of your business and encourage others to visit your website.

Beginnings Of Business Opportunities

One of the secrets of successful people is that they look at every encounter as an opportunity. This is a good attitude to follow because there will be a driving force behind getting up in the morning or going out of the house. Some, if not most nine to five employees, dread waking up each day and drudgingly go through another routine but adopting this technique of positive thinking will make all the difference.

Think how many employees will be happily up and about very early in the morning if such an exercise of a manner of thinking will be ingrained. Any routine can still be exciting because there will always be something new maybe not as big that can easily be noticeable but something always comes up. An employee who is excited at everything that comes his or her way will most likely be doing his or her job with a smile and will go the extra mile to seize an opportunity presented before him.

Sometimes laziness creeps in but in remembrance to the proven secrets of the mighty ones we then have to think twice before skipping going to the benefit or forever postponing joining an organization.

This does not mean that you have to force yourself to be out there but at least exert even just a bit of effort to expose yourself to different groups and meet new people. The connections you will get from an organization will be of great help to you someday and the people you meet will one day be instrumental in your advancement.

It is not uncommon to hear of success stories that started at a chat over a conference coffee break or a chance encounter while waiting for the train to arrive in a public transportation system. After all humans are all bout interactions and during these interactions conversations will say a lot about every person involved unearthing shared interests or a gold mine of talent.

Both are keys to finding out if a person can be deemed as fit for whatever the other person has in mind. If two people click then thank their lucky stars and of course their being pro active in showing their true self to another person for only then can an interaction has some effect on both parties.

So the next time you are at a party where you do not really know anybody or while waiting in line at a fast food or cinema ticket booth, talk to the people nearest you. Be friendly at all times but do not overdo it. You never know some business opportunity might come to life out of your new found friend and all you had to do was to take the time to talk to the person otherwise bye to a possible business venture.

Businesses actually work because of the idea behind it and an idea often comes from observations and random thoughts derived from exposure or immersion to the world and constant communication with people you are around with and you aim to please.

Business opportunities abound and this is amidst the complaints that many people are unemployed here in the country. It is only a matter of looking into the right business opportunity to invest with time and money because time is gold and money is something that one earned rightfully.

Best Leadership Advice: Business Success Secrets From 7 Top Leaders

Fortune magazine once published an article entitled "The Best Advice I Ever Got." It was a great article that offered wit and wisdom about achieving business success. I liked it so much, that it motivated me to produce my newest book, Leadership:Best Advice I Ever Got, which describes the best leadership advice 136 successful CEOs, coaches, consultants, professors, managers, executives, presidents, politicians, and religious leaders received that most helped them become effective and successful leaders.

Here are 7 secrets to leadership success:

1. Leadership is about making things happen

If you want to make something happen with your life, in school, in your profession or in your community, do it. Perceived obstacles crumble against persistent desire. John Baldoni, Author, Leadership Communication Consultant and Founder of Baldoni Consulting LLC, shared this advice that had come from his father, a physician. He taught him the value of persistence. At the same time, his mother taught him compassion for others. Therefore, persistence for your cause should not be gained at the expense of others. Another bit of leadership wisdom!

2. Listen and understand the issue, then lead

Time and time again we have all been told, "God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason"...or as Stephen Covey said..."Seek to understand, rather than be understood." As a leader, listening first to the issue, then trying to coach, has been the most valuable advice that Cordia Harrington, President and CEO of Tennessee Bun Company has been given.

3. Answer the three questions everyone within your organization wants answers to

What the people of an organization want from their leader are answers to the following: Where are we going? How are we going to get there? What is my role? Kevin Nolan, President & Chief Executive Officer of Affinity Health Systems, Inc. believes the more clarity that can be added to each of the three questions, the better the result.

4. Master the goals that will allow you to work anywhere in today’s dynamic business world

Debbe Kennedy, President, CEO and Founder of Global Dialogue Center and Leadership Solutions Companies, and author of Action Dialogues and Breakthrough once shared this piece of advice that was instrumental in shaping her direction, future and achievements.

She was a young manager at IBM just promoted to her first staff assignment in a regional marketing office. For reasons she can’t explain, one of her colleagues named Bookie called her into his office while she was visiting his location. He then began to offer unsolicited advice, but advice that now stays fresh in her mind. He mentioned that jobs, missions, titles and organizations would come and go as business is dynamic-- meaning it is always changing. He advised her not to focus your goals toward any of these, but instead learn to master the skills that will allow you to work anywhere.

He was talking about four skills:

• The ability to develop an idea


• Effectively plan for its implementation


• Execute second-to-none


• Achieve superior results time after time

With this in mind, Kennedy advises readers to seek jobs and opportunities with this in mind. Forget what others do. Work to be known for delivering excellence. It speaks for itself and it opens doors.

5. Be curious

Curiosity is a prerequisite to continuous improvement and even excellence. The person who gave Mary Jean Thornton, Former Executive Vice President & CIO, The Travelers this advice urged her to study people, processes, and structures. He inspired her to be intellectually curious. He often reminded Thornton that making progress, in part, was based upon thinking. She has learned to apply this notion of intellectual curiosity by thinking about her organization’s future, understanding the present, and knowing and challenging herself to creatively move the people and the organization closer to its vision.

6. Listen to both sides of the argument

The most valuable advice Brian P. Lees, Massachusetts State Senator and Senate Minority Leader ever received came from his mentor, United States Senator Edward W. Brooke III. He told him to listen to all different kinds of people and ideas. Listening only to those who share your background and opinions can be imprudent. It is important to respect your neighbors’ rights to their own views. Listening to and talking with a variety of people, from professors to police officers, from senior citizens to schoolchildren, is essential not only to be a good leader in business, but to also be a valuable member within your community.

7. Prepare, prepare, prepare

If you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail. If one has truly prepared and something goes wrong the strength of the rest of what you've prepared for usually makes this something easier to handle without crisis and panic. One of the best pieces of advice Dave Hixson, Men’s Varsity Basketball Coach at Amherst College has ever received and continues to use and pass on is this anonymous quote, "Preparation is the science of winning."

Along with this are two expressions from Rick Pitino's book Success is a Choice, which speaks to preparation. Hixson asks his teams every year: "Do you deserve to win?" and "Have you done the work?" This speaks to the importance of preparation toward achieving your final goal. If you haven't done the work (preparation) the answer to the second question is an easy "no!"

Great advice comes from many sources: parents, other relatives, consultants, bosses, co-workers, mentors, teachers, coaches, and friends. The important point to remember is to stay open, listen to everyone, but also develop your own leadership style.

All can go well in business with a criminal record check

The people’s need to obtain more information about their future employees is driven by the lack of certainty and safety in a society with an increasing number of criminal offences. The criminal records search, however unethical it may sound, is a necessity for today’s employers. The big risk of hiring the wrong person for one’s business has turned this issue into an important one for any company. Employers have to make a criminal record check of future employees otherwise they can get sued in case the person they hire breaks the law affecting their business. On the other hand a very important issue is whether persons with criminal records can be turned down on job applications because of their criminal background. The criminal record check may seem quite difficult to conduct and might even rise up problems of immorality, but one has to balance well the decisions regarding the future of his company.

Criminal offence has grown a lot over the years. This has led to a very big uncertainty when it comes to meeting new people and choosing who you’ll be working with. Employers (all over the world) have confronted with this problem when hiring someone. They have to verify this person’s background, but the criminal record check can be quite limited. When pursuing a criminal record check, employers don’t have access to governmental information. The first step of the process is to view that person’s job application. The criminal records offer information regarding the applicant’s past problems with the law. Then, they can consult the credit bureau’s registers from which they can find out addresses and social security numbers and check the past jobs as well. This way the employer finds out what the future employees have done before and whether there are any intentionally left out details in the applications. Many companies resort to hiring special services to conduct the criminal records search, but only if the applicant has given his written consent. If there are criminal records to be found, the employees should be given the chance to elucidate their case. The job applicants must be informed upon their legal rights before any decision to reject the job applications is made.

In the Internet era, the most accurate help you can find consists of the online services. Most companies offer their help in criminal record check, but their efforts are made using the Internet as well. These companies can give detailed information on how a criminal record check can be conducted. They know how a person can pursue a criminal record check by obtaining the information they need from the local courthouse and which criminal records can be granted by the specialized web sites in the criminal record check. Even so, this doesn’t mean it is the easiest or cheapest way to obtain the information you want. The problem is that criminal record check can’t be 100% accurate, because criminal records may suffer corrections along the years. There are also some limitations on how much information an employer can obtain about an applicant’s criminal background. Nationwide, the criminal database has a lot of lacks. But this doesn’t mean the employer’s strive to obtain a criminal background is useless, because most of the companies specialized in criminal records search have been book keeping all the changes conducted in one’s criminal records.

Another important issue may be whether the applicant with criminal records has a chance in being hired or not. An employer can not reject a job application due to criminal records search because it would be considered a discrimination against this category of persons. Nevertheless, the employer can check whether that person’s criminal background could interfere with the future job, whether they are related and how the applicant’s behavior has been ever since. This remains a very controversial matter because it is very difficult to prove that a person has been rejected for employment due to his criminal record check, which is in fact illegal.

In spite of all these issues, criminal record check is a very important step in hiring someone because of the problems that may occur in the future. Hiring someone can influence how your business will develop, so risks are involved. The employer should be able to conduct a criminal records search to minimize the risks, but he should not make a decision basing it only on the criminal records. There are web sites or companies specialized in criminal records search, which can offer you the most accurate information you need in the shortest period of time. Qualified personnel can simplify finding an applicant’s criminal background and the information obtained will help you make a balanced decision regarding your future employees.

Another Kind of Horse Brand: Business Branding in Equine Marketing

It's winter time, the breed inspection season has come and gone in North America, and along with it branding season.

Branding season for horses--NOT for horse BUSINESSES.

If you have any business or marketing background, or have done any reading on the subject, you have heard of branding in the business context. Let's take a look at what that actually is.

Brands on horses and other livestock in the Old West showed ownership. There was some level of claiming recognition for owning a quality animal, but primarily the point was to keep livestock from being stolen. Branding helped to legally retrieve stolen livestock.

In Europe, brands on horses were not an indication of personal ownership, but rather indicated the horses' affiliations with one of the regional registries.

That idea, which is behind modern-day branding of horses in European-affiliated breeds and some of the other breeds in North America is closer to the concept of business branding. In fact, it IS business branding for the individual horse breed.

So What is Branding Exactly?

It isn't a string of freeze-branded symbols or a set of moose antlers or other breed symbol. Those are likened to a business logo or trademark, but those things aren't brands in the business sense, either.

A brand on a horse signifies everything the breed represents: the quality, history, performance record, origin, and so on. A horse that carries a breed's brand mark ostensibly possesses all of the attributes of the breed, and is theoretically capable of performing to the standard established by that breed association. For example, when you see a horse with a Holsteiner brand (assuming you have familiarity with the mark), you recognize the horse as a Holsteiner. You immediately know a little bit about the horse's lineage, background, and the kinds of activities it might be good at.

That is why some registries require a physical inspection and approval of the individual horse before giving it a brand--the branded horse is a representative of the breed's identity, a walking advertisement. It makes sense for the breed organization to want to control the quality of those advertisements.

Likewise, a brand is the embodiment of all the information connected with a product or service. A brand typically includes a name, logo, and other visual elements and encompasses the set of expectations associated with a product or service which typicaly arise in the minds of people. (reference: wikipedia.org).

Logos and such--like brand marks--are a shorthand symbol for the brand. Those marks are meaningless until the brand is built.

Build Your Brand from the Ground Up:

As Chevy Chase's character, Ty Webb, says in Caddyshack, "Be the ball." Live the brand. Branding is everything you and your business represents. You establish a brand through the quality of your horses, your competitive record, the standard of service you provide to your clients, the manner of your business dealings, trust, your reputation. A brand is a business' identity. Consistency in all of these elements builds a brand.

Paradoxically, I am on the fence about whether to brand horses or not. Maybe just the bunny-hugger in my personality coming out, but I think branding hurts the animal.

For your horse business, definitely, branding shouldn't hurt. It might take a little mental stretching to grasp the concept, but the actual establishment and building of your brand need not be painful.

But one thing is certain: There is no end to the branding season for businesses!

Analysis of the success and failure of doing business in China

Why some foreign-funded enterprise became successful when entering the China market while others fail, and why some grow relatively faster than the rest? Reasons to explain all these are complex and varied. The following factors can determine how well or bad foreign-funded enterprise fare in China:

1. Establishment and implementation of enterprise's development strategy. In China, successful MNCs and foreign-funded enterprise will definitely implement long-term development strategy, adopting a long-term outlook for their business, unlike other unsuccessful companies which do not look far and only concentrate on short-term gains. Besides adopting a development strategy that is of long time horizon, the strategy will need to be a flexible one as market conditions are constantly changing due to the presence of globalization. The enterprise need to be flexible as to react immediately to any changes without affecting its business operations.

2. Leadership of the top management plays a decisive role in deciding the success of the company. In face of greater competition brought about by globalization, management today will need to possess stronger judgment, decision ability, adaptability and greater foresight. Ability to look far is crucial as one need to be able to foresee unforeseen circumstances in order to be ready at all times to react to any changes.

3. Form key competitiveness for the enterprise, and grow together with the economy. Treat your staff with an open heart, cultivate the enterprise’s values and vision constantly into them to foster togetherness within the organization and strengthen the organization’s strengths. .

4. Build and strengthen the institutional framework and economic system of the enterprise. MNCs usually will establish main or Asian headquarters in key cities in China. Beside that, research and development centre, training centre and logistic base will also be built. Therefore it is vital for the organization to have a strong organization structure dealing with its cash flow, flow of information and manpower movement in order to ensure its success in China

5. It is essential for the foreign-funded enterprises to understand the China’s culture, especially regarding the culture of Guangxi (relationship), so as to be able to gain the popularity and trust of China population. With a good relationship, business can become smoother and probability of failure will be greatly reduced. Stronger bonds can also be built with the customers, suppliers and partners.

An Ideal Age For Business

What is the ideal age to start in business? In paid employment and especially politics there is definitely ageism at work. Some politicians in the past have had to retire as leader of their parties because they were deemed to be too old to appeal to the voters.

Business has no age barriers.

When it comes to starting a business your age and experience will stand you in good stead. Many successful businesses are managed by people close to retirement age. Using their experience gained from their previous employment they are ideally suited to exploit a gap in the niche area they have experience in.

On the other hand young people with drive and determination can take risks that older people can not afford to, knowing that if they fail they can always have another shot! They often have the energy and ability to burn the candles at both ends and can spot new ideas that their senior counterparts might not even be aware of.

Realistic expectations

Older people tend to have realistic goals & better interpersonal skills gained from years of paid employment.

They usually have more access to funds. They often have a good credit history and can also raise monies using their property as collateral; having paid off a substantial part of their mortgages.

There is a higher chance of failure in a new start up by a younger person. They often do not have the ability to persevere when the going gets tough. Their businesses tend to be under funded and often they have set goals that are definitely not achievable.

If they can survive their first failure and still be motivated enough to start again their chances of success shoot up dramatically as then their expectations are more achievable and they have learnt valuable lessons from their first failed venture.

Love, life and family

Many young people are unstable due to their higher sexual urges that often lead them astray. They tend to devote a lot of their time and energy towards finding their ideal partner.

Older people tend to have more established ties within the community and in the business world. Having more contacts to lean on can definitely make the difference between success and failure. Having a supportive family around that can help with some of the tasks will lighten the workload.

Attributes for Success

Being in a stable relationship means that more energy can be devoted to business and less spent looking for the ideal mate. Having sufficient sums of money to fund your venture can play a big part especially in the first year.

Perseverance and commitment are critical especially when the going gets tough. Age is not a barrier in business. In fact experience can play a key part in the success of any new venture.

Poor health can wreak havoc on any business plan so if you are suffering from any ailments think twice. Unlike paid employment, you might not be able to afford to take time off, especially in the first year of a new business.

Home based businesses are becoming more common now. There is less of a stigma attached to working from home. If you have a spare room, don’t need much stock and do not mind working alone then this could be the ideal low cost way to get started in your first venture.

Are Business Card Scanners Advantageous?

Whether you are a newbie or a veteran to the company, part of your job would be meeting current and existing clients as well as attending business related functions. Amidst all the talks of business, the introductions, the hand shakes and conversations, the exchange of business cards is typically common. If you are not an organized type of person, chances are you'll likely lose or misplace that important card. But not anymore because business card scanners offer the convenience of helping you store and organize business card information sans the necessity and the hassle of storing those rectangular cards.

These business card scanners are very simple and easy to operate. It basically has a scanner document feeder on which the business card is inserted and the information is scanned. The business card scanner's optical character recognition (OCR) program then breaks the texts found on the card and sorts them into categories such as name, company name, address, phone number, email, website, etc. and places them in the corresponding contact fields on the software's database. These business card scanners can work with many of the other contact programs available in the market such as Outlook Express, Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes, Goldmine and ACT among the many others as well as PDA Smart Phones.

If you are in the sales force or you run a sales-oriented type of business, these business card scanners will definitely come in handy as they not only scan business card information but they also sort, consolidate as well as search contact information with its integrated software database system. With the business card scanner, you eliminate time needed to encode business card details one by one onto your computer. The business card scanner will do this job for you by simply inserting the business card onto the device.

Business card scanners though are not that fool proof yet since some of the information being fed into the system can get into an incorrect location. So, there is basically the need to check and ensure that the data are all in the correct fields which is just a minor setback. Companies who have employed large numbers of sales force can set up a database with the business card scanner that can contain all customer or client details and information. As long as the sales personnel can get an internet access and can supply the appropriate password to access the secure company site, data can easily be secured even if they are out of the office or on field most of the time.

The business card scanner is really an innovative and very useful device that will help you organize your business cards so as not to forget an important client's information.