Preparing for 2008

The 2008 economy is going to be rough. Hail storms of problems may make you want to run for a canvas tent, or even a bomb shelter. So how can you prepare for the new year?

Alan Greenspan said we would enter an Age of Turbulence between 2010 and 2011, when baby boomers begin retiring and straining government financial systems. I believe the Age of Turbulence is already here. On the same day Greenspan gave that prediction, a Phoenix entrepreneur announced his new business: an auction website for nurses, where they offer their professional services to the highest bidders--namely, hospitals. He was swamped with calls from nurses. more

Take Your Pink Slip and MAke the Best of It

When your employer tells you to pack your luggage and hit the road it is a bad day, or is it? For many getting fired can be devastating, but it may just be the best thing that ever happened to you. I know from experience that getting laid off many times has really changed the way I think about earning money. I decided long ago that putting my job security in the hands of people that can take it away as fast as they gave it to me wasn't going to work. I just didn't want to have to worry every year about losing my job because the company I work for wasn't able to manage its employees well enough to provide them with any sort of security.

Inc.com writes an article about how turning a bad situation into a great one. Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling and other entrepreneurs launched successful ventures only after losing their day jobs. Who knew getting fired could be a great career move? Read more here.

Top 10 2008 Franchises

Every year Entrepreneur.com puts together a list of what they deem as the top 10 franchises of the year. Other than being great link bait, the Top 10 2008 Franchises is something intersting to take a look at just to see some of the trends going on in small business. Be it something like a discount store you can see when you click here, or a Domino's Pizza franchise the list is decent.

Small Business Loan Solutions

When in business for yourself there are times when there is no other way to get started, or to get your business a boost than to go out and get a Small Business Loan. So what is it you should be looking for when you decide that it is time to get a Small Business Loan?

The loan market is very competitive. Being that it is so competitive you are going to want to get as many benefits as you can and the least hassle possible when going out and finding a loan. You almost always want a very quick approval process. When you are in business you can't wait around to get the money you need NOW. You also are going to be real reluctant to have to put up any collateral for a Small Business Loan. You just don't want to back yourself into a corner like that when you are starting out. Professional help and counseling is a must. The people that you deal with must be at the top of their game in order for you to deal with them. If the application process is difficult, you aren't treated like an asset by the lenders, or the loan requirements are just too restrictive, why would you deal with a place like that? Find a place like AmericaOneUnsecured.com who happens to be the largest US loan broker of unsecured personal & small business loan programs. With that kind of solid experience this is a great place to start.

10 Low Cost Weekend Businesses

Entrepreneur.com came up with 10 businesses that work well with the weekend warriors. A few pretty good ones that you should check out if you are looking for something new and fun. Just to pay some bills, earn a few extra for fun, or finally get that diamond rings paid off.

Whether you want to just make some extra money in your free time or desire to one day quit your day job and create a full-time business, starting a low-cost business on the weekend is an easy way to test the entrepreneurial waters. You'll need to invest little more than your time, and before long, you'll know if owning a business full time is the right choice for you.

To help you get started, we've developed this list of 10 great businesses to start. No matter where your interests or talents lie, you'll be sure to find an idea that'll fit you like a glove. full story.

What to Buy Your Sales Rep

Inc.com's article on What to get your sales rep is an angle I haven't ever thought about before. Probably because any company I was a sales rep at before was too damn cheap to get us anything. I would have been happy with some wholesale flowers at least I could have pawned those off on my girlfriend like I was "thinking about her" just for the heck of it ;). I guess these guys think employers actually buy good stuff for their reps. Wish I would ahve been at a place that did.

Real Moms Do Blog

Though there have been many complaints about Mommy Blogging, but really moms are some of the best bloggers out there. They understand what it takes to get the people into the seatss so to say. I blog with a lot of Mommy Bloggers really. They are some of the best bloggers out there and make a hell of a alot more money blogging than I do in mnay cases. Why? They know what they are talking about, and they write about what they know. They can give you real world experience on things like baby toys, household tips, compare platform beds, or just give you great advice on how to manage your household. How is that NOT valuable to other moms out there?

Entrepreneur.com goes even more in depth on how some Mom Bloggers utilize this cheap form of advertising themselves in this article called Real Moms Do Blog

The Five Fundamentals of Business Survival

Many of the things that you must do in day to day operations of your business probably drive you to a migraine. What about the keys to success/failure of a business that come well before you have to worry about passing out the mundane tasks to keep it going?

Doug Ducey, of Inc.com, has recently written about this in his article entitled The Five Findamentals of Business Survival.

Best and Worst Holiday Bonuses

When you work for a company now you expect to get some sort of bonus for your time there around the Christmas season. Be it money, a gift card to a place that sells bathroom vanities, or even a tangible gift you expect something.

There is sometimes a disconnect between the millionaire owners and the "lowly" employees it seems. Check out this article on some of the Worst Holiday Bonuses that employees have received for some interesting stories.

Maximize Your Presence on eBay

Well...someone actually wrote an article about Ebay on the sites I read. I talk about it rather frequently here I suppose so this sort of thing catches my eye. In fact my Ebay sales last year bought me a nice trip to the Paris Las Vegas Hotel ;).

This article is going to help you with Ebay Marketing so take a look if you need help, or even if you don't. Worth the read if you work with Ebay at all, or plan to.

Spring Training and the Chicago Cubs

After quite a disappointing playoff run the Cubs are looking to regroup this off season by adding some new talent to the squad. Already they have dealt away the OFer they got from the Detroit Tigers last year, Craig Monroe, who really just never got it together after being dealt to the Cubs. We are all still pretty upset about the way Manager Lou Pinella manged the pitching rotation in hthe playoffs and took Zambrano out of that first game so he could pitch later on in the series. You have to get there first Lou!

Anyways, I have already been looking at Spring Training tickets to the Cubs games since they are always in a place where I have relatives (Arizona) already and I like to take some time off to go catch some games. We like to head over and get some real live experience to the guys trying to make the team rather than having to rely on what reporters tell us and sift through possible BS that they write because they want to keep the club happy. We want to see for ourselves! Always a great experience. Kind of different from a regular season game as you really aren't going to see the "stars" play as they typically only play a couple of innings. What you are looking for is to see who is NEXT. Who is going to get this team over the top. That and maybe yell at Lou a bit and heckle him about the playoffs ;).

Networking at Conferences and Trade Shows

One thing that has always been a major way to go for a large mass of people when you want to market, or network is hitting up conference, or throwing up a booth at a trade show. This isn't just for off-line businesses either. Contrary to what many believe, even if you work primarily on the internet, there is a great benefit to attending these events. Not only can you learn a lot about the industry, but you can find people to network with that are much easier to communicate with once you get home because they are used to dealing with people over the internet and making deals that way.

We aren't there just to get free stuff!

Often, our mentality at business conferences and trade shows is that we're there to take away something, whether it's information, education or free samples. But don't overlook the potential for making connections that will further your endeavors down the road. Conferences and trade shows offer prime opportunities for networking, and if you're not intentional about it, you might overlook many of the ways you can make new contacts and get the word out about your business. full story

Temporary Dental Repair

When strange things happen to your teeth at unexpected times it can become not only embarrassing, but rather inconvenient. Losing a filling or cap in an strange or awkward manner causes pain, discomfort and embarrassment when it happens. This has happened to me before while at a bar. Imagine being in that type of environment and busting a filling while trying to look smooth. Terrible experience, but there was nothing to do except to just head home and wait until I could get to a dentist. Couldn't eat for 2 days. That is where having some sort of temporary dental repair comes in handy. More specifically Dentemp OS which will help relieve the agony until you can get proper dental care.

Take a look at some of the features of Dentemp OS:

-Provides fast, temporary relief of pain and discomfort.

-Just remove it from its plastic vial and it's ready to use. No Mess! No Mixing! Several Applications in each vial.

-Replaces lost fillings and may be used to temporarily cement loose crowns.

-You can eat on it within 30 minutes of setting.

-All products have been tested and fully comply with FDA Regulations for Oral Care.

Quite a bit better than having to wait for your dentist to be available, or having to sit in an emrgency room right after it happens. You can just wait for an appointment and go on with your life for the time being in relative comfort.

Being Obsolete

Pull up your home theater chairs and take a look at this very interesting article at Entrepreneur.com that talks about thisng being obsolete in the world of business.

In 1969, I graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and was offered two jobs. I took the job paying $47,000 a year and turned down one paying $75,000 a year because it required me to join a labor union. I'm not against labor unions. I am against being obsolete due to obsolete ideas. As entrepreneurs, we need to stop looking at employees from an Industrial Age point of view. In the Industrial Age, employees were rewarded for things like seniority. In the Information Age, seniority is death via obsolescence. In the Industrial Age, a senior employee had more experience. In the Information Age, experience can be a liability. full story

Online Coupons

Besides getting great ideas for gifts during the holidays, Online Coupons can actually be useful for small business owners. Being able to get discounts on major technology needs with BestBuy coupons is something that should always be considered. Even with your leisure time it is great when you can get things such as Addidas coupons for the time you take to exercise every morning. You do keep yourself fit as a business owner don't you? Yeah...I know it gets tough to keep at when you have so much going on, but it sure helps relieve a lot of that stress.

Hollywood Writers Strike Threatens to Hit Small Businesses Hardest

Not only are many of you missing your favorite television programs this season, but many small business owners are being hit by the strike. Anyone that works on these shows as an independent contractor and owns a small business with less than 10 peoples is really feeling the hit. Places that work on costurmes, computer engineers supplying equipement like HDMI cables, as well as make up and prop designers.

Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, said that 84 percent of the companies in the Los Angeles TV and movie production industry are small businesses that employ less than 10 workers.

"Prop houses and companies that are doing costumes are starting to consider laying people off," Kyser said. "And then there's the ripple impact on restaurants, coffee houses, and other businesses in these areas." more

Payday Loans

Though I have never gotten a payday loan before, pretty much because I've always been self-employed, I know people that have needed them. Hell...I probably have before, but with out that company paycheck it is tough to get one. Anyways, this place offers a new way to get one by providing Faxless Payday Loans which it appears many of the places require. Quite an odd thing to require really isn't it?

Podcasting

Man...I keep putting off learning about podcasting. It seems like I see it everywhere though and how it is such a benefit for marketing.

Advertising on audio or video podcasts is a great way to deliver your message to an audience that's tuned in. An ad can appear preroll (before content) or postroll (after content). Or you can opt for a midroll (also called interstitial) ad, which is inserted within the content. Generally speaking, you need an MP3 file for audio and a QuickTime or Windows Media Player file for video. more

The Mist Movie

Every time a new Stephen King movie comes out there is going to be a great following. So knowing that The Mist by Stephen King is coming out this month is going to be no different.

If you have ever read his books and then see the movie you knwo that they are typically well done. This one I believe is from a short story, or at least that is how I originally heard it. I heard it as an audiobook some time back it it is indeed a creepy tale. It is about some people in a town that get trapped in a grocery store when a strange sort of "Mist" rolls into town. The fog is so dense that they cannot see anything and therefore are pretty much trapped inside. They find out rather quickly that this isn't some sort of normal fog and that it contains some strange creatures in it that they can hear, but not see. Most think it is some sort of strange experiment perpetrated by the nearby military base.

Not all of his movies hit the big screen, as many of them take much more than a couple hours to portray and therefore are put into a mini-series like The Stand was.
The Mist by Stephen King is going to hit the big screen and that means it is going to have a much bigger budget for special effects. Those "creatures" in the fog I have only read/heard in the audiobook, but will be quite interested to see what they look like once they are portrayed on film. Should be another great movie.

Waht's your favorite Stephen King book/movie? I can't even think twice about mine, and it is probably a favorite of many others. The Shining. That movie is still scary today and has a great performance from Jack Nicholson. That movie has so many scary moments it is hard to pick just one. I'd say that the moment where the blood is flowing freely down the halls is one of the best.

Less Networking Can Mean More

I read Entrepreneur.com everyday and tend to link to a lot of their articles, but this one really was something I have thought about extensively in the past. No matter what business you are in, be it sales, or marketing, or anything else that requires you to build relationships, there is sometimes something to be said for who you market to. It is also important to spend more time networking with the right people. I am a big believer in the quality over quantity aspect when it comes to marketing. What one great contact can do for you is usually 1tenfold in what it takes you to get by trying to network with ten times that many people

Referral networking is more about farming than hunting. An overemphasis on running from one networking event to another looking for new relationships is a waste of time, money and energy that you should be using to develop the relationships you've already started. It's like running around knocking coconuts out of trees, when you should be planting coconut trees for the future. full article

Improve the look of your garge floor

Are you tired of that ugly old cement that has oil stains all over it? Have you ever actually looked into the options that you can work with when it comes to garage flooring? I really haven't until I looked at that site and realized just how much better I could make my garage look. Besides just making it look better, you can actually protect your floor much better from all sorts of ugly things. Things like professional grade epoxy allow you to not only make it look good, but make it much easier to clean and protect. Very eye-opening and some of their examples look amazing.

Hiring by reading body language?

I was reading an interesting article today about how to rad body language, but it was in reference to using that skill to hire employees. Is this a good way to do business?

I've always prided myself on being able to read people. I may be a bit more trusting than most, and try to give people the benefit of the doubt in personal matters, but when it comes to hiring people I am typicaly spot on. Looking at body language has always been one of the things I have tried to take notice of. Shifting eyes away when someone is speaking to you, laying back in a chair like you could care less, or someone that looks you straight in the face when they talk. These are just a few examples of things that I usually take into account when talking to a prospective employee. If they tend to shift their eyes away from you often when answering questions about themselves, many times I get the strong feeling that they are either lying, or not telling the whole truth. Slouching down in the chair and acting nonchalant when trying to get hired tends to show me that this individual is not much of a team player and that they quite possibly have problem with listening to their boss.

I'm not saying that you can hire someone based upon these little things, but I think as part of an interview it is something a person should learn to recognize. Taken with what their resume says, you may be able to figure out if it is really true to what this person acts like.

Employee Gifts That They Want

As Christmas approaches you may find yourself thinking about what kinds of gifts to give your employees. Depending on who they are it may be pretty difficult, but one place has an idea that most will certainly enjoy. How about a beach cruiser? At XYZBikes.com they have a ton of breat bikes that any employee would enjoy at low prices. Gifts for employees under $100 are available and are a very unique gift.

Are Business Cards Important?

If you need to do face to face networking offline they certainly are. It is the easiest way to give enough information to those you network with a way to remember who you are and how to contact you. So how do you make the most of your business card?

Entrepreneur.com has come up with 4 ways to make your business card work best for you. They will tell you how to use the card, make sure you make the conversation lead to giving a business card, and a few other tricks of the trade to make use of your card the right way instead of just spending money on cards and basically throwing it away. Read the article here.

Repairing Bad Credit

Many people have gotten themselves into financial difficulty when they were younger, and some even older, but have not been able to figure out how to rebuild their credit. Finding bad credit loans is quite difficult in that there just aren't that many places that will give you a chance to regain your credit by taking a chance on you. BadCreditOffers.com is one of the places that will help you try to repair your credit with bad credit loans as well as helping you with credit counseling. Take a look at the options you can get when you have bad credit and see if they can help you get back to a stable financial position.

10 Odd Businesses

Whether it be from a murder scene in the Outer Banks to the weird world of manequin body part rental, this list of odd businesses may shock you at how lucrative they really are.

I remember seeing a show ont he discovery Channel a couple years back that featured a man who cleaned up murder, and death scenes. The business was interesting because I was never aware that the families of the victims were actually responsile for the clean up. This business was made so that people wouldn't have to do this nasty, and quite unsanitary job. Take a look at Entrepreneur.com Top 10 Off-the-Wall Busineses.

Great Things to Buy and Sell

There are always some crazy gadgets that you see when you check out those as seen on tv sites. The stuff is always clever and useful. I'm sure if you looked around hard enough on that site you could find something you were always trying to remember what it was when you saw it.

They always have the most current gadgets and items that make our lives easier, but they are actually available online instead of just hoping you catch the commercial again so you can order them. Just go to the site instead of asking people "Hey...what was that thing I saw on TV...?" and hoping they knwo what you are talking about with your ridiculous explanation.

Still a buyer's market

The basic crash of the real estate market still makes this a prime time to purchase a home. With mortgages defaulting at record rates, now may be the best time to find a real estate agent and look into buying what most consider the best investment. Real estate. Considering that home values are low you have to believe that this is the time to start swooping up properties and reaping the rewards in the coming years a head. If you have the excess cash to buy some rental properties, that can cover your mortage, why not? Rent them out for a few years as people still need to have a place to live, but can't afford to buy. Gain rental income while the value of your home grows during these turbulent times.

Disgusting Businesses

Let's keep with the holiday spirit and shed some bathroom lights on some of the more disgusting big money businesses out there. One of my favorite sites is Entrepreneur.com so I like to see some of their more original articles like this come up. This time they have decided to talk about their Filthy Rich Businesses. Get rich doing the nasty...no not that nast ;). Disgusting jobs that you probalby would never wnat to do, but the people that do them are raking in the bones...errr cash.

Getting a Business Coach

If you have been trying to start a business and just have no direction it may seem like you will never succeed. Feeling like you are going to end up in drug rehab probably isn't where you want to be. There are people out there that have succeeded and actually want to help coach. Carol Hyatt is one of them. In a recent article at Entrepreneur.com they share her story and how she is giving back to all the women who really want to succeed, but just need a little bit of help. Take a look at the full article here.

Precious Metal Investing

Investing isn't just the stock and bond markets. You hear commercials all the time about investing in gold, but what about silver? There may never be a better time for buying silver bullion than right now. World demand for silver now exceeds annual production, and has every year since 1990. Above ground stockpiles of silver bullion are low, shrinking rapidly and approaching zero.

What does that mean? When demand is higher than supply it assuradly means that there is value to be gained. Monex Deposit Company allows you to purchase silver or other precious metals for immediate personal delivery or arrange for convenient and safe storage at an independent bank or depository. A simple process for you to get any precious metal you desire as an investment. Having a diverse portfolio is always recommended, so why not diversify with some silver?

What is Your Sweat Worth?

When you run a business it is built on your hard work and sweat. How to you show investors you lost all that weight by hard work and not with a hoodia patch? Entrepreneur.com has an article up about figuring how to determine what your sweat equity is worth. Not something I have really ever thought about before, but it is an interesting article and concept none the less.

Market Research for Online Businesses

When trying to make money online where do you start? First you need to find something you are interested in. I know that most will look for something they think is going to be profitable first, but if you have little interest in the idea, it is very difficult to keep motivated. Blogging, eCommerce, auction sites, affiliates, etc. are all good ways to make money online, but why would you want to blog if you didn't like to write? Does it matter that you can make money doing it if you really hate it? Whaatever direction you choose, you need to do some market research on your idea. Auctions need to be studied so that you can tell if you are competing against a ton of sellers who can outprice you. eCommerce stores need to have less competition, and you need to understand how to beat the competitiont here is there already. Even blogging is a place that requires you to find a bit of a niche market so that you don't have to compete with everyone on the internet. Everyone talks about technology products, sports, and celebrity gossip. What if you are a professional juggler? Why would you write about financial news if your expertise is juggling?

Things that Don't Sell on Ebay

Back when I used to sell things on Ebay I was buying from various distributors and was forced to cover many product lines. When you look for what is selling you look to see what the prices are for you to pay and what they are going for. You also have to take into account the size and weight of an item as it is difficult to make much profit when things weigh so much and you can't produce a very good profit margin. One of those things is flat panel televisions. You may be able to get a monster deal on them if you have a business in good standing with a distribution center, but the peopel on Ebay look at these as if they are making good money when they see they are pulling in $50 over what they pay for it. It just isn't the case. Ebay rapes you on the fees, and you may have to pay up to $00 just to get the thing shipped to the customer. The idiots that don't understand this try and only charge about $100 for shipping and always lose money. So...just stay away from the higher ticket price items on there. It may be more work, but the best way to go about it is quantity over quality. You can make 5$5-10 on a ton of lower priced items instead of trying to make it all in one sale when you sell new goods.

The Wedding Business

Weddings have many great business markets that anyone can get into. You have so many aspects to plan for when getting married that ultimately there are many different business sources you will need to deal with. As an entrepreneur there could be tons of great niches that you can work with. Either that or you can think about adding the wedding marketing to your current product line. I used to do this quite regularly on Ebay as a way to promote products such as groomsmen gift ideas. Buying a gift for the men who stand up for you is probably the most important decision the guy has to make in planning the wedding if he is lucky enough to have a fiance who does all the other planning...lol

Winning as an Underdog

Competing with the big boys is sometimes a nightmare. You may have the best products, but you don't have the money, or the resources to compete with them. You may be fighting those with a diamond necklace while you are working with a pearl necklace. You just have to find ways to get a head. This story about a father and son who are able to compete is something that may help...

Any company that's ever been an underdog knows how daunting and risky the position can be. That's especially true if you're going head-to-head with the likes of Kodak, Yahoo! and Microsoft.

Yet Chris and Don MacAskill took on this challenge when they established SmugMug, a photo sharing and printing site that had to set itself apart from its big-name competition. While those other sites were offering sharing and storage services to users at no cost, SmugMug was planning to charge a subscription fee at a time when many other internet companies were falling apart. And nearly everyone thought they were crazy for doing so. full story

10 Steps to Successful Sales Meetings

When i used to have to go to these meetings it was like you just wanted to be late for work that day. Same thing, every morning before we started. Seemed as if they were almost more frustrating than helpful for the majority of the people that had to attend them. They didn't bother me a whole lot because I usually had very good sales days, but the monotany of it all and the waste of time they entailed was almost too much. Doesn't matter if you are out selling a Hamilton watch, stocks, or encyclopedias you have to attend these meetings and they feel like an inquisition more than a pep talk.

Entrepreneur.com has put together a list of 10 Steps to Successful Sales Meetings to help make these mettings count instead of annoying everyone that has to go to them.

Photo Blogging for Cash?

I have noticed a ton of photo blogs out there and was wondering what kind of cash they were making. Using only their digital cameras and micro sd cards they seem to have been popping up all over the place. Using places like Flickr to post their photos, and share them, or just plain displaying thme on their blogs.

Is this a new way to make money on a hobby? The hard part I would think is to get relevant ads on your sites with out any content other than photos. Good SEO people at least label their photos in the code that may help, and have good titles, but how would you keep the ads relevnant? Seems pretty simple to me. Every post would have the word "Photo" in it from my perspective. "Photo #12: A Beautiful Day", for example would amke it so Phot was probably the most used word on the blog and in turn make all the ads relevant to photography.

Hmmm...maybe I should make one.

Pains in Growing a Company

When you have a great idea it is just that. You still have a whole lot of work to do that doesn't necessarily involve skills you have learned when turning it into a business. Imagine your animal inflatable toy comapany is growing rapidly. You need to expand, but have no idea how. Take a look at this article to see some experts help 3 companies relieve their growing pains.

Whether you've been in business for one year or 20, no owner can say he's built the company without any pitfalls or problems along the way. Below, three entrepreneurs with great products and services come forward with what's holding them back from their full potential--be it unreliable employees or bleak website traffic--and our experts offer their advice for getting past the obstacles. Chances are, you'll recognize one of their problems as your own. full story

8 Ways to Revamp Your Business Card

What does your business card say about you? Do people understand you sell vessel sinks when they look at your business card? How are you marketing yourself with your card? Entrepreneur.com has put together a list of 8 ways you can spice up your business card.

From leather to vertical layouts, business cards are getting a new look. Industry insiders weigh in on what's hip--and what's passé. more

Is Web 2.0 a fad, or something you need to harness?

Seems like if you are around the internet there is a nice little catchphrase popping up again and again. Web 2.0. People have it on aprons, coffee mugs, and whatever else you can print things on. So what is it worth to you, and is it something you need to even know about as a business owner?

Some media pundits and mainstream prognosticators are worried about Web 2.0 being a bubble. And they’re trying to get you worried, too. Is there something to their claims that New Media in general, and companies in the Web 2.0 arena in particular are exhibiting “bubble-like behavior” similar to the internet bubble of the late ’90s early ’00s?

I say… who cares?! And if you’re a business owner, marketer, or sales professional — you can say the same thing.

While there are financing elements that are showing bubble-like characteristics, there are important fundamental differences between the first internet bubble and what is going on with some Web 2.0 companies today. full story

The Benefit of Quiet

After a long day it is usually time to unwind. Hopefully it isn't something that may eventually put you into the rehabs. Mom entrepreneurs may have it most hectic of all.

anyone can benefit from some quiet time alone. But this is especially true for the mom entrepreneur. When I meet mommy moguls, I find that they're running full speed from the time the sun comes up until they crash on the pillow very late at night. They unanimously say their environments are noisy and chaotic. While this is normal, it's also unfortunate since quieting the mind can be very beneficial. full story

8 Mistakes to Avoid When Naming Your Business

Naming a business may seem like not much of a task, but what do you do when you have to name a business that sells colon cleanse products? Below is a list of 8 mistakes to avoid when naming a business.

Mistake #1: Getting the "committee" involved in your decision. We live in a democratic society, and it seems like the right thing to do--to involve everyone (your friends, family, employees and clients) in an important decision. This approach, however, presents a few problems. The first and most obvious fact is that you'll end up choosing only one name, so you risk alienating the very people you're trying to involve. Second, you often end up with a consensus decision, which results in a very safe, very vanilla name. A better method is to involve only the key decision-makers--the fewer the better--and select only the people you feel have the company's best interests at heart. The need for personal recognition can skew results, so you'll be best served by those who can park their egos at the door. Also make sure you have some right-brain types in the mix. Get too many left brains on board, and your name will most likely end up too literal and descriptive.

full list

Religion and the Workplace

Just like in schools that are around Arizona luxury real estate, the Midwest, or anywhere else, religion at work is something that many debate regularly. Entrepreneur.com wrote an article discussing this very topic recently and it may just be something you can use, or something you may want to debate.

Religion in the workplace can bring up some of the most difficult issues employers have to face. Resolving these issues requires understanding the law and balancing the business's needs with an employee's desire to practice his or her religion.

One of the most contentious conflicts is between an employee's desire to take time off and the potential reduction in productivity and profitability. Let's assume there's no collective bargaining agreement that expressly delineates the rights of the employer and employee regarding this subject. If such an agreement exists, its provisions will govern any dispute. Full story

Using football to help your business

American football that is. Football has become America's sport over the last couple decades and it is no surprise that everyone from digital cameras makers to car manufacturers are getting in on it to help promote their businesses. Why shouldn't you too?

Bratwurst wafting from the grills at the back ends of trucks crammed in a stadium parking lot. Fathers tossing the pigskin to their sons in backyards across America. Even the spectacle of Larry King prattling on about O.J. Simpson every night. They're signs that football season is truly here. more

Small Businesses to Spend $70 Billion Online by 2012

The internet is becoming an important part of many small businesses. Whether you want to get some relatively cheap advertising for products like a fire table, books, or digital cameras, you can usually find a way to do it cheaper online. So it is no surprise that over the course of the next 5 years online spending is going to increase substantially. Not only are the advertising budgets going to go up, but many other reasons for using the internet for your small business is becoming important.

As the number of small businesses continues to grow over the next five years, they will be spending more money online, new research shows.

In a new report, "U.S. Online Small Business Market Category Forecast, 2007 to 2012," New York-based JupiterResearch projects that total online spending by small businesses will exceed $70 billion by 2012, up from $47 billion in 2006. more

Getting Clients to Pay in Advance

Whether your business works with manufacturing cabinet hardware, or you just plain run a service business there may be a need to get paid before you actually deliver on the deal. How exactly do you get customers to pay you before you actually perform the deed you promise when you collect the cash? I ran a crossed an interesting article that helps explain just how to do this and some tips to make sure that you can get your customers to help you out...in advance.

For a small company, getting paid on time can mean the difference between having cash for an expansion and borrowing to pay the bills. But if you're a minor vendor, you may be last on your customers' payment priority list. One solution: getting clients to pay in advance. That's easier said than done, of course, because your customers like holding on to their cash as much as you like seeing them part with it. Nevertheless, clients will prepay if given the right incentives. Following are three stories of business owners who got sick of waiting around for payment and decided to do something about it. full story

Entrepreneur of the Year

All the ballots are being sent to the Mailboxes as we speak and soon we will know who Inc.coms Entrepreneur of the year is going to be. Check this site here to see who is nominated and what they are all about. There are links at the bottom of every nominee so you can shift to the next one after reading about the one thta is currently linked in this post. Fun read to see what kind of things are being mentioned.

Spying on Employee E-Mail?

This is a very controversial subject, and frankly I am completely against the idea that any company can monitor employee e-mails. Computer time usage and the sites they go to? Sure. Scannign employee e-mails? Not so much. Someone out there buying bunk beds online during work? I guess you could make an argument, but I see us losing enough of our rights in this country lately that my jerk reaction into any sort of spying, anywhere is to revolt.

The law regarding employers' rights to employee e-mails and computer usage is evolving as fast as the technology. Federal law prohibits the unauthorized interception of, retrieval of or access to certain wire or electronic communications, including stored communications such as e-mail. Violators are subject to various civil and criminal penalties. However, once the communications are downloaded to a company computer, they may be subject to control by an employer. more..

2007 Inc. 500

In the garden of life there are many lists, but the Inc. 500 is one of the better ones. It is a list of the top Entrepreneurial economies for the past year.

T
he word solutions is probably overexposed: It appears in the names of 33 of this year's Inc. 500 companies. But what the heck; it elegantly encapsulates the secret to the success of most of these businesses. Customers come to the market with a problem. Our honorees send them home without one. Quantitatively, these companies are obviously exceptional, with 2006 aggregate revenue of $16 billion, median revenue of $10.5 million, and median three-year growth of 939 percent. Qualitatively, they tell us much about the way we live now. full story

Speed Networking and Beyond

I'm sure you all know that networking is one of the biggest, if not the biggest skill of importance in running a business. No more so than it is online. Whether you are selling things like christmas gift ideas, or you just have a website that needs to get traffic for ads, you have to rely on networking to get the exposure you need. "It isn't what you know, but who you know" is so true I can't even stress it enough.

Here is an article about Speed Networking and helping you lauunch yourself into a new network of people tha twant to talk to you.

College Business Plans that Made the Grade

It is usually a laughable experience when you look at some college business plans that are out there. Students that aren't really in the right field, or are just taking classes to cover some of the required elective requirements don't tend to take it seriously and spend the majority of the time just laying around on their home furniture. Unlike these students, the ones featured in this article have made big impacts with their business plans and actually turned it into something worth mentioning. Take a look at College Business Plans that Made the Grade in this story that will be a great read.

Where No Man Should Go: Profile of S.A. Robotics

This is an interesting look into S.A. Robotics. S.A. Robotics (#2,129, 2007 Inc. 5,000) based in Loveland, Colo., manufactures robotic arms with new advanced materials such as carbon fiber. Sure they have a need for power supply repair many times with this operation. Anyways, they create these arms to help in cleaning up hazordous environments. The article goes in depth about this unique venture and is a very good read if you have a few minutes to check it out here.

Court Orders Evaluation of Employee Drug-Testing Policies

No more lounging around on your Century furniture when it comes to drug testing policy. A recent development may help small-businesses have a bigger say in how they are regulated in regards to their drug testing policies.

A recent court ruling on employee drug testing policies will help small businesses have a bigger say in the federal regulatory process, according to advocacy and trade groups.

A U.S. Court of Appeal last month ordered the Federal Aviation Administration to re-evaluate the extra costs of a proposed drug-testing program, which would have required all aircraft-repair subcontractors at every tier -- from machine shops to dry cleaners -- to test their employees. full story

Landlords Loving It, Renters Rueing It

With many homes being foreclosed upon in the past year, those that have lost them have to turn to renting. Although this is great for landlords, renters are feeling the pressure. read more...

Of course when you know that homes are being foreclosed upon you have to also realize that getting them for great prices has to work hand in hand with it. Check out some Orlando real estate and see waht kind of deals are available right now.

Buying Insurance After Cashing Out

Bulding up a business for all those years and now it is time to cash out and make a fortune. Waht do you have to be aware of when you do this? Insurance is one of th ebiggest issues, and just what you need to ahve at the point where you no longer have your business. Drink some muscle milk and get ready to figure out just what it is you really need to do once you take that permanent retirement from your business in this article focusing on life after you sell out your business.

Fastest Growing 5,000 Private Companies in America

Inc.com put together quite a hotmap of where the companies in this country are growing at the best rates. They took 5,000 and showed where they all are on this handy little map. One thing is for sure. You are more likely to gain some value on your Orlando vacation home rental much faster than you would gain anything on a property in Wyoming, Montana, or the Dakotas. Those states are as wide open as any receiver in the Detroit Lions secondary.

eBusiness Start Up Kit

If you are online you may have wondered what it took to have an eBusiness. Where do you start? what do you need to do? What do I need to learn? One thing to know is that the mistakes of others are well documented. Learning what they did wrong from the start will go a long ways into helpin you succeed. Entrepreneur.com is a fantastic reference for business, and they just so happen to have an eBusiness start up kit to give you some of the tips to get started the right way. Be a blogger, start a store selling gund products, or whatever it is that you desirre.

Competing with Big Boys

What is it like when you have to compete with the big boys as a small business owner? Be it if you sell diamond rings, or coffee, you face unique challenges when you compete with the larger corporations. A recent articles give an in depth look at what it is like to do just that. Face off against a major corporation when you are the new kid on the block. Read the story of Taking on Starbucks for an interesting take on the challenges.

The Online Social Networking Difference

Inc.com has an article about what the improtance of social networking online is today. Nobody had to tell me how important marketing was online. I've always been a marketer by trade in the offline world so I knew right away that when I got into the online world social networking was going to be a big deal . It is almost even more important online than it is outside. Simply because you need others to build your sites and help them gain popularity. Even for something like selling colon cleanse solutions, you need other webmasters to help get the word out about your products.

These social networks are popping up everywhere, and at the same time it is spawning business in every facet of the online world. Myspace, Facebook, Digg, paid posting companies, blog networks, message boards, etc. Every one of these places is as important to your online life as the website you have. That is if you want to jump start your project. Take a look at the Inc.com article for more info.

New Finance Blog

I just put together a new finance blog on a site I've had sitting for quite a while now. Due to pre-marketing on it already it has a PR1 with no real content on it. Take a look at my Investment News blog and let me know if you like the way it looks so far. I am going to make a much more serious Financial Planning blog soon as that is my background and think i will go with the same theme as this blog is. I am doing this one with widgets, which I always left alone because I liked to code the sidebars myslef, but I found them to work pretty well on this template. I got a really cool market watch widget on there that I like showing the Dow, Nasdaw, and S&P current stats and it updates regularly during market hours every time you refresh the page. Next project may be something about poker tables or something. Not real sure yet. Still ahve to fill up tha tfinance blog with some content, but I think i have the template I watn already :).

Job Creation, Higher Unemployment Lead to Another Drop in Long Term Mortgage Rates

Lovely the way our economy is going. It's not all sunshine and rainbows the way most will try and tell you it is. Mortgage rate drops are not bad news though to many in the real estate markets.

today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.59 percent with an average 0.4 point for the week ending August 9, 2007, down from last week when it averaged 6.68. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.55 percent. more

eBay Made Easy

Reading Entrepreneur.com recently I came acrossed a few articles about eBay. Now I do think eBay is a great place to make money, but the simplicity that that is suggested in this article is somewhat exaggerated in my opinion. Why? Well eBay isn't a secret anymore. If you were going to sell home theater seating and thought that it was going to be your "niche" as the article sugests you are in for a big letdown. Reason being is that many of the sellers on eBay research DAILY the products that are doing well. You won't get by very long with a product unless you have some sort of exclusive deal with the manufacturer, or company that makes the product. Finding where to buy them is just too easy.

I quit selling on eBay long ago. The fees were getting out of hand, and it was simply too much work to keep trying to find new products to sell on a regular basis. When i mean regular basis, I mean every week. That's right. You may be able to find a nice product with a great profit margin to make you a bundle one week, but the next week 10 more sellers have found where you are buying it, undercutting you, and probably taking a loss to try and drive you out. MAny of these sellers are new and don't understand allt he costs involved with selling on eBay. They themselves go out of business when they realize that they are selling things at too low of a price, killing the market, and ultimately losing money on almost every auction. Oh well, they go away right? Wrong. For every one of those guys that goes bust there are 20 more to take their palace the next auction cycle (10 days is the cylce I would use).

Do yourself a favor and forget all these "eBay is easy" things. It isn't. It is A LOT more work than people say. If you don't even know how to find new products, or aren;t good at networking with businesses to be their exclusive seller on eBay you are going to get undercut by someone with more money to burn. Tha tis just how it is. If you sell something for $100 and eBay makes $99 off of it they will likely figure out a way eventually to screw you out of that $1 you made.

Now don;t get me wrong. It is possible to make money with NEW products. It is just a lot more work than most would lead you to believe. USed items still rule the profit margin there. Yard sales, junk around the house, etc. is great to get good things to sell on eBay, but that is far from an easy process either. IT isn't the pot of gold it once was. Don't believe what you readon how easy it is. eBay is a HUGE corporation now for a reason. They rape sellers and let buyers get away with murder.

BIGGEST TIP YOU WILL EVER GET: Do not sell to anyone outside your own country. You have no protection. They say they didn't get it even with a UPS, Fed Ex delivery notice and you can't do a thing about it with PayPal, which eBay also owns. Deny users who aren't in your country from bidding. They aren't all out to get you, but most experience a scam frequently when allowing bidders outside their country to buy their products.

Check out Craigslist. No fees and you can sell locally for pick ups. Many sellers have moved to this route and have done much better.

A One-Stop Shop for Setting Up Your Own Online Shop

Inc.com has a weekly list that talks about the latest products and services designed to help you run a better business. The list is interesting to check out every week to see what kind s of new things are out there and going on that can help you improve your businesses. Wether you run a vacation site selling Kissimmee vacation packages, or just run a brick and mortar shop there is always something helpful on the list, and the site in general. Take a look at this weeks article here.

Special Education eLearning

There just isn't enough time in the day anymore for me to try and take classes at a college. That means anytime I want to get involved in a bit of continuing education it will be with e-learning. Taking classes online.

Capella University, an accredited, online university based in Minneapolis, Minn., recently introduced a new Bachelor of Science in Public Safety program, as well as eight new graduate and undergraduate specializations in psychology, education, information technology, business, and criminal justice. Enrollment is now open, with classes beginning summer quarter 2007.

It makes little sense for me to even try to get to a class room in a brick and mortar shop anymore. That is why such places as Capella that offer online classes really have become a major help to those of us who are interested in moving to that next level in our educations.

Venture Capital Meet-and-Greet

Other than just having to worry about all the things involved with running a business when you look to start one like payroll software, marketing, and day to day operations you may have never though of trying to actually fund the business with other people's money. That is why they hold such conferences as The MBE Capital Call Conference and Venture Forum.

This conference is for women, and minorities, but it doesn't hurt to mention the importance of considering venture capital. Read more

Secured Loans at iLoans

iLoans.com is a UK loan site that works with an extensive collection of loan offers. Both personal loans and secured loans are discussed. iLoans is an in depth site that discusses many of the loans that you may come a crossed on your search. Several articles talk about the trends of the industry, and helpful advice is given in your search for a loan.

When looking for loans it is improtant to find the information on how to do so first. iLoans does a great job at supplying that information as well as what directions loans are heading. Whether it be personal loans or secured loans I'm sure you will find great information at iLoans that will help you on your journey.

30 Business Owners Under 30

We are well into the age that you may need to own your own business to have any chance at living the American dream. Small business owners are getting younger and younger these days, and recently Inc.com released their list of under 30 entrepreneurs who are able to jump steel buildings in a single bound.

there is quite a bit of info to post on it so it is just easier to give you alink to the list and see the profiles of all the young business owners and their stories. Follow this link to Inc.com and see how the young are making early success stories.

Best Buy Coupons and Deals

My favorite store is probably Best Buy. There are an abundance of coupon codes online so I usually go and try to find codes for those stores when I want to make a purchase taht can be done online. I'll buy virtually anything online except some items that are very heavy, or just palin cost a ton to get shipped. So I planned to buy a couple of video games today and went out to look for Best Buy Coupouns. Coupon Chief had about 1,000 stores with coupons so I bookmarked it for use all the time. They even have "how to" screen shots for some of the biggest retailers online that you can view to know exactly how to use these coupon codes.

Are Generation Y Employees bad?

A recent article I read at entrepreneur.com looked to debunk the myth that Generation Y (Those born between 1978 and 1990) are Lazy. Selfish. Demanding. Sounds like a great slogan for some personalized pens. The article brings up some interesting points that I am well aware of and find very true. In fact I think that this generation has one of the more difficult times in finding, and keeping work.

One of the main things that the article brings up is that Gen Yers are considered disloyal by many employers. This may be true, but ask yourself why that would be. Unless you are in business for yourself in this day and age, can you believe that you will be at your current job for more than 5 years? None of us are going to get into a company and keep that job, or even stay in the same company 20 years or more in this day and age. So the youth of today tend to be on the look out for a better job at all times. They just don't have the security that will be afforded to them like their parents and grandparents did when they got into that "great" company so many years ago.

It is hard to find work now. Good work that is. Manual labor is not as abundant as it once was, and even that is not close to the pay it once was. So most workers need some sort of education to find work at all that will earn them enough just to pay the bills. Then when they get into the workforce with that education they find that they aren't getting paid what they are worth. A man with a college education making less than $30K a year? That should be unheard of. Problem is that it isn't. With the struggling economy and the higher unemployment there are people with loads of experience out of work and taking the jobs that the new generation of workers should be doing. Those with experience are underpaid, and those with education aren't getting paid at all for what they trained for. It's an ugly market for those that don't take their livlihood into their own hands.

All work, and no play. Nope.

One of the more important things to be aware of when trying to be successful is your health. It helps you keep more energy naturally, and just makes you feel more confident. In the same regard you may as well show off your fitness and date those who share your same ideals. You can now browse through fitness personals and find someone that lives at least that lifestyle like you do.

Fitnessdates.com is a fitness dating site that puts hard working people together and the best looking couples around in the communities. The site is free to join, and only requires a valid e-mail address. Browse the profiles and get started with a firm and fit partner for your next date.

Yahoo Struggles Continue

Yahoo Inc. has shuffled chief executives, upgraded its online advertising platform and forged several promising partnerships during the past year, yet the Internet icon still doesn't seem close to pulling out of a slump that has battered its stock.

Even Yahoo's new CEO, co-founder Jerry Yang, acknowledged Tuesday there is still plenty of hard work to be done.

'I am very aware of the challenges we face,' Yang said in a conference call with analysts after the Sunnyvale-based company said second-quarter earnings slipped 2 percent. 'There is a significant gap where we are today and where we need to be.'

Maybe they should get into RFI Shielding, or something. Well..not really, but they really need their Google Adsense competitor to pan out. I have tried to get into Yahoo's publisher program, but it seems like it is just taking way too long to iron out the kinks. That program alone would inject some serious fuel into their bottom line if successful.

read more...

Waste TIme at Work with Celeb Pics

I'm sure many of you like to waste some time at work now and then. One way is browsing the net, but what do you look at? News, sports, celebrity news? Celebritygoddip.com is the site for you if you are interested in looking at work safe celebrity pictures. All pictures are alphabetized for easy searching capabilities and there are tons of them.

Besides their celebrity pics catalog, Celbritygossip.com is actually a great blog about what is happening in the celeb universe. It is set up in a way that is simple to navigate, and has some great features for anyone who is into the celbrity scene. Most notably, each post is set up so that it can be voted on by the readers once they register for the site. Let them know if they are doing a good job with a great rating, or simply tell them that they haven't met your expectations with their aggregate news. LEave a few comments as well and discuss the latest celebrity happenings all in the comfort of your office ;).

Google is human, earnings miss

Well, well, well. The mighty Google finally missed an earnings projection. Better look into that school loan consolidation now if you were planning on paying that bad boy off after the earnings announcement.

Google (Charts, Fortune 500), based in Mountain View, Calif., posted sales of $3.87 billion, up 58 percent from a year ago. Excluding advertising revenue shared with partners, a figure known as traffic acquisition costs or TAC, sales came in at $2.72 billion, ahead of the $2.68 billion in sales analysts were expecting on this basis.

The company reported a net profit of $925 million, or $2.93 per share, an increase of 28 percent from last year. So-called pro forma earnings, which don't include stock-based compensation, tax benefits and other items, were $3.56 per share, missing analysts' forecasts of $3.59 per share.

Shares of Google have surged nearly 20 percent so far this year and are currently less than 2 percent below their all-time high. read more...

Student Credit Cards?

Goldstarcredit.net has been built so that users can easily search, compare, and apply for credit cards. They have information on many types of credit cards for any use. If you are interested in Business credit cards, pre-paid cards, instant approval credit cards, or even student credit cards there is plenty of detailed search and comparison information available.

In addition to the extensive credit information, mortgage, auto loan, and many other financial service loans are discussed on the site. There is probably a loan, or credit card there to fit virtually any need you could have so it is a nice place to make some comparisons.

Recent Real Estate Market Conditions

Trying to sell a home in many areas lately has been a real hassle. Certainly a buyer's market here in Michigan, but really it doesn't appear that it is going to change anytime soon. Unless you find a realtor who is a miracle worker you have your work cut out for you. The included link should give you an idea as to the trends and what exactly you can do with that hard to sell location in a struggling economy.

Are You Sexy Enough to Attract Venture Capital?

Is your business sexy enough to get people to fund it? No I'm not talking about a business that sells the crotchless panty, or even a bikini Car Wash. More importantly, does your business idea have what it takes to succeed, and does it look good to investors? Does your business qualify for institutional venture capital? Run through this diagnostic test developed through an interview with John Martinson. He's the managing partner of the Edison Venture Fund, a Lawrenceville, N.J., venture capital firm with $420 million under its management.

Running a Bed and Breakfast

A friend of mine was talking about opening a new Bed and Breakfast recently so i figured I'd look and see what was out there in terms of what it actually takes to run one. Didn't take long to find something on it, and I was rather surprised at how in depth the article I found was.

On About.com there is a solid line up of articles directed at just this venture. Fromt myths, to naming your bed and breakfast these articles will at least give you an idea about how difficult it is to run one. Take a look at the article list here.

Golf and making connections

IF you are one of those people that must network with others to get on top, golf may be one of the many areas you have decided to work with. To make a business deal you really cannot find a better place to talk deal than on a golf course. PAck up your golf clubs, maybe bring a few beers, and enjoy a relaxing afternoon while you pitch some ideas to investors, or just try to strike a deal.

The best thing about golf is that you are in a situation where you have your networking partners there for a couple of hours at least when you play a round. You can shoot the breeze about anything, but if you are good at what you do in sales you can pick your spots to throw ideas out that would be beneficial to you and those you want to do business with. No where else can you be in a position of relaxation and time that you will ahve on a golf course.

Skills to lead

It doesn't matter what type of business you run. If you have employees you need leadership skills. Organic dog food, a financial firm, or even a Dollar Store, you will need to know how to manage, and get your employees to do what you want the way you want.

This article from one of my favotrite websites, and magazines, entrepreneur.com discusses tis very topic. It takes a look at what skills, attributes, and styles work for being a leader. Ttheya re looking at trying to define what skills a leader needs to survive in the 21st Century.

Read the article

Student Loan Consolidation

STudent loans are like an albatross around many of our necks. Many have 2 or 3 separate loans that they are paying on at varying interest rates depending on where, and when they got the loan. Student Loan Consolidation takes all that extra work away. With a solid Student Loan Consolidation most borrowers find that they can reduce their monthly payments as much as 60% and free up some very useful cash flow. NextStudent.com has interest rates right now starting as low as 4.5% on their Federal Student Loan consolidation programs. With rates rising, and coming off record lows, it is likely that you are going to save yourself some serious money if you consolidate now. Those rates are variable and as rates go up, so does your payment. Lock in that rate while the rate is low.

What if you for some reason cannot get, or need more than what a Federal loan offers? Nextstudent.com offers Private Student Loans for just that situation as well. You can borrow annually up to the full cost of expenses (less financial aid received) or $40,000 (whichever is the lesser), with a NextStudent Private Loan for undergraduate and graduate students. They have the options that will work for you no matter what your needs.

Branding...

I've always maintained that branding was an important part of any business. Even branding your home with a house marker can't hurt. Online I think it is just as important. I wrote about using a favicon on one of my tech sites before, but figured it had a place here as well. To learn more about what is a favicon and why you need a favicon check out my blog post What is a Favicon? at JMH Techtronics.

Doing business with dad

In honor of the upcoming Father's Day I thought this was a great article about father/son business yeams. From california mortgage rate partnerships to many other small businesses around the country this article talks about what it is like for fathers and sons to work together in small business.

"(My son) Eric was always complaining about the politics and structure of corporate life," said Gary GrefRath, 66. So Gary, who taught a small business management course at the community college, decided that the two of them should start their own small business.

Because of Eric's technical skills and Gary's sales and marketing experience, they chose to open an AlphaGraphics franchise, which offers digital copying, printing, archiving and mail services to other small- and medium-sized businesses.

full story

Gasoline: How low it will go?

Experts say prices could fall by over 50 cents a gallon by July 4; after then, everything depends on hurricane season.

OF course we all know that prices have increased at record rates over the last few months so really it is the same old, same old in regards to how the prices work. Jack the price up a buck. Slowly move it back down 50 cents so that it seems like a big savings. Other than Las Vegas Real Estate there probably isn't a much better investment over the past several years than gas stocks.

After setting record highs less than a month ago, gasoline prices are on the way down.

Experts say motorists can expect gradually declining prices from now until July 4. After the Fourth, and barring any unforeseen event like war with Iran, the cost of gas will largely depend on how the hurricane season shapes up. Special Report
full coverage

Nationwide average retail prices have fallen from a record high of $3.23 a gallon at the end of May to about $3.07 as of Tuesday, a drop of roughly 5 percent, according to the motorist organization AAA. The government reported a similar decline in its latest weekly survey. more

The PayPerPost Revolution Accelerates, Sponsored Blogging Marketplace Secures $7 Million Series B

PayPerPost has released this recent press release discussing a new influx of cash into the business. The company is a mediary for bloggers and advertisers to put them together and allow advertisers to advertise on blogs and really get some needed exposure to millions of readers for prices that don't even compare to traditional advertising.

Draper Fisher Jurvetson leads round and joins Board of Directors

ORLANDO, FL – (June 12, 2007) – PayPerPost, the leading marketplace for advertisers to reach bloggers and other consumer content creators, today announced it has completed a $7 million second round investment led by Draper Fisher Jurvetson, an investor in the company's Series A and one of the world’s leading high-technology venture capital firms. The financing brings the total amount of capital raised by PayPerPost to over $10 million, giving the company considerable resources for further development as the industry’s leading Consumer Generated Advertising marketplace. Additional participants in the round include existing investors Inflexion Partners and Village Ventures as well as new investor DFJ Gotham. With this investment, DFJ Managing Director Josh Stein also joins PayPerPost’s Board of Directors.

“PayPerPost created this exciting new advertising space and has established itself as the industry leader,” said Ted Murphy, chief executive officer of PayPerPost. “Although we’ve only used a portion of our first round capital, this added support from investors unlocks significant growth potential. Our content creator and advertiser ROI metrics clearly demonstrate the upside for PayPerPost’s model. We intend to use this capital to build the infrastructure, visibility and professional expertise necessary to reach and retain a greater network of advertisers and content creators than ever before.”

Since its founding in June of 2006, PayPerPost has signed more than 6,500 advertisers to its groundbreaking service, which has enabled Consumer Content Creators to be compensated for their efforts discussing specific companies, products or services via blogs, videos or other media. The content creators are required to disclose relationships with advertisers on their blog, providing transparency for the end reader. Over 125,000 Internet postings, most in the form of blogs, have already earned money for their creators through PayPerPost’s innovative marketplace. PayPerPost recently released PayPerPost Direct, a disruptive new service that allows advertisers to contract and negotiate directly with individual bloggers they identify through a safe, managed system.

“PayPerPost has laid a strong foundation for the future,” noted Tim Draper, founder and managing director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson. “It continues to attract a critical mass of participants from both the advertising and blogging communities. Analogous to Overture’s sponsored search model, we believe PayPerPost’s business model holds disruptive potential and will enable the company to thrive in the evolving paid-content arena.”

To mark the $7 million dollar funding, PayPerPost has launched a new website detailing the company’s service offering at http://www.payperpost.com. Bloggers and advertisers can easily sign up at the site and begin leveraging the self service marketplace.

Get More Readers

Increasing your readership is easiest when you promote your RSS Feeds. This list is a great way to do so and I thank Internet Serious Business for adding me to it. I have subscribed to everyone on this list in my feed reader, so please pass the list along and subscribe to all of the blogs as well. Even if you never go read them all frequently at least subscribe to the sites. Feed readers are an excellent way to find out what is going on in the blogging world.


***Start Copying Here***

1. Create a post and link back to the person that put you on the list in the first paragraph with a brief thank you and description of why people want to use the campaign. DO NOT copy their paragraph. Write your own unique one and link to their site.

2. Copy the ENTIRE list of Feeds and create an OPML File to import into your feed readers so that you can subscribe to all of the blogs on the list. You will want to read my post entitled Mass RSS Feed Subscribing with an OPML so you understand how to do it. (You will want to copy this link over to your post so those you add know how to do this too.)

3. Copy the ENTIRE list of Feeds AND blogs and put them into your post like they are here. Move the "My Adds" from the blog that added you into the "Originals" lists for each. This list is unique because I want you to be able to copy the feeds with out having to delete the blogs before making the OPML file so I separated the two links into 2 lists.

4. Add any blogs you want to the list with whatever keywords you want. Then get their RSS Feed and add those to the list of Feeds in your "My Adds" section.

5. Publish your post.

6. Comment on the post that originated the list here so that new additions can be subscribed to as well by the lists before yours.

My Blog Adds:

Ask Jason

Chief Prognosticator


Original Blogs:

Automobile News

Shadowscope

Pray for Mojo

Detroit Sports

Steven Lorenz

Sir Post A Lot

Celeb News
John Chow
Whatever I Feel Like

Tricia's Musings

Ugh!!’s Greymatter Honeypot

A bit of this and a bit of that

Wordpress Plugins

Internet Serious Business

Julie's Journal

Utterly Geek

jon lee

Pencil Thin

No Average Mom

Marisa's Dandelion Patch

Scribble on the Wall

The Sovereign Journey

Digital Nomads

msdanielle

Mr. Gary Lee

Windows Tips, Tricks, and Hacks

Get a First Class Degree

SiteLogic Web Development

Geeky Speaky

Little America


My RSS Feed Adds:

http://askjason.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

http://feeds.feedburner.com/ChiefPrognosticator


Original RSS Feeds:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/AutomobileHaven

http://feeds.feedburner.com/PrayForMojo

http://feeds.feedburner.com/Shadowscope

http://feeds.feedburner.com/JimiMorrisonsHead

http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ZguH

http://feeds.feedburner.com/SirPost

http://feeds.feedburner.com/SirPostsEntertainmentBlog

http://feeds.feedburner.com/JohnChowDotCom

http://feeds.feedburner.com/WhateverIFeelLike

http://feeds.feedburner.com/TriciasMusings

http://feeds.feedburner.com/u-g-h

http://feeds.feedburner.com/botbot

http://feeds.feedburner.com/JmhTechtronics

http://feeds.feedburner.com/InternetSeriousBusiness

http://www.juliesjournal.com/feed

http://www.utterlygeek.com/feed

http://feeds.feedburner.com/jonlee/

http://www.noaveragemom.com/?feed=rss2

http://www.pencilthin.com/?feed=rss2

http://www.mydandelionpatch.com/feed/

http://www.scribbleonthewall.com/feed/

http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheSovereignJourney

http://feeds.feedburner.com/DigitalNomads

http://feeds.feedburner.com/Msdanielle-JustAnotherEgoBlogSite

http://feeds.feedburner.com/MrGaryLee

http://feeds.feedburner.com/Samanathon

http://www.geekyspeaky.com/feed

http://feeds.feedburner.com/Littleamericaus

http://www.sitelogic.co.uk/feed/

http://www.howtogetafirst.co.uk/feed/



***Stop Copying Here***

MINT+ Credit Cards

Mint credit cards have recently lowered their APR and make for a very attractive credit card offer right now. With a low introductory APR they give you a great card with great benefits. Throughout the year MINT has given their card holders in the MINT+ program great offers and deals on various products and services. Recent deals in the past have given cardholders huge savings on Easter Eggs from Chocolate Express, London breaks and West End shows as well as high street retailer discounts.

These deals aren't about to end anytime soon either for MINT cardholders. All year they will hook you up with great discounts and savings on products and services. On top of that they have very competitive interest rates on the cards which should be more than enough to check out their cards.

Oil exec blames drivers for high gas prices

Just what you wanted to hear huh? A rich gas exec telling you essentially that it is your fault gas prices are as high as they are. In a sense it is true. We do use much more gasoline than any other country and there is no better way to get gouged than to blow the demand curve out of the water. At the same time you know that the satements about trying to keep up with demand are highly exaggerated and the gas companies are simply taking advantage of us by saying they can only get so much into our tanks.

Until the available supply meets America's unquenchable thirst for gasoline, the prices at the pump are not likely to drop much, the head of the country's second largest petroleum refiner said Wednesday.

“It is true that gasoline prices move with oil prices, but ... demand continues to go up. Even with gas prices over $3 per gallon, demand continues to go up. That's really quite surprising,” James Mulva, chairman and CEO of Houston-based ConocoPhillips, said during an exclusive interview on TODAY.

“The issue is providing supply. We are running our refineries at capacity ... We are importing as much as we can,” Mulva told TODAY host Matt Lauer. more

Italian Language Schools

Learning a foreign language is difficult to do, but it could be much easier if you have the opportunity to leanr from italian language courses in Italy. Learning in the place that uses the language you want to learn is by far the best, and fastest way to master a foreign language. Take a look at available italian language schools in Italy and see just what is available to you and how you can get started today.

Farmers abandoning barley for crops that produce ethanol

Like most Germans, brewer Helmut Erdmann is all for the fight against global warming. Unless, that is, it drives up the price of his beer.

And that is exactly what is happening to Erdmann and other German brewers as farmers abandon barley — the raw material for the national beverage — to plant other, subsidized crops for sale as environmentally friendly biofuels.

"Beer prices are a very emotional issue in Germany — people expect it to be as inexpensive as other basic staples like eggs, bread, Hoodia, and milk," said Erdmann, director of the family-owned Ayinger brewery in Aying, an idyllic village nestled between Bavaria's rolling hills and dark forests with the towering Alps on the far horizon. full story

Internet Banking

This bank has an interesting policy that I haven't really seen before in an online banking firm. It is based on their ethical principles and how they go about investing money. Human Rights, The Arms Trade, Genetic Modification, and Animal Welfare are all concerns when they go about their investing strategies. They do not supposrt companies involved in breaches of these policies, and many others.

Offering loans of all kinds, the Co-Op Bank works with individuals and businesses to ensure that they have the best available information on how they should manage their money. Take a look at all they offer and explore their ethical standards to see what a different kind of bank they are.

Here Today; Abroad Tomorrow

Plenty of Americans find work in other countries. Preliminary numbers from the IRS show that 303,940 taxpayers claimed the foreign-earned income exclusion in 2005. Be it selling cheap pens, or any sort of business, U.S. Entrepreneurs are finding may advantages to creating their company outsie the U.S.

But starting a business overseas can offer a far more intimate insight into the challenges of red tape, labor laws and cultural differences. Those who surmount the obstacles can find an alluring market for their venture. "We're especially aware that the European markets are very attractive to U.S. companies right now because of the dollar/pound exchange rates," says Simon Jones, president of the Munich chapter of the American-German Business Club.

Read more

Easy Way to Contact Bloggers for Advertising

PayPerPost has always offered a great way for advertisers to get advertising and links from bloggers, but it was more of a mass blogger campaign for advertisers. Now with the introduction of PPP Direct, advertisers can contact bloggers directly and negotiate their fee.

Bloggers can make money blogging with this sytem since advertisers will pay them based on what their site is all about rather than generic parameters aimed at a group of bloggers. Advertisers simply click on the badges that bloggers have on their sidebar and make an offer. Blogger then can counter the offer or take it and complete the assignment.

It is an easy way to use an escrow type service to facilitate blog advertising and not have to rely directly on either the blogger, or the advertiser to complete the transaction. PPP Direct cuts out the massive overhead. Where competitors like ReviewMe charge 50-100% markup and keep up to half your money, PPP Direct only charges a 10% fee, 5% of which goes to transaction fees for PayPal and credit card processing.

Bloggers set a minimum price they are willing to take for a post, but it is truly negotiable. There are many instances where bloggers may do the posts for less, or more based on how well the advertisers website relates to their blog.

How Good are Your Money Management Skills?

Was looking for a little quiz to post about finding out your ability to manage your money. I found a simple one on the AARP site that does the duty. It is a simple True/False quiz so there is no math involved at all. Just answer the questions and see what kind of score you get. The quiz will only take a couple of minutes to complete so it isn't daunting by any means.

Quiz

Stonehawk Drug Rehab

Stonehawk drug rehab center offers somewhat of a different approach to addiction. Instead of forcing addicts to use a 12 step program like many other treatment centers do, Stone Hawk just teaches students how to live. The program is designed to cleanse the body and then cleanse the mind. The leaders have tried many programs themselves and found this way to be the one that worked for them. So they have already been down the road of recovery.

Filthy Rich Businesses

It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it. Entrepreneur.com has an interesting article about making money from getting dirty. These are businesses that aren't exactly pretty, but the owners have a nice niche and are taking advantage of the profits that go along with it.

Jay Villemarette cleans skeletons--mostly animal and human skulls--for a living. He owns Skulls Unlimited International and insists there's never a dull moment at the office. We'll take his word for it. After all, his company might be cleaning a gorilla skull one day and that of a chipmunk, a giraffe or a human the next.

read more

Another business that I've seen on The Learning Channel, or one of those places was a guy that cleaned up after the dead. The show followed him as he cleaned up after dead bodies when the police had already gone. AIDs victims, murder victims, etc. This is all work that the homeowner was typically responsible for, but the problem with disease made it a bad idea for them to clean it up. Many times they were contacted by authorities to do the claen ups. Others have used the deceased's Death insurance to cop the bill.

Video Conferencing to Save Time and Money

I've always wondered why businesses didn't utilize the available Video Conference Equipment out there now. Instead they put their executives on planes and have them traveling all over the place to get deals done, and to make important decisions. They get jet lag, lose time with their families, and just plain waste a lot of time they don't need to.

Lifesize.com has great information about distance learning, and vidoeconferencing. They have developed an info package that is free to download on the site so that those who are the decision maker, or even just one of those that make recommendations for businesses can easily determine what is the perfect solution for their company. Visitors to the website can download the info pack, which includes details about their products and recommends how to select the appropriate system for you.