Yesterday was the annual family reunion. It was our side of the family's turn to host the event this year so it has been a busy month trying to organize the logistics of hosting the event. It seemed like a lot of work and it was, but it was all worth it. Everyone had a good time and kids got to see all their cousins again which is what these events are all about anyway. Our lives are so busy nowadays that we don't always have the chance for casual gatherings during the rest of the year save for the annual reunion.
I got to talk to some of our nieces who are just getting out into the world on their own. One of our nieces was talking about setting up a small business and while she has a degree in business already under her belt, she admits that the idea of coordinating a business and managing employees while staying organized is one of her weak points. Some people, are going back to school to learn a higher process of organization leadership and I think that she would be just the type of person who could benefit from a course like this. An Organizational development program is offered at Gonzaga University online, for example.
Professionals seeking to enhance their leadership, organizational, collaborative and interactive skills can earn a masters degree in Organizational Development or better, Organizational Leadership. These courses will help you draw on your inner strength to make you a better leader. This is the kid of course that can lead to career advancement for most business professionals.
Showing posts with label business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label business. Show all posts
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Monday, November 19, 2007
E-Commerce Software
Jade and I have been working for the last couple of weeks on her dad's website. Neither one of us have ever designed a website from scratch before, and we are up to our necks with 'things to do'. Considering we had zero experience between the two of us, three including her dad, we've done pretty well. The website is actually up and running with real information already posted! Yeah, we're proud of ourselves.
Now the next hurdle for us to find and set up a Shopping Cart Software. My husband eventually want to utilize the website to sell his artwork, you see, so the software needs to be able to accept all major credit cards and also PayPal. From talking to other people who have had experience setting up e-stores, it is no easy task integrating this software into your website.
Ecommerce Software is one that we have been looking to use for the website. This is on the median range pricewise and according to their website, the software is one of the more intuitive and user friendly software available. The site design is fully customizable to make your whole site seem seamless and it comes equipped with wysiwyg (what you see is what you get) editor. One of the more usefull things about this software is the set-up checklist which guides you step-by-step through the set up process.
It still comes equipped with the basic estore capabilities like accepting all major credit cards and PayPal, fraud screening and security, and other merchandising tools. Best of all, they offer 24/7 tech support for when you get stuck doing something in the middle of the night. If, like us, you need a reliable ecommerce software, this solutions may just fit your specific needs.
Now the next hurdle for us to find and set up a Shopping Cart Software. My husband eventually want to utilize the website to sell his artwork, you see, so the software needs to be able to accept all major credit cards and also PayPal. From talking to other people who have had experience setting up e-stores, it is no easy task integrating this software into your website.
Ecommerce Software is one that we have been looking to use for the website. This is on the median range pricewise and according to their website, the software is one of the more intuitive and user friendly software available. The site design is fully customizable to make your whole site seem seamless and it comes equipped with wysiwyg (what you see is what you get) editor. One of the more usefull things about this software is the set-up checklist which guides you step-by-step through the set up process.
It still comes equipped with the basic estore capabilities like accepting all major credit cards and PayPal, fraud screening and security, and other merchandising tools. Best of all, they offer 24/7 tech support for when you get stuck doing something in the middle of the night. If, like us, you need a reliable ecommerce software, this solutions may just fit your specific needs.
Friday, October 26, 2007
The Art of Selling Yourself
One of the hardest things for me to do is selling. I just hate it like the plague! I hate it mostly because I also hate public speaking. I do alright having a normal conversation, but once I try to start selling something, I get tongue tied and can't get my schpiel out. I guess this is where good sales training course can help. My husband is a good sales man and he says that the ability to sell something does not just apply to selling, you can use this ability in other areas of your life. That philosophy is also echoed by this sales training course. This site offers Sales Training Courses for plumbers, because they wanted to learn how to better promote their own business. Most plumbers are independently owned small businesses so self-promotion is crucial for success. The old 'word-of-mouth' method of marketing has passed its usefullness. If you want to be successfull, you have to be able to sell your talent or your products. Just like if you want to be successfull in life, you have to go out there and live it, and let others know how well you're doing it.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Advertising Market Place
We are becoming an internet world. An increasing number of transactions are conducted online daily from personal business to the corporate level. Especially at the corporate level. If you want to play with the big boys, you have to have an online presence; and having a presence is not enough, you have to have presence in that people have to know you are there. You can't just exist online, you have to to be dynamic.
If you are in the U.K. or Ireland, MyAdBase.com is an advertising marketplace where you can increase your online presence. Whether you are a small business or a large company, myadbase.com can help you connect with the appropriate market that your business needs for greater exposure. For instance, if you are looking for reasonable radio advertising costs, you can avail their services and find just the right radio station for you to advertise in. Maybe radio is not for you. Perhaps, instead, you can have a private consultation with them to better identify your specific needs.
If you are in the U.K. or Ireland, MyAdBase.com is an advertising marketplace where you can increase your online presence. Whether you are a small business or a large company, myadbase.com can help you connect with the appropriate market that your business needs for greater exposure. For instance, if you are looking for reasonable radio advertising costs, you can avail their services and find just the right radio station for you to advertise in. Maybe radio is not for you. Perhaps, instead, you can have a private consultation with them to better identify your specific needs.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
UK Credit Cards
Here again is another great opportunity for U.K. residents looking for a credit card. The Cooperative Bank offers several credit cards depending on your needs. They all have reasonable interest rates ranging from 11.9% to 18.9%. Some of them have an introductory interest rate of 0% and some even include additional incentives like travel insurance, purchase protection insurance, affiliate discounts and medical and legal assistance overseas. For instance, if you use one of these credit cards to purchase your vacation tickets the travel insurance included with some of the cards will provide coverage for up to 100,000 pounds. When you are traveling overseas, some of the cards also provide medical and legal assistance in addition to emergency cash and legal assistance services. As if these incentives weren't enough, they also have an affiliate program where you can help raise money for your favorite charitable organization just by using your credit card! Among the many affiliated charities include: Greenpeace, Christian Aid, Amnesty International and Save the Children.
"Details accurate at date of publishing." This post sponsored by Co-operative Bank.
"Details accurate at date of publishing." This post sponsored by Co-operative Bank.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Planning Life
It is sad to think about it, but in recent years we've lost several beloved family members. One had a simple will to disburse the remaining property and one has an irrevocable trust set up to take care of their assets. Our older family members are by no means wealthy, they were just plain, ordinary working folks. They would never have thought they were the type to be setting up trusts. They thought a will is enough.
One family member had a will wherein all things that were important to her like furnishings and the content of her home were itemized in the will and assigned to an heir. She had a couple of real properties which were to be divided equally among her heirs. While the items in the home have been disbursed without problem, the pieces of real estate are still tied up in probate and none of her heirs have seen any money or tangible asset from the real estate. That's because the heirs for one couldn't agree whether to sell the properties or not. Some were willing, others were not. As a result, the heirs have been paying property taxes for property that are sitting still because they can't agree on anything. To make matters worse, some of them are now not speaking to each other.
The second family member who died unexpectedly did have a trust in place, but the largest asset, a piece of real estate, was temporarily taken out of the trust to be refinanced and was not put back into the trust before her sudden death. The same situation happened among the heirs; after they dried their tears, they started tearing into each other. They couldn't get along and ended up not speaking to each other. This case went even as far as the parties taking each other to court. Not a pretty picture.
Seeing all these go on around us got us thinking seriously about our own situations. We are now at an age where are parents are dying and all of a sudden we've become quite aware of our own mortality. And when you have young children like we do, the situation becomes even more complex. While setting up an irrevocable trust seems to be the smart answer, it isn't as simple as pulling out a piece of paper, jotting down your wishes and signing it. You really need to get professional help if you are to do it right.
Attorneys specializing in estate planning like the Arizona firm of Morris, Hall & Kinghorn are what you need to walk you through the process of protecting your family. Even when you think that you are not rich enough to have enough assets to disburse much less list in a document, you will find out how wrong you are. We do have assets worth protecting no matter how little. For instance, if you own a house have a couple of vehicles,a small nest egg in the bank, and life insurance, do not depend on those you left behind or the authorities to dispose of these things as you would have wished. Always have things in writing and have someone reliable to manage it for you.
When you have minor children, your estate planning becomes even more vital. Who do you want to take care of your children in case anything happens to you? How do you plan to ensure that they are taken care of financially in your absence? I know many people who are in denial saying that it's too morbid to be planning for events after your demise. They look at it as if by being prepared for it you are somehow daring death to come early. I tell them to instead look at it as planning for your life not your death. You can live your life peacefully if you know you've done all you can to ensure the welfare of your loved ones.
Unless this is your area of specialty, you really can't do the process of protecting your estate alone. You will need to get assistance; you will need professional help, so start looking if you haven't partnered up with an estate planner yet.
One family member had a will wherein all things that were important to her like furnishings and the content of her home were itemized in the will and assigned to an heir. She had a couple of real properties which were to be divided equally among her heirs. While the items in the home have been disbursed without problem, the pieces of real estate are still tied up in probate and none of her heirs have seen any money or tangible asset from the real estate. That's because the heirs for one couldn't agree whether to sell the properties or not. Some were willing, others were not. As a result, the heirs have been paying property taxes for property that are sitting still because they can't agree on anything. To make matters worse, some of them are now not speaking to each other.
The second family member who died unexpectedly did have a trust in place, but the largest asset, a piece of real estate, was temporarily taken out of the trust to be refinanced and was not put back into the trust before her sudden death. The same situation happened among the heirs; after they dried their tears, they started tearing into each other. They couldn't get along and ended up not speaking to each other. This case went even as far as the parties taking each other to court. Not a pretty picture.
Seeing all these go on around us got us thinking seriously about our own situations. We are now at an age where are parents are dying and all of a sudden we've become quite aware of our own mortality. And when you have young children like we do, the situation becomes even more complex. While setting up an irrevocable trust seems to be the smart answer, it isn't as simple as pulling out a piece of paper, jotting down your wishes and signing it. You really need to get professional help if you are to do it right.
Attorneys specializing in estate planning like the Arizona firm of Morris, Hall & Kinghorn are what you need to walk you through the process of protecting your family. Even when you think that you are not rich enough to have enough assets to disburse much less list in a document, you will find out how wrong you are. We do have assets worth protecting no matter how little. For instance, if you own a house have a couple of vehicles,a small nest egg in the bank, and life insurance, do not depend on those you left behind or the authorities to dispose of these things as you would have wished. Always have things in writing and have someone reliable to manage it for you.
When you have minor children, your estate planning becomes even more vital. Who do you want to take care of your children in case anything happens to you? How do you plan to ensure that they are taken care of financially in your absence? I know many people who are in denial saying that it's too morbid to be planning for events after your demise. They look at it as if by being prepared for it you are somehow daring death to come early. I tell them to instead look at it as planning for your life not your death. You can live your life peacefully if you know you've done all you can to ensure the welfare of your loved ones.
Unless this is your area of specialty, you really can't do the process of protecting your estate alone. You will need to get assistance; you will need professional help, so start looking if you haven't partnered up with an estate planner yet.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Our Home brews an online business
When we bought our new domain, we also bought a studio domain for my husband. It's still under construction as we figure out various components that will go into it like a gallery and an online store. The gallery part won't be so hard, we'll just have to fill it with hubby's artwork. The online store, however, will be another problem. My husband has been looking into several ecommerce software but hadn't really decided on which one to use yet.
He knows he will need to be able to take all major credit cards and maybe even paypal. One thing he definitely needs is a shopping cart. If you've shopped online, you know what I mean by a shopping cart. Ashop.com offers a shopping cart software that you can try out for free for ten days. I think this may be a good idea to 'test drive' the software first to see how user friendly it is and how efficient it is. The great thing with this particular one is that paypal is already integrated in the software along with the major banks and credit cards. Some of the other shopping cart software he had looked at did not have paypal integrated and you would have had to use the paypal interface to use their service. We liked this one because of that feature.
Price wise, their prices are comparable with other shopping cart softwares. They provide service for the U.S., U.K., and Australia. Just enter which region you are on and they will work up the appropriate pricing for your area.
He knows he will need to be able to take all major credit cards and maybe even paypal. One thing he definitely needs is a shopping cart. If you've shopped online, you know what I mean by a shopping cart. Ashop.com offers a shopping cart software that you can try out for free for ten days. I think this may be a good idea to 'test drive' the software first to see how user friendly it is and how efficient it is. The great thing with this particular one is that paypal is already integrated in the software along with the major banks and credit cards. Some of the other shopping cart software he had looked at did not have paypal integrated and you would have had to use the paypal interface to use their service. We liked this one because of that feature.
Price wise, their prices are comparable with other shopping cart softwares. They provide service for the U.S., U.K., and Australia. Just enter which region you are on and they will work up the appropriate pricing for your area.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Home Insurance
Several newly built houses have been on the news for having burned to the ground and the homeowners lost everything. At least one incident on the news involved a house that is in the process of being built and before it could even be finished, it burns to the ground. It makes me wonder if they were insured. Is there insurance for homes while they are in the process of being built or would the liability for that fall on the contractor's insurance? Then the most recent news was a million dollar home, less than a year old that burned while the owners were away visiting a sick relative out of town. How sad to come home and find your house ruined. I'm sure if they had an expensive house like that, they must have been insured. That got us thinking about our own insurance coverage for the house so we looked online for home owner insurance quote.
We found this site that offers multiple quotes online. Not only do they provide quotes for home insurance, you can also use the site to search for quotes for auto, health, or life insurance among others. We're also constantly investigating auto insurance rates, especially with a budding new driver in the house. Anyway, the services offered by this insurance broker covers the whole country, not just our state. Anyone can search quotes for their specific location. If you have a business, they also provide services for business insurance needs.
The Learning Center section of the website provides tips and information on the different types of insurance and coverage. Whether you are ready to sign up for coverage and are looking for the best deal or you are just curious to see what your options are or how your present coverage compares, 2Insure4Less.com is a good place to start your investigation.
We found this site that offers multiple quotes online. Not only do they provide quotes for home insurance, you can also use the site to search for quotes for auto, health, or life insurance among others. We're also constantly investigating auto insurance rates, especially with a budding new driver in the house. Anyway, the services offered by this insurance broker covers the whole country, not just our state. Anyone can search quotes for their specific location. If you have a business, they also provide services for business insurance needs.
The Learning Center section of the website provides tips and information on the different types of insurance and coverage. Whether you are ready to sign up for coverage and are looking for the best deal or you are just curious to see what your options are or how your present coverage compares, 2Insure4Less.com is a good place to start your investigation.
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Metal Works
Bill, hubby's friend, came by last week with a new proposition. Bill is also an artist. He specializes in welding and metal works. He makes beautiful metal sculptures, many of them utilitarian art; art that is not only aesthetically pleasing but also useful. Anyway, he came to propose a partnership with my husband because he had just bought a plasma cutting tool and he needed help coming up with designs. He wants hubby to draw it out on paper, then they will transfer the design onto metal using the plasma cutter. He showed some examples of things you can do with the plasma cutter, and some are truly awesome. Husband is intrigued and he says he may take up Bill on his offer. If they ever do corroborate, I'll be sure to take photos and blog about it here.
Friday, August 31, 2007
A Piece of God's Country
We just had a company hot dog cookout to celebrate the upcoming Labor Day weekend. I was sitting with our President and CEO and he was telling us that he and his wife are getting ready to go on a two week vacation to the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park. He and his wife have been going to that region for the last few year. They just love it they said it is beautiful up there; God's country as many would say. He also disclosed that they learned an interesting bit about the real estate up there. On the Wyoming side on the Teton's they say that real estate prices are now beyond reach of the working man's pocket book. But while they were up there, my boss who is a very personable type of guy and can talk to anyone, found out that if you cross the border into Idaho, you still have terrific a view of the mountains but without the high real estate prices! So, he tells us, they have bought a couple of lots within view of the range and hope to someday retire there. Sounds like my kind of place to retire. Lot's of open land around. Let's just hope it's still that way by the time they retire.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Interest Free Credit Card
We have all bemoaned how we are being taken advantage of by credit card companies and the soaring interest rates and fees. If you had gotten yourself in a position where you are paying higher interest rates because maybe you missed a payment or were late sending a payment, you may be able to remedy that situation by applying for an interest free credit card. Although the interest free offer is an introductory offer for the first twelve months only, this may give you enough time to catch your balance up without the added high interest. But once you get your balance paid off, don't you go crazy and shop up to your limit again ;)
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Help for Start Ups
If you own a small business, you will probably get to the point where you may want to consider incorporating or setting up a limited liability company (LLC). This step may be as daunting as starting your business in the first place.
Having just come from Nevada, it was serendipitous to have come across this site, based in Las Vegas, that offers to help you file the papers necessary to incorporate or set up a LLC. They do not claim to be lawyers, just knowledgeable people who can walk you through the process without charging lawyer's fees.
Since their office is in Las Vegas, their most popular state is Nevada. However, their services are not limited to this state they can set up Florida corporations, Texas Corporations, and Arizona corporations among many.
Another service this company offers is to provide you with an office for your business. For as little as $45 a month, you can have a space to meet clients and have phone and internet access. End the days of meeting clients at diners, have an office or conference room where you can put on a professional face. Whether you have an existing business or thinking of starting up a new one, this site is a great resource.
Having just come from Nevada, it was serendipitous to have come across this site, based in Las Vegas, that offers to help you file the papers necessary to incorporate or set up a LLC. They do not claim to be lawyers, just knowledgeable people who can walk you through the process without charging lawyer's fees.
Since their office is in Las Vegas, their most popular state is Nevada. However, their services are not limited to this state they can set up Florida corporations, Texas Corporations, and Arizona corporations among many.
Another service this company offers is to provide you with an office for your business. For as little as $45 a month, you can have a space to meet clients and have phone and internet access. End the days of meeting clients at diners, have an office or conference room where you can put on a professional face. Whether you have an existing business or thinking of starting up a new one, this site is a great resource.
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