There are different types of investment options available with a thin line of risk involved separating them. One such investment option is the foreign exchange or the forex. There are many people who prefer the forex investment as opposed to stock or bonds and there are many more that have chosen managed forex accounts. There are several advantages of having a managed forex account like the high liquidity of the forex market, low start up-costs, 24 hour trading, and much more. If you are an investor looking for an opportunity to invest in the forex market but don't have the know-how or the time then your best option is managed forex account.
Having a managed forex account makes sense because you will have a qualified professional managing your capital to help you make long-term gains. As a beginner investing in the forex can be difficult because you don't have the technical know how of how the market works but a having a managed forex account can make life much easier for you.
Advantages and Benefits
Here are some of the benefits that you will enjoy with managed forex accounts:
1. Professional forex account management: Your account will be managed by professionals who have the necessary experience and expertise in handling varied portfolios and who have in-depth understanding of the forex market and behavior.
2. Asset diversification: When you opt for forex account management, one of the key benefits you will derive will be in the form of asset diversification through forex trading, which is not associated with the stock market
3. Access: You will have 24 hour access to your managed forex account
4. Opportunities: You will be able to benefit from trading opportunities in both rising as well as falling markets
5. Management: Forex account management professionals will conduct Real-time reporting and account management so that you are always in tune with the market performance.
6. Returns: You will be able to enjoy anywhere from 4% to 20% returns on a monthly basis with a managed Forex account.
7. Liquidity of assets: You will be able to withdraw your money at any given point in time
Types Of Managed Forex Accounts
There are just two important types of managed forex accounts; and they include:
- Manual trading accounts
- Automated "trading bot" accounts
Trading bot is a type of software that is used for automatically trading currency and the functioning of the software is based on certain number of hard coded rules. The software is used mostly by Forex account management professionals as this helps them to advertise a pre-determined rate of annual or monthly growth.
The forex market conducts in excess of 2 trillion dollars in value on a day-to-day basis. There are many people who lose big amounts while some gain even bigger amounts and the statistics suggest that almost 90 to 95% of new traders end up losing their money. So you need to tread carefully and that is why a managed forex account will be a perfect way
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Making Money in Forex Trading - What You Must Know Before You Trade Forex Full Time
I have always been getting emails from our subscribers asking me how to become a full time trader and what is the capital needed in order to be able to trade forex full time. Although I did mentioned that if you have a good forex trading system and you follow the trading rules, you can be successful someday. But I also did mentioned that you will need psychological control, discipline, money management and other stuffs to be successful in trading in the long haul.
If you are thinking to become a full time trader and setup a home business, it's good that you aim for it but you must understand the situation you are in now. Are you already trading very well currently and making consistent profits every month? Even so, are you able to overcome the psychological barrier of having to quit your full time job and switch to just trading?
There are many factors that you have to consider carefully before you step into the world of full time trading as a home business, it's not as easy as it's said to be. I really consider forex trading as a professional job because it's just so specialized! Yes, everyone can learn to trade forex and start to money money too. But is he/she able to maintain good performance for years to come? It really takes up experience and some knowledge to sustain great trading performance. I have seen traders failed after a few years of successful trading...why? They became greedy and over confident, one mistake and they bust up the whole trading account. But that's not the main reason why they quit, it's the lack of confidence to trade that makes them fear trading again.
Another main factor that will decide whether you can go full time trading is the trading capital. Yes, you can trade with small accounts when you just started, but in order to become full time forex trader, you will need reasonable huge accounts. This is because you should only risk 1% to 5% of your equity per trade and therefore small accounts mean tiny loss and tiny profits, how to earn a full time income this way? Below are the 3 biggest reasons why small forex accounts will fail.
1) You Will Take More Risk. With a small account, you will have smaller gains in profits because you trade smaller in lot size. Most people will focus on the nominal value (like dollars earned) instead of return on investment (percentage growth). When you see you are doing well but the gains are small, you will be tempted to break the rule of money management and risk a huge percentage of your capital. Then one mistake will wipe out a large portion of your trading account. Therefore I recommend a five digit trading capital if possible.
2) Wrong Mindset. Most people will not treat their trading seriously if it involves only a small capital. They will think that if they lose money, they will only lose that bit. Not getting serious will get you a bad habit. Once bad habit is there, it's hard to remove it. On the contrary, good habit takes long time to build but just a mistake to spoil it.
3) Makes You Want to Trade More. Most likely you will not be satisfied with the amount of profits you have made as it's seem small. Most people will then think they are good in trading already and start to look for trading opportunities every day (instead of trading along the trend). There will not be quality trades everyday and the more you try to trade, the more mistakes you will make and then slowly your account will be reduced.
If you are thinking to become a full time trader and setup a home business, it's good that you aim for it but you must understand the situation you are in now. Are you already trading very well currently and making consistent profits every month? Even so, are you able to overcome the psychological barrier of having to quit your full time job and switch to just trading?
There are many factors that you have to consider carefully before you step into the world of full time trading as a home business, it's not as easy as it's said to be. I really consider forex trading as a professional job because it's just so specialized! Yes, everyone can learn to trade forex and start to money money too. But is he/she able to maintain good performance for years to come? It really takes up experience and some knowledge to sustain great trading performance. I have seen traders failed after a few years of successful trading...why? They became greedy and over confident, one mistake and they bust up the whole trading account. But that's not the main reason why they quit, it's the lack of confidence to trade that makes them fear trading again.
Another main factor that will decide whether you can go full time trading is the trading capital. Yes, you can trade with small accounts when you just started, but in order to become full time forex trader, you will need reasonable huge accounts. This is because you should only risk 1% to 5% of your equity per trade and therefore small accounts mean tiny loss and tiny profits, how to earn a full time income this way? Below are the 3 biggest reasons why small forex accounts will fail.
1) You Will Take More Risk. With a small account, you will have smaller gains in profits because you trade smaller in lot size. Most people will focus on the nominal value (like dollars earned) instead of return on investment (percentage growth). When you see you are doing well but the gains are small, you will be tempted to break the rule of money management and risk a huge percentage of your capital. Then one mistake will wipe out a large portion of your trading account. Therefore I recommend a five digit trading capital if possible.
2) Wrong Mindset. Most people will not treat their trading seriously if it involves only a small capital. They will think that if they lose money, they will only lose that bit. Not getting serious will get you a bad habit. Once bad habit is there, it's hard to remove it. On the contrary, good habit takes long time to build but just a mistake to spoil it.
3) Makes You Want to Trade More. Most likely you will not be satisfied with the amount of profits you have made as it's seem small. Most people will then think they are good in trading already and start to look for trading opportunities every day (instead of trading along the trend). There will not be quality trades everyday and the more you try to trade, the more mistakes you will make and then slowly your account will be reduced.
Can A Forex Trading Plan Help You To Become A Profitable Trader?
A lot of people have turned to forex trading in the last couple of years in the hope of earning some extra money, and possibly with the hope of getting seriously rich as well. However it is very difficult to make money from forex trading which is why you should always approach it with a solid trading plan in place.
If you're going to make long-term profits then you need to take it seriously, which means having a well-thought out plan of attack. This all starts with the trading system you plan on using.
Before you even think about trading with real money you need to do lots and lots of testing and experiment with various technical indicators in order to find a system that's going to make you money on a consistent basis. It doesn't have to be perfect, and indeed a perfect system doesn't even exist, but it should have the ability to grow your account in the long run.
It may only have a success rate of 40-50% but this can be more than enough to generate some decent profits. For instance if you use a stop loss of 20 points and target 60 points per trade, then a win ratio of 40-50% would generate some very healthy returns.
Some other key components of a forex trading plan include discipline and money management. Let's start with discipline first of all because if you're going to become a profitable trader then you need to create a profitable system and you need to have the discipline to stick to this system. Winning traders accept that losing trades are a part of the game, but the traders who end up losing money are those that have difficulty accepting losses and subsequently start chasing losses, just like a lot of gamblers do.
Money management is important too because even if you have a profitable system, you should still only risk a small percentage of your capital on any one trade. Your goal should be to grow your account steadily over time and by only risking say 2 or 3% per trade you can grow your account very nicely as your capital starts to grow.
So to sum up, if you're serious about becoming a successful forex trader you should create, and stick to a solid trading plan. This should incorporate a profitable trading system, a disciplined approach to trading, and sound money management principles.
If you're going to make long-term profits then you need to take it seriously, which means having a well-thought out plan of attack. This all starts with the trading system you plan on using.
Before you even think about trading with real money you need to do lots and lots of testing and experiment with various technical indicators in order to find a system that's going to make you money on a consistent basis. It doesn't have to be perfect, and indeed a perfect system doesn't even exist, but it should have the ability to grow your account in the long run.
It may only have a success rate of 40-50% but this can be more than enough to generate some decent profits. For instance if you use a stop loss of 20 points and target 60 points per trade, then a win ratio of 40-50% would generate some very healthy returns.
Some other key components of a forex trading plan include discipline and money management. Let's start with discipline first of all because if you're going to become a profitable trader then you need to create a profitable system and you need to have the discipline to stick to this system. Winning traders accept that losing trades are a part of the game, but the traders who end up losing money are those that have difficulty accepting losses and subsequently start chasing losses, just like a lot of gamblers do.
Money management is important too because even if you have a profitable system, you should still only risk a small percentage of your capital on any one trade. Your goal should be to grow your account steadily over time and by only risking say 2 or 3% per trade you can grow your account very nicely as your capital starts to grow.
So to sum up, if you're serious about becoming a successful forex trader you should create, and stick to a solid trading plan. This should incorporate a profitable trading system, a disciplined approach to trading, and sound money management principles.
Learning Forex Brokers and Forex Trading
The maximum rates of the currency are dependent on the confidence of the customer and on the economic strength of that country. Forex brokers are people who cut the deal on behalf of a trader. Unlike other brokers who are paid a commission based on a predetermined percentage of the sale, a FX broker gets paid with the difference between a bid placed by the trader and the seller's asking price for the same currency. There are various theories integrated with the forex trading systems that are extremely efficient for the dealers across the globe. There are countless people who examine currency trading as the cone of scam.
Forex funnel is the new product that is been launched by the foreign currency market. This product has certain specialties. There is no requirement of single out system robot in order to create a FX trading technique. There are specific breakouts that should be considered before creating a triumphant trading expertise of FX. Not surprisingly, investing money to earn money is the extremely lucrative business.
Before investing your well merited money into forex, you must be fully aware of the fundamentals of online currency dealings. Foreign currency trading, whether over-the-counter or futures, is very exciting. The amount of leverage allowed you is what enlivens FX trading. The utmost unconfused in the currency market is to build your foreign currency trading skill from a technical analysis standpoint (patterns in charts and graphs). Internet can also help you to correspond to the response about the foreign currency trades. The popularity of internet is increasing continuously. The methodology behind creating a sound online currency trading system can go quite a few ways.
The currency of the country is considered to be the economic value representative of the particular country. There are important things that you want to come to discover about the foreign exchange market. Currency trader robot would help you to determine the transcendently currency for your trades. Short term trading is considered to be the most important short term trading. In short term trading you should have on the capacity of finding whether the market would allow you to earn profits or you may end up making loss.
Technically expressed, you should get hold of the accurate forex alerts and signals to be able to let the right moves in the currency market. Quite a few act as pseudo-mentors, and will guide you through both the easily understood and advanced techniques applied to FX trading, and will greatly help you to learn to trade the foreign currency market for a fee. Until the advent of Internet-based trade, currency trading was a niche belonging to the multinational corporations, hedge funds and impressive financial institutions.
You should put one thing sure that the trader that you carry selected should know the unheard-of disciplines of online traders and should get hold of perfect knowledge about the trading finesse. The disciplines and lessons of actually participating in the marketplace will probably give a more far-reaching forex trading training than solid online currency trader book can provide.
Forex funnel is the new product that is been launched by the foreign currency market. This product has certain specialties. There is no requirement of single out system robot in order to create a FX trading technique. There are specific breakouts that should be considered before creating a triumphant trading expertise of FX. Not surprisingly, investing money to earn money is the extremely lucrative business.
Before investing your well merited money into forex, you must be fully aware of the fundamentals of online currency dealings. Foreign currency trading, whether over-the-counter or futures, is very exciting. The amount of leverage allowed you is what enlivens FX trading. The utmost unconfused in the currency market is to build your foreign currency trading skill from a technical analysis standpoint (patterns in charts and graphs). Internet can also help you to correspond to the response about the foreign currency trades. The popularity of internet is increasing continuously. The methodology behind creating a sound online currency trading system can go quite a few ways.
The currency of the country is considered to be the economic value representative of the particular country. There are important things that you want to come to discover about the foreign exchange market. Currency trader robot would help you to determine the transcendently currency for your trades. Short term trading is considered to be the most important short term trading. In short term trading you should have on the capacity of finding whether the market would allow you to earn profits or you may end up making loss.
Technically expressed, you should get hold of the accurate forex alerts and signals to be able to let the right moves in the currency market. Quite a few act as pseudo-mentors, and will guide you through both the easily understood and advanced techniques applied to FX trading, and will greatly help you to learn to trade the foreign currency market for a fee. Until the advent of Internet-based trade, currency trading was a niche belonging to the multinational corporations, hedge funds and impressive financial institutions.
You should put one thing sure that the trader that you carry selected should know the unheard-of disciplines of online traders and should get hold of perfect knowledge about the trading finesse. The disciplines and lessons of actually participating in the marketplace will probably give a more far-reaching forex trading training than solid online currency trader book can provide.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Protecting Your Business from Disaster and Emergency
You don't usually hear about the local businesses that go under because of hurricanes and earthquakes, but it's not uncommon for small companies to fail after such catastrophes.
Businesses located in disaster-prone areas are at a higher risk for certain natural disasters. Such companies should carry more coverage and carry specialized insurance to address those risks, but all businesses are vulnerable to accidents and emergencies. The best way to deal with uncertainty is to carry enough insurance and to be prepared.
In addition to carrying business interruption insurance, an extremely important component of an effective risk management plan is being prepared to respond quickly to an emergency or a disaster. Being prepared doesn't mean having a few gallons of water tucked away in the back of the office, nor does response mean returning to your office to inspect the damage after a disaster. It means having a plan in place that ensures you can continue to conduct business immediately after a disaster or emergency strikes. Take steps to develop plans for recovery in the event of a business disruption or a complete interruption.
First, carefully assess your critical business functions. Consider which parts of your business can sustain a prolonged interruption. If you can afford to put all functions on hold and potentially lose customers, you may be able to survive a mild emergency. But many businesses can't — a mild or severe disruption in normal business may have disastrous effects on the future of the company.
The following questions are a starting point for developing a comprehensive recovery plan.
* What provisions have been made for protecting the physical safety of your employees?
* Do you have a crisis management team?
* Where will you set up a command center if your offices are not available?
* Who will perform damage assessment, and who is qualified to declare a state of disaster for the company?
* What provisions have been made for resuming computer operations?
* Have you identified and prioritized critical applications?
* Does each job function in your company have a primary and secondary person assigned to perform its critical duties?
* Are copies of vital records and legal documents stored safely offsite?
* Where are the most recent employee telephone lists stored? How about key vendors and critical customers? How quickly can you contact these people?
* Have you defined an alternative recovery site? How large a facility will you need?
Businesses located in disaster-prone areas are at a higher risk for certain natural disasters. Such companies should carry more coverage and carry specialized insurance to address those risks, but all businesses are vulnerable to accidents and emergencies. The best way to deal with uncertainty is to carry enough insurance and to be prepared.
In addition to carrying business interruption insurance, an extremely important component of an effective risk management plan is being prepared to respond quickly to an emergency or a disaster. Being prepared doesn't mean having a few gallons of water tucked away in the back of the office, nor does response mean returning to your office to inspect the damage after a disaster. It means having a plan in place that ensures you can continue to conduct business immediately after a disaster or emergency strikes. Take steps to develop plans for recovery in the event of a business disruption or a complete interruption.
First, carefully assess your critical business functions. Consider which parts of your business can sustain a prolonged interruption. If you can afford to put all functions on hold and potentially lose customers, you may be able to survive a mild emergency. But many businesses can't — a mild or severe disruption in normal business may have disastrous effects on the future of the company.
The following questions are a starting point for developing a comprehensive recovery plan.
* What provisions have been made for protecting the physical safety of your employees?
* Do you have a crisis management team?
* Where will you set up a command center if your offices are not available?
* Who will perform damage assessment, and who is qualified to declare a state of disaster for the company?
* What provisions have been made for resuming computer operations?
* Have you identified and prioritized critical applications?
* Does each job function in your company have a primary and secondary person assigned to perform its critical duties?
* Are copies of vital records and legal documents stored safely offsite?
* Where are the most recent employee telephone lists stored? How about key vendors and critical customers? How quickly can you contact these people?
* Have you defined an alternative recovery site? How large a facility will you need?
Sunday, July 5, 2009
What Business Insurance Do I Need?
Having the right business insurance does more than just give you peace of mind; it's an integral part of an overall management strategy to help you stay competitive and protect your company in the event of an accident or disaster. While many small business owners seek to get away with minimal coverage,
others overpay on insurance they don't need. You can avoid both of these extremes by consulting a business insurance expert to advise you on the right coverage for your situation
Although at first paying business insurance premiums might seem like a burden, the real question is can you afford not to have adequate coverage? You never know when a natural disaster will strike, or if an employee will have an accident in a company vehicle. It's better to be prepared than to be hit with a large bill after some catastrophic event takes place. (Just look at the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has had on businesses that were located in the Gulf region. Would your company still survive after such a natural disaster?)
When considering your business insurance needs, ask yourself these questions:
* Do I have adequate business continuation coverage?
If a natural disaster were to strike your business, will you be able to set up and continue operations in another location?
* How often will I be updating my liability coverage?
Don’t fall into the trap that many small business owners find themselves in. They purchase a policy, file it away, and never look at it again. Review your insurance policy at least once a year to make sure it still meets your needs.
Here are some of the basic types of business insurance:
* Property and liability coverage.
You never know when a fire, flood, or other natural disaster will strike. Property and liability insurance will also shield you from judgments for accidents on your property or involving your employees. Make sure you have adequate coverage in this area.
* Health and medical coverage.
As your business grows, you will want to offer some type of health insurance for your employees. Consult a health insurance broker for the best deals on these plans. Offering a good health plan helps attract and retain the best employees.
* Directors and officers coverage.
This type of insurance protects the directors and officers of a corporation from personal liability in the event of a claim against the business.
* Key executive life coverage.
Your key employees are the heartbeat of your organization, so make sure you have adequate insurance coverage on them.
* Vehicle coverage.
These policies typically cover liability for injuries involving the vehicles owned and operated by your company.
* Disability coverage.
This insurance continues to pay a portion of the salary of a worker who has sustained an injury and can no longer work.
* Web site coverage.
While this is a relatively new type of policy, it is growing in popularity. Nearly every business has a Web site, and this type of insurance protects you against any claims or actions taken in conjunction with your site.
Consult with a knowledgeable business insurance broker before purchasing any policies. If you are just launching your business, make sure you have adequate coverage before you open your doors. If you have an existing business and have not reviewed your business insurance needs in some time, schedule an appointment with your agent or broker as soon as possible.
others overpay on insurance they don't need. You can avoid both of these extremes by consulting a business insurance expert to advise you on the right coverage for your situation
Although at first paying business insurance premiums might seem like a burden, the real question is can you afford not to have adequate coverage? You never know when a natural disaster will strike, or if an employee will have an accident in a company vehicle. It's better to be prepared than to be hit with a large bill after some catastrophic event takes place. (Just look at the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has had on businesses that were located in the Gulf region. Would your company still survive after such a natural disaster?)
When considering your business insurance needs, ask yourself these questions:
* Do I have adequate business continuation coverage?
If a natural disaster were to strike your business, will you be able to set up and continue operations in another location?
* How often will I be updating my liability coverage?
Don’t fall into the trap that many small business owners find themselves in. They purchase a policy, file it away, and never look at it again. Review your insurance policy at least once a year to make sure it still meets your needs.
Here are some of the basic types of business insurance:
* Property and liability coverage.
You never know when a fire, flood, or other natural disaster will strike. Property and liability insurance will also shield you from judgments for accidents on your property or involving your employees. Make sure you have adequate coverage in this area.
* Health and medical coverage.
As your business grows, you will want to offer some type of health insurance for your employees. Consult a health insurance broker for the best deals on these plans. Offering a good health plan helps attract and retain the best employees.
* Directors and officers coverage.
This type of insurance protects the directors and officers of a corporation from personal liability in the event of a claim against the business.
* Key executive life coverage.
Your key employees are the heartbeat of your organization, so make sure you have adequate insurance coverage on them.
* Vehicle coverage.
These policies typically cover liability for injuries involving the vehicles owned and operated by your company.
* Disability coverage.
This insurance continues to pay a portion of the salary of a worker who has sustained an injury and can no longer work.
* Web site coverage.
While this is a relatively new type of policy, it is growing in popularity. Nearly every business has a Web site, and this type of insurance protects you against any claims or actions taken in conjunction with your site.
Consult with a knowledgeable business insurance broker before purchasing any policies. If you are just launching your business, make sure you have adequate coverage before you open your doors. If you have an existing business and have not reviewed your business insurance needs in some time, schedule an appointment with your agent or broker as soon as possible.
Time to Review Your Business Insurance
As your business grows or shrinks, so do your insurance needs. Smart business owners review their coverage annually to make sure it is adequate.
There are two areas to look at: whether existing policies need to be changed, and whether new types of coverage need to be added. We'll look at the basic types of business insurance first, then at supplemental policies that might be good additions, depending on your business's size and type.
Basic Insurance
If your business has added new products or services or dropped old ones, it may be time to adjust your general liability insurance, which provides basic protection from damages your products or services may cause. If you've bought equipment or real estate, you may need to change your property and casualty coverage as well.
Have annual sales increased? If so, you'll need more business interruption coverage to replace any sales you would lose if a major disaster left you unable to conduct business. If you have added many workers, you should reassess your workers' compensation insurance. You may qualify for volume discounts or a cheaper pooled fund than you currently use. Also, if you've established a track record of workplace safety that exceeds your industry average, you may be able to lower your rate.
If you are earning more as a business owner or your managers have gotten raises, you may ne
If you are earning more as a business owner or your managers have gotten raises, you may need more disability insurance for key executives. By the same token, if your net worth and earning power have increased, it's probably time to increase your life insurance coverage as well. If business isn't so good and salaries have shrunk, you should be able to reduce your coverage.
Once you've adjusted these basic policies, revisit your umbrella insurance to see if it still adequately covers any gaps left by your other policies.
Supplemental Insurance
Beyond these basic insurance types, there are additional insurance policies you can get to provide specific coverage for various business situations. The following are some types you might want to consider as your business changes:
* Vehicle or fleet insurance: If you've purchased trucks, vans, cars, or other vehicles for your business, you need to insure them for theft, damage, or injury they might cause while employees are driving them. When you've amassed enough vehicles, usually five or more, but sometimes as few as three, you may qualify for better rates by getting fleet insurance. Even if employees are driving their own cars for business, remember that you need coverage for any damage or injury they might cause while driving for work.
* Directors and officers insurance: This added layer of protection shields the personal assets of company officers and board directors from any lawsuits against the company. As your company becomes more prominent, it is more susceptible to the kind of legal action that might target executives personally.
* Crime insurance: If employees embezzle money, forge checks, steal equipment, defraud customers, or engage in blackmail, you're in a gray area that even umbrella coverage may not cover. Crime insurance will cover business losses that result from workers' misdeeds.
* Product liability: If you make complex or potentially harmful products, taking out specific product-liability insurance may be advisable.
Be sure to compare policies to find the best deal on insurance. Search the Internet or consult a reputable, independent insurance agent in reviewing your business insurance coverage. An agent can help you decide on the range of coverage you need, and then search for the best rates.
There are two areas to look at: whether existing policies need to be changed, and whether new types of coverage need to be added. We'll look at the basic types of business insurance first, then at supplemental policies that might be good additions, depending on your business's size and type.
Basic Insurance
If your business has added new products or services or dropped old ones, it may be time to adjust your general liability insurance, which provides basic protection from damages your products or services may cause. If you've bought equipment or real estate, you may need to change your property and casualty coverage as well.
Have annual sales increased? If so, you'll need more business interruption coverage to replace any sales you would lose if a major disaster left you unable to conduct business. If you have added many workers, you should reassess your workers' compensation insurance. You may qualify for volume discounts or a cheaper pooled fund than you currently use. Also, if you've established a track record of workplace safety that exceeds your industry average, you may be able to lower your rate.
If you are earning more as a business owner or your managers have gotten raises, you may ne
If you are earning more as a business owner or your managers have gotten raises, you may need more disability insurance for key executives. By the same token, if your net worth and earning power have increased, it's probably time to increase your life insurance coverage as well. If business isn't so good and salaries have shrunk, you should be able to reduce your coverage.
Once you've adjusted these basic policies, revisit your umbrella insurance to see if it still adequately covers any gaps left by your other policies.
Supplemental Insurance
Beyond these basic insurance types, there are additional insurance policies you can get to provide specific coverage for various business situations. The following are some types you might want to consider as your business changes:
* Vehicle or fleet insurance: If you've purchased trucks, vans, cars, or other vehicles for your business, you need to insure them for theft, damage, or injury they might cause while employees are driving them. When you've amassed enough vehicles, usually five or more, but sometimes as few as three, you may qualify for better rates by getting fleet insurance. Even if employees are driving their own cars for business, remember that you need coverage for any damage or injury they might cause while driving for work.
* Directors and officers insurance: This added layer of protection shields the personal assets of company officers and board directors from any lawsuits against the company. As your company becomes more prominent, it is more susceptible to the kind of legal action that might target executives personally.
* Crime insurance: If employees embezzle money, forge checks, steal equipment, defraud customers, or engage in blackmail, you're in a gray area that even umbrella coverage may not cover. Crime insurance will cover business losses that result from workers' misdeeds.
* Product liability: If you make complex or potentially harmful products, taking out specific product-liability insurance may be advisable.
Be sure to compare policies to find the best deal on insurance. Search the Internet or consult a reputable, independent insurance agent in reviewing your business insurance coverage. An agent can help you decide on the range of coverage you need, and then search for the best rates.
Elective and Required Types of Small Business Insurance
Along with purchasing property insurance and liability insurance (including errors and omissions insurance (E&O), employment practices, product liability, and/or other forms of liability insurance), you will pay unemployment insurance as mandated by law. In addition, you'll pay disability insurance
in accordance with state regulations. Other types of insurance you may elect to purchase include:
Health and medical insurance. The larger the business grows, the more you'll want to consider some type of health insurance to cover your employees' medical costs and/or work-related injuries. Having a health plan in place will attract better, more qualified applicants. Generally, you pay for part of the total health insurance plan, and your employees contribute a portion as well.
D&O insurance. D&O insurance is shorthand for a directors’ and officers’ insurance policy. The goal of this policy is to protect a corporation's officers and directors from personal liability in the event of a claim or lawsuit against them — for example, one that claims wrongdoing in connection with the company’s business.
Vehicle insurance. This insurance covers liability for injuries caused by use of the vehicles owned and operated by your company, and provides additional coverage for the vehicles beyond that of property insurance. The more your business relies on vehicles for deliveries or for transporting goods, the more you can benefit from such insurance.
Web site insurance. In today’s Web-conscious world, this insurance is growing in popularity and significance. Web site insurance covers claims made against the company’s Web site or as a result of actions taken or items purchased through the company Web site. You should first check your policies to make sure you're not covered elsewhere. Web site insurance can protect you against lawsuits made in conjunction with activities on your site. These activities may include personal privacy matters, or even computer viruses that have resulted from visiting your site.
Key-person life insurance. This is a life insurance policy taken out on the owner of the business or the key person behind the business, in the event this individual dies. In a small business that is closely run by one person or a few key people, this type of insurance may be very worthwhile.
in accordance with state regulations. Other types of insurance you may elect to purchase include:
Health and medical insurance. The larger the business grows, the more you'll want to consider some type of health insurance to cover your employees' medical costs and/or work-related injuries. Having a health plan in place will attract better, more qualified applicants. Generally, you pay for part of the total health insurance plan, and your employees contribute a portion as well.
D&O insurance. D&O insurance is shorthand for a directors’ and officers’ insurance policy. The goal of this policy is to protect a corporation's officers and directors from personal liability in the event of a claim or lawsuit against them — for example, one that claims wrongdoing in connection with the company’s business.
Vehicle insurance. This insurance covers liability for injuries caused by use of the vehicles owned and operated by your company, and provides additional coverage for the vehicles beyond that of property insurance. The more your business relies on vehicles for deliveries or for transporting goods, the more you can benefit from such insurance.
Web site insurance. In today’s Web-conscious world, this insurance is growing in popularity and significance. Web site insurance covers claims made against the company’s Web site or as a result of actions taken or items purchased through the company Web site. You should first check your policies to make sure you're not covered elsewhere. Web site insurance can protect you against lawsuits made in conjunction with activities on your site. These activities may include personal privacy matters, or even computer viruses that have resulted from visiting your site.
Key-person life insurance. This is a life insurance policy taken out on the owner of the business or the key person behind the business, in the event this individual dies. In a small business that is closely run by one person or a few key people, this type of insurance may be very worthwhile.
Accessing the Best Free Forex Charts for your Forex Business
With free forex charts, you can now easily map out your plans in a timelier manner. One of the most crucial things in the forex business is that things happen within a snap. Currencies change ever so quickly and values can fluctuate without you noticing that they do. But with the use of a forex chart you can easily plot your way into the market without losing sight of the important changes. Usually, forex charts are being used in day trading and it also helps to have the proper knowledge before you can fully utilize its many uses.
How to Get Free Forex Charts
There are quite a number of ways in which you can get your own forex chart. One way to do so would be to download it online. There are lots of forex sites which actually have their own forex software embedded with charts you can use for trading. Most of these forex sites would only require you to sign up in their website so you can get access to their charts. Meanwhile, there are also some forex websites who offer free charts but only when you access these tools from their sites directly.
Some forex charts are also offered for free minus the need to download. Some people tend to be a bit untrusting when downloading stuff from websites because they do not fancy the thought of getting viruses or other computer threats as they are unknowingly embedded within the programs which can be downloaded for free. If you want, you can make an investment by purchasing your own forex software. Through these items, forex charts are already embedded. Most forex software that are purchased are also considered to be highly safe since they are duly licensed products.
What to Remember When Investing in Free Forex Charts
Forex charts are indeed a worthy investment. They may come in free, but their features can be highly reliable. But this possibility can only happen if you are smart enough to consider your current options. Make sure that you are fitted with the right sources so that you can enjoy the full benefits of this primary forex tool. Here are some useful tips you can use:
Check the legitimacy of the website – Before downloading anything from a particular online portal, you should check first how popular and credible the site is. Look at its profile or About Us page and try to get some useful information on who the site’s creators are. You should also take note of the interface and the site’s appearance. There’s a lot that you can tell from the website’s physical look.
Look for a support section – Even if you are simply going to access the free forex chart on the site instead of downloading it, there should still be a guaranteed support center that you can access soon as you need to.
Read reviews and comments – Websites that have comments sections and review portals are good because they give you a great deal of information from those who may have already used the forex chart
How to Get Free Forex Charts
There are quite a number of ways in which you can get your own forex chart. One way to do so would be to download it online. There are lots of forex sites which actually have their own forex software embedded with charts you can use for trading. Most of these forex sites would only require you to sign up in their website so you can get access to their charts. Meanwhile, there are also some forex websites who offer free charts but only when you access these tools from their sites directly.
Some forex charts are also offered for free minus the need to download. Some people tend to be a bit untrusting when downloading stuff from websites because they do not fancy the thought of getting viruses or other computer threats as they are unknowingly embedded within the programs which can be downloaded for free. If you want, you can make an investment by purchasing your own forex software. Through these items, forex charts are already embedded. Most forex software that are purchased are also considered to be highly safe since they are duly licensed products.
What to Remember When Investing in Free Forex Charts
Forex charts are indeed a worthy investment. They may come in free, but their features can be highly reliable. But this possibility can only happen if you are smart enough to consider your current options. Make sure that you are fitted with the right sources so that you can enjoy the full benefits of this primary forex tool. Here are some useful tips you can use:
Check the legitimacy of the website – Before downloading anything from a particular online portal, you should check first how popular and credible the site is. Look at its profile or About Us page and try to get some useful information on who the site’s creators are. You should also take note of the interface and the site’s appearance. There’s a lot that you can tell from the website’s physical look.
Look for a support section – Even if you are simply going to access the free forex chart on the site instead of downloading it, there should still be a guaranteed support center that you can access soon as you need to.
Read reviews and comments – Websites that have comments sections and review portals are good because they give you a great deal of information from those who may have already used the forex chart
How Do You Sell A Performance Car Quickly
How do you sell a performance car quickly and easily in a sluggish market? The internet is swamped with different selling options but finding the best method for high-end vehicles among the hassle and hype can be confusing.
Whether you're selling a self-built Caterham Seven or a nearly-new Audi R8 Coup, here's a few suggestions...
Deal with experts
Let's say you inherit a piece of antique silver from an elderly relative. Word is, it's worth a considerable amount of money. Would you take your chances with eBay, or submit to a knowledgeable, specialist auction house?
The same applies to performance vehicles. Except that if you need to sell quickly, with zero-hassle and for a good price, auctions may not be your best bet.
That means avoiding the mainstream sites...
You can go the public route and advertise on websites such as eBay, AutoTrader and Craigslist. All of these methods tend to bring plenty of eyeballs to your ad, but have their drawbacks. Each costs varying amounts of money with auction sites taking a percentage of your sale fee.
Even more concerning is that you're often likely to attract timewasters and possibly scammers. Depending on your make and model, it can also take a long time to sell the car.
Particularly if you've personalised your vehicle
The modifications you've made to your vehicle can often lead to complications when listing for sale. Some people won't understand what your mods mean for vehicle performance. Some won't agree with your tastes. Many dealers won't accept any heavily modded vehicles, preferring instead to buy stock versions.
Specialists, however, may be very aware of why you've upgraded your vehicle and what it could mean for its value. (Saves you pleading with ignorant dealers to please buy my car it's fitted with thermal wraps...)
Get your papers in order...
As well as the standard service, repair and registration documents, you should try to provide any proof of modifications and improvements. Are the parts you used of particular note and prestige? Did you take your car to a reputable dealer, or perform the upgrades yourself?
Collect any inspection sheets, reports and anything else that can help prove your car's condition and value.
...Then speak to an online specialist
The easiest option is to speak to an online car buyer with experience in dealing with high-end and luxury vehicles. (Check their website testimonials and sales history for evidence.)
The best will provide a fair rate, then offer free pick up from your location (anywhere in the UK). The benefit of this is that you'll get a quote from someone who understands the market for performance vehicles.
So, if you've been thinking how am I going to sell my car, and you want to avoid the irritations of public listing, try Sell Car UK a leading UK performance car buyer. Even if you just want to check what the market rate is for your model, get in touch for a free quote and bypass the headaches involved with selling your car.
Whether you're selling a self-built Caterham Seven or a nearly-new Audi R8 Coup, here's a few suggestions...
Deal with experts
Let's say you inherit a piece of antique silver from an elderly relative. Word is, it's worth a considerable amount of money. Would you take your chances with eBay, or submit to a knowledgeable, specialist auction house?
The same applies to performance vehicles. Except that if you need to sell quickly, with zero-hassle and for a good price, auctions may not be your best bet.
That means avoiding the mainstream sites...
You can go the public route and advertise on websites such as eBay, AutoTrader and Craigslist. All of these methods tend to bring plenty of eyeballs to your ad, but have their drawbacks. Each costs varying amounts of money with auction sites taking a percentage of your sale fee.
Even more concerning is that you're often likely to attract timewasters and possibly scammers. Depending on your make and model, it can also take a long time to sell the car.
Particularly if you've personalised your vehicle
The modifications you've made to your vehicle can often lead to complications when listing for sale. Some people won't understand what your mods mean for vehicle performance. Some won't agree with your tastes. Many dealers won't accept any heavily modded vehicles, preferring instead to buy stock versions.
Specialists, however, may be very aware of why you've upgraded your vehicle and what it could mean for its value. (Saves you pleading with ignorant dealers to please buy my car it's fitted with thermal wraps...)
Get your papers in order...
As well as the standard service, repair and registration documents, you should try to provide any proof of modifications and improvements. Are the parts you used of particular note and prestige? Did you take your car to a reputable dealer, or perform the upgrades yourself?
Collect any inspection sheets, reports and anything else that can help prove your car's condition and value.
...Then speak to an online specialist
The easiest option is to speak to an online car buyer with experience in dealing with high-end and luxury vehicles. (Check their website testimonials and sales history for evidence.)
The best will provide a fair rate, then offer free pick up from your location (anywhere in the UK). The benefit of this is that you'll get a quote from someone who understands the market for performance vehicles.
So, if you've been thinking how am I going to sell my car, and you want to avoid the irritations of public listing, try Sell Car UK a leading UK performance car buyer. Even if you just want to check what the market rate is for your model, get in touch for a free quote and bypass the headaches involved with selling your car.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Forex Trading Can Be Like Day-Trading
Forex trading, or foreign currency trading, has become a bit of a craze of late, especially since it is something available to anyone who owns a computer. And anyone who is willing to put in some training time can profit from forex trading.
The forex market finds traders from all around the globe monitoring currency fluctuations, not unlike the way a day trader may monitor a stock's fluctuation on the Dow Jones.
In forex trading, a trader will pair two types of currency, for example the U.S. dollar and the British pound. As it requires more of one currency to purchase another, that currency loses value. Not unlike, stock trading, forex traders try to accumulate currency when it weakens in hopes of selling it when it goes up in value. Forex trading is not unlike the buy low, sell high approach found in stock trading.
The way a trader on the forex market exchange goes about acquiring currency is by giving a bid/ask quote, saying he is willing to buy, for example 1.6 marks per dollar and sell them at 1.625 per dollar. One must be a market trader to have access to this process. So most people who are forex trading on line buy the currency through a bank, where they'll pay a commission, then have to figure the commission paid to the bank into the calculation of their spread, or profit margin, when they sell it.
Forex trading is not an easy path to riches. And some people have lost considerable money in miscalculating the market. With its increased popularity, on some days the forex market exchange can see more than one trillion dollars exchanged. Packages for teaching a new forex trader how to invest in the market can range in price.
The forex market finds traders from all around the globe monitoring currency fluctuations, not unlike the way a day trader may monitor a stock's fluctuation on the Dow Jones.
In forex trading, a trader will pair two types of currency, for example the U.S. dollar and the British pound. As it requires more of one currency to purchase another, that currency loses value. Not unlike, stock trading, forex traders try to accumulate currency when it weakens in hopes of selling it when it goes up in value. Forex trading is not unlike the buy low, sell high approach found in stock trading.
The way a trader on the forex market exchange goes about acquiring currency is by giving a bid/ask quote, saying he is willing to buy, for example 1.6 marks per dollar and sell them at 1.625 per dollar. One must be a market trader to have access to this process. So most people who are forex trading on line buy the currency through a bank, where they'll pay a commission, then have to figure the commission paid to the bank into the calculation of their spread, or profit margin, when they sell it.
Forex trading is not an easy path to riches. And some people have lost considerable money in miscalculating the market. With its increased popularity, on some days the forex market exchange can see more than one trillion dollars exchanged. Packages for teaching a new forex trader how to invest in the market can range in price.
How to Run a Forex Business From Home
Running a Forex, or FOREX (which means Foreign Exchange Market), business from home is not only easy but profitable. You can test how you will do by opening a practice account, or you can jump right in and start trading. Whatever you choose, this is a great home-based business.
1 Sign up for a free practice account at a Forex website (see Resources below). Most of them have this option so that you can learn how to begin. Some of these sites also have online courses and information about Forex workshops in your area. If you're already an active trader, then open an account and start trading.
2 Begin trading when you feel ready. Then start with small amounts until you are confident enough to take on bigger trades. You can open or close your account at any time you want, and you don't have to buy any currency to trade it.
3 Download a program called Forex Killer. After you've set it up, it can automatically do trades for you while you're away from your computer or sleeping.
4 Take your time and let your business grow. Within time, it is quite possible that this can become your full-time career, and you can be a professional and well-qualified trader.
Tips & Warnings
*
The largest financial market in the world is FOREX (the Foreign Exchange Market). FOREX is the trading of one world's currency for another. For example, you can trade U.S. dollars for Japanese yen.
*
FOREX is part of the 24-hour Interbank Market, which is a bank-to-bank currency market. This market actually follows the sun around the world as it moves from one major banking area to another.
*
Since you are using your computer to work from home, you can write off what you pay for Internet access as a business expense.
1 Sign up for a free practice account at a Forex website (see Resources below). Most of them have this option so that you can learn how to begin. Some of these sites also have online courses and information about Forex workshops in your area. If you're already an active trader, then open an account and start trading.
2 Begin trading when you feel ready. Then start with small amounts until you are confident enough to take on bigger trades. You can open or close your account at any time you want, and you don't have to buy any currency to trade it.
3 Download a program called Forex Killer. After you've set it up, it can automatically do trades for you while you're away from your computer or sleeping.
4 Take your time and let your business grow. Within time, it is quite possible that this can become your full-time career, and you can be a professional and well-qualified trader.
Tips & Warnings
*
The largest financial market in the world is FOREX (the Foreign Exchange Market). FOREX is the trading of one world's currency for another. For example, you can trade U.S. dollars for Japanese yen.
*
FOREX is part of the 24-hour Interbank Market, which is a bank-to-bank currency market. This market actually follows the sun around the world as it moves from one major banking area to another.
*
Since you are using your computer to work from home, you can write off what you pay for Internet access as a business expense.
Things To Consider Before You Start An MLM Business
Everyday thousands of people get turned on to the idea of starting an mlm business. Although it may sound like a dream come true the reality is that most people wind up failing and quit soon after. If you want to start an mlm business you have to get into the right state of mind and be prepared for some tough challenges down the road. This can be a very lucrative business, but it is still a business and is going to require your time and effort. Luckily in today's world, starting an mlm business has become much easier to run and automate utilizing the Internet. I want to go over a couple things with you that you should consider before you start an mlm business.
Find Some Business Partners
If you are interested and want to get involved with the mlm industry you should not go it alone. Too many people fall into this trap of doing it by themselves and wind up quitting because they have lack of focus and support from fellow team members. It's a good idea to find a couple of friends or family members who might be interested and have them join under you. You can than make it a goal for each of them to go out and find two more people or business partners. This will get your duplication system off to a head start and build your downline quick.
Make A Business Plan
It is very important that you outline from the start how you are going to start an mlm business and operate it. Many people fail because they do not have goals or a plan to follow. It is important that you keep track of your spending and organize meetings with your downline and focus on their needs also. Remember that the people in your downline are like your employees and if they leave you will make no money. Going into mlm without a business plan will ultimately result in failure.
Think About Marketing It Online
With the advanced technology the Internet offers, mlm online is becoming very popular and it might be an option you want to consider. There are many great marketing tools and duplication systems you can implement online and build you mlm business on complete auto-pilot. The Internet is also a great place to find mlm leads and prospects. There are thousands of forums online with people looking to get involved with network marketing. Using the Internet is also good if you have a limited advertising budget or little time to network.
Be Prepared For The Long Haul
Before you start an mlm business you have to recognize that this business is not as easy as people make it out to be. Many recruiters sell you on fancy compensation plans and the appeal of doing very little work and making lots of money. This is all very true but it is what you put into it which is going to determine your success. Once you become an active recruiter you can never stop and get lazy. If the most successful mlm person stopped recruiting today his empire will crumble in a year. This business will not build itself overnight and could take years to build depending on your skills and dedication.
If you decide that mlm is for you than you could be in for some nice income and lifestyle changes. Many people everyday start an mlm business and enjoy the lifestyle of being their own boss and making retirement style income for themselves and their families. Take some of these things into consideration before you start an mlm business and you can be well on your way to becoming the next big mlm superstar.
Find Some Business Partners
If you are interested and want to get involved with the mlm industry you should not go it alone. Too many people fall into this trap of doing it by themselves and wind up quitting because they have lack of focus and support from fellow team members. It's a good idea to find a couple of friends or family members who might be interested and have them join under you. You can than make it a goal for each of them to go out and find two more people or business partners. This will get your duplication system off to a head start and build your downline quick.
Make A Business Plan
It is very important that you outline from the start how you are going to start an mlm business and operate it. Many people fail because they do not have goals or a plan to follow. It is important that you keep track of your spending and organize meetings with your downline and focus on their needs also. Remember that the people in your downline are like your employees and if they leave you will make no money. Going into mlm without a business plan will ultimately result in failure.
Think About Marketing It Online
With the advanced technology the Internet offers, mlm online is becoming very popular and it might be an option you want to consider. There are many great marketing tools and duplication systems you can implement online and build you mlm business on complete auto-pilot. The Internet is also a great place to find mlm leads and prospects. There are thousands of forums online with people looking to get involved with network marketing. Using the Internet is also good if you have a limited advertising budget or little time to network.
Be Prepared For The Long Haul
Before you start an mlm business you have to recognize that this business is not as easy as people make it out to be. Many recruiters sell you on fancy compensation plans and the appeal of doing very little work and making lots of money. This is all very true but it is what you put into it which is going to determine your success. Once you become an active recruiter you can never stop and get lazy. If the most successful mlm person stopped recruiting today his empire will crumble in a year. This business will not build itself overnight and could take years to build depending on your skills and dedication.
If you decide that mlm is for you than you could be in for some nice income and lifestyle changes. Many people everyday start an mlm business and enjoy the lifestyle of being their own boss and making retirement style income for themselves and their families. Take some of these things into consideration before you start an mlm business and you can be well on your way to becoming the next big mlm superstar.
How to Start an Auto Business

Which part of the auto business is of interest to you and do you have enough money to pursue that interest. This is the first question that people thinking of getting into an auto related business must answer for themselves. There are many auto related businesses that a person can consider. The range can start with auto repair or care and go to a new dealership. There are several areas that are different and yet are some how auto related.
The business types that fit into these categories have significant differences in start up cost. A new car dealership will cost more to buy than a small repair shop. A used car dealership may have a lower start up cost than a large multi-bay repair shop. A brand name muffler shop can have a large price tag if started from scratch. With these money considerations a person that wants to own a business in the auto field must be realistic about those areas they can afford to start or buy. There is a huge difference in the price tag of these different operations. The prospective owner of one of these businesses must make an early decision of what they can afford that they also would like to do. If is not logical that a non-mechanic would do well in with a repair shop. A non-sales person is not likely to own a car dealership. The point is that personal traits, likes and dislikes will lead a person to the likely businesses that they should consider.
How do you find auto businesses are for sale
Business brokers as a group are very good sources of businesses that are on the market. There are brokers that specialize in certain types of business, who would be very good people to contact about auto related businesses. The Internet is an excellent source for finding brokers and businesses that are for sale. Any large city is going to have brokers that specialize in buying and selling existing businesses. Brand name auto related businesses could also be contacted to see where and what they have to offer. If you have a passion for hot cars or just making them run right, maybe a car repair shop or a custom car shop could be your cup of tea. The cost to start one of these shops would be less than a new car dealership. On the other hand if you are a terrific sales person, a car sales company either new or used would be a logical choice if you have the money to buy one or get a new one off the ground. There are brokers and brand name auto companies that could help you find the answers you need for this niche area of the auto business. One other factor that must be looked into is there are many types of used car businesses. There are companies that only carry certain brands and there are businesses that restore certain cars. The variations which are found within the auto related entities is so profuse, that a person would be wise to see a list of all of the businesses in the area they wish to work. There are just so many possibilities that a person may consider when looking for a business to own.
If you have the money, the old owner will have the time
If you have the money, the old owner will have the time to listen to your offer to buy their business. This does not mean that you have all of the cash yourself, it just means that you can make a cash deal happen. I f you can get pre-approved for a credit line or loan, you can get a better price typically with a cash price offer. Most sellers will lower the price if they can be totally cashed out at the time of sale. If they do have to carry back paper, the price will be higher than an all cash deal. Using the sources that are easily found on the Net can help arrange this loan. By using a good search engine to find companies that make loans to buy a business, you will be surprised at how many sources make these business loans.
Other money sources are partners, friends or relatives. Each of these will have different pros and cons associated with them. Relatives may be willing to make a loan, but they will probably want it to be very short in time. A partner can bring all other sorts of difficulties, as someone has to be the boss. Friends may be okay if they can truly afford the loan. In any event a disinterested third party is the best of all sources if for no other reason than peace of mind.
A substantial down payment may ease the reluctance of the seller to carry back paper. At this point in the sale, it is all about negotiating the deal. Terms can be fair to both parties and that is the way it should be or the deal may ultimately fail. If the seller will not cooperate and the other money sources are not willing to help you, it is time to walk away. Sometimes not doing anything is the best course of action by all concerned. It may be that a year would make all the difference in the world.
This business purchase cries for a broker’s help
Because there are so many aspects to the auto business, this area is one where a knowledgeable broker with solid lists of businesses for sale would be of real help in finding a situation that is perfect for the buyer. They could give a quick over view of what is available in the categories that make up the auto businesses. This could save time and maybe even generate a new idea for a business. This is just one of the many services that a good broker can provide in the search for a business property.
Conclusions
The auto related business is an interesting area of possibilities for the person that wishes to own a business connected to cars. There is an area for just about every interest or personality that wants to earn his or her living in these areas. If you like working on cars or selling cars or caring for cars there is a business for you. It truly is about what you like to do with your time and finding an area that will allow you to enjoy yourself and make money at the same time. Finding a property that fits your interest or your skills is easily accomplished by using an experienced business broker. They will know the businesses in a geographical area that are for sale. They can give you a run down on the prices and the profitability of the businesses on their lists. This is a great time saver and speeds up the gathering of information that you will need to make informed decisions on the business you would consider owning. You may find two or three possibilities and this would be better for you as you could see which would be the best to buy based on many factors. Profit versus price would be a first consideration. You could find whom you could make the best deal with and have the best terms of purchase. And of course that is very important in buying an existing business.
Ford To Sell Global Crossover SUV Designs
Ford’s global product strategy has been focused on three main products—the next Focus; the Fiesta, which debuts in the U.S. next year having already made splashes in Europe and Asia; and the next generation Fusion that will be the same design as the next European Mondeo. [Can Ford’s “World Car” Bet Pay Off?]But Ford is actually taking this global product design strategy further. According to my recent interview with Ford’s top global marketing executive James Farley, the global design scheme will extend to crossover vehicles as well. Yup. Same crossovers and multi-activity-vehicles in Dearborn Michigan as in Milan, Dubai and Shanghai.
Farley, in our chat, talked about the Honda Fit, a car he clearly admires. No wonder, then, that I saw a European Volkswagen Golf Plus parked outside his office. The Golf Plus, like the Fit and Ford C-Max (pictured above) in Europe represent a product niche that Farley and Ford is ripe to take off in the U.S.—the small, thrifty car with high fuel economy and great practicality.
Other than the pickups and big SUVs, there is little reason, says Farley, why crossovers built off the engineering platforms that support the Focus, Fusion and Fiesta can’t be the same the world over. There just isn’t that much difference any more between what Americans want in these product segments, and what Europeans and Asians want. Pickups and big SUVs…yes. But not cars and crossovers.
This is the way, Ford reckons, it will achieve true global scale and efficiency to take on Toyota and Honda in the future—not only for market share, but profitability.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Six Business Lessons I Learned from “Beauty Shop”
by: Patricia Simoneau
I discover a lot of business and life lessons in movies. While I don’t get out much these days, and I rarely have occasion to kick back and watch them at home, I value the nuggets of wisdom that I take away from them.
One night I actually put my feet up and watched Queen Latifah’s movie “Beauty Shop”. I missed about 20 minutes of the movie, between her walking out on her old job and starting her own business. Still, I noticed lessons that we entrepreneurs can keep in mind as we build our own businesses and our brands.
1. Be your Authentic Self.
Queen Latifah’s character, “Gina” was an honest, down-to-earth, tell-it-like-it-is woman. And while her pretentious boss (“Jorge”, played by Kevin Bacon) did not appreciate this, her customers certainly did. So when Gina walked out the door, many of her customers went with her.
This genuine nature carried through to her new business. Because it was not an act, because she was true to herself first, customers got exactly what they expected, their Gina. Had she tried to emulate ‘Jorge’, it’s doubtful that level of loyalty would have followed her out his door. Copy-catting doesn’t work. Be true to YOU.
2. No one said this would be easy.
When Gina walked out, she jumped without a net. She knew she had the skills, she just had no plan. By staying true to herself, she worked it out. She set up shop in an area where the rent was more affordable than the “uber-salon” she left. Even when the overhead and costs at times felt as though it would all bury her, support from friends and family helped her to soldier on.
She never, never, never quit. And neither should you. If you believe in what you’re doing, then you can find a way to make it work.
3. Hire good people, treat them well, and stand by them.
In her old job, Gina wanted to give junior staff opportunities to grow, and they appreciated that. She brought one of these staffers (Alicia Silverstone’s character) with her to her own shop, because she knew this girl had what it took to be a good stylist. And when an abusive customer demanded Gina fire one her employees for defending a co-worker, Gina fired the customer instead!
This ties back into Lesson #1 about being your authentic self. Gina knew that clients come and clients go, but her staff would stick by her through thick and thin, as long as she was prepared to do the same for them.
If sticking to your personal values costs you a customer, then trust me… you are FAR better off without them.
4. Don’t sweat the competition – just keep your radar on.
Gina focused on her family and her business. She didn’t give a sniff as to what her old boss was up to, or how his business was doing. She didn’t call up his customers and “steal them” even though he accused her of doing so.
Even so, Gina kept her radar tuned in. She took note of things that were said. She kept her ducks in a row and kept good records. It’s highly unlikely that your competition will vandalize your place of business as in the movie – surely they’re not THAT stupid! There will be those who resort to mudslinging, however. In those situations, do like Gina did: pick up the pieces, hold your head up and move on.
Put your focus on YOUR customers and YOUR business. Do not stoop to the accuser’s level. As the lovely and brilliant Sales Diva, Kim Duke says: “People who throw mud are the ones with the dirt on their hands.”
5. Create products that serve your customers and fulfill their needs.
Gina cooked up some homemade conditioner in her kitchen and quietly used it on her customers. She never made a fuss about her conditioner; she simply believed that her product would help her customers. THAT was what mattered to her. The ladies at her salon affectionately called it “Hair Crack” because customers kept coming back for more! They were addicted to it because they too believed in its ability to help their damaged hair.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is what we strive for as entrepreneurs… having happy customers who keep coming back for more – because they LOVE it and BELIEVE it can help them. Creating your own products can go a long way to entrenching on-going customer loyalty and building your brand.
6. Treat every customer like they are your saving angel.
In this age of continuous bombardment of marketing messages, NOTHING is as effective as good word-of-mouth referrals. People put more credibility to a personal reference than they ever will in a big advertising campaign. And best of all, the cost to you is NOTHING. Zip. Nadda. Just be yourself, do good work, and create great products your customers love and want to buy again and again.
If you treat every customer as through they were the most important person on earth (and they ARE in that moment), then they tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and so on, and so on, and so on…
I discover a lot of business and life lessons in movies. While I don’t get out much these days, and I rarely have occasion to kick back and watch them at home, I value the nuggets of wisdom that I take away from them.
One night I actually put my feet up and watched Queen Latifah’s movie “Beauty Shop”. I missed about 20 minutes of the movie, between her walking out on her old job and starting her own business. Still, I noticed lessons that we entrepreneurs can keep in mind as we build our own businesses and our brands.
1. Be your Authentic Self.
Queen Latifah’s character, “Gina” was an honest, down-to-earth, tell-it-like-it-is woman. And while her pretentious boss (“Jorge”, played by Kevin Bacon) did not appreciate this, her customers certainly did. So when Gina walked out the door, many of her customers went with her.
This genuine nature carried through to her new business. Because it was not an act, because she was true to herself first, customers got exactly what they expected, their Gina. Had she tried to emulate ‘Jorge’, it’s doubtful that level of loyalty would have followed her out his door. Copy-catting doesn’t work. Be true to YOU.
2. No one said this would be easy.
When Gina walked out, she jumped without a net. She knew she had the skills, she just had no plan. By staying true to herself, she worked it out. She set up shop in an area where the rent was more affordable than the “uber-salon” she left. Even when the overhead and costs at times felt as though it would all bury her, support from friends and family helped her to soldier on.
She never, never, never quit. And neither should you. If you believe in what you’re doing, then you can find a way to make it work.
3. Hire good people, treat them well, and stand by them.
In her old job, Gina wanted to give junior staff opportunities to grow, and they appreciated that. She brought one of these staffers (Alicia Silverstone’s character) with her to her own shop, because she knew this girl had what it took to be a good stylist. And when an abusive customer demanded Gina fire one her employees for defending a co-worker, Gina fired the customer instead!
This ties back into Lesson #1 about being your authentic self. Gina knew that clients come and clients go, but her staff would stick by her through thick and thin, as long as she was prepared to do the same for them.
If sticking to your personal values costs you a customer, then trust me… you are FAR better off without them.
4. Don’t sweat the competition – just keep your radar on.
Gina focused on her family and her business. She didn’t give a sniff as to what her old boss was up to, or how his business was doing. She didn’t call up his customers and “steal them” even though he accused her of doing so.
Even so, Gina kept her radar tuned in. She took note of things that were said. She kept her ducks in a row and kept good records. It’s highly unlikely that your competition will vandalize your place of business as in the movie – surely they’re not THAT stupid! There will be those who resort to mudslinging, however. In those situations, do like Gina did: pick up the pieces, hold your head up and move on.
Put your focus on YOUR customers and YOUR business. Do not stoop to the accuser’s level. As the lovely and brilliant Sales Diva, Kim Duke says: “People who throw mud are the ones with the dirt on their hands.”
5. Create products that serve your customers and fulfill their needs.
Gina cooked up some homemade conditioner in her kitchen and quietly used it on her customers. She never made a fuss about her conditioner; she simply believed that her product would help her customers. THAT was what mattered to her. The ladies at her salon affectionately called it “Hair Crack” because customers kept coming back for more! They were addicted to it because they too believed in its ability to help their damaged hair.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is what we strive for as entrepreneurs… having happy customers who keep coming back for more – because they LOVE it and BELIEVE it can help them. Creating your own products can go a long way to entrenching on-going customer loyalty and building your brand.
6. Treat every customer like they are your saving angel.
In this age of continuous bombardment of marketing messages, NOTHING is as effective as good word-of-mouth referrals. People put more credibility to a personal reference than they ever will in a big advertising campaign. And best of all, the cost to you is NOTHING. Zip. Nadda. Just be yourself, do good work, and create great products your customers love and want to buy again and again.
If you treat every customer as through they were the most important person on earth (and they ARE in that moment), then they tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and so on, and so on, and so on…
Little Investment, Great Rewards: How to Start a Party Rental Business
by: Lily Twinn
Today, lots of business experts recommend getting into a business that needs very limited investment and yet returns to you twice or even thrice of what you first put in. With very minimal start-up capital, you could start your very own party rentals business and earn a heaping income every month or so.
1. Begin by building your business identity by researching or finding out the best deals and prices in your area. First and foremost, research what people are selling or leasing in your area, the package offers and the like. It will be easier for you to name your prices and products if you know what your competitors are providing. You’d want to be a more affordable option; however, you must also know the right products to feature.
2. If you know what the right prices are for party equipment in your city, it will be easier for you to make a more affordable price list. Customers are more attracted to cheaper and more reasonable solutions so try to make your services exactly what they are looking for.
3. Know what to feature. You must know what products to invest in and what to lease, as well as what to feature and what to buy first. Know what parents are most willing to get for their children or what children prefer to play with.
4. Know your capital. The capital is one of the most important amounts that could help in starting your business. Since you are planning to start a home based business with limited financing, it is important to know what you should rent first or what products to start off with. The easiest way to calculate how much to shell out is by being able to identify what to lease first; hence, once you know what your first few products should be, it will be easier for you to calculate your start up capital.
5. Set up your company’s reservations and delivery system. If your company follows an orderly manner when recording deliveries and reservations, it will be easier for you to meet your customer’s demands. Good planning and an organized system can help your company greatly.
6. Make it easier for you and your customer to agree to the terms in renting products by preparing a clear contract. These kinds of files will make it easier for you to keep up with costs and responsibilities in case complicated situations occur.
7. Tell the world. It is important to get the word out to your neighbors, friends, relatives, co-workers and to everybody else in the city. Advertise your services with the use of various mediums like business cards, flyers, getting a good website and the like. Also, nothing beats the conventional way of telling all your friends.
8. Offer exemplary service. To be able to win and keep good customers, always provide them with the service they will love. Be a good party rentals company and they will keep coming back to you. Also, they will tell their friends on how good your services are.
Succeed in your party rental business by learning from party rental business experts like Cheryl Pierce. Start earning big today with a trusty party rental guide in hand, and witness seeing your small business grow into a big company. With the right attitude and work skills, you will be able to grow and expand your business easily.
Today, lots of business experts recommend getting into a business that needs very limited investment and yet returns to you twice or even thrice of what you first put in. With very minimal start-up capital, you could start your very own party rentals business and earn a heaping income every month or so.
1. Begin by building your business identity by researching or finding out the best deals and prices in your area. First and foremost, research what people are selling or leasing in your area, the package offers and the like. It will be easier for you to name your prices and products if you know what your competitors are providing. You’d want to be a more affordable option; however, you must also know the right products to feature.
2. If you know what the right prices are for party equipment in your city, it will be easier for you to make a more affordable price list. Customers are more attracted to cheaper and more reasonable solutions so try to make your services exactly what they are looking for.
3. Know what to feature. You must know what products to invest in and what to lease, as well as what to feature and what to buy first. Know what parents are most willing to get for their children or what children prefer to play with.
4. Know your capital. The capital is one of the most important amounts that could help in starting your business. Since you are planning to start a home based business with limited financing, it is important to know what you should rent first or what products to start off with. The easiest way to calculate how much to shell out is by being able to identify what to lease first; hence, once you know what your first few products should be, it will be easier for you to calculate your start up capital.
5. Set up your company’s reservations and delivery system. If your company follows an orderly manner when recording deliveries and reservations, it will be easier for you to meet your customer’s demands. Good planning and an organized system can help your company greatly.
6. Make it easier for you and your customer to agree to the terms in renting products by preparing a clear contract. These kinds of files will make it easier for you to keep up with costs and responsibilities in case complicated situations occur.
7. Tell the world. It is important to get the word out to your neighbors, friends, relatives, co-workers and to everybody else in the city. Advertise your services with the use of various mediums like business cards, flyers, getting a good website and the like. Also, nothing beats the conventional way of telling all your friends.
8. Offer exemplary service. To be able to win and keep good customers, always provide them with the service they will love. Be a good party rentals company and they will keep coming back to you. Also, they will tell their friends on how good your services are.
Succeed in your party rental business by learning from party rental business experts like Cheryl Pierce. Start earning big today with a trusty party rental guide in hand, and witness seeing your small business grow into a big company. With the right attitude and work skills, you will be able to grow and expand your business easily.
Keeping Your Business As Fit As Your Clients
by: Peter Kelly
Too often trainers are stretched thin between keeping clients healthy, providing moral support posting class schedules, collecting payments, communicating with clients and managing their businesses. Many trainers are experts in mental and physical health and do wonders for their clients….but often at the expense of running a smooth business operation.
In simpler times, with smaller client rosters and fewer classes, it was easy to manage things with a phone, a spreadsheet and email. For some trainers this may still be the case, but for many trainers its getting more difficult to balance personal time, client time, workout time and still manage to put in time to keep your business running smoothly. Things can get very complicated very quickly.
As with workouts, there are tools that can help you manage your business and keep it healthy. Email is a wonderful tool and a great way to stay in touch with clients as last minute details may change, but how do you handle 4 or 5 classes with 20 clients in each class, with some who haven’t paid yet, some who have, some who want to cancel, new clients that want in on a class that’s full? Add to that updating your website, collecting payments, knowing when to issue a refund or not, juggling discounts, passes, health registration forms. Keeping your business running smoothly can eat up any time you have left!
Luckily, there are tools available to trainers that can help. Here are some things to look for;
Posting classes online - How do you let current clients know what classes are available? Post them online. Web developers are expensive, and when class times change, it can cost a bundle. A service that lets you post your own schedules is your best option.
Letting clients signup and cancel classes online - With busy schedules running classes, who has time to take phone calls and get clients signed up for classes, reschedule clients, contact clients to remind them of a class, etc. A good service will allow your clients to sign up or cancel online directly from your website. Automatic class reminders are imperative as people these days have more on their minds and less time to remember previously made commitments.
Class limits - Look for a service that will provide a way to limit how many clients can signup for a class. You can’t be effective if you have too many clients to work with at a single time. A service that provides a waiting list for full classes is a plus.
Accept payments online - A super convenient way to manage client payments. A good tool will provide a way for you to let clients pay for classes online…right into your bank account plus keep track of which clients paid for a class, which owe you a payment and how much they paid.
Providing announcements - Email is a great way to go. Look for a service that keeps track of which clients are attending which classes so you can easily email the right attendees with late breaking announcements. Better yet, a service that sends automatic email to clients to remind them of classes they signed up for, classes that you may have to cancel is even better.
Reports - How many class signups have you had this month? How about a list of clients that have signed up for classes but haven’t paid you yet? A service that provides you with reports will let you know how well your business is doing and if it’s growing.
Automatic registration - Before anyone can signup for a class, it’s important to have them fill out a health registration form. Whether you provide a downloadable form for clients to fill out, or an online form that they can fill out before you allow them to signup for a class is a very important feature for any service.
Technical Support - When clients need help they come to you as the expert. With any service, expect support when you have trouble or need a new feature that will help you. The best services provide free support.
Service costs - Keep in mind that any service will cost you. Look for services that you can afford given your monthly training income. Be aware of costs such as development fees, monthly subscription fees, hosting fees, hidden service charges, setup fees, technical support fees, etc. These “hidden” costs should be taken into account before you signup for any service.
In short, any service you might use to help manage your business should easy to use, be flexible, and provide all or some of the above features at a cost you can afford.
Too often trainers are stretched thin between keeping clients healthy, providing moral support posting class schedules, collecting payments, communicating with clients and managing their businesses. Many trainers are experts in mental and physical health and do wonders for their clients….but often at the expense of running a smooth business operation.
In simpler times, with smaller client rosters and fewer classes, it was easy to manage things with a phone, a spreadsheet and email. For some trainers this may still be the case, but for many trainers its getting more difficult to balance personal time, client time, workout time and still manage to put in time to keep your business running smoothly. Things can get very complicated very quickly.
As with workouts, there are tools that can help you manage your business and keep it healthy. Email is a wonderful tool and a great way to stay in touch with clients as last minute details may change, but how do you handle 4 or 5 classes with 20 clients in each class, with some who haven’t paid yet, some who have, some who want to cancel, new clients that want in on a class that’s full? Add to that updating your website, collecting payments, knowing when to issue a refund or not, juggling discounts, passes, health registration forms. Keeping your business running smoothly can eat up any time you have left!
Luckily, there are tools available to trainers that can help. Here are some things to look for;
Posting classes online - How do you let current clients know what classes are available? Post them online. Web developers are expensive, and when class times change, it can cost a bundle. A service that lets you post your own schedules is your best option.
Letting clients signup and cancel classes online - With busy schedules running classes, who has time to take phone calls and get clients signed up for classes, reschedule clients, contact clients to remind them of a class, etc. A good service will allow your clients to sign up or cancel online directly from your website. Automatic class reminders are imperative as people these days have more on their minds and less time to remember previously made commitments.
Class limits - Look for a service that will provide a way to limit how many clients can signup for a class. You can’t be effective if you have too many clients to work with at a single time. A service that provides a waiting list for full classes is a plus.
Accept payments online - A super convenient way to manage client payments. A good tool will provide a way for you to let clients pay for classes online…right into your bank account plus keep track of which clients paid for a class, which owe you a payment and how much they paid.
Providing announcements - Email is a great way to go. Look for a service that keeps track of which clients are attending which classes so you can easily email the right attendees with late breaking announcements. Better yet, a service that sends automatic email to clients to remind them of classes they signed up for, classes that you may have to cancel is even better.
Reports - How many class signups have you had this month? How about a list of clients that have signed up for classes but haven’t paid you yet? A service that provides you with reports will let you know how well your business is doing and if it’s growing.
Automatic registration - Before anyone can signup for a class, it’s important to have them fill out a health registration form. Whether you provide a downloadable form for clients to fill out, or an online form that they can fill out before you allow them to signup for a class is a very important feature for any service.
Technical Support - When clients need help they come to you as the expert. With any service, expect support when you have trouble or need a new feature that will help you. The best services provide free support.
Service costs - Keep in mind that any service will cost you. Look for services that you can afford given your monthly training income. Be aware of costs such as development fees, monthly subscription fees, hosting fees, hidden service charges, setup fees, technical support fees, etc. These “hidden” costs should be taken into account before you signup for any service.
In short, any service you might use to help manage your business should easy to use, be flexible, and provide all or some of the above features at a cost you can afford.
How to Pick a Strategic Partner for Business Success
by: Sherese Duncan
It wouldn't take a lot of energy to look around and find tons of information on small business help, small business resources, those who can help small businesses and what those people can help you actually do to improve your small business.
What is a “strategic partner?” My definition: the Entrepreneur’s Strategic Partner is a “trusted resource,” that will give you advice, tools, and resources that will drive execution that bring about results. Effició’s tagline says it best…“getting to the CORE of business.”
Not only are we considered the Entrepreneur’s Strategic Partner, we also understand how hard it is to find the right strategic help. Here are the top ten things you need to know about getting the right strategic help for your small business:
1. Know that you make the choice and that choice should be a person and company you respect, admire and feel comfortable with. In order to achieve the goals you set, you have to work with someone who you can trust, and feel comfortable with revealing all of your proprietary information to. Don’t just choose a strategic partner because a celebrity uses them or your best friend uses them - You want to work with someone who takes your business just as seriously as you do. Take the time to evaluate and choose the right strategic partner based on your needs.
2. Don’t get caught up with the trends or latest thing. Instead get caught up with what’s best for you and your business. There are new ideas and programs’ sprouting up every day and it’s easy to get excited or overwhelmed. It’s Ok to stay abreast of the trends, just don’t try them based on your excitement; base it on your strategic direction and most importantly your business model.
3. Only use one resource at a time for business development (infrastructure) help. It’s important to stay focused and not use many different techniques; you have to stick to your vision and apply any advice you get to that vision. Keep in mind that if you’re using three different philosophies coming from three different sources then possibly nothing will work. Don’t make the mistake of trying something without completing it before moving on to the next. Pick a strategic partner, and stick to their philosophy based on the time frame you choose. Give the program a chance before deciding to utilize other programs.
4. Be realistic about the budget you have to hire strategic help. Roughly it will cost you between $75 - $250 per hour to hire a good strategic partner for basic services. For a monthly program your cost will range from $79 to $1200 for a consistent program. If you don’t have some type of budget allotted before you contact a potential strategic partner, it will probably be better to invest in self-paced programs or free local workshops until you can pull together a nice budget.
5. You have to master the art of asking for exactly what you need. When determining the right help from the right source you must do your research so that you can ask the right questions based on what you need. We tend to allow others to dictate what to do, where to go, how to do it, and even tell us why we should do it. Don’t get me wrong these are things that we need and will continue to need; but on the other hand it’s hindered our ability to think for ourselves.
Before you contact a potential strategic partner make sure you know why you’re calling and what you need. If you’re not sure what you need, make sure you tell them exactly that!
6. Realize that you need to build a success team not just a pool of vendors. Try not to only focus on building a list of resources that can help with all aspects of your business. Focus on building a team of experts that understand your vision and what value you bring to your customers. Make sure they get what you do and really understand where you want to go. There are a lot of people out there who are just in it for the money; if you’re not satisfied or are not getting what you signed up for, move on to the next expert. **make sure to get everything in writing when hiring outside resources.
7. Determine and analyze your weaknesses related to your business. As a business owner, it’s imperative to get your skills up to date and to create a format for keeping them up to date as your business evolves. This is not only beneficial for your business but also personally. The top three that I get most of the time when I ask, “What are your weaknesses,” are procrastination, laziness, and ‘I don’t know.’
In reality, these are things that people choose to do or be. We choose to procrastinate, we choose to be lazy, and we choose to say ‘I don’t know.” The point is we never spend enough time on our weaknesses so we end up developing those skill sets, mindsets, etc. that don’t benefit us the most. Take the time to correctly determine your weaknesses as it relates to owning a business. Quick Tip: To make sure you’re determining your true weaknesses; after you name a weakness ask yourself this question, “Is it a choice?”
8. Determine the type of help you think you need. There’s strategic help and there’s advisory type of help. In order to reach your goals and be successful on your terms you need to decipher which help you need and when you need it. An advisor can be on your Advisory Board, they can be your personal coach, or they can be a group of business colleagues you discuss challenges with. Effició has an Advisory Board and a Strategic Partner.
If you choose to have advisors in addition to your strategic partner, keep in mind that you have to maintain control over the advice you get from your advisors and the direction you receive from your strategic partner. Remember, don’t just do something because someone else had success with it; be strategic with your choices and actions and know the difference between how your advisors will help you and how your strategic partner will help you.
9. When you get to where you’re going, where will you be? If you can’t answer this question, you may need to ask yourself a different question: Why are you in business? I’ve said this many times, anyone can start a business, but to succeed and flourish isn’t so easy.
As a small business owner, it’s essential that you establish a vision for your business in order to create the profitable path to your vision. Also, how far do you really want to go? This can be defined on several levels, i.e. how big you want to get, how many employees you want to manage, do you want to be local or global, do you want to retire with this business, how long you want to work in this business, etc.
In order to execute your strategic goals and work efficiently with a strategic partner you have to have some idea of where you want to go and how far you want to take it.
10. Focus on securing a Strategic Partner not just an advisor. As the business world continues to evolve and change, it’s imperative to follow a strategic path that is easily upgradeable, expandable, and flexible. In order to have focus and achieve your ultimate vision you need a good success team; at the heart of this team is your strategic partner.
This person is different than your graphic designer, your attorney, or your accountant. Your strategic partner is not someone who just gives advice and leaves you on your way. Your strategic partner should be someone who holds you accountable for the profitability in your business, someone who holds you accountable for the barriers you need to overcome, and someone who can guide you down a business path that allows you to continually exceed your definition of success. Bottom line, your strategic partner should help you Execute not just make plans and collect information.
If you’re currently working with a coach or a consultant and you’re not achieving the profitability goals you’re seeking, re-think the relationship and determine if they’re really a strategic partner or just an advisor.
If you’re able to celebrate that you’ve found that Strategic Partner that can help you plan and ultimately Execute Profitably then we have no doubt that you are exceeding your definition of success!
It wouldn't take a lot of energy to look around and find tons of information on small business help, small business resources, those who can help small businesses and what those people can help you actually do to improve your small business.
What is a “strategic partner?” My definition: the Entrepreneur’s Strategic Partner is a “trusted resource,” that will give you advice, tools, and resources that will drive execution that bring about results. Effició’s tagline says it best…“getting to the CORE of business.”
Not only are we considered the Entrepreneur’s Strategic Partner, we also understand how hard it is to find the right strategic help. Here are the top ten things you need to know about getting the right strategic help for your small business:
1. Know that you make the choice and that choice should be a person and company you respect, admire and feel comfortable with. In order to achieve the goals you set, you have to work with someone who you can trust, and feel comfortable with revealing all of your proprietary information to. Don’t just choose a strategic partner because a celebrity uses them or your best friend uses them - You want to work with someone who takes your business just as seriously as you do. Take the time to evaluate and choose the right strategic partner based on your needs.
2. Don’t get caught up with the trends or latest thing. Instead get caught up with what’s best for you and your business. There are new ideas and programs’ sprouting up every day and it’s easy to get excited or overwhelmed. It’s Ok to stay abreast of the trends, just don’t try them based on your excitement; base it on your strategic direction and most importantly your business model.
3. Only use one resource at a time for business development (infrastructure) help. It’s important to stay focused and not use many different techniques; you have to stick to your vision and apply any advice you get to that vision. Keep in mind that if you’re using three different philosophies coming from three different sources then possibly nothing will work. Don’t make the mistake of trying something without completing it before moving on to the next. Pick a strategic partner, and stick to their philosophy based on the time frame you choose. Give the program a chance before deciding to utilize other programs.
4. Be realistic about the budget you have to hire strategic help. Roughly it will cost you between $75 - $250 per hour to hire a good strategic partner for basic services. For a monthly program your cost will range from $79 to $1200 for a consistent program. If you don’t have some type of budget allotted before you contact a potential strategic partner, it will probably be better to invest in self-paced programs or free local workshops until you can pull together a nice budget.
5. You have to master the art of asking for exactly what you need. When determining the right help from the right source you must do your research so that you can ask the right questions based on what you need. We tend to allow others to dictate what to do, where to go, how to do it, and even tell us why we should do it. Don’t get me wrong these are things that we need and will continue to need; but on the other hand it’s hindered our ability to think for ourselves.
Before you contact a potential strategic partner make sure you know why you’re calling and what you need. If you’re not sure what you need, make sure you tell them exactly that!
6. Realize that you need to build a success team not just a pool of vendors. Try not to only focus on building a list of resources that can help with all aspects of your business. Focus on building a team of experts that understand your vision and what value you bring to your customers. Make sure they get what you do and really understand where you want to go. There are a lot of people out there who are just in it for the money; if you’re not satisfied or are not getting what you signed up for, move on to the next expert. **make sure to get everything in writing when hiring outside resources.
7. Determine and analyze your weaknesses related to your business. As a business owner, it’s imperative to get your skills up to date and to create a format for keeping them up to date as your business evolves. This is not only beneficial for your business but also personally. The top three that I get most of the time when I ask, “What are your weaknesses,” are procrastination, laziness, and ‘I don’t know.’
In reality, these are things that people choose to do or be. We choose to procrastinate, we choose to be lazy, and we choose to say ‘I don’t know.” The point is we never spend enough time on our weaknesses so we end up developing those skill sets, mindsets, etc. that don’t benefit us the most. Take the time to correctly determine your weaknesses as it relates to owning a business. Quick Tip: To make sure you’re determining your true weaknesses; after you name a weakness ask yourself this question, “Is it a choice?”
8. Determine the type of help you think you need. There’s strategic help and there’s advisory type of help. In order to reach your goals and be successful on your terms you need to decipher which help you need and when you need it. An advisor can be on your Advisory Board, they can be your personal coach, or they can be a group of business colleagues you discuss challenges with. Effició has an Advisory Board and a Strategic Partner.
If you choose to have advisors in addition to your strategic partner, keep in mind that you have to maintain control over the advice you get from your advisors and the direction you receive from your strategic partner. Remember, don’t just do something because someone else had success with it; be strategic with your choices and actions and know the difference between how your advisors will help you and how your strategic partner will help you.
9. When you get to where you’re going, where will you be? If you can’t answer this question, you may need to ask yourself a different question: Why are you in business? I’ve said this many times, anyone can start a business, but to succeed and flourish isn’t so easy.
As a small business owner, it’s essential that you establish a vision for your business in order to create the profitable path to your vision. Also, how far do you really want to go? This can be defined on several levels, i.e. how big you want to get, how many employees you want to manage, do you want to be local or global, do you want to retire with this business, how long you want to work in this business, etc.
In order to execute your strategic goals and work efficiently with a strategic partner you have to have some idea of where you want to go and how far you want to take it.
10. Focus on securing a Strategic Partner not just an advisor. As the business world continues to evolve and change, it’s imperative to follow a strategic path that is easily upgradeable, expandable, and flexible. In order to have focus and achieve your ultimate vision you need a good success team; at the heart of this team is your strategic partner.
This person is different than your graphic designer, your attorney, or your accountant. Your strategic partner is not someone who just gives advice and leaves you on your way. Your strategic partner should be someone who holds you accountable for the profitability in your business, someone who holds you accountable for the barriers you need to overcome, and someone who can guide you down a business path that allows you to continually exceed your definition of success. Bottom line, your strategic partner should help you Execute not just make plans and collect information.
If you’re currently working with a coach or a consultant and you’re not achieving the profitability goals you’re seeking, re-think the relationship and determine if they’re really a strategic partner or just an advisor.
If you’re able to celebrate that you’ve found that Strategic Partner that can help you plan and ultimately Execute Profitably then we have no doubt that you are exceeding your definition of success!
Financial Security and the Perfect Business for the Average "Joe" or "Jane" with Credit Spreads
by: Jason Stuart
Who else wants to know how to work the hours of a retired person doing something to keep busy while being able to generate an executive salary? Once you take advantage of the Credit Spread training education I will tell you about, you will be amazed how easily do-able it is to understand and follow. This is not DAY TRADING! This is a low-risk, income-producing strategy, and I don’t mean a few lousy bucks, either.
By now, unless you have been off the planet or away from all forms of communication and information, you are aware of the dramatic changes the market and many people’s portfolios have been through.
By now, you are also aware that many people have suffered financial set-backs as a result of these changes.
If you're feeling the cold crush of fear caused by the unrelenting financial catastrophes slinking around you at every turn... then this may be some of the most important information you will ever read...
Also by now, or some time in the not too distant past, you have wondered: Why Some People Almost Always Make Money in the Stock Market? Look back through history and see that even during the Great Depression - many, many people made a decision to prosper, to grow wealthy - and DID SO. The difference being that they knew how.
Here's some really amazing news for you... Thousands of people are quietly earning a six or seven figure income from cashing in on one of the few recession-proof businesses called Credit Spread Trading, while only working 4 hours per week... if that!
Credit Spread Trading is an income-producing strategy known by an elite group of winning investors who receive monthly paychecks from Wall Street. The good news is this strategy isn’t reserved for just the elite or rich. Anybody can take advantage of it and it truly has the ability to dramatically change your financial life forever.
Anyone -- literally anyone -- can become a highly successful Credit Spread Trader no matter what their skills, education or background. Regular Joe's (and Jane's) who are housewives, chefs, IT technicians, sales people, plumbers, and on and on, can all take advantage of this knowledge and have it change their lives in ways not believed possible.
The Internet has leveled the playing field and allowed the small entrepreneur to play on the same field as the big players, which means the earning potential is enormous!
It’s the Perfect Business
Credit Spread Trading done online from the comfort of your home has the ability to dramatically change your financial life forever. No boss, no commute, no company to work for, but you receive significant tax advantages associated with running this special type of home-based business. This is that needle-in-the-haystack opportunity that will make a true impact on your life and make you consistent and realistic money online!
This is not one of those "get rich quick" schemes
If you're looking to make a million bucks this year...then please leave this page now! That overnight millionaire system does not exist and this is not about hype. BUT, if you are willing to put in a bit more than a few hours to learn Credit Spread Trading techniques, if you can imagine building an income of $50-$200 or even $300-500 a day and then growing it from there -- then please read on...because this information will be critical to your personal and financial freedom!
So, if you're interested in making very healthy profits - without the anxiety of today's stock market - please pay special attention to what I have to say. I strongly suggest you investigate this for yourself NOW.
INVESTIGATE NOW, GO TO
JasonStuartSolutions.com/credit-spread-option-trading-strategy/
Many deeply experienced investors believe that annual stock market returns will average 5% or less over the next several years. If you understand Credit Spreads you will be averaging, with all reasonable probability, 5-20% per month or more, month in and month out.
Stockholders panic over earnings fluctuations... analyst downgrades... economic reports... news headlines... and just about anything. All that becomes a thing of the past when you understand Credit Spreads and how to do them properly.
Imagine if you had a system of your own... a system so powerful that once you understand a few fundamentals, you will expend no more effort than simply looking at a market to know Instantly where the money is hiding...
Is This Too Good To Be True?
You will not have to be glued to your computer screen. Once you place your trades you can turn your computer off for the day!!
With a Credit Spread education you have an opportunity to generate tremendous market returns with minimal market risk. In fact, by using this strategy on every trade, you can have an 85% probability or 3 to 1 odds in your favor, to make a conservative 8% per month.
Ask yourself, if you could go into a casino with an 85% probability and 3 to 1 odds in your favor with proper money management, do you think you could be profitable? You bet you can.
You don’t have to be exactly right on the direction of the stock to be Profitable. The stock can go up; it can go sideways and even pull back a little to still be profitable. It doesn’t get any better than that!
You will make a lot of money, even when many others are losing theirs.
Credit Spreads are a low risk, income-producing, trading strategy that can consistently provide monthly cash flow.
So why buy stocks in today's market, when there is an alternative that can return even more, with barely a fraction of the risk?
Think this is hype? Not even close. I would have nothing to do with such a thing and can offer you enough proof so you do not have to take my or anyone’s word for it. And, if you’re thinking, why should I care to tell anyone? The answer is simple. I believe what comes around goes around, I believe in “paying it forward”, and I enjoy teaching others.
Everything is Revealed in a Free Trial.
That’s right -- FREE. This very same education has been sold for well over $1000 – I know because that’s what it cost me when I got started in this very lucrative business. But, you get it 100% free for the whole trial period.
Allow me to introduce you to the man who will lead you to life-changing income with 8-20% returns per month without the traditional stock market risk... All that's between you and a wonderful new reality is one last step... And that is to take advantage of a potentially life-changing generous offer. All you have to do is take action. It’s a Free Trial – at least investigate it
Who else wants to know how to work the hours of a retired person doing something to keep busy while being able to generate an executive salary? Once you take advantage of the Credit Spread training education I will tell you about, you will be amazed how easily do-able it is to understand and follow. This is not DAY TRADING! This is a low-risk, income-producing strategy, and I don’t mean a few lousy bucks, either.
By now, unless you have been off the planet or away from all forms of communication and information, you are aware of the dramatic changes the market and many people’s portfolios have been through.
By now, you are also aware that many people have suffered financial set-backs as a result of these changes.
If you're feeling the cold crush of fear caused by the unrelenting financial catastrophes slinking around you at every turn... then this may be some of the most important information you will ever read...
Also by now, or some time in the not too distant past, you have wondered: Why Some People Almost Always Make Money in the Stock Market? Look back through history and see that even during the Great Depression - many, many people made a decision to prosper, to grow wealthy - and DID SO. The difference being that they knew how.
Here's some really amazing news for you... Thousands of people are quietly earning a six or seven figure income from cashing in on one of the few recession-proof businesses called Credit Spread Trading, while only working 4 hours per week... if that!
Credit Spread Trading is an income-producing strategy known by an elite group of winning investors who receive monthly paychecks from Wall Street. The good news is this strategy isn’t reserved for just the elite or rich. Anybody can take advantage of it and it truly has the ability to dramatically change your financial life forever.
Anyone -- literally anyone -- can become a highly successful Credit Spread Trader no matter what their skills, education or background. Regular Joe's (and Jane's) who are housewives, chefs, IT technicians, sales people, plumbers, and on and on, can all take advantage of this knowledge and have it change their lives in ways not believed possible.
The Internet has leveled the playing field and allowed the small entrepreneur to play on the same field as the big players, which means the earning potential is enormous!
It’s the Perfect Business
Credit Spread Trading done online from the comfort of your home has the ability to dramatically change your financial life forever. No boss, no commute, no company to work for, but you receive significant tax advantages associated with running this special type of home-based business. This is that needle-in-the-haystack opportunity that will make a true impact on your life and make you consistent and realistic money online!
This is not one of those "get rich quick" schemes
If you're looking to make a million bucks this year...then please leave this page now! That overnight millionaire system does not exist and this is not about hype. BUT, if you are willing to put in a bit more than a few hours to learn Credit Spread Trading techniques, if you can imagine building an income of $50-$200 or even $300-500 a day and then growing it from there -- then please read on...because this information will be critical to your personal and financial freedom!
So, if you're interested in making very healthy profits - without the anxiety of today's stock market - please pay special attention to what I have to say. I strongly suggest you investigate this for yourself NOW.
INVESTIGATE NOW, GO TO
JasonStuartSolutions.com/credit-spread-option-trading-strategy/
Many deeply experienced investors believe that annual stock market returns will average 5% or less over the next several years. If you understand Credit Spreads you will be averaging, with all reasonable probability, 5-20% per month or more, month in and month out.
Stockholders panic over earnings fluctuations... analyst downgrades... economic reports... news headlines... and just about anything. All that becomes a thing of the past when you understand Credit Spreads and how to do them properly.
Imagine if you had a system of your own... a system so powerful that once you understand a few fundamentals, you will expend no more effort than simply looking at a market to know Instantly where the money is hiding...
Is This Too Good To Be True?
You will not have to be glued to your computer screen. Once you place your trades you can turn your computer off for the day!!
With a Credit Spread education you have an opportunity to generate tremendous market returns with minimal market risk. In fact, by using this strategy on every trade, you can have an 85% probability or 3 to 1 odds in your favor, to make a conservative 8% per month.
Ask yourself, if you could go into a casino with an 85% probability and 3 to 1 odds in your favor with proper money management, do you think you could be profitable? You bet you can.
You don’t have to be exactly right on the direction of the stock to be Profitable. The stock can go up; it can go sideways and even pull back a little to still be profitable. It doesn’t get any better than that!
You will make a lot of money, even when many others are losing theirs.
Credit Spreads are a low risk, income-producing, trading strategy that can consistently provide monthly cash flow.
So why buy stocks in today's market, when there is an alternative that can return even more, with barely a fraction of the risk?
Think this is hype? Not even close. I would have nothing to do with such a thing and can offer you enough proof so you do not have to take my or anyone’s word for it. And, if you’re thinking, why should I care to tell anyone? The answer is simple. I believe what comes around goes around, I believe in “paying it forward”, and I enjoy teaching others.
Everything is Revealed in a Free Trial.
That’s right -- FREE. This very same education has been sold for well over $1000 – I know because that’s what it cost me when I got started in this very lucrative business. But, you get it 100% free for the whole trial period.
Allow me to introduce you to the man who will lead you to life-changing income with 8-20% returns per month without the traditional stock market risk... All that's between you and a wonderful new reality is one last step... And that is to take advantage of a potentially life-changing generous offer. All you have to do is take action. It’s a Free Trial – at least investigate it
A Sales Lesson From Mt. Everest
by: Jim Meisenheimer
How To Stay Up, Even When You’re Down.
This past weekend I was going through some old newsletters when I came across a letter that might help you to deal more effectively with the recession and the tough times you're facing.
So - enjoy the updated version of my Mt. Everest Newsletter.
Sixteen years ago I did a sales training program in Colorado. The meeting was held about two hours north of Denver, in a lodge situated in Roosevelt National Park. My client was, Low Alpine, a manufacturer of outdoor gear. Specifically, they made the stuff that Mt. Everest climbers use to trek up that mountain.
My two-hour sales training presentation was scheduled right after lunch. The speaker, who preceded me before lunch, had an extremely interesting topic. He had a slide presentation showing his various attempts at climbing the incredible MT. Everest. As you might imagine it was a powerful and extremely insightful presentation about the skills and dangers of mountain climbing.
I was sitting on the edge of my chair during his entire presentation.
There were 25 salespeople at this meeting. Their climbing gear was sold to retailers. So they knew all about the climbing business.
They also new, by reputation, many of the names the speaker referred to. He talked about the climbers who made it to the top and also talked about those that didn't survive the ordeal. Throughout his presentation everyone was glued to his seat with anticipation. He did a terrific job of mixing his stories with his slides, which was extremely effective.
Just before he ended his Mt. Everest presentation he asked the group a question. He remarked, “There's a time when you're climbing, when you can almost feel depressed. You just feel so low and down. Do you know when that is?”
My imagination started to run wild, especially since the highest I ever climbed wasn't even climbing, it was an elevator ride to the top of the Empire State Building. I thought surely the salespeople in the audience would know the answer to his question.
They responded with things that I imagined; when you first begin the climb, when you only have 100 yards left, when you reach the top, and when you begin your descent. The speaker’s body language and facial expression gave it all away - no one was even close.
I was surprised by his answer - maybe you will be too. He said, "Climbers get down when bad weather sets in." He went on to explain that when bad weather sets in you can't see the peak - you lose sight of your GOAL and become easily distracted and sometimes even depressed.
You might be wondering, what if anything does this have to do with selling? I see a very clear correlation. You see, like a mountain climber who can't see the peak, salespeople and entrepreneurs without clearly defined goals (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly) are more susceptible to daily interruptions and distractions, and more likely to waste your precious resource called time.
This could be hazardous to your selling results during the best of times. Not having written and specific goals during these tumultuous times is just plain stupid. It borders on strategic suicide.
Why would you do that to yourself?
Why would you dare to start a day or begin a week without having your written goals in full view?
Put your written goals on paper and then get it laminated.
Put one copy on your desk.
Put one copy in your brief case.
Put another copy in your car - on the sun visor.
Tape another copy onto your bathroom mirror.
Hey - I didn't just fall off the back of a turnip truck.
My written goals helped me to achive record sales during two earlier recessions. And this recession is no exception because my sales are up this year too.
My feeling is, if I can do it, so can you.
You need a crystal clear picture of what the peak of your mountain looks like - clearly defined written goals.
First things first. Establish written goals.
Then create a list of all the action steps you need to achieve your goals.
You'd be amazed at how easy achieving goals are as soon as they are set in writing.
I say screw the recession. You can get up, even when you're down - if you maintain your focus and concentrate on achieving your written goals.
Being distracted isn’t your ticket to achieving your GOALS – being focused is. You don't have to climb Mount Everest to appreciate how important keeping your eyes focused on your goals is to achieving your ultimate success in sales.
Now let’s go achieve some goals . . .
How To Stay Up, Even When You’re Down.
This past weekend I was going through some old newsletters when I came across a letter that might help you to deal more effectively with the recession and the tough times you're facing.
So - enjoy the updated version of my Mt. Everest Newsletter.
Sixteen years ago I did a sales training program in Colorado. The meeting was held about two hours north of Denver, in a lodge situated in Roosevelt National Park. My client was, Low Alpine, a manufacturer of outdoor gear. Specifically, they made the stuff that Mt. Everest climbers use to trek up that mountain.
My two-hour sales training presentation was scheduled right after lunch. The speaker, who preceded me before lunch, had an extremely interesting topic. He had a slide presentation showing his various attempts at climbing the incredible MT. Everest. As you might imagine it was a powerful and extremely insightful presentation about the skills and dangers of mountain climbing.
I was sitting on the edge of my chair during his entire presentation.
There were 25 salespeople at this meeting. Their climbing gear was sold to retailers. So they knew all about the climbing business.
They also new, by reputation, many of the names the speaker referred to. He talked about the climbers who made it to the top and also talked about those that didn't survive the ordeal. Throughout his presentation everyone was glued to his seat with anticipation. He did a terrific job of mixing his stories with his slides, which was extremely effective.
Just before he ended his Mt. Everest presentation he asked the group a question. He remarked, “There's a time when you're climbing, when you can almost feel depressed. You just feel so low and down. Do you know when that is?”
My imagination started to run wild, especially since the highest I ever climbed wasn't even climbing, it was an elevator ride to the top of the Empire State Building. I thought surely the salespeople in the audience would know the answer to his question.
They responded with things that I imagined; when you first begin the climb, when you only have 100 yards left, when you reach the top, and when you begin your descent. The speaker’s body language and facial expression gave it all away - no one was even close.
I was surprised by his answer - maybe you will be too. He said, "Climbers get down when bad weather sets in." He went on to explain that when bad weather sets in you can't see the peak - you lose sight of your GOAL and become easily distracted and sometimes even depressed.
You might be wondering, what if anything does this have to do with selling? I see a very clear correlation. You see, like a mountain climber who can't see the peak, salespeople and entrepreneurs without clearly defined goals (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly) are more susceptible to daily interruptions and distractions, and more likely to waste your precious resource called time.
This could be hazardous to your selling results during the best of times. Not having written and specific goals during these tumultuous times is just plain stupid. It borders on strategic suicide.
Why would you do that to yourself?
Why would you dare to start a day or begin a week without having your written goals in full view?
Put your written goals on paper and then get it laminated.
Put one copy on your desk.
Put one copy in your brief case.
Put another copy in your car - on the sun visor.
Tape another copy onto your bathroom mirror.
Hey - I didn't just fall off the back of a turnip truck.
My written goals helped me to achive record sales during two earlier recessions. And this recession is no exception because my sales are up this year too.
My feeling is, if I can do it, so can you.
You need a crystal clear picture of what the peak of your mountain looks like - clearly defined written goals.
First things first. Establish written goals.
Then create a list of all the action steps you need to achieve your goals.
You'd be amazed at how easy achieving goals are as soon as they are set in writing.
I say screw the recession. You can get up, even when you're down - if you maintain your focus and concentrate on achieving your written goals.
Being distracted isn’t your ticket to achieving your GOALS – being focused is. You don't have to climb Mount Everest to appreciate how important keeping your eyes focused on your goals is to achieving your ultimate success in sales.
Now let’s go achieve some goals . . .
7 Tips on Starting a Business After You Have Lost Your Job
by: Feargal Byrne
1) Change your mindset. It’s natural for people who leave employment and start a business to carry with them some of the culture from their previous job. However, you must realize that you are changing gears. You are moving from being an employee to being a boss. You are moving from being a follower to being a leader. This requires you to make the appropriate mental adjustment. In many ways, this is the most difficult thing that you must do when starting your business. It’s also one of the most critical.
2) Become fanatical about keeping you cash burn as low as possible. Cash is the oxygen for you business. As a start-up you can’t operate like a traditional established business. You must have enough cash to stay in the game long enough to learn from your mistakes. At the beginning your business success depends heavily on how well you can reduce operating costs. There are some simple ways that you can do this. For instance use Skype or another VOIP operator instead of a traditional landline. Use free software such as OpenOffice and Google Docs. If you don’t need office space then start up in your garage. By keeping your cash burn low you increase your scope for failure. In other words, you can have more rolls of the dice. After all, learning from your mistakes is the best way to learn in the real business world.
3) Get a part-time job. I know this is strange advice for anyone who is starting a business but hear me out. You need income to survive. You may have savings and a redundancy package but it’s good not to eat into these too much. By getting another job you are providing yourself and your family with income until your business gets off the ground. There are also some good psychological benefits to this as well. Because your time will be limited you will become more productive in your business time. You will also not be forced to make rash decisions for your business due to financial pressure. That’s right, it will help you avoid an “all in” moment.
4) Leverage the Internet. The internet offers the best value for you to promote your business. As a start-up you should be looking for early adopters in your market segment. The Internet is a great place to find these. Using social networks and participating in online communities is a great way to do market research and make early sales for a start-up. Every start-up should leverage the Internet as much as possible.
5) Realize that you must bootstrap and self fund first before you will get investment. This is particularly true in the current economic climate. Investors want to see traction. This is the most important thing. If you can bootstrap to early sales or even better, early profits you will find it much easier to unlock the door to investment.
6) Realize that you probably won’t be an overnight success. It’s important to understand that you are more likely to succeed if you approach your business from the perspective of making incremental improvements that will accumulate into ultimate success.
7) It’s a bit like gambling. Making real world business decisions is really making educated guesses at what you think might work. A lot of the time your decisions won’t work. It’s important to test and measure each decision so you fully understand which ones work and which ones don’t. This is the key to doing more of what works and less of what doesn’t.
There are many other factors you should consider when starting your business. Much of them relate specifically to your industry niche. However, there are a number of mistakes that you can avoid making.
1) Change your mindset. It’s natural for people who leave employment and start a business to carry with them some of the culture from their previous job. However, you must realize that you are changing gears. You are moving from being an employee to being a boss. You are moving from being a follower to being a leader. This requires you to make the appropriate mental adjustment. In many ways, this is the most difficult thing that you must do when starting your business. It’s also one of the most critical.
2) Become fanatical about keeping you cash burn as low as possible. Cash is the oxygen for you business. As a start-up you can’t operate like a traditional established business. You must have enough cash to stay in the game long enough to learn from your mistakes. At the beginning your business success depends heavily on how well you can reduce operating costs. There are some simple ways that you can do this. For instance use Skype or another VOIP operator instead of a traditional landline. Use free software such as OpenOffice and Google Docs. If you don’t need office space then start up in your garage. By keeping your cash burn low you increase your scope for failure. In other words, you can have more rolls of the dice. After all, learning from your mistakes is the best way to learn in the real business world.
3) Get a part-time job. I know this is strange advice for anyone who is starting a business but hear me out. You need income to survive. You may have savings and a redundancy package but it’s good not to eat into these too much. By getting another job you are providing yourself and your family with income until your business gets off the ground. There are also some good psychological benefits to this as well. Because your time will be limited you will become more productive in your business time. You will also not be forced to make rash decisions for your business due to financial pressure. That’s right, it will help you avoid an “all in” moment.
4) Leverage the Internet. The internet offers the best value for you to promote your business. As a start-up you should be looking for early adopters in your market segment. The Internet is a great place to find these. Using social networks and participating in online communities is a great way to do market research and make early sales for a start-up. Every start-up should leverage the Internet as much as possible.
5) Realize that you must bootstrap and self fund first before you will get investment. This is particularly true in the current economic climate. Investors want to see traction. This is the most important thing. If you can bootstrap to early sales or even better, early profits you will find it much easier to unlock the door to investment.
6) Realize that you probably won’t be an overnight success. It’s important to understand that you are more likely to succeed if you approach your business from the perspective of making incremental improvements that will accumulate into ultimate success.
7) It’s a bit like gambling. Making real world business decisions is really making educated guesses at what you think might work. A lot of the time your decisions won’t work. It’s important to test and measure each decision so you fully understand which ones work and which ones don’t. This is the key to doing more of what works and less of what doesn’t.
There are many other factors you should consider when starting your business. Much of them relate specifically to your industry niche. However, there are a number of mistakes that you can avoid making.
Internet Home Business- How to Succeed
by: Laura Cosse
If you want to succeed in an Internet home business, there is nothing stopping you but the limitations you set for yourself. These limitations are not your skill level, as many people who have become millionaires online knew absolutely nothing about having a home business or Internet marketing when they began. Your limitations are in your head. If you want to become successful in an Internet business, you need to go into the business with the attitude that you are going to make money online, and will not stop trying until you do.
A positive attitude is one of the primary personality traits you need in order to succeed in any type of home business. If you go into the home based business with the knowledge that others before you have done it and made money online with less skills and knowledge than you, then you can stay on track as you go through the inevitable ups and downs of owning your own business, and eventually become financially successful. It’s not fast or easy and there is a lot to learn, but just remember that it is possible for you to make more money than a doctor or lawyer makes, with significantly less time and effort invested in your training.
If you go into the Internet business with the idea that you are probably going to fail - guess what? You are probably going to fail. This is why you have to have a winning attitude before you can expect to succeed with your own business.
Another attribute that you need when you are seeking to make money online is persistence. Many of those who fail at businesses, both online and off, do so because they give up. If you continue to follow a pattern that is set out for you, continue to duplicate the efforts of those who have found success already, you will become financially independent. A good online opportunity for a home business will give you all of the tools that you need in order to market your opportunity, and give you a turnkey system to step into that takes the guesswork out of home business. You just have to be willing to make use of those tools and system in order to get to the success level you want.
You should shoot for the stars and not settle for anything less than complete financial independence. If you have come from an outside job and are now seeking to make a living online, you may have to learn the discipline necessary to be a self-starter and work hard and consistently without supervision. While it is good to work hard to achieve you goals, you also need to set aside a schedule so that you have time for yourself and your family. One of the biggest mistakes that people make is that they either overdo it and get burned out, or do not work hard enough and think that money will magically appear. If you set up a work schedule and are persistent in your efforts at your home business, you will be giving yourself the best chance at achieving your financial goals.
Self-reliance in a home business opportunity is one of the best things for your self-confidence level as well as your pocket. If you persist in your home business opportunity with the plan that is laid out for you with regard to marketing, you will not only achieve financial success online, but you will also achieve a sense of personal satisfaction as you continue to work and grow with your home based business. Find a home business opportunity with growth potential and go into it with a positive attitude and there is no telling how far you can go when it comes to achieving financial and personal goals.
If you want to succeed in an Internet home business, there is nothing stopping you but the limitations you set for yourself. These limitations are not your skill level, as many people who have become millionaires online knew absolutely nothing about having a home business or Internet marketing when they began. Your limitations are in your head. If you want to become successful in an Internet business, you need to go into the business with the attitude that you are going to make money online, and will not stop trying until you do.
A positive attitude is one of the primary personality traits you need in order to succeed in any type of home business. If you go into the home based business with the knowledge that others before you have done it and made money online with less skills and knowledge than you, then you can stay on track as you go through the inevitable ups and downs of owning your own business, and eventually become financially successful. It’s not fast or easy and there is a lot to learn, but just remember that it is possible for you to make more money than a doctor or lawyer makes, with significantly less time and effort invested in your training.
If you go into the Internet business with the idea that you are probably going to fail - guess what? You are probably going to fail. This is why you have to have a winning attitude before you can expect to succeed with your own business.
Another attribute that you need when you are seeking to make money online is persistence. Many of those who fail at businesses, both online and off, do so because they give up. If you continue to follow a pattern that is set out for you, continue to duplicate the efforts of those who have found success already, you will become financially independent. A good online opportunity for a home business will give you all of the tools that you need in order to market your opportunity, and give you a turnkey system to step into that takes the guesswork out of home business. You just have to be willing to make use of those tools and system in order to get to the success level you want.
You should shoot for the stars and not settle for anything less than complete financial independence. If you have come from an outside job and are now seeking to make a living online, you may have to learn the discipline necessary to be a self-starter and work hard and consistently without supervision. While it is good to work hard to achieve you goals, you also need to set aside a schedule so that you have time for yourself and your family. One of the biggest mistakes that people make is that they either overdo it and get burned out, or do not work hard enough and think that money will magically appear. If you set up a work schedule and are persistent in your efforts at your home business, you will be giving yourself the best chance at achieving your financial goals.
Self-reliance in a home business opportunity is one of the best things for your self-confidence level as well as your pocket. If you persist in your home business opportunity with the plan that is laid out for you with regard to marketing, you will not only achieve financial success online, but you will also achieve a sense of personal satisfaction as you continue to work and grow with your home based business. Find a home business opportunity with growth potential and go into it with a positive attitude and there is no telling how far you can go when it comes to achieving financial and personal goals.
Foolproof Method to Hit Your Goal Every Time!
by: Nancy drager
Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it? Believe me it’s not. I know firsthand it’s my real life story and now I coach other people to hit goals they never dreamed possible!
Here’re the facts: In less than a year I went from 0 (actually less than zero, I had debt) to a new sports car, a newly furnished beautiful home, and yes, a trip to Disneyland! It’s a very simple method I developed and I’m going to give you the Coles notes version to do it for yourself!
Early in my career I had achieved a good financial status by applying my own brand of goal achievement, time management, and sales 101. My results were good, I was comfortable and not motivated to work any harder, I was enjoying life! Then came the moment my life changed dramatically and I lost everything! Needless to say I was now motivated to produce some different results! I had to make money fast, pay off debt and find a home. This opportunity set me up for a lifetime. (At the time it was an opportunity I would have gladly passed on!) Here’s how I quickly got results. It’s a very simple and easy plan that works for me and our clients:
1. Create a crystal clear objective of the goal you want and steps of how to get there. List every detail and document it so you can review the goal objectively and make any needed revisions.
2. Time management makes achieving the goal real. Block time; be cognizant of working those actions that will produce results needed and not waste time. It takes all out massive action! You need to make decisions quickly and step it up both your pace, and your expectations.
3. By forecasting the success ratio of closing deals you can accurately calculate how much activity it will take to get to the goal line. Forecasting lets you know what action will be required.
4. Being flexible and measuring results is critical! Change your plans when new opportunities arise and measure those results. Then change and measure again if needed. Be flexible.
Getting results doesn’t have to be complicated but needs to be consistent in its approach. Therefore do it ALL the time (when you play hockey, you don’t just play for the first period you finish the game).
1. Let’s start at the beginning, crystal clear objective. In other words, begin with the end in mind. For me, the end result was to make X amount of dollars. That can be overwhelming and even make you want to stop before you begin! Keep going – anything worth having is worth the effort. (By the way, I use this same formula for business goals as big as acquisitions, and I admit, for fitness goals when summer gets closer!)
It helps if you break your crystal clear goal down two ways, by asking yourself these questions:
A) How much activity do I need to hit my goal?
B) How much revenue do I need to pull in monthly, weekly and daily?
(In this example revenue, it could be exercise, business tasks, etc.)
Once you back in, you can identify the steps needed to achieve your goal. Take it step by step, make it simple and you will achieve it. Don’t over analyze it or you won’t take action.
If this is causing you screams of pain and horror seeing how much activity is needed, there are some choices:
1) Get better at what you’re doing so you close more often and faster – yes it can happen!
2) Develop excellent time management skills.
2. Time management, the greatest enemy of anyone trying to achieve their goal is time. There’s never enough of it and more than enough things to absorb it!
Keeping on the revenue attainment goal, it’s a good tip to identify your time in categories. Such as:
Revenue Producing Time (RPT) = time to sell, close deals, work completed to get hard results.
Non-Revenue Producing Time (NPT) = time to check correctness of paperwork, drive to meet a customer, handle a complaint.
Use different time allocation titles depending on the goal. Know how much time you need and book it into your schedule. (BPA – Business Plan Activities or GOBA – Going Out of Business Activities) – It’s a real eye opener to look at your last week and see where your time went!
One client, a Fortune 100 sales team, was frustrated with the lack of sales growth they were getting. We identified their RPT (Revenue Producing Time) was only 17% actually selling to customers. They were handling all kinds of non selling activities.
3. Forecasting, surprisingly this is not defined as your best guess. You’ve already backed into how much activity is needed to hit your goal. Here’s an adjustment you may need to consider:
* If you’re in sales realize no one closes 100% of every deal every time.
* If your goal is fitness, it’s possible to have to adjust goals and get back on track.
* If it’s a business goal, things can get delayed resulting in needing more time.
Yes, we need wiggle room! Let me explain. In sales, if you had a close ratio of 75% meaning you close 75% of the time you will need 25% more activity to hit your goal every time. So your wiggle room is your goal activity x 25%.
For business goals consider what steps need more time or manpower to smoothly deal with any setbacks.
4. Pull it all together by measuring the results. Look at what is working, what is not and be flexible to change. When you measure you have the ability to get things back on track now instead of wondering what happened at the end of the month. Measure at least weekly, professional athletes watch their performance with an eagle eye daily, watching for what, how and when to improve what they’re doing. It’s the same for all of us who want to deliver professional results.
“The problem is not that we set goals too high and fail to achieve them. The problem is we set goals to low and do achieve them.”
Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it? Believe me it’s not. I know firsthand it’s my real life story and now I coach other people to hit goals they never dreamed possible!
Here’re the facts: In less than a year I went from 0 (actually less than zero, I had debt) to a new sports car, a newly furnished beautiful home, and yes, a trip to Disneyland! It’s a very simple method I developed and I’m going to give you the Coles notes version to do it for yourself!
Early in my career I had achieved a good financial status by applying my own brand of goal achievement, time management, and sales 101. My results were good, I was comfortable and not motivated to work any harder, I was enjoying life! Then came the moment my life changed dramatically and I lost everything! Needless to say I was now motivated to produce some different results! I had to make money fast, pay off debt and find a home. This opportunity set me up for a lifetime. (At the time it was an opportunity I would have gladly passed on!) Here’s how I quickly got results. It’s a very simple and easy plan that works for me and our clients:
1. Create a crystal clear objective of the goal you want and steps of how to get there. List every detail and document it so you can review the goal objectively and make any needed revisions.
2. Time management makes achieving the goal real. Block time; be cognizant of working those actions that will produce results needed and not waste time. It takes all out massive action! You need to make decisions quickly and step it up both your pace, and your expectations.
3. By forecasting the success ratio of closing deals you can accurately calculate how much activity it will take to get to the goal line. Forecasting lets you know what action will be required.
4. Being flexible and measuring results is critical! Change your plans when new opportunities arise and measure those results. Then change and measure again if needed. Be flexible.
Getting results doesn’t have to be complicated but needs to be consistent in its approach. Therefore do it ALL the time (when you play hockey, you don’t just play for the first period you finish the game).
1. Let’s start at the beginning, crystal clear objective. In other words, begin with the end in mind. For me, the end result was to make X amount of dollars. That can be overwhelming and even make you want to stop before you begin! Keep going – anything worth having is worth the effort. (By the way, I use this same formula for business goals as big as acquisitions, and I admit, for fitness goals when summer gets closer!)
It helps if you break your crystal clear goal down two ways, by asking yourself these questions:
A) How much activity do I need to hit my goal?
B) How much revenue do I need to pull in monthly, weekly and daily?
(In this example revenue, it could be exercise, business tasks, etc.)
Once you back in, you can identify the steps needed to achieve your goal. Take it step by step, make it simple and you will achieve it. Don’t over analyze it or you won’t take action.
If this is causing you screams of pain and horror seeing how much activity is needed, there are some choices:
1) Get better at what you’re doing so you close more often and faster – yes it can happen!
2) Develop excellent time management skills.
2. Time management, the greatest enemy of anyone trying to achieve their goal is time. There’s never enough of it and more than enough things to absorb it!
Keeping on the revenue attainment goal, it’s a good tip to identify your time in categories. Such as:
Revenue Producing Time (RPT) = time to sell, close deals, work completed to get hard results.
Non-Revenue Producing Time (NPT) = time to check correctness of paperwork, drive to meet a customer, handle a complaint.
Use different time allocation titles depending on the goal. Know how much time you need and book it into your schedule. (BPA – Business Plan Activities or GOBA – Going Out of Business Activities) – It’s a real eye opener to look at your last week and see where your time went!
One client, a Fortune 100 sales team, was frustrated with the lack of sales growth they were getting. We identified their RPT (Revenue Producing Time) was only 17% actually selling to customers. They were handling all kinds of non selling activities.
3. Forecasting, surprisingly this is not defined as your best guess. You’ve already backed into how much activity is needed to hit your goal. Here’s an adjustment you may need to consider:
* If you’re in sales realize no one closes 100% of every deal every time.
* If your goal is fitness, it’s possible to have to adjust goals and get back on track.
* If it’s a business goal, things can get delayed resulting in needing more time.
Yes, we need wiggle room! Let me explain. In sales, if you had a close ratio of 75% meaning you close 75% of the time you will need 25% more activity to hit your goal every time. So your wiggle room is your goal activity x 25%.
For business goals consider what steps need more time or manpower to smoothly deal with any setbacks.
4. Pull it all together by measuring the results. Look at what is working, what is not and be flexible to change. When you measure you have the ability to get things back on track now instead of wondering what happened at the end of the month. Measure at least weekly, professional athletes watch their performance with an eagle eye daily, watching for what, how and when to improve what they’re doing. It’s the same for all of us who want to deliver professional results.
“The problem is not that we set goals too high and fail to achieve them. The problem is we set goals to low and do achieve them.”
Conducting Local And International Background Investigations In The Middle East
by: Zafar I. Anjum
In the complex world of employee background screening, no two countries are alike. In the United States International investigators have a web of databases at their disposal and a vast network of local resources that provide a wealth of information at the mere click of a mouse.
It’s a different world in the Middle East. Technology is limited in many parts of the region. Privacy legislation varies from country to country and from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Cultural differences can impact the flow of information. Language barriers can contribute to inaccurate reporting.
Instead of database-driven investigations that are generally conducted in the United States, professionals in the Middle East must conduct large parts of their investigations literally on foot, traveling to remote regions to scour records and interview sources.
Simply put, if you’re looking for accurate, reliable information in the Middle East you need to turn to qualified, professional sources that are familiar with the countries, cultures, terrain, languages, resources and – most of all – the laws that govern personal privacy.. In this part of the world your contacts and resources are your greatest asset.
Discovering Hard-to-Find Facts in Hard-to-Reach Locations
The biggest challenge to conducting background investigations in the Middle East is collecting reliable information in the most efficient manner. This requires a well-trained and diverse group of professional investigators who are multilingual and multi-cultural, are familiar with those geographic regions and can easily traverse the obstacles that often impede international investigations. Those obstacles include:
• Working with local customs offices;
• Complying with data protection laws and mandates;
• Knowledge level of local investigative researchers;
• Lack of centralized information resources and databases; and
• The proliferation of multicultural environments that are particularly influenced by locals who vastly differ in their approaches to investigative screening and public record searches, particularly with information collected via database sources.
To address these obstacles, successful background investigators in this part of the world are often required to work deep in the field, travelling to remote destinations to conduct interviews, develop resources and enlist local assistance to verify information.
Progressive screening firms will conduct investigations that regularly involve a thorough review of local press records, using online and proprietary databases augmented by manual field research to locate the appropriate public records. This in-depth investigative approach is necessary to bring to light any instances of malfeasance or notable, publicly aired criticism.
These professionals will also research all public records that are available within the respective government institutions such as a region’s trial courts, police and SEC sources, and global sanctions lists.
The goal of providing this level of investigative legwork is to collect timely, well-documented and substantiated information which will measure up to the high standards often required by our U.S. partners.
Examples of Privacy Laws in the Middle East
While reputable screening firms in the United States comply closely with the Fair Credit Reporting Act to conduct domestic background investigations, foreign investigations are much more complex.
Middle East countries have no prohibitive legislation that governs the employment screening process. At the same time there is no cooperative legislation and regulation to support background screening services for employee due diligence. However we, as industry professionals, must adhere to strict data protection requirements (such as the European Union data protection directive) to process consensually based personal information.
In our region local police departments provide “Good Conduct Certificates” for employees for immigration purposes, while the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) awards a “Police Clearance” certificate for employee due diligence work.
In the United Arab Emirates, data protection laws permit investigators to process sensitive personal information such as criminal history data. As a DIFC licensed entity, the CRI Group (as well as other reputable background screening firms) must maintain strict adherence to the region’s Data Protection Law of 2007 in order to fulfil our ongoing DIFC licensed status. As in the United States, the procurement of personal data in this region – and any subsequent transfer of data outside of the DIFC – may only be attained with the written consent of the individual being investigated.
Reputable screening firms in the Middle East will also comply with regional privacy laws (such as the EU data protection directive) by appointing an internal Data Protection Officer (DPO) whose primary responsibility is to conduct independent audits of the firm’s various information processing operations which handle customer and employee data. The DPO ensures that personal data is handled in accordance with all relevant data protection provisions covering online and offline data procurement while complying with local and regional regulations pertaining to individual privacy standards.
How to Locate and Partner with
Reputable Screening Firms in the Middle East
So how does one go about securing a reputable background screening source abroad? The following checklist may be helpful.
1. To begin, it is highly recommended that you research the listing of expatriate background screening firms provided by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) or PreemploymentDirectory.com in the International Section. The list can be found at napbs.com/content.php?id=250 or at PreemploymentDirectory.com.
2. Ask your provider how they comply with local and regional laws governing individual privacy protection and the methods they utilize in protecting information.
3. Make sure your service provider’s physical address is in the region they’re conducting investigations. If not, they could be simply outsourcing their cases to a third party.
4. Ask about the manner in which your service provider conducts investigations. Stay away from firms that investigate exclusively through media searches.
5. Inquire about the internal policies and procedures the service provider uses to monitor the protection of data, and if it conducts regular audits to ensure compliance with regional privacy mandates.
6. Don’t settle for firms that say they specialize in providing checks of the International Terrorist Watch List and the OFAC watch list. Those lists are available online to anyone at no cost.
7. Stay away from firms that won’t supply you with the source of the records they obtain. Also, be sure to ask how old the information collected is.
8. The truly reputable firms will combine in-depth field investigations with routine public records searches. Make sure your provider is doing both.
9. Service delivery is critical in foreign investigations. Ask about average turnaround times and get commitments for delivery in advance of the investigation.
10. Find out what other U.S. companies use the service provider. Ask for references.
As the world economy shrinks and the pool of foreign job applicants expands, a partnership with a reputable international background screening service provider to conduct investigations abroad is essential for maintaining a safe hiring program for your clients. To ensure you’re using the best providers available, a little investigating of your own will result in big benefits down the road.
In the complex world of employee background screening, no two countries are alike. In the United States International investigators have a web of databases at their disposal and a vast network of local resources that provide a wealth of information at the mere click of a mouse.
It’s a different world in the Middle East. Technology is limited in many parts of the region. Privacy legislation varies from country to country and from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Cultural differences can impact the flow of information. Language barriers can contribute to inaccurate reporting.
Instead of database-driven investigations that are generally conducted in the United States, professionals in the Middle East must conduct large parts of their investigations literally on foot, traveling to remote regions to scour records and interview sources.
Simply put, if you’re looking for accurate, reliable information in the Middle East you need to turn to qualified, professional sources that are familiar with the countries, cultures, terrain, languages, resources and – most of all – the laws that govern personal privacy.. In this part of the world your contacts and resources are your greatest asset.
Discovering Hard-to-Find Facts in Hard-to-Reach Locations
The biggest challenge to conducting background investigations in the Middle East is collecting reliable information in the most efficient manner. This requires a well-trained and diverse group of professional investigators who are multilingual and multi-cultural, are familiar with those geographic regions and can easily traverse the obstacles that often impede international investigations. Those obstacles include:
• Working with local customs offices;
• Complying with data protection laws and mandates;
• Knowledge level of local investigative researchers;
• Lack of centralized information resources and databases; and
• The proliferation of multicultural environments that are particularly influenced by locals who vastly differ in their approaches to investigative screening and public record searches, particularly with information collected via database sources.
To address these obstacles, successful background investigators in this part of the world are often required to work deep in the field, travelling to remote destinations to conduct interviews, develop resources and enlist local assistance to verify information.
Progressive screening firms will conduct investigations that regularly involve a thorough review of local press records, using online and proprietary databases augmented by manual field research to locate the appropriate public records. This in-depth investigative approach is necessary to bring to light any instances of malfeasance or notable, publicly aired criticism.
These professionals will also research all public records that are available within the respective government institutions such as a region’s trial courts, police and SEC sources, and global sanctions lists.
The goal of providing this level of investigative legwork is to collect timely, well-documented and substantiated information which will measure up to the high standards often required by our U.S. partners.
Examples of Privacy Laws in the Middle East
While reputable screening firms in the United States comply closely with the Fair Credit Reporting Act to conduct domestic background investigations, foreign investigations are much more complex.
Middle East countries have no prohibitive legislation that governs the employment screening process. At the same time there is no cooperative legislation and regulation to support background screening services for employee due diligence. However we, as industry professionals, must adhere to strict data protection requirements (such as the European Union data protection directive) to process consensually based personal information.
In our region local police departments provide “Good Conduct Certificates” for employees for immigration purposes, while the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) awards a “Police Clearance” certificate for employee due diligence work.
In the United Arab Emirates, data protection laws permit investigators to process sensitive personal information such as criminal history data. As a DIFC licensed entity, the CRI Group (as well as other reputable background screening firms) must maintain strict adherence to the region’s Data Protection Law of 2007 in order to fulfil our ongoing DIFC licensed status. As in the United States, the procurement of personal data in this region – and any subsequent transfer of data outside of the DIFC – may only be attained with the written consent of the individual being investigated.
Reputable screening firms in the Middle East will also comply with regional privacy laws (such as the EU data protection directive) by appointing an internal Data Protection Officer (DPO) whose primary responsibility is to conduct independent audits of the firm’s various information processing operations which handle customer and employee data. The DPO ensures that personal data is handled in accordance with all relevant data protection provisions covering online and offline data procurement while complying with local and regional regulations pertaining to individual privacy standards.
How to Locate and Partner with
Reputable Screening Firms in the Middle East
So how does one go about securing a reputable background screening source abroad? The following checklist may be helpful.
1. To begin, it is highly recommended that you research the listing of expatriate background screening firms provided by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) or PreemploymentDirectory.com in the International Section. The list can be found at napbs.com/content.php?id=250 or at PreemploymentDirectory.com.
2. Ask your provider how they comply with local and regional laws governing individual privacy protection and the methods they utilize in protecting information.
3. Make sure your service provider’s physical address is in the region they’re conducting investigations. If not, they could be simply outsourcing their cases to a third party.
4. Ask about the manner in which your service provider conducts investigations. Stay away from firms that investigate exclusively through media searches.
5. Inquire about the internal policies and procedures the service provider uses to monitor the protection of data, and if it conducts regular audits to ensure compliance with regional privacy mandates.
6. Don’t settle for firms that say they specialize in providing checks of the International Terrorist Watch List and the OFAC watch list. Those lists are available online to anyone at no cost.
7. Stay away from firms that won’t supply you with the source of the records they obtain. Also, be sure to ask how old the information collected is.
8. The truly reputable firms will combine in-depth field investigations with routine public records searches. Make sure your provider is doing both.
9. Service delivery is critical in foreign investigations. Ask about average turnaround times and get commitments for delivery in advance of the investigation.
10. Find out what other U.S. companies use the service provider. Ask for references.
As the world economy shrinks and the pool of foreign job applicants expands, a partnership with a reputable international background screening service provider to conduct investigations abroad is essential for maintaining a safe hiring program for your clients. To ensure you’re using the best providers available, a little investigating of your own will result in big benefits down the road.
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