Tuition costs are climbing, housing costs are climbing, it seems like all the costs for students are climbing these days. Students can afford cost increases less than any other demographic in Canada. Because of this, parents and students alike are looking for new ways to offset the costs of education.Student loans can be used to defer these costs to some extent, but they need to be repaid after graduation. It's difficult to climb the corporate...more
One thing you can count on during the holiday season is the obligatory office party. No matter what the size of the organization, there is always an effort to bring coworkers together for one more moment of merriment. Some people look forward to the chance to mix and mingle outside the confines of business and others would rather give up the annual bonus than have to spend precious personal time with the gang from work.No matter which side of...more
If you are anything like me, you probably find yourself often thinking of new projects to start, new things to achieve. I did that in my beginning on Internet. That in itself is very beneficial and indeed a required ingredient for success. The trick is to know where to draw a line. The trap I kept falling into was hoping and looking for new and better programs all the time,easy to find new once,but i forgot about them the next day,instead of working on the programs you already joined and going for the results there. I would often actually get dragged into gathering more and more information on new opportunities. I would spend time on developing them right then and there. I would be stealing the precious time away from the current project I was supposed to be working on. Obviously, it was a trap.Be aware of this trap! The current project would suffer, because there is only so much time in a day.No one gets results form Surfing the Internet for "Get Rich Tomorrow "and thinking,there must be an easier way!There is not,only hard work will give you success.Focus and work on your Business ! Then I would get discouraged with my current project and drop it because I didn't see any results....more
Rip Out Your Phone Lines I hate the phone company. Reading my phone bill is like reading hieroglyphics. I thought that the break up of ma bell was suppose to make it easier for the consumer. We were suppose to get more choice. The choices seem to all be the same. For instance, I was so elated last year when the phone company offered me a lower...more
As a business, non-profit or association manager trying to get a bang for your PR buck, you could pretty much concentrate on simple print and broadcast mentions or, for that matter, the whole basket of tactical public relations weaponry including old favorites like high-visibility speech appearances and newsworthy special events. But if you really...more
As a small business operator, personal checks may be one method to receive payment for your goods or services. As a way to receive payment, a personal check is actually better than credit cards because the fees are less and there can be no charge back. Fortunately, most people are honest and studious in taking care of their checking account. But sooner or later every small business operator will receive a bad check. The first thing to do is politely contact the individual and give them an opportunity to make the check good. Most times you'll find that the customer has simply been careless with their checking account or finances. They will probably be embarrassed about the incident and will immediately replace the check with a good one. Unfortunately, there are rare occasions when the individual who gave you the bad check decides to make themselves scarce. Note: If a personal check is for more than a few dollars, it's best to let the check clear before delivering the product or service. Say, for example, that someone wants to buy your car with a personal check for twice what the car's worth. Remember, a check is just a piece of paper until after it clears. They can return to pick up...more
A home-based business becomes for the business owner, an entity in and of itself. Because so much hard work, blood, sweat and tears goes into every home-based business, it is easy to view it as having a "life" of its own and a home-based business can...more
While some new business owners face the issue of not enough customers, others face the issue of too many customers/clients. Both are serious issues and must be dealt with carefully. There are many lists on how to find new customers/clients. Here is a...more
Years ago, when I was new in management circles, a veteran administrator decided to share his self-described secret of success. He said: You have to be careful, Bill. I*ve learned not to compliment my people. Makes them too self-assured, and they get...more
In the marketing world, radio has earned the reputation of being the odd step-cousin. You know the one. No one knows quite what to do with him. Especially at family gatherings when everyone tries hard to avoid sitting with him. (After all, who knows...more
There has been a lot of talk lately about the "Real Estate Bubble", and a lot of folks are asking the question: "When it is going to burst"? They are saying that the market just can't sustain this level of growth and appreciation much longer, and I...more
Are you spending more time trying to get new clients than actually working with them? If the answer is yes, then these three simple ideas will help you. First, have you ever asked for something and got something different to what you thought you*d...more