"Hey, I didn't know you were a writer, I thought you were a Virtual Assistant." No matter how many times I hear this comment it still surprises me. I learned early on that writing was one of the most lucrative services that I could offer in my virtual assistance business, not to mention an incredible means of free marketing.I have discovered a valuable resource for writing assignments and other types of work. The Freelance Work Exchange is an...more
Over recent years, personal loans have become a popular solution for many consumers looking to raise finance for a variety of purposes. You can get personal loans for all sorts of things, from debt consolidation to holidays, cars and other purchases. It is far easier these days to get a great deal on finance, with cheap personal loans available from a variety of competitive lenders. When looking into personal loans, you should consider a number...more
Time is money, and right now you don't have either the time or the money to answer the call of the shopping mall at Christmas. The only way you can show your friends love, peace on earth, goodwill towards men is by shopping at Macy's, so you think. It's a safe bet that the Three Kings didn't buy the gold, frankincense and myrrh given to Jesus Christ in the manger from Macy's or Pottery Barn. This year you, too, can give frankincense and myrrh of the tasty kind. The best part is, the ingredients come from your neighborhood grocery store or even your own kitchen. The Three Kings used ornate containers, but you can make do with an inexpensive 1-quart mason jar to hold your "sand art" cookies, or "Gifts in a Jar." What do you need to make "Gifts in a Jar"? Let's take, for example, the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies: flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking soda, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oatmeal and raisins. All of these are available for under $5 at your local grocery store. If you buy in bulk, you'll save more time and money-- -just make sure to create your "Gifts in a Jar" as soon as possible before you plan on giving them. The ingredients have a shelf life of 3 months...more
The old adages: "It's not what you know, but who you know" and "High Tech, High Touch" could be the mottos of knowledge workers in the 21st Century.Never before in the history of the world has both networking and interpersonal communication been potentially easier, broader, more wide-spread and paradoxically, more difficult.The access to people and...more
The rapid growth of technology, greater exposure to knowledge, higher levels of awareness are making the young project engineer act more and more like a project manager. What I mean is, todays project engineers are actively supervising new graduates, setting and monitoring schedules & budgets, interacting with clients and so on. A decade or so ago...more
Selling your products at shows can be difficult when you have a lot of competition. Although some show organizers are careful to have a good mix of vendors, it's not uncommon for other shows to have 20% or more of the booths filled with vendors in the same niche - which is a buyer's market and a seller's disappointing show.Before signing up for any show, ask the promoter how many other vendors in your niche will have booths. And if possible, find out what kinds of these items will be represented at the show. Even if you have to dig a little for this information, it's worthwhile to find out in advance whether the show is likely to be profitable for you.For example, my medium is jewelry, which is usually the most competitive field at any show. And because of the overcrowding in this niche, many jewelry artists price the jewelry in their booth so low that it's hard for them (or any of the other jewelers at that show) to make any sales at a worthwhile profit. No one benefits from that kind of venue.But I've found out how I can easily get my fair share of the jewelry market by finding less competitive shows for selling my work. Here are some suggestions for shows where you can find...more
One of Abraham Lincoln's claims to fame is the fact that he is best known for abolishing slavery. While he may have felt some personal satisfaction from liberating the Negroes from their bondage, Economy was the main reason why he made his...more
Presidential candidate John Kerry is fond of stating that "... not since Herbert Hoover has any president lost more jobs than George W. Bush." And there is a kernel of truth to the statement; thanks to technology, jobs require less human intervention...more
It has been a long morning and you need a mental break. You start thinking of your weekend plans and jump on your messaging program to make plans with a friend. You have the movie times and a chat box up on your screen and what happens, your...more
Do you have the right temperament?Starting a small business is one of the most serious decisions that a person can take in life. Positively, it often results in higher income levels than one could achieve as an employee together with the unique buzz...more
Every since serving a hitch in the military, I have been nagged by the question that's been hanging around leadership since time immemorial: How can some leaders persuade people to believe in them and follow them and other leaders can't? But it...more
A Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees plan, better known as a SIMPLE plan, is an IRA-based retirement plan available to employers with fewer than 100 employees. Under a SIMPLE IRA plan, an employee can contribute a portion of his pay to his...more