The logo is dead - long live the logo!

The logo is dead - long live the logo!
A logo's job is to represent the essence of its
brand’s character – to introduce it if we
don’t know it, or to remind us of it if we do. As a
photograph is to a person, a logo is to a brand. Visual
logos are proven, effective and ubiquitous – which is
where they have started to run into rapidly diminishing
returns.

I call the problem ‘overmessaging’. Each of us
now encounters a staggering 30,000 commercial messages
every single day, and the vast majority of them are visual.
This means that for the next few years at least, sonic
logos – by which I mean short sonic mnemonics that
are the exact audio counterparts of the visual logo –
are going to be worth considering simply because they are
relatively rare and can thus act as powerful
differentiators. However there’s more to sonic logos
than curiosity value alone: used wisely, they work
exceptionally well. They also have a surprisingly long
pedigree.

Sonic logos have actually been around for hundreds of
years: street calling used to be the main way tradesmen
advertised their services, as wonderfully romanticised in
the film Oliver. It’s not so long since that practice
died: I can remember the ‘rag-and-bone’
man’s mournful shout of “anyoldiron?”
from my childhood in London. The modern-day equivalent is
the ice cream van: just watch the cathartic effect of its
chimes on surrounding buildings on a hot summer’s day
to see the potency of sonic logos deployed in the right
place at the right time. Most ice cream chimes are generic,
but in Sweden the Hemglass ice cream tune is a universally
known and loved sonic brand.

As soon as the advertising industry got sound to play with,
it saw the potential of memorable music/voice combinations
and the jingle and tagline were born. The dividing line
between jingle or a tagline an a sonic logo is blurred. In
general, jingles and taglines come and go with campaigns
and rarely live for more than a few years. Even the most
memorable usually get retired. “For hands that do
dishes…”; “It’s the real
thing”; these and many more once-mighty jingles or
taglines are now languishing in retirement homes, though
the brands are still very much with us today.

Some taglines are so strong that they have become sonic
logos. One in particular has outlasted entire generations
of customers: Tony the tiger has been saying
“they’re gr-r-r-r-reat!” since 1951. This
is probably the longest-running sonic logo in the world,
and it has now outlived its voice-over artist. Thurl
Ravenscroft was famous for many Disney voices but Tony was
his greatest legacy. He voiced the tiger for 54 years until
his death in 2005, when Lee Marshall was appointed to carry
the tradition forward.

Over the years, some sonic logos have even been registered
as trademarks or service marks: the roar of the MGM lion
and the old NBC three-tone chime are two examples.

These examples notwithstanding, it wasn’t until the
1990s that sonic logos started to be taken really seriously
and their use considered by many major brands. The sea
change came with Intel. Its four-note sonic logo, composed
by Austrian musician Walter Werzowa, has become one of the
best-known sounds in the world, and has spearheaded
Intel’s extraordinary success as a brand –
given that this is a product nobody ever sees and nobody
ever buys.

Today, sonic logos are more in play then ever before. UK
insurance giant Direct Line has a sprightly bugle call,
which speaks volumes about urgency, assistance and
playfulness in just three seconds. Apple has its
comforting, uplifting start-up sound, engineered in 1991 by
Jim Reekes and still shipping 16 years later. (It is
inexplicable that the mighty Microsoft has never seen the
value of a single start-up sound; the sound of Windows has
changed with every successive version of the software, so
that now there is no sound of Windows. They may be learning
through: huge amounts of time and money were invested in
‘a language of sounds’ for the Xbox 360.)
Lufthansa has invested in a corporate sound, comprising
four rising tones that are aimed to convey feelings of
taking off and wellbeing. Siemens has recently added a
seventh element to its branding: sound has now joined logo,
claim, typeface, colours, layout and style as one of the
basic building blocks of the Siemens brand. The company has
created both an ‘audio signature’ (aka a sonic
logo) and also some mood sound as part of its new palette.
Even political parties are joining in: Wales’s Plaid
Cymru has a short sonic logo to welcome you in peace and
harmony to its website.

The evidence is that more and more major brands are
creating a sonic logo as a matter of course. With the
continuing rise of mobile devices (along with custom ring
tones and downloaded digital sound) I believe we have not
yet scratched the surface of the sonic logo.

Is it time your brand found its voice – before your
competitors find theirs?

----------------------------------------------------
Julian Treasure is author of the groundbreaking book Sound
Business (http://www.soundbusiness.biz ) and Chairman of
The Sound Agency (http://www.thesoundagency.com), an
applied sound consultancy with clients such as BP, Honda,
Tesco and Unilever. He lives in London with his Italian
wife, children's book author Swan Treasure.

Getting Paid for Online Surveys - Are They a Scam?

Getting Paid for Online Surveys - Are They a Scam?
When it comes to paid online surveys for cash, it becomes
quickly obvious that some claims may be a little
exaggerated. You may see claims of over $150 per survey.

Like the claims of many sellers or retailers, some
stretching of the truth happens in order to get the
attention of the buyer. This requires some detective work
on your part.

While those $150+ paid online surveys are true and really
do occur, they are few and far between. You would only be
able to land a survey with that high of a payout if you had
special knowledge or expertise on a particular subject
matter and the company that wrote the survey needed an
expert's opinion.

What is the normal payment for filling out an online
survey? Well, the surveys you would realistically be able
to participate in would pay in the area of $4 - $50. This
would of course vary with the length of the survey.
Although lower than the hyped up high paying surveys, this
is nothing to sneeze at. You could work your way up to a
nice monthly income by working in 15 to 30 minute
increments at your convenience. The flexibility in your
work schedule may be a very attractive benefit for you.
And as you work at filling out surveys for money you will
find yourself working more efficiently, getting more done
in less time.

Generally no company would pay $100 to fill out a 10 minute
survey. But the longer the survey takes to fill out the
more they would pay. When doing paid online surveys for
cash you may choose to do many 10 minute surveys which pay
less, or alternatively, you may choose the longer surveys
which pay more.

Who can participate in these paid online surveys? Since
many companies sell their items and services to average
everyday consumers, an average everyday consumer would fit
the bill quite nicely. There are of course age requirements
and the issue of country of residence where the survey
taker resides, but the requirements to participate are
quite easily met.

Stay at home moms with busy and sporadic schedules have
participated in paid online surveys to supplement their
family income. Retired persons, who are limited in their
choices for work are also taking part. College students are
always in need of extra money and this suits many of them
as well.

Whatever your situation, getting paid for online surveys
could be an option you may not want to pass up!

----------------------------------------------------
For Full Info and Recommendations Visit Us at:
http://paidsurveys.com-afl.com

Jefferson City Missouri

Jefferson City Missouri
Jefferson City was chosen as Missouri’s state capital
in 1821 and was named after Thomas Jefferson, the third
president of the United States of America. Jefferson City
is nestled in the Ozarks on the banks of the Missouri River
and is near the geographical center of the state. The city
is located along Hwy 54, Hwy 50 and Hwy 63, is 30 miles
south of Columbia, Missouri and almost centered between
Missouri’s major cities of St. Louis and Kansas City.
The City of Jefferson had a total of 39,636 residents, as
of 2000 and the median age was 36 years.

Jefferson City has a deep historical background and
illustrates a romantic atmosphere with many buildings
dating back to the 1800’s. The Lohman building was
built in the late 1830’s and is believed to be the
oldest structure in the city. This three-story limestone
treasure now exhibits transportation of the nineteenth
century. Other historical attractions include the Missouri
State Governor’s Mansion, the Carnahan Memorial
Garden which was renamed in 2001 after the death of
Governor Mel Carnahan, the Cole County Historical Museum
and the Missouri Supreme Court Building. The city also
embraces a long list of historical homes such as the
Schmidt Apartments, Ivy Terrace, Towles-Buckner House,
Oscar Birch House, Villa Panorama, Cole County Historical
Society, Wendielin Buehrle House, Dix House, Upshulte
House, Hugh Stevens House, Orchard Acres, Jefferson Female
Seminary, Schroeder House, Oberman House, Parson’s
House and Sinclair-Hagner House that each add to the
richness and ambiance found there.

Perhaps the most sought after attraction in Missouri is the
Missouri State Capitol Building. The Capitol’s dome
rises 238 feet about ground level and is perched on the
bluffs of the Missouri River. The building creates a
picturesque view of the city for travelers arriving from
the north. Completed in 1918, the Capitol offers exhibits
and tours that give a superb historical education of the
State of Missouri as well as the building itself. Other
museums and attractions in the city include the Missouri
Veterans Memorial, Cole County Historical Museum, Missouri
Law Enforcement Memorial, Missouri Veterinary Museum,
Museum of Missouri Military History and Missouri River
Regional Library.

Jefferson City sits on some of Missouri’s most
beautiful terrain and offers an outdoor retreat with
various parks and golf courses. Eagle Knoll golf course is
ranked as the third best value in the nation and challenges
all levels of play. Oak Hills Golf Center, Railwood Golf
Course, Turkey Creek Golf Center and Redfield Golf Course
are favorite places for visitors and residents alike. The
City of Jefferson has numerous parks including Binder Park,
Joseph C. Miller Park, Ellis Porter/ Riverside Park,
McClung Park, McKay Park, Memorial Park and Family Aquatic
Center, Miller Street Park, Washington Park and Cole County
Park. Most notable is the city’s portion of the
famous Katy Trail.

Classic entertainment for the whole family can be found at
the Marvic Skate Center, The Washington Park Skate Park,
Washington Park Ice Arena, West Gate Lanes, Capital 4
Theatres and Capital 8 Theatres. The city also has a
shooting range at the United Sportsman Club. City night
life can be enjoyed at several night clubs such as
Mike’s Corner Pocket, Bones, Pitchers, College Club,
Spectators and the Budweiser Inn Bar & Lounge.

The City of Jefferson appreciates fine art and is home to
the Miller Performing Arts Center, Jefferson City Community
Concert Association, Jefferson City Symphony, Little
Theatre, Capital City Players and Stained Glass Theatre.

The Jefferson City Public School District operates
Jefferson City High School. There is also a private school,
Helias. Lincoln University is also a landmark institution
and in 2004 was ranked fifth in diversity for graduates and
seventh for having the most international students.

The shopping experience in Jefferson City ranges from
quaint “Mom and Pop” specialty shops to chain
stores as well as the Capital Mall. Downtown Jefferson
City, on High Street, has been a focal point of the city
for over 150 years and yet the city is continuously
expanding to offer more to its residents and visitors.

Wildwood Crossing offers familiar stores such as Pier 1
Imports, Old Navy, MC Sports, Goody’s, Petco, TJ
Maxx, Shoe Carnival, Barnes and Noble, Cingular Wireless
and more. Chain stores such as Best Buy , Lowes and
Wal-Mart are also along Missouri Boulevard. The Capital
Mall holds major department stores such as JCPenney, Sears
and Dillard’s as well as stores like Victoria’s
Secret, Bath & Body Works, Buckle, Tuesday Morning, Payless
Shoe Source, American Eagle Outfitters, Christopher &
Banks, Claire’s Boutique, Deb, Dollar Tree, EB Games,
Foot Locker, Hot Topic, JoAnn Fabrics, Kay Jewelers, KB
Toys, Maurice’s, Radio Shack, Rex TV & Appliance
Center, Shoe Department, Things Remembered, Trade Secret,
Zales and more.

Dining in Jefferson City ranges from fast food to fine
dining and caters to every occasion. With restaurants like
Madison’s Café, Arri’s Pizza Palace,
Michael’s Unforgetable BBQ, McDonald’s, Roly
Poly, Paddy Malone’s Pub, Capital City Steak House,
Pizza Hut, Sonic, Subway, O’Donoghue’s,
Colton’s Steakhouse, Applebee’s, Ruby
Tuesday’s, Dairy Queen, Fazoli’s, Taco Bell, El
Jimador, China Garden, High Street Pub, Zesto Drive-In,
Kate & Ally’s, Old Brick House Deli, Lee’s
Famous Recipe Chicken, Alexandro’s and more, choosing
just one place at a time will be the hardest part.

The City of Jefferson is a gracious host to travelers
looking for the charm of a small town with the amenities of
a city. It honors a rich past and embraces a prosperous
future.

----------------------------------------------------
Learn about Jefferson City Missouri
http://www.royaltyuniverse.com/Home_Page.html

Pave an Unstoppable Path to Breakthrough Success

Pave an Unstoppable Path to Breakthrough Success
Most people don't try to create breakthroughs because they
don't believe such important improvements are possible.
With the right preparations you'll be more likely to
succeed and your confidence in your future success will
soar.

How can we use the right preparations to replace our
skepticism about breakthroughs with success?

Let me put this subject in context: It's an important
lesson for those who want to make lots of 2,000 percent
solutions (ways of accomplishing 20 times more with the
same time, effort, and resources).

The steps for creating a 2,000 percent solution are listed
here:

1. Understand the importance of measuring performance.

2. Decide what to measure.

3. Identify the future best practice and measure it.

4. Implement beyond the future best practice.

5. Identify the ideal best practice.

6. Pursue the ideal best practice.

7. Select the right people and provide the right motivation.

8. Repeat the first seven steps.

This article looks at preparations for accomplishing step
seven, select the right people and provide the right
motivation.

Don't Ask Permission, Ask Forgiveness Later (If Necessary)

Sometimes the need for change is so daunting that the
organization's leaders won’t be able to cope. When
that circumstance occurs, consider saving the organization
by using what I call "stealth" change. Rather than
beginning by selling the people at the top and making great
promises and proclamations, keep it all hush-hush. Recruit
a few highly admired people who have the talent to lead the
change by creating models of the new ways on the quiet.
After setting the standard, loan talented teams who can
install the better ways to a few more highly admired people
who are in trouble with making their budgets. Ask your
bailed-out leaders to visit the rest of the organization to
explain the successful change and to welcome visitors who
want to learn more. Within six months, such stealthy
projects can often run circles around formally authorized
teams with tons of resources.

Launch Your Team into Escape Orbit

Before finalizing your choice of team members and leader,
let those you are considering know that there's risk
involved. Team members will be betting their careers with
this assignment. Team members and leaders who perform well
will likely be asked to solve another problem or pursue a
different opportunity — that's their career reward.
If they don't execute the changes, they won't have jobs to
go back to … but you will help them locate a new
position in another organization.

As you can imagine, knowing that you cannot retreat to your
old job is unsettling, even demoralizing, information.
People who have routinely exceeded the future best
practices to approach the ideal best practice report that
this up-or-out approach is necessary. Team members who like
a challenge will thrive in this environment. But it's not
for everyone. You are creating personal burning platforms
that will make team members realize that the project's
success is essential. Take on only those who are willing to
accept the personal danger from this risk.

What about financial rewards? Incentives for a special
project should in no way mirror the organization's existing
financial incentives. Success should result in far larger
than normal bonuses for team members at their given levels.
Pick incentive levels that will excite exceptional and
appropriate excellence. Many organizations choose
incentives that are too high. Larger financial incentives
quickly fail to add greater excitement. Instead, financial
incentives that are too large encourage people to play it
safe to be sure to get a minimum reward of the overwhelming
largesse.

STALLBUSTERS

You need to change some of the ways you manage your
organization now, locate your change leaders, prepare
leaders for the change tasks, and encourage change leaders
to be effective and enthusiastic.

What to Stop Doing

You have some ineffective methods. Those have to stop. You
also need to stop doing things that take up time you need
for the change projects. Consider your answers to the
following questions:

• What are the habits that will push your
organization in the wrong direction as you pursue the
desired changes?

• How can you encourage people to abandon those
habits?

• What incentives do you provide now for those habits
that need to be removed?

• What messages need to stop being sent?

Find the Best Change Leaders

The following questions will help you identify change
leaders:

• Who has the best track record in your organization
for leading the types of changes you desire?

• Who else could be an effective contributor to the
change process through new ideas, communicating the change,
or organizing the change effort?

• Who are the people in your organization who are
most excited about the potential to make these changes?

• How well do the candidates' values match the
organization's values?

Prepare the Change Leaders

Use these questions to enhance the effectiveness of your
change leaders:

• What information do the change leaders lack that
can be readily provided?

• How can that information be shared quickly and
accurately?

• What skills or training will they need to be
effective?

• How can this training be timed to help them when it
will be most relevant to the tasks at hand?

• What resources will they need?

• How can those resources be provided in a timely way?

Activate the Change Leaders

It's not enough to have the talent and desire. You also
need to be properly focused. Each of us responds
differently to rewards and recognition. For each of your
team members and leaders consider the answers to this
question:

• What combination of fulfilling desires for
recognition, reward, and feedback is right for each person
to help him or her reach the highest level of performance?

In answering this question, remember that creativity
researchers have found that rewards for being creative
often backfire, while rewards for accomplishing a
predefined implementation task usually work well. The best
way to begin is by talking with each person about what
motivates her or him for the tasks that need doing.

Copyright 2007 Donald W. Mitchell, All Rights Reserved

----------------------------------------------------
Donald Mitchell is chairman of Mitchell and Company, a
strategy and financial consulting firm in Weston, MA. He is
coauthor of six books including The 2,000 Percent Squared
Solution, The 2,000 Percent Solution, and The 2,000 Percent
Solution Workbook. You can find free tips for accomplishing
20 times more by registering at:
====> http://www.2000percentsolution.com .

Getting Out There In a Bigger Way Means Overcoming Your Fear of Criticism

Getting Out There In a Bigger Way Means Overcoming Your Fear of Criticism
QUOTE: "Your playing small does not serve the world. There
is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people
won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to
shine... And as we let our own light shine, we
unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence
automatically liberates others." —Marianne Williamson

During a Mastermind session last week, I got clear on the
ONE obstacle standing between me and doubling my business
next year. Contrary to what I originally thought, it's not
a lack of knowledge, of what to do next or a marketing
challenge. I actually know exactly what to do to double my
business. For me, it's a question of leveraging my time, my
marketing and my resources so that I can help many, many
more solo-preneurs get more clients, create systems for
marketing, clean up their mindset and give them the tools
and the permission to succeed. That's my purpose and it's
fun for me.

What's actually been holding me back is something much more
internal. It's the deeply ingrained fear that the bigger I
get, meaning the bigger my business gets, the more I will
make myself a target for criticism and "pot shots". Here's
why:

For years, I've witnessed women entrepreneurs truly succeed
and watched as others began to pick them apart, to
criticize them and sometimes trash them, even when they
didn't know them. Have you noticed that too? Ironically
enough, it's usually other women doing the criticizing
(instead of the supporting), and I'm sad to say, I've
partaken in that sometimes too, even when I didn't know the
person. I regret it, especially as I'm poised to be in the
very same position sometime soon.

Somehow, it seems that the bigger in business you get, the
more people feel entitled to take you down. My friend
Valerie Hayes (PageantInterviewCoach.com) coaches her
pageant contestant clients that as they become more of a
‘celebrity', they must recognize that they're now a
target for gossip and to just "deal with it". As she says,
it's just a part of human conditioning and that you can't
do anything about it. It almost means you've "arrived", a
signal of success.

What she also shared with me is that if people are
criticizing you, it's almost never about you, but about
them. When you put yourself out there in a BIG way, realize
there WILL be a backlash. I believe it threatens or
intimidates people when you have the courage to stand out a
little bit more. It's that Tall Poppy syndrome that
Australians talk about, meaning, tall poppies need to be
cut down when they grow higher than other flowers in the
field. Funny enough, poppies are one of my very favorite
flowers and I have paintings of them in my office. Perhaps
I was born to be a tall poppy. What about you?

The solution for getting over the fear of criticism from
getting bigger is to come from a place of Compassion and
Purpose. Compassion because I believe that deep down,
people don't mean to be malicious, it's just their own
"stuff" that comes up, feelings of inadequacy or jealousy,
that they haven't arrived yet.

Their personal issues are not your problem, so ignore them,
with compassion, especially if you've been there too at one
point. And Purpose because, when you stay focused on the
purpose for your business (helping OTHERS), then anything
else becomes secondary, even if it hurts sometimes. Focus
on your leadership and power as being something that SERVES
others, not hurts others and you'll shine and then give
others permission to shine.

In a battle between Fear of Criticism and Helping Others,
courage will take you through the fear and into doing the
right thing, despite what snippy people will say. The
bottom line is, the ‘yummy' people will stay and
that's all that matters: "Those Who Mind Don't Matter and
Those Who Matter Don't Mind." – Dr. Seuss.

Your Assignment:

Have you been holding yourself back in marketing because of
fear of growing too big and being criticized? You've heard
me say this a thousand times: "It's your DUTY to get out
there and market your services in a big way because it's
your DUTY to help others." Your fear of criticism is simply
your ego wanting to protect itself from the unknown,
wanting you to stay small and stay safe. Fact is, it
doesn't serve you or anyone else to stay small.

Look at fear in the face and start thinking about the
worst-case-scenario. What's the worst that can happen if
you get criticized a little? Would you die? Probably not.
Would you survive? Probably yes. THEN, look at all the
upsides to moving through your fear of growing your
business bigger. List all the wonderful things that would
come from it and live from THAT place. Remember, Successful
People feel the fear, and they do it anyway. And now it's
your turn (and mine). :)

If you're not sure what you need to do to get out there in
a BIGGER way with your marketing, in the first place, then
it's time to take action and invest in a step-by-step
marketing system that will feel easy and authentic to you.

----------------------------------------------------
The Client Attraction Home Study System™ avoids all
the unnecessary stuff and instead gives you the most
important things to do to get out there in a big way, set
up simple, solid systems, so you consistently fill your
pipeline and continually get new clients. It's all
step-by-step, So easy. All the tools, scripts, templates,
and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. You can
get it at http://www.TheClientAttractionSystem.com .

Foreign Background Checks, What You Need to Know

Foreign Background Checks, What You Need to Know
I’ve been doing international background checks along
with all of our domestic business since 1995 when we were
asked to background check 5500 aircraft engineers for the
Boeing buyout of McDonnell Douglass. I vividly remember
calling a large international security company and asking
about what kinds of criminal history info was available
from Italy. After much dodging and hesitating by the
salesman on the other end of the phone (this was before I
was on the internet) told me that their criminal history
checks consisted of a MEDIA check in the area where the
person is from. I was flabbergasted to say the least. I
remember saying, “Are you trying to tell me that if a
person’s crime made it into the newspaper that that
is the only source of your info?” He was ashamed to
admit it, but it was true.

SURPRISING FACT # 1. Many companies sell media look-ups as
a criminal history report. I know this sounds insane, but
I’m not kidding. The crime has to make it into the
newspaper or they have nothing to report. And what about a
person’s trial results? That has to make it into the
newspaper too for you to get a disposition. Unfortunately
that exact kind of thing is still very common today. These
companies that sell these reports always have a made up
name for that kind of service to make it sound like you are
really buying something useful. They usually package it
with a check of the International Terrorist Watch List and
the OFAC watch list, both of which you can do for free in
minutes.

Despite what you may have heard, or thought you knew,
international criminal checks are still very much a crap
shoot. In some countries they are inexpensive, contain what
we Americans know as both misdemeanor and felony crimes
– arrests and convictions, are timely and accurate,
such as Australia. Other countries just don’t
consider criminal records to be public information,
therefore accessible by the public, like France.

SURPRISING FACT # 2. Many countries don’t make their
criminal records available to anyone. France doesn’t
think that anyone has the right to know if their proud
citizens are criminals. Don’t believe me? Call the
French Embassy in Washington. That’s what I did.

The internet is full of companies that say that they can
get criminal history records from many countries that I
know for a fact don’t provide criminal records to
anyone. In Great Britain you can get what is called a
Clearance Certificate from Scotland Yard. It tells you
that the person has, or doesn’t have a criminal
record, but it doesn’t tell you what the criminal
record is!

SURPRISING FACT # 3. Many countries criminal history
reports are not worth the paper they are written on. One
good example of this is Mexico. As in many third world
countries their record keeping system is like it was here
before computers. They couldn’t find the records if
they wanted to. India has antiquated records keeping, but
they at least make an effort to help.

Another example is China, but for a different reason. With
everything controlled by the state it make sense that you
will get what the state wants you to get. If you were
hiring a software engineer from China for example, and you
want to assure yourself that he/she is not a commie spy,
good luck. You are going to get just what they want you to
see.

I once called the Egyptian Embassy in Washington and asked
how to get official criminal records. The man on the other
end of the phone told me to send him $200 and he would send
me the records. I said that I wanted to know the normal
procedure for obtaining records so that I could do it now
and in the future. He said, “OK, send me $150 and I
get you the records.” I quickly realized that
dealing with him was like dealing with a middle eastern rug
merchant. Since talking to him didn’t work I called
the US Embassy in Cairo and asked them how to get the
records.

SURPRISING FACT # 4. In many countries the only way to get
a REAL criminal history report is to have the
“applicant” get it himself or herself. The
Philippines is a good example of this. But beware there
are vendors in Manila that make fake documents for
employment purposes. Always get the original document, not
a copy, and verify it with the person who signed it.

In some countries an “applicant” can only get
the criminal history report if he/she is applying for a
visa to work in the US. Since most countries want their
workers to work in the US they supply them with the
documentation. Singapore and the Republic of China (Taiwan)
are two examples.

CANADA: We can get records from Canada. In fact we can get
what is the equivalent of our FBI records, but it requires
fingerprints and can take 90+ days. I always ask my
clients, “If you would like me to order the records,
your “applicant” has to get fingerprinted, send
the fingerprint card to me in California whereupon I mail
it to the RCMP in Ottawa, wait 90 days get it back and I
charge you $100, or would you rather have it today for
free?” How, you may ask? Answer: Have the applicant
go get the record himself. Every police station, be it
city, provincial or RCMP can process your records request
while they wait. Again, ask to see the original document
and you can reimburse the applicant for the report if you
like.

NOTE: If a Canadian has a criminal record, one of two
things will happen. Either he/she will make an excuse as
to why they can’t get the record from the police, or
you will never see them again. They are not going to
bother getting a record if they know that you thus will not
hire them. Oh, and if you want me to order the records for
you from Ottawa, the applicant still has to go to the
police station to get fingerprinted, so he might as well
get the record while he is there.

I could go on and on, but the bottom line is: READ THE FINE
PRINT. Do not buy from a service that will not tell you
the source of the records. Ask how current the info is and
ask if it contains what we in the US consider misdemeanor
and felony arrests and convictions or dispositions.

If you have any doubts about the accuracy of the info in
this article or what you’ve been told by another
international background check company, call the Embassy
in Washington for the respective country you are concerned
about. Ask to speak to the legal attaché. Ask them
how one obtains REAL criminal history records from that
country. That’s what I did, and that’s how I
started doing REAL international background checks.
That’s why I am an expert that other people call.

----------------------------------------------------
Kit Fremin is the owner and founder of Background Check
International. Since 1994 BCI has served clients a varied
as: the LA Times, Department of Defense, Mars, Inc., the
UN, the NTSB and Calvary Chapels nationwide. His website
is: http://www.bcint.com and he can be e-mailed at
kit@bcint.com.

Mom Entrepreneurs: 7 Ways to Find More Time

Mom Entrepreneurs: 7 Ways to Find More Time
You have the best job in the world, the most difficult,
demanding, stressful, rewarding job in the world; you are a
mom. Of all the jobs you could ever have, it’s
important for you to recognize that this is the most
important. Lucky for you, since you are a business owner
as well, most women are natural-born multi-taskers. Being
a mom and a business owner is unquestionably a huge
challenge. Finding a way to balance everything while still
having time for you can seem virtually impossible. Between
meetings, maintaining your home, soccer games, changing
diapers and so much more, how can you possibly find the
time you need to get it all done? The following are some
tips that may help you to find the extra time that you need
to create that healthy balance between business and family
that all busy moms want to maintain:

1. Keep an agenda. Schedule your work time and your family
time in advance. At the beginning of each week, schedule
some family outings or activities. Don’t wait until
the end of your work day when you are too tired to schedule
these activities or else you may find yourself penciling in
TV time instead. Don’t let your work time intrude on
your family time. Your schedule should be based on your
priorities.

2. Make a to-do list. This is a simple step that can help
you get big results. You will be surprised at how much more
productive you will be by taking this small action. Make a
list of the things you would like to accomplish each day at
work and at home. A list will help to keep you on track
and focused. Being focused will allow you to get things
done faster, and as a result, you will simply accomplish
more.

3. Look for ways to cut down on everyday tasks. For
example, when making supper, make enough so that you have
leftovers. This will allow you to either freeze them for
another supper, or have them at lunch the next day. Try to
find a grocery store in your area that provides a delivery
service. These changes alone will save you a substantial
amount of time that could be spent with your family.

4. Delegate. If you have employees, take some of the less
important tasks off your plate and delegate. If you don't
have employees, you can outsource to gain extra time.
Today there are very few tasks that can’t be
outsourced. Virtual Assistants can handle administrative
functions, Accountants and Bookkeepers can manage your
finances and there are even companies to which you can
outsource your sales or customer service duties.

5. Delegate some more. Get your entire family involved in
household maintenance. Giving your children a few small
chores to do might upset them, but the extra time that you
are able to spend with them will make it worth the fuss.
Remember, the less you have to do yourself, the more time
you will be able to spend with your family.

6. Avoid distractions while working. If you are a
work-from-home mom, the distractions you face on a daily
basis can seem never-ending. Establish some simple rules
for your friends, family and for yourself. Set work hours
and stick to them. Inform your family and friends of these
hours so that they know not to drop by for an unexpected
visit or call to chat. If possible, don’t answer
personal calls during work hours. If you have very young
children, consider hiring a babysitter for a few hours a
day to allow you some uninterrupted work time.

7. If possible, only check your email 3-4 times a day at
set times. Although email was created to be a time-saver,
in some cases it has the opposite effect and can actually
be counter productive.

It may seem impossible at times, but there are ways to
increase the amount of quality time you have for your
family and yourself each day. These are simple steps that
make only small changes in your day, but may allow you to
gain some extra hours with your family. It is possible to
have it all and to have it balanced as well.

----------------------------------------------------
Kelly Sims is a Virtual Assistant and President of
Virtually There VA Services. To find out more about
virtual assistance and how using a Virtual Assistant can
simplify your life and increase your profitability, visit
her website at => http://www.virtuallythereva.com . While
you’re there, don’t forget to sign up for her
free monthly newsletter providing useful information that
enhances and simplifies the lives of busy entrepreneurs.