Give your Tarp a Longer Life with Tarp Accessories

Give your Tarp a Longer Life with Tarp Accessories
Tarpaulins are great and very necessary items to have,
because you can use them to provide protection from the
elements for just about anything you need to cover. They
even provide coverage in arctic temperatures, such as with
our silver heavy-duty tarpaulin. Our white heavy-duty
tarpaulin, as with our silver heavy-duty tarpaulin, resists
mildew, is waterproof, and is also acid and tear resistant.

However, it's quite likely that you won't need just
tarpaulins. There are a variety of accessories you can use
with tarpaulins that not only make them easier to use and
more utilitarian, but they may also be able to extend a
tarpaulin's life so that you get more use out of it. Always
a good thing, because it saves you money in the end. Here
are some of our most popular accessories.

First on the list of tarpaulin accessories you might need
is a "grabber." A grabber works like a grommet, but it's
virtually indestructible. It's up to four times stronger
than the traditional grommet. Simply add one anywhere you
need it. Grabbers work on both canvas and poly tarpaulins.
Grabbers are made of heavy duty plastic and are especially
useful; if you lose grommets off of your tarpaulin, you can
simply replace them with some grabbers. This saves you both
time and money, because you can just put them in your
pocket and carry them with you. No time lost on the job
because you suddenly can't tie your tarpaulin down. And
because grabbers are virtually indestructible, they'll
stand up under any conditions.

Next, you might need some bungees. Bungees are great
because you can tie your tarpaulin down on top of whatever
you need to protect, or you can wrap what you need to
protect in your tarpaulin and bungee it shut. This provides
extra protection from the weather, thus protecting your
valuable property. When you use a bungee (or more than one)
to secure your tarpaulin, it won't come off in strong wind
or blowing rain, for example. This protects your property
and saves you money, because you won't have to be replacing
damaged items. Bungees come in three different sizes, so
you can lash your tarpaulin down no matter how big the item
it's protecting is. They're a great way to secure projects
in inclement weather, or to protect items from the sun.

Third on the list of necessary accessories are yellow
snapper grommets. Yellow snapper grommets give you extra
tiedown points for your tarpaulin, so that you have extra
security and protection for your items when needed. No need
to risk damage to your property.

We also carry alternative spare grommets. Alternative spare
grommets can be used to replace worn-out grommets, or to
customize your own tarpaulins. These alternative spare
grommets can be carried anywhere, to repair the tarpaulins,
so that you don't lose time on the job you're working on.
They are a cheap and economical way to add extra grommets
to your tarpaulin, for light to medium duty use. (For extra
heavy-duty use, you might want to consider using our
Grabbers instead.)

Tarpaulin tape is indispensable, because it can repair
small tears or damage to tarpaulins, so that you don't have
to replace them. In fact, once you tape your tarpaulin, it
can be as leakproof as it was originally. In fact, tape is
one of the most useful accessories of all. Even with heavy
duty at tarpaulins, including our very popular silver
heavy-duty tarpaulin, tears or other damage can happen. We
carry tarpaulin tape in every color, so you can repair any
color tarpaulin; what's your color? We have silver
tarpaulin tape, white tarpaulin tape, blue tarpaulin tape,
green tarpaulin tape, and clear tarpaulin tape, so that you
can still fix your tarpaulin even if you can't find the
exact color you need. This way, you can still repair your
tarpaulin perfectly, and the repair won't be obvious. And
of course, clear tape will also work if the tarpaulin
itself is clear.

All of our accessories work with each type of tarpaulin we
carry. So if you've purchased a tarpaulin and it's gotten
damaged, you don't need to worry, and it's likely that your
tarpaulin won't even need replacing. You can repair it
quickly and cheaply with any of our accessories, and get
extended life from it. This is very cost effective, and
helps you get the most use out of your investment, so that
you don't have to buy a new tarpaulin every time you damage
it. This could get very expensive, so accessories will help
you save money in the end.

In addition, of course, these accessories make your
tarpaulin more useful. For example, bungees help you tie
down your tarpaulins effectively, while new grommets can
replace old ones and even save you time, since they can be
replaced right on the job.

----------------------------------------------------
Author Bob Page has worked in the poly tarps industry for
well over 25 years and has built up a wealth of knowledge
of the tarpaulin industry.
Bob can be contacted at Tarps-ToGo tel: 239 919 2923 email
bob@tarps-togo.com or the web site at
http://www.tarps-togo.com

Given Silica Dangers, Employer Compliance is a Must

Given Silica Dangers, Employer Compliance is a Must
Given what we know about the toxic, even fatal, effects of
silica exposure in the workplace, it is more vital than
ever for employers to comply with local, state, and federal
laws governing silica exposure. The crystalline toxin,
which causes such fatal diseases as silicosis, pneumonia
and even tuberculosis, is extremely dangerous - but with
the proper safety measures, silicosis and other
occupational diseases related to silica exposure are
entirely preventable.

What Should Employers Do?

Compliance with OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health
Administration) and MSHA (Mine Safety and Health
Administration) regulations is absolutely vital for
employers. Both OSHA and MHSA have established guidelines
for the safe amount of silica that workers may be exposed
to in any given shift. However, given broad medical
evidence for the dangers of silica exposure to workers,
mere compliance is no longer enough for employers.
Employers must be prepared to shoulder the burden of true
silica precautions that protect their workers and minimize
the chance of costly and lengthy silica litigation. For
example, employers should be prepared to provide disposable
or washable work garments and the proper washing facilities
so that workers do not take toxic silica dust home with
them. They should participate in surveillance and air
monitoring programs to assess and evaluate the amount of
silica dust workers are being exposed to. And they should
provide the best possible respiratory protection for
workers who will be exposed to toxic silica dust in the
normal course of business.

Negligence and Silica Law Suits

Unfortunately, silicosis has a long incubation period and
may not show up in exposed workers until years, even
decades, after original exposure. Silica litigation places
the burden of proof on employers who need to prove that
they were not negligent in their silica exposure. If
employers fail to prove that they provided the best
possible protection against silica exposure or are found to
have failed to fully follow health and safety regulations,
they are responsible for damages and compensation to
affected workers.

What To Expect In Silica Litigation

You've received medical attention for your silica-related
illness. You've consulted with an experienced silica
attorney who has verified that you could be eligible for
compensation and damages for your occupational silica
exposure. What does a silica litigation entail?

Expect the litigation process to be long and often
exhausting. As a silica litigant, you will be required to
disclose often sensitive medical information in the name of
the lengthy discovery process. Be ready to undergo an
Independent Medical Examination (IME) in which an
independent doctor diagnoses your silica-related illness
and evaluates your medical history. In addition, the
discovery process may uncover your employment and other
records. If your case does not settle, it will prepare for
jury trial.

Your attorney may hire an expert witness or two with
experience in silica exposure and other occupational
hazards. These experts will provide detailed testimony and
reports for trial. In addition, your attorney may stage a
mock trial or invest significant funds in exhibit and
technological preparation for trial day. These measures
will ensure that your testimony is both convincing and
compelling to a jury of your peers. If your silica law suit
is found in your favor, you may be eligible for monetary
compensation including but not limited to attorney's fees,
lost wages, pain and suffering, and future medical care.

----------------------------------------------------
Learn more about silica exposure at
http://silica.legalview.com/ and for more information on
other legal issues such as the Singulair risks, Chantix
side effects or potential for a levaquin class action
lawsuit, visit the LegalView homepage at
http://www.LegalView.com where individuals can find an
array of legal topics.

Should I Register A Company Or Just Apply For A Business Name?

Should I Register A Company Or Just Apply For A Business Name?
If you run your own business or are looking at starting one
you might be surprised to learn of all the great options
you would have if you were registered as a company in
Australia. You see as a company you get far more benefits
than a business does, as well as more freedom on how you
run your business.

When you registered as a business, you got the right to run
business practices under the name you chose for your
business. Basically just being able to use that name is all
you got out of registering.

If you consider registering as a company you will realize
there is a lot more you can do. As a company you only have
to register the business name you choose once in Australia.
With a business you have to register the name with each
state you choose to do business in. That makes for some
time consuming paper work, especially as you grow and add
more and more clientèle to your business.

Another benefit to registering as a company instead of a
business is you will seem a lot more serious about your
business this way. It can be pretty expensive to register a
company and keep up with the fees for running it as a
company. When you do it this way though you will show you
are more vested and serious about your business than just
paying the nominal business name registration fee.

Investors are more likely to want to work with you if you
are a company rather than a business too. The reason is
they don't want to be any more liable than they have to be
and when they see how serious you are about your business
they will be more likely to lend you the money you need for
your current projects.

One other benefit that you might really enjoy about having
a company compared to having a registered business name is
the liability you will have. As a company you are able to
have less liability and the company is responsible for
itself. You are vested personally in wanting this company
to succeed of course, but as a company your assets are
safe. If you ever have to go bankrupt all of your personal
assets should be fine, but the company assets will be sold
to cover debts.

You see having a company compared to having a business name
means a lot of differences in how you do business, and
possibly how well your business will do. If you truly want
what is best for your business, step up to the plate and
show how dedicated and serious you are about running your
business by registering as a company today. You business's
future may depend on it.

----------------------------------------------------
For questions on Registering new companies visit
http://www.companiesnow.com.au

Using Tarps for Agriculture

Using Tarps for Agriculture
In agriculture, the poly tarp has many important uses. You
can use it on the farm or the ranch, for example. Farmers
can use the modern poly tarp to protect crops and
equipment, shelter livestock, or temporarily repair a roof.
They can also be used during any time of the year under any
weather conditions. You can use them in any region or in
any climate condition. They are perfect for humidity, rain,
snow or even sun. Poly tarps are so versatile that they
have become an indispensable tool for farmers and ranchers.
However, there are special considerations you must take
into account during more extreme weather conditions; still,
poly tarp benefits far outnumber any disadvantages coming
from the extra maintenance required to keep poly tarps in
usable condition.

Animal Protection

Using a 100 x 100-inch heavy-duty poly tarp, you can
provide shelter for your livestock and protect them from
the elements. You can give them shade and give your animals
a place to get out of the hot sun or the driving rain. For
example, you can fasten the end of the tarp between two
trees, and form an open shelter or lean to for the animals.
If it's raining, construct the shelter on ground that's
elevated, so that the water will roll off and won't stand
in the shelter itself. You can also do this with a tarp
that is 60 x 100 inches and is made of heavy-duty poly as
well.

When you make a shelter for your animals, place the tarp
high enough so that the horns of the animals, such as those
from the bulls, do not brush against or possibly poke the
tarp. You should also not hang the tarp too high, because
this could cause rain to blow under the tarp and defeat its
protection to the animals.

You can also fashion a shelter for your animals by using
PVC pipe and creating a frame that you can then drape the
tarp over. You can secure the edges at the bottom of the
frame. This will let sides be created, which will give your
animals more shelter. Particularly when you deal with cows
or sheep, though, you should probably leave two sides open
and close two sides in. If you leave just one entrance or
exit point, this can cause your animals to panic so that
they might tear down the shelter and even hurt themselves.
Regardless, this would cause them not to have any
protection from the weather.

Protecting Equipment

Tarps come in a wide variety of sizes, so you can use them
to cover just about any type of equipment and machinery you
own on your ranch or farm. You can cover your tractor or
larger equipment such as threshing machines with them when
these pieces of equipment are not in use. This is
particularly of use if the region you live in is more
humid, such as the Northwest United States or the Northeast
and far Southern United States. In these particular
climates, dampness and humidity can cause vehicles and
equipment to rust. If you cover your vehicles with a tarp,
you'll offer them some protection from this oxidization,
which will extend the life of your equipment.

Protecting Crops

You can use lighter weight poly tarps to cover your crops
and protect them from an early frost or freeze. However,
you have to take care that moisture and water do not become
trapped beneath the tarp. If this happens, you'll
essentially be drowning your plants. In addition, be aware
that tarps can protect crops from being burned by the
intense sun, but it can also deprive them of the very light
they need that's vital to their survival.

You can also use tarps to line irrigation trenches and help
drive the water to specific areas. You can also use them to
cover haystacks and hay bales out in the field so that they
are protected from mold. The mold can be harmful to
livestock.

Protecting Outbuildings

Barns and other outbuildings can gain protection from
heavy-duty poly tarps. With a heavy-duty poly tarp, you can
repair a roof or block off an area in which you are going
to hose down livestock. Tarps are waterproof, so they
provide an efficient barrier against moisture between your
hose down area and your stalls, for example. Lighter and
less expensive blue poly tarps are often used to repair the
roofs of buildings (for example, the Army Corps of
Engineers uses them for disaster victims after tornadoes or
hurricanes and other disasters), but many farmers and other
property owners prefer heavy-duty poly tarps, which provide
added protection.

Heavy-Duty Poly Tarp Benefits

If you've been through a disaster stricken area, no doubt
you've seen the blue tarps utilized in homes where damage
has occurred. These are very effective even over the rather
long term. However, ranches and farmers usually prefer
heavy-duty tarps, because they are sturdier. They last
longer and can better stand up to adverse weather
conditions than can the less expensive but lighter weight
blue poly covers. In addition, heavy-duty tarps have UV
inhibitor protection added to them, which prolongs the
tarp's life during the very hot summer days. They can even
protect against reflected sun from the snow, which can be
equally damaging.

----------------------------------------------------
Author Bob Page has worked in the poly tarps industry for
well over 25 years and has built up a wealth of knowledge
of the tarpaulin industry.
Bob can be contacted at Tarps-ToGo tel: 239 919 2923 email
bob@tarps-togo.com or the web site at
http://www.tarps-togo.com

Why You Maybe Shouldn't Incorporate Your Small Business

Why You Maybe Shouldn't Incorporate Your Small Business
Incorporating a small business sometimes delivers big
benefits. Liability always gets limited at least a little
bit. And often times, incorporating means the business
reduces its income taxes or the payroll taxes or both.

But incorporating creates some extra costs and headaches.
And some business owners--in spite of the
benefits--probably should not incorporate. Consider these
risks and headaches:

Headache #1: Payroll

If you currently operate your business as a sole
proprietorship and you're the only worker, or you partner
with one or more people and only the partners work in the
business, you don't have to deal with employee payroll.

When you incorporate--even if you or you and your partner
are the only employees--you do have to do employee payroll.
Which is a headache.

Payroll processing costs money. You need to regularly
prepare payroll checks and deposits. You also need to
prepare quarterly payroll reports for Social Security,
Medicare, state unemployment and workers compensation
insurance. And you need to prepare annual payroll reports
like W-2s for employees and the annual federal unemployment
tax return.

In some cases, you will also increase the payroll taxes you
have to pay simply because you've recategorized a sole
proprietor or partner as an owner-employee.

The headache of payroll means you need to be cautious about
incorporating a one-man business or a business staffed by
its partners. The time and money related to processing
payroll easily costs a thousand dollars a year--which may
eat considerably into the savings or benefits associated
with incorporating. Bummer.

Headache #2: More Complicated Accounting and Taxes

Incorporating also creates a second and related-to-payroll
processing headache: Incorporation means that the business
requires more complicated tax accounting.

A sole proprietorship gets to report its income and
deductions inside the owner's individual tax return on a
one or two page, very simple Schedule C tax form.

In comparison, a corporation actually requires its own,
separate tax return for the federal income tax and state
income tax purposes. The returns can easily ten or twenty
pages--which means the returns require much more work to
prepare.

A corporation tax return also requires more tax law
knowledge--which usually means the small business owner
can't do the tax return him- or herself. The small business
corporation probably needs to have an accountant prepare
the tax return. And that's not cheap. A combined federal
and state corporation income tax return can easily cost
$1,000 or more when all is said and done.

Headache #3: State Registrations and Related Red-tape

One other incorporation headache must be considered by
small businesses considering the corporation option--the
darn paperwork.

Setting up a corporation automatically requires a certain
amount of paperwork and fiddling. On an annual basis, the
states in which the corporation operates also require
annual re-registration. In addition, corporations usually
require their shareholders, directors and officers to
conduct regular meetings and to maintain detailed records
of the items discussed at these meetings.

The work of registering and then annually re-registering
coupled with the extra organizational busywork mean that a
business owner shouldn't incorporate a business unless he
or she can confidently keep up with the study flow of
paperwork.

Summing Things Up

Can incorporation save your business taxes? Does
incorporation reduce your business liability? A resounding
"yes" answers both questions.

However, the tax saving and the liability protection costs
you at least one to two thousand dollars a year in extra
taxes. In addition, you'll have a lot more paperwork to
deal with.

In many cases, very small businesses--such as part-time,
hobby and home-based businesses--will not be able to
economically justify incorporation.

----------------------------------------------------
Accountant Stephen L. Nelson wrote the bestseller
QuickBooks for Dummies. He also edits the
http://www.llcsexplained.com and
http://www.scorporationsexplained.com web sites.

Entity Formation Fundamentals

Entity Formation Fundamentals
One of the most important steps in any tax strategy is
determining what entity should be formed to hold your
businesses and investments. For legal purposes, there are
four basic types of entities: sole proprietorship,
partnership, corporation and limited liability company. The
entity you choose should take into account both the tax
effects of the entity and the legal aspects of the entity.

-Sole Proprietorship-
Let's examine the tax and legal aspects of each entity,
beginning with the sole proprietorship. A sole
proprietorship is not really an entity. It's what happens
when you don't have an entity and you don't have any
partners. Sole proprietorship is the simplest form of
business. You simply report your income on Schedule C of
your personal income tax return. You don't have to keep a
balance sheet and only a limited income statement. Sounds
good, right? Wrong! This is one of the worst forms of
business both from a tax and a legal standpoint.

From a tax standpoint, not only will you pay income taxes
at your highest marginal tax rate on all of your income,
you will also pay self-employment taxes on 100% of your
income. And you will be at least 4 times more likely to be
audited by the IRS than any other business structure. So
unless you have a loss in your business, you will pay the
highest rate of tax in a sole proprietorship.

If that's not bad enough, the legal side of a sole
proprietorship is even worse. Not only are you liable for
all of your actions, you are personally liable for all of
the actions of your employees. Don't take our word for it;
ask your attorney. They will confirm that a sole
proprietorship provides absolutely NO asset protection.

So when would you use a sole proprietorship? ALMOST NEVER.
About the only time you might want to use a sole
proprietorship is for a side business where you are the
only owner, the only employee and there is very little
taxable income or even a loss. However, if you do use a
sole proprietorship because your business will have little
taxable income or even a loss, consider using an LLC for
legal purposes - it can still be a sole proprietorship for
tax purposes. LLCs are discussed in more detail below.

-Partnerships-
For tax purposes, there are two types of partnerships:
general partnerships and limited partnerships. General
partnerships are the simplest form of partnership. In a
general partnership, two or more people share all of the
management and operating responsibilities of the
partnership. In a limited partnership, only the general
partners share the management and operating
responsibilities. The limited partners are passive
investors.

For tax purposes, income and deductions of the partnership
are reported on Form 1065, which is a separate tax return
just for partnerships. The partners each receive a form K-1
that shows their share of each item of income or loss. The
income or loss from their K-1 is reported on their personal
income tax return. The partnership does not normally pay
any income taxes. Distributions from a partnership are not
normally taxed to the partners.

General partners are typically liable for all of the debts
of the partnership. This means that they can lose more than
the amount they have invested. If there is a lawsuit
against the partnership, the general partners normally are
"on the hook" for any judgments that are more than the
partnership itself can pay. Limited partners typically are
only liable for the amount of their actual investment.

General partners must pay social security taxes on their
share of all of the ordinary earnings from the partnership.
Limited partners normally are not subject to social
security taxes on any of their share of income from the
partnership.

-Corporations-
For tax purposes, there are two types of corporations: S
corporations and C corporations. S corporations are taxed a
lot like partnerships. The income is reported on a separate
tax return, an 1120S and the shareholders all receive a K-1
that shows their share of each item of income or loss. The
income or loss from their K-1 is reported on their personal
income tax return. The S corporation does not normally pay
any income taxes. Distributions from an S corporation are
not normally taxed to the shareholder. In addition, they
are not normally subject to social security taxes.

C corporations are different. C corporations have their own
set of tax laws, tax rates and they pay their own taxes.
They report their income on a form 1120 and pay tax
directly to the IRS. Shareholders of a C corporation are
only subject to tax on distributions from the corporation.
These distributions are referred to as dividends and they
are often taxed at lower rates than other income.

Shareholders of corporations are not normally liable for
the debts of the corporation unless they personally
guaranteed the debt. This means that shareholders normally
can only lose the amount they have invested in the
corporation

-Limited Liability Companies-
For tax purposes, limited liability companies can be taxed
as whatever tax entity the owners want them to be. The IRS
allows a limited liability company to decide how it wants
to be taxed. There are some fundamental principals that
apply to how LLC's are taxed.

Single-member LLC's, those with only one owner, are
normally taxed as sole proprietorships. The IRS calls this
a "disregarded entity." So, for tax purposes, the LLC is
ignored. However, the owner of an LLC can elect to have the
LLC taxed as a C corporation or an S corporation (subject
to the rules of ownership for S corporations).

Multi-member LLCs, those with two or more owners, are
normally taxed as partnerships. They can be taxed either as
a general partnership or a limited partnership, depending
on the responsibilities of the various members (owners).
However, the owners of an LLC can elect to have the LLC
taxed as a C corporation or an S corporation (subject to
the rules of ownership for S corporations). Whether and how
distributions from an LLC are taxed depends entirely on how
the members have elected to tax the LLC, i.e., as a
partnership, S corporation or C corporation, and follow the
distribution rules for the respective tax entity.

Like a corporation, owners of an LLC generally are not
liable for the debts of the company unless they personally
guarantee the debt. This means that LLC members normally
can only lose the amount they have invested in the
corporation.

----------------------------------------------------
Tom Wheelwright is not only the founder and CEO of
Provision, but he is the creative force behind Provision
Wealth Strategists. In addition to his management
responsibilities, Tom likes to coach clients on wealth,
business, and tax strategies. Along with his frequent
seminars on these strategies, Tom is an adjunct professor
in the Masters of Tax program at Arizona State University.
For more information please visit
http://www.provisionwealth.com

Tips to help you Decide on the Best Merchant Account for your Business

Tips to help you Decide on the Best Merchant Account for your Business
As a business owner who is deciding to expand into the e
commerce industry online, you need to have a reliable
merchant account. As there are many merchant account
companies providing service you must make your decision
with careful consideration.

Many merchant account providers insist that you lock into a
lengthy contract regardless of whether you end up liking
the service. As you do not want to be paying for a service
you do not want at the same time as having to pay for the
replacement, this must be a matter that is researched in
depth.

There are several helpful tips to take into consideration
when researching merchant account providers. Depending on
the size and type of business you have, you may have
varying needs in regards to providing e commerce choices to
your customers.

If you are a relatively new business or a small business
with limited funds you may want to consider using PayPal or
2Checkout as your merchant account provider thus enabling
the use of credit card processing.

Many small business owners who process up to $1000 per
month in credit card payments find the low fees charged by
PayPal and 2Checkout are extremely reasonable. If you are
considering processing more than $1000 per month in credit
card payments, you may want to look into other vendors.
When you are doing so, be sure to check each vendors
discount rate and the per transaction fees involved.

Although fees vary from vendor to vendor, the discount rate
refers to the actual percentage of the sale that the
merchant account provider will keep. There is normally a
separate rate for swiped and non-swiped transactions. Fees
for every processed transaction range in price on average
from 10 cents to 99 cents per sale.

If you plan to process smaller credit card payments of
under $25, you may want to consider choosing a vendor who
offers a higher discount fee with a lower per transaction
fee, as this will most likely save you money in the end.

There are many other things to consider when looking for
the right merchant account provider such as monthly
statement fees, gateway fees, annual membership fees,
equipment rental fees, batch fees, cancellation fees, and
the length of contract required.

Merchant account services have improved over the last few
years providing business owners lower fees, short-term or
even no contract options as well as customizable account
features. With many e commerce service providers competing
in an effort to attract new clientele; the competition
often results in lower fees and a better overall service.

When thoroughly researching several merchant account
providers, taking the time to compare the pros and cons of
each vendor will allow you to more easily come to a
decision on the best one to use for your own business needs.

----------------------------------------------------
Making money online is easy if you know how. Check out
Warren Knight's website at :
http://www.WorkAtHomeGoldRush.com where he shares with his
secrets and wealth formula that has allowed him to live his
life on a permanent vacation

ISO 14001 and Environmental Management

ISO 14001 and Environmental Management
There is an increasing emphasis on the management of
environmental factors affecting our personal lives, our
community and the world at large. As individuals, it is
difficult to see how our contribution can have any effect
on the grand scheme of things, but equally, any large scale
change comes about as a consequence of numerous small
changes. Individual initiatives tend to be focussed more on
cash savings than on the general good - no harm in that,
but overall, no great benefit either.

At the administrative level, much is being done by
government and by local authorities to conserve energy and
limit waste, particularly through recycling schemes, and
because this has a financial benefit to local authorities
through the levy on buried waste, and on individuals
through the reduction in energy costs, this will continue
for the foreseeable future.

The focus of this article is on the corporate approach to
environmental management.

Clearly, the benefits that accrue to individuals through
waste reduction and recycling schemes are available to
commerce and industry; however, additional benefits can
come from an independent recognition of an organisation's
commitment to environmental management. Stockholders have
come to recognise that a corporate concern for the
environment is good management practice, and that this good
practice can be a sign of excellence across the
organisation. Share price - a measure of management
success, is enhanced by this recognition. Share value
equals company value.

But what of this independent recognition? How is it
achieved and at what cost, and are the costs really matched
by the benefits?

Organisations large and small have adopted the ISO9001
Quality Management Standard as a mechanism to demonstrate
in some way their concern for customer and stakeholder
interests. Few companies of significance now operate
outside the ISO9001 registration scheme, and while some
might argue that ISO9001 has not materially affected their
business performance, a large proportion claim to hold on
to their registration simply because the market believes
differently.

Whatever the real truth may be, this one fact is clear;
companies holding an ISO9001 registration are well on the
way to being qualified for ISO14001 (Environmental
Management System) registration if the implementation is
carried out efficiently and effectively.

ISO14001 appears to be similar to its companion Standard
(ISO9001), but in detail its requirements are structured
with a different emphasis. While the 9001 document appears
to demand certain attributes and actions, its companion, in
essence, requires only that the organisation develops a
working program to move towards a series of environmental
improvements, over a time scale agreed amongst the
interested parties. In this way environmental improvement
is a steady improvement process structured to suit the
ability of the organisation to achieve its goals. This
steady improvement is in opposition to the ISO9001
structure that demands compliance from the outset.

ISO14001 has a number of documentation and operational
requirements, the 'housekeeping requirements 'aimed at
managing and monitoring the improvement in environmental
performance that already exist within the Quality
Management System, requiring comparatively little
adjustment to fit into an integrated management system.
Integrating the Environmental aspects of ISO 14001 into an
existing ISO9001 Quality Management System should therefore
be a straightforward task, dependant only on the manner in
which the original documentation was assembled. The
application of these Standards can be a straightforward
matter, however, only when there is a clear understanding
of the intent, as opposed to the letter, of each
requirement, with effort being applied to minimising the
bureaucracy of the application. Unfortunately, the reverse
was often true during the early days of ISO9001
implementation, with the quality of the application task
being measured by the quantity of documents produced.

For achieving maximum benefit from a Dual Standard
management system, a review of the original documentation
followed by a rationalisation exercise is the ideal route.
Having reached a stable and acceptable system, compliant
with the Quality Management Standard, the development of an
integrated system combining the Standard for Quality and
Environment is comparatively straightforward.

Organisations determined to adopt this route should beware
of consultants offering to carry out the task for the
traditional 'Daily Rate' compensation. That method of
payment for services leads inevitably to overpayment, due
either to greed or a lack of understanding on the part of
the contractor.

----------------------------------------------------
Meon Consulting, founded by Ed Bones, was formed to assist
clients with managing their businesses in a manner
compliant with ISO9001/14001. Ed had earlier held a number
of senior posts with Hi-Tech companies in the UK, Europe
and USA. He has written and lectured on full range of
topics on quality improvement and TQM.
http://www.rent-an-auditor.co.uk .To obtain your FREE
Presentation please visit
http://www.rent-an-auditor.co.uk/contactus.html

Mileage Log - Life Gets Simpler with a Digital Mileage Log!

Mileage Log - Life Gets Simpler with a Digital Mileage Log!
Mileage log - The mere mention of this term can cause a
panic attack in some folks. If you've ever needed to keep
track of your mileage, then you probably know exactly what
I am talking about.

In the "old" days when your only alternative was some form
of manually keeping track of your mileage, this little
report could turn into a real chore if not a nightmare very
quickly.

A mileage log really is essential to anyone who needs to
keep track of their automobile's mileage. And doing it the
old-fashioned manual way simply wasn't fun at all.
Necessary? Yes. Fun? Absolutely not!

However, things have changed for the better in the digital
age. There is a relatively new little digital device that
automatically takes care of recording all of the info
needed to create and accurately maintain your mileage log.
It's called a "digital mileage log" and it's amazing.

Smaller than a dollar bill, it's portable and very easy to
use as well! Just plug it into your auto's cigarette
lighter and then turn it on when you begin the trip and off
at the end. Your mileage data will then be transmitted the
company's website. Then you can login, make any necessary
notes and shazaam! The mileage log you want is ready to be
printed for your expense account report, tax audit or
whatever.

The digital mileage log will put an end to all of the
problems associated with manually tracking your mileage.
You'll never have to keep track of the little scraps of
paper you used to use to write down your mileage figures.
Reports will be a breeze - the digital mileage log takes
care of everything for you.

Believe me, this little gizmo will make your life so much
better - your manual records will be a thing of the past
and you'll marvel at how you did without this digital
mileage log for so long!

Gasoline prices are going crazy in 2008 and consequently
the Federal income tax deduction for business mileage is
over $0.50 per mile right now. It's become essential to
keep accurate track of your mileage. If you're not doing
so, you are leaving money on the table. Plus with the
higher deduction for mileage, the IRS will be demanding a
more detailed and accurate mileage log.

If keeping track of your business mileage is important to
you, you really need to get yourself a digital mileage log.
You'll be amazed at just how simple and easy it can be
maintaining your mileage log.

----------------------------------------------------
For more information on how to produce your mileage log
faster and easier than ever before, visit
http://Mileage-Log-Made-Easy.com

Cultural Diversity Is An Opportunity!

Cultural Diversity Is An Opportunity!
Cultural diverstiy within your business is an opportunity
and needs to be embraced as one. Just take a look around
you. Opportunity abounds because our world is a diverse
place. Whether you have come to realize it or not as a
small business owner, your awareness and respect of
cultural diversity in the workplace truly matters to your
employees and your client base. If you want your business
to be successful and competitive in the future, you will
have to utilize these human resources and participate in
these diversity trends. As we move further along in the
21st century, it will be necessary for business owners to
compete in a more global arena. And that will apply to even
the smallest small business. Because whether your company
is global or not you will eventually have to compete with
those that are.

Successfully managing cultural diversity in the workplace
is a challenge, but one that can be overcome and taken
advantage of. The people you hire will always have diverse
cultural backgrounds. And that culture is not just based on
the color of their skin. They come from different
countries, states, regions, and neighborhoods. They can
tell you things about places you've probably never been and
are not likely to visit anytime soon. They'll be of
different genders and social backgrounds. And they'll
things know of things that can impact your business either
now or in the future.

Cultural diversity in the workplace can help improve the
company's competitive position in the marketplace.
Marketing programs nowadays are constantly geared toward
individual ethnic groups. Take for example the changes that
have come to big box stores such as Walmart and Target.
Once upon a time they believed that what sold well in
places like Green Bay, Wisconsin and Seattle, Washington
would sell just as well in San Antonio, Texas, and San
Diego, California. They didn't care about who the actual
consumers in those areas were.

Everybody wants the same things right? So all their stores
were shipped the same things. Well they've since woken up
to the truth. Different cultures demand different
products! Now many of the largest chains in the world have
given their stores the ability and resources to buy locally.

The management of cultural diversity in the workplace can
be considered a response to the need to recognize, respect
and capitalize on the different backgrounds in our society
in terms of race, ethnicity, and gender. Whether you
realize it or not every day you are exposed to different
forms of cultural diversity. From what you watch on tv,
where you shop, and the places you vacation.

Your small business is a team and just like any team it
should be built to take advantage of its strengths and to
minimize its weaknesses. Differences among team members can
strengthen the bonds formed with clients and customers
throughout the world. Ethnic diversity in the workplace
enables businesses to serve a broader base of clients with
ease. Workers can better relate with clients because more
often than not your clients are likely to be just as
diverse as you. In diversity you'll find that you share a
lot of common ground with your clients. In diversity you'll
find strength!

Businesses that have incorporated diverse training into
their strategies have found that the benefits of
incorporating diverse talent into the workforce not only
improves productivity, but also creates a well balanced
pool of knowledge, experience and creativity. Promoting
diversity within the workplace can produce lasting results.
Results that will reverberate within your business for many
years to come.

Promoting cultural and ethnic diversity in the workplace
should begin before you hire even your first employee. You
need to be aware of its strength and the strength that can
be brought to your organization by embracing it!

----------------------------------------------------
Cash Miller is an experienced entrepreneur and speaker who
has spent over a decade as a small business owner. His
years of experience in small business cover such topics as
planning, management, marketing, human resources,
ecommerce, and taxation. If you are looking for more
information on this subject and others related to starting
and running a small business you can visit his website at
http://www.SmallBusinessDelivered.com

Time To Boost Business With A Fresh Conversation

Time To Boost Business With A Fresh Conversation
Have you ever noticed how often your conversations are ...
"reruns?" And have you given any thought to how that
pattern is helping or stifling your business growth?

Let me explain what I mean.

We each tend to spend time with the same people in the same
environments, read the same type of books, watch the same
genre of movies or television programs, follow the same
sporting events... Year after year. Meeting after meeting.
Conversation after conversation. There's nothing wrong with
that ... unless you never create the space for 'new'
conversations.

Many of my clients (financial advisors and business owners)
comment that they're overworked and overwhelmed and don't
have time to think about their business from a new
perspective. And they believe they'd uncover new
perspective if they could just carve out time on their
workday calendar to think.

But they seldom create that time. AND when they do, they
discover that thinking time is not a guaranteed source of
new ideas.

What about leisure time? Well most of us repeat the same
behaviors and same conversations each evening, each
weekend, each vacation. We gather with friends and family
for repeat events and catch up on the same topics we spoke
of the last time we were together.

If you want new ideas, you need new information, new
experiences, and new conversations that change your
thoughts.

I learned this first hand when I moved to New York to work
for Avon Products and needed to find a place to live. My
new 'landlord' was a guy who'd been living in the apartment
the longest - a law school student who had turned down
Harvard in order to join the first law class of Queens
College. The new program emphasized public service law.

One of my other roommates was an opera student, working
evenings as an usher at the Metropolitan Opera House, while
being taught by one of the luminaries of the opera world.
And the third was an independent filmmaker.

And who was I in this mix? An MBA graduate doing strategic
planning for Avon's eight Pacific Rim markets.

We had very little in common in terms of background or work
experiences. So 80 percent of our conversations over many
evenings and weekends were new, fresh, and unexpected. That
time together shaped each of our lives, our choices and the
opportunities we uncovered.

Now I DON'T want you to think that the goal is to have new
conversations 80 percent of your time. It would be
wonderful if it could happen even 20 percent of your day,
but that's probably unrealistic too.

So let me share 3 DO's that create 'moments' when 80
percent of the conversation is 'new.'

DO Mix up the people you're spending time with.

This past week, for example, I shared wine and fine food
with an eclectic group of people - a bankruptcy attorney, a
music producer, a landscape architect, a technology expert,
a CEO of a symphony orchestra. Over the past years, a small
group of us has been the catalysts for these gatherings.

Each of us in is different professions and have completely
different groups of colleagues and friends. We started with
four or five people and invite others who enjoy wine and
conversation and set dates to get together.

Bringing changing mixes of people together has ensured
we've had unexpected conversations. Our discussion this
time lasted for nearly six hours. And less than 20 percent
of our talk was on topics we usually spend time on.

DO Change the locations where you gather.

We've invited people to join us anywhere wine and food
could easily and comfortably be enjoyed. So sometimes we
meet at restaurants, with the clatter of people coming and
going. Other times we meet in conference rooms of office
buildings, using their long table to spread out more than
20 bottles of wine in paper wrappers for an evening of wine
tasting. We've even gathered in homes, standing around the
kitchen and chatting while making the meal.

DO Hold on to your curiosity.

It's all about attitude. Everyone who sat around the table
this week enjoyed the mystery of being with new people and
the possibilities that creates. Wine tasting is our excuse
for coming together and less than 20 percent of our
conversation.

Whether you meet over wine, or at a non-profit activity, or
hiking, or playing golf, use these DO's to meet people you
don't yet know, to rejoice in the fresh conversations and
stir up new possibilities in your business and life.

----------------------------------------------------
Management expert, consultant, and coach Linda Feinholz is
"Your High payoff Catalyst." Linda publishes the free
weekly newsletter The Spark! to subscribers world-wide and
delivers targeted solutions, practical skills and simple
ways to build your business. If you're ready to focus on
your High Payoff activities, accelerate your results and
have more fun at it, get your FREE tips like these visit
her site at http://www.YourHighPayoffCatalyst.com

Coaching Skills Training: Coaching and Personality Disorders

Coaching Skills Training: Coaching and Personality Disorders
When I train managers as coaches I always warn them to
respect the power of coaching questions and to recognize
the possibility that what starts as an innocuous, business
related conversation, may lead to the unveiling of a deeper
issue. Coaching managers would be advised to develop at
least a little insight into the signs of abnormal
psychology. Consider for example, the two main types of
personality disorder, Multiple Personality and Antisocial
Personality Disorder.

Multiple Personality

It is increasingly being recognized that it may be possible
for more than one personality to exist within the same
individual. This is a fascinating area of abnormal
psychology but must not be confused with schizophrenia
which is about divisions within one personality.

In studying sufferers of this condition, psychologists and
other observers may notice two or more distinct
personalities emerging. The emergence of one of the
'alternative' personalities will be marked by obvious
changes in posture, language and tone. Sometimes that
alternative personalities may not be aware of the existence
of each other and each can be quite different - a kind of
'good side' and 'bad side' of the same person.

It is thought that the condition arises when an individual
slips into a kind of self hypnosis or fugue state perhaps
to cope with a traumatic experience such a physical abuse.
If this works as a source of relief, the method is used
again and again until the alternative personalties become
more or less fixed and capable of being summoned at will.

Thigpen and Cleckley (1954) uncovered 'Eve White,' 'Eve
Black' and 'Eve Grey' within the same young lady, each with
a very different personality. It is easy to see why, in
less sophisticated times, sufferers would be dismissed as
being possessed.

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Once called Psychopaths or Sociopaths, the distinguishing
feature for sufferers of this condition is that there is
little if any personal trauma. The sociopath is perfectly
self-content but a danger to society as the condition is
marked by an absence of morality or conscience.

Symptons include: emotional flatness and a lack of empathy,
a disposition towards senseless, often violent crime and a
tendency towards lying, theft and vandalism.

Treatment is very difficult; Imprisonment simply gives
access to other criminals, physical punishment is
counter-productive and psychotherapy usually fails to bring
about the required insight. Moderate, non-institutional
punishment is considered most effective.

The sociopath has provided a rich vein of source material
in recent times for the writers and producers of written
and filmed thrillers. The most (in)famous example being
Thomas Harris's creation Dr Hannibal Lekter.

What then of the coaching manager who perhaps unwittingly
uncovers signs of such issues when coaching around workload
management or time keeping? Best advice would seem to be to
keep to good coaching principles. Ask questions designed to
raise awareness, generate responsibility and build trust
then listen carefully and attentively to the responses.
This is highly unlikely to make things worse and may
actually do quite a lot of good.

After that, it's a question of referring the coachee to the
relevant professional. For this reason I recommend that all
coaching managers familiarize themselves with their
organization's welfare procedure.

----------------------------------------------------
Matt Somers is a coaching practitioner of many years'
experience. He works with a host of clients in North East
England where his firm is based and throughout the UK and
Europe. Matt understands that people are working with their
true potential locked away. He shows how coaching provides
a simple yet elegant key to this lock. His popular
mini-guide "Coaching for an Easier Life" is available FREE
at http://www.mattsomers.com

Online Video Marketing, How-To Style

Online Video Marketing, How-To Style
Smart companies with an online presence already know that
providing consumers and clients useful information, whether
it directly relates to their products or services or not,
is what captures attention. This is the key to internet
marketing.

E-newsletters have become more generalized in the scope of
their information and often include how-to information. For
example consumers can learn how to look for the right
lawyer (from a law firm), how to stave off stress (from a
productivity consultant), or how to choose a fine wine
(from a realtor serving a Baby Boomer clientele with
interests in fine wine).

Online video marketing is evolving, too, from efforts to
win product placement and mentions in YouTube videos and
MySpace fare to consumer-friendly how-to videos on
individual business Web sites.

Sites inviting how-to videos include www.LinkedIn.com,
www.NetworkingforProfessionals.com,

www.ExpertVillage.com,
www.VideoJug.com and www.howcast.com. More solo
professionals and companies also are posting how-to videos
on their own Web sites.

Five Smart Tips to Launch Your How-To Online Video
Marketing Reach:

1. Capitalize on your how-to knowledge. If you are a
consultant, create a one-minute or five-minute online video
featured on your Web site on how to start a business, grow
a business, or find a consultant. If you are a maker of
home improvement supplies, create an online video on how to
fix a problem. The goal is to provide useful information,
which creates three advantages: 1.) increasing Web site
traffic from consumers who will return for more useful
information in the next online videos; 2.) positioning of
yourself or your business as an "expert" in the field, and
3.) earning consumer trust.

2. Tap existing sources for how-to ideas.Go to your
favorite Internet search engine, and type in "how-to video"
plus a word or few words describing your field. Take your
cue from what's already been created. Go to www.5min.com
for sample how-to videos on how to fix things, build things
or solve a problem. This, too, can be a springboard to
inspire ideas and formats for your how-to online video.

3. Be direct. Use online video formats to show how to use
your product or service, and employ the free and more
persuasive use of "real" customers who can say how they
benefited and be featured making use of the product or
service as you describe the steps.

4. Create new revenue streams. Your how-to online videos
can be sponsored, become a selling point to Web site
advertisers or become the basis for a co-branding marketing
campaign with a product or service complementary to your
own.

5. Maximize your online video reach. The number of online
social networking sites that allow you to upload video is
increasing exponentially. MySpace.com is still the leader,
but Facebook.com is growing at a faster rate., and
Squidoo.com has evolved into a top expertise-sharing site.
LinkedIn.com is the most direct way to reach professionals
with services and products. NetworkingforProfessionals.com
is another way to share videos with professionals who might
become your future clients.

----------------------------------------------------
Ruth Klein is an award-winning business owner, best-selling
author and marketing and time management consultant whose
clients range from solo entrepreneurs to the Fortune 500.
Sign up to receive Ruth's 7 Part Mini-Course on Branding
and Productivity. http://tinyurl.com/25tqo5

Is Your LLC a Sole Proprietorship, a Partnership, a C Corporation or an S Corporation?

Is Your LLC a Sole Proprietorship, a Partnership, a C Corporation or an S Corporation?
The Limited Liability Company (LLC) is a terrific tax
entity. The number one reason is its flexibility.
Specifically, an LLC can be taxed as:

a sole proprietorship
a partnership
a C corporation
an S corporation

An LLC is not a tax entity, it is a legal entity. As such,
an LLC can choose how it wants to be taxed.

Do you know how your LLC is taxed? If your LLC did not
make an election, then it is taxed as the "default
classification." The default classifications are:

If your LLC has one member (owner), then it is disregarded
for tax purposes. This means that all the LLC activity is
reported by the owner and the LLC files no separate federal
tax return.

Important note: Some sates require disregarded LLCs to
file a state tax return.

If your LLC has more than one member, then it is taxed as a
partnership and files a partnership tax return.

*Special rule*
If you and your spouse are the only owners, then you can
choose which of the two classifications you want to use.

If your LLC made an election, then your LLC is taxed as a C
Corporation or an S Corporation.

Do you need to make an election for your LLC to be taxed as
a C Corporation or an S Corporation?

This election is typically recommended for operating
businesses that are profitable. This election is
typically not recommended for LLCs that hold investments,
such as stock or real estate. LLCs that hold investments
are typically best left in their default classification.

When should your LLC make the election to be taxed as a C
corporation or an S corporation?

Once you have determined your LLC needs to make the
election, you then need to consider the rules of when the
election can be made:

General rule: The election can take effect up to 75 days
prior to the date the election is filed and up to 12 months
after the election is filed.

Example: An LLC files its election to be taxed as a
corporation on October 15th. The effective date for the
tax election can be as early as August 2nd (75 days prior
to October 15th) or as late as October 15th of the
following year or any date in between.

*Special rule*
For newly formed LLCs, in most cases, the LLC can file the
election as late as the original due date of the first
corporate tax return and the election is effective as of
the first day of the LLC.

Example: An LLC is formed on May 1, 2008. The LLC files
its election to be taxed as a corporation by March 15, 2009
which is the due date of the first corporate tax return.
The effective date of the election can be as early as May
1, 2008.

Understanding the fundamentals of entities, particularly
LLCs, is a key part of building a wildly successful tax
strategy.

----------------------------------------------------
Tom Wheelwright is not only the founder and CEO of
Provision, but he is the creative force behind Provision
Wealth Strategists. In addition to his management
responsibilities, Tom likes to coach clients on wealth,
business, and tax strategies. Along with his frequent
seminars on these strategies, Tom is an adjunct professor
in the Masters of Tax program at Arizona State University.
For more information please visit
http://www.provisionwealth.com

Strategic Alliances with Marketing Professionals

Strategic Alliances with Marketing Professionals
Among business professionals, the most difficult obstacle
is taking the time out of running the business to market
it. Of course, this is a catch 22 because if you don't
take the time market your business, then there will not be
a business to run.

Time and time again, marketing becomes a lower and lower
priority until it becomes a problem. Then companies have to
put far more time and energy into the marketing than
originally needed. Any MBA will tell you that they were
taught to ensure that a marketing plan should be put into
place and a budget established, yet many companies are
without them.

Does your company need professional help?

Aligning your business with a marketing firm may be a great
asset. Marketing professionals devise personalized
marketing plans that address your specific market. They
have experience in how to best get the attention of your
target market, and they can customize your plan to fit your
needs, including your budget.

Half of the battle in getting your business in front of
customers is determining the most effective way to do this.
Of course, as a successful business owner, you can
determine this on your own. However, what you have to ask
yourself is "how is my time best spent?" Hypothetically,
if you could close a deal with a client that made you
$50,000, then it would be more appropriate to focus on your
clients - and pay the marketing professionals $500 to put
together a plan for you. As the saying goes, you have to
spend money to make money.

Finding the right marketing alliance

When it comes to choosing the right marketing company to
align with, consider them carefully. You want to be in a
partnership here with someone who truly believes in what
you do.

Interview them and ask specific questions about their plan
to market your company. Pay attention to your reaction to
what they have to say. They may have some ideas you never
thought of, as well as ones you may already be doing. Do
keep in mind that marketing professionals may develop very
creative plans, and even though it may be a bit foreign to
you, the strategy may be worth going outside of your box.
Whether they suggest collaborative marketing, relationship
marketing, strategic alliances, or joint ventures, each of
these present a potential advantage to your revenues.

Finally, when choosing a marketing company, ask for
references. Ask to see a portfolio of the clients they have
worked with before, and then call a couple of them and get
their feedback.

Enjoy the decision process

Once you have made the decision to align with a marketing
company, it decision making time. The company will provide
you with a detailed marketing plan that is laid out over a
specified time period. Some will be 3 month plans, while
the most effective will be over at least a year.
Keep in mind that the plan is not set in stone. Based on
your budget, you can take some ideas and some may be left
out.

Once you have decided what your plan will entail, you may
choose have the marketing company execute the strategy, or
complete the footwork on your own. If your plan involves
regularly schedules news releases to be submitted, then you
may choose to write them yourself. You will also have to
find the right contacts at the media outlets to submit the
releases. If you decide to hire the marketers to do this,
they will have a local and national list of all the
publications that your target market might read. Carrying
out the details of your personalized marketing plan will be
completely up to you, based on how much time and money you
are willing to put into marketing your company.

----------------------------------------------------
Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A strategic
Collaboration Marketing consulting firm. He empowers
business owners to discover and implement Integration,
Alliance, and Joint Venture marketing tactics to solve
specific business challenges. He demonstrates how to create
your own Collaboration Marketing Strategy to increase your
sales, conversation rates, and repeat business.
Contact: christian@christianfea.com
http://www.christianfea.com

Include Joint Ventures in your Small Business Target Marketing for Dramatic Profits

Include Joint Ventures in your Small Business Target Marketing for Dramatic Profits
What is consistently rated as one of the most effective
small business target marketing strategies? Without a
doubt it is the Joint Venture (JV), also known as a
strategic alliance. Target, or niche marketing means that
you are marketing directly to the prospect most likely to
buy your product or service. Your JV strategy can be the
ultimate form of target marketing since you are using the
targeted customer and prospect list of another business
owner.

The JV and strategic alliance are so popular and profitable
because they leverage the assets (customer list, goodwill,
relationship, etc.) your partner has developed with their
client and prospect base. Nearly all potential buyers
(business and consumer) prefer to do business with a
company, firm or practice for which they have a degree of
trust.

Marketing legend Dan Kennedy likes to say that we are all
walking around holding an umbilical cord saying "plug me in
and tell me what to do." Whether you are looking for a
place to buy a hot dog,tobuy a yacht, or looking for a
brain surgeon or a new church in your community, you are
looking for someone to recommend where you should go to
obtain the product, service or advice.

Don't confuse the JV with referrals. Referrals are great
for new business and are an effective small business target
marketing strategy but generally are given only one or two
at a time. Referrals can also dry up if you are not
diligent about keeping in touch with your clients and
letting them know how much you appreciate and value their
business.

JV's can be as simple as selecting a retail partner and
issuing a joint coupon to one another's client base. They
can also be very complex, multi-million dollar deals
between large companies. American Express is an example of
a very large and sophisticated company that partners with
several other large businesses to leverage the client lists
of both firms. If you have one of their cards, you have
received numerous calls and mailers from them endorsing
their JV partners. The partners get the implied
endorsement of a blue chip company like Amex and Amex gets
increased card purchases as you use the card to buy the
recommended partners products.

Now that you've decided to add the JV to your small
business marketing tools, where do you start? The first
thing you must do is to create a demographic profile of
your target client. What else do they buy and where do
they buy it? For example, Paul Flood Marketing, which is
my company, implements a unique and non-traditional
marketing system in small businesses and I guarantee profit
increases of 25% or more in as little as 90 days. As the
old saying goes, "Fish where the fish are," so I have
partnered with other small business consultants, primarily
CPA's and small business attorneys, who have endorsed my
services to their clients.

If I had tried to contact many of these business owners
cold, I would have probably been turned away but the
endorsement of my trusted partners established trust.
This is the trust you want to leverage with your potential
JV partners.

Armed with the list of potential partners, you formulate
your contact strategy. You could try writing letters but I
am a strong believer in just picking up the phone and
saying to the owner, "Hi, I am a local business owner and I
have an idea that could help us both dramatically increase
our sales and profits and I'd like to talk with you about
it. Do you have a minute so I can explain the concept?

Great, if makes sense for us to talk in more depth, we can
arrange a time to get together." The thing I like about
the phone is that I can immediately get a feel about the
business and the person in just a couple of minutes.

When you first meet, you will most likely need to explain
how the Joint Venture small business target marketing
strategy works and how it will benefit both of your
businesses. Most small business owners are only familiar
with traditional marketing or networking so it may take a
bit of explaining to get the concept across.

The most common objection you will encounter is the trust
factor so bring testimonials and samples of your product,
service, practice or whatever you are selling to the
meeting. You need to show why the other business owner
person know they can trust you and your business? People
are naturally wary (as they should be) about referring
others to their clients because their reputation is on the
line, as is yours.

Always conduct due diligence. Talk to a couple of their
clients and understand their product and commitment to
quality service. If you feel uncomfortable at the
beginning, bow out of the relationship gracefully. Ther's
no sense in adding aggragvation to your life!

The other objection is the confidentiality of av client
list, but that is easily overcome by offering to mail your
endorsement of your partner to your list and they mail
their endorsement of you to their list. What if you don't
have a list? Pay for a mailing to your partner's list and
pay them a commission or finder's fee for leads you convert
to customers. There are some professions that are
prevented from paying or receiving finder's fees so if this
applies to you, you need to investigate alternatives.

What is the simplest JV strategy? Each partner mails an
endorsement of the other's business to their list with a
description of the benefits of doing business with them and
why they are recommending one another. It's that simple.
The key to success of the JV as your small business target
marketing strategy is that you and your partners must be
proactive in promoting one another and in managing the
relationship. As the person who originated the
partnership, take control and action to make it happen. If
you have a partner who isn't committed, drop them and find
another.

When you are actively using the JV as a small business
marketing tool, you will be amazed at the results you can
achieve in a relatively short period of time. Of course,
as with any other business strategy, there are experts like
myself who can be delivering profits while you are
attempting to find your first partner. The key is to make
the decision to make it happen, to leverage your contacts
and your list and get started!

----------------------------------------------------
Quickly generate dramatic increases in your sales and
profits using JV's in your business. The small business
experts team at Paulod Marketing, LLC will increase your
sales and profits 25% or more in 90 days or less. Visit
http://www.paulfloodmarketing.com to get your free copy of
"Cracking the Marketing Code - The Seven Secrets to
Dramatic Increases in Your Profits Without Risking More
Money on Advertising"

Offshore Company Formation

Offshore Company Formation
Forming an offshore company in Panama will offer you
unparalleled investor confidentiality, a flexible corporate
plan and the capacity to perform legal business in the
international community.

For the purpose of incorporation, you should have at least
two people who are authorized to act as organizers for your
company as well as a minimum of three directors, the names
and addresses of whom will be kept on public record as
directors of your Panama based corporation. The two people
that will act as organizers should also appear in front of
a Public Notary to have their identity documents
authenticated.

If you are a trifle apprehensive with the idea of having
your name show up in the company's registered
documentation, you would be well advised to employ the
services of a Panama legal service that will be able to
offer nominee directors with signed resignation letters on
your behalf.

Panama law also requires that corporations should have
officers for the positions of President, Treasurer and
Secretary. One individual is able to serve as both a
President and Treasurer, but the same person cannot be a
President and Secretary. These officers can be supplied by
a Panamanian lawyer which in effect removes your name from
the public registry in Panama.

One of the advantages of establishing an offshore company
in Panama is the fact that it is not compulsory to have
paid-in capital. However, Panamanian corporations have a
standard capitalization requirement of $10,000 for every
offshore corporation established.

All of your offshore company records will be filed in the
mercantile registry in Panama. Although it is not
obligatory to maintain any records of your accounts it may
be a good idea to do so, especially if you are a citizen of
the United States. There is also no requirement for the
issue of financial statements for your company so long as
all of the income for the company has been derived offshore
from Panama.

Shares can be made out anonymously in a bearer share format
which in essence means that an individual who holds the
actual physical share certificates also owns the company.
Thus, ownership can easily be passed from one individual to
another with no public record of the sale required.

A non-resident Panama offshore corporation can take
anything from four to six days to form but in some cases a
twenty-four hour express service is available depending on
which law firm or service you choose to utilize. When
forming your offshore company it is highly recommended that
you enlist the assistance of a Panama lawyer or law firm. A
Panamanian legal firm can supply you with nominee officers
and directors for your offshore company as well as perform
the filing all of the necessary paperwork on your behalf.

A lawyer will also physically go to register your company
with the Panamanian public registry since only a lawyer can
do this by Panamanian law. It is very possible though, to
create a company in Panama without ever having to
physically visit the country provided you work with a good
firm. Copies of your identity documents will need to be
notarized and apostilled and couriered to your lawyers
office.

----------------------------------------------------
For more information about offshore company formation or
incorporating a Panama corporation please visit the
author's website: http://www.offshorelegal.org/

Do You Know How to Communicate Change To Your Employees?

Do You Know How to Communicate Change To Your Employees?
Do you ever find yourself confused on how to best
communicate changes to your employees? Here is where you
need to do some serious brainstorming. Why? Because it
takes a lot of communication to make a change successful.

As soon as you know that you will be creating change in
your department, you must communicate to your employees so
they know what is happening. You are probably
thinking...why get them anxious about the change when you
don't know all the details yet. They sense it already...as
if the walls in the conference rooms have ears. It's much
better to hear from you and not from someone outside the
department or company.

Your communication plan needs to start right alongside the
strategic planning. Aligned your communication plan along
with all the steps of the project. Even if the change is
relatively small, communicate throughout the whole process.

You will make changes as your receive feedback from
employees and others, but if you have a solid communication
plan in place already, making minor changes is easier.
You and your employees have to feel as much in control as
possible...so no surprises if possible. This plan will
not guarantee there are no surprises but will reduce the
possibility.

What you need to do is create a communication template and
use it diligently in all of your significant changes. Here
are some ideas to creating your communication plan

==>Communication Plan

-What is the goal of the change?

-Who are the stakeholders? (who is driving the change
and/or benefiting from it?)

-Who is the project leader for your communication plan?

-What changes will need to occur in the department in order
for you to meet your objective(s)?

-How long will it take to implement the change?

-What are the tangible results you would like to see from
the communication plan?

-Who will need to change in order to insure the results
will occur? Critical to know who will be most impacted as
they are the individuals who you will need to insure fully
understands the change.

When planning your communication events you need a solid
foundation for all messages to your employees. Your
communication must include clarity, consistency of
messaging, continuous communications, and a forum for
feedback. You want to insure that the information is
received correctly and you are providing the necessary
details for the employees to understand and accept the
change.

Note: Before you send out your messages, test the message
with a few people to get their feedback. You probably
have worked on the message numerous times and can't see the
more obvious missing points. You need to provide
information in a language that people will understand. A
fresh pair of eyes will be helpful.

Build a master list of communication activities that make
up your plan. Here are some sample headings.

-Create a list of communication events organizing them in
the order that you will distribute. Include date and how
you will communicate the message. These communication
events will be aligned with milestones of the project.

-For each communication event, create a list of details.
For example, who will write it, what is the topic, how will
it be distributed, and how will you follow up.

-Create a Calendar with Planned Events - you can visually
see all of your communication events and plan accordingly.

-How will you communicate the message? (verbal and written)

-Who is responsible to communicate the message

-Pretest message

-Actual Delivered Date

Note: Communication Calendar - have one on the wall or
close by so you can see visually all of your planned
communication events.

==>Verbal communication

Make sure you mix verbal as well as written communication
so that the employee gets an opportunity to ask you
questions and come away with more clarity around the
change. Create a script for your verbal messaging so you
are consistent with the written message.

==>Receiving Feedback

Create several ways to receive feedback and let the
employees know how they can share their thoughts, concerns
or suggestions. People handle their concerns differently,
some more outspoken, others more reluctant to speak in a
large group. If you have several venues for them to give
you feedback, you will have more information and fewer
surprises. Here are some ideas to use for gathering
feedback:

-Focus groups

-1:1 meetings with managers

-Create a separate website for employees to ask their
questions.

Note: A separate website can also hold past communications
and FAQs for repetitive questions.

Employees feel more comfortable when a manager informs them
throughout the process. They may still feel anxious about
the upcoming change, and yet if you are open, you build a
lot of trust with them. When an employee trusts their
manager, they are more open to the change.

----------------------------------------------------
Pat Brill is the author of the blog "Managing Employees"
http://www.ManagingEmployees.net . You can reach her at
pat@TheInfoCrowd.com.

Guide To Getting Free Background Checks

Guide To Getting Free Background Checks
Finding out about people around you is very important. You
may be interested in getting to know someone better that
you met online. You may be interested in hiring someone you
recently met to care for your children a few days a week.
Yet how much do you know about such individuals? Chances
are nothing more than what they are telling you. It is wise
to obtain a free background check in order to find out all
you can about them.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to search public
records. Many of them are located online in the archives so
you spend some time at home looking for them. You will need
to have the full name of the individual at the very least.
You will also need to have information on where they
previously lived.

You do have to be careful of some websites though. They
will give you the impression that you can obtain free
background checks from them. Once you enter all of the
search criteria, they will then tell you they have a match
with detailed information for you. The catch though is that
they have a price tag attached to it.

They know that the curiosity of most people will result in
them proceeding with the purchase at that point. It is
legal to do so, but most of us will agree that it isn't
really an ethical way to sell such services. It does take
more work to find places to obtain free background checks
but they are out there.

Most of the websites that do allow you to obtain free
background checks aren't going to give you more than the
basics. However, if you want to verify the age of someone
or another detail you should be able to do so. What you
will get depends on the quality of the site. Be prepared to
do plenty of searching in order to find the right place to
get your information for free.

You will find there are tons of advertisements on such
sites as well. This is because the site is attempting to
find a great way to continue offering free services. At the
same time they need to generate some income to cover the
upkeep of the website. Advertisers are always looking for
space to get their information into the eye of the online
consumers so it is a perfect match.

Now that you know how to obtain free background checks,
there is no reason not to do so. Your search may not turn
up anything but it may turn up something quite substantial.
For your peace of mind you need to find out what the true
story is about those new people coming into your life. They
may be someone you want to date, someone you want to work
for you, or someone you want to rent your home to. Find out
what they are all about before you do any of those things.

----------------------------------------------------
Article by Dominic Ferrara, on behalf of
http://www.ArticlesEveryHour.com/articles/business/ Check
out our "Business" category of quality articles.

Why Assuming Your Workers Comp Experience Mod is Correct Could be a Dangerous Calculation

Why Assuming Your Workers Comp Experience Mod is Correct Could be a Dangerous Calculation
Quick Mr/Mrs/Ms Businessowner! What does the following
formula mean to you?

M = AC+E(LC)+E(1.00-C) / E

No. It has nothing to do with Einstein's famous equation.
However, it could mean the difference between a fat bottom
line or permanently hanging up the "closed" sign. Give up
yet? It's the calculation that determines your workers
compensation experience modifier (mod). You know, the
number that can save you or cost you thousands on your
workers comp premium.

Just in case you've forgotten, most businesses are assigned
a number based on their workers compensation claims
history. In Pennsylvania, this number is calculated and
placed on your workers compensation policy by the
Pennsylvania Compensation Rating Bureau (PCRB). The PCRB
calculates the expected losses for each class of business
in the Commonwealth. The number 1.000 means that your
organization's workers compensation losses are average for
your line of business. A number over 1.000 (such as 1.100)
means that your company's losses are higher than expected.
A number under 1.000 (such as 0.900) means that your losses
are lower than expected. But what it really means is that
you are either surcharged or credited based on your loss
history.

For instance, let's say you run a construction company.
Assume that your workers compensation premium is $100,000
for your carpenters, salespeople, and clerical staff. If
your claims are in line with what is determined to be
average for a construction company, your premium will
remain $100,000. However, if you've experienced more
claims than usual, your mod might be 1.105. Therefore,
your premium would be $110,500 or 10,500 more than average.
On the other hand, if you had fewer claims, your mod might
be 0.850. Your premium would be $85,000. Thus the
difference between a 1.105 mod and a 0.850 mod is $25,500
for this hypothetical company. Do you think the company
with a lower mod could gain a competitive advantage? Do
you think the company with the higher mod could have its
long term viability threatened?

So now that we understand why calculating your mod is
important. Let's review just how it's calculated. Here
are the steps necessary in the equation above.

1. (A) Actual losses are multiplied by (C) Credibility;
2. (E) Expected losses are multiplied by the (L)
limitation charge times the C) Credibility.
3. (C) Credibility is subtracted from 1, the result of
which is multiplied by (E) Expected losses
4. The results of steps 1 through 3 are added together and
divided by (E) Expected losses

Actual losses are determined by your insurance company.
The Credibility, Expected losses, and Limitation charge are
listed in the PCRB rating manual.

So that was easy wasn't it? I forgot to mention that there
are several other rules that will factor into your ultimate
assigned mod despite completion of the mod equation. For
instance, despite what the number comes out to be, it
cannot be more or less than 25% of your prior year's mod.

Now let's talk about why you need to keep an eye on this.
Obviously, an incorrectly calculated mod could have a
serious impact on your bottom line. And the shear
complexity of the calculation and all the rules and
sub-rules it's subject to lend itself to error. The PCRB
gets your claims history from your insurance company. All
it takes it one comma or decimal point to be misplaced
somewhere in the exchange of data (throughout a rather
complex calculation) for you to be financially impacted.
The figures used in the calculation are readily available
from the PCRB and your insurance carrier. Therefore you may
want to sharpen your pencil and breakout your calculator
once a year and double check the "official numbers". Doing
so could pay big dividends.

----------------------------------------------------
Eric D. Patrick is an attorney and Chief Operating Officer
of Consumers Insurance Agency Inc.
http://www.consumers-insurance.com . He also engages in
insurance consulting and legal work through The RiskAssure
Consulting Group. Please contact him for further
information.

Using an Auckland Employment Agency

Using an Auckland Employment Agency
If you're looking for a job in New Zealand's largest city,
using the services of an Auckland employment agency can
help you find a good job that's well-suited to your skills.

Also called personnel agencies, these are companies who
have a double-allegiance; both to you as a job-seeker and
to a large array of prospective employers who pay them to
screen applicants and send the best candidates for personal
interviews.

Auckland employment agencies will do everything possible to
help you find a great job, including assisting you with
writing your resume and giving you necessary information
about making a positive impression with a potential
employer at your interview.

Remember, no employment agency guarantees that you will be
hired; their only task is to arrange suitable interviews
for you that match your skills and the needs of the
prospective employers who are their clients.

Auckland employment agencies, since they are private
businesses for profit, charge their employer clients a fee
for using their services.

To maintain their professional reputation and profit from
your interaction with them, they will aggressively advocate
for you with a prospective employer.

To do this successfully, the agency will have a thorough
understanding of an employer's needs, the skills and
experience of job seekers required, salary and other
benefits provided by the employer, and opportunities for
career advancement.

The agency will discuss all this information with you; this
way, you need not go to a job interview "cold," without
knowing everything that the job entails.

When you contact an Auckland employment agency and arrange
a meeting with an employment manager, you will need to
bring several things with you:

documents of your identity (a drivers' license and/or
passport will be fine),

a transcript from a college,

university or technical/vocational school

previous job evaluation reports

any awards or certificates that you achieved at your
previous job,

documentation of your military service, if any, including
your manner of discharge, and any other documents that
reflect well upon your character and ability to do the job
for which you are searching.

A commonly asked question is whether you can use both an
Auckland employment agency as well as a similar agency in
another location.

The answer is that yes, you certainly can. For example,
using an Auckland agency will help you discover jobs
available to you in that area. If you are not adverse to
re-locating or are currently not residing in Auckland, it
is in your best interests to contact another agency as well.

----------------------------------------------------
CONNEX Recruitment Ltd is an Auckland Employment Agency
specializing in full service, white collar recruitment over
a broad range of industry sectors. Our aim is to make the
process and experience of recruiting staff simple and
painless for everyone involved. Check us out:
http://www.ConnexRecruitment.co.nz/

Small Business - How to Offer Credit Safely

Small Business - How to Offer Credit Safely
The worst thing that can happen to any small business is to
do the work and not receive the payment. If this has ever
happened to you than you know how frustrating it is, and
you probably want to know how to make sure it never happens
again. This article will tell you how to get paid on time.

The first thing you can do is to do thorough credit check
before you offer credit. Before you give anyone credit you
should make them complete a credit application, perform
credit checks, and get at least two trade references. Most
people and companies understand the need for this
information and will gladly give it to you. It is important
for you to remember that credit is a privilege and not a
right, so be firm on this.

You need to send an invoice out the day that you complete
the service or send the goods. If possible you should try
and send an invoice with the goods and also a copy to the
accounts to make sure they receive the invoice. Your
shipping Bill Of Lading should have all the shipping
information, product codes and should include a copy of the
invoice.

Make sure that you get the name of the person who the
account is payable through. If you have the company, fill
out a credit application form than you should have the name
of that person already. It is possible that you will speak
to a number of people and get varying responses, but if you
speak to the same person each time and keep notes of your
conversations they will be accountable for the payment.

On the day that the payment is due you should call and ask
when it will be made. It is early in the collection process
so don't be aggressive, but by calling early you will
encourage a slow payer to pay more promptly. The
conversation can start with quality assurance questions
such as, did they get the product on time, was the work
done to your satisfaction or let them know the special
steps you may have taken to assure they were satisfied. If
all is well you can casually ask when you can expect
payment. By making the conversation about them and their
needs it will be easier to get what you need.

The final way to encourage a person to make a payment on
time, or early, is to offer them a discount. By offering a
discount of 5% if the bill is paid early you will encourage
the company to pay early. It is important that you only
offer this if you can afford to. This kind of offer can be
sent along with the shipping papers or made a part of the
original invoice. Let them know up front that they can save
money by paying early.

The worst thing that can happen to a small business owner
is to do hard work and not receive the money. Offering
credit can be a good way for a business to get orders for
their goods or services, but only when done the right way.
With the information in this article you should be able to
safely offer credit to customers, knowing that you will be
paid on time, if not early.

----------------------------------------------------
Stephen Meyer is an experienced home based business owner
who offers many legitimate home based business opportunties
that can help any one succeed. To see his many legitimate
home based business opportuntites and reviews please visit
his Small Business ideas website at
http://www.itcanhappen4u2.com .

How Do I Register A New Company?

How Do I Register A New Company?
Are you thinking of going into business in Australia? Would
you like some helpful information on how to register for
the best benefits of having a business? You have come to
the right place.

If you want to register a new company there is a fair bit
to do before you can get started. You have to make a few
decisions, then collect the appropriate information, and
last but not least register.

No worries though, we can lead you right through all of
this and once you have determined who is involved in your
company and the structure it can take as little as a couple
of minutes to have your company registered.

The first thing to do is relax. Now, do you have a business
name in mind? If so, you have to check and make sure the
name is not already taken or trademarked by someone else in
the business databases (this can also be handled by a
registered ASIC agent).

If you do not have a name in mind, take some time to think
about it. You should incorporate professionalism and the
services or products you will be offering into your name.
If you can also make it memorable, the easier it is to
remember the better for your customers (also the last thing
you want for your business is customers having to guess
what it is that your company does).

Once you have a name you need to decide on the structure of
your company.

Do you want to be liable for your company; if so how liable
do you want to be. Do you want to work with others that
will be owners or directors in your company, and if so do
you know who or how you want to operate the company? These
are very important questions you have to answer in order to
begin the registration process. You should take most of
your time preparing to register to focus on the structure
of your company and how you will operate it (if you are
unsure please consult with your lawyer or accountant).

You will have a few choices with the structure that will
determine your protection and liability with the company,
and then you will have the choice of how to operate. For
the operation you can decide if you want to go by
constitution, replaceable rules, or a combination of both
of these.

Once you have made the decisions on these you can gather
the information you need to fill out the registration form.

You will need the names, addresses, dates of birth and city
of birth of every person who will have a vested interest in
the company.

This would be the owners, the directors and secretaries.
You will also need the names and dates of birth of the
share holders, as well as how many shares each person will
start with. In addition to this you need to have the
mailing address and the physical address of the proposed
company.

After you have all of this information gathered and you
wish to register the company yourself through ASIC you can
grab the form 201 off the Internet and begin to register
your new company. All of the instructions are included on
the last 2 pages of the form as well as other documents you
will need the fee to register. The address to send in your
registration is available as well.

Or to take the hassle out of trying to register your
company yourself as well as the time consuming element of
doing so use a Registered Agent you can find them on the
internet by searching for company formation companies or
search for phrases like register a company.

Good luck on registering your new company.

----------------------------------------------------
Discover how you can register a new company in Australia.
It can be a simple process but you have to know what the
steps are. Visit http://companiesnow.com.au/ for more
information