Business, economic development - the unofficial Chamber of Commerce

When I spent almost three years homeless, I watched the people around me. Now, as a housed old woman, I still watch my sisters who have not been fortunate enough to make the transition. Many of the women simply have no desire to live inside. Their paranoia and mental illness keep them from the degree of control necessary to live in the ‘real’ world. Some are alcoholics and drug abusers. They push their worldly possessions around in a shopping cart, known as a “Burnside Cadillac here in Portland,Oregon; the name derived from one of our main streets. In the downtown core this street is the territory of the disenfranchised and desperate.

Old women carry their secrets under one of
the many sweaters they wear.
They guard these secrets as a pyramid
guards the ages.
One false step, they have learned,
could be the last.
Old women are simple.
No fancy cars. . . or restaurants.
No blue tint or breast enhancements.
The time for frou frous has long passed.
Now the plan is to survive.
Old women are sly.
They know people take what they
want to, so old women circle the wagons,
and scout the territory.
Slipping in and out of shadows, old women
are invisible to people who do not want to
see them anyway.
They slip, unseen, into the fog of oblivion.
Old women are sorceresses.
Their magic pulls a crust of bread
from a pocket that leaks lint. . . pulls
a secluded corner into safety.
They let another day be added
to their calendar.
And old women do as they have done
since goddesses ruled the earth - they endure.
Old women endure.

The first venture Sherry made into writing after her breakdown was to submit a poem similar to this to “The Burnside Cadillac”, a homeless newspaper. It was received with such enthusiam that it encouraged her to extend her writing. Sherry lives with her two rescue-ferrets, Amber and Rascal.

I got my first email account way too many years ago.

I was working for a large Chicago bank in the 1980s, when they introduced an electronic message service for internal communications. The only electronic mail that seemed to flow for the longest time were all those official HR notification of vacation time policies, etc., and of course, the ALL CAPS messages from the executive floor.

It took a brave soul to send out the first…”so, where should we go for lunch on Friday?” message.

It took a polite soul to create the first autoresponder message. It was nice of them to let people know that the reason their inquiry would not be answered immediately, and personally was because he (or she) was out of the office until XYZ date.

I’m still trying to figure out where the the personal and polite parts of autoresponse messages went. Sometime between then and now, the person who wrote that message left the building, but forgot to turn the machines off.  Today, too many autoresponse messages are anything but personal, polite or informative. 

If you’ve ever been tempted to believe that message sound bites strung together by bits of “if, then, else” coding logic might actually prove to be an asset to your business, you owe it to your business to look at how some of these have played out in the real world.

Here’s a brief list of some of my favorite offenders, along with a suggestion or two about what you can do if you find anything like them on your list of messages.

“We’ll return your message within 24 hours, or 12 hours…” Forgive me if I don’t set my watch by that. Despite improvements in so many other areas, surveys still show that only 65% of companies EVER respond to their email, never mind responding within the time they’ve allowed themselves And just how credible are you when 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours of silence have passed?

“We usually respond within two business days…” . I think this variation is worse. If 48 hours pass and I haven’t gotten a response, I’m not only going to think you can’t deliver what you promised in any area of your business, but I might feel personally slighted. After all, if you “usually can,” why did you choose not to help me?

The lesson: Don’t Make Promises Unless you’re 100% Sure You Can Keep Them

“Thanks for your message about broken website links (an obvious fill in the blank). Here is our FAQ list on how Widgets can change your life through better chemistry…” Do you remember when people got excited by the idea of artificial intelligence and wondered if we would one day need Asimov’s Laws of Robotics to protect us. I think we can all breath easy for a little while yet.

“Thank you. Your address has been permanently deleted from our database and you will never hear from us again…”
…and it’s cousin…
“Thanks for your interest in Widgets. Since you’re now part of the Widget family, we know you’ll want to hear all about everything, so here’s this hour’s special…” But all I wanted to do was let you know about a broken link on your homepage…

The lesson: Don’t presume to know why people are responding, or what they want from you.

“You’re receiving this because you downloaded a free report from my site 279 days ago, but still haven’t bought anything…” and you still haven’t gotten a clue.

“I’m only sharing this secret information with a carefully chosen few like you, EAMIC, because you’re such a good friend…” Really? Even though you’re greeting me with a string of letters that isn’t even close to my name.

“Dear Friend…” Yes, I understand that software is a black and white kind of thing and that when it comes to personalization your choices are or , but do you understand that there is a third choice? Don’t do it.

The lesson:  Repeat after me, “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”  It really is the golden rule of technology use.

Personalization is a very powerful sales and marketing tool. When you personalize a business problem, identify a client need, or use it to demonstrate how your product or service will help that particular client’s situation, you are using it correctly.

Machine generated personalization, on the other hand, fits the very definition of an oxymoron. Email autoresponse messages were invented to apologize for a lack of an immediate personal, human response, not to take its place permanently. Unless all of your message is personal, no one is going to believe it really was written just for them. So why slap them in the face with the fact that it wasn’t?

The bottom line is this: if you find any messages like these in your current autoresponse setup, rewrite them if you can, or just get rid of them if you can’t. Silence is better on your part. Your business reputation is at stake. And where your reputation is at stake, so are your profits.

***************

Liz Micik has been an Ordinary Marketer for nearly 25 years, helping companies tell their story to the right people in the right way to sell their products and services. Visit www.ordinarymarketer.com to sign up for the Inside Edge, a free monthly multimedia newsletter, and find out how you can get extraordinary results from marketing you can live with.

Electric sunglasses is the name of a design of skateboarding sunglasses. They come in many great designs such as Electric EC/DC, Electric VOL and Electric Maxwell. You can have electric sunglasses with or without polarized lenses – whatever you prefer in designer sunglasses. They are very fashionable and a little less costly than other designer sun glasses.

Well known personalities in the world of snow sports and skateboarding have endorsed Electric sunglasses. They come in nine different styles, including Electric Vol sunglasses and at the reasonable price of $60 to $95 per pair, they are well worth the money. Compared to other designer sun glasses that sell for over $200 a pair because of the polarized lenses, you know you are getting a bargain when you buy Electric.

All the frames for the Electric sunglasses, except for the Flux aviator style in the Electric line, are made from grylamide. This is a nylon material so that the sunglasses, even the Electric Vol sunglasses, are lightweight and fit snugly to your face. When you are flying through the air, you don’t want the sunglasses to slip and distract you. This is why there are rubber grips on the nosepiece that stick even tighter when they get wet.

The lenses in Electric sunglasses are made from polycarbonate – a shatterproof material. These sunglasses go through stringent testing before they go to market to make sure they meet the shatterproof test. The nylon frame comes in a wraparound design so that no UV rays cane get around the sides and you can keep the sunglasses firmly in place.

Electric Vol sunglasses do not have polarized lenses. These sunglasses have thin frames and large lenses. The style seems reminiscent of the sunglasses of the 1940’s and the Vol sunglasses are designed for fashion. You also have a choice in the color or lens you want, such as oyster/bronze, lavender or white gloss. Some of the Electric sunglasses, such as the Electric Maxwell and Electric Noise, do contain these lenses. If you can get polarized sunglasses for such a low price, why pay the high prices for biker sunglasses when these work just as well?

Electric sunglasses, great sunglasses at a great price, and fashionable too.

For a website totally devoted to Sunglasses visit Peter’s Website Sunglasses Explained and find out about Rayban Sunglasses as well as Polarized Sunglasses and more, including Gucci Sunglasses, Maui Jim Sunglasses, Rayban Sunglasses, Chanel Sunglasses, Oakley Sunglasses and more.

When planning a bridal shower, be sure to include fun games
appropriate for all attendees. If you are in need of a great
bridal shower game idea, consider taking favorite party games
and adding a matrimonial twist! When planning games for your
bridal shower, be sure to include games that can include guests
of all ages, as many brides wish to include younger individuals
on their guest list. By preparing games all parties can
participate, you will ensure the bridal shower is a great
success!

If teenagers or children are planning to attend the bridal
shower, you may want to consider putting a general rating on
your bridal shower game idea. Many games tend to be more
appropriate for an older audience and will be found too risque
to play in the presence of the younger crowd. Do not think that
the only fun games are risque games–many of these great ideas
are just as fun and much more accepting to a mixed crowd.
Consider planning a brief game at the beginning of the shower to
introduce everyone and serve as an icebreaker.

One great bridal shower game idea is a twist on an old
favorite–Bingo! You can either purchase pre-made Bingo cards
that have been designed in a wedding theme or choose to make
your own. These cards can be made quickly, easily, and quite
inexpensively. Instead of letters and numbers, use special
wedding themed words or phrases, like bride, groom, or I do.

A great way to entertain guests and save time in the planning
process for the wedding shower is to allow individuals to make
their own Bingo cards, which provides you with another great
bridal shower game idea. Provide the shower guests with pre cut
cards that have been already marked with the Bingo grid. Be sure
to have enough pens, colored pencils, or markers to go around so
that everyone will be able to participate in the creation and
decoration of her (or his!) own card. You may even want to
create a competition and have everyone vote on the best designed
and decorated card.

Be sure to provide guests with a list of potential wedding words
when creating their Bingo game card. After everyone has
completed and decorated the cards, begin the game of Bingo. Do
not forget to have prizes on hand prizes on hand for the
winners! This bridal shower game idea is great for including
everyone in the party.

Rome style and history:

Rome is the bustling heart of Italy. A modern capital in every sense of the word yet steeped in history, with a wealth of art, architecture and religion to suit every holidaymaker, traveler, academic or pilgrim.

Over 2,000 years of history have left their mark in all parts of this stylish metropolis. Tradition has it that the city was founded by Romulus on Palatino one of the 7 hills on which Rome is built near the Tevere river, which guarantees that wherever you are you are never far from a stunning view of the city.
The most essential thing in Rome is a good pair of shoes! This is not a city where you take the bus to see the different attractions.

The whole place is like a huge, vibrant, open-air museum. Italians are a friendly people, expect to be offered help if you are standing on a street corner with a map in your hand and a puzzled look on you face. Style is the order of the day when out in Rome, good strong, but not bright colors a scarf flicked fashionably over and a smart bag over your shoulder, nom fanny packs please they do spoil the line of you Gucci you know!

Avoid eating in the tourist cafes around the main spots such as St.Mark’s square they are overpriced, very often with poor food and service. Go back a couple of streets to the small cafes frequented by the locals and you will get better, cheaper food and also get to dine and chat with the real Romans.

Colosseum: Probably the most famous landmark in Rome is a huge open-air stadium that could hold up to 50,000 Romans. Built by the Emperor Titus in AD80 it hosted games, gladiatorial combats and even could be flooded with water to provide a setting for reconstructions of famous navel battles.

Sistene Chapel: Situated at the far and of the Vatican museum, a day out in itself, the chapel was in need of a little decoration so in 1508 Michelangelo was brought to paint the 10,000 sq foot ceiling, single-handedly! The resulting work took over 4 years to complete and is considered to be on of the finest works of art in the world.

Fontana di Trevi (trevi fountain): A Huge and stunning eighteenth century fountain designed by Nicola Salvi, it is said that if you throw a coin with your right hand over your left shoulder you will one day return to Rome.

Piazza Navona: This square takes it’s strange shape from the original arena built there for displays of horsemanship, it is now a busy, fun place packed with stalls and eateries in the daytime and portrait and Caricatures artists at night.

Pantheon: A huge temple built by the Emperor Hadrian around AD120 it had, until 1960, the largest dome in the world. It also still has the original doors now nearly 1,900 years old. A fascinating and magnificent building.

Travestere: Not the main tourist center of Rome but a fascinating area full of winding lane and small shops selling interesting and unusual things, great nightlife food and a huge Sunday market. It is also home to what is said to be the oldest church in Rome. The beautiful Santa Maria the oldest part of which is said to date from the 3rd century AD.

Villa Borghese:The largest are of parkland in Rome it is a wonderful place to get away from the noise of the city fort a while. It has wonderful trees, quiet walks, a lake where you can rent a boat, and a wonderful art gallery. It also holds outdoor concerts of classical music every July.

There are many walking tours on offer and these are a great way to see the highlights of the city with a knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide.
Beware of over enthusiastic street traders in popular tourist spots such as the Trevi fountain.

Although a fairly safe city it is best to avoid the back streets at night and stick to the main thoroughfares, which are usually a sight in themselves as the stylishly dressed inhabitants go out for a stroll and a good meal. A great time for people watching, especially if you at one of the pavement table that many restaurants and cafes have.

But the main focus of any holiday in Rome should always be on the architecture and history which is like nowhere else in the world

http://www.nearlyhealthytravel.com/

Vastu is one of the most ancient sciences of Indian architecture and is composed of specific rules, regulations and directions, set down by sages of the vedic times. For the modern society it is the highly evolved, comprehensive building philosophy.

According to vastu, a building or a premises is a living organism and can be designed in harmonic resonance with the underlying energy structure of the universe. Such a building or premises becomes a generator of coherence, attuning the occupants to the universal laws and increasing health, wealth and spiritual well being.

Prosperity of Famous Tirupati Temple

World famous Tirupati temple is found adhering to the principles of vastu shilpa shastra. Its prosperity legendary thanks mainly to the exemplary implementation of the principles of Vastu Shastra. The main temple is situated on the South - West side of the temple complex. On its North - East direction is a lake and pond. The dining hall of the temple is on South-East side while the North-West and North side of the temple is allocated to the godown for grains and items require in the kitchen. The entire temple complex is of square shape as a result of which its axis and that of the Earth are perpendicular to each other. The main temple is occupying only the one fourth area of the total areat and on its Eastern and Northern side is open area. Thus the Tirupati temple of Lord Balaji is an ideal place according to the norms of Vastu Shastra which is why it is the most prosperous temple on the earth.

Prosperity of Japan

Inspite of a small country, Japan has progressed tremendously. It has a large water body - the Pacific ocean in its North-East direction. The eastern side of Japan is widely spread and open. Thus Japan gets full benefit of the rays of the sun. This gives Japan a maximum benefits of Vastu & made this country rich and prosperous. But it has sea in Southeast and south, which is a place for Fire, this The Japan has suffered the attack of atom bombs explosion and earthquake ,as it has sea in south east and south.

Prosperity of London

Prosperous city London is ideally situated according to the principles of Vastu Shastra. The Thames river is in the east direction. It has more parks & garderns in the North west & East. Many famous Educational institutes & universities are located in the North east corner. The boundry of the England is more towards North & East directions- a positive directions to capture benefical morning sundrays ,according to vastu.

Prosperity of America

Looking at the map of America, the country is more located towards east side than west. Also the extention is more towards north east, which is auspicious. It has huge lakes in the north east location. As one progresses towards North-East in United States of America the land becomes richer and richer, it is found.

At the root of the progress and prosperity of the cities like New York, London, Mumbai, Singapore, Hong Kong etc. are always the benedictory principles of Vastu Shastra, it is found.

Prosperity of Mumbai

Mumbai, a rich port has a water body to its North – East. All major lakes for drinking water are situated in the North east direction of Mumbai. It has an atomic plant represting Agni (Fire) in the south east of the Mumbai. Fire is a key factor in prosperity of any vastu premises or location. It has more ocean in the West, the perfect location for Vayu (Air).

Spiritual prosperous India

In India, Slope is more towards east, which is auspicious. All important rivers are flowing towards east, that is why country is more rich in spirituality. Thousands of westerners flock to India for spiritual enlightenment. India has the Himalayas in the North of the country which is against vastu, thus there is lot of poverty in the country. There is water in Southwest and southeast side of our nation, thus we have to face the attacks of foreign empires & lot of expenditure on defence.

About The Author

Dr. Nitin Parmar

http://www.vastu999.com

parmar@vastu999.com

Note: The below article is an excerpt from the book Zero to One Million: How to Build a Company to $1 Million in Sales.

Nine Leadership Lessons
by Ryan P. M. Allis, CEO

Over the past ten months as Broadwick and Virante have grown, I’ve learned a lot about managing people. A business is little without the people behind it. As I mentioned in the section on building a team, the two most important things I look for when hiring are initiative and work ethic. I cannot overestimate the importance of bringing on good people to the eventual success of your business. But once you have these good people, how do you manage them?

I would certainly submit that I have much left to learn about leadership and management, but here are a few tips I’ve learned that may be of some use.

1. Have a Vision and Communicate It. Make sure you clearly communicate your vision for the company. No one follows a leader who cannot communicate the way in which the company will succeed. Each employee’s future is tied closely to the success of your company. Make sure they believe in your company, what it stands for, and its products and services and make sure they know that the hard work they are putting in now will pay off.

2. Show Respect. Treat people, including your customers, suppliers, partners, and employees, with respect at all times.

3. Share Your Success. Make sure your employees share in the success of your company. As the company is able, provide additional benefits such as healthcare and dental coverage, a stock options plan, and a 401(k) plan. As an employee’s skills and abilities grow, reward them with fair compensation. Finally, consider incentivise your top employees and managers with ownership in the company. Few things can make a person work harder than a piece of the action.

4. Don’t Be Too Serious. Make the business environment fun at times. While being professional and taking things seriously is important, nothing can beat the effects of company-wide midnight round of bowling after it reaches an important milestone, a lunchtime pizza party once per month, or a spontaneous Nerf-dart duel.

5. Work With Your Employees. Make sure the employees see you there and working with them. No one likes to work hard for someone who doesn’t work hard themselves. Especially early on, be the first to arrive and the last to leave whenever possible.

6. Have Your Door Open. Whether or not you have your own office yet, have your ‘door’ open. Make sure your employees and managers know that you are approachable at any time about any problem they are having.

7. Listen. You have built a great team and are paying top dollar for it. Hold meetings with your management team least every other week, if not more often. Also have informal ad hoc discussions with your partners, managers, and employees often. Get their feedback, discuss the business and its strategy, and inquire every so often if there is anything that you can help with that is frustrating them. A few weeks ago I had a quick spur-of-the-moment meeting with my lead developer for Broadwick. After inquiring if anything was frustrating him, it came out that he felt he was working in an environment in which he became distracted too often. We quickly devised a solution in which he would work at home four hours per day until we could move into a larger office in which the development team could work in a separate room away from the distraction of the sales and support team. This small change has doubled our developer’s productivity.

8. Build Relationships. Without understanding at least the basics of what is occurring in an employee’s out-of-office life it can be hard to connect with him or her on a professional level. One tactic I’ve used successfully to get to know each employee personally is to take them and his or her significant other to dinner the first evening of their employment. It serves as a way to celebrate the occasion as well as learn a little bit about the employee that would not come out in interviews or through reading a resume.

9. Commend More Than You Criticize. Too many business owners (and I have been guilty of this as well) will only say something to an employee when he or she has done something wrong or something that has negatively affected the company. While constructive criticism and appropriate guidance has its place, if you seem to only condemn and never praise, your employees will quickly either dislike you or show apathy in their jobs. Continued properly placed praises can be as powerful to getting quality results out of an employee as a large raise. Many people thrive on peer and superior recognition just as much as money. Instituting both an employee of the month award as well as a quarterly performance review can be extremely valuable to your company.

As a manager and business owner, you gain an immense responsibility. You control the activity and purpose that your employees dedicated half of their waking hours to. Make it a meaningful purpose, communicate your vision, respect and praise your employees, and share your success. If you can succeed in building a team of highly motivated and happy employees that take initiative, have a bias toward action, respect you, and truly care for the business, you will have done much of the work in building a strong and quickly growing organization.

Ryan Allis’ Nine Leadership Lessons In Review

1. Have a Vision and Communicate It.
2. Show Respect.
3. Share Your Success.
4. Don’t Be Too Serious.
5. Work With Your Employees.
6. Have Your Door Open.
7. Listen.
8. Build Relationships.
9. Commend More Than You Criticize.

Note: This article is an excerpt from the book Zero to One Million: How to Build a Company to $1 Million in Sales.

Ryan Allis is the founder of http://www.zeromillion.com, a leading entrepreneurship resource with over 3000 articles, 100 interviews, and a free monthly newsletter The Entrepreneurs’ Chronicle. Ryan is the author of the book Zero to One Million.

A digital camera is an electronic device to transform images into electronic information. New digital cameras are typically multifunctional and the same device can take pictures, video and audio.

Many digital cameras can connect directly to a computer to transfer data. Early cameras used the PC serial port. USB is the most commonly used method, though some have a Firewire port or use Bluetooth. Some cameras are able to attach to computer networks wirelessly via Wi-Fi.

Here are 10 top things to consider when looking to purchase a digital camera: -

1. Price: This can vary from around $100 to upto $10,000 for a high end professional camera. You can buy one with good resolution and options for under $600. Ones with more manual control settings can be found for around $600-2000 dollars, usually suited to serious amateurs.
2. Resolution: To print good quality color photos at the standard film sizes 4″x6″ or 5″x7″ you’ll need a 1-2 megapixel camera. If you are printing as large as 8″x10″ then you’re going to need a higher resolution around 2-3 megapixels.
3. Viewfinder: Low-end digital cameras provide an optical viewfinder while more expensive ones replace the viewfinder with a LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). Look towards purchasing one with an LCD display. Kodak make digital cameras with superb displays so have a look at those.

4. Focus: Most cameras are either fixed-focus or autofocus which is suitable for the average digital camera user. With a fixed-focus lens everything from a few feet to infinity is in focus. The only problem with this is when shooting pictures up close. Autofocus will automatically bring whatever is in the centre of the viewfinder into focus.
5. Storage: Many cameras come with a small memory card, but if you want to take lots of pictures or footage, it is a good idea to check whether what is supplied is enough. Chances are it won’t be, so look at how much a new ‘decent’ capacity memory card etc is going to cost for that particular model.
6. Compression: If you want the highest possible image quality, look for a camera that will let you save pictures in “CCD raw mode” which means with no compression at all.
7. Batteries: It is important to get a camera that will accept rechargeable batteries. There are three varieties of batteries available Nickel Cadmium (NiCad), Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Lithium-ion (Li-ion or LiOn). A camera may accept only one or two kinds of batteries so be sure to find out what kind.
8. Power Saving: To save battery power, use a camera that accepts an AC adaptor.
9. Interface: If you are interested in maximum speed you should keep your eyes open for cameras and card readers that support FireWire
10. Video Output: This can be invaluable for presentations. If you would like to do this, look for a camera with a video-output terminal. It allows you to display your pictures on a TV or projector.

Article by David Crossley of http://www.digitalcamerasinfozone.com ( All the information you need on buying your next digital camera )

We talk about tax freedom day - the day of the year in which the ‘average’ person ceases to work for the British Government and starts to work for him or herself. Thanks to the ‘prudence’ and ‘financial management’ of our current party this has gone from 24th to 31st May since 1997. Most readers of this article are likely to be higher earners and higher total tax payers - as a percentage of income - despite ICFBA services to help reduce that burden.

But what are you paying because of the bondage to the brand phenomenon? Modern consumerism is brand brainwashed. Your boy wants the latest Nike trainers, your daughter just loves Next, your wife is addicted to John Lewis, you - despite all your professional objectivity, stick rigidly to Hewlett Packard. You come home - order a meal from Pizza Hut - and go off to shop at Tesco’s.

I don’t deprecate these organisations. They are meeting a need and maximising their return on capital in doing so. That is good business. But that need is that of the lemmings who

- buy an item because of its brand, when a lower cost one would give the same or better value.
- buy from a higher cost channel, where a lower priced one would give the same or better service at a lower price.
- buy a higher spec and therefore more expensive article than is needed for the job.

Look at the unnecessary costs you are paying for: the enormous publicity spending, the large company overheads and the optimisation of profits. Sometimes perceived ‘better’ is just more standardisation - same sized potatoes - or more packaging or more additives. Manufactured goods probably come from the same factories in China - not always supplied at a low cost - due to the ‘special demands’ of the ‘prestigious customer’. I could get controversial by citing the use of ‘fear, uncertainty and doubt - FUD’ to make you go for the ‘safer bet’ - “Using this cartridge could void your warranty” - note could - not would. Even more political, is the misuse of patents and other intellectual property to heighten the entry threshold to a market.

In business it may be worse. Most readers are executives/directors of small or medium businesses. You have that position in the market because you supply value. People trust you. You would not let your hard won customers down by shoddy goods or inferior service. You do not have the resources to conduct studies into consumer demand so you use your experience to guide you and price your wares at cost plus a reasonable return. What’s more you are battling against those mighty corporations who even relish the bureaucratic regulations which inhibit your development.

I was analysing the expenditure of a public agency on the top 50 business supplies - computer supplies (40%), copier and other paper (25%), filing products, stationery, janitorial supplies and even tea and coffee. I took the price that typically would be spent by buying branded product from a leading business supplies chain. I then priced the goods on unbranded - or unpromoted branded goods - of sound quality from smaller reputable channels. I saved over 25%. On a business supplies budget of £20,000 that is £5000.

That is £5000 on to the bottom line. ICFBA is working on a programme to reign back your ‘brand freedom day’.

© Daniel Roberts
danielroberts@icfba.biz daniel@incartek.com

Daniel Roberts – January 2006
Published in ICFBA Advance

About Incartek
Incartek specialises in the office products and computer consumables businesses identifying opportunities for you to grow your business and then supporting you in exploiting them. It is affiliated to the International Confederation for Business. Incartek has three patents (granted or pending) in the design of inkjet cartridges.

About Daniel Roberts
Dan Roberts is a well known figure in the European electronic supplies and peripheral products industries. As a consultant to it since 1987 he opened up distribution channels and provided strategic guidance to companies such as Kodak, Verbatim, Memorex, EMC2 ICI Imagedata , and various office products, remanufacturing and computer leasing companies.

Between 1996 and 2005 he suspended is consulting activities to direct Europe’s largest master distributor of compatible inkjet cartridges – The Container Club.

Prior to 1987 he was Director of Product Planning for Unisys, and Director of Planning for the international operations of Memorex. In all, he has over 30 years experience in aftermarket distribution.

Ebay is the perfect Home Based Online Business for the Practically Anyone from 18 to 80. The Start up costs for Ebay is very low. You do not need your own web page. You don’t even need to know anything about Ebay. You can take classes online at Ebay University.

1 - Register for as an Ebay Buyer

Yes Buyer, think of this as research. Buy something you like and need on Ebay. I have purchased everything from Buck Wheat pillows to Timeshares on Ebay. Being an Ebay Shopper has 2 benefits it allows you to learn about Ebay in a non threatening environment. It allows you to gain positive feedback which is so important to any Ebay Seller.

2 - Learn

Ebay offers online classes at Ebay university, You can also take classes at many community colleges around the country.

3 - Register as a Seller

Go to Ebay and register as a seller. It is an easy process and it’s free.

4 - Get Your Feet Wet

For your first sale find something around the house that you no longer need or want. By selling garage sale items from your house you can practice Steps 5 - 9 on 1 or more auctions until you are comfortable.

5 - Create Your Ad

Use Keyword rich text in your ads so they will be picked up by search engines. Make sure your text is people Friendly and People Readable

6 - Take a Picture

You need a Picture with your ad. If you are serious about selling on Ebay you will need a good Digital Camera, All things being Equal between 2 Ads the one with the best pictures will get the Best Bids.

7 - Payment Options

It is always best to have lot’s of Payment Options, Paypal, Credit Cards, Money Orders. If 2 Auctions are the same the one with the most flexible payment options will get the best bids

8 - Shipping

Make sure you pack your items well. Research shipping options and pricing and list them in your Auction, Offer insurance as an Option and charge the actual cost. Package store like ‘The UPS Store’ and ‘Fedex Kinkos’ will actually pack and ship for you. Since the buyer pays the cost of shipping and handling let the experts do it and save headaches

9 - Feedback

Always give your Buyers Feedback especially if it is positive. Always request positive feedback from your buyers. If you deliver as promised positive feedback will follow.

After you have practiced steps 4-9 a few times you will be ready to move to Step 10

10 - What to Sell

Sell something you enjoy. If you enjoy what you are doing you more then likely will be more successful. Sell what you know. If you couldn’t spot a Rolex from a Timex you don’t want to be selling watches.

You can Find Items to sell at Flea Markets, Garage Sales and Store Close-Outs. One strategy that works well is buying garage sale close outs. Go to a garage sale at the end of the day and offer to buy up what is left over. You can pay as little as $20 for garage sale leftovers and turn around and sell them on Ebay Separately for $500 or more. You can work with drop shippers and sell everything from toys to high-end electronics.

If you currently have a wholesale or retail business consider selling your returns, 2nds and off season merchandise on Ebay.

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Mike Makler has been Marketing Online Since 2001 When he Built
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