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Friday, October 2, 2009

How to dress so as to be successful in your business

The great thing about starting your own business is the freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want to.

However, you cannot run a business without the patronage of paying customers or clients.
Just as you had to conform to a particular dress code in your last job, so must it be in your business in order to succeed so... dress for success!

Fortunately it doesn't have to be boring or too challenging as it may have been in your former jobs because as an entrepreneur, your type of business and where you go to do business is what determines the dress code for that environment.

As an entrepreneur, what you must always note is that wherever you go is an opportunity for you to attract a business opportunity, be it a referral, a joint venture or a paying client or customer.
So how do you dress for success in your business? Here are some guidelines that you can follow:

Inspire trust - No matter where you go, you must always try to inspire trust in you and your business. So the fact that you are a professional working for yourself does not mean that you must be meeting potential clients in your blue jeans and T'shirt or wearing slacks and shorts just in the name of wanting to feel comfortable. People naturally respond to uniformity so dress the part and inspire the confidence that can help you win the deal.

Be welcoming - Don't look scruffy, dress decently and welcoming to attract people to feel comfortable being in your company to chat and/ or discuss business

Express confidence - You tend to exhibit confidence when you are well dressed for success and people do see that when they see a confident person. It has a lot also to do with what you are wearing. So avoid wearing cloths that you naturally do not fell comfortable in. They will not make you look confident.

Express authority - Avoid wearing those cloths that make you feel inferior or insecure and not at all in control. These may include paying attention to simple things as the color of the cloth or the size as well. Certain colors do not make you look in control and obviously the size of a cloth can determine your confidence and level of authority. It could be a little too big or too small. The best size is one that fits perfectly.

Dress to suit the occasion - It does not make sense to wear a training suit to a sponsorship hunt meeting in a big firm just because you are a teen basketball coach, for example, nor will you wear a suit and tie to a casual party just to show that you are professional. It will only make you look odd and too unapproachable.

Look the part - This becomes so evident and relevant not only in person but also online. If you are representing yourself and your business, always make sure that you know the dress code for your chosen business and fashion your dressing around that. What that means in the online world is that make the pictures you put online to represent you and your business to be as much as possible, very professional. Avoid using pictures that do not enhance your business reputation and your professional self.

Always remember that people buy based on emotions and so making it a conscious effort to dress for success will enable you to provide the initial quality experience that people want in order to interact with you. You also, in the process, create an indelible image and reputation that causes your target market to see you as the foremost expert with credibility in your industry and that alone helps you to overcome the initial rejection that many businesses encounter and it also an influential factor that determines whether or not they will continually buy from you or recommend you to others.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Saving Tips

It is easy to make savings , be it a mortgage deposit, a holiday or even your wedding.Be thrifty and frugal,keep extra cash aside each month.Look after the Pennies and the Pounds will look after themselves!There is one area to cover before we delve in, and that is if you have any credit cards or outstanding loans, these must be paid off before you consider putting money into a savings account. The only exceptions to this are Mortgages and Student Loans, but in all other cases the interest charges on your debt will always outweigh the interest earned on your savings.

The number one step for any saver should involve working through your bank statements to get an idea of your household’s total monthly income, and then compare this figure against your total monthly outgoings. You may need to think about this carefully, and again by having the past couple of month’s bank statements to hand this will prove to be a much easier task. Look out for things the obvious things like utility bills and rent/mortgage payments, and things you may not give much thought such as Insurance policies and breakdown cover or mobile phone contracts and subscriptions like your TV license & gym membership. Crossing items off your bank statements as you go will help reveal hidden expenditure.

If you have a target of how much you need to save, then it should be easy to identify what needs to go. Sky TV, fully fledged mobile phone contracts and gym membership are all luxury items. For example, these could be replaced with Freesat, a basic phone contract or pay as you go mobile and jogging/cycling instead of the gym. Cycling could also replace your daily commute whilst has multiple benefits. You’ll save on fuel and vehicle maintenance, and you’ll be freeing up more spare time as you’ll be getting your workout during the commute.

At last, make sure you are receiving all of the benefits and tax credits you are entitled to. The government readily takes cash straight out of your pay packet, so do everything you can to get some of it back! Perhaps the most important note in this article is that you ensure you are taking advantage of the annual £3600 ISA allowance before you go looking for a standard savings account. With an ISA at the same interest rate, a basic rate taxpayer will earn 25% more interest, whilst a higher rate taxpayer earns 66% more! With interest rates being at an all time low this really is a must.

Using The Efforts Of Other People To Create Money

There are many ways one can make money.One should not blame the goveernment for not providing jobs. This is a poor excuse for you are the lazy type. If you choose to stay average, earn enough income to get on by.Then I suggest you stay within the boundaries the majority has set for themselves. But if you’re interested in making money in amounts that’ll allow you to live your life without a single financial problem, and in comfort & style, then listen to what I have to tell you. As I’ve said earlier, there are plenty of ways for you to make money, but the question is: “how much will they get you?” – enough, that is if you think 15 bucks an hour is sufficient.

To earn more than that, it’s best you think beyond what’s “presented”. So what if I told you that making 100 bucks an hour without busting your chops is possible? You’d probably tell me that you already knew that, naturally. Now I ask you this: why are you still stuck with your day job and not doing anything to reach that kinda buying power? Well the reason behind that is probably you don’t know the correct methods to get you there. Despite the doubt running at the back of your mind, I’m going to share with you the “key” to establishing a ludicrous income, which is leverage.

What you need to do here is multiply your efforts through the use of other people, that way you won’t need to work hard, yet enjoy plenty of cash. Let’s take an example for better understanding: you’re boss sits in his office, coming and going as he pleases. You and the rest of the staff work hard, to receive the minimum wage, as set by the boss. The job you carry out for the sucker makes him more dough while he practically does nothing (much) – see? He’s exerting minimal effort, while you guys break your backs for him. He rakes in all the cash, and feeds you the leftover crumbs.

That’s how the law of leverage works – he’s multiplying his “efforts” through you chumps. There’s nothing that complicated here; to do the same as the boss did, you just need an open mind and a little creativity. Here’s one way where you can “manipulate” others to get rich: virtual consulting. You you've got to have specialist information though, which you share with the market via email. Doing this can gets you substantial cash; the next thing you have to do is train people to do the same. Law of leverage does its magic (multiplying the efforts through your minions), makes you more money, while you sit back and relax.

Because you’ve been such a good reader, Iwill share another method to where you can pull the strings of others: automate your income. You need to come up with a system where you’ll get other individuals to create multiple steams of income, which is of course directed to you. There are a lot of wealth building programs that can help you make money. The riches made here aren’t going to happen overnight – it’ll still take time and some effort to get everything set up. But when things to take off, it’ll run smooth and independently, granting you the financial freedom you need.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Home Business Record Keeping simplified.

Home business record keeping is essential for making sure all orders are processed, employees are paid on time, and so you will be able to keep track of inventory and other items that make up your business. This includes bills and other expenses as well. When you begin your business, you may not have too many items to keep track of. But as your business grows, you will notice that there will be more and more to do in order to keep your business running. Marketing materials, client email lists, and examples of your work, if necessary, will need to be tracked. But there are a few simple ways that you can build home business record keeping into your business.

Investing in a fire proof filing cabinet is one of the best ways to keep track of paperwork. You can divide the filing cabinet into different sections and make sure that all invoices and expenses are filed away so they will be easily accessible during tax season or when you have to fill a customer order. You can buy a file cabinet in office supply stores, online, or from catalogs. These are inexpensive and easy to use. Every six months or so, you should clean them out and shred papers you no longer need or find another place to store them.

Another way to store home business records is to invest in computer software programs for all of your invoices and financial records. You can store a lot of information using computer software. Depending on what you need stored, you may need only one program. Learning how to use these programs is not difficult and will not take too long to learn. Once you have learned how to use the software, you will be able to print off invoices, add expenses, and keep track of customer orders. This will also allow you to save on paper storage.

Charting orders and completing assignments is easy if you have a message board to hang or write down what you need to accomplish during the day. You will be amazed by how much time and effort you will save when you buy a few office items such as a message board. Other items you may want to purchase include markers, pens, and notepads that you can jot items down on in order to remember them later on.

When you decide to run a business, you do not need to spend a lot of money building an office. You can create an efficient office on very little money if you invest in key items. Home business record keeping will allow your business to grow as you take on more clients. This will keep your business successful for many years to come

Make most of your home business.

The Internet is home of the business opportunity ad. While some are not legit, others do have the potential of netting you a pretty penny. Once you have found such an opportunity, it is important that you make the most of it ? but to do so wisely, you will need to observe a few tips and tricks that will not only help you to earn money, but also protect you from losing any of your hard earned cash in the process.

When you are starting out in pursuit of your business opportunity, you will need to juggle your full time job and your extracurricular pursuit. While it might be tempting to throw caution to the wind, quit your job and pursue the opportunity full time, it is extremely unwise to do so. You will still have bills, and if you have a family, it is unfair to expect them to suddenly make do without the little extras they have come to appreciate. Instead, go ahead and work your regular job while expanding on your business opportunity. This will prevent you from having to give up after a few unsuccessful months with maxed out credit cards.

Building a business takes time, and if you involve friends and family, you will probably be able to do so a lot faster. Of course, this should not mean that you try to peddle your nutritional supplements that are part of the business you are building at every family reunion. Instead, you might be able to involve some family members in the business end itself. Do you need help with taxes? Maybe an aunt is good at doing them! Do you have questions about licenses and insurance? If you have a stay at home dad who is willing to do some work in exchange for a bit of money, these headaches could be taken away from you. In short, rare is the entrepreneur who makes money all by her or himself from the basement, yet plentiful is the entrepreneur who ? with the help of friends and family ? succeeded!

Your business opportunity requires exposure, yet there is more to advertising than paying for a three by five ad in the local rag. Instead, attend trade shows, hand out flyers, print up business cards (not the free ones that carry another company''s logo on the back) and network with other entrepreneurs. Do not stay home when you are trying to build a business, but instead go to where the business world is located and get out the word! This ensures that you will truly make the most of your business opportunity without having to spend money you may not yet have earned on costly advertisements that may not be as effective as you had hoped.

Advantages of working from home.

In the fast paced job market, it might seem like there is never enough time to do what you really want to do ? be at home with your families and take care of what you need to take care of while you are there. Luckily, now there are many ways that you can work from home. There are many joys of being able to work from home, and make enough money to actually make it worth it.

First of all, if you have children, you are going to get to be there for them during the day when they are young, and after school when they are older. You will never get the chance to be there for your children again, because once they grow up, that''s it! So, you should take every opportunity to be near them and take care of them when they are young. Also, by working from home, you can make sure that you aren''t having to pay for child care. Most of the time, people end up spending the money that they make working directly on child care, and unless they love their jobs and need to do their jobs, it simply isn''t worth it for someone to work part time just enough to pay someone else to take care of their kids while they are working. Think about how nice it would be to be able to actually make money, and not need to spend any of it on childcare.

Also, there is a certain freedom that comes along with working from home. By being at home and staying at home you are there to tackle things that come up and to keep a handle on the way that the house operates. You are there to be in charge. No more leaving in the dark and coming home after the sun has set for the day. And no more trying to do all of the house work and chores on the weekends. You can simply allow yourself to be at home and enjoy the life that you are living.

Remember that the best part of working at home is getting to do the things that you really enjoy and getting to do them in your own environment. Nothing can beat the fact that you are going to be able to stay at home with your family and with your house chores, and still be able to make just as much money as if you were working at a job for 40 hours a week. There are many ways that you can work from home, and getting to know what these ways are is just the beginning to a successful career.

Easy Steps to Make Money

Everyone wants to be rich. Money buys us time with our loved ones and time for ourselves. But the road to riches starts with baby steps and each step builds to the next to get you where you want to go. Follow me on these seven steps so you can accumulate wealth and preserve what you have earned. The first three pillars of wealth are good cash flow, an estate plan, and risk management.

1. Cash flow is the fountain of wealth. It doesn''t matter if the fountain is big or small, what''s important is what you do with what you have. If you are a good steward of money, money will grow for you so that you''re not dependent on a job. You should have at least three months gross salary in emergency savings- more if you carry a lot of debt or have a lot of assets. It''s very easy to blow a very good investment plan because the car broke down and you didn''t have enough emergency funds to fix it.

2. Estate plan is a basic will, powers of attorneys for health care and financial care, and a medical directive. Think you are too young to start that-think again. You will leave your family and your assets a mess without these documents. They are easy to download and some you can do yourself such as writing down your own will.

3. Risk management is a way to protect what you have while you are accumulating assets and making them grow. Okay, so no one likes insurance but it is a necessary evil. Get the right type for your situation and get only what you need, can afford. The rest you will have to bear the risk.

4. Goals and objectives aren''t just a pie in the sky want or desire. Your goals should be achievable and measurable. Use one of the many free capital needs analysis calculators on the web to find out what you need to save and what return you need to grow money to meet your goal. Still can''t make your dream come true? Then- change the dream. Take more time to get there or save more or lower your expectation. It''s better to shoot for something achievable and if you have more than that, hooray for you.

5. Investments aren''t as scary as they used to be. Now with low cost (ETFs) Exchange Traded Funds, you can easily and inexpensively invest over many asset classes and styles---- and you don''t need large sums of money to get started either.

6. Retirement Plans are the easiest way to invest right away since contributions can be taken right out of your paycheck. Those contributions will also reduce your tax liability. Always use tax deferred retirement plans as a first investment to get started. It''s easy and painless.

7. Tax Planning is another key to wealth. The main three strategies are tax deductions, tax deferrals, and tax credits. Make sure that you are using those to get your taxes down. Remember it''s what you keep after tax, not what you make. Keep a lot.

A journey starts with a step. These steps are will help you grow your money while lowering your taxes and increase your net worth. We are all in a hurry to get to the pot of gold, but by taking your time to complete each step you will be assured of meeting your financial goals and empowered with what you have learned.

Make a Financial Plan with these steps.

You may have a good investment plan or estate plan or retirement plan but without coordination of these plans, you are most likely to lose out on making money. The reason why is that all of these steps in a financial plan will get you the goals that you want, in the time that you want and with tax advantages and with a comfortable amount of risk. Most people target just the investment plan or retirement plan and lose focus of the big picture. Here are these steps that you will need for success in creating financial independence:

1) Emergency Cash Reserves. You should have 3- 6 months of salary in an account that is easily accessible without penalty. Use this cash, not credit cards when the water heater needs replacement or for other short term unexpected expenditures.

2) Risk Management. Insurance is a necessary evil. We must insure our car, home, and other large assets. You also may need life insurance to replace lost income and pay off debts in case of a death. Protect what you have acquired with the right type of insurance for the right amount of coverage and affordable too.

3) Estate Plan. The basic necessary documents of an estate plan are a will, durable power of attorney for financial care and durable power of attorney for medical care. For larger estates, a living trust, marital trusts, and charitable trusts may be suitable. These documents will help keep more of what you have earned in your family for future generations.

4) Goal Setting. This is the glue that holds it all together. When you get that tempting offer to invest in a friend's business, you can go back to your financial plan and remember that an investment like that may not help you reach your financial goals or may add unnecessary risk. Your commitment to your goals will keep you on track for success over the long run.

5) Investments. You have the proper asset allocation plan to meet your goals and you understand and are comfortable with the risk you are taking to get there. Without an investment plan that is goal based, you will be investing on the whims of the news and the economy instead of what you need.

6) Retirement Plans. Your base of income that will supplement your social security will come from defined contribution plans like the 401K and from defined benefit plans. Make maximum contributions to these plans every year. They grow fast because of the tax deferral and are painless since they come right out of your paycheck.

7) Tax Planning. A good tax plan means taking all the deductions that you are legally allowed. It also means taking advantage of tax deferred plans, and utilizing tax credits whenever you are eligible. Every dollar saved in tax is money in your pocket. Don't overlook these strategies. Feel like you can't do this alone? Find a fee-only financial advisor to make a comprehensive plan for you or a financial coach to guide you through what you have and what you need. Your financial future depends on coordination of these wealth building steps.