Remember your very first day on the job? Your shoes had a shine like the tiles on the Space Shuttle and the crease in your slacks could have diced celery. The air was somehow fresher, the birds chirpier. You had been hired. You'd been given a chance to excel, a chance to make a difference.

Now contrast that with this morning.

Are you motivated to wake up every morning and go to your job with full enthusiasm?
After a while, most people end up making one compromise after another until they've resigned themselves to mediocrity. It's darned hard to keep that first-day buzz going.

BUT…there's no reason you can't choose to recover a good measure of that first-day feeling. You can motivate yourself to strive for excellence, and put it to good use in the service of everyone whose lives you touch on a daily basis. And, you can love your job again.

It's all about making the choice to do it.

Why You Need to Get Motivated, Find Your Enthusiasm, and Love Your Job Again

Have you ever met a two-year-old who wasn't enthusiastic? We come prepackaged with it. And then…

What happens to us?

What happens is that we make a choice. Some of us choose to make the effort to stay in touch with our inner enthusiasm and love our jobs. Others find reasons to lose touch with it—boredom, responsibilities, challenges, fatigue.

But here's the problem: Enthusiasm is the lifeblood of all success. Without it, nothing great happens. If you choose to lose touch with your inner enthusiasm, you are choosing mediocrity. It's really that simple.

Sure, there are plenty of reasons to curb your enthusiasm. But there are just as many reasons to find it again including celebrating your incredible good fortune. In the process you can make that fortune even better.

Here’s How to Find Your Enthusiasm

Step 1: Start with the fact that you're not dead yet, that you were born at all, that you have a job, and that compared to a lot of folks, you have a pretty darn good job.

Step 2: Now take a close look at the circumstances of this good job you have. Write down your five biggest complaints and spin them into positives. For example, "My boss micromanages me" can be reframed as "My boss cares enough about me to step into my work when I need help."
If you've truly committed to finding your first-day buzz again, you should be an awful lot closer to it now than you were ten minutes ago.

All this rethinking and reframing has removed a HUGE energy drain from your life—one you were probably unaware of. It takes massive amounts of energy to continually reinforce your own sense of victimhood. Excellence is MUCH less expensive. Now that you feel lucky instead, what on Earth are you going to do with all that energy?

How about playing the Big Game you signed up for?

Now, you just filled yourself up with a lion's share of this precious thing called the human spirit, and it will not invest in mediocrity. So play the meaningful, bighearted game you always dreamed of playing, and leave the mediocrity to others. Get motivated and start loving your job again.

About the Author:

Roxanne Emmerich is renowned for her ability to transform the “ho-hum” attitudes of leaders, executives, business owners and entrepreneurs just like you into massive results-oriented “bring-it-on” attitudes. To discover how you can get motivated and love your job again, check out her new book – Thank God It’s Monday. Now, you can get a free sneak preview at: http://www.thankgoditsmonday.com/preview_the_book/

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Many people equate the ability of being funny with the telling of jokes. This is not the case as you do not need to learn to be humorous in order to deliver effectively a joke. But I am going to look at some pointers on specifically how to handle jokes. I'm not going to give you public speaking jokes, but I will help you select ones appropriate for your situation.

Where people fall down with jokes is in their initial selection, their remembering of the joke and their delivery of the punchline.

First of all you have to consider the situation that you're going to be delivery your jokes in. If you're out with friends, in a social environment then, presumably, you will know what types of jokes are appropriate to tell to this particular friend and what aren't.

Get on to your favourite search engine and look for some jokes that might be suitable for your circumstance.

If you are to deliver a presentation in a business situation, then the rules are going to be completely different. Here's a quick snapshot of the subjects that I would avoid:

1.Racial. I think this pretty much goes without saying, but I wanted to be as explicit as I can and not leave any stone unturned.

2.Sexist. Again I think this goes without saying. Using this sort of humour can offend over half your audience. Why that much? Well, anti-women jokes will alienate the women and you may even have married couples present which means you'll alienate some guys too.

3.Disability. Humour that mocks any sort of disability is also a no-no.

4.Sexual in nature. Avoid humour that is sexually explicit that could cause potential embarrassment.

5.Political. This seems innocuous compared to the other topics, but why run the risk of dividing your audience or offending the person who pays you?

6. Religion. You might be a Believer, but what if you speak to a room full of people who aren't? Or vice versa. Mocking any sort of religion is a big no-no. Even the Jedi Faith.

I would also avoid making derogatory comments about the organisation that you're speaking for, unless you don't mind not getting paid.

When using street jokes, it is best if you are able to tell the joke in your own words. That way it will help reduce the possibility of you forgetting it. Go over it several times so you get used to the important elements that will feature in the set-up part of the joke.

Say the joke out loud and change words that you wouldn't normally say. The closer the joke is to your own natural speech rhythm, the easier it will be for you to tell it and the easier it will be for your to remember it.

By editing the joke you are able to get to the punchline a lot quicker. Being succinct in this way is ideal for humour.

This will also help you remember the punchline, which is one of the elements that people can forget. The punchline is very important as it allows you to generate the laughter.

That said, it is not more important than the set-up line. The set-up line is all the information that occurs before the punchline. Without that information to establish the situation and story of the joke, the punchline will fail.

As an example here's a punchline from Gilbert Gottfried:"Is it hot in here, or am I crazy?" Hilarious, right? Not unless you already know the joke. Which means that you need to recall the information provided by the set-up.

Let me put you out of your misery and give you the set-up line: “Last night I was having dinner with Charles Manson, and in the middle of dinner he turned to me and said...” Now you've got the final piece of the jigsaw the humour makes sense.

So select a joke, make sure that it's not going to offend anybody. Practise saying the joke out loud which will allow you to edit it to fit your own way of speaking. Practise saying the joke several times as this will also allow you to remember it.

Jason Peck is a Humorist, Speaker and Consultant based in London, England. For public speaking tips and to learn how to add humor to your speeches and presentations to win over your listeners visit: Pro Humorist.

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Young Entrepreneur: Word-of-mouth is certainly the best form of marketing available. In a recent study by the authority site emarketer.com, it was shown that fully 53% of online traffic comes from word-of-mouth – recommendations and referrals made by others.

The growth of the Internet has certainly enhanced the potential for positive results from word-of-mouth referrals. News used to take a lot longer to spread when the telephone was the most effective means of communication. News can now travel at lightning speeds through the many forms of e-mail, instant messaging, SMS text messaging and the Web 2.0 children – Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, etc.

Nowadays, in Internet marketing terms, it is relatively easy to prompt people for a recommendation. “Tell a friend” scripts are easy to promote and these messages stand a great chance of reaching their proposed recipients, due to the fact that they are coming from a trusted friend or acquaintance. Recognizable e-mail addresses normally sail past those pesky spam filters.

There are many ways to generate valuable online publicity through the use of press release services. You should have a clear strategy, defined and regular, and strive to incorporate different tactics. A series of written press releases should aim to show your product or service as relevant and “hot”. Create a buzz around your product. Inject some controversy and color and always aim to establish yourself as a credible expert in your niche.

One of the beauties of the Internet as we know it today is its ability to provide viral exposure. Whilst aiming to brand yourself as the credible expert, consider giving something of value away for free. Make sure that you research this well, however, so that your intended audience feels that you truly are giving away something of value and that this is not just your opinion!

Find out what value and what kind of information your target audience is looking for. Are they looking for inspiration, or simply a lighthearted message of some kind? Use the many Internet distribution channels to provide something of perceived value at little or no cost. Never employ the hard sell – but do make sure that you include subtle links so that interested people can find you.

Why word of mouth is still the best form of marketing [Young Entrepreneur]

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When doing a presentation an easy way to connect with your audience is to use humour. Not only do people like to laugh and be entertained but they will also more easily remember your message. But need to know an effective joke format.

My aim is not to turn you into a comedian I am simply going to present you with some ways to add humour to your speech or presentation.

In the first instance, you want to make sure that your speech as an overall objective. What’s the message that you’re trying to get across? From there you should find at least 3 supporting points that support your main point.

Once you have that down, concentrate on creating your speech first. That’s the most important thing. Create the speech first and then focus on finding the humour afterwards.

Punchlines are different from jokes which tend to be mini, self-contained stories. A punchline can just be your personal reaction to something that you’ve said. Here are two joke formats for you to consider when structuring your speech:

1)

Intro

2nd Funniest joke

Main body of Jokes

Theme

Funniest Joke

The second format is as follows:

2)

Intro

Funniest joke

Other Jokes

Theme

This last one ends on a serious note instead of a laugh. Personally, if I'm doing a humorous speech I'd rather end on a laugh. But that's just my personal taste.

You will still also need to make at least 3 points during your speech. People have come to hear your message and not just be entertained by your sense of humour. So during your main body of jokes section, make points that relate to your overall theme.

What you might consider doing is reducing your actual speech or presentation by about a third or even a half. Keep the core details that are necessary to convey your message to your audience. So what do you replace the edited content with?

Funny jokes, funny stories, maybe you could quote other comedians or witty people as long as you give credit where it's due. There's no sense delivering a line by Dave Chappelle in your presentation and passing it off as your own. There will always be someone who can attribute it to the original author, plus it's illegal and highly unethical.

You can legitimately quote another comedian as such: "as Jerry Seinfeld once said..." you can immediately get your audience into a better state to laugh as they'll remember their favourite Jerry Seinfeld moment.

Then if the line doesn't have everyone rolling in the aisles then you can get out of it by saying, "obviously it's much better when Seinfeld did it". Your listeners will love you all the more then because you will have revealed yourself to be slightly vulnerable.

Ask yourself “what are you trying to convey to your audience?” What's the take home message that you want them to walk away from your speech remembering?

If you can follow some of these tips in your next presentation you'll be well on your way to being remembered for your humorous speeches.

Jason Peck is a Humorist, Speaker and Consultant based in London, England. For public speaking tips and to learn how to add humor to your speeches and presentations to win over your listeners visit: Pro Humorist.

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Article contributed by Franchise Direct

Franchise Direct has analyzed the latest facts and figures from the pizza industry. What emerges is a snapshot of a food franchising sector that is well-positioned to thrive during the current economic downturn.

This research comes from assessing FDD (UFOC) documents of a sample size of 20 pizza franchise chains, as well as published industry sources.

Generally-speaking, the restaurant industry has shown initial resilience in coping with the downturn. Americans continue to rely on restaurants, primarily take-away establishments, for their daily eating. National restaurants surveys show an industry bracing for hardship, but confident that consumers will remain loyal.

Franchise Direct’s research shows that pizza franchises make up a majority of America’s restaurants. Our findings state that pizza franchises experienced consistent sales growth up until last year, when the industry slowed. There are a number of reasons why pizza franchises are projected to remain strong. Commodity prices will fall in the coming years, creating savings for the purchase of ingredients. Pizza franchises will also seamlessly fit into new consumer trends, such as the switch towards healthier and organic food options and the integration of new technology in ordering food. Our research suggests that pizza franchises present a deft balance for consumers searching for a quality at an affordable price. It is believed that pizza franchises will succeed as other more expensive dining options fail.

Pizza franchises also boast a number of advantages as far as purchasing a restaurant is concerned. New entrepreneurs can avail of a franchisor’s assistance in getting their business up and running. Our research reveals the typical franchise fee for a pizza restaurant. That figure tends to drops significantly for carry-out restaurants and double for larger, full-service pizza franchises.

The total investment sum for a pizza franchise can also vary greatly depending on location, unit size and whether the restaurant is take-out or dine-in. Our research tracks the range in investment in owning different types of pizza restaurant, factoring in fixtures, signs, inventory, training expenses, payroll and more. There are also a number of ongoing fees that the franchisee must be accountable for and our analysis details every payment that one can expect to make.

Most pizza franchises come with an exclusive territory, although some franchisors maintain a right to open new outlets within a given territory in certain circumstances.

In all, it remains hard to forecast the total earning potential of owning a pizza franchise. Every franchised industry is facing challenges at the moment, with the economy flailing and the sales expected to drop across the board in 2009. Cost control, management efficiency and slumping commodity prices will help to offset the sales decline brought on by the slump in the economy. According to research by Franchise Direct, pizza franchisees who can enhance their service and offer true quality to consumers will be the ones that will enjoy positive outcomes in 2009.

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Article contributed by Franchise Direct

These are very hard times for the American automotive industry, but an exclusive franchise study by Franchise Direct has revealed that automotive franchises are doing well nonetheless. With Americans holding onto their cars for longer than ever before, their analysis of the Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDD’s) of 30 automotive franchises found that more and more drivers are turning to franchises to keep their car on the road.

The endemic problems in America’s car industry have been well-documented. But Franchise Direct’s study has found that the sharp decline of automotive industry, coinciding with America’s worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, has actually created some exciting opportunities for aftermarket and car rental and sales franchises.

The reality is Americans are not buying new cars as regularly as they once did. According to this new automotive franchise study, the projected new car sales for this year are 9.7 million units. This constitutes a 40% decline since 2007. Yet Americans continue to love their automobiles. The bottom line is that drivers are becoming more dependent on services provided by automotive franchises because they are choosing to get more life out of their car.

Aftermarket automotive franchises are best positioned to succeed, as consumers seek maintenance and repairs with greater urgency. Used car and rental franchises will also enjoy the benefits of this new reluctance to splurge on new automobiles.

There are also new niche markets developing for franchising to exploit. In the last few years, drivers have embraced automobiles with complicated engine control, microprocessors and high-tech safety and entertainment equipment. There has also been a movement towards ‘green’ technology in car manufacturing. As these technologies become more and more popular, a new market is growing for aftermarket franchises. Drivers no longer have the know-how to do this complex automotive work on their own and will turn instead to reliable franchise brands.

The great irony is that the global recession and the collapse of Detroit’s auto industry has opened the door for the recent success of automotive franchises. America’s love affair with the automobile is undiminished, but American’s attitude towards car buying has radically changed. This research shows that consumers are turning towards automotive franchises to keep their cars on the road. With the government’s stimulus plan providing economic optimism, it is an excellent time to consider franchise opportunities in the automotive sector.

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The voice is important for a speaker as well as for an actor, is an important part of one's instrument. Just like an actor, a speaker’s body and voice is an instrument. If you think about it as a speaker, or presenter, you are using just yourself whether or not your have slides. So it’s important to know at least one vocal exercise for clear speaking.

Muscles of Articulation

Without getting too bogged down with the science of the muscles of articulation and how the work, I'll just quickly mention that they are as follows:

- the tip of the tongue
- the hard palate
- the soft palate
- the back of the tongue
- the teeth and the lips

Now, there are probably many professional vocal coaches out there who are ready to argue with me on these points and say that I should tell you what the correct categories are, whether they are active or passive articulators. But for the purposes of this post I don't feel it's necessary.

Some Quick Vocal Tips

Speak out loud: I've talked about the benefits of rehearsing your speech or presentation elsewhere in this blog. By speaking the words out loud your mouth gets used to saying the words and as a result you're less likely to stumble over what you're saying because your body has a physical memory.

Avoid dairy: Before you speak or present make sure you keep your dairy intake to a minimum. Dairy products have a tendency to produce excess mucus which can make you snort and constantly feel like you have to clear your throat.

Keep yourself lubricated by drinking plenty of water or herbal tea. Too much caffeinated tea can dehydrate you. If you're drinking plenty of water before you speak remember to use the loo (rest room).

Hum before you speak: By gently humming, your voice gets to go hum and down it's range and gets warmed up. As you hum try to imagine the sound resonating in the front of your mouth around your teeth.

Try humming a slow version of the nursery rhyme "Pop Goes The Weasel". As a quick refresher here's the lyrics as I know them:

"Half a pound of tuppenny rice,
Half a pound of treacle.
That’s the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel".

A quick search on the internet will help find the tune if you are unfamiliar with it. It's quite a jaunty little jig, but you'll want to slow it right down when you hum your way through it. Don't push yourself, you’re not in a contest. There’s no prize for completing the exercises first. Be gentle.

Use tongue twisters: Tongue twisters are a good way to exercise your articulation muscles. Here're a couple of my favourites:

"Red leather, yellow leather". (repeat 5 times)

"Articulatory agility
is a desirable ability
manipulating with dexterity
the tongue, the palate, and the lips". (repeat 5 times)

"The back of the tongue and the tip of the tongue" (repeat 5 times)

"The tip of the tongue, the teeth, the lips". (repeat 5 times)

If you jump on to your favourite search engine and search for tongue twisters, you can find plenty in whichever language you choose. Just make sure you choose the correct pronunciation.

For instance, I had an American voice teacher at drama school whose pronunciation was different to the English students in the room. We had to make sure that we didn’t end up saying “yella” instead of “yellow”.

So remember that vocal exercises are as important for public speakers as they are for professional actors.

Jason Peck is a Humorist, Speaker and Consultant based in London, England. For public speaking tips and to learn how to add humor to your speeches and presentations to win over your listeners visit: Pro Humorist.

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The franchise sales process is kind of a paradox: both sides want the other to like them, to show that they are perfect for each other. At the same time, both the franchisor and the prospect want to make it clear that they’re looking for the perfect partner.

In other words, franchise prospects want to put their best foot forward but make it clear that this is only one of several possible choices and the franchisor wants to impress the potential franchisee, but make it clear that they are very selective in whom they choose to allow into their system.

So what is it that franchisors look for in prospective franchisees? Most franchisors talk of “awarding” franchises, rather than selling them. The difference is that they won’t sell to anyone. You must be someone who values the same things as the franchisor and be financially qualified. The franchisor is taking a risk by letting you into their system – here are some of the things they look for, either through explicit questions or by watching your non-verbal “answers” to situations.

Are you financially qualified?
You don’t have to have a six-figure bank account but you do need to a) show some resources of your own and b) show that you understand how to obtain money to cover franchise fees, start-up costs, and operating capital. You can do this through loans, friends, and partnerships. The last thing a franchisor wants to do is put someone in who doesn’t have enough capital to get over the initial customer ramp-up period. You make the cut if you show you understand how to obtain capital.

Are you self-motivated?
This seems obvious, and most potential franchisees would say that they are successful people who have always been self-motivated. Your house is on the line, after all, so of course you’re motivated to succeed. But this goes more to what happens when things are hectic or there are challenges unique to your area. Franchisors want to know that you’re motivated to seek help within the system (franchisees, business consultants, and other resources) – that you recognize this is your business. The franchisor has many tools and resources for you to use. But it’s up to you to ask for them and to implement them.

Do you have a passion for the product or brand?
Passion overcomes many obstacles. Franchisors want to know that you can be an evangelist of their brand, to promote the products and uphold the trade dress in your market. A passion for the brand indicates a franchisees willingness to overcome challenges, while still keeping the brand’s best interests in mind. Passionate franchisees are generally more successful than others who just “want to be their own boss.”

Do you just want to be your own boss?
Very often, potential franchisees will expound on how they would do things or offer tips as to how to make the system better. These tips are appreciated when they come from existing franchise owners, but most often are red flags during the franchisee selection process. A franchise system is just that – a system. Franchisors need to know that you are willing to work within the system and that you’re not just buying a franchise because you can get open faster and then do whatever you want (it’s your business...right? You can sell magazines and suntan lotion in your sandwich store if you want to...right?).

Good business partnerships are like good marriages and take just about as much work. If you do your research, and are honest during the application and selection processes, your new relationship will have a firm foundation.

If you’re out to impress the franchisor and you oversell yourself, there’s a good probability that neither of you will be happy with the partnership. Find what you love to do, then do it with passion.

This article is contributed by: Franchise Genius

FranchiseGenius.com is the largest, most comprehensive online directory of franchise concepts, with 1,700+ concepts summarized, and includes a franchise resource center full of objective and useful information.

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Young Entrepreneur by Adam Toren: While getting traffic to your website is important, the most essential goal is turning that traffic into sales. If visitors are not buying your products or service, then it’s time to evaluate your website. There may be some roadblocks on your site that might be preventing visitors from becoming customers. Review these 6 essentials that a website sales page must have to ensure that it is positioned for profitability.

1. Less clicks.

How many times does a visitor need to click through your website to get to the product page? The less navigation tabs, the easier it is to land the sale because there are fewer distractions to take away from the viewer’s focus.

2. Convincing sales page.

Your sales page needs to be persuading in a concise fashion. Create a headline that will attract attention and encourage further reading. The copy that follows should show how your product or service will meet the customer’s needs. Illustrate why a visitor should buy from you rather than the thousands of others online offering similar products or services. Keep the tone causal and conversational. Use words that spark emotions and, where applicable, compare benefits to results. The sales page is where you need to establish trust and credibility with the visitor and show why you are far superior to all the rest.

3. Provide testimonials.

Testimonials from actual customers praising your product and service carry much more credibility than words in your sales copy. These testimonials can be either audio or visual, but it is essential that they are on the sales page and contain the customer’s name, hometown and photo in order for them to carry any persuasive weight.

More sales tips can be found under: Essentials For Turning Sales Page Visitors Into Clients

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Marketing to Women Online: You want to reach moms? You want word-of-mouth advertising? You want moms to get on board with your brand or product and to tap into the influence they have with their friends and family?

Meet the mommy blogger.

Companies small and large are trying to climb on to the mommy blogger bandwagon. Advertising Age recently did a story about the phenomenon - Inside the Mommy Blogger Business.

Despite their lightweight moniker, mommy bloggers have become marketing business heavyweights. Now said to number in the millions, these online women have cobbled together content networks that rival some mainstream media companies. And they're clearly a force that retailers underestimate at their own peril. In this "About Digital" report, we talk to a retail giant, an analyst, major publisher and a PR agency to better understand how various segments of the industry are adjusting to this phenomenon.

There's a reason why mommy bloggers are gaining the attention and respect of advertisers.

eMarketer just published the results from the 2009 Social Media study from BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners. The study found that:

Of the female social media participants, 75% took part in social networking and 55% used blogs. Nearly 23 million of the social media users read blogs.

But many women went beyond merely reading: 12 million posted to blogs and 8 million published them.

In fact, women who used blogs were more than twice as likely to do so when they were seeking information, advice and recommendations than were women who participated in social networking.

When providing advice or contributing to a community, more women also turned to blogs than social networks.

“The scale of social media usage among US women continues to grow, and blogs remain the go-to resource for those who want to gather information, share ideas and get reliable advice,” said Elisa Camahort Page, COO of BlogHer.

There's another reason why advertisers are reaching out to mommy bloggers.

In her book Too Busy To Shop, Kelley Skoloda talks about the importance of the "messenger." Women listen to messages from trusted sources. An advertising message in a commercial is one thing. But that message delivered by a trusted credible source carries a lot more weight.

With the bombardment of consumer information, a more transient society, and significant time constraints, more women are turning to less conventional sources, such as blogs, social networking sites, and Web sites, to get trusted information and recommendations.

In fact, these interactive sites are becoming extended networks of friends and family. These virtual neighborhoods give women access to many other women who are in the same life stage as they are, making the topics and discussions very relevant to what they want to know and where they are in life.

The bottom line for advertisers and brands is this - women, especially moms are reading and interacting with blogs in record numbers. It's where they are at.

Mommy Bloggers - Why Advertisers Want Them [Marketing to Women Online]

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Merchant cash advance transactions are big business. In the past few years, the industry has grown from a few providers to what some predict will be an almost 10 billion dollar industry. Search engine results for “merchant cash advance” produce literally thousands of provider results. How do you wade through all of these providers to find the right one for your business? How do you get the best deal? Here’s a quick guide to a successful merchant cash advance transaction.

Only “merchants” can apply. A merchant is someone that owns and operates a business that performs credit card processing functions as a way to accept customer payments. Providers have different requirements regarding the length of time you need to be in business- many also require a certain sales volume for approval. Generally, you’ll need to have at least a few thousand dollars in credit card sales to qualify for a cash advance transaction.

You have to qualify. Cash advances have become a popular method of financing because the approval process is fast and easy. But be careful- just because you’re “approved” doesn’t mean you’ll be able to repay the advance according to the agreement. Many unscrupulous providers have been known to approve businesses they know won’t be able make repayments as scheduled in order to collect the fees and penalties associated with defaulting.

Service agreements set the terms. Once you’re approved for a business cash advance, the provider will send you a service agreement with all of the important information- your advance amount, the “safe” retrieval rate (based on your daily credit card sales volume), and advance fees should all be included in this agreement. Since a merchant advance isn’t a loan, it isn’t subject to lending or usury laws- providers can basically charge whatever they want for services, up to 50% or more of the advance amount in some cases. Be extremely wary of agreements with fees that kick in if sales volume drops below a certain amount (called daily minimum fees) or “balloon” repayment clauses that require payment in full if certain conditions are or are not met.

Repayment is taken from daily sales revenue. You begin repayment the day you receive your advance check, much like a traditional loan. Before you take out an advance, you need to make sure that your current sales volume is able to support the repayment structure specified in the agreement.

What happens next? If you repay your advance according to the agreement, everything is fine. Repayment is usually quick- you should have the advance balance paid off within several months of initiating the transaction. The service agreement governs potential defaults- most agreements contain some kind of a “balloon” repayment clause (see above) or give the provider the authority to place a lien on business equipment or property if you can’t pay back the advance. Providers have also been known withdraw money straight from a business checking account. Before you sign the service agreement, you need to make sure that you know exactly what will happen if you can’t repay the advance according to the terms.

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How about those times when you feel frustrated or beat yourself up because you haven’t changed a behavior or achieved a goal you say you want? Perhaps it’s a change of behavior or a goal that you haven’t been able to achieve. You’ve tried with some limited success and you continue to backslide. Maybe you haven’t even taken the first step because you feel afraid.

So, let’s say there is a change you feel ready to make even if you feel afraid or resistant. You know inside that it is time to shift from thinking and talking about what you want into DOING. Being actively engaged in demonstration through action is a critical factor in manifestation when you say YES to what you want and who you are meant to be.

Common desires include:

* Reducing weight, living a healthier lifestyle
* Financial freedom, having a steady flow of abundance
* A loving relationship with a soul mate
* Health, energy, vitality
* Making money doing what you love
* Inner peace and joy

When we begin moving past our comfort level, our ego/mind begins to freak out with fear. Sometimes our panic is obvious. We feel physical sensations: heart beating fast, dry throat, shallow breathing, a sense of panic or urgency, or a knot on our stomach. When our conscious or subconscious thoughts, are fixed on imagined events that may or may not ever happen the future, fear can turn to panic.

Uncertainty, feeling out of control can send us zooming into sabotage. When people unconsciously feel powerless or “trapped” they look for ways to feel more in control which can often be projected by trying to control others. In the throes of fear and distress our human instinct is to grab onto something that creates the illusion of control so we can breathe a sigh of relief. We feel like we have been saved as if we were downing in deep water and found a life preserver to keep us afloat. Even though our relief might be a temporary fix, we feel back in the driver’s seat because our immediate sense of urgency has been calmed.

Another way we manage discomfort is to self-soothe in positive ways including: nurturing rituals, affirming self-talk, gratitude, spiritual practices, doing fun things, and connecting with uplifting friends. Or, we can negatively self-soothe through addictive behaviors such as: overeating, drinking, overspending, and overworking that ultimately sabotages our intentions. Sweets, carbs, and junk food are a great way to numb out. Repression becomes an automatic response to discomfort; a powerfull coping mechanism to manage whatever we want to avoid seeing, feeling, or thinking about. Numbing is a way we “get rid” of any feeling we don’t want to deal with. We know that we are choosing to do or not do will probably lead to regret and self-condemnation and we do it anyway…

What about the subtle unconscious ways our fears operate beneath the surface of our minds to create chinks that weaken our inner foundation and begin the erosion of our commitments?

Common forms of self-sabotage:

* Negative procrastination – wasting time, putting obstacles in the way of taking action towards goals, making excuses for delays, rationalizations, and creating confusion.
* Avoidance – getting sick, changing the subject, leaving the room/phone call, poor eye contact, being too busy, getting distracted, keeping people at a distance (emotionally, physically, spiritually), indirect or vague communication, putting things off due to discomfort or overwhelm, and excessive sleeping.
* Destructive habits – addictive behaviors, dishonesty, overindulgence, clutter, disorganization, overspending, overeating, overbooking, and self-neglect.
* Irresponsibility – excessive debt, risky behavior, lateness, missed appointments and deadlines, over-promising and under-delivering, breaking agreements/promises, forgetfulness, and tolerating things.
* Putting others before YOU – people-pleasing, remaining in harmful situations, inability to set and maintain personal boundaries, putting the needs of others before your own, and compliance.
* Negative self-talk - Shoulds, coulds, ought tos, musts, self-criticism and judgments, anticipating or expecting the worst vs. the best, scaring yourself with worst case scenarios, talking yourself out of trusting yourself, your wisdom and instincts, creating confusion, minimizing and devaluing goals….
* Living in drama - making the situation worse or bigger than it really is. Going into “your story” vs. what is really happening or true. Being in your story means, the energy is focused on the pain, difficulty, PROBLEM, old patterns of reacting that makes the situation overwhelming, impossible, HUGE, hopeless, pointless, powerless. This is a great way to abandon goals and works in tandem with negative self-talk and fears.

If we have become attuned to our “management patterns”, we can recognize the signals and use tools to restore a sense of inner calm and perspective without costing us additional stress or pain. (Tip: Slow deliberate breathing and bringing your attention to the here and NOW are two shifting practices that can reduce the intensity of fear. Fear thoughts focus on the future and coming back to the present is key.)

Dr. Lorraine Cohen, President of Powerfull Living, brings more than 25 years experience in personal and business coaching, psychological counseling, and sales to thousands of spiritually minded business owners, entrepreneurs, and leaders from a wide range of industries. Learn more about Lorraine’s services, success products and programs.

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Glowing Sofa

Via Lattea is a striking change from traditional padded furniture and also a significant upgrade from your college room blow-up chair. Low wattage lights are placed inside the pieces to emit a glowing light. These recycled sofas......

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Article Contributed by Roberta Chinsky Matuson

As human beings, we have a natural tendency to want to be loved. But what happens when your desire to be loved interferes with your ability to lead?

People who gravitate toward leadership roles tend to be charismatic. They work hard at keeping their audiences captivated and enjoy the adoration they receive from their followers. This is all fine and good, until their desire to be liked, or even loved, begins to cloud their judgment. Here are some examples of how this can play out:

Colleagues rather than subordinates

In their quest to be liked, leaders drop their guards and become more informal with their employees than they should be. An example of this is when a leader joins his staff at Happy Hour. There is nothing wrong with sharing a beer with the team. However, things can quickly get out of hand when one beer leads to a six-pack. Before you know it, managers are sharing drinking stories from their college days. Throw in a few shots of tequila, and all bets are off.

To effectively lead, your followers must have a high regard for you. Sure, they may look up to you all evening, but will they still respect you in the morning?

Communicating versus commiserating

It is lonely at the top. There are few people who you can confide in regarding your hopes and fears. It can happen to the best of leaders – eventually they stop communicating and start commiserating with their executive team and sometimes with staff.

In these trying times, your team is looking for a leader. Someone who they are confident will be able to steer their ship through these choppy waters. The last thing they need to hear is a leader expressing doubt. If you find that you need a sounding board, consider hiring an executive coach or joining an association. Then be sure you return to the business of communicating the information employees need to hear, so when you turn around, you actually have people following you.

Are you doing too much for your employees?

Are you constantly picking up the slack for members of your team who are not cutting it? When doing so, do you take the time to explain how they can improve their performance? Or do you simply decide it is easier to do things yourself to avoid more conflict?

Conflict fuels improved performance and innovation. It can also strengthen relationships when both parties have an opportunity to have their say. Think about your own personal relationships – do you have more respect and adoration for those who are willing to call you on your actions, or for those that avoid conflict?

It is nice to be loved, but as a leader, it is more important to be respected.

About the Author
Roberta Chinsky Matuson is the President of Human Resource Solutions (www.yourhrexperts.com) and has been helping companies align their people assets with their business goals. She is considered an expert in generational workforce issues. Roberta publishes a monthly newsletter "HR Matters" http://www.yourhrexperts.com/hrjoin.cgi which is jammed with resources, articles and tips to help companies navigate through sticky and complicated HR workforce issues. Click here to read her new blog on Generation Integration http://generationintegration.typepad.com/matuson/. She can be reached at 413-582-1840 or Roberta@yourhrexperts.com.

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Article contributed by Franchise Direct

Franchise Direct, one of the world’s leading franchise portals, recently conducted an in-depth study of the coffee franchise sector. After thoroughly examining 29 Franchise Disclosure Documents, Franchise Direct has found that the coffee franchise sector is weathering the recession resiliently, bolstered by a product that is an integral part of American life.

Despite an early dip at the beginning of the recession, this $11 billion a year industry continues to grow and diversify, according to the Franchise Direct study. With coffee consumption remaining constant in this declining economic climate, coffee franchises continue to be a worthwhile investment.

According the study, the coffee franchise industry remains extremely competitive at the top and fragmented at the bottom. Starbucks is the industry’s leading coffee chain, with over 16,000 stores worldwide. Because of the accessibility and popularity of coffee, a franchised approach, boosted by an established brand identity, continues to be one of the most profitable options to profit on this product.

One of the most reassuring reasons to invest in a coffee franchise is the enduring success of the beverage. The Franchise Direct study quotes a recent poll that shows that coffee consumption actually increased last year among the lucrative 25-to-39-year old demographic, while it remained steady amongst 40-to-59-year-old’s. As the recession continues, we can safely assume that the popularity of coffee will continue unabated.

Coffee franchise businesses are also flexibly adapting to new American consumer habits. For instance, in recent years, there has been greater demand for environmentally-friendly products that do not exploit workers in the production process. Coffee franchises have been at the cutting edge of the Fair Trade movement, and with a range of organic goods, they are perfectly positioned to thrive on this developing $1billion industry.

The Franchise Direct study shows that location is the most important factor in a coffee franchise’s success. At the same time, mobile units or kiosks give prospective franchisees a low-overhead, high footfall alternative to the standard franchise unit arrangement.

Underpinning the recent success of coffee franchises is the growing popular consensus that coffee has a number of health benefits for drinkers. While perhaps once seen as unhealthy, coffee, as illustrated by authoritative studies conducted by researchers at Harvard and UCLA, clearly has health incentives.

People exploring franchises for sale will find that coffee franchises sell a product with broad public appeal that is seamlessly adapting to American consumer trends towards healthiness, social responsibility, and environmental sustainability.

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One of the simplest ways to learn to be humorous, when public speaking, is to use an introductory joke story. The opening of your presentation should actually comprise of two parts a pre-introduction and then an introduction.

Pre-Introduction Tips

The pre-introduction is for grabbing your audience's attention. The introduction is then for introducing the topic of your speech. So technically, when public speaking, you need to start with your pre-introductory joke story.

Everything has to relate to the overall objective of presentation in order for it to be truly effective. The point of the story has to relate directly or indirectly to your main point.

Are there often stories that you tell at work related to what you do, that are clean and make people laugh? If so then as long as it's succinct then you should absolutely use it.

"But I don't have any funny stories"

Okay, here’s an alternative, use a street joke. You know those jokes that begin something like “two guys walk into a bar...” or “a Grandfather finds a magic watch” or a “Man goes into a store with an Alligator under his arm…” those are known as street jokes. Essentially they are jokes without an author, which people tell in social situations.

Professional Joke-Telling Secrets

The quick down and dirty little secret with these is to find short ones that relate to your content. Make sure that the fantastical element is restricted, so talking animals or objects, anything magical or fantastical needs to be avoided. The audience will feel like they’re being joked, you don’t want that. You want your audience to feel as though you're being conversational.

The next thing you want to do is to adapt that street joke and make it personal to you. So instead of saying “this guy worked in this bar” you would say “I was working in this bar”

Be very careful over the nature of your street joke and the humour you use in your entire presentation. Make sure that no one’s going to be offended. Don’t target nay particular groups. The best person to laugh at is yourself!

Not only that, but you also want to make sure that the street joke that you're going to use is authorless and doesn't belong to a comedian. Don't steal another comedian's material as that's immoral and illegal. Street jokes aren't difficult to find if you set your mind to it.

Once you have delivered your introductory joke story you must then go into your introduction and inform your audience about the nature of your presentation. However, make sure you don’t give too much away. You want them to remain interested enough to stick around for the ending of your presentation.

Jason Peck is a Humorist, Speaker and Consultant based in London, England. For public speaking tips and to learn how to add humor to your speeches and presentations to win over your listeners visit: Pro Humorist.

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Franchisees and Franchisors...the two work together to create and expand a successful business concept. So what role does each play in relation to the other?

The Franchisor
The Franchisor has built a successful business system and is willing to sell you the right to use that system, and all that goes with it, to begin your own business. An important distinction is that the franchisor is not selling you a business—he/she is selling you a right to operate a business using an established system.

The objective of the franchisor is the same as any other business owner—to increase the value of their business. In the franchise world, this is accomplished by selling the right to use their business model so that there are more franchise locations doing business successfully. In this way they expand their market reach, increase the value of the franchise, and the brand as a whole grows. As the number of successful units grows, the franchisor’s royalty stream (the percentage of profits they get from each unit) also grows.

It is in the franchisor’s best interest to continue to support you as you exercise this right to do business. Some of the things you can expect from a franchisor are:

* Professional national marketing and advertising materials and campaigns: they will manage the overall strategy of the brand.
* Management of products and services for the brand as a whole, including research and development of new products and services. A proven system of doing business.
* Protected territory from other in-brand units: in other words, they will manage how close your market area is to another unit so there are both enough stores to have good market coverage, and also enough territory for each store to generate the business they each need to operate successfully.
* The ability and option to own more than one unit.
* A network of colleagues.
* Frequently, a buying cooperative—that is, a group of people who together have more buying power and ability to negotiate prices than does a single business owner.

The Franchisee
The Franchisee is ready to start a new business, but may not have enough experience in running a business to be comfortable starting one from nothing. Most new businesses have a fairly high failure rate—sometimes due to mistakes made by inexperienced business owners, other times due to unexpected conditions in the market. What the Franchisee is looking for is a leg-up in starting a business so they have an increased probability of success. This is exactly what purchasing the right to use an existing business system and brand name provides them.

What you need to keep in mind is that this is your business, but someone else’s brand. It’s your responsibility to find and negotiate your lease or building, but the Franchisor will usually provide guidance. You are responsible for hiring and training all employees, but again, the Franchisor can provide helpful tips for recruiting and employee development. You manage all of the pieces of the business yourself, tapping into the expertise of those from whom you’ve purchased this system whenever you need advice. You can also expect the franchise to provide training in the methods of running your business according to the system they licensed to you.

What is important for you as the Franchisee to understand from the beginning is that while you are part of an entire franchise system and will work as a partnership, you are not actually a partner. This doesn’t mean that you have no say in how the business is run, but it does mean that your say is limited. In more established franchises, there is usually a franchise group that represents the franchisees’ interests and works with the franchisor to present ideas and resolve business issues to the benefit of the franchise as a whole.

If not quite a partner, the franchisee still can expect from the franchise those things outlined above. So what can the franchisor expect from you?

* Well…money, of course. You can think of it as leasing their ideas. Each month you will report on your financials and a certain percentage of the profit you make goes to the franchisor. They use this money to fund things like advertising campaigns and research and development of new products, and to grow the value of the brand.
* You to run your business according to their standards regarding products and services. Consistency from store to store is what brings customers into franchise businesses. A customer should expect to get the same product or service from that brand name regardless of which building they walk into. If you don’t, other units suffer.

It’s important to note that the services listed above are somewhat standard to all franchise systems, but the extent to which they are applied varies greatly. Your Franchise Agreement will explicitly state the levels of support you will get in terms of advertising, training, and other areas. If it isn’t in writing (in your Franchise Agreement) then it’s not required. Keep this in mind during your conversations with any franchise organization.

This article is contributed by: Franchise Genius

FranchiseGenius.com is the largest, most comprehensive online directory of franchise concepts, with 1,700+ concepts summarized, and includes a franchise resource center full of objective and useful information.

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Article Contributed by Experienced-People

The dot com bust proved convincingly that business models involving a lot of gloss and very little prospect of consistent and growing profit find themselves on the scrap heap - and rightly so. However, in the years that followed, some internet businesses made it so big they forever changed how people buy products and how they live their lives. From Amazon's colossal grip on the world of books, to Paypal's hugely successful online payment system, to YouTube's massive user base, many Internet businesses have innovated their way to fame and success. However, the big Internet Business Success Story isn't any of those. Some of those leviathans have profit more in their imagination than in their bank.

The Facts and Figures

That the Internet population is growing by the day is not in doubt. From 2000-2008 the number of people online skyrocketed by 342%.1 Not only are more people online but users are spending more time on the 'net, accessing more goods and services there, integrating their offline world with "social networks" and moving their spending online too. In 2008, nearly 900 million people bought something online and that number is growing at the rate of 40%2. The US accounts for less than 16% of global internet users, yet in the US alone people will spend over $160,000,000,000 online in the recession hit 2009.

The bulk of that money is not, as one would imagine, going to a few large companies that straddle internet commerce. For every dollar the Google behemoth makes from the Adsense ads seen on so many websites, a large chunk goes to the owners of those sites. In the first quarter of 2009 Google paid out $410 million every month to these small businesses3. For every £1 eBay makes in commission on goods sold, the "small" eBay retailer pockets up to £10 in profit. The top 1000 eBay sellers generated revenue of £785,000,000 in 2008, with an average turnover of £440,0004.

The Opportunities

Businesses like eBay and Google account for only a small fraction of the business transacted online. The big story is the millions of small businesses - from firms developing applications for Facebook to companies creating and providing electronic delivery goods like software and ebooks, to businesses supplying consultancy services to SMEs, multinationals and governments. There are huge opportunities, there are successful businesses showing amazingly healthy growth, and there's a business in this sector to suit every taste and budget. They include

- small, low cost, work from home, part-time businesses making just a few hundred dollars a month
- information websites that have steady revenue from contextual ad programmes such as Adsense. (It's like income from copyrights and patents - no active management required)
- "drop ship" retailers of everything from candles to yachts but without a warehouse, logistics or customer service
- domain businesses consisting of nothing more than a collection of domains earning steady income from "domain parking"
- franchises without the employees, premises, bureaucracy or tedious hours
and
- traditional businesses selling high street goods and services but conducting the advertising, selling, order processing etc., entirely online giving them a significant competitive advantage over older, more established players

Why Now?

Clinton Lee, author of 101 Ways to Make Money Online, has been involved in online businesses for the best part of the last decade. In his words, "I've moved from buying and developing B&Ms (Bricks and Mortar) to buying Internet businesses partly because they are so much better value. The P/Es are a lot more attractive. It's not uncommon for a quality website to sell for less than a year's EBITDA. There are real bargains to be had. Yet, these businesses are higher growth, more flexible, more scalable and better able to adapt to changing market conditions."

The lack of geographical restriction when choosing a business makes for phenomenal amount of choice. Most can be run from anywhere, even if the owner decides to emigrate. The ownership of online business and their cash flow can be directed outside a home country making them ideal tax planning vehicles. Internet businesses are easier to grow than local businesses, can grow much further, can employ talent anywhere in the world and tap into the larger global market.

So why are do online businesses sell for what would be considered bargain basement prices elsewhere?

Traditional valuation principles still apply. It's still about quantifying future Profit and Risk. The values exist ...but the buyers don't.

There is still a mind-set among buyers that associates Internet businesses with new-fangled, high risk or requiring specialist technical skills to own/manage. Nothing could be further from the truth. While no Internet business can boast the 50 year history that some cafes, hotels or pubs take pride in, many have been generating substantial and growing profits for several years. With staff to do the technical work, long-term contracts in place with blue chip companies, solid business plans and motivated management teams, many of these businesses have everything that excites buyers.

Except the Marketplace

There's another price dampener: the lack of a proper forum for the buying and selling of these businesses. Apart from particularly large businesses, Internet concerns are unlikely to catch the attention of the right audience when listed in a general business-for-sale publication. A typical website owner wishing to sell needs to contact owners of similar sites or post threads on webmaster community boards - hardly the best places to find savvy business investors.

What's very evident in these website-for-sale threads is the average sellers' obvious inexperience with selling businesses. Their pitch is targeted squarely at their audience of webmasters and usually refers to Page Rank, DMOZ listings, site design and backend, how high the PPC is etc.. but rarely a proper analysis of the profits, cash flow or projections. Presenting a proper financial case is a turn-off for that specific audience. The experienced business buyer would ask the right questions to get at the figures.

The new Daltonsbusiness sector devoted to Internet businesses should bring these business opportunities to a wider audience and expose business buyers to a largely untapped sector.

Isn't it time you considered buying an Internet business?

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If you are giving a speech or presentation and you want to inject a little humour, it would be fair to say that you have to learn to how to be humorous on purpose. I am going to do a very dangerous thing and assume that you already have a method for creating humorous material. I am doing that as the discussion of creating material and speeches is beyond the scope of this article.

The best thing to do is to create your speech first, then think about the humour. What can happen is that if you try and be funny first, before getting your message clarified, you can creatively run aground. You'll spend more time worrying about how to be humorous rather than focusing on your message.

Be specific about your message, what the point of your speech or presentation is and then write your speech “from the heart; meaning you should write as quickly as you can. At this stage don't think too much about what you're writing, otherwise you'll end up second guessing yourself. The idea being you short-circuit your inner critic, that little doubting voice that we all have.

Once you have the raw material for your speech down, now is the time to “edit from the head”. At this point you can unleash your inner critic to help you. Make sure everything you say and every point that you make reflects the overall point of your speech.

Now we can look at some of the mechanics of humour. I've met people who are really funny who still don't know what a punchline is, that's something that baffles me as these are the tools of their trade and yet they're using them blindly. So here's a quick run down of terms (apologies if you know this already, but I want us to be on the same page):

The Secrets of Set-up Lines

A set-up line is the bit before you get a laugh. It's usually normal and provides information required to make the punchline work. A set-up line is equally important as the punchline is. Without the set-up line the punchline fails.

Consider this joke:

During his annual physical, the elderly man says to his doctor “I may be having a problem with my memory. I keep forgetting to take my medicine. I can’t remember to take out the trash. Sometimes, I can't even remember my own name.” The doctor says, “When did this start happening?” The man looks at the doctor and says, “When did what start happening?”

Everything up until the word “says” is the set-up. It provides the necessary mini story and helps to orientate us.

Ideally, the shorter this part the better. You want to get to the punchline as fast as you can, but without rushing your delivery. You should still be speaking in your own natural rhythm and pace.

If you consider that the average headline stand-up comedian gets 4-6 laughs per minute, an act containing jokes of this nature probably wouldn't achieve that. In order to achieve that there would need to be a punchline every three sentences, or one laugh every 10 seconds.

As you can see I am very serious when it comes to learning how to be humorous.

Joke stories, such as the one of just outlined, tend to be a little long-winded and have only one punchline at the end. That's a lot of time and a lot of faith to have in that one punchline working.

The good thing is we're not about learning how to become a stand-up comedian. These types of jokes could work in a speech or presentation and you should make sure that you speak them out loud a few times to put them into your own words. This will mean that you find yourself editing the joke naturally.

Obviously, when you are delivering a presentation everything you say is not divided into either set-up lines or punchlines. You're not a comedian. You're someone giving a presentation that uses humour to help make your point, so a large proportion of what you say will be focused on your message.

That said, when you get to the humour, you want to get to the laugh as fast as possible, without rushing what you're saying.

The Secrets of Funny Punchlines

Your punchlines should be short and to the point. This is where you get the punch of punchlines. Consider the punchline of the earlier joke and imagine what it would be like if it was like this:

“I'm a little confused about what it is you're saying to me Doctor. When did what start happening?”

I personally fell asleep about half-way through that sentence. The set-up line creates the tension of expectation in the audience. This means that the punchline should be terse enough to release that tension. But if the punchline rambles on like in my above example, then that effect is lost.

Everything that needs to be conveyed for this mini story to work, is found in the final sentence.

Here's another key part for a successful punchline, make sure that the key word is as close to the end of the sentence as possible. This will keep the audience tension right up until the last possible minute.

In the previous example the key word is “what”. It's a direct swap of the previous word used in the same place which was “this”. It's also important, in this example, that the line that the elderly man says is exactly the same as what the doctor said, with just one slight difference.

These tips can not only be applied to the editing of street jokes, but also to most other forms of spoken humour that appear in humorous speeches. If you can apply these tips you can learn how to be humorous and improve the funny you already have.

Jason Peck is a Humorist, Speaker and Consultant based in London, England. For public speaking tips and to learn how to add humor to your speeches and presentations to win over your listeners visit: Pro Humorist.

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It’s hard to look anywhere these days and not see someone who hasn’t been affected by unemployment and the gloomy economy. With some states experiencing up to a 20% unemployment rate, you often wonder if there is anyone succeeding today? Fortunately, there is. In fact, some businesses are not only succeeding, but thriving as well. For example, the Home Tutoring Industry and educational-based companies are experiencing record growth. Not only is it the right time for a home tutoring business, but the right industry as well.

This is primarily due to the fact that in order for students to excel today, they need to be able to get additional help. With school districts faced with larger class sizes, teacher layoffs, and even some schools canceling summer schools programs, students are faced with obstacles rarely seen before. In order for them to keep up and thrive, they need support and educational assistance. That’s where tutoring from home comes into play. Students get the help they need and most importantly at a price that parents can afford.

As the demand for tutors rises, so does the need for good home tutoring businesses. With the opportunity to not only make a great income, but make a difference in a child’s life, more and more are starting their own home tutoring businesses. It can be a perfect match for teachers and educators, women or men entering the workforce after staying home to care for family, or people who worked in Corporate America for many years and are looking for a change.

By starting your own home tutoring business, you become a tutor broker. Here you manage a network of professional teachers and educators, matching them with students in need of one-on-one in-home tutoring. In a sense you are establishing a home tutoring referral network in your community. The owner of the business, you, becomes a matchmaker, or broker, matching qualified tutors and teachers with children in need of individualized tutoring.

There are numerous programs out there that will help you start your own business. However, there are many things to consider before you make a final decision. What you are looking for is a company that is cost-effective. Now more than ever it’s important to find the right company
that not only offers the best advice, but has everything you need to get started. Therefore, whenever possible look for a company that can provide more than just a book and information. There are some companies out today, such as Home Tutoring Business, that provide not only the how to’s to starting a home tutoring business, but individualized coaching, website
design and optimization, marketing and advertising copy tailored to your new company, specialized accounting software unique to the tutoring industry, etc.

Steer clear of franchises. To be successful you don’t want to have to pay royalties and be at the beck and call of the franchise. As you’ve seen recently with the auto industry, when you are part of a franchise, they still make the decisions for you. You want a business that allows you total control and earning potential.

Finally, find a company that will stay in touch with you even after you purchase their information. Starting a business can be challenging and if you can find a company that will frequently stay connected via newsletters, cards, additional coaching, etc., you will benefit greatly.

About the Author:

Laurie Hurley based in Newbury Park, CA is the President and Founder of Home Tutoring Business, http://www.hometutoringbusiness.com. She has helped more than 100 people establish lucrative tutor referral services in their community. Laurie has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, Woman's World, Redbook Magazine, etc. Laurie also owns her own in-home tutoring company and has seen an unprecedented growth in business since the economic downturn.

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It’s pretty obvious that the marketing of today has changed. You have newspapers going virtual/web only, Twitter and Facebook replacing postcards and phone calls, and potential clients now being the main target of your press releases as opposed to editors. It’s all changing and to do PR today, you need to change with it. The good news is that it’s never been easier. The bad news, you need to learn a new way to do things. Fortunately, there are tips that can make it easier and I’m here to show you a few.

First, no one can deny the power of social networking. And those that do are just plain wrong. I’ve been in business since 1985 and I liken this to way back when emails became a way of life. Many still contended they wanted to do it the old fashioned way and nothing would beat a letter. (I know it’s hard to even imagine this today.) It wasn’t long until they realized their error, but by then their competition was way ahead of them. Don’t make the same mistake now. You absolutely need to get with it and get on board. I can practically guarantee you within weeks you’ll be hooked and wondering why you ever hesitated. It’s so easy, and the potential so great, you need to start today.

Let’s break it down. Twitter first. Forget all the “I don’t care what they ate for lunch excuses,” that’s where your competition and peers are and you do need to be there too. Sure you do have a few tweeters who will update you on the latest hot dog they ate, but that’s rare. What you do have is more and more businesses networking and connecting with each other in ways never thought possible. It’s also more than just networking back and forth, you can have chats, host events, get more publicity for your articles and press releases & even announce your seminars and radio shows. And that’s not even the half of it. There are entire books written on this, so my first recommendation is to get them. Why struggle and find your way around when you can easily read the tips from those who know exactly what you need to succeed.

Also, while you are getting your feet wet, don’t jump in and start posting and selling and ranting and raving. Take it slow. Sign up, take a sit, remain quiet for a short time and read what others are posting. Follow the leaders in your industry and take advantage of their knowledge. It can almost feel like walking around with them all day and looking over their shoulders for their secrets. What’s cool is they give their tips freely, why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of that? As an example, if someone were looking for information on starting a virtual assistant business or getting publicity for their business, they could follow me at Twitter.com/dianaennen

Now the key many forget is that not only do you need to follow them, you need to listen earnestly to what they are saying. Go to the sites they recommend. Actually do the things they suggest. And most importantly, if you have the opportunity to contribute and honestly have something of importance to say, do! Even if they aren’t following you, once you list their twitter name @name, it will go to them. Best yet, you might get a retreat or even better a RT and follow back. As many say, those are the ultimate compliments.

Now it’s important to learn the social media lingo – Hashtags, Retweets, Fans, Follow Friday, this is just a few of the many names you need to know to do business better. t can be overwhelming. No, in fact it is overwhelming. However, if you keep it simple and take it a step at a time, you can do it. When you see a term you don’t know, look it up right then. Write down your interpretation and do the investigating to find out more about it. Here are just a few to help you on your journey.

What’s a retweet? That’s when you find somone’s information useful and you want to pass it onto your followers. So basically RT (retweet) is good content that you pass on. Many RT just to RT. Don’t be one of them. You know your followers and what they want and need, that’s what you should be RT’ing. We highly recommend signing up for TweetDeck for ease in doing
this. A click of a button and you are there.

Next you need to know about Follow Friday. This is definitely one of my favorites. Think of Follow Friday as your day networking at a business get-together, only better. You get to stay in the comfort of your own home, and you get to immediately make the connections, not when you get home with a handful of business cards. Try and plan your week so you can participate. Remember this can be even more effective than a Chamber meeting or an expensive business seminar. So plan a lighter load on Friday whenever possible. You want people to mention you so mention them. Also, don’t just list 20 screens of twitter names that you want people to follow. Tell your followers why they should follow them. What do they offer that your
followers would be interested in? Remember to put #followfriday in your posting. (By the way, see that # in followfriday. That’s what is called a hashtag. Cool huh!) And finally, you want people to retweet your followfriday postings, so keep your count to 120 instead of 140 so they can easily do this. In fact, do this for all tips or postings you wanted retweeted.

Finally, try and post on Friday mornings. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ll often go down my postings to find those I want to list. I know I want to list them before hand so it’s not that I’m just going down my friends column, but often times I don’t have their information readily
available. By posting on Friday you are giving it to them.

Finally, sign up for Trilalerts for your keywords. Start following those of interest. For example, I’m a virtual assistant, so I’ve signed up forvirtual assistant updates. Now I can follow other virtual assistants easily. I do the same for Publicity, etc. Who do you want to connect with?
That’s who you sign up for. Follow the media. Sign up for Facebook and Twitter for the newspapers and TV stations in your area. Look for business reporters who tweak and follow them. Learn their style and what they are looking for in their articles.

Also, follow some of the owners of the many article and press release directories who tweet. Some of the best are on there and giving away secrets to success left and right.

Facebook is pretty self explanatory. The key here is to spend some time to expand your network. Fortunately you get notices when someone responds to your posts, so try and go and follow-up as soon as you can. However, be careful that you don’t get sidetracked doing this too often. Build relationships. You can have thousands of friends and fans, but can you honestly connect to all of them. I know I sure can’t.Twitter also now allows your tweets to be sent to your Facebook page too. This is definitely a plus. Just make sure that you don’t do this to all of your postings, only the ones you feel would interest your friends on Facebook.

Article Submissions, Press Release Submissions - I also say you need to send out articles and press releases religiously. Many question how some succeed with this and others don’t. What’s the difference? The main thing is that they know what to do. They realize the difference that page ranking can make and don’t waste their time on sites that don’t get results. They sign up for Google Alerts under their keywords and then check out the sites that frequently get spidered. Then they send to those places and add those sites to their database. We do have a fabulous PR informational package that is free to anyone who emails us.

Marketing a business and social networking doesn’t have to be expensive if you just remember to network and use all the tools available to you. In fact, it can be fun as you get to meet new people and develop new ways to sell you and your business. Also, keep in mind if you don’t want to do it yourself, there are excellent qualified pros and virtual assistants
available to assist. You don’t need to do it all. You just need to do it!

About the Author:

Diana Ennen, specializes in publicity and marketing and is the President of Virtual Word Publishing, http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com and author of numerous books. Ready to jumpstart your PR campaign, then email her at Diana@virtualwordpublishing.com. Free PR Informational Package available. Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/dianaennen .

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Do you beat yourself up because you say one thing and do another?

Are you feeling out of control?

Is there any area in your life that is out of whack?

Had enough?

To create a different outcome:

1. Be clear that what you say you want is really what you want rather than what you think you should want. Following another person’s dream rarely, if ever, brings long-lasting fulfillment.

2. Explore the beliefs and patterns that are contributing to the situation you are continuing to create. Most of the sabotage we experience comes from subconscious beliefs and patterns that are very difficult to change with our conscious mind. Healing with Theta, hypnosis, EFT and other modalities that work with the subconscious can produce powerfull internal shifts that will raise your quality of life.

3. Have the courage to walk in uncertainty without quitting too soon, feeling frustrated, and disheartened when things don’t manifest according to your picture and plan or move too slowly. Identify the things that keep you excited, inspired, and motivated no matter what is happening in your life. Strong self-care, daily rituals, walks in nature, getting together with loving friends…… Life is an journey not an event. Are you looking for a quick fix or life-long happiness?

4. Build in support and accountability with a friend or colleague who may also want the same support. Hire a coach to cheer you on, provide objectivity, give you a nudge (or a kick in the butt), celebrate your wins, and support you in seeing the fabulous, beautiful, lovable person you are.

5. Make wiser choices with your time and energy. We make choices minute by minute, hour by hour, and day by day. One of my favorite books is Debbie Ford’s, “The Right Questions“. She says the choices we make today create our future. Published in 2004, The Right Questions offers brilliant insight and simplicity that provide a solid foundation for making choices that are aligned with your heart and spirit to successfully manifest the life of your dreams.

Dr. Lorraine Cohen, President of Powerfull Living, brings more than 25 years experience in personal and business coaching, psychological counseling, and sales to thousands of spiritually minded business owners, entrepreneurs, and leaders from a wide range of industries. Learn more about Lorraine’s services, success products and programs.

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Almost everyone associates the telemarketing industry with outbound call centers. You know, the gigantic room full of people with headsets on, “cold calling” customers to make sales, generate leads, or collect information for surveys. There’s another kind of telemarketing, though- think customer service 1-800 numbers, customer help desks, or order processing over the phone. Inbound telemarketing is becoming a popular way to outsource processes that businesses might not have the staff capacity to handle. Here are a few ways you can use inbound telemarketing to benefit your business:

Order Processing
Inbound call centers can take customer orders over the phone and even process sales when customers pay with credit cards. Any business with time restrictions, such as those whose employees only work during business hours, can take advantage of this extended availability- the more you’re available to customers, the more sales you’ll make. You can also use inbound call centers for order processing for their language capabilities. While you might not have the resources to hire sales representatives that speak Spanish, Japanese, or Tagalog, an inbound call center does- this allows you to reach and communicate with more potential customers in a language they’re comfortable speaking.

24/7 Customer Service
If your employees can’t be available for customers at all hours of the day, inbound telemarketing offers a solution. Many businesses assign a 1-800 number to a telemarketing firm for in order to give customers around the clock access. Businesses like banks, hotels, and insurance companies that need to provide constant access use inbound telemarketing companies to fill the gaps when their own employees aren’t available to answer questions, fix billing errors, or file claim reports. If your company could benefit from offering 24/7 support to customers, telemarketing is an option you should consider.

Helpdesk and Customer Support
If you sell a technical product, such as software, it can be a good idea to use dedicated telephone service representatives- telemarketing company employees trained by your business that only answer calls on behalf of your company- rather than employing a full-time helpdesk employee as a member of your own staff. You can also reach more customers- telemarketing companies keep longer hours, employ representatives with different language capabilities, and are able to stay open to customers in different time zones more easily.

Lead Generation and Appointment Setting
Inbound telemarketing is often used for lead generation and appointment setting. You can direct sales leads to call the telemarketing company directly to set up a sales appointment, or gather sales lead information when customers place calls for more information about your products or services.

Inbound call centers can be used for several purposes in addition to those mentioned above. Inbound call centers can assist with promotional contests (such as radio call-ins) can help collect survey or donation information, or for any other service you can think of that might benefit your business. It’s always a good idea to speak with at least a few different companies before making a decision about which company to choose.

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