Welcome to Michael's Article Collection

Are You ISO Auditor-Phobic?

Which is more painful: an audit or spending the holidays with Aunt Sally and her green Jell-O mold? Either way, your company audit still looms in your mind, but it shouldn’t be that scary – quite the opposite. Besides, even Sally “audits” herself when she makes her mold, as she tests for thickness and taste. She just wants to improve.Fix the ProblemSo what are you going to do about your company. . .

Can You Make Money Without Money?

When I ask why you don't start your own business, I always hear, "I don't have money to start a business." This is a common excuse people give for not starting their own business.There is truth in the statement. You actually need money to make money or to start a business. But the question is "Do you need a lot of money or little to start a business?" and "Whose money do you use?"Yes, I admit t. . .

Getting Back to Basics: A Customer Service Tale

One hot summer day my daughter and I ventured to our local craft store with one mission in mind – purchase velvet covered coloring panels called fuzzy boards. Little did we know this simple trip would turn into such an adventure. The store advertised the boards on sale and offered a 40% discount coupon. My daughter excitedly selected two boards however I noticed different manufacturers produced. . .

How Appetizing is Your Feedback?

Recently, I was watching a rerun of the successful television show, The Cosby Show. The patriarch of this professional family (He is a doctor and his wife is a lawyer.) played by Bill Cosby, was just told by his college-bound daughter that the boyfriend she brought home to meet him was really her fiancé. He was disappointed with the news. Disappointed not in the young man or what he did (he was. . .

The Cat in the Hat Will Help You Get Your Point

Dr. Seuss's "The Cat in the Hat" Will Help You Get Your Point Across! (Yes you can, here is the Plan) Copyright © 2004 Ed Sykes. All rights reserved I was recently coaching an engineer who wanted to improve his speaking skills. After videotaping him, we discussed his strong points and then his areas of improvement. Then we got to the area of vocal variety. Vocal variety is the quality of your s. . .

Your 7 Minute MBA

I wish you a Happy & Prosperous New Year!This PVT is short, with a few links to help you launch your new year.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Can you answer these 10 questions to help you build your business dream?Listen to my informative 7-minute MBA. Turn up your speakers, and click on this link: http://members.audiogenerator.com/postcards/?5175111~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. . .

Your Resume Should Have Character

The notion that employers are only interested in where you have been and where you are heading is pure nonsense. Experienced hiring managers take into account both your experience and your character. After all, in the end, they are hiring a human being, not a robot. Still, many believe that personal attributes just take up space and make the resume “fluffy.” After reading countless job descrip. . .

A Common - Yet Easily Avoidable - Marketing Mistake

December is a month in which many organizations make plans for the coming year. Now is a great time for you to look at your marketing systems for attracting and retaining customers. Although front end systems such as advertising, public relations, press releases, direct mail, sales letters and promotional items are important, equally as important as what you and your staff do after you gain new. . .

Making the Market

Almost everything you have ever been told about the world's stock markets is probably wrong. Almost everything you have ever assumed about the world's stock markets is also probably wrong. You probably believe that share prices go up and down due to classic 'supply and demand' laws. You probably believe that over time, the world's stock markets will go up because of increased economic productio. . .

Reducing Credit Card Debt

IntroductionOne of the easiest "things" that can happen in life is the ratcheting up of a large credit card debt. For whatever reason, making purchases with credit cards seems easier than spending cash to obtain a product or service.Maintaining high levels of credit card debt is not prudent. The interest rates associated with most credit cards is high. In fact, many people have managed to rack . . .

Getting Started with Business Incubators

You have a head spinning with business ideas but you encounter difficulties in financing? Or you have recently started your great potential business but are not yet turning profit? A fundamental aspect for your business, financing is usually the most frequent obstacle in starting a business. You have the option of resorting to a business incubator on condition that your business idea seems viab. . .

Project Outsourcing: Why ALL Businesses Should Consider O...

OUTSOURCING: AN OVERVIEWBusinesses of all kinds can and do benefit from the tool of outsourcing every day. Businesses large and small have been outsourcing every day projects for many years. The businesses that use outsourcing as a tool to enhance and grow their business already know the value that outsourcing brings to their organization. Outsourcing is a business process term for what has . . .

Seven Preparations for Writing a Business Plan

Writing a business plan is a daunting task. If you do not know that by now, you will discover that soon after you have read your first set of instructions for writing a plan. While each of these preparations will require much of your time and efforts, they will help to make the writing of your business plan easier.Writing your own plan is best because you probably have superior knowledge of you. . .

How to Start Writing Policies and Procedures

Any old policy and procedure format saves time by not having to start from scratch, right? Well, not necessarily. Using a weak starting point can hurt employee usability, introduce confusion and user-error, and may not assist in your compliance and control objectives. The result could set your project back further and cost you even more time to fix it later. But it doesn’t have to.Drive Perform. . .

Venture Leasing: Startup Financing On the Rise

According to Pricewaterhouse Coopers, investment by institutional venture capitalists in startups grew from less than $3.0 billion at the beginning of the 1990’s to over $106 billion in 2000. Although venture capital volume has retreated significantly since the economic “bubble” years of the late 1990’s, the present volume of around $ 19 billion per year still represents a substantial rate of . . .

The #1 Most Common Goof Businesses Make With Their Yellow...

Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. But, when it comes to yellow page display ads, you better know who you're imitating and why! A yellow page ad is supposed to do one primary thing: get people to call your business. If it's a really good ad, it should get people to mentally discount competitor ads and favor yours. If a particular business wants to garner the lion's share of all pro. . .

Selling Online, Selling Offline -- What's the Difference?

Ever since I created Unlock The Game™, one of the first questions people always ask me is, 'Does Unlock The Game™ apply to online selling?' I've been holding off on answering that question because I wanted to get enough experience under my belt with my own online business so I could answer this from an authoritative position. My answer is, 'For the most part, yes -- but with some differences.' . . .

How To Escape The Corporate Trap And Go It Alone

IntroductionDo you work in a corporate environment with all of the so-called benefits that brings, yet don’t feel listened to, your work is unappreciated and undervalued, perhaps you may have been overlooked for promotion for no good reason?Which probably means that you are bored stiff, yearning for a new challenge, maybe feeling totally trapped and thinking there MUST be more to life than the . . .

What To Consider Before Approaching Lenders

Dealing with a bank doesn't have to be like walking through a maze in the dark. Keeping the following points in mind when you approach a bank should help you through the process. Lenders are looking to satisfy themselves of the following:1. That the business can make the regular interest and principal payments2. That the lender can get its money back if something goes wrong When approaching a f. . .

New Years' Resolutions for Your Business

You can meet your goals for your business this year. Consider these resolutions as ten steps to your success in 2005.1. Develop a business plan or strategic plan. You won't get where you're going unless you know where you want to be and let your employees know as well. 2. Constantly Promote Your Business. You can't execute one marketing effort each year and expect your business to grow. Plan. . .

ISO 9001 Registration – 8 Steps for Success

You’ve made the plans, built the quality system and conducted the audit. So how do you register your company as ISO 9001 conformant? And how can you be sure you’re getting the most value for your investment? Here’s how the process works.Certifying Your Company for ISO 9001After your company's ISO 9001 audit, you will want to register your company to show that you've met the requirements. And to. . .

Insurance - Necessary For Peace of Mind

Insurance - Necessary For Peace of MindThere are many various types of insurance. Insurance is a policy where you invest a certain amount, that you do not get back, that will pay you in the event of a predetermined event. The specifics vary greatly according to the kind of insurance.Health insurance is designed to help you with your medical care. You will typically pay in a certain amount every. . .

Finding Your Perfect Work

There was something about the way “Super Fly” Jimmy Snuka jumped from the third rope of the wresting ring onto his opponent that made me want to be a professional wrestler. I couldn’t wait to become a star of the wrestling ring.But when I shared my dream with adults, I was told that girls weren’t born to be wrestlers. That was a boy’s job. I remember becoming upset and saying, “But I’m a tomboy. . .

Benjamin Franklin, Pennies, and Millions of Dollars$$$

1. On Benjamin Franklin:In 1757, Benjamin Franklin published "The Way To Wealth", a basic summary of his 25 year “Poor Richards' Almanac.” In "The Way To Wealth", Honorable Mr. Franklin states the following:"Then since, as he says, the borrower is a slave to the lender, and the debtor to the creditor, disdain the chain, preserve your freedom; and maintain your independency: be industrious and f. . .

Which Type of Fear Might Be Holding You Back from Success...

Good ideas are literally "a dime a dozen". Individuals conceptualize revolutionary new products and new services with each passing minute of each day. Although there is such a steady stream of ideas that can be marketed successfully and developed into a lucrative business, there are actually few new businesses that make it past the "initial stages" into actual existence.Why is this, and what fa. . .

What's Important About PR?

Quite a bit, actually. Public relations helps business, non-profit and association managers achieve their managerial objectives with results like these. New proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; rebounds in showroom visits; customers making repeat purchases; stronger relationships with educational, labor, financial and healthcare interests; enhanced activist group relations; new. . .

A Blueprint for Managing your PR

OK, as a manager, your goal is to show a profit for your business unit, or meet certain expectations of your association membership, or achieve your non-profit’s operating objective. In each case, you’ll need public relations activity that creates behavior change among your key outside audiences. Behavior change that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives. Here’s how you can mak. . .

How to Write a Business Plan While Playing

BizTech 2.0 is an entrepreneur education program offering business assistance to students over 13. The program teaches business, information technology and life skills to young people via the Internet. It reinforces math learning, reading and critical thinking skills.The program was launched by The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, an organization located in New York City that . . .

Business Plan Competitions

The idea of a business plan competition first started in the 1980's at the initiative of some MBA students from Texas and has increasingly gained popularity. Such events happen yearly and rejoice a great affluence of contestants, which highly increases their competitiveness.CompetitionsOrganized by Universities Babcock Elevator Pitch Competition - Wake Forest University Enterprise Creation Comp. . .

Why Some People Almost Always Make Money With Investments

Real estate investment takes motivation, drive and ambition on your part if you want to see your hard work turn into a huge profit. If you, yourself don't have the enthusiasm, chances are, your real estate investment days won't last long or make you much money. But, if you do, the possibilities are endless and so is your financial gain.So, don't trust that just the location of the property is g. . .

When Year-End Sales Resemble Coal And Leave No Room For G...

December can be a trying time for small businesses. The year-end rush to close clients in order to meet target year-end sales goals can leave a person feeling stressed, overworked, and definitely, not in the holiday spirit. Last year around this time, you were probably forecasting sales figures for 2004, and now, getting ready to do it again for 2005. When running your own business, it becom. . .

Legally Clearing Your Credit

Over the past several years credit repair organizations have gained a bad reputation due to unscrupulous companies stating that they can clear your credit report. Clearing your report was not the problem, but stating that they could give you a clean credit report or a new credit file was. It is against the law to create a new credit file using a federal taxpayer identification number, or any nu. . .

Take the High Ground With Quality PR

Quality public relations does something positive for business, non-profit and association managers about the behaviors of the key external “publics” that most affect their operations. In other words, it alters individual perception that leads to changed behaviors among their really important outside audiences. In so doing, PR helps persuade those key external audiences to the managers’ way of t. . .

Need To Trade!

You don't HAVE to be trading.As a novice trader, you'll often feel the need to trade. You may be bored or frustrated. Or you just want to try a certain type of trade.STOP!Realize that you don't have to be trading all the time to be successful. In fact not trading is often the very best decision you can make.The market tells you when to trade. If you feel the urge to place a trade or find yo. . .

Never Fall In Love!

Recently I watched my favorite football team lose a vital game. I simply love this team. I became so emotional about it; I thought “…this isn't good for my health”. Can you believe that, but that's how we get when we are passionate. I simply couldn't believe (I didn't want to believe) they could lose.However, as a committed fan, I was going all the way with them. If they were going down, I. . .

Isn't it Time You Started to Fly?

I am going to begin this article by sharing a shocking fact….Did you know that if you opened the door on every single budgie cage around the world (and we are talking a lot of cages here...) fewer than 5% of our imprisoned feathered friends would actually embrace the window of opportunity provided and fly away!Hard to believe I know. Most would choose to do exactly what they've always done. Spe. . .

A Little Lesson on Loans

The opportunity to spend money is everywhere. There is no shortage of places that will take your cash. In fact, to keep the money flowing out of your wallet, banks and merchants continually come up with easier ways for you to spend it.But when it comes to borrowing money, suddenly the cash pipeline doesn't operate so smoothly. Money becomes a more complex issue with documents and terminology th. . .

Refinance Your Home Mortgage Online

The largest financial obligation most people ever take on couldn’t escape the reach of the Internet. Home mortgage loans originated online comprise an integral part of one of the largest and most profitable aspects of the banking industry. Unlike many shifts in big business recently, this change actually seems to greatly benefit consumers by increasing competition and placing more financial con. . .

Affiliate Programs Can Be Very Beneficial To Internet Mar...

An affiliate program is, simply defined, a sales job in which you earn a commission. You will be an independent representative of a company, offering their services and products to prospective customers. When one of the customers makes a purchase, you get a portion of the profit. Internet marketers can increase traffi'c to their own web sites and make money form the sales of others through affi. . .

Adverse Debt Levels Blight UK Consumers Personal Finances

Debt levels are at an all time high in the UK. The younger generation tend to be feeling the pinch the most, but parents are increasingly being required to bail them out, often at great expense to their own limited mortgage or retirement savings.It has become almost accepted as a fact of life that graduates will begin their careers with a considerable level of personal debt. The Association o. . .

5 Most Popular Types of Industrial Equipment

There are many forms of industrial equipment used in the workplace. Industrial equipment is usually large and made of materials such as steel and titanium for optimal strength. These machines are often needed to lift and move materials which may possibly weigh thousands of pounds. A piece of industrial equipment which is not in working order should never be used for any reason. All equipment is. . .

5 Ways to Prevent Heat Exhaustion in the Workplace

Individuals who work in industrial workplaces suffer from heat exhaustion on a daily basis. Some work environments can get as high as 45 degrees which can potentially become very dangerous for workers. Heat exhaustion is a condition which is caused by over exposure to heat which results in the deterioration of bodily fluids. Heat is exhaustion causes dizziness, weakness, nausea and can potentia. . .

Are Your Comfort Zones Hindering Your Business?

Let's face it, there are things that we don't always enjoy doing in our day-to-day business routines. Perhaps you are confused by accounting and have papers strewn all over your desk or stuffed in a drawer. Maybe you're afraid to pick up the phone and call potential clients, even though you know it will result in some much-needed sales. Or you know you need to hire an assistant, but you cringe . . .

Short Sale Success Secrets With Foreclosures

If you’re active in real estate investing, you may already realize one of the biggest issues real estate investors face: Finding Great Deals.FORECLOSURES AT A 52-YEAR HIGHWith foreclosures at a 52-year high, there are thousands of deals available on the market, if you know where to find them and how to secure them. The first challenge you'll face once you locate the property is that most of the. . .

Knowing Me, Knowing You: Why ID Protection Plans Are Flaw...

ID theft is a major consumer concern, though there is apparently much confusion about proactive protection initiatives and apparently safe and unsafe spending behaviour. For example, many consumers remain reluctant about shopping online, but they may still give out personal details over the phone in a cold call, or they may have redundant or dormant accounts and financial products which are sus. . .

Term Life Insurance and Permanent Life Insurance

Term insurance and permanent insurance are two basic types of life insurance. Term life insurance is temporary, and it covers only a specific period of time called the relevant term. Permanent life insurance is the type of insurance where the policy is for the life of the insured and the payout is assured at the end of the policy. Term life insurance builds on cash value while permanent life in. . .

Fast-track career success with Informational Interviews

Informational interviewing can play a pivotal role in building one’s network to assist in penetrating the hidden job market and unadvertised job prospects, but unfortunately is often a tool that is ignored in a job seeker’s career and job search campaign.Informational interviewing is a ‘fact-finding exploration’ that will assist a job seeker in identifying an optimal place of work that is condu. . .

Credit Score - Reporting Your Financial Health

Credit score is one of the most basic, determining factor while loan borrowing. Credit score is the criterion for the creditor to ascertain whether to give you credit or not. Credit score is a powerful tool, if you what it is. Credit score is a three digit number which is consequential enough to decide whether you can own a house or a car and has considerable influence on how much your pay on y. . .

China’s Inscrutable Currency Strategy

Purpose: Expose China Opportunities for Smart InvestorsThe move by China’s central bank to drop the yuan’s rigid peg to the dollar last week on the day of my return after a three-week trip to Asia left a host of questions unanswered. The basket of currencies that will allegedly determine the value of the yuan going forward was not disclosed. What sort of band the currency will be allowed to flu. . .

Get out of Debt - Top 5 Reasons you need to Consolidate L...

Today, the number of people filing for bankruptcy has skyrocketed by 44% in just the past 10 years with numbers continuing to climb. Consumer credit has reached an all-time high, leaving more and more people in debt. While we need consumer spending to maintain and grow the economy, when money and credit are misused, disaster strikes. Unfortunately, people are notorious for abusing money and bef. . .