Welcome to Michael's Article Collection

How to Make Money Online Selling Other People's Stuff By ...

There are many ways to make money on the internet, but the method that I use is selling other people’s stuff online! The way in which I go about doing this is I DO NOT promote my affiliation link (eg. http://hop.clickbank.net/?anfpepi/webvista2 ). This is simply because no one will purchase the product. Why you say? Because the person selling is only trying to make money and the consumer knows . . .

Trade Writing - for Cash!

Often considered as “plain Jane’s” of the print world, trade magazines prove that there is more to a market than just a pretty face.Trade magazines are written for a specialized audience and typically focus on one specific area or industry. Even the ads reflect this focus.They assume the reader is familiar with the material that’s covered and though it can be quite technical, they aren’t usual. . .

Be a Realtor with Curb Appeal

Are you a realtor with curb appeal or are you more of a fixer-upper needful of updating? How you present yourself to colleagues, buyers and sellers, from the very first moment, will influence your sales records as well as the confidence and satisfaction your new clients feel. Even if you’re a Realtor in demand, with more listings than hours in a week, you may well find areas that you can poli. . .

How To Choose The Right Resume Format

After a thirty (30) second glance lots of resumes get thrown into the wastebasket. One of the reasons this happens is because the resume writer has failed to use the appropriate resume format.Each individual has different work experiences and objectives. You may have gaps in your work history. You may be changing careers or have had jobs progressively in the same field. You need to choose a for. . .

The Interviewable Resume

It is rumored that the only word William Shakespeare wrote on his resume was “Available.” We’ll probably never know if that is true. But it raises an interesting question. How much information is too much and how much is too little when dealing with resume copy? The resume is a vital piece to any job search. As companies scramble to find the ideal candidate, they use the resume to screen candid. . .

Have You Checked Your Permanent Record Lately?

As a young student I feared getting bad grades because I didn’t want any bad marks on my “permanent record.” Get an “F” in fifth-grade science and it goes in your record. Act up in Mrs. Brown’s class? Yep, it’s in your record too. Get caught using a swear word and it’s not only in your permanent record but it goes right at the top! When you go to a parochial school like I did, you come to belie. . .

Free Competition Analysis for E-Commerce Startup

For anyone who has completed research regarding e-commerce, there are some common catch phrases that we all come across. ‘Competition Analysis’ is one of those catch phrases. Competition Analysis is part of the business plan. And it is an important part. However, completing some of the tasks that are required for Competition Analysis can be overwhelming and expensive. This is a disadvantage for. . .

From Bank Clerk to Entreprenuer

What seems like a century ago, I left school and joined a well-known High Street Bank. In those days working as a bank clerk was a well-established route for many school leavers and perceived to be a proper job with prospects. It wasn’t long before I became disillusioned with the world of banking and sought a change of job. In complete contrast to my previous job, I became a clerk in the local. . .

How Real PR Works

For some, public relations works well when their news release or special event winds up in the newspaper or on the radio. For others, public relations works best when it does something positive about the behaviors of outside audiences that affect their operations the most. I like this approach because a business, non-profit or association manager can use the fundamental premise of public relati. . .

Keep Your Credit History Clean. Remove A Negative Credit ...

The three major credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax and Trans Union are similar and feature a "Credit Score", which is created from credit report data submitted to them about you. But very often your credit report includes inaccurate, wrong or incomplete information (credit records).In this situation you have to prepare and send letters to each of the credit bureaus. Also learn your credit rights. . .

How To Choose A Home Business Opportunity

Making the decision to work from home can be easy. Deciding to go with a home business opportunity can also be relatively simple. But picking which home business opportunity to go with can be pretty difficult!There are so many home business opportunities out there that it’s hard to know where to start. And how do you know you have chosen the best one? It can all get pretty confusing.One thing t. . .

Automate Your Repetitive Home Business Tasks

If you work from home then you know that your time is valuable. Creating ways to automate your home business can save valuable time or even provide you with more time to build your business. By pinpointing the things that take up the largest part of your time, you will be able to begin to find more efficient ways to complete your work.Managing your email or communication is a great place to sta. . .

Living a Relaxing and Profitable Lifestyle with the 80/20...

RelaxIn this article, you will learn some simple and effective ways to live a more relaxing and profitable home business lifestyle. Many of us started out with a picture of ourselves working less and ended up working just as much or even more than we ever imagined we would. Managing your time can become a major headache. Are you ready to see the shuffle drift away?Family, friends, errands and f. . .

The Road To Opportunity In Wholesale Distribution

Dynamic forces of change are converging upon the wholesale distribution industry. The business environment is changing and distributors must change, too. This sobering conclusion comes from new Facing the Forces of Change: The Road to Opportunity report (available from the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors at www.nawpubs.org). Looking down the road ahead, wholesaler-distributors. . .

How to Check the Status of Your Tax Refund Online

So, you were pleasantly surprised to learn that you are getting a refund on your taxes. Congratulations! The IRS expects to issue approximately $54 billion dollars in refunds for the 2003 tax year. The question for most taxpayers expecting a return is, "Where is my refund?"Check Your Refund Status OnlineThe easiest way to check on your refund is to ask the IRS through IRS.gov. On the home page . . .

How To Raise Money For Starting A Business

The task of raising money for a business is not as difficult as most people seem to think. This is especially true when you have an idea that can make you and your backers rich. Actually, there's more money available for new business ventures than there are good business ideas. A very important rule of the game to learn: Anytime you want to raise money, your first move should be to put together. . .

Do You Really Need PR?

The right kind of PR, that is, the kind that puts you in charge of the care and feeding of a lot of people who play a major role in just how successful a manager you’re going to be? As that manager, it also helps if you accept the fact that you need the kind of external stakeholder behavior change that helps you reach your business, non-profit or association objectives. And it’s also help. . .

10 Quick Ways To Start A Business

Are you thinking about starting a home based business?Great!Now, is the time to stop daydreaming about your plans. Take hold of your future and realize that dream NOW!The following are home based business ideas that do not require extensive background training, education, or start-up money. What you will need is:Strong Determination.High Motivation.Hard Work.Let's get started with the list.1.Te. . .

How To Beat The Mutual Fund Companies At Their Own Game

You'd have had to be living on a desert island with no TV, newspaper or internet connection to have missed hearing about the great mutual fund scandal of 2003.The issue was that some mutual fund companies allowed certain hedge funds to engage in after-hours trading, sometimes incorrectly referred to as market timing. Unfortunately, some companies have used the confusion about the term "market t. . .

Starting A Successful Business

Selecting to venture out and start a business is one of the hardest decisions entrepreneurs have to make, leaving the security and income of a previous job, to invest in an uncertain future can be a daunting decision for anyone. But once the decision has been reached, the next step is to select the right business or business program.When selecting a business opportunity to get involved with, y. . .

Eight Success Tips for Your First Trade Show Booth

Exhibiting in a trade show can involve a major investment of money and time. But the financial returns for your business can be excellent if you learn some of the secrets of trade show booth success before signing up for a show and investing in your displays.If you're considering setting up at a trade show for the first time, here are eight tips for a successful trade show booth display:1) Ren. . .

Buyer Beware: Choose A Business Coach Carefully To Get Th...

Consider this scenario. A colleague suggests you get a business coach. Via the Internet, you find one close-by. The woman says she’d love to help. She charges $300 a month for two 30-minute calls. It seems like a good deal, so you eagerly sign on the dotted line.Next, you are sent to a website to learn your Enneagram type. This personality quiz doesn’t seem to connect with marketing your busine. . .

Your Organization Is Only as Good as Your People

Let’s begin by singing the jingle from an old US Army commercial. Ready? Sing! “Be all that you can be, in the Aaaaarmy.” Now, don’t you feel better? “Be all that you can be.” Why do you suppose the army selected this slogan? They selected it because there was a certain kind of volunteer that they wanted to attract, and that message would appeal to that group of people. They wanted to attract . . .

The Fastest Way to Ruin Yourself

I don’t know many people who would admit to wanting to ruin themselves, but there are a lot of people who are doing everything they can to accomplish that very goal. They certainly don’t see it that way, but if you look at the way they live, you can see it happening.I knew a man who was very strict on his daughter. This strictness was more than simple discipline. He felt he had to control ev. . .

PR: Focus on What Matters!

Sure, as a manager, you have a talented member of the PR team assigned to your department, division or subsidiary, or housed at your agency, and s/he is darn good at placing product and service plugs on radio and in the newspaper. Which may be all you want. And that’s fine. Unfortunately, when your PR folks concentrate primarily on tactical fixes like publicity placements, at least be aware of . . .

Is It Time To Hang Up On Investments In Wireless?

During the go-go days of the late 90s, capital was cheap and wireless service providers invested heavily amid ever increasing projections for wireless subscribers. Then the bottom fell off. Brutal price competition and the resulting customer churn took a heavy toll on operating margins as the DJ Wireless index swooned over 90% from March 2000 to October 2002. The industry has been getting its a. . .

Three Foundation Stones for Building Organizational Integ...

When the stock market crashed in 1929, there were a lot of people who lost everything they had. You would think that the result of that event would be complete and utter despair. And, in fact, there were those who reacted that way. There were numerous cases of people who committed suicide because they lost their life savings on that fateful day. They simply went into a depression and just c. . .

Don’t Allow Yourself to Get Burned

I am not a big fisherman, but I do enjoy it whenever the opportunity comes my way. I have some friends who are fanatics and occasionally I will go out with one of them. They have nice boats and it makes for an enjoyable day.I like fishing from a boat but, actually, the kind of fishing I enjoy the most is surf fishing. I don’t do it very often, but occasionally, when I go to the beach on a fa. . .

Eight No Cost Ways to Market Your Business

Are you trying to promote your business with a tiny marketing budget? Opportunities are plentiful for low or no cost marketing. Here are a few that won't cost you a cent.1. Publish articles about your specialty. "How-to" articles are always welcome. Ensure you include your contact information.2. Write letters to the editor of publications your target market reads.3. Get involved in an organizat. . .

Your Ad -- Who Cares?

Junk mail. We all get it. And it goes straight to the trash can. How do you make sure your marketing piece doesn't end up in the round file? Give it the 'who cares' test. You have approximately five seconds to get your prospect's attention. Make those five seconds count! 1. Start with a grab 'em headline. 2. Follow with a transitional sub headline. 3. Make the body count. 4. Give them a reason . . .

How To Stop Junk Faxes From Wasting Your Paper and Toner

Junk faxes waste the resources of every business. It is estimated that they cost businesses tens of millions of dollars a year in wasted paper, toner and fax machine maintenance. There is nothing more aggravating then coming into the office each morning to find a pile of junk faxes promotion everything from mortgage refinancing to septic tank solutions. I don’t even have a septic tank! Junk fa. . .

Identifying your Niche

The Internet has become a valuable source of information and purchasing tool for today’s consumer. With the click of a mouse you can find almost anything from products to services on the web, and you can shop for the best prices and values all hours of the day from the convenience of your own home. For some of these same reasons, mail order businesses are also on the rise with consumers f. . .

How Reliable are Cell Phones

Cellular phones and pagers are part of the "now" generation, instant contact, anywhere at any time. People are looking for convenience, comfort and security. The question is how instantaneous and reliable is the contact? Talking with someone is the main use for a cell phone, yet due to poor reception how often do calls not go through, or important calls "dropped" due to flaky coverage? Let us n. . .

Breaking Through Uncertainty - Welcoming Advertisty

We all question our ability at times. Uncertainty plagues us. It is even more intense if the ability we are questioning relates to something we have never tried or not succeeded at in the past.Set backs are common, but we rarely welcome them. We are inclined to respond negatively to adversity. It may be time to revisit that reflexive response.I had an experience recently that caused me to r. . .

Gracefully Accepting Feedback a Key Employment Skill

With the long-term trend of protecting employees' individual self esteem added to an overriding concern over expensive employee lawsuits, accountability is more a buzzword than a way of life at most companies. This is a state of mind that has existed since the 1960s, so the average employee has never received real quality negative feedback -- the kind of feedback that might help startle him or . . .

Managers: Paying for PR-Lite?

As a business, non-profit or association manager, your public relations expenditure may give you names in the newspaper or product plugs on radio. But what about key stakeholder behavior change – the kind that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives? Since that’s public relations’ strongest suit, shouldn’t you be getting that first, THEN incremental publicity exposure? Espe. . .

Top 5 Reasons To Check Your Credit Report Regularly

#1 Make sure mistakes aren't hurting your credit.Reviewing your credit report can help you avoid costly errors. In one recent study, more than 50% of the credit reports checked contained errors. Other studies have shown similar results with as high as a 70% error rate. The most common error occurs when the information of another person, with a similar name or account number, is recorded in you. . .

How to Start A House Cleaning Business In 7 Simple Steps

One of the main reasons people start businesses is to make money. For some it’s a blessing to make money doing something they love. I’m not saying that you have to love house cleaning in order to have a successful house cleaning business; however it would be a good idea if you didn’t hate it. How much money you make depends on how big you want your business to be. It could be a one person opera. . .

BEAP Is Creating A Substantial Income

There are currently over 52 million active mortgages in the United States today, and only 2% of these mortgage holders are aware of the savings created by Biweekly Equity Acceleration Programs (BEAP). This dilemma poses a thrilling opportunity for entrepreneurs seeking a business venture that can create a substantial income stream.The BEAP has unbelievable appeal to homeowners unaware that they. . .

PR Advice You Didn't Ask For

Although, as a business, non-profit or association manager, you may be glad this came your way. Especially if your current public relations effort is delivering more publicity plugs than real behavior change among your most important outside audiences. Change that could lead directly to achieving your managerial objectives. I’m talking about persuading those key outside folks to your way of thi. . .

What? Home Business??

Today’s world is accelerating at a pace never seen before, and there seems to be a lot of things people forgot about…Home Business? Hmm… sounds like a lot of trouble, a lot of work. With a job you don’t need to worry about anything. Just do your job and get paid.Now let’s think about what’s wrong with this picture… Where’s the space for improvement? Sure you can climb the corporate ladder, but . . .

Want to Work from Home? Ever Given a Thought to Telecommu...

There are many mistaken definitions of what telecommuting means. The very name gives the impression of someone answering work telephone calls from home or typing furiously away at their computers. Traditionally, telecommuting meant that an employee was linked from home to their company’s computer network. But today telecommuting is much broader than that and really includes anyone who doe. . .

How To Make Good Use of Spreadsheets

Most computer users use spreadsheets software such as Microsoft Excel in their daily home and office. However very few are aware of the potential of spreadsheets in helping them in financial accounting and statistical analysis.There are many uses of spreadsheets beyond the simple arithmetical and data analysis we are used to. Spreadsheets can assist us in many tasks with accuracy and speed.Befo. . .

27 Tips For An Effective Presentation

So you’re not a professional speaker. That’s no excuse for NOT giving a professional presentation.You have a great product or service! You’ve put together an awesome presentation with great content!You really know your stuff! You’re an expert! None of this matters if you don’t have public speaking skills.If you don’t speak like a pro, you won’t get the results you want.1. Introduction Bring a t. . .

You Can't Do It All Yourself

As the economy improves, so does the outlook for small business. That may mean you'll find way too many things to do and not enough time for you or your staff to complete them. Or maybe you've been solo for a while and have decided your business is growing enough to need help. What do you do? Hire full or part time employees? Outsource to an independent contractor? Before you decide, take the t. . .

Three Business Lessons From The US Postal Service

There was a buzz in the air recently about the US Postal Service. Seems as though they were running into a budget deficit in the billions. The Postal Service claimed they must cut Saturday service to customers to stay afloat -- a service they had provided for years. And one that customers expected. They said people using email instead of regular mail made a major dent in their profits. Customer. . .

Hunters and Gatherers - Are You Serving Both Their Needs?

The University of Exeter in the United Kingdom recently published research financed by Barclays Bank, which has implications for everyone who is serving the general population. This research shows that consumers shop establishments based on one of the two personal profiles. Approximately 50% of the population is defined as hunters when they go out into the public arena. They know what they want. . .

How to Walk the Floor and Talk to Customers

This may seem a strange topic to introduce. Yet, it is the most under-used skill by many retail managers, but one of the most important roles in their supervision. 1. You Are the Maitre of Your Business Your role is take that of a maitre d’hotel. You should meet your guests (customers), welcome them and ensure they leave with a positive feeling about your business. You should set aside at least. . .

Should You Write Your Own Business Plan?

If you are just starting a company and looking for funding, or looking for additional funding for growth, you will need to develop a traditional business plan. Creating a business plan is a business hurdle that entrepreneurs seem to dread. Do you do it yourself? Do you hire someone to do it? How do you get it done quickly, but without spending too much money on it? Will what you do y. . .

To Meet or Not to Meet…What are the Questions?

Meetings can be a total waste of time or a powerful and productive communication tool that solve problems, stimulate ideas, promote team spirit and generate action. The results lie totally in how they are run. Organized and well-managed meetings will inevitably produce effective results. Whereas, meetings that are poorly managed lack purpose and focus are a total waste of an organization’s t. . .