Ways Archives - BOLLYWOOD SURKHIYAN

First Step to Successful Entrepreneurship: 12 Ways to Cut Off High Business Startup Loans

When it comes to startups, the common problem that most entrepreneurs face today is the money to start a business. Being an entrepreneur is not easy, you have to take risks and move forward with optimism psychology. You need to think of ways by which you can obtain maximum output with minimum input. Well, that’s the basic rule of the business and widely followed by entrepreneurs all over the world. You need to be creative in what you do and innovative in your decisions. Few opt for business start up loans while few look for different alternatives. Bright ideas make a better future and some good initiatives can lead a foundation for you to become a successful entrepreneur. If money is scarce, that does not mean that you put your dream on hold, you always have better options to look forward. So, here are some creative ways to finance your business.

Steps to a Better future

• Sell your product to raise money – Well if you resale your product and find a suitable buyer, then you can raise funds for your business in an effective manner. No doubt there are many successful entrepreneurs all around the globes who started this way and once they complete their target, they expand their business with funds they collect.

• Support from family and friends – It is the traditional way and the most effective way in this contemporary world. You can convince your friends and family to invest or provide small business startup loan which may help you to implement your ideas better without any pressure. This way is much better than taking loans from any other alternative.

• Double Dipping – You can always start a side business to raise funds for your business startup. In this way you will not be under any kind of debt and burden and thus it is the safest way to start the business.

• Selling stuff – Well, sometimes it’s hard to sell out your stuff, but as Jarod Kintz said “Instead of burning the midnight oil, you should try to sell it”. Sometimes you have to compromise to achieve success. You can make good money out of it.

• Credit card – You can use a credit card to finance your money. This is an easy way, but it involves risk. If something goes wrong, then the interest rate goes up at a very high rate.

• Angel investors – It is one of the recommended methods and many leading companies like Google and Yahoo have used it. Angel investors give you the required amount to start up the business. You get a friendly environment and moreover a better and quicker way to deal with business.

• Microloans – You can lookout for various firms providing small loans for the young entrepreneurs. These firms are generally better than taking business startup loan from a bank.

• Get new order and deliver – There are a number of entrepreneurs who receive the order from the customer, but they are not able to supply due to lack of money for the production. There are some companies who provide loan in this scenario. With this you will be able to raise funds for your startup in a better way.

• Real estate – This is one investment which provides greater output if done after a research. Before investing your money, always do a little work to find out the current rates etc and do the right thing. With this you can raise money successfully without complications.

• Cut out liabilities – Well, it’s another creative way to earn good money. For example, you can rent your home for some time and raise a good amount of money by doing that. Many entrepreneurs have employed this way and were successful to earn enough money to start their business.

• Crowdfunding – It is a very popular way among entrepreneurs. In this you can make a good use of internet by finding people having similar thoughts on investing with small amounts. Collectively, these small amounts on adding up will provide you with a better alternative to startup your business.

• Financing by vendors – This is very helpful to obtain the material to sell your product. The manufacturers do not take any payment from you till your product is sold. In this way you get a better extension to sell your goods much efficiently.

After reading these 12 ideas, you must be very confident about your startup. But remember that things aren’t that easy as they seems. You need to work harder to achieve the best out of it. Moreover, just by visualizing ideas in your mind you won’t be able to implement them practically. You must be able to adapt according to the situations and work practically to achieve the requisite aim. Risk is always involved for young entrepreneurs, but that does not mean that you can’t do it. Overcome your fear and be creative and innovative and always ask yourself that do I have what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur?

Ways to Raise Venture Capital to Start a New Business

Centuries back there was a time when people used to exchange goods for their livelihood and there was no money to buy things, known by the name of, “Barter System”. There was no buying or selling during those days. If you want “Wheat” and you had “Pulses” you could very well exchange the same with the vendor who had “Wheat” by negotiating a deal with him for exchange.

Then came an era when people starting working for others to earn money to run their livelihood. This further developed into Jobs from Government and Private Sector.

Now is the time when everyone enchants to open his own venture owing to establish something of his own and develop an empire which manifolds into a profitable venture as said “The Best income is even when you are sleeping the investment grows”.

An Idea of yours in today’s scenario can create a ripple effect which can change the lives of many. Very live examples are organisation like Facebook, Whatsapp, Google which started with a very small idea and from a room and have created an empire which inspires the Entrepreneur’s to create a Value Addition not only for them through Profit but for the Society too.

Many Starts up have started mushrooming in India now with many business ideas but they lack the rock bottom things and fail even though the business idea is too great. Inspite of the fact that they have best of people, knowledge, resources, ideas available to them but still they have tumbled. Very Live Example is Organisation like Snapdeal etc.

An Idea Flourishes when you have the Business Idea pitched to the Right People with Right Knowledge with effective and strong persuasion skills to invest money with the returns they would be getting. Firstly the Entreprenuer himself needs to be convinced that it is a great and a profitable Venture.

Second Important Thing which Start up lack is Hiring the Right and Suitable Candidates. Branding Institutes like IIM /IITs do bring in good resources but they cost very heavily to the organisation. Its always essential to hire people with experience rather than branding institutes. Experience people turn around organisation as they know how to manage crisis, success of an idea comes with experience and experience comes with learning, you know how to turn failures as these people have already experienced it.

Maintain Low Cost and Invest heavily in your people is the Right Idea for the Start ups.

Wanna Know do get in touch with me at gaggan_sahni@hotmail.com

The Top Ten Ways To Grow Your Business

Following startup, many small businesses are so concentrated on daily business operations that they do not, or cannot, take the time to actively focus on business growth. While others are focused on growth but do not have a strategic plan to achieve it. The Top Ten Ways to Grow Your Business is provided to help your small business enterprise attain growth beyond startup on a continuous basis, and is based on my experience working with small businesses from startups to expansion.

Know Your Market Opportunity – When I work with small business executives and entrepreneurs, one of my first questions, if not the first, is-“Do you really know your market opportunity”, or more succinctly, “Do you know your strategic market opportunity?” And then, “How well do you know your strategic market opportunity?” These are your common how, where and what questions that a small business owner or entrepreneur must ask. For instance, how do you see your market?, where is your market”, and what is your market? Business growth is extricably linked with and to market opportunity, and how well you capture it. In my experience business growth is a function of envisioning your strategic market opportunity, planning how to acquire it, executing your plan, and then working your plan to attain it.

Know Your Customer – Your customer is the primary focus of your business enterprise. Identifying who your customer actually is, followed by knowing your customer needs, is essential in meeting growth objectives. Staying connected with your customers via email, web site, face-to-face conversations, and special customer appreciation programs, such as offering a monthly customer discount, strengthens your customer base and lets you know who your customer is. Think of it this way; a customer-centric organization gains a competitive advantage over competition, which typically results in a bigger share of the market.

Cultivate and Maximize Your Brand – Brand recognition has become critically vital to small business growth as much as knowing your market, customer development, product and service credibility, growth strategy, pricing, cash flow, and having the right executive team in place. Your brand is the ‘face’ of your small business enterprise and how well recognized it is well directly impact your business growth. Cultivating and maximizing brand recognition is crucial to your business success. The new marketing media approaches include social networking venues such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, YouTube, etc, which need to be exploited. Global companies have realized the enormous marketing opportunity these venues provide and have established social networking as a primary business function. The small business enterprise can likewise take advantage of this expanded, nearly free, marketing approach to reach customers and increase brand recognition. Cultivating and maximizing your brand distinguishes you from competition and allows your customers to link your business with your brand.

Develop Your Growth Strategy – Developing a growth strategy is a best-management process which involves determining long-term growth objectives and developing a specific action plan for attaining these objectives. The process involves an assessment of your market environment from the perspective of having the relevant market experience after startup; performing a SWOT analysis; selecting a set of alternative growth strategies based on changing market conditions, and then implementing your strategy. Note that this is in reference to the ‘envision, plan, execute and attain’ model I mentioned previously. The strategic growth plan is developed from the viewpoint of your small business corporate entity, where the focus is on the accomplishment of your strategic business objectives based on four critical questions: Who are we? What do we do? Where do we want to go? How do we get there? The answers to these questions will give you the information necessary to create your strategic objectives for your growth strategy.

Get The Right People On The Bus – This is one of my favorite discussion points, concerning leadership and relates to the strength, character and capability of your executive team. Here we use ‘bus’ to refer to the small business enterprise or organization and comes from Jim Collins’ book, ‘Good To Great”, where he quotes Ken Kesey’s reference to a bus as being the company, organization or firm. Collins found”…if we get the right people on the bus [in the company], the right people in the right seats [in the right executive roles], and the wrong people off the bus, then we’ll figure out how to take it somewhere great [to attain the founder’s vision]…” As a small business owner, it is incumbent upon you to ensure you have the right executive team in place that will take your vision of where you want your company to go, and achieve it. Business growth at all levels is largely achieved with the right people on the corporate ‘bus’, driving it to success.

Listen To The Experts-Hire a Business Advisor, Coach – According to The National Federation of Independent Business [NFIB] Education Foundation, over the lifetime of any small business, 30 percent will lose money, 30 percent will break even, and just fewer than 40 percent will be profitable. The Small Business Administration [SBA] reports that 50 percent of all small business fail after their first year, 33 percent fail after two years, and nearly 60 percent fail after four years. A Business Coach and Advisor will work with you to help avoid becoming an SBA or NFIB statistic, help you to maintain focus on driving your business forward, work with you to develop and refine your objectives, help you to develop critical business growth strategies; and provide an honest assessment of where your business is in its life cycle.

Follow Your SOLE – It has been my experience that the small business executive responsible for business growth almost always follows and prescribes to a framework that embodies the envision, plan, execute and plan strategy in achieving business growth. Often this resembles what I have developed for my clients as the SOLE Framework. The SOLE Framework provides the context for accomplishing business growth optimization where you: Solve a critical market problem or need; Optimize growth by meeting customer needs in solving a problem, Leverage your principle business core competency, and Establish a competitive baseline to achieve business growth.

Be A Hedge Hog – The Hedge Hog Concept was developed by Isaiah Berlin in his “The Hedge Hog and the Fox” Study which divided management, leadership and professional positions into two clusters: hedge hogs and foxes, based on Greek mythology, where the fox knows many things, however the hedge hog knows one big thing. The fox is a sleek, cunning, fleetly, crafty and beautiful animal. On the other hand, the hedge hog is a dowdier creature, more like a cross between a porcupine and a small armadillo who when faced with danger rolls up into a very prickly ball and spends his days looking for food. However, Berlin points out that this otherwise simple creature is certainly not stupid, or simpletons; they have a piercing insight that allows them to see through complexity and discern underlying patterns of behavior. The hedge hog sees what is essential, critical, and important, and ignores everything else. To be a Hedge Hog, the small business executive must see only what is essential and focus on it, exploiting the essential in a positive, productive manner and concentrate on three key dimensions: what you can be the best in the world at; what you are most passionate about; and what drives your economic engine.

Establish a Competitive Culture – A competitive culture concerns how your organization is structured for market competitiveness. In fact, corporate culture is a competitive advantage for a small business focused on growth by following a rather simplistic approach, based on organizational shared values, direction, mission and belief that the primary focus of a small business is to first meet customer needs, followed by employee empowerment to meet those needs, then community involvement, using common business sense approaches towards conservation, and then attention to investor interests. This hierarchical organization places the most important focus on meeting customer needs, followed by empowering employees to meet those needs creating a company structure that is positioned to be highly competitive.

Optimize Business Growth – What is Business Growth Optimization? I think a good way to initially answer this question, is to draw an analogy to a perfectly timed automobile engine running on all cylinders, smoothly, fully optimizing its capability to produce maximum power. Similarly, the small business growth company that is fully optimizing its core business competencies is structured to maximize competitive advantages and has a strategic business growth framework; running smoothly on all cylinders if it were, is attaining Business Growth Optimization. In my experience, attaining Business Growth Optimization is a three-tier process involving the SOLE Framework, achieved through the establishment of the Hedge Hog Model and implementation of the Cultural Competitiveness Organization structure.

99 Ways to Flood Your Website With Traffic by Mick Macro

This is one of the books I have found useful in my search for further traffic sources. There are several methods you won’t even have thought of and many are free traffic sources. Organic traffic once set up continues to grow over time by word of mouth and people passing on your link. It is therefore very important that your website and all your articles are well written, informative, appealing and relevant to the searches in your chosen niche.

It is a good idea to use both organic traffic and paid advertising to encourage searches. Paid traffic can be ppc, Facebook ads, solo ads or banner ads, as they bring quick returns especially useful when making tests.

I have pulled out a few items from the book as illustrations; method 21 is talking about free blog sites. There are many providers to choose from, weebly.com is an easy to use free website provider. Especially useful as you can upgrade your website to a paid version in the future to com, org, info, etc. Weebly.com is easy to use, there are great tutorials, plus a helpful chat line. It is also a highly ranked site so relatively easy to get onto page one of Google.

Method 25 explains the correct way to use Twitter to gain traffic (not the way most people use it)!

Method 22 Ask and answer sites like Yahoo Answers” and Ask.com where you can ask questions and leave answers to other peoples’ questions. They work a little like forum marketing.

Method 51 Stumbleupon, get your articles voted for and passed around. Don’t forget a good resource comment and link to your website.

There are ways to improve your website No 70, 56, 53, 43, 36, 35 to gain more traffic.

The above are just a few entries to show the versatility, some will appeal to you more than others but so many ideas to implement you will never wonder what to do, just when will you have the time!

So if you are an online marketer I hope you will find this little inexpensive book as helpful and full of ideas as I have. Or are you looking for the easiest route into the online world? If this is the case affiliate marketing is the simplest way to start online, if you work with the guidance of a coach. You can start earning commissions in a short time even if you are still learning the techniques.

You will have a great range of best-selling products provided for you and professionally written order pulling sales pages, plus up-to-date training. It is in your coaches interest to help you as they will be earning when you earn too. Affiliate marketing is a fun way to begin online with the security of knowing you are working to a tried and tested plan.

So whatever your online business we all need traffic. Without a ready supply of customers there is no business. Wishing you great success enjoy your time and location freedom with your laptop

Think Big Start Small – SPQR – 10 Ways to Small Profits – Quick Returns

Introduction: Think as big as a Roman Emperor and start with small steps towards your own empire. The reason for a big vision is to have clarity of purpose. The reason to take baby steps is to get results quickly. The sooner you can get ‘returns’ the better. Returns may come in the form of feedback as much as from income or saved expense. There is no business that goes according to (business) plan. If you take those initial steps without having the big picture, you’ll soon be lost.

Plan for the Horizon: Be very concerned about what’s on the horizon-that’s where you’re headed, but be preoccupied with what’s on the agendaâEURothat’s what will get you there. Live your future now; if you don’t, it’ll soon be your past. The returns are going to be bigger if your plan is writ large. While planning is vital, allow yourself to grasp the unexpected-don’t avoid opportunities that pop up simply because they weren’t in the plan.

Sell Your Prototype: If that’s all you’ve got ready, sell it, at a big discount maybe. Or, even give it away (protecting your invention, of course). Getting feedback on prototypes early ensures you get the return of buy-in from others later and will ensure that you can make ‘Mark II’ better. That’s the whole idea behind software developers launching Beta versions for free. It’s the next best thing to being your own customer.

Work with Lead Users: You can collaborate with lead users, offering them special deals in return for being available for reference once your definitive product is on the market. When I started in business, I was very pleased to work from Day 1 with a company that was always being asked by others for advice. I offered more in use-value than was paid for, but the ‘return’ was generated over a long period.

Offer Service Before Products: There may be a way that you can sell a service before your product is ready. There are many services that you can perform if you have the expertise to produce products. Your knowledge will enable you to offer your time for sale more quickly than perfecting something that you have to manufacture. The fee that you earn generates the revenue that you can apply to the production process. the return may be smaller, but it’s sooner.

Stick to a Simple Range at First: You may have conceived a grand plan for your product range, but you should not wait until everything is in place before you start selling. Selling a few items will get the revenue flowing and more importantly, you’ll start getting customer feedback before you are fully committed. You can even go out and sell a spec that you fulfil once you have a signed order. This way you’ll avoid unnecessarily scrapping things that have not worked or were unacceptable to clients on a larger scale.

Test Drive Procedures: If you plan to open a restaurant to offer meals throughout the day, start by opening just for one meal only, say in the evening. Then you can use the day time for doing all the many things you need to get done before the full launch, like visiting suppliers. Your kitchen procedures that have let you down in the evening can be perfected in the closed hours the following day, without getting in the way of food preparation when you have customers waiting.

Sell Close to Home: Small clients close to home may not seem exciting and be without huge potential, but they will be easier to sell and sales costs will be lower. Getting paid is likely to be easier. If there’s a delay, you can visit the customer personally. Chasing payment long distance is always more problematic and you’ll need all the cash flow you can get to cover your operating costs. Your margins will be better short term if you can keep the cost of sales down.

Go for Low-hanging Fruit: You must plan on the big or complex sales that are going to give you the best margin eventually, but grabbing easily accessed sales, the ripe fruit, that is right near by will help you on your way, while bigger ones mature. The big return on these quickly-made sales is that the feedback-and-product-modification process can be accelerated. Little incremental improvements will soon add up.

Have Staff On Call: Of course you want to hire the people that you think you’ll need for the operation of your business, but if you take staff on to the payroll, you need to be sure that you can pay them on an ongoing and regular basis. Maybe you should be thinking about creative ways that you can get round that level of commitment. You can recruit staff on call. What work can you contract out? Can you pay by the hour-worked or are part-timers possible? Only undertake work that is absolutely essential. The return you’ll get from delaying recruitment is keeping cash in the business at the early high-risk stage.

Don’t Go for Broke: There are some startup businesses, like in hi-tech, where you may have to commit big sums of money up-front before you can sell a thing. But most startups work best if you work with as little money as possible. If you’re hungry, you’ll find ways of getting that vital revenue instead of capital. There are many entrepreneurs who have wasted vital time doing the rounds of investors when they could have been on the road selling goods. In any event, you’ll be better at attracting funding if you have a track record to back you claims.

Surefire Ways to Pack a Punch With Your Ezines & Newsletters

Newsletters, or ezines, can be an extremely effective marketing tool for your business. It puts your name in front of your potential clients, regular clients, and peers while showing your expertise and professionalism. It’s an excellent means to both market and grow your business and also show your existing clients your creative abilities.

What’s an ezine? It’s short for electronic magazine. It’s those e-mail newsletters that you receive on a regular basis. If you are not sending one out now, seriously consider doing so. It can make a big difference in both your business and your bank account. For example, I know one life coach who sends out regular ezines. Lately she acknowledged that she started getting 30+ people signing up every day! When you think about those 30+ new potential clients a day, doesn’t it make sense to utilize this as a regular part of your marketing?

Now the only drawback is to ensure your newsletter is worthy of being read. I subscribe to a lot of newsletters, but find I regularly only read a few upon their arrival. When I decided to create my own newsletter, one of the first things I did was to look at those newsletters I regularly read and determine what it was about them that made me want to read them. What sets them apart from the rest? One of the most important things I discovered was that they provided me with valuable information to help me in my business. They often provided information I didn’t already know. For example, some newsletters provide tips on search engine optimization, affiliate programs, or software shortcuts. Since I’m always looking to grow my business, this information is valuable to me. You normally have knowledge in a given field that others don’t, when preparing your newsletter, think about what expert knowledge you have or can obtain that would interest your targeted market. Now that’s what you want to add to your newsletter.

In writing your newsletter, keep the following points in mind:

Your Readers

oKnow your readers and what they want.

oAsk your readers for feedback and how to improve.

oTalk to your readers. Don’t just put information in your newsletter; think about that audience out there reading your newsletter. How do they feel after reading what you’ve prepared?

Your Writing Style

oUse short, simple sentences; keeping paragraphs short.

oWrite clearly and avoid slang or profanity.

oUse humor and keep a refreshing tone to your writing.

oKeep your tone friendly, but also professional.

oHave white space between the paragraphs.

oUse small graphics whenever applicable.

oInclude your logo for business recognition.

oUse bold or italics for emphasis, but don’t underline.

oUse plain text. (12-14 point)

Headings

oEntice the reader with your heading to ensure they read the article.

oHeadlines should be slightly larger than the other text.

oUse bold or italics and a good font, but don’t use all caps.

Content of Newsletter

oContent is king! Just like on your website, it’s vital to have your newsletter or ezine packed full of useful information.

oProvide articles written by you and other experts.

oProvide any new services or features you’ve added to your business.

oProvide links of relevant press releases, articles, other sites, etc. This gives readers more information that they can review.

oProvide case studies, facts not known, etc. Sign up for Google News so that you can get information your clients might not have seen.

oProvide a collection of valuable small business tips, testimonials, etc.

oProvide a personal message from you. Many enjoy hearing how you are doing and what’s new happening in their life and business.

oProvide humorous quotations or jokes.

oContests / Polls / Freebies / Quizzes / Games!! Let the fun begin. Why not include something that makes the reader look forward to taking a break from their busy day to read your newsletter?

The Final Step — Proofing

oMake sure everything is 100% accurate with no typos.

oMake sure you have permission for any copyrighted material.

oMake sure if you have sources, you have credited them correctly.

Most ezines are “opt-in,” which means that everyone who receives it has actually registered to receive it–they want it already. Now the only thing you need to do is provide them great information that keeps them wanting it every month.

What Are the Free Ways to Make Money Online?

Have you been searching for free ways to make money online? I did for a long time. There are many ways to choose from. Here are the top three that have helped me earn a steady income.

Affiliate marketing is a method in which you promote other people’s products or services for a commission of the sale price. This can be very lucrative in that many of the payouts are 50% or higher. So many people don’t pursue an online business because they don’t have a product of their own to sell. With affiliate marketing you don’t need one. The hard part has been done for you. What you do is find a product that you want to promote. Sign up for their affiliate program and use the free marketing tools that they provide. Market the product on your website or blog. When your readers purchase the product you receive a commission.

Use your website or blog to sell advertising space. This is one of the simplest free ways to make money online. Sign up for Google AdSense and when it is approved Google will start placing it’s advertisers ads on your site. If a visitor to your site clicks on an ad you are pd. a small fee. How simple is that? Your website or blog is already up and running so why not monetize it for all it’s worth?

Using free methods to make money online can be profitable but at some point if you want to increase your earnings you will have to reinvest in your business. In this case you should consider writing a short eBook on a topic that people need to know about and that you have an interest in. If you don’t know a lot about any topic don’t worry. You can research it and then write about it in your own words. The important point is it has to be about something that people want to learn or need to answer. Someone is going to provide it to them, why can’t it be you?

Free ways to make money online doesn’t have to be a dream anymore. It can be your reality. Everyday someone is starting an online business that will generate them a substantial income. All it takes is hard work and persistence. Will that someone be you?

101 Ways To Mold Your Mind

If you’ve ever tried to break a bad habit, chances are you know that it can be frustrating and seem near impossible to change something about yourself. The problem typically resides within your mindset – your subconscious belief structure that automatically governs everything you think and do.

I have struggled with personal development for years, and have the benefit of hindsight when it comes to analyzing what has worked and what hasn’t. For those of you new to the idea of molding your mind, I sat down and hammered out this list of effective tactics to help create yourself in your own best image. Enjoy!

Conscious Change – For some people, the best way to initiate a major change is to start consciously – focusing on actively guiding your thoughts and controlling your beliefs until they become automatic.

When nobody is around – shout out what you want to change about yourself, as if you’ve already done it. Be forceful and emphatic and make yourself believe it. The more powerful you say something, the more you will believe it. In time, you’ll truly feel like you have the power to create anything you want in your life.
Do affirmations right before bed – your mind is receptive and sleeping will help you internalize the information you just fed yourself.
To-do list with a twist – keep a to-do checklist with important tasks you need to get done for the day, but add a twist to the list by including how you want to do them. Incorporate personality dimensions you wish to instill in yourself and emulate them until they become a part of you.
Do affirmations when you first wake up – again, be forceful and emphatic and soon enough you will want to hop out of bed to do them because you will feel great afterwards, and invigorated to start the day.
Tell others about your goals and aspirations. It helps to be accountable for your successes and failures.
Think of someone you care deeply about who you would like to improve for. A significant other or important family member who you feel deserves the best from you. Strive to be the best you can for yourself and for them.
Think of someone who you can’t stand… who is always outperforming you or rubbing their successes in your face. Strive to be better than them in every way you feel is important. Sometimes competition can be an incredibly potent driving factor..
Internalize your successes by focusing on completing small goals whenever possible. Giving yourself the occasional easy-to-do task and thinking about it like a real accomplishment can boost your perceived self efficacy and give you the added will power to tackle those hard to reach goals.
Reward all progress in some way – no matter how small. Be smart about it (don’t binge eat to reward a successful diet week) but indulge in something you otherwise wouldn’t take the time out for. Whatever suits you best – just to have something mentally to look forward to the next round.
Enter a competition when you’re clearly not ready. Train for something. Enter a marathon or triathlon, structure a competition with a friend or coworker – do whatever it takes to give yourself a concrete reason to succeed.
Learn something new every day or week. Pick a random book on a topic unrelated to your education experience or work background. Encouraging the development of new mental models will help diversify your knowledge and expand your capacity for thought all around.
Take a free online course in something you know nothing about. Expand your horizons. Check out MIT OpenCourseWare
Write your affirmations out before or after you do them. It helps internalize them!
Record your affirmations and play them back on your iPod whenever you can for background noise.
Keep a “scrapbook” of images and stories related to people you look up to, things you want to accomplish or traits you want to develop in yourself. The simple act of thumbing through it every day for a minute or two can work wonders for your motivation.
Read success stories. Learn what successful people go through to achieve their success. Internalize it. Look forward to writing your own success story (or if you’re really ambitious, look forward to having someone write it about you..!)
Make a “quote board” with motivational quotes. A big poster will do – read them in your downtime for inspiration.
Turn off the TV – do everything you can to phase out mind-numbing programming from your lifestyle.
Ask “Did I make the most of this day?” every night before you go to sleep. Strive to answer a resounding YES to that question – but always be honest, or it is meaningless.
Blog about your progress. Try to get a few readers – just having someone to be accountable to can help you keep your eye on the ball.
Give yourself a big reward at the end of the tunnel – something like a trip or vacation to really excite you and keep you on the path to success.
Try your best to stop yourself from using self defeating language or thoughts. Whenever something pops into mind, question it and extinguish it, and move onto something more positive.
Meditate. Even 15 minutes a day can work wonders for your mind, and prevent frustration with the minutia of everyday life.
Take periodic breaks from studying/working. Give yourself a five minute break every 18-20 minutes, and a 15 minute break every hour for longer sessions.
Remind yourself that only you are in control of your destiny in life. Nobody else. You are more than powerful enough to handle everything that comes your way. Believe it and success is yours for the taking.
Take action right now – stop yourself whenever you start using the “tomorrow” or “next week I will..” self-talk. Today is the deed.
Model your behavior after someone. I have written about this at length on my blog. It can be a powerful tool for instilling positive traits within.

Concentration – Learning to master your ability to concentrate and focus on the task at hand can provide wonderful benefits in all aspects of life. These tips should help you accomplish just that, and prevent you from feeling overwhelmed or frustrated with your daily tasks or larger goals.

The best time to concentrate is after reading something that is inspiring – as you’re filled with desire afterwards. Make this a habit before doing something you know needs to be done (but you don’t really want to do).
Watch yourself during the day and make sure your muscles don’t get overly relaxed or strained.
Get in the habit of taking deep, steady breaths instead of short, rapid ones. Think internally about how meaningful each breath is. Your steadier breathing will make for a more relaxing and productive disposition.
When you decide to do something, eliminate all other tasks from your mind while you’re working. Thinking about other things while you’re working on something will only lead to frustration and poor quality of work. And by thinking about other things you could be doing, you prevent yourself from ever having the chance at achieving “flow” state.
Turn off distractions when you work or study – no TV, cell phones, iPods, etc… The only truly effective distraction (don’t lie to yourself and tell yourself you need TV) is not really a distraction at all – classical music from the baroque period has been shown to facilitate concentration and learning, due to its 60 bpm tempo.
Research shows that concentration works best in spans of about 18 minutes. Every 18 minutes, make sure to give yourself a little break (4-5 minutes) and return fresh and ready to push on when the break has passed. You’ll notice the differences right away.
Exercising and eating right can work wonders for your ability to concentrate – more on this below…
Prime your mind with the help of subliminal messages
Get in the habit of “practicing concentration.” Like anything else, it is a skill which can be learned over time. Do a concentration exercise every day for five minutes or so and soon (be patient) you will see promising results. We’ve included some helpful exercises, courtesy of SuccessConsciousness.com below –
Ex1: Take a book and count the words in any one paragraph. Count them again to be sure that you have counted them correctly. Start with one paragraph and when it becomes easier, count the words in a whole page. Perform the counting mentally and only with your eyes, without pointing your finger at each word.
Ex2: Count backwards in your mind, from one hundred to one.
Ex3: Count in your mind from one hundred to one, skipping each three numbers, that is 100, 97, 94, etc.
Ex4: Choose an inspiring word, or just a simple sound, and repeat it silently in your mind for five minutes. When your mind can concentrate more easily, try to reach ten minutes of uninterrupted concentration.
Ex5: Take a fruit, an apple for example, and look at it from all sides. Concentrate your attention on it and examine it from all sides. Devote the whole session to concentrating on it. Do not be carried away by irrelevant thoughts that arise. Stay with the apple. It could be any other fruit. Look at it and do not think about the shop where you bought it, about the way it is grown, its nutritive value etc, only about the object in front of you. Just look at it, see it, smell it and touch it.
Ex6: This is the same as exercise number 5, only that this time you visualize the fruit with your eyes closed. Start by performing again exercise number 5 for five minutes, and then do this one. Try to see, feel, taste, smell the fruit in you imagination. Try to see a clear and well defined image. If difficulties arise open your eyes, look at the fruit, close them again and continue the exercise.
Ex7: Take a small simple object such as a spoon, a fork, or a glass. Concentrate on one of these objects. Watch the object from all sides without any verbalization, that is, with no words in your mind. Just watch the object without thinking with words about it.
Ex8: After becoming proficient in the above exercises, you can come to this exercise. Draw a small geometrical figure, about three inches in size, such as a triangle, a rectangular or a circle, paint it with any color you wish, and concentrate on it. You should see only the figure, nothing else. Only the figure exists for you now, with no unrelated thoughts or any distractions. Try not to think with words during the exercise. Watch the figure in front of you and that’s it. Try not to strain your eyes.
Ex9: The same as number 8, only this time visualize the figure with the eyes closed. As before, if you forget how the figure looks like, open your eyes for a few seconds and watch the figure and then close your eyes and continue with the exercise.
Ex10: The same as above in number 9 but the eyes open.
Ex11: Try for at least five minutes, to stay without thoughts. This exercise is to be attempted only after all the previous ones have been performed successfully. The previous exercises, if practiced correctly, will endow you with the ability to impose silence on your thoughts. In time it will become easier and easier.
Read “The Power of Concentration” by Theron Q. Dumont for inspiring prose and great additional exercises.

Subconscious Change – Sometimes accessing the power of your subconscious mind gives you the added boost you need to reach your goals and attain lasting personal change. These tips I have found most helpful and tend to make for interesting conversation as well!

Record affirmations on your iPod (as in the previous tip) but play them back very quietly as you drift off to sleep. Use headphones if you are comfortable enough to fall asleep with them on. Leave the affirmations on repeat for the duration of your sleep.
If you use your computer primarily for web browsing and don’t need to run memory intense programs, then subliminal messaging software might work for you. The programs flash your selected phrases on screen quickly to be absorbed by your subconscious but not your conscious mind.
Select three to four videos from the Intelligent Warrior subliminal video series and watch them each in sequence, twice daily, for thirty days. You can find these powerful subliminal message videos available for download on my blog.
Download free self-hypnosis software online and try it out until you find something that works for you.
Google & YouTube often have interesting Self-Hypnosis videos. Find one you like. Bookmark it, and watch it until you see results in yourself.
Select one video from the Intelligent Warrior series, and watch it 5 times daily for thirty days.
Watch all seven videos in the Intelligent Warrior series back to back, once through each day, for thirty days.
Use free audio editing software to insert your affirmations in the background of some of your favorite music. It works best with instrumentals, but can be applied elsewhere as well.

Environment – For some, it’s not so obvious that your environment can have profound effects on your mood and mentality. These quick tips can help you master your environment and master your mind in the process.

De-clutter. de-clutter, de-clutter. I can’t say this one enough. Clutter in your environment leads subconsciously, and sometimes consciously, to clutter in your mind. It ignites frustration and prevents you from feeling free enough to work effectively at accomplishing your tasks.
Use color in your workspace. Sure, lots of bright color may not always appear “professional,” but if you’re working at home, that’s no excuse. Use a variety of bright, bold colors to give your workspace a flare. Color is inspiring to the mind and will awaken your creative faculties without you even being aware of it. It works unexpected wonders – try it and see for yourself!
Curves and circles are more inspiring and are more effective at activating the mind than are straight lines and squares. Where possible, incorporate curvilinear lines and odd organic shapes in your workspace – whether it be in actual design, the layout of your things, or something as simple as your schedules and to-do lists. Oddly enough, you’ll find that by doing this, and incorporating color, you will begin to naturally remember more of what goes on when you’re working.
Leave yourself sticky-notes all over the place. Remind yourself not only of what you want to do, but how you want to do it. Remind yourself to be helpful and enthusiastic – sometimes just seeing the note will be all it takes to flip your bad mood on its side.
Use natural light as much as possible. If you don’t have windows in your workspace, buy light bulbs that mimic the daylight spectrum. It provides less strain on your eyes, so you’ll be able to focus better without the frustration.
Try out some feng shui.
Put plants in your home office or workspace. Including plants will increase the oxygen levels of the room naturally, and provide a calming, organic feel to aid in relaxation when frustration starts to bubble up.
Play background music – calming background music. Try classical music from the baroque period, that naturally facilitates learning and concentration.
Use mirrors liberally – constantly “look in” on yourself to make sure you’re doing what you truly want to be doing, to guide yourself towards your goals.
Include a LOT of motivational pictures or quotes around your workspace. Framed photos are not only a nice touch aesthetically, but they can be used to constantly remind yourself of what you’re working so hard to attain!
Give your room a light color – don’t paint it anything dark or imposing. Dark colors will make the room feel small and bounded, and you’ll find yourself often frustrated quickly and easily, or slipping often into bad moods.

Fitness & Nutrition – While many people understand that good health is important, sometimes the additional benefits are overlooked. Maintaining good habits here can have profound effects on your self esteem and your overall mindset. Don’t believe me? Give it a 40 day test run and you’ll never look back…

If you love something that’s bad for you – don’t eliminate it totally – just make sure to practice moderation. McDonald’s once or twice a month isn’t going to kill you. McDonald’s every day is.
Work out, work out, work out! No matter where you are in life – thin/fat, young/old, depressed/happy – working out will elevate you to the next level. It’s no mystery. Try it and see for yourself. Don’t start and overwhelm yourself, but rather introduce a level of fitness that’s appropriate for where you’re starting off from. Gradually build on this base, and enjoy as you become healthier and happier.
Eat chocolate! No, not Snickers bars or Reeses Pieces… but dark chocolate. Try Lindt’s 85% cocoa dark chocolate for a satisfying indulgence. Natural chocolate is actually good for you. It is filled with anandamides – chemical compounds found naturally in the body that elevate your mood. Great for a quick energy boost as well.
Drink plenty of water – make sure you’re getting MORE than 8 cups a day if you want to truly see some results. If you’re not drinking enough now, it may be hard to adjust at first. But within a few days to a week, you’ll feel more energetic, less bloated, and ready to take on the world.
Get your fruits and vegetables – MORE than five servings a day is optimal if you really want to see some effects. You’ll be loading up on good sugar (natural energy) and giving yourself the vitamins and nutrients you should have been getting all along. Remember – we didn’t get to where we are now by eating jelly donuts and breakfast-in-a-box. Eating natural is the right way to eat, and incorporating as much natural food into your diet as possible will provide enormous rewards in the short and long run.
Get up and go running in the morning. If you can’t run, walk. Do something that gets your heart pumping and the blood flowing early on. It will be great for your mood throughout the day (thanks to the natural release of endorphins), and chances are you’ll find yourself better able to concentrate and focus right from the start.
Take fish oil pills to provide your body with good fats. Take more than the recommended dosage to get the best effect. Remember – they’re just fatty oils, and good fats at that, so you can’t go wrong by loading up. Your heart, and your brain, will thank you day after day (by working better for you!).
Have sex. Lots of it. If you have no one to have sex with, practice the other 100 tips. You’ll likely then be irresistible to the opposite sex and have no problem with this one.
Take a Gingko Biloba supplement to boost your memory naturally and effectively.
Stretch in the morning – stretching will help you naturally feel good and feeling comfortable in your skin will work wonders for your mindset.
Eat lots of fish. Fish oil is great for your brain and your heart. You’ll feel better and be able to concentrate better in no time.
Work out by lifting weights. Give yourself at least 6 weeks to see any results at all – but once your body begins to take shape you’ll start to love the way you look and feel. Your confidence will shoot through the roof and before you know it you’ll be itching to head to the gym. It’s tough at first to overcome the soreness and “out of place” feeling, but it passes quickly – I promise!

Appearance – Not surprisingly, changing your appearance can work wonders on your mentality as well. If you aren’t 100% comfortable in your skin, ask yourself “why?” Be honest. Work through it – the rewards are invaluable… self esteem is priceless.

Get your hair done. Not just girls, but guys too. Make sure you’re well groomed and looking your best. Clean, well styled hair is one of the first things people notice about others.
Be nice to your skin – take care to eliminate cuts, bruises, acne, etc… The products that help for skin are countless, but the best start is proper nutrition.
Keep your body hair well groomed – shave and keep trimmed. Even if nobody else notices, you will – and you’ll feel better about yourself for it.
Maintain a healthy complexion – a nice, healthy tan. If you’re uncomfortable with tanning beds or being in the sun too long, try a Dove “Natural Glow” product. They work well and don’t give you the orange look, but rather the healthy, natural complexion you want. Proper nutrition will give you a natural glow over time, as well.
Dress to impress.
Pay attention to detail in your wardrobe and your grooming. Your attention will get noticed, people will be impressed.
Buy at least one REALLY nice suit or business outfit to wear when meeting potential clients or partners for the first time. You deserve to feel as good and as confident as you’ll look.
Get a manicure – yes, guys too. When your hands are well groomed you will feel more confident about yourself around others – guaranteed.
Work on your posture – stand up straight and tall (just like your mother told you). You’ll look more confident, and soon enough you’ll feel more confident too.
When in doubt, overdress. Dressing up helps you feel good, especially when you take the tips in the Fitness/Nutrition topic to heart and develop an attractive, physically fit body as well.
Practice projecting your voice. Whenever you find yourself home alone, read things aloud as if you were delivering a speech. Focus on annunciation and emphasis where appropriate. Soon you’ll be naturally more charismatic and attention-grabbing around others.

Record Keeping/Journals – While for some people this can be a nuisance, it really can lead to profound effects in your overall personal development, especially if you’re the type of person to have trouble “sticking” to something.

Keep a daily journal for everything – all of your random thoughts. Don’t spend all day writing – that defeats the purpose. Instead, sit down every once in a while for five minutes or so and jot down your thoughts. Don’t structure them or worry about appearance – just write.
If you want to develop a healthier mindset, keep a nutrition journal. Microsoft Excel can help with this one. Simply by paying attention to what goes in your body, you will be more inclined to control what you are eating. The result? A healthier, happier you (with the records to show others how you got there!).
If you’re trying to get in better shape, keep a photo journal. This can be as private as you want it to be. Stand in front of the mirror with your digital camera once a week. Take a head on, and a profile picture, both flexed and un-flexed. At first, it can be intimidating and embarrassing – but within a month or two, you will be looking forward to the next picture… and maybe even showing them off to your friends and family.
Keep a nightly journal where you answer the question “Did I make the most of this day?” If yes, why, if not, why not? Striving for more “yes” entries and understanding what went wrong in your “no” days will help you stay on the right track to achieving the mindset you want and attaining all of your goals.
Write down one thing you learned each day, and review it at the end of the week. Commit everything to long term memory by internalizing it with contemplative thought and repetition.
Write down one thing you want to learn, each morning. Learn it that day.
Keep a brief time-log. Seeing how much time you spend on different tasks throughout the day can help you understand where you’re going wrong (or right). Make sure you’re not wasting too much time on activities that have no return!
If you’re striving to attain any goal at all – find something in that goal that is measurable. Measure the hell out of it. Seek to improve… all the time.
If you’re trying to mold your mind, chances are you’re trying to overcome at least one or two bad habits. Every time you encounter one of those bad habits in your day, step aside and write it down. Do your best to steer yourself in the right direction, no matter what it takes. Reflect on this later, and pride yourself on overcoming your old, bad self!
If you’re close to someone, have them jot down thoughts about you during the day as well. Sometimes, seeing yourself through someone else’s point of view can help you figure out what you’re doing wrong, or right, or open your eyes to things you didn’t even know you should be working on improving. Make sure you choose someone who cares about you and who will not pass judgment, but rather give you an honest view of yourself when you ask for it.

Last but not least, read my Blog daily! This one speaks for itself 🙂

10 Ways to Promote Your Business Using Mass Media

Never rely on search engine traffic to support the bulk of your marketing efforts. The risk of doing this a greater than you think.

Search engines are constantly changing and evolving to stay one step ahead of spammers and unethical optimization practices. Recently, thousands of Web sites that were #1 in the Google search engine for many years suddenly found themselves on page 10, 20, 30 or worse.(This actually happened in September through early November 2005 due to a change in the Google algorithm.)

It is crucial to remember that your “natural rankings” or “non-paid page placement results” in the major search engines of Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL and Ask Jeeves are free. Search engines do not guarantee the inclusion of any Web site in its search results.

That’s why a solid marketing plan will have diversity. In today’s advertising universe, media channels are converging. Television, radio and print are driving viewers to Web sites and Web sites are becoming 24/7 advertising mediums that supports them all. The World Wide Web allows us to re-experience commercials, music, messages and imagery.

The news media outlets and commercial broadcast companies use the World Wide Web to extend their reach into our homes and businesses. For example, after every HBO special of Rome, they drive viewers to the HBO series Web site to see additional clips and features. Fox Broadcasting did this with their popular military series “Over There.”

Think about it – the World Wide Web supports and extends 99.9% of all mass media communication including the federal, state and local governments. From the Wall Street Journal to the White House, Web sites have proliferated at an incredible rate of 10,000 new Web sites a day.

Global businesses are competing 24/7 for their fair-share of your attention with millions of dollars at stake. How in the world can small businesses compete? Fortunately emerging technologies and the Internet have helped level the playing field. Small business has a distinct advantage when targeting regional niche markets using mass media. Here’s how…

1) Placing Ads in Print Media

Basically there are two kinds of print advertising; newspapers and magazines ‘classified and display’. Classifieds are the small ads towards the back of the publication, while display ads can be almost any size depending on the publication.

Advertising in the print media can be expensive, and for most home businesses it won’t be economical. This is where you can really benefit from the expertise of a media or public relations specialist. My company contracted with David Rourk of Rourk Public Relations. David knows where my ad is going to get the most bang-for-the-buck. He also knows which local, regional or national publications reach the client base I want to target.

2) Buying Radio advertising

Once your business grows to a decent size, you may consider buying some radio time. But ad-buyer beware! You could get a big response. Maybe a little too big! Thanks to the immediacy of radio, you could get mobbed the next day, so make sure you have a support system in place to handle multiple inquires via the phone, Web site, emails and walk-ins. If you have a Webmaster or you can do this yourself, load a digital copy of your radio commercial in your Website for your customers to revisit. I did this for of my Web clients, Easy Money Now, featuring multiple radio and TV commercials.

3) Advertising on the Television

Unless your business is getting big, this would be a bad idea. You’d have trouble producing and airing an ad even on local cable channels for less than $5,000. Of course, if there’s a market for your product and you’ve got the budget for this, you could take the plunge and make a mint. Purchasing air-time or ‘media buys’ is a tricky business. Again, this is best left to a professional who has your best interests in mind. A public relations or advertising professional knows the best station and time slot in which to place your commercial. If you have a Webmaster or you can do this yourself, load a digital copy of your commercial in your Website for your customers to revisit.

4) Advertising on Billboards

If you do this right, a billboard campaign can be very effective. Billboard ads are relatively expensive, but they do generally stay up for a long time,and they can be specifically targeted to an area. Phone numbers and addresses are pretty useless, whereas your Web site address will extend your reach providing your URL or domain name is easy to spell and remember. If you have a domain name that is difficult to remember, consider acquiring a second domain name for advertising purposes.

5) Advertising at the movies

One type of advertising that often gets overlooked is cinema advertising. If you arrive to the cinema early, you’ll see local business ads followed by big-budget ads. This can be a great place to advertise relatively inexpensively in quite a high-profile way. Contact your local cinema chain and compare advertising rates.

6) Organic Advertising

There are multiple types of collateral advertising that help “brand” your business. These include printing, stamping or embroidering your business name and Web address on the following;

1) Pens, pencils, coffee mugs, coulees

2) Golf shorts, t-shirts and ball caps

3) Presentation folders, invoices, fax cover sheets and calendars

4) Bumper stickers, window stickers

5) Phone system ‘infomercial’ about your company for clients on-hold

7) ‘Grass Roots’ Advertising

Nothing beats the basic “meet and greet” or “smile and a hand-shake.” Get your name out in the business community. Check online and the local newspapers for business networking groups. Your local Chamber of Commerce would be a good place to start. Talk to community leaders, private business schools, and associations about business programs and events in your area.

8) Press Release Advertising

PR is popular because it is cost-effective and it works. Sending out a press release is just one example of free PR. There are many reasons for sending out a release: introducing a new product or service, celebrating an anniversary, winning an award, reaching a milestone and so on. Doing this on a regular basis is key to keeping your name in front of your customers and prospects’ eyes and being on the top of their mind when it comes to awareness. Popular forms of PR for the World Wide Web and print are; Writing Articles, Newsletters, Letters to the Editor, Online Forum and Blog Participation and offering Free Reports or (white papers).

9) Web Advertising (Web Marketing)

The most effective Web based advertising I’ve used is “targeted business directories” or business specific directories. For my business this would be any directory having to do or related to Web design and development. There are thousands of business specific directories to include: real estate, law, construction, engineering, flowers, bridal and so on. To find a directory that has top search engine presence on Google, Yahoo or MSN Search and type-in a ‘frequently used search phrase’ relating to your business, products or sevices.

10) Web Site Development

When you surf the Internet, the first impression you get from a Web site is its design. Much like a storefront, it either looks attractive and professional, or it looks shoddy and questionable. A powerful Web site design creates a sense of trust and respect between you and your on-line visitors. The site explains its purpose clearly and quickly, and why a visitor should spend time browsing it.

A Web site is your 24-hours, 7-days-a-week advertising brochure. Take time to plan, research, design and implement your Web site with a professional firm.

As you go through the process of selecting a Web design company, one of the keys to success will be the questions you ask. Following are some questions that will help you find the best company at the best price:

Important Web Design Questions to Ask

– How do you maintain communication with the client?

– How many designs of the home and interior pages will you provide?

– How are any design revisions handled?

– Do I get to keep all ordinal files and source code used to create my Web site? (Some of these ordinal files may include Photoshop files, Flash movie files and database files.)

– Do you charge for minor revisions once the Web site goes live?

– Do you provide a Web site maintenance plan? At what cost?

– Will you submit my Web site ‘manually’ to major search engines?

– Do you build ‘search-engine-friendly’ Web sites?

I Need to Know Who a Phone Number Belongs To – Ways to Discover Who a Phone Number Belongs To

There are several different methods you can use if you decide “I need to know who a phone number belongs too”. The first is to simply call back the number and see who picks up. If you don’t want to be traced then you could call from a mobile phone or hide your caller ID. There are other, more sophisticated methods though that can work just as well. Here are two of the most common in more detail.

Google has a “PhoneBook” function which is extremely useful for looking up phone numbers and works for both mobiles and landlines. All you need to do is visit Google.com and type in “phonebook:number”. This will bring up any results that Google has in its database that include the number.

The problem with the Google phone book method is that it only returns numbers that are found somewhere on public sections of websites. If the person trying to call you has never disclosed their phone number online then it’s unlikely that Google will be able to find it. This is the case for both mobile phone numbers and landlines. For this reason the method is more effective when used for business numbers but varies greatly when looking at home numbers.

The other method to match a phone number to a person is to use a free or paid reverse phone lookup website on the internet. One of the major advantages of these websites is that they have access to the national database of phone numbers making it easy to find out who owns a particular number. The downside is that these websites don’t have access to mobile or unlisted numbers. That means that if the owner of a number has removed his or her phone from the national directory then the website won’t be able to find anything.

Another advantage of a lookup service is that in some cases you can gain access to additional information including the person’s address and date of birth.

Choosing a reverse phone lookup site isn’t always easy because there are so many. It’s vital that you choose a company that uses an up-to-date database – there is no point finding out who owned a particular number several years ago. The more recent the database the more likely you are to find the right owner. You should also avoid paid services unless they can provide you with a high level of service. Some paid websites don’t provide anything extra compared to the free ones.