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An email list is an excellent way to stay in regular contact with people interested in your products, services and organization. For nonprofits, the benefits are even more appealing because email lists are relatively inexpensive ways to keep donations flowing in. Building an email list is not difficult but it does take focused effort and planning. List Building Basics When building an email list, it's important to offer subscribers a compelling reason to sign up. Generally sending a regular newsletter or special offers to interested people will get them to sign up and respond to your mailings. If you create an email list and do nothing with it however, or you only send email out infrequently, you risk losing the interest and attention of your subscribers. Many may even forget they've willingly subscribed, and they'll be confused or annoyed when they do receive your email. Once you have a regular email contact plan in place...

After you've got your yoga studio up and running, your next step is to start marketing it aggressively. You can take advantage of free sources of advertising as well as ads that vary in cost to get to your target market. Organize a holistic health fair in your area. This will help you develop a rapport with other local business owners in the health, fitness and alternative medicine arenas as well as give you a chance to showcase your new yoga studio to prospective yoga clients. Talk to apartment complex office staff and homeowner's associations and inquire about teaching your yoga classes at their community centers. If they don't have the space or desire for that, maybe they will allow you to come in and give a seminar about how yoga can help the residents. Give out coupons and information about your yoga studio at these events. Search the Internet for local publications such as coupon bo...

Medical transcription is a growing career field in today's economy because of the growing needs of the health care industry. What is medical transcription? It is a position in which a medical transcriptionist converts voice-recorded information from physicians into a text format that can be read and placed in patient files. Medical Transcription at home is being popular with many individuals seeking work at home opportunities.

The most popular way to make money writing online is to sign up for Google's AdSense Program and display ads on your website or blog. According to Google however, adult encompasses the following and is therefore prohibited: lewd or provocative images, crude or indecent language including adult stories, adult toys and products etc. Obviously photos or videos which depict nudity or sexual activity are also unacceptable. Since sex sells, it is possible to make a reasonable side-income with an adult website or blog. Here is how to make money writing erotica and/or maintaining an adult blog. CHOOSE THE RIGHT NAME FOR YOUR BLOG The name you choose should be easy to remember and should describe what your blog is about. As your blog expands and starts receiving more traffic, consider registering a domain name with NameCheap.com, Moniker.com, Domainsite.com, Xrdomains.com, or Name.com. Expect to pay about $8 - $10 per domain. By registering a domain n...

In this eHow you will learn: - How to reduce eBay costs and increase profits. - Create professional looking listings. - Apply this knowledge to become a powerseller. - Add multiple pictures to your listing without paying extra picture fees to EBAY. - How presentation of your item can make your item sell. An example of one of my photos that I took and edited. I will note that the software I purchased has since expired and I have not purchased it again. At this point I have developed a good seller base and feedback rating that I do not feel that I need it anymore. I would, however, suggest purchasing some photo editing software if you plan on running an eBay business. Photoshop Elements 7 is currently the software I use. I purchased mine at Best Buy as a package deal with a special editing pad and pen (which is not necessary but very helpful). I also purchased good digital ca...

Before you consider trying to start an asset recovery venture, or become a repo-man, as it is commonly referred to, read this article. Others have written eHow articles on this, but, I can tell you - they have never done it. Find a truck. I don't care how many people say you can do this without a truck, you cant. Yes, you will have drive-away coverage as part of your general liability policy, NO, you wont always get the keys to a car, and NO, you cant hotwire everything. What you can do is find a used tow truck - an old F350 modified with the tow attachments - for a reasonable amount maybe, or, buy a used dualie and buy the after market minuteman attachments. It does not matter what you use, just make sure you have a way to grab vehicles that are full time 4x4. This will usually mean you either have a flatbed truck, or wheel lifts/dollies. This will be your most expensive purchase. Even if you have an old pickup you can modify, or a car dollie...

This is an article on how to write a business pro forma. Step 3) Another critical step in writing your business pro forma for the upcoming month is detailing your expected expenses. In other words, what is the overhead for the next month? This needs to be as detailed as possible in your business pro forma. Step 2) The critical step in writing your business pro forma for the upcoming month is detailing your expected income. In other words, how much money is your business going to make the next month? Is this just coming from one stream of income or multiple streams of income? This needs to be detailed in your business pro forma. Step 4) I hope this has been a helpful guide on the difference between a business plan and business pro forma. Pro Formas are invaluable in evaluting your business on a monthly basis. Good luck! Step 1) At the beginning of the year, successful entrep...

So, You are finally ready to go out on your own and begin your own business. There's a few things you need to plan ahead of time before you dive into your new business. Be legit: In order to set up your own company, you are going to need to become legit by finding a proper legal structure. It can be Sole Proprietorship, Corporation, or a Partnership. In order to sell goods online, you must obtain a sales tax id. Contact your State Revenue Department so you can start getting the papers ready. Finances: Consider the financing options you have for your business. You need to figure out how much money you need to start your business. For an example, if you are starting up a web design business you are going to need your own hosting service, and Paint Shop Pro for making your logos. So, you will need to save up some money for both of these. Learn from the past: As a web designer, I learn as I go alon...

I needed an exposure unit to make expose my screens for decal printing. I did not have $1800 to buy one so I made my own. I used several ideas I had seen and put the different ideas together to make this one for less than $225. Box marked for installing light units Once the box is finished I did my marking for the light units. I made a mark at 6", 12" and 18" and made a hash mark 2" in from the end. This will put the light units in an ideal position in the box. See picture below. Before I put the sides on the box I laid the lights in the box and did my measuring and marks where they would go. box with sides on The first thing I did was get all of my stuff organized as to when I would need it. I started by getting the bottom of the box cut to 24x28 i...

Selling at flea markets can be a rewarding business because of the amount of money that you can make. It is also more exciting than selling at a regular store. The atmosphere of old and vintage products and the thrill of hunting for rare finds emanating from the crowd are things that you will not get in an ordinary shop. One way that you can sell at flea markets is by selling flea market wholesale items. Choose impulse buys that will wow your customers. For example, nobody will miss the chance to buy or take at look at real gold being sold for a dollar. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the flea market buyers. But you should not tell lies about your products. If you said you are selling real gold for one dollar, then you should really sell gold for one dollar. Impulse buy items are usually a lot less exciting than that. Using loss leaders to attract customers works well, but you shouldn't damage your bottom line. ...

Farmers need more supplies than just feed and seed to raise animals and grow crops. These supplies are usually purchased by farmers at local farm supply stores or through farm elevator co-ops. Opening a farm supply store doesn't require special knowledge about crops and animals, which makes it possible for almost anyone to start a farm supply store. Learn about farming needs in the area. In different areas and regions of the U.S., farmers have different crops and animals. For example, in Wisconsin, California and New York, dairy farms are the largest agriculture businesses, while the state of Iowa has the highest production of corn, according to the National Milk Producers Federation and the Iowa Corn Growers Association. Buy or lease a store facility. Ideally farm supply stores should be located near the edge of a large city or in a rural area, as these provide farmers with easy access to the store. Owners can choos...

Operating a daycare requires knowledge of local and state requirements regarding licensing, staffing and building issues. If you know the rules, you can avoid headaches. Start with the state licensing agency to find what regulations apply. Function Your local municipal office is the place to find what zoning laws apply to in-home and storefront daycares. Building safety may be addressed at the local level. Types Building rules vary from state to state but will be based on space per square foot per child, heat-air conditioning, ventilation and plumbing. Features Health requirements may include annual medical exams for staff and children and immunization records. Size There may also be staff-to-child ratios, which may depend on the ages of the children. This varies from state to state. Co...

Scientists and engineers often seek to start businesses that involve research and development, cutting-edge technology, large amounts of startup capital and no revenue for one or more years after launch. The challenge of starting such a business requires a deep understanding of how to impress institutional investors who view everything in financial terms, which may not be easy for those with all their experience in science and engineering. Developing the Idea The most important part of writing a business plan is the brainstorming and research that goes into developing the idea. It is during this research period that you establish your goals and the steps you must take to achieve those goals. If you are developing a technology into a commercial product, you may have to conduct some redesign and redevelopment prior to manufacturing a prototype. After that, you will do testing until you can manufacture the product for distribution to use...

Electrical contracting is a lucrative career for the skilled professional. As a licensed contractor, you will have taken the first and most important step towards earning significant money in this field. In addition to the salary you will pay yourself as a contractor, you will reap the financial benefits of running a profitable business. As a business owner, you will be in control of determining which projects are most profitable, marketing to this end and controlling expenses, all of which will directly impact your profit margin. In some communities, the competition may be intense, so excellent work quality and good business skills will be important to your success. Create a list of potential customers and develop ways to reach them. Determine if you will serve the residential, commercial or industrial markets, or a combination of the three. Visit your local library for business resources, such as ReferenceUSA, a database of residences and businesses i...

If you're thinking about starting a dog breeding business, you should know that it is a big investment. There are many supplies you will need to buy, including those to help you stay organized so that your business will run smoothly and others to keep your dogs healthy and happy. Each business is different, but there are some basics that everyone will most likely need. Business Operation Dog breeding is very regulated in many states, so you should check with your city and state to see if there are restrictions on how many animals you are allowed to keep at any given time and whether you need a license to breed dogs. Next, you will need an accurate record-keeping system so that you can keep track of how much money you spend and how much you're making for tax purposes. You'll also want to keep records of all your dogs, their family trees , their health issues and when they've given birth or whelped. Not only will this he...

Ever wonder how to find leads for your Multi-Level marketing Company; Amway, Herbalife, Monavie, Avon, Mary Kay, Prepaid Legal, etc. You'll find some useful tips here! Use social networking. Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter are phenomenal tools to use to explode your new business. Tell people what you are doing and put feelers out to people who may be looking to make additional money in their spare time. Create success groups on Facebook and Profiles on Twitter. Just get yourself out there all over the internet! Become an extrovert. Meet people. Go out of your way to have conversations with people. Find out if they are looking to make a financial change in their lives. If they hint to things like not liking their job, wanting to get out of debt, making more money, etc.... tell them you may have a solution for them. Get their name and number and tell them you may contact them in a few weeks to get them more informatio...

If you're exploring new ways to make money, you might want to consider becoming a phone actress and work for adult phone lines. A phone actress generally works as an independent contractor and can make anywhere from $50 - $100 per hour. A phone actress can usually set their own hours and work from the comfort of their own home. As weird as the job may seem, the fact is that an experienced phone actress can make a lot of money. Most adult phone lines pay weekly, but some pay monthly. A phone actress is paid for their actual talk time which makes extended calls over 15 minutes highly profitable. A phone actress should have an outgoing personality, good communication skills and must be comfortable having suggestive "adult" conversations with strangers on an adult phone line. The phone number of a phone actress is protected and the phone actress does not have access to the phone number of the caller either. If you're interested in becoming a phone actress, here...

Like other kinds of plastic containers, stackable containers are durable, versatile, and work well as both display and storage fixtures. Also like other kinds of containers, you can find them in different shapes and sizes. However, stackable bins pack an extra punch: They can be stacked one on top of the other! This helps you make the most of the display space you have to work with – no matter how much space it is – as well as create attractive and convenient merchandise displays for your customers. If you're interested in using stackable bins, but aren't quite sure how to use them, consider the five ideas below. Regardless of the kind of store you operate, one of these ideas will surely help you get started using these kinds of containers to create displays. Use Stackable Plastic Containers to Display Hair Accessories Stackable containers are great ways to organize and display hair accessories like barrettes, headbands, and ponytail holders. So...

Pegboard display racks are versatile display fixtures that can help you make the most of your store's display space as well as attractively and conveniently display your store's merchandise. However, unlike some other kinds of merchandise display fixtures, pegboards require a bit more planning than simply choosing a style of container and where to place it. There are a variety of different kinds of pegboards to choose from, and each one works best in certain areas of your store as well as with certain kinds of merchandise and certain kinds of display accessories. Before you start looking for pegboards for your store's displays, take a look at the three steps below. They'll help you better understand your options and choose the perfect pegboard for your needs! Consider Pegboard Display Accessories Pegboard racks are designed to be used with certain other kinds of display accessories, such as pegs or hooks, hanging buckets or cubes, trays,...

Opening a yogurt shop can be, like embarking on any new business adventure, both exciting and scary. How big will your shop be? How many employees will you hire? How many different kinds of yogurt will you offer? Will you offer any other kind of product? However, yogurt shops require a few things that not every business requires – specifically, special display fixtures. Below are the top three yogurt shop display tools you'll need to both attractively and conveniently display your merchandise. Maximize Space with Scoop Bin Slatwall Dispensers Showcasing merchandise on your yogurt shop's walls is a great way to make the most of your display space, as well as offer extra convenience to your customers. As is the case with countertop display racks, slatwall display fixtures are available in a variety of sizes. Be sure to choose the slatwall display that will fit your wall space and conveniently hold your dispensers. Consid...

You may have heard the buzz of rising gold prices and how expensive gold is right now. But what if you could get your share for free? I am sure most if not all of us would like free gold. This article will explain some ways to get free gold. Ask friends and family for their old junk jewelery. They may just want to get rid of it. I had a roommate that gave me a gold ring because he was not doing anything with it and just wanted to get rid of it. Maby there are others like that you know. Tear apart your junk electronics. Many electronic items have gold plated components and in some cases it is made of gold. You can sell this gold plated scrap to a refiner and use that money to purchase gold or if your refiner allows it you can trade the scrap for solid gold. You could collect items from friends and family if you do not have enough of your own stuff. Barter for gold. Trade items or services in exchange ...

Selling in ebay can be a fun way to make a little extra money or possibly a full time income. One of the challenges people face are getting products at the right price for resale on ebay. This article solves that problem by explaining how to get items for free to sell on ebay. You can't get a better price than that. Look for items that are free after rebate. Check stores such as office depot, office max, etc. Be sure to send in your rebates on time and fill in all information accurately. One error could cost you your rebate. Collect coupons. Sometimes you can get items for free with coupons that sell on ebay. You can even sell the coupons on ebay. Look for name brand companies and popular products. Visit stores and online websites to find these. Also be sure to check your newspaper and junk mail as coupons are many times included. Go to promotional events. Sometimes businesses and organizations w...

A home décor business can be started with relatively low investment by anyone with an eye for design and good customer service skills. There are two potential paths for a home décor business: interior decorating services and selling decorative objects. The two can also be combined, for example, by a home goods import store owner also offering home decorating consulting services. This article focuses on decorating services. Establish relationships with suppliers. As a designer you may be entitled to a significant discount on the retail price of home décor goods. Having good working relationships with a variety of suppliers will allow you to get information about upcoming items, reserve a quantity of limited items or request special items when necessary. Determine your pricing model. Will you charge by the hour, by the project, square footage or costs of the project? Find out the going market rate among your compet...

Commercial cleaning or health inspectors are inspectors who evaluate the cleanliness of commercial organizations and generate a score based on a checklist provided by the state or federal government. These inspectors ensure health hazards, such as in food preparation or within laboratory settings, are not present. When they are, the inspector is required to enforce cleaning laws and procedures by fines or by shutting down organizations until cleaning is up to standards. Get certified with American Board of Industrial Hygiene. You can do this at the ABIH website (see resources). Application fee is $150. You must have completed all of your industrial health coursework included in your degree program. You must also have some professional experience and have great references. You must currently be employed in the field. Get certified with the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP). You can do this at the BCSP website (see ...

Portable curtains are used in conventions, trade shows and theatrical performances. Many businesses find them a handy tool when large areas require a portable separation device. The curtains offer a background to place lecture and presentation materials in front of and provide visual privacy during an interview process.They also provide a means to define space in a large hall or ballroom. Portable curtains can be made in a special color or pattern or to replace a stained, torn or missing drapery. Add additional inches for the rod casing and hemming to the measurement. Take the measure around the rod (not the diameter) and add 4 inches for finishing and hemming. For example, the rod measures 8 inches around plus 4 inches for an additional 12 inches. Add the 12 inches to the 60 inches for an overall fabric height of 72 inches. Make the curtain for the frame by noting the curtain height measurement first. Measure the height from ...

As someone who may be new to creating a budget or requesting purchasing equipment or consumables for a company, you will find it helpful to know how to work with a capital budget versus an operating budget. The information in this how to article also applies to your home/household budgets, although we normally do not differentiate the purchase types unless we are talking about operating a business. Classify those expenses by cost, scope of specific projects, and whether the items are consumables. This step is where we get into the operating versus capital expense and classifying our purchases as such. Operating expenses are typically those you would pay for every year. Think in terms of consumable items, salary, leases, maintenance, insurance and all items you have to purchase or pay for every year. Then add up the costs for your projects. Depending on the guidelines of your company, these costs wi...

There are certain steps you must take before applying for a business bank account. Follow these steps to make your small business eligible for a business account. Enter your business tax identification number into the business bank application. Once you have your masters license, use the tax ID number to make your business eligible for the business bank account. Choose your business bank. After doing careful research on business bank rates, fees, and contract agreements, choose your business account home. Provide all other essential business information, including employer identification number, information about the type of business (LLC, DBA, sole proprietor, etc), and a copy of your master business license, along with proof of your own identity. Apply for your master business license. You must have your master business license before you can apply for a business bank acc...

Government grants for individuals are available for people that want to apply for a grant on behalf of themselves rather than for a company or industry. Individual grant applications can be found online, here are a few steps to help you file for an individual government grant online. Locate a grant that indicate individual eligibility within the synopsis and full announcement, this will be the available grants that individual can apply for. Remember that their are not grants for personal finance assistance. You must first register for grants offered to individuals not companies. For example, you cannot individually apply for grants that are set aside for small businesses. You can register for an individual grant at www.grants.gov/applicants/individual_registration.jsp Organization registration is a different process. Search for the grants by typing in the grant title your looking for under the se...

A good grant-writter knows the importance of writing an excellent grant proposal letter. A well written grant proposal can help improve your chances of securing a government grant. Here are a few steps to help you write a good grant proposal letter. Follow up your need statement with how the grant money is an answer to your situation, define how the money will be allocated to help with your needed areas. Start you grant proposal letter by identifying the need for the government grant money, be specific and to the point. Prove that you have a specific problem or need in the proposal. Target your grant proposal to grant-makers appropriate to your field or grant needs. State your personal or organizations needs specifically and make sure it's well written, do not be wordy. Be clear, factual and document supported in your descriptions for grant use. Planning and prepara...

Grants are a great way to find financial help for a variety of reasons such as educational grants, housing grants and business grants. Yet there re many websites out there that will scam you into thinking they can provide you with grant money. Here are a few steps to take to avoid a government grant scam. Grants will not require any fee's: Such things as hiring grant writers and grant proposal writers are optional not required. They are services that can help you complete the application process, yet they are also not require. You can fill out all the paper work for a grant on your own. Don't give out personal information on capture pages. There are many websites that claim to give you information on grants and funding available if you give them your personal information such as account numbers, social security numbers and more. Grants are awarded to people who meet certain criteria, not...

Choosing business banking accounts is more complex than it sounds; many of them have perks, disadvantages, and fine print that can lead to account changes that leave you feeling caught off guard. Here are the steps to take to choose a business bank account that will suit your needs well. Consider an online business bank. If you have an online banking business bank that you trust, consider using them for your business bank. Because they don't have a lot of the overhead that a tangible bank has, they can sometimes offer better deals and rates than other small business banks. Look for fines and fees. Many business banking accounts have fees that they aren't entirely up front about, so it's important to consciously seek out that information and ask your banker directly about the fees. There are both monthly fees, and transaction fees to watch out for. Test the customer services waters. The la...

Before getting approved for a business loan, it is important to determine if your reasons for applying for a business loan are valid. Many lenders will have specific reasons on why they will issue a business loan, here are a few steps to help you determine is your business loan needs are valid. Updating equipment: Often business will have equipment that is worn out, no longer efficient and just needs to be replaced. And many times their are updated equipment available that is more economical and energy efficient, so their are loan available for businesses to help them update their equipment. Remodel or improve your business location: Business loans are often approved for remodeling or renovating your business space, office or structure. To purchase inventory: Sometimes their is a change in demand and in order to meet this change you must buy more inventory, their are loans available to help busine...

Computer printers were originally built to perform long, heavy printing jobs, and their initial purpose has not changed much since conception. Printers perform tasks after receiving signals from their chip, but while they react according to the tasks that they have received, there are times when they display error messages such as "out of ink" even if there is still ink in the cartridge. This is a problem which is caused by the printer chip, and it can be resolved by utilizing a chip resetter. Purpose Chip resetters counteract undesirable actions made by the cartridge chip while a print job is taking place. They reduce and prevent further interruptions from taking place while printing, and they allow cartridges to be refilled and recognized in the event that they run out of ink. Through chip resetters, printer operations are optimized, eliminating the unnecessary waste of ink and paper due to printer chip issues. ...

A good paper shredder can shred through large selections of paper, and provide your home or business with security—but the most expensive paper shredder may not the best choice for you—or the highest quality. This article will show you the steps to take and a few key things to look for when you wish to select a good paper shredder. Weigh the security options. If you plan to select a good paper shredder, you want the paper to be shredded as finely as possible. Look for a paper shredder that can cross shred, or even a micro cut shredder. Don't settle for a low quality paper shredder that simply shreds pages into strips, or a diamond shredder that shreds into large chunks. Select a good paper shredder that will protect sensitive business information by cutting the paper into small pieces. Examine the durability. With a high capacity paper shredder, you want it to be durable. Many quality paper shredders can shred thro...

If you can avoid paper jams in your paper shredder, you will extend the life of the motor and have a better paper shredding experience overall. When you're in a hurry and have a lot of paper to shred—it can be quite annoying if your paper shredder decides to jam, or just flat out stop working. Fear not, these steps will help you avoid paper jams in a paper shredder. Empty the Basket. After you are finished shredding your paper, empty the basket. Often times the person shredding the paper will forego this step, only to find later that the basket is full and the paper works its way up into the shredder engine and jams the shredder. So, if you want to avoid paper jams in a paper shredder, always empty the basket. Don't shred too much paper. After you removed objects that might cause a jam, you should divide the paper you wish to shred into small sections. The paper shredder should say its capacity somewhere on the ...

Postage scales are small, highly accurate scales used to exactly measure the weight of mail to determine the proper amount of postage needed. While primarily used by businesses, they can also be useful at home if you often deal with variety of letters and small packages. Manual Scales These scales display the weight by use of a mechanical needle, then you look up the proper postage on a chart. While this does raise the chance of human error, a manual scale never has to be reprogrammed and can be bought as cheaply as $10. Digital Scales A digital scale will often have an LED readout of the weight and can also display the postage; however, some of these scales require chip replacements whenever the postage rate changes. But more and more, they are able to be updated via the Internet. Compatibility Digital scales can often be paired with a postage meter...