Alphabet soup: http, html, www, wmo, etc.

Did you ever wonder why all web addresses start with "http://www." and what does that stuff stand for anyway? 
Here are the answers and more:
 

http

This stands for hypertext transfer protocol. In 1991, a group of physicists at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics in Geneva, Switzerland decided to build an online system for ordinary users to easily share and disseminate text and graphics over a variety of computer interfaces. They developed http as the standard protocol for communicating and responding to data requests on their online system.
 

html

This stands for hypertext markup language. It is the standard computer language used on the Internet. The key to creating documents for the Internet is the clever insertion of hypertext (and now hypermedia) links to other resources on the Internet.

www

An easy one! This stands for the world wide web. The Geneva physicists quickly expanded their project into something far grander. In the words of one of the original developers, www is "the universe of network-accessible information, an embodiment of human knowledge."
 

wmo

In the scientific world, WMO stands for the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. In the legal world, WMO stands for Withrow, McQuade & Olsen, LLP in Atlanta, Georgia.
etc.

Now that you understand the basics, you may be ready to write your own web pages. The existence of this page proves even attorneys with no formal computer training can do it, but a good HTML editor is essential. These web pages were created using a shareware editor called Aardvark Pro which I highly recommend, and the link enables you to download a trial version of the product.

Legal rights to Internet domain names

Domain names are the crucial part of Internet addresses. In a short time, an Internet address may become more important than a street address or telephone number. Unlike other addresses, domain names may be expressed in alpha-numeric characters which mirror the name of the person or business.

The Internet Network Information Center (InterNIC) assigns domain names on a first-come, first-served basis. Within the United States, domain names end with identifiers which include:

.com (commercial institution or service provider)
.edu (educational institution)
.gov (government institution or agency)
.mil (military)
.net (network service provider)
.org (nonprofit organization)

Outside the United States, Internet domain names end with a two letter country code. For example, the domain name for the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva, Switzerland is "wmo.ch." The "ch stands for Cantons de Helvetia, or Switzerland.

On February 4, 1997, the now dissolved International Ad Hoc Committee (IAHC) posted its very technical final report recommending certain changes in the Internet Domain Name System, including a recommendation for the implementation of seven new generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs). As confirmed, the seven new gTLDs, along with their permitted uses, are as follows:

.firm (for businesses, or firms)
.shop (for businesses offering goods to purchase) (formerly ".store" in the initial recommendation)
.web (for entities emphasizing activities related to the World Wide Web)
.arts (for entities emphasizing cultural and entertainment activities)
.rec (for entities emphasizing recreation/entertainment activities)
.info (for entities providing information services)
.nom (for those wishing individual or personal nomenclature, i.e. a personal web site)

While many web-based companies are offering un-guaranteed "pre-registration" of domain names using the new suffixes, it is predicted that official registration activities will not begin until after February 15, 1998. Prices for registration will be determined individually by each specially selected registrar. For answers to frequently asked questions with respect to the new gTLDs, see http://www.gtld-mou.org/docs/faq.html. Although the IAHC was dissolved on May 1, 1997, the IAHC web site contains some interesting and valuable historical information and documentation.

Given the worldwide scope of the Internet, domain names are issued without regard to whatever trademark or trade name protection might exist under the laws of the United States. Domain names of well known companies can easily be pirated and held for ransom. I am reminded of the situation when the Oakland Raiders originally discussed a move to Los Angeles and an enterprising fellow unrelated to Al Davis incorporated a California corporation named Los Angeles Raiders, Inc. before Al Davis thought to do so.

The addition of the seven new gTLDs will afford those who are unable to register their desired name with a traditional suffix (e.g. ".com" or ".net") the ability to register their name with one of the new suffixes listed above, on a first come, first served basis, of course. Keep in mind, however, that existing trademark and other intellectual property rights will apply to names using the new gTLDs in the same manner as such rights are applied to domain names using the traditional gTLDs. This means that, if a particular name or word is trademarked by, or otherwise proprietary to, a certain entity, that entity may still have recourse against an unrelated entity which registers the name or word as a domain name using one of the new gTLDs. For a more complete discussion, see an interesting article placed on the web by the Faegre & Benson law firm.

One mitigating factor to domain name pirating is the sensitivity of HTML (the Internet computer language) to each and every character in a domain name so that nearly identical domain names can be distinguished on the Internet.

The bottom line is anyone with a legally protectable trade name should obtain an Internet domain name immediately. In choosing trade names in the future, one should search the Internet for conflicts and obtain a domain name early in the process.

Online Market Research

You have spent months even years building your brick and mortar business. You have networked, sent out brochures, fliers and postcards. Before taking the step into cyberspace with your business make sure there is a market out there for your products and services.

We have been doing business online for over 7 years and have clients taking orders right now using our online promotions and marketing techniques.

Order our Online Market Report includes the following research :

•     Major online competition
•     Online standard for your industry
•     Searches for your products and services
•     Estimated traffic with online marketing
•     Marketing options
•     Design and marketing cost estimates

The Online Market Report also includes :

    Step-by-step design implementation guide

Buying Domain Names

 1. The Interested Bystander

You are thinking of buying a domain name so that you can have your own personalised site, and e-mail address. Or maybe you want to impress your friends: "You watched the game on TV last night? Well, that's nothing -- I set myself up with my very own domain on the Internet..." Alternatively, you could even be one of those people who just has to have a domain name because everyone else is getting one: "Never mind that we only slice eggs four times a year. This patented egg slice with built-in horseshoe remover is the latest thing."

If you fit into the Interested Bystander category, your choice of domain name will probably be dictated by one of the following:-

A) Your name

This could be in the form first name + last name (joe-bloggs.com), initial + last name (j-bloggs.com), last name (bloggs.com) and so on. Let your imagination be your guide, and don't forget to make abundant use of the "-" symbol if the combination you want has already been taken.

NOTE: You can forget this option if your last name is "McDonald" or a similar highly familiar trademark: you have lost the battle to retain your name even before it started. For more information on this issue, have a look at the trademark issues on my links page.

B) Your hobbies, inclinations or habits

Whether you are a sports fanatic (sports-mad-guy.com), an ardent role-player with a favourite character (darkwyrm.com) or a heavy sleeper (in-a-daze.com), once again nobody is standing between you and your ten seconds of fame. If you are a hacker or similar, you may find the territory has been pretty well cornered already, especially if William Gibson or Neal Stephenson are on your list of required bed-time reading.

C) Your taste, or lack of it

Although I am not able to prove this theory absolutely, preliminary research would indicate that InterNIC may refuse to register any name that is patently obscene. That is why the sex sites are rather tamely named, compared to their 1-900 counterparts. Still, if you want to make a religious statement (god-must-die.com), a personal observation (lovelysnot.com) or the like, more power to your flame-retardant e-mail address.

Why should I want a domain name?

You will want to own a domain name if you fit into one of the following categories:

•     You/your company supplies a unique good or service.
•     Your company has one or more registered trademarks/brand names
•     You would like your company to be generically associated with a concept. For example, if you are in the business of selling step-ladders, you might want a site called "step-ladders.com"
•     You would like a domain name to reflect your cool personality.
•     You would like to indulge in a bit of speculation/investment at a relatively low price.
•     Everybody else has one, so why not get one too?

What is a domain name?

All computers on the Internet have a unique number called an IP address. These IP addresses are fine for computers, but they are neither intuitive nor easy to remember. Just as it would be much easier to call your telephone "fred phone" rather than have to remember (012) 3456 7891, it would be nice to have some way of replacing an IP number like 234.12.34.212 with a simple alias.

Well, such aliases already exist. They are called "domain names". A domain name is divided up into 3 sections. Let's look at the following [fictional] domain names to see how it works:

    funny.comedian-actor.com

In this example, ".com" is the top domain, "comedian-actor" is the sub-domain and "funny" is an extra bit that was glued on later.

    fish.catch-it-in.net

Again, ".net" is the top domain, "catch-it-in" is the sub-domain and "fish" is an extra bit of the domain name.

Think of these domains as a tree. You are standing at the foot of the tree, and you want to reach the house your friend built rather precariously on an outlying branch. He could supply you with a list of instructions like "Take the second branch on the left", "Climb past the knot-hole and take the third branch on the right" or "Watch out for the squirrels!" and eventually you would no doubt reach his house.

On the other hand, if each branch of the tree had a unique name, the instructions would be much simpler to follow. "Take the .com branch then the comedian-actor branch to get to my village. My house has a funny nameplate outside. You can't miss it." You would soon be sitting in front of a warm fire while somewhere in a tree in an alternate universe your alter-ego would still be struggling to find the squirrels...

Bad picture of a tree.
Artists Wanted: If you think you could do better, and you are willing to draw for free, please let me know!

The top domains are fixed. There are several top domains, like ".edu" for educational sites such as universities and colleges, and ".com" for commercial sites. ".com" will be probably be the top domain of interest to you

The sub-domain is where your creativity comes in. You can choose your own sub-domain, subject to a few restrictions. The extra bit is a virtual piece of information that you can tack onto the domain name later to identify a single computer. For example, if you own the rights to "comedian-actor.com" it is a relatively simple task to find a technical wizard and ask him/her to perform a spell of binding on "funny" so that "funny" identifies a machine under your "comedian-actor.com" domain. That way, your brother, the straight man of the comedy duo, could be identified as "not-funny.comedian-actor.com"

I hope that you now have a better idea of what a domain name is. If not, don't worry. You don't have to understand how a microwave works in order to make use of one..

Selling domain names

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Brand Identity: But at what Cost?

The Internet has changed the way many of us conduct business. More importantly, an even greater number of people will be conducting business on the Internet in the future, whether it is through buying books, looking for a new home, or trying to reach clients. This recognition of a truly global economy conducting business in real-time has been the driving force behind the astounding price-to-earnings ratios of several Internet-based stocks. Yahoo?s valuation now exceeds many Fortune 500 companies, based largely on its name-recognition, which guarantees it an even larger user base when offline people finally log on to the Internet for the first time. Amazon.Com, which didn?t exist a decade ago, now exceeds the value of Barnes and Noble and Borders Books combined. The fact remains: If you are a business and aren't online, chances are you are being left behind or will soon be playing catch-up.

Domain Name as Identity

For many of us, myself included, we're being forced to play catch-up with the likes of companies and websites that are bigger, flashier, and more established than we are. One (not the only) of the biggest obstacles remains the domain name. Lets face it, short and intuitive domain names are appealing but how likely are we to steer our browser to Internic.net and secure a name like: books.com, family.com, doctors.com, and wallstreet.com? Not very likely. Six months ago I had never written a line of html code but decided (having finished a graduate degree in poetry) that I would launch a site dedicated to poetry reviews. Fortunately for me, poetry is not a hot commodity and I was able to choose a clever domain name. Today, I have a fairly active (and still growing) website on poetry reviews called PoetryPreviews.Com.
 

Domain Alternatives

However, what struck me during my web education was the level of importance placed on .com domains as opposed to the other options that exist online. Working in an international firm, I have discovered a large number of multi-billion dollar international companies abroad that ignore .com and launch/maintain their sites ending with the domain of their mother country: uk (United Kingdom); .jp (Japan); and .de (Germany), to name just a few. The fact for these companies is that .com is not necessary. Because many countries allow (and in the case of some non-industrial countries, encourage) foreigners to register domain names, you are much more likely to secure (or if already taken, afford) a memorable domain name. Granted, there are cons: users are more familiar with .com. However, I?ve noticed that many more surfers (especially those abroad) are paying closer attention to the last two or three digits of a domain (having learned their lesson when foolishly assuming all domains are .com

Sizing Up the Pros and Cons

I am the first to admit that if you can secure a short and memorable .com domain, you should grab it. However, I am also the first to admit that if you're faced with choosing an awkward name that doesn?t clue users into the nature of your business (such as www.mickiekennedyconsulting.com) or a non-.com domain that does provide some insight into the nature of your business (like www.stockbroker.vg), consider the latter. As the Internet becomes less U.S.-centric and more global in audience, the importance of .com will likely recede (if just a little), making room for others who decide to hang their virtual shingle on the Internet.

YourBusiness.com

New web sites are being added to the World Wide Web (WWW) just about every second of the day. Access to personal pages through online services, the drop in prices of web site hosting services, and the ease at which a simple site can be made have all led to the current, web page packed info superhighway. But when do you need a web page? Will it help your business, or is it just fluff? In this article, I’ll explain when the web is right for you, what it can do for business, and how to start setting up on the web.
When is it right for you?

Ask yourself the following questions about why you want to use the WWW as a medium for business:

    Who do I want to reach?
    What do I want to say?
    What do you want to spend?

Understand that the web is not local, regional, or even national, but global. Someone in Japan could potentially be buying your vitamins, or that hand-knitted sweater. Consider that tailoring a web for a region may limit your chances for business. If you are specifically local (a house painter) then you may not need the web, or need to focus on catching your area of the world. I don’t want to blur this point – the web can help anyone’s business. Since, a web site can be seen all over the world, its impact can be enormous for someone trying to get a message out (for example, my product is the best). As a means to advertise, compare the cost of a web site to the cost of traditional advertising. If you feel that enough business will come from the web, then it is worth a shot. I know this point may sound obvious, but so many people have wasted money and time into ineffective sites that it is worth my stating.
What you want to say

The content of the web site should be the most important part. Do not worry about how it will be presented but focus on what exactly you want people to learn by signing on to your site. Again, so many sites out there try to be creative and end up overwhelming. Be direct and to the point as you would in a conversation. Remember the expression "KISS" – Keep It Simple Stupid. Do not try to wow the visitors with flashy graphics or stylish music that usually drags the time to load the page and seems (without mixing words) cheesy. There are some good sites out there that handle music and visuals well, so don’t think I am hard on those types of content. But be aware of the way information should be presented. Take for example a department store. The music in the background is usually fitting to the theme of the store but is never blaring and distracting. The designers of the store realize that a certain atmosphere is best for the majority of customers, and they go with it. Transfer that theory to the web site.

Also, give the visitor something for nothing. I don’t mean give away free prizes but have part of your site as a resource of information. Do not just sell, sell, sell. For example, if we continue with the vitamin distributor, maybe some health related articles would be valuable to visitors (potential customers). These articles should not have an angle to sell your product but be there to inform the people who come to your site. The idea is twofold: first, the visitor will not feel overpowered by the message to buy the product which will in turn make them more comfortable on the site, and secondly, the visitor will stay longer to read the articles which in turn will lengthen the possibility of a purchase. Most sites that sell some product or service (especially the ones that make money) offer content of this kind. Simply put, model what works.

The price of getting on the web is ridiculously cheap (I say ridiculous, because it can realistically be less than $30 a month). Time is more of a factor, since managing your own site can take a significant investment of time for learning how to make the site, for updating content, and marketing the site.

What it can do for you

One of the most powerful aspects of the Internet is the ability to exchange information at virtually any time of the day. Here are some ways to exploit this power:

For Network Marketers:

    Ever use a fax-on-demand system? This can be costly for your downline, since it may mean long distance calls, or simply waste time in receiving that 20 page newsletter. A web page set up to replace a fax system can be just the ticket. Imagine your downline just loading their Netscape Navigator and viewing a new article on "How to Attract the Next Prospect."
    You can also develop a web site that mimics a message board, so members of the downline can exchange information about a topic, share experiences and testimonials, or discuss the next meeting.
    Chat rooms are the rage. Wouldn’t it be powerful to have your next conference call as a conference chat? Phone bills would stay low and there are some fancy things you can do in a chat room. Ever have background noise on a conference call? That can be eliminated in a chat room. Ever have problems logging what was said? Not in a chat room.
    Want to attract new prospects 24-hours a day? Set up an information page where visitors can learn about your opportunity. Make it with an interactive form, so that they can leave their contact information for a personal call from you to sign them up.

For home business professionals:

    Selling a product? Make an online catalog of merchandise. When it takes off, take it a step further and add automatic credit card transactions. It is secure and fast!
    Selling a service? Use the web as a way to tell the public what you are doing and how it can be done for them. Use the Internet as a bulletin board to advertise your service. Give examples of your work right online.
    Exchange information. I know an accountant who does taxes for people by having them email a file from their personal finance program (Quicken or MS Money), and she posts their tax forms on a password-protected page. Other professionals use the Internet (or a closed Intranet) to display new information quickly to co-workers, clients, and to other professionals.

The truth is that the power of the World Wide Web is limited only by imagination.

How to make THE web site

I won’t mix words – making a web site takes time and resources. There are a few things that need to be weighed out before deciding if you can do it yourself, or need professional help:

    Are you computer savvy? Do you understand any bit of programming, or have an ability to figure out new software from a manual?
    Do you have an extra few hours a week to dedicate to learning HTML, or a program designed to build a site?

Basically, using an HTML editor or WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) program is the way to make the pages that you see when you sign on the Internet. Some are fairly easy to use for basic pages, while others get technical and require some degree of programming. If you feel comfortable using a manual to learn new software, check out a web page maker. Also, there are many web hosting companies (which sell space on their server to "host" web sites) that are set up to accommodate users.

I could never begin to explain how to set up a page, but there are many resources on the Internet to help with design, with HTML and other programming languages, and a slew of shareware and freeware products to try to help in the process. If you are really interested, email me, and I’ll give some recommendations on how to get started. And soon, I’ll see you on the ‘net.

Writing a business plan

Before starting any project no matter how big or how small, you need some sort of a plan. For example, if you were building a home, you better budget a good architect to draw up plans for construction. If not, anticipate having the ugliest or most unsafe house on the block. The same applies to building a business; again, no matter how big or how small, you need a plan to build a sturdy house. In my opinion, most businesses fail, because they either do not have a plan or fail to track their performance.

The result of your research will be part of a business plan, a written document that clearly defines your goals, and vision for your business. This business plan will allow you to examine the future of your business, by asking difficult and important questions. Ok - some of the questions may not be as enjoyable as that exciting day you decided to go into business for yourself. That is why it's so important, because the heightened enthusiasm may have a tendency to make you forget the practical side of starting your business.

Constructing your business plan will be time consuming. Just remember the results will outweigh the effort. The completion of the plan will force you to examine important areas such as management, marketing, personnel, and finance. Another important benefit of the plan is to project the funds needed for start-up and the early stages of your business. This objective and organized plan will become the road map guiding your daily operation and future growth. Keep in mind, most successful businesses are ever changing and update their plan regularly. Business planning is an ongoing activity.

Plans may differ depending on the type of business and also the purpose of the plan. If it's a useful tool for your company or a planning process for acquiring financing, the plan should follow a solid framework as follows:

•     Cover sheet (title page). Include the business name, address, phone
•     Table of Contents
•     Mission Statement. Description of your company's purpose
•     Executive Summary. Include a short description of the venture, purpose of the plan, goals of the business, description of the products and services
•     Industry Status. National/Regional economic outlook, Industry outlook, projected opportunities
•     Target Market/Customer Base Characteristics of the target market, market segmentation, customer buying habits
•     Marketing Plan. Sales goals, description of products and services, competition, pricing, location, customer service policies
•     Production and Operation Plan. Facility, equipment, production process, suppliers
•     Insurance. Product liability, personal liability
•     Management. Key managers, personnel
•     Financial Plan. Start-up costs, balance sheets, projection cash flow, break-even analysis
•     Attached Exhibits. Managers' resumes, marketing research, patents, trademarks, letters of support

The outline above is basic and to be used as a starting point. There are numerous business plans available; I suggest researching various sources and pick the one suitable for your needs. For FindYourDream Inc., I followed a format obtained from the SBDC (Small Business Development Center), which was very helpful because of the support available through appointed analysts. A quick search on the net will result in a list of business plans to choose from. We've included a few below.

The business plan is the foundation of a successful business and the proven way to answer questions that have long lasting effects on your success. The plan details who you are, what you are going to do, where you are going, and how you are going to get there. Being an entrepreneur is about being a rebel, spontaneous and taking risk. It's also about staying afloat, so do a business plan and boost your odds of not having to return to that 9 to 5.

Business Plan Resources

BizPlanIt.com - Provides Virtual BizPlan that is an excellent resource for writing a functional business plan. It is also an Internet based business plan consulting firm offering professional services and over 100 pages of business plan tips and advice.

Small Business Association - Offers an outline with descriptions of common parts of a business plan.

Business Plan Template for Microsoft Excel - The Business Planner Template for Microsoft Excel analyzes business' current financial situation and helps forecast its future cash flow.

Insuring Your Home Based Business

Many of us who work from home either do not consider that insurance is needed, or think we are covered by a homeowners policy for most home business related events. Either assumption may place you, your home and your business at risk. Proper insurance can be one way to insure that the business is well protected. This article will examine what aspects of a home based business are covered in a standard homeowners policy and then give advice on how best to protect your home and your business.
What do you mean it’s not covered!?

It is simply not enough to rely on a standard homeowners policy when involved in a home business. Here is a break down of some things typically not covered in a standard policy and some examples to put them in perspective):

    Other structures, used in whole or in part for "business," are not covered. This means that a detached garage used for a home office is not covered. Also excluded is equipment used in the business whether personal or a client’s. This means that the computer you were fixing in your home based computer repair shop is not covered when there is a fire in the garage.
    Any part of a premise rented to a policy holder for business is not an insured location. In this case, renting a hotel room for a network marketing meeting does not insure the location. Under a business policy, the rented room would be covered in case your prospects get a little riotous.
    Under the "Special Limits of Liability" section, standard policies do offer $2,500 in recovery for property in the home that is used for business. However, if this limit exceeds $2,500 (like my computer does), only $2,500 can be recovered. To continue with this category, merchandise that is used in a business that is destroyed or stolen is covered up to $2,500. So you won’t be able to store much inventory if you happen to have such a business.
    In the same section "Special Limits of Liability," you would only be able to recover $250 for property that is damaged at or stolen from home. This means that when the fancy laptop is stolen, only a fraction of its value can be recovered. If you are delivering merchandise to a customer and it is damaged en route, you would also only be able to recover $250.
    Under a business policy, data that are destroyed (accounting records, computer documents, etc.) are covered. Not in a homeowner’s policy. One interesting item is that software is covered if it is available in the retail market. So the new copy of Windows is recoverable but not the custom software for which you paid mucho deniro.
    Be careful with the transfer of funds. Homeowners policies do not cover loss arising from business use or dishonest transfer of funds. In layman’s terms, if you accept counterfeit cash, your best bet is to pass it off to someone else, since it is not covered. If someone gives you a bad credit card, you cannot recover that money either.
    A homeowners policy does not cover injury to individuals who are hurt at your home when in the course of business. For example, a prospect comes to your home for a meeting. She trips on your rug and breaks a leg. You would be covered for a visiting guest, but since she is at your home on business, there is no coverage.
    There is no coverage for a service you perform. Continuing with the example of the computer repair shop, if you fix a computer, it overheats, and burns down the client’s home, you would be personally responsible. There is no coverage from your homeowner’s policy. This also means that services you supply are not covered, such as a home based CPA, who gives bad tax advice and is held accountable when the IRS audits the client.

In fairness to the insurance company, homeowners policies are not written to cover business in the home. Therefore, you may also have broader or more restrictive coverage than those listed above. As always, it is best to check with your insurer, or read the policy closely.
How do I get covered?

There are options for home businesses that want to be protected for any of the above circumstances, or a variety of others. Many insurance companies offer a number of endorsements (changes in coverage) to protect home professionals.

There are three main ways to insure a home based business:

    Broaden your existing policy – many carriers offer to go over the existing policy and make endorsements to cover specific events. For example, if you see a lot of clients at home, you may need to extend coverage to include protection for harm to a visitor during the course of business.
    Obtain a specific home based business endorsement available by some carriers. Some of these policies are very specific, for example, to insure home based day care centers, or to cover merchandise (especially food products).
    Obtain regular commercial coverage called a Business Owner's Policy (BOP).

The third option is possibly the best, because it is tailor made to your business’ needs and affords the most coverage while not breaking the budget. Generally, this is for professionals who work full-time on their home business. Since premiums on most Business Owner's Policies range between $250-500 annually, this is a cost-effective way to protect the business. Certainly, the cost will also depend of the size of the business.

If you are serious about your home based business, highly consider obtaining the right coverage to protect your livelihood. The price tag of the policy may seem like an extra, unnecessary expense, but the cost of a lawsuit of loss of valuable merchandise is enough to warrant up-front protection.

Imminent Success

Like most people I am always looking for an easier and more convenient way to do something. Especially when I'm unfamiliar with something, I'll instantly look to an expert to guide me or get me on the fast track to success. This is shown every day in the world. For example, in fitness, we basically know that it takes hard work and sweat to become physically fit, but there is always a new machine, program, or pill to circumvent what we already know. Many people are looking for financial success the same way, and this is why there are so may companies out there waiting to make a million on changing your life without all that hard work.

When looking for the shortcut, a seminar may seem attractive; for a fee, learn the techniques and success can be yours in just an afternoon. Life-changing skills in one sitting - boy, what a deal. Is it? Can you learn the skills it takes to be successful in business or life so quickly? There is no substitute for hard work. Ok it sounds cliche, but I found out the hard way quite true.
My Experience

When I first started as a salesperson, the question, "how do they do it?" was constantly on my mind. The "they" were all the top salespeople in my office; you know, the secret to their success. Of course, I wanted the results immediately. I was a prime candidate for the flyers that filled my office mailbox, with promises of learning from someone who has already done it, and all their secrets revealed. How could I pass up such claims? Many of the other rookies and myself would make the pilgrimage and learn from this one-day sage. During the seminar, I would just think, wow, this makes a lot of sense. "Can't wait to use all this great stuff!" I also became very excited that I now knew something that the seasoned veterans didn't know. For the next couple of days, I had an incredible amount of enthusiasm and vigor, some colleagues felt the same way, and others went on like the seminar never happened (business as usual}. As the days went by less and less of us were mentioning the revolutionary ideas, until we all fell back to our comfort zone. What a difference a couple of days make. I learned from these numerous and costly experiences.

Before you change anything in business or your life, the first step is changing your focus. It's like going on a fad diet, the results in the beginning may be noticeable, but the recidivism rate is usually very high. All the machines and fitness classes in the world can't help unless you are committed to a life of fitness. The same is with business. Are you committed to working hard making sacrifices, and expanding your comfort zone? Foundation! Do you have a foundation to build on? All the seminars and tapes are a mere tweaking of the big picture. A great example is a former co-worker, he would read all the heavy hitters, constantly listen to training tapes in the car, and even hired the services of a successful business women to give him private instruction. The principals for prospecting, like being a good listener and asking open-ended questions, had been hammered into him over and over again. When we would team up for sales presentations, I would curiously await the skills in action. I was amazed. All I can say is that he could have saved his money, because none of the techniques he would recite were being used at the prospect's home. The desire to improve his skills was there but a true commitment to the change was not.
The Big Picture

Yes, I'm guilty of looking for a quicker, easier way to improve my business. Nothing wrong with improving productivity, is there? In this quest for results, be cautioned that your thinking can become clouded with the thought of learning "the secret." Check the investment involved before going to a seminar just like you would question the return on investment of a new computer or other business tool. My experience is that many times I could have received the same value from a tape or book, except at the time I was pumped up on the results to be powerful and quick. With that one day seminar usually came a sales pitch for further education or materials. I have came from many one-day experiences wondering did I learn anything new or did I learn that running a seminar is a great way to make money.

Before making the investment in seminars, private consultation, or even books and tapes, have your house in order. Do you need changes? Or are you just being impatient? Are you ready for major changes? As I have stated in previous articles, once you know the why, the how will come. Be committed to your business plan, and if you are not maybe, it's the business plan that needs the tweaking. If you are in need of the extra help, be sure in what area that help is needed. If you need to work on the basics, that seminar on offshore tax advantages may not be a great investment.

Can I Help You?

In an ideal business world, customers are appreciative, patient, and understanding. In the real world, this may be the stuff of dreams. Keeping customers happy brings them back to buy more, and gives them motivation to tell others to buy from you. In our world, we need to establish good customer service techniques and habits. In this article, I discuss what customer service means to the growing business and how to transform a snarling consumer into a beaming buyer.

The customer is always… ?

The old adage that "the customer is always right," is far too simple to be practical. What is far truer is "the customer is always in charge." Mrs. Smith is handing over the credit card, or signing her name to the check, so she has the final say in how you're handling the sale. So, whose job is to it help Mrs. Smith complete that transaction?

The term "the customer is always right" implies that one should treat each person who enters their store, or calls on the phone with respect and professionalism. This is far too obvious to comment on, except to say that customer service goes beyond a generous smile, and a quick answer. Below are some guidelines to keep in mind every time the little bell goes off as the store door opens.
Failed Expectations

Many customers are unsatisfied, because they expect one thing and receive another. Granted, we don't all have the most perfect products in the world, but if you tell a customer that product X will definitely pick up dirt off the floor, then it better!

Here's a real life example: Joe is a home-based accountant with some stiff competition. A friend-of-a-friend, William, happens to catch him at a dinner party, where he and Joe discuss some simple tax matters. Joe says something like, "William, if I was your accountant, I can get you a 20% better return on your taxes than your current accountant." So William gets Joe's help during tax season. Joe does a great job and does increase William's tax return by 15%. William is less than impressed, since that magical "20%" number was thrown around.

Let's change this around a bit. At the dinner party, Joe says to William, "of course, I can't make a guarantee, but I have a few ideas that should get you a better return." Less strong on the salesmanship but completely honest. So Joe is hired and gets a 15% return. William is ecstatic, because his expectations were based on a comparison of last year's return, not based on what Joe thinks he can get him.

So, be careful with what you guarantee, because you will be apologizing and refunding in the long run. In short, remember - "promise less than you can deliver -- and deliver more than you promised."
The Unhappies

It is bound to happen - the dissatisfied customer. For whatever reason, the person feels ripped-off, taken, or unhappy, and it's your job to change that feeling. There are many suggestions from experts on dealing with "The Unhappies," and here are a few to remember:

Always try to turn a negative into a positive. When a customer tells you that something is wrong, use it as an opportunity to show interest and provide attention. If the customer truly believes you have their best interest in mind, the sale won't necessarily be lost, and there's a good chance of keeping that customer for the future.

With an irate customer, don't feed into the anger. If you get angry back, it will only explode into a situation that could be much more damaging than losing a single sale. Try to calm them down, apologize for whatever happened (even if it wasn't your fault), and find a rational way to deal with the situation.

Don't just deal with the incident, consider the solution in terms of your business. It is possible that a policy you have is unreasonable and needs to be adjusted. For example, you may have a strict "no return policy" on items sold after 30 days. However, if a good customer returns on day 31, can an exception be made? Is it worth sticking to a strict rule if it will make a loyal customer seem less than special?

Do not minimize the complaint. Do not try to convince the person that the problem is "no big deal." If they perceive it as a major catastrophe then spend your energy on creating a solution, rather than blowing it off.

Speed in resolving the problem is crucial. If you delay or do it with any less attention than immediate, you will problem lose that customer. If this becomes symbolic of the way you handle complaints, then you will have a lot of trouble getting repeat business.
The Internet and Email

The newest form of commerce, electronic commerce, has a few twists and turns to customer service. It is the nature of dealing with instantaneous credit card processing and shopping carts. First of all, customers may buy something and have more questions after the purchase than before. Set up resources to help deal with such inquiries. Also, email is a mixed bag of worms in communication - it can be considered simple and non-intrusive, or distant and vague. Emails do not allow visual cues, so things can be misunderstood very easily. Also, email has been likened to the infamous Road Rage (a popular term describing the rage of car drivers in traffic); we will have the courage to say things in email that we wouldn't say in person. So, be very careful about dealing with customer service online. It is probably much more practical to call the person than respond with an email reply: first, it shows interest, and secondly, it is a quicker way to deal with it.

Customer service is one of the most important aspects of a business. Keeping a customer takes far less effort than attracting a new one, and a satisfied customers tells friends!

WHAT IS A COPYRIGHT?

Unlike a patent, copyrights arise when a copyrightable work is created. 

It is up to the author to put the appropriate copyright notice on the work before it is published. The notice must appear on all copies in a conspicuous place, and it must include the symbol (R) or the word "copyright" or the abbreviation "copr.," the year the work was first published, and the name of the copyright owner.

A copyright gives an author exclusive rights to print, copy, distribute, transfer, and display the work for the lifetime of the author plus fifty years.
Copyrights may be registered with the federal government in the U.S. Copyright Office. The steps involved in registering a copyright are similar to the steps to obtain a patent but much, much simpler in practice. Unlike the patent application, applications to register a copyright must be accompanied by a copy of the work.

To be eligible for copyright protection, a work must be original with the author, and it must be fixed in a tangible medium. Unlike inventors, the "author" of a copyrighted work may be the employer of the individual who actually created the work. This aspect of copyright law may seem peculiar to a scientist because it is contrary to the principle that reports containing scientific information bear the names of the individuals who discovered or reported the information.
Copyright protection includes only the form of expression used, not the ideas themselves. Thus, the owner of the copyright on a database owns the way the data is compiled, but not the data itself.

Under the Copyright Revision Act of 1976, which went into effect January 1, 1978, anything fixed in a tangible medium, including computer programs fixed in memory or on a disk, can receive copyright protection. However, the distinction between the expression of an idea and the idea itself raises interesting questions about what is protected in copyrighted software: Clearly, the programmer's expression is protected, and the process embodied is not, although, if it meets the other requirements for patentability, it may be patentable. But what does "the programmer's expression" include? Cases beginning to reach the courts on this point are holding that it includes far more than the mere sequence of commands employed, even though that view tends to protect the idea employed by the programmer. For example, one court has stated,
"The expression of the idea embodies in a computer program is protected by the copyright laws even though it must be altered and refined to be made adaptable to different types of computers that have different methods of responding to command controls and therefore require different source codes." This court believed that converting from one computer language into another is not comparable to translating a book from French into English, and concluded that a source code written in one computer language could infringe the copyright covering a source code written in an entirely different language.

Hypothetical Example
An amateur programmer (Jones) with substantial experience in the health field registered a copyright in the computer program HEALTHLAB. HEALTHLAB is written in BASIC and runs under MS-DOS on IBM and IBM-compatible machines of the AT type. A biomedical engineer (Smith) is an expert computer programmer. Smith learned that an enormous potential market for HEALTHLAB existed at sites possessing DEC VAX machines. Smith paid Jones $3,000 for a license to use HEALTHLAB on Smith's IBM AT machine. Because of the need to adapt HEALTHLAB to each application area, source code was provided. When Smith examined Jones' source code, it was apparent that a few simple involvements would improve the efficiency of the program. Using Jones' amateurish source code as a starting point, Smith transformed the improved program into source code written in "C". The new version, called LABHEALTH, runs nearly twice as fast as HEATHLAB on comparable hardware and costs a third less. LABHEALTH was sold to VAX installations like hotcakes. Jones, who was also thinking about creating a VAX version of HEALTHLAB, sued Smith for willful copyright violation. Smith argued that she created a new program in a different computer language and with improved algorithms. The court, however, held that Smith was liable to Jones because Smith took the expression of the idea in HEALTHLAB when she used it as the starting point of LABHEALTH. The court enjoined Smith from using or selling LABHEALTH, ordered all copies of LABHEALTH in Smith's possession confiscated, and ordered Smith to pay Jones all profits received from the sales of LABHEALTH.
The trend is clearly toward protecting the commercial investment that supported the software development by protecting the way programmers solve programming problems. Thus, programmers may not be free to use the "expression of ideas" embodied in complex programming techniques to create their own program in a different linguae, form, or sequence. One day, perhaps five to ten years from now, the question of whether this interpretation of copyright protection of software usurps rights reserved for patentable subject matter will be before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Watch out for the unbelievable

"Earn Millions in Your Spare Time From Home!"

"Six Easy Steps to Becoming The Next Bill Gates!"

Hello!?! Sound too good to be true? Well, it most likely is. See, what companies or people who send you this type of "hyped up" email are doing comes from basic business practices called ATTENTION HEADLINES. This is where the intent is not to really help YOU earn quick and easy millions, but to help them try to accomplish this goal without any integrity, morals or business ethics, because they really don't have the "wares" they are hyping. Period.

Whether on the Internet, traditional physical stores, mail-order business or whatever, there is no quick, easy, no work necessary "secrets" to make you a millionaire overnight. Sorry.

What is available is plenty of opportunities; however, and yes, especially on the Internet. The Internet is really a great tool to help you achieve some of your goals to work from home, earn supplemental income, start a home based business with your spouse or partner or simply set up a foundation for the big day when you do actually retire. I am not trying to bust anyone's bubble here, but come-on, if these so called "excellent opportunities" for becoming a millionaire overnight really existed, guess where everyone would be: on the Internet working from home two-hours per day, flying between their home and their beach house. And they are not. Just look around.

So, does this mean there aren't any real opportunities for becoming successful, really successful via the Internet? No. However, it does require the basics. Hard work, lots and lots of research, sometimes (if not always) a capital or personal monetary investment, the will and drive to succeed and most importantly A REALLY GREAT BUSINESS PLAN! Not a short-cut plan. Not an idea that is 200 words of "your dream" job. A real, honest to goodness, well thought-out business plan.

Try this. The next time you think you have the "greatest idea since sliced bread" run your business plan by your spouse or partner AND your banker. Even if you don't require any capital investment or a start-up loan ask your local banker if she would approve your plan and give you $10,000 start-up money. Or, run it by your spouse or partner, tell them you are going to quit your job tomorrow, mortgage the house, sell the dog and eat pretzels for a month until your first million dollar check comes in. If either your spouse or your banker nods their head and says, go for it, then do just that. However, if as it usually happens, either of them asks you more questions, wants more information or tells you do a little more research. Do like the sign above the liquor store says: "if you aren't really 21, don't go away mad, just go away. Come back when you are really ready"!

Another tip. Next time you come across something, which you suspect is the next "tickle me elmo," ask yourself what you know about the business you are putting the farm up for. One time, I considered purchasing a major national franchise. The business was, and still is very solid. I wanted to jump in with both feet. However, first I called a business consultant who broadcasts a national radio show. I asked him if, based on the information I provided him, he thought I should "bet the farm." He asked me what my experience was with food preparation, cleaning the bathrooms, inventory ordering, running the cash register, working the headset for the drive through, and on and on. I told him I had no direct experience with any of that but that I am well educated, have lots of business and management experience and felt I could hire the right people around me to make this work. His advice: apply for a job at one of the local establishments and work there for at least six months learning every single aspect of the business. Wow. My cloud evaporated.

Finally, don't stop dreaming or coming up with great business ideas that may take you to your "promise land" of financial freedom. Just remember that there aren't any quick and easy overnight strategies to make you an instant millionaire (except maybe the local lottery if you have one, but even that is a gamble). What is available in this great time of opportunities via the Internet is room for people willing to work hard, earn an honest living, provide the "demand" with quality products and/or services for a fair price, all based on a solid foundation. That foundation is your business plan. Take your time with it and do it right. Learn from everyone before us who simply decided " if I build it, they will come". Not.

What every work-at-home mom must have

Like 99.9% of all work-at-home moms, you are bound to have interruptions during your day. Your little ones need lunch, need a diaper changed, need a nap and are crying their eyes out, or are in the middle of fighting for a toy. These are not ideal circumstances to be answering the telephone under, yet, you don' t want to miss the call and possibly lose business. Let me tell you about 10 things you MUST have if you're going to work with your children at home.

1. A Separate Phone Line: This is absolutely critical. Even if it's just a "smart ring" from your phone service provider, you need to know when that phone rings whether it is a business call or a personal call. If it's your mother on the line, she knows what her grandchildren are capable of (she raised you, didn't she?), but if it's a potential client on the line, then it's better if they get the voicemail.

2. Voicemail: I highly recommend this one over an answering machine. It allows you to be on the phone and still pick up messages, you can call from anywhere to check it, and it's very inexpensive (less than $10 per month in our neck of the woods).

3. A Schedule: Time management will be the "make it or break it" of your business. If you manage your time, you will learn when your children will play nicely together, when their grumpy times are, and when their naps are. Return important calls during naptime. Play with them during the grumpy times when they want mommy. Make appointments, either in-house, or such things as the doctor's office, when you know your children will not be overly tired or trying to get your attention. If your two-year-old wakes up from his nap at 3:00, 2:30 is not the time to schedule with a new client...you know how cranky the little ones are when they first wake up, and how much they want to be held. Try scheduling that appointment for that right-after-breakfast-when-all-is-well time slot, or 30 minutes into naptime. Plan your days, then work your plan.

4. Cordless Phone: I don't know how I ever lived without this one! When you are on the phone, you can rescue your 5-year-old from the bathroom sink, move the children outside to run and play (just carry your notebook with you), or fix another cup of juice. Trust me, this one is essential. Even better if you can afford it: a hands-free headset.

5. A Childproof Office: If you haven't done so already, read the article I wrote on childproofing your office. By getting the distractions out of the way and offering your little visitors something child-friendly, you will avoid saying "No" while on the phone, or stopping what you're doing to stop your two-year-old from hitting the reset button on the computer.

6. Email: How I ever got along without it, I'll never know. Email is the wonder tool for work at home parents! I can respond to messages at my convenience, research an answer before responding, and clean out the box one message at a time in between playing with the little ones.

7. A Back-up Babysitter: As a stay at home parent, we usually don't need child care, but recent experience has taught me to have one in line in case of emergency. If you have a hair appointment, or one child is sick and needs to go to the doctor, it's a great idea to schedule those appointments for late in the day and hire a teenager to come sit. The only time my children get sick is when the healthy one spends time in the waiting room of the doctor's office, so it's well worth paying $5 for an hour of sitting versus $35 plus another prescription.

8. A Budget: I'm as guilty as the next person of cashing a check from a customer and going to buy diapers. But the fact is, when those checks come in, there are bills that must be paid. Don't put yourself out of business by not knowing what your expenses are and having an income goal for each month. Buy those diapers in emergencies or when the budget is actually "budgeting".

9. A Collection of Children's Movies: Now, I'm not advocating that you let the television become your babysitter, but the fact is, sometimes YOU need a break, you may be under a deadline, or something needs your urgent attention. If you can plug in a favorite video, you can grab a few minutes (or maybe even an hour) to complete a phone call, finish a project, or work with a customer.

10. A Break!: Take some time for yourself at night when they're in bed. Running a business, a family, a home, and a marriage can take it's toll if you don't spend some time doing what you love. Fill the bathtub with bubbles, grab a good book, and go soak for awhile. Paint your fingernails, go shopping, plant flower beds, take up a hobby or craft, do ANYTHING but housework, laundry, childcare, or your business. By refreshing yourself once or twice a week, you'll find your stress levels lower and your productivity higher.

Choosing a Right Name for Your Business

If you call a boat "Victory", it will sail as a victory, if you call it "Disaster", it will sink in a nearest pond. - Anonymous

So, that's it. You have finally made a big decision - you are starting your own home based business. You are very busy now, working on all of the issues of a newborn venture. All that time, you may solve different problems, depending on the nature of your business. But, there is one unfortunately - "What am I going to call my business?"

You may be tempted to spend a couple of minutes and then stick with your own name or your initials, and move to more important tasks. But this would be a big mistake. Think, when you have a new baby or dog, you will probably spend a lot of time, considering all the possible options. You know, that the name is meaningful, and it can make positive or negative impact on the entire life of your child, and you definitely want your child to be the smartest child in the world. You want your dog to have a cute but not silly name, so you will take its breed, character and even color into account.

Don't you want to have the most successful business ever? Then, do not make fast decisions; instead choose the name for your business carefully.

The name you choose will be a big part of your marketing identity. Ideally, it should indicate to your clients what is the nature of your business, because it will be the first thing they will know about your company. Also, remember that people buy particular products or services not only for rational, but also for emotional reasons. Therefore, your company or product name should encapsulate a message to potential or existing customers and, at the same time, create a good feeling about your company, your product and you, personally.

Therefore, before you start to search for a name, there is quite a lot of background thinking you need to do about your market place, your competitors, and advantages of your product.

Consider what kind of target audience you want to attract. What would be appealing to them - for example a conservative or an unusual name. Make a list of all things you need to take into account when choosing a name. Then write down all names you can think of after doing the previous step. You can also conduct a brainstorming session with your partners, friends, or your family. Remember the main principle of brainstorming technique- do not criticize anybody's ideas, just write them down no matter how silly or inappropriate you think they are. You can also use Thesaurus, a Latin Dictionary, or any other source you can think of.

10 Things to keep in mind when developing a logo

1.     Logo should be relevant to your activity, thus it will be more memorable and recognizable.
2.     Logo should be simple and clear. It should look clear even at a very small size (like on a business card).
3.     Logo should be unique, or at least not look too much like some other logo.
4.     Logo should be composed of shapes of flat color. Keep number of colors low, no more than 3. It will save you money on future printing costs.
5.     Colors should be easy to match and reproduce on different printing devices (inkjet printer, offset press etc.) and on different media.
6.     Logo should look well when printed in black and white. You may also develop a simplified B&W version of a logo for printing on a laser printer or sending by fax.
7.     Logo should not look too modern. Avoid using "fashionable" fonts or design elements. It may look outdated in a year or two.
8.     Think metaphorically. Circle is a metaphor of a globe, ellipse - of an orbit. Think of what can metaphorically describe your business.
9.     Show a prospect logo to your friends and clients and ask them what they think. Avoid a disaster.
10.     If you have chosen the logo - be consistent. Use the same logo (proportions, colors, typeface) throughout your documents. Make your identity your asset.

Think of your strong sides

When you are starting your own home business, you definitely feel different, unique, especially if most of your friends work at an office. You are sure that you will organize your business better than anybody else in the world and that your business will be the most successful business ever. Otherwise why should you start it? Anyhow, you should realize that there are hundreds of other people starting similar home business at the same moment, and there are thousands already operating in your area of business. Chances are, some of them are even more professional and energetic than you. Therefore, as soon as you start working, you will face tough competition, unless your business is groundbreaking, which as you understand is quite a rare case. So, it is not only about performing well. You have to define why your business is better than any other business and build a strategy of using your advantages that will lead your business to real success.

You have to ask yourself, " What are my strong sides? What advantages does my business have? Why could my business be better than any other business?" You have to have "a unique proposition," unless your business will have no room to grow, and you will be lost in a long line of other "good" businesses. You can also use this strategy, if you are already working but want to improve your performance.

So how do you define what kind of unique proposition that you have? Divide all that you can think of into groups, and if you find out that you do not have a "unique proposition", work on developing using the following strategies:

    Think how professional you are in the area of your business. Do you have an extra-good education or long experience of the subject? If yes, you can make this your strong side and write about it in all commercial materials. If you feel that it could be your strong side if only you attended a course in a certain subject or educate yourself on some issues that you feel you know less about than others, and it will not take too much time - do it.
    You are well known in your business community. For example, you are a Psychotherapist with a long successful work experience and want to work at home. You must build your client database using word of mouth promotion.
    You are very productive. Then, your main advantage might be the speed with which you can accomplish a project. If the quality of your work will be as high as the quality of work of your competitors, clients will rather go to you. It's a well-known fact that all clients want their work to be done as urgently as possible no matter in what business they are.
    Speed is not your main advantage, but you strive for excellence. Great. Your clients will know that they have to wait patiently until the work is done, but their translations (if you are a home-based book translator) would not be done better.
    The same with price. If the price for your goods or services is the lowest in town, because of any reasons, it's a very strong point. But, you have to earn profit, so if you feel that competing in price with bigger companies will only be possible if you expend a lot (marketing, giveaways, etc.), do not try to compete. Instead say: "Yes, our prices are high. But, for this price you will get..." If you manage to position yourself, clients will perceive your services or goods to be extra-class and will pay more for them. This is exactly why people are willing to pay three times more for a dress from DKNY, than for exactly the same, unbranded dress.
    You feel your strongest point is your ability to communicate with people. Chances are you might provide better service to your customers than anybody else. You always know how to speak with clients, you can ease any tough situation with a nice and appropriate joke, and you are always in a good mood. People will work with you because they like you. Therefore, not only work hard on projects but try to stay in touch with your client during your work on his project.
    You plan to enter the market with several goods or services but only one of them is really unique. Let this product be your main feature. It is highly probable that your client will use other services from you once he finds that your first service was so great. It will be easier to them to work with one person handling several jobs, than to look for several people/companies for different tasks.

And finally, you may be afraid that because you are a small business, it will be difficult for you to compete with big boys. Make it your advantage. Make your client understand that his project will be the matter of higher importance for you than for a big company. For example, if your client goes to a huge advertising agency, he will only talk with one of the managers. With you, he will speak with the director who will personally handle all tasks for him. And it does not matter that the director is the only person in the company for now. Remember that all companies were a small company once it just opened.

What is a Domain Name?

    A domain name identifies its position in the global Internet. If you think of the Internet as a huge C: Drive, then a domain name is a unique Directory on that drive. A domain name, like a directory, can also have sub-directories. These are call sub-domains. Believe it or not, the "WWW"s you see in web-site addresses are really sub-domains of the domain name. Sub-domains were initially used to specify unique computers within a domain's network. However today, many sub-domains can reside on the same computer.
    Example: yahoo.com is a domain name. www.yahoo.com is a sub-domain of yahoo.com. Go to Yahoo and enter a word to search on. You'll notice the URL changes to begin with search.yahoo.com. Search is probably a specialized computer in the Yahoo network used just for searching.

How to Design Ideal Business Cards

1. If it's the first time making your own business cards - try to estimate the real number of business cards you need for now. Of course, the more you print, the cheaper they are, but do you want to throw them away when your e-mail or address or telephone number changes? Or, do you want to cross out old data and write the new by hand? Therefore, be moderate - making a couple of hundred business cards is probably enough.

2. Ask for a professional designer's advise on your card's look. Even if you think that violet is your favorite color and your name should be engraved in gold, listen to the professional. Sometimes they are right.

3. If for now you are working alone, it does not mean that you will forever. Hopefully, soon you will be loaded with work and you will need to hire somebody. Therefore, make some blank business cards.

4. Ideal business card should be elegant and professional-looking. Do not use font larger than 9 point, do not overload your business card with names and titles, and any other information about your business. Hopefully, you will have a chance to tell all this in person.

5. Use expensive paper, preferably white or light-colored. Recycled paper is in fashion too, especially if you care about the environment. Consider unusual methods of printing, nowadays you have a great choice.

6. Even if you plan to operate in another country or some of your clients are speaking different languages, have separate business cards for each language. Double-sides business cards look less professional.

7. There are no strict rules on orientation of the text, so you can decide if you want it to be vertical or horizontal. However, it seems like usually conservative businesses have horizontal-oriented business cards, and creative ones - vertical.

8. If your business is creative (design, photo etc.) you can be creative with your business card as much as you want. You can add ornaments, crazy backgrounds, and use funny-looking fonts. Everybody will accept such business cards from a creative professional.

9. Make sure, that the size of your business card is standard, so people will have no trouble putting your card in their business card files. I, personally hate to use scissors when someone's business card does not fit mine, and many other people think so too.

10. If you do not have a nice pocket business card holder, buy one. Let it be expensive, made of leather, the one you could imagine a very successful businessman could keep his business cards. This small and very handy accessory will not let your business cards wrinkle, at the same time will enhance your professional image.

Finally, think of what someone could say about you and your business judging by the appearance of your business card. Make appropriate changes if necessary.

Ideal Business Cards

Does every Home Business need them?

The business card is the face of the company. Not the most original phrase isn't it? But, it's correct, because for most of the people your business card will be the first thing they get from you or your company and sometimes the only thing they keep after you make an initial presentation of your business. Therefore the appearance of a business card is very important.

Printed on a cheap, thin paper, slightly wrinkled, poorly printed business card with out-of-date phone numbers crossed out and written by hand will not be the best argument for doing business with you. As an opposite business card, one printed on a snow white thick paper, with good design will assure your client that everything else in your work will be as professional, as you business card.

It is especially important if you are a small business, since not many people know your company and will judge you not by the name, but by your appearance and performance. While working in a big company as an employee, you probably never paid attention to the look of your card. You just had an unlimited supply and were probably not involved in any design or printing issues. Corporate culture, especially of multinational companies, dictates its strict rules of the use of corporate style. There is usually some room for change but only as long as it fits the design manual of the company.

When you are self-employed, you can turn on your imagination, and print whatever you want on your business card, even your picture, or the picture of your favorite pet (I know a person, who has a portrait of his dog Sofy on his business card). So, you are your own boss and are free to decide what it should look like.

Unfortunately, not all self-employed people have nice looking business cards. I would say, some of them are just awful. I've seen pink business cards with green printing on them, and many other horrible examples of human imagination. These cards are just a brake for your business, not an engine for it. Therefore, before going to a print shop, think what kind of image you want for your business. You can use our tips on how to design ideal business cards for your small business. Creating your own business cards might be an interesting process, so try to see the fun side of it. I hope, that my story on how a person usually behaves, when starting his/her own business and needing to make business cards will help you save time and not make the same mistakes. So these are usual steps of this process:

    When you start a business, you are eager to begin working immediately, not waiting a single day. So, you tell your client, that your business cards are in the process of printing, you left them in the office, or you just ran out of them. Then, you write down your telephone number on a sheet of paper, and give it to the client. Forget about this project. The client is just a human being, who will loose this piece of paper immediately after the meeting is over.
    In a while, you realize, that you should do something about it. But, as you must spend your own money, you feel greedy. You think that you know what to do and print business cards in your home office. Of course, it's not the best printing solution in the world, but it is better than nothing. And, for some businesses it could be enough.
    But, if you have to look professional when dealing with clients, these business cards are unacceptable, especially if your clients are big companies, paying much attention to details. So, a day before an important meeting you go to the nearest business center. You pay enormous price for 2-3 pages with "almost professional" looking business cards. You cut them and feel quite confident at the meeting. This procedure usually takes place several times, because every time you think that for now you have enough supply of cards.
    One day, the important decision is made. You use the service of professional design and print shop and you have a box of business cards, your business cards, sitting on a table in front of you. Only a person who went through all these stages can understand how nice it is.

Now, avoid all of these stages and make professional business cards as soon as you start operating. Feel confident on a meeting with a new client, and you will get the project you want!

Be successful and professional!

What do I need to know or do when buying or selling a domain name?

Here are some aspects to consider when buying or selling a domain name:

    Make sure there is some sort of contract or bill of sale that is in writing and signed by both sides. You don't want any surprises later.
    Make sure this document specifies that this domain name is being sold and not leased or anything else.
    Make sure the document provides for the fact that the new owner is the one and only owner (this is so that you buyers can make sure the seller is really selling only to you and not pulling a fast one).
    Make sure the document includes the sale/transfer of copyrights and/or trademarks. If you are buying zyzyk.com and the seller has registered a trademark on The Zyzyk Company, which you're now taking over, you will want your contract to reflect that any trademarks and copyrights are now your property as well. You'd hate to buy that domain and then have the seller sue you for trademark infringement just because you're using it! :)
    Consider using an escrow service, such as i-escrow. This allows a third party to get in the middle just for the money exchange. For the seller, this makes sure that the buyer pays on time, the right amount, and so forth. For the buyer, this lets your payment be in the hands of a neutral third party in case the seller backs out... that way, you will not have lost your money. Once the escrow service confirms receipt of payment, both parties can do what they need to complete the sale knowing that all is perfect and safe for both sides. Please note that escrow services do take a fee/commission, but you may find it's worth it for the security.