How To Play Time Management Games Online For Free

1. First a warning, playing games can be addicting so remember to manage your playing time. Also be sure to download time management games from sites that you trust and always keep your anti-virus program up to date.

2. Check your browser some time management games require the Internet Explorer browser and will not work with Firefox and some other browsers.

3. Decide if you want to play time management games online or download them and then play. Please check our "Times Management Games" section for resources that is updated regularly.

4. Let us look at some of the games that you can play for free online. As you will see there are many time management games to choose from so take the time and try several of them, you will soon find out which one you like the most.

Belle's Beauty Boutique:

'Belle's Beauty Boutique' you must help run a beauty parlor single-handedly. The owner, Belle, needs your help to give all of her customers the treatments they want. Help her wash, cut, shampoo and color a crazy cast of characters. Watch them gossip, flirt, and help Belle realize her dream of creating the ultimate beauty salon.

Big Island Blends:

After arriving on Big Island you discover that the "fortune" you've just inherited is an orchard? Well, what better way to turn your fields into a real fortune than opening a smoothie stand Serve your delicious fruit concoctions to the thirsty inhabitants of Big Island in level after level of fast-paced fun. Then, use your hard-earned money to purchase a wide variety of sparkling upgrades to make your smoothie stand the best on Big Island! Colorful, fast, and fun, try Big Island Blends for a unique taste of the tropics.

Burger Island:

Help our heroine Patty turn around a run-down burger stand located on deserted Mount Tikikola Beach in 'Burger Island'. Juggle orders from demanding customers, purchase over 30 exotic mouth-watering recipes, unlock more than 40 delicious ingredients, combining up to 9 per order, all while keeping an ever-watchful eye on the clock. With 60 increasingly challenging levels, see if you have what it takes to help Patty build the best burger stand on the island!

Burger Shop:

After receiving a set of strange blueprints in the mail, you build an extraordinary food-making contraption and open a restaurant. Your goal? Make food and satisfy customers until you discover the truth behind the mysterious blueprints. Burger Shop is a fun and addicting time-management game with several play modes including: Story Mode, Challenge Mode, Relax Mode and Expert Story Mode, each with different trophies you can collect. Utilize unique food making devices to make over fifty different food items during your quest. With four play modes, over sixty upgrade items and ninety-six trophies, you can play Burger Shop forever!

Cake Mania:

Baking runs in Jill's family. Help Jill upgrade her kitchen with state-of-the-art baking tools, while serving her ever-increasingly difficult customers. Help Jill earn enough to reopen her grandparents' bakery in this fast-paced culinary crisis.

Cake Mania 2:

After re-opening the Evans Bakery, and sending her grandparents on an exotic Hawaiian cruise, Jill is back in an all-new, out-of-this-world adventure! Explore six far-flung bakery locations; serve up deliciously original creations to 18 quirky customers, ranging from Federal Agents to mysterious Aliens, and choose the path Jill will take in 'Cake Mania 22!

Delicious 2:

Uncle Antonio needs Emily's help to get out of a financial fix. Help Emily rescue her family's finances in five all-new restaurants, each with a unique menu and theme. Use your earnings to purchase decorations sure to make your customers smile. Emily's friends and family are on hand to help, but it's going to take your serving savvy to get Uncle Antonio back on track. Featuring two game modes, all-new customers, and hours of fast family fun, 'Delicious 2 Deluxe' is just the thing to satisfy your craving for fun.

Features:

* Two Game Modes

* Five All-New Restaurants

* 60 Challenging Levels Featuring New Customers

* Decorate Your Restaurant Your Way

Delicious Deluxe:

Join Emily on her quest to make her dreams come true in two game modes and seven different restaurants. Success means more tables, bigger restaurants, and a menu full of uniquely delectable items. Tasty treats may keep your customers happy, but it's going to take quick clicks and careful timing to get Emily's ambitions off the ground. Take a bite out of Delicious today!

Features:

* Two Game Modes

* Seven Different Restaurants

* Bonuses Like Bigger Trays, Chocolate, and Stars

* Five Types of Customer

Diner Dash:

Diner Dash is the action-puzzle that brings out the entrepreneur in all of us. Poor Flo! Sick and tired of pushing paper in the world of finance, she ditched her desk job and is setting out to build her very own restaurant empire. Flo's on her own now and heading for the top! It won't be easy, though. To get there she'll have to start on the ground floor and she needs your help to survive and thrive. Diner Dash combines fast-paced puzzle action with a build-your-restaurant-empire theme. You'll start with a run-of-the-mill greasy spoon and end up in a dream restaurant that will take your breath away!

Features:

* 40 challenging levels of addictive, skill-based game play that allows you to grow your restaurant through 4 complete re-models

* Five different types of customers, each with different behaviors

* Two modes of play: Career and Endless Shift

* Fun sounds, cool visual style, flashy effects, and humorous animations

* High score tracking and automatic game save

Diner Dash®: Flo on the Go:

Flo trades in her apron for a passport to paradise! But will our hard-working waitress get a chance to relax? Seat customers, take orders, collect tips and dress up Flo in hundreds of vacation outfits in the all-new Flo's Closet".

Wedding Dash":

Help Quinn, a hopeful wedding planner, make wedding bells ring! Featuring the hilarious ups and downs of wedding day drama, 'Wedding Dash"' incorporates the plate-spinning fun from the 'Diner Dash®' series with the added challenge of pulling off the perfect wedding reception. Can you keep the bride and groom happy and Quinn's business afloat? Help couples select all the details - from tasty cakes to gorgeous flowers - but once they've tied the knot, lookout for obstacles preventing the perfect party, such as tipsy guests, falling cakes, and catty bridesmaids. When the going gets tough, keep an eye out for extra help from everyone's favorite server, Flo! It's a fast-paced challenge to execute a flawless event, but for the determined Quinn, it's all in a day's work!

5. There are several types of games available, some give you resources that you have use or spend to advance to the next level. Some time management games you must complete a number of tasks within a fixed period of time while in other games you have a certain number of lives, when you have lost them the games are over. Also there are games where you can continue to play until you figure out how to advance to the next level.

6. By now you have decided what time management game you want to play. Before you start the game check the game options, select the easiest level or story mode (where available) first time so you time to become familiar with the game.

7. As you become more experienced move through the different levels or game modes. Remember one of the advantages of playing time management games online is that you can communicate with other people playing the same game, so you can always ask for help.

8. Have fun but remember playing time management games can be addictive so take a break away from your PC every now and then.

Shortly we will look at time management games that you can download and play for free, so please re-visit or subscribe to our blog.

Warm regards,

Henrik

PS. Where can you find the games mentioned above? Please go to: http://games.aol.com/browse-games/arcade/time-management/

Drive Your Business With the Automotive CRM Tool

If you are always scrambling for active leads, future leads, dropped leads, or sold cars, then your CRM data management is up for a drastic overhaul. You can not give the lame excuse that you're not computer savvy that's why you can not make use of the automated CRM tool. This is suicide if you're in business.

Car Dealers, Sit Up!

A sale a day keeps the bankruptcy at bay. Car dealers have to reach a target sales quota monthly to reap their rewards from the wholesale purchase of cars. That's how they make a living. If you're in the car business, you know how important it is to keep your customer information updated and manageable. The automated CRM tool saves all the trouble of wading through messy files.

If you are not computer savvy, or if your CRM staff is not that clever with computers, you still can not give the reason that the technology is beyond your ken. Software architects had this in mind when designing the software. They have made the features easy to use, and they did not design a rubic-like puzzle just to confound users of the software.

The screen layout of the software has recognizable buttons and have different color codes for different files. You can even keep track of the weekly appointments you have scheduled, so there's no time wasted; you have the customers well within your speed and mileage meter. You can also send your customers emails or chat them up.

You can even do a quick inventory of supplies and spare parts in just one go. You do not have to get up and rifle through old files to update anything needing a quick touch up. This expediency is not limited to your customer databank, but also extends to your suppliers' info tank.

Easy collaboration with suppliers from all over the globe makes it effortless for you to be updated about their latest products and stocks. You can always have first hand and consistent information to share with customers and target leads. This improves your customer care and services, helping your business pick up speed.

Efficient Collaboration

The automated CRM tool enhances your accounting methods. It becomes easy for you to track customer accounts and company expenses. You do not need many workers to manage your CRM databank. A fully trained employee can do the job of three persons efficiently with the CRM tool for automotive dealership.

You still have the option to let a third party manage your system. This comes cheaper because you do not have to pay for add-ons that may be required later or measures for your data security. Instead of paying the wages for a worker to manage your CRM, the service provider does this competently and costs much less when expenses are summed up.

The technology gives you the edge in sharing information with different departments in the business and with the car makers, gives better communication links with customers and suppliers, and helps personalize customer interaction.

Improved Sales

When there is a ready and updated file on customer information, it is easy to track leads and consistently follow them up, especially when there are new car models or spare-parts that have become available.

The automated CRM tool contains modules for sales force computerization and customer communications administration. Collection of customer data becomes efficient and the information that is collected is organized for easy analysis, which determinates consequent action.

With prompt action on leads and better customer service, sales is improved. Automotive CRM tool gives the business the better drive.

Life Success Learning to Create Positive Habitual Behavior & Overcoming Negativity

The first and sometimes most important success habit that must be formed is one of positive thinking. Dwell on the positive exit that's desired and avoid thinking about anything that's not wanted. Nothing will ensure failure faster than the very thought that the failure will occur. People say that it's absolutely normal for negativity to creep into our thoughts. Be that as it may, any negative thought has to be banished immediately and replaced with a positive one. This simple, yet effective technique, practiced regularly can help you move towards success like nothing else.

Forget about the past, it's gone and there's no going back. Regardless of what's happened before, today is a new day. Holding onto the past ensures that you'll stay right where you are in life. Letting go of past failures allows you to see the potential for future success and to move towards it. Realize that any past failures, real or imagined, were purely lessons that you thought to this moment in time. Appreciate the education you received and bravely move towards success with the knowledge you've gained.

Overcome the desire to put things off until another time. For most people that procrastinate, another time never comes. Things pile up over time and there's no way to catch up, adding to frustrations and even more procrastination. Whether it's taking out the trash or calling a client, get to it right away. Only by getting straight to work and finishing tasks can success really be accomplished. Practice this non-procrastinating lifestyle and you'll soon find not only that things are being accomplished, but that you have time left at the end of the day too.

Another important aspect of success is the ability to manage time. It can be very easy to lose track of time and difficult to get back on track. Keep track of everything you do during an average day and how much time it took to do it. Go through an entire week of this. Now evaluate and see what should be adjusted or eliminated for optimal time management. Continue to develop a schedule that allows maximum time for every activity. Include all your business and personal time in this and you'll soon find a workable and even profitable schedule for yourself.

Develop the confidence to go forth and conquer. Knowing a thing can be done and believing you can do it are two entirely different things. It's vital to your success and the success of all of your endeavors that you are confident in your self. Confidence shows through everything you do and it affects your ultimate success more than you think. Carry yourself importantly, speak with authority, be secure with yourself and walk tall. Believe in yourself and your ideas and present them with passion. Do these things and others will recognize your confidence and want to be associated with you.

Success is not a matter of predestination, it depends upon the will of the seeker. With the will to succeed, it's possible to do anything you desire. It really is as simple as that, despite the general tendency to believe otherwise. Over and over again, success stories appear that portrait down and out individuals that executed their own free will to rise above. Exert your will over the situations in your life, change them to suit you and your goals and success will follow.

What is success? Is it money, power, health or spirituality? Success means different things to different people. For some, success can only be seen in the form of financial gain and power. For others, success means a happy, healthy family with only the basics of life. Regardless of how it's defined, success is possible with the proper application of some basic habits and the development of key character traits.

Learn and Earn With Affiliate Marketing

Do not Be A Statistic; Learn And Earn Your Way To Success

Having invested four years or more of hard work in a degree, it is imperative that you maintain your skills and have work experience recorded on your resume. Use your marketing skills and earn money at the same time. Affiliate marketing will provide you with the opportunity to learn and earn.

I had been unemployed for a few months; every recruitment agency within a 20 mile radius had been bombarded with e-mails, phone calls and of course, had been provided with several copies of my CV. Never before have I been unemployed for such an extended period of time, and I have an extensive experience in my chosen field. The financial climate gives employers the upper-hand; This is an ideal opportunity for employers to choose the most experienced candidates, leaving those with less than perfect CV's at the back of the queue. I can only imagine what it must be like to be a student or graduate just out of university. I decided to trawl the internet for any home-based opportunities to earn some money, as my savings were being sapped, and my resources depleted. I spent a good week researching; affiliate marketing was the one opportunity that appeared to be legitimate. In the process, I had fallen foul to three scams; I did not lose a fortune, but any amount is too much when lost to a scam.

Affiliate marketing is the most lucrative online opportunity. It is not a get-rich-quick scheme, and you will not become a millionaire overnight; it requires hard work, dedication and motivation, but it is the ideal opportunity for those who might be unemployed, or anyone looking to top up their incoming, to tap into what is fast becoming, a booming industry.

Currently, there is no specific affiliate marketing degree or diploma, although this is likely to change with time. In simple terms, it is where a customer searches online for specific products and is directed by the affiliate to the required product via a link. The user clicks on the link and is driven direct to purchase the product or service on the seller (merchant) site. The seller pays the affiliate commission as a percentage of the total sales value and this can be anything from 15-75%. The affiliate must have the knowledge and know-how to find the right products for the right customers at the right time. Advertisers prefer to have their products marketed in this way because advertising costs only become effective when a sale takes place.

The golden rule of affiliate marketing is finding niche markets. A niche market is defined as a specific targeted product that satisfies the consumers requirements. It is highly specialized and requires much fine-tuning. Research is imperative; finding the right keywords will lead you to the right customers and products for that customer. It is possible to market a product in two ways; either by choosing a consumer and providing the product that consumer wants, or by providing a product and finding consumers to purchase that product. The affiliate finds the niche market, shows the product to sell, then chooses a marketing technique and then builds a campaign leading to action. It is possible to earn money online within any industry but the key is to provide the right product to the right person at the right time and for the right reason. Initially, you should promote a product, service or topic that you know something about, or at least, are interested in. You are more more likely to succeed if you are passionate about your subject; what graduate is not passionate about their subject?

You will benefit from joining an affiliate program initially; An affiliate marketing training program is the easiest and quickest way to lead you to success. There are hundreds of programs, and I have researched them all. Joining is usually free, and a reputable program should provide you with all the expert training, resources, research tools, market information, mentoring and support to ensure your success. The program should be able to turn marketers into sales machines, keep you ahead of the game and make you a force to contend with. Be aware of programs that expect you to pay considerable amounts to find out about what they offer. You would not pay a company to interview you; this information should be free. You will need to pay a membership fee for joining; this the norm, but in return your offer should include all the training and resources you need to start your business.

You will need products to promote, so will need to join an affiliate network. The beauty of affiliate marketing is that you do not need to invest in products to sell; you simply market and sell products already offered by merchants. Networks such as ClickBank, LinkShare and CJ.com are reputable networks. There are many networks to choose from; choose those offering a good rate of commission and confirmed payment method. These networks offer thousands of digital products but you will need to learn quickly how to master these networks and achieve the best possible sales potential.

You are far more likely to succeed in maximizing your potential through the use of your own website. Your website will provide you with an identity wherey you can market your products in your own style. You will also be able to target your products to specific markets and update your product offer when applicable. Your marketing efforts will be automated and therefore your earnings potential will be continuous. Websites can be built using free web development programs and do not need to cost the earth.

There are many marketing strategies you are able to use to promote your products; the affiliate program will train you to master these techniques. There are free marketing techniques and paid-for ones. Article marketing is a free marketing technique to get traffic to your email marketing campaign. By writing short articles and submitting them for distribution in the market you will achieve credibility. You will need to write unique, relevant quality content and also unique content. Every article contains a resource box and by-line, including the author's contact details. Writing good articles can achieve valuable backlinks to your site.

Other strategies include Pay-Per-Click, wherey you use advertising mediums such as Google AdWords to promote your offer. E-mail marketing will quickly build you opt-in mailing lists which are great for targeting specific products to customers at specified times, and you can utilize autoresponders to manage your e-mail campaigns. Search Engine Optimization is key to driving traffic to your website and achieving high page ranking with Google, Yahoo and MSN can bring huge amounts of traffic to your products.

Joining a program has other advantages; it will enable you to earn from the outset if you choose one offering promotion incentives; promote the program you have joined, and you are able to earn from day one. Take advantage of your skills and marketing capabilies; learn and earn to put that much-needed experience on your CV. I wish you the best of luck!

Direct Sales Team Vs Distributor - Which is Better For an International Market?

If you're looking to expand your sales to new markets, then there's one big question you must ask: do I build a direct sales presence or use a distributor? Each method has its benefits and drawbacks, but we're going to make a strong case to use one method over the other in almost every instance.

What's the difference between direct sales and distributors?
A direct sales presence means that your company establishes, manages, and pays a sales team of one or more people in the target market.

An outside agent is any entity that will sell your product in exchange for a service fee. One example is a sales rep, who sells your product in exchange for a percentage of the sale. A distributor is similar to a rep, except they would buy product from your company and sell it directly to the end customer.

Is Direct Sales Better?
For most businesses expanding into new markets, especially international markets, hiring a distributor is a better decision-at least until there is enough return from the market to justify building a direct sales presence.

Sure, there is one major advantage to having a direct sales presence-control. Control over the day to day activities of your sales personnel is appealing to most business owners. But this control comes at a heavy price. To start, you'll need to spend the time to hire someone in that market, then train them, then equip them with sales material and management, if not office space and equipment. These costs are prohibitive for most small businesses looking to expand internationally.

And there are even more costs that we have not mentioned yet. Each market has it's own unique laws, cultures and customs that are essential to master if your company wants to establish a successful sales presence. Japan is a classic example of a marketplace with unique legal structures and business customs that, if not followed, guarantee the failure of any sales efforts. It's hard to pin down an exact monetary value to this learning, but ask yourself this: Can you afford to establish, manage, and pay a sales force in a foreign country for at least a year while they learn the routes and generate no revenue?

What about a Distributor? Is a distributor better for new markets?
Distributors are a cost effective means to enter a new marketplace successfully. Here are just a few of the reasons:

• No Overhead: Unlike running your own sales team, a distributor will take care of the hiring, managing, payment, and optimization of its channel. You're just borrowing their distribution, while they handle the maintenance.
• Established Channel with Local Knowledge: A good distributor will already know all the laws and customs of the market you're entering. You do not need to reinvent the wheel-you can use someone who already has local local knowledge.
• Understanding Pricing and Purchasing Power of Market: Along with knowledge of the laws and customs comes knowledge about the most successful ways to price and market your product locally.
• Cost Effective: Since you will not be paying for the above items, distributor relationships are much more within reach of a small business trying to enter a new market.

Using a distributor has some downsides as well, but they can be minimized by building a good relationship with a distributor.

• Not your own people: You will not be able to directly manage every step of the process. While it may make you nervous to lose some control over the sales process, you can manage the risk by building a transparent relationship with your distributor with constant updates and feedback from both ends.
• Distributor has many products to represent: You may not be the distributor's top priority at any given time, and you want to be sure your product is not getting shuffled to the back of the line. Once again, a well-established relationship with constant contact will ensure that your product is getting the attention it describes.
• Not a "turn key" solution: You can not just give the distributor your products and expect success. You'll have to manage the relationship. This takes time, but it's still less costly than trying to install a direct sales team from scratch.

So what do I do next?
If you are not convinced that a distributor would be better for your organization than acquiring a direct sales team, seek help from a consultant who has experience establishing a presence in new markets. A consultant can use his or her experience to analyze your opportunity and recommend the best course of action.

Before you choose a distributor, you need to know ....
Choosing the wrong distributor will set you up for failure. The wrong distributor simply will not generate sales, and you'll have wasted at least a year finding and setting up an unprofitable relationship.

There are certain things to look for in a distributor, and they are different for every market. The best thing to do is to find a professional, one with experience in distributor relationships, and hire that professional to help you search for and identify the right distributor.

Money and the Laws of Value

One summer day a hen was on the look out for food on a farmyard. As she scratched at the straw on the ground, she unwrapped a diamond jewel. The hen suspect that the jewel might be valuable because of the way it glittered in the sun.

This object is probably worth a lot, the hen thought to herself, but I will trade a bushel of this diamond for a single bushel of corn. (One bushel of diamond is worth about 20 million tons of corn)

What is true for the hen is also true for human beings. People can not use money better than their level of appreciation of its power. If you are primarily a consumer you will only be familiar with the consumption power of money - what money can buy. An investor is very familiar with the reproducible power of money - How money can multiply. A business man is familiar with the production power of money - How money change forms into valuable products and services. Money has no power in itself to change your financial personality; it however has the power to magnify your financial nature.

Money as a Store of Energy

Money is a store of economic energy. Without the awareness, acquisition, organization, and perfection of these internal values ​​in any man, wealth creation in a sustainable manner is impossible. Poor resulting from lack of cash or tangible assets is temporary and easily curable; however, poverty resulting from lack of discovery or awareness of these internal sources of wealth is permanent and can not be cured by the acquisition or possession of money or tangible assets . Attempting to cure malaria by the use of pain relieving tablets is at best a temporary solution. Unfortunately, most people looking for money usually neglect and disrespect their internal primary source of wealth. According to Mark Victor Hansen "You do not have wealth, you are your wealth" ! The earlier you come to the full realization of this universal principle, the quicker you will be on your journey to financial success.

External sources of values ​​are those invisible assets outside a person that is reliably fixed and is accessible to every man equally. These include: Time, Problems, and Relationships. Everyman has equal access to these three variables; and they are unavoidable raw materials for the creation of every form of tangible wealth.

Money Creation Process

Three variables therefore determine the quantity of money a person can legally create over a given period of time: The number of internal sources of wealth discovered and properly harnessed; Amount of external sources of values ​​efficiently utilized; and how much of the outputs of the combination of those variables that is successfully delivered to those who need them in exchange for money. For instance, the income that an employee will extremely earn will be determined by how much of his talents, passions, and skills he is able to discover, improve, and convert to expertise. Combined with how well he is able to manage the time, opportunities, and relationships available in his work to generate and deliver the expected results consistently over a period of time.

Laws of Value

Since we now understand that, value is the source of money; and that money can not exist alone without corresponding value; understanding the principles and laws of value will enable us create and sustain money in a legal and enduring manner.

# 1 - Law of Value Flow

" In every human relationship or interaction value is always flowing but money may not"

Since value is an invisible carrier of money, you may be gaining or losing money without you being consciously aware of it. Every time you come in contact with or spend some time with people, you will either increase or decrease your cumulative value if or not money exchanged hands during such interaction. That means if you are in a high paying job, but spend a lot of time with people with poverty mind set or low expectation individuals; your net cumulative value will gradually reduce to reflect your dominant mind set. This will naturally reduce your productivity on your job resulting in stagnation or ultimate downsizing! Conversely, if every time you have a meeting with a prospect he comes out feeling he has added more value than he has during the interaction; he'll seek more opportunities to receive such values, on a more frequent basis - which means the consummation of a business relationship and the signing of contract!

On a daily or weekly basis, if your interaction or association is more with those who drain value from you without offering equivalent or more value in return, you will eventually become money poor.

# 2 - Law of Multiple State of Value

"Value like water has three states, as long as value keeps flowing, under the right circumstance and conditions, it will freeze to tangible money"

Many people get discouraged when they begin to offer value and they do not immediately receive the money equivalent of such values. Such frustration often leads to compromise, mediocrity in service delivery, untimely resignation, and quitting from entrepreneurial venture. But, think about it this way, it takes time for water to become ice in a deep freezer even under the consistent application of electrical power. Even when you are delivering value consistently, it takes some time for the value to be appreciated and recognized for its money worth by other people.

Most of the world's leading successful people have gone through times when the values ​​they offered were not immediately rewarded with money. Zig Ziglar in his autobiography stated that his first 3,000 speeches were given for free. Anthony Robbins - the restructured author and personal achievement expert said that "in his first six months as motivational speaker, all his statements were given free, and he had an average of 5 speaking engagement every day".

# 3 - Law of Value Exchange

"Value must be greater than or equal to price"

Think about the last time you paid $ 20 for your transportation fare. Was it because you liked the driver of the vehicle? Or because you believed that trekking the same distance will have more adverse effect on your health and finance. Human Beings are naturally selfish. They will not willingly give out an amount of money unless they have convinced them that the product or service will deliver to them more value than the price they want to pay for it.

Marketing is there an honorable service of helping people enjoy more value than the price they pay for the product or service that solves a particular problem in their life or business. A marketer is not a money taker; he is a value giver and a solution provider. Many technically sound people shy away from marketing their products with zeal because of psychological guilt fueled by ignorance of the law of value exchange. Not selling your product denies someone from enjoying the benefits it offers and slows down the growth of the nation's economy.

Top 10 Tips for Choosing a Web Designer for Your Business Web Site

How to Choose a Web Design Firm

Simple. You do your homework on them. Then, you start asking questions and taking notes. There are plenty of web designers available. You want to go with the best because, in fact, your web designer is in essence your partner. You want to choose a designer that takes YOUR business seriously.

What questions do you ask?

There are several important questions to ask when choosing a web designer for your business web site.

Creating your web site can be a tricky process. Choosing the best web design firm for your business web site is a very important decision. And if your company is like most small businesses, you probably do not have a web design experience. Building your web site will take time and work. And working with a web designer is no easy task. So choose the right web design company from the start and avoid do-over's, which can be cost and time consuming.

1. What kind of web experience do you have?

For starters, find out what kind of design experience your potential design firm has. Do they have experience with content management systems such as Joomla or Drupal, do they have experience working with "raw" HTML? Has the web design company created web sites similar to yours? Do they have relevant industry experience? If you want to sell products through your web site and accept credit card payments, does the web design company you are considering have experience with ecommerce hosting?

2. Do you have a portfolio that I can review?

An experienced web design company will have a solid portfolio of web sites that they have created for other clients. Ask for links to other site the design company has created and reviewed each one. Do you like what you see? Do the sites have a style that appeals to you?

3. Do you have any references?

In addition to reviewing web sites, ask for customer references. Contact their clients and ask them about their experience with the web design company. Were they happy with the results? Did they get what they paid for? How much did they pay? Would they recommend them? How long did it take? What did not they like about the company? How responsive was the company when they had questions?

4. What are your prices?

The most important step in pricing is to make sure the potential design company outline all of the prices associated with the work and puts it all in writing. Never enter into a deal without all of the costs are well understood up front.

Ask them a bit about how they manage payments. If they respond in a very business-like and professional manner, this is a good sign. If they throw out answers like - "Do not worry, we'll manage" or "Whatever you are comfortable with", do not be fooled. This is trouble waiting to happen. Get the price in writing before you begin the project.

5. Do you have experience with search engine optimization?

Most small business owners do not have it in their budget to hire a separate marketing firm to work on search engine optimization (SEO), so it is imperative that your web designer have experience in SEO. A good designer will know that design and SEO go hand-in-hand. Designing a web site for search engines with "clean" code that utilizes cascading style sheets is essential to getting your content indexed in the leading search engines, such as Google and Bing.

6. Do you have experience with social media marketing?

Many marketing firms do know the first thing about social media marketing. These firms are stuck in the past and are not as effective as they pret to be. Be sure that you work with a designer that knows how to setup a Facebook fan page for your business and design a customized Twitter profile. This is important because you will want your social media properties to mesh with the design of your web site. The web site and social media pages should complement one-another.

7. What is your process for designing or building a web site?

Make sure you ask your potential web design company about the process that they use? Do they design a web site or do they build a web site? An experienced Internet professional should understand the difference between these two concepts. If they do not, they're probably not as experienced as they claim to be. Building a web site is a highly technical process, while designing a web site is a highly creative process. Many advertising firms specialize in web site design which does not necessarily require any web development skills whatever. At the same time, many firms design web sites, yet out-source the creative portion of the project. Find out from the beginning what the process if for the firm that you are considering.

8. How long will it take?

Perfectionism can be a huge stumbling block in the fast paced world of the Internet. Some designers are unable to compromise between quality and time to market needs. Test: See how long it takes until you receive a proposal.

9. What type of support is offered after web site launch?

If your design firm does not offer web site maintenance, you might want to continue looking. Most reputable design firms will offer "post-launch" maintenance for companies that do not have an in-house webmaster.

10. Which web hosting providers do you work with?

If your design firm does not know the first-names of the contact at their favorite web design firm, then this should raise a red flag. Most reputable web designers know not to choose a web host simply because they are the most popular or because they offer the cheapest web hosting. A reputable web design firm should know who to call and how to get results! Does your web designer work with a green hosting company? Environmentally-friendly web hosting is becoming more and more popular for business web sites looking to implement an eco-policy.

Getting a little recognition on the W3 is hard, even in a niche market (especially in a niche market). You have less than 10 seconds to convince a site visitor to stick around long enough to learn about the quality of your services, your products or your message. Web surfers are jagged out on information overload. If they do not see what they want to see on your home page or a landing page, they bounce. So, making a statement about your corporate culture and your business' core values ​​has to happen in the blink of an eye. Visitors will never even see the "About Us" page if you do not create a good impression - in 10 seconds. So, go green! An emblem or banner claiming that you employ green hosting makes an immediate statement about your on-line business. It says you care about the environment.

Do your homework when choosing a web design firm.

Good designers are creative people that need to think out of the box. Finding a good web designer is getting harder and harder. The good designers are being snatched by agencies and large projects. They are overloaded with work and often, you will not know about them because they do not have time (or need) to market themselves. Doing your homework and asking the right questions is important to decide if they are right for the job.

Why Are Computers A Necessity Now?

Computer systems now a days are everywhere. We can find that in places we can not see or would not expect to find them. This gadget are no longer specialized tools used only by scientists or engineers like before. They are not hidden behind sealed-walls under a climate-controlled environments anymore. They are a fact of life that companies can not live without and even individuals like us. It is a common thread that ties together our education, work, and home life. Thus, computer literacy becomes significant, with computers touching almost every facet of our lives. But why is it that computer literacy is very cruel?

Why do we need to spend time and energy studying books, enrolling to computer crash course, and becoming "computer literate?" Technically, to be "literate" means to have knowledge of that subject, wherein you understand its basic terms and concepts. We are not born with such knowledge and abilities, but it is hard to imagine living without computer skills today. Considering the fact that Computers are an essential part of business today, whether you are an auto mechanic or a surgeon, a journalist or a pilot. Like cars, that take us to work everyday, we also rely on computers more with each passing year. If there are still who do not use computers regularly, chances are great that you will soon.

But who will be the one to benefit from computer literacy? First, is the increased employability. Here, the basic computer knowledge along with specific job skills are mainly considered by the employers because a person would be more trainable in and adaptable to the computerized work environment. Next, is greater earnings potential, wherein, as you increase your computer skills, you become more valuable worker, especially if focused on high-tech skills like programming, software / network administration, hardware maintenance and many more. However, it does not follow that you must be a computer expert to increase your earnings. Skills that involve application of the computer to specific tasks are highly valued. Another benefit is that, it has a greater access to resources. Always bear in mind that computers are incredible learning tools, especially when you have access to data on CD-ROMs or the Internet. PC can be used to access vast knowledge bases on almost any topic, search archives of information dating back decades, even take online courses for credit.

You will also have a greater control of your assets, by using the power of the Internet and even a little knowledge only of computers, you can manage your personal finances and indulge your interests in ways that were not possible back years ago. Here, you can control of every dollar you earn through online banking and investing. Online shopping as also another benefit that makes it easier to buy something without tiring yourself & spending so much time going to stores with yourself. There are also new technologies that enable you to monitor your entire household via PC - to set your air conditioner or alarm clock, start your coffee maker or sprinklers, and even activate your alarm system. With this range of growth of computer technologies, we can not deny that we now live in an information society - where information is considered to be an extremely valuable community. The key players in this information-based economy are those who control important information, or those who simply know how to access and uses it. Computer knowledge and skills you can build with that literacy are vital to success in this society, not just in our working lives, but in the ways we learn, manage our finances, and improve our standard of living.

Although there are still many professions that do not rely on computers, they are becoming fewer all the time. Remember that computers do not need to take the form of PC, so there is a good chance that your career path will bring you in contact with some type of computer because many of the tools in today's' workplace are computer technology. That's why it is very important to have a basic understanding of computer technology. No matter what your career choice is, you can benefit from a knowledge of computer hardware and software, and how these components function together. Even your job does not require you to work directly with a computer, this knowledge may help you to envision new ways of using computers in your work, that would result in a more productive work environment. This can also lead you to career advancement opportunities. But still, if you think that this case is overstated, that computers are not being used that much, you should consider that computers are popping up in places & professions that my seem unintentionally.

Fundamentals Of Successful Business App Development

Nowadays, the web & mobile apps serve manifold advantages to businesses. Industrialists introduce these apps to facilitate their customers, employees, & occupy dominant brand position in the global market sphere. Either to carry out official tasks or manage your projects smartly, you rely on business app development to make your efforts in a right way. Whereas customers install these apps to enjoy better services like online shopping, booking, traveling, & more.

Our deviation towards mobile app technology indicates its significance in business promotion & brand recognition. Several local business owners, startups, SMEs, eCommerce firms trust their business app developers who create innovative application that can increase their sales & build their brands.

So, if you aspire to go for business app development, here are some fundamentals you need to consider for fruitful outcome:

Know your audience- Your customers reflect core value of your business and you need to prioritize their interests, choices, or other options regarding their likes & dislikes. Never leave any question that may harm your app's user retention and therefore, you must make sure to analyze your customers' preferences right from the beginning your app development process.

Convey right message- Either you want to sell specific products or facilitate customers with exceptional services, it's completely up to you. You already know that marketing always rules in the corporate world & hence, make sure to transform your app idea specifically for business promotion. Just concentrate on your message to adorn your app with something specific & original. Try to add relevant content that can inform your customers & promote your brand via promotional blogs on popular social media channels.

Focus on your business goals- Enlist your business objectives prior to the business app development. Business owners lay down certain expectations from an app & they mend their futuristic steps if it successfully interacts with the users. You must clear your business intentions & make your mind to strengthen its potential to steer heavy traffic within a short span of time. You can determine the success of your app idea considering the factors like user-engagement, customer response, popularity of content, app searches & downloads, and more.

Device compatibility is a win-win- Business is more profitable when you don't take risk to lose out even a single customer from your reach. Your business app development will double your revenues if your app is accessible on cross-platforms. So, you need to launch your business app for all devices as there are millions of Android & iOS app users. Communicate your Android or iOS app developer if you aspire to get a cross-platform app to uplift your brand image.

Strategize for business app development- Research work will help you know your competitors & their strategies to generate leads. Small-scale & mid-sized businesses innovate apps to make their footprints in the industry & plan to dive in the ocean of success.

Every business faces several ups & downs while struggling to keep a pace ahead in the corporate globe. Therefore, you must go for business app development as it serves a commendable contribution to get established & maximize your revenues.

Owner Builder Construction Loans Made Easy to Understand!

Congratulations on your wise decision to build and / or contract the construction of your Dream Home! Provided you follow sound construction wisdom and building practices you will find this decision to be one of the most profitable and enjoyable experiences of your life!

One of the most vital aspects of the home construction process is the construction loan and it's structure! Over the last 3-5 years Owner Builder Construction Loans have come along long way and despite the sub-prime mortgage woes and credit crunch there is still plenty of money to be lent to owner builders! From a lenders vantage point, construction loans have proven to be some of the lowest risks, best performing loans for lenders because people who build a home generally LOVE those homes and are more likely to live in the home longer than non-owner built homeowners! So the first thing you want to understand is that the banks really DO WANT YOUR BUSINESS! (Provided you have good credit and assets!)

Qualifying for a Construction Loan is really not much different than qualifying for a standard real estate loan but there are some additional considerations that you need to think about. Things like the total cost, the type home of you will build and whether you will have Builder overs or not. I strongly suggest that at a minimum you pay to have a builder of record who assists and / or manages the construction site, trades and project for you. You also want to identify and gather all of your income, checking and other financial data so that you are well prepared for the application process.

There are (2) primary types construction loans:

# 1 - Interim Construction Loan - this is a short term loan, that must be refinanced or paid off entirely at the completion of construction. The downside to this particular loan is that your closing costs are higher due because you have two separate closures and they are higher risk because you can not lock the interest rate of your end loan. The primary benefit to an interim construction loan lies in that it allows you to pull out (or access the equity and get cash) of the home upon completion. In most states this is accomplished via a home equity line of credit. I personally only advise accessing this equity when you have had a basic assessment since the beginning of construction and / or you plan on investing the proceeds into good low-risk cashflow producing real estate!

# 2 - One-time Close Construction Loan - this loan is quickly becoming the industry standard because of the numerous advantages built into the loan. For starters, this loan has no interest rate risk because you can lock the interest rate the day you are approved and that interest rate can be reserved as far as 1 year in advance! (HUGE BENEFIT!) Another major benefit over the Interim Construction Loan is that the one-time Close Loan only has 1 closing so you only have to pay closing costs once! When structured properly you can also roll all of your soft costs (soil tests, surveys, engineering & plans) into the loan as opposed to paying them in advance out of pocket!

Now that we know what the (2) primary options are for financing our Custom Dream Home, let's look at some tips and strategies to be mindful of as you go about planning your project. Now there are several Owner Builder Construction Loan programs that will literally lend you the money and let YOU manage / build your own Custom Dream Home without any other builder oversight ! (certain states have Builder requirements) Personally I recommend against building without any builder oversight unless you are a builder yourself because the loans that allow this tend to be very expensive and most do not offer the One Time Close option so you end up spending several thousands dollars in additional interest and lender costs that could have been saved! I also recommend against this because it is an extreme amount of financial risk and liability to build a home if you have never built a home before !

Here are a few other money saving considerations to be mindful of respecting Construction Loans:

1. Structure your loan so that you do not have ANY payments during the construction period!
2. Add the "Float-down" option when locking the interest rate so that if rates drop during construction you can get the new lower rate!
3. Confirm your building schedule with your builder to ensure that you have enough drawings. (draws = check disbursements)
4. Be sure that you have a survey completed once the home construction has been completed. (the mortgage company will need it!)
5. Always add additional time to the interest rate lock period as construction always takes longer than planned!

Any one of the (5) tips above could save you thousands and thousands of dollars and a gang of headaches! I have seen people lose plenty of money and time because no one shared these Essential Owner Builder Construction Loan tips! But you on the other hand are well-equipped with this information but this still only scratches the surface of the full scope of building your Custom Dream Home! In my practice I see people who take the time and invest in their education and I also see those who throw caution to the wind and ignorantly jump in head-first with no guidance! Months later, the results always seem to show that the cream rises to the top and those who have not thoroughly equipped themselves, hired a professional team of experts and followed their advise seem to have lackluster results at best and a huge financial catastrophe at worst!

I wish you the best on the construction of your Custom Dream Home!

Developing Your Financial Life And Understanding Of Money For The Long Haul

It's no secret that when you're financial life is going well life just feels right.

This can happen in fleeting moments where you know the bills are paid and you have a nice sum left over for whatever you want - it's a pretty good feeling to have.

But is that feeling consistent?

For most people it is not consistent at all, and there are too many times where the feeling of lack takes over - and that can be a nasty moment where you feel like your money just isn't going very far.

It's not a good feeling, and we tend to feel as if all of our money is going toward all the stuff we need to buy rather than what we want to buy.

It's literally a feeling that we never want to have, but can be a key sign of where we are with our finances.

It's not that we don't have enough money - it's that we don't feel like we have much money, and that's totally different.

This is sort of like understanding that your car is perfectly fine - runs well and doesn't give you problems - but you have a small but weird feeling as if it might break down soon.

Does that feeling really help you out at all - or does it just give you needless worry when you have a perfectly fine running car.

That's the different between feeling prosperous and abundance versus feeling poor and impoverished.

These are literally just feelings - and you can shift how you feel about your finances in an instant which might help to reveal a few truths about your situation.

Am I saying that poverty and abundance are just feelings?

Not quite - but the reality of having money versus not having anything start with emotions and having the belief.

That means that shifting the way you think is a very good thing, and actually way to propel you out of that feeling of lack and into the feeling of abundance that you know you've had before, but you would like to feel far more consistently.

This is not about making you just delude yourself into the fantasy of just thinking you are prosperous when you aren't - nope, we're not going that direction.

We are taking your old beliefs and shifting them so that you aren't so accustomed to thinking in terms of lack and having no money.

Sometimes we pick up negative money beliefs from people and others around us, and they don't enable us to have positive money habits long term - and that is a problem.

Other times it can be very frustrating to know that we picked up those negative money habits - believed them to be from us - and acted upon them thinking that we had to live forever like that.

It's sort of like thinking that you only work to pay the bills - which is a horrid way to think about life.

You can shift all of that through adopting positive money beliefs over time which will shift your financial outlook and your money understanding in general.

We are moving away from thinking foolishly about our money - having so much unnecessary spending - and pulling ourselves toward wiser spending habits that enable us to keep more of what we spend and dissolving all tendencies to spend our money on things we don't need.

This isn't a small thing either - so don't think this will happen over night.

Embracing stronger financial habits long term is about consistent behaviors we do over time - the small stuff we do on a daily basis that prevents us from spending our cash on the unneeded crap which ends up eating up all of our money.

Once you eliminate those horrid spending habits, that actually gives you a stronger budget and that is literally one full step closer to have stronger finances in general.

Most people don't really think like that, and it's that oblivious thinking that brings them less and less cash in hand after bills are paid each week - and that's not a good way to live, or a good way to manage your money.

One of the worst cases is to not have a budget at all - and that just leads to major unmanaged spending that doesn't allow you to have much if any extra cash at all.

If you don't know what your budget is, it is very likely that your spending will be out of control and your bills feels like they're your primary expense.

Though bills might be a necessary thing, they don't have to feel like a chore and something that you have to begrudgingly hand over on a routine basis.

When you feel and know you have abundance with your money situation the bills are just a necessary thing that you do that allows you to live, have shelter, and use your basic necessities at home and otherwise.

If you didn't have those things, life would be a lot worse off - and if there are some things in your bills you just don't need, you need to cut those things out of your life.

This is still part of the unnecessary spending part, and it even affects our bills and the stuff we pay routinely for but don't remotely use.

Removing all of that from your budget literally means that you are spending more efficiently and moving yourself away from poor financial management and understanding your money situation a whole lot better.

Just as it was stated earlier - the smaller steps add up to larger changes over time, and as you shift your money habits and adopt stronger budgeting going forward you will literally keep more of your money and spend far less on the stuff you never needed.

We're not talking about difficult or outrageously complex changes here - just small stuff that you can do on a daily basis that allows you to be far better with your money long term while embracing stronger finances through better money management habits.

Make Money and Love It

Someone once told me that play is work that we enjoy. I began to wonder why people do not play at work. There is a stigma that surrounds the word work. It is a necessary evil; it forces you to work for your weekend - the time you enjoy; it is just to be endured. But I do not believe it. Work can be fun, sure there will still be tough days, but there is nothing wrong with looking forward to going to work on Monday. Many things factor into whether you will enjoy your work: the people, the environment, and the work itself. These factors can keep you from enjoying work, but when used to your benefit, they can also help you find and retain enjoyment at your work.

What you excel in doing will affect if you enjoy the work you do. This is because individuals find satisfaction in accomplishes. I am a great goal-setter, planner and executor. I worked for a company where I severely got to use any of those skills. Instead, my time was focused on encouraging people to do things that did not want to do, which required skills in reading people, customizing messages to each individual person, and being a cheerleader; none of which are my strengths. Knowing this, each day I would try to improve how I talked to people and to influence them to smile at customers, and each day when my goals were not reached I went home feeling like a failure. Being in an environment where you can use your strengths allows you to go home with a sense of accomplishment. Spending your day toiling in areas where you struggle, leaves you feeling empty.

Many books have been written that will help you discover your strengths and weaknesses. Some go so deep as to help you find your undering motivators. These are fantastic resources which I recommend. For now, however, I want to focus on a quick analysis.

Think of your best day at work where you felt a sense of accomplishment. What happened? What activities were you doing? Did you land a tough deal? Did you overt a crisis? Did you create a successful plan? What attributes did that day's activities have? By boiling it down you will find the basics of what you enjoy doing.

What do people say you are good at? Does your boss ever refer co-workers to you for advice because you do something well? Do people seek you out as the expert in certain activities? What do you get recognized for? These are all great indicators of your strengths.

What do you find yourself doing when you do not have to? Are there activities at work or home you find yourself participating in even though you do not have (are not required) to? I am constantly creating plans and setting milestones for projects I do outside of life. My friend will sit down and pound out a book in a day. My husband will design and build things, not because it needs to be done, but because he enjoys the process. Figure out what you enjoy that can be translated to work.

Just knowing what you are good at is not enough, it is important to understand what you do not do well. What do you dread doing at work? Do you avoid paperwork like it is the plague? Do you make as few client calls as possible? What activities do you do that never seem to measure up to the status quo? My first internship I asked to cold call potential investors to see if they would be interested in speaking with a broker. After four hours of cold calling I went home crying. Each time I made a call that day, I would feel apprehension: afraid they would ask a question I would not have the answer to; afraid they would be rude to me; afraid I would get yelled at. Talking to strangers and trying to sell a product was not my strength.

After you know what you do not do well, there are two things to do: either manage those weaknesses or avoid situations that require them. To manage a weakness you need to leakage other skills to help you do that activity to the (level of the) status quo. Do not expect to ever make your weaknesses a strength. That same time you could use practicing and improving your current strengths and yield a much higher return on investment. Look at the activities you do not do well and see if there are ways for you to do that activity a little differently and still achieve it. Some things you can avoid absolutely. Is there someone at work whose strengths compliment your weaknesses? Maybe you can share the work. Do you have the authority to hire someone to take on the work you do not do well so you can focus on your strengths? In my business I am good at the organizational management piece where my partner is better at the sales piece (remember my cold-calling experience). I focus on directing the vision of our organization while he brings in the business. Would this work for you?

By understanding your strengths versus your weaknesses, you can begin shaping your job to fit you (or finding a different career). You will find you have much more satisfaction after spending your day being successful versus struggling through a workday by trying to rely on weaknesses. And go ahead, play at work.

How to Turn a Website Into a Money Machine

Making money online requires four major elements.

1) A product or service that people are willing to pay for.

2) The technology infrastructure to enable prospects to find and interact with your business online.

3) Traffic bringing prospects to your site.

4) Converting those prospects into customers and collecting their money.

While all four elements need to be in place and working together in order to make money, the technology infrastructure is the most critical element because it supports the other three and creates the leverage that enables individuals to make five, six and even seven figure imports from their home based businesses.

The biggest misconception about the technology needed to make money is that having a website is enough. Nothing could be further from the truth.

A website is simply the first, albeit the most important, element required to make money. Typically a website consists of a hosting account (where one leases space on a web server), a URL or web address, and a few pages of information or sales copy about the product or service being offered.

However, to turn a website into a real online business requires the addition of a number of software applications to manage the various business functions required including: autoresponders for building a list, multimedia to improve sales and conversions, split-testing to measure and improve conversions , traffic tracking to optimize advertising and traffic strategies, credit card processing, and monitoring and reporting of critical business metrics.

Generally these are purchased as stand alone applications and added to a basic website in order to create a real online business. The total cost of all the additional technologies required is in the range of $ 2,000 to $ 4,000.

The major drawback to this approach is the time it takes to operate the online business, as it takes a great deal of time to jump from application to application to gather the operating data required to make operating decisions.

The solution to this problem is to retain a software engineer to connect, integrate and develop displays for the most important operating information. This can easily cost an additional $ 20,000 to $ 30,000.

The objective being to reduce the amount of time spent dealing with the technologies so more of your limited time can be invested in driving traffic and learning the important conversions skills required to convert prospects into customers.

Alex Mandossian, the uber successful Internet marketer said it best.

"The secret to making money online is Simple.

Do not spend any more than 10% of your time dealing with the technologies so you can spend 90% on traffic and conversion because that's where the money is made online. "

Then he finished with most important point.

"There's no money in learning and managing the technologies, unless you want to be a webmaster."

This means that you either need to hire a professional webmaster to set up and manage the technologies required to operate your online business (so you can focus on getting traffic and converting it into customers) ... OR you need to get one of the integrated applications that provide all the technologies ready to go.

Not only do these applications combine all the technologies into one easy to use application that let's you focus on traffic and conversion, but they cost 80% to 90% less than purchasing all the technologies separately.

Bottom line, the best way to turn your website into a money machine is to purchase one off the shelf. It's far faster, much cheaper and will make you a lot more money.

Please visit www.YourFirst50K.com [http://www.yourfirst50k.com] for more information & to receive your FREE copy of my ebook titled "How to Make Your First $ 50,000 Online"

Hacksaw, Handles & Blades - No, You Don't Know How to Use One

Hacksaws are one of the most common hand tools. Nearly everyone owns one, and if you don't have one, you need to buy one. Hacksaws are inexpensive and very economical to use. But most of you never use it because the one time you tried to use it things didn't go well. You broke the hacksaw blade, the blade kept falling out of the handle, or it kept getting stuck in the piece you were trying to cut. If you did manage to get the piece cut, it took forever and the cut ended up crooked.

The main reasons most people have difficulty when sawing metal with a hacksaw are:

You have the blade in wrong

You aren't using a sharp blade

There is too much flex in the blade

The number of teeth is to low for the project

You are putting too much pressure on the saw

You don't clamp the work.

I will cover each of these difficulties as you and I go through this article.

Hacksaws and hacksaw blades are designed to cut metal (I will tell you how to use it to cut wood and plastic) and most people find cutting metal very difficult and frustrating. The reason, most of the time, is that they don't really know how to use the metal hacksaw.

What is a Hacksaw?

A hacksaw is a metal frame designed to hold a tempered metal blade. The blade is typically 1/2 inch high and the majority of them are 12 inches long. The blade has a hole on each end that fits into pins on the hacksaw. Hacksaws are designed to cut on the push stroke. The handle (grip) on a properly designed saw is angled just right so you put a little pressure on the blade when you push it through the material you are cutting. Even though some so-called "experts" will tell you that you can put the blade in the other way a hacksaw does not work well if you have the blade in backwards.

Do you need a Hacksaw?

You can cut almost anything with a hacksaw. Although it was designed to cut metal, you can use it to cut plastic, wood, metal tubing, aluminum, copper, and brass. It works very well to cut electrical tubing (conduit), BMX (flexible metal tubing), plastic water pipe, (PVT & CVT) and even nuts and bolts. You can use it to cut a 2X4 in a pinch and with the right blade porcelain tile.

Setting up the Hacksaw to Cut.

Step 1. Determine which blade you will use to cut the material. Use a 32 t.p.i. blade for conduit, an 18 tooth blade for cutting off a bolt or plastic pipe and an 8 tooth for wood. In practice you want at least three teeth in contact with the material at any time. If you are cutting deeper than the depth of the blade use a blade that has wavy teeth. The wavy blade leaves a wider slot (kerf) that keeps the blade from sticking in the groove you are cutting.

You can use it to cut wood. It will cut a lot slower than a wood saw, but it works if you don't have anything else. Use a 8 or 10 tooth blade and mark the cut line on the board both horizontally and vertically. Use the horizontal mark to make you initial cut (groove) and the vertical mark to keep your cut straight. Take your time and don't put a lot of pressure on the hacksaw.

Step 2. Insert the blade so that the teeth are pointing forward. If you can't see this, rub your finger gently over the teeth of the blade.

You will feel the teeth "grip" your finger. Put the blade so it grips when you push the saw. The holes of the blade go into the pins on the bottom of the frame. Many hacksaws are designed to take different length blades so if you have an adjustable frame you may have to shorten or lengthen the frame to fit your blade.

The teeth should try to "grab" your finger when pushed. If they don't feel sharp, the blade is dull and should be replaced. Blades are inexpensive so don't be afraid to replace it.

Step 3. Tighten the thumbscrew until you can't turn it with your hand (Hand tight) This amount of tension on the blade should keep the blade from bowing as you cut. Sometimes when I am have problems with the blade falling off, I will tighten it another 1/4 turn with a pliers.

Ok, Let's Cut Something.

I am going to use a metal pipe for this example. It is easy to cut and once you get a little experience using the hacksaw, cutting metal will be a breeze.

To really use a hacksaw well you need to clamp your work. I have a vise on a workbench that I usually use.

If you don't have a vise, screw a 2X4 onto your bench and hold the pipe against the 2X4 with your left hand. When possible use a vise or clamp to secure the metal you want to cut.

Step 1. To use a hacksaw properly, grip the frame with both hands. (I am right handed so I grab the handle with my right hand and use my left hand to hold the other end of the saw.) Hold the hacksaw so that your right hand index finger is pointing ahead to help guide the saw. As you push the blade (forward stroke) use your left hand to guide the saw so that it cuts straight. DO NOT use your left hand to apply pressure, just use it to guide your cut. Use most of the blade. If you apply pressure on the forward stroke with your left hand the teeth will usually grab too much and the saw will "stick". Again a hacksaw handle is angled to give you the proper down pressure on the blade.

Step 2. When you get to the end of the forward stroke, stop and pull the saw back with your right hand. As you pull back don't apply any pressure with your right hand. (It only cuts in the forward direction and putting pressure on the return stroke will just wear out the blade prematurely). A lot of teachers will make you lift the saw on the return stroke so you don't destroy the blade. Move your body forward and back as you cut, pressing on the forward stroke and easing off on the return one.

Step 3. Repeat this until you saw all the way through the pipe. With a little practice you will be able to cut at about 1 stroke every second. Don't stroke any faster than this because it will create too much heat and again wear out the blade prematurely.

Don't put too much pressure on the blade. You may have to break a blade or two before you get the feel of how much pressure you can apply. Don't worry, they are cheap. Don't saw too quickly as that can cause the blade to break as well. Always check to make sure that the blade is secured tightly in its frame.

Reviews. Or Don't buy one at Wally World

Believe it or not, I could tell you a lot more about using a hacksaw, but this is enough to get you cutting properly. Buy a good quality hacksaw I recommend on my website. Even the cheap one I recommend is good quality and will last you years. With a quality saw it won't take long before you get good at using one.

DON'T buy a cheap one at the local dollar store. Why? The hacksaw handle has to be strong enough to keep the blade tensioned correctly and the cheap ones will give you nothing but years of frustration. Also buy a hacksaw with the handle tilted like the Stanley 150565. Some hacksaws have a straight handle and are very hard to use for a beginner.

Blades are cheap, so buy a box of them in at least two "teeth" numbers (32 teeth for metal conduit and 18 teeth for solid steel, plastic pipe and general use. But don't buy cheap blades. The cheap blades are too brittle and you will end up breaking a lot of them. A good hacksaw blade cuts on it's own with very little pressure from you so change the blades as soon as they get dull. To tell if a blade is dull pull your finger over the blade. If it is still sharp the teeth will try to "catch" on your finger. A dull blade won't. I prefer Milwaukee blades because they will flex without breaking, and last a long, long time compared to the cheap blades. Better yet, buy two inexpensive hacksaws and keep different blades on each. Dull, worn blades take a lot of work to cut an item, so change them as often as you would a utility knife or razor blade.

Follow the link below for ToolBoxHero to buy your new Hacksaw, read reviews and get more information:

Managing Your Money on Your Trip to Ireland

If you are planning a holiday to Ireland you will need to decide how you will manage your finances while you are there. ATMs and banks are widespread so you will never be too far from a source of cash.

If you are traveling from another Eurozone country you do not have to worry about exchanging currency. However, if you are traveling from the United States or the United Kingdom you will need to convert to Euro.

You have a number of choices on how you manage your money while you are away. The most traditional way to bring money is traveler's checks. However, this is one of the more expensive options with responsibilities as high as six percent, but they can be replaced if they are lost or stolen.

Making cash withdrawals is probably the cheapest and most convenient to access cash on your holidays. You can use your credit card, debit card or bank card to make withdrawals in Ireland. Most ATMs in Ireland will accept all three.

With debit cards or bank cards you usually pay a commission of about 1.5 percent. However, you can save money by lodging money into your credit card account before you go and withdraw it while you are away.

All major credit cards, including MasterCard, Visa and American Express, are widely accepted at shops, hotels and restaurants all over Ireland.

It is a good idea to buy some Euro before you leave your country so you have some money for essentials like travel to your hotel when you arrive.

However, try not to carry too much cash at any one time. Ireland is a reliably safe country but a small number of tourists are robbed there every year. Be vigilant and try to bring a spare card in case yours is lost or stolen.

What Type Of Life Insurance Is Best?

Life Insurance (although it should not be) is to this day a very controversial issue. There seems to be a lot of different types of life insurance out there, but there are really only two kinds. They are Term Insurance and Whole Life (Cash Value) Insurance. Term Insurance is pure insurance. It protects you over a certain period of time. Whole Life Insurance is insurance plus a side account known as cash value. Generally speaking, consumer reports recommend term insurance as the most economic choice and they have for some time. But still, whole life insurance is the most prevalent in today's society. Which one should we buy?

Let's talk about the purpose of life insurance. Once we get the proper purpose of insurance down to a science, then everything else will fall into place. The purpose of life insurance is the same purpose as any other type of insurance. It is to "insure against loss of". Car insurance is to insure your car or someone else's car in case of an accident. So in other words, since you probably could not pay for the damage yourself, insurance is in place. Home owners insurance is to insure against loss of your home or items in it. So since you probably could not pay for a new house, you buy an insurance policy to cover it.

Life insurance is the same way. It is to insure against loss of your life. If you had a family, it would be impossible to support them after you died, so you buy life insurance so that if something were to happen to you, your family could replace your income. Life insurance is not to make you or your descendants rich or give them a reason to kill you. Life insurance is not to help you retire (or else it would have called retirement insurance)! Life insurance is to replace your income if you die. But the wicked ones have made us believe otherwise, so that they can overcharge us and sell all kinds of other things to us to get paid.

How Does Life Insurance Work?

Rather than make this complicated, I will give a very simple explanation on how and what goes down in an insurance policy. As a matter of fact, it will be over simplified because we would otherwise be here all day. This is an example. Let's say that you are 31 years old. A typical term insurance policy for 20 years for $ 200,000 would be about $ 20 / month. Now ... if you wanted to buy a whole life insurance policy for $ 200,000 you might pay $ 100 / month for it. So instead of charging you $ 20 (which is the true cost) you will be overcharged by $ 80, which will then be put into a savings account.

Now, this $ 80 will continue to accumulate in a separate account for you. Typically speaking, if you want to get some of your money out of the account, you can then BORROW IT from the account and pay it back with interest. Now ... let's say you were to take $ 80 dollars a month and give it to your bank. If you went to withdraw the money from your bank account and they told you that you had to BORROW your own money from them and pay it back with interest, you would probably go clean upside someone's head. But somehow, when it comes to insurance, this is okay

This stems from the fact that most people do not realize that they are borrowing their own money. The "agent" (of the insurance Matrix) rarely will explain it that way. You see, one of the ways that companies get rich, is by getting people to pay them, and then turn around and borrow their own money back and pay more interest! Home equity loans are another example of this, but that is a whole different sermon.

Deal or No Deal

Let us stick with the previous illustration. Let us say the one thousand 31 year olds (all in good health) bought the aforementioned term policy (20 years, $ 200,000 dollars at $ 20 / month). If these people were paying $ 20 / month, that is $ 240 per year. If you take that and multiply it over the 20 year term then you will have $ 4800. So each individual will pay $ 4800 over the life of the term. Since one thousand individuals bought the policy, they will end up paying 4.8 million in premiums to the company. The insurance company has already calculated that around 20 people with good health (between the ages of 31 and 51) will die. So if 20 people pass away, then the company will have to pay out 20 x $ 200,000 or $ 4,000,000. So, if the company pays out $ 4,000,000 and takes in $ 4,800,000 it will then make a $ 800,000 profit.

This is of course OVER simplifying because a lot of people will cancel the policy (which will also bring down the number of death claims paid), and some of those premiums can be used to accumulate interest, but you can get a general idea of ​​how things work.

On the other hand, let's look at whole life insurance. Let us say the one thousand 31 year olds (all in good health) bought the aforementioned whole life policy ($ 200,000 dollars at $ 100 / month). These people are paying $ 100 / month. That is $ 1200 per year. If the average person's lifespan (in good health people) goes to 75, then on average, the people will pay 44 years worth of premiums. If you take that and multiply it by $ 1200 you will get $ 52,800. So each individual will pay $ 52,800 over the life of the policy. Since one thousand individuals bought the policy, they will end up paying 52.8 million in premiums to the company. If you buy a whole life policy, the insurance company has already calculated the probability that you will die. What is that probability? 100%, because it is a whole life (till death do us part) insurance policy! This means that if everyone kept their policies, the insurance company would have to pay out 1000 x $ 200,000 = $ 2,000,000,000) That's right, two billion dollars!

Ladies and gentleman, how can a company afford to pay out two billion dollars knowing that it will only take in 52.8 million? Now just like in the previous example, this is an oversimplification as policies will lapse. As a matter of fact, MOST whole life policies do lapse because people can not afford them, I hope you see my point. Let's take the individual. A 31 year old male bought a policy in which he is suppose to pay in $ 52,800 and get $ 200,000 back? There is no such thing as a free lunch. The company somehow has to weasel $ 147,200 out of him, JUST TO BREAK EVEN on this policy! Not to mention, pay the agents (who get paid much higher bills on whole life policies), underwriters, insurance fees, advertising fees, 30 story buildings ... etc, etc.

This does not even take into account these variable life and universal life policies that claim to be so good for your retirement. So you are going to pay $ 52,800 into a policy and this policy will make you rich, AND pay you the $ 200,000 death benefit, AND pay the agents, staff and fees? This has to be a rip off.

Well, how could they rip you off? Maybe for the first five years of the policy, no cash value will accruate (you may want to check your policy). Maybe it's misrepresenting the value of the return (this is easy if the customer is not knowledgeable on exactly how investments work). Also, if you read my article on the Rule of 72 you can clearly see that giving your money to someone else to invest can lose you millions! You see, you may pay in $ 52,800 but that does not take into account how much money you LOSE by not investing it yourself! This is regardless of how well your agent may tell you the company will invest your money! Plain and simple, they have to get over on you somehow or they would go out of business!

How long do you need life insurance?

Let me explain what is called The Theory of Decreasing Responsibility, and maybe we can answer this question. Let's say that you and your spouse just got married and have a child. Like most people, when they are young they are also crazy, so they go out and buy a new car and a new house. Now, here you are with a young child and debt up to the neck! In this particular case, if one of you were to pass away, the loss of income would be devastating to the other spouse and the child. This is the case for life insurance. BUT, this is what happens. You and your spouse begin to pay off that debt. Your child gets older and less dependent on you. You start to build up your assets. Keep in mind that I am talking about REAL assets, not fake or phantom assets like equity in a home (which is just a fixed interest rate credit card)

In the end, the situation is like this. The child is out of the house and no longer dependent on you. You do not have any debt. You have enough money to live off, and pay for your funeral (which now costs thousands of dollars because the DEATH INDUSTRY has found new ways to make money by having people spend more honor and money on a person after they die then they did while that person was alive). So ... at this point, what do you need insurance for? Exactly ... absolutely nothing! So why would you buy Whole Life (aka DEATH) Insurance? The idea of ​​a 179 year old person with grown children who do not depend on him / her still paying insurance premiums is asine to say the least.

As a matter of fact, the need for life insurance could have been greatly decreed and quickly eliminated, if one would learn not to accumulate liabilities, and quickly accumulate wealth first. But I realize that this is almost impossible for most people in this materialistic, Middle Classed matrixed society. But anyway, let's take it a step further.

Confused Insurance Policies

This next statement is very obvious, but very substantial. Living and dying are exact opposites of each other. Why do I say this? The purpose of investing is to accumulate enough money in case you live to retire. The purpose of buying insurance is to protect your family and loved ones if you die before you can retire. These are two diametrically opposed actions! So, if an "agent" waltzes into your home selling you a whole life insurance policy and telling you that it can insure your life AND it can help you retire, your Red Pill Question should be this:

"If this plan will help me retire securely, why will I always need insurance? And on the other hand, if I will be broke enough later on in life that I will still need insurance, then how is this a good retirement plan?"

Now if you ask an insurance agent those questions, she / he may become confused. This of course comes from selling confused policies that do two opposites at once.

Norman Dacey said it best in the book "What's Wrong With Your Life Insurance"

"No one could ever quarrel with the idea of ​​providing protection for one's family while at the same time accumulating a fund for some such purpose as education or retirement. But if you try to do both of these jobs through the medium of one insurance policy, it is inevitable that both jobs will be done badly. "

So you see, even though there are a lot of new variations of whole life, like variable life and universal life, with various bells and whistles (claiming to be better than the original, typical whole life policies), the Red Pill Question must always be asked! If you are going to buy insurance, then buy insurance! If you are going to invest, then invest. It's that simple. Do not let an insurance agent trick you into buying a whole life policy based on the assumption that you are too incompetent and undisciplined to invest your own money.

If you are afraid to invest your money because you do not know how, then educate yourself! It may take some time, but it is better than giving your money to somebody else so they can invest it for you (and get rich with it). How can a company be profitable when it takes the money from it's customers, invests it, and turns around and gives it's customers all of the profits?

And do not fall for the old "What if the runs runs out and you can not get re-insured trick". Listen, there are a lot of term policies out there that are guaranteed renewable until old age (75-100). Yes, the price is a lot higher, but you must realize that if you buy a whole life policy, you will have been duped out of even more money by the time you get to that point (if that even happens). This is also yet another reason to be smart with your money. Do not buy confused policies.

How much should you buy?

I normally recommend 8-10 times your annual income as a good face amount for your insurance. Why so high? Here is the reason. Let's say that you make $ 50,000 per year. If you were to pass away, your family could take $ 500,000 ($ 10 times $ 50,000) and put it into a fund that pays 10 percent (which will give them $ 40,000 per year) and not touch the principle. So what you have done is replaced your income.

This is another reason why Whole Life insurance is bad. It is impossible to afford the amount of insurance you need trying to buy super high priced policies. Term insurance is much cheaper. To add to this, do not let high face values ​​scare you. If you have a lot of liabilities and you are worried about your family, it is much better to be underinsured than to have no insurance at all. Buy what you can manage. Do not get sold what you can not manage.

Tips For Good Money Management

Learning how to effectively manage your money enables people to live comfortably within their means. Money management tips also allow people to increase their wealth, and the following money management tips can allow you to stay steadily in control of your finances!

First of all, you should set yourself a money management goal. A good money management tip like this is a means to an end. You must make your goal practically, however, and ensure that the end something that is in clear sight. Whilst your money management goal could be the prospect of having a comfortable retirement - you should begin with smaller objectives, like paying off a debt within a certain amount of months, or saving a particular amount of money within a chosen period of time. The satisfaction that comes with achieving a money management goal, motivates you to do more and more, possibly allowing yourself to have a comfortable retirement - and that's what makes this money management tip such a good one.

Secondly, it can be wise for you to know precisely what you have. You need to live within your means, and you must also understand exactly what your means are! Out of all the money management tips, this tip allows you to steadily monitor your cash flow, and allow you to see exactly how rich you actually are.

You should look specifically at any disposable income you have, in your pocket or wallet, or in any bank accounts. You must not include any sources of finance like overdrafts or loans, as extremely, that money is always owed to a creditor! Sometimes you have old bank accounts you have not used, or stashes of money left for a rainy day. Find these sums of money and include them in your calculations of how much money you really do have available to spend.

The third tip in a long line of money management tips would be to track any arm of income that you have. If there is at least one month's worth of old cheque stubs - you should add them up and divide them to see what your average incomes accounts to.

Even better, you could add them for a quarter of the year and divide this amount by the number of weeks in a quarter (13) - giving you a completely accurate view of your perception power. Perhaps you have not saved cheque stubs - so try it for four weeks. And do not just multiply your weekly wage by four, as you could well be forgetting sick days, or any other days you have not been able to make it to work, and even omitting extra income from any holidays.

Another in the long line of money management tips would be to track your overall spending. As soon as you know what money you have and what income you should expect you should be looking at where exactly your money goes. You could take one month as an example, and watch what you spend down to the very last penny. After a few weeks of doing this, you could well find yourself reconsidering some purchases, and wondering whether or not you actually need to waste your money on such things!