Small Business Advertising Ideas in Under an Hour

Before we get into all these small business advertising ideas, we would like to say that the best advertising that you could ever have for your small business is word of mouth, but for those of you just starting out this could be more helpful. If you want to skyrocket your business in a very short amount of time, doing a little advertising will drive eyeballs to your website and footsteps into your door.

The following list of small business advertising ideas are brought to you with the knowledge that some are better than others, some cost money, some provide better results and some are free except for what we like to call sweat equity. As with any marketing, the best suggestion is that you keep an open mind and know that advertising can and attract paying customers, as long as you target the right audience.

There are many more advertising ideas out there, we focus on what is working now and what is going to work years into the future as the internet evolves and becomes the dominate place to advertise any product or service.

Pay Per Click Advertising:

Pay Per Click Advertising is the method you would consider if you have a budget of $500 or more marketing budget and are looking to drive instant traffic to a website in a very small amount of time. This advertising method gives you the ability to place a small ad, a video ad or a banner advertisement that you are only charged a small fee when someone clicks on your advertisement. A small ad or banner advertising is a way someone can read an ad or see a small banner that when they click on the link or the banner they are redirected to the site you are actually promoting. Most fees for this method run anywhere from .05 cents up to $50.00 per click, depending on your target market and your keywords that you may be targeting.

Article Marketing:

Article Marketing is a way that allows you to write or pay someone to write short articles (very similar to what you are reading now) and submit them to many different sites all over the internet for no charge. With this method you will want to figure out the right keywords that you want to target, write an article or have one written that is roughly 500-750 words and submit to article submission sites and have a good call to action at the end of the article with a link to a site for the reader to learn more. As you start writing more articles or start submitting more articles you will find new tips and tricks that will allow your articles to be on page one of any search engine within a matter of days. Article marketing is a one of the small business advertising ideas that we suggest to start getting a little traffic and build upon it every few days which drives more and more traffic to your site. We suggest submitting at least one article a day to the top ten article subm ission sites and then leverage a paid tool to submit to the other thousands of sites on the internet to get out in front of other readers. We do not recommend automating the entire process for hard lessons many businesses have learnt before.

Video Marketing:

Video Marketing is a very powerful tool to market your small business, people love watching videos and if you can make the video fun, interesting and offer a solution to a person's problems you will be able to drive a great deal of traffic to your business. Video marketing uses sight and sound and really pulls on people's emotions if done properly and can have outstanding results in a very short amount of time, but like all marketing, this is not a put one video up and watch thousands of people start flooding your business. Our suggestion is that you shoot one or two videos a week for three months and keep all the videos on the same subject and focusing on offering solutions and a way that the person watching your video can get back into touch with you.

As with any marketing, a little paid advertising, a couple articles, a video or two is not going to provide you with the results you are looking to obtain. Our suggestion is to pick one or two of the following provided small business advertising ideas and maintain the methods described above to get a good indication on whether your actions are providing the results you are looking for.

For more traffic generating ideas and a 30 minute free consultation on your business and how to generate more traffic follow visit our site at Best Small Business Advertising Ideas

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Home Remedies for Your Sick iPod

What should you do when your iPod freezes or you frequently see the Sad Face icon appearing on your screen? Do you run to the nearest computer guru or iPod geek and shell out cash that you don't have? Why not learn how to fix some of these yourself!

There are several diagnostic tests you can do to see if your iPod has a hardware problem. It is nice to turn to the built-in Diagnostic Mode on your iPod to check for hardware problems. First, you need to restart your iPod and then put it in Diagnostic Mode. Make sure the hold switch has been turned off. You can do this by pushing the switch away from the headphone jack. Jiggle it on and off to be sure. To reset your iPod, you will need to press and hold a few buttons at the same time for about 10 seconds. Hold the "Menu" and "Play/Pause" buttons down if your iPod is 1G to 3G. If you have the iPod 4G, you will need to press and hold "Menu" and "Select". If your iPod has been reset, you should see the Apple logo and feel the spinning of the hard drive. Now, press and hold these buttons: "REW", "FFW" and "Select" for iPod 1G to 3G and "Back" and "Select" for the iPod 4G. If your model is a 3G or above, you should hear a bird chirp sound and the Apple logo should pop up backw ards. You have now reached the mecca of Diagnostic Mode. Keep in mind that your scroll wheel will not work when you are in this mode. Using "REW" and "FFW", you can look through the lists of tests to see which one you might need.

If your iPod is older, there are some tests you can run on 1G to 4G's. The 5 in 1 will run five separate tests at one time that include the LCM, SDRAM, RTC, FLASH/CHECKSUM. AMD FOREWORE/FW ID. For 3G iPods, you will hear a jingle when the test has completed. RESET will tell you if your iPod can reset. The AUDIO test will check the iPod audio subsystem. If you have a remote, the REMOTE will test it. Make sure your iPod is plugged in or you will get "RMT FAIL" on your screen. FIREARE will check the FireWire port. You want to see "FW PASS". SLEEP will give your iPod a rest but you will need to reset your system to revive it. To test your iPod's power, you will need to run the A 2 D test. You will get different outcomes based on where your iPod is getting its power from a battery or wall outlet. If your scroll wheel is giving you fits, run the I.OTPO CNT test. To make sure the screen is functioning properly, run the LCM test. You will need to keep holding down the "Select" bu tton to have it run through several patterns. The RTC test will test the real time clock in your iPod. To test the iPod RAM memory, run the SDRAM test. If you need to find out what firmware version you have on your iPod, simply run the FLASH test. The OTPO or Wheel A2D will test the analog to digital input of your iPod's scroll wheel. After this test, you will need to reset your iPod. Want to know if you have a healthy hard drive? Do the HDD Scan. The RUN IN test will test the chip sets non-stop. After you have completed all necessary tests, you will need to reset your iPod to get it out of Diagnostic Mode.

The newer iPod test names are easier to understand and won't leave you looking for your nerd dictionary. The MEMORY test will test the SDRAM, IRAM, and FLASH memory. The SDRAM is the RAM memory test, which may take a few moments. You will want to see "SDRAM OK". The FLASH test will let you know where you iPod stands on flash memory. The Comms test will let you know how the ports are faring. You will know if your remote is not connected to your iPod if you get a NG, or no good result, for the HP, headphone-port. The Wheel test will test the key and wheel. The LCD test will test the colors, patterns, and gradients of your LCD. To test your hold switch, you will do the Headphone Detect test. When you own an iPod, you want to make sure that you have protected your investment. An iPod is not cheap, and neither are your music downloads. Keep your iPod in top working condition by learning a few things you can do at home instead of paying someone else to fix it.

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Lights ! Camera ! Sell ! A Reality TV Program that Impacts Business, People, Companies and the Recession

It could only happen in California. A state famous for the dot.com explosion, expensive tastes, beautiful scenery, hollywood and.............The VP Sales Contest. Enter Ken Gora, the CEO of Next Productions and creator of the VP Contest, a 7 week sales and marketingtournament being held in 18 different cities that gets people jobs and earnings, creates sales revenue and branding for companies, stimulates the economy and is a pilot for an entertaining and educational reality TV program.

I sat in Dr. Gora's office in the beautiful Carmel Valley section of San Diego, California one afternoon. How did this man with a PhD in Psychology, years of corporate recruiting experience and some escapades as a marketing consultant and seminar leader get involved with "contests" and Reality TV ? He (Dr. Gora) is about 6 ft 3 inches tall, late 40's or 50 ish, and goes from being soft spoken and serious to excited and motivating. I could see his skills and persona as an interviewer, a charismatic speaker and as a Reality TV judge. And he started to tell me how it all happened in the middle of a summer night.

"The truth is I woke up at 2:30am one night and my background in recruiting, outsourcing , marketing, training, and my watching the reality TV contest/elimination formats all came together. I wasn't trying to start a new business or create an industry. I just woke up and in one long sentence in my head I knew that this was a way to help people, stimulate businesses and the economy and also have a program of entertainment value" shared Dr. Gora.

"The VP Contest is really a live sales and marketing event that is determined to find out who is THE VP, as in , the VP of Sales and Marketing or The Guru of Sales and Marketing" explained Dr. Gora. "I've been a corporate recruiter and headhunter for many years, have owned some small businesses and have hired many, many successful sales people for my clients around the country. I know that one of the keys to most businesses success is to have a team of hungry, skillful, enthusiastic sales people that are performing. Through my psychological profiling and over 20 years of recruiting, I bring to a business 25 sales and marketing professionals that have an immediate impact on their sales revenue on a local, regional or national level. And the VP Contest does it at a tenth of the cost a business would be able to do it on their own."

"Besides the companies in the contest getting sales and branding, and the contestants earning money and jobs, what we also have here is a compelling "edu-tainment" (new word people) television program that combines the best of American Idol, Shark Tank and Survivor except..it's real ! The contestants are not going to a mansion every night with the other contestants, they are going home to their families and they are here to show what they got, perform, make money and get the $100,000 a year job. Their story and background and marketing strategies makes for compelling viewing. This contest provides hope and obtainable results and opportunities. Even if they don't win the grand prize, they may earn thousands of dollars in the contest and get a job with one of the sponsoring companies" Ken explained. (He told me to stop calling him Dr. Gora. LOL) "The American Idol analogy is relevant because the contestants must do well selling and marketing five different companies products over the course of the contest. You cannot be just a one hit wonder, you must show that as the VP you can do a bit of everything. Just like on Idol, you must sing well in a variety of musical or sales genres. And like American Idol, someone can come out of nowhere and win it."

"You see, what I'm really doing is finding the many, many great unemployed people or those people who are working somewhere and feel they can do better and bringing them together with companies that are looking to increase their sales and branding. These people want to work, they want to make a difference, they want to show that they can sell or market. The companies gets the benefit of a motivated sales force that wants to compete and do well in the contest and they pay a small sponsor fee for the opportunity to have the sales force market their product plus the branding they get with the contestants and the media."

It does appear that everybody wins that participates in the VP Contest and that if people are working and making money, and companies are getting revenue and producing more products or services, that all of this stimulates the economy. People who otherwise might be unemployed or stuck in a job that they don't like, get to be assessed in the contest purely by their performance. It is the American Idol of Sales. Companies that are looking for cost-effective branding and sales find their products in new accounts and markets. Plus, Next Productions, of which Ken Gora is CEO of, gives a percentage of their profits to two childrens charities.

I interviewed a number of the contestants and company sponsors and they both spoke of the real value and opportunity the contest provided for them. One contestant told me that they would probably earn over $8,000 in commissions while being in the contest. Kristen Baldwin, the winner of the San Diego contest actually received two VP of Sales offers. One of them was with Next Productions, the other was with CUBA Beverage, a sponsor in the contest.

This was the type of success story that companies dream of. CUBA Beverage, a San Diego based company the manufactures a great tasting, caffeine free, herbal energy juice drink, entered the contest as a cost effective way to get a large sales force and branch into new markets. The contestants got CUBA into health clubs, restaurants, office parks, coffee shops, retail stores and.. the United States Armed Forces. Those accounts turned into a landslide of new business and ongoing potential revenue. Many of these accounts were opened by Kristen and she also worked on getting two large distributors for California and Mexico.

Other companies in the contest from biosciences to home improvement to nutritional products to gift items talked about the new accounts opened, doubling sales, and the regional and national branding received. "We will definitely be in the VP Contest again" said Jeff Adams, President of Starlines, a calendar and gift company. Earth-List, a green business directory and green product company, is utilizing the VP Contest for it's national expansion and also as a recruiting tool to find a top sales person. Greenbo USA is using the contest to launch it's product line in the United States.

What's next for Next Productions and the VP Contest ?

"Something new keeps happening every week", explained Ken. "We just announced the National Sales Contest which will allow people around the country the opportunity to participate in the VP Sales contest on-line. They will not have to wait for the contest to come to their city, no meetings, no cameras. Just sales and money to be earned. We have a number of sponsors lining up so that they can get the 50 sales and marketing professionals that are in the contest from all over the United States"

Speaking about cameras, what is the status of the Reality TV Pilot of the VP Contest ?

"We are talking with a number of networks as well as production companies. We are working with an award winning producer and director of film and reality TV and there are also some very cool potential celebrity judges" Ken added. "Some of these judges are successful business people, athletes or entertainers. These successful mentors are people who see this as a way to give back to the community, to help the economy as well as brand themselves with an entertaining and educational TV product".

Business. Entertainment . Jobs. Fighting the recession. Celebrities. Making money. Charities. Branding and market expansion. Reality TV.It seems that Next Productions and The VP Contest has something for everybody. If they hit their goal of 18 targeted cities and a national TV audience, who knows how many jobs and companies they might impact ?. For more information, the company's website is www.thevpcontest.com To view a brief video about the contest, link to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaJ_h0KoVag

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Exercise Iphone Apps - The Perfect Solution For The Busy Woman

There are so many exercise products marketed toward women, how do you know what works and what is best left alone? iPhone apps are the most popular new medium with many applications geared toward women and pregnancy exericse.

Does working out to an iPhone App even make any sense? It's a phone with a small screen, not a tv, how can this be a good thing?

I asked myself the same thing. I created the Pilates for You DVD Series and also wrote a book on Pilates and Pregnancy so I already saw the pros and cons of those 2 mediums. As a certified Pilates instructor, I always prefer that a clients take lessons with a trained instructor so that they can be evaluated to make sure that what they are doing is right for them and that their form and execution is correct. That said, not everyone has the time or money to go to a group class, never mind a private session. I made sure that the workouts I provided on DVD or in my book were filled with detail and provided modifications.

Technology progresses quickly. My first workouts were Prenatal and Postnatal Pilates and they were on VHS! So when iPhone Applications came along, I had to really educate myself on whether this was a plausible medium for exercise. I've come to believe that this may actually be the best format so far!

Think of your phone as a personal trainer that always travels with you. Many exercise apps work like a video stream. You can watch an exercise then pause the workout, put the phone down and do the exercise. I chose to do my first apps more like my Pregnancy Workbook. I liked the idea that you can choose an exercise, read the benefits, look at the series of pictures and descriptions and then put the phone down and do that exercise. No need to worry that the video is jumping ahead of you, you look at your phone as needed. I am the queen of details, so I liked that I could fill my app with as much information about an exercise as I wanted and yet let the user pick and choose what they wanted to focus on.

Many exercise apps, like mine, allow you to customize the length of the workout. Who doesn't have time for a 5 minute workout. Since the phone is always with you, why not squeeze in several short workouts rather than 1 long one. I allow my user to pick time or a body part. This truly makes the experience like having a customized workout for each woman.

Having an exercise application that can go with you everywhere can be a life-saver for many women. You don't need a TV and it's not as bulky as a book. You can select a five minute workout during a break at the office when your back is aching, or a 20 minute workout in your hotel room to get you going for the day.

Saving time, customizing workouts, limiting the bulk that needs to go with you everyday are all reasons to take another look at the world of iPhone app.

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Some Books Don't Work! How to Write a Book that Grows Your Business

You've probably heard all this before: writing a book is one of the most powerful marketing tools available to coaches, consultants, speakers, and professionals. It can establish or enhance your brand and unique positioning. It can attract a steady stream of those ideal high-paying clients we all love. And it can elevate everything you're already doing to a higher level of success.

But not all books work as well as they could. Why? Because everyone has a book and most of them aren't very good. ThereI said it. If you really want your book to grow your business, then it has to be better, more engaging, and more authentic than the other titles. It has to be an extension of you and your business that represents your expertise in the marketplace and pulls ideal clients right to you. Otherwise it's just another book.

How can you ensure your book works? Consider the following tips.

1. Write Your Book Well
You know meI'm a writer and I don't like poorly written books. Although having the word "author" in your bio always adds a certain amount of expertise, mediocre books don't work as well as great ones do. They don't attract ideal prospects; they don't communicate the author's expertise; they don't get passed around and talked about; and they don't get much media attention.

If you really want your book to work for your business, then it has to be good. And I don't mean the sentences have to be grammatically correctthey do, but that's a given. Anyone can do that. Your book has to be written in a way that appeals to your audience, keeps them engaged, and makes them want more from you. Books have more longevity than a blog post or an e-zine article. In those mediums you can get away with the "good is good enough" approach. But your book is a big investment that should work for you for years. You can't afford regrets!

2. Design Your Content to Attract Ideal Clients and Prospects
A book is a powerful way to attract clients and prospects to your business. It can establish you as THE expert on a particular topic, introduce you and the solutions you provide to readers who may have never found you any other way, and allow you to reach audiences in numbers limited only by the number of books you can print.

But simply writing any book won't necessarily bring the right people and clients to you. You have to know who you want to attract, and then design your bookfrom the title, to the content, to the back cover copyto appeal directly to those people. And your authentic voice has to shine through, because that's the only way to attract the ideal, high-paying clients and opportunities to your business.

3. Leverage Your Book
Once your BEST book is written and published, it's time to make it work. You have to get it out there and into as many ideal readers' hands as possible with launch events, speaking engagements, virtual book tours, media releases, interviews, and anything else you can do to spread the word. The great thing about a book is that, when it's new, it can be inherently newsworthy, which means a lot of attention for you and your business as well.

Mention your book at every opportunity, work the concepts into your introductory level talks, design your marketing messages around it, and share your book with prospects and leads. If you've designed your book to fit strategically within your business, you can start to see results almost immediately, with new people signing up for your coaching programs and buying your higher-priced products and packages.

Your Business-Building Book
Nothing says "expert" like a book, and these days, anyone can pull together enough content to fill a hundred pages. But a well-written book designed to strategically attract ideal clients to your business allows more than just the ability to add the word "author" to your bio. You can send a great book into the world confidently knowing it will represent you, position you, brand you, and grow your business.

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3 Fast and Easy Ways to Make Money

Seems like everyone is looking for the fastest and easiest way to make money on the internet.

Over the last 5 years or so, Ive tried literally every technique there is. Here are 3 quick and easy ways to make *some* money online.

Side note - because these are fast and easy methods, it means the amount of money to be made is somewhat limited. The most money you can make online will be from long term efforts requiring hard work (but who wants to do that?)

The following list is in no particular order as far as ease or money making potential

1) Write website articles and content.

I dont mean just start a blog and write content that floats around the net like the billions of other websites. By writing content, I mean to get paid for writing content for others.

One thing website owners lack is time. Time to write good, entertaining, educational, and grammatically correct content for their websites. If you have decent writing skills, you can write for many different types of companies and individual website owners (ie - your clients).

A mistake I see a lot of writers make is choosing the WRONG clients. When you decide to become a paid content writer, pick your customers, dont have them pick you. Dont go to those freelance sites and beg for work bid for work. Youll end up getting paid much less than you are worth and have annoying clients that expect you to work for peanuts from that point on.

Instead, contact existing websites that you want to write for. There is a trick to this however, if you want to be successful. Dont have your first contact be an email asking if they will buy your articles or asking how much they will pay for your content. Those kinds of emails are viewed as spam and will get you nowhere.

Instead, take the higher road and sacrifice your early profits. First, read what their website or blog is about. Try to get a fe el for their style of communication. Then, write the most amazing article you could possibly imagine that would blow away their readers. Finally, GIVE THE ARTICLE TO THE WEBSITE OWNER FOR FREE.

What? You mean go above and beyond what the other 75,000 freelance writers will do to get work?

Absolutely! Let the website use your article or blog post on their website WITHOUT giving you credit for it. When you submit the article to them, be sure you tell them its a completely original article that is exclusive for their website. Tell them you are a freelance writer looking for a couple extra clients, and this article was to demonstrate your skills which will hopefully lead to more articles for them. They will be amazed by your generosity, and thats when reciprocity comes in. Theyll WANT TO HELP YOU because you helped them first.

Once they post your content to their website, you can follow up with them to see what they thought about your work. Thats when you can pitch your services to them. Do you see how this technique will get you much better results that shooting an email saying I write website content, $25 per 800 words. Would you like to buy some articles? (You laugh but I get emails like this everyday!)
Be sure to pick websites that a) have money to spend on content, and b) will need lots of fresh content to stay competitive in their market. If you do this simple technique, you can easily make $1,000 per month writing for one single website. (based on 40 articles per month at $25/article)

2) Be An Offline Affiliate Partner.

Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn a part time income. The problem is, internet marketing as an affiliate is pretty competitive since there are so many people doing it.

Instead, try promoting affiliate programs offline. Heres how you do it

Search online for an affiliate program you want to be promoting. Youll want to pick something that your local city/town would be interested in. For example, you can go to clickbank.com and search all the various products your can promote from their Marketplace.

Lets pick weight loss for this example. In clickbank, you can open up their Health & Fitness category and see all the programs you can promote. They are sorted by popularity, so typically the first 10 products listed in each category are the best sellers.

This makes your job easy as an affiliate, because you wont have to guess which products are best and easiest to sell.

Lets say we decide to promote the first one, Fat Loss For Idiots. Clickbank says we will earn about $30 for each sale of this product as an affiliate. Not bad.

To promote this product offline, its pretty simple. All you do is go to godaddy.com and purchase a domain name. Preferably something short and easy to remember since we will be promoting this link offline and people will have to type it in.

Once you purchase the $8 domain name, you need to get your affiliate link. If you are using clickbank, youll need to sign up for an account with them and then click the create hoplink link to get your affiliate referral link.

Now that you have your affiliate link, you take that affiliate URL and go back into your godaddy account to find the domain name you bought. There will be an option there to do a redirect. Choose that option, and it will ask you which URL you would like people to be redirected to when they type in your domain name. Here, you simply enter your affiliate link.

Thats all there is to it. Now that you are officially an affiliate partner, you can begin promoting your new website.

You can print up a flier or business cards with your URL on them, and post them on those corkboard message boards in your local gyms or grocery stores, stick them in fitness magazines in your local bookstore, anywhere you think people who are interested in weight loss will find them.

You can place classified ads in you local paper or pay a flier distribution service to put fliers on peoples mailboxes.

Your income will depend on how many people find your marketing ma terials and how many of those people actually go to the website to learn more. Theres no reason why you couldnt get 2-3 sales per week from this technique. So, 10 sales per month @ $30 each would put $300/month in your pocket and you can be up and running in about 3 hours from now.

3) Implement The Latest Internet Marketing Tricks For Others.

If you are like most people in the internet marketing niche, you have a hard drive full of ebooks teaching all the latest tricks to make money online. Many of these tricks actually do work, even if its for a short period of time. The problem is, a lot of these techniques require you to already have an existing website setup or have an existing email subscriber list, etc.

If you dont have these previous requirements, it can be frustrating for you because you know you can use these tricks if you just had the existing website or just had a subscriber list to start with.

Well, Ill be the first to tell you that I hardly ever get caught up in the latest tricks and fads of internet marketing. Not because I dont think they work, but instead because I dont have time to learn them and put them into use. Im too busy running my businesses (like most website owners) to get sidetracked by these new ideas.

Thats where you step in. Lets say you just bought an ebook teaching you how to use Youtube to generate lots of traffic to a website. Youve read this ebook 2 or 3 times and know this stuff inside out. Guess what? Now, YOURE CONSIDERED AN EXPERT.

Becoming an expert is pretty easy. In fact, if you know more than someone else about a certain topic, you are an expert compared to that other person. So, you being the expert on a specialized topic such as generating traffic from Youtube, can come to me as a website owner and propose an offer.

You can word is something like this

Hi website owner,

My name is Tom and I specialize in generating traffic to websites from Youtube. I think I can generate a substantial amount of traffic to your website from Youtube if you are interested in letting me try.

I dont charge any upfront fees or anything like that. If Im not able to send you traffic, you dont pay me a dime. If I do send new traffic to your site from Youtube, then Id only charge $0.05 per visitor (about 1/4 what you would pay for pay per click traffic).

Let me know if you are interested in trying this cutting edge marketing strategy for your business.

- Tom

In this case, everyone wins. You get to earn money by implementing your new skills, and the website owner gets cheap traffic without doing any work.

If you can get just 10 clients to agree to your terms, and you send each client 500 visitors per month from Youtube, youll make $250/month.

So there you have it. Three simple ways of making some money from the net

For More Information:

The Food Network Serves Up Smart Branding

Behind the kitchens at the Food Network, they’ve been cooking up some vey savvy branding - for the Network as as well as for its individual hosts.

Rachael Ray and Sandra Lee are the two biggest brands. The way they are mareketed
provides a good branding lesson: you can occupy the same positioning within a niche, yet own a distinctive brand that sets you apart.

Distinct Brands with the Same Positioning
The positioning these two stars occupy is one of authority in home-making convenience: quick and easy, quality meal preparation for busy women (mostly). Yet each has been able to carve out a separate and distinct brand within that same space.

Taglines that Build Brands
Rachel Ray’s empire is build on the foundation of her very emphatic tagline – “30 minute meals.” The name says it all. Sandra Lee’s tagline is “semi-homemade meals” - preparing meals with the aid of pre-packaged ingredients.

It is essentially the same positioning, but without the exact time period that Ray uses. The implication is the same: you’ll be able to prepare quality meals at home faster.

While both have been able to establish an authority position within the convenience field, interestingly, their authority does not come from industry credentials. The sense of authority they have been able to build comes from their unique personalities and presentation, as well as their individual stories.
They learned how to cook on their own, either because they had to (in Lee’s case) or as in Ray’s case, her mother was in the food service business, and an avid cook

Leveraging a Brand Into Multiple Products
Both have been been able to leverage their brands to create and promote multiple products. Some of Lee’s branded products include: Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cooking, Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Desserts, Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cooking II, Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Grilling … she even ventures into Rachael Ray’s turf with Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade 20-Minute Meals.

Rachael Ray’s branded product line includes cookbooks, such as 30-Minute Meals, 30-Minute Meals 2, Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals: Cooking 'Round the Clock,
Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals for Kids: Cooking Rocks!, Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Get Real Meals: Eat Healthy Without Going to Extremes, among others.

And because both of their brands have been established in a highly scalable niche – home convenience, they have been able to easily grow their product lines beyond food, into the further reaches of home-making, on TV, in print, etc. (Lee actually started her brand in the home-making field and then went into food).

Finding Different Marketing Angles Within the Same Niche
In their products as well as in their shows, their distinctive personalities, look, and style etc. further differentiates their brands from one another. But the difference is built on a foundation of strong taglines that embody unique marketing angles within the same niche: 30 minute meals vs semi-homemade.

The lesson here is just because someone else may have established an authority positioning in a niche you want, doesn’t mean you can’t create a different, yet successful brand within the same space.

However attempts to copy or merely imitate a brand within a niche position will not only fail, it will mark you as inauthentic. You need to be able to take unique angle so you can carve out your own space within the niche you want.

Cheating and Infidelity: What to Look For...what to Do

Suspicion of infidelity is a horrible thing.

It can cause insecurity, anxiety, fear, sleeplessness, depression, and can occupy your thoughts and mind all hours of the day and night.

You begin to speculate: What did I do to drive him/her them away? Did I love him/her them enough? Did I smother him/her? Will I ever trust him/her again? Will our relationship ever be the same? What does the other person have that I dont?

After a while your health can suffer and your performance at work can suffer.

And then it starts to affect others.

Your children can become aware that something is wrong with Mommy and Daddy, and they too can feel insecurity, anxiety, fear, sleeplessness

And they too will begin to speculate.

Infidelity hurts the whole familyespecially innocent children.

And it destroys the safety and sanctity your home.

I have been a private investigator for over fifteen years and have conducted many domestic investigations, performed many background checks, and conducted many, many hours of surveillance.

Throughout the years, I have become sensitive to the red flags that may indicative that someone in a relationship was being unfaithful.

Also, please note that I am not an attorney and am not providing legal advice. When in doubt, check with your attorney or other legal advisor especially in matters regarding your partners privacy.

So, let me share with you number of subtle (and not-so-subtle) clues that you should be aware of, if you suspect that your partner is being unfaithful.

While none of these "red flags" automatically mean you are being deceived, they should be regarded as possible indicators of deceit, to determine if further investigation is warranted.

RED FLAGS:

Usually, the thing that will tip you off is a change in behavior.

So, lets look at just a few of the behaviors that you might observe, if your loved one was being unfaithful:

Behavior At Home: Your partner or spouse

Appears distant, show a lack of interest or develop an unexplained aloofness

Is frequently tired or lack interest in the relationship

Comes home smelling of an unfamiliar fragrance

Wears perfume/cologne much more often than usual

Arrives home and heads straight into the shower/bath

Gets dressed up a little too well (to) for trips to the grocery or running some other kind of errand or menial task

Begins to speak more and more harshly to you, or are more sarcastic. Sometimes this is just an attempt to justify their cheatingor to give them an excuse to storm out of the room/house

Asks about your schedule more often than usual

Develops an increased focus on losing weight or pays more attention to their appearance

Stops wearing his/her wedding ring and, when asked, cant give a reasonable explanation

Romance: Your partner or spouse

Is no longer interested in sex, or he/she makes excuses for its infrequency.

Starts to request kinky or other erotic sexual activity (behavior) that youve never done before, including watching porn

Shows a new talent in the bedroom (that they might have learned from the individual with whom theyve been cheating)

Appears reluctant to kiss you, or show affection toward you.

Criticizes you for showing him/her attention.

Continues giving poor excuses for why he/she is not in the mood to make love.

Work-related: Your partner or spouse

Work longer hours, more frequentlyand keep you from viewing their paycheck/pay-stubs

Changes their established routine with no apparent reason

Begins discouraging you from calling him/her them at work

Is often unavailable when you try to call him/her at work.

Returns calls long after you leave a message for him/her.

Prefers to attend work functions (or any events) alone and tries to discourage you from attending.

Takes more trips for business reasons and even refuses to let you drive him/her to the airport.



Telephone Mannerisms: Your partner or spouse

Receives mysterious phone calls.

You get an increasing number of hang-ups or wrong numbers when you pick up the phone. Especially if the caller hangs up after hearing your voice and doesnt speak, because often (though not always) is a person who makes a real wrong number will at least ask, Is Fred there? before hanging up.

Phone bills show unexplained toll or long distance charges.
Hurriedly answers the phone to answer it before you do.

Leaves the room to talk on the phone.

Whispers while on the phone.

Suddenly need a cell phone (or pager) and discourages you from looking at or using the phone or pager.

Deletes numbers from caller ID.

Behaves differently or ends the telephone calls abruptly when you enter the room. Or appears to hang up quickly.

Paper Trails:

Finding credit card receipts for gifts you didnt receive.

An increase in ATM withdrawals. Especially those from out-of-town (receipts bear a time/date stamp).

Credit card receipts showing purchases from places that unknown to you or seem suspect

He/she rushes to get the mail before you do.

She/he gets a separate P.O. Box.

Unusual phone numbers appear on the bill.

The duration and time of the calls appear excessive.

He/She are secretive about their cell phone bill.

She/He starts to pay the phone bills or credit card bills themselves.

You notice business travel or other deductions for travel or other expenses that you were unaware of.

Automobile related:

The passengers seat is adjusted differently than you had left it.

Taking child seat out of the car for no particular reason.

Finding suspicious items like phone numbers, receipts, lipstick, condoms or strange hairs in the vehicle.

Keeping a change of clothes in the trunk.

Unexplainable mileage or a lack of additional mileage. For example, if your spouse state they went out of town yet the odometer indicates that only a distance of 25 miles had been driven. Conversely, if your spouse states theyd only been to the office that day, yet their odometer shows many more miles ad been driven, this too, may be a significant matter.

Computer-related:

They warily guard access to their computer.

They shut down the computer as you walk into the room.

They add password protection their computer.

Or they stay up to "work" on the computer long after youve gone to bed.

They have unusual sites showing in their browser history, or erase them after each late-night session.

They delete email message more frequently

Again, let me reiterate that these behaviors are only indicators of infidelity and are not absolutes.

Some cheaters are very deceitful and can cover their tracks superbly. They may become more attentive in an effort to compensate for the fact that their attentions are going elsewhere. They behave like model parents in an effort to alleviate their guilt. They can juggle the extra-marital relationship, while tending to the marriage in a seemingly flawless way.

They may also have friends that will help them to get out of the house or provide alibis for the cheater.

These are the people who are the hardest to catch, and the ones who cause the most pain when they are finally caught.

These constitute even more reason to consider retaining the services of a professional investigator.

When You Begin to suspect, just observe -dont accuse:

If, after some consideration, you begin to have suspicions then dont accuse, but just observe.

If you accuse your partner and are mistaken, you risk causing unnecessary and irreparable damage to your relationshipdamage that may take a lot of time to recover from.

And, even if you are correct, its quite possible that your spouse/partner will be able to explain their behavior in a manner thats sufficient to cause you raise reasonable doubt. And, because they are now aware that you are suspicions, they will be even more careful and more guarded, making it much more difficult for you to determine the truth.

If you become suspicious, dont treat the cheater any differently and dont interfere.

Now is the time for careful observation, and not for anger.

The cheater will eventually be found out, so its important to be patient, observant, and to make note of patterns of behavior.

After some patient observation youll probably be able to provide a great deal of helpful information to a

professional investigator, so that the investigator can obtain the evidence and documentation you need.

Make note of information such as: the most likely days/times when your partner may be misbehaving, places your partner alleges to frequent, people with whom your partner alleges to keep company.

The more information you have (regardless of whether you think its important or not), the greater the likelihood an investigator can determine the truthand do it in the most cost-effective manner.

A final word of caution:

If you think a spouse or partner is misbehaving while youre out of town, you may consider pretending to plan a trip out of town, in order to conduct your own surveillance and confirm your suspicions.

You should be discouraged from doing this is because if your suspicions are confirmed, your emotions may cause you to react in a manner that is counter-productive.

Emotions can make all us behave in a reactionary way, and at moments like this, its vitally important to keep a cool head.

So, if this idea still appeals to you, consider having a private investigator conduct surveillance during this time.

Absolutely certain your spouse/partner IS- cheating?

Once youve observed your spouse or partner for a sufficient amount of time, you may eventually feel that it is necessary to confront him/her your spouse.

How do you handle it?

If your intention is to file for divorce if your suspicion is confirmed, then first seek the counsel of an attorney.

It is important to understand your options before you decide to confront him/her.

Find out about how to protect yourself financially, and get an understanding of the laws regarding child custody and support.

If you feel you absolutely must confront the alleged cheater, make sure to do so at a time when he/she is not rushed or running late. You want them to have time to speak with you. You dont want them to have a reason to leave the room/house.

Dont ask while he/she is driving and of course: dont ask while children are present.

Before you actually confront them, ask simple, non-invasive questions to get an idea of their general attitude and willingness to talk in general. You will do this for the same reason that a person operating a polygraph machine might: to establish an idea of their baseline.

So, for example, ask what they want for breakfast, or they have planned for the dayor anything else that they can respond to easily. Then just observe their general behavior.

Once you finally confront the person, youll need to carefully observe their behavior.

You can expect him/her to be defensive. They may become evasive and reply with something like, What makes you think that? (trying to see where theyd slipped up).

Or, they get indignant, Why on earth would you say such a thing? or Im offended that you would say such a thing!

Often, innocent people will respond directly by saying, Yes or No. They are more likely to respond to your

inquiry directly, kindly and patiently. They are more likely to show that they are willing to discuss your concerns and

to address those things that caused you to doubt in the first place.

Cheaters are generally very uncomfortable about addressing the issue and may explode and become very defensive and angry.



When confronting them, if may help to inquire about specific occasions when you -know- for certain what the truth is, so you can see if they are lying. This is where a private investigators documentation and report can come in handy because they can provide undeniable truth that can reveal their lies and deceits.

Finally: Do not resort to violence.

I cannot stress this enough. Criminal charges and possible jail time will cause you to suffer and will keep you from making sure the cheater gets what they deserve.

If you are the victim of a cheater, then you will probably have some very important decisions to make.

So, the first step is always to determine the unbiased, objective truth.

To make sure that you know the truth, consider retaining the services of a professional investigator.

They have the experience to deal with these matters objectively and clear-headedly.

They also have the equipment necessary to obtain the proof youll need in case you go to court.

And if you have an attorney, your investigator should work with them to make sure that their combined efforts focus on making sure you reap the maximum benefit.

If your spouse or partner is cheating on you, it forces you into making some very important decisions.

The decisions are not only about your own future, but also about your childrens future as well.

We make our best decisions when we know the truth and understand the reality of things.

The decisions may not be easy, but they are still the best decisions we can make.

MLM Training – Knowledge is Power

When it comes to building an MLM business, the old saying about Knowledge is Power is absolutely true. It's not enough though to simply gain the required knowledge. You must then utilize that knowledge by taking massive action. Building a successful network marketing business takes a lot of hard work but without first acquiring the knowledge and learning how to do things properly; many new distributors waste a lot of time and energy without getting any results.

It is absolutely essential that you take a few good MLM Training courses before venturing too deep into your network marketing business. A good knowledge base is a definite requirement for success in network marketing and a good MLM Training program can provide this foundation. As hard as it is to believe, it really is true that anyone can be successful in network marketing. All that is required is some basic knowledge, easily acquired through widely available MLM Training courses and some effort.

Many of the most successful people in any industry got to the top by staying focused on their goal and working really hard. They also were usually dedicated to improving their knowledge and skills. In order for you to have success, you must make this same commitment. You will be able to make a decent long term income by learning and applying the basics but if you are aiming to be a top income earner, you will need to be always expanding your knowledge, though MLM Training courses. And as always, you must apply what you have learned to your business.

Another important element that will ensure your long term success is your ability to train and mentor your new members. This might even be more important than your own education. It's obviously not practical for you to do everything for them, so you must get them working independently as quickly as possible. The sooner your new members are self-sufficient and generating some income, the more likely they are to stay involved in the business and contribute to your business growth. You can help them by either developing MLM training courses for your group or find a good MLM Training program for them.

Your business will benefit even further from your role in providing MLM Training and development as this will enhance your position as a leader. This will enable you to attract even more prospects and you will have a much easier time enrolling them when you are positioned as a leader and mentor to so many other members. As your new members learn the required skills and being building up their businesses, they will teach the same techniques to their new members. Or they will refer their new members to the same MLM Training they took. This training cycle will ensure that all new people entering your group will be able to develop quickly into productive members. Once people are able to start generating some income from their network marketing business, they will rarely quit or become disinterested. This high retention rate will ensure that your business continues to grow and prosper.

Act Now to Convert Your Knowledge Into Power

For centuries it has been said that knowledge is power.
Is this really true? I do not believe so.
Let me start by saying that knowledge is a necessity and
Can be extremely valuable, but it is not power. Having
Knowledge merely gives you the power to make good decisions
And there by act on those decisions.
Ah, the real power is in ACTION.
Let me give you an example. If you are sitting on some
Railroad tracks and a train is coming your way, it is not
Enough to know that you should move off the tracks you
Have to get off the tracks. You must take action. You
See, without action, knowledge is worthless.
It doesn't matter what knowledge you acquire or how much
Of it you gain on a particular subject, it is useless
Until you take action.

Think about it! Will reading
And learning everything there is to know about being a
Glamorous movie star makes you one? Of course not
I am not saying that you should not learn new things.
It is imperative to have knowledge in order to be able to
Take action. Nowadays, you need a college degree just to
Get an entry level job but it in no way gets you any Type of promotion or better paying job they are
Facing increasing competition from multimedia software
Companies and particularly the Internet
Unless the big publishers can find a book that is going to
Sell by the thousands; they are unwilling to bring the book
To life....irrespective of the quality of the manuscript!
If you decide to self-publish you are then faced with the
Challenges of running a business, writing, printing,
Marketing and selling your book.

Will you be able to find
Any time to write your next one
If you decide that selling on the Internet is a good move
Due to the fact that you can reach a global audience
Relatively cheaply and you are not involved in printing hard
Copies, liaising with book distributors, and printing
Marketing collateral, then this article will help you on the
Road to becoming an established online author.
Through experience,
Showing that you c an take what you have learned and put it
Into practice is what gets you a promotion or raise.
Many highly educated people are working in menial jobs,
While we have millionaires that don't even have a high school
Diploma how can this be?

Very simply, even though they
Did not excel in academics, they did excel at taking action,
Trying new things, experimenting, learning through experience
How does all this apply to you? If you truly want to succeed,
You must first acquire a bit of knowledge, but most importantly
You must take what you know and act on it. Any time to write your next one
If you decide that selling on the Internet is a good move
Due to the fact that you can reach a global audience
Relatively cheaply and you are not involved in printing hard
Copies, liaising with book distributors, and printing
Marketing collateral, then this article will help you on the
Road to becoming an esta blished online author.


Through experience,
Showing that you can take what you have learned and put it
Into practice is what gets you a promotion or raise.
Eagerly and ambitiously act on what you have learned and
You will succeed.

Fashion Guide For Sexy Women Tights

Are you planning to wear only skirts this spring? But you can't dare to do so because you own a pair of oh-not-so-beautiful legs. Nothing to be worried about. Here are the solutions in the form of women tights exclusively for spring.

They are colorful and joyous. They paint you in the colors of spring. They are efficient enough to flatter your legs if you find them not in proper shape and tanned enough.

So make this spring funnier and lovelier with these women tights. They are available in as many textures, colors, fabrics designs as you can think of, literally.

So if you are in real need of some women clothing which blend style and comfort this spring, then nothing is more befitting than these women tights.

Here are the hottest women tights exclusively for this spring 2009.

Designer Sheer Tights : These designer sheer tights are set to top the charts this spring. Whether you have long or short legs, whether beautiful or not, you can't resist yourself from grabbing a pair of sheer tights. After all, who dares to go with less decorated and bare legs if they can be made more beautiful. Sexier...in fact.
They are the real attention seekers and capable of setting you in a right mood, very much suitable to this spring season. Designers such as Viktor Viktoria have designed one of the most recommendable women tights for this spring. Look out for Viktor Viktoria's sheer rhinestone seam tights or sheer back seam tights or sheer flame tights.

Printed Tights : The colorful prints on the t-shirts have crept down to these tights. To wear such women tights you require sheer guts. It might be unheard to you so far, but they are a reality. So choose a deep color skirt and a shoe along with a white shirt to bring maximum effect.

Look out for a variety of printed tights. It can be either much famous floral or scenic. It might be full of latest geometric prints or raunchy flame prints too.

Red Opaque Tight : If you are really in no mood to forgive this spring and want to look dashing and sensuous then choose a fiery red opaque tight. Come out of your h ome pairing it with a checkered short skirt and a black ballet flat. Go for the kill this spring.

Fishnet Tights : It is not necessary to head for the dance stage only when you wear these fishnet tights. Women are wearing it frequently to roam around too. However, you should not wear it with short skirts. They make your legs overexposed and may make you look less dignified. Try to pair with a maroon or gray knee length skirt.

Look out for the outstanding fishnet footless tights.

Footless Tights : If you want to keep bare the lower part of your legs then these footless tights are the right choice for you. They help you show the healthier ankles and the lower parts of the calves. They can be exciting with tunic tops or a t-shirt. You can have a variety of footless tights such as metallic, opaque, fishnet, diamond fishnet etc.

The Art of Self-Publishing: pitfalls and promises of taking your own book to print

In August 2009, the result of years of work came out in English, in South Africa, as Spots of a Leopard on being a man. What I had started in 2001, saw a climax in April 2007 with the publication of the Dutch edition for the Netherlands and Belgium. Vlekken van een luipaard' was nominated one year later for awards in both Belgium and the Netherlands.

These nominations strengthened my resolve to make sure this book would also find an audience in the English-speaking world; and especially in Africa. So: in August 2009 there it was: my self published copy of "Spots". I had done something the established publishers hadn't dared.

I've learned the hard way that, when dealing with established publishers, a few things really don't work when you want to take your matter to print.
1) They need months to read a few pages. While a manuscript collects dust on their desk, there is not a lot one can do but wait. And waiting for other people's decisions is n ot really my strongest character asset, I noticed.
2) They judge a book according to criteria mostly set up by their accountants and financial managers; these are usually individuals who know a lot about mathematics and statistics, but have zilch feeling for creativity, social relevancy or contemporary needs of a society. For them a niche is something to be desperately avoided.

However, publishers have networks which no individual author has. They have deals with the big book chains, so their books end up on tables near the front door. At a fee, of course. They also have channels to distribute, nationally and internationally. And they have their own favorite reviewers at newspapers, TV-stations and radio.

Self-publishing
After yet another No, we won't bring Spots to the market', I decided in March 2009 to then do it myself. The translation was halfway done, I had found an editor to weed out the mistakes and a designer to do the layout. Of course, although they were and are friends, all of that at a fee.

Most difficult was it to find a distributor. The big ones can't waste their time on a small publisher they won't even reply to emails. And most small distributors with a vague interest in scanning the market for stuff not picked up by the big players however, do also not have the time to engage with unknown names.
This problem of communication will remain, even after signing a contract. I'm at my second distributor now and am considering taking away all my books out of their stock since they simply can't be bothered to pick up the phone. Let alone to make payments when payments are due.

Without those distributors no chain will even consider stocking a book from a small publisher. There are simply too many people out there who, like me, think they wrote something worthwhile, who are eager to follow up on the well-being of their work.

Finally, a mere two weeks before I was about to go to print did I find a distributor willing to take me and my book on. This crucial step meant Spots' would find a way to bookshelves.

Going to print
The moment I'd found a distributor I dared taking it all a few steps further. I now needed to generate as much publicity as possible. And it worked. Previews would appear in major publications and magazines; I organised radio interviews and launches. And the feedback so far was positive.

Knowing about this upcoming exposure, I decided to up the print run from 1,000 to 2,000. Raising the print run meant the per copy prize would go down. Which was good for either my pocket, or for the retail prize.
I invested about 7,500 ($ 10,000) in making sure Spots' would see the light of day. Most of this was for the printers, another batch for the designer and a third batch for the editor. A magic amount of money, enough to buy a decent second hand car. Or to survive on for a year

The first results were encouraging.
And now, in late 2010, more than a year after the launch?

I have sold about 1200 copies. Most of those I sold myself at presentations, debates and seminars. There are about 800 copies left. I will not be sold out any time soon. My profit per copy sold to bookshops is about 2,00 ($ 2.50), with most of the revenues going to the bookshops.

Now my book is for sale via Amazon as both a print-on-demand as well as a Kindle-edition. Through another provider it's even available at Barnes & Nobles in the US and globally for the Sony e-reader too.

Hindsight
When I take stock of all of this, looking back I see where and when I took decisions that I should have taken differently. Most important of those is: I should have printed less copies. Less copies would have increased the price-per-copy for me, and therefore would have limited my profit-per-book, but it would also have meant less of an overall financial risk. I should have gone for a first print run of maybe 700 copies, and then move to print-on-demand. That way I'd have limited my financial risk dramatically.
Another crucial point: I overestimated the possibilities for international sales. 'Going abroad' is a whole different ball game altogether.
Learning curve
All in all the experience of self-publishing has been a great learning-curve.
* Trying to enter a market that is as small as it is in South Africa, with many, many, many peculiarities and struck by a deeply engrained culture of non-communication and sloppiness is, I find, an audacious endeavour.
* The circle of book professionals simply is too tight-knit for relative outsiders to be able to crack open the walls around the ivory towers.
* The market of book-buyers (amounting to allegedly only 700 thousand individuals in the entire country) is too small a pond for too many fish.
* With a few very clear and outstanding exceptions (especially amongst the independent bookshops like The Book Lounge and Clarke's Books) most booksellers see books as a commodity no different from your average pack of Omo washing powder.
* The book industry in South Africa thinks it exists on an island with a few colonies far bey ond the horizon (the US and the UK), with nothing in between; they lack the slightest sense of African-ness and are unaware of this vast continent at their feet. It is impossible for any individual to make a dent in this short-sighted approach
* For me as the author/publisher it has shown crucial to not rely on anybody else for anything. No one will ever be as passionate about my product as I myself will ever be, and those needed to assist in sales will most likely not even read one line of what they're selling, so they have no idea what it is they are supposed to sell.
* Another crucial lesson: start small, with a low print-run and see how that goes. It is indeed way better to make less of a per-copy-profit than believing in the phantom of great turn-overs. If sales go well, one can always decide to take a calculated risk a bit later on.
* Any self-publisher will lack almost everything that helps established publishing houses to reach their market no matt er how good (or average) your book is.

Final word
Had I known all this before I went to print, would I still have self-published?
Yes, I would.
Mostly because of the incredible joy of the entire production process from start till end (which never comes, by the way).
So, if you're contemplating publishing your own book: go for it.
But go one small step at a time.
And do have a calculator nearby.

What I had started in 2001, saw a climax in April 2007 with the publication of the Dutch edition for the Netherlands and Belgium. Vlekken van een luipaard' was nominated one year later for awards in both Belgium and the Netherlands.

These nominations strengthened my resolve to make sure this book would also find an audience in the English-speaking world; and especially in Africa. So: in August 2009 there it was: my self published copy of "Spots". I had done something the established publishers hadn't dared.

I've learned the hard way that, when dealing with established publishers, a few things really don't work when you want to take your matter to print.
1) They need months to read a few pages. While a manuscript collects dust on their desk, there is not a lot one can do but wait. And waiting for other people's decisions is not really my strongest character asset, I noticed.
2) They judge a book according to criteria mostly set up by thei r accountants and financial managers; these are usually individuals who know a lot about mathematics and statistics, but have zilch feeling for creativity, social relevancy or contemporary needs of a society. For them a niche is something to be desperately avoided.

However
The advantages of working with a publisher are, of course, manifold. They have networks which no individual author has. They have deals with the big book chains, so their books end up on tables near the front door. At a fee, of course. They also have channels to distribute, nationally and internationally. And they have their own favorite reviewers at newspapers, TV-stations and radio.

Self-publishing
After yet another No, we won't bring Spots to the market', I decided in March 2009 to then do it myself. The translation was halfway done, I had found an editor to weed out the mistakes and a designer to do the layout. Of course, although they were and are friends, all of that at a fee.

Most difficult was it to find a distributor. The big ones can't waste their time on a small publisher they won't even reply to emails. And most small distributors with a vague interest in scanning the market for stuff not picked up by the big players however, do also not have the time to engage with unknown names.
This problem of communication will remain, even after signing a contract. I'm at my second distributor now and am considering taking away all my books out of their stock since they simply can't be bothered to pick up the phone. Let alone to make payments when payments are due.

Without those distributors no chain will even consider stocking a book from a small publisher. There are simply too many people out there who, like me, think they wrote something worthwhile, who are eager to follow up on the well-being of their work.

Finally, a mere two weeks before I was about to go to p rint did I find a distributor willing to take me and my book on. This crucial step meant Spots' would find a way to bookshelves.

Going to print
The moment I'd found a distributor I dared taking it all a few steps further. I now needed to generate as much publicity as possible. And it worked. Previews would appear in major publications and magazines; I organised radio interviews and launches. And the feedback so far was positive.

Knowing about this upcoming exposure, I decided to up the print run from 1,000 to 2,000. Raising the print run meant the per copy prize would go down. Which was good for either my pocket, or for the retail prize.
I invested about 7,500 ($ 10,000) in making sure Spots' would see the light of day. Most of this was for the printers, another batch for the designer and a third batch for the editor. A magic amount of money, enough to buy a decent second hand car. Or to survive on for a year

The first results were encouraging. And now, in late 2010, more than a year after the launch?
I have sold about 1200 copies. Most of those I sold myself at presentations, debates and seminars. There are about 800 copies left. I will not be sold out any time soon. My profit per copy sold to bookshops is about 2,00 ($ 2.50), with most of the revenues going to the bookshops.

By now my book is also for sale via Amazon as a print-on-demand book and as a Kindle-edition, and through another provider it's even available at Barnes & Nobles in the US and for the Sony e-reader too.
An on-demand book printer at the Internet Arch...

Hindsight
When I take stock of all of this, looking back with the benefit of hindsight, I see where and when I took decisions that I should have taken differently. Most important of those is: I should have printed less copies. Less copies would have increased the price-per-copy for me, and therefo re would have limited my profit-per-book, but it would also have meant less of an overall financial risk. I should have gone for a first print run of maybe 700 copies, and then move to print-on-demand. That way I'd have limited my financial risk to close to zero.

Another crucial point is that I overestimated the possibilities for international sales. I had expected, and hoped, that Spots' would find an audience in Africa as a whole, and maybe even would find a way to the North'. That has not happened. The marketing and distribution networks simply do not exist in Africa. All my book sales in Nairobi were generated by me, while journeying to Nairobi, with boxes of books as excess baggage. There simply are no trade channels in the book industry between South Africa and East Africa. As a bookshop owner in Nairobi told me: It's easier and cheaper to buy books in the UK and fly them in, then it is to do so from South Africa."

Learning curve
All in all the experience of self-publishing has been a great learning-curve.
* Trying to enter a market that is as small as it is in South Africa, with many, many, many peculiarities and struck by a deeply engrained culture of non-communication and sloppiness is, I find, an audacious endeavour.
* The circle of book professionals simply is too tight-knit for relative outsiders to be able to crack open the walls around the ivory towers.
* The market of book-buyers (amounting to allegedly only 700 thousand individuals in the entire country) is too small a pond for too many fish.
* With a few very clear and outstanding exceptions (especially amongst the independent bookshops like The Book Lounge and Clarke's Books) most booksellers see books as a commodity no different from your average pack of Omo washing powder.
* The book industry in South Africa thinks it exists on an island with a few colonies far beyond the horizon (the US and the UK), w ith nothing in between; they lack the slightest sense of African-ness and are unaware of this vast continent at their feet. It is impossible for any individual to make a dent in this short-sighted approach
* For me as the author/publisher it has shown crucial to not rely on anybody else for anything. No one will ever be as passionate about my product as I myself will ever be, and those needed to assist in sales will most likely not even read one line of what they're selling, so they have no idea what it is they are supposed to sell.
* Another crucial lesson: start small, with a low print-run and see how that goes. It is indeed way better to make less of a per-copy-profit than believing in the phantom of great turn-overs. If sales go well, one can always decide to take a calculated risk a bit later on.
* Any self-publisher will lack almost everything that helps established publishing houses to reach their market no matter how good (or average) your book is.

Final word
Had I known all this before I went to print, would I still have self-published?
Yes, I would.
Mostly because of the incredible joy of the entire production process from start till end (which never comes, by the way).
So, if you're contemplating publishing your own book: go for it.
But go one small step at a time.
And do have a calculator nearby.

CHEAP BOOKS: TRUE VALUE FOR MONEY

Cheap Books are everlasting companion of sane, intellectual minds. Technology might have been able to change a lot of things around us but books undoubtedly have a unique stand in human life which can never be denied or replaced. An example of it is the term "book worm" which is used for people who love reading books and definitely this term is one of the most loved terms by those who are referred by this term. Every now and then a book is launched or awarded to honour the never dying spirit of book writers and book lovers.

In fact the craze for books has also affected the modern technology, the outcome of which is the e-books. A very large number of books have been converted into e version for the convenience of book lovers. However the paperback books have their own charm because of which not a very large population is fan of e-books. Now, for the book lovers there are various websites that offers cheap books which can be purchased by clicking few keys. In UK there are numerous such websites which offers variety of book from educational books to children's books, from general knowledge related books to fitness and health books and much more. Within the health books there are books on physical as well as psychology Health Books on children's health, diet related books, exercise related books like on yoga and aerobics and weight exercise related books and magazines and so on and so forth.

Also books related to various diseases like diabetes, blood pressure, asthma and what do eat and what precaution to follow during such condition are also available in these websites. Self-help books for people having emotional problems are also available. Available in dirt cheap rate these cheap books can offer solution to any problem one is facing. Given a chance books can be one's best friend, philosopher and guide that does not have any complain or demand at all. One of the largest sources of cheap books in UK is Xpert4u website that offers amazing range of books at a very low cost. So log on to find more.

Nude Exercise For Weight Loss - 4 Tips

Weight loss just got a bit more interesting. The advent of nude exercise resorts, gyms and home workout videos has given health nuts an additional option for shedding those extra pounds.

Despite what it may sound like, there is nothing sexual or "dirty" about nude exercise. Rather, it is merely an additional option for people to stay interested in working out. Certain sports, such as yoga and swimming, are particularly conducive to the practice, given the right conditions. Nude exercise comes with its own set of joys and precautions.

Here are 5 tips for starting your own nude exercise program.

Tip #1: Start at home: If you are like most people, you would never dare set foot in any public place in the buff. Regardless of what the future holds for you, take baby steps into the world of nude exercise by starting at home. The key is preparation. I suggest investing in a low-cost exercise mat in order to protect your exposed knees and elb ows. Prepare your workout area by moving aside any potentially dangerous obstructions such as furniture. Also, ready at least two towels: one small personal towel and a large towel for placing on the floor or mats. You can find many excellent and legitimate nude exercise videos to get you started on the right moves.
Tip #2: Be safe: Nude exercise can be a wonderful way to lose extra pounds. You will stay cooler, and the lack of clothing will allow more unrestricted movement. At the same time, be extra cautious with certain movements. Whether you are a man or a woman, certain parts of your body might be more prone to injury than with clothed exercise. I suggest starting out by doing each new exercise very slowly, checking that your movements do not put you at any risk. Be particularly careful if you are using dumbbells or other special equipment.

Tip #3: Be respectful of others: Nudism is only accepted by a tiny portion of the population. Many people find nudism embarrassing, offensive, or even morally wrong. Even if you do not agree with anti-nudist opinions, be sure to remain respectful of the right of others not to see you nude. This includes drawing the blinds before working out and ensuring that others will not be entering your workout space anytime during your w orkout.

Tip #4: Join a nudist club or resort: Once you have gotten used to working out at home and have decided that nude exercise is right for you, look into joining a nudist resort, club or tour: they are on the rise globally. And, most of them have fully-equipped gyms. So, work up your confidence about being nude around others and branch out into some new territory.

Tip #5: Try a nude public gym: Nude exercise gyms do exist: one Dutch gym has now opened up its doors to nudists and others are sure to follow. Some of the complaints people have when working out in a nude gym include initial self-consciousness and fear of the occasional unseemly view of a fellow workout patron. However, most report that the self-consciousness quickly goes away once one sees that everyone else is nude, too. If you are squeamish about watching other people workout, avoid positioning yourself behind the treadmills or stationary bikes.

Nude exercise is not f or everyone. But, for people who have lost the motivation to work out or who just feel restricted by excess clothing and want to try something new, nude exercise can be a viable option. Be sure to be safe, sanitary, and respectful of others and you can have a successful experience working out in the buff.

Best Home Gardens

Different people have different kinds of hobbies. There are people who love gardening and can spend a whole day with their garden. Having a small garden in your house can really make your house look beautiful. Creating an attractive home garden is a dream for many.

People who love flowers and plants always want to utilize a little space in and outside their house for planting the tress. If you are interested in making the best home gardens then you should follow certain tips. These tips can surely be beneficial to you.

The first thing that you need to do is choose the right place for the garden. It can either b in the front yard or can even be in the back yard. Choose the place which gets equal amount of sunlight as well as shade because both are important.

After choosing the place you need to choose the home garden designs. The design must suit the area and the space provided for the garden. If you have a small area then you should choose a design that is appropriate for the small space.
You need to decide about the kind of plants that you want to include in your garden. The design that you choose for your garden must match and reflect the style of your building. The design must be chosen perfectly for each and every part of the garden.

Garden can actually be of different types. Some people choose similar kinds of plants to create the garden while others choose from a wide range of plants to make the garden. If you are unable to select the right design for the garden you can surely take the help of the professionals.

They can surely help you select the best design. The garden must have plants, water features and walkways. Home garden plants should include both the native plants as well as the imported ones. The gap between each of the plants is very much necessary.

Different home garden plants usually require different amount of space to grow. You should calculate the space and keep proper distance between each of them. You can check out some of the perfect home garden pictures to find out the kind of look a garden must have.

If you fail to choose the proper style then you cannot build the best home gardens. Once you build the best home gardens it will become one of the major attractions of your house. Your neighbors and guests will surely praise your choice and your style.

If you are interested in fruit trees then it is important to choose the best home garden fruits. Some of the fruits require lots of space which might not be available in the home gardens.

Other than this, the growth of the plants also depends on the weather and the soil conditions. Before you create the best home gardens you need to find out details about the kind of plants you want to grow in your dream garden.

Why You Should Have A Internet Marketing Blog

An Web advertising blog has been a well-liked advertising tools for nicely more than a decade now. It utilized to be a way for individuals to voice their opinions and invite comments and social interaction; and nonetheless is! But what began as a type of chat in between a group of like-minded people, has turn out to be a useful tool for promoting goods and services. An Web advertising blog has turn out to be an important tool for anybody performing business on-line. Here are five factors why that's so:

Maintaining an Web Advertising blog is simple to do

Blogging is just concerning the simplest method to publish your opinions and share understanding. You will find no unique abilities needed! In the event you can read and kind on a pc, and essentially string a sentence together, you are able to preserve a blog. It is your blog so you are able to write whatever you like. Your only actual restriction is you'll need to write some thing tha t other individuals will wish to read. The much more individuals you get to go to your blog, the much more well-liked it becomes which in turn attracts much more visitors. That is not as a lot of a challenge as it may appear. You would like visitors who're thinking about exactly the same factor you are thinking about; or selling. So you are able to believe of blogging like talking to buddies who share exactly the same passion as you.
Blogging is authentic

When other marketers are pushing their advertising and attempting to convince us we want what they provide, the blogger is just getting a conversation. In most instances, a blog is (and ought to be) genuine info written by genuine individuals; that is accurate for an Web advertising blog as a lot as any other. So even if you are talking about a item or service, you are able to speak about your encounter with that item or service. Or you are able to encourage other individuals to speak about their experiences together with your item or service. We all have much more faith in a genuine recommendation than we do in a sales pitch.

It expenses absolutely nothing to produce an Web advertising blog

Anybody can set up a blog for totally free; and it is very simple. You are able to sign up for a totally free account at WordPress.com and Blogger and have an Web advertising blog on-line in a m atter of minutes. It is just a matter of working via the on-line setup wizard that guides you step-by-step. Alternatively, you are able to have a WordPress blog from WordPress.org on your personal web site. Most internet hosting providers provide a easy method to set that up. And it is generally provided as component with the regular internet hosting package so there is no price there either.

A blog assists you to turn out to be an authority inside your field

Whatever topic or niche which you are blogging about, it is some thing which you have lots of understanding in correct? In the event you do not whenever you begin out, you definitely will following you have carried out the analysis to discover content material for your blog. That makes you an authority inside your field. And your authority builds as your understanding builds. Fairly soon, individuals will begin coming to your blog to discover answers to their questions as word spre ads about your blog.

A blog can boost your circle of influence

When individuals who read your blog determine that you are honest and trustworthy, they'll wish to tell their buddies all about you. This really is especially accurate obviously when you have some entertaining blog posts. If you are passionate concerning the topic, let your passion come via inside your writing. You can soon see your blog readership growing virally.

Check out his Internet Marketing Blog

Internet Marketing Blogs Can Help You Learn and Help You Make Money

When you have a home business you will need to know all you can about internet marketing. There are a lot of different ways that you can learn about this. There is also a lot of ways that you can make money with internet marketing. The best way to do both of these things is with internet marketing blogs.

Internet marketing blogs have two different purposes. The first is to help people all over the world learn about internet marketing. The second is to help people that want to make money with these blogs. You can even do both, first learn, than make money, the choice is yours.

So, how can internet marketing blogs help you learn? These blogs are set up with articles that you can read to help you learn about different marketing strategies. They will also have tools and resources that you can use to build your own home business. Most of the information you can use to learn from will be free but some of it you will have to pay for. A good site will giv e you articles, tools, resources, tips, and many other things that will help you learn.
Now that you know how you can learn from an internet marketing blog you need to know how you can make money with them. When you want to set up one of these blogs it is very easy to do. The difficult part is writing the content for it, especially if you are not a writer. For this you can hire someone to write the content for you. You have to be careful though because this can get expensive, so you may at some point want to learn how to write for yourself.

There are many places that will help you set up a blog of your own. You just have to look for them and then take steps to get your site set up. The next thing that is important besides the content is the affiliate programs you are going to promote. You can easily find more than one program about internet marketing or about a strategy and promote it from your blog.

You want to make sure that you give your readers a lot of free useful information but there is no reason why you can't make money with your internet marketing blog too. Many people do this and are very successful with it. You can too if that is what you choose to do. Just remember that you have to learn before you can start making money with your own blog.

To Succeed in Your Internet Based Home Business You Must Have These Principles in Place

If you have any interest in owning a legitimate home based internet business then you must also have heard that only 5% of all the newbies who set up an online business actually succeed and make any money.

To be one of the successes in the 5% group there are six principles that you will need to achieve as an aspiring newbie to the internet marketing world and we are going to talk about them here.

1. First and foremost you need to have a burning desire to succeed. If you are unable to visualize what you want that success to look like, you are unlikely to join the 5% of top internet marketing money makers. To get to that point you need to be able to live your desire, see and taste it, as this is what will drive you to get the kind of results you want.

2. The next thing to do is to plan and focus. Your goals and objectives are very important, but you also need to work out a plan of action. No business whether it is an internet based home business or a bricks and mortar business, will succeed without a specific plan on how it will work.

All of these points must be written down. Write down your long, medium and short term goals and how you are going to achieve them and read it everyday. In fact your goals should be rewritten at least once a month, even it there is no change in them. By doing this you will focus on what is necessary and keep working at it.

3. Discipline. When one runs an internet based business from home, it is very easy to get side-tracked and not do the work required to succeed. Even though you are your own boss and can decide which hours you choose to work, you do still need to put those hours in and do what you have to do in order to achieve the results you want. This is one of the reasons why planning is so important.

4. The ability to never give up. It is at this point that the majority of internet businesses tend to fail. The skills required to succeed online can be learned by anybody with enough desire to do so, but many people do not have the will power to stick it out until the tide starts to turn in their favour.

Every business has its failures and if you give up at the first failure your chances of ever succeeding are minimal. If you think about Edison who invented the light bulb, he had hundreds of failures before he eventually succeeded and most successful people will tell you the same thing, it is not the failures that are serious it is whether you fail to get up and try again.

5. Be passionate about what you do. If you do not totally love the idea of working from home on the internet, then don't do it. If you don't love the products that you sell or the work you are doing it will become a chore and make you unhappy, so be sure to choose something that you can be enthusiastic about. You need to look forward to getting up in the morning and pursuing your desire.

6. Learn everything you possible can about your business. This is a major key in becoming successful. Continuous study will keep your mind active and filled with new ideas and solutions and also keep you updated on the latest trends and developments in the internet marketing world.

These six principles for success if followed wholeheartedly will set you on the path to a successful and fulfilling future as an internet based home business marketer. Just commit yourself to the task, work at it persistently and follow the principles here for an exciting adventure amongst the top 5%.

Internet Based Home Business – Free Advertising!

How many of you have started an internet based home business with total enthusiasm and commitment to work from home and make your living online?

I am one of them. I signed up with a multi leveling marketing company and worked day and night to get my business up and running.

After ten months I bailed out with maxed out credit cards and nothing to show for it but a big downline of members who (like me) couldn't afford to carry on.

What is it that prevents even the most committed of us from achieving our dreams?

Is there some kind of secret that we don't know about. Because you always hear about people making tens of thousands of dollars every month in their internet home based business, but no-one really tells you how to do it.

THE SECRET IS THIS! You have to advertise! How else can you get people to to know what your products are?

Now this is where the breakdown occurs. Most of you who start an internet based home business don't have a big budget to spend on advertising.

FACT IS - IF YOU DON'T ADVERTISE YOU ARE DEAD IN THE WATER...

However, there is a solution for you and I have found it.

After I quit the multi level marketing company witheven more debt that when I started, I had to find a way to pay my credit card. So, I got smart and dug around until I found the secret.

It's this: It is totally possible to get your home based business up and running using completely 100% free advertising techniques.

I have been so successful I get on on the front page of Google all the time without spending a dime!!

This is how smart internet marketersare able toachieve success quickly inaninternet based home business.

Now get this: Using these 100% completely free marketing technqiues, I have been able to generate a five figure monthly income in four short months without spending a cent!

To me this was just incredible to go from receiving a measely $200 cheque a month from mlm to generating five figure monthly figure well how would you feel if you could achieve this?

So I am going to share this secret with you and give you the absolute same methods I used to get on the front page of Google FOR FREE!

I am sharing these secrets FOR FREE.

I am doing this because I want you to succeed in your internet based home business just like I did.

Now you can stop floundering around and start making money working from home.

It is possible to live the life of your dreams using these completely free marketing techniques I have proved it to myself and now I am going to share them with you.