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Fly fishing enthusiasts have know about the Muskegon River for many years, but it’s only in the last decade or so that its popularity has grown well beyond the borders of Midwestern states. It’s a large river, spanning more than a hundred yards wide in places and with near endless stretches of riffles and gravel bars. Due to its size and volume of water flow, it can be a tricky river to navigate for the wading angler, but very fun and productive at the same time if done with caution and use of some common sense.

For those fly fishers who have spent most of their time on smaller streams and rivers, less than 30 yards wide on average, being able to “effectively fish” a big river like this takes more than your basic forward fly cast. First of all, don’t try to fish it like a small stream where it’s possible to cast from bank to bank, it will never happen effectively on big water like the Muskegon river. Instead, treat it like a number of small rivers that all just happen to be flowing next to each other and in the same direction. Dissect it in sections you’re able to cover thoroughly and you will soon find yourself fishing, you know the saying, “smarter, not harder.” Easy enough to understand, but the truth is the hydrology of such large rivers is much different than it’s smaller relatives and you will see rivers in a different way if you treat them with a modified approach.

With many different seams and currents between an angler and a rising fish or target landing area, playing “seam jockey” is part of game. By this, I mean that we have to take the 2 different current seams into account that lie between us and that rainbow trout who is feeding on emerging sulphurs 40 feet away. A bonus to the fly fisher on a big river is the vast amount of room for casting such distances and being able to get to that fish. A downside to this is the probability that you will be contending with wind on many days. That said, I’ll take my chances with the wind, especially if I have that trout on my radar AND know that I can get my offering in front of it.

A few things to take into account when fly fishing a river like the Muskegon is;

1) You DO have plenty of room to cast.

2) You SHOULD try different casts AND methods of mending your line.

3) You CAN change angles that you cast from.

4) You MUST try different fly patterns to entice that rising fish to take your fly.

1) You DO have plenty of room to cast – When given ample room to cast, I believe that even the novice fly fisher can learn to cast effectively to both rising fish and to known fish “lies”. Casting room has always been an obstacle for the fly fisher, primarily due to the environment in which we’re often trying to cast a fly line…..small streams. This is not the case with a bigger river and one should always capitalize on their time in such a river, it’s the perfect practice ground. The mechanics are very simple and coupled with the outstanding materials used in modern fly rod construction, it’s not hard to learn the basics and quite easy to practice and improve on the fundamentals.

2) You SHOULD try different casts – For those who wield a fly rod for trout, it’s almost imperative that multiple casts are employed at times, to counter the conditions and wily ways of our quarry. Whether it’s a blustery wind you’re trying to cast through or a boulder you are casting to the side of, arming yourself with multiple fly casts that you’re proficient at, can AND will equate to more flies put in front of feeding trout. For big water such as the Muskegon River, I find that the Reach cast and Hook cast are great additions to your straight forward casting stroke. AAdditionally, the Roll Cast mend and Stack mend are excellent additions to these casts and will KEEP your fly floating correctly and where it should be for a longer amount of time.

The Reach cast is my preferred cast when targeting a feeding fish that’s slightly downstream and out a decent distance, 30 feet or more. This usually coincides with different currents running between angler and target fish. By casting a bit more line than necessary to get to the fish AND really emphasizing the “reach”, the sweeping upstream motion with your fly rod once line is propelled and heading towards your target, your line ultimately lands 10′ or so upstream from the fish, with your fly line extending quartering downstream. What you’re left with is a bit of slack line in the water to absorb the small kicks and turns the current imparts on your line, as your fly drifts drag free towards the feeding trout.

The Hook cast is used when you’re positioned downstream from a feeding fish and want to get your fly to it, but can’t cast your line on top of the fish in its feeding lane. This is done by extending your forward casting stroke and finishing with a forehand or backhand extension of your wrist to propel the tip of your fly line either to the right side or left side of your main line. The resulting “hook”, looks much like the letter “J” on top of the water and keeps your line to the side of the feeding fish, while your fly floats drag free, into the fishes feeding lane.

Mending is the act of lifting the fly line off the water and and re-positioning it either upstream or downstream to eliminate drag and accomplish a more natural drift. Mending your fly line on big water such as the Muskegon river can be as important at the fly cast itself, if not more so. What good is a great cast, if it only floats drag free for a foot or two and then goes skating across the surface? This can be compounded when fishing over multiple seems, therefore a couple of tried and true mends are a necessity to your angling arsenal, the Roll Cast mend and Stack mend.

The Roll Cast mend is a great way to prepare your fly for a long, drag free drift and deadly when fishing in relatively flat stretches of water. The best way to execute a Roll Cast mend is to first have enough line out so that you DON’T cast all of it, but still place your fly just beyond the feeding lane of your fish. Then lift your rod tip, letting the extra 3-5′ of line slide through the guides of your rod, then re-grip the line with your off-rod hand and roll cast UPSTREAM of the fly line you have lying on the water. The end result should have your roll cast carry the extra line you fed out, as well as nearly all of the line lying on the water upstream of your leader and fly, creating a downstream angle of your fly line now lying on top of the water. Keep rod tip high to begin with and follow the line down to and past your casting position and towards your feeding trout. It’s a great way to get a long drift by doing all of your casting and mending, well before your fly come close to the fish.

A stack mend is used to create a pile, or stack, of line to aid in a drag-free drift, typically on a downstream-and-across presentation that crosses multiple current seams. Essentially, the angler is feeding line directly downstream from his position. The key is to have extra line already stripped off the reel, so you can feed that line downstream by simply shaking the rod tip side to side, to maintain a dead drift and feed line simultaneously.

3) You CAN change angles that you cast from – Another way to counter the affects of casting across multiple seams in big rivers like the Muskegon, is simply to re-position yourself in the river. By moving your casting position upstream or downstream, it’s possible to remove that troubling part of the seam from interfering with your drift. You may still have fly line floating over this seam, but not the strongest current(s) in the seam and as a result, you will get a different drift.

4) You MUST try different fly patterns to entice that rising fish to take your fly – Even with the best cast, mend and drag free drift, sometimes fish just don’t take your offering……that’s fishing ! However, if armed with a few different patterns of the same fly, you can get that trout to take your offering and more often than not, it’s because you showed the fish something different. Don’t be fooled, trout rarely “miss”. If you get a trout to come to the surface, only to have them swirl away at the last second, it’s because the fish saw something to make them refuse your fly. Don’t wait too long to change patterns, a few good casts should tell the tale of that feeding trout. Additionally, it’s helpful to pay attention to the rise itself, especially if given the opportunity on flatter stretches of the river, where choppy surface water is at a minimum and you CAN see how the fish is feeding. A rise with only a dimple on the river surface being seen, means that trout is taking rising/emerging insects and you should look for a pupa/larva pattern in your fly box and fish it just under the surface. If the trout shows its nose and dorsal fin during its rise, that’s most often the sign of a bug being taken from the surface film, like a caddis or mayfly who’s come to the surface and attempting to shed it “pupal shuck”, break through the film to dry its wings and fly off. When the fish is obviously taking bugs that are free floating on the surface, it’s pretty easy to see and fish. At this point it’s a matter of matching the color and size of the natural insect, then mimicking the action or lack of action, to entice a strike.

Big rivers certainly present different challenges to the fly fisher, but by no means obstacles that cannot be overcome or countered. Learning each of these, as well as other “add-on techniques” while on the river, will make you a better angler regardless of the river. I believe that self discovery is our greatest learning tool and each of us can learn a great deal about the river, the insects that inhabit it and the fish that call it home, every time we’re on the water.

Jeff Bacon – West Michigan, Orvis Endorsed, Fly Fishing Guide & Author
http://www.westmichiganflyfishing.com

Are you looking for the fly fishing adventure of your life? Join me on the river for an experience you’ll never forget!

SEO and Search Engine Optimization for Blogs

How Does Google Rank Blogs? A lot different that you think!

Google does not rank blogs anything like you think they do. What we think of as SEO does NOT work for blogs. For months I have been chasing Google with incoming links, social marketing and keyword SEO in my blog. Then I discovered how Google really ranks blogs and what it can mean to your blog traffic.

Let’s look deep into the Google patent and see how SEO really applies to blogs and Google.

In this article…

1. How Google Really Ranks Blogs and Blog SEO

2. By the number of blog readers you have in Google Reader and Technorati.

3. By how many blogrolls you are in and the quality of the linking blog.

4. By how many times your Google search engine listing is clicked.

5. By social bookmarking posts and the number of times you are Dugg etc.

6. The number of times your URL appears in conversations.

7. The quality of the links in a blog article and the quantity of links.

Google judges your blog by the number of blog readers you have in Google Reader and Technorati.

Yes, Google is reading your RSS reader.

From the Google Patent:

“The popularity of the blog document may be a positive indication of the quality of that blog document. A number of news aggregator sites (commonly called “news readers” or “feed readers”) exist where individuals can subscribe to a blog document (through its feed). Such aggregators store information describing how many individuals have subscribed to given blog documents. A blog document having a high number of subscriptions implies a higher quality for the blog document. Also, subscriptions can be validated against “subscriptions spam” (where spammers subscribe to their own blog documents in an attempt to make them “more popular”) by validating unique users who subscribed, or by filtering unique Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of the subscribers.”

I other words, Google is judging you by the number of subscribers you have in Google Reader. Google reader owns about 60% of feed reader use. To calculate the other 40% they just do the math. Definitely the number of subscribers you have in

Technorati is an indication of you blogs reach and popularity.

To see how many subscribers you have in Google reader, look on the left side of the page for “+ Add Subscription.” Click the button and a search box will open up. Enter the name of your blog, not the URL, and a list of blogs will appear in order of readership in descending order.

You may want to use “” around your blog name to slim down the results.

Blog SEO Solutions

Add a Google button to you site prominently on the top right of the page. I am currently testing adding the Google button to my email newsletter popup forms.

Here is the add to http://www.google.com/webmasters/add.html Google Reader button wizard.

The Technorati button is a little more hard to find so I am just going to post the code here.

Here is the Technorati image Just right click the image, select “save picture as” and save it to your images folder. Then upload it you your site. Adjust the img src= path in the code.

img src=”http://www.keywebdata.com/images/technorati.gif”

Here is the add to [http://publisher.yahoo.com/rss_guide/submit.php] MyYahoo button wizard.

Also a lot of skilled bloggers are adding a “if you found this post useful why not add my RSS feed” link at the bottom of posts.

Google ranks your blog by how many blogrolls you are in and the quality of the linking blog.

From the Google Patent:

“Similarly, the existence of the blog document in a blogroll of a well-known or trusted blogger may also be a positive indication of the quality of the blog document. In this situation, it is assumed that the well-known or trusted blogger would not link to a spamming blogger.”

So let’s talk blogrolls. Think of this as the friends list of blogs. Three factors come into play here.

The number of times your blog is listed in blog rolls. Quantity matters.

The quality of the other blogroll members in blogrolls you appear in.

The quality of the blog that adds you to their blogroll.

Do not trade recipricol links with other blogs in blogrolls. Google puts more weight on incoming one way links that do not return the favor and link back.

You want to appear in powerful authority laden blogrolls. You also want your blog roll to be nothing but #1 rated blogs about your blog topic.

Blog SEO Solutions

This is not reciprocal linking here. In fact there is some evidence that reciprocal blogroll linking can hurt your blog.

Google ranks your blog by how many times your Google search engine listing is clicked.

Punch up that title tag, it is really your search engine headline.

From the Google Patent:

“An implied popularity may be identified for the blog document. This implied popularity may be identified by, for example, examining the click stream of search results. For example, if a certain blog document is clicked more than other blog documents when the blog document appears in result sets, this may be an indication that the blog document is popular and, thus, a positive indicator of the quality of the blog document.”

Have you ever searched a term and gone back and searched it again and the top results were different?

That is Google testing the pulling power of the title tag of your post and the snippet that Google pulls from your body text.

Believe me Google watches everything we do.

Blog SEO Solution

Turn your title tag into a benefit laden headline. Either craft the title tag to include a benefit to the reader of use a little scare tactics by defining a problem that a searcher is looking to solve.

The latter is best. People are not proactive, they do not look to head off problems. They use search engines to solve a problem they already have.

I am writing this page because my blog did not rank well in Google. You are reading this because yours did not either.

Did either of us search Google to find out how what we could do to get our blog ranked well before we noticed that we were not doing well in SERPs?

That is why I used the title tag on my post “Why blogs don’t rank well in Google.” Because that is the phrase that I used to find the original content that I started blogging about.

Google ranks blog by the number of social bookmarking posts and the number of times you are Dugg etc. Social marketing definitely effects SEO.

From the Google Patent:

“Tagging of the blog document may be a positive indication of the quality of the blog document. Some existing sites allow users to add “tags” to (i.e., to “categorize”) a blog document. These custom categorizations are an indicator that an individual has evaluated the content of the blog document and determined that one or more categories appropriately describe its content, and as such are a positive indicator of the quality of the blog document.”

Google is definitely not just tracking the number of listings in social bookmarking sites like Digg, StumbleUpon, Delicious and Blinklist.

Google is tracking how many times we are dugg, the tags that are used in the original Digg and the quality of the user.

Have you ever noticed that Digg posts do not show up in a links check? They will when you have at least five to ten Diggs or the Digg page itself and will show up in a keyword search even sometimes above your original article.

Google ranks blogs by the number of times your URL appears in conversations.

Think Gmail….

From the Google Patent:

“References to the blog document by other sources may be a positive indication of the quality of the blog document. For example, content of emails or chat transcripts can contain URLs of blog documents. Email or chat discussions that include references to the blog document is a positive indicator of the quality of the blog document.”

Yeah, Google reads your Gmail. Google listens to your Google chat. All the time counting how many times your URL is present.

Blog SEO Solution

This is a good case for not using tracking links in emails to your list. By using click counting URLs to see how count click thrus to your site you may be removing a positive indicator that Google counts.

Google ranks blogs by the quality of the links in a blog aritcle and the quantitiy of links.

SEO also is effected by the link text in these body text links.Don’t be scared to link to other blogs.

I am also thinking that the quality of blogs that you link to in the body text has a lot to do with your blog and your posts’ ranking.

I feel that Google thinks if you are unwilling to link to blogs better than yours then you are not sure of your own content.

It is also possible that the number of links in a blog document (or lack of) says to Google that you are just building landing pages that are worthless rather than writing a well researched article using a number of authoritative sources as background.

While not mentioned in the Google patent there does seem to be evidence that using Feedburner helps your Google rankings.

Since Google aquired FeedBurner, just using Feedburner analytics seems to increase your SERPs position.

Obviously if the more subscribers you have in Google reader helps your rankings then the greater the number of subscribers that Feedburner tracks has an effect too.

Want to learn more about Google and how social marketing can take over the search engines for you? Of course you do!

Tips, tools and tricks for more traffic and better rankings!

Look to Chris Lang’s Social Marketing and Social Networking blog.

The number one concern among parents who are contemplating divorce is the effect the divorce will have on their children. In my experience, the primary determiner of how a child copes with divorce rests on how well the parents are able to create a stable, predictable and loving environment during and after divorce. This is challenging, because children frequently respond to divorce by becoming more needy and clingy. This occurs at a time when parents are emotionally distraught and in the midst of a crisis of their own.

Divorce is a literally and emotionally disruptive experience. However, there are many steps parents can take to help children through this difficult time. This article details some of these steps.

First of all, tell your children what is going on. It’s best if you and your spouse decide together what you’re going to say to your children about your plans to divorce. It’s ideal if you can sit down together to talk with your children. While it’s not necessary to go into great detail, you need to say enough so your children understand the “why’s” behind your decision.

Some times I tell parents to create a narrative – that is, a brief story – that accurately describes why they are divorcing. This narrative or story might go something like this: We’ve been fighting an awful lot and we are both unhappy. We’ve tried to work things out but we haven’t been able to. We think it will be better if we live apart. We want you to know that we love you and we will still be your parents, but we are going to live in separate houses. Part of the week you’ll stay with me and part of the week you’ll stay with your mom. Initially, it’s best not to say much more than this. Stop and let them absorb what you’ve said.

It’s normal for your children to feel shocked, confused or very upset. Don’t try to fix their feelings by smoothing things over – let them be upset. Divorce is upsetting. If they are silent – ask how they feel about what you’ve said. I’m sure they’ll have questions. Try to answer them as simply and completely as you can. If the plan is for one of you to be the custodial parent, then you’ll need to talk to your children about the visitation schedule. Hopefully you will have worked this out before you sit down with them.

If your situation is one where only one of you wants the divorce or if there’s too much animosity or resentment between you – it may be best to have separate conversations with your children. While you may be tempted to blame your spouse for the divorce, DON’T! Engaging in criticism and making negative comments about your spouse places your children in the middle. This is destructive. Your children need both of you as parents. Also, in my experience, the parent who’s most critical and negative about the other often sacrifices their relationship with their children. Children don’t want to take sides. Asking them to do so usually backfires.

Divorce often results in one or both parents moving to a new residence. If at all possible, try to avoid having your children change schools. Moving homes, having your parents divorce and changing schools all at the same time, is a lot of loss for any child to deal with. Do your best to minimize the disruption to their lives.

One of the most important things you can do as a parent is to work out a specific visitation schedule and stick to it. In a time of great transition, children need predictability. While it may seem easier or more convenient for you to keep the visitation schedule loose – it’s not a good idea for your children – especially young children. For more information on this topic, see my article: Visitation.

Once you and your spouse have separated and the visitation schedule is in place, talk to your children regularly about the divorce. Parents sometimes think it will be better for their children if they de-emphasize the divorce by avoiding any discussion of it. Occasionally they even discourage their children from talking about it. This is a BIG mistake. Children need to talk about the changes in their lives but they may need help doing this.

Asking young children how they feel or if they’re alright is too vague. One approach is to talk with them about how things are different now than they were when you were all living together. Ask them what they think has changed and which changes they like and don’t like. Don’t be discouraged if your children don’t like anything! Maybe they’re angry. If so – they have a right to be. After all, the divorce wasn’t their idea. You can talk about what you miss from the way things used to be too. This gives them permission to speak openly about their feelings. They won’t feel like they have to protect you by acting like everything is fine when it’s not.

It’s not uncommon for children to develop behavioral symptoms related to divorce. Young children have trouble verbalizing their feelings and may act them out instead. They might become listless in school, have trouble sleeping, complain of stomach aches so they can stay home, become clingy, act aggressive towards playmates, throw tantrums at home, refuse to do their school work, or begin wetting the bed. None of these symptoms are unusual. They are an expression of anger or anxiety.

Again – it’s wise to give your children an opportunity to talk about their anger and upset. Let them know you can accept their anger – it won’t devastate you – but set some limits about how they express it. Talk with them about constructive ways of getting their upset feelings out. Share what you do when you’re upset.

If you are divorcing and your children are teenagers – you may be entering a rocky couple of years. First of all, teenagers can choose who they want to live with. This may mean you have to deal with disappointment if they choose to live with your spouse. If this is the case, you might try to talk with them honestly about why they’re making this choice. It’s important not to appear so fragile that they can’t be open with you. Also, it’s good to see if you can dig a little deeper into why they feel this is best for them. See if their reasons make sense.

If you think your teen is choosing to live with the parent who’s going to provide the least amount of parental oversight- talk with them sincerely about your concerns. While this may seem like an easy ride, reinforce the fact that they will be making decisions during this period of their life that may impact their future. It’s wise to support their independent decision-making, but also express the hope that they’ll feel like they can talk with you about what is in their best interest. It’s difficult and often painful but try to be objective and examine the pluses and minuses of them staying with you versus your spouse. Let them do most of the talking.

It’s often difficult to get teenagers to open up about their feelings. They’re more likely to be open with you if the two of you have had a strong relationship prior to the divorce.

It’s not unusual for teens to act indifferent about the divorce and to say things like, “It’s no big deal. I’m going to be out of here pretty soon anyway.” Don’t buy it! They’re still kids. They still need parents and a stable home.If they become withdrawn, begin staying away from the house more or act angry and hostile towards one or both of you, you need to talk to them. Again – they are expressing their anger and disappointment, though they may not admit it. Kids who aren’t able to talk about their feelings some times resort to self-destructive behaviors as a way to distance themselves from their feelings. This includes drug and alcohol use and promiscuity.

The teen years are difficult for parents and children alike, but divorce in the midst of this period can be especially challenging. Teens are trying to figure out their identity. They are beginning to make choices about their future. They are starting to develop bonds with people outside the family. A teenager’s ability to successfully launch themselves into adulthood has a lot to do with how secure their home base is. You don’t want your teen to leave home prematurely – before their ability to handle independence has been sufficiently developed.

Children, especially young children, often hope their parents will reunite. In fact, many children harbor a fantasy about reunification that lasts for years. Others act-out in school or at home so their parents have to work together to address their behavior problems. This can be an attempt to reunite the parents.

If you sense that your child is holding on to a fantasy of reunification, it’s best to address it. This is a sign that your children are having difficulty coming to terms with and accepting the divorce. Again, the best remedy is open conversation and clear reinforcement that you and your spouse are not getting back together. You need to help your children accept the fact that your divorce is final.

Dating is a challenge for divorced parents with children. If your children are young, they are susceptible to growing attached to your new love interest. This is dangerous. It’s best for parents to keep their dating life separate from their children until they are certain the dating relationship is a substantial one and that it is going to be longer term. Your children don’t need to go through another loss. Additionally, young children often feel caught in a loyalty bind between the new romantic partner and the parent of the same sex.

An awkward dynamic occurs when teenagers and their divorced parents are both dating. Teens feel awkward and uncomfortable about their parents as sexual people – especially in light of the fact that they are beginning to explore their own sexuality. With teens, it’s important to remember that how you handle your sexuality may impact how they decide to express theirs.

Teens may be slower to accept your new boyfriend or girlfriend than younger children. They may mouth- off and be disparaging about this person or treat the person rudely. This is their way of acting out their anger and disappointment over the divorce. It may also be their way of being loyal to the same sex parent. On the other hand, they may have some legitimate reasons for not liking your new partner. It might be smart to explore what their feelings, attitudes, observations and objections are. You might learn something that could be important.

With adult children who are out of the house, anger and disappointment over your divorce are often related to feelings of betrayal. Your adult children may have a lot of questions about what was going on in your marriage, about why you’re deciding to divorce now, etc. With adult children, it’s easier to be open and honest and to go into a bit more depth about your reasons for divorce. Chances are they will understand your decision to a greater degree because they have a better grasp of who each of you are as people – in addition to being their parents. They will have observed and developed their own attitudes and feelings about each of you, about your flaws and about the shortcomings in your marriage. Still, adult children often feel cheated. They may have an understandable wish to preserve the memory of having had an intact family – regardless of how difficult the circumstances may have been. There may also be a greater likelihood to take sides, because they’ve developed their own attitudes and perspective on each of you as people.

In summary, the single best step you can take is to keep the lines of communication open with your children – regardless of their age. You need to place your own feelings about the divorce on the back burner long enough to take an active interest in how your children are coping with the divorce.

Copyright Johanna Nauraine, 2010

REPRINT RIGHTS Statement: This article is free for republishing by visitors provided the Author Bio and Copyright is retained and the link remains active.

Johanna Nauraine is a psychotherapist in private practice in Chicago. She specializes in premarital, marital and divorce therapy, infertility, addictions and career coaching. You can read more of her relationship articles at: http://johannascouch.com

Lights! Camera! Action!

Now with our exclusive movie party theme, your birthday child can star in their own movie!

That’s right, with fun kid birthday parties one-of-a-kind movie making adventure, you can turn your child’s birthday party into a movie making party they’ll never forget.

Imagine how excited your birthday child will be when they get to tell all their party guests that everyone is going to be in a movie… Wow! This is going to be super fun.

“The Great Birthday Treasure Hunt” is an original 3 minute mini-movie script exclusively from Fun Kid Birthday Parties and it’s yours absolutely FREE.

And when you order your free movie script we’ll even send you our easy to follow tips on how to put together this super fun one-of-a-kind movie party theme that everyone will love… And you’ll have a great time too!

Movie Party Theme

Everyone has dreamed of starring in a movie… And now your birthday child can star in “The Great Birthday Treasure Hunt” a fun 3 minute movie production.

Movie Party Invitations

Make your invitations into a “Movie Star Contract.” You might write something like this:

Movie Star Contract

“You’re so talented and glamorous that (your family name) Productions would like for you to sign this fun contract to appear in our latest blockbuster movie production titled “The Great Birthday Treasure Hunt.”

We’re celebrating (first and last name of birthday child)’s birthday on (day and date of the party) at our (your family name) Productions movie studios from (start time and end time of your party).

(First and last name of birthday child) will be starring in our movie adventure and wants you to be one of the movie’s co-stars.

“The Great Birthday Treasure Hunt” will be filmed on location in and around our movie studio.

Our movie party theme will include time for autographs, movie games and activities, movie screenings and our studio commissary will be providing delicious movie production treats for our entire cast.

Please sign this Movie Star Contract and call your agent (name of agent to ask for) at (telephone number) to RSVP for your movie star roll in our original movie production.”

The (family name) Productions movie studio is located at (address).

Come dressed as your favorite movie character. (or you can have everyone show up in whatever costume you’d like, western, The Incredibles, Princess, fashion, or whatever theme you want).

Movie Party Theme Decorations

Your decorations can include a director’s chair, a megaphone, scene slate, light cut outs, camera cut outs, studio signs like “Hot Set”. “Birthday Movie Set”, “Hollywood Studio”. .

Movie Party Theme Games And Activities

You can make your movie production your entire party or you can set up some movie related activities and games.

Movie Party Theme, Screen Your Dailies

After you shoot the scenes for your movie, “The Great Birthday Treasure Hunt”, you can screen the raw unedited footage. Your guest will love seeing everything, including all the fun out-takes and bloopers.

Movie Party Theme, Snacks And Refreshments

Movie sets always have lots of snack food nearby for all the actors and crew… Favorites include M & M candies, Gummy Bears, nuts, fruit slices, veggie slices, chips and dips and any other finger snacks your birthday child might like.

Have fun and put a sign on your table that reads “Studio Commissary”.

Kid Movie Party World Premiere

One of the fun things about shooting a movie as a special birthday party is that you can have a second party as well. We’ve done this and everyone loved it!

Once your movie is edited, you’ll want to have your movies “World Premiere.”

Print out some movie ticket invitations, roll out a red carpet, invite the “paparazzi” (photographers) to snap pictures and video as your stars arrive.

Have some popcorn, screen your movie!

Follow your movie’s world premiere with an Academy Awards style party. Hand out awards (special best actor certificates) to all your actors! And let everyone make an acceptance speech. This is a lot of fun. This will be a movie premiere that everyone will remember!

To get you started on this unique, one-of-a-kind movie making adventure, Fun Kid Birthday Parties will send you a copy of our 3 minute movie script, “The Great Birthday Treasure Hunt” absolutely free. And we’ll include our easy to follow tips on how to put together this fun movie production for your birthday child.

To get your free kids movie party script visit us at Fun-Kid-Birthday-Parties.com and fill out the easy form at the bottom of the page.

Mike Dougherty is a movie and television writer, producer, director, video editor and regional Emmy award winning videographer. Most recently as a Hollywood screenwriter “the Long Ride Home” a western movie starring Randy Travis is based on Mike Dougherty’s short script. To get your free kids movie script, visit http://fun-kid-birthday-parties.com/kid-movie-party-theme.html right now

Automotive detailing can be one of the most important jobs at vehicle dealerships or detailing shops. Whether a detailer is preparing the vehicle for a sales display or getting it ready for its new owner, it’s sometimes that first impression of the vehicle that makes automotive detailing so significant.

Good automotive detailers will know the areas on vehicles that a bad detailer can miss. Areas such as door jams, window seals, and engine cleaning are signs that you got a good detail job. Trade-in vehicles that need to be detailed are perhaps the most important as a good detail can affect its retail value. No one wants to buy a used vehicle, no matter what the performance quality, if it hasn’t been detailed properly.

Soiled upholstery and carpet stains can also prevent resale value but using the right products can show a drastic improvement if done correctly. Tobacco or smoking in a vehicle are no longer challenges for the good automotive detailer. Various manufacturers are now producing machines such as Ionizers that when placed in a vehicle for a small period of time can take out the effects of smoking smells.

Automotive detailing products are important. Products or mitts that can scratch, wear out the paint, or dull chrome should not be used and a good automotive detailer will know which products to avoid.

Automotive detailing product salespeople who promote their products and claim they are the best visit many dealerships. Beyond what products auto detailers are using, a customer should look at the detail shop or detail area. Is it clean? Are the products organized, or are the detailers running back and forth, sharing products, or worse, leaving the detail area looking for their equipment? Check them out for cleanliness and accessibility of the automotive detailing items they use-are they nearby?

A good automotive detailer will use tools such as small brushes with soft bristles for vent cleaning. Detailing tools that have small rubber tips are good for cleaning dirt out of seams and trim. Wheel and tire brushes are also a must. Some products such as mitts and brushes are now being offered by the manufacturers with color-coding. This color-coding helps the detailer identify which is the best tool for the process in a quick and easy manner. Bottles of cleaners should also be color-coded for automotive detailing use. Grabbing the wrong solution can be detrimental to the detailer if he is in a hurry. The color-coding process has eliminated the mistakes sometimes made in the automotive detailing business.

Some automotive detailing shops even offer services that will check your wiper blades and other viewable parts that can easily be replaced by a detailer at a lower cost than a mechanic or technician.

A big job for the automotive detailer is new vehicle preparation. If a dealer sells new vehicles, as they are shipped in, they are inevitably full of dust, debris and, road wear from the shipping process. Not only is the automotive detailer responsible for cleaning the new vehicle, most car dealerships will provide them with a checklist of other items to check for operation. The checklist can include items such as setting the clock and radio, testing the key fobs to see if they are working correctly, removing the new vehicle plastic and stickers, and, taking the vehicle on a small test drive to check wipers, air-conditioning and, other essential elements.

Probably the last thing a good automotive detailer can offer is the trip to the gas pump to fill your vehicle up with a full tank. If your detailing company or dealership offers this, it may save you dollars. Many dealerships receive gasoline discounts and are happy to pass them along to the customer to keep them coming back, so check that out when you visit your automotive detailer or dealership.

Automotive detailing takes a lot if care. People who work in this area should be the kind of people who love the detailing process and the outcomes they achieve. They are people who have high levels of energy and communication skills to ensure the customer is getting what they want. If chosen right, the good automotive detailer can make all the difference in that new, used, or customer vehicle. Good automotive detailers will keep customers coming back to any shop and are sometimes overlooked for the talents they possess.

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What really makes a celebrity a true celebrity? Is it the news coverage? The pursuit of tabloids? Perhaps sheer popularity is what drives us to call movie stars, musicians, and politicians celebrities. If that is the case, are the non-traditional stars celebrities as well?

In order to find a satisfactory answer to this dilemma, one must look for a celebrity index. CelebrityContest.net has developed an algorithm to assign a value to a celebrity, much as stocks are assigned a monetary value in order for site visitors or members to build celebrity portfolio. The algorithm takes into consideration the amount and timing of news items pertaining to celebrities as well as the popularity of the celebrity as a portion of online portfolios. But does this adequately measure the amount of celebrity status an individual has achieved?

Celebrity

To determine this, we need to consider what celebrity actually means. The American Heritage Dictionary defines celebrity as “a famous person,” or “renown, fame.” That definition is very broad indeed. To be renown is to simply be well-known. Osama Bin Laden is well-known, but does not necessarily have the same following as Jessica Alba. By this definition, however, they are both celebrities.

Thus, to be a celebrity, one must be either famous or infamous, and the distinction is not relevant. By this same token, individuals who have developed a following in unconventional ways such as the internet or reality programming are certainly celebrities as well – albeit some have more global coverage than others. So to measure the amount of celebrity an individual has obtained, one would simply need to measure his or her popularity.

Measuring Popularity

Before the information age, to measure popularity would involve countless newspaper and magazine searches. Print resources as well as television and radio contained any and all celebrity news and gossip. With the advent of the internet, this changed, of course. In present times, the internet has not only opened countless doors to those aspiring to stardom, but has developed a multitude of news and gossip outlets as well.

Most of the conventional media outlets – magazines, newspapers, radio, and television have developed an online presence. Often these websites contain more information pertaining to celebrities than the original medium. Those interested in entertainment news now have almost countless methods to find the information they seek.

The fastest way to find information online, however, is through the search engines. Major search engines index all web pages and online news items as they are developed, and offer users a chance to hone in on the desired material. Searching for celebrities will pull up thousands, if not millions, of relevant results. It follows that by simply counting the number of searches and articles for each celebrity, one could understand the popularity of that individual.

Celebrity Contest

It seems the algorithm developed by CelebrityContest.net holds true. The algorithm assigns value to a celebrity based on the number and age of news items and searches, which is the best indicator of popularity. Of course, the algorithm also includes results from CelebrityContest.net, which are a valid indicator as well.

If a celebrity is popular, he or she will be included in many portfolios. If he is becoming blasé, he will be dropped from portfolios in favor of more popular individuals. If a celebrity is looking for a gauge of her own value, she can perform a complicated web analysis, or simply track her price changes on CelebrityContest.net to understand how her fan base is feeling. Of course, fans can search for the value of their favorite celebrity, and even cash in on the details only devoted fans are privy to – insider trading if you will.

celebrity. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved October 29, 2006, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/celebrity

For additional gossip, news, and the opportunity to buy and sell the most popular celebrities in the world today, visit CelebrityContest.net [http://celebritycontest.net]

The law in most states require car insurance. Yes, right we all know that. So what do we do… we get the car insurance, of course so we can drive around and have some fun, etc. However, some of us are better at getting that great rate with an excellent car insurance company that others. What’s that you say? How so?

It’s not exactly fun for most of us, but getting the best rates with an excellent car insurance company that can and will perform for us is a bit of a chore. It takes a bit of time and effort. Some people will do exactly that while others can’t be bothered. That’s a mistake and it can cost you thousands of dollars year after year. Getting it right has it’s price!

We do have a choice of who we use for our car insurance, so lets not be sloppy or lazy about our choices. We all know it’s expensive to have car insurance, so why not get it right? If we shop around we can find the best car insurance company with the best rates to fit our needs.

Online has made this “job” of shopping around a ton easier than it is to pick up the phone and calling the top ten auto insurance providers and chatting with each one. Oh yeah, the internet is a hugh help when it comes to shopping around. You can get a free automobile insurance quote that offers comparison rates with other competitive companies. At times up to three or more comparison rates with one free online car insurance quote. This helps tremendously when it comes to saving time and helps in making some of these cost effective decisions easier.

Do not simply go with the lowest rate until you have investigated the car insurance company. You need to know they have a good track record with their policy holders. They should be willing to tell you about how long their company has been around, how many policy holders they have and how deep are their pockets financially speaking to be in a position to pay you on any claim you submit to them.

Keep in mind the car insurance companies are looking at YOU and “your driving record” when they offer those rates. Never forget the car insurance companies are studying statistics constantly in order to provide you with competitive rates AND keep their risks to a minimum.

Here are a few tips that you should be familiar with when shopping around for your best car insurance rates:

1. If your married you will always get the lower rates, especially if you are a male and young, if your driving records are good and there are not unusual circumstances involving your on road performance.

2. If your under 25 years of age you will pay more. Statistics have shown that young drivers do not perform as well on the road as persons over the age of 25. Young males again are a target for “high risk” performance.

3. Taking a driver’s safety course always provides a discount under normal circumstances with you driving record.

4. Keep your points down on your driving record. Speeding and other on-road hazards can lead to tickets and points on your driving record. When this happens your rates go up! This is a major factor in high rates quoted by the car insurance companies.

Note: If your parents have a nice plan, you may want to “seek cover” by joining them on their policy. Sometimes, it may even be necessary to have your vehicle in their name and then they can add you on their policy as one of the drivers of the family vehicles. This is all perfectly legal and may save you a small fortune if you’ve had some trouble with points, etc.

5. If you have a long commute or drive a ton, your rates will reflect that, since there is amply time for accidents to occur while your on the road. Can you reduce those miles by carpooling or ride-sharing? If so, you can reduce your rates. Let miles on the road equals lower rates.

6. Is your vehicle one that is so popular that it gets stolen or car-jacked more often than other makes and brands? This will always drive your automobile insurance rates up. Maybe it’s time to pick a “safer” auto.

7. Are you planning to buy a new car? Check out the cars that are considered “safe” and you can save if you can live with that list and buy one of those auto’s. The auto insurance companies spend a good deal of time looking into which cars are getting into trouble vs auto’s that aren’t. It’s a big factor with the car insurance companies and they do not like to take on that risk factor with sports and other “dangerous” cars.

8. Can you live with the idea of purchasing a nice “safe” used car? You will pay much less with a vehicle such as that… older. There are some wonderful deals and fabulously loaded with leather, premium sound systems ,etc. that are beautiful “used cars”. It can save you a ton just by owning the “older” “Mercedes Benz” type of car.

9. Consider carrying a high deductible. You will save a great deal on your insurance premiums with a high deductible on your car. Remember, you pay the premiums EVERY month, quarter or year. You may NEVER or rarely have an accident or theft of your auto. If you do not have a claim you will NEVER pay the deductible.

10. If you have more than one policy with your insurance company you will always get a discount. It’s this new and popular offer going on with all the insurance companies. They are looking for more business and if you are willing to give it to them, then bingo you will get discount. So, if you can manage to add your vehicle to your existing homeowners policy or vice versa, you can save.

Always read or have your agent explain to you the fine print and long laundry list of items in your policy to provide you with the coverage you truly need. Sometimes you may be doubling up on coverage you already have with another company, such as medical coverage and will not need to pay twice for the same protection. Know what you’ve just paid for and that you really need it.

It’s NICE to know we have done our “homework” and found “financial security” and “peace of mind” when we have laid our hard-earned money down for our car insurance AND have obtained the best rates with the full protection offered by an excellent car insurance company that will be there when we need them.

There are many more tips and advice on auto insurance companies to choose from and which have the ability to perform for you with great rates? Visit this popular website, Auto Insurance Companies Free Quote, http://www.auto-insurance-companies-free-quote.com

Get some fast facts on car insurance companies that can perform for you and offer excellent rates at this popular website Auto Insurance Companies Free Quote By Carley Swift.

The role that the educational system should play in the live of people is to educate them to be conscious, critically thinking individuals who do not passively accept knowledge but question the knowledge that is being taught to them. Education should be taught to give students the skills and intelligence they need to understand the world and how the world works in order to survive in it. However, the American educational system has been known to produce students whom are woefully ignorant about the world and different cultures. One of the reasons is because the educational system in its current state does not leave much room for critical thinking but trains individuals to be docile, worker bees in a global economy that keeps the status quo wealthy and “others” barely making it. The problem becomes evident if we look at the varied curriculums and subjects that are being taught. There is a lack of emphasis on academic learning, and the only thing that matters is high stakes testing. The schools in this country have become swamped with fuzzy curriculums that assume that through constant testing, students will be prepared for life in a new global society . . . whatever that is.

I recently had a conversation with a co-worker and we were discussing how African-Americans were treated forty years ago and I was amazed by her naivety about the subject, considering the fact that she was a college graduate and an African-American. From the moment I entered college, I was eager to explore the history of African and African-American history from a view point that did not make them seem sub-human and college affords students that opportunity. I could not help but wonder what type of history and sociological classes she had taken; from her conversation, none. But the sad truth is that when most people make the decision to attend college, it is for the purpose of reaping economic rewards, not for expanding one’s consciousness.

In order for the educational system in this country to produce students who are not clueless about its history and the world surrounding them, it should be restructured in several ways. Parental involvement should be mandatory, just as school attendance for students is mandatory for graduation. Lack of parent involvement is an enormous contributing factor to the current failing educational system. Parents need to instill in their children just how detrimental a lack of education is to their future. Teachers are wonderful people who can take students from the top of Mount Olympus to the cold and desolation of Antarctica but they are there to teach, not parent. Many teachers spend a great deal of their class time disciplining children and playing babysitter, two things that are not a part of their job duties. Teachers need involvement from parents in order for the educational system to work and education begins at home.

Funding for the educational system should also be restructured. Public schools are traditionally funded by property taxes which results in a very unequal distribution of educational opportunity. Communities that are wealthy have more funding for their local schools than those who do not. This situation directly affects the quality of education that children in urban and poor rural areas receive. The No Child Left Behind Act will only make it worse because of the required testing and public reporting of results. When parents are buying a new house, they want to live in a school district that has strong test scores. This drives up the property values in those areas, meaning that only affluent families can afford to live in the top performing school districts. This means more property taxes to those areas, while the lower performing schools lose their funding if they do not meet federal standards. There should be a fair tax system for education that is not based on property taxes of homeowners. Government funding, for the most part, is distributed to the various schools by state and local governments and there is huge disparities in this funding based on race. According the text American Education by Joel Spring, there is a gap of more than $1,000 per student nation wide based on race, with large states like New York, Illinois, and Pennsylvania, who lead the nation in their unwillingness to fairly fund education (Spring, pg. 77). Children should not suffer because of their economic background or ethnicity and public education should make no distinction between rich and poor, or black and white. Every child attending a public school should be granted an equal education. Equal funding would grant teachers the proper resources to better educate students. School choice and the privatization of the public school system would not be a factor because under my plan, the educational system in America would be fully and equally funded by the federal government and closely monitored. With the influx of money pouring into the educational system from the government, schools would change dramatically for the better because that is the biggest issue in most public schools: lack of money.

The educational system’s curriculum would be changed in order to fit in with the nation’s melting pot of different cultures and ethnicities. From elementary to high school, students are bombarded with facts and figures about wealthy, white men as if women and other minorities do not exist or contribute anything worthy to the history of America. No wonder so many students blank out historical facts: they do not care these fact because they cannot relate to the actors in the story. Student should be required to take courses that have will give them a more in depth understanding of the world surrounding them, courses that will discuss the history of marginalized and oppressed individuals in this country and around the world. They should be required to read books that make them think, not just process information for the next test. If more students understood the values and cultures of people unlike themselves, it would not be easy or maybe even possible for the government to lie and use propaganda techniques to lull the masses into believing everything was okay and its leaders competent. High stakes testing would be eliminated because most of the tests are designed by people who do not have a clue about the demographics, ethnicities or economic backgrounds of the students who are to be tested and these tests are biased against minorities and the poor. If students are to be tested, extra tutoring would be available to students, at no cost to the parents.

Having competent teachers, board members, and administrators are also a vital part of restructuring the educational system. Having qualified administrators and board members who know and enforce standards and guidelines is important. What are the qualifications for an administrator? Are there required qualifications? These are the questions that need answers. Just because someone has obtained a degree does not make this person the best for the job. Board members should not be chosen because they golf with the mayor; all board members should have a Master’s degree in Education or have an extensive social justice background. As for teachers, the educational system should make sure that the best teachers are chosen for the positions and evaluations should be given frequently. This would give parents and the educational system a chance to find out what is wrong and what is needed to correct the problems. Public education needs teachers and board members that actually care about the children and their education, not individuals who want the perks of working for school system: summers and holidays off, steady raises and a fat compensation package. American children are suffering due to the inadequacies of the individuals involved with the educational system.

The “culture of poverty” theory that has been used by several politicians to explain differences in learning between different ethnicities would be exposed as a blatant attempt by the status quo to “blame” individuals for their poverty if the educational system was restructured to meet the needs of all students, not just the wealthy. Huge educational gaps between poor students and wealthy students do not occur because the poorer students have adapted to their poverty-stricken existence but because they do not have resources needed to succeed in school. If students have to deal with textbooks that are outdated, lack of toiletries, and computers from the late 1980s, their opportunity to advance academically is dismal and their chances of dropping out of school likely.

In a just and an equal society, the educational system I have discussed would have already been implemented decades ago but it has not and more than likely will not. In a hierarchical society such as in America, there will always be someone on the low end of the totem pole and the best way to do that is through the mis-education of its most vulnerable: the children. The neglect of the educational system in the US threatens the economic well being of the entire nation. Unless the inequalities in education is diminished and its system totally restructured, the wealthy gap between the rich and the poor will continue to widen and the US will be infamous for being the nation of the undereducated. Spring, Joel. American Education. (2006). New York: McGraw-Hill

Multicultural marketing mirrors the changed face of America and is getting the attention of small-business and other organizations looking for an edge in diverse ethnic markets. “Gone are the days when businesses succeed with a ‘one size fits all’ approach to marketing. It’s a ‘mass market’ no longer,” insists Rhonda Albey, a diversity consultant with Allen Associates in Los Angeles, “The multicultural markets are where the opportunities are, and successful entrepreneurs are quickly learning how to get there.”

According to the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) the predominant ethnic market segments being targeted by multicultural marketers are Hispanic (70%), African-American (59%) and Asian American (27%). In many places, these and other multicultural markets exert such demographic and economic influence that they’re inevitable targets. (source: http://www.Emarketer.com, 11-6-02).

Wherever they are, however, businesses must monitor and adapt to changes in their marketplace. The view out there can change quickly, and it’s a mistake to take any significant market segment in your area for granted. Even with all the right products and services you’ll still need the right message, in the right place, at the right time to reach the ethnic markets you want to be doing business with.

Do-it-yourself online research and homegrown multicultural marketing initiatives can help you identify and develop local ethnic market segments. But for some, outsourcing may be the way to go. For example, Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc., (www.multiculturalmarketingresources.com), a NYC-based public relations and marketing company, is helping businesses and entrepreneurs reach multicultural markets nationwide.

Population Growth and Economic Clout Tell Powerful Stories

Overall, says Multicultural Marketing Resources’, Lisa Skriloff: “The African-American, Hispanic and Asian populations have a combined buying power of more than a trillion dollars and minority populations are fast becoming the majority population in major markets.” But shifts in thinking toward culturally based marketing–targeting ethnic segments based on their cultural framework–will expand, creating multicultural marketing opportunities in still new ethnic segments in places where they are numerically significant.

California diversity consultant, Rhonda Albey, cautions: “Appreciate the diversity within groups as well as among groups. Terms like ‘Hispanic’ and ‘Asian’ are frequently used without acknowledging the wide-variety of peoples such terms include. ‘Asian’ can refer to any one of hundreds of nationalities, language groups and cultures. Entrepreneurs need to be aware that what appeals to Chinese-Americans in California may have little appeal for Korean-Americans in New York, although they’re all Asian-Americans.”

Culture as much, if not more than age, income, occupation or sex, is the main difference between ethnic markets and the general marketplace. Differing cultural backgrounds may mean consumers will never see or hear marketing messages that are not relevant to their cultural behavior, language or media preferences. And many businesses have yet to realize that Hispanics, Asians and blacks, among other market segments–multicultural or otherwise–have buying preferences that can be a key ingredient in marketing and selling to them.

But what if you haven’t been making the most of multicultural marketing opportunities that could be all around you?

How to Work Multicultural Marketing Into Your Marketing Plans?

Assuming you have a marketing plan, an important first step in multicultural marketing is knowing your audience, followed by improving your existing market penetration (you may want to get busy developing attractive new target markets, but first understand the inherent risks and costs, and explore opportunities to grow from within). If you can’t meet your goals with existing marketing opportunities–or you want to aim even higher–you probably should be developing new market segments. That means checking your sales forecasts and expense budget, and seeking ways to increase the return on your marketing investment.

As does all market planning, multicultural marketing needs to include research to determine who is buying your products and services, and why. Any market segment’s unique make-up defines its needs, suggesting products to sell and methods to use, and if it’s right for you; solid information about the wants, needs and objectives of potential clients is essential in making sound marketing decisions. Surveys of prospects and clients and informal interviews are useful research tools for agents and advisors in areas where one or more ethnic groups predominate.

Multicultural market planning continues with customer profiles–word-pictures of the people you’re looking for summarizing what these groups mean to you, what you do for the group, and why. Example: “The person I do business with is a young black professional or executive who is married, politically conservative, and has the potential of earning $100,000 a year by age 40. This market has grown substantially from when I started in this business 10 years ago, and I’ve been able to develop a steady market presence. As a result, networking opportunities and qualified referrals are easy–but I have to keep my eye on the ball and know my stuff.”

Market positioning then allows you to focus your resources and expertise as they apply to your market segments and think through the messages you wish to communicate to create competitive advantages. Your positioning statement should be well thought out and lend itself to professional identity branding. Your “brand”–reputation, integrity, performance, credentials, distinctive competencies and other key factors–shows in everything you do and differentiates you from your competition. Establish your brand up front: in conversation, in writing and in what you make people think about.

A marketing strategy is your formal plan for entering and systematically developing multicultural market segments and achieving your goals. It coordinates your positioning statement, customer profiles and professional identity brand with tools and techniques for establishing yourself in these market segments while servicing and expanding your existing client base. Once you have a plan, you’ll need to implement, manage and sustain it. It’s also important to remain focussed on your long-term goals. And to stay motivated!

You can adopt these steps to any market segment; what’s most important is thinking strategically about how you will find, get, and keep customers. Because marketing in the U.S. is becoming more like global marketing, market planning must proceed from an understanding of cultural differences the better to evaluate the need for adjustments to strategies and tactics. Commenting on the potential growth of multicultural marketing, Lisa Skriloff predicts: “Businesses that have not invested in multicultural marketing will be forced to reevaluate or be left behind.”

Want More? Send questions and comments to w.willard3@knology.net.

Bill Willard has also been writing high-impact marketing and sales training primarily for the financial services industry for 30 years—but as Will Rogers put it: “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” Through interactive, Web-based “Do-While-Learning™” programs, enewsletters and straight-talking articles, Bill helps SBOs and independent professionals get the job done: profitably improving performance, helping grow your business, skipping expensive mistakes, making the journey to small-business success faster, smoother, easier. And fun!

A recent study of 29,000 business startups noted that 26,000 of them failed. Of those failures, 67% had no written business plan. Think that’s a coincidence?

Here’s the top 10 myths Solo Entrepreneurs often have about business plans-usually, the reasons why they don’t have one. De-bunk the myths, and see how having a business plan for your solo business, can actually be easy and fun–and can jumpstart your success!

1. Myth: I don’t need a business plan–it’s just me!

Starting a business without a plan is like taking a trip in a foreign country without a map. You might have a lot of fun along the way, and meet a lot of friends, but you are likely to end up at a very different place than you originally set out for-and you might have to phone home for funds for your return ticket.

Solo Entrepreneur Reality: Successful Solo Entrepreneurs know that the exercise of creating a plan for their business really helps them think through all the critical aspects of running a business, make better business decisions, and get to profitability sooner.

2. Myth: I have to buy business plan software before I can start.

Business plan software comes in many shapes and sizes, and prices. Many are more geared at small and growing businesses with employees.

Solo Entrepreneur Reality: Software can be helpful-but it’s not required. Software is more likely to help if you have a more traditional type business, like a restaurant or a typical consulting business.

3. Myth: I need to hire a consultant to write my business plan.

Consultants are expensive and don’t really know as much about your business as you do!

Solo Entrepreneur Reality: Your business IS you-and you need to be intimately involved with the creation of your business plan. A better strategy, if you think you need professional help, is to hire a coach or mentor-someone who can guide you in what you need to do, not do it for you.

4. Myth: The business plan templates I’ve seen have all these complex-sounding sections to them-I guess I need all those?

The only time you need to follow a specific outline is if you are looking for funding.

Solo Entrepreneur Reality: Your business plan needs to answer ten basic questions-that’s it! Don’t make things more complicated than necessary.

5. Myth: My business plan needs to be perfect before I can start my business.

If you wait for everything to be perfectly detailed, you may never start.

Solo Entrepreneur Reality: If you have at least a first draft that answers those ten basic questions, you are ready to launch your business! Make your business plan a living, evolving document. In the startup stages, review and update your plan every 2-3 months. As you grow and stabilize, you can slow down the review cycle to every 6-12 months. All business plans should be reviewed and updated at least once a year.

6. Myth: I have to do everything I say I’m going to do in my business plan, or I’m a failure.

Many Solo Entrepreneurs never start because of this myth-which leaves them feeling that the success of their future business suddenly rides on each stroke of the pen or click of the keyboard!

Solo Entrepreneur Reality: Think of your business plan as a roadmap for a trip. Expect to take some detours for road construction. Be flexible enough to take some exciting, unplanned side trips. And don’t be surprised if instead of visiting Mount Rushmore, you decide to go to Yellowstone, if that turns out to meet your vacation goals better!

7. Myth: A good business plan has a nice cover, is at least 40 pages long, must be typed and double-spaced…

Business plans intended for investors, such as a bank or venture capitalist, must meet certain requirements that such investors expect.

Solo Entrepreneur Reality: As a Solo Entrepreneur, your business plan need only satisfy YOU. It might be scribbled on a napkin, on stickie notes on your wall, or consist of a collage of pictures and captions. It might be all in one document or scattered among several mediums. As long as you know it in your head and heart without having to look at it, and and it is easily accessible to you when you have doubts, that’s all that is necessary.

8. Myth: I don’t need a loan-so I don’t need a business plan.

YOU are the investor in your business-and would you invest in the stock of some company without seeing a prospectus?

Solo Entrepreneur Reality: Seeing your plan in black and white (or color, if you prefer!), can give a whole new view on the financial viability of your business. If “doing the numbers” seems overwhelming, remember you don’t need fancy spreadsheets. Just lay out a budget that shows where all the money is coming from (and going), and have an accountant review it for additional perspective.

9. Myth: My business plan is in my head-that’s good enough.

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes can’t remember what I planned yesterday to do tomorrow, if I don’t write it down!

Solo Entrepreneur Reality: There is a real power in writing down your plans. Some schools of thought advocate that the act of writing a plan down triggers our subconscious to start working on how to manifest that plan. And, of course, it’s a lot easier to remember when you have it in front of you. And a lot easier to share and get feedback from your non-mind reading supporters.

10. Myth: Friends and family are the best sources of feedback and advice on my business plan.

If your brother is an accountant and your best friend is a market research expert, then this might be true.

Solo Entrepreneur Reality: As well meaning as our friends and family can often be, they just aren’t the best way to get honest, objective guidance. Instead, seek out folks that have specific knowledge that will help you, are willing to be candid with you, and that have a genuine interest in helping you succeed. A business coach is one resource to consider!

Terri Zwierzynski is a self-employed business strategist and marketing consultant to solo entrepreneurs, and a grassroots promoter of the solo entrepreneur lifestyle. She runs Solo-E.com, the resource website for the self-employed which attracts thousands of solo home business owners monthly from over 100 countries on six continents (and was recently named a finalist for “Website of the Year” in the 4th Annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business).

Find more articles about Business Planning at Solo-E.com, plus get a copy of our new ebook, “25 Surefire Ways to Capture More Clients, Get More Done in Less Time, and Make More Money — in 90 Days or Less.”

When most people hear the phrase “organizational politics,” they react very negatively. They see politics in the workplace as forming clicks and another way to keep those who go against the status quo labeled as an outsider. People also think that it’s a toxic dynamic that allows manipulative behaviors for people to get what they want by stepping on their co-workers’ backs. But not every instance of workplace politicking is a selfish maneuver to win.

The text “Building Great Teams: Charting the Path of Organizational Politics” (Book Surge, 2007) takes you inside one of the greatest team building organizations in the world, the United States Marine Corps, to examine and discover the strategies that business leaders must be willing to learn, use and employ for building ordinary groups into extraordinary teams; leading the right team of commandos who understand what it takes to win on the business battlefield and defeat workplace politics using warfare as the key to experience a significant win. The strategies within the text defines workplace and office politics as “the path to smart growth…using the power to accelerate the careers of high potential future leaders and teams power in the workplace.” It implies that office politics are not always negative, but offer opportunities for greatness. And while workplace politics aren’t necessarily avoidable, people can learn to understand their purpose, find their voice and understand how-to strengthen and build the teams dynamics and interpersonal communications skills – all while managing responsibilities with tact, poise, and polish.

The game of politics, when understood how-to use it as a strategic weapon, helps to successfully chart the path of personal and professional growth as the essential task to achieve personal mastery from the results of peak performance. Organizational politics also offers the hidden treasures that allow people to stand-out from the crowd. They learn to demonstrate their ability to navigate the maze of successful team building – a task that is viewed as positive organizational behavior from the individual that is perceived as an extraordinary leader. This is the type of person that others seek to follow and emulate for the greatness they wish to develop for themselves.

Workplace Politics vs. The Battlefield Engagement

Just as in any military engagement, in order to win one must know the rules better than his/her competitor to outsmart them on the battlefield. It also is beneficial to be a part of the right team for controlling the elements of the battlefront. However, some might claim the workplace and the military are very different in many ways. Thinking from this approach causes significant missteps in organizational politics. There are significant issues that are similar in the workplace and on a military battlefield. For starters, the one constant is “people.” Any time that people are involved in a scenario, decision-making must play a role in the ability to win. Using the strategies from the United States Marine Corps, people are responsible for making critical decisions from the highest ranking officer down to the lowest ranking enlisted – and the decision could mean life or death.

Well, the same goes for the workplace. People are responsible for making critical decisions that could mean that the organization acquires strategic assets (executive suite decisions) or that a customer is treated in a way that causes them to continue doing business with the organization. Both can be seen as life or death for the organization. As seen with Wachovia bank, a decision from the top level leadership was made to acquire Westgate Financial to boost their mortgage business. When the U.S. mortgage markets and industry imploded during the financial crisis, the organization was effected with incredible implications – it became the beginning of the end for one of the country’s largest banks and people lost careers and more. Similar to the likes of a military battlefield engagement and a series of wrong decisions made by leadership, loss of life was experienced.

But what most people fail to realize is that the workplace is too a battlefield. Business is warfare and those who understand how to navigate the politics always win. Consider the game of chess. Chess can be low-key and quiet, a friendly game between friends. Or it can be explosive and highly competitive, set amid a crowd of observers, where the ultimate winner reaps world-wide accolades. Consider the skill behind the game of chess. It requires well-planned strategy and a great deal of mental acuity and patience, not to mention years of practice to reach an elite status.

These are the same skills required by a great leader, one who has the ability to guide an organization and one who understands the world of workplace politics. On the other hand, while playing a game such as chess, there can only be a single winner where there often can be a more neutral outcome in the world of workplace politics. With the proper skills of negotiation and influence, savvy leadership might be able to create a win-win situation.

The Truth about Politics in the Workplace

Politics will always be part of an organization because people are people. The dynamic relationships of individuals who run a business enterprise play an important part in how the business operates: How the mission map, posture statements, vision, values and organizational culture is forged. And while the average Jane or Joe might feel like they are being run over by co-workers who manipulate the system, bully, gossip, backstab and brown nose to get what they want, there is more to workplace politics than those negative daily encounters. The quintessential aspect of organizational politics is the team. Building great teams’ hits at one of the most discussed topics in business media and the workplace: Organizational Behavior, transformational leadership, organizational renewal and inter-office politics. The day of the individual worker is over, as today’s business arena demands that workers possess the ability to effectively work as team units that consistently produce extraordinary outcomes from their performance. It is a scenario all top leaders and managers knows well: The organization, their people, and their systems all require efficient and effective processes to remain constant in its approach to move quickly toward new and innovative ways of reaching mission-critical objectives.

Good leaders are a thing of the past, as global economies now require more than good – they seek greatness and ordinary just does not fit the bill any longer. They now require the ordinary to be “extraordinary.” The new battlefield in the workplace requires the extraordinary leaders’ understanding of workplace politics and the accompanying landscape to be significant. They can no longer work in the old silos of the past that was developed by the silly political conflicts. No, these extraordinary leaders can no longer exhibit the behaviors that ultimately invite disaster. This is not to say that leaders of the past demonstrated the behaviors that put-up with negative politics that caused disastrous outcomes nor does it imply every good leader has found his/her way to the top of the heap by climbing over the bodies of crushed co-workers. It simply means that leadership understands workplace politics well enough to use them as “strategic weapons” to produce positive returns without the mud slinging and backsliding of unethical and immoral actions.

Understanding how-to chart the path of organizational politics means being able to maneuver using political warfare to enhance the organization’s ability to rise to the top of its industry, without leaving one of its warriors lying wounded on the battlefield. It means having a well crafted Battleplan, understanding the players, building positive alliances and coalition of forces, using the art of war as a significant warfighting strategy that all stakeholders understand and buy-in to for winning, and finally, developing a compelling case study for the associates of the organization to understand the comprehensive approach for integrating strategic human capital and team development initiatives into the fold.

Convert Uniqueness into Ultimate Power

The best leaders are the people that understand the nature of warfare in dealing with and overcoming workplace politics. These are the men and women who have a tone on the pulse of the workplace – internal and external – and know what it takes to remain on task “ethically” to lead others into greatness. Here are five important things to know about politically savvy leaders:

° They understand the critical importance of the team associates to be “LeaderShaped” into

GREATNESS. They understand the “what” and “how” in developing a GREAT team.

° They make decisive decisions for the benefit of the Future Picture

° They understand the “culture” in the system that the team must influence.

° They know what it take to strategically “execute” and win as a team.

° They know how-to use the “Six Political Signs of Business Leadership” to achieve

professional mastery to the people and organization:

1. a clear “Vision” of issues.

2. Understand the “Value” drivers within the team.

3. “Behavioral” influence of leadership to the Future Picture.

4. “Strategy” Modeling (Enterprise Decision Making).

5. Strategic “Execution” (Governance).

6. “Duplication of Protocol” (learnable-teachable methods for future engagements).

Engaging the battlefield that is influenced by workplace politics, for many, may mean asserting their power, pushing and shoving like the elementary school bully until they get what they want. But that’s really just the toxic behavior and conduct that eliminates the possibilities for leadership and the organization they influence to win. One of the best ways to lose power is to overtly use it. Instead, the best leaders know that power comes from influence – and influence is subjective to behavior, character and the value system that drives the people responsible for charting the pathway.

In the text, the author also outlines how, in most cases, team leaders never hit their goals – not because they lack talent within the associate ranks, but because they are naïve to the complexities of team dynamics. The author outlines the strategic-execution methods that smart leaders understand and use to determine what type of team model best suits their specific environment, what key skills to look for (and which to avoid), and how to coax top performances from everyone starting from day one.

Author Robert Dilenschneider explains in his book, “Power and Influence: The Rules Have Changed”: True power and influence means accepting responsibility, taking the heat and keeping your word. So even if someone supports the supposition that leadership is just another way of playing political games, it doesn’t necessarily mean this is a bad thing. When properly played, workplace politics can lead to great achievements and outcomes. Pitts believes that extraordinary teams that are great engage politics well. They are LeaderShaped and driven by extraordinary people who make a distinctive impact – they deliver significant and superior performance over a long period of time. There are some striking characteristics of great teams who achieve sustained success within their mission across its life cycle. They experience an increased level of professional mastery in developing and executing as great teams do. These teams have gone through a process; a process that is forged in a furnace of professional development, transformational thinking, and strategic-execution.

Workplace politics, good or evil, are a very real part of the work environment. Whether people subscribe to the belief that leadership is just another way of engaging the political battlefield or not, it is important to keep in mind that as long as there are people working together as great teams do, there will be politics, but the outcomes will be far different from the results of the past. Great teams are the way to successfully engage the battlefield – greatness from the team is how to engage politics well and win it using fair tactics.

For additional information on using the strategies, please contact Solutions@thebisongroup.com.

If you are a business owner or even if you are about to become one, there is a good chance that you have heard of innovative internet marketing ideas before. Although you may have heard of these ideas before, do you know what they are? Do you know what they can do for you and your business? Are you using the same old marketing techniques used by everyone else in the industry and struggling for traffic and business? Lets examine the advantages and disadvantages of using innovative internet marketing ideas to promote your business.

Before you start to examine the advantages and disadvantages of innovative Internet marketing, it may be a good idea to examine exactly what it is. As a business owner or a soon to be business owner, you likely already know what Internet marketing is. Marketing is getting your business out into the general public; it is done by targeting your intended audience, your customers. That targeting is done by way of the internet; thus the title, internet marketing. It is also important to understand how to be innovative and how that ties into internet marketing. Innovation is another word that is often used to describe something new; therefore, innovative Internet marketing ideas are relatively new ideas, particularly ideas that have just recently been developed.

When it comes to innovative internet marketing ideas and your business, you will find that there are a number of benefits. One of those benefits is the ease of use. Even if you do not have a large amount of computer experience, you will often find the internet easy to use. Whether you are interested in making your business an online website, starting a business newsletter, or conducting a demographic analysis online, you should easily be able to do so. Even if you do not know how to start up your own newsletter, do an online poll, or make your own website, you should be able to learn, often in no time at all. The internet offers information on starting all kinds of businesses.

Once you have chosen your niche, or specific area or product that you would like to promote or sell, try searching the internet for similar products or services. In this way, you can determine any potential competition. If competition exists, you can decide if you want to compete, or find a complimentary product or service to promote. If competition doesn’t exist, and there is a market looking for answers to a question, this would be a perfect niche market to begin a business in.

In addition to using the Internet to put your innovative marketing ideas to into motion, you can also use the Internet to find those ideas. Using the Internet to find innovative Internet marketing ideas is a relatively quick and easy process. By staying up-to-date on the latest business and marketing news or by performing a standard Internet search, you can easily be kept in the loop, when it comes to Internet marketing ideas, particularly new ones. If you have a niche that you are interested in, often signing up for related newsletters or chat rooms can lead to the discovery of a new business idea or marketing technique. If you put those ideas into motion, as soon as you hear about them, your business may be given an edge above the rest of its competition. In fact, a new innovative Internet marketing idea may be just what you need to get your business up and running.

What is also nice about innovative Internet marketing is that, although it is relatively easy to develop your own marketing ideas and execute them, you don’t necessarily have to. For example, there are a large number of individuals who specialize in Internet marketing. Those individuals, who are often referred to as internet marketing specialists, can be found online. An internet marketing specialist is a trained professional who can not only come up with new ways to market your internet business online, but they can also execute those ideas for you, for a reasonable fee. Whether you don’t have the time to develop an effective marketing plan or if you want to avoid the hassle of doing so, an internet marketing specialist may be able to offer you assistance.

Although there are a large number of advantages to using innovative marketing ideas to promote your business, there are also a few disadvantages to doing so as well. One of those disadvantages is the fact that innovative marketing ideas are new. With new marketing ideas, they have sometimes yet to be tested or proven; therefore, you are really given no guarantees that a new, innovative Internet marketing idea really will work. Of course, it is important to remember that with business, there are always risks. Trying a new innovative internet marketing idea may not work out to your advantage, but it may also be the best thing that has ever happened to your business.

Barb Asselin is an author and owner of Asselin Group, an online publishing company. For more articles relating to internet marketing, visit http://marketing-strategies.asselingroup.com or for other aspects of internet businesses, visit http://www.asselingroup.com/ebooks-internet.htm to read our articles or ebooks. Visit http://www.asselingroup.com to see all that Asselin Group has to offer, including municipal directories, real estate articles and sign language ebooks.

In today’s world people sometimes look up to celebrities and copy their styles. We all have favorite stars that we admire and we follow their styles very closely. People that follow their favorite celebrity’s styles sometimes know more about what they wear than their own families. And like to wear the same things that these celebrities wear. What these celebrities wear seems to be very important to their fans. Sometimes a designer will make a special product for a particular celebrity to wear that they know will be popular with the people that admire the celebrity. When the celebrity puts on the product and looks good wearing it, than people are more likely to buy the product. Celebrity sunglasses are so popular learn why people are so crazy about these types of sunglasses.

Celebrity sunglasses are in style with people of all ages. They like the bold colors, shapes and designs that come along with these types of sunglasses. When the celebrity looks fabulous wearing a certain item than the fans will want to follow along with the same thing. No matter what the celebrity is wearing someone will want to purchase one just like it. Sunglasses are a big fashion accessory for a celebrity. What ever style and design they choose to wear they seem to look good in them. Each celebrity has their favorite designer glasses that they swear by. These glasses make a fashion statement for the celebrity and what they are wearing. Their fans want to copy off of them to get the same look as the celebrity.

Celebrity sunglasses are so popular learn why this is a fact. The most popular celebrities endorse designer items. These items turn into a new fashion statements and are sold to many people. The name of the sunglasses is than well known and turns into a popular product that is sold to many people. Celebrity sunglasses come in a wide range of prices depending on the designer and how popular they have become. When buying celebrity sunglasses make sure that they are a style that you like and would wear and just not because your favorite celebrity is wearing them.

As long as we have our favorite celebrities to look up to there will be popular celebrity sunglasses. Most celebrities have their own sense of style and that is why there are so many popular designer glasses available to choose from. Celebrity sunglasses give us a form of expressing the styles of glasses we like to wear. Some people like to wear the big sunglasses while others prefer smaller sunglasses. Celebrity sunglasses are more fashionable and stylish than plain sunglasses. Every year sunglasses are made in new styles and designs that become very popular. All the newest designs of sunglasses are worn by our favorite celebrities. These designer sunglasses seem to never go out of style. They are sunglasses that we wear to support our favorite celebrities. These sunglasses give us the same fashion style as the celebrities we like to admire.

CTS Wholesale Sunglasses is a direct importer. We offer wholesale prices on a wide variety of sunglasses, goggles, sunglass displays, accessories, and caps. Visit our online showroom at http://www.CTSwholesaleSunglasses.com

Now I’m sure that you know what a fashion show is but have you ever been to one? Most of you probably think that fashion shows are only for the rich and I will admit at one time that was mostly true but of late I have seen that change immensely. These fun functions have been geared more for the Rich at “Heart” as well as the Rich of pocket book. So if you enjoy fun, fashion and your own piece of the fashion world then get out and partake in one.

“Why should I attend a fashion show?” Well you don’t exactly need a reason to attend one as long as you remember that they are for everyone and anybody. And if your feeling uneasy and have a fear of the unknown join some friends and attend one or better yet go alone and gather up the fashions for you while making new friends. Need other suggestions, read on

You may not wind up making any purchases from the numerous designers carrying their latest trends but one thing for sure is you will learn what is popular and selling. And this alone is a great reason to attend especially if you own or run a clothing store, fashion store or even a clothing accessory store. You’ll want to make sure your stores are selling what is selling nationally and locally and stocked with the latest fashions. Attending any fashion show can help improve your business, by becoming the store that is sought after for stocking the styles and fashions most wanted in your area.

For those of you that do attend fashion shows for business reasons, including fashion consultants, you may want to think about attending a fashion show. While these shows are basically immersing us with the latest fashion trends, you will also encounter upcoming designers and their fashion trends as well. Fashion shows are a great source of knowledge for improving one’s fashion sense and whether your business is one of providing expert knowledge of fashion or wanting to appear as such, you best attend. Fashion shows are not only formatted for the demur frame but can also focus on plus sized clothing, work wear, swimwear, eveningwear, weddings, men, and teens.

Those businesses’ that are fashion related most definitely benefit from fashion shows. But that is not to say that you cannot also benefit from attending fashion shows. If you want to look your best and learn how to use the latest trends to accomplish that you may want to attend a fashion show. If your wardrobe is lacking or you don’t really know how to put your wardrobe together to make the pieces you purchase work better together and go farther have no fear there is a fashion show out there to help you learn what you need. You will find that the more you attend fashion shows the more your closets begin to work better for.

All learning and business sense aside Fashion Shows are a fun time. And everyone at one time or another is looking to have a good time. Why not incorporate that with a few friends and you have a fun filled fashion experience. Did you know that fashion shows are held in numerous locations as well as formats? Well of course you know they are held in the fashion capital cities like New York and Paris, but these fashion shows can also be held locally. If you’re up for attending these shows in New York, Paris or even at your local shopping mall, a memorable and fun experience will surely be had by all of you.

Remember “Why do I have to attend a fashion show?” Well, you really do not need to have a reason to attend a fashion show. If you want to attend even if it is to see what it is all about you will want to start making plans to attend as soon as possible.

Gregg Hall is an author living with his beautiful wife and family in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about style as well as fashion accessories at http://www.styleandentertainment.com

Contemplating taking an existing or new product / service into a

new market? A systematic analysis of 14 critical market segment

attributes should be considered before any additional company

resources are applied to any new market pursuit.

Sometimes it is obvious that entering a new market is a “no

brainer” or it is perceived as the “right thing to do” because

a competitor has taken the plunge or a handful of existing

product or service users, within that market segment, are

asking for your market participation.

Taking on a new market is an integrative decision process,

cutting across a broad number of competitive issues, internal

company functions and various targeted organizational entities.

A decision of this magnitude should not be taken lightly

because of the overall affect it can have on the total direction

of your company and prudent use of limited resources.

The cost of making a wrong decision here can be significant

both in actual capital outlays and the opportunity costs

realized of NOT pursuing another, “better” market alternative.

In Al Ries and Jack Trout’s, “The 22 Immutable Laws of

Marketing”, being FIRST in a new market is everything, first is

best! Sometimes deciding to venture into a new market segment

just because a competitor did only makes the same decision one

of duplicate failure.

Anyone who has ever been involved in sales management knows that

sales personnel have a tendency to sell what they don’t have …

always trying to solve all of every customer’s problems no

matter whether it makes financial sense for the company they

represent or not. Marketing managers also have to learn to

systematically justify entering a new market not because a

handful of existing market participants have asked them to

enter their market.

The first step in evaluating the overall merit of entering a new

market should be to discuss and determine the applicability of

these 14 market segment attributes:

14 Critical Market Segment Attributes

1) The number of products/ services required to effectively

compete:

* Ideally the more “full service” you can be the better your

chances of success

* Customers prefer “one-stop shopping”, if you cannot provide

the complete customer solution package, they have little

reason to switch suppliers

2) Capital required to effectively compete:

* Understand your costs to enter a new market before you assume

your revenues

* Sales projections are typically too high and cost estimates

too low in new business ventures

3) Long term sales potential:

* Accelerating advances in technology reduces long term customer

retention possibilities. In many markets customer needs are

constantly changing.

* Priority should always be give to retention of existing, short

term revenue streams, ultimately the best means to fund

potential long term growth

4) Relative Profitability:

* Is return on investment greater via a new product or pursuing

another market?

* It is always less costly to grow profits from existing

customers in existing markets than to pursue new customers in

new markets

5) Ease of product distribution:

* New markets are often best penetrated with non traditional

distribution/ sales representation

* Does this potential market “fit” with your current

distribution structures?

6) Post sale service requirements:

* Product/ service information demands of new market customers

can require more and new forms of post sale customer service

* Technical support for state-of-the-art product/ service

offerings can be in limited supply and very costly, difficult

to staff

7) Degree of customer loyalty:

* Every market has a varying degree of customer loyalty

depending on number and quality of competitive product/

service offerings

* Do key targeted users within the new market buy on product/

service value or well established relationships with existing

suppliers?

Time required to get into the market:

* Product/ service “life cycles” in some industries last only a

couple of months

* Can your company develop, test, certify and fill distribution

channels of a short life cycle product/ service within the

time frame required?

9) Anticipated competitive response:

* New market entrants are greeted with new competitive marketing

tactics upon entry by established suppliers who seek retention

of existing market share

* Will existing pricing levels remain once you have entered the

market?

* How will market pricing degradation eventually affect your

margins and ROI?

10) Number of viable competitors:

* If there are a relatively few number of viable competitors

participating within the targeted market, it may more than

justify your market entry

* Sometimes it is less expensive to acquire an existing,

resource limited, market participant than try to take market

share with a new approach

11) Ability to maintain a technical advantage:

* Can you protect your technology within the time frame required

to cover your new market entry investment?

* Maintaining technical advantages requires quality, technical

talent. If your current technical staff is over burdened or

limited you will not compete

12) Fit with existing company resources:

* Can your company absorb the financial, emotional and physical

changes required to effectively compete in the new market?

* New markets often require new, certainly more, talent and

personnel

13) Fit with established customer perceptions:

* How will your existing customers be affected by your pursuit

of a new market and new customer base?

* It is critical to define and evaluate your existing customer’s

perceptions of all your major strategic moves

14) Financial status of key targeted customers and market share

mix:

* Are key targeted customers financially stable?

* Is there a diverse mix of new market participant market

shares?

The justification of entry into a new market segment involves

effectively identifying viable competitors, relevant target

market attributes, competitor and key customer market shares

while correctly defining your company’s current financial,

technical and human resources.

For marketing and sales management this 14 market attribute

checklist is more intuitive than measurable. However, it is an

excellent means to initially come to a “pass or fail” decision

before any additional resources are applied to any market

expansion effort. If you want to further quantify this analysis

you can numerically weight each market attribute with your own

specific market attribute priorities and give numerical

“grades” to any or all new market entry candidates to calculate

a weighted value for any new market.

Like trying to address any noteworthy marketing challenge,

whatever you can do to quantify and measure your potential

marketing alternatives, the more relevant your analysis, the

better your management decisions will be.

About the Author:

Mark Smock is President of http://www.business-buyer-directory.com, the FIRST international business buyer directory of its kind. Business Buyer Directory provides a non-traditional means for proactive business buyers to locate businesses for sale worldwide that meet their exact registered purchase criteria.

How have you celebrated being alive today?

If God were to ask you: “How have you loved being alive today?” “Who have you touched with the grace of your smile?” “Are you grudge-full or grate-full?” “Have you seen me in our child’s beaming face?” “Do you work in the Church of Joy or the Church of Misery?” What would your honest answers be to these heart-hitting questions? Don’t allow yourself to be chained to a false prophet called negative thinking and negative talking. Start celebrating your life instead.

THERE’S NO BETTER TIME FOR JOY THAN TODAY

There’s no better time than today to tap into many, many, tiny moments of joy.

Celebrate the fact that you can’t change anyone but yourself.

Celebrate the awareness that you can make a new choice at any time.

Celebrate the reality that only you have the power to control your own mind.

Celebrate the wisdom of God, who keeps you safe and loves you unconditionally.

Celebrate the importance of having joy in this one life to live.

Celebrate the capacity to open your mind to new insights.

Celebrate finding ways to enjoy yourself despite failure.

Celebrate that you’re a fully feeling human being.

Celebrate being surprised.

Celebrate having faith.

Celebrate having friends.

Celebrate having another day to express who you are.

Celebrate bags of resentments dropping off like heavy rocks.

Celebrate revenge boomerangs being knocked away.

Celebrate accepting yourself after being rejected.

Celebrate the joys of partnering and parenting.

Celebrate starting, persevering, swerving, finishing.

Celebrate lives lost and lives bravely led.

Celebrate balancing a sour reality with your sweetest dreams.

Celebrate the healing power of a sincere apology.

Celebrate the mystery of creation.

Celebrate being forgiving in order to be forgiven.

Celebrate life by speaking words of caring when you don’t feel like it.

Celebrate any love you’ve ever been blessed to receive.

Celebrate a small child’s glorious intuitions.

Celebrate the wisdom of your elders.

Celebrate getting your anger out in healthy ways.

Celebrate life by trusting, risking and reaching out when there is no logical reason, whatsoever, to do so.

Dr. Dennis O’Grady is the grate-full author of a proven new communication theory found only in “Talk to Me: Communication Moves to Get Along with Anyone.” Dennis is a husband, father, communications coach and a guy who can’t stop talking about the art of talking. Visit http://www.drogrady.com for more information and valuable resources.

When you’re looking to expand your family and bring new light into your house, few options are as efficient as the introduction of a pet in to your home. With a new pet you introduce a new sparkle into your home whose faithfulness and affection is never ending. This aids to improve the wellness of a person as they become a lot more active and focused on the well being of a life which depends totally upon them. Before picking up your new pet nevertheless it is important to ensure that you have the best supplies obtainable to aid reduce your new friend’s transition into their new home environment.

One of the best pet supplies a owner can spend in is discovered with the pet bed. The pet supplies of beds help to form an atmosphere specifically for your pet to take pleasure in as they are transforming. For the dog the supplies of a dog bed would aid to designate a particular area for your pet which they could instantly become trained to use. Many dog owners delay the supplies purchase of a bed, permitting their new pet to sleep with them at first but this then turns into a hassle when you have to train your pet not to sleep on your bed. For cats the purchase of the supplies of a bed could assist in creating their own territory where they could rest in comfort while you’re out and about completing the day to day errands you are required to participate in.

These beds are just one example of pet supplies which are a must for the owner to aid in the fitness of their animal friend. Another important kind of supplies is discovered with the necessity of pet collars. Several pet owners view pet collars as a superficial feature for pets but there are pet collars that perform a real purpose for your animal. For dogs the utilization of pet collars is an essential tool to help your pet find their way home if they ever become loose from your house.

Even they are necessary harnesses to aid control your pet when you are walking or jogging them. For cats it may be recommended to utilize flea pet collars to help keep your cat safe from flea connected diseases and keep your house flea free.

The requirement of pet beds and pet collars are merely a few of the pet supplies a pet owner might need with bringing in a new animal to their home. Pet supplies function as a form of comfort for your pet and the limited selection many stores offer do not always represent your pet’s best interest.

Do you know the important dog supplies that a dog owner should own? April’s Window’s mission is to offer an online pet store with the highest quality pet supplies to our customers, at the lowest price possible. Visit the site http://www.AprilsWindow.com to know more…