Saturday, June 27, 2009

How to Apply for a Tax Identification Number | eHow.com

How to Apply for a Tax Identification Number | eHow.com

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Monday, June 15, 2009

Set the Pace Now- The Importance of Setting Hourly Goals

The objective of setting hourly goals is to produce superior results within a short period of time. By setting hourly goals, we allow ourselves to take small "baby" steps and establish a simple system. We can use this system to produce outstanding results quickly, and efficiently. We truly can allow our time to serve us, instead of us serving time by following the same normal nine to five routine. We must always "remember to remember" the objective, and not lose focus. Many of us don't get ahead in our chosen careers because we wait for things to come our way. We have to be more assertive and intend to get ahead.

You must first identify your tasks

Take time to write down your daily tasks. You may have to use your memory and visualize yourself in the workplace. What is it that you do each day? At which time? Do you feel like you're doing the same things over repeatedly? Have you fallen into a boring daily routine?

Write down the things you do on a daily basis. For example: Check emails and other mailings, return telephone messages, handle incoming and outgoing calls, attend business meetings, conferences, presentations, attend off-site facilities, take breaks, go to lunch, attend training sessions.

Once you've identified your daily tasks, you must now prioritize these tasks. Each day we perform tasks and devote a certain amount of time to each task. If you can take the time to account for your daily routine and tasks, you'll be able to determine where your attention is needed most. For example, if you are a telemarketer, your priority is to handle incoming and outgoing calls. Handling calls may be a task that requires 2 to 3 hours of your day. Prioritize your tasks in order of importance.

In an office setting:

From 8am to 9am, I check emails and messages from yesterday.

From 9am to 10am, I return telephone calls in order of importance to business contacts.

From 10am to 12pm, I'm creating new business and handing incoming and outgoing calls.

From 12pm to 1pm, I take lunch (although I usually take 15-30 minutes).

From 1pm to 4pm, I'm making more business development calls to contacts

From 4pm to 5pm, I'm in business meetings and/or interviewing contacts.

From 5pm to 5:30pm, I'm tracking my daily progress and planning my next business day in advance.

In a warehouse setting:

I opened my warehouse/office at 6:30 am.

My distributors arrived to the office at 6:45 am.

My warehouse opened at 7:00 a.m. for the distributors to receive merchandise.

By 8:00am, my distributors have received their merchandise, counted their inventory, and were ready to distribute the goods to businesses.

Between 8:00a.m., and 9:00a.m., I've met with the distributors to explain the product strategy and sales techniques which will help them improve their performance in the field.

The distributors left the office at 9:00 a.m.

By 9:15am., I went to the warehouse to re-count the inventory.

At 9:45a.m., I counted settle ups, and performed the daily master (calculate sales and inventory) for sales the business day prior.

I went to the bank each day at 10:00a.m. to make a daily deposit.

By 10:30a.m., I am either on the telephone with head office, a company Vice president, regional manager, hub manager, or in a meeting with my administrator where we lay out gameplans for interviewing and recruiting new candidates to work in our warehouse or in sales.

At 11:00a.m., I am interviewing new prospects and candidates for sales distribution positions.

I would interview until 1:00p.m., and then I would take lunch.

At 1:30p.m., I would conduct more interviews, and continue until 4:30p.m. This is the typical daily routine unless a truck came to the office to unload new products.

At 4:30p.m., I usually contacted head office to discuss product strategy and to order new products to add to my stock report.

At 5:30p.m., my distributors returned to the office.

At 6:00p.m., the warehouse opened for returning unsold merchandise. I immediately met with new prospects and engaged in one on one conversations.

At 6:30 p.m. I collected sales and met with my top distributors. During that time, I also set up sales teams for the next day along with a product strategy for the next business day.

I closed the warehouse/office building at 7:00 p.m.

Using that schedule, I generated over 400,000 in sales my first year as a business owner working on a 25% profit margin. If you notice, the first example is for someone that spends the majority of the time using the telephone. The second example is showing how the majority of time is spent conducting interviews face to face.

Recognize your tasks, and then prioritize.

By setting hourly goals, or assigning hourly tasks to your daily schedule, you will add value to your overall goal or objective. You won't feel like you are a "hamster in a wheel" that has fallen into a dull routine. You will be able to use each hour to create something new and build upon your work. This process does take discipline and self-control, but if applied correctly, can create a stress free, methodical, simple system for success. If you prioritize your schedule and break your day down into hourly tasks, you will accomplish more duties in less time.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Set Pace Now: A Dozen Ways to Generate Extra Cash Flow This Summer

Before we dive into the extra cash flow ideas, it may also help if you also understand the mentality and importance of getting customers and repeat business. The first step is to acquire customers. You have to spread the word through family, friends, and people in your community. Pass flyers around your neighborhood and build new relationships within your community.

As your business starts to grow and you receive positive feedback, your customer base will increase its loyalty and eventually you'll be able to increase revenue. As time goes on, you will have created additional business contacts and have increased your customer base through referrals.

Whichever way you decide to earn, be sure to create and deliver value in your community. That is a sure-fire way to earn more.

A few of these ideas could involve your entire family and be a lot of fun

1. Landscaping

2. Dog walking service

3. Pet grooming

4. Garage/Yard Sale

5. Washing Cars

6. Sell products door to door

7. Babysitting

8. Water/ Juice/ Lemonade Stand

9. Auction unused items on online auction sites

10. Errand Service for Handicap/Elderly

11. Collecting Cans/Metals

12. Window Washing Service

A good idea that may help your business take off is if you let your customers know that you will take a percentage of your earnings and donate it to charity. If you are honest and sincere about what you are doing, this could turn your part-time income producer into a full time business. If you donate a percentage of your revenue to your favorite charity, people in your area will promote your service to others. Some of you may be saying to yourself, "I need the extra money and I can't afford to donate to charity", but I'm here to tell you that the opposite is true. The more you give, the more you will receive. There are many ways to earn additional income for the summer but I've listed twelve that can bring in a few hundred dollars per month for the next several months. Each service could potentially produce thousands of dollars if your service is good and you've created an outstanding reputation in your community.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Set Pace Now: Teach Others How to Set the Pace and Reach Goals

When I refer to setting the pace, set pace now, or pacesetting, I'm referring to a mentality that has been developed and physically demonstrated with intent to produce positive results in any chosen field. There are many similarities to the ways we were taught by mom or any motherlike figure. Those lessons, are designed for duplication and once applied properly, can create many wonderful opportunities whether it's spiritual, financial, physical, mental, emotional, or social.

In this case, those lessons from mom will be analagous to the business world, and mom stands for:

Marketing
Opportunity
Momentum

M.O.M. is a system of teachings that will produce success for those who are aware and applies its lessons.

Marketing-

Effective marketing takes a strong will, a keen awareness, and a sincere interest in people. In the marketing world, an individual learns and grows through countless experiments and many trials and errors. One has to create, or adhere to a system which will yield positive results and can be shared and taught to others. Learn the importance of using a system and it can assist you in creating or taking part in new opportunities.

Opportunity

The word "opportunity" is almost synonymous with the word "business", and are often used together. Opportunities present themselves to those that are prepared for it. If you become effective at marketing yourself and understanding the power of marketing, new opportunities will continue to unfold and create strong momentum.

Momentum

Once created, can become a lot of fun. Your awareness level has grown and expanded and you are able to move forward with your tasks. Every successful business is good at creating, maintaining, and advancing momentum.

Mom has taught us many priceless lessons and here are a few examples how M.O.M. has helped us to become perpetual pacesetters.

Feed- Information
Protect- From Negatives
Clean- Image for Success
Teach- Survival
Chastise- Builds our confidence; Breaks us when we need discipline; Builds our self-esteem and reassures us that there is a system in place that works.
Ween- Teaches us to expand our comfort zones
Give Birth- Hands us the opportunity to grow

This system is used to raise families worldwide. These principles, if properly applied to the business you are involved in, can help you improve tremendously, assist you in reaching and setting higher goals, and helps you to set the pace now!