It is no surprise that there will be from time to time employees that steel from your company. Many times it is as small as a few pens and post-it notes—other times it could be they are doing the unthinkable and steeling money from you. Whatever it may be the fact is that according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, employee dishonesty costs business owners around $50 billion a year. Because of this it is time you start thinking about simple ways to stop employee theft from your company.

Lights
Just adding some lights to the outside of your business can do wonders and save a lot of money when it comes to business security options. If your parking lot is brightly lit it will be harder for your employees or anyone else to steel anything from your business. Keeping the outside well lit will also keep from anyone hiding in dark places who could jump out and attack someone on their way to their car—making your employees feel safe.

Video Camera
If you have a video camera installed in your stock room and in high secure areas it should help prevent your employees from shoplifting at your store. If your parking lot is prone to vandalism having a well lit parking lot and a video camera can do wonders. Cameras come in all shapes and sizes and finding an inexpensive camera should be fairly easy.

Card Access Terminals
Card access terminals are a great idea and fairly inexpensive way to keep track of who is coming in and out of your office or store. These devices will be able to keep track of each employee so if a situation arises you will be able to know if he or she was in the office during an incident.

If your company doesn’t already have a business security system it is defiantly time to start thinking of cost efficient ways to monitor your business. It doesn’t have to be the latest state of the art system—minor changes can really do wonders for your company and could end up saving you money in the long run. One last tip to remember is to check with your insurance company for deductions if a business security system is implemented. Many times you will find that there are deductions for having some sort of security system for your office.

Shannon Suetos is a writer based in San Diego, California. She writes extensively for Resource Nation, an online resource that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs.

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Despite the global economic gloom, we continue to see smart entrepreneurs and businesses introduce innovative new business ideas to the market around the world. If you want to be in the know, this free report by our sister website CoolBusinessIdeas.com is for you.

This newly published 28-pages PDF ebook (worth $38), Cool Business Ideas in 2009, is an analysis of innovative and never-seen-before business ideas we've seen worldwide in 2009.

As competition for consumers’ downsized wallet intensifies in these tough times, it is increasingly important to deliver superior value and whet consumers’ natural appetite for all things new and latest. So if you have a brilliant business concept in your head, do not hesitate to make it happen in today’s business marketplace. For those of you who don’t, fret not. Look within this free 29-page report brought to you by CoolBusinessIdeas.com for inspiration on the coolest new business ideas you wish you’d thought of. Some of the case studies included in this free report: Everyday Solutions, Small Niches and Big Riches, Wireless Wonders, Rethinking Tourism, and more.

This report is exclusive available for free download for CoolBusinessIdeas.com readers. Click here to find out how to get your free report.

We also have past reports for your free download at CoolBusinessIdeas.com, including New Business Ideas Report 2007 and 2006's Best Business Ideas. Click here to learn more.

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What do computer giant Dell, gourmet food basket maker Tastefully Simple, and organic brewer Honest Tea have in common? Though all three are now multi-million dollar companies, all were originally started within the founder’s home. You’ve probably heard how Michael Dell worked out of his garage to build his empire, but equally inspiring are the stories of Jill Blashack Strahan- who assembled gift baskets on the pool table of her backyard shed- and Seth Goldman- who brewed tea at his kitchen sink and presented homemade samples to clients in thermoses.

The home-based startup story has a certain magic to it that often glosses over the particulars: where to set up office equipment (computer, printer, copier,etc.), whether or not you should dedicate a business phone line or switch your VoIP service to include “follow” features so you’re always available, and how many hours you should put in when your office is in your kitchen. What does a stay-at-home entrepreneur really need? Here are a few necessities:

1. A Separate, Dedicated Workspace. Whether it’s your garage, a toolshed in the backyard, or just an area off the den, you will need a space that’s just for work.

2. A Separate Phone Line. Small business VoIP service plans are cheap and easy to sign up for. You can also add an extension or line to your existing residential VoIP service arrangement.

3. A Fast Internet Connection. For businesses based online, this is non-negotiable. Your internet connection should be fast enough to support online activity and VoIP calls, if you use an internet-based phone system as your method of business communication.

4. A Door…or Earplugs. If you can’t physically separate your workspace from the rest of the house, you can mentally separate it by using earplugs to tune out audio distractions, or a folding screen to tune out visual ones.

5. A “Do Not Disturb” sign. If you’re working while others are at home, make sure they know when you’re “unavailable.”

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I’ve been hearing too many stories of late from fellow business owners, clients, and colleagues who have had bad experiences when partnering with a virtual assistant.

So in this article I thought I would shake things up a bit and share with you my five tips for finding a GREAT virtual assistant for your business… and believe me, there ARE many great VAs out there; you just need to know what you want before you go looking!

1. Decide what your requirements are. What skills and abilities do you want your VA to possess? What projects/activities do you want them to be working on? Do they match your needs? Check out their websites, view client testimonials, and examine their profile.

2. One hat doesn’t fit all. Although VAs primarily provide administrative support, many are now specializing in different areas of business support. If you’re a speaker, look for a VA that specializes in speaker support; if you need help with your online marketing activities, look for a VA that specializes in this area. This might mean that you’ll work with more than one virtual assistant but each one has their own unique skills and abilities that they can bring to your business.

3. Cheaper isn’t always better. Don’t always go for the cheapest, even if you think they have a great skill-set. Here’s why… if a VA is charging quite a bit less than the average rate, how many billable hours do you think they are going to have to work or how many clients are they going to have to be serving so that they can make a good living from their business? I’m betting too many! This translates into too many balls to juggle, work slipping through the cracks, projects not being completed on time, and so comes the bad experiences that I’m hearing about. Which leads me on to the next point…

4. Business owner first; VA second. Like any business owner a virtual assistant will know that they are a business owner first, and a virtual assistant second, and so will be running their business accordingly. They will have systems in place for handling new client enquiries, and have a firm client consultation process in place. If, when you approach a potential VA, they ask you to book an appointment for a consultation take this as a very good sign – they have their system in place! You cannot begin working with a VA unless you’ve had this initial consultation first to ensure that you’re a good fit for one another. This process is a two-way street and one that is absolutely essential in ensuring you have a great experience in working with a virtual assistant.

5. Get it in Writing. Always ensure that you sign an agreement before any work starts so that you both know exactly what is expected of each other. This should include information about the fees, terms & conditions etc.

Bonus tip: Contact, contact, contact! And finally, contact your potential VA as many times as you feel necessary to ensure that you are 100% happy with them before any work starts.

Partnering with a virtual assistant is a great business investment for you; they can take a lot of the day-to-day work off your hands, freeing up valuable time for you so that you can focus on growing your business and doing those activities that only you can do, i.e. working one-on-one with clients, developing products etc.

And if you partner with a VA who has a business and marketing mindset they will be able to help you plan, strategize, and achieve your goals as well as making your To Do list their To Do list!

Don’t let prior bad experiences cloud your future decisions. If you take on board all the tips I’ve shared with you today, I guarantee you’ll find a GREAT virtual assistant!

Online Business Manager & Virtual Assistant, Tracey Lawton, supports professional speakers, coaches, and authors to operate an efficient, organized, and profitable business. Learn how to create an efficient and organized office in 7 EASY steps, and receive free how-to articles at http://www.OfficeOrganizationSuccess.com.

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Article Contributed by Andy Lax

If you are a business owner, you have probably felt the pinch – if not a full smack down – from today’s faltering economy. Even more distressing, the situation may become worse before we turn the economic corner.

In a recent Washingtonpost.com article Retailers Report a Crisis in All Aisles, it was noted that retailers posted the worst November sales in 30 years according to the International Council of Shopping Centers. In fact, retail sales dropped 2.7% as compared to November of last year.

What is the impetus behind lagging sales? Simply, consumers are scaling back on their credit card spending. This is due primarily to:

* Tightening of credit card lending (causing a 5% drop in consumer spending)
* Recent increases in credit card interest rates and reduced credit limits
* Consumers maxed on their credit cards or buried under credit card debt
* Future economic uncertainty causing consumer frugality

In its 2004 – 2006 heyday, credit card spending enjoyed double-digit growth. However, as the saying goes, “what comes up must come down” and in 2007, annual growth dropped considerably to 8%. 2009 is not expected to fair any better with credit card spending estimated to rise a meager 3.3%.

The Domino Effect

Decreased consumer spending is causing a disastrous domino effect that is causing a tremendous strain on some retailers. In Retailers Report a Crisis in All Aisles, it was noted that retailers who have relied on consumers’ easy access to credit to purchase high-end merchandise such as flat screen TVs are faltering under the weight of decreased credit card spending.

The plight of Circuit City was placed under the spotlight to magnify the problem caused by consumers foregoing credit card use. When viewing the domino effect, the first domino to fall was consumer sales, followed by decreased inventory, as vendors tightened lending out of fear the company would not have enough incoming revenue to make payments. Decreased inventory further dissuaded shoppers from pulling out their plastic. This factor decreased sales even more, toppling yet another domino.

The New York Stock Exchange stopped listing Circuit City shares Dec. 15th as they nose-dived to an abysmal 19 cents. This is unfortunately a distressing “sign of the times” and could be in store (no pun intended) for other well known retailers.

On a brighter note, the Federal Reserve is in the process of instituting a program, which may assist retailers reeling from the current credit card crunch. It is in the process of buying an estimated $200 billion in securities backed by credit card, automobile and student loans in an effort to fuel markets running on empty.

Business Survival Training 101

Regardless if you head a large, medium, small or home-based business, your primary concern no doubt is to ensure your company survives and hopefully thrives during today’s economic downturn.

Instead of becoming discouraged, try to view the current credit card crunch in a more positive light. It has been estimated that the average credit card debt per household is $6,528 – an increase of an astounding 138% over the last 20 years!

Can a mountain of credit card debt and the financial, emotional and physical strain that goes along with it be considered healthy? Many consumers are now forced to live within their means, which consumer advocates believe to be a good thing.

You are probably wondering how this can possibly benefit your business. Although there will be challenges, it essentially boils down to learning how to adjust to the new reality of decreased consumer spending.

Although consumers are currently using credit cards less, it is still imperative to allow for this option. Credit cards remain the preferred mode of payment for most individuals and accepting plastic is absolutely essential when selling your goods or services online or offline.

If you are not currently accepting credit cards, but wish to do so, make certain to do your homework before choosing a merchant account provider (MAP), necessary when accepting plastic for purchases. Make certain to compare and contrast fee structures offered by numberous MAPs to locate one most compatible with your business needs and offers the best “bang for your buck”.

If you already have a merchant account, go over your statements with a fine toothcomb to pinpoint areas where you could potentially save money. Speak with your MAP to see if your account is still in step with your business. Are there areas where certain fees could be decreased?

There is also no harm in shopping around. Think about how many times you have done just that when looking for a better deal with your car insurance for example. Is there a MAP offering better terms than what you currently receive? Even if your present merchant account has an early termination fee, you may discover that switching to another MAP will save you money in the long run.

In today’s stunted economy, it is more important than ever to be creative and devise methods to increase the value of your goods or services. One sure fire way to do so is to reduce your overall operational expenses. The money you save could then be passed onto your customers/clients in the form of buyer-friendly prices – sure to give you a leading edge over your competitors.

Andy Lax has worked in the credit card processing industry for over five years and is now an Account Manager at IntelliCollect, a merchant account provider that enables business owners to accept credit cards and electronic checks.

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I should not be providing this information, the government should.

I believe the IRS should include a book like this to every American when they send you your tax forms. That way every American would know how to get their tax money back, because even though I call this “free money,” it really isn’t free. This is money that you gave to the government to pay your taxes and now you can get it back.

Here are a few basics on Government Money Programs that everyone should know:

1) Only 12% of Gov't Money goes to the poor

Most Americans think that government money programs are for everyone else... for instance only the poor, minorities or friends of the president.

But, only 12% of Government Handouts go to the poor
And only 25% of Government Programs Have Income Requirements

The rich and famous, including Donald Trump, H. Ross Perot, Dick Cheney and George W. Bush, all made millions as private citizens with the help of government money programs. If they're eligible, you certainly should be too.

2) Only 20% of Free Money is called "Grants"

Most free money programs are not called “grants” by the government, they’re called “direct payments.” It is very easy for someone not to know all about government jargon, but just a little research can clear up quite a few misconceptions. Don't discourage yourself by focusing only on "grants" and dismissing the other 80%.

3) 50 Million people don't even know they're eligible

This is one of the most important points to keep in mind: The Government cannot and does not advertise programs that offer free money. But it's out there, lots of it. You just have to invest time finding the programs.

4) You can't make one phone call and just get a check in the mail

Getting government money is like looking for a job. When you knock on one door and ask about a job, and they tell you that you are not qualified, you don’t go home and wait for them to change their mind.

No Way. You would never hear back. You have to be persistent and go from one company to the next until you find a good fit.

5) Free Money keeps growing no matter who is sitting in the White House

We constantly hear about government budget cuts and that makes people believe that government money is going away or will soon be gone. But every year for the past 30 years the amount of free government money given out to individuals keeps growing. It keeps increasing no matter if it’s the republicans or the democrats who are in charge. With the new Obama administration especially, we will be seeing more offered to small business and entrepreneurs in the form of government money programs.

6) You certainly don't need a professional grant writer

Nine out of ten times you will not need help in filling out an application. Most free money programs to pay for your bills, education, health care, housing and even business require just a few pages of blanks to fill in.

If you have trouble filling out an application for money, don’t hire a consultant.  Go to the office that is handing out the money.  The are obligated to help you fill out your application and they are in the best position to know what should be included.

7) You can apply for as many programs as you like

Don’t worry about how many programs you can apply for,  If you see a program that you think might work for you, apply to it. Sure there are some programs that give money for specific reasons and if you get accepted from 2 separate places you will have to refuse one of the offers, but that's still a nice position to be in.

8) It doesn't always matter if it sounds like you don't qualify

Here's an example:  “All the money is given out by August 30th”: The end of the accounting year for most government agencies September 30, but the agency can start giving out more money beginning October 1, and you can be the first in line.

In all likelihood, you can wait another 30 days for your money.

9) Information can often times be out-of-date

Every day programs come and go. Every day people change their address, phone number and websites. It is just a fact that these things happen in our modern society.
But remember, if a listing leads you to a non-working number or website, it does not necessarily mean that the program is gone. Call the agency listed in the program description and ask.

10) Don't be intimidated by the idea that the applications are all long and confusing

Getting an application that is only one-page long is not unreasonable at all.  Many of the government programs that give our grants really don’t need a lot of financial information because unlike a bank they are not worried if you don’t pay the money back.  They don’t want it back.  It’s free money.

Matthew Lesko is a best-selling author, government money expert and business mentor. His website, MyAmericanBenefitsPlan.com, is an interactive, online resource that serves as a hub linking entrepreneurs and free-money-enthusiasts alike. Lesko's 30 years of researching government money programs and his extensive video talents are all going into the web service. Lesko holds free, online seminars on Wednesdays, live at UncleSamLive.com.

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The “Solutions Stars Video Conference” will be held on October 29, 2008 from 1 p.m. until about 3:30 p.m. EST and will feature a series of videos and live discussions with 30 leading small business and marketing experts. Small business owners and entrepreneurs will be able to view streaming videos and chat online about how to use the Internet to benefit their businesses. Select video participants will also be in the chat.

Video participants include best-selling author Tim Ferriss, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, and All-Top -Co Founder and top blogger Guy Kawasaki. Marketing experts Steve Hall, Darren Rowse, Chris Brogan, Wendy Piersall, Lee Odden, Toby Bloomberg, Brian Solis, Liz Strauss and others will also share their stories and advice.

Visit http://www.solutionsstarsvideo.com/ for updates, including our full programming schedule with five main content areas:

- Start with Listening
- Building Web Presence
- You Need a Twitter Presence
- To Blog or Not to Blog
- Rising Above the Noise

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America’s Best Companies (http://www.americasbestcompanies.com) is dedicated to helping small businesses stay in business, grow their business, and make more money in their business. ABC is built on the strong belief that small businesses are the most important companies in America. After all, the American Dream has always begun with the idea of starting a small business.

To carry out this mission, ABC provide small business with the tools, opportunities, and resources to compete with the existing mega-marts and giant online retailers. They strive to educate the point-and-click generation of today to recognize the unique products and personal services that local business owners provide every day.

For example, ABC provides advice on how to advertise your business through ABC's own Internet directory and several big-name local search sites like Yahoo, Yellowbook.com, and Yellowpages.com. Second, ABC publishes and hosts an easy-to-build website for your business where you can post in-store specials, coupons, photos, videos, and more. Third, the ABC website provides discounts on a variety of goods and services for all of your most common business needs.

A subscription to the America’s Best Companies magazine will provide you with the most current information and advice available to help you run your business as efficiently as possible. There is a whole lot of helpful information and resources that small business owners would be glad to capitalize on.

http://www.americasbestcompanies.com

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Our friends over at SBTV.com alerted us to this not-to-be-missed, free event:

Free Webcast: 5 Tips to Staying on Top in an Economic Downturn! Tune in to SBTV.com on Wednesday, May 21st at 12:00 p.m. EST, as Susan Wilson Solovic hosts this very special episode of "Power Lunch with Susan" for time tested tips on starting and growing a business during the tough times. Susan features online micro lender Count Me In and guests Make Mine a Million Dollar Business winner, Francine Glick and Latin Media Dynamo, Nely Galan. Click here for all the details.

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We reviewed Wix a few days ago, and found it an easy-to-use online application for creating, publishing and promoting Web content in Flash. With Wix's drag & drop interface you can easily add audio, video, images, text, animation, decoration and more.

Wix.com has graciously agreed to give away free trial accounts for the first 100 users who sign up exclusively through GetEntrepreneurial.com. You can make use of this opportunity to try Wix out for yourself. Sign up here: http://www.wix.com/Welcome/GetEntrepreneurial

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Wix is an online application for creating, publishing and promoting stunning Web content in Flash. With Wix you don't have to be a designer or programmer to create gorgeous Websites and embeddable Web objects. With Wix's drag & drop interface you can easily add audio, video, images, text, animation, decoration and more.

Wix content can be published anywhere on the Web — on social networks, blogs, as stand-alones, etc. and is automatically updated in all destinations whenever you edit and save it. Furthermore, you can add tags to your Wix creations to make them search-engine friendly. A free Wix account allows you to have complete control of your web presence from one place.

It's a pretty useful tool for content creation for entrepreneurs and small business owners who would like to take their business to the web. Try it at http://www.wix.com/small-business/

Update: First 100 users to sign up exclusively through GetEntrepreneurial.com will get to enjoy a free trial Wix.com account. Sign up here: http://www.wix.com/Welcome/GetEntrepreneurial

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If you are a freelancer or consultant or somebody who bills your clients for work produced by the hour, you may find this software useful. Reader Phil alerted us to his timesheet tracking software which he has produced to record time worked on client projects.

Phil's ATT software tracks activity periods, clients, projects, billing time and the hourly rates you charge your clients. Using the built in TimeSheet Wizard you can instantly print or save PDF time sheets which accompany invoices you send out to your clients.

Other software features include on-screen 'Project Summary' panel displaying instant breakdown of charges and rates, and built in data backup and data restore feature allowing you save your data to another location such as a USB memory stick. ATT can be downloaded for free and the full version costs $49.

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Northstar Thinktank is an useful resource center for entrepreneurs to find highly targeted business building tools from a lot of great places on the World Wide Web. Everyday the Thinktank team scours the world marketplace for valuable information and emerging business trends. This information is summarized, distilled and then delivered in such a way that small enterprises can quickly put it to work, keeping them far ahead of the curve.

Some topics discussed over there include: writing a business plan, retaining customers, creating a customer-centric culture in your company, and more. You may get more relevant entrepreneurship insights at the Northstar Thinktank blog, such as this article by CEO Jeff Chavez about how to find a great business idea and putting it into action. Jeff's suggestion that we think about what problems people have that you could help them solve, or what goals we could help people achieve, really is something that we agree with. People will pay you dearly to help them solve their problems or reach their goals.

If you have any helpful websites or resources for fellow entrepreneurs and small business owners, why not contribute to this post by making a comment below. Share with us your favorite entrepreneurship websites. Thanks!

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Here is GetEntrepreneurial.com's new year gift to all readers and subscribers!

This free 20-pages PDF ebook (worth $38), New Business Ideas Report 2007, is brought to you by the business ideas hunting team at our sister-site CoolBusinessIdeas.com. What is this report about? It is an analysis of innovative and never-seen-before business ideas we've seen worldwide this year. Clearly, entrepreneurs around the world are often inspired by common underlying consumer trends when they are working to bring their new business ideas to fruition. We hope that you'll be able to come up with the next big thing after getting to know some of these interesting consumer and business trends behind 2007's new business ideas.

Some of the case studies included in this free report:

Cell Phone 2.0

The cell phone has evolved from its humble beginnings as a communication tool into a super gadget that offers us many useful services and resources, thanks to enterprising entrepreneurs with brilliant business ideas.

Ultra Luxury

The rich are just getting richer. With millions of dollars to spend, some use their huge riches to support philanthropy efforts, such as Bill Gates who gave away some $29 billion to charities from 2000 onwards. Some just spend their money on whatever they fancy. Entrepreneurs are coming up with new business ideas to entice the luxury-craving uber-rich to throw their money on.

Attention-Grabbing Advertising

Thanks to media saturation, it is now harder to reach your targeted group of consumers through traditional means of advertising and marketing. It’s no longer enough to place ads in TV, radio, print, Internet, etc. You have to look for avenues and places which will surprise your target audience.

New Business Ideas Report 2007 is available for free download here at GetEntrepreneurial.com.

Click here to view your free copy of the "New Business Ideas Report 2007". To download onto your computer, Right-Click on this link and Save As a file on your computer. PDF file, 1.08MB. Get Adobe Reader here.

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This product review is part of a special daily series, GE Network Recommendations. Check out the rest of the series here. Today, we review a recommendation by Lorraine Cohen.

"How Do I Choose?" eBook

A powerfull five-step blueprint for making rock-solid decisions

Would you rather get a root canal than make important decisions?

When faced with even the smallest decision, do you waffle and procrastinate?

Have you paid penalties or "lost out" because you simply couldn't make a decision?

This groundbreaking eBook outlines a powerfull (and user-friendly) five-step blueprint for making rock-solid decisions. Packed with worksheets, exercises, useful tips, and real-life examples, How Do I Choose? is a must-read practical business and life tool that will help you make major and minor decisions that feel right - in your heart and in your bones!

"9 Keys to Claim Your Personal Power" eBook

This eCourse style workbook is designed to walk you through a process of thinking about POWER in a new way. 9 Keys to Claim Your Personal POWER will challenge you to explore what power means to you, what it is and how you can begin to deliberately become the Creator of your life.

Take Charge of Your Life: Overcoming Overwhelm, Procrastination, and Fear!

Receive insights, loads of practical tools and exercises you can implement immediately to feel more productive and confident in building your business as well as feeling more in charge of your personal life. Click here to learn more about Lorraine's products.

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This product review is part of a special daily series, GE Network Recommendations. Everyday, one of our resident GE Network Experts will recommend to us small business products or services which they feel are highly beneficial and relevant to aspiring entrepreneurs.

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This product review is part of a special daily series, GE Network Recommendations. Check out the rest of the series here. Today, we review a recommendation by Jim Donovan.

Life is just a breeze... or is it?

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to just breeze through life, accomplishing everything they set out to do, while the majority of the population leads what Henry David Thoreau called, "lives of quiet desperation"?

The difference, as some of us have learned, is first removing the obstacles to our success and then, following a proven process to achieve whatever we want in life.

GetEntrepreneurial.com Network Expert, Jim Donovan, a highly respected author who has written several successful books, now published in 22 countries, has just released what many of us consider his best work.

Based on his runaway hit, "This is Your Life, Not a Dress Rehearsal," his new self-paced, home study audio program and companion workbook of exercises and action steps, is guaranteed to change your life.

I can say this with confidence because Jim has been teaching these same principles in his live seminars for over a decade and has used them with his private clients who gladly pay him more than ten times the cost of this program for an hour of his wisdom.

Here is more info on his "This is Your Life, Not a Dress Rehearsal" course:

- Learn how total acceptance and surrender is the key to reclaiming your personal power.
- How to change the conditions in your life immediately with one simple activity.
- Identify what needs to happen in each key area of your life in order to live your dream life.
- Uncover the beliefs that are blocking you from your success.
- Learn a simple method to eliminate what's stopping you from becoming all you are capable of becoming.
- Develop the new, empowering beliefs that will support the lifestyle you desire.

Find out more about Jim's "This is Your Life, Not a Dress Rehearsal" audio workshop by visiting the homepage at http://www.jimdonovan.com/your-life-cb.html

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This product review is part of a special daily series, GE Network Recommendations. Everyday, one of our resident GE Network Experts will recommend to us small business products or services which they feel are highly beneficial and relevant to aspiring entrepreneurs.

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This product review is part of a special daily series, GE Network Recommendations. Check out the rest of the series here. Today, we review a recommendation by AndyLax.

If you're looking for a merchant accounts provider offering affordable services for credit card processing, IntelliCollect - United Bank Card may just be for you. Designed for businesses on a budget, the merchant account offered by IntelliCollect - United Bank Card will lower your credit card processing expenses and increase your cash flow.

IntelliCollect - United Bank Card is one of the few merchant account companies in America that waives any startup fee and any termination or cancellation fee. Their merchant account contract is month to month, and they work with the nation's most aggressive wholesale payment processor to offer you an affordable merchant account at the lowest possible cost.

All credit card transactions are processed with the maximum secure encryption and funds are quickly deposited into the checking account of your choice. If you're looking to expand your business in the online world, IntelliCollect is a good choice.

Check out this free ebook, The Fool-Proof Guide to Accepting Credit Card & Check Payments Online & Offline, specially for GetEntrepreneurial.com readers.

IntelliCollect has a reputation for quick response times, exemplary customer service and an outstanding array of affordable services. You may want to have a look at a review of IntelliCollect's services on this page.

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This product review is part of a special daily series, GE Network Recommendations. Everyday, one of our resident GE Network Experts will recommend to us small business products or services which they feel are highly beneficial and relevant to aspiring entrepreneurs.

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This product review is part of a special daily series, GE Network Recommendations. Check out the rest of the series here. Today, we review a recommendation by Eric Feng.

Eric Feng is the go-to guy if you want to learn how to impress your investors and customers through public speaking. For more tips and tactics that you can use immediately in your next presentation, visit The Public Speaking Blog.

Recently, Eric has just released a well-written book: "The FAQ Book- Public Speaking"

Here's what you get...

* The 3 most important attributes the audience looks out for in a speaker

* How to maximise speaking effectiveness and accelerate your growth exponentially as a speaker.

* How to find and cultivate your very own style of speaking that no one can duplicate

* Discover every single trick, tactic, shortcut, formula, jealously-guarded secret and psychological hot-button used by truly successful public speakers

* The little known secrets to capture the attention of the audience

* Why pauses are necessary in your speech and how you can totally eliminate pause fillers and don't let them haunt you again

And much more! Certainly a recommendable, humorous and effective public speaking book for all out there. Click here to receive a complimentary chapter of The FAQ Book on Public Speaking.

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This product review is part of a special daily series, GE Network Recommendations. Everyday, one of our resident GE Network Experts will recommend to us small business products or services which they feel are highly beneficial and relevant to aspiring entrepreneurs.

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This product review is part of a special daily series, GE Network Recommendations. Check out the rest of the series here. Today, we review a recommendation by Andy Lopata.

Here's a great Networking and Public Speaking Book written by Andy Lopata and Peter Roper: "...and Death came third!"

In '...and Death Came Third!', Andy Lopata and Peter Roper share their wealth of experience and insider secrets on networking and public speaking, giving you the tips, tools and techniques you need to overcome your fears and make the most of all the opportunities that come your way.

Read this book and discover how to:

WALK into a networking event and approach people with CONFIDENCE
STRUCTURE a talk so that you can get your key message across POWERFULLY
ENGAGE people in conversation and get them interested in YOU
FOCUS on the results you want from networking and achieve them EASILY
STAND and speak with CONVICTION and AUTHORITY
and much, much more...

Or look at the Word of Mouse - the social network that means business

For your business to grow people need to know about you. Networking has been proven to be effective in developing advocates who will recommend your business to others – but not everyone finds regular networking meetings easy to attend.

Sometimes, you have to be with a client at the time of the meeting, some of you just don’t find it easy to get to breakfast meetings, and lunchtime get-togethers can interrupt the working day.
If there was a way to network locally where you were in control when and where you met the other group members, wouldn’t that solve all those networking challenges?

If this sounds too good to be true – it isn’t. Joining the Word of Mouse network will put you into a strong team, all committed to helping each other’s businesses to prosper and grow.

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This product review is part of a special daily series, GE Network Recommendations. Everyday, one of our resident GE Network Experts will recommend to us small business products or services which they feel are highly beneficial and relevant to aspiring entrepreneurs.

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This product review is part of a special daily series, GE Network Recommendations. Check out the rest of the series here. Today, we review a recommendation by Klaus Wiedemann.

DAISHO is a group collaboration software designed for the working environment of the 21st century. It offers Goal and Time Management with Time Budgeting, Contact Management, P2P Groupware Functionality and more features. DAISHO integrates seamlessly with Outlook and supports calendar synchronization and contacts import.

You can request a trial version of this useful software, free, by visiting:

http://www.daisho-blacksmith.de/en/

With DAISHO, you can do long term planning and track the degree of your goal achievement. Combine your long-term planning with more strategic mid-term planning, and you can set deadlines to prioritize your goals. Moreover, you can integrate your diverse Outlook calendars and reduce unplanned activities with timeslots. You can even analyze your network contacts with DAISHO.

It's worth giving DAISHO a try. A free trial version is available at http://www.daisho-blacksmith.de/en/

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This product review is part of a special daily series, GE Network Recommendations. Everyday, one of our resident GE Network Experts will recommend to us small business products or services which they feel are highly beneficial and relevant to aspiring entrepreneurs.

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This product review is part of a special daily series, GE Network Recommendations. Check out the rest of the series here. Today, we review a recommendation by Lou Bortone.

Veteran television producer Lou Bortone, The Online Video Guy, has released several new products and services to help entrepreneurs produce online video for their websites or blogs.

The Online Video Guy’s signature products include a step-by-step e-course entitled “Maximizing Opportunities with Online Video,” as well as a new, low-cost e-book, the “Webcam Buying Guide and Videotaping Tips.” Both products are available online as PDF downloads at:

http://www.theonlinevideoguy.com/home/

In addition to Online Video “how-to” e-books and self-study e-courses, The Online Video Guy also offers video production and editing services, as well as design and production of full-motion video graphics. Samples are available at the homepage.

For entrepreneurs who prefer one-on-one coaching and assistance in getting videos online, Lou offers monthly e-coaching programs. Visit the website or e-mail lou.bortone@gmail.com for more information.

Exclusive for GetEntrepreneurial.com readers:

TV writer/producer Lou Bortone is "The Online Video Guy," who gives small businesses and entrepreneurs the tools and rules for creating their own online video content. Lou helps individuals, businesses and non-profits produce compelling video blogs, podcasts and TV programs for the Internet. Be sure to visit www.theonlinevideoguy.com and pick up your free Special Report "7 Secrets to Boosting Your Business Using Online Video!" - specially for GetEntrepreneurial.com readers.

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This product review is part of a special daily series, GE Network Recommendations. Everyday, one of our resident GE Network Experts will recommend to us small business products or services which they feel are highly beneficial and relevant to aspiring entrepreneurs.

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This product review is part of a special daily series, GE Network Recommendations. Check out the rest of the series here. Today, we review a recommendation by Terri Zwierzynski.

Free E-book By Solo-E specially for GetEntrepreneurial.com readers: 25 Surefire Ways to Capture More Clients, Get More Done in Less Time, and Make More Money -- in 90 Days or Less

The Dream
You're finally making a living as a solo business owner, and love telling your "employed" friends how great it is to be self-employed. And it's true -- you're working from home (or the beach, or a hotel room!), there's no stressful commute, and forget the confines of a 9-5 workday.

The Reality
But there may be more you aren't telling your friends: It's a little scary sometimes! Your salary is a roller coaster, as customers come and go, making it hard to plan for -- much less save for -- the future. You know you are working too hard, but you just have too much work to do -- plus mountains of email. There's no time to take a break, and frankly, you're exhausted!

Wouldn't it be lovely to work less and relax more? Can you imagine having so many clients that you have a waiting list? And being financially successul enough to save for retirement, afford your dream vacation -- and have the time to actually take that vacation?

Proven Solo Success Strategies
We've mined the collective experience of 15 successful Solo Entrepreneur Experts who share their best advice on how to start achieving those goals -- 25 proven strategies that will net you measurable results in less than three months.

Download your personal copy of the latest version of this ebook: http://www.solo-e.com/

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This product review is part of a special daily series, GE Network Recommendations. Everyday, one of our resident GE Network Experts will recommend to us small business products or services which they feel are highly beneficial and relevant to aspiring entrepreneurs.

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This product review is part of a special daily series, GE Network Recommendations. Check out the rest of the series here. Today, we review a recommendation by Russ Lombardo.

Sales consultant Russ Lombardo who has over three decades in the high-tech industry, has released a couple of books to help entrepreneurs and sales people to increase revenue and success, namely "CyberSelling" and "CRM For The Common Man".

CyberSelling will improve your sales career, and your sales team, by teaching what you need to know in order to succeed in today's tough and challenging economy. Whether for a sales team or an individual sales professional, you will learn various selling skills -- from Cold Calling to Closing, and even Customer Retention after the sale.

You’ll see how to use an actual CRM product, GoldMine®, to assist in each of the stages of the sales process as well as how to use this technology to support your selling activities. The PEAK Sales Process is highlighted as the sales process used to guide you through your selling activities in the most effective order.

CyberSelling combines the 3 key ingredients for making your sales career more successful – Sales Processes, Selling Skills and CRM Technology.

Click on the image below to watch a free NetSeminar:

CRM For The Common Man provides you with:

-Plan your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategy
-Identify what needs to be done internally before considering a CRM solution
-Develop your company’s processes to improve your customer relationship management
-Use your existing systems to maximize your CRM potential
-Engage your entire company and get them behind your CRM strategy to guarantee success
-Communicate your CRM plans and strategies to your sales reps, and other stake holders, to ensure total buy-in
-Determine the costs associated with a CRM solution for your business, and calculate your ROI
-Develop a business planning roadmap to assure a successful CRM implementation

Click Here to Listen to Russ's CRM Radio Interview:

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This product review is part of a special daily series, GE Network Recommendations. Everyday, one of our resident GE Network Experts will recommend to us small business products or services which they feel are highly beneficial and relevant to aspiring entrepreneurs.

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It's the time of the year again, when people all around the world take time off to savor the joys of Christmas. To mark the joyous season, we at GetEntrepreneurial.com are working on a special daily series, GE Network Recommendations. Everyday, one of our resident GE Network Experts will recommend to us small business products or services which they feel are highly beneficial and relevant to aspiring entrepreneurs.

We'll do a review of our experts' recommendations in the hope that you'll find them useful and informative. As the year 2007 comes to an end, and the new exciting year beckons, we hope that among the reviews in the special daily series, you'll find one or two hidden gems which would turn out to be really effective in starting your own successful business or bringing your current business to the next level in 2008.

We thank our Network Experts for their contribution, and we also want to thank you, our readers, for your participation in this small community. Happy Holidays!

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About.com: One of the many questions about business planning I receive is how long is a typical plan? The length of a typical business plan can greatly vary from 10 pages to a 100-page document. It depends on the intended use of the plan and its audience. An internal business plan for your company will exclude areas such as management team experience and be heavier on the implementation side. A basic plan for the banks will usually run 20or more pages. The executive summary shouldn't exceed 3 pages.

Business Plan Length? [About.com]

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In a sales economy where up to 62% of sales people don't go for the close, how is a sales person supposed to succeed? First, they need to use a sales process that helps them manage the steps in a sales cycle in the right order. Second, they need to learn, or re-learn, basic selling skills. These skills include how to cold call, qualify prospects, ask the right questions, listen, handle objections, negotiate, close and retain customers.

The problem lies with finding the time to learn these skills, or at least get a refresher course in skills that were learned long ago and since forgotten. PEAK Sales Consulting now offers inexpensive, on-line sales training that helps new and experienced sales professionals learn basic skills such as cold calling, listening skills, qualifying, value-added selling, handling objections, negotiating, closing, and more.

Called "Sales Snippets", which range from 10 to 20 minutes each, these on-line training modules are Internet-based sessions that allow a sales person to get quick, concise training sessions on various selling skills. All ten Sales Snippets cost only $29.95.

"Our Sales Snippets are derived and summarized from our full sales training courses. They are brief training sessions for both new sales people for getting up to speed on basic selling skills as well as veteran sales reps to review sales techniques that have long been forgotten and to learn new skills required in today’s economy," said Russ Lombardo, President/Founder of PEAK Sales Consulting, LLC and instructor on the Sales Snippets programs.

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Small Business Trends: The HitTail widget shows the keywords that searchers are using to arrive at this site, updated in real time. It demonstrates part of what the HitTail service does.

Using the HitTail service, you can (1) track the keywords that people are using to come to your site or blog, (2) extract the keywords that matter most into a handy list, and (3) use those keywords in future articles or blog posts that you write.

The idea behind HitTail is to increase the organic (non-paid) search traffic to your site, by revealing the keywords that visitors are using to find your site so that you can build on those to attract even more traffic.

HitTail Helps You Build Web Traffic Without Advertising [Small Business Trends]

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Inc.com: If only you had a crystal ball for business.

Gilbert Systems seeks to provide just that -- with a new product that helps business owners anticipate their customers' spending habits in order to maximize sales.

Proclivity is a consumer predictive engine technology that is able to analyze a customer's online activity and identify their interest in certain types of merchandise. The program aggregates the data collected and then generates probabilities for the number of customers likely to buy a certain product, during what time period, and at what price point.

Online businesses can then use the results from Proclivity to design their marketing campaigns around specific consumer interests. For example, if an online clothing retailer wants to launch a campaign around jeans, Proclivity will quickly generate a list of customers based on the analyzed data that predicts how many customers would buy jeans and how much money the company would make in a given amount of time. The company can then decide how much to invest in certain campaigns.

Ever Wish You Could Read Your Customers' Minds? [Inc.com]

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There are many business blogs dedicated to small business and entrepreneurship on the Internet today. The bloggers put in a lot of effort on their blogs, sharing helpful small business content and resources for the many aspiring entrepreneurs out there. The road to your own start-up is full of uncertainties and unknowns, and as such it's always great to learn from the entrepreneurs who share their guidance with their useful advice and comments on their business blogs. Likewise, here at GetEntrepreneurial.com we're always learning from and aspiring to reach the same levels as entrepreneurs like Anita Campbell, Yaro Starak, Adnan, and many others.

Evan Carmichael is no exception. His YoungEntrepreneur.com blog is another fantastic resource for all of us young, aspiring entrepreneurs around the world. Filled with entrepreneurial advice, business growth strategies, startup experience and marketing tips, YoungEntrepreneur.com is an useful resource which we watch very carefully on our blogroll. We particularly like the entrepreneurial advice which he shares based on his own experience, such as delegating tasks in your startup:

If you want to build a company of any substantial size you need to learn how to delegate. It can be a difficult process for many entrepreneurs because it means they are giving up some degree of control but you can only do all the jobs in the business for so long. Here is my advice on how you can successfully delegate some of your work.

There are many other interesting insights and useful articles on the YoungEntrepreneur.com blog, and it'll continue to be a great resource for us to depend on.

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Inc.com: Everyone likes presents on their birthday -- including your customers. Creating a "birthday club" could ensure that you have many happy returning customers.

Birthday Connections, a new service launched by Moving Targets, a Perkasie, Pa.-based direct-mail marketing company, allows small-business owners to create and send birthday offers based on specific demographics and geographic areas.

Such birthday programs are ideal for restaurants, nail salons, and other types of retail businesses that have limited ad budgets and not enough time or expertise for new marketing campaigns. Birthday Connections works with business owners to define a range of people they want to reach. Using Moving Target's database technology, Birthday Connections can compile a mailing list for customers in a certain ZIP code, age range, gender, or even income bracket.

Business owners then create the terms of their offer -- whether it be a free dessert or a 25 percent discount during the month of the customer's birthday -- and then choose the format for delivery, either a birthday card or a letter. Companies can also choose to use a pre-designed card or have Birthday Connections create a custom one for them with their company logo.

Birthday Connections then mails the offers around the month of each resident's birthday. Based on market testing results, Birthday Connections will help business owners create the best offer for their company.

Looking for a New Way to Woo Customers? Try Birthday Presents [Inc.com]

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Business Opportunities Blog: Despite many work places banning the use of sites such as Facebook and MySpace, online networking sites offer opportunities to interact with other businesses and customers without the constraints of cost or location.

Sites such as www.linkedin.com and www.konnects.com offer online networking specifically for the professional and commercial sectors* and can sometimes be more effective than traditional methods of networking such as trade shows, business clubs and breakfast meetings.

Social networking allows users to talk directly to new contacts and send people straight to their website. On some sites it is even possible for businesses to make money through selling subscriptions to their networks.

Social Networking Sites Good for Small Business [Business Opportunities Blog]

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Businesspundit: It is tough to find good business partners. Starting a company takes a special type of person, and there aren't many people out there that want to work on something outside of the normal 9-5 workday, let alone do it for free for awhile. On top of all that, you still have to find people that have similar values, interests, and work styles in order for your startup to succeed. I've been through quite a few partners over the years - not because they were bad, just because we were a bad fit. A few months ago a company launched that aimed to ease that process - Partnerup.com.

Partnerup is a fast and effective way to find people like you, looking for the same things. For finding business partners, it is much more efficient than offline networking. So if you are looking for someone to join you as you change the world, check out the site. It could save you a lot of time and trouble.

The Fastest Way to Find Good Business Partners [Businesspundit]

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Small Business Trends Radio: Sometimes it can be hard to determine which of the many small business podcasts will provide what you need. So much audio, so little time.

So we have taken the guesswork out of it for you. We narrowed it down to 100 informative podcasts for small business owners and entrepreneurs.

Most of the following podcasts specifically target a small business audience. Others have a broader business focus. All, however, are relevant to business owners and entrepreneurs. Explore and listen, and see what you think of this list.

100 Small Business Audio Podcasts [Small Business Trends Radio]

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Lyro: Lyro is a service that helps people expand their individual-level professional identity on the Internet. In today’s global economy, it is more important than ever that each of us is discoverable online. Using technology, innovation, and user-driven features, it is the mission of Lyro to empower our customers through the formation and marketing of their personal-level professional brand, resulting in improved visibility and broader opportunities.

We provides an open, fully searchable, and user-driven tool for professional branding on the web. Some time back we had a thought - more of a question really. Why isn't basic business contact information internet searchable and controllable at the individual level? As we looked at the marketplace, nowhere could we find a truly "open" product that made this information accessible online and also put control of the information in the hands of the individual. As we played around with new ways of displaying people's basic contact information, the simple concept of an online business card emerged. After a little research, we realized that no one else was providing open, easily accessible online business cards. Although a web-based business card concept was novel, we questioned whether an online business by itself would be compelling enough to grow in popularity with millions of users. That more we talked with our customer base, the more we realized that they desired a product whose features were entirely driven by fellow users.

Lyro - http://www.lyro.com

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