URL Obsession

By Dave Roth

As a small business lender, I run into a lot of small business owners. There are a lot of things that seperate the regular small business owner from the highly successful one, but I”m choosing to focus on the one that I seem to run across the most. Its also a very personal one to me since I saw it happen with my father’’s business. Let me tell you about my dad.

My dad owned a successful manufacturing business supplying a major hardware store chain. He did quite well for a number of years, but he worked VERY long hours. One of the reasons that he worked long hours is because he wanted to keep all the profits for himself. So, instead of focusing on business development he was setting up shipments. Instead of visiting customers, he was fixing machines. He made a good living and thought nothing of it, until one day, the hardware store put some bids out and got another company to furnish the exact product for a substantial discount. My dad knew he was done for. To hit that number he would have to work long hours for basically no money. My dad was crushed and so was his business.

Sound familiar? In my opinion the tradegy was not that he lost out on that huge account. It was that he was blindsided. He was focused so much on the day to day operations that he never looked up and developed the long term plan of his business. He was so focused on shipping today’’s orders out that he never thought of developing other customers that would help diversify his revenue stream. He never thought of building a business by empowering people to run the company for him so he could have an exit strategy. My dad learned the lesson the hard way. So, what does that mean for the other small business owners out there? What is the “take away” from this little story?

I believe the lesson that my dad learned is that never sacrifice long term potential for short term profitability. Sure, you could make a few more bucks now but what’’s the effect in the future? You could get by without a general manager, but why risk it? If you”ve built your business and established key relationships, is it time to sit back and play defense? No, just because you are busy now doesn”t mean that you will be in the future. So go out and hire that GM to run your day to day operations of your business. You go out and face the world and sell your company to the other big names leveraging the business that you already have. After all, don”t you want your best salesman on the street?

About The Author

Dave Roth runs Cornhole-Game.org, the site is devoted to the outdoor game of cornhole, corn toss, bean bag games, or softshoes.

By Dave Roth

You know what they say, its all about location, location, location! That’’s true on the internet also. If you have the prettiest website in the world, it doesn”t matter if you aren”t getting the visitors! Here are 7 ways you can quickly improve your rankings and get traffic to your site!

1) Submit to Search Engines-I know, I know..sounds basic, right? You”d be surprised at how many small businesses haven”t even done that! Its an easy process, just go to the major search engines and search for “add URL” and then submit your site. If you have important secondary pages, add those as well.

2) Provide Awesome Content-Most websites want to sell you something. Warm up your customers by providing great content and they”ll be more likely to make a purchase.

3) Post on Relevant Message Boards-It doesn”t have to be spam, but put your site in your signature and show off your knowledge by answering some of the posts. You”ll get a lot of visitors when they realize you know something!

4) Submit to Directories-Many are free, but more and more there are the paid directories. The one benefit of the paid directories is that your site will be reviewed quicker than a free site.

5) Write an Article-Then post it to a site like this! Its a great way to show off your knowledge. Who knows? Others might like it so much they will put it on their site.

6) Advertise Offline-Business cards, signage, in your yellowpage ads, and on your voicemail.

7) Tell people!-EVERYONE! Let them know about your site. Have them check it out!

These should get you on your way to more visitors and more traffic in no time!

About The Author

Dave Roth runs Cornhole-Game.org, the site is devoted to the outdoor game of cornhole, corn toss, bean bag games, or softshoes.

Entering the world of debit consolidation loans is much like buying a new car really; getting the best deal is all a matter of doing your research and having the right mindset. A positive approach can do wonders. Remember, even though you may be in a vulnerable financial position right now, this is business and all the rules of business apply. There are three key facts you need to be aware of in protecting your interests when you are shopping around for a debit consolidation loan.
Debit Consolidation

Choosing a burial insurance (also known as funeral insurance) plan is a very personal thing. There are so many choices available it is worth taking your time and selecting those products and services that you feel comfortable with.
Burial Insurance

Looking at consolidating your bills? Although itÂ’s sometimes a difficult scenario to face, many people find bills consolidation to be a liberating experience and perhaps the best financial decision theyÂ’ve made in a long time. Entering the world of bills consolidation loans is much like buying a new car really. Getting the best bills consolidation deal is all a matter of attitude and mindset. Like most things in life, the way we approach the exercise can have a real impact on our results.
Bills Consolidation

By Patricia Wagner

Many women all over the world fear breast cancer. It is a killer! It is one of the leading causes of death for women and even men are not immune.

Not that long ago a diagnosis of breast cancer would have been like receiving a death sentence! That’’s because it was often fatal. However, things are different today because of the amazing advances in medical science in the area of breast cancer research.

For example, a lot more treatments are available to you today than were available 20 years ago. And many women are survivors of this dreaded disease.

Do you know your personal risk factor for developing breast cancer?

It’’s obvious that just because you”re a woman you are more at risk than a man would be. As you age, your risks increase. But you can”t really change that. Your genetic makeup is another risk factor. If breast cancer claimed your mother, that increases your risks as well. If you had another close family member who developed breast cancer that also increases your risk of developing it yourself. The age that you had your first menstrual period also affects your risk factor. If you started menstruating before the age of 12, your risk increases. If you passed through menopause after the age of 50, that also increases your risk.

There is a test available now that you can take to see if you carry a mutated gene related to breast cancer.

If you have menopausal symptoms and you are taking estrogen with progesterone, that will increase your risk of developing breast cancer by a small percent. Taking birth control pills is another factor in slightly increasing your risk of having this disease. Your risks will increase if you drink alcoholic beverages and smoke. Obesity may lead to breast cancer as well. You will increase your risks if you seldom exercise. Those who have never breast fed their babies have an increased risk too.

Surprisingly, even men can suffer from breast cancer. And no one really knows who will be its next victim.

As you have seen in this article, there are some risks that you have control over, while there are other risks over which you have no control.

Here are some risks that you can control. Choose healthy habits like regular exercise and watching your weight. Avoid alcoholic beverages as much as possible and don”t smoke.

If your genetic background is a risk factor for you, be sure to have regular mammograms and breast examinations by your doctor. You ought to examine your own breasts every month too.

Now that you know a little more about what your own personal risk factors for breast cancer are, you can choose healthy habits to protect yourself. And don”t forget to schedule regular examinations by your doctor and examine your breasts yourself once a month. Be sure to include a yearly mammogram for your protection from breast cancer.

About The Author

Learn how to protect yourself from breast cancer. Patricia Wagner writes about a variety of health and wellness issues to help you be healthier.

By Joshua Poyoh

Decorating a baby room may be a time where you can let your imaginations run wild. After all, it can be fun playing with so many ideas for the baby room. However it can bewildering and intimidating task for some parents. Why? Part of the reason is because there are so many nursery decorations ideas available on the market. Choosing the right items for your home can be tricky.

Keeping certain rules in mind when decorating can help make the activity easy as well as rewarding.

The very first thing you have to consider when decorating a baby room is safety. You may really want to create an old fashioned nursery filled with quilts for infants and retro toys. However, you should not fill the nursery with antique baby furniture, especially if they are going to be used.

Many of the older cribs and children’’s furniture do not meet today’’s safety guidelines. Even newer items can fall short. It is crucial to check the safety guidelines before making a purchase. As a rule of thumb, it is usually best to buy furnishings new when decorating a baby room. Borrowed items and used products can lead to trouble.

Penny pinchers may argue that you can research which items are up to par as far as safety standards are concerned. However, many of the new nursery furniture actually save you money in the long run. Today’’s cribs commonly convert to toddler beds and some will even convert to a regular twin sized bed.

Think of all of the money you will save over the years by buying a convertible crib. These quality nursery items grow with your child. You only have to make one purchase. Investing in expensive furnishings like cribs and chests is a good idea when decorating a room. These investments will pay off eventually.

Some items actually can be purchased second hand. Many people save quite a bit of money by going to garage sales and swap meets. Items that are commonly purchased at such functions include picture frames, bedding, wall art, toys and lamps. These items can really come in handy when decorating a baby room and they don”t need to be brand new.

Perhaps checking with some experienced moms is the easiest way to get help in decorating a baby room. Many moms love to share their ideas and show off their knowledge and how to. Talking with other moms can really give you ideas and inspirations on how you can make a special nursery room for your child.

About The Author

Joshua Poyoh is the creator of http://www.motherbabytips.com where you can find out more information on Decorating Baby Rooms Ideas And Furniture