PDCA - where does it come from?

Deming Cycle, PDCA

The Deming Cycle, or PDCA Cycle is a continuous quality improvement model consisting of four repetitive phases and seven steps for continuous improvement and learning: Plan, Do, Check and Act. The PDCA cycle is also known as the Deming Cycle, the Deming wheel of continuous improvement. Its origin can be traced back to the eminent statistics expert Mr. Walter A. Shewart - in the 1920’s he introduced the concept of PLAN, DO and SEE. The late Total Quality Management (TQM) guru and renowned statistician Dr. W. Edwards Deming modified the SHEWART cycle as: PLAN, DO, CHECK, and ACT.

Like many others, my introduction to PDCA and continuous improvement was in identifying manufacturing process faults. However, later as a director of Information Technology, I was able to apply the same learning, use the same PDCA cycle to
improve both the technical and administration processes. This resulted in saving time and reducing costs.

I have seen PDCA used very effectively in project management, construction, internet business development, as well as managing a number of personal projects.

Identifying continuous improvement projects with our team(s) is a great way of getting team members involved as well as capitalizing on their skills and knowledge

WHAT IS QUALITY?
“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.” William A. Foster

I would not be totally honest with you if I did not admit that I have struggled at times - deadlines, wanting to push ahead.

It’s one of the classic ‘Catch 22s’ - I am far too busy fixing problems to spend the time on continuous improvement techniques.

Of course, there will always be that urgent personal or urgent business dilemma that needs 100% of our time and energy to resolve. It’s called ‘life’.

The key point is once we get into the habit of PDCA, once we apply the discipline to maximize the benefits that this continuous improvement methodolgy has to offer us, we will be able to…

What Is An Improvement Cycle?

“Everything we do is a process, every process has a customer”

The Improvement Cycle is a highly disciplined and rigorous approach to problem solving using the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) methodology developed by Dr. W. Edwards Deming.

The Improvement Cycle consists of seven steps, 3 in the Plan phase, 1 in the Do phase, 1 in the Check phase, and 2 in the Act phase.

The PDCA cycle needs to be used in a continuous manner, select your theme or project, assess the current situation, plan and implement your solutions, check the effects of your changes, standardise on your new improved process, and plan for future improvements - the cycle continues.

change and improvement are two different things,
focus on improvement, change will follow naturally

In my experience in various facets of organizations, I’ve found that opportunities are awarded most often to the person who has the best ATTITUDE for the job, not necessarily the one with the most APTITUDE for the job.

By changing your attitude to be more positive, people will want to talk to you, and you’ll get more opportunities. More opportunities means more chances of success, more chances of success means more success, and more success means a better, changed, life. You do want to live a GREAT life, don’t you?

So how do you change your attitude? Here’s 3 tips to help you get started.

1. Focus on what you CAN do - when someone asks you for help, even if you’re not the person that can help them, focus on the CAN. Let them know you CAN help them contact the right person to get their question answered. If you’re looking for a job and someone asks you a question about what you can’t do, turn it around and focus on what you can do. Let’s say the question is “Can you type 100 words per minute?” and you can only type 80 words per minute. Answer the question “I CAN type 80 words per minute with 95% accuracy.”

2. Smile at everyone you meet - Take 1 day and smile at every person you meet. Don’t worry if they don’t smile back, just keep smiling. By the end of the day, you’ll be happier because smiling automatically gives you more energy than frowning. Try it if you don’t believe me!

3. Answer “as if” - Pick 1 day, and no matter how you’re doing, think about your best possible day, and when people ask you’re how you’re doing, answer “as if” you’re having your best possible day. I always answer that I am doing great, and though at first it felt a bit forced, now, every day, I really am GREAT!

Remember: only YOU can make your life better. So I ask you, will you settle for average, or will you do what it takes to Make it Great!?

Phil Gerbyshak, motivational speaker and self-improvement advocate, challenges you to “Stop having a nice day…and Make it Great!” His website at http://MakeItGreat.org is updated regularly with thoughts about how you can take control of your life and stop letting life take control of you.

Yes - you should definitely use an astringent. This is especially true if you wear makeup. Using a toner will help to get some of the “leftovers” out of your pores. Less stuff in your pores = less breakouts!

However, you must be careful about what type of astringent or toner you use. Get the wrong type and you’ll end up being flaky, oily, or (most likely) both. As a rule of thumb, if you see a commercial with teenage actors and an astringent, don’t buy that product! Yes - even if you’re a teenager. These formulas are usually cheap and harsh. Sometimes they even sting which is never a good thing. To pick the right toner, read the labels before you buy. Reject anything you find containing: SLS, paraben preservatives, color dyes, salycic acid, & fragrance. These are irritants that may cause skin problems.

So what should you buy? I suggest something natural and gentle. The only astringent I use is Dickinson’s Witch Hazel Toner. You might find this at a drugstore or health store near you. It has some alcohol in it, but this is naturally occurring in witch hazel. Witch hazel is my favorite astringent because its super gentle, easy to use, affordable, and versatile. If you prefer a different kind of astringent, there are many recipes that you can find online for 100% natural formulas. However, they may require refrigeration and have a very short shelf life. Another great toner for your skin is fresh lemons. I hear many models swear by this!

One more factor for you to consider is your cotton ball or pad. For the best results, use only organic cotton on your face. Cotton is one of the most pesticide-sprayed crops in the world. You don’t want that stuff on your face, do you? Organic cotton is a bit pricey, but I think its well worth it.

So there you have it. Astringents are good for your skin under the right circumstances. Use a gentle formula after washing your face, and before moisturizing to help clear your acne. Remember that astringents only need to be used once a day, preferably at night. Using a good toner will help to get your skin extra clean without over-drying and hopefully help with your acne.

Note: Feel free to reprint this article as long as you include my resource box and make sure the link to my website is active.

Jessica Kihara

Learn How I Cured My Acne!
http://www.InformationHotSpot.com/acne.html

Your home is not just a comfort giving dwelling unit for you but instead it can be fruitfully utilized as means of availing finance to complete different works. Homeowners loans help you in getting loan for every personal purpose such as making improvements in home, buying a vehicle, going to a holiday trip, paying for different expenses etc. Borrowers can take homeowner loans at lower interest rate and easy terms-conditions.

Since you own a home, you would like to opt for a secured homeowner loan under which you will keep your home as collateral with the lender. The collateral works as security of the loan for the lender. For borrowers, the collateral plays more roles. It is on the basis of the collateral that borrowers can bargain for a lower interest rate and higher loan amount. This means if your home is having higher equity, lender may provide greater loan at lower interest rate.

Lenders generally provide homeowner loans to the borrowers up to £75,000.In cases where a larger loan is the need; the lender will evaluate that how much the borrowers have to pay for previous debts and the market value of the collateral. Difference of the two is called equity and the equity will be deciding factor in higher loan.

Homeowner loans can be availed at lower interest rate. This is because the loan is well secured. As compared to unsecured loans, the secured homeowner loans are available at 2-3 percent lower interest rate. There is flexibility in repayment of the loan. You can choose your own repayment term ranging from 5 to 30 years as per your repaying capacity.

Homeowner loans can easily be taken also by people having bad credit. Lenders will not check the credit of the borrowers because the loan has already been secured. However, in case of a bad credit, the terms and conditions may be slightly harder as the lenders do not want to go for expensive repossession of the collateral. In order to improve credit score you should first make efforts to pay off easy debts and also check your credit report for any errors in it. On FICCO scale of 300 to 850, credit score of 720 and above is considered as risk free while below 580 is taken as unsafe for offering loan.

It is always beneficial to apply for homeowner loans online. The online lenders do not charge any fee and also you get numerous loan offers. You can select suitable loan package as per your budget.

Homeowner loans are made for requirements of every borrower who is in need of finance. You should pay monthly installments regularly and clear the loan in time. Take special care about the loan amount and the repayment term keeping your repayment capacity in mind.

If you want to hang on to your excuses and your excess weight then stop reading now!

If however, you want to get that DIET monkey off your back (and those inches off your waist), then by all means read on.

In the past few weeks a few colleagues and I decide to start a “BIGGEST LOSERS” club in which we would all weigh and measure ourselves weekly (the measuring part was my idea and you’ll see why later). Now, no instructions were given regarding how to lose weight just the assumption that exercise would be required and that we would all be there to support each other should we falter along the way.

All great intensions but, after the first day we lost one person, the rest of us however decided to ‘get the party started’ for want of a better phrase. I ascertained from a fellow ‘biggest loser’ that some of our colleagues had decided to go for the quick fix of shakes and pills, whilst some others decided on the ‘Starve Yourself Mingled with Exercise’ method. So, I watch in anticipation of what will unfold in the coming weeks and whether that DIET MONKEY will fall off or hold on for dear life.

As it happened, week two into our quest I went on vacation for four wonderful weeks doing what I do best, eating and sleeping, not really making any changes to my routine. Oh! Did I mention that my vacation time was during the beautiful summer Christmas period of the southern hemisphere. That means christmas yummies, day after christmas yummies, new years indulgences and the like. What a wonderful time I had. And yet I still managed to consistently loss unwanted inches despite the norm of putting on weight during this period, mostly because of my very simple ‘GAIN BACK YOUR LIFE WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM’.

On return, I found that the DIET MONKEY for my fellow colleagues was indeed holding on for dear life, and not only that had grown into a GORILLA. I felt empathy for my mates watching them feeling dejected, feeling like they’ve made no progress. Why you ask? Because they unfortunately fall into the ‘3 reason why we fail at diets’ - FANATICAL DIETING, EMOTIONAL EATING OR CONDITIONING.

As well at this they have followed the normal DIETING mishaps of thinking that the ‘all mighty weight scales’ is going to magically change it’s mind in dramatic numbers from day to day, week to week, hence the reason why I suggested we should measure ourselves. Basically weighing yourself in this manner only promotes a sense of FAILURE and feeling bad about yourself. You don’t take criticism from other people, so why torture yourself - I’m here to tell you to STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP. Give yourself a break, if you feel you absolutely must weigh yourself make it every two weeks and that DIET MONKEY will definitely start to loosen it’s grip.

7 weeks down the track and my colleagues are rejoicing in the total amount of inches lost in comparison to minimal weight lost or gained. It is a great thing in deed to see enthusiasm back in their eyes. Watch this space I am sure it will surely be a great race to the finish especially to see if that DIET MONKEY is still hanging around.

Author Bio: Gillian Tarawhiti BSc, Dip BM, Dip Ed, is Founder and CEO of Community Training Centre & Gain Back Your Life Centre, A registered EFT Practitioner, Member of AAMET and Online Training and Support to the new and not so new netpreneurs. Gillian is also the author of eBay Billion Dollar Goldmine, and the creator of the Multiple Ripple Effect System © 2004. Permission is granted to reprint this article in print or on your web site so long as the paragraph above is included and contact information is provided to http://www.gainbackyourlife-eft.com

I hate it when Saddam Hussein gets proved to be right …

Buried in all his pre-invasion bluster was a promise that Iraqis would give the Americans ‘another Viet Nam’ if they tried to occupy the country. To many, this sounded like just another empty threat, but I took note when he said it.

The reason for my attention had nothing to do with Saddam or any tribal fealties in his favor. Instead, it gave me pause to recall a comment made to me by a veteran foot soldier who fought in World War II. We had a conversation in Geneva in the early 1980s, just before the Cold War began to thaw. I remarked about the superior weapons technology that I thought gave America a distinct advantage over the Soviets, and the vet responded by dismissing hi-tech armories.

“War is about killing your enemy one at a time and gaining territory a step at a time,” he said. “And you can only do that with the grunts on the ground.”

In what’s become a prolonged battle between the forces of technology and terrorism in Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is the latest to challenge the old vet’s advice. It’s also looking like he’ll be the latest to rue that decision.

However, such repentance will probably not occur in the short term. Just as the Gulf of Tonkin fabrication — where the Johnson presidency alleged a since-debunked North Vietnamese torpedo boat attack on an American destroyer — and the Watergate burglary were subordinated to the public as mere historical footnotes by the administrations in power at those times, the present American presidency appears to believe its power of office can trample any truth that may give the lie to its Iraqi folly.

The trappings of the American presidency are such that the presidency’s ability to do this is an established fact. Richard Nixon suppressed the truth long enough to win re-election. Lyndon Johnson ultimately saw a nation so divided by the Viet Nam issue that he chose not to seek a second term, but not before plunging the USA into a full-scale war. Now, it’s George W Bush who has slithered into another four year term, based in part on his administration’s spin machine successfully keeping the roots of his Iraqi misadventure obscure to the public.

The harsh reality is that the omnipotence of the world’s most powerful government makes the task of calling it into immediate account virtually impossible. Before any resistance can be effectively raised, considerable damage — in lives and resources — has already been irretrievably done.

We already know that in Iraq, there were no weapons of mass destruction. This has been countered by the presidential argument that, well, Saddam was a bad man. We also know now that there was no relationship between al-Qaeda and Saddam. Yes, said the presidency, but there could have been in the near future; this soon became a self-fulfilling prophecy. Furthermore, even though the presidency claimed that American forces would be welcomed as liberators in Iraq, the locals there have so far shown a strange way of expressing their gratitude.

How can these retorts go so consistently uncontested, with the possible exception of The Daily Show, which is merely a cable comedy channel’s satire of the news?

Now comes further evidence which damns the dubious premises of presidential Iraqi policy, which has recently appeared in the journal, Foreign Affairs. The author, Paul Pillar, is the recently resigned CIA head of intelligence for the Near East and South Asia, who held that office from 2000-2005. His job included managing the Bush administration’s secret assessments regarding Iraq. In the article, he contends that invading Iraq was a pre-ordained goal and that, if the presidency had to resort to misleading information in order to gain support for doing so, then they would provide it.

The article, ‘Intelligence, Policy and the War in Iraq’ doesn’t have any new revelations. Its significance is the fact that Mr Pillar, a 28-year CIA operative, was directly involved in the picking and choosing of data ordered by the presidency to make its case, rather than being allowed to take the more ethical and responsible path of reviewing all data and arriving at objective conclusions. (Lest someone attempts to accuse Mr Pillar of being a bureaucratic malcontent, he was installed on the faculty for Security Studies at the prestigious Georgetown University soon after his resignation from the CIA.)

The astounding carnage of Viet Nam — 58,000 American dead, over 150,000 wounded; approximately 2-4million Vietnamese dead and wounded — still dwarfs the totals for the Iraqi incursion, but tell that to each family who loses a loved one and see if it offers them any solace. These soldiers, fighters and innocents are not dying or being maimed for noble causes, but for cynical agenda: vague definitions of an enemy on one side and warped extreme fundamentalism on the other. The fact that the casualties in Iraq show no signs of subsiding make the assertions in Mr Pillar’s article all the more exasperating.

A new documentary has also been recently released. ‘Why We Fight’ was produced and directed by Eugene Jarecki, who used a spectrum of interviews to delve into the effects of current American foreign policy. These range from former Bush adminstration officials to critics to American fighter pilots to a policeman who lost a son when the jets hit the towers in New York.

Jarecki’s premise is based on a famous ‘farewell’ speech by Dwight David Eisenhower in 1961, who warned of a shadowy ‘military-industrial complex’ that had the potential to hijack American foreign policy without the public’s ability to sufficiently contain it. Given Eisenhower’s status as the Allied supreme commander in World War II as well as his presidency, his warning was not only jarring, but prophetic, especially coming as it did on the throes of the Viet Nam conflict. All appearances now are that it’s even more pertinent today.

In retrospect, it is also ironic to think that it may have been the Americans who were being held in check by the balance of power posed by a totalitarian Soviet regime. There’s no doubt the reverse was true, as well, but I had always thought the Americans realized their best global weapon was their culture; I continue to believe their culture, not their weaponry, caused the USSR to collapse. As such, I fail to understand why each successive American presidency hasn’t realized that simple and obvious observation.

Putting that point to an unscientific test, I’ve asked various citizens of Iraq — and Iran, for that matter — what foreign country they most admire, and more often than not, they cite the USA. If I follow that with a question about which government they least admire, they cite the USA. Call me simplistic, but not only does it seem burgers and bluejeans do a better job of making friends, they cause significantly fewer deaths in the process.

However, as long as the American public allows its presidency the inherent power of overbearing rebuttal to any dissenting information without a constant call to justify itself, there will be no subsidence in damaged lives or diverted resources.

Until then, as Saddam, the old vet and history have combined to predict, Iraq is a grunt’s war, fought one building at a time. And, like every other war, not every grunt will come home alive or well.

J Square Humboldt is the featured columnist at Longer Life’s website, which provides information designed to improve the quality of living. He’s at longerlifegroup.com/cyberiter.html

You’ve thought about it for awhile now. There’s a good chance you’ve rationalized it and said, “Next year I’ll get my own business started.” Guess what? It’s next year, and there’s no better time than the present to get your home business started.

So What’s The Secret?

Is there a secret to starting and making money with a home business? What about making lots of money? Are there just a few people out there that can be successful? Or can anyone make it happen? In my research of successful home-based business owners, I’ve found two essential ingredients to success: having a good attitude and lots of determination. Call me crazy, but we can all have these and it isn’t going to cost us a dime.

But I Don’t Have The Money To Start A Home Business

We are often caught up with the situations we find ourselves in, and see no possible way to start a home biz. Maybe you’re broke with barely enough money to survive, let alone to start a home business. You could be a single mom raising your family all by yourself. Maybe you’ve been burned by one to many work-at-home scams and have given up on the idea that you can make a home business work.

It’s easy to tell yourself that you could never start, let alone run a home business because of this or that reason. It’s easy to rationalize “Well those people who are super successful, they probably had a bunch of money to start their business with and they probably knew all the right people.” Well, that’s usually not the case. Any self-employed person will tell you how hard it really was to make their business a success. It always comes down to lots of hard work!

What Are You Focused On?

Many years ago I was teaching my youngest daughter to ride her bike without training wheels. She was riding on the side of the road, and was very nervous about running into the curb. Every time she would start to peddle, she’d immediately look at the curb, and sure enough, she’d head straight for it. I explained to her, “Look at where you want to go, not where you don’t want to go.” It’s funny how when you look straight ahead, the bike goes straight ahead, but when you focus on where you DON’T want to go, you end up there.

The mind is a wonderful machine and it can be our best friend. If you constantly tell yourself that you can be a success, you can make money doing what you love; your mind will find a way to make it happen. A quote by Edward Vernon Rickenbacker says, “I believe that if you think about disaster you will get it. Brood about death and you hasten your demise. Think positively and masterfully with confidence and faith, and life becomes more secure, more fraught with action, richer in achievement and experience.”

Make Your Dreams Come True - Make Money Doing What You love

When you think about the type of business you want to start, think about what it is you love to do. Try not to focus on a business because you are told about all the money you can make. Instead look at what you enjoy doing. What you are already naturally gifted at doing.

All businesses take time to grow and make money. Even the ones you are told will make you a ton of money. Wouldn’t you rather work hard at something you enjoy to make a living?

It’s Up To You

No matter where you are coming from, it’s your attitude and determination that will ultimately decide the fate of your home business. If you want to work-at-home badly enough, then you need tell yourself on a daily basis that you will find a way to make it happen, and you will be a success at it. Do this and your business will not only get started, but is will also grow and thrive. With a positive attitude and determination you can move mountains!

Liz Folger is the founder of www.bizymoms.com. Bizymoms.com is the leading online resource for work-from-home ideas. The site offers home-based business start-up kits, online classes, e-books, chats and enthusiastic support for moms who want to have it all - a family and a career. Visit www.bizymoms.com for more information.

You may be in Mail Order, Direct Mail, or you may be a local merchant with 150 employees; whichever, however or
whatever—you’ve got to know how to keep your business alive
during economic recessions. Anytime the cash flow in a business,
large or small, starts to tighten up, the money management of
that business has to be run as a “tight ship.”

Some of the things you can and should do include protecting
yourself from expenditures made on sudden impulse. We’ve all
bought merchandise or services we really didn’t need simply
because we were in the mood, or perhaps in response to the
flamboyancy of the advertising or the persuasiveness of the
salesperson. Then we sort of “wake up” a couple of days later and find that we’ve committed hundreds of dollars of business funds for an item or service that’s not essential to the success of our own business, when really pressing items had been waiting for those dollars.

If you are incorporated, you can eliminate these “impulse
purchases” by including in your by-laws a clause that states:
“All purchasing decisions over (a certain amount) are contingent
upon approval by the board of directors.” This will force you to
consider any “impulse purchases” of considerable cost, and may
even be a reminder in the case of smaller purchases.

If your business is a partnership, you can state, when faced with a buying decision, that all purchases are contingent upon the approval of a third party. In reality, the third party can be your partner, one of your department heads, or even one of your suppliers.

If your business is a sole proprietorship, you don’t have much to worry about really, because as an individual you have three days to think about your purchase, and then to nullify that purchase if you think you don’t really need it or can’t afford it.

While you may think you cannot afford it, be sure that you don’t
“short-change” yourself on professional services. This would
apply especially during a time of emergency. Anytime you commit
yourself and move ahead without completely investigating all the
angles, and preparing yourself for all the contingencies that may arise, you’re skating on thin ice. Regardless of the costs
involved, it always pays off in the long run to seek out the
advice of experienced professionals before embarking on a plan
that could ruin you.

As an example, an experienced business consultant can fill you in on the 1244 stock advantages. Getting eligibility for the 1244 stock category is a very simple process, but one with tremendous benefits to your business.

The 1244 stock encourages investors to put equity capital into
your business because in the event of a loss, amounts up to the
entire sum of the investment can be written off in the current
year. Without the “1244″ classification, any losses would have to be spread over several years, and this, of course, would greatly lessen the attractiveness of your company’s stock. Any business owner who has not filed the 1244 corporation has in effect cut himself off from 90 percent of his prospective investors.

Particularly when sales are down, you must be “hard-nosed” with
people trying to sell you luxuries for your business. When
business is booming, you undoubtedly will allow sales people to
show you new models of equipment or a new line of supplies; but
when your business is down, skip the entertaining frills and
concentrate on the basics. Great care must be taken however, to
maintain courtesy and allow these sellers to consider you a
friend and call back at another time.

Your company’s books should reflect your way of thinking, and
whoever maintains them should generate information according to
your policies. Thus, you should hire an outside accountant or
accounting firm to figure your return on your investment, as well as the turnover on your accounts receivable and inventory. Such an audit or survey should focus in depth on any or every item within the financial statement that merits special attention. in this way, you’ll probably uncover any potential financial problems before they become readily apparent, and certainly before they could get out of hand.

Many small companies set up advisory boards of outside
professional people. These are sometimes known as power Circles,
and once in place, the business always benefits, especially in
times of short operating capital. Such an advisory board or power circle should include an attorney, a certified public accountant, civic club leaders, owners or managers of businesses similar to yours, and retired executives. Setting up such an advisory board of directors is really quite easy, because most people you ask will be honored to serve.

Once your board is set up, you should meet once a month and
present material for review. Each meeting should be a discussion
of your business problems and an input from your advisors
relative to possible solutions. These members of your board od
advisors should offer you advice as well as alternatives, and
provide you with objectivity. No formal decisions need to be made either at your board meeting, or as a result of them, but you should be able to gain a great deal from the suggestions you
hear.

You will find that most of your customers have the money to pay
at least some of what they owe you immediately. To keep them
current, and the number of accounts receivable in your files to a minimum, you should call them on the phone and ask for some kind of explanation why they’re falling behind. if you develop such a habit as part of your operating procedure, you’ll find your invoices will magically be drawn to the front of their piles of bills to pay. While maintaining a courteous attitude, don’t hesitant, or too much of a “nice guy” when it comes to collecting money.

Something else that’s a very good business practice, but which
few business owners do is to methodically build a credit rating
with their local banks. Particularly when you have a good cash
flow, you should borrow $100 to $1,000 from your banks every 90
days or so. Simply borrow the money, and place it in an interest bearing account, and then pay it all back at least a month or so before it’s due. By doing this, you will increase the borrowing power of your signature, and strengthen your ability to obtain needed financing on short notice. This is a kind of business leverage that will be of great value to you if or whenever your cash position becomes less favorable.

By all means, join your industry’s local and national trade
associations. Most of these organizations have a wealth of
information available on everything from details on your
competitors to average industry sales figures, new products,
services, and trends.

If you are given a membership certificate or wall plaque, you
should display these conspicuously on your office wall. Customers like to see such “seals of approval” and feel additional confidence in your business when they see them.

Still another thing often overlooked: If at all possible, you
should have your spouse work in the business with you for at
least three or four weeks per year. The important thing is that
if for any reason you are not available to run the business, your spouse will be familiar with certain people and situations about your business. These people should include your attorney,
accountant, any consultants or advisors, creditors and your major suppliers. The long-term advantages of having your spouse work four weeks per year in your business with you will greatly
outweigh the short-term inconvenience. Many couples share
responsibility and time entirely, which is in most cases even
more desirable.

Whenever you can, and as often as you need it, take advantage of
whatever free business counseling is available. The Small
Business Administration published many excellent booklets,
checklist and brochures on quite a large variety of businesses.
these publications are available through the U.S.Government
printing office. Most local universities, and many private
organizations hold seminars at minimal cost, and often without
charge. You should also take advantage of the services offered by your bank and local library.

The important thing about running a small business is to know the direction in which you’re heading; to know on a day-to-day basis your progress in that very direction; to be aware of what your competitors are doing and to practice good money management at all times. All this will prepare you to recognize potential problems before they arise.

In order to survive with a small business, regardless of the
economic climate, it is essential to surround yourself with smart people, and practice sound business management at all times.

Dominic Ferrara - Owner of Small Business Marketing Secrets. Do you need help for your business? We can help at http://www.small-business-marketing-info.com

I’ve owned my own business for four years now, and roller coaster ride is still the best way to describe the experience. Lots of big ups followed by big downs. Always a thrill, though.

I’ve gotten tons of advice along the way and learned some things on my own, too. Here are the lessons I’d like to pass along.

1) Don’t panic.

Bad stuff will happen. Just face it, deal with it and move on. Panicking can make you freeze up, and that can be deadly if it lasts too long.

2) Starting a business requires lots of hard work for little or no reward.

If you’re expecting to get a big return on your investment quickly, you’ll probably be disappointed.

3) It takes MORE than you think to start and run a business.

More money. More time. More energy. More patience. (See #2 above.)

4) Persistent, consistent marketing is essential.

Visibility is a key to success, and it takes persistence to be visible. Avoid the mistake many start-up businesses make. They expect immediate results and give up on marketing strategies before they have time to work.

5) Write your own rules.

Don’t be afraid to try lots of different marketing and sales tactics. Try things and look at results. Figure out what works for you.

6) Believe in yourself.

Confidence will get you through tough times.

7) The best defense is a good offence.

Clients leave. You won’t win every pitch. The best things you can do are to stay visible and keep selling. (There’s no rest for the business owner.)

So chin up. Owning your own business is not the easiest path, but it’s YOURS!

©2006 Copyright Clairvoyant Communications, Inc.

About the author

Claire Cunningham, president of Clairvoyant Communications, Inc., helps companies jumpstart their sales with increased visibility. She shares her expertise on her web site http://www.clairvoyantcommunications.com and in monthly e-newsletters, Communiqué and Communiqué-Small Business. Contact Claire at 1-763-479-3499 or claire@claircomm.com

The customer is the lifeblood of any business, and it is only right that business owners and managers provide optimum customer support through the quickest and most accessible medium - the telephone.

You can easily provide your customers with this kind of support from call centers. Call centers refer to firms that act as ‘company phone centers’ on your behalf. These call centers are able to handle services like help desks, live customer support, lead generation projects, emergency responses, inbound responses, outbound telemarketing and simple, telephone answering service.

Most companies now outsource their call centers to save on the costs of maintaining one in-house. Many call centers can be found in India and in Manila, where labor is cheaper and the workforce speaks fluent English. Big call centers offer value-added services such as multilingual customer support, directory assistance, credit card services, interactive voice response and web-based functions.

Call centers bring your company closer to customers, paving opportunities for cross-selling and up-selling. A good call center not only helps strengthen your company’s relationship with its customers, but it also generates new business and helps you maintain and grow your market share.

Aside form this, call centers can control your brand integrity by delivering fast and accurate support to almost any customer concern. What’s more, it does not cost much and frees up your internal resources, so that you can use them to develop your core competencies. Leave your sales and customer care concerns to call centers, because they can provide all necessary telephone and Internet support to your customers at any and all times.

Call centers are indeed becoming very popular among business because of their proven track record of maintaining and even increasing sales, fostering customer satisfaction and acting as one of the essential gatherers of market intelligence.