Hub You - Business

Passing On Credit Card Processing Costs
I recently spoke with a retail merchant who told me that she was not too concerned about the fees that we assess. While I was detailing all relevant rates, she asked me a very interesting question: “How much do you think that I should charge my customers to make up for my credit card processing costs?” She added, “I would like to charge a surcharge.”I had an instant flashback to the time I placed a food order with a pizzeria. When I walked into the restaurant, the aroma whetted my appetite. Immersed in the beckoning scent, I barely heard the cashier when he told me that the bill was “$24.95.” Upon seeing my credit card, however, the cashier rang up “$26.50.” At the risk of appearing frugal, I did not question this action – only taking notice that it was blatantly unfair. Apparently, the restaurant owner decided to charge a surcharge when customers presented credit cards although I’m not certain how the cashier came up with a surcharge of $1.55. (What would have been the surcharge if my bill were $100 or more?)Sharing this experience with the retail merchant, I explained that charging a surcharge is against Visa / MasterCard rules and violates the stipulations in merchant account contracts. Indeed, if a retail merchant decided to add a credit card payment surcharge, this business owner can lose the right to process credit cards and be placed on the infamous MATCH / Terminated Merchant File (TMF) where it would be exceedingly difficult to secure credit card processing capability with anyone.The retail merchant

big event. So, I tried a few experiments and have come to realize that when I focus on having all the money I need to grow my business and live a great life, that’s what’s happening. I choose to believe it works, and I choose to believe that there’s an unlimited supply of money out there making its way to me. In my vision it honors hard, honest work and fun and it hasn’t let me down yet!

11. Saying no to bad fit clients makes you a better business owner.
In theory I knew this before starting my business. In reality, I was afraid that if I didn’t jump through hoops, forgive payment indiscretions and ignore my better judgment when it came to certain clients, I would never make money. Come to find out, nothing could be further from the truth. Clients that are not a good fit for me take much too much of my energy that should be spent finding, nurturing and serving great clients. Whenever I let go of a “difficult-for-me” client I felt free and unburdened to continue to serve and grow my business. I know those clients felt freer and lighter too – and they were able to find a service that better suited their needs.

12. No one buys on rate alone.
Again, as a pretty consummate shopper I’d known this all along. But I had to

Promotional Gifts Are Not A New Concept
Promotional gifts are all time favorites. Shoppers across the world have always been enthusiastic about these promotional gifts offered by online shops, restaurants, hotels, tour and travel companies, groceries, etc, to feel that childishly crazy sense of satisfaction of getting something free of cost. Shops, restaurants, hotels, on the other hand, have very effectively met this unique need by keenly devising enticing marketing strategies so that the shoppers are never denied of this happiness.In the past, promotional gifts and advertising items used to be distributed in the shops. The problem with this type of marketing was that it was restricted to those shoppers who are already customers. Marketing strategy planners started devising out ideas to use promotional items to not only please existing customers, but also attract new ones. This necessitated the innovation of promotional gift coupons, which could be offered through newspapers, magazines, etc from which customers required to clip the coupon out before presenting them. Today, most shopping stores, online and physical, hotels, restaurants, etc have promotional gifts branded with their corporate logo and details as highly effective ongoing marketing strategies. Interestingly, most business of today have an online presence, which they are effectively using to distribute online promotion gift coupons to lure visitors.Promotional gift discount coupons have a number of advantages over gifts that used to be the norm earlier. First, promotional gift coupons can be

1. I’m in charge of my time
This is truly eye-opening for most entrepreneurs. It’s about changing your mindset from working ‘in’ your business to working on it. And to establishing your non-negotiable terms for your working hours – no one else will do it for you. It’s easy to believe that you have to work all the time in order to be successful, but don’t buy into that. Create a business that works with your life.

2. I set the hours
Any business or service that I purchase has set hours. As a consumer I can take them or leave them. But most often, ifs a company I’m eager to work with I’ll work within their parameters. You’re a business owner that customers love to work with – so set your business hours and stick to them. If you don’t want to answer the phone during dinner – don’t. Let your clients know your hours and then don’t work during non-working hours.

3. I can take time off.
Not only can I take time off – it’s imperative to the well-being and long-term success of not only my business, but all my personal relationships as well. Again, by setting the limits on your time, creating time-off on, alerting your clients and sticking to it, you’re doing a great thing for yourself and your business.

4. Help is essential.
Not just of the pet-sitter variety (although that’s critical if you want to make money and stay in business) but you also need help of the professional and personal variety too. Make sure you outsource the responsibilities that you are not capable of handling – such as legal tasks and bookkeeping. You also should find other entrepreneurs (and preferably pet-care business owners) with whom you can commiserate when you need a shoulder to lean on. Finding a mentor or coach has been a key factor in my success as well. No one can do everything alone – so know when to ask for help and then be gracious when receiving.

5. Outsourcing is easy and necessary.
These feeds off of #4 – I’ve learned to outsource administrative tasks, filing tasks, billing and invoicing and many other tasks. By doing so, I have the time and energy to concentrate on the tasks that I’m uniquely qualified to do – such as focus on the long-term direction of the company. When you outsource you find yourself reinvigorated with the reasons you started the company in the first place. Think you can’t afford outsourcing? How about a trade? Trade pet-care for some personal organizing by a professional organizer – or provide vacation cat care for the woman who will do your filing. The ideas are endless.

6. All advertising is not equal.
Any advertising sales representative is going to assure you that you are going to get “great response” from their product. They will show you testimonials of other businesses that have had success. That’s their job. Your job is to know your key demographic so well that you can determine whether or not your perfect client is going to respond to the mode of advertising your being sold. If the answer is ‘no’ then no matter how many ‘views’ your advertisement gets, it’s not going to attract any great clients. If you serve a small geographic area, why not invest your advertising dollars in a way that will reach ONLY that area?

7. Building relationships is more important than collecting business cards.
Okay, I knew this one going in, but it’s important for me to remember. Whenever networking or attending events the goal should never be to hand out my cards and collect them. The goal should be to start a few good relationships with people who are just like my “golden client.” Having a ton of business cards in my rolodex is useless if I don’t know anything about the people who gave them to me. Take time to build and nurture relationships each day and your business will reap the rewards.

8. I can only be one place at a time.
You’d think that the laws of nature had taught me this before I started my own business, but somehow I’d been overlooking it. Make sure you have ONE central place that you keep your schedule. If someone asks you to care for their pet, or attend an event and you don’t have the calendar – don’t commit. You’ll find yourself overbooked and frazzled.

9. Everything takes longer than I expect.
I’m a fast-moving person with lots of energy. Patience is a virtue that I’ve spent 40 years trying to cultivate, so I know how hard this lesson is to sink in. Over time I’ve come to recognize that simply “wishing” things would move faster doesn’t work, so I’ve resigned myself to building in lots of extra time to complete projects and service visits. For example, if I think it will take me 30 minutes to enter deposits, I set aside 45 minutes and then am relieved when it gets done in 40 rather than frustrated.

10. Money comes to those who believe in it
At a certain point in my life I started to notice that things I dwelled on came true. Whether I was obsessing about not having money or worried about getting sick before some big event. So, I tried a few experiments and have come to realize that when I focus on having all the money I need to grow my business and live a great life, that’s what’s happening. I choose to believe it works, and I choose to believe that there’s an unlimited supply of money out there making its way to me. In my vision it honors hard, honest work and fun and it hasn’t let me down yet!

12. No one buys on rate alone.
Again, as a pretty consummate shopper I’d known this all along. But I had to

Advertising - The Power of the Written Word over the Spoken Word
There are some things which, on account .of the delicacy of treatment, the accuracy, etc, required, cannot be trusted to the most sensitive piece of machinery, but must be finished by the hand of a skilled craftsman. There are many things in the world of selling which are too delicate for the mass treatment accorded them by the advertising man, and which require the touch of the salesman to bring to the desired conclusion.Advertising is limited by its own advantages to definite functions in certain fields. Its usefulness varies with the character of the product, the customer, or the purchase unit. It varies with distribution, the character of the buying habit, and the extent of the territory. Above all, it varies with the attitude of mind of the consumer toward the products' associations.No two cases will be exactly alike, but all will come under some one or two general classes which define the status of the advertising in relation to the personal selling. There are some cases where machine work is of so little value that it could be dispensed with almost without a ripple. There are similar cases in selling where the personal selling represents such an important factor in relation to the total operation that advertising can be dispensed with, and the difference hardly noted; there are other cases where advertising does all or most of the work, so that the personal selling effort is of minor importance in comparison with the whole merchandising requirement. In other words, sometimes the product sells itself, other ti

b>4. Help is essential.
Not just of the pet-sitter variety (although that’s critical if you want to make money and stay in business) but you also need help of the professional and personal variety too. Make sure you outsource the responsibilities that you are not capable of handling – such as legal tasks and bookkeeping. You also should find other entrepreneurs (and preferably pet-care business owners) with whom you can commiserate when you need a shoulder to lean on. Finding a mentor or coach has been a key factor in my success as well. No one can do everything alone – so know when to ask for help and then be gracious when receiving.

12. No one buys on rate alone.
Again, as a pretty consummate shopper I’d known this all along. But I had to

Printed Mugs And Promotion - Attention for Your Business
The key focus of every business is maintaining a client base that will ensure success and future operations. As such, it is important for businesses to engage in constant self-promotion, to keep the name, products and services on the front of the minds of their clients. There are many marketing strategies that can be employed as a part of successfully promoting your business. One effect way to keep clients talking about your organization is using printed mugs as promotional gifts. Printed mugs are truly the gifts that keep on giving.Unlike advertising marketing literature that a client can read and then, possibly, discard, even the hardest-sell client will hang on to a mug and will likely use it on a regular basis. Whether for coffee, tea or hot cocoa, a mug will be a constant reminder of your organization to both existing and potential clients. Using printed mugs as a promotion strategy for your business requires careful planning; using a printed mug is not as simple as ordering a few and sending them out. By following a few easy pointers, your business can successfully promote itself with a printed mug leading the way.Before boxing up mugs to send to your targeted audience, you’ll first need to create an effective marketing plan to back up your use of a promotional gift. The marketing plan you create depends entirely on your organization and the products and services you have to offer. In other words, think outside of the box, and create a plan that is unique to your business. It can be the instinct of s

r the woman who will do your filing. The ideas are endless.

12. No one buys on rate alone.
Again, as a pretty consummate shopper I’d known this all along. But I had to

About Non Profit Fundraising
Did you know that 85% of Non Profit Fundraising every year is acquired from direct individual donations?That 85% consists of large and small donations but it is the steady stream of small donations that keep most nonprofits afloat.One should plan and forward his or her steps careful if the organization is new and they are not sure about the process of Non Profit Fundraising.Ideally, first step should be to cultivate donors in the local community and than move on to Internet Fundraising.How does one raise funds?One can raise your funds through grants, product sale and special events and by phonathons. Online fundraising is very popular around the world these days.Primarily one has to find one or two donor who will make a large donation (known as major donors).Let us discuss some simple steps to get prospective donors interested and involved in the project.1) Create a list of prospective donors who may get interested in organization’s activities.2) Primarily one should concentrate on friend-raising activities rather than a fund-raising one, like organizing some special events (a spaghetti dinner, carnival, concert, or some other fun activity) with several door prizes.3) Now create a mailing list of those persons who are somewhat interested or may get interested about the organization. One should include the following points in the mailing list-a) Detailed address of office and residenceb) Phone numberc) Personal & detailed information4

ionships each day and your business will reap the rewards.

12. No one buys on rate alone.
Again, as a pretty consummate shopper I’d known this all along. But I had to

Small Business Loans? - Opt For Better Options!
Irrespective of their size and nature most businesses face financial crunch sometime or the other in its lifecycle. These crisis situations become all the more important for small businesses because the banks and financial organizations are often ready to lend money to big business houses but not to the smaller ones. Besides, small businesses with their limited capabilities often find it overburdening to repay a bank loan.Small business owners have been trying various options and various types of loans to see which suits their needs better, however, a point that is often missed out by them is that they can probably manage these situations often without any outside help. Sounds surprising? But its true, and here are some of the ways you can do it.Try to Base Your Business at Home: This is not possible for all but if you can have a home-based business you can actually save a fortune. You save on expensive commercial rent, which is a recurring expense. As you are based out of your home, you don’t need to commute, so you save on transportation. In addition, your business use of home expenses would qualify for income tax deduction. So just one-step and you have three fold savings.Credit Cards: If you are a business that doesn’t accept credit cards, you are actually saying NO to a big segment of your prospective customers. People hate to see cash going out of their pocket and that is why they love credit cards. Accept credit cards, your sale is bound to increase. Not just that, you might be offerin

12. No one buys on rate alone.
Again, as a pretty consummate shopper I’d known this all along. But I had to get out of my own way and get laser clear on what my clients were really “buying” when the selected us for their pet-care provider. I realized that clients I’m meant to serve don’t shop on price alone, and that while my rate may not be in the budget of everyone, it was well within the range of what my best clients could afford. Once I got clear on what my perfect clients really wanted, I got focused on delivering it each and every time.

13. Be professional at all times
Whether your driving down the road, in line at the grocer’s or going to a client registration meeting, you’ll want to ensure you look and act like the kind of person who can be entrusted with the keys to someone’s home (and heart – as you are being entrusted with the care of their furry or feathered family).

14. Get involved – don’t just join a group.
Joining groups is nice. It can give you a long list of names to add to your website and your marketing materials. But what brings you business is your ability to participate in the groups you join. People who work alongside you have the opportunity to observe your work style and to get to know you personally. That’s a great way for people to determine if they’d refer you or not.

15. Establishing expert status is a key to pulling in clients.
Being an expert is easier than you think. Focus on your niche and start publishing some articles – either in your local paper, or on the web. Create some useful information for your target clients and provide it in a newsletter. Offer to speak to groups in your community. The more you’re referred to as the expert on your topic, the more clients will seek you out. There’s lots more ideas and step by step tips for becoming the expert in my Ultimate Pet-Care Business Home Study System due to be released in fall 2006.

16. Invest in yourself.
You set your own value, and one of the ways to ensure your value continues to expand is to invest yourself. Investments include purchasing and reading books and magazines on business and your pet-care niche, attending industry conferences and seminars, attaining certification, and setting aside time for your education.

17. It’s okay to push the envelope.
Doing things the way everyone else does is fine – if you want to be lumped in with everyone else. Sometimes you’re going to have to take a stand in order to stand out. Just make sure you stay true to your vision of who you are and you’ll know when to push that envelope.

18. The differences between a 1099 consultant and an employee.
This is a topic I cover in greater detail in the Ultimate Pet-Care Business Home Study System, but let me tell you – I wish I’d gone in with more knowledge about the differences. Now I’ve got a handle on it, but I still rely on an attorney and a CPA to keep me in the right realm as far as this information goes.

19. Protect my time – less time on “the lists” and more time marketing.
In the beginning I spent upwards of 5 hours a week on the Yahoo group lists. I could have gotten away with about 15 minutes each week. I got caught up in what lots of people’s opinions were about issues and ideas rather than being out in the field running my business and creating a marketing plan. I still check the lists once a month or so as I always find a few “golden nuggets” of information, but I’ve learned to set the timer so I don’t get sucked in to long, drawn-out dramas about topics that don’t involve me or my business.

20. Build alliances with “competition”.
One of the smartest things I did was join the local professional Petsitting network. In the beginning it gave me a good feeling to know that there were others who had been in the business for a long-haul and lent credence to my vision of a sustaining company. It also allowed me the ability to advertise in many places where I couldn’t afford it on my own – because the network advertises itself in many area wide publications. Now I’m still pleased with my membership as it provides me an opportunity to run ideas by others in the same “boat” as well as provides me a wonderful, professional referral source for clients who aren’t a good fit for me.

21. Giving stuff away is fine.
I’ve learned to always give more than people expect. So I give away lots of information for free. My clients let me know that I’m their pet-care “search engine,” and I’m happy to provide them resources that they can use. Mostly I do this through my e-zine, but occasionally I leave coupons or gift certificates for clients. Once in a while I find a perfect gift for a client or their pet and I give it away too. Oh, and I’m happy to share my secrets with pet-sitters long and far too. I find that whenever I share, more comes back to me. I’m pretty certain that’s why my life is so cool and fun.

22. Finding a mentor increases in the bottom line.
About 6 months into my business, I hired my first coach. I was afraid about the money – it seemed like a lot at the

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The Flow of Natural Resources and Raw Materials is vital to our nations Industrial Capacity and Job base. What Happened to the Mining Industry in the US? When there are reasons, which prevent us from doing the collecting of those natural resources within our own country, then and only then should we look towards our trading partners to supply us such raw materials and resources.

With all its glitz and glamour, many people believe that working in advertising is all fun and games. Nothing could be farther from the truth as advertising agency people are some of the hardest working professionals around.

Mortgage training tips. Learn how to triple your production while cutting your office hours in half. A top producing mortgage loan officer tells all.

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