Beth n Rod

I grew up in a community that spoke spanish and didn't learn much of it. I didn't have to. Everyone spoke english as a rule in public. The one regret I had was the conversations that took place in spanish that I was not allowed to understand. Kids can be pretty mean. None the less, I remained ignorant of the opportunity I had to learn it in school and now I am seeing it. Rod!~

We have an 8GPM machine w/ 2 guns. (Hydrotek) Love it. You'll need plumbing and a supply tank anyway. We occasionally run the tank dry and have to stop to fill, but not that often. Beth

John, Glad to hear it went well. :) Got any pictures of it? Beth

Rod runs two 100 ft lengths of single wire non-marking grey hose. I think he has a couple of 50 foot sections he keeps as spare or to add length if he needs to as well. Beth :cup:

I bet you didn't take naps well as a kid either.... Beth

The title of book 7 was released today... Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Beth

Cool deal! Thanks! Hey everyone...post early, post often. Dig out those projects you worked soooo hard on all year and post those pics! Beth

What were your outside air temps at that point? Beth

Phooey! I lost my net connection yesterday afternoon and could not post our work. Oh well. Beth

3 Word-of-Mouth Marketing Tactics And as a marketing method, it’s downright unbeatable. Get customers to spread the word about your business with 3 simple strategies. By Kim T. Gordon Entrepreneur Magazine - December 2006 Most everyone agrees: There’s no better advertising than word-of-mouth. After all, a customer who calls you following a personal recommendation from a friend or colleague is more likely to buy. And that makes the pursuit of positive word-of-mouth every entrepreneur’s holy grail. Today, marketers have created a science out of winning word-of-mouth, or WOM. There’s even a Word of Mouth Marketing Association for marketing professionals charged with building word-of-mouth for their companies. The truth is, the right kind of talk doesn’t always come cheap, and you have to actively pursue WOM. For maximum results, build a formalized WOM program using at least one of the following three major tactics. 1. Marketing to influencers: Every community has them. Whether they’re into electronics or fashion, “influencers” are at the head of every trend. Not only do they know which restaurant has the “in” chef or where to shop for the perfect athletic shoe, they’re also happy to tell all their friends and associates about them. How can you find influencers and get them talking about you? Open up dialogue by listening to customers and welcoming their comments--both positive and negative--through your website. Then identify the most active participants and invite them to become part of an influential group that’s first to gain information on or access to new products and services. Another option is to pinpoint organizations or groups whose members will be receptive to your message, and seek out the influencers within them. For example, the manufacturer of a new flavored water enhancer focused its message on how its product helped people drink the recommended amount of water for good health without extra sugar or artificial ingredients, and it sent samples to dietitians and nutritionists across the country to distribute to their patients. 2. Winning PR coverage: Information found in editorial coverage is generally considered more credible than the messages consumers receive in advertising. And PR placements can play an invaluable role in a WOM campaign. There are dedicated publications as well as thousands of websites run by aficionados covering every imaginable subject, so it’s simply a matter of identifying the top editors or journalists who write about what you market. Tailor your message or stories specifically to them, then send your press releases or pitch letters. Follow up by phone or e-mail where appropriate. Editorial reviews are particularly critical to fueling new product buzz. But just about any kind of favorable product or service mention in the right media can get people talking--particularly influencers who may avidly read everything from blogs to magazines looking for the latest news to spread. Best of all, media coverage is often self-perpetuating. An interesting item covered in a popular blog, for instance, may be picked up by many others. 3. Seeding viral marketing: Have you identified a single, clear idea you want to communicate through WOM? Viral marketing succeeds when you have a topic that motivates customers to talk and you give them the means to share that conversation. Provide an infrastructure, such as an interactive website dedicated to creating a strong online community, and facilitate connections by using a company blog, message board or forums. Or give customers something interesting they can pass along. When you put a special offer in an e-mail, for example, it becomes an easy-to-forward means of building buzz. In addition to e-mails, blogs and message boards, some companies are creating special websites with everything from online movies to downloadable games that draw customers by the thousands. Try adding an element of fun, mystery or excitement--with a built-in product or brand message--and WOM will surely follow. Contact marketing expert Kim T. Gordon, author ofMaximum Marketing, Minimum Dollars: The Top 50 Ways to Grow Your Small Business atwww.smallbusinessnow.com. Her new e-book, Big Marketing Ideas for Small Budgets, is available exclusively from Entrepreneur atwww.smallbizbooks.com. Originally published in the December 2006 issue of Entrepreneur Magazine

Bake Christmas cookies! Wrap presents! Decorate things! This is a happy time...if you make it such. Beth

15 End-of-the-Year Tasks to Handle No Stop ignoring your nagging to-do list! Here are 15 concerns to address before the new year rolls around. By Ty Freyvogel December 01, 2006 If you’re like most business owners, you’ve got a huge list of tasks that stay perpetually on the back burner. You know, like fixing the filing system that currently consists of two piles labeled (at least in your mind) “Hot” and “Procrastinate.” Or addressing that long-neglected employee problem. Or bringing your embarrassingly outmoded website up to date. Now’s the time to tackle those tasks with a vengeance, because leaving your business problems behind in 2006 is the best way to start 2007 off with a clean slate. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a deep breath and keep reading. I've put together a checklist of items that every business owner should take a look at now to ensure they won’t be greeting the same problems in 2007. Here it is: 1. Review all your systems from top to bottom. Carefully examine what's working and what's not. Decide where the problems are, and figure out what can be fixed. You might be able to fix them yourself, or you might need outside guidance. Maybe you need a computer expert to help you use your technology more efficiently, or maybe you need a financial expert to improve the way you do your books. Whatever you do, don’t assume anything. Don’t assume that just because you've had a certain system in place from day one that it's still adding value to your business or your customers. A system review can be an eye-opening experience for business owners--they're usually surprised to find their business has fallen into habits that are hindering them from being more successful. 2. Review all your vendor contracts. Take a close look at how much business you're doing with each vendor. Are you getting the best rates based on how much you're working together? Is the relationship mutually beneficial for you and for them? If not, don’t be afraid to make a change. On the other hand, if you’re happy with your vendors, tell them! Let vendors know you want to create a great relationship with them. They'll appreciate that you're taking the time to make sure they're happy in the relationship, too. Let them know you want to be their favorite customer. 3. Determine who your best customers are. You may be surprised to find out that your best customers aren’t who you think they are. Examine all your customers through a profitability lens. Just because you always seem to be doing something for certain customers doesn’t mean they’re the one who are the most profitable. During my own end-of-year review, I often find that my needy customers and my most profitable customers are two different groups. Of course, you should treat all customers well--but when you find out who your best ones are, you’ll want to really give them the VIP treatment. 4. Touch base with your best customers. Now that you now who they are, be sure to tell them you appreciate their business and ask if there's anything you can improve on or do differently to help them grow their business. I always like to send out an end-of-the-year letter to my customers. It's a quick, easy way to let them know we care about their needs and to encourage them to give us constructive feedback. 5. Hold annual performance reviews. Discuss with your employees what they can do to help the company run more smoothly. Also take the opportunity to find out what they feel most passionate about in their work, and ask if there's another part of the business in which they’d like to play a larger role. I’ve always found that performance reviews are a great time to ask my employees, “What can I do for you?” Their responses often surprise me. Sometimes they want something as simple as getting their chair fixed, and sometimes they request something that I simply can’t do. Regardless, always be honest with them, and take the time to listen to their concerns one on one. 6. Engage your employees as partners. The best people to help you solve problems, particularly those involving customers, are the ones who deal with them on a daily basis. Your employees are a (possibly untapped) wellspring of ideas about how you can make your customers happier. Hold an end-of-the-year forum designed to get them to share those ideas. Listening to and implementing your employees’ suggestions is a great way to make them feel like valued business partners. It will stoke their passion for what they do and encourage them to work harder in the coming year. 7. Do an early spring cleaning! Purge your office. It’s time to get rid of all that stuff you either don’t need or that doesn’t work anymore. Your employees will like working in a cleaner environment--chances are all of you will be happier and more productive. And don’t limit your efforts to the inside of your building. Take a look outside, too. Are there things you could do to make it look nicer? You might even freshen things up with a new coat of paint or some potted plants. I'm a firm believer that our mental processes are influenced by our external environment. It’s depressing to be surrounded by clutter. Clean up, and everyone may enjoy a boost in energy and creativity. 8. Review your marketing campaign. The end of the year is a great time to take a look at which marketing efforts are driving business and which aren't. Don't hesitate to make changes if you think your current efforts aren’t paying off. Keep in mind that a lot of ads will automatically renew, so if you have an ad you don’t think is helping your business, you'll want to make a change before you’re committed to running it for another year. 9. Overhaul your website. In the same way that retail stores move around their floor sets, you need to make changes to your website to keep people coming back. Make sure all your information is updated, and post any articles that have recently mentioned your work. And be sure to set your company’s website as the homepage on your browser. That way, every time you go online you'll notice your website--it serves as a great constant reminder that you need to keep making updates and improvements. 10. Take a look at your business cards. Chances are, you're handing out your business cards to all kinds of people: your customers, your vendors, potential customers, everyone. Make sure all the information is up to date. Are all numbers and e-mail addresses current? Does the layout (colors and design) match that of your website and other business stationery? 11. Review your professional magazine subscriptions. Are you really reading all those magazines that get delivered each month? Chances are, you're letting at least some of them just pile up somewhere in the office (to the detriment of your de-cluttering efforts) or you're simply throwing them away soon after they arrive (to the detriment of your local landfill). Cancel magazine subscriptions that aren’t valuable to you. It'll help you save money--every little bit helps--and keep your office tidy. 12. Consider technology upgrades. If you need new computers or a new phone system to help things run more smoothly, the end of the year is a great time to make those upgrades. A new computer, phone system or other technology upgrade can make a huge difference in the daily lives of your employees by enabling them to spend less time attending to such problems as computer crashes or lost voicemails and focus more attention on the things that really matter. Just be sure everyone gets the appropriate training on the new technology. 13. Review your insurance policies. Often insurance policies are set up and then put to the side, forgotten, until something bad happens. Then, too many business owners discover they're not adequately covered. Take some time to carefully review all your policies. I know insurance isn't the most exciting subject in the world, but making sure you have adequate coverage now could save you a lot of money later. This is especially important if changes have taken place in your company during the past year that affect your liability. 14. Update your minute books. If your business structured is such that you're required to keep corporate minutes, then you'll want to make sure you keep your minute books up to date--it can save you from problems in the future. That's because, if you ever face a legal problem, the first thing your attorney will want to do is take a look at your minute books. If your books are already updated, it will help you get your legal case off to a good start and will allow your attorney to focus on the important details of the case. 15. Meet with your accountant. The end of the year is the perfect time to meet with your accountant to plan your taxes. Discuss with your accountant what you should do with excess cash and take a look at anything you can write off. This may seem like an overwhelming list, but most of the items are easy to do. And like most things you procrastinate about, these tasks aren’t as painful as you imagine once you jump in and take care of them. Make dealing with your "back burner" list your end-of-year resolution--you’ll be amazed at how liberated you feel if you do. When 2007 rolls around, you’ll tackle your new goals without guilt over all the loose ends you’re neglecting. You might even be surprised at how much more smoothly your company will run next year. It’s a great feeling, and one that you’ll be eager to replicate next year. Ty Freyvogel is a visionary entrepreneur who has launched and grown numerous successful small businesses over the course of a 35-year career. He's currently the owner of Freyvogel Communications, a consulting firm that serves the telecommunications needs of midsized and Fortune 500 businesses.

Thanks! Please feel free to post some of your own as well. There are so many wonderful articles out there. There is so much help to share. Beth

PR Trends: A Press Release for Social Media The traditional press release gets a makeover to appeal to the newest online media outlets. By Mark Nowlan November 15, 2006 In the past few months, there’s been a buzz swirling in the PR industry about proposed changes to the format of the news release. The premise for the changes is that while the current format provides readers with the basic information regarding a company’s news, it doesn’t fully leverage the latest wave of social media technologies. Commonly referred to as Web 2.0, the newest breed of internet-based services allows people to collaborate and share information online, using tools such as blogs, tags and user-generated content. Forward-thinkers in the PR community are identifying opportunities to leverage such technologies to enhance the exchange of information and spread your company’s messages to even more diverse audiences, while continuing to use the proven systems and techniques, like newswire distribution and media targeting, that have been successful over the past 50 years. The format of the new social media news release steps well away from the traditional, text-focused news release. It’s designed so that anyone accessing it--whether a journalist, a potential customer or a curious onlooker--can quickly find and interact with its content. The social media template is designed to contain these items: A brief description of the news announcement Quotes from the CEO or other execs, customers and analysts, if applicable Photo/video attachments, or links to web pages that host these items Links inside the release copy to background information, and relevant links to other news stories or reference sources Digital tags (used to link to web tools such as Del.icio.us and Digg) RSS Feed links Links to podcasts and MP3 files, graphics and video The social media release is especially beneficial to reporters and bloggers because information is presented in a style that enables them to select the type and level of information they desire--from detailed background information on the company and quotes from senior executives to graphics and photos. For the general public, the social media release promotes greater online accessibility through search engine optimization and linking from interactive websites such as Del.icio.us and Digg. The template itself also allows users the opportunity to provide feedback to the release’s authors. Can You Really Use It? So how practical is the social media news release? For entrepreneurs, the question boils down to: Will my company benefit from the increased functionality? So far, the social media release has been used primarily by those in the tech industry, which makes sense, since reporters, bloggers and customers in the tech space are familiar with all the release’s bells and whistles. If you have a cutting-edge company, using the new release could even be viewed as a benefit in itself--showcasing your business as a trendsetter in your field. Other sectors that may benefit include the entertainment industry, companies that appeal to youth culture or businesses that market highly visual products. If your company falls outside these arenas, the social media release is still something to look into. The written portion of the release, for instance, is more a presentation of facts than an exercise in prose. You may find this format a bit easier and less time consuming, especially with the aid of automated services that help you put your release together, like PRX Builder. Further, if you rely on internet buzz for driving business, you’ll benefit from the inclusion of links, digital tags and search engine optimization. Ultimately, however, you’ll have to decide if including such elements will produce the desired results. The objective, as always, is to facilitate the exchange of information and do so in a manner that’ll attract attention to your products or services. Looking Ahead While the social media release has its advantages, the existing news release format has been in use for more than 50 years and is unlikely to be superseded quickly. However, the past several years have witnessed an increased use of multimedia and interactive content in news releases. The top newswires, for their part, anticipated this trend and are fully equipped to distribute such material. The future will see continued use of Web 2.0 tools and, over time, will cause the release format to evolve. The best PR tactic for you is to be aware of what’s available and not be too cautious to try different techniques and formats. The key--and this remains the most important factor in getting visibility for your news--is the quality of the content in your release, regardless of the format. Writing a strong release with newsworthy information should always be foremost in your mind. Finding the best format for your content should follow. Mark Nowlan is Entrepreneur.com's"PR" columnist and senior vice president of marketing & communications atPR Newswire. Nowlan is a frequent lecturer on media relations, strategic communications and crisis communications at industry conferences around the country. Get more information about PR Newswire and public relations with theirPR Toolkit for small businesses.

Creative Brainstorming Techniques 6 ways to come up with million-dollar marketing ideas By Kim T. Gordon Q: My partner and I need some creative ideas for our business. We want to do some brainstorming, but we're not sure how to go about it. What's the best way to use this technique? A: Brainstorming is a great technique for generating creative ideas. Generally performed in groups, it's a fun way to get lots of fresh ideas out on the table and get everyone thinking and pulling together. Over the years, I've participated in and facilitated brainstorming sessions ranging in size from just several people to about 40. But to start out, I recommend you keep your group on the small side. The participants should be relatively at ease with one another, and as you continue to brainstorm together over time, they'll become more comfortable throwing out off-the-wall ideas--which often generate the best results. Begin by choosing a facilitator to record the ideas on large, poster-size sheets of paper that can be stuck to a bulletin board or along the walls of the room. This will keep all the ideas clearly visible. And follow these important ground rules: Suspend criticism. All ideas, no matter how crazy they may seem, should be encouraged and recorded without comment or criticism from the group. The general goal of brainstorming is to collect as many ideas as possible, making quantity much more important than quality at this initial stage. Postpone evaluation. Brainstorming sessions are not the time or place to evaluate the merits of the ideas suggested. So don't suspend the process to evaluate the projected results of any single idea. Build on others' ideas. At their best, brainstorming sessions are fast-paced and fun. Participants should try to build each consecutive idea on the previous ones. This can sometimes result in surprising twists and turns. Though all brainstorming sessions should follow these basic ground rules, there are numerous ways to approach the idea-generation process. Here are three proven methods to try: Pose an initial question. Suppose you had created a product for small businesses and were looking for a new marketing approach. The facilitator might open the brainstorming session by posing a question such as "What do small business owners want?" Participants would then throw out ideas, such as "to save time" or "to increase sales." Or you might select a feature of your new product-one-button operation, for example--and open with a question such as "How does one-button operation help small business owners?" Use word association. This method involves brainstorming lists of words and then finding linkage between key words on each list. For example, imagine you want to create a new slogan for a hair gel product. You could start with the root word "gel" and use word association to come up with a list of ideas, such as "flexible hold." Then you could brainstorm another list beginning with "flexible." In the end, you might have four or five lists of ideas based on word association. To build your slogan, you'd choose a word from each of the lists and creatively link them together. Identify a challenge. Even the most difficult questions can be tackled by brainstorming, provided you have the right group of people. When I was called in by an auto parts manufacturer to find ways to use the company's roll-forming expertise to produce additional products, we gathered together a large group of experienced workers from throughout the plant for brainstorming. As the facilitator, I began by posing a simple challenge--list anything made from rolled metal not presently manufactured by the company. In short order, the group turned out dozens of viable product ideas. Later, management evaluated all the ideas to determine which products offered the greatest potential. So while inspiration may come to you in the shower, a more structured approach to creative idea generation is often the best bet. Try using these effective brainstorming techniques to come up with terrific ideas for marketing your own business. Kim T. Gordon is an author, marketing coach and media spokesperson-and one of the country's foremost experts on entrepreneurial success. Her newest book, Bringing Home The Business, identifies the 30 "truths" that can make the difference between success and failure in a homebased business. Kim offers one-on-one coaching by telephone to motivated individuals, providing practical marketing advice and budget-conscious strategies unique to your business. To receive free how-to articles and advice, get information on coaching and appearances, read a book excerpt, or contact Kim, visit http://www.smallbusinessnow.com, a huge site devoted exclusively to marketing your small business. The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, not of Entrepreneur.com. All answers are intended to be general in nature, without regard to specific geographical areas or circumstances, and should only be relied upon after consulting an appropriate expert, such as an attorney or accountant.

From Randy Duermyer, Your Guide to Home Business. FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now! Create a Business Identity and Hang Out Your Shingle Creating a business identity is an essential task to open your doors for business, or "hang out your shingle", if you prefer. Here's an orderly and logical sequence of steps you can take to get your home business up and running by creating its identity. Step 1: Establish a Business Address and Phone Numbers The first step I recommend in establishing a business identity is to set up an address and phone number for your new business. You'll also want to decide how you want to handle faxes. You can accomplish this first step even before you decide on a name or register your new business with your state. Completing this step early means that your home address and phone number won't become public record when you do register your business. You'll also need this business contact information when it comes time to order your business cards and when you set up your web site (if you're going to have one), which are later steps in the business identity process. That's why I suggest taking this step first. If you initially register your business using your home phone number and address, changing your registration later with your state's Secretary of State's office may not be as easy as you might think. And, it's something you might forget to do later. I've been trying to get my business address changed for over a year. From personal experience, I've found it's easier just to update your mailbox or telephone billing information to include your business name once you know it. Your Business Address is Part of Your Business Identity If you're going to operate your business from your home, the basic choices for a U.S. business address are: Open a post office box with the US Postal Service Use a private mail service, like the UPS Store PO boxes are onsiderably less expensive than private mail boxes. However, your decision may in part depend on the image you're trying to project for your business. Some prospects may view your use of a PO box address for your business as meaning it's small or not fully established, or that you operate a "fly by night" company from your garage. If that's going to be a problem for the type of business you want to engage in, private mail services can give you a more distinctive address, like 504 Main Street, Suite 1640, Anytown, USA 99999, which implies to those who don't know that your business has a legitimate public location. I started with a private mail service and switched to a PO box, primarily for cost reasons. I never regretted it and don't plan to switch back any time soon. Since my clients typically assume I'm a one-person business operating from home, image isn't an issue for me. Your Business Phone If your home business is small and you're starting on a shoestring as most of us have, consider using a cell phone as your business phone, at least when you're first starting out. If you already have a cell phone, you can use its number or buy a second phone for your business line. Getting a cell phone with a prepaid wireless plan like TracFone works well because you don't have to pay a monthly service fee and you won't have any surprises when it comes time to pay the bill. The downside is you won't get a business listing in the local phone book, but you can always get that later if you feel it's an important part of your business identity. Again, you don't need to know your business name to complete this step in the business identity process. Whether you have an additional land line installed for your business or you decide to use a cell phone as your primary business number, the biggest benefit of having a separate phone number is that whenever that phone rings, you'll know it's a business call. Additionally, your children and spouse will know not to answer the phone when you get an incoming business call if you don't want them to answer your business calls. Your Business Fax Number Whether or not you need a separate fax line strictly depends on your volume of faxes sent and received. If your home business depends on sending or receiving faxes and you want to keep your voice line available, a separate line is pretty much a necessity. In my case, I have a low volume of both incoming and outgoing faxes and I can use the same phone line for my DSL Internet connection and faxes. My fax line is never busy, even though I'm online for the better part of every day. Using an online fax service or a switchable voice/fax setup are other options. Using Long Distance Calling Cards I buy prepaid long distance calling cards for business long distance. I use the card whenever I need to make a business-related long distance call from a land line - regardless of where I am when I need to make the call. In my opinion, it's hard to beat the incredibly low cost per minute of my prepaid calling card. I also use the calling card for sending long distance faxes. I never get any surprises with unexpected long distance charges using this method.

Step 2: Brainstorm Your Business Name and Tagline The next step in creating your business identity is to decide on a business name if you haven't already done so. You can operate your business under your own name, a name you create, or a combination of the two. Try to pick a name that's easy to remember, easy to pronounce, and that relates to the product or service you're selling. Scott Allen's article, How to Create a Great Business Name can help you with this step. Along with your name, a tagline can be an important part of your business identity. A tagline is a word or phrase that helps people readily identify with what you do or what you sell. "You're in good hands with Allstate" or GE's "We bring good things to life" are two examples. A tagline is part of your unique business identity and is meant to be used for a very long time. You can differentiate between a tagline and a "slogan" by remembering that a slogan is typically used with a single marketing campaign, whereas a tagline should be considered permanent. You'll want to develop your tagline early on in the life of your business so you can incorporate it into your logo, business cards, letterhead, and web site from the very beginning. While you can add it later, you'll have to have designs redone and stationery and business cards reprinted, which can mean unnecessary expense. Make Sure What You Want is Available Once you've decided on several (say, at least five) names and taglines, you'll want to research them to make sure they're available. You don't want to use them if they're already being used, especially if that business is one of your competitors or is located in your area. You certainly don't want to infringe on someone else's trademark or service mark. You can check on the availability of a business name within your state through your state's Secretary of State's office. Mark Minassian's Contacting Your Secretary of State and Department of Revenue provides links for accessing these offices for each state. Your state's web site will usually have a search box where you can type your proposed business name and see if it's already registered. Don't register yet, because if you're going to do business with out of state customers, you'll need to make sure you're not treading on someone else's trademark before you register the business name. It's also a good idea, and a necessity if you plan to do business outside of your state, to conduct an Internet search using both your proposed names and taglines to see who else might be using them. Is the user active in your area? Do they do the same type of work you do? Do they show a trademark ™ or service mark (SM) next to the name and/or tagline? If so, select an alternate. While you don't register a tagline, you should consider using a trademark or service mark as soon as you can. Of course, if you can consider hiring an attorney to help you with this. Research Domain Names If you're planning to have a web site, you'll also want to see which domain names are available that match your business name, tag line, or that relate to what you do or sell. Search Network Solutions' WHOIS database to check domain name availability. Try to use short, easy-to-remember and easy-to-spell names for your domain name. If the domain name is available you'll be encouraged to reserve it, but shop around for the best price you can get on a domain name registration before you actually reserve it. The domain name registration business is highly competitive and there are great deals to be had if you shop around. Register Your Name Now If the business name you want is available and you don't find any conflicts, go back to the Secretary of State and Department of Revenue links for your state and register your business name. Keep your business name secret until it's registered. While you may be tempted to share your great name with everyone you know, someone may overhear you and register the name or use your tagline before you get the chance. Step 3: Check into an Employer ID Number with the IRS The U.S. Internal Revenue Service can issue an Employer's Identification Number (EIN) for your business. In some cases, getting an EIN is not optional. For example, if you're going to have employees or operate as a corporation or partnership, you must get an EIN. There are other situations that apply as well, and you can quickly check to see if you must have an EIN to do business by checking Do You Need an EIN? on the IRS web site. You can access the form to request an EIN from the same article. Even if you're not required to have an EIN, getting one is often a good idea. For one thing, it makes it easier to open a bank account in your business name and it will help keep your social security number private. Finally, if you want your clients to hire you as an independent contractor, it's another layer of protection for your clients so that the IRS won't classify you as an employee. Step 4: Open a Business Bank Account Part of having a business identity is to keep your business finances separate from your personal finances. There's just no better way to do that than to open a business checking account. While free business checking isn't as common for business as it is for personal accounts, some banks now offer it. I switched to free business checking after I got tired of paying $35 for my low-volume checking account at a competing bank. Many credit unions also offer business accounts, typically at lower rates than commercial banks. In some states, you don't have to be an employer or a member of an organization to join. You only have to be a resident in the state where the credit union is chartered. While you're comparing financial institutions, don't forget to include the cost of checks and endorsement stamps in your comparison. Some banks offer low or no fees, only to stick you with a ridiculous fee for your first set of checks or gouge you on an endorsement stamp. Step 5: Create Your Business Logo A good logo goes a long way in establishing your business identity. Your logo should reflect what your business does. It should be unique, eye-catching and easy to identify. There are a number of software tools to help you create your own logo if you have some artistic talent or your initial logo is going to be very simple and you want to save money. If you're going to do it on you own though, you'll want to know what your printing service demands in the way of formatting requirements and file types that you submit to them for printing your business cards and brochures. I've noticed in comparing a number of corporate logos that it's common to include the business name, and often the tagline, too as part of the logo. By combining them your logo is readily identifiable to your prospective customers. Hiring an experienced graphic designer to create your logo is a relatively affordable process. Shop around - the web is a good place to start - for a good price and be sure to see some samples of prior work. While art students are an inexpensive option, experienced designers know what printers are looking for in the way of resolution, file format and any limitations on the number of colors used. Another option is to visit a local printing shop or mailbox services store. Both frequently offer logo design services. Step 6: Order Your Business Cards Another important business identity component is your business card. Once you have your business name, tagline, address, phone number, and logo, designing your business card should be fairly easy. You can design your own business card if you have some artistic talent and know what resolution to use, if there are any color limitations, and the file formats that are accepted by your print vendor. You can also use business card templates provided by design software tools, like Microsoft's Publisher. Just be sure to watch your output requirements and the file types supported by your printing service. I originally created my own business cards and printed them on perforated business card stock from a local office supply store. After all, I have a decent printer and a fairly good eye for layout and color. They still looked cheap. Unless you are an absolute expert, homemade business cards never quite come off as the real thing. Since a business card is often your first impression on a prospect, you don't want to jeopardize getting new business because you didn't bother to have your business cards professionally printed. Look for bargains. Step 7: Create or Order Your Business Stationery You can buy stationery or create it yourself. Again, you can use tools like Microsoft Publisher for this purpose, and plenty of design templates are provided to make creating custom stationery easy. Additionally, you can create your letterhead with just a word processor: Insert your logo into the header of the page. Add contact information, like your address and phone number, to the header and footer. Save the file. Whenever you need to write a business letter using your computer, just: Open your letterhead file Insert your content Save the letter with a new file name Print your letter If you decide to use this method, use a good quality paper - say a 22 or 24 pound bond or heavier - for your business letters. Once you have business stationery, you can use it for a variety of purposes, such as a fax cover letter or for invoices. This method has served me well for several years now and I haven't had to buy my business stationery. You can do the same thing for envelopes. Create the envelope in your word processor with your business return address and save it. As long as your printer can handle printing envelopes easily, you're basically all set. What I've found even easier is to order return address labels from my printer when I ordered my business cards. They were free with my business cards and I just affix one to my envelope. Step 8: Establish Your Business Web Site Depending on the nature of your business, if you are only doing business in a very local area you may not need a web site. At least, not right away. Otherwise, having a web presence is expected of nearly all legitimate businesses these days. Web sites serve as a useful form of inexpensive advertising for most businesses. Even the most basic of web sites can work well as your online brochure. If you're going to have a web site and you haven't registered your domain name yet, by all means do so now. That means you'll need to complete the domain name search, find a good domain name registrar at a cost you can afford and set up your web hosting account. Most domain name providers today also offer web site hosting services, so you can accomplish both tasks with one service provider. In fact, in some cases, you can get your domain name registration for next to nothing if you also set up a web hosting account. Designing Your Web Site If you have any design ability you can pretty much design your own web site these days. You really don't need to know much about HTML coding anymore if you use a decent web design software tool, but it sure helps get you out of a jam. Some web hosting companies also offer tools to help you quickly design a web site or they may offer to design a basic site for you for a nominal fee. When you're first starting out, any of these options may work well for you. Consider your web site as a brochure. It's basically a tool to tell the world you're out there by highlighting who you are, how you can be reached, and what kind of products or services you offer. It also allows you to show off your business identity. You can enhance, rebuild, redesign, and otherwise improve your site later as needed. Content for Your Web Site Right from the start, you'll want clear, concise, and grammatically correct writing without spelling errors. Nothing speaks louder to a lack of professionalism than a poorly written site. Your prospects won't think you're a serious contender for their business and they sure won't get a very good impression of you. If you don't have very good writing skills, consider hiring a web content writer for this purpose. Rates are often charged per page, depending on the length of the content. Providing notes, an outline, and any supporting information to your writer will save time and money. Any web content writers you select should not only have a good command of the written word, they should have some marketing savvy and some knowledge of how to get the attention of search engines to maximize your site's traffic. If you're going to operate a business where your customers are coming mainly from the Internet, it will be even more important to have a professional design and tone to the site with content that gets search engine attention. Even if you write your own content, hiring someone to optimize your pages for search will go a long way toward bringing more traffic to your site. While you don't need to spend an arm and a leg to do this, you'll want to use someone who knows what they're doing, so you'll need to check into their experience and results. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a lot more than just repeating the same words over and over again, and a competent SEO professional will know what tactics to use and offer other suggestions, such as getting other sites to link to you. Some SEO consultants will offer a free SEO evaluation of your site and suggestions for improving your search rankings. Some search engines are very secretive about what they look for at any given time. No one can guarantee you a number one listing for any given word. If they do, you should be extremely skeptical. Making a mistake in this area - by using what's referred to as "Black Hat" SEO techniques, can result in one or more search engines classifying your web site as spam, and your site will be completely omitted from their results. You need to understand that getting good search results doesn't happen overnight, and the longer you're on the web, the more relevant content you can provide on your site, and the more meaningful links you can have coming in to your site, the better your chances are of beating your competition in the search rankings. The keywords you chose on your site also have a big impact on how you'll rank. Like the rest of your business, you should expect your web site traffic to increase over time, just as you would expect your business volume to grow over time. Congratulations, You Have a Business Identity Now that you've completed these basic business identity steps, you've effectively "hung out your shingle" for starting your home business. You're bound to make adjustments from time to time - to your logo, your address and/or telephone number or to your business cards, for example. But now that you have a basic identity for your home business you can get to work making money!

Good points Ken, There are way too many decks already out there for this to make a major impact on those who are already established. That said, it may affect the newer construction jobs contractors usually get if they don't already have contacts or relationships set up with the builders locally to begin with. Another point I would like to make is this: It would take a great deal of effort on the builders part to retrain and educate themselves in the knowledge of wood restoration. We are way ahead of them in this field. They know the basics of wood including load bearing sizes to use and codes that dictate which to use under specific circumstances or designs. Hot tubs, screened porches, gazebo's, etc are the arena of add-ons. They are familiar with woods strength, it's treatments and suitability for the purposes of the consumers plans. They do not necessarily need to know about it's structure in terms of what we concentrate on when we are doing our forte'. Cell structures, pores or vessels, density, tannins, extractives, heartwood, latewood, earlywood, pitch, resin or the suitability of different products to protect it. Not to mention that we know which products to avoid...they (the builders) don't. We have the advantage here. Their advantage is as has been mentioned, the first contact with the customer. But we do not know what the customer already knows. In our area for example, the consumer is becoming savvy by doing research before buying and that makes them formidable to the builders who cannot address the questions in the same knowledgeable manner as we can. Most builders at present do not provide this service to begin with and so the research the consumer would do would be along the lines of maintenance...get my point? When composites came out, I was told by a number of people including composite deck owners that it would put me out of business. I told them the were mistaken. I have 20 years at least of solid income to look forward to as the number of wood structures far exceeded composites and even then, composites will need to be cleaned eventually. Now, people are turning to exotic woods which extends that demand for our services. I have carpentry experience and can use that for building decks in order to engage the competition. This puts us in another league that makes us a complete service. Construction and maintenance. For those who do not posses the necessary skills, hire a carpenter to help take on these opportunities. I will probably need to in order to keep up with the demand. Last year was really busy in construction for us, mostly in re-skinning. But the reputation is out there and there are people who live in proximity who don't have decks or could use the re-skinning...and there we are...we have an example in their view. Sorry for the novel, but I try to be the optimist. Rod!~

I only know that I have not heard anything negative about them. Have not taken the Delco courses myself with the exception of the one's they administered when I became certified with them at a pwna convention in '99. With the number of years they have been in business and the amount of experience they have, you would get your money's worth but that is only my opinion and perception of value. Rod!~

¡¡Olé!! Beth

Tomorrow is the last day! Beth

Another good one... Beth

So how do you feel about this recent turn of events? Beth

Ok, that is thinking out of the box to let Mexico become a state, but my thoughts are, don't we have enough corruption in gov't to contend with on our own front? I liken Mexico becoming a state to Iraq taking on democracy. There are some things that just don't fit. It's just my opinion but I like Johns way of thinking. Funny, it kinda goes along the lines of if you can't beat em, join em...so to speak. lol Rod!~

All I can say is...look at the date of the announcement and then the purple paragraph, then remember when the pwna announced the change. Rod!~