Home Based Business | First Person: I Actually Get Customer Visits ...

February 4, 2012 ? 7:26 am

*Note: This was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Do you have a small business story that you?d like to share? Sign up with the Yahoo! Contributor Network to start publishing your own finance articles.

My husband and I are co-owners in a construction company but my favorite small business is my makeup artistry service. I?ve been in business for almost ten years now but still find it challenging to get customers to come to my home. I don?t mind going to the customer at times, but when I have a large bridal party or a several appointments in a day, the logistics are challenging. Also, fuel costs were beginning to put a damper on my profits. I had to make changes.

I wanted to focus on drawing customers to my home based business instead of traveling across the county for a client?s pre-photo shoot makeup sessions. I?d still make traveling appointments when necessary, but I decided to move the bulk of my work to the studio. Here?s what I did and what results I have seen.

I assessed my curb appeal . I know from my own personal experience that I don?t want to stop at a business that looks unkempt or unsafe. I took a drive up to my own place and noticed my sign was difficult to see and the entrance appeared hidden by tall bushes. I hired a landscaper to remove the scraggly azaleas by the road and replaced them with low-growing bushes that don?t hinder the drive up.

I moved my house numbers . I repositioned them to other side of the porch where the majority of my drive up traffic arrives from. I also swapped out the old scripted numbers for plain block numbers, making it easier for everyone to see.

I placed a storage box outside for customer drop off and pick up . I keep regular hours but sometimes I have to step away, especially if my husband?s crew needs a tool or material. To accommodate customers returning products or needing to pick something up, I positioned a decorative mailbox near the door with a secure, safety latch. It also makes the entrance look whimsical.

I replaced my sign. I had a small sign out front for years but I figured it was time for an upgrade. I asked a friend to make a sign for me that looked like a lipstick tube. It was funky and neat. The bright pink color really stands out but it isn?t so large that it disturbs the neighbors.

I hung a sign on the door that lists my hours of operation . There?s also a handy ?out to lunch? sign that I can use when I need to.

I?ve seen some good things happen because of my little improvements. As a home business owner, I feel confident asking my customers to come to my home. Also, some of my neighbors who?d overlooked my old sign previously now ask about my business. I have gotten some good publicity just from changing it out.

Tags: home based business

Source: http://superrichdad.com/home-based-business-first-person-i-actually-get-customer-visits-at-my-home-based-business/

idaho potato bowl cagayan de oro cagayan de oro bowl schedule 2011 bowl schedule barry bonds hazing

Maricopa Bankruptcy Lawyer Can Be Your Best Guide ...

One must grant that the services of an experienced Maricopa Bankruptcy Lawyer can get relief to a person facing bankruptcy, from the heavy burden of debts. A Maricopa bankruptcy lawyer not only gets his client a debt relief, but will also help him start again to regain financial security.

Though filing for bankruptcy and getting debt relief can serve as a lifeline for the people who are heavily drowned under debt, but it should not be taken as an easy way out of paying back your debts. This is because filing for bankruptcy also affects your credit rating for future projects. Your Maricopa bankruptcy lawyer will advice you more about this, and may suggest you some other alternative for getting out of the difficult situation that you are in. If he finds your case suitable for filing for bankruptcy, then he will represent it effectively, after having studied it completely. As a result, you may get complete or partial debt relief, depending upon your case.

Source: http://www.xsiteprobonus.info/business-finance/other-business/maricopa-bankruptcy-lawyer-can-be-your-best-guide

comedy central roast neal schon neal schon richard pryor richard pryor don t ask don t tell don t ask don t tell

A Serving to Hand To Select The Right Child Cradle ? BUSINESS ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Comments Off Tags: Babies Toddler, Baby Cradle Plans, Baby Crib Plans, Cradle Plans, Crib Plans, diy, family, Furniture, home and family, home improvement, woodworking. Author: Richard Rowe. This author has published ...

Source: http://businessarticledirectory.biz/2012/02/a-serving-to-hand-to-select-the-right-child-cradle/

california earthquake jenna lyons jenna lyons san francisco earthquake san francisco earthquake nextdoor premier fitness

Quick and Dirty DIY Home Improvement Tips | Jade Island

It can be very satisfying to complete DIY home improvement projects. Not only is it going to be a lot less expensive than hiring a person to do it for you, there is pride that comes along with doing it on your own. While this can be rewarding, it?s important to make sure you?re truly ready and qualified to take on any home repairs or improvements before starting. This article is designed to offer you some guidelines for achieving more success with your DIY home improvement projects. seo link monster

In order to get the greatest outcome form your DIY home improvement task, investigating examples of what you want to complete can e helpful. If you?ve never done something before, it?s better to consult some educational material or ask for advice rather than just stumble in the dark and hope for the best. These days, there are quite a few resources to inquire with for help, beginning with your local home improvement or hardware store. You can usually find someone knowledgeable and willing to give you some advice on the project you?re planning, especially if you?re purchasing supplies there. You can also find instructional books and videos that can help guide you. A video can be especially informative, while you are able to watch someone else to the task one step at a time. seo link monster review It?s admirable that you want to do everything yourself, do not let your pride or stubbornness goad you into trying to take on something that is much better left to the professionals. This is definitely true in terms of those tasks that are expensive or dangerous when mistakes get made. One example of this is deciding, in spite of a lack of experience, to take on a major plumbing project and then causing a major amount of damage or bursting a pipe. Electrical wiring is another area where you should not mettle unless you have the proper qualifications. It truly comes down to your own experience level and it is important to be honest about this with yourself. If you have the required know-how, DIY can be great fun. renegade millionaire

When it comes to DIY projects, you have more options with flooring than you do anything else. There are so many options when you want to put in new floors that don?t cost lots of money and that anybody is capable of performing. For example, even if you have zero experience here, laminate wood floors are pretty easy to install. The pieces will snap together and there isn?t any need to do any surface refinishing. Even though it isn?t as sturdy as other kinds of flooring, this will give your home a nice spruce if new floors are what you are after. You might also choose vinyl flooring as it is available in a plethora of colors and styles. Vinyl is really easy because the tiles come with self adhesive backing on them.

With all of the many plans for DIY projects around the home, there should be lots you can do. A lot of the jobs will take very little time with hardly any expense, and yet others will be quite expensive and take a lot of time. It doesn?t make any difference what plan you choose, you still need to know what permits you need and how much the job is going to cost. You can give your home a great new look, by keeping these DIY home improvement guidelines in mind.

Source: http://www.jadeisland.com/quick-and-dirty-diy-home-improvement-tips/

jeff goldblum uc berkeley ohio state basketball annie annie zuccotti park leymah gbowee

Hey Look! It?s A Square iPod Nano? With A Camera!

Man, it feels like it's been forever since the last time we've seen a seemingly legit Apple leak. Maybe they've tightened the security around the factory lines; maybe it's because the last two major hardware releases were mostly indistinguishable from their predecessors at a distance, and were thus rather hard to photograph properly. Whatever the case, Chinese Apple blog Apple.pro has shots of what might be the next generation iPod Nano. It looks just like the current itty-bitty 6th generation nano, with one notable twist: it's got a camera.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/caXM1dILKE0/

vernon davis starship troopers starship troopers nfl nfl cruise ship italy patriots broncos game

structured settlement investment ? The Benefits Of Structured ...

Are you a recipient of a court settlement? If this is the case, have you ever heard of structured settlement investments? By taking this option, you never have to go the full nine yards in getting the money you deserve. This is a way to cut down on the time it takes to get a significant bulk of the settlement in no time.

How Court Settlements Work
If ever you win a case in court, you will most likely be the recipient of a substantial amount of money. However, you do not get the entire amount right there and then. You actually get paid the entire amount in a matter of months or even years. In a lot of cases, if the amount is a large amount, you have to wait almost a lifetime to get fully paid. There is just no way to get the whole amount in an instant.

The Problem
We can never predict what the future may hold. No matter how well we plan things, there will always be unforeseen situations that we will never see coming.

There might be situations when you may need a substantial amount of money. If ever a need presents itself, there will be no way for you to capitalize on your settlement.

The Solution
Thankfully, there is a solution to this problem. The solution can be found in structured settlement investments. By taking this option, you no longer have to wait a long time to get the bulk of the settlement. Here, you get a significant amount of the settlement in an instant.

How It Works
There are various firms who are interested in purchasing your settlement for long term investment purposes. They offer to buy your settlement off your hands at a discount. Regardless of this discount, you get most of the money in a flash.

This simply means that there will be no more need to wait for months or even years.

The Benefits
Structured settlement investments have a lot of benefits. The only drawback is a 10 to 30 percent deduction. Here are those benefits:

- Getting most of the money as soon as the settlement is purchased

- Having ready cash in cases of emergencies such as accidents, health care of loved ones, and health care for yourself in case something happens

- Settling debts without having any need for loan restructuring

- College expenses without having to deal with interest rates

- Business opportunities- Investment opportunities

- Whatever immediate need you might have

As you can see, there are so many benefits when taking the option of structured settlement investments. You never have to wait a long time to get the money that is due to you. You will never be caught off guard. You can take advantage of any opportunity that comes your way. You can pay off your debts in the least amount of time. You can satisfy whatever immediate need you may have. This is a ready option you can take. These are the benefits
of structured settlement investments.

Source: http://www.financialsettlement.net/structured-settlement-investment-the-benefits-of-structured-settlement-investments/

nascar bcs standings 2011 rhodes scholarship rhodes scholarship ufc 139 results lee corso lee corso

4 UK men admit London Stock Exchange bomb plot (AP)

LONDON ? Four British men fueled by the words of a U.S.-born Muslim cleric pleaded guilty on Wednesday to involvement in an al-Qaida inspired plot to spread terror and cause economic damage by bombing the London Stock Exchange at Christmastime.

The men were among nine defendants facing trial in London over an alleged plot to attack the exchange and several other high-profile targets in December 2010. All had initially pleaded not guilty to all the charges against them.

But on Wednesday four of the defendants pleaded guilty at Woolwich Crown Court to involvement in the Stock Exchange plan, and the five other British Muslims to lesser charges.

Mohammed Chowdhury, 21; Shah Rahman, 28; Gurukanth Desai, 30; and Abdul Miah, 25, all admitted preparing for acts of terrorism by planning to plant an improvised explosive device in the toilets of the London Stock Exchange.

Prosecution lawyer Andrew Edis accepted that the men had not planned to kill anyone.

"Their intention was to cause terror and economic harm and disruption," he said. "But their chosen method meant there was a risk people would be maimed or killed."

Chowdhury, from London, was described by prosecutors as the "lynchpin" of the plot. His lawyer, Christopher Blaxland, said Chowdhury admitted planning to plant the bomb, "with the obvious attendant risk but without any intention to cause death or even injury but with the intention to terrorize, damage property and to cause economic damage."

The other five defendants admitted attending planning meetings, fundraising for terrorism or possessing copies of the al-Qaida magazine, Inspire.

Prosecutors said they had not made any bombs or set dates for the attacks.

They said the men were not members of al-Qaida but had been inspired by the terror network and the sermons of its Yemen-based American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed last year in a U.S. drone strike.

Edis said the nine defendants "were implementing the published strategy of AQAP" ? al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

The suspects, then aged between 20 and 30, were arrested in London, Cardiff and Stoke-on-Trent in central England, in what police called the biggest anti-terror raid for two years.

Prosecutors said they plotted to send mail bombs to various targets in the run-up to Christmas 2010 and had discussed launching a "Mumbai-style" atrocity ? referring to the bomb blasts that killed 166 people in India's financial center in 2008.

The nine defendants were accused of agreeing on targets, discussing materials and methods, and researching files "containing practical instruction for a terrorist attack."

The men held planning meetings, researched bomb-making and scouted out locations including Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye Ferris wheel ? not knowing that they were under police surveillance and their homes and cars had been bugged.

A handwritten target list found at one of the defendant's homes listed the names and addresses of London Mayor Boris Johnson, two rabbis, the American Embassy and the Stock Exchange.

The defendants will be sentenced next week, but the judge has already told Chowdhury he will receive 18 1/2 years and Rahman 17 years. They are likely to serve half that time before being eligible for parole.

When police swooped on the suspects in three cities in the early morning of Dec. 20, 2010, they said it was the most significant anti-terror raid for two years.

London has been targeted several times by violent Islamists affiliated with or inspired by al-Qaida.

In July 2005, four suicide bombers killed 52 commuters on three London subway trains and a bus. A year later, U.S. and British intelligence officials thwarted one of the largest plots yet ? a plan to explode bombs on nearly a dozen trans-Atlantic airliners.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120201/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_terror_trial

in god we trust damian mcginty tj houshmandzadeh tj houshmandzadeh the little couple bubba smith bubba smith