100 Tips to Market Your Music – Part 2

Even if an artist has an outstanding talent, record deals do not fall out of the sky and land in your lap without music marketing. In this Internet age, A&R at most record labels is not what it once was, so those reps are looking for artists that already have CD sales, a great fan base, and already have the look and feel of being made even more marketable.

We started a list of marketing tips in 100 Tips To Market Your Music and continue more great ideas here, so tweak any of them as you will!

Promo Tip #55 Tag your MP3s with your name or band name, not just the song name. They need to know WHO did this material when they happen across it months later.

Promo Tip #56 Know who you are! Get into an appropriate category so that you can be found. People have to be able to identify your sound into a category that they can identify with. You may want to portray a new edgy sound, which is fine, but there are still general categories that people search on in record stores or online and you have to be found in one of them.

Promo Tip #57 Throw a listen-in. Contact record stores, coffee shops, book stores, malls, recreational areas, galleries, cool clothing stores or nightclubs that are willing to support local music. The free listen-in could have talk session and discounted CDs with coupons.

Promo Tip #58 Keep it simple silly, web sites that take a long time to load, are not easy to navigate, and are not interesting will not keep the viewer’s attention long enough for them to get to know you. So don’t make your personal website or any site that can be customized, so frilly that it turns a potential opportunity away.

Promo Tip #59 Join local communities and organizations and go to meetings periodically and pay attention. Listen for opportunities in what they are saying and perhaps volunteer. Help them and they will help you. Nonprofit organizations are likely to have access to media outlets that may give your some exposure.

Promo Tip #60 Check your public and local radio stations that play your type of music and try to get some air time.

Promo Tip #61 You will hear a lot of no’s and negativity. That is to be expected as everyone’s taste is different. Hopefully someone will give you some constructive criticism. Learn from it what you can but keep moving forward.

Promo Tip #62 Develop yourself as a complete package. Record labels do not spend the money on A&R as in the day. Educate yourself as a well-rounded music artist and present yourself as such.

Promo Tip #63 Elevator Pitch – If you only have one shot to make an impression in 30 seconds or less, can you do it? You will need to, so practice it!

Promo Tip #64 Post your gigs on your website(s), class ads, Craigslist, Backpage and other sites for your location.

Promo Tip #65 Submit your music to songwriting competitions, musician competitions, singing contests – try out for American Idol, for gosh sakes!

Promo Tip #66 Do a free conference call to chat with fans using your website. Record the call and follow up by posting the MP3 on your site. Promote it for all its worth.

Promo Tip #67 Never release an inferior product, send out professional, and only your very best demos and new releases.

Promo Tip #68 Get testimonials and reviews from people that matter and start locally if you have to. Add them to your press kit.

Promo Tip #69 Make sure you make it easy for potentials sales to happen whether on your site or at a show. Make the payment process, safe, secure and EASY.

Promo Tip #70 Have a house concert. Invite the neighborhood to your backyard.

Promo Tip #71 Give your fans insider, behind the scenes, back stage with the band info and videos. This is great info to include in newsletters – people that signed up to learn more about you on purpose.

Promo Tip #72 Take the good with the bad, and take it all graciously. You must keep your image clean or at least maintain the aforementioned image.

Promo Tip #73 Don’t waste time, prioritize and go with the best bets. Put your energy into the correct market for YOUR music.

Promo Tip #74 If you can write well about a music subject, write and distribute articles. Always source the article back to your website. Let it be redistributed with the bottom author source info to spread your message and link.

Promo Tip #75 Gig swap with other bands from another area to widen your fan base.

Promo Tip #76 A music profile or bio, press kit and press releases should all be well written, free of misspellings, kept current, and to the point. Schedule updates of your various online activities.

Promo Tip #77 Find a business in your area that you can partner with for mutual benefit. If something about a song, style, or image would boost a local business, develop a cross promotional relationship.

Promo Tip #78 Respond to all your correspondence in a timely, businesslike, and correct manner – appropriate to the sender. Be considerate of your audience.

Promo Tip #79 Give people what they want. It’s all about the fans. If they come to your website, give them information that makes THEM feel good. If they come to your show, entertain them, thank them and thank the venue for the experience.

Promo Tip #80 Don’t disappear. Once you have started building your momentum, it is a continuous onslaught.

Promo Tip #81 Attend music conferences, indie showcases, music festivals. Gain exposure and network.

Promo Tip #82 Be easy to work with and be flexible. A good reputation carries a lot of weight. Flexibility can also mean possibly adjusting areas of your work or image so as to get your foot in the door if need be.

Promo Tip #83 Have a cause. Create an event to promote that cause. Team up with other like-minded bands and make a news worthy event out of that cause.

Promo Tip #84 Business Cards – When talking to anyone, hand one out. You must include the link to your website. Consider your link as your online business card.

Promo Tip #85 Rolodex your contact list (some sites have contact managers in their member consoles). Make a list and keep it current of all the places online and offline that you need to post to when you need to send out reoccurring press releases of news and events. Be aware that many sites have limits in number and/or time frames, be careful to not exceed them.

Promo Tip #86 Invoke your personality into your writings to make your invitations, announcements and introductions fun and effective.

Promo Tip #87 Clearly define what you are about – quickly, online or offline. People have short attention spans and are short on time – not just the music industry, but most people in general. This is very important! Don’t waste words. Make anything you have to say about yourself or band enough to give the important necessary information and cut out the nonsense.

Promo Tip #88 Create a band calendar with some humorous photos of the various band members at various events.

Promo Tip #89 You heard it through the grapevine. Share “some” inside knowledge with other bands and songwriters in your area. Start your own information highway.

Promo Tip #90 Create an automated template for emails. Take the time to add the person’s name with a personal tidbit, but save time with a ready made email guide. Respond to unsolicited emails with your own personalized marketing message and a link to your website.

Promo Tip #91 Play for free if you have to, any where, any time. Create an event, an event with a cause and donate the proceeds to a charity. This can open up some interesting contacts and opportunities. Sponsor an event.

Promo Tip #92 Reach out and touch your fans. Whether someone else is maintaining your online presence or not, occasionally touch base with fans personally.

Promo Tip #93 Include every ounce of contact info needed upon every available surface.

Promo Tip #94 Borrow an idea from other sources, even outside the music industry. If it works for that company, perhaps you can adapt the idea to market your music as well. Find a way to put a new twist or slant on a successful bands tactics.

Promo Tip #95 Send birthday cards to your fans…of course you need to get their birthday info when they sign up for mailing lists.

Promo Tip #96 Get involved in the music forums and message boards that target your music segment and ALWAYS include your signature URL (aka web link)!!

Promo Tip #97 Start a Music or Band Blog, well written and kept current. Submit it to music Blog directories.

Promo Tip #98 Create a novelty song that topics a holiday, a hot news item, your city or town, sports team, political event or other idea and gain exposure on promoting this song.

Promo Tip #99 Listen to your fans and learn what brought them to your show. This is very effective to giving you feedback on which promotional tool worked.

Promo Tip #100 Success does not happen to those that wait. A record label , music deal, stardom, just creating a website “and they will come” does not just land in your lap with you doing nothing. You have to make success come to you. Be persistent, be confident, roll up your sleeves, it is going to take some serious work.

But wait, there’s more! We could not stop at 100! Here are a few more great tips:

Promo Tip #101 Use the Internet to research and keep current on new ways and new sites to market your music.

Promo Tip #102 Strength in numbers. Build joint ventures, collaborations and/or online partners on a project and both of you market that project.

Promo Tip #103 Have a professional email address.

Promo Tip #104 Don’t burn your bridges. Even with the increasing number of music “want to-be’s” the music industry is a relatively small and close knit community. A wrong done to you by someone early in your career, may be that “someone” in a position of music power one day that you just might need to do business with.

Promo Tip #105 Join the party, even if not in the mood. Don’t respond to the inevitable “what do you do” question with your day job, but tell your potentially new fan you are a musician and hand them your business card.

Promo Tip #106 Keep a journal of your marketing efforts with what worked and what did not work. This can be used in many ways down the road besides tracking your efforts. A book or e-book maybe?

Promo Tip #107 If out partying, have a designated friend or band mate for image control. If you get into something that could potentially land you in trouble, that controller gets you out of the situation before it can hurt your image. Video can be on the Internet before you even get home, so protect your image at all costs if you happen to get out of control.

Promo Tip #108 Business is business. There is a time and place for slang/explicit language, behavior, and the like. Project yourself in a professional manner. Know when you are onstage and when you are not.

Promo Tip #109 Get your own competition going about your band or a new release. Give something away, have fans register at local record stores, find a way to get buzz going by asking a great question.

Promo Tip #110 Self promote everyday, in every way, one way or the other.

Some of these pointers may not be for you. That’s fine. Do what you need to do, just make sure we ALL hear about you. Very true that many artists do not have the funds to do some of these tips, well, with the Internet and some ingenuity it possible to get around this to an extent.

The difference between you and another band that made it may not be that their music was better. It might be that they found a way to get noticed better. The music industry needs music talent and is constantly on the look out for something that stands out. If you have the guts and perseverance, it can be you.

Express Yourself – How to Conduct a Seminar (Part I)

Conducting a seminar is a great way to communicate your ideas or introduce new technologies. It is useful to know some guidelines when you have to conduct a seminar. I understood the importance of this both as a attendee and a presenter myself.

Preparing your presentation

A successful seminar is the result of careful preparation of your speech and your presentation material. Here is how you can do it.

Research your subject

If you are called to speak on a topic, probably thats because you are already have some knowledge of it. Even so, you need to reference from at least 2 different books. This helps you address and include points you have not thought about. It also helps you determine a flow for the seminar.

Preparing the presentation

Include a presentation. Presentations help the audience to understand the underlying points that the speaker has to say especially if the subject is rather vague.

The presentation should have an Introduction and a conclusion. The introduction can include a summary of the topic and a brief overview of what the speaker will be saying for the rest of the duration of the seminar.

The speaker should determine how long the seminar will take and accordingly create the presentation slides. Thumb of rule is approximately 2-3 minutes per slide if the speaker intends to skim through the slides quickly. And around 5 minutes per slide if the speaker intends to explain the slides with small examples. For example, if the seminar is supposed to be 40 minutes long, there should be around 16 slides if the speaker intends to quickly skim the contents of the slide.

Make sure the content has a “flow” to it. By flow I mean that the content that comes later can depend on the content which comes in first, but not the other way around. This is a common mistake. The speaker tends to explains a point that should have come in later, in the beginning itself. This tends to confuse the attendees because they have not gained enough insight into the topic to be able to grasp the new information.

The Look and feel of the presentation is extremely important. Avoid too flashy and too plain presentations. A presentation with extraordinary text effects look naive and detracts from the importance of what the speaker has to say.

At the same time, avoid plain presentations as the attendees perceive that the speaker has probably not prepared enough. Use well designed presentation templates which are freely available or at a low cost. The text size of primary points should be uniform as far as possible. Secondary points should have a smaller font size to show its reduced significance. Secondary points are indented under primary points.

Include pictures or graphs instead of text wherever possible. Management Guru CK Prahalad, in a seminar on India’s innovation possibilities, explained the efficacy of the Jaipur Foot in a picture that showed a physically challenged person running with the Jaipur foot. Though the audience had already heard about the Foot, they were visibly amazed and touched as they saw the picture.

The way text is arranged on the presentation slides is also important. Speakers sometimes make the mistake of putting up points and their respective explanations also. Not only does this practice increase the number of slides, but it is a sure shot way to lull the audience into sleep. So thumb of rule is to use minimum text, and make sure whatever text you put up is a point, not an explanation of a point. If you intend to give out detailed points for reference, do not include them in the slide. It just makes them cluttered and anyway the audience just cannot keep up with the stream of points you list out to them during the seminar. Use handouts instead for such points.

It is very important to include within the seminar content, examples and case studies. Examples illustrate the speaker’s point in a more interesting way which the audience is immediately able to relate to. Examples and case studies have the power to touch an audience, relate to similar experiences and thereby be eager to learn more. Sometimes small jokes too make the seminar livelier.

Handouts

The speaker should prepare handouts as well, especially if the audience is small. Handouts will contain all main points of the seminar as well as those detailed points which cannot be included in the seminar slides but are useful for reference later. Include within the handout, a list of any reference books used to prepare for the seminar. This helps the audience to read or followup on the same topic later.

Listen to your voice

The speaker should listen to his seminar using a Dictaphone( or tape recorder) and play it back. It is possible to immediately detect the parts of the seminar that could be corrected or which don’t sound right. If the seminar sounds interesting to the speaker, chances are that others would also feel so.

During the seminar

Once the seminar is prepared, relax!! Most of the work is done.

List out your seminar itinerary

The speaker should make sure that the audience knows how long this is going to take. Give a brief idea on the important aspects of your speech so that the audience is aware where they are during the seminar. Then start with an introduction. Many people fail to give out a decent introduction before they delve into the subject, perhaps because they want to be quickly done with the main parts. An introduction helps bring people into sync with the subject. The speaker can also emphasize the benefit the audience will get by hearing the seminar out. It would be something like this “The topic I am going to speak today is about xxxxxx and through this I hope you will be able to gain yyyyyy.”

Style of speaking

The speaker’s voice should reach everyone, especially if it is a large audience and if there is no adequate sound system. Not able to clearly hear is probably the first way to lose interest. Similarly the seating should be such where everyone can easily see the speaker and the presentation.

The speaker should be relaxed and should be able to casually bring out examples of as many points he is taking. Examples have the power to immediately make the audience understand the point and be in sync with the speaker.

Speaker’s attention has to be on the audience. The speaker can probably glance occasionally at the presentation, but remember to make eye contact as often as possible.

The general thumb rule in a seminar is for the audience to understand the subject first before asking questions Interactions can be initiated after the seminar. But during the seminar the speaker is the one who has to be strictly speaking. While an interactive seminar may seem more lively for the speaker, in fact it is lively only for the speaker and for the person who is asking questions. Others immediately lose interest. So in the interest of the larger audience, the speaker has to make sure he does not lose grip over the audience even for a minute. That means avoiding asking audiences questions during the seminar or encouraging discussions during the seminar.

So how do people ask questions. They should do it after the seminar during a Question answer session. Any questions they have during the seminar should be written down by the audience and asked after the seminar. The speaker could make these rules clear to the audience prior to starting with the seminar.

After the seminar

After the seminar is over, there could be a question answer session where audience can ask questions. As the audience is more aware of the subject now and not burdened with their own questions, they can easily understand the replies to other questions.

Now the speaker could try to get feedback from the audience about your seminar. Of course this applies only if the seminar is conducted within a company or among people who will come back for more seminars. The speaker should try to understand if the subject was interesting to the audience and in particular “useful” to them or their department. This way it is possible to understand whether to continue to build on the details of the same or similar subjects in your next seminar.

In Poornam’s Development department, we conduct feedback sessions after every seminar to know whether the topic is useful for further implementation within the department. This way we were able to include JAD (Joint Application Development) and Inspection Review methods to our processes. The seminar became an extremely useful method to increase the knowledge level of staff and to improve our processes also. If the feedback session wasn’t there, probably people would have forgotten about the seminar and its uses to the department. Remember the speaker is a powerhouse of information on the topic and that knowledge should not go waste if it is useful to the organization.

Conclusion

Finally ensure that seminars are always are conducted in an organisation. Besides drastically improving kowledge levels, it brings about an understanding of the immensity of the vast unknowns in our profession or for that matter any profession. This in turn eradicates complacancy.

Another surprising benefit of conducting seminars within organisations is the increased confidence levels found in the speakers. Generally once a speaker has conducted a seminar, he rarely stops conducting seminars and goes on to become good enough to speak outside the company to a more general audience.

As complacancy is eradicated, a renewed interest in learning is developed and most speakers turn to writing articles and reading more books. Most importantly, the fresh inflow of new ideas enters the organisation as many of these ideas are implemented. The audience which listens to the seminar already know much of what is spoken and are ready to accept changes brought about by the new systems introduced as a result of the new ideas introduced by the speaker.

All in all, seminars benefit the orgnisation, the audience and most importantly the speaker.

Finding Your Wealthy Place – Part 3

God has given us principles to follow in order to reach our wealthy place. He has made those principles known through His Word. For us to build wealth according to God’s plan, there has to be a proper foundation. A proper foundation for a tall building needs proper digging to ensure sustainability. The Lord has given us some commands in His Word for us to obey. One of those commands is to tithe according to Malachi.

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Mal. 3:10). And verse 9 of Malachi speaks of curses that come upon him who does not obey this command.

But there is a question and here it is, “Why do some believers who tithe remain broke?” They still have not entered into their wealthy place. This deserves an honest answer. This means the tithe does not bring the answer. But it is still very important. There are some adjustments to be made for us to enter our wealthy place. Once those adjustments have been made, you will enter the land of the rich.

“The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee” (Deuteronomy 28:8).

The Lord shall command the blessing. This must be serious with God. A storehouse refers to your bank account or your investments. The Lord commands a blessing and He does not stop there. He further commands a blessing on whatever you SET your hand on. That may be your business or your job. Do something that is of value to people. Do what benefits people and they will buy from you.

Understand child of God that there is an enemy, the devil. As you move towards your wealthy place the enemy will not just roll over and play dead. He will try hard to stop you without giving up. The reason is that he knows what that means to him. Now let us look at how to lay the proper found for your wealth:

1) Use proven weapons- the Word of God to fight your battles

When Goliath was mocking the Israelites, David came. He knew the covenant he had with God and that Goliath did not have it. He decided to face him. King Saul tried to give him his armor but David had not proven it so he did not use it.

“And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.

And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.” (1 Samuel 17:38-40).

There is a battle going on in the financial world. You therefore need proven weapons as there is no time for unproven ones now. The Word of God has been proven to be working now and again. Jesus proved it when He was tempted by the devil. But the question is, “have you proven it yourself?” David had proven his weapon. That is why he talked about killing a lion and a bear. Now, it is time for you to put the Word of God into a test. Prove it yourself in your own life. Is the Word of God real to you? Is it stored within you? Child of God, it is time. Rise up and start believing in the Word. Use it. Prove it.

2) Do not be high-minded

What is that? It is a charge to the rich. This will help you put the proper foundation on your way to your wealthy place. Do not think of yourself more highly than you should.

“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high- minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves A GOOD FOUNDATION against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” (1Timothy 6:17-19).

The Lord has given richly all things to be enjoyed. REMEMBER to enjoy every MOMENT of your life? Be willing to distribute, support towards good works. Remember to support the Kingdom of God. By so doing, you are laying a good foundation for yourself.

If you follow God, He will make you rich. Never make earthly riches your number one priority. How can you see if money is priority number one in your life? If it is difficult for you to part with money and support the work of God, you have made money a god. God is ready to give you the kind of house you want, the kind of car you want, and the kind of clothes you want. But you need to prove to Him you are not going to get taken with pride and arrogance and conceit.

“All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers.

And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, TO HUMBLE THEE, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.” (Deuteronomy 8:1-3).

Note that the word “Humble” is the opposite of high-minded. Do not wait for God to humble you. Humble yourself. God wants to take you into your wealthy place. The Apostle Peter also talks about this issue of being humble before God.

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” (1 Peter 5:6).

3) Don’t Put Your Trust in Uncertain Riches

Why are riches of this world referred to as “uncertain riches?” It is because they are temporal. They can be lost anytime. Finances are an earthly institution. No one can go with it to heaven. When you die you go naked. It does not matter how much wealth you had accumulated. So we are encouraged to trust in the living God.

“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high- minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.”(1 Timothy 6:17). After Paul admonished the rich on the issue of avoiding being high-minded, he cautioned us about trusting on uncertain riches.

The Old Testament has something to say about trusting in uncertain riches.

Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. (Proverbs 23:5). Our eyes need to be set on God. Then we will receive an anointing to prosper. That will catch money because money has a tendency of developing wings to fly away.

May I conclude that knowing that there is a wealthy place for you is the first step. As we have highlighted, there are necessary foundations to be put in place. Those foundations will enable you to enjoy your wealth in a sustainable way. Follow the principles of success that God has put in place. That will help protect you from the enemy who always seeks way of hindering and destroying you.

Blessings in Jesus Name!

Project Outsourcing: Why ALL Businesses Should Consider Outsourcing An Integral Part of Business

OUTSOURCING: AN OVERVIEW

Businesses of all kinds can and do benefit from the tool of outsourcing every day. Businesses large and small have been outsourcing every day projects for many years. The businesses that use outsourcing as a tool to enhance and grow their business already know the value that outsourcing brings to their organization. Outsourcing is a business process term for what has literally become known as hiring a consultant, independent contractor, or freelancer to do a specific task or tasks for an organization in which the organization either does not have the time or the expertise to do on their own. The organizations that have used outsourcing for many years know that with the positives it brings to the organization that it is also important to have a well managed plan of action for hiring a consultant or contractor for a business task. This includes deciding which projects or tasks to outsource, whom to hire for these tasks, how to manage the project, how to agree on payment terms, and how to achieve the desired results. There are many forms of outsourcing ranging from outsourcing payroll to outsourcing package handling, to everything in between. Small businesses hiring a self-employed accountant to handle the corporate tax returns are in essence hiring a tax consultant. Large corporations that hire outside customer service firms to handle their customer support are outsourcing that function of their business to focus more on their core business functions. It is entirely possible to outsource practically every business process within an organization.

OUTSOURCING TOOLS

There are a wealth of tools available for the organization looking to outsource business processes. Companies such as SmartyLance.com, enable a business to post a project to a project marketplace and receive bids from experts in the field. These type of freelance sites match companies with freelance professionals, consultants, and independent contractors. There are many advantages for a business to use services such as SmartyLance. First, the marketplace enables businesses to use a centralized location to post their project, receive bids on that project, communicate with potential providers, choose a winning bid (either based on lowest cost or based on the credentials, expertise, or prior feedback of a particular provider), manage the project specifications, receive the delivered project and make final payment based on the terms of the auction. This centralized marketplace provided by SmartyLance greatly streamlines the entire outsourcing process and enables the business owner or manager to have greater control over the entire outsourcing process.

INCREASING COMPETITION

Competition is a complicated subject for many people. Ultimately, competition is good for the consumer, whether the consumer is an individual or a business, competition enables products and services to maintain high quality and low cost. Although many people dislike competition because it forces action to improve quality, the benefits to the overall economy even result in improved products and services for the very people that dismiss competition and the headaches it sometimes brings. Freelance marketplaces such as SmartyLance are no exception in that competition improves the overall quality and value for the project buyer and causes the freelance provider to adjust to market conditions in a practical, intelligent manner to win new business. The benefits to the company looking to hire freelancers are obvious. For example, Company A can compile a list of consultants to work on the design of their new company logo. This list may include a multitude of design firms from the same geographical area. Company A would be required to submit an RFP by contacting each design firm individually, stating the requirements of their project and requesting a quote based on the requirements. Many factors come into play in deciding which design firm Company A will choose. Chances are, that using this approach, Company A will end up paying too much for the project and will only have a handful of providers to choose from. Company B also must outsource the design of their new company logo. Rather than compile lists of design firms, which can result in overpriced quotes, Company B decides to post their logo design project to the SmartyLance marketplace. Doing so enables Company B to get competitive bids that help ensure that Company B gets the most competitive price for their project. By posting the logo design project to SmartyLance, Company B not only reduced costs associated with the project, they had access to specialists and skilled professional designers from around the world that were competing to give Company B the best cost and highest quality design for their money. The entire process was managed easily through Company B’s SmartyLance account enabling them to keep in contact, manage project specifications, manage competing bids, and send payment easily and securely through one of several different payment methods. An escrow account enabled Company B to ensure that payment wasn’t released to the provider until all project requirements were met. Company B successfully outsourced the logo design project and was able to save several hundred dollars. They also received the project several days quicker than Company A. In this example of Company A and Company B, we see that Company A had limited its ability to find a skilled professional and limited its ability to save money on the project. Company B took full advantage of all the resources and benefits of the SmartyLance marketplace and was able to save time and money. By outsourcing critical business functions that are not core business functions, the organization greatly benefits through a savings of time and money which in turn benefits us all through decreasing costs that are passed down to the consumer.

TO OUTSOURCE OR NOT TO OUTSOURCE?

That is the question many small business owners and large corporations alike are asking themselves each and every day. Risks are inherent in any new business strategy or thought process. However, like any business decision, risk can be managed. By intelligently choosing a provider that matches your intended skill requirements, carefully detailing and outlining your project requirements, and ensuring that you maintain the requirements within budget, the benefits can far outweigh the risks.

One of the more common fears among some larger organizations that may be reluctant to outsource projects is a fear of the unknown. This fear stems from the inherent inability to oversee each and every aspect of the project from start to finish and to evaluate each step along the way. Internal employees devoted to a project are more easily evaluated and can be guided through performance and work appraisals. Managers may feel that outsourced projects are more difficult to oversee and manage with an eagle eye. The fact of the matter is that so long as there are well-defined contractual obligations and project reporting requirements, an outsourced project can in fact result in a more manageable outcome than actually thought. Also, the talent pool and skills obtained that may be completely unavailable to the organization allow the organization to reach milestones and achieve success that may never have been possible with their current employees.

OUTSOURCING CONTROVERSY

The outsourcing controversy that is making headlines today is the public opinion of outsourcing jobs to other countries. This includes manufacturing of products, such as those that are “Made In China” as well as service outsourcing such as computer programming that is outsourced to skilled workers in India. One can argue that outsourcing projects overseas is taking opportunity away from workers in their native country. Others may contend that outsourcing projects, whether it’s overseas or in the same country is a great opportunity that will improve business processes, improve productivity, reduce costs and have an overall positive effect on the economy, thus creating more new jobs and specialized jobs in specific skill areas. All businesses are consistently looking for ways to increase productivity and lower costs. From an economic standpoint, increasing productivity and lowering costs are essential elements for business success. Business success, in turn leads to more growth, which leads to new job creation, be it in a more specialized skill area or through the development in new types of jobs in new specialized areas.

OUTSOURCED BUSINESS PROCESSES

As mentioned previously, practically any business process not related to the core business activity can be outsourced. Some examples of commonly outsourced business processes include:

Accounting and Finance

Graphic Design & Multimedia

Sales and Telemarketing

Web Design and Development

Administrative Support and Data Entry

Business Strategy, Advertising, Business Plans, Consulting

Legal, Contracts, Copyright, Corporate, Incorporation

Software and Technology, Database Development

Writing and Translation, Copy Writing, Creative Writing

Press Releases

A REWARDING CAREER

Having a specialty or skill in a particular business area can enable you to begin a career as a consultant or freelancer. Freelancing enables you to have the flexibility to work on your own and on your own schedule. You can choose which projects match your skill set and decide which types of freelance projects that you would be interested in working on. There are numerous sources available to find freelance work. Some sources include browsing freelance directories, job boards, and registering with talent auction sites such as SmartyLance. All of these resources are filled with potential jobs. In comparison, it seems that talent auctions are the most comprehensive resources offering the most flexibility to both the freelancer and the company hiring a freelancer. They offer the breadth and depth of listings and the simplicity to bid on numerous projects as well as services enabling the handling of the entire payment process through a service provider account with the talent auction site. Bidding on projects requires much discipline and planning. Before placing a bid or giving a quote on a project, the freelancer must take into account many factors including the length of time required for the project completion, the budget the service buyer can afford, and whether or not they can actually meet the requirements to complete the project. It is also important to keep in mind that developing relationships with service buyers can lead to more work in the future. Developing a relationship with service buyers and meeting or exceeding their project expectations will enable you to develop a client base that allows you to practically always have new projects to work on.

COMPETITION FOR PROJECTS

There will always be competition in all forms of business. Competition for freelance projects is fierce. One of the major ways to compete and win is to make yourself stand out from the rest of the crowd. You can start by fine tuning your resume. This will force you to think about your accomplishments as well as your exact skills and abilities. There are numerous services that can help you with your resume, including ResumeEdge. Using a service to help you with your resume will enable you to better explain your accomplishments and present them in a manner that will captivate and impress the reader. Especially if you are an independent freelancer, having your resume retooled by ResumeEdge will allow you to stand out in a crowded marketplace. Many freelance service buyers will wish to see a list of your accomplishments and your skills. If you register as a service provider with a freelance marketplace such as SmartyLance, they offer several different options that enable you to stand out above the crowd. First, there are different subscription levels when registering. There is a Limited subscription, a Novice subscription or a Professional subscription. Each higher level subscription offers more options to the service provider. Every service provider does have the ability to post a profile, detailing various information about their abilities. Limited subscriptions limit the cost range in which a service provider can bid. For example, a Limited service provider can only bid on projects with a price range less than one thousand dollars. Novice subscription service providers can bid on projects less than five thousand dollars, and Professional subscription service providers can bid on any service level project. Several added bonuses with the Novice and Professional subscription levels include the ability to purchase credential verification services as well as the ability to post “Buy Now” projects. Credential verification services enable you to post information related to your references, certifications, licenses, education and previous employment. Simply adding these options to your account gives you a special designation stating that your information has been checked and verified as being true and accurate by the freelance marketplace. This designation gives you an added level of credibility making you stand out from the rest of the service providers and enabling you to showcase your achievements and abilities, giving a service buyer confidence in choosing you to complete their project. This will undoubtedly lead to more work and more projects coming your way. In addition to verifying your credentials, you have the ability to showcase a portfolio of your previous work. This allows you to show the service buyers your achievements and your successes with previous clients. Showcasing your portfolio is another important aspect that gives the service buyer confidence in your ability. Finally, the higher level subscriptions enable you as a service provider to offer “Buy Now” solutions. Similar to purchasing products immediately without bidding as on major product auctions such as Ebay, “Buy Now” solutions enable freelance service providers and consultants to make a solution available to all service buyers for a specific set price. For example, a freelance graphic design firm may create a “Corporate Identity Package”, enabling a service buyer to purchase this package that may include the graphic design of a logo, along with designs for letterhead, business cards, and banner ads. Another example could be from a lawyer or legal consultant who creates an incorporation package that includes corporate setup and incorporation services for all fifty states, creation of shareholder agreements, employment agreements, and registered agent services all for a set price. These simple examples of “Buy Now” services enable freelance consultants and independent contractors to create easy options for service buyers who are looking for simple solutions and quick turnaround time. Service providers also enjoy creating these type of services because it enables them to focus on their core interests and abilities. Only higher level subscriptions such as the Novice or Limited subscriptions enable freelance service providers to post “Buy Now” projects. The beauty of these additional options as a freelance service provider is that you can focus on one specific aspect of your business. If you are a consultant for a graphic design firm and you simply enjoy creating and designing corporate logos and identities, then you can find work specifically in this area by posting your own “Buy Now” solution. If you are a lawyer working for your own legal firm and your passion is new business setups and incorporation services, then you can steer projects your way with a “Buy Now” solution posted on a freelance marketplace like SmartyLance.

CONCLUSION

These are only a few examples of the many opportunities that exist as a freelancer. Whether you are a small business, an individual, or a large corporation, this article simply serves as a guide to help you in your quest to use outsourcing to your advantage to help your business grow and flourish. Outsourcing, when done correctly, can benefit your business in so many different ways. The two most obvious benefits are a savings of time and money. From the freelancer’s standpoint, this article has been developed to help educate and guide you with the many options available to find work as well as to delve into the minds of freelance service buyers. Knowing their concerns and understanding the reasons for choosing one service provider over another will greatly benefit you by enabling you to increase your odds for getting new business. Understanding the concerns and needs of service buyers will lead to your gains as a service provider. If you are able to provide enough people with services that they wish to have, then you will always be in demand.

Quick Copy! Tips for Freelance Writers to Increase Income & Output (Part II of II)

The following is a continuation of the six tips I outline for increasing freelancing writing income and output in yesterday’s post. Without further ado:

4. Series: As in, split longer articles into Part I, Part II, etc. I like writing series for two reasons: i) I get more legs out of one subject; ii) I sell more, which can lead to more work from a publication.

After all, if a publisher likes your work enough to buy a series from you, they’ll probably be open to working with you on a more regular basis. This works well for publishers in some instances because, like a cliffhanger on a TV series, it keeps their readers coming back.

5. Write What You Don’t Know (In Bits): Eventually, you are going to run short on topics you know about – especially if you are in the habit of producing a certain volume of work.

Writing about what you don’t know broadens your body of work and your knowledge base. Researching a piece will usually lead to ideas for more articles.

NOTE: Writing about what you don’t know is going to take more time than writing about what you know. So, you will be producing less. To counteract this, write about what you don’t know in pieces. Eg, research it over a few days so as not to take away from your output too severely.

6. Write Tech: This type of writing usually pays more. The reason I single out this genre, rather than say, medicine, is that most use technology. We just don’t think about it because it is so commonplace.

You’d be amazed at how many people don’t know simple things you may take for granted. Eg, adding a signature to your email, saving pictures from a digital camera onto a computer, downloading songs into an iPod, etc.

I was listening to Z100, a popular radio station in Atlanta, a few weeks ago and I heard the host of the show, Bert, say that he had no clue how to download songs from the Internet. You’d think that if anyone would know this, it would be someone like him.

I got an iPod for Christmas, and I’m clueless as to how to download songs into (onto?) it? See, I don’t even know which phrase fits. Until my 13-year-old nephew gets time in his busy schedule for his Auntie, that’s just going to have to wait.

My point, you just never know who needs the information you take for granted. So, don’t take the tech knowledge you do have for granted. Make it pay – and do the rest of us a favor. “Loading Your iPod” – article anyone?

A Journey to Remember, a Short Story, Part 1

Vacations always get over sooner than one realizes.

Our vacation is over and has come to an end. But the point of fact is, even to this day Strong, Arindya and Sati couldn’t take this in their stride even as it has driven them furlong into the realm of mortifying nostalgia. Nothing can now bring them back to the real world, or so it seems.

Naturally, to be able to get away from the grime and tussle of life in the city is a jubilant feeling like no other, thought Arindya, himself forlorn in deep nostalgia. Alas, another vacation wasn’t anything nearer to happening anytime soon, so therefore learning to live with it, not surprisingly, is hard enough. But that’s another story though, for another time.

Not satisfied with a nice full week’s fabulous expedition, they were still craving for more. Such was the torrent of their newfound addiction. Arindya’s college buddies Strong and Sati corroborated having come across the same alluring feeling that never let go of them even after the precious trip taken all those years ago – a little more than a decade ago – is now far behind them, lodged in the labyrinths of their collective memory. I guess good friends all think alike.

Our journey, The-Three-Musketeers’ journey, had turned out to be the most special mention of our lives. The journey that we undertook more than a decade ago, at the start of the new millennium: 2001, has always been a high-point of our collective remembrances. We often find ourselves chatting away over cups of hot tea and pakoras, and sitting lazily in the wicker chairs on the sultry terrace bathed in dusky evening moonlight cascading down upon us, and tenderly recalling those wonderful, younger days of our lives.

Burning Driftwood

All the highs and lows of my life’s first friends-only vacation came into my nightly dreams like burning driftwood that always remained aglow. The glowing embers of memories kept on burning in my heart as the early morning sky began to rescue its warm, sweet, hopeful Sun from the mystery pools of the dark night. A new dawn of life then shines upon the horizon ending its nightly escape from the clutches of unrepentant darkness. Golden memories are like warm glowing embers that settle inside the spaces of your heart.

If not for the endless days and nights of consternation that went into planning our first outing – a chance at as they say ‘getting away from it all… ‘ – to get away from the daily grind or routinely boring sort of sclerotic lives we were living, than we would have found ourselves slowly seeped out of life and hung up to dry like washed linen on a wiry receptacle of juvenile delinquency. Thank God we saved ourselves from turning into lazybones and just do nothing. Getting to be peripatetic is such fun.

For Strong, Sati (our very own Kumbhakaran!) and Arindya things were not looking up bright nor were they really leading ship-shape lives. But at long last, when things began falling into their rightful places, they struck wanderlust and simply packed and moved. We sung together in our throaty voices, emulating the mellifluous voice of Kishore Kumar, our made-for-the-occasion friendship song while travelling all the way towards finding freedom and abandon:

To be one with the world…

We are in heaven…

In the lap of Mother Nature…

We are in heaven,

O sweet feeling…

(Arindya wasn’t aware of what was to come upon him when after he returned home from a life altering journey to Nashik. The three wanderlusts have travelled to Aurangabad, Ellora, Nashik, Tryambakeshwar and Shirdi.)

In my heart of hearts, I knew this is it. The beginning of one of those things that maketh a friendship last long, for life long. The vacation was probably meant to do that. We were known to be best of friends and we wanted to give it a touch of emotional appeal: a fine companionship fetching its own little permanent space in our hearts, for memory keepsakes. And that’s what exactly has happened besides Arindya’s falling in love with an elegant stranger.

Speaking of myself, I would say it was our one great outing, more of a pilgrimage to be sure, that had washed up ashore something of a philosophical musing which, oddly, to this day, is still quaking in my unaccustomed heart. In fact, it never let go of me ever. It still quakes inside me. Like a chronically emotional guy I would constantly have myself believe that ‘things’ have ‘changed’ and that there’s no way to find out whether it was for the better or for worse; even as it went on to carve a secret alcove in my private life. Why worse? Because I knew for a reason that my journey, especially from Shirdi to Hyderabad, would turn out to be extraordinarily heart-wrenching for me and I’ll have to live my life heart-broken. So here goes the tale.

All love stories have one thing in common; you have to go against odds to get there. For me the temple town of Tryambakeshwar was the greatest allure of all my life’s worth could hope to get honoured with. So great was the sweet atrocity of the lost love that Arindya thought a tell-all memoir was all that was left to do and relive those moments all over again. His sense of loss, his seemingly decadent life was waiting to be relieved for the purposes of getting it written and ultimately retold in a manner that would bring him some kind of relief. To unburden. You know, the worst feeling in the world is when you know that you both love each other but still you just can’t be together.

That Thing Called Love

Yes, you said it right. Indeed, it was love at first sight! Or was it a false alarm? Or was I being a darnedest fool? Didn’t I have ever had a proper handle on the two thinly-veiled, albeit different, paroxysms: Infatuation or Love? Turns out, I never did. I never knew it clearly enough though, not then, but surely, now I do know. An idea can change your life. But ‘change’, a brooding change at that, (if not the real Love itself) can make a hostile bid on your way of life! A thing of beauty is a joy forever and I have lost ‘something’ on my return trip back home and I am left undone. I know not what to do, how to do in order to be able to get it all back into my life. This is a mystery (I simply call as ‘change’) which failed to warm up to me with any evidentiary feeling of what it has ‘changed’ after all. I am unable to place that thing properly amongst the bare necessities of my life, but am feeling it all right in the empty center of my being with a great sense of remorse.

Is it a kind of passion that strangely afflicts lovesick puppies all the time? Or is it something to get serious about and needs a little personal scrutiny? Was it love? Or was it supposed to be a plain human reaction after all that rushes up your psychic mind some kind of hormonal hara-kiri when you see a beautiful face, a thing of beauty? Whatever it was, it surely came by slowly and beautifully, that old sweet feeling of – I dare say – love? Oh! Is it all about that good old culprit that goes by the sweetest name in the world called Love? If it is so then it will kill me on a regular basis!

It indeed does weird and wonderful things to your heart, I strongly believe that. The ‘change’ that I was so proudly kept repeating over and over again in my mind is known by nothing else but Love. Pure and untouched. Warm and Cozy. Humble and Secure. That thing called Love slowly spread within me like wind-rippled sand in a forlorn, forsaken desert, and little by little the deeper meaning of the word got me totally baffled and confused. Afterwards, I grew very restless on account of such emotional stirrings and I knew not what to do except accept my Destiny as a one-time readymade parcel service from the heavenly counters of The God Almighty. Oh yes! I am eternally thankful for that service!

Call it thrill or the regular drill, the other side of falling-in-love coin is an unchartered territory of emotional warfare. You can deal with it if you think you really can, or else you lose your love and go home in several pieces. Your heart is felled first, always a ready victim of ‘unrequited love’ and longing, considering the circumstances.

After having lingered on such a thought-process in my mind that began materializing like a zany commotion of deep-seated melancholia, I came to realize that it was indeed the mysterious workings of the persuasive power of ‘Love’ that suggested itself by, both subconsciously and feelingly. Furthermore, the matter of such a delicate nature was so tellingly mystifying that I was finding myself shy and uncertain in equal measure to be able to get a comprehending grasp on its unmistakable magical power. I felt I have been given this evident opportunity to figure it all out, and so I will I thought.

Somewhere in my heart Love was being bucolic.

It slowly came to light in Arindya’s minds’ eye that he has been touched by an Angel; that lovely species whom one unstoppably falls in love with. And there was never a name for her, for name didn’t really matter I suppose. As if transfixed I stood there with unblinking eyes looking her way. Realizing my eyes on her, she turned towards me for a fairly long moment and looked up at me. Her eyes, lips, cheeks twinkled a bit; then knowing that I had still devoted my attention on her, her face broke into a saucy smile. After a moment or two, with a calming poise she fervently put her hands together in front of the deity praying.

The clear light of day of the afternoon Sun and the serene October air appeared to be blending together to bathe her beauty with divine loveliness. Heavens opened up their doors and windows and Gods and Goddesses assembled together to have a precious look at their loving creation; even a grant of a tiny glimpse at her would no doubt continue to reassure and comfort them of their blissful eternity and immortality. They were being jealous, apparently! And I merely an Earth-dwelling mortal dared to romanticize the lovely sight I was likewise being treated to, and standing right there transfixed I fell into a trance I never seemed to have got out of. A serious bout of daydreaming crept up my soul that completely stirred my living being! I was being as if zealously ‘guarding’ her from something I could never know of what. Gods and Goddesses? Possibly. They too were looking at her, remember?

Holy Moly! No… ! I remember Adam and Eve’s satanic mistake in the Garden of Eden before they were necked out of unceremoniously!

Indeed, I opened my heart at the main entrance of the temple to yield a precious place for her to step right in. No doubt, I treasured up her memory (including her divine angelic smile) in the deepest vaults of my unbidden heart ever since.

A Journey to Remember

A journey to a holy place can sometimes make you feel profoundly rejuvenated and transformed; especially when you find that the journey you had has rendered a new dimension of poignancy to the basic perception of your own life.

One doesn’t just go and fall in love in a temple. It doesn’t happen that way. But you can’t help it when it happens, can you? Love can subtly suggest itself anytime anywhere, whether in a temple or in a park, or in a train or in a bus. I thought to myself, in my limited understanding, that for me Love will always be something that cannot be ‘set up’ to ‘gain’ something from it, but which is ultimately intensely natural and a thing that can only be felt deep within and treasured for a lifetime. Love makes life live. Love makes you feel enormously optimistic at heart. It makes you smile secretly and satisfyingly in the assuring fact that she is the one made in heaven for you, Then again, when others see you smile without obvious reason, they think you are kind of… ‘myyaaad’. So what is Love after all?

“Love doesn’t mean to win someone,

But it means to lose yourself for someone.

It is not done by the excellence of mind.

But it is done by the purity of heart.”

The great novelist Eric Segal’s immortal lines “love means never having to say you’re sorry” conveys as much of what lovers practically feel all the time but hardly ever can utter in those very words. That’s one way of looking at it. Yet Love manages to get conveyed; if not in words then the eyes do the trick.

All this were personal definitions that Arindya gave to his newfound feelings that were compelling enough for him to freely believe in love at first sight. And this hell of a feeling was met with approval by the Angel he met at the Tryambakeshwar temple in the picturesque district of Nashik.

As apposed to Strong’s suggestion of “infatuation” that I might possibly have been a case of, I had nothing short of The Bard William Shakespeare’s lines to counter his (Strong’s) sly riposte with:

“Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove… “

I have believed that this piece of sonnet explains everything what Love has been, what Love is, and what Love will always be.

When does such a thing affect you? Does it affect you especially when you find yourself atop a precipice of your life and you have nothing better of your own but to claim that it was NOT infatuation? No doubt, she was an exalted species of pure feminine beauty, and I had to hanker after the girl only because of a so-called ‘exterior’ quality on her – her eye-catching beauty? No, I don’t believe so. And that’s exactly what didn’t happen to Arindya at all. People might say different things, for they are, well, people; they are meant to say things: uncharitable or appeasing. But in the end you are the only one to know for sure whether or not you were in love and what really happened to you. For me it was Love all right: Love at first sight, Love for ever and Love forever after.

He knew it was far from anything what some people never really get to acknowledge when someone happens to fall in love. Arindya was not travelling alone but he sure was feeling very lonely for the first time among his friends. He had Strong and Sati for good company, yet why does he have to want for something that was not at all his in the first place? Strong and Sati were great friends, but Arindya’s dilemma was nobody’s business but his own heart’s catch-22 situation to get around and deal with it. Does he have to draw a line somewhere considering that this complicated question, which is writ large on his face like a dark shadow, is showing no sign of leaving him alone? What does Arindya, the chief progenitor of all things immaterial, think about this entire quandary of his own making? Pushing oneself off the precipice, and end of the matter? Flat on the rocks below?

Or finding something to latch on to, setting adrift on a grand new boat of hope, against the time and tide of luckless foreboding, even tackling the normal wages of one’s daily life should become the normal course of action for him? Which one? Which goddamn one? Where is Arindya’s once-glorified “enormously optimistic” dramatic feeling gone? Cut its way off to a better soul, which was better than Arindya’s? Oh well O well, probably, it is here; it is here, somewhere, trampled. Arindya will find it. He will have to.

En Route to Tryambakeshwar via Nashik

Booking a room for us three lads at a local hotel was, thankfully, not a tricky business to deal with. During the tourist season, naturally, getting even a single room is a big trouble, but we eventually found one in a nice hotel not very far from the Maharashtra Tourism office-cum-hotel plaza on the main road. To tell you the truth, we enthusiastic bunch of all-guys travellers did get lily-livered sometimes when faced with indigenous, maddening signboards hung on hotel front offices such as “Sorry! Rooms Not Available”, “No Rooms”, “All Full”, “Houseful” or even “No Vacancy”, as if we were looking for jobs! We have been pretty much up to facing whatever challenge was popping in front of us. But we sure disliked these ‘unwelcome’ signboards where ever we spotted one.

No wonder Sati (our very own Kumbhakaran!) was the one who went to the bathroom first to bathe and spill over some cologne fragrance under his tropical rainforest-like armpits, and I and Strong smiled sheepishly at each other to resolve who would go next up! Sati’s childlike enthusiasm to always be the first one to use our hotel’s bathroom was no less legendary than Strong’s preference for window seat whether in bus or in train! I was more like a confused mute, a concerned spectator sandwiched between their ever-amusing comedy of errors (always-use-first bathroom and window-seat preferences included). Must say I hardly ever made any attempt to get out of my reverie, for watching them do their own thing in the pocket-sized, beige-toned hotel room was hilarious!

And yes, not to forget Sati’s insatiable penchant for rounding off his meal with a huge bowl of curd-rice was laughed out loud over Strong’s all-weather-always-better garam garam idly, sambar, rasam and rice preference, never mind curd-rice. I didn’t exactly dream of McDonald’s or Domino’s platters, but my mouth did remember to flood at this unexpected suggestion of a well-tasted hemlock that I have drunk not very long ago! Umm.

Before we embarked upon this journey, Strong let out a secret of his to me that if he doesn’t eat rice in the dinner, he doesn’t get sound sleep at night! I nodded: possibly! Of course, all three went out to dinner and sat in a vegetarian-only restaurant to eat a belly full of sona masoori rice.

Our first leg of journey was a long one to complete. We travelled from Aurangabad to Ellora caves and back. After a night’s intervention, we alighted from long-dead King Aurangzeb’s kingdom Aurangabad and traveled in a MSRTC (state-owned local bus service) bus to Nashik’s central bus station via several unmanned railway crossings, roadside shacks, and quiet villagers, who faithfully lived with their precious cows, hens, cocks, goats, and buffaloes and bulls, even an occasional donkey or two. I spotted several cows grazing and mooing blissfully in the grassy meadows; the hens playing with their tiny chicks in the open yards and goats braying in the vicinity of their human caretakers. The bus ride was bumpy but we enjoyed the bumps with shoulders colliding with the passengers seated next to us; we slammed, banged, crashed all at once into the front seats knocking our breaths out of our lungs, and bounced several inches off our scruffy seats before our heads bashed on the overhead bunkers pounding on our senses.

Apart from all that bumpy encounters we experienced, our bus ride to Nashik was pleasant enough. In fact, in Aurangabad, though a nice little place to visit, we hardly found any other option in the name of good inter-city bus travel apart from the one we decided upon for our journey. That was the year 2001; things might have changed a lot now. These days, when we find each and every city of our country taking a turn for good economically, old things being replaced with the new and how: city squares, shopping centers, fine dining restaurants and all coming up like crazy. I am sure Aurangabad city too had transformed itself now into a fine tourist destination that it was always bound to be.

Strong and Sati (our very own Kumbhakaran!) were jousting with each other to look at the seat occupied next to a hulking woman travelling with her fair and fine-looking daughter. They (Strong and Sati, that is) craned their heads, flashing their gazes at the object of their attention, tried several tricks up their sleeves to get her attracted to them, but all their actions came to a naught. She was far ahead in her own dream world but apart from looking at their general direction, she was, apparently, way out of their league. And Arindya, he had already gazed at her for a moment longer than necessary, tried to be really interesting and all that, but it seemed that he was met with a rebuff.

The bus ride through the countryside had us totally rattled and disheveled, but we took no notice of that. We were on a mission here and totally up and about to accomplish it, so who has the time, you know, for things that don’t matter much.

After reaching the central bus station of Nashik, we took a bus to the great Tryambakeshwar Temple. Tryambakeshwar (Tryambake�vara) is located around 28 kilometers from the urban center of Nashik, tucked away into the pacific greenery of the wonderful countryside of Nashik. The ancient Hindu temple is situated at the bottom of the Bramhagiri mountains, where the river Godavari is said to have originated from.

The first day of the October month was agog with beautiful indulgences of the blushing cottony clouds ambling across the blue expanse of the Gods above…

I still remember the shimmering countryside meadows sparkling under the veil of moon-struck light illuminating everything from the sky above. I recollect the face of a serene-faced girl with lotus-like eyes I had never seen before or ogled at. Dressed in a soft yellow salwar with tiny ashen-grey polka-dot like flowers spread all over her lovely attire that greatly embellished her graceful countenance; she looked a million bucks. Without hesitation I resolved that she might be the very embodiment of a dream-like, unheard-of Angel that hardly often do we ever get to see in other normal circumstances. It tugged and pulled at my heart when she found my eager, will-you-be-mine eyes and winked impishly. She winked her huge eye-lashes at me. At that moment my heart forgot to beat. I saw her at the Tryambakeshwar Temple offering prayers and trying to hand over her casket of coconut, red kumkum, agarbatti and yellow Marigold flowers to the Sanskrit-chanting purohit, entreating him to break the coconut and flowers be put at the jyotirlinga of the presiding deity Lord Shiva.

Leaving Tryambakeshwar was hard enough for Arindya. He realized that he has fallen in love, really hopelessly and leaving the pilgrimage town of Trymbakeshwar meant bidding goodbye, farewell, and adieu to her, perhaps forever.

While journeying back on a bus to Nashik, my plain lunatic heart began to thump furiously at the thought of not having to see her ever again, perhaps, never in this lifetime. No wonder my days of being an eternal optimist were gone. What am I to do now without even an ounce of it? What a life I have!

The chimera of optimism anyway doesn’t work in such a circumstance, does it? I had no way of knowing her, and finding her again at the same spot is a foregone conclusion even if I come back looking for her. Life doesn’t treat us that way. It isn’t that easy to get excited about. It has its own exigencies to care about first. Besides there are so many other unknowable factors that come into play, whether you like it or not almost all of them will be pitted against your wish and will. Mankind is always left in the lurch to enthuse themselves by indulging in the mucky discourses of defunct challenges and useless competition. No wonder, in a dog-eat-dog world such is the twisted fury of God’s own creation!

I can’t even expect a ‘co-incidence’ thing to take place and then somehow I come rushing back to find her. Life, it seems, has its own book of destiny to keep. The thing is a brave man makes his own destiny, but the question is: Was I brave enough to be undertaking a task of going back to Tryambakeshwar and find her – all by myself? Perhaps, I might as well just do it. There is after all a wee bit chance, an opening, for anyone who knows where to look and how to look. But Arindya could not possibly have fathomed that secret, for he was not in Destiny’s good books. If passion is what it appears to be in Arindya, then the desire to find her, to see her, to touch her, to embrace her, will always remain a desire, no matter how vaguely life leaks away thinking about her. I couldn’t believe what I was feeling for her. I was dying inside to touch her, hold her. Never will come that moment when I can get close to fulfilling it. I am not in a position, Oh! Dear Lotus-Eyed Angel, to fulfill that passionate desire of mine… It will stay that way.

Eternal passion!

Eternal pain!

Not in this lifetime, my love. Not in this Hell that I am being bludgeoned through and still managing to survive with my besieged chest full of memories. As far as Arindya’s future prospect is concerned, howsoever well-deserved or even if there was one in the first place, it had dead-ended, stopped dead in its path, prematurely. That has come to be known as his portion of sad destiny ever since!

If there is any hope to know what she thinks about our little, private rendezvous at that old Shiva Temple, I would drop everything and go rush in her general direction. On second thoughts, that won’t be necessary because I understand for the same sacrosanct reason that she understands: we have been destined and decreed to be together only in our next life, not in this one. Compromise appears to be the darker side of man’s Destiny, full of twists and turns and blind corners. Such is God’s will. Take it or leave it.

Love Is a Sad Song

I remember how the silvery white moon had shone from high above wandering somberly in the largely cloudless, inky October sky like a loving soliloquist soul, peeping at us lovingly through the tinted windows of the bus we were travelling in, wishing us a silent goodbye after we reluctantly bid adieu to the temple town of His Holiness Shirdi Sai Baba.

“I swear to you

I will always be there for you.

There’s nothing I won’t do.

I promise you,

All my life I will live for you;

We will make it through… “

Then out of nowhere a forgotten strain of an old Hindi song decanted into my mind. I was instinctively humming it aloud in my heaving chest thinking about the lotus-eyed girl I saw in the sanctum sanctorum of the great temple:

“Dil ke aasman pe gam ki ghata chayee

Ayee ayee ayee teri yaad ayee…

Teri yaad main sari duniya bhulayee

Ayee ayee ayee teri yaad aye… “

The tail-end of the journey was a heart-pounding experience for all three of us. Strong, Sati and Arindya were still awake and far away from any sign of wanting to get some sleep. All that trekking, hiking, climbing mountains and forts and circling historic temples in faraway places like Aurangabad, Ajanta-Ellora Caves, then visiting Panchavati and walking on the streets of Nashik did not bog us down. We were fatigued no doubt, but kept up our tempo in full gear. Strong and Sati were still afresh with keen energy and so was Arindya.

“Oh figure about those younger years

There was only you and me

We were young and wild and free

Now nothing can take you away from me

Even down that road before”

End of Part 1

The House Cleaning Business Startup Manual – Part III

Advertising

Spread the word. Let friends and family know that you have started your own home cleaning business. Ask them to spread the word at work and wherever they go. Personal referrals can help at this level to get the first customers. Serve the first customers as good as you can. These customers can be the make or break foundation. If you treat them like king they might refer you to their friends. Word of mouth is the most successful form of advertising for small businesses of that kind. “Word of mouth” can carry your business further and also help to cut down on marketing expenses.

Business Referral Program: I already mentioned the “word of mouth” advertising. Taking this a step further can really help your business to take off. Implement a referral program. Pay customers if they refer new customers to you. This can be in form of cash or free house cleaning services

Start advertising in local newspapers: Concentrate on the smaller local community newspapers and less on the large metro area newspapers. Pricing will be much more affordable. A local news paper in the area where I live gets distributed to about 75,000 residential customers (not households). A business card sized ad in a reasonable location costs around $95.00 per week. You can also just work with classified ads. These ads run anywhere from $10.00 per week to around $45.00 per week. If you can – don’t choose the weekly run, but go for a monthly or quarterly deal. Don’t try to put too much information into a classified ad. Keep it short, but easy to understand. Example: “Affordable house cleaning services. No job too small. Free estimates. (123)-555-1234”

Magnetic Signs or decals for your Vehicle: If you drive a decent looking vehicle use it for advertising. If you drive an old, rusty looking piece of the 80’s – skip to the next section. Car advertising can be very effective if you follow some basic rules. It has to look professional. The message has to be short and easy to understand. Do not drive like a maniac when having advertising for your business on your car. Magnetic signs can be purchased for around $75.00. Decals are available starting at around $25.00. Look at other cars that carry an advertising message to get ideas of what to do.

Flyers: You could print nice looking flyers on your home computer, but I recommend to rather spending a little money on professional printing. Design a flyer first. Then talk to local print shops for pricing. You can also check out Internet printers like http://www.gotprint.com. 1,000 (color print) flyers at Gotprint.com will set you back around $125.00 + shipping. Try to beat that with your home computer. Paper, ink, time, and wear and tear will cost you 2 or 3 times as much. How to distribute the flyers? Start with hanging flyers on bulletin boards in supermarkets and coin laundries. Ask store owners in your area if they are willing to show the flyer in their store somewhere (if appropriate).

Do not put flyers on car windows at local groceries stores and businesses. You might violate local laws or property owner’s permissions. Rather spend a morning in large residential areas and walk from door to door and place the flyers at the front door (bring plenty of scotch tape). You can even go a step further and ring door bells and drop of flyers in person and mention that you are expanding your services to that area to see if people are interested. DO NOT put flyers into mailboxes – that is against federal law.

Have you ever seen those advertisement door hangers? Pre-printed door hangers are pretty much an extension of hanging flyers at front doors. They are already shaped with an opening for the doorknob so that they can easily be put on a doorknob when walking by. Scan the Internet for best pricing or talk to local print shops. We do not endorse a specific shop, but we have seen prices for about 5,000 door hangers for $189.00.

Business Cards: Business cards can be a very effective marketing tool. Check out different websites on the Internet. Often these websites (like Vistaprint.com or Gotprint.com) have online tools to design your business cards on their website. Always carry business cards with you and use them frequently to market your business. Keep in mind – it is a little more cumbersome reaching a large group of people with business cards compared to using flyers.

Internet: Get a good domain name and have a website build for you. More and more people search for service providers online. It starts when being in need of handymen and does not end with finding a reliable house cleaning service. A website and an email address also leave a good impression on your business cards. Statistics show that a lot of working women shop for services around their house online while at work. Purchase an online listing in your local yellow pages. The Yellow Pages are still a great way of advertising your business. The online version on the Internet is gaining more popularity compared to the print version and a listing online will help you to get more customers.

Understanding Youth Conflict And Sustainable Initiative Model (Part 2)

NIGER DELTA MILITIA PSYCHOLOGY THE ART OF WAR

In most of the militant camps, there is an ideology of warfare that is preached and accepted by a handful of militant of less than 21% not synonymous with criminality or any form of Negative acts other than for the emancipation of all the communities within the Niger-Delta region. The occidental philosophy is, in life one must be a warrior, and war (either by conspiracy or in collaboration) requires stamina achievable in its entire ramification by all means necessary. As strong as this 21% are, while others (the 52% militant criminal, bunkerers, and collaborators in high places) may find beauty in endless dreams, the latter finds it in all its shapes, figures and colours in reality and persistent struggle for survival and liberation of the several communities being sabotaged by those with Presidential and Federal government immunity.

The truth is underpinning in a relationship between the 52% of the criminals and the conspirators, they have forgotten that their limits can set up predicated ethnic cleansing, set the stage for another civil war. The master strategists have seen the Nigerian problematic economic schematic from mountaintop of several debates, and critical observation of whole government. It is clear, that both side will lose, yet more success is to certain groups, which I may somewhat classify in this book; yet in war, there is no victor. The jigsaw puzzle can be unraveled like the cat; they are aware and looking for the perfect economy of motion and gesture in the way to give their blows the greatest force with the least expenditure of effort. The Militant Groups from all indication are ready to give the insensitive federal government a good fight. They also realize that if they are to fall, they will do so with gallantry and ferocity, and not as cowards.

Although the Amnesty package was a welcome development on the negotiation and conflict resolution process of the federal government and all restive groups in the area; only if the right words are used, and from a standpoint, it is not clear if the government understands the common grounds for reconciliation. For the Amnesty truce to work, the both party must shoulder certain blames, and must take responsibility for atrocity perpetuate on the innocent and to the communities over time. Reasons why Asari Dokubo went haywire on the lukewarmness of the federal government to accept fault, and declare state of emergency on the region for immediate development as compensation for the age-long deprivation, genocide, environmental degradation and injustice; government should call up a genuine sovereign national conference in order to deliberate and reconcile all ethnic, economic and socio-politico bitterness. If this presidency is sincere enough, the gaps between the people of the region, the federal and proposal for development of the area can be closed. Both parties must sue for Peace and tranquility.

In militant camps today, agenda have been compromised things have fallen apart, reasons why the centres could not hold for this long. With Ateke tom, Soboma George, Soboma Johnson and co on my end; with Tom Polo, Henry Okah on the other end, while Asari Dokubo and others yet on another end could grieve the bitter horse wipe. While I may have had first hand information on situation as regard current activities in these camps with my very limited intelligent network, I have concurrently loss the motion and gesture for the actual master plan with the main zones of the intelligent reports. However subtle, it is necessitated by the available and limited resource and manpower. With the right finding, results are as ripe as a drop fruit from the tree top.

In my report, I am aware that these militants (more than 21%) have been exhausted in terms of resources, but not in manpower; still the 52% indulge in all known atrocity in the area, such as kidnapping and vandal have in all ramification both resources and manpower, with their major supports from multinationals corporations who are themselves cronies in this widespread international conspiracy, haven be cut temporary because of fervent observation and monitory of non-governmental agencies. While the 21% recognizes and appreciated their limits, there are things they can never do, talents they will never have, loft goals they will never reach; that hardly bothers them. As ferocious warriors they focus on what they have the strength that they do possess and that which they must use creatively; knowing when to slow down, to renew, to retrench and retreat, they outlaw their opponents. They play for the long-term, because by their establishment and oath, they respect the wishes and aspiration of the people which they represent and fight to death for.

There ware time when their calculation and strategies misfire; what had seem to them during the early years of Kaiama Declaration of 1999, the Ogoni Crisis genocide of 1992, the Ijaw/Itsekeri ethnic crisis of late 1990s, and IYC agitation of 2000 – 07, and other numerous campaign has ignite the beast of conflict across the Niger Delta region in relation fair share of resource control and development, a farce brokered between the region, the multinationals and the government. The Militant groups are aware that not everything can be foreseen, the master-strategist amongst them have known how to pick their battles carefully, along with their ability to know when and how to quit. This honor has preserved them till this day in their engagement militarily of the Federal government. Although there have been clamour of criminality perpetuated by them in the name of militancy and somewhat thwarted emancipation, their funding has been genuine even though Limited and Transparency International attested to this facts with regard to the UNO’s fireman policy.

The 21% may have agreed and concurred with this advocacy of warfare, they have controlled their pride and anger, despite the death toll in several communities within the region by the insensitive action of the joint task force (JTF), and the inhuman Arial bombing that have claimed more than 1,162 lives, displaced more than 2430 people and destroyed properties worth Millions of naira in the just concluded Gbaramatu saga. As servants and puppets of the conspirators both the federal, State/Local government and the JTF have done the dirty work of these blood-thirsty clowns called the bigwigs, or the “Blue Blood”. More to our surprises, almost 80% of the 52% criminals in the Niger-Delta have been infested with the “Share the National Cake syndrome” due to greed and selfish gains, 90% of the 21% have stick to their aims and objectives. They have not allowed anger and pride to overtake their powers of reason and limitedness; they have not fallen into bogus offers and irreparable traps because they certainly knew when to stop.

So far, fighting economically on both sides have built an angle of momentum. The Federal Government, Amnesty group, Transparency International and stakeholders should think of finding common ground for possible negotiation, thereby creating a perfect balance between what both groups are capable of and the task of economic development of the region. Since it is an internal insurgency network, the military should diverse a way of peaceful negotiation between the militants. Best of all, the perpetuators of this conflict, of which focal point is the multinationals and pillars of oil hegemony, should not shy away from the problem which they out of technical problems caused. Instead, they should establish a proper community relations and conflict management units. Expatriate should be trained in conflict management and community relation so as to equip them with ready knowledge of averting problems developed in communities by virtue of their explorative activities on the one hand, while the powers that be who have established their stronghold on the blood and sweat of innocent Niger Deltans should not be left out. Though the Stick may smoke, yet it will never be burnt. As urgent as possible, the FGN and stakeholders through their various Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) networks and departments should provide a better and lasting solution other than the Amnesty package to avert further distress in the region.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF TRUCE

In our contemporary Nigerian society, we live in a culture that promotes democratic value of being fair to one and all, the importance of fitting to a group, and knowing how to cooperate with other people, and being able to resolve any types of conflict that may arise peacefully without war within or without is what guarantees peace. Let none at this mourning moment be over confidence, the losses at both side is immeasurable, and the federal government and every actor of this drama are incapacitated with economic resources. The innocent citizens, the militants and federal government through its blood-thirsty servants of doom (JTF) cannot be too overconfidence of victory.

By virtue of our national ethos, the actors were necessitate with ignorance and excesses, all the groups have involved in murder and any civilized society, these groups should be sued and tried for war crime. There is no such action as protecting internal and external security can make for the lives of the innocent who have died for the unconstitutional excesses of the government and militant. Whatever the prime motives and agitation, the death toll has ruled out any genuine index of success; neither will it make anyone go far. We should be aware that the pull of emotion is inevitable, to notice it when it is happening, and to compensate for it when there is time.

The result toward peace and conflict management is that, in all its primordial process, which in turn is galvanized in stages, it requires prospective dichotomy of interest that may arose the resource control discourse, the heart of which pervades our Federal uniqueness. Peace is a process, and if we must end conflict and crisis, both religiously motivated and ethnically or socio-politically initiated, negotiation, intervention and identification paradigm should be put into play in our contemporary Nigeria especially in the Niger Delta region, North Central and Middle Belt of Nigeria; the causes of conflicts are deep rooted. Ideally the only solution to averting future recurrence and predominant crisis is through rigorous applications of the peace process paradigm (PPP – P3).

Although scholars of non-violence and clinical mediation have stipulates in their peace process model, that the only stages of identifying the causes of conflict is through Community’s Negotiation and Resolution Engagement (CNRE). Even though it was used before Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Many others, in my several papers and publication, it is evident that P3 and CNRE when appropriately applied will produce far yielding results in conflict management. The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) is pious with several proposals by scholars on peace and conflict management, yet in addition to this, it can make use of numerous academic yet empirical landmarks. While it is impossible to avail ourselves with general situation of a conflict, we end up losing our hold on reality and reflecting on solution. This is certainly because we have not reflected back ward on the root cause of the conflicts or Schism; we have only dwell in daydream of short-term solution.

In other online articles and papers on the P3 and CNRE it was made clear that Africa union (AU) is only playing the gimmick, and consequent on the fact that the initial goals of the AU in its outlined articles is on two major agenda:-

o Promoting Africa’s peace/unity and

o Economic development in its entire ramification.

It is imperative to note that the AU is yet to fulfill its pristine objectives; and it has also failed to copy the progress made by ECOWAS in reaching an Africancentric Peace Process (APP). I therefore wonder if the AU has brokered any peace process so far, since its inception.

RECONSTITUTING VIABLE SUSTANABLE DEVELOPMENT

In the just concluded economic summit in calabar, organized by the south-south governors and the federal government in lieu of looking into some major MDG plans. From the scheme of things, in a paper delivered to the Institute of Conflict resolution and community development; a theme formulate as an approach to curb the rhetoric family with sabotage, by engaging the youths and the economically challenge. It is in this conception that The “Nigerian Youth Initiative forum” was born. Although still in its sketch-board, yet with proper implementations in line with the sustainable development target; any government can sue for peace and development in host communities, both in the Niger-Delta oil and gas sabotaged zones, and the religiously aggrieved people. In my theories as articulated, it will go a long way in answering questions of utmost economic viability. With regard to the master plan, the application of the theory will only see the light of the day if its mission statement is respected.

However, as I advanced in the NYIF mission statement towards corporate implementation and the preliminary interpretation of the 7+2 point Agenda, it is imperative that the Nigerian youth initiative forum (NYIF) if properly galvanized by the right power politics will not only nearly 76% youth converted and motivated crisis, but the sum-total of peace in the region. The NYIF has designed a model for the proper execution of the 7+2 point agenda of the Yar ‘Adua/Jonathan administration in the rural levels. As a non-profit establishment, its goal therefore should be, to collaborate with other donors, such as the NDDC, NAPEEP & state/local government in reaching its maximum goals as entertained in this administration’s mission statement.

This organization is a major citadel in my master plan and efforts to address some of the seven point Agenda which hinders the youth and the general capacity to major players in the economic development of the marginalized Niger-Delta and the religiously troubled Northern Nigeria.

In the NYIF mission statement, I have laid out in clear and concrete terms the NYIF vision of providing opportunities for the youths of Niger-Delta to access economic fortunes through micro-finance, cooperative ventures, business and commercial activities. The mission of the NYIF will be to create the enabling environment and provide the necessary support to a large percentage of the Niger-Delta of our population, especially the youths and women groups, to be engaged in productive economic activities for the good of all. This is in line with stake holder’s drive towards addressing the marginalization and economic, socio-political and psychological disparity over time; both in the insurgent and economically deprived oil rich Niger-Delta.

The following are some of the objectives of the NYIF is properly implemented and given the necessary attention, which is needed in any developing society of today. And these objectives and visions as I have articulated towards the successes of NYIF, and they includes but not limited to:

– The economic emancipation and the empowerment of our youth, women (especially the widow) and the economically challenged groups through skill acquisition for various trades and ventures.

– The establishment of an ICT (information technology centre) to improve the ICT knowledge of rural and urban dwellers, towards accessory opportunities locally and internationally.

– The creation of a business environment and economic culture which will address the absence of entrepreneurial know-how among the youths

– To stimulate the creative imaginations, talent and curiosity of our youth in the pursuit for development and excellence.

– To promote self-reliance, particularly among our youth and women, thereby eliminating idleness with its attendant vices.

– To enhance the socio-economic status of our local people.

Recently, from my intelligent report Niger-Delta states, urban centres, and local governments have been engendered by the resource which has been lavishly kept in the dark for too long, with explosive mobilization of NYIF peace process and the proliferation of sustainable development paradigm. The group or any other groups for that matter must have to come up with articulate models; which should be of economic and political values, and the network coverage area cannot be undermined – it is part of the success stories that state governments and the FGN may adopt in their political card’s scoring techniques. It is based primarily on the premise that the already processed model will for the first time be experimented in line with the rational behind the statistical work ability of the model.

In the pursuit of the above objectives, the NYIF has established a ‘Targeted Economic empowerment and Sustainability framework,’ under which the overall objectives will be realizable. This was created in view of streamlining all activities designed for implementation under the programmer. The targeted economic empowerment and sustainability framework (TEESF) is structured into three operational branch of the NYIF, namely,

Bureau for skills acquisition, Bureau on business development, Bureau for Small and Medium scale; and they have been so named “Bureau” for convenient usage.

BUREAU FOR SKILLS ACQUISITION

The framework for the realization and implementation of the proposed bureau in the social term will be dialogued in the context of the overall NYIF communities’ sustainable development agenda. However this bureau shall be responsible for the training of various categories of unskilled and semi-skilled youths and women for self-employment, as well as retooling and educating them for specific needs of the manpower market.

Studies carried out in this model indicated that business often located or expanded wear cluster (similar business, input supplies, customer base, etc) vertically increase economic growth, this is impossible without overall empowerment process. From previous studies it has shown that a targeted economic development often lead to more effective use of scarce local and community resources. These facts present a targeted approach to local economic growth index, leading to efforts of several potential data/information sources. An economy is composed of all the households and businesses within the community space and their numerous functions, interactions, and change through time, as expressed in the holistic psyche of any existing society, Niger-Delta state inclusive.

In view of this bureau, the group will be able to work/partner with other NGOs to implement the proper sensitization of the frame work within the ambit of the group master plan. There is already a cooked prerequisite model above board, while there is need to also work with government’s existing models is already in place, as group must concurs with the philosophy of the seven point Agenda of the present administration.

BUREAU ON BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

If sustainable development truly evolved from a specific planning of today and tomorrow in order to meet the required challenges, goals and the benefit of social economic and political awareness. Then with the concretization agenda of the bureau, a balance will be reached between people with various economic states and in all level of the society in the utilization of the amenities and scarce resources. From previous studies it was discovered that such dimension centers on the ecological and cultural trends of the people. For any development to be called sustainable it must contain the perspective transformation of the general solution of Ecology, culture and local natures; this is incomplete without the participation of all stakeholders in the process.

In practice, the bureau will sever as the storehouse for business ideas. It will offer guidance and consultancy services for business development. In essence, this bureau will teach our women and youths the arts of starting and succeeding in business.

BUREAU ON SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES

The Niger-Delta labour market is at the moment undergoing a shift towards a pattern that reflects a more contingent employment economy. Vocational rehabilitation service providers are gradually reconsidering their current practices and strategies which are in tune with emerging trends. Consequently, most global economies of today are marked by an interrelated environmental and developmental crisis in their overall economic trends, as such; Niger-Delta states government, philanthropist and stakeholders should articulate models to deal with community issues. Some of these crises are rooted in the structural dynamics of an economic model which is centered on profit rather than the promotion of the welfare of communities.

In line with the above enumerated discourse, the bureau will provide a platform for accessing capital to promising business and commercial initiatives to establish small and medium scale ventures. It is envisaged however that micro finance banks, committees on loans (philanthropy), corporate civic responsibility by multi-national companies and private/corporate/NGO bodies shall play a crucial role in the realization of the objectives of the NYIF as they shall be confronted for partnership. Various models of developments are particularly manifested in local content to considerably alleviate poverty; this is also a condition for the NYIF’S community development paradigms.

POVERTY STRICKEN DYNAMICS

Due to the long periods of marginalization in the derivation formula, the states of Niger Delta are comprises of civil servants, and medium scale enterprises in scarce levels and location of business. The situation has developed over time without solution to community ills, such as community people oriented policies and programs. The better part of the work of the various bureaus that has been structured by the Executive of the NYIF in line with the Niger Delta Agenda (NDA) is to curb poverty, illiteracy and social ignorance. In the past, the above is resultant and often led to destructive consequences, poverty, diseases, and deforestation. Akwa-Ibom, Rivers, and Cross-River states are a reflection of the aforesaid consequences, as seen in the use of citizens are house boys and girls and other forms of economic deprivation of its citizens.

At the moment, there is a great disparity in wealth, which must be balanced at all cost through sustainable development in various local governments and communities across the states of the country, of which emergency situation on the Niger-Delta region, the core western and eastern (Erosion driven) and the north central of Nigeria, should urgently be put into consideration. So far, the social, cultural, political and economic injustice as a result of corruption of public offices office holders, politically elected representatives, is eating deep into the viable sustainable development pattern especially in the deprived and aggrieved Niger-Delta State, which has indeed forced her youth to idleness and militancy.

By comparison, more than 62% of the funds allocated to the state are consumed by 38% of the population, vis-à-vis while 62% of local environmental degradation is created by the same 38%, at which point the power and resources is also increasing the concentration of wealth within richest 38%, which amounts to a handful of civil servants and public offer holders. The recurrent imbalances also give rise to the Niger-Delta communities. Two communities in Akwa-Ibom was used by the group, is a case study for the realization of the models already developed so far.

On partnership with both states, local governments, etc in private individuals, NGOs, multi-national/indigenous companies etc in carryout these land able model. We intend to commence by introduce by establishing an economic empowerment programme immediately, which shall flag-off a series of skills sensitization workshops, semi-skilled and economically challenge youths across the approval by donor bodies and agencies, mainly of artisans, primary and secondary school leavers and the physically challenged, whose creativity and productive potentials to be harnessed and upgraded. Likewise, the refugees from Somali etc. that litters the streets of major towns across the regions will not be left out.

DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

The NYIF on sustainable development has with in the time frame developed a characterized effect of emergency procedural effect of developing the Niger-Delta region and timed youths and women respectively, the specialized process can delay the creation of a community economic development plan.

With the evolving of the NYIF into the scheme of things, a structured analysis is necessary for communities to realize their useful economic potentials. Such analysis is useful for examining the economic make up of area and how those areas respond to internal and extends trends. Community development is reliant on competent internal leaders in the accomplishment of set objectives and how it can minimize obstacles poised by external bureaucratic agencies. The NYIF is ready to engage community leaders, heads and chiefs in the overall actualization of our set goals. We are also aware of the facts that effective and articulate leadership structure will encourage community members to identify with recurrent local sustainable development agenda, and hence take necessary steps in ameliorating their situation. NYIF through its bureau help in training youth in certain leadership courses bodies, NGOs, multinational companies etc in community leadership structure.

Therefore through this orientation and leadership training exercise, an economic analysis of Niger-Delta communities, coupled with strategies development plants providing the framework to combat common local issues such as are enshrined in the orbit of the community development framework (CDF).

DEVELOPMENTS STAGES

As a bid to answer some of the militating economic issues, the group in future partnership with NGOs, government bodies have, with clear hopes underscore some of the vital steps to be followed in solving the ills of sustainable development.

SUSTAINABLE CONTINUTY

With the urgency to transform the youth of the Niger-delta communities under the aegis of The National Youth Initiative Forum (NYIF) – a youth enterprenurerial organization, through it ideologies has suggested the need for groups to make initial decision in revamping our national federal pledges, so as to secure the nation’s hero’s past. Among the agenda is to build a community strategy and help to galvanize the awareness necessary for youth centered sustainable growth. At this point, the communities will have to decide if benefits of such process are worth the effort before implementation. NGOs, as well as NAPEP could be contracted to partner in their advisory and technical capacity of the project.

ENGAGEMENT RULE MODEL

Plans are not if a handful of individuals are involved. Broad community support is critical, and wider the range of participation, the greater the talent pool available. Such may, plus or minus involve the public sector group- civil society, private sector representation, volunteer organization etc, should be encouraged to participate. Such models, was first introduced in macrocosm by the group through the sharing of eye-glasses area of Akwa-Ibom, an LGA in the Niger Delta region.

PROVISION OF INCENTIVE TO PARTICIPATING YOUTH AND WOMEN

Participation in any event either for personal or collective development is of consideration, people tends to participate in event that more rewarding, both in principal and in practice than those of little significant which are usually long-term Kurt lumen (1980). In support of this view, the government and NYIF through a committee should also approve the payment of stipends to all participations during the training exercise.

This will cause ten major trends which includes.

– Create increased participation in the exercise by youths and women across the region thereby reducing to it’s barest minimum, idleness, youth militancy, prostitution and empowerment initiatives.

– Help launder the success stories across the nation and globally, thereby increasing investment and economic development of the regions by indigenous and non-indigenous investors.

– It enhances peace and unity in the region.

– It will enhance rural-urban transformation and lead, to successive urban decoration.

– It creates and generates even distribution of wealth and the use of scarce resources.

– It boosts the entrepreneurial viability of the youths and women towards self-reliance and independence.

– It helps in the building up of new cultural and ecological development, as perception of participants towards marginalization, conflicts, militancy, deprivation would have be reduce to the lowest degeneration of the word. Youth and women beneficiary at the end of the day, haven successfully graduated from the institute, will be equipped with vast entrepreneurial skills, sent-off grants and the use of micro-finance loans will enable them engage in meaning employment.

– It reduces government work load and enhances the number of fax payers, hence a booming economy as everybody will be a co-participant in the government of the day.

– It reduces poverty as well as creates wealth and self-reliance.

– It boosts the overall standard of living.

– On successful completion of the training programme, participants will be assisted with take -off grants and would be encouraged to access loans form selected state micro-finances.

Secrets of Creating Instant Rapport with Anyone, Part 2 – The Magic of VAK

In Part 1, we looked at ways to mirror and match the actions of other people. This time, we will examine sense modalities and show how you can use them to create Instant Rapport.

Most of us are blessed with five senses, which we use to receive information from the world around us. Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), among other things, studies the relationship between language and brain function.

NLP has determined that some people are primarily visually oriented (V). Others are more auditory (A). And some are more in touch with their physical feelings and emotions, or what is termed kinesthetic (K). From this, we get the term VAK.

USING VAK

You can tell which sensory mode someone prefers to use by listening the words they say.

Visuals think in pictures and the language they use reflects that. They might say, “I see what you mean,”” I get the picture” or “That looks good to me.” In a sales presentation, a Visual prospect might say,” Show me what you’ve got.”

An Auditory might say, “That sounds good,” “I hear what you’re saying” or “That rings true.” During a staff meeting, an Auditory might say,” “Let me hear your idea.”

A Kinesthetic will “Want to get a handle on something,” “Try it on for size” or “Have a gut feeling.” If your are making a proposal to a Kinesthetic, he or she might say, “Lay it on me.”

The key then, to creating Instant Rapport with each of these types is to use language that they can understand and relate to. To do otherwise would be like going to Germany and refusing to speak German, even though you know the language.

If you say to an Auditory, “Do you see what I mean?” they won’t. But if you ask, “Do you hear what I’m saying?” they probably will. Not only that, they’re more likely to agree with you because you are speaking their language.

And when you speak their language, you create rapport.

VAK IN BUSINESS AND SALES.

In a sales situation, or any other time that you are trying to convince someone to do something, present your pitch or idea in a way that is most compatible with the way someone’s brain works.

Visual people want to see pictures of the product or, if possible, the product itself. They find graphs and charts more convincing than the words you say.

An Auditory will prefer to hear what you have to say and will note how you say it. Do you speak with an air of confidence and authority, or does your voice betray uncertainty, fear or deception?

A Kinesthetic will want to touch the product or hold the brochure or chart. Let them do this. If you need to point out something on the product or brochure, don’t take it away from them. Have a second one for yourself.

When using VAK, keep in mind that almost nobody uses any one sense modality to the exclusion of others. There is usually a mix. Also, the primary modality may change, depending on the situation. So always listen for the verbal cues to determine which sensory mode is dominant at the moment and adjust your language accordingly.

Even so, there is usually one sense in particular that someone prefers to the others. Once you discover what it is, and use that knowledge wisely, you have one more key to Instant Rapport.

And once you have rapport, getting what you want becomes that much easier.

Adapted from the new book “Power Persuasion:” Using Hypnotic Influence to Win in Life, Love and Business,” by David R. Barron and Danek S. Kaus

Copyright 2005 Danek Kaus

How to Make Money Online Part 2 – Starting Your Affiliate Marketing Business

Last article we looked at lots of different ways to make money online. We found that affiliate marketing is a great choice for people starting out. This is because quite large sums of money can be made for a very small investment of money. This is exactly what everyday people need, to pay off credit cards, mortgages and get back on top of their finances.

The first thing to be aware of when starting up an affiliate marketing business, is that making money online is never quite as easy as it is promised. After reading lots of “how to” articles, and paying to join a training system, I discovered that it takes time and effort to make anything happen. If we were told this before we signed up and started, we would have a much better frame of mind, and be much more likely to succeed.

For those of you thinking of starting affiliate marketing, rest assured it is definitely a worthwhile thing to spend time doing. You need to begin by expecting to “learn the ropes” first. There are quite a few processes and skills which need to be learned, before any real substantial money can be made. If you begin by thinking you will earn $2000 in the first month, you may be disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, goals and dreams are very important, but expect to do some hard work before you see the money they promise.

Some useful tips when first staring out are:

• Have a goal – Where you end up is largely set by what your goals and dreams are.

• Write them down – There is a lot of research showing that written goals are a lot more likely to come to pass than goals in your head.

• Do some research – Don’t buy into the first training package or system you find, look around and find one which is best suited to you.

• Have a plan – Plan what steps you will take to successfully get a campaign off and running. A good training package will outline the steps needed to make money online.

• Follow your plan till you see results – Don’t get distracted by all the other things you can do to make money, if it’s not in your plan.

• Fine tune – When you are making money, analyse your results, see what is working and what isn’t and plan your next campaign to suit.

If you invest in a training program, they will outline the practical things which you need to do to get everything linking together and working properly. Some of these include:

• Setting up a ClickBank account.

• Setting up a PayPal account.

• Buying web hosting, or showing you free hosting websites.

• How to get cheap domain names.

• How to link your domain name to your hosting site.

These are mechanical steps which every Affiliate marketer must do, before they can start choosing products, researching keywords, creating landing pages, driving traffic and analysing the results.

Next time we will look at how to choose the best products from ClickBank

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