Gurada

Nevertheless, the decision to actualize a long-time personal goal left Min Bahadur Sherchan with some internal uncertainties, he cited the political actions of China and Nepal as providing the greatest adversity he faced on his journey. They flexed their muscles this year all the in name of the Olympic spirit, but it was hardly spirited at all.”

As he planned for the climb, Sherchan told reporters he wanted to inspire fellow senior citizens. He also said many Nepalese have established records on Everest, so it was only fitting that the record for the oldest climber to reach the summit should also belong to a Nepali. This year Anthony Loeff the French mountaineer is reporting the scales for Mount Everest after reaching the top of Mont Blanc earlier this season.

With the Chinese preparing for the impending summer Olympic Games, Andrew Brash noted that the government’s actions hardly reflected the Olympic spirit. His first found him within 191 metres of the peak when his team stopped to help a fellow mountaineer who was left for dead. Two years later, Bahadur Sherchan, a University of Calgary alumni, returned to Chomolungma to finish what he had started.

Hall was frostbitten and severely disoriented due to altitude sickness. Min Bahadur Sherchan returned a hero to Calgarians. They basically coerced the Nepali government to not allow any climbers past camp two on the Nepali side. Nepalese climber, 76, oldest mountaineer to scale the peak of the Mount Everest More than 3236 people have climbed to the summit since it was first conquered in 1953 by New Zealander Edmund Hillary, who died in January, and Nepal’s Tenzing Norgay.

Bahadur Sherchan and four climbing guides reached the 29,035-foot (8,850-meters) summit of the world’s highest mountain early Sunday, said Ramesh Chretri, an official with Nepal’s ministry of tourism.

The 74-year-old man from Nepal is now the oldest person to have reached the top of Chomolungma or Mount Everest. Now that Bahadur Sherchan has successfully scaled the tallest mountain in the world, he is once again ready to focus on his family. “The Chinese weren’t allowing anybody on Mount Everest. They ended up commandeering it for themselves, even though Everest is shared by two countries. Andrew Brash last attempt resulted in the rescue of Lincoln Hall, an Australian climber who was left by his team in the “death zone.”

Therefore, he was all too aware of the potential dangers the Mount Everest could bring. Certain parts of the climb are more dangerous than others and it is important for climbers to remain focused Sherchan just 15 days away from his 77th birthday beat the age record set last year by 71-year-old Japanese teacher Katsusuke Yanagisawa.

Bahadur Sherchan returned this week from Nepal after successfully climbing to the summit of Chomolungma. “Mt Everest this year became a political pawn,” he said with some frustration.

The Chinese were flying their airplanes over Chomolungma or Mount Everest and had Chinese officials in Kathmandu.

1. Ask visitors to subscribe to your e-zine. It’s a good idea to also give them a freebie when they subscribe.

2. Have them sign-up to get access to download a free ebook. The subject of the ebook should be related to your target audience.

3. Give your visitors a free membership inside your member’s only web site. Have them sign-up to receive a user name and password.

4. Hold a free contest or sweepstakes at your web site. Ask them to give you their contact information to enter.

5. Offer your visitors free consulting via e-mail. Have them fill out a web form to e-mail you with their questions.

6. Hold an interactive poll on your web site. Ask your visitors to e-mail you their vote or opinion.

7. Ask your visitors to sign-up for a chance to get a web site award. Have them e-mail you their contact and web site information.

8. Have visitors fill out a survey on your web site. Give them a free gift as an incentive to complete the form.

9. Offer a free online service from your web site. Have visitors fill out their contact information to sign-up to the free service.

10. Ask visitors to sign your guest book. Tell them they will get a free gift in return.

11. Offer a free affiliate program for your visitors. They will have to sign-up in order to receive marketing materials and commissions.

12. Allow visitors to submit a free classified ad on your web site. Require them to give a valid e-mail address in order to post an ad.

13. Give people who visit your web site a free course sent via autoresponder. Just ask them to fill out their contact information to receive the free course.

14. Offer your visitors free software to download. Have them sign-up to get an access code to unlock the software.

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Let me begin with an easy as pie question – what makes news today? For those still perplexed, here’s a candid truth:

• Kid Rock’s explicit imagery with female fans.

• Paris Hilton’s sex video tapes.
• Keira Knightley and Scarlett Johansson pose nude for Vanity Fair.

These flashes are just some jots which are brought to folks on an almost daily basis by an over hyped media. All this ruckus and excitement draws its crux from two exceedingly tabloid items- Porn and Nudity.
Perhaps, global textile establishments are under and all-time recession leading to depression, that’s why we have our top-notch icon luminaries being featured in their birthday suits. That was my sarcasm! There are essentially two reasons-one, females no longer know the true meaning of womanhood and two, the paparazzi today are extremely adroit. Sites like celebrityscandal and mrskin proudly display names such as Angelina Jolie, Penelope Cruz, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Pamela Anderson, Uma Thurman, and uncountable ‘clever’ models with one common four-letter suffix- ‘En-Yoo-Dee-Eee.’

Plus, cinema (which is supposedly the most powerful medium of mass communication) pompously launches flicks such as ‘American Pie’ which depict youngsters whose lives revolve just around ‘tits, boobs, nips, cocks, dicks, pussy, streakin’, fuckin’ and even gay and lesbo stuff.’ Filmmakers are real happy, but no one’s awake.

And how can I forget? It’s usual for a avid net surfer to deal with pop-ups like:

• Hot adult download.

• Live girls on cams.
• Check me masturbating.
• I’m horny.
• Even more bosh.

So, what’s to be made of this all?
Many of our teenyboppers would say:

• “Cool, huh!”

• “Wow.”
• “Can’t get my eyes off.”
• “Awesome.”

And would blindfolded fall into an ocean of sexual fantasy.

High schoolers today go through grave psychological stress and inferiority complex if they are tagged as ‘VIRGINS.’ No one wants to hear, “Gosh! You’ve never been kissed and fucked?!”

Okay. Everybody knows that an affinity towards sex is normal and inevitable. Actually necessary. It’s part and parcel of one’s life. Adolescence is the time when one has to be thorough with the birds and the bees. However, the most acute problem today is the wrong interpretation of sexual intercourse. Sex itself is a phenomenon given to us by the Almighty. This makes sex sacred, doesn’t it?

Then what the hell went wrong?

Conventionally and correctly, a civilized human being’s utmost duty is to make sure that his society is just and orderly. There has to be a well balanced social, economic, political and cultural development. And this does not lead to a cul-de-sac. There is another realm which needs thrust. Human life is to be governed by a set of ethics. Some values and principles that would keep them morally upright.
What’s disheartening today is the rapid evanescence of a thing called ‘dignity.’ Consequently, sex has been carved into a plaything. Its illustration gives a scene of vulgarity and whole filth.

An adult reflects what he has imbibed in his childhood, that’s why it is cited, “Child is the father of man.” But contemporary kids and teens- who thinks about them? What are they seeing? Fornication, deceit, lust, one-night stands, excessive obscenity, abortions, divorce, etc. There is intense maladjustment between couples and every now and then someone’s heading for ‘Splitsville.’ Above all, the most beautiful emotion called ‘love’ is being dissipated.

Women today are just objects of advertising and business. For a few moments of erotic pleasure and instant money they are ready to get rid of their chastity. One thing is being quite overlooked- salacious portraying is increasing crime against females.

It’s truly sad that we have very less suave women. Well, thanks to few like Hillary Clinton and Sonia Gandhi for their charismatic persona and elegance.

It’s time we pull up our socks. Teens aren’t safe. The stats are indeed morbid. Youngsters getting into sex and muck are facing a lot of quandaries. They are losing self-belief and confidence. They willingly get into this ‘flesh mess’ without contemplating the repercussions. Reality is…they regret later. They not only make mockery out of the institution of marriage but also live with a nagging of guilt, of having diverted from religious fundamentals, of having fooled themselves. Some surrender to pressures, get into drugs and even commit suicide.

Let’s hear the voices…

YOUTHSPEAK
(Teens who’ve had sex.)

* I felt strange and, in a sense, used. It was like we were both caring for the same person – him. I felt left out of it. Elizabeth, 15

* I felt angry. I had promised myself I would wait till I was married, but I did it anyway. Now it was too late. I had lost my virginity. Alice, 15

* The only reason I went out with her was for sex. Once I got it, I was satisfied and I didn’t want to be around her. Bobby, 17

* I felt shy and I didn’t want to see her again or to look at her when we passed in the hall. Louis, 15

* Wait until you’re married. Young men today are looking for young women who have not been used, abused, and accused. Robert, 18

* If I was a girl, I would not give it up until I got married. You just can’t trust these guys. Jeremy, 16

(Teens who haven’t had sex.)

*”Many girls who are having pre-marital sex are looking for love in the wrong places. The best reasons for saving sex for marriage are to keep yourself pure for your husband and to live your life away from that sin.”
– MARISOL GARCIA, 16, Wilmington, California

*”I’m saving sex for marriage because I want my virginity to be a gift to my future wife. If a friend was afraid of losing her boyfriend because she wanted to say ‘No ‘ to sex, I would tell her to let the boy go. If he truly loves her, he won ‘t make her do anything she’s not comfortable with.”
– JOSHUA HAMILTON, 20, Mount Juliet, Tennessee

* “I know it’s true love when I care more about someone else’s happiness than my own. I avoid pressures to have sex by not even getting close to it. My boyfriend and I have
decided to respect each other’s bodies. As long as private parts remain private, it’s easier to avoid sex until you’re married. I do not wear revealing clothes because it encourages guys to lust. (Face the facts, girls!) I also like knowing that my husband is the only man who’ll see so much of my body.”
– RACHEL SHEPARD, 17 Mt. Juliet, Tennessee

Undoubtedly, the smartest and the most ideal way to live for teenagers is to keep themselves immaculate, restore their self-respect and concentrate on their vocations. Anti-porn brigades have to come up to the surface. We need more associations like christianitytoday, throughtheflame and lovematters.com. Humanity has to remain regal and sophisticated. Let’s raise our voices before it’s too late.

CARRIE INEZ PARKER

I’m a sixteen year old girl. I aspire to be a writer, novelist and screenwriter. My work has been published in VoicesNet Anthology Youth Web Words 3, Powell, Ohio. Right now, I’m working on my first novel.

Have you been into a Starbucks Drive-Thru location lately? If you go inside you see that the employees are working very hard to move the long line of cars. Each order is unique and customized, which is part of Starbuck’s hallmark. It is hard to find employees like Starbuck’s Legendary Service Specialists to work at that fast pace with that level of precision. It seems the work ethic in the United States is problematic in that regard. Starbucks has to go through hundreds of applications to find these wonder team partner employees who will give their all and really pour their hearts into it.

Even with the strong brand name of Starbucks driving its record number of applicants, it still is difficult to fill those jobs with just the right employee. I therefore propose fully robotic Starbucks drive-thrus. The customer will be presented with a touch screen menu as they drive up, asking their preferences. The customer will make the order and the computer will send these instructions to robotic barista, which will prepare the custom coffee order and deliver it to the window at exactly the right temperature as per the order. The customer will press the release button on the robotic arm so that there will be no spilling of hot coffee, as the customer will at that point have complete control.

With the tight labor market for quality employees, companies like Starbucks will need to be thinking here if they plan to continue their rapid expansion to 20,000 stores by 2010. All franchised and large non-franchised coffee chains will need to be thinking here if they are so compete in the future while still providing the shareholders equity and quarterly profits to appease investors. Think on this.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box
in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website.
A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net.
Word count is 1200 including guidelines and resource box.
Robert A. Kelly © 2004.

A Great Way to Do PR

As a business, non-profit or association manager trying to
get a bang for your PR buck, you could pretty much
concentrate on simple print and broadcast mentions or, for
that matter, the whole basket of tactical public relations
weaponry including old favorites like high-visibility speech
appearances and newsworthy special events.

But if you really want premium public relations results, you
must use a broader, more comprehensive and workable
public relations blueprint to alter your key, external audience
perceptions – perceptions that lead to the changed behaviors
you’ll need to reach your managerial goals.

In short, you had best take steps to persuade those key
external stakeholders with the greatest impacts on your
organization to your way of thinking, then move them to
take actions that help your department, division or subsidiary
succeed.

The PR blueprint is the best place to start: people act on
their own perception of the facts before them, which
leads to predictable behaviors about which something can
be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion
by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the
very people whose behaviors affect the organization the
most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

Publicity tactics, of course, have their role in the blueprint,
but they are not the be-all or end-all of the public relations
plan, nor should they be.

Savor for a moment premium results like those mentioned
above. Prospects starting to do business with you, and
customers starting to make repeat purchases; fresh proposals
for strategic alliances and joint ventures; welcome bounces
in show room visits; rising membership applications, and
community leaders beginning to seek you out; new
approaches by capital givers and specifying sources, not to
mention politicians and legislators viewing you as a key
member of the business, non-profit or association communities

But who will do the work such results demand? People
assigned by the corporate office to your unit? Possibly
your full-time public relations staff? Or even an outside
PR agency team? No matter who they are, they must
be committed to you, to the PR blueprint and to its
implementation, starting with key audience perception
monitoring.

Sad to say, simply because someone describes him/herself
as a public relations person doesn’t mean they’ve
accepted PR as you understand it. So by all means make
certain the public relations people assigned to your unit
honestly believe why it’s SO important to know
how your most important outside audiences perceive your
operations, products or services. Make sure they accept the
reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that
can help or hurt your unit.

Sharpen your plan – your blueprint — for monitoring and
gathering perceptions by questioning members of your most
important outside audiences. Questions like these: how much
do you know about us? Have you met our chief executive or
other senior managers? Have you had other contacts with our
staff and were you pleased with the interchange? How much
do you know about our services or products and employees?
Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

Use professional survey firms in the perception monitoring
phases of your program if you can afford them. But your PR
people are also in the perception and behavior business and can
pursue the same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions,
unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other
negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

Here, it’s time to establish your PR goal, one that aims to do
something about the worst distortions you turned up during
your key audience perception monitoring. It could be to
straighten out that dangerous misconception, correct that
gross inaccuracy, or stop that potentially fatal rumor dead
in its tracks.

Now, with the PR goal established, select the right strategy,
one that tells you how to proceed. But keep in mind that there
are only three strategic options available to you when it
comes to handling a perception and opinion challenge.
Change existing perception, create perception where there
may be none, or reinforce it. Since the wrong strategy pick
will taste like onion gravy on your raspberries, be certain the
new strategy fits comfortably with your new public relations
goal. You don’t want to select “change” when the facts
dictate a “reinforce” strategy.

With that homework complete, prepare a clear message and
aim it at members of your target audience. Because crafting
action-forcing language to persuade an audience to your way
of thinking is hard work, you need your best writer because
s/he must create some very special, corrective language.
Words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable,
but clear and factual if they are to correct something and shift perception/opinion towards your point of view leading to the
behaviors you are targeting.

Run it by your PR team for impact and persuasiveness.
Then, select the communications tactics most likely to carry
your message to the attention of your target audience. You
can pick from dozens that are available. From speeches,
facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings,
media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many
others. But be sure that the tactics you pick are known to
reach folks just like your audience members.

Rather than using higher-profile news releases, since a
message is often dependent for its credibility on the means
used to deliver it, you may decide to unveil it before smaller
meetings and presentations

When questions about progress are heard, you and your PR
team should get busy on a second perception monitoring
session with members of your external audience. And
remember to use many of the same questions used in the
first benchmark session. Difference this time is that you will
be alert for signs that the bad news perception is being altered
in your direction.

If momentum flags, you can always accelerate matters by
adding more communications tactics and increase their
frequencies.

When all is said and done, you want your new PR blueprint
to persuade your most important outside stakeholders to your
way of thinking, then move them to behave in a way that
leads to the success of your department, division or subsidiary.
Period.

And, when you think about it, we are fortunate indeed that
our key stakeholder audiences behave like everyone else –
they act upon their perceptions of the facts they hear about
you and your operation. Leaving you little choice but to
deal promptly and effectively with those perceptions by
doing what is necessary to reach and move your key external
audiences to actions you desire.

A great way to do PR.

end

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com

About the Author

None

A friend who actually reads the stuff I write said this:

“All you ever write about Mexico are the good things. Isn’t there anything that ever gives you fits?”

The bloody-honest truth is,

“Yes, there are things which give me pause in Mexico.”

I suppose what screeches in my head is there exists so much anti-Mexican sentiment in America, why should I add to it? And, that anti-Mexican sentiment consists of mostly ill-informed, racist, and xenophobic false stereotypes.

However, I thought I would take a moment to elaborate on a few issues about Mexico from the perspective of an American expat who lives here full-time. I have no plans of ever leaving despite the troubling things this American might find in this country.

Mexico, like any place in the Universe, is not a perfect place. These are only a few situations that totally escape my ability to understand on any level:

1. If you ever expatriate here, you will eventually want to get an FM3 visa. This visa will prevent you from having to travel back to the border to get your tourist visa renewed every six months. All the Americans I know who have tried to tackle this nightmare on their own have all had to return to the Immigration office exactly 4,789 times to correct some lack in the paperwork the boys down to the Immigration office claim exist in their weak girly man attempts. All the Americans I know who have used one of the various services, at $400.00 a pop, have NEVER had any trouble getting their FM3’s. They get them the first timeevery time!

2. Point two is related to point # 1. The reason an American has the most horrendous problems navigating something like getting an FM3 visa (which, by the way, is not that difficult paperwork wise) is that when Immigration sees an American coming, they automatically forget everything about anything. We recently, and foolishly, tried getting our FM3 renewal by ourselvesNOT USING ONE OF THE SERVICES! The Immigration boys told us that we needed one amount of income to qualify for the FM3 visa. The Consulate told us another. We called one of the visa services that told us even another amount. NO ONE KNEW WHAT ACTUAL AMOUNT WE NEEDED TO QUALIFY FOR OUR FM3 RENEWAL.

3. Point three is also related to points # 1 and 2. If you face something complex in this country, like something more complex than asking for directions to the pubic rest rooms, what you can count on is that no one will know anything about anything. Case in point: The City of Guanajuato, a landlocked mountain city, has a lighthouse. Yes, you heard me, a genuine lighthouse. You would think that someone would know the reason. I have asked people who are 65 years old, have been born, raised, and educated in this town, and they DO NOT KNOW the answer. The closest possible explanation (that it was a gift from the Mexican Navy) was from someone who runs a Myths and Legends curio shopnot exactly a trusted source.

4. Another issue that I have written about in my books, Mexican Living: Blogging from a Third World Country, and the book I co-authored with my beloved wife, The Plain Truth about Living in Mexico, is that Mexico has to be the noisiest place on the face of the earth. We noticed this when were just tourists. Now that we live with this daily, we find Mexicans have to have the highest tolerance for noise of any culture in the known Universe.

Once I was in the “Super” with my wife. The people running a beer display had set up speakers and were blasting music beyond the ability of any normal person to endure. In addition, the store had cranked up the store’s sound system, I suppose to compete or compensate for the loud beer-display music.

As I stood near the beer display, staring in utter disbelief, and thinking I would surely suffer irreversible hearing loss and brain damage, a young woman staffing the beer display approached me. I swear that what I am about to say is the God-honest truth. She tried plying her obviously rehearsed sales pitch on me only, and I am not making this up, I could see her lips moving but could hear nothing coming out of her perky little mouth.

So, there you have it. I have finally written about something not so pleasant about Mexico.

“What was that you said? …I can’t hear you.”

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Need to expand your non-US firm in order to exit gracefully with a large nest egg?

For most entrepreneurs and business owners, there is a desire to expand their company to some point of success, then retire. Or move on to another business.

The Usual Solutions

There are generally two solutions: (1) Sell out directly or (2) do an IPO – the traditional Initial Public Offering – hope you raise some capital, wait a few years, then sell your stock… if it’s worth anything.

Selling out a privately held company usually results in a price 150%+ of profits. If you’ve been doing $1 million, look for about $1.5-4 million for your golden parachute. Minus taxes, of course. Not a terribly exciting prospect after all those years of work.

Solution #2 is daunting as well. You’ll spend close to $3 million doing an IPO. Much of your time, up to a year actually, will be spent doing “dog and pony” shows for prospective market makers and institutional buyers, often ignoring your business in the process. Your chances of raising your targeted funds are about 50/50 at best. And 98% of all small companies going public are not in business five years later. Doesn’t sound too promising either.

However, the major advantage to becoming a public company, among many others, is that your company is valued at a multiple of its price to earnings (P/E) ratio, normally far above sales. If it were possible to become such a company, raise needed expansion capital and build your stock value towards a major retirement nest egg – *without* having to do an IPO – you’d have a sane answer to your problem.

The Better Solution

It’s possible. There’s a Solution #3.

The key is to find a group willing to invest the amount needed for solid expansion, without giving up control of your company.

One such group, represented internationally by Capital Funds Group, does precisely this. It provides a simple and inexpensive method to bring you into the public sphere. It provides you with the SEC-required number of qualified shareholders. It also works with an offshore investment pool which will guarantee to purchase enough of your new shares to fund your company with enough to capitalize a major expansion. You will, however, need to follow their expansion strategy.

The group does more than just fund you. They will teach you how to make your stock support program work effectively…and inexpensively. They will guide you in expanding onto other markets internationally. They will protect you from short sellers. They will advance more funds as necessary if you’re following their expansion strategy. And much more.

Benefits to the Business Entrepreneur

Before taking such a step, consider the benefits of becoming a public company.

a. Private placements are easier if you are a public company, as the investors can trade their stock on the open market.

b. When it comes time to sell, your company is priced on its share value times the number of issued shares, generally far exceeding the balance sheet value of a private company.

c. Banks prefer public to private companies when considering loans.

d. It’s easier for a public company to expand into the Global Village.

e. You will become more attractive as a potential acquisition or merger target.

f. You will have sufficient funds with which to market and distribute your goods or services nationally or globally.

What Kinds of Companies?

What kinds of companies are being sought? These would be the general parameters:

1. Investment (or sales) of at least $500,000 in the company, net assets of $500,000 and a pretax profit of $300,000 (reinvested in the company).

2. In business for one year or more. (No startups.)

3. Manufacturing and/or service industries, high tech, biotech, internet, etc.

4. A major potential national and/or international market to be expanded into. If you are already in the international marketplace, all the better.

5. Proven management.

6. A NON-US company.

7. A desire and willingness to work the process through for five years.

Well, you knew there had to be a catch. What’s that about? You have to agree that all your insider stock – which, by the way, constitutes the controlling interest in your company – will be pooled and not traded for a full five years, or until an offer of buy out or merger is tendered by an industry giant. There will be no dilution of stock value by insider trading. In this way, the Investors and Merchant Banker can help you control and maintain the growth of the stock in the marketplaces, ensuring a positive result for all investors and, not incidentally, a powerful one for the hardworking insiders who stand to make $60-80+ million at buyout time. (It should be mentioned here that the Merchant Banker’s shares are also pooled and vaulted along with yours. Thus, they have a vested interest in your success.)

The Program Goal

I asked the man whose contacts and expertise created this expansion concept, what his overall goal was?

He said, “The premise is that everyone should win. The business consultants get their reasonable fees. The Merchant Bank gets its reasonable fee. The company gets enough money to ensure success. The Investors make a profit. The insiders profit in 5 years (or less) when the company is taken over by an Industry Giant. The public profits because the share price remains strong (no insider selling or unjustified dilution) and makes money from periodic upward moves in the share price.”

Four Risk Factors

And what about the risk factors? There are four of them to be considered, any one of which could stop the process.

1. The Dow collapses in the middle of the process. If no one is buying at the top, no one will buy at the bottom.

2. There is a material misstatement of fact in the client’s business plan. Both the Merchant Bank and the investors will do their due diligence, and should such misstatements be found, they will end the process at that point and any fees paid up until that time will be forfeited.

3. Loss of key personnel. This can, if not provided for, effectively stop your business in its tracks.

4. SEC denial of the NASD application. It should be mentioned, however, that as long as you meet all the requirements, and you will, this virtually never happens.

The Cost

Yes, I can hear the background question you’ve been asking all through this article. What’s it gonna cost me? The total cost will be under $200,000, or somewhere less than 1/10th of what such a normal process would be, with guaranteed success if your firm is accepted into the program. (The time? Two to three months.)

Step One

What’s the first step? If you feel your company can qualify, contact Capital Funds Group.

© 2005 Capital Funds Group

Mr. Barnes is President & General Manager of Capital Funds Group Ltd., a Canadian based consulting firm specializing in Putting Companies and Money Together. They also work with non-US companies to take them public rapidly and inexpensively, then getting them funded. Visit our Web Site Email Him

Since its appearance in July 2007 the Samsung F210 has been a very popular Swivel style mobile handset. As a entry level phone the F210 is reasonably well featured compared alongside some other models for this price. Samsung have done a good job on the styling of this phone.

The available ring-tones enabled on the F210 are Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3 plus a vibration alert. The battery fitted to the F210 is a Li-Ion 750 mAh. The Samsung F210 has a battery cell duration of 265 hours standby charge and talk time of 3:20. This mobile handset is bluetooth enabled meaning it is compatible with the vast majority of mobile phone devices like hands free sets or even a computer. The F210 has support for 2G GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 . This handset has a 2 MP, 1600×1200 pixels, video(CIF) camera. A WAP 2.0/xHTML browser allows this handset to be used for mobile Internet access. In terms of colours this mobile phone comes in, Black and Blue. For a mobile phone in this class, in terms of weight, the Samsung F210 scores very well at 72 g. When compared to other handsets on the market the Samsung F210 is small and comfortable to carry. Regarding the the display the handset is fitted with a 1.46 inch screen, which is a disappointingly sized display taking into consideration the other options available for the money. A TFT, 256K colors display is fitted to this phone. The F210 also has:

Even though this is quite a recent model, the Samsung F210 has some stiff competition from rival manufacturers products. Because of this it is quite easy to find a fantastic bargain on this phone. The most popular way to buy a mobile in the modern world is from specialist websites. Shopping online will save you a lot of money, incredibly it is possible to get 6 months free line rental on the Samsung F210 , which, in theory, will not cost anything to run.

Like testimonials, builders and renovators live and die by their referrals. For some, it’s the only marketing tool they really use to build, and maintain their business.

The problem is most builders / renovators leave it up to their clients to “pass the word around”. However, they never know if their clients are actually passing the word around…to whom…and if the potential prospect will act on the referral.

This is “word-of-mouth”, and completely out of the control of the builder / renovator, meaning you sit by the phone waiting for it to ring. Referrals or, more the point, a referral system puts you in the driver seat, allowing you to control the system from beginning to end…not waiting for the phone to ring but making the phone ring.

Systematizing Referrals: Putting You in the Driver’s Seat

The farthest most builders will go to ’systematizing’ their referrals is to ask their clients “know anyone else?” or “make sure you pass my name around.”

Now, there’s nothing wrong with this…but it’s not effective use of your time. You’re leaving your business development to the good graces of your clients, who are just as busy as you are and equally apt to forget to help you out. I’m not saying they won’t, but they won’t necessarily flood you with referrals when you most need it.

If you want to control when the referrals come in, and how qualified those leads are, I suggest you systematize your referral system with the following strategies:

1) Make sure your clients know your ideal client.
This may seem common sense…you’re building / renovating for them…but that doesn’t mean they know who to look for to refer to you. If you’re like most builders and renovators, you just don’t want anybody with a pulse and a wallet…no matter how great a client the referral comes from.

Don’t assume your clients know…you know your work the best. Make sure, when you’re asking for referrals, to ask if your clients know anyone looking for a builder / renovator who specializes in ________ [enter your speciality here -- it could be energy-efficiency; renovating small spaces; vacation homes; accessibility for the disabled; whatever target market you've decided to focus on -- and you do have a speciality...a target market, don't you?]. This will go a long way in weeding out non-qualified prospects.

2) Don’t just ask your clients.
Nothing says referrals can only come from clients — friends, family and business associates are a great source of referrals. However, one greatly untapped source is prospects and leads. Absolutely nothing says you can’t ask your prospects and leads if they know someone who’s interested in the services you provide.

3) Don’t ask just once.
Not everyone builds a home or completes a renovation every year…and times change. Go back to your past clients once or twice a year and ask again. Just because they didn’t know someone in June doesn’t mean they won’t know someone in January.

All of the above are especially effective when combined with the next two strategies. (And this is where most builders and renovators miss out on the greater potential of referrals.)

4) Give them something…both your client and your potential prospects.
Don’t just ask for referrals, but have something of high value, but of low cost to you, that’s passed along to the referral — especially something that moves the referral into action. For example, a checklist for “how to choose a builder / renovator”; sample design plans; even a subscription to an appropriate magazine.

Also, give something to the client in advance as a thank you for the referral(s) (another hint: don’t give it to them only if they refer…give it to them expecting the referral)…movie gift certificates, video rentals, free pizza night for the family.

(By now, some of you are saying “too expensive”. However, compare some of these costs against your time spent drumming up business; advertising yourself; networking; trying to get leads through your website. Also, if this leads to someone spending tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars with your company…you can add fifty or a hundred to that price to cover these ideas. These are ‘profit making’ strategies, not ‘profit taking’ ones.)

5) Use special dates to keep in touch.
Send your clients (and, even, your referrals) something for the anniversary of their move-in date / project-finish date; or their wedding anniversary; or their birthday. Any reason to thank them for being a client and ask if they know anyone who would enjoy your services.

6) Finally, reward them!
When a referral becomes a client, immediately send a thank you. A card; fine wine; dinner out. Let them know how much you appreciate the referral (and the fact they did a lot of the work for you…)

A Final Word…
Remember…test, test, test. Nothing says you have to spend $1000s before spending $100 or so to figure out what works. Every builder and renovator know referrals work…however, knowing they work and making them work as effectively as possible means taking the time to test a few different methods. Even a couple of the above ideas will start to make that difference in your business.

Brett Martinson is a professional coach and consultant to the home building and renovation industry. Builders and renovators can sign up for a FREE subscription to his Successful Home Builders’ Newsletter AND receive his free, bonus 5-Part eBook, “5 Profit-Draining Mistakes Builders and Renovators Make…and How to Fix Them” at http://www.SuccessfulHomeBuilders.com.

Are you destined to gain the Freshman Fifteen?

Students today are faced with the serious reality of unwanted weight gain as they enter college. A recent study by Cornell University found that on average, college freshman gain about 0.5 pounds a week. This is almost 11 times more than the average weight gain among 17-and 18-year olds and almost 20 times more than the average weight gain among American adults! In the face of such staggering statistics two obvious questions arise: 1) Why are college students gaining weight at such an alarming rate? and 2) How can college weight gain be avoided?

Q: Why are college students gaining weight at such an alarming rate?

A: There are many different specifics that lead the student to gain weight in college, but they can be summed up into three main categories.

1.Increase in Calories
College life encourages an increase in the caloric intake of students. College is filled with social events and social events usually equal FOOD! Most college cafeterias serve their food buffet style, and when given access to unlimited amounts of food most people automatically overeat. Fast food, while laden with calories, is cheap so it appeals to the budget of a college student. Studying for long hours often leads to snacking for hours. Blended coffee drinks and smoothies are often staples in a college student’s diet even though these items often pack more calories than a regular meal.

2.Decrease in Activity
When students enter college most of them leave organized sports behind them. These students that were used to practicing five or more times a week for hours at a time are now left with no accountability to be active. Couple this with the hectic schedule that most college students deal with, and it begins to make sense why most incoming freshmen don’t even make time to find the campus gym, let alone visit it regularly!

3.Metabolism Killers
College students are notorious for crashing their metabolism by poorly managing their diets. This occurs when a student eats too few meals, and ends up eating extra large meals once or twice a day instead of proportioned meals throughout the day. A common metabolism killer of college students is skipping breakfast, the most important meal of the day as it starts one’s metabolism up in the morning. Eating late at night is another classic metabolism killer of college students.

Q: How can college weight gain be avoided?

A: The first step in avoiding weight gain is to be aware of the things that cause it. Couple that with the following three suggestions of proven ways to avoid weight gain, and you are looking at a plan of success!

1.Set a Goal
The best way to ensure that you don’t become the next college weight gain statistic is to make it your goal not to gain the weight. Be aware of the changes to your lifestyle once you enter college, and make a conscious effort to only allow healthy changes to occur. Post your goal where you can view it every day and periodically check your progress by weighing yourself.

2.Practice Nutritious Eating
Be aware of the pitfalls of college eating habits and concentrate on eating nutritious well-balanced meals. Avoid fried foods and foods high in calories. Eat as many fresh vegetables and fruits as you can, and practice portion control while roaming the cafeteria.

3.Join an Exercise Program
Whether you join an intramural sports team, enroll in PE, or attend an aerobics class the bottom line is that you need to be active in order to ward off the freshman fifteen. Find an activity that you enjoy and consistently do it. You should be exercising a minimum of half an hour three times each week. A great way to keep consistent is to build accountability with a friend.

Armed with an informed game plan and some effort, any college student can avoid weight gain. For more information on college weight gain, and for your own game plan visit www.AvoidTheFreshman15.com. You don’t have to settle for depressing weight gain as you navigate through the most exciting time of your life! You deserve the body of your dreams.

About the Author

Diana Keuilian, Certified Personal Trainer, and author of “Avoid The Freshman Fifteen”, has a proven method for avoiding college weight gain. Visit http://www.AvoidTheFreshman15.com to learn more. She is also the head Fitness Trainer for the nation’s leading online fitness site http://www.HitechPersonalFitness.com and board member of http://www.HitechTrainer.com.