If you’re like most people, you struggle to eat enough fruits and vegetables each day. You know that fruits and vegetables are the key to getting lots of great vitamins and minerals, but it’s difficult to work them into your diet. Fortunately, getting enough fruits and vegetables is easy with a juice extractor.

A juice extractor is a machine into which you can insert whole or cored fruits and vegetables. It works somewhat like a food processor. You simply insert fruits and vegetables, and out comes fresh, wholesome juice. Choose sweet fruits like apples, oranges, pears, and berries. Or, you may choose to make a savory juice from tomatoes, celery, and carrots. Some people enjoy a sweet blend of carrots or other vegetables and fresh fruits.

Making your own fruit juice with a juice extractor is not only easy, but it also is much more healthful than the kind of juice you buy at the store. That’s because your juice extractor keeps lots of the fiber and other nutrients in fresh fruit that the juice companies throw away. Fiber helps your digestive tract work great and helps you feel vibrant and healthy.

You may not be aware that most fruit and vegetable juice that you can buy at the grocery store is pasteurized and has sat on the store shelves for weeks or months. That means that many vital nutrients have been drained away. With your juice extractor, you can be sure that all the juice you create is as fresh and vitamin rich as fresh, wholesome fruit.

Ask any would-be entrepeneur why he or she wants to start
a home based business and you’ll get a wide variety of
replies. Regardless of the reason, there’s one thing for
certain: starting a home business doesn’t just affect you,
the entrepreneur; it also affects your family.

The change in lifestyle that comes with a home business
requires adaptation from the entrepreneur as well as his
or her spouse and children. So before you jump into the
world of home business, have a frank discussion with your
family about issues such as:

__How Will You Separate Business and Family?

Home businesses are particularly difficult to manage
because they’re just steps away from family life. You
need to be able to concentrate fully on your business,
yet when you spend time with the family you shouldn’t
be distracted by business matters — or worse, tempted
to go do ‘just a little work.’ Some things you can do
to help keep business and family separate include:

* Set ‘office hours’. This is the time where you focus
on your business without having to worry about the
family.

* Take time out for yourself. No one can work all the
time, and you’ll burn out if you try. Set aside some
‘personal time’ to exercise, read, or do something
else you love.

* Take a guilt-free day off with the family. Yes, an
entire day away from the business! You’ll feel more
refreshed and better able to concentrate on the
business afterwards.

* Get organized and stay focused! The less time you
have to spend searching for email, papers, etc., the
more time you’ll have to actually perform productive
work. This will free up time so that you can do other
things.

__Will Family Members Contribute to the Business?

Come to a clear understanding about what your spouse will
or will not do. For example, you may ask for help during
unexpected busy periods but not on a regular basis. Or you
might agree that it’s okay for your spouse to send or read
business mail, but that you are the only one who answers
the phone.

It’s best to set this straight from the beginning. Don’t
assume that your spouse is willing to help out. Likewise,
don’t assume that you’ll have complete independence
because “it’s YOUR business”. Come to an agreement —
it will help to lessen the stress for everyone.

__How Will You Handle the Financing of Your Business?

Money is almost always a big issue with families. A home
business, particularly in the startup phase, is going to
require funding. Your family may have become accustomed
to a certain level of ‘comfort’ when it comes to luxuries
such as dining out, recreation, spending money, and so on.
Will any of this need to change, and if so, what?

There are many ways to finance a home business, including:

* Use income earned from your ‘day job’. Many people
continue to work their regular jobs in order to fund
their home businesses. It is only until their home
businesses are producing a reasonable income that
they have the option to quit their jobs.

* Finance your business with savings. If your savings
were to be used for another purpose (for example, a
family vacation or buying a home), how much of it are
you willing to ’sacrifice’ for your business, even if
it’s meant to be a ‘temporary’ loan?

* Help from family and friends. Consider the possible
impact on your personal relationships. Borrowing money
from loved ones can lead to significant stress… for
example, what do you do if someone suddenly needs or
wants their money back and you aren’t in the position
to provide it? What happens if your business fails and
you are unable to pay back loans?

* Other sources such as loans, grants, lines of credit,
and more. You can find a good list of options at the
US Small Business Administration website:
http://www.sba.gov/financing/

Discuss the options with your family to find something
acceptable. You may also want to discuss it with a
certified financial planner, who can also help you to
develop a contingency plan for emergencies.

__What Is the Impact on Normal Household Activity?

Businesses require a great deal of time and effort —
and that goes double for the startup phase! While you
work to get your business off the ground, how will daily
household tasks be handled? Will your spouse and children
help out more?

It’s not just the chores that need to be done, though.
What happens if you work a day job and can only work on
your business in the evenings — when the family normally
watches TV? If you aren’t able to concentrate with the
noise, you will have to discuss alternate arrangements
with your family.

__Managing the Children.

Young children in particular will require some thought.
Are they allowed to answer the phones, and if so, do you
teach them how to do so? How do you handle children who
are home while you’re working on your business?

There is no easy answer to this… every child has
his own personality! One option is to hire a trusted
babysitter to care for the children while you work.
Your children will be safe and you will be free to
concentrate.

Another alternative is to give your children several
“tasks” – throughout the day, they are expected to do
various things, such as read a book, draw a picture,
etc. Be sure to schedule breaks and ‘playtime’!

If you have the flexibility to do so, you could also
work during the kids’ naptime, when they’re at regular
outside activities (team sports, music lessons, etc)
or while they’re at school.

__How Will Business ‘Emergencies’ Be Handled?

Every so often business emergencies will arise. Whether
it’s a sudden big order that needs immediate processing,
or you discover an error that must be fixed right away,
you will be absorbed in your business with little time
for anything else.

Will family members be expected to take over certain
tasks that are normally yours? Will they help you with
your business during these times, ie. stapling, sorting,
packaging, running chores, etc? Again, come to an
understanding about what is expected from each member
of the family during emergencies.

__Schedule ‘Family Time’.

Someone once told me, ‘My home business gives me the
flexibility to work any 20 hours per day I like!’

It’s all too easy to get caught up in your business.
Your family still needs and wants to see you, though,
and if you spend all your time rushing off to do yet
another business task, they may end up resenting you.

If you have a hard time getting away from the “office”,
try scheduling certain times of the day or a day each
week where you spend time with your family. During this
time, business doesn’t exist — your family has your
full attention.

Many people start home businesses for family reasons…
so don’t get into the situation where you are forced
to choose between your business and your family! The
much-welcomed support of your family can be a tremendous
help.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

_________
Angela is the editor of Online Business Basics, a practical
guide to building an Internet business on a shoestring
budget. If you’re tired of hype and just want solid,
down-to-earth information, then visit us now — and in
moments you can have access to loads of instantly useable
tips, specifically chosen for beginners!
http://onlinebusinessbasics.com/article.html

Do your ads create buyers? You’re only as good as your campaign strategy. If you don’t have a strong online landing page for your print and online ads you are missing the essential ingredient that turns visitors into customers.

When you create a landing page campaign here are the seven things you should avoid:

1. Don’t Forget to Determine Your Customer Goal

Determine the most important action you want from your visitor. If you obtain this result, you can deem your landing page campaign a success. If your goal is to obtain their email address, make sure you provide an incentive for them to do so and have it be the centerpiece of your page. For example, you might offer a white paper or an online Flash tutorial that explains your service in an entertaining way.

2. Don’t Forget About “What Comes First”

In this case, “what comes first” is your originating ad. Whether it’s a Google text ad or a full color magazine page, make sure that they stand together as one cohesive message with matching graphics. To test this, simulate what the visitor will do read your ad and then click to your landing page. If your message is inconsistent, the path to your goal will be lost.

3. Don’t Present an Unprofessional Design

Your landing page must be up to the quality of your website. The fact that your landing page functions as a single ad doesn’t mean that visitors won’t expect a well designed-page with graphics.

4. Don’t Recreate Your Home Page

Your landing page should not look like your home page. It should carry your branding, but should be created for the specific goal you want to achieve. Think about making the ‘buy path’ clear and easy to follow. You want visitors to come to your website to learn more about you, not so with your landing page. Your landing page is there to provide visitors with all the information they need to take the next step to a purchase decision.

5. Don’t Include Extraneous Links

Carefully lay out the path you want your visitors to take. Think about it like a visit to a museum. In a museum, the direction and place the visitor should walk is carefully delineated so that they get the maximum viewing effect. (Yes, it does also keep the line moving.) Your landing page should do the same. Decide the path you want them to take and narrow your text and links to follow that path. Don’t throw everything on the page in the hope that you will hit on something that interests them.

6. Don’t Forget Your “Call to Action”

Make sure the visitor knows what he needs to do next. If he is interested, you want to make it clear that he should call, type in his email address, or take some action. This is the point at which he will be the most motivated. Don’t miss this opportunity.

7. Don’t Forget to Track Your Results

To determine if your campaign is cost-effective, you’ll want to take some measurements. There are many you can take but these two are the most important:

a. Conversion rate (%):

The easiest measurement to take is your conversion rate. It is the number of visitors who performed the desired outcome/number of visitors to your landing page.

b. Marketing Cost per Sale ($):

This is the cost of your landing page/number of sales you attribute to the landing page. This will let you determine if your landing page campaign is a good investment.

In terms of refining your campaign, you can try split A/B testing and other sophisticated tests, but the most important thing to remember is that if you start with a good solid campaign plan, you will have a much higher success rate.

About Digital Media Works

Digital Media Works, Inc. (http://www.DigMediaWorks.com ) is an Internet marketing and design firm that specializes in solutions for e-commerce companies. . A seasoned 25+ year management/marketing professional, founder Stephanie Diamond is experienced in building profits in a broad range of product and services businesses. She created a highly successful line of multimedia software products that sold millions of copies for America Online.

Across the world glaciers are receding at a speedier rate than at any period since records were started, states The Express. Researchers from the International Glacier Monitoring Service, which records 33 glaciers in ten mountain areas, figure that between 1853 to 1972 glaciers receded at a net average rate of 28 centimeters per yr. In between 1969 and 2000 the amount receding increased to 55 – 90 cm a yr. From then the median has made up greater than 1m a yr. The last year recorded the greatest reductions up til now of 1.3 m.

Across the globe glaciers are retreating leastwise as fast as the glaciers in this representative group with possibly calamitous effects for close by villages. In the short term there could be more floods, and in the future, water supplies will disappear, leading to keen water deficits.

Chamonix, has a large count of glaciers, the effects of global warming and the retreating of glaciers will be keenly felt. This is perhaps why numerous companies and residents seem to be more knowledgeable of the issues and are therefore seeking to take steps to limit the carbon footprint. One hopes it isn’t too tardy to halt the results of climate change and assure a world for our children. Therefore if you’re going to travel to Chamonix then beware of your carbon footprint.

OK, so you have your brand new HDTV or are seriously thinking about getting one soon. That’s a great decision because this new television technology is going to quickly become the standard for broadcasting television signals. In fact by 2007 all television broadcasting will have switched over to digital format under the direction of the FCC, and that paves the way for high definition television to become the accepted norm.

So how do you actually get the HDTV signal then? Well, there are different ways to do that and the best decision for you probably depends most on where you live. If you live in close proximity to television stations that broadcast HDTV programming then all you will need is a television that already has a HDTV tuner built in to be able to receive and display high definition broadcasts, and a suitable antenna. However, you will be limited to receiving only a small group of local stations.

For most people, the best solution is to become a subscriber to either a cable TV or satellite service, because they offer many more channels of entertainment and news that broadcast in HDTV. To receive the signal from these providers you only need to have a television set that is HDTV “capable”, or in other words, all that is needed to process high definition programming is an external receiver or tuner. Just like the ones provided by cable and satellite companies.

The other advantage of having the HDTV capable television set is that as the technology improves, you can simply upgrade the receiver as your programing provider makes the new tuners available, usually at very little or even no cost since you continue to use their service.

You can also use cable or satellite service if you have the HDTV tuner already installed inside your TV, but why pay for the tuner if you get the same thing from your programming provider instead?

So in summary, you can get HDTV programming either by antenna through local TV broadcasts, or broaden your channel selection and HDTV choices through either a satellite or cable TV company.

She looked absolutely beautiful as she walked down the aisle. She absolutely glowed with happiness. She looked like royalty as she walked towards the groom with her train flowing behind her.

As the ceremony progressed, it was the photographer who would fuss over the bride’s train. He would adjust it as the bride moved so that it would look great for the pictures. He even held it for her when she had to negotiate the steps for the wedding pictures.

Ladies, a couple of things you should know about having a train on your dress:

- It is heavier than it looks so you may need assistance if you want it to flow behind you all the time.

- It does not move smoothly by itself and is bound to catch on objects without your supervision.

Actually, the task of making sure that your train falls or flows properly goes to your maid or matron of honor, unless you have page boys. Think of her as your personal assistant on this day. She should anticipate that you won’t be able to reach back and fix it yourself, and therefore, keep an eye on it.

There is also a proper way to carry a train. Never, ever, bunch it up – oh what an unpleasant sight! If you can’t detach it and don’t plan to change outfits, here are some ways to handle your extension:

- Have your pageboys or chief bridesmaid or groom carry it around while you mingle (very tiring work).

- Have your designer put a loop on the side of the train that you can slip onto your fingers. That will help you gather it in to better maneuver during your reception.

- Ask your maid or matron of honor to help you gather it so that you can carry it over your arm. The best way to do this is for her to pick up the end of the train in the middle (so the end is draped in half), then she’ll bring the folded train forward and drape it over your arm. The train will now flow down the dress then curve up and under to your arm.

Follow these tips and you’ll remain the elegant bride you should be on your special day!

Determination goes very well together with
discipline. Determination is deciding that something
is a fact, or that you are firm about your position.
When you are determined to achieve something, you
will do whatever it takes to achieve that result. It is a
force of your mind that becomes evident, that will
not take no for an answer. In your mind and your
heart you have determined that there is an answer
or solution and that you will discover it.

When you have determination, you push
beyond resistance in your mind, which says you can’t
do something, and you find a way to do and do it well.
With that same determination, you push yourself
physically beyond your comfort level, to new
heights of success. You have determined in your
mind the end outcome and until you have achieved that,
you do not stop. Through sheer determination alone,
many people have achieved great results, and you can too.
Determination with discipline, patience, focus, and
stamina can propel you to great successes and
great rewards.

Determination is the grit that gets you through
a journey. It is the force of will to do all the
little details just as well as the big ones. It is
moving through and finding a way when there
is no way. It is trying everything and then adding
new things to get the results that you want.
It is tapping into all your known resources, and
pushing past your previous limits, to take the lead.
You are constantly focused on how to achieve the
results that you have set for yourself.

If you don’t know how to proceed, determination helps get you through the next phase, through the steps of learning, growing, and building, one step at a time and one process at a time. There is a strong place deep within you that you tap
into when you are exhausted, stumped, or at a dead end.
It is from this strong place that determination is born.
It says, “I will not be defeated. I will get this task done.”
It is here that you press on, that you make a decision not to
quit. It is because you have decided that what you are trying
to achieve is important, and worthy for you to complete.
You have felt in your heart that the outcome will be very good,
or even great. All dreams require determination to make a
reality. Anyone who accomplished something in this life had
great determination to do so.

You can accomplish your dreams with determination.
You can accomplish anything that you want.
Be determined in an outcome and slowly but surely, or even
quite rapidly you will see your dreams coming closer and
finally become a reality. That is the greatest feeling
in the world: when you have achieved something that you
have set out to accomplish. No one can take that feeling,
or the work that it took to accomplish it, away from you.

Yoga Kat–aka Katheryn Hoban is a yoga teacher with twelve years experience. She teaches children’s yoga ages 3-6, and 7-12 and Adults privately in NJ. She is the author the book DAUGHTER BELOVED which will come out next year. She has created a children’s affirmation CD (ages 3-6) and an affirmation CD for adults. Yoga Kat is available for speaking or writing and can be reached at katscoolcorner@yahoo.com or 201 970-9340

Even though the holiday season is still a little ways off, retailers are already reporting that shortages of Apple’s uber popular iPod mp3 player are very likely. As has been a problem with iPod’s, especially with the popular iPod Nano being released and the video enabled iPod hitting shelves, is that there simply aren’t enough of them. Apple can’t make them fast enough to meet the ridiculously high demand.

As Businessweek reports, “”All iPods are in very tight supply, and Apple isn’t filling 100% of its orders from us by any means,” says Charlie Tebele, president of Manhattan-based RCS Experience. And Crutchfield’s Anderson says Apple typically ships less than 30% of what the retailer requests each week. The Charlottesville (Va.)-based company put in an order for $3 million worth of iPod nanos after the product was released, and the order still hasn’t been nearly filled. It currently has $4 million of all iPod models on order.”

The question of where there will be shortages isn’t really a question at all, predict most analysts. Shortages are practically guaranteed. The only question at this point is how bad the shortages will be. No one knows how many stores will sell out and have barren shelves when shoppers walk in looking for an iPod to buy as a gift for the holidays. Needless to say, it would be well advised to head out and buy that gift as soon as possible rather than wait until the holiday rush.

There are many methods of increasing sales and brand awareness online, both expensive and inexpensive. If you are not visible on the web you are potentially losing out on additional sales channels.

Do you understand your target audience?

One of the most effective and increasingly popular ways of directing sales to your company is by ensuring your company appears at, or near, the top of the search engine listings. Despite many claims, by many on the Internet, this is not easy and takes a lot of effort.

But is it enough?

Perhaps you are not targeting the right audience.

Search-Marketing campaigns catch people at the exact time they are looking to buy.
Advertising on TV, radio or print does not have that power.

Day Parting

One such service is called day-parting. This technology allows you to only place your business at the top of the search listings during selected key times of the day, for instance lunchtime and between five and nine o’clock.

This is a particularly useful tool for businesses with limited budgets as it reduces the amount of click-throughs that you have to pay for at times when people are unlikely to be looking or want to buy your products.

Have you chosen the right Keywords?

Choosing specific key words is a simple method to attract targeted potential buyers to your website.

The key words must be chosen carefully though, and you must really understand your audience and how they might be searching for your products and services.

If a potential customer types a selected key word into a search engine (e.g. car insurance) it will display your company’s listing amongst the results. Given that you are showing your company’s products to users at the time when they are looking for similar products to yours, this means there is higher likelihood that they will interact with your site and potentially lead to a sale.

If you are listed on any other page than the first, the chances are very slim that the customer will even look at your website’s name, let alone purchase from it.

But is your website converting the customers?

You have managed to attract potential buyers to your site, now what?

Your website must be attractive, provide easy to navigate, good content, and a good copy written sales page to convert the viewer to buy. Take time to assess your site.

Are you tracking your results?

Quantitative, accountable results can be obtained from the web through a variety of sources. One such source is via pay-per-click (PPC) marketing for any business selling any product. Using PPC, businesses can track the whole marketing process from the point when a customer clicks through to your website right up to the point of sale.

With offline advertising you seldom know where the sale was generated, which can lead to wasting budget.

For any e-commerce site, a PPC marketing campaign is now essential if a website is to be found easily. However there must be sufficient support in the back-office to be able to run this type of business efficiently.

This is particularly apparent if you want customer feedback of any kind. You must have the facilities to deal with any customer interaction and to be able to respond as quickly as possible or you are likely to create a negative rather than a positive impact.

Whichever method you chose, whether it is a telephone call or an email, your customers must be reassured that their query or response hasn’t fallen into the abyss.

Take the time to refine and save money

There are many other methods of benefiting from the web and businesses need to refine their online activity and cut costs where possible to increase return on investment.

For instance, to save customers’ time, companies that have a product catalogue can simply place all the information and stock availability on their website for customers to browse.

This increases your potential customer base and means you can easily update the catalogue with any new products, saving money on printed material and avoiding any out-of-date information that could reflect badly on the company.

Conclusion

It is imperative to take your time to decide on what is most appropriate for your particular needs; what suits a global organization, may not be appropriate for the small business.

Consider all the options that are available and refine your choices wisely.

The obvious conclusion is – profit from the web through concentrating on your online visibility now, no matter how large or small your company might be.

Businesses that ignore the benefits of online marketing will be less likely to survive into the next decade of the 21st century.

Although the web is continually developing, one thing is clear it is the fastest-growing marketing channel today due to the power of its results and the sheer volume of people spending time online.

Bill Ritchie helps with developing home based businesses and startups, providing business ideas, tips on Internet marketing, plus writing occasional articles.

He also runs a useful, informative website called,
http://www.thehomebusinessprofessor.com

You’re welcome to reprint this article online, as long as it remains complete and unaltered, including the “About the Author” info at the end.

Have you been losing faux finishing jobs to other
contractors because you don’t have a website of your sample
faux finishes yet? Did you know that having samples of your
finishes online could actually save you up to 10 hours a
week that you could be spending on other tasks?

By setting up a presence on the Internet, your potential
customers could look through all your samples at their own
leisure before they pick up the phone to meet with you.
They would know, for instance, before they call that you are
the faux finisher they want for that special “Old World
Stone” finish.

In addition, your customers would be able to read
testimonials from past clients to discover how talented you
are. They would also be able to read about your skills and
training to get to know you as a professional artist. You
could, in essence, pre-sell your client before you ever meet
them!

Your website should reflect the mood, style and design
you’ve used in all your marketing pieces. So make sure
before you begin that you chart out exactly how you’d like
it to look and the information you want to include.

Depending upon your website skills, you can either setup
your website yourself or hire a website designer to do it
for you. If you have the expertise you can use website
development software such as FrontPage or Dreamweaver to
create your site. There are also templates available
through sites such as www.godaddy.com and www.bigstep.com
that offer quick and easy methods of setting up a website.

Shop around online for a website designer if you’re looking
for someone to design an especially creative website for
you. Just be sure to look at other sites the designer has
created to make certain that they’re the perfect person to
design your site.

If you’re on a tight budget, another option is to use an
online photo site such as www.picturetrail.com to create a
unique portfolio of your photos. This site only costs
$19.95 per year to use and is very easy to use; simply
upload your photos, select an album and you’re pretty much
ready to go.

Whichever method you decide to use, make sure you include
your web address on all your advertising pieces. Therefore
every display ad, sales letter and business card should show
your domain name so that people can check out your work.

You could also send out a press release to your local paper announcing something new about your business and mention the website along with your phone number in the resource section
at the end. This would generate a lot of hits to your site.

I don’t recommend you waste money promoting your business online using pay per clicks, online classifieds or other such advertising as you don’t want to promote your business globally. Your advertising money would be better spent
getting listed in local business directories or chamber of
commerce listings, both online and offline. However, it
wouldn’t hurt to submit your URL to the free search engines
such as Google and Yahoo.

As you can see, setting up a website for your faux finish business doesn’t have to be a complicated endeavor and
there’s an online solution for every budget.

Sylvia Jaumann has developed an A to Z guide to
starting a decorative wall painting business called
“How to Start Your Own Decorative Wall Painting Business” –
Proven tips, tricks and techniques from an expert
Click here now => http://www.startwallpainting.com