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15 Easy Steps to Starting Your Small Business by Eve

Yeah, sure it's easy, and of course, that title is a little tongue in cheek. It takes a lot of hard work to get a business off the ground. But, it's worth every hour I've spent getting to where I am now.
When I decided to start my communication and image consulting business, I tried hard to find a good startup guide. I couldn't find any that had all the steps. So, I decided to write one. So far, it's mostly just the bare-bones outline (which is long enough as it is) you see in this article.
I'll be adding to it every week or two, and writing more detailed articles on all the steps, so try to stop by and check it out from time to time. Let me know how I'm doing. Shoot off an email to me if I've forgotten something or you have questions.

Before you spend so much as a dollar, talk to a few experts. Go to the library or get on the internet and research, research, research. Take a little time to make sure entrepreneurship is right for you.

Make a pro and con list of business ownership, and evaluate yourself honestly. How many characteristics do you have in common with successful entrepreneurs? Is your financial position strong enough? Do you have the necessary technical and management skills?

You’re not going to be the perfect entrepreneur. Nobody is. But in order to make yourself the best entrepreneur you can be, consider ways to compensate for any weaknesses you might have.

I’m from Canada, so the government agencies I’ve mentioned in this guide are Canadian, but really, it can be used by anyone. All you have to do, if you’re from somewhere other than Canada, is find out where you need to find some of the things I’ll talk about. Some of the steps might be slightly different, and you may not have to worry about things like GST for example, but I’m sure you’ll find this discussion helpful all the same.

These steps to starting a business are in reasonably good order, but you might find yourself varying from it under your particular circumstances. That really isn’t a big deal, as long as you get most of it done. There are some steps you’ll be able to skip as well, but please don’t skip any of the “big ones”, which I’m sure you’ll pretty much figure out from taking a look at the list.


So, assuming you’ve done your evaluation and you still want to start a business, take a deep breath, and let's get started.

1. Conduct a feasibility study of your business. Describe your typical customer, your product and your competitors. Who will your suppliers be? What will you charge for your product? How will you market your product? These are just a few of the questions you need to answer.

2. Write a complete business plan for your company, using the information you gathered from your feasibility study. This vitally important, often overlooked step needs to include a description of your company, its goals, competitors, market, financial information, and of course, how you intend to meet your goals.

3. Get your financing in place. There are many ways to finance your business, from your own savings to personal credit cards to bank loans. If you need credit, know your business plan from front to back and maybe even sideways.

4. Decide what kind of structure your company will have. From a legal standpoint, there are three basic choices, sole proprietorship, partnership and incorporation, each with advantages and disadvantages.

5. Choose a name for your company and check on name availability. Naming your company is highly individual, but it’s the first thing associated with your business, so choose your name carefully. You’ll need to do a NUANS (Newly Upgraded Automated Name Search) report, which checks your name choices for uniqueness against a database of other business names. A reserved name is valid for 90 days.

6. Decide whether you want to register federally or provincially and register your company. If you register federally, you’ll also have to register provincially, which almost doubles the cost. You don’t have to have a lawyer process them for you, but it might be a good idea to at least consult with one. You can get the forms from your local government office, have them faxed to you or download them. You can fax or email printed copies, or complete the forms online

7. Contact Canada Revenue Agency Business Window for your business number, and to register for GST/HST, payroll, corporate income tax and import/export (if applicable). You can also contact the CRA if you need general information about business expenses. Chances are you’ll have to collect GST, but you may want to register for a GST number even if you don’t have to collect it because of input tax credits.

8. Decide whether you need to collect PST. If you do, you need to submit “Registration as a Vendor” documents with your province.

9. Determine whether there are special permits or licenses in your municipality. It’s highly unlikely that your municipality does not have special permits or licenses.

10. Develop the marketing materials you decided on in your business plan. They should include at least a company identity package, press kit and website. Your identity package is your logo, business card and letterhead. A press kit can include letters of introduction, biography sheets, press releases, articles and a brochure. In today’s electronic age, printed materials aren’t enough. You need a website that looks professional, matches your printed material and has great copy. You’ll also want to make sure it’s optimized for search engines.

11. Set up your business bank account and record-keeping system. Your banker will need to see your incorporation documents, and you should probably set up more than one account so you can keep track of your finances better. Record-keeping is required, and can be done manually or with a computer program.

12. Purchase insurance. There are many different types of insurance, but most probably your company will need at least one. For example, if you’re going to have employees, you need to contact the Worker’s Compensation Board. Depending on your type of business, you might want to contact them even if you don’t have employees to insure yourself.

13. Contact potential creditors and set up credit terms. You should have researched suppliers when you were doing your feasibility study. Now is the time to contact them.

14. Decide where your business will be located. Lease your business’ space. Alternatively, you could choose to start your business from home if it’s feasible. There are advantages and disadvantages to starting your business from home. You have tax write-offs for example, but sometimes your image suffers.

15. Purchase supplies and office equipment. You’ll need too many things to list here, and of course, each business has different needs. You might need a fax machine and printer. You’ll probably need a computer. You’ll definitely need paper, pens, pencils and a calculator.

Congratulations! Go out, buy yourself a bottle of champagne and celebrate. You're about to embark on a most exciting journey. And may I be the first to wish you good luck and prosperous times in your business venture.
As promised, here’s my email address so you can ask questions, make comments or add steps to my list. Or, if you want, you could just drop me a line to let me know how your small business is doing. I’d really like to know.
Copyright? 2006 Eve Jackson

Eve Jackson owns and operates Details Small Business Solutions. Details SBS is dedicated to helping small business do big business with communication and image consulting. We design company identity packages, websites and press kits, including all the copy. www.DetailsSBS.com info@DetailsSBS.com

Article Source: 15 Easy Steps to Starting Your Small Business

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What Is The Best Location In Whistler? by HenrySchlee

When you rent a vacation home in a resort you don’t know, it is very important to find out as much as possible about the pros and cons of different locations within the resort. Take Whistler, BC, as an example. Whistler is one of the top ski resorts in the world, repeatedly voted #1 in North America. Some of the rental homes in it are spectacular, extremely convenient and desirable in every way. Others are less so. Before you book, educate yourself about the features of each possible location.VillageMany people want to be right in the Village in Whistler. This is understandable, since the Village is the center of shopping and restaurants, and the gondolas up both mountains leave from the top of the Village. It is also an attractive location, since it is car-free and nicely-designed., with colorful low-rise buildings and an array of cafes and shops. The downside is that the Village is predominantly one and two-bedroom apartments, built fairly cheaply and generally small. They are very convenient, but with a few exceptions they are not spacious or luxurious and will not give you the feeling of being in a mountain cabin or a ski lodge. The same applies to most of the developments in Village North: convenient, but very small and generally built to a low budget. The major exception is Montebello, which are 3 and 4-bedroom townhomes built and decorated to a high standard, all with large private hot tubs and many with nice views over the mountains. Try Montebello for a quality modern home within a few minutes walk of the Village. However, don’t expect log construction and a mountain cabin feeling.Upper VillageThe Upper Village is an area on the lower slopes of Blackcomb Mountain on the upper side of Blackcomb Way. Some of these properties are true ski-in, ski-out (look for the Aspens, Cedar Creek, Cedar Hollow, Cedar Ridge, Pinnacle Ridge, Woodrun Lodge and Snowy Creek; others involve a short or short-ish walk to the slopes. At the north end of the Upper Village are several developments where you can ski back but have to take the shuttle bus to get to the lifts in the morning. These include The Woods, Treeline and Forest Creek. If you want true ski-in, ski-out make sure you understand exactly how far it is to the slopes. If you want to be near the Village as well as having true ski-in, ski-out then Snowy Creek is almost your only option, but its popularity means that you will pay a hefty premium for one of the 3-5 bedroom townhomes in this sought-after development.Blueberry HillThis is an area of many very exclusive multi-$m homes half-way between the Village and Creekside. Most of the homes have great views over both Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. You can get good value here if you don’t mind driving to both the Village and the lifts. TaluswoodThis is an area on the lower slopes of Whistler Mountain, consisting of several different sub-developments, namely Taluswood Phase 1, The Ridge, The Bluffs, The Heights and The Lookout. These are all high-quality properties, with some of the best being the original Taluswood Phase 1, where the homes have peeled log interiors, custom-built doors and everything is comfortingly heavy-duty. Go for the Bluffs for the best views and the Ridge if you want to be right on the slopes. Try the Heights and the Lookout for larger homes, some of which have great views. The only drawback here is that the ski-out now involves taking your skis off to cross the road.Whistler CreeksideAlthough the commercial area near the gondola is brand new, this is largely an older area for vacation properties, with a lot of cheap and fairly run-down units (avoid Gondola Village at all costs). However, there are some very upscale homes amid the dross, and some of the older properties have been nicely renovated. Caution is the watchword here. The bottom line, if you don’t know the resort well, is to take advice from an expert. Try Holiday Whistler where you will get not only a great choice of Whistler accommodation, but also an unvarnished and knowledgeable perspective on the advantages and disadvantages of each location.

Henry Schlee is a regular skier in Whistler and always consults the experts at Holiday Whistler for advice on great Whistler rental accommodation.

Article Source: What Is The Best Location In Whistler?

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Stuttering Stories by blueboy

Having a stutter can have a dramatic effect on somebodys confidence.

I have met many people who stutter, I myself had a stutter for eighteen years and I now run stutter courses to help people to achieve fluency.

One of my clients once told me about a situation he was involved in. He and his friends went to a bar one Saturday afternoon to have a few drinks. After a couple of pints he went up to the bar to order himself a drink. Unfortunately he found it hard to order the drink and started to stutter. The bar man accused him of being drunk and refused to serve him. He tried to explain that he was not drunk but had a stutter but the bar man said 'That's what they all say'

He returned to his friends who asked him where his drink was. He told them what had happened, this itself was very embarressing.

His friends were very good and one of them told him that he would go to the bar in ten minutes and buy him a drink. He duly did this however the barman later saw the person who has a stutter drinking the drink and kicked the whole group out of the bar.

This is a typical situation people who have a stutter find themselves in.

Another client was stopped by the police in his car. The police asked him some questions. He was very nervous and started to stutter. The police presumed he had been drinking and tested his breath for alcohol.

Stephen Hill runs a speech centre in Birmingham, England. He has a number of websites including: stuttering information stammering treatment stuttering therapy

Article Source: Stuttering Stories

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Ideas for Simple Kitchen Makeovers by Savi Decoursey

Spring has finally sprung, and many of us are eager to get our home renovations underway. With so many project options available to the average homeowner, it is often difficult to determine the most cost effective home improvements. This is especially difficult for people that are trying to ready their homes for sale.

One of the simplest and most cost-effective home improvement projects is the kitchen makeover. American families spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and those shopping for a new home place a lot of emphasis on kitchen design. If you are keen on updating your kitchen, whether for your family or for a potential buyer, the following tips can help immensely.

There is no need to replace your kitchen cabinets, if they are constructed from real wood. Most people love the idea of natural wood cabinets so instead of replacing them, why not consider updating them? Changing the hardware is a simple way to give your kitchen cabinets an updated look. There are countless styles and designs available, and most of them can be had at extremely fair prices.

Adding a fresh coat of paint can do wonders for the appearance of your cabinets. It is simple enough to remove the cabinet doors and repaint them. Be sure to clean them properly beforehand. A light sanding will also help ensure that the new paint adheres properly. There are so many colors of paint to choose from. Consider using one of the antique finishes that have become so popular in recent times.

A quality countertop is another viable option for upgrading the appearance of your kitchen. A marble or granite countertop may seem like an expensive upgrade, but if you are selling your home this simple upgrade could close the deal for you. If you are not in a position to consider marble or granite, ceramic tile is the next best choice. The wonderful thing about using tile for a countertop is the freedom that you have with the design. Mosaic tiles have never been so popular, so don't forget to let your artistic side run wild.

Savi Decoursey is an interior designer in Toronto, Canada. When she is not consulting with her clients, she is a writer for kitchencabinetsanddesignsonline.com – an incredible online resource for information about kitchen cabinet hardware, flooring, appliances and more.

Article Source: Ideas for Simple Kitchen Makeovers

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YESTERDAY YOU ATE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE KILLING YOU by Christopher Guerriero

YESTERDAY YOU ATE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE KILLING YOU

CHRISTOPHER GUERRIERO

YES MY FRIENDS, YESTERDAY YOU ATE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE KILLING YOU. WORSE YET, YOU’RE FEEDING IT TO YOUR FAMILY. YOU SEE PEOPLE EVERY DAY EATING MORE AND MORE OF IT. IT’S KILLING OUR NATION AND MAKING YOU FAT IN THE PROCESS - STOP EATING IT TODAY, AND START LOOKING AND FEELING BETTER WITHIN 24 HOURS!

For the first time ever, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) dietary guidelines has identified sugar as a part of our diet we should limit, prompted by an overwhelmingly amount of evidence that proves high-sugar foods, such as cookies and soft drinks, not only lead to weight gain, but they often replace the foods that really need to be eaten each day to survive and thrive.
If you eat a healthy diet and meet your nutritional needs on most days, you can still enjoy guilty pleasures like a sweet dessert or an occasional sugary soda. But, keep in mind, that no matter what form of sugar you eat - from Gummi Bears to Wheaties - carbohydrates (sugars) contain 4 calories per gram, they break down to simple sugars during digestion (except for fiber which is indigestible) and are either used for immediate energy, or stored as fat!

While you need sugars in your body to keep it running, you should pick sugars that come in the form of nutrient-rich starches like whole grains. You should also eat plenty of vegetables - which do contain sugars, but do contain an abundance of valuable vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting chemicals.
The kind of sugar that you should stay away from is added sugar (the sweeteners that are dumped into foods by manufacturers). Added sugar is causing increasing concern because consumption of this diet-buster has risen more than 30 percent in the last two decades, with Americans now gobbling up a whopping 64 pounds of this fattening substance each year!

According to the USDA, 20 percent or more of the daily calories for nearly one-quarter of adult women come from sugar, making it the culprit of weight- gain and diet disasters nationwide, not to mention that fact that it’s part of the cause of diseases like breast cancer.
With this in mind, let’s look at some ways we can shave calories from sneaky sugar sources. These include:

• Eliminate all soft drinks and fruit-flavored beverages, which are considered one of the biggest sources of added sugar in the diet. Instead, regularly opt for water, seltzer flavored with lemon or lime, flavored waters, etc.
• Check food labels of packaged food with claims of “low fat” or “fat free,” as they have as much, and oftentimes even more sugar, than the full-fat version. Additional sugar is often used to replace the taste of fat, so when fat is decreased or eliminated, sugar is often substituted. Learn to spot this on food packages, and to avoid the contents!
• Avoid all white flours, substituting whole grains that pack nutritional value. This means staying away from white pastas, breads, biscuits, cakes, cookies, etc.
• Learn to spot sugar’s aliases. If dextrose, fructose, maltose, or malt syrup. If sucrose or corn syrup appears first or second in the ingredient list, the food is very high in sugar.
• When eating out, order fresh fruit for dessert rather than that cake your friends are eating.
• Pass up sweetened yogurts (they can contain as much as 7 teaspoons of added sugar). Instead, choose a no-sugar variety.
• Buy breakfast cereals with no more than 8 grams of sugar per serving.
Pair these practices with drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day, eating 3 small meals and 2 snacks each day, eating a diet high in vegetables, medium in protein and with the right fats added to that … then you’re on your way to a new you!

And, don’t forget to be active every day.

These are all key to enhancing your metabolism, changing your lifestyle, and your improving body. And, perhaps more importantly, a healthy, balanced
diet with daily exercise will help keep you feeling good, will help you live longer, and will turn back your body’s aging clock!


Christopher Guerriero, is the founder of the National Metabolic & Longevity Research Center and a best-selling author, speaker, and coach to millions. He is creator of the award-winning ‘Maximize Your Metabolism’ system. To learn more about this step-by-step program, and to sign up for FR*EE how-to articles and FREE teleseminars, visit:
www.MaximizeYourMetabolism.com

Christopher Guerriero, is the founder of the National Metabolic & Longevity Research Center and a best-selling author, speaker, and coach to millions. He is creator of the award-winning ‘Maximize Your Metabolism’ system. To learn more about this step-by-step program, and to sign up for FREE how-to articles and FREE teleseminars, visit: www.MaximizeYourMetabolism.com.

Article Source: YESTERDAY YOU ATE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE KILLING YOU

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