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009.08.10 Clarify Your Business Presentations with an Editable Map

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When you need to put together a professional business presentation that shows illustrations or locations, an editable map can help you pinpoint and clarify your message. Whether you’re giving an oral presentation with visual aids or a written presentation, you can customize editable maps to meet your needs.

What is an Editable Map?

An editable map is one that can be edited to meet the demands of your presentation with colors, text, lines, and so forth. These maps can be purchased online and downloaded into a variety of formats. Editable maps are available for different locations around the world. You can buy, download and edit any type of map you need – country map, world map, US map, state map, county map, continent map, illustrator map, or digital map.

Formats for Editable Maps

Editable maps come in a variety of formats including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, and freehand. Vector maps are available in layered, fully editable vector format. These can be edited in Adobe Illustrator or with another vector editing tool. There are also PowerPoint maps, Flash maps (for Web applications), and HTML clickable maps (for interactive online presentations).

PowerPoint maps dazzle everyone when giving marketing and sales presentations. They’re also perfect for territory assignments, store locators, and many other applications. Flash maps are great for website presentations or multimedia projects. Clickable HTML maps work well for online store locators and directories. With clickable maps, visitors to your website can quickly click a section within your map to find out where your company’s stores, warehouses, plants, or offices are located.

Pinpoint Locations around the World in Your Presentations

With such a variety of editable maps available, you can easily pinpoint a location anywhere in the world. There are maps for the continents, countries, regions or states, and cities. You can generalize or be very specific in your presentation with minimal effort. For instance, you might need to generalize all states or regions on a whole USA map or you might need to focus on only one state within the USA using a state map.

Give Professional Presentations

Editable maps not only make it easier to pinpoint locations, but also add a sense of professionalism to your presentations. The phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” holds true with almost any presentation. Your live audience or readers will better relate to your words when they’re able to view an illustrative map. The editable map enables you to turn your words into an illustration with just the click of a mouse – no artistic skills required. A side benefit is that a visual aid can also take the edge off when you’re nervous about speaking in front of people.

You can find a variety of editable maps online at affordable prices. Editable maps usually range from 20 to 100 and can be purchased from your own home or office computer. They can also be used to enhance company brochures, newsletters, magazines, bulletins, and a number of other written applications. With editable maps, you can transform your next ordinary presentation into a dynamic one!



008.25.10 Choosing Quality Office Accessories

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Selecting quality office furniture and accessories such as lighting, desks, chairs and floor mats, requires more than just a passing thought. Whether it involves home offices or Fortune 500 companies, careful consideration in furnishing and accessorizing your office could make a difference in health and comfort of the body as well as simple wear and tear of office flooring.

The Importance of Lighting
Lighting has a profound influence on a persons performance in the office. With accurate lighting, it could reduce double vision, headaches and fatigue caused by reflectivity of bright objects such as printed paperwork or computer monitors in excess lighting. The human eye can adjust to a variety of lighting levels, but only a single light level at a time. When someone stares at a dim computer monitor in a brightly lit room, the eyes are confused about which to adapt to, light or dimness.

Common lighting preferred in offices is most times track lighting or ceiling lights. If installing track lighting, it is suggested to avoid high-voltage halogen. This type of lighting has been found excessively rigorous for prolonged exposure. Desk lamps are a variable form of subsidiary lighting. An office desk lamp can add a charismatic design, as well as a glare-free atmosphere that will help prevent eyestrain and fatigue.

Choosing the Right Desk
Space is always a concern when it comes to choosing the right desk. If your desk has restricted space, you may have a need for a desk designed for more than a single purpose. Your office tasks may require space for a printer, fax, phone, shelves, drawers or files. With the absence of needed space, desktops become cluttered and finding things can become a difficult undertaking.

Purchasing the best desk for an office is an important investment that could last a businesss lifetime. Time and consideration are key in choosing a desk. There are an ostensibly endless assortment of desks in sizes and shape. Desks are normally produced in mass quantities and may necessitate some self-assembly. Checking into a local crafts business that could build desks to order may be something to look into.

A Comfortable Chair Can Alleviate Back Pain and Poor Circulation
Back support and leg circulation are critical to good posture and wellness while working. Sitting at a desk for lengthy periods can be extremely challenging since it applies excessive pressure to the lower back and upper thighs which causes leg discomfort or back pain. Keeping the backbone in a neutral position is essential in maintaining good posture and alleviating the annoyance of back pain and poor blood circulation.

A persons desk chair should accommodate them. If another individual is using the chair, it is important for the chair to have sufficient adjustability to suit each user. When searching for a desk chair, look for a waterfall edge located at the front of the chairs seat pan. This design helps to prevent deficient circulation in the legs while sitting. Try to find a chair with a tilt lever which enables you to recline and switch positions easily. This will help relieve pressure placed on the back of your thighs. A protruding back rest on your chair will help support the lumbar while in an upright position.

Minimizing Maintenance Costs on Flooring
When it comes to protecting office floors, depending on the type of flooring, maintenance can involve waxing, stripping, buffing or replacement. When an individual is working at their desk, they may not always be confined to one area. Their work may include rolling from their desk to a file cabinet, telephone, wastebasket or another desk. No matter which type of flooring is used in an office, wear and tear becomes apparent. Carpet fibers are pulled up, linoleum is punctured, and hardwood or tile floors are damaged. Most flooring types are not designed for the tremendous amount of pressure generated by rolling office chairs. They may also not be appropriate for wheel chair accessibility. Utilizing chair mats could limit the safety issues involved where an area is not properly floored for wheel chairs and at the same time, minimize the maintenance needed to any floor.

Selecting a needed chair mat for any workstation starts by determining what type of flooring the mat will be covering. Chair mats used over carpeting should be more unbending and impenetrable than those placed on harder surfaces. Chair mats for tile, linoleum or hard wood surfaces should be textured. This will prevent the mat from sliding on slick floors. They should also have beveled edges to enable easy rolling between surfaces. Once we know the floor type, the desired shape and size is chosen. For example: How much floor space is used while working at your desk and its surrounding areas? Chair mats should cover more than the immediate area in front of a desk. Otherwise the areas not protected from chair casters may require maintenance that could have been avoided.

Purchasing office furniture and accessories are not quite as unambiguous as you might have thought. There are numerous factors involved in choosing accurate lighting, a comfortable chair, a spacious desk and appropriate chair mats. Anticipated by the measure of time spent working in the office each day, ignoring these factors could result in strained eyes, bad posture, desk clutter and avoidable damage and maintenance. The main idea is to optimize your productivity without contributing to physical tension. Keep that in mind the next time you accessorize your office space.



008.04.10 Choosing a Mind-jarring Name for Your Business

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Choosing a Mind-jarring Name for Your Business…

One of the most important things your new business needs is a name. Your business’ name will often be the very first thing your customers see, and the very first impression you make on any potential customers.

Endeavor to select a name that says something about you and your business that people in your target market will remember easily. If the name conjures up an easily recalled mental image, so much the better! This can be especially true on the World Wide Web where competition is fierce, and you really can’t bank on anyone bookmarking your site or adding it to her or his favorite’s list.

In the everyday brick and mortar world, a good basic idea is to simply use your last name followed by what you do. For example, Smith’s Lawnmower Sales and Repair or Jones’ Heating and Air are suitable. They are also easy to remember. You might also consider expanding the name by adding the town where your business is located. For example, you could use Smith’s St. Louis Lawnmower Sales and Repair.

Another avenue of thought might be to leave out your personal name entirely, and simply become Tulsa Heating and Air. This makes you sound like the first choice locally, and will make it easy for you to target your potential local customers. However, if you’re in a business with lots of competition, be sure to check with the proper authorities in your city, county or state to make sure the name is not already registered to someone else’s business.

If you are planning an internet business, or preparing to put an existing business online, you should consider placing the actual name of your product or service in the URL (web address) even if that is different from your usual business name. For example, if you are selling cookies, you would want your URL to be something like www.cookies.com. If that name is already in use, consider www.fabulouscookies.com or anything else appropriate for your product. This is extremely important because many internet search engines will assign added value or weight when ranking your web site for anyone looking for your particular product or service!

If you are going to be a business-to-business service provider or vendor, you might want to consider a more corporate sounding name. Think of a word to describe your business, and then add the word “Consulting.” I know, people are tired of consultants, but it will nevertheless work better with business-to-business customers and vendors.

If you’re pursuing an even trendier market, you might consider choosing a less formal name. For example, you might want to name your business after an animal, and incorporate that animal into your logo. If you don’t have a large marketing budget, a logo is an excellent way to get started branding your business. Be sure to have your logo professionally designed. It’s going to become your public face! Branding can be incredibly important for your future success. For example, look at Government Employees Insurance Company – GEICO. GEICO utilizes that cute sounding gecko for virtually all its commercials now. What do you remember when you think of car insurance? Well, you might also think of Allstate. Are you in good hands? Yes, a catchy, attention-grabbing phrase is also an excellent way to identify your business to the public!

You can also employ a very short name or acronym. Take two or three words that describe your business, and shorten them to create one new word or acronym. So you end up with IHOP (International House of Pancakes) or IBM (International Business Machines) or P&G (Procter & Gamble)… This is a terrific way to express what your business does without anyone having a hard time remembering your business’ name. Even better, it makes for a great, easy to remember, and easy to type URL (web address).

Inevitably, for some businesses finding a good fit will be nearly impossible. In that event, you’ll just have to play with combinations of words until you come up with a name that sounds right and fits your business. If you do it well enough, it will be completely unique to your business. In fact, that’s not such a bad idea!

Another thing you might try is going to one or two of the web sites which show you the current key word phrases that are being searched for in your product line or field. You could also google some appropriate key words, and check the results pages for ideas.

Caveat – whatever name you select, invent, or decide on should be 1) easy to remember 2) easy to pronounce, 3) easy to type and 3) easy to spell. Also, as mentioned earlier, insure that no one else has a prior claim on your new name. Do that before you do any advertising or logo design work. You certainly don’t want to design and build a web site around someone else’s name!

It is a good idea to bounce your planned name off a few other people to make sure it really is suitable. One good way to do this is to post a note in appropriate internet newsgroups, or in a business oriented online forum.

Finally, after you have made a choice, sleep on it for a few days to make absolutely sure it is the right choice. Sometimes a couple days make a big difference in your thinking and in your perception.

This article was prepared by Walter Boyd, CEO of http:ComputerExpertiseLtd.biz, an incorporated online home business serving internet entrepreneurs since July 1995. Anyone may copy and reprint this article as long as this resource box is included, and no changes are made to the content.



007.28.10 Choosing a Metal Manufacturing Facility

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Manufacturing technology continues to change, allowing factories to produce more goods at faster and cheaper rates. It is therefore very important to be able to stay up-to-date with the latest technology in order to keep up with the competition. When a manufacturing facility is constructed with metal, reconfiguring the floor-plan may be done easily thanks to the column-free interior that has no load-bearing walls or columns. A well-planned manufacturing floor leads to more efficient productivity, and likely, more profits. Another savings of time and money comes from the extraordinary construction design. Metal buildings may be pre-welded, pre-drilled, and pre-punched at the factory before being transported to the construction site, allowing for rapid, systematic assembly. Again, the sooner a manufacturing facility is up and running, the sooner it can begin earning profits. The bottom line is that metal offers the most cost-effective solution to designing and building a new manufacturing facility. Consider the cost-saving reasons to build with metal.

Manufacturing companies want a quality building, but at an affordable price. A metal building system offers significant savings in construction costs (even up to half the costs) allowing the money saved to be invested elsewhere. Money is also saved in the form of lower insurance costs. Some insurance providers offer building owners special discounts for buildings that are framed with metal because the material is inflammable and highly durable against severe, potentially damaging weather. Fires that burn wood-framed buildings are difficult to extinguish; yet, a fire inside a metal-framed building may be contained in just one room. As a result, employees and equipment are better protected in a metal building. Take no chances with a cheap wooden-framed structure. These tough buildings are designed to last! Make sure your business investment is safe by choosing metal in the framing of your new manufacturing facility.

The majority of companies anticipate having their new manufacturing facility in use for many years to come. No one wants to have to build a new factory every few years. If you want your building to last, it will be necessary to use a high-quality building system. A metal building system will require less costly maintenance and last longer as it is unaffected by water, mold, mildew, termites. When you frame with metal, the connections are air-tight and therefore produce a building that is climate-controlledsaving you hundreds in heating and cooling costs, as well as protecting sensitive equipment from the danger of heat, cold, moisture or humidity.

Metal buildings may be designed in other ways so as to accommodate your manufacturing needs. For example, a metal building can offer the choice of a wide-range of door sizes for your loading dock, such as bi-fold, bi-parting, and stacking are available. Just because it is a manufacturing facility does not mean it has to have an industrial look. Rather, the exterior is easily enhanced with decorative brick, wood, stucco, glass, or aggregate panels to fit the look of your company. Therefore, it will not have to look like an ugly metal box that is an eyesore for the surrounding buildings; but instead is an attractive building sure to be a recognized and welcome landmark for many years to come.

When building a new manufacturing facility, you will want it to have as much quality as the products you manufacture. That standard of quality can be guaranteed when you build your new factory with metal. All the aforementioned reasons make the investment in a metal building worth every penny. Your business is too important to compromise on a cheap warehouse that falls apart in only a few years. Having a manufacturing facility with little to no maintenance problems can give you peace of mind that production will not be interrupted. Choose the best that will last and you will not regret the decision.



007.21.10 Choosing A Business Gift

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The business gift that you choose says a lot about you. It provides for your partners a look into the appreciation that you actually have for them. While you may not think much about it, thinking that a gift is a gift, they do. So, choosing the right business gift is quite important. The question is, how can you do this?

To choose the business gift that will work, follow these guidelines:

Purchase based on value and meaning rather than price. If you should shop with a 200 pound fruit basket, they wont appreciate it as much as 50 tickets to their favorite basketball teams next game.

Purchase a gift that you know they will love. Find out something about them. Do they love the opera? Perhaps you noticed that they love a certain restaurant. Find out just what it is that they enjoy. Taking this small bit of time will ensure that your business gift is well valued.

Don’t make a big deal about it. Don’t present your gift in front of an office full of people to outdo others. If you think that the boss doesn’t notice you showing off, he does. Not to mention that this can cause competition and then you’ll be spending a whole lot more. Just be polite about presenting your business gift.

Include a personal message. Thank them, tell them you appreciate them. Provide them with a thought of friendship or pride that you may think means something to them. No, don’t try to win them over here. Be honest about it.

If you are purchasing a business gift for a client, make sure to include that note of personal thanks. Don’t just have the secretary stick your card in the envelope. Take a few minutes of your time and make sure that whoever you are sending your business gift to, will really appreciate your thoughtfulness.



007.14.10 China Business Travel 101

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Ever wondered if you could deal directly with manufacturers… in China?! It’s easier than you think.

First Impressions
I visited China in Autumn 2005 with a group of business associates and must admit that I was amazed, both by the warm reception we received wherever we went, and at the factories we toured. Having never been there before, and having only news accounts of “difficulties” between China and the U.S. to fuel my imagination, I assumed things would be overly formal and official at best at worst, cold and we would be “watched” constantly. I was so wrong on both counts. We were treated as welcome visitors and had only to ask the hotel staff for something to have it almost magically produced.

Lost in Translation
Outside of the hotels and manufacturing facilities, doing business in the streets and in small shops was, at most times, terribly difficult. We had arranged our factory visits and business meetings with our contacts in China, and there were no problems on that side when it came to language. But once we stepped out on our own, we rarely found anyone – even in tourist gift shops – who could communicate in English at all. Next time I visit China, I’ll hopefully be armed with a few more basic Mandarin phrases, but for everyone visiting, even just for leisure, I’d recommend hiring translators to assist you.

Cash in China
Another word of warning: business owners back home in the States may be suitably impressed by your Gold Card, but to the Chinese shopkeeper it’s just a pretty piece of plastic that won’t buy a cup of Chinese tea. Even in the large cities, you’re going to have to carry around Chinese Yuan (aka Renminbi) in cash if you want to be able to go shopping or eat at a restaurant. I have to say, the upside of this is that you won’t find yourself going over budget. But with the incredibly low Chinese retail prices, that probably wouldn’t happen anyway.

Low Retail Prices
Once you’ve overcome the communication difficulties you’ll be amazed to find the bargains you’ll find in the small shops. For a start, it’s an electronics paradise. Just make sure you do your homework on what will and won’t work back in the States. For example, you’ll find that some Chinese DVD players, though remarkably low-cost, are manufactured to a Chinese standard that is not compatible with DVD discs sold in other parts of the world.

Factories in China
Our visit to a manufacturing plant in Huizhou left us all . . . well, ‘impressed’ hardly seems like a strong enough word. The building, on the outside was sort of drab looking with banners hanging here and there but inside was quite a different story. First of all we were treated as if we were VIPs instead of mid-level managers from Kenosha. Most importantly, however, the level of automation in this factory was remarkable, even by American standards and, when you look at the numbers, you see that the productivity is really impressive. It’s no longer a mystery to this American why China is finding such a willing market in America.

Back Again
I wish I had more than the seven days we were able to stay in China, but it won’t be long before I’m back, this time with a group of my friends who have been listening to me talking about the business opportunities since I got back and who now want to go out there to get a piece of the action for themselves.



007.07.10 China: Getting Your Business Started

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One would surely do everything he can in order to succeed in venturing into the industry of consumer market. The demand seems to never die especially for the necessities. The more choices the consumers have, the better the industry does. So if you want to get a kick start on making a living in the industry of consumer market, stop wasting time and lets get started.

Starting a business is a tough job. Youll have to decide on which type of market youd like to get into, after which, youll have to learn the ropes of the certain type of market youve chosen. Of course, theres the application for a business permit, the capital to get you started and, of course, the resources of your business. Theres so much to learn about getting into business and so much to do after you really get into it. But all that hard work can easily be done right in the comforts of your business location. The biggest task at hand would be getting the resources for your business.

Where to Get Your Resources

You may be on a budget since youre only starting out. Its impossible to get the items you need without your own factory, let alone all the production done just by you. Where to get help, you ask? Simple – China. By this time, if you really are passionate about going into business, you should be aware of the huge role that China plays in the worlds industry of business. Chinas rapid economic growth has made them one of the most respected players in the game of business. With their government strongly improving and promoting their wholesale industry, youll have plenty of options from which you can choose from regarding your resources.

How to Get Your Resources

When dealing with a foreign country, it is important to learn a little bit about their culture. How you form your relationship with the people youll be interacting with in your wholesale business will be a vital key to your success.

To get your resources from China, youll need the help of an agent who knows how to get around the Chinese industry. He will be your source of information and connection as to where and whom should you get your products from while assuring you of the quality and the affordability of these products.

Well, of course, the internet is always there to help. When in doubt, the internet is loaded with information that could help you ease those anxieties. Search the web and find some reliable China merchandise manufacturers and exporters or sourcing agent, you can start your own import wholesale business easily.

The concept behind a wholesaler that operates out of China is pretty simple. All of the different aspects of a wholesale company are still there, but the major thing to keep in mind is that since the wholesale company is not operating out of North America or Europe, there are certain advantages that they have. These advantages are multiplied by the fact that they are operating out of China. What exactly are the advantages that are inherent to a wholesaler that is able to operate out of China? Well, the two biggest advantages are a lower overall operating cost and a lower overall cost of living and therefore these combine for the overall lower cost aspect that makes China wholesalers appeal to a number of different people around the world.



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