The Clarion Jayde Home Business Champions Journal

Memory Makers Caught In Price Fixing Conspiracy

2006-07-15T15:25:00.000-07:00

As someone who has both worked and played in the technology field for 25 years, I am happily celebrating the news that 34 states are taking several leading memory chip makers to court for price fixing and conspiracy to artificially keep memory prices higher than necessary. This action is necessary and has been long overdue. You can read the full story at http://www.betanews.com/article/34_States_Sue_Memory_Manufacturers/1152897810

I noticed the attempt to keep memory prices from dropping in 1998 through 2001 when my economikc training told me that prices should be dropping and memory flooded the American market. The rush to make all machines year 2000-compliant made some of the price fixing possible. In fact, people were so worried about their memory chips that most people were scrambling to buy new systems or upgrade their existing technology. Money was a secondary concern then, and that opened the door for serious abuse and even fraud. By the year 2000, I was more than a little curious. In the comments section of the article I've linked to, you'll see some people saying that they think memory is affordable. These people have forgotten just how much memory cost in the year 2001 and how the change in RAM formats didn't lower the prices of the older type of memory sticks. This situation underscores the greed that feeds upon itself without accountability. Though I believe capitalism is generally a good system, it does have its weaknesses when checks and balances aren't maintained. I sincerely hope this will prevent further games from taking place within our technology system. I don't think much will change unless our courts send a strong message though. Here's hoping the people, you and me, win this fight.

Women Have Secret Weapons In Business

2006-07-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

Women Have Secret Weapons In Business
by Monica Willyard
Women have 3 assets that I see as secret weapons in the business world. For the past 30 years or so, women have been encouraged to behave as their male counterparts do so they can succeed and achieve equality. To me, this is backward and counterproductive because we have several valuable skills that businesses need to grow and serve their customers well. Since people are unique, these assets show up differently in each woman. Today I'll share the 3 most important of these abilities with you. My hope is that these skills will be recognized for the powerhouses of strength that they truly are.
Women have strong verbal communication skills. In fact, scientists and psychologists tell us that women speak more than 3 times as many words during a day than men do. Furthermore, our conversations tend to involve responsive listening and focus on the process of relations rather than sharing facts. Women know how to build rapport, understand a person's strengths and weaknesses, and can easily include encouragement in conversation. Businesses need effective communication and team building skills, especially in sales, marketing, and negotiations.
Second, women have been conditioned for centuries to get what they want through negotiation and community. No matter how you feel about it, this is an historical fact and is our present reality. Women had little economic power, and they learned how to work in a system where they weren't the boss. Rather than bloody fighting and wars, they learned to work with others and create good compromises or find a win/win outcome. Now that we have economic freedom, we can use the skills we've learned to help us reach our goals and do it with class. these skills can help a business flourish by creating partnerships with those they do business with. Win/win situations are good for everybody, and women have a talent for finding ways to make that happen. We've done this socially for centuries, and our mothers have taught us these skills from infancy. Women just don't recognize it and thus think they can't negotiate in business matters. We can, and we can often see win/win options that our male colleagues miss.
The final secret weapon women have is our ability to work as part of a team. Again, this is partially due to our inborn character as a female and partially due to our cultural conditioning. Have you ever noticed that when you're with a group at a restaurant, one woman at the table says she's going to use the ladies room, others will go with her. They often will go as a group and will come back to the table together. You don't see this behavior from men. Our culture seems to value the image of a self-made tycoon who takes the business world by storm. Reality is very different though. Most "self-made" business tycoons have a quality team of support staff behind him. It is actually the power of the team that brings success. Those companies who reward employees for good teamwork will profit and will survive when hard times come. Women excel at teamwork, and they should be sought out for this quality. Mary Kay Ash understood this well, and she became wealthy by creating a team and helping each team member to reach his/her personal goals.
Women who recognize the power of these 3 secret weapons can accomplish anything they want to do. Using her strong communication skills, her ability to negotiate well, and her teamwork skills, the sky is the limit. Will she be a self-made tycoon? Probably not, and to me, that's as it should be. Can she build wealth and reach her dreams? Yes! You would win that bet!
For more articles and a free eBook, visit http://www.clarion-jayde-publishing.com today. Monica Willyard is an author and businesswoman specializing in writing about small business concerns.

Google Has A New Service

2006-06-30T18:59:00.000-07:00

Google has released their new payment service. It sounds promising for business owners and customers too. I suppose we'll have to wait to see how the online community will respond to the offering though. Here's a link to a short article about it. http://www.betanews.com/article/Google_Launches_Payment_Service/1151596971#c320502

BY THE WAY, you'll see my comment along with others below the article. I use the name Plumlipstick on Betanews. It's one of the few sites I visit each day because I like their reporting and the community there.

Have a great holiday weekend everyone.

Get The Scoop On Internet Advertising Methods

2006-06-24T17:37:00.000-07:00

Business owners opt for internet advertising methods because practically half of the world's population does at least part of their business online. If you have your own business, you have to decide on what internet advertising method works for you. You need to decide on the dollar amount you can spend for marketing. Ask yourself who your products will help and what kind of people want what you are offering. what are you going to use: the expensive internet advertising methods or the cheap ones? How about a combination approach? Many people operate on a shoestring budget and know they need the low-cost option. Others will immediately choose the more expensive options, assuming price equals quality and results. They don't know that the cheap internet advertising methods attract great benefits as well.
Here's the lowdown and a comparative look at the cheap and expensive internet advertising methods:
The Expensive:
1. Pop-ups. Not only is this expensive, but also outright annoying so that visitors close pop-up windows without even bothering to know what they're all about. This is an internet advertising method that you can do without. Fly ads are derivatives of pop-ups which are also equally irksome to most visitors.
2. Buying leads. Because marketing to a list of interested people can be very profitable, many businesses buy contact information for people who are interested in the general line of products the business offers. This can be a smart move if your lead provider is reputable and skilled with finding prospects. There are some lead generation companies who use unethical tactics including spam, so it's important to check out the company before signing up. Additionally, the cost of good leads can eat up your marketing budget rapidly unless you use your system wisely.
3. Podcasts. Broadcast is to TV as pod cast is to internet. It's one powerful internet advertising method that can work well with your marketing budget. If you're thinking results, pod casting is worth the money. Your expenses will come from getting a decent microphone, sound editing software, and buying bandwidth for customers to download your podcasts.
4. Paying the search engines. How does this one work? You buy ad space, and the search engine will display your ad above your customer's search results. When someone types in a keyword related to your site, your URL is automatically included in the first page of the top results. Fixed payment for the search engine allows just that. Expensive, yes, but if we're talking about Google and Yahoo search engines here, then don't give it a second thought. This is associated with another internet advertising method: the pay-per-click system where you only pay for ads when customers click on your ad.
The Cheap:
1. Blogging. This is my favorite! Get on the bandwagon and blog about your business, your experience as a business owner, and your website. This is an internet advertising method that is popular both with people and the search engines, so you can attract business very successfully with this marketing method. All you have to do is sign up for a blogging account, post and voila! You don't even need to pay! Two fine services you can try are Blogger and LiveJournal.
2. Submit to smaller search engines. This is cheap and dependable. If you submit your site to smaller search engines, you have better chances to get bigger results. Large engines like Google often index the content of these smaller engines, and that's good for your site. Remember that the search engine giants are so vast that they can overlook your site easily, so this internet advertising method might just be the right one for you. Multiple exposures on other sites and search engines makes sure Google and MSN see you.
3. Text links. This is not just cheap...this is virtually free! Let someone text link your site and return the favor. Post in forums, putting the link to your web site in your signature file.
Cheap versus expensive, that's always the question that stumps us whenever we're trying to get something. In the field of internet advertising, just be wise enough to figure out what will suit your needs. Go for what you want as long as there are visible results.
For home business solutions you can use as well as a free eBook to help you with your business, visit http://www.clarion-jayde-publishing.com today.

Google Cash Anyone?

2006-06-23T19:49:00.000-07:00

If you have ever wondered how to harness the power of Google to earn real cash, this is your lucky week. My friends Scott and Sharlene Raven are celebrating their tenth anniversary by offering an awesome deal to new and old customers alike. They are providing literally thousands of dollars of web templates, graphics, and videos when you buy their e-book package that teaches you how to maximize profits from Google's adsense and adwords. They could easily charge tripple the price and still be giving us a major deal. I bought their package thinking that I needed the information and expecting their freebies to be junk. Wow! I was as wrong as I could be. I've seem lots of claims about products being worth thousands, and a lot of them are just baloney. This package isn't like that. Your six year old nephew could learn to be a Google pro from the videos. If you can't build a great income from using Google tools after using these templates, videos, and e-books, you just need to have somebody check your pulse to make sure you're still with us. Scott and Sharlene are good people, and they run a first class business with no hype or spam. I made an URL pointing to their site so I could remember it. Visit them at http://www.clarion-jayde-publishing.com/anniversary.html . You'll be glad you did.

Playing Poker Teaches Business Skills

2006-06-23T12:21:00.000-07:00

I have fun playing Texas Hold 'Em with friends. Did you know that watching shows like World Tour Of Poker can help your business succeed? I didn't realize that while I was learning to play, I was gaining valuable business skills that have translated into money in my pocket. No, not by gambling money away. :) Let me show you what I mean. I learned four things from playing poker.
First, I learned how to make the best of the cards I was dealt. I learned when to play a hand, when to take risks, and when to throw the cards away and wait to act with better ones. This kind of discernment helps a business owner make sound decisions about working with assets and when to cut a project loose if it's not producing good results. I found that when starting your own business, you will invest 2 assets—your time and your money. Depending on where you start, you'll use one of these assets more than the other. A realistic understanding of which asset you're working from can help you make the most of what you've got.
The second lesson I learned from poker is that you've got to use a strategy to win. Good players spend years learning from each other and developing a strategy that's right for them. Their strategy is reliable and flexible enough to adapt to new situations. They learn something new from each game, and they actively look for the lessons when they lose a hand. They know how much they're willing to bet in an evening, and they aren't pushed off course by setbacks because their strategy takes the slow time into account.
The third lesson I learned is that while I must understand the cards I've got, I must watch my competition and adjust what I'm doing accordingly. If I have a solid straight in my hand, I still need to watch my fellow players because one of them might have a straight flush. If you only focus on your hand, you may end up broke in no time flat. Even if you've got an awesome product, don't fool yourself into thinking you've beaten your competition. In business, there are always going to be people who want to move into your market. People are actively creating new products and services, and yours could be left in the dust if you aren't paying attention. The difference here is that you may find that good strategies include partnering with your competitors and funding joint ventures. Unlike poker, you both can win.
The last and most important lesson I learned from playing poker is that risk isn't the four-letter word! Risk is a good thing if you have studied your competition and know you have a good hand. The reality of business is that you will have to do some things you've never done before or that make you feel nervous. This is a good thing because you become a better person once you push through your fear of taking a risk. I used to worry about what would happen if I lost a bet. I played to prevent losing instead of playing to win. There's a big difference between those things. Playing to win means putting yourself out there, letting people know you've got a good product or service. Playing so you won't lose usually results in you losing or barely breaking even because you can't do the very things that cause your business to sky rocket to the top.
In summary, I learned to use my assets well, implement a winning strategy, to respond to my competition, and to push past the fear of losing. Think about other activities you've done over the years. What skills did you learn? How can you use them to build your successful business?
For more free articles and home business ideas, surf over to The Clarion Jayde Home Business Solution Center at <http://www.clarion-jayde-publishing.com . It's packed with ideas you can use right now, as well as several free eBooks.
If you have questions or comments you'd like to share, I'd love to hear from you. You can write to me at monica@clarion-jayde-publishing.com

Do You Have What It Takes To Be An E-entrepreneur?

2006-06-21T16:07:00.000-07:00

Do you have what it takes to be an e-entrepreneur?
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
Authorof "Dotcomology - The Science of Making Money Online"
These days, it seems like everyone wants to workfrom home and make money on the Internet. But before you even turn on your computer, the first question you have to ask yourself is whether you’re cut out for this kind of work.
The fact is, building a home-based business isn’t for everyone. Some people like the commute. They really do enjoy having a boss who tells them what to do, and they like the routine of working nine-to-five for an ordinary salary that can barely pay the mortgage. Personally, I thinkthey’re nuts.
More reasonably, there are people who are concerned about the risk of starting up their own business. They’re not sure it’s worth the investment of time and money, and they’re scared of the responsibility that comes with running their own company. They wonder if there is another way to escape the rat race.
I’m sure there is. You could win the lottery or wait for your Aunt Sue to keel over and leave you her condo. Or maybe you could sit down with a penand paper and draw the blueprint for "The Next Big Thing". Anything can happen... Right?
For me, what happened was creating a successful,self-running Internet marketing system. It didn’t happen without effort. It didn’t happen withoutat least some initial investment of both time and money and, of course, it doesn’t happen now without me making sure that the taxes are filed and the paperwork is done. But it happened.
I’m my own boss. I work from home according to my own schedule and I get to pocket all the cash my business makes. If you’re prepared to give an e-business the time, the work and the money itneeds to get started and get growing, it canhappen for you too.
Article excerpted from "Dotcomology":Don't Pay A Dime For Any Ebook, MarketingCourse, Software Program Or Anything Else UntilYou've Read This Groundbreaking Document...Click Here to Discover "Dotcomology" Now!

Welcome To My Blog

2006-06-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

Hi. My name is Monica Willyard. I'm glad you've stopped by. This journal will contain articles, news, and ideas to help anyone who is working from home or thinking about giving it a try. If you're asking yourself, "Could I really make money from an online business?" the answer is a definite YES! Can you make money instantly and overnight? That's not so likely. What is realistic is to expect that with some time and work, you can build a business with a solid income that will let you quit your current job. Businesses are built like a house. Remember the story of the 3 little pigs? They each built a house. The first one built his house from straw. Yes, he built it fast, but it fell down the instant that trouble came in the form of a huffing, puffing wolf.

The second pig was smart enough to know that he needed a sturdier house. He still wanted short term results and opted to build his house with sticks. In my mind, this is the person who "tries out" a business but quits after a month because growth is taking too long. This little pig was ultimately homeless too because his house fell over when the huffing, puffing wolf arrived.

The third little pig spent a long time building his house and must have felt left out watching his brothers laughing and having fun. His brothers probably teased him about building such a fancy house when he could be learning to dance like Taylor from American Idol. ;) He built his house of brick so it would stand firm over time. When the huffing, puffing wolf came to call, nothing happened except for a lot of hot air. The brick house stood firm with the pig comfortably settled inside. He was generous to his brothers, giving them a home when theirs was blown away. To me, this is the business owner who builds a business with several streams of income and who patiently builds a reliable income that isn't blown away by minor setbacks. He can afford to be generous, can buy things when he wants or needs them, and is able to enjoy his life because he knows he has no major worries.

Do you want that kind of life for your family? Is your job totally secure? Can you take time off from work to spend time with your kids without losing pay? Can you say no to a project if you don't want to do it? I can. I'm a single mom, and my daughter has never had to go to daycare or an after school program because I work from home. I can stay with her when she's sick or volunteer to help at her school, and I'm still being paid while I'm being mom. This is the kind of business I have, and I'm going to teach you how to build one for yourself. I will make my knowledge, tools, and support available to you. The choice is yours. Will you invest your time wisely by building the life of your dreams, or will you go watch another Friends rerun and spend the rest of the night playing World Of Warcraft? If you want to learn more about how I'm building a strong business, visit my site at http://www.clarion-jayde-publishing.com