ipinmita
Made the USA Product
In January 1, 1994, NAFTA, North American Free Trade Agreement became law and it was signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico and the U.S. President Clinton signed it into law. Since its enactment it has destroyed millions of jobs all over the United States. It’s time to put America first by buying American goods made here in America.
What are the six things you can do to support our own wonderful country, the USA, by buying American products?
- Look at the labels on all your paper goods, plastic goods, soaps, light bulbs,household cleaners and other goods to make sure it says made in America. If not return it to the shelf.
- When you are buying your fresh fruits and vegetables look at the labels and buy only American. When you are purchasing frozen vegetables or frozen fruit look at the labels and buy only American.
- When you are buying canned foods look at the labels and buy American products only. When you are buying honey, maple syrup, peppermints, and other local products, look at the label and buy only American products.
- When you go to the grocery store look at the labels on the fresh meats, hamburger, steak, chicken, milk, eggs, cheese, butter, and yogurt and buy only American labeled products.
- When you need to repair something in your house buy only American made materials, for example: American dry wall, American concrete, American heating and air-conditioning units, washers, dryers, sinks, tubs, water heaters, stoves, ovens, microwaves, paint, plumbing equipment, roofing supplies, refrigerators, etc. Continue reading
Business Coaching in a Recessionary
With still falling house prices, a significant credit squeeze and fast rising prices, at least in some cases in the shops and we seem to have entered a very long “recessionary” period (at least in most of the western world). No-one knows how long this recession is likely to last or how deep it may go, but it is probably safe to assume that the next 12-18 months at least are likely to be much more difficult ones for most people.
For businesses of all sizes and types (no matter what sector they might be in) this usually causes a large-scale “tightening of the belt” as far as expenditure is concerned (and there is already plenty of evidence of this). One of the very first casualties of this tightening is employee development. In many ways, development at all levels (individual, team and enterprise-wide) is always a “soft” target. It is soft because the direct impact of reducing or eliminated employee development altogether is not usually felt immediately (and often not even in a single year budget cycle). This affords the organization the opportunity to make visible savings immediately or to use the money saved in other areas that appear to have quicker pay-offs. Unfortunately, some of this thinking has been extended to the money that is spent on management development, and much of this may be in the realm of external coaching (that many leaders have benefited from in the economically healthier times of the recent past). Ironically, because “people factors” are likely to be most crucial in recessionary times and may make the difference between “riding out the storm” poorly or well, cutting back on business coaching may have significant consequences.
In tough times for any organization its senior leaders need to be not only “fast on their feet” but act as role models in setting the best possible forward strategy for the organization (or their particular part of it). This includes:
• Developing greater commercial awareness (to bring about better business results
• Setting up and successfully managing change projects
• Increasing sales through enhanced customer service strategies and practices Continue reading
Freelance Work Guide
Up until recently, the chances are that the word ‘freelancer’ meant very little to you. In fact, the word can seem very confusing to a lot of people – after all, what does freelance mean, exactly? Well, in layman’s terms, and as you’ve no doubt found out, it simply means that a freelancer isn’t contracted to work with one company, and can therefore work for a number of different companies and a number of different people at one time. Freelancers typically work in once specific industry or area, such as freelance journalists, freelance media consultants and freelance financial advisers. But what does it mean to work as a freelancer – does it mean you are less well off than you would be if you were a contracted worker at a firm? Or does it mean that you have less responsibility than others?
Well, there seems to be a lot of myths and other untruths about freelancing, but the truth is that freelancers have to work very hard, and sometimes a lot harder than contracted workers because they have no idea when or where their next paycheck will be coming from. So the work involves having a good contact base – do they know people that would gladly hire them? Do they have an address book full of former colleagues and clients that would gladly recommend them to people that they are working with? They also have to be very proactive when they are looking for work, because simply sitting at home and waiting for the phone to ring won’t do them, or their bank balance, any good. So they will have to advertise their services online: on their own blog or website, via social media, and even via paid ads in search engines. Once they have completed their work, it’s vital that they keep in touch with the people that hired them – specifically the accounts and payroll departments, as a lot of freelancers spend most of their time chasing up unpaid invoices and trying to get money for work that they’ve done from people and companies who have hired them. Continue reading
Commercial Laundry Business Considerations
If you are looking to set up an owner/operator business then you virtually cannot go wrong if you decide to set up a commercial laundry business; it could be that you decide on a coin operated launderette, or you start at the next level with a laundry and ironing shop, or a full service commercial laundry.
It tends to be a recession proof business, as hotels still need fresh bed linen every day and staff need fresh uniforms and work wear.
So let us look at a few ideas to think of when you are setting up your business.
Location – If you are operating a service where people are going to drop off laundry for cleaning and ironing, as well as dry cleaning then you will need a location where there is plenty of parking nearby. Being near to a high footfall traffic area is also a plus. However if you are running a commercial laundry service then you can be out of town as you will be collecting and delivering to and from customers.
Services – You will need to talk to your proposed gas, water and electric suppliers to ensure that they can supply adequate services to your premises without the need for expenditure to upgrade the services (Which can be very expensive if you need a larger gas supply fitting as an example).
You will also need to consider space for a water storage tank to supply your washing machines, and you should check this with your commercial laundry equipment supplier. This is an area that can be overlooked but you may need to find space for a 300 to 500 gallon tank. You will also need to check with them as to whether any of the commercial laundry equipment needs a three-phase power supply. Continue reading
Small Business, the Economic Engine
We are all ready for good economic and jobs news, but it unfortunately is not even on the horizon. The US Chamber of Commerce released its annual survey of small businesses today. Just for perspective, small businesses in the US have created two-thirds of all new jobs in the past two decades. They are this country’s growth engine. Uncertainty continues to be the biggest challenge for small businesses in the latest findings:
85% say the country is headed on the wrong track, with only 12% indicating they will add new workers. This is the same percentage as last summer.
78% say taxes, regulations, and other government policies make it harder to do business and grow.
74% say the new Healthcare Law makes it harder for them to hire new employees.
86% say they would rather have more certainty from Washington than more assistance (6%) to deal with the economy.
34% believe the business climate will improve in the next 2 years, but have yet to resume hiring.
The total number of jobs available in the US has declined by 2 million since President Obama took office. We saw a glimmer of hope with the unemployment rate drop to 8.5% last month, with 200,000 new jobs added. But 373,000 discouraged workers dropped out of the labor force that month muting any improvement. One bright spot was the Healthcare sector, which added 315,000 new jobs during the past year. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Continue reading
Investment Recovery Benefits
Recovering the highest value of assets not needed by a company is called investment recovery. The idle assets are identified and then re-used or disposed of as surplus – retrieving considerable value in the process. In every organization, assets are always present. Machines or facilities are purchased but through time, they wear and tear to the point that they can no longer be used. This is where investment recovery comes in. In doing this process, there are important principles to consider. These things are important for companies to know because they can be very useful to the environment in terms of asset disposition.
The first essential thing is the principle of re-using equipment. Idle equipment can be reused internally. Through an effective investment recovery program, surplus equipment can be kept out of the landfill instead of purchasing a new one. Reusing any idle equipment reduces depreciation, insurance costs and capital. Instead of disposing old equipment, a company can recycle it by converting oils and save valuable chemicals; which can generate income and preserve resources. Hazardous waste and disposal costs can be reduced.
The second is reconditioning. One example of this is the reconditioning of toner printing cartridges. They can be refilled and rebuilt and a business could save more money rather than purchasing a new one. In the investment recovery program, pumps, motors and valves can also be saved and put back into service by doing some minor repairs. Reselling is also a good option for a business’s excess inventory. This reduces loss and increases the company’s income. In some idle assets, lube oils, metals and spent solvents can be reclaimed and this has a good effect on the environment because it reduces waste, improves operating costs and preserves natural resources. In some instances, spare parts and unwanted materials can be sent back to the manufacturer for cash. In order to increase return of capital and lower the tax base, it is better to remove excess assets. Continue reading
The Importance of Niche
In the highly competitive world of today, having a strong personal brand is what makes you stand out among the rest and be successful in your chosen field. It’s not enough to have the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the job anymore, when there are others out there who say the same thing about themselves. To classify yourself as the true expert, you need to offer something unique and different, something that only you can provide, and this is basically what personal branding is all about.
One of the first things you need to do in order to establish your personal brand is to identify your niche. Whether you’re a direct seller, an executive, or a small business owner, defining your niche market is the essential first step before going ahead with the rest of your personal branding campaign. This will essentially be the foundation of your personal brand, and without it, your brand is simply going to fail.
Why exactly is this so? Why is finding your niche so important? Here are the reasons:
1. It gives you a clear vision of what you need to do
People are bombarded with so much noise and information nowadays that if you don’t clearly define what you want to do, then they’re just going to move on from the products or services that you’re offering. Knowing your niche will give you a clear vision of what goals you want to achieve and what steps you need to take to achieve these goals. You also have a clearer vision of how to tailor your products or services to suit your target audience.
2. It gives you a specific topic to focus on
The market is so highly saturated that you really need to have a specific topic you want to tackle in order to stand out from the crowd. Maybe you want to focus on blogging, but can you just imagine how many people out there are already talking about blogging? How do you differentiate yourself? This is why you have to choose your niche carefully. Narrow down your focus. Blogging for stay at home moms, for example, would be a better market because it is a lot more specific and targeted. You can now go into detail about this topic because you clearly have an idea about the niche market you’re targeting. Continue reading
Monoculture Farming Disadvantages And Negative Effects
The term monoculture in agriculture refers to the growing of a single crop over a large area. Monoculture is the norm in most large-scale commercial agriculture in the U.S. and in many parts of the world. Monoculture has certain short-term benefits, primarily in terms of economy of scale, and automation of the production process (and thus reduction of labor costs). However, in the long-term, the disadvantages of monoculture are overwhelming – this farming method has numerous negative effects on the environment, and furthermore, these negative effects tend to become amplified over the long-run. This article weighs the pros and cons of this sort of uniform approach to agriculture, and points to some alternative practices that are more sustainable, both environmentally and economically, and thus superior on all counts in the long-run.
Pros and cons of monoculture farming: what are its advantages?
It is immediately evident that I am not a fan of or advocate for monoculture. But there are some direct and strongly compelling reasons that people engage in this destructive practice. Before we talk about why this practice is so harmful, I find it fruitful to first examine its benefits or advantages.
The main advantage is economy of scale, primarily through automation. Especially in the U.S., labor costs are very high, so anything that can reduce the use of labor in agriculture is highly likely to result in cost savings. This is often true even when the automation reduces yield per acre. For example, if a crop has been grown, it can often be harvested in different ways, with different levels of automation. Greater automation in harvesting might result in greater waste, such as grain left in the fields, but if it requires less labor (such as one person driving a large machine which covers the ground very quickly, as opposed to several people driving smaller, slower machines, or many people harvesting the crop by hand) it may be superior in a cost-benefit analysis, even if it results in greater waste. Continue reading