Debt consolidation

Do you want you need help with your loans? Do you want to increase your chances of getting back onto the right financial track Then, debt consolidation is all you need.

Debt consolidation can be a great way to pay off all your bills and debt with one simple monthly payment.

There are many reasons to consolidate debt. I'll give two benefits of consolidating your debt:

1. Pay Off Debts
Of course, when you consolidate the loans, it puts you in a position of reducing your debt load.

2. Reduce Costs
It reduces your debt service costs which is resulting of paying less interest.

If you make the right consolidation moves and able to handle your finances well after consolidating, you can reduce your monthly payments, get extra savings, and slowly ease your way out of debt.

If you are looking for a reliable debt consolidator, check:
www.debtconsolidationbenefits.com

They are a non-profit debt consolidation company looking to help people save money and lower monthly payments. They can provide everything from credit counseling to debt settlement to debt consolidation.

Debt consolidation can be an excellent tool to help you with your financial health. However, make sure that you only do the right move.

The Fully Booked Bloggers Event

In cooperation with Yehey!, Fully Booked held its first bloggers event at Fully Booked's flagship store in Bonifacio High Street.

Fully Booked welcomed bloggers to an afternoon or should I say late afternoon of fun learning, good food courtesy of Hizon's Catering (one of the Fully Booked's catering partner) and exciting prizes/giveaways.

We were given a VIP tour of the entire building to highlight the flagship's store wide spaces, stylish interiors and amenities. Books are classified based on 5 main categories, namely Lifestyle, Children, Design, Humanities, and Professional. Each floor has its own book category. For instance, the basement is for more comic book enthusiasts. They have the widest selection of comics and graphic models. The basement is also home to U-view. a fully-functional movie theater with a seating capacity up yo 62 people. It is perfect for film screening, premieres, and corporate presentations.

Anyway, during the event, Fully Booked announced the official launch of the Fully Booked Bloggers Book Club (BBC). And all of the bloggers who attended the Fully Booked Bloggers Event are already members of BBC. Yipee! That includes me. "Fully Booked wants to host the online-based club to show support to bookworm bloggers, and provide them a venue to enhance their creativity and mingle with fellow enthusiasts who share the same passion for books," said Marketing Manager Rhea Llamas.

Not only that, we were given 2 books each. I got Money Masters of Our Time and Competition Demystified.


If you want to know more about Fully Booked, you may visit their website at: www.fullybookedonline.com

You may expect a lot of more good things from Fully Booked especially with its new online add-to-cart order taking facility. Expect these and more from Fully Booked.

5.11 Tactical

Are you looking for an online store that sells tactical gear?

Workbootsusa.com sells tactical gear and apparel made by 511 Tactical. 5.11 Tactical Series creates superior products that enhance the safety, accuracy, speed and performance of law enforcement, military and firefighting professionals. 

Work Boots USA is a factory authorized dealers for all of the brands like Converse boots, Danner Boots, Wolverine Boots, Belleville Boots and more. THeir products are very affordable and they offer fast shipping. Their website is so easy to navigate. Products have been categorized based on their style and brands. 

If you want know more about Work Boots USA, visit them at: www.workbootsusa.com

Busy Busy Busy

If you have notice, I only have few post these past few days. I was busy with some events. In fact, today I'm going to the Fully Booked bloggers' event that will held on Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila.

Them tomorrow we are off to Batangas for some kind of adventure. When I get back, I'll finish the mechanics of my contest. So, please wait for it.

And don’t forget to spread the word!

Happy blogging to everyone!

Lesson Learned

I remember the time when we moved here in our condominium, we got a cheap air mattress. We thought we saved a lot by not buying the one that we saw in Airmattressinfo.com. But it turned out that the air matress that we bought did not last long enough than we expected.

Now, we learned our lesson. The next time we are planning to buy inflatable air mattresses, we will make sure to visit Airmattressinfo.com's Air Mattress Guide.

Airmattressinfo.com has all information you need about air bed mattresses, including price lists and guides for choosing sheets and pillows that would work well with an air bed mattresses.

Check out AirMattressInfo.com for more information on air mattress choices.

Scores killed in Mumbai rampage

OMG! I just heard that Mumbai, India was attacked by gun men. Indian authorities say gunmen killed dozens of people and wounded many more in a series of coordinated attacks in Mumbai.

The targets included two five-star hotels, a café and a train station, police say. Mumbai police spokesman Satish Katsa put the death toll at 87 and another 185 wounded, with nine of the attackers killed.

It seems that the teams of gunmen stormed luxury hotels, a popular restaurant, hospitals and a crowded train station in coordinated attacks across India's financial capital Wednesday night.

Read the rest of the story here

Tsk. I wonder what is happening to the world. People can be dangerous at times...

Thoughts and prayers go out to all those involved in the tragedy.

Protect Yourself from Fraud

Do you want to protect yourslef or your company against fraud and identity theft? Are you aware that a social security number can protect you?

There is a company called Social Security Numbers (SSN) Locator that can Trace Social Security Numbers. By tracing the social security number of a person can help employers screen potential employees from using fraudulent numbers. With a social security number, you can gain access to almost all of the information, including credit card and bank account information, even background information.

For more information about Social Security Numbers Locator, you may visit www.ssnlocator.com now.

His Treat

After the 21st Awit Awards night, we decided to have our dinner at Dencio's in Eastwood City. My husband ordered 4 bottles of beer, 1 garlic rice and 1 plain rice, crispy sisig, kare-kareng gulay (vegetable) and a sago't gulaman. Yummy. I ate those food without any worries about the bill, since my husband told me that it's his treat.

After an hour of eating and talking about the event, he finally asked for the bill. I can see on his face that he was shocked. I asked him what's wrong., then he showed me the bill.

I said there's nothing wrong with the bill. But he answered that he was not expecting our food cost that much. "What do you expect? It's Dencio's", I said. He said that he knew that the food in Dencio's are a bit expensive, but he was just expecting our food around Php 500. I thought he will ask extra money from me. Good thing, he had extra money in his wallet. :)

Anyway, it's a very tiring day. I need to sleep now. Good Night

The perfect gift

I already have a gift for my dad, brothers and sister. Now it's time to look for a gift for my mom. My mom loves jewelry especially diamonds.

Once again, I searched online for some gift ideas. Then I found Blue Nile. Founded in 1999, Blue Nile is the largest online retailer of certified diamonds and fine jewelry. They offer exceptional quality and the lowest diamond prices in the industry – 20 to 40% below traditional retail. Their site offers extensive diamond education and gift guide and their expertly-trained diamond and jewelry consultants offer no-pressure advice and guidance.

Also, what I love about their site is their Top 10 Gifts or should I say Top 10 Jewelry Gifts which are perfect for Christmas or any occasion.

Here are some samples of their products:

Aren't they pretty? But I like the diamond earrings. I think it's perfect for my mom.

So, if you are searching for a perfect gift for your mom or your girl friend, check Blue Nile website.

Oh, before I forget, they are having a contest where you can win a Blue Nile Signature Princess-Cut Diamond. Appraised at approximately $5,000. No purchase necessary to enter or win. What are you waiting for? Go to www.bluenile.com

Looking For a Reliable Insurance Company?

Nowadays, more and more people are buying insurance, whether for their personal use, home and properties or even auto insurance. But what is insurance? Well, it is a form of risk management, which is primarily used to evade against the risk of a conditional losses. This term can also be defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another.

Due to the constant flux of the economy worldwide, people wanted to secure their future, and the future of their family, of course. But there are a lot of available insurance companies anywhere. Now, the question is, who among them can be trusted? Can be relied to? The good thing is that, you don’t have to look that far and you need not worry anymore.

You may wonder why, but I’m sure most of you are now familiar with the countless uses of the internet. Here, you can explore or surf different insurance companies and it’s up for you to choose which among them suits your needs. And what’s more? You can get free quotes in the internet, too! By this, you will be able to save your time, money and effort just by merely asking for quotes regarding the insurance program you’re interested in.

This is really good news, right? With the skyrocketing insurance rates due to continued economic crisis, it is really important that you’ll only spend your money on where it is really intended.

For those who are planning to avail the auto insurance, it will be much better if you have a good driving history and insurance will cost much lesser for you. While, for those who wanted to insure their homes, you can ask to negotiate for homeowners insurance rates so that you will not need to spend more.

Availing discounts or spending less on insurance rates is possible depending on several factors. You need to go and see your insurance agent now and ask them how.

Club Manila East Photo Contest 2008

Club Manila East is one of my favorite resort. Not only because it's 15 to 30 minutes away from our condo, but also for its wave pool.

CME BeachWaves is a 19,000 square foot giant wave pool, bigger than four basketball courts combined. It gradually deepens like a beach towards a maximum depth of 6 feet and it can produce up to eight (8) beach-like wave patterns of up to 4 feet high. Specially trained lifeguards are present to secure everybody's safety.

CME Central is a seven-hectare business and leisure complex with seventy (70) air-conditioned and fully furnished villas that are available for overnight accommodations or for long stays. The thirty (30) Don Renato Garden Villas provide a perfect retreat for couples who want some quiet moments alone to rekindle that old spark in their marriage. The forty (40) Doña Luz Hillsview Villas provide groups like families and barkadas affordable accommodations as they spend recreational bonding time together.

Other than CME BeachWaves and CME Easy River, CME Central also boasts of six (6) other water facilities namely: the Kiddie Pool with waterfalls and fountains, Adult Pool with a giant 3-looped slide, Boating area for kayaking, the Lap Pool, the Shaded Pool, and the Bean-shaped pool. CME Central also offers various areas and function rooms for conventions, conferences, parties, weddings and other special occasions.

And now, they are having a photo contest for photo enthusiast.


Mechanics:
1. This is open to all photography-loving individuals (professionals, amateurs, hobbyists, snap-shooters).
2. Entries must be shot at Club Manila East in Taytay, Rizal.
3. A maximum of three (3) entries only per contestant.
4. Entries may be submitted online through photocontest2008@clubmanilaeast.com
5. Entries must be submitted together with the title of photograph, name and contact details of the contestant in a separate document attachment.
6. Entries must not exceed the maximum size of 5MB.
7. There should be no markings (names, logos, or any writing) on the entries.
8. CME reserves the right to disqualify entries or to forfeit prize for winning entries that have been altered or enhanced, are obscene or contain objectionable content, produced through fraud or theft, or whose details are misrepresented in the entry form.
9. Winning entries will be considered as property of CME.
10. Winning entries will be posted on www.clubmanilaeast.com.
11. For more details and/or clarifications, please call 284-4737 or 658-2065, or visit the Club Manila East resort office.

Submit your entries until December 15, 2008

Gift for Golf Enthusiasts

My friend is asking for some advice on what is the perfect for his father this Christmas. I just told her, "If you are having a hard time shopping for Christmas gift for your father, simply begin looking for ideas by following their favorite athletic pastimes; Golf is an ideal example."

Your next step is to list down any gifts that you can think of that is related to golf. Here are my suggestions:

1. Golf for Dummies
This is a very affordable but nice gift especially if your dad is just a beginner.

2. Electronic Scorecard
A pencil and paper is so old fashion. There are many electronic scorecards available in the market that tracks strokes and holes played, calculates scores and even saves your best round all at the touch of a button.

3. Golf Swing Analyzing Watch
If your dad take golf seriously, and want to know everything there is to know about your golf swing then this watch could be the answer.

4. A day on the golf course
If your father lover to play golf, why not treat him to a day on the golf course.

These are just some of my suggestions. But if you want more ideas, you may check this German website. GolfAkademie-gmbh.de is an online shop that sells full range of all brand names Golf Club and accessories. Being the biggest German Golf shop, it also provides golf news, scores, updates and information about golf players. They also offer golf courses, ranked maturity and handicap improvement courses. Their golf club on Gut Ising is one of the biggest centers for golf lessons in Bavaria. They also have a club fitting center specializing in Ping custom fitting. Though their site is in German, Golfakademie-gmbh.de provides easy access to their other web pages.

Anyway, I think my friend is buying a Ping since the design is really nice, sophisticated, and very much appealing. For sure, her dad will love it. Thanks to Golfakademie-gmbh.de

Article: Always short of cash?

Always short of cash? by By Henry Ong

If you experience cash shortages even if your business is booming, it’s time to tweak your accounts payables management

Have you ever wondered why you sometimes experience cash shortages even if your business is booming? No matter how much money your business generates, perhaps you always feel that you are always short of cash every time your suppliers are knocking on your door. The cause of the problem may be poor accounts payable management. When managing cash flows, therefore, you should remember that timing your accounts payable payments is as crucial as collecting your accounts receivables.

You can manage your accounts payable by stretching out the payment terms as long as possible without damaging your credit standing to suppliers. There are some business owners who pay their payables too early simply because they have so much cash in the bank, but they don’t know that they lose the opportunity to earn extra interest income on their cash. On the other hand, there are entrepreneurs who pay their suppliers too late and end up being slapped with penalties and charges. It is thus important that you manage your payables to the best interest of both parties.

As a guide, you can determine your days payable outstanding by first computing your payable turnover. For example, assume that your accounts payable at the start of the month was P150,000 and that during the month, you made total merchandise purchases of P250,000. After one month of operation, you found out that the balance of your accounts payable by month’s end was P100,000. To compute for the payable turnover, divide your total purchases of P250,000 by the average accounts payable of P125,000; this will give you a ratio of 2.0x. This ratio simply tells you that you pay for your purchases two times a month. To get the number of days payable outstanding, divide 30 days by the ratio 2.0 to get the average of 15 days.

What this means is that on the average, it takes about 15 days for you to pay your suppliers. With this information on hand, you can now check how many days it takes you to sell your inventory and collect all your receivables. Ideally, the total number of days of inventory and receivables should not exceed your days payable outstanding; this way, you would receive all cash collections just in time when you are about to pay your suppliers. In this example, let us say you can convert all your inventories into cash in 12 days. This would mean that on the 12th day, you would already have the available cash to pay your suppliers and enjoy three more days before your accounts payable becomes due. You can then take advantage of this by depositing the cash in an interest-bearing bank account.

If business is slowing down and you are finding it difficult to unload your inventory and to collect from your customers, you may consider stretching out your credit terms with suppliers. From the same example, if the number of days to convert your inventory to cash is rising to 18 days from 12 days, you may need to negotiate your credit terms with your suppliers, for instance by having them extended by at least three more days up to 18 days to protect your cash position.

Sometimes, so you will be encouraged to pay early rather than on the due date, suppliers may offer you a trade discount like, say, a 2 percent discount if you pay within 10 days for an account payable due in 30 days yet. In general, trade discounts are good because it allows you to take advantage of it to lower your purchase costs. But there are times when trade discounts are not favorable. How would you know if it is good or not? You can do this by computing the effective interest cost assuming that you are going to borrow the money to pay your account in 30 days. You then should compare this to the prevailing borrowing rate from the bank. The formula for effective interest cost is EAI = (discount / 100 percent - discount) x (365 / payment period – discount period).

Suppose the prevailing borrowing rate is 16 percent per annum and you are offered a 2 percent discount if you pay in 10 days an account that is otherwise payable in 30 days. Using the above formula, we will find that the effective annualized interest cost is 37 percent as compared to only 16 percent, so it is wise to take advantage of the discount. If you have negotiated your credit terms to 60 days, your effective interest cost would be 14.9 percent, lower than the prevailing bank rate of 16 percent. In this case, you can afford not to take the 2 percent discount because it is cheaper to stretch out your payment.

It is perfectly all right for you to control the terms of accounts payable so it is to your advantage. Perhaps, it will be helpful if you can put a monitoring system where you can sort all accounts payable that will soon be due; this way, you will know just how much cash you will need to prepare to pay your suppliers on time.

Source: http://www.entrepreneur.com.ph/

The 21st Awit Awards

Host: EASTWOOD MALL
Type:Music/Arts - Performance

Date: Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Location: EASTWOOD CENTRAL PLAZA
City/Town: Quezon City, Philippines

Contact Info: eastwoodcity@megaworld-commercial.com

Pre Awarding at 5:00 pm
Show Proper at 7:00 pm

Featuring:

SANDWICH • SUGARFREE • TRUE FAITH • NIKKI GIL • URBAN DUB • HALE • IMAGO • MYMP • PEDICAB • JULIANNE • RICHARD POON • 6 CYCLEMIND • CALLALILY • ITCHYWORMS • CUESHE • SITTI • NYOY VOLANTE • PAROKYA NI EDGAR • KAMIKAZEE • JOHNNY CROSS • RONNY LIANG • AICELLE SANTOS • TONY GONZAGA • CHRISTIAN BAUTISTA

One Stop Supplier of Exhibits

Are you having trade show exhibits? Or are you working in such a business that requires you to have an exhibition? Are you looking for supplier of exhibits and complete accessories?

If you're answers are yes, this post is for you. Having an exhibit is a great opportunity to let people may know about your products and services that you offer.

I found a site called Camelback Displays. Camelback Displays is a one stop supplier of exhibits and complete accessories like trade show flooring, banner stands, literature holders, table covers , exhibit graphics, table top display and many more.

They help thousands of customers each year with their event needs including many fortune 100 companies, Universities, Government agencies, branches of the military and more. They can add a logo, custom artwork in full color or just a message onto table covers.

Camelback Displays is very experienced at meeting their customer's needs and getting it right the first time. Their trade show exhibits are portable and come in tons of sizes, colors and designs.

Remember, first impression lasts. So, let Camelback Displays do their work and make your exhibits more memorable.

How Much Is Your Blog Worth?

By doing some blog hopping, I discover new things. This morning, I noticed a widget on one site (I forgot whose site it is, sorry), it says how much his/her blog worth. So, I gave it a shot.

And here are the results:

For my Biz-N-Honey:

My blog is worth $68,309.34.
How much is your blog worth?

For my Aeirin's Collections

My blog is worth $319,529.64.

How much is your blog worth?

Wow, I wonder where is that money? Lol. However, this calculator is only looking at things from one perspective. It measures your blog’s value based on the incoming and outgoing links according to Technorati’s data. It does not, however measure your brand, quality or amount of content, domain name age, traffic, revenue, or other important factors that can ultimately decide what your blog’s market value may be.

So, how much is your blog worth?

Termites Services

Have you ever experienced having termites on your home?

Having termites in your home or in your office is something that needs to be very concerned about. These little insects can do a lot of damage to your home without you even knowing it.

Eliminating termites once they have moved in can be costly and stressful. It is far better to prevent termites from setting up camp in the first place.

There are many ways to protect your house from termites. Killthetermites.com lists some of the ways to prevent an infestation in the first place.

1) Keep moisture away from your house.
2) Get rid of wood debris in your yard or near your home.
3) Check your house for cracks.
4) Wood structures near your house should not touch the ground.
5) Use woods that are termite-resistant.

Killthetermites.com is a guide to how to get rid of termites. It covers all of the basics - from how you can tell if your home is infested with termites, to improvements to make to keep them from getting in, to specific explanation of how each termite control product works and what the advantages and disadvantages of each one are. They also have a list of companies that offers termite services.

If you want to keep termites away, visit Killthetermites.com now.

Are you a money saver or waster?

Spending money wisely is part science, part art. Best case scenario, the ideal spender saves money off the top, covers his or her basic needs, stays out of debt, gives generously to charity and gets real pleasure from planned, prudent purchases.

Based on the nation’s rising consumer debt load, that isn’t the case for many of us. Spenders can be out of control in countless ways. Some just fail to pay attention. The miserly are at war with their money. Others spend in hopes of finding self-esteem.

I'm more of a money saver person. It is important to be smart with your money. Don't take it for granted and make sure you can afford the things you want - when you want them. I don't buy things that I don't need. I'm also organized especially when it comes to money. I'll make sure I keep track on all of our expenses.

How about you?? Are you a money saver or waster?

Owning a Website Gives your Business Credibility

Having a business website has a vital role in your sales and promotions. Companies that sell physical products say that having a website can increase your sales.

Nowadays, majority of people will research your company online, read reviews about your business, and learn all they can before buying something major from you. So, it is important to have your own website to control what information potential clients can see.

However, you should keep a few things in mind before you design your website like choosing the right web host for your needs. There are many reasons why choosing the right web host pack can be beneficial for your business. If you don't purchase the right package for your business site, you might not attract and retain a faithful client base.

Security, domain, disk space, email account, and technical support are some of the things to consider in choosing the right web host. You may check web hosting choice as they offer free research guides to help users choose the right web host for their personal or business site. They rank web hosting providers based rated based on affordability, reliability, uptime and tech support.

So, if you are serious about building a website, make your move by visiting www.webhostingchoice.com and start expanding your business reach beyond your own backyard.

Ways to Make Money Online

Have you ever imagined how great it is if you could sit at home and start making money online? Many people wanted to know if there were ways to make money online. Some of them asked me if is it true that there is money online.

Yes, it's ture. There are many ways to make money online, but not all of them are easy and for the beginner. Let me list some of the ways to make money online.

1. Offering your services
This is one of the easiest ways to make money online. If you have a talent – be it for writing, graphic design or even programming - online freelancing will allow you to earn money online. Odesk is of the sites that advertises outsourced remote working opportunities on behalf of thousands of companies.

2. Selling
Online shopping is in today. So, if you have products to sell, you can use Ebay.com or you can use your own blog to promote them.

3. Blogging
Advertisers nowadays prefer online or internet marketing. There are two ways to make cash through blogging. It's either trhough commission from advertising banners from Google’s AdSense, MoreNiche and a like or participating in some social media marketing like PayPerPost, SponsoredReview, PayingPost, Blogvertise and more. Through these site, bloggers are being paid by advertisers by making a buzz or blog posts on a specific product.

4. Surveys
Opportunities in this field are virtually endless too, with literally thousands of research groups vying for your time and attention. dNeero pays you to take Social Surveys. You will get paid by taking the conversation and posting it to your blogs, friendster, facebook and more.

5. Product Reviews
Ciao is one example of a site that pays their members by reviewing products such as cameras, cellphones, computers, video games and more. Each product you review you'll receive cash payment every time a member rates them "helpful", "very helpful" or "exceptional".

These are just some of the ways on how to make money online. Thanks to the power of the internet that offers a number of ingenious ways to generate some extra money from the comfort of your own home.

For other ways to earn money online, you may check the Make Money Online tab of my blog.

AP&T Builds Machines

Are you looking for a good company that running on pressroom automation and hydraulic presses? If you are in auto parts industry, I'm sure you've heard of AP&T.

AP&T provides the metal forming industry with advanced pressroom automation and reliable hydraulic presses. They have wide selection of production solutions for hot stamping, press hardening, heat exchanger plates, automotive hot stamping, fire extinguisher shells and ventilation products.

So, if you need hydraulic press spare parts. All you need to do is login to their website. Then, select the items you need and proceed to check out. They accept payment by credit card submit a company PO. They offer shipping via UPS ground for free when you place your order online. But this is for a limited time only, so what are you waiting for, visit their site now at http://apt-usa.com

Earning Money From Perfumes

The night we went to Nuffnang's First Event in the Philippines, I bought a cologne from Bench. I really love the long lasting scent of this cologne. It made especially for women.

Speaking of colognes, venturing to perfume business is another good idea. My mom thought us how to make colognes. She used to sell affordable colognes. I think she's still offering hands on training on perfume making. As far as I can remember, there is a kit that costs Php 550 or around $11. The kit includes the scent of your choice, 12 perfume containers, and the chemicals to be used. Trust me it easy. With the right knowledge, you can be able to set up a small business in an instant. If you are interested, just message me. And I'll ask my mom is she still conducting hands on training.

SEO for your Business

Are you looking for a site that offers marketing related services? Then, Pepperjam is what you are looking for.

Pepperjam is one of the premier search-engine marketing companies in the world, providing a wide array of services from pay-per-click (PPC) management to search-engine optimization (SEO). Pepperjam has long been recognized as a world leader in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services.

Using Pepperjam's Search Engine Optimization, you can maximize your business sales. It is important to a business because 90% of all online traffic is achieved through the various search engines. Many people will find for your website and possibly become customers. It will help you gain more exposures.

So if you are aiming to attract hundreds or thousands of visitors per day, try Pepperjam's Search Engine Optimization. Allow the most trusted name in Search Engine Marketing to take your organic results to the next level.

Free Business Related eBooks

I woke up this morning with a head ache. I'm not sure if it is due to over sleep or my vertigo is attacking again. And due to severe head ache, I'm currently having a writer's block. I have 3 blogs to maintain and I have some tasks to complete. But I don't know how to start.

To warm up my mind, I read John Chow's Make Money Online Ebook and I can say I learned so much from his ebook. After reading Chow's ebook, I checked my bookmarks and I found out that I have Michael Martine's How to start a business blog. I haven't finish reading it, but I promise one of these days I'll share what I've learned.

I admit I'm just a beginner when it comes to blogging. All I know is write, write, and write. I have no idea with SEO. Good thing, there are so many resources available online. I'm really thankful to those bloggers who are willing to share their learnings and tips. I even had a small chitchat with Mr. Javo last night about his view on Inlinks and how Google can slap a blog.

Anyway, here are some of the ebooks I'm reading.
Lets Talk: Social media for small businesses
How to start a business blog
Make Money Online
30 Free ebooks to learn everything you need to know about personal finance

It's All About Franchising

Do you know what is the history of franchising?

The word franchise comes from old French, meaining privilege or freedom. Franchise business has been around a long time. It began in the 1850's when the Singer sewing machine company granted limited distributorships for their famous sewing machines. Their significance in the start of the franchise came from the creation of the contract that is still used today between the original business owner and the new entrepreneur.

But later on, big companies appeared like McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken and they all franchised out.

Although franchising is now a very highly regulated industry, it is important that you ask the right questions, seek the right advice and consider your objectives before investing in any franchise opportunity. If you are not sure where to find Franchise Information, you may visit www.franchiseopportunities.com They provide you with the Web's largest directory of available franchise and business opportunities. They also offer concepts ranging across all industries and investment levels.

Their staff represents over 30 years of franchising experience. If you need need advice anything about franchising, don't hesitate to visit their website.

Article: A Business in One Sentence

While doing my market research about franchise business in the Philippines, I found a great article that might interest you.

A Business In One Sentence is written by Catherine Franz, a Master Life and Business Coach, well-known international speaker and author, living in Northern Virginia. She lives and breathes attraction, prosperity and abundance.

A Business in One Sentence

Marketing expert and author, Geoffrey Moore, has a useful fill-in-the-blank method for creating a theme and positioning statement for your business. I prefer to use his same system for creating clarity for myself in what I'm selling, creating an elevator or introduction speech, and also material for my website, brochures and business card.

Using this same method for each niche I have also keeps me focused and on target for where I am going and what comes first. I know it will do the same for you. As a public speaker, I also like to use the same exercise to create a one-line message for each workshop or engagement. This way the participants and I start from the same page. I like to say it provides the tree trunk that all the branches stem from.

This exercise is designed to be simple and achievable in 15 minutes. However, if this seems somewhat daunting, see if your beliefs are still in the clouds of wanting to deliver too much to too many to soon. If this is the case, there is a great book I recommend that will support you in narrowing down: Niche and Grow Rich, by Jennifer and Peter Sander.
This book will support you understanding the market place you want to enter and in narrowing your thoughts.

Exercise

For ___________________________
(Hints: Who is your target customer, your niche? Is there a geographic relevance? If so, add it. Examples: Seniors, women business owners, teens between 13 and 18. If a specific geographic area: Writers in the Washington DC metro area.)

Who ___________________________
(Hints: This is where you qualify your target customer and time of need. Examples: Who are obese. Who are 62 and older. Who own a business. Who are in high school and take music.)

Our product/service is ____________________________
(Hints: What is your product or the service? Our product is a line of workshops. Our service is training. Our service is executive coaching. Our service is training or engineering or accounting.)

That provides ______________________________
(Hints: What are your key features of this product/service?
What are the major benefits of this product or service?
What are the tradeoffs? That provides shortcuts (software training) at a discount/premium price. That contains no chemicals. That contains no hidden costs. That contains no markups. That contains life support.)

Unlike ____________________________________
(Hints: Who are your competitors? What are the products not serving the needs of this particular niche? Unlike other retail sellers, which have.... Unlike store-bought goods, these.... Unlike other coaches.... Unlike other workshops....)

Our product/service _______________________________
(Hints: Your product/service serves this niche by doing what? Our product/service helps this group increase their personal leadership skills. Our product/service helps this group overcome.... Our product/service helps this group reap the rewards of....

Taking This Forward

Once you have completed this exercise, whether it is for your overall business theme or better yet a narrower one, you can move this information forward into all your marketing information.

Create a paragraph with this information, then edit and refine the language so that it fits your customer's reading style. This is especially important if your style is different. Each word you use has an energy attached to it.

This energy either detracts or attracts customers.

I believe that having a theme is important part of a business identity. It can be a tagline, slogan, or your overall business theme. This gives your customers an idea about your business. It makes your customers visualize and feel the brand, providing a very powerful catch phrase that 'says it all'.

So, if your company's theme is designed to define your company and your products in terms that will mean something to your customers and it speaks to the uniqueness of your company and product - then you are probably on the right track.

Fully Booked Bloggers Event

They said you have to read more books than blogs, but how about the idea of reading books and blogging about them at the same time—now, that sounds better.

Fully Booked is calling out all bloggers and bookworms out there. Feed your mind and give it some intellectual exercise on November 28, 2008 as Fully Booked opens its door for a wonderful afternoon of fun learning, good books, and exciting prizes.

Reserve a slot now and be one of the first 100 bloggers to bring home FREE books from “Your bookstore of choice” Fully Booked.

What: Fully Booked Bloggers Event
Where: Fully Booked, Bonifacio High Street, 5th Avenue, Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila
When: November 28, 2008

RSVP: Kankan Ramos or Toni Alvarez
910-6427/0917-8687438
fullybooked@teamyehey.com

Online Shopping: Disposable Healthcare Product

With larger numbers of people with access to the internet, online shopping sites are growing like mushrooms after the rain. As everyone knows, the Internet is a great place to find bargains and great deals on any product you can name.

Since you can purchase almost everything onlne, people prefers online shopping than visiting a physical store. Some says it is cheaper, especially now that gas prices are high. Some says it is convenient. You never have to worry about the crowds on a Saturday morning, looking for a parking spot, or where you're going to leave the kids so you can buy stuffs.

One example of online shops is DHP Home Delivery. DHP Home Delivery Company, Inc. is an official retailer of Tyco Healthcare/Kendall Products, a leading manufacturer of disposable healthcare products worldwide like needles, syringes, Sharps Containers and more. They offer products with competitive prices. Their delivery all of their products is 100% free on in the contiguous United States. So, if you need healthcare products, don't worry because DHP Home Delivery is just one click away.

Anyway, online shopping is safe, convenient and cheaper.

Would You Choose Love or Money?

Recently, I was asked to choose between family reunion or money. To answer this question, I decided to take this quiz.

Would You Choose Love or Money?

You Would Choose Love

Money may buy a little happiness, but not the happiness of true love.
You rather have a true soulmate than a private jet.
And while many people may claim they would choose love too...
You're one of the few who would really do it.

We all know we need money to survive, but I will never leave my family for money. Like what the result says, "Money may buy a little happiness, but not the happiness of true love." Happiness is not sold in the market where you can go and buy it with your money. You can find the happiness with the relationship you maintain with others, your behaviour, your care and concern and your love and affection towards others.

Money can give you sleepless nights. It can spoil your relationship with friends, relatives and family. Money can make you arrogant and egoistic. Money can only bring your downfall. But money can't buy you permanent happiness.

How about you? Would You Choose Love or Money?

Matched.co.uk has closed

Today, I received a message that says Matched.co.uk has closed. I thought this just another joke or scam email. But when I checked their site. It has a note that says:

It is with much regret that we announce that Matched.co.uk has closed.

Matched has been running as a beta experiment for some time and, after much careful consideration, it has been decided not to progress the project to the next stage.

As a result, Matched will not be accepting new sign-ups and will no longer be assigning adverts to its current publisher base.

All publishers who completed their latest payment run before November 19th 2008 will still be paid, but please note that no further payments will be made after this. Therefore, we recommend that all publishers remove any Matched ads from their websites.

Thank you very much for being part of the Matched.co.uk experience and we wish you the best of luck for the future success of your websites.

Kind regards,
Matched.co.uk

Too bad, I just signed up two weeks ago and I haven't earned anything from them.

eComEx 2008 - The 1st Philippine eCommerce Expo

eComEx 2008 will feature an online sellers’ bazaar where visitors can surf and shop for clothes, shoes, bags, accessories, gadgets, sporting goods, novelty items, desserts and many other unique and interesting products.

Visitors can also join e-biz seminars and workshops to learn about putting up internet businesses, securing online transactions, available technologies in ensuring and maintaining e-business, and many other eCommerce topics.

The 2-day event will be highlighted by the 1st fashion exhibition of online designers and sellers, and the 1st eDWARDS or eCommerce Development Awards, given to internet sellers for online store design and for product and service innovation.

eComEx 2008 will not only help educate Filipinos about digital trade, but it will also allow online sellers to connect with each other, exchange ideas, share experiences, and promote their products and services. Through eComEx 2008, event organizers, PiSO and Xend, hope to revolutionize the way Filipinos think and do business, and elevate eCommerce as a lifestyle for all Filipinos, ultimately towards making the Philippines the eCommerce hub of Asia.

eComEx 2008 is supposed to be on November 29 and 30. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, eComEx 2008 will be moved to a later date sometime in early 2009. The rescheduled date will be announced on the official website, www.ecomex.com.ph, as soon as possible.

For exhibitor and sponsor opportunities, contact: Kenneth Reyes at 980-1272 or kenneth.reyes@piso.ph

Reasons Why Filipinos Don't Go Into Business

We all know that business is a risky but satisfying adventure. But to be a successful in business, you should have the skills, knowledge, determination and ability to handle stress.


Most of the Filipinos dream to have their own business. However, there are many factors or excuses that hinder them to start a business.

1. Money
Many Filipinos do not have a capital to start their own business.

2. Time
Most Filipinos are tied in their office, focused on their jobs to earn money to support their daily needs. Some are too scared to lose regular salary or simply they lack of time management.

3. Skills
Many Filipinos are afraid of risks. They get easily discourage especially when they don't know what they are doing.

4. Opportunity
Many Filipinos think that having their own business is not for them. The odd thing about Filipinos is that they bring up their children to study hard ,so in the future they will get a better job. Unlike Chinese, they mold their children to be the future business owners.

5. Personal Network or Connection
Connection is important in business and most Filipinos don't have that. Filipinos are known to be timid.

Hey, don't get me wrong. I have nothing against Filipinos. I'm a Filipina. These are just some of my observations of Filipinos' lame excuses when it comes to starting their own businesses.

If we still continue to be like this, our economy will not succeed. Just keep in mind, change begins with you... Now, you decide.