Are You a Professional?

Source : Tipsforsuccess. org

How you look, talk, write, act and work determines whether you are a professional or an amateur. Society does not emphasize the importance of professionalism, so people tend to believe that amateur work is normal. Many businesses accept less-than-good results.

Schools graduate students who cannot read. You can miss 15% of the driving-test answers and still get a driver license. "Just getting by" is an attitude many people accept. But it is the attitude of amateurs.

"Don't ever do anything as though you were an amateur.

"Anything you do, do it as a Professional to Professional standards.

"If you have the idea about anything you do that you just dabble in it, you will wind up with a dabble life. There'll be no satisfaction in it because there will be no real production you can be proud of.

"Develop the frame of mind that whatever you do, you are doing it as a professional and move up to professional standards in it.

"Never let it be said of you that you lived an amateur life.

"Professionals see situations and they handle what they see. They are not amateur dabblers.

"So learn this as a first lesson about life. The only successful beings in any field, including living itself, are those who have a professional viewpoint and make themselves and ARE professionals" — L. Ron Hubbard

A professional learns every aspect of the job. An amateur skips the learning process whenever possible.

A professional carefully discovers what is needed and wanted. An amateur assumes what others need and want.

A professional looks, speaks and dresses like a professional. An amateur is sloppy in appearance and speech.

A professional keeps his or her work area clean and orderly. An amateur has a messy, confused or dirty work area.

A professional is focused and clear-headed. An amateur is confused and distracted.

A professional does not let mistakes slide by. An amateur ignores or hides mistakes.

A professional jumps into difficult assignments. An amateur tries to get out of difficult work.

A professional completes projects as soon as possible. An amateur is surrounded by unfinished work piled on top of unfinished work.

A professional remains level-headed and optimistic. An amateur gets upset and assumes the worst.

A professional handles money and accounts very carefully. An amateur is sloppy with money or accounts.

A professional faces up to other people’s upsets and problems. An amateur avoids others’ problems.

A professional uses higher emotional tones: Enthusiasm, cheerfulness, interest, contentment. An amateur uses lower emotional tones: anger, hostility, resentment, fear, victim.

A professional persists until the objective is achieved. An amateur gives up at the first opportunity.

A professional produces more than expected. An amateur produces just enough to get by.

A professional produces a high-quality product or service. An amateur produces a medium-to-low quality product or service.

A professional earns high pay. An amateur earns low pay and feels it’s unfair.

A professional has a promising future. An amateur has an uncertain future.

The first step to making yourself a professional is to decide you ARE a professional.

Are you a professional?

Job Info , Jobs , Career

Principles of Credibility When Doing Presentations

Public Speaking Tips and Advice

Principles of Credibility

Bacal & Associates publishes a help card with tons of tips to help you deal with resistant, difficult or hostile groups. If you speak to, or present to groups who are not keen on hearing or accepting what you have to say.

It doesn't matter who you are speaking to. Whether to a group of a thousand, a radio or television audience, or one person in the privacy of your office, much depends on your ability to come across in a credible and honest fashion. Good intentions are not enough. Many the honest, open speaker has created an impression of shiftiness and dishonesty due to a lack of understanding about how to structure content, and how to use language and speaking style to come across in a credible manner. In this column, taken from notes from our "Dealing With Hostile Groups" seminar, we provide some tips for you.

What Does Credibility Mean?

You will be perceived as credible when you:

• appear relatively unbiased
• appear similar to the audience
• communicate in ways the audience understands
• demonstrate understanding of the audience's opinions
• do not sound defensive or aggressive
• do not over react to criticism

Specific Tips

1. Don't oversell or ignore downsides from the audience's points of view. Research suggests a mix of focusing on evidence to support your position AND considering objections is most effective.

2. Pre-empt attacks by bringing up audience concerns yourself. For example: "I know some of you are probably thinking [fill in objection]. Let me address that."

This is much better than ignoring these until an audience member attacks you with an objection.

3. Match your language to the audience. That is, stay away from all bureaucratic language and abbreviations, unless your entire audience is very familiar with them. Even then, explain the abbreviations.

Match your language to the anticipated educational levels and dialects of the audience members. Don't use huge words, or language that isn't used in the world your audience lives in. Don't use long, convoluted sentences, either. Speak like them!

4. Whenever possible DON'T READ A PREPARED SPEECH. This reduces your power of influence, and credibility. Very few people are able to read a speech effectively. Most attempts at reading make you appear to be unconfident, stiff, and artificial. Reading occasional quotes, however, is OK.

5. Generally, a lectern separates you from the audience. Consider using a wireless microphone so that you can leave the lectern, or dispense with it entirely. However, if you must use a lectern, don't use a death grip on it. The audience will perceive this as discomfort and stiffness. By the way, walking around is relaxing for you (usually), and is more interesting for the audience.

6. Use a well-organized structure for your presentation. Use the old saw: Tell em what you are going to tell them. Then tell them. Then tell them what you told them. This corresponds to the introduction, body, and conclusions/summary.

7. When using the above structure, indicate in your opening that you imagine that some have concerns, that you will be addressing. Then, in your body, present both sides. You may want to emphasize any positives you have identified.

8. Speak with energy and intensity to show your commitment to your topic, but don't go "over the top", by sounding like a preacher or sales-person.

9. Make an extra effort to make eye-contact with people in the group. The listeners need to feel that your primary concern is each of them, not selling them on the ideas YOU have. So you want to appear as listener focused as possible.

10. Don't try to accomplish too much, or present too much information. The more you present, the less impact each point has. By trying to do too much you risk the possibility that the listeners will miss your main points, or simply get lost and frustrated.

Conclusion:

While most of the tips we have presented relate to sounding credible to a group of people, most apply to talking to individuals also. Remember that the best way to sound credible is to focus on the audience, and its concerns, rather than your concerns, or the concerns of your government. There are a good many other tactics you can apply to difficult groups or difficult people. Our half-day seminar on the subject is available to help. For more information, call us at (204) 888-9290. (work911.com)

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Feeling Entrepreneurial? (Part II)

If you decide you want to follow your dream, here are tasks to accomplish in the early days of your new company.

1. Establish an accounting process, and pick a year end date.
One approach is to purchase a desktop accounting software package. Another option is to hire or contract an accountant.

2. Select your company name.
This involves verifying that the name is available, and registering it in your state. If you would like a Web presence, check if your desired domain name is available through a service such as Network Solutions. If you plan to protect your name and/or logo with a trademark, you can check the ability to use your desired name by visiting uspto.gov.

3. Obtain the necessary business licenses and permits.
This will vary by your location and type of business.

4. Obtain an Employer Identification Number from the Internal Revenue Service.

5. Set up a Dun and Bradstreet DUNS number by visiting dnb.com.

6. Discuss your business plan with your insurance agent.
Together, determine your needs for business insurance.

7. Loans, if you need them.
Don't assume that you can easily get a loan. Take time and discuss your options with a professional financial advisor or your banker.

A. Personal Loans
Banks, credit unions and life insurance policies are avenues to explore when seeking a loan. Be prepared to have your credit history scrutinized and in many cases you'll need collateral or a sponsor.

B. Business Loans
There are three types of business loans that you may qualify for. Have all of your documents ready, including your business plan and pro forma, and speak to your banker about all available options.

If you have steady accounts receivable (AR) that are not delinquent, you may seek a loan secured by your AR. You also may seek a loan to be secured by your inventory or equipment.

If your business holds real estate, you could apply for a loan secured with real estate.

If none of the above is right for you, visit the Small Business Administration at sbaonline.org.


8. Is venture capital for your business?
Venture capital firms (VC) are an option if you are planning a high and rapid growth business in which your investors have potential to make five to ten times their initial investment. VCs usually invest between $250,000 to $2,000,000 in a company. In return they take considerable ownership of the company. They generally make their decision on the strength of the management team and the viability of the business model in the current market.

If your company does not fit this profile, that is OK. It may be better to spend your time seeking funds in other ways.

If you are interested in venture capital or recruiting angel investors, visit garage.com. You'll find some great resources online, and in addition, they conduct a seminars several times a year called Boot Camp for Start Ups.

The book, "Financing the New Venture" by Mark Long is a good primer if you're new to raising funds.

9. Select a bank and establish banking accounts.

10. If you have decided to incorporate,
you may need to set up an Operating Agreement, create Bylaws, establish a Board of Directors, distribute share or unit certificates, and many other tasks related to the establishment of a corporation. Your legal advisor can help you determine what you need to do.

11. Create templates
for vendor contracts, client contracts and other legal documents such as a Non Disclosure Agreement or Transfer of Rights.

12. Set up accounts
with a printer, office supply vendor, and other special vendors your business requires. If you're on a tight budget, you may want to check out vistaprint.com for their low cost and free business card offers.

13. A lawyer would be helpful in the following areas:

• Establishment of your business
• Client and vendor contracts
• Partnership agreements and negotiations
• Corporate set-up, if so desired
• Leases
• Employment and labor issues
• Trademarks, copyrights and patent issues
• Tax planning

How to Select a Lawyer:

• Contact your local Chamber of Commerce or professional associations for a referral
• Check out lawyer candidates at MartindaleHubbell.com
• Check status of your lawyer candidate with the local chapter of the American Bar Association, or the national office at (312) 988-5522.

14. An accounting professional would be valuable in the following ways:

• Understanding of the consequences and benefits of each business form (i.e., C Corp, S Corp, LLC, etc.)
• Set up of an accounting system and procedure
• Tax planning
• Preparation of tax documents
• Payroll issues
• IRS audits

We've listed some of the tasks you may address when you decide to work as an independent contract, or form your own business. We urge you to find professional advisors to guide you through this new territory successfully.

Job Info , Jobs , Employment

Feeling Entrepreneurial? (Part I)

By Peter Dowling, JD, CPRW, ARM, CPCU

Jan had lunch with Margo for the first time since Margo left the firm to work freelance. Now Jan is considering making the move to freelance. Before she does she wants to know what to expect and how to prepare.

What are the principle differences between working for yourself and for an employer?

Here is some of what you can expect 'on your own.'

• Potential for higher earning
• Make your own hours
• Make decisions about the direction of your company and your career
• More responsibility
• Potential for favorable tax benefits
• No unemployment insurance or worker's compensation, as an independent
• Income may be erratic or difficult to collect
• Cost of doing business may be more than you anticipate
• If you're working at home it may be a challenge to define your work hours and manage interruptions and distractions

Initial Steps -- Before You Decide to Quit Your Day Job

1. Create a business plan.

How will you do business? How will you attract clients? How much will you charge for your services or product? Who are your vendors? How long will it take to establish yourself? How long before you break even?

2. Construct a practical budget.

Do you have the necessary funds to get your business started and to keep it running through your break-even point? Are you prepared to seek outside funds in the form of a loan or investment? How long can you survive without an income?

3. Will you set up office in your home initially, or rent space?

Working at home can save money. You may qualify for tax deductions. However, will it harm your professional image, and is your home space appropriate for your business?

4. Select the legal form for your business. (Corporation, Limited Liability Company, etc.)

This decision is crucial as it may affect your tax liability and method, your Social Security tax responsibilities, your privacy, and your personal liability for debts.

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10 Effective Employee Benefit Ideas from Google Headquarters

Google’s founders often state that the company is not serious about anything but search. They built a company around the idea that work should be challenging and the challenge should be fun.


To that end, Google’s culture is unlike any in corporate America, and it’s not because of the whimsical lava lamps and large rubber balls, or the fact that one of the company’s chefs used to cook for the Grateful Dead. In the same way Google puts users first when it comes to online services, Google puts employees first when it comes to daily life in its offices.


“The goal is to strip away everything that gets in our employees’ way. We provide a standard package of fringe benefits, but on top of that are first-class dining facilities, gyms, laundry rooms, massage rooms, haircuts, carwashes, dry cleaning, commuting buses – just about anything a hardworking employee might want. Let’s face it: programmers want to program, they don’t want to do their laundry. So we make it easy for them to do both.” Eric Schmidt, CEO Google


Benefits Philosophy: We strive to be innovative and unique in all services we provide both to customers and employees, including our benefits and perks offerings. We realize and celebrate that our employees have diverse needs, and that this diversity requires flexible and individually directed support. Our priority is to offer a customizable program that can be tailored to the specific needs of each individual, whether they enjoy ice climbing in Alaska, want to retire by age 40, or plan to adopt 3 children (Google Jobs).


When you take a close look at these employee benefits Google provides, you will see a common thread that indicates how much Google sees their employees as a close-knit family. The thought, consideration and assistance they offer, with their employees' needs being the focus, is the glue that keeps their workers happy, healthy and financially taken care of.



10 Simple and Effective and Effective Employee Benefits You Can Learn from Google:

Here are some of the benefits, other than the standard good health care and retirement plans, that people who work at Google love. Maybe you can incorporate some of these ideas into your Employee Benefits Package:

1. 529 College Savings Plan. Now, this is an incredible benefit that provides a way for employees to save part of their paychecks for post-secondary education for themselves or their children.

This plan is another offering besides Google's Flex Spending Account and their matching 401(k) Plan options.

2. Maternity Leave. Google offers up to 18 weeks off at about 100% of an employee's regular pay. That's especially generous because many large corporations only give up to four weeks' paid.

Check this out: on top of the fantastic paid leave, new moms and dads are able to have take-out meals covered up to $500 during the first 3 months they are home with the new baby.

3. Parental Leave. This is a special benefit for non-primary caregivers. For example, if your sister wound up in the hospital and needed you to fly out to care for your nieces and nephews, you get up to 7 weeks off, paid at approximately 100%.

4. Employee Referral Program. Google's motto is, "Good people know other good people," and encourages recommendations of candidates for openings. If they hire your referral and remains employed at Google for at least two months, the referrer (you) gets a nice bonus.

5. Back-Up Child Care. If your babysitter doesn't show or your daycare suddenly closed its doors one morning, Google will provide five days of free childcare through Children's Creative Learning Center (CCLC), for ages 6 weeks to 12 years of age.

6. Gift-Matching Program. Let it never be said that Google doesn't contribute to charity and go the extra mile to encourage their employees to get more mileage out of their charitable dollars.

Google matches contribution of up to $3000 per year from eligible employees to non-profit organizations, says the Google site. "Bolstering employees contributions to worthy causes with matching gifts doesn't just mean helping hundreds of organizations, both locally and globally, it's also a tangible expression."

7. Adoption assistance. Google assists their employees by offering financial help in the adoption of a child.

Google will reimburse the adoptive parents up to $5,000 for legal expenses, adoption agencies, or any other professional adoption fees. On top of this, parental leave and take-out benefits also apply here.

8. Financial Planning Classes. Google provides their employees with objective and conflict-free financial education courses that are comprehensive and cover a wide variety of financial topics---free.

In addition to these courses, Google offers EAP, an Employee Assistance Program that provides services for employees and their dependents that include free short-term counseling, legal consultations, child care referrals, and even pet care referrals.

9. Great On-Site Services. Google headquarters in Mountain View, California provides their employees with an on-site oil change, car wash, massage therapy, dry cleaning, hair stylist, gym, fitness classes and bicycle repair.

In addition to these services, gourmet chefs create a wide variety of healthy and delicious---and free---lunches and dinners for Google's employees. Google also offers satisfying snacks in between meals.

10. On-Site Doctor. Also at Google's Mountain View headquarters, employees have the convenience of seeing a doctor for medical attention right on-site.

This perk could save having an employee leave the workplace in order to be seen by a medical professional.

Important Points to Remember when Adding Employee Benefits to your Business:

• Make sure your benefits and rewards match the accomplishments. In other words, a reward does not need to cost a lot of money; what matters is that the benefits is of value to the employee.
• Center your company benefits around your employees' needs.
• Be fair with reward systems. Make sure that whatever benefit or reward system you set up can never be construed into “playing favorites.”
• Don’t let your mood(s) dictate when to offer benefits or rewards to employees for jobs well-done. Employees can detect when an employer is sincere when showing appreciation.
• Never use benefits or rewards as leverage to get what you want. Don’t put a reward in place for everyone and then use it against everyone---for lack of performance by one or two people---by taking it away. Again, be fair to all.
• Learn to incorporate and give rewards to the right employees for the right reasons.

Job Info , Jobs , Employment

7 Things To Evaluate In An Employee Evaluation

Source : A Touch of business.com

Why An Employee Evaluation is Important

Even if you own a small business, performing regular employee evaluations helps to keep employees on track with your goals for the company; reward good work performance, and help to give the employee direction.

Employee evaluations are also important to you, as the business owner, in order to determine if you employ the right people for the roles they play in the company and to use the evaluations in order to call attention to areas that need improvement.

Evaluations offer an excellent opportunity to review stages that employees are at and where and how they can grow to another level.


What Items should be Present in an Employee Evaluation?

While many companies are moving toward self-evaluations and software, the same elements are present as when using the old-fashioned form method:

• Job performance.
• Attitude.
• Ability to listen.
• Readily accepts responsibility(s) and is accountable for actions.
• Commitment/dedication/ownership of his/her job.
• How well the employee interacts with other employees and customers.
• Desire to learn and grow with the business.

1. Employee Evaluation - Track Performance

• Overall employee performance is the culmination of all evaluation criteria. Many supervisors use a scoring system and determine a level or percentage based upon the scoring of the other items in the evaluation.
• For this reason, many business owners have opted to perform a 30-day evaluation and, from then on, perform scheduled evaluations every six months instead of yearly. Many businesses learned that a year was too long to “touch base” with the goals, achievements, and areas that needed improvement with their employees.
• Additionally, performing 6-month evaluations add incentive for promotions and pay increases.

2. Employee Evaluations Determine Employee Attitude

• To many people, attitude is everything.
• An employee who has a positive nature and attitude is an asset to any business, large or small.
• Employees who have a positive outlook will always see a glass half-full; not half empty. These people strive for a sense of accomplishment and pride in their work, not for a sense of preserving ego, but having their own sense of a job well done.
• While having a positive attitude can be taught through examples of others, books, and seminars, those employees who are forward-thinkers and positive thinkers as a part of their personality are great assets to businesses.

3. Employee Evaluations Show an Employee’s Listening Skills

• Hearing is much different from listening. While employees hear what you or supervisors say, have they listened?
• Let’s use the analogy of parenthood. Parents know instinctively if their child has listened to directions---and not only heard the directions, but show he or she has listened by following through with the desired action.
• The same theory applies to employees. While they are not children and should not be treated as such, listening skills are as important as any other aspect of their jobs and tasks.

4. Employee Evaluations Ascertain an Employee’s Level of Responsibility and Accountability

• A responsible employee is an accountable employee.
• This means that there should be no excuses and no finger-pointing if and when confronted as to why certain tasks were poorly performed---or not performed at all.
• Caution should be exercised when determining an employee’s level of responsibility and accountability because, often, the business owner did not explain a process thoroughly or in a way that the employee understood well.
• Additionally, bear in mind that if there is a problem involving tasks and their completion, the finger is most often pointed at the business ownership itself.

5. Employee Evaluations Show How Much an Employee is Committed to His or Her Job

• Tardiness and many sick days is often an indicator that the employee is not committed or dedicated to his or her job. In other words, the employee is “there for a paycheck.”
• Commitment and dedication to one’s job also leads right back to the business ownership and “employee cultivation.”
• Does your business provide job incentives such as regular pay increases, bonuses, paid vacation, health insurance, and a reward system? Often, if a business has benefits that offer growth and tokens of appreciation or “rewards,” employees feel more attached to the business’ personality and benefits package and system.

6. Employee Evaluations Include an Employee’s Level of Social Skills

• An employee who possesses a positive and professional set of social skills creates several advantages for a business.
• If an employee not only works well with other employees, has a team-player spirit, these qualities spill over into having great customer service skills. This not only helps to maintain a smooth-flowing and cooperative work environment, established and new customer relationships can be developed and maintained using even ONE employee’s good social skills.
• Letters of commendation from customers should be filed along with employee records, for instance, and included in an evaluation.

7. An Employee Evaluation can Help Determine the Longevity of an Employee

• The longevity of an employee includes how much the employee is excited about the field of the business.
• If your business does its job by incorporating bonuses, incentives, rewards, and evaluations, employees who love the field itself are most likely to stay and grow with the company.
• In addition, employees who are excited to be working in a field they have a passion for are also seekers of additional knowledge and know-how, can be cultivated for managerial positions and motivate others, and are most easily cross-trained.

Important Points to Remember with Employee Evaluations:

• Develop and write down goals, strategies, and measures for success to compare with those of employees.
• Give consistent ‘credit where credit is due’ and do regular evaluations at smaller intervals of time such as every 6 months as opposed to yearly. This will add to employee performance and employee relations.
• Be fair when assessing evaluations; sometimes the business itself needs fine-tuning in order to gain better employee performance.
• Leave enough time to go over evaluations with employees. Many business owners take their employees to lunch when conducting an employee evaluation in order to “lighten up” the atmosphere.
• Makes sure all assessments have data to support them such as letters of commendation as well as documented dates and times with mishaps of the employee so that an employee can never interpret their evaluations as part of favoritism or used as a personal attack.

Job Info , Jobs , Employment

Is Your New Business Going to Make It?

"Owning my own business." It sounds like a wonderful idea: making your own choices, setting your own goals, keeping your own money. However, not every business makes it out of the starting blocks, and not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur.

Before you look outward to the benefits of owning your own business, look inward and make sure that you are 'entrepreneur material.' At the heart of every new business is the entrepreneur, the base upon which all other aspects of the business will rest. The qualities of this entrepreneur will be reflected in the ultimate success or failure of the new venture.

When larger firms looking for personnel advertise for a 'self starter', they are looking for someone with a key entrepreneurial ingredient. As your own boss, you will be responsible for 'getting out of your bed on your own' every morning. You may think that you already do this, but with no timeclock to punch, and no boss watching the door, it's very easy to come in a little later, leave a little earlier, or take a longer lunch break. Fledgling small business owners learn the hard way that their new-found freedom is more a state of mind than a state of body. In fact, studies show that people who own their own businesses often spend longer hours at their new business that they did when working for someone else.

 As an entrepreneur, you must have a healthy dose of self-confidence. You must be totally committed to your business idea, and then have the confidence to sell others (notably banks), on that idea. It takes single-minded determination to forge ahead, even when family or friends oppose the idea, or worse, ridicule it. An entrepreneur must maintain her confidence, even in the face of non-confidence votes from those closest to her.

 This same confidence carries over to the ability to take calculated risks. By their very nature, entrepreneurs are risk-takers. They move beyond their own status quo, constantly thinking ahead to new goals for their lives and businesses. To reach these goals, they confidently take risks, trusting in their own instincts and reactions.

 An entrepreneur is also a leader. Running your own business means that you are now 'the boss' and all the responsibilities of that position now fall upon you. You need to have an inner urge to direct, lead and be a manager of people. You'll need to be a good communicator, too. It's no good being the boss if you can't communicate with your employees.

 Most entrepreneurs are high in analytical ability. This is the ability to analyse - to extract the significant meaning or trend - from a situation, a problem, a report or a statistic. The successful entrepreneur is the one who saw the new market trend before her competitors did, or used her financial statements to emphasise the profitable side of the business, or recognised her buyer profile from her sales statistics.

 All would-be entrepreneurs must have the 3Rs. Ask yourself these three key questions:
1. Am I Resilient?  Can I bounce back after a bad decision, a rough sales week, or a slow market? Can I continue to operate with the same degree of enthusiasm with which I started? Or, am I easily discouraged when I encounter roadblocks on the way to attaining my goals?

2. Am I Resourceful? Can I live without my regular pay cheque and rely upon my own skills and abilities to create my income? Or do I get panicky and worried at the thought of an uncertain income?

3. Am I Resolute? Can I 'hang in there', stick it out, and give my business a chance to make it? Or do I tend to give up easily either through boredom or hardship?

Before you embark on your business venture, consider carefully the person who will be running that business. An entrepreneur can be anyone, but not everyone can be an entrepreneur.

If you decide that you are definitely the person to run her own small business, be aware of the five external reasons that most small businesses fail.

"Only five?", you may say. There are a myriad of reasons why small businesses have a high failure rate, but these five danger areas are early warning signs of trouble ahead for the new entrepreneur.

Lack of experience: It's surprising how many entrepreneurs leap into a business enterprise with little or no experience in that particular field. For every story of the woman who made a million in a brand new business, there are a million stories of the woman who found herself over her head in an unknown environment. Statistics show that you are more likely to be successful in a business in which you have personal experience. It makes sense: after all, few would-be programmers set up shop before they've learned how to turn on the computer.

Lack of money: Starting a business on a 'shoestring' sounds good, but more often than not, the shoestring proves to be too short! One of the soundest pieces of advice that an entrepreneur can heed is to make sure she has all her finances in place before she begins. Your financial resources must be sufficient to withstand the strain of start-up for the first year or so. A general rule-of-thumb is that you should have a cash flow position (money available), to enable you to survive at least three, and optimally, six bad months. When you estimate how much money you need to start your business, always estimate from a 'worst case' scenario. That way, there won't be any surprises six months down the road when the business is finally beginning to show promise, but your cash has dried up.

The wrong location: The real estate adage that 'location, location, location' are the three most important factors in selling a house also applies to your small business off line or online. You can have the greatest product in the country, but if your location if difficult to find, in an unsavoury neighbourhood, off the beaten track with no easy parking nearby, your product will remain the country's best-kept secret. A new business has enough difficulties in the first year without adding the burden of a poor location. Look for the best possible location for your new business, and give it the advantage it deserves.

Overhead too high: On the other hand, the best location in the world may be the worst choice for your business. Why? Because it may be too expensive for your business to carry. Some small business owners make the mistake of choosing locations that immediately burden their businesses with high overhead expenses - expenses like rents, leasing costs, utilities, maintenance fees, shared advertising and marketing costs. Being in a prime location such as a large shopping centre may guarantee a steady supply of customers, but most new businesses do not have the operating capital to cover these expenses until they win customer interest and loyalty. Rather than starting off with high overhead expenses, build the move to a more expensive location into your business plan. Consider it part of a natural expansion once the business is up and running, and generating revenues.

Taking too much out of the business: Everyone knows that you are not in business just for something to do. You expect your business to pay the mortgage and put bread on the table. However, simply dipping into the till everytime you need a few dollars is deceiving. You may think that you're only spending a minimal amount, but over the months, it quickly adds up to a substantial sum and a major drain on your working capital. It's vital that you control how much you take from the business for your own personal use. The best way to do this is pay yourself a regular 'salary', either a fixed amount each month or a percentage of the profits. In your initial cash-flow forecasting, count your personal drawings as a fixed expense, not as a flexible amount which depends entirely upon your own generosity.

If a new owner is experience is her chosen business field, if she is financially ready for any situation, if her business location if right for her enterprise, if she keeps overhead costs within reasonable limits, and if she has control over her own spends, then her business is on the right track for success.

No one says that starting and running a small business is easy, but the dangers are clearly marked by the experiences of those who have gone ahead. The forewarned entrepreneur is forearmed to avoid the costly mistakes that will put her business in jeopardy.

Originially published in Her Business magazine

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Outdoor Billboard Advertising: 10 Issue To Things In Your Campaign

Outdoor Billboard Advertising – One of the Most Difficult Advertising Strategies

Outdoor billboard advertising is one of the most difficult of all advertising simply because of the variables that surround its success or failure.

Size, location, and the message must create a call to action either by calling a phone number or visiting a web site. This is why many small business owners look to outdoor advertising companies for help and guidance.

Outdoor billboard advertising is most effective when it is part of a larger advertising campaign that also includes display advertising in newspapers, radio and television advertising, and website campaigns. Compared cost-wise to other forms of advertising, outdoor advertising rates are favorable due to their exposure level.

The most effective billboards are ones that cause the viewer to go, “hmmm.” Many famous (and highly effective) outdoor billboard advertising strategies could fill the halls of many mansions but they have one thing in common: creativity. Some of the most creative ideas can be found at Billboardom


1. Outdoor Billboard Advertising Needs to Be “To the Point” – and Memorable for Passing Motorists

Think about this: how much of a billboard can you read going 60 miles per hour?
Effective billboards have a message that has “punch” such as a shorter version of a slogan. “I'm Thinking Arby's,” “Got Milk?” and a variety of other “mini-slogans” add just the right of information to make it identifiable with a brand name.

In fact, part of a comprehensive advertising campaign is to create slogans for the company that promote name recognition and company branding.
Some of the most memorable outdoor billboard ads have the fewest words and three or less graphics.


2. Outdoor Billboards Need to Have Lettering that is a Minimum of 1 ½ Feet Tall

Even if your billboard is close to the road, you still need to stick to this rule for maximum visibility. Remember that the speed limit of that particular stretch of road will either allow for more or less time for your message to be read. If your outdoor billboard is further from the road or higher up from the ground, the lettering should increase in size accordingly.


3. Large and Powerful Graphics Make Billboards Memorable

A huge photograph of a hand holding a hammer says, “Strength” without words. The hammer itself can be used to portray a building company but can also project, “our workmanship is solid” for many types of businesses and industries.

A graphic such as this should be the same height as the billboard area for the most effectiveness. Remember the adage, “a picture says a thousand words” to help guide you in finding a great graphic or visual effect to say the words instead of cluttering the billboard with text.
Dare to be different with the use of graphics.


4. Contrasting Colors Make Billboards Stand Out

Your graphics and text must stand distinctly apart from each other in order to be seen and remembered. Along these same lines, a website domain name and phone number that tie into the graphic's message helps the most important information – the call to action – easy to remember.

A short and easy-to-remember domain name and phone number in bright yellow against a dark background helps the eye to register the information to the brain in a glance.

Just because all the text and graphics are very large on a billboard does not mean they will be seen and responded to. Because the elements are larger, it is even more important to use high contrast with graphics and text.


5. Billboards that Speak the Language of the Community Get Results

If your business appeals to a younger market, the edgier you can get, along with “street talk.” While many business owners may not fit into that crowd, their audience might.

How you, as a business owner, may phrase a statement in “proper language,” the use of slang and deliberately misspelled words can let your customers know that your business is progressive and not adverse to change and innovation.

On the other hand, if your customers consist of another type of audience, speak to them in the language they are accustomed to. “Yo, heads up” may not be very appealing to an audience who relates better to, “We're New….and Better.”



6. The Way The Eye Travels is the Way Your Billboard is Read

The eye travels from left to right. You want to be sure that your billboard's message goes in the order you intend.
Make sure that your message doesn't lose the viewer in lack of order or sense.

Your graphics and text should have a natural flow so that the eye travels naturally from the most important element to the next. There should be a natural flow from element to element with the most important being what stands out the most: is it the text message or the graphic?

Again, color and contrast help to determine an easy flow where there is a specific order and the message is absolutely identifiable with your business.



7. Dare to be Drastic and Different with Your Billboard Advertising

Most of the time, it's risky to be daring in business and errors in judgment can cost a business hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

Gather ideas from friends and family as to what their most memorable billboard signs have been. Creativity is the key so that your billboard stands out from the rest of the signage along the roadway. Think outside the box and include humor, a headline of great interest, and graphics that lead the readers to call or click to your business.



8. Create an Advertising Message on your Billboard that Beats the Competition

Consumers are exposed daily to every suggestion, nuance, and saying that advertising executives can dream up for any type of advertising campaign. The problem is, how can you make your message convey how your product or service outperforms the competition?
This is the time for a very good writer and thesaurus to come into play if you cannot afford an advertising agency's expertise.

Come up with a better way of saying why your business is better in the fewest number of words. In fact, this is the very method used when creating a slogan and you can start with a longer slogan and shorten it to a catch-phrase for your billboard.



9. Offer Something for Free on Your Outdoor Billboard Advertisement

Insurance companies and other similar businesses are notorious for proclaiming, “Call for a Free Quote Today!”
Today, more than ever, consumers are not only comparison-shopping for great deals but also value for their money.

If your business offers a guarantee of work, trade-in products, humanitarian contributions and charities it donates to that people are passionate about, fit this information into your billboard message.



10. Call to Action is the Goal of Outdoor Billboard Advertising

The goal of your outdoor billboard advertising is to establish new customer relationships. By using the tips provided here, the goal is to create a billboard advertisement that entices potential customers to contact your business for more information.

By utilizing the steps outlined above, you will be well on your way to achieving more traffic and inquiries for your business.

Outdoor billboard advertising can be quite expense so adequate time and care needs to be taken into the choice of graphics, colors and their placements, and a unique message that portrays a solid business that portrays customer satisfaction and beats the competition with its products and services.


Important Points to Remember when Doing Outdoor Billboard Advertising:

• Create billboard messages that are to the point.
• Create letters and graphics that are adequate in size and height for visibility.
• Create billboard messages that can be easily seen and their messages understood quickly.
• Be creative with graphics, text, color, contrast and concepts.
• Be sure to relay an offer and a call to action for more information by phone or website.

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Tips for Getting Free Advertising through Press Releases

How is a Free Press Release Different from a Blog or Article?

A press release most often is sharing an announcement or commentary on a topic that is of community interest; in other words, “newsworthy.”

A press release is written about or around a current event or a topic that is of great interest to the public or a business sector and can pave the way for sales of a product. Microsoft®, for example, strategically uses press releases and announcements when a new version of software is about to be released. Because many computer users use Microsoft® products in their work and personal lives, the company’s press releases are newsworthy.

Unlike articles written for magazines or websites, press releases are not just about what a company offers. In fact, it is not until one reads the end of the release that it is discovered who the author was and how to get more information.

Press Releases are also FREE advertising. The trick to getting newspaper and television coverage is by making what your business offers of interest to people in the present time.

Note: If your press release does not follow the guidelines in this article, your free press release will be seen as merchant advertising and will be treated and charged for as such.



Finding the “Hook” for your Business’ Free Press Release


Finding the relevancy of your products or services to a topic of current interest is called a “hook.” Your business products and services need to “hook on to” an event or discussion of importance.

If your business serves just your regional area, you need to find a topic of great interest in your local community. If your business serves customers on a national or international, the topics have a wider range from which to choose.

For example, let’s say that your business sells communication equipment such as CB or HAM gear. Now let’s suppose a serious earthquake happened in another area or country and those areas had lost methods of communication. Add to that, perhaps your own area is earthquake-prone.

You could devise an emergency communication program and offer free communication in case of a serious earthquake in your own community. In your press release, you would explain who, what, where, why and how your communication system would work for people in your immediate community.

This type of press release would be termed a, “Human Interest” story. Because your business is offering a service to the community, it would be seen as informational to help ease worry as well as commendable on the part of your business in offering a free service.

Even if such an event would not take place, your customer base would grow simply because of the advertising you gained for your humanitarian efforts; raising the trust level for your products and services in the area.


Does your Business Have a Historical Tie?

Community history is always newsworthy. Does your business operate out of a historical home? If so, who was the family and what did they do in the community during the “good old days?”

Is your business family owned? Did you have ancestors who settled in the area? What was it like during those days? Do you have photographs you can share?

Is your business marking an anniversary of being in business for over 10 years? Is there someone in your employ who has an interesting background and story to tell?

In general, people like to read about people. Stories about people and history are always of human interest and are interesting topics to write about.


Who Writes the Press Release and How to Submit One

Any good writer can write a press release, especially if the writer has had experience with writing for the press.

If there is a story to tell but you know of no one to write it, call a newspaper and find out who you need to speak to about your press release. Most newspaper offices have different departments; you would not want your free press release on emergency communications in the “Garden” section.


At this point, you can do one of two things:

1. Go for it. Submit your completed press release by fax, mail, or hand-delivery. Be sure to include any photos as well as the contact information for you and any other people mentioned in the article who are available for interview.
2. Submit a query. Send a letter to the editor or reporter about the press release you would like to do. Many times, especially if the story is particularly newsworthy, a reporter will come out to interview you and write the story themselves. Again, have any photos on hand as well as the contact information of any other people who can be interviewed.

You can also submit completed press releases through a number of press release companies on the internet, although the chances of your releases being printed for free (without any fees whatsoever) are greatly diminished.


Important Points to Remember when Writing and Submitting Press Releases:

1. A press release is not meant to sell your business’ products and/or services.
2. READ the newspapers or publications before you submit a press release.
3. Find out the appropriate editor or reporter for the department you are appealing to.
4. Have photos and a contact list of other people who can be interviewed.
5. ALWAYS thank the press outlet for publishing your press release.

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Five Common Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make and you Should Avoid

One thing that all entrepreneurs have in common is that they all make mistakes. Unfortunately, time and again we see the same mistakes repeated by many entrepreneurs.
Mistakes.


Entrepreneurs Make #1 – Unclear Goals

Not having clear goals and a clear mission is like trying to drive through a foreign city without a map. he easiest way to avoid making this mistake is to write down your goals and strategies. Too often people can be thrown off course by innocently misinterpreting the goals and strategies. To assume that everyone involved with the business has a clear understanding of its mission can cause many more errors down the road.

In addition to writing down the goals of the business, be sure to write down measurements for success! Set your goals with timelines or milestones in mind and keep focused on meeting those objectives.


Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make #2 – Trying to prove you are Smart

The quickest way to make enemies is to try and prove you are the smartest one out of all the people you work with. Trying to prove you are smart is self-serving and has everything to do with ego; you will end up looking foolish for not listening to the advice of others in business.

No one has all the answers. Where you become smarter is when you realize that there are many other talented people who you can learn from. If you are fortunate enough to be surrounded by such a group of people, learn to be gracious and acknowledge and give credit to them for helping you along the path of building your business successfully.


Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make #3 – Greed

This may sound like a silly question but: are you in business to simply make money? Or, have you become an entrepreneur in order to march to the beat of your own drummer?

Becoming a successful entrepreneur involves the creative efforts on not only your part, but also on the part of others who contribute time and money toward your business. They want to succeed with you and are more likely to stay with you as long as they are valued---by you.

This means that you cannot keep the whole pie to yourself. Just because you might feel that you work harder than others do, does not mean that you are entitled to all the business equity. Think of it this way: with the help of others' contributions of time and money, what might the value of your slice of the pie be worth down the road?


Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make #4 – Hiring the Wrong People

Your business is not being set up as a social gathering and filled with all the people whom you like. Your business needs to be comprised of knowledgeable and talented people who are good at what they do.

Successful entrepreneurs concentrate on hiring the people they need---not just people they like.

Part of writing your goals and strategies includes creating job positions for people to fill. Without a clear-cut job description and list of duties for those areas, how would you know the best people to hire?


Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make #5 – Not Knowing when to Let Go

Many business owners refer to their venture as their “baby” and, in many ways, building a business is just like rearing a child.

As an entrepreneur, you are starting with a seedling of life that you will nourish and grow and the “child” begins to mature. Over time, other people contribute their time, skills, and money into the business and, as the business grows, the relationships change.

Be prepared to hand over responsibilities to others so that you do not suffer from “burn out.”


Important Points to Remember to Avoid Making the 5 Biggest Mistakes:

Coffee Cup Nespaper and cell phone

• * Develop and write down goals, strategies, and measures for success.
• * Give credit to others who are smarter than you.
• * Be fair with sharing the equity in the business.
• * Hire the people you need---not just the people you like.
• * Learn to give responsibility to others at the right time.

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Top 7 Entrepreneurial Traits Needed For Success

Source : A Touch of Business.com

Entrepreneurial Traits: Entrepreneurial Traits - symboloized by a man at his deskSo you think you might be the next Bill Gates but those around you are telling you that you just don't have what it takes?

Well, people have studied entrepreneurs for years, trying to determine what makes them successful at starting a business.

Why are some people more persistent than others? Why are they willing to take risks?

What keeps them from feeling overwhelmed? How can they spot an opportunity that others fail to see? In general, what makes someone a successful entrepreneur?

What Is an Entrepreneur Anyway?

Are you an entrepreneur? How do you know? Well, first you need to understand what an entrepreneur is.

According to most modern dictionaries, an entrepreneur is someone that starts a new business when they see an opportunity at hand – an opportunity with success written all over it.

However, finding such opportunities is not easy and when found, even more difficult to turn into something of worth.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) keeps the stats on business failures and claims that more than half of new businesses will disappear in the first five years.

That is why it is important to determine before you begin if you have what it takes to make it as a business owner.

Top 7 Entrepreneurial Traits Needed For Success

Here are the seven characteristics that researchers find over and over again. If you have these traits, your odds of success are far greater than those that do not.

• Self -Confidence – This means that you trust your abilities. You are willing to face the adversities that are going to happen. You believe you have what it takes to act upon and solve these problems.

• Risk - Taker – This means you trust your hunches, even without a lot of evidence. Keep in mind, however, that success isn't about luck. Once you have the idea, effort and hard work must take place.

• Financial Savvy – You must understand the value of money and have an understanding for how much things cost. Most entrepreneurs learned this skill at a young age by earning their own money through endeavors such as babysitting or mowing lawns. Entrepreneur typing on a computer4. Observant – You know what the next trend is going to be by observing what is going on around you. You will always be looking for new ideas and new ways to make money.

• 5. Competitive – You want to win and you are not afraid of others out there that feel the same way. You know how to stay ahead of others.

• 6. Strong Work Ethic –You are honorable and have a strong work ethic. By making your deals honest, you have an excellent reputation.

• 7. Knows When To Relax – Although you understand the value of hard work, you also know when it is time to step back and enjoy leisurely activities. You realize that burning yourself out is not the way to succeed.

Having these characteristics is not a guarantee that an entrepreneur will be successful. But with these characteristics, an entrepreneur has just the right ingredients for success.

Luckily, the items on the list are learnable. If you want to be an entrepreneur, be honest with yourself and then get to work.

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How did Henry J. Heinz Achieve Such Extraordinary Success?

Source : Source : A Touch of Business.com

HARD WORK. This phrase comes to mind when reading about business leader Henry J. Heinz, whose products' presence on just about every table makes people include him as one of the greatest business leaders in American history.

Henry J. Heinz - Working Since Nine!

Heinz was one of eight children born to German immigrants Heinrich Heinz and Anna Margareta Schmitt.

He was born in Birmingham, Pennsylvania, but the family would later move to Sharpsburg (on the outskirts of Pittsburgh).

Heinz started in 'business' very young. At just six years old, he was already helping his mother look after a backyard garden from which they sold vegetables to neighbors. At age eight, young Heinz would be selling produce already door-to-door!

By the time Heinz reached 17, he was already earning $2,400 annually, a staggering amount during those times.

Laying the Foundation for Heinz

In 1869, Heinz founded his first company - the Heinz Noble & Company with L.C. Noble - to sell horseradish but it was not successful and it ended in bankruptcy in 1875.

Never the one to just give up, Heinz established F & J Heinz with family members and started selling products, one of which was tomato ketchup. In 1888, Heinz bought out his partners and re-organized the firm to the H. J. Heinz Company and it is still the name of the firm to this day.

As a business leader , Heinz was known to be fair in his treatment of employees and was a great supporter of safe and sanitary food practices. In fact, in 1906, he lobbied in favor of the Pure Food and Drug Act. He was also known to be very involved in church activities and did many philanthropic works during his lifetime.

The Henry J. Heinz Quick Bio

• Full name: Henry John Heinz
• Birth date: October 11, 1844 (died May 14, 1919)
• Birth place: Birmingham
• Key success traits: a hard worker to the core, a strategist, never a quitter
• Company: H. J Heinz Company
• Industry: Food & Tobacco

Tidbit:
Heinz' well-known tagline "57 varieties", applied in 1896, actually bears no actual meaning. Heinz just happened to like a shoe store ad he saw while in New York City which said "21 styles" and wanted to copy it. In reality, Heinz was already selling more than 57 types of products at the time the slogan was introduced.

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How to start a t-Shirt business (Part II)

Source : A Touch of Business.com


Standing out in the crowd

Because it's become so easy to start up a t-shirt business in the 'aughts, the competition (especially online) is extremely fierce. So much so that very few people are able to make a full-time living with either t-shirt design or sales.

There are several things a new t-shirt business can do to make success more likely. For instance, it's always a good idea to make a real effort to get hip to what your target demographic really is wearing these days – don't guess.

Furthermore, you're far more likely to make a quick impact by focusing on a very particular market segment. It's not enough to market your t-shirt to “young people.” You'd do better to focus on a very specific niche market such as “young people with motor scooters” or “Irish-American skateboarders.”

You can come up with designs yourself or partner with local artists to share the profits. Even if you don't have any talent with design software or drawing, you can make designs that feature words only.


Marketing for success

Though competitive, many people are able to make a nice side-income from t-shirt business opportunities. Many who do so eventually branch out into other items of apparel. For instance, if you've invested in screen-printing equipment, you can pay the extra for large-format equipment that allows you to make banners and signs.

The only thing holding you back is a marketing effort. All t-shirt business models should include quite a few free-samples and plenty of innovative give-aways to get people to pay attention. Don't be afraid to hit the pavements and get your t-shirts on as many backs as possible. Never be afraid to hand out your cards.

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How to start a t-Shirt business (Part I )

Source : A Touch of Business.com

Starting a t-Shirt business could be a great way to merge creativity and retail sales. Just about everyone has a favorite t-shirt. Business options that target a t-shirt niche can expand very quickly with the right marketing, materials and design.

The t-shirt business has really opened up in recent years. People buying t-shirts in record numbers – heck, they're even buying t-shirts for their dogs. But, Internet has made it possible for just about anyone to make their ideas come to life and walk out the virtual door in 100% cotton.

Letting others do the work for you

One of the biggest innovations in the t-shirt business is the service provided by companies such as CafePress. All you need to provide is the design. Such online companies will print the t-shirt for you on-demand whenever one is ordered.

The advantage to this is that your t-shirt business start-up cost is essentially nothing when using an online service. You don't even have to make a web site of your own to conduct business online. Most sites provide web-space templates that you can modify as your virtual store.

Be careful to read the agreements very carefully. Some services will actually retain the rights to your artwork in exchange for using their service. If you do have a break-away hit, this can end in heartache.

Sending the shirts out for printing

Another option is to use a professional screen-printer to do the work for you. This is an especially good option if you'll be doing single color line drawings or words on a variety of shirt colors Full-color printing with a screen-printer is very expensive and is usually only suitable for high-end concerts where people won't mind paying upwards of $50 per shirt. This simply isn't an option for the vast majority of startup t-shirt businesses.

Apparel print shops are available in most urban areas. You may also order the shirts online and have them shipped to you for on-site retail sales. Many t-shirt business models will involve having the merchandise drop-shipped directly to the customer. Often, the print shop will include your own tag or label, for a small fee.


Heat transfer and Flock lettering

A viable niche market for a t-shirt business is the application of full-color photographs to t-shirts and other clothing or apparel items. Like the low-end consumer kits that come with some printers, these are printed on a normal ink-jet printer that is outfitted with water-resistant inks that hold up to washing.

Unlike home kits, you cannot get professional results from using an iron for the transfer – you'll need a professional heat-press for your t-shirt business. You'll also want to make sure you have suitable equipment for trimming around the designs, especially with dark colored shirts. Otherwise, the results won't look very professional.

Flock lettering is the trade-name of the velvety heat-transferred numbers and letters that have graced recreation-league t-shirts since the 1970s. As long as they're applied correctly and perfectly straight, these look very professional without a lot of equipment or training.

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Steve Jobs and Apple Computer

Source : A Touch of Business.com

Before, only those who were loyal to their Apple Computer PCs were aware of who Steve Jobs was.

Nowadays, nearly everybody knows him thanks to that phenomenon called the iPod.

Steve Jobs and Apple Computer have had a love-hate relationship even ending at one time with Jobs being booted from the firm only to return in 1996 and completely turn the company around and back to profitability.

This achievement definitely merits Steve Jobs to be included in America's greatest business leader list.

Steve Jobs ' Beginnings Steve Jobs was born to a Syrian father and an American mother, who gave him up for adoption immediately after he was born. He was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs of California and spent his 'schooling days' in Cupertino, CA, where he often went to the after-school lectures of the Hewlett-Packard Company. Not surprisingly, he was later hired by HP and worked with Stephen Wozniak.


Steve Jobs' First 'Business Deal'

In the mid-1970's, Jobs, then working at Atari, was approached by its founder Nolan Bushnell and offered $100 for every chip that he can reduce for a new circuit board for the game Breakout. He made a deal with Wozniak to share the bonus 50 50. Wozniak amazed everybody by reducing the number of chips by 50. His 'bonus'? $250... Jobs wasn't exactly truthful; he told Wozniak that Artari only gave them a $500 bonus (instead of the $5000 he received).


Steve Jobs and Apple Computer

In 1976, Jobs founded Apple Computer with Wozniak after he saw a computer the latter designed for himself. The company's first product was called the Apple I. The next product was aptly called Apple II and it became such a hit that Apple II is credited to be the best selling computer in the 1970s and early 1980s.

In 1984, the firm introduced the Macintosh, which was the first commercially successful computer with a graphical user interface. It was so successful that Apple abandoned further developments on Apple II.

Alas, not all was smooth sailing. An internal power struggle in Apple ended with Jobs being stripped of his duties in 1985 and so he left the company and founded NeXT Computer. NeXT was not an instant hit but it reflected Jobs' perfectionist side that it garnered its own following.

In 1993, it would transition into a software development firm. Meanwhile, Apple Computer has been struggling and in 1996, it bough NeXT for US$402 million, bringing Jobs back at the helm of the firm he founded. Apple Computer has since then regained its foothold in the computers and electronics industry and has even successfully branched out into the portable music business with the iPod MP3 player, iTunes digital music software and the iTunes Music Store.


The Steve Jobs Quick Bio

• Full name: Steven Paul Jobs
• Birth date: February 24, 1955
• Birth place: San Francisco
• Key success traits: a man of action, an innovator, a true over comer of obstacles
• Company: Apple Computer
• Industry: Computers & Electronics

Additional:

• Former Chairman and CEO of Pixar Animation Studios , which is popular for its production of animated films such as The Incredibles and Toy Story . The firm was recently bought by Walt Disney Studios for $7.4 billion in stock, making Jobs the biggest individual shareholder at Disney.

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