HOW TO START A DAY NURSERY BUSINESS

A nursery is a pre-school childcare facility and is staffed by trained carers. They are typically open all year round and all day to cater for working or busy parents.

But, if you aren't sure about committing to a full-time business, there are other ways that you could be involved in childcare – from running a crèche to a playgroup. You could even set up as a self-employed childminder at home. Not all require you to be fully trained or to work full-time. But anyone caring for children under the age of eight will need to be registered with the local authority.

Running a nursery is certainly not a 'get-rich-quick' plan. In fact, you could probably make more money driving a taxi than running your own nursery. But, if you want a job – and a business – that offers hourly challenges and a lot of rewards then this could be just right for you.

It is a business that tends to attract working parents – either because they think they could do a better job than the nurseries already on offer, or because they discover that there is nothing available in the area at all.

After her children were born, Kate Willink decided to leave her job as a management accountant but kept on some work by doing the books for the local nursery. When one of the nursery nurses left, she decided to set up her own nursery called The Wooden Horse in Easingwold, North Yorkshire.

"I couldn't go back to my job," she explained, as the hours that she worked meant that she would never see her children. "This is the next best thing. It isn't as much money but I get other things from it. It is mine and my partner's business and I get to see the children develop."

But don't fall into the trap of thinking that looking after your own children will give you the experience necessary to run a nursery. You need to have the patience of a saint. One child screaming or crying can be tiring, but imagine 20 or more kids all competing for your attention. You will need endless enthusiasm and energy. Don't expect to win prizes for your fashion sense either. Nappy changing and baby feeding could soon spoil your best clothes. But if you can cope with the tears and tantrums, this is a business that offers much more than financial gain.

The Business Plan

First things first. You need to check out the competition; to help you, your local council will have a list of all registered childcare providers. As well as checking out existing nurseries, look at playgroups, mother and toddler groups – anything that will be your competition. And don't forget that might include nannies.

Find out whether there is a market for another nursery. A census can tell you local birth rates, the number of nursery-age children and the general economics of an area. Not only will this give you information on how many children there are but it should allow you to build a profile of your typical customer.

Kate Willink, founder of The Wooden Horse in Easingwold, explains that she and her business partner spent six months simply writing the plan for their nursery. She used the local library, the council and the internet to find useful background information on the area, the average wage and even figures for how many children go to nurseries in the county. Armed with demographics, customer profiles and a financial projection for the first 12 months, her business loan was quickly approved by Barclays.

You should also think about how many children you want to look after in your nursery as this will affect the property, staff and pricing. If this is your first venture, don't try and compete with the chains that offer places for over 100 children. But to be viable, you will probably need to have at least 25-30 places.

Once you have looked at the competition and defined your ideal customer, you should start to get a feel for what to charge. Prices will vary across the country; the average cost of care for children under two years old is currently around £150 a week nationwide, while in inner London it is more than £200 a week, and over £350 a week in some places.. The price will also vary according to how old the children are, as it costs more to look after babies than toddlers.

But like any business, it will take time to get set up properly. Your business plan should allow some time before parents are beating a path to your door. It will probably take at least a year before you are full and it can be hard going on the way, says Ilana King of Blooming Babies Day Nursery in Stamford-le-Hope, Essex. "I assumed that the children would come in at a steady rate but that isn't the way it happened. We had a very long period with very few children and then a huge influx."

The good news is that you don't have to hire all the staff until the nursery fills up and there are flexible finance packages available – for example, loans with capital repayment holidays.

PAY PER CLICK SERVICES

Pay per click or PPC is a model in which you pay advertisers according to the number of clicks they can generate for your website. The concept is very simple. You use Google AdWords (http://adwords.google.com/) or another PPC software and become a member. Then you submit your URL to them which you want to promote. The PPC service will then find other website owners on the Internet that are interested in promoting your website URL. These are your affiliates. They will place your URL on their sites in the form of an advertisement and whenever any person clicks on them, you pay them.

There are other methods to pay out; PPC is not the only one. Many services also provide a Pay Per Sale model (PPS) where you pay out only when a sale has been done. There is also a Pay Per Lead model (PPL) where you pay out when the visitor takes some particular action such as providing their email id, which becomes a lead.

If you haven‟t tried out PPC yet, you are surely missing the number 1 traffic generation method which every Internet marketer worth their salt is using. It isn‟t quite difficult to get into this medium of promotion – you must start researching on it pronto.

The following is a list of some other PPC software applications that you can use instead of Google AdWords.
Yahoo! Campaign Optimization (http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/)
MSN AdCenter (http://adcenter.microsoft.com/)
Omniture (http://www.omniture.com/)
Apex Reach (http://www.apexreach.com/)
Atlas Search (http://www.atlassolutions.com/services_search.aspx/)
KeywordMax (http://www.keywordmax.com/)
SearchRev (http://www.searchrev.com/)
SearchFeed (http://www.searchfeed.com/)
SearchIgnite (http://about.searchignite.com/)

Increasing Organic Click Through Rates

It should be pretty obvious by now that your website’s organic search results are very important. Once your website is ranked organically on the major search engines like Google, you’ll need to tweak things to make sure that you are getting the highest click through rates possible relative to the traffic that you receive.

An organic search engine ranking is invaluable, so you should make great efforts to optimize your listing to entice your audience to click through to your website. There are many ways to improve your organic ranking so that you can maximize it’s potential.

I’d like to go over some ways to help directly improve your click through rates via your organic ranking on major search engines like Google…

1. Work on your HTML title.

Is your HTML title catchy? Does it include your most important keyword phrases within it? Even though there is talk that HTML page titles are not as important for SEO, I still stress to my clients that all HTML titles need to be keyword enriched.

If you are finding that any single page within your website is not getting the clicks you think that it should, consider making some changes to your HTML title. Include other keywords that are pertinent to your business and see how the results are. If your new keyword terms are yielding better results than before, stick with it!

2. If your rank is not satisfactory for a given keyword, increase your links for that keyword.

Remember, the anchor text of your links serve as a great way to target certain keyword phrases. Include your keywords in your anchor text. So, if you are suffering on your ranking for your favorite term, seek out links in which you can control anchor text.

3. Find out the part of your website that search engines are actually indexing and then optimize it!

Sometimes search engines will post random snippets of code from your website in their listings. Sometimes this can come in the form of your HTML title and meta description. Other times they will show your HTML title and then a snippet from your website’s actual text. Whatever the case may be, find out what they are indexing and then optimize that code.

I had a recent client success story with this posting issue. From looking over the client’s search engine results prior to working on his SEO, we determined the snippet of coding that search engines were displaying for results. From there, we optimized his website text and the displayed snippet of code. We included a direct call to action and as a result, his click through rate sky rocketed and we have now noticed a 150% increase in clicks.

TOP 10 FUEL ADDITIVE

FUEL ADDITIVE PRODUCTION TAKES THE GREEN ROUTE

Research is on for the organic production of isobutene (isobutylene). Thomas Bobik, Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology and David Gogerty, a doctoral student are doing pioneer research for producing isobutylene with the help of a new but natural enzyme rather than from the traditional petroleum-based products. The enzyme is awaiting patent process completion.

Role of isobutene:
Isobutene is generally used as fuel additive and also for producing some chemicals like plastics, synthetic rubber, and adhesives. This is used in place of MBTE (methyl tert-butyl ether) as fuel additive (after being converted to isooctane); until now, obtained from petroleum products. Isooctane has been proved to be more beneficial than MBTE to the vehicles.

Converting glucose to isobutene:
The research has been focused on identifying a new natural enzyme. This new enzyme – called Bobik’s enzyme – is capable of converting glucose found in plants to produce isobutene. Actually this is an enzyme found to occur naturally in fifty percent of all organisms found all over the world.

Positive influence of the enzyme:
The impact of this enzyme – identified as capable of aiding in producing fuel additive organically – can be tremendous in the bio-fuel production field. Though it is still initial stages, the expectations are running high about the positive influence of isobutylene special features.

The advantages of bioconversion:
Bio-fuel industry will benefit greatly cost-wise with this biological process to manufacture isobutene. This will be an eco-friendly process, beneficial to the environment. In the traditional ethanol production, cost of separating ethanol from water is quite prohibitively high. But the new conversion process produces isobutene in the gas form and so biofuel purification process will be cheaper and more efficient.

Current limitations:
Presently, the enzyme takes a lot of time for conversion of glucose into isobutene and so commercially not very cost competitive. The research is on for making the enzyme expedite the production of isobutene.

Directed enzyme evolution:
Directed enzyme evolution is an effort to contrive a speedy and cost-effective production of isobutene with the help of the enzyme. Science is giving nature a helping hand in production of isobutene.

Future prospects:
According to Bobic, the day is not far off when every car will run on a mixture of bio-based and environmentally advantageous gas mixture which will help in making the world a better and cleaner place to live.

10 MAJOR MORTAGE MISTAKES TO AVOID

1. Not checking your credit: Long before you begin searching for a mortgage, you should know where you stand in the credit score department. After all, a bad credit score can bump up your mortgage interest rate several percentage points or leave you with no approval at all. Be sure you check your credit early on (several months in advance) in case any changes need to be made to get it back up to snuff.

2. Applying for new credit alongside the mortgage: In this same vein, be sure to avoid applying for any other type of credit before and during the mortgage application process. Whenever you apply for new credit, you're seen as a greater credit risk, at least initially. If you happen to apply for a credit card or auto loan around the same time you apply for a mortgage, your credit score might get dinged enough to kill your eligibility or bump up your interest rate.

3. Failing to look at the total housing payment: A mortgage payment consists of principal, interest, taxes, and insurance (PITI). A common mistake made by prospective home buyers is not factoring in their property taxes and insurance premium into their overall mortgage budget. The debt-to-income ratio (DTI ratio), used to determine if a borrower will qualify for a certain mortgage payment, is calculated by dividing the proposed cost of PITI by gross monthly income. A $1,200 homeowner's insurance policy would add $100 per month to an escrowed mortgage payment.

4. Not seasoning your assets: The bank or lender will want to see that you can actually pay your mortgage each month. But without seasoned assets, those that have been in your own account for at least a couple months, you could be out of luck entirely. Some borrowers seem to think they can transfer funds from a relative's account days before applying, but this simply won't fly once the underwriter uncovers the paper trail.

5. Job hopping: Another key to mortgage approval is steady employment and income. An underwriter will want to know that the income you bring in every month is consistent and expected to continue into the foreseeable future. So don't jump from job to job too much before applying for a mortgage. If it's in the same field, it shouldn't be a deal killer, but a career change will lead to problems. If you're thinking about jumping ship, wait until you've closed your mortgage first.

6. Not getting pre-approved: Good preparation is the key to a good mortgage. Before shopping for a home, make sure you can actually qualify for financing by getting a pre-approval. A mortgage pre-approval is more robust than a simple pre-qualification because the bank pulls your credit and looks at your income, assets, and employment. Your DTI ratio will also come into play to ensure you know exactly how much you can afford. With this pre-approval, you will also get a written commitment from the lender that will show home sellers you're serious about the purchase.

7. Not shopping around: But just because you're pre-approved with one bank doesn't mean you need to obtain financing from them. Be sure to shop around with multiple banks and lenders and even consider a mortgage broker. A broker can shop your rate with a number of banks concurrently and find you the lowest rate with the best terms. Don't be one of the many consumers who obtains a single mortgage rate prior to applying. Comparison shop as you would for anything else you buy. And don't forget to factor in closing costs!

8. Chasing exotic loan programs: Shop around for the lowest rate and closing costs, but not at the expense of your mortgage. Anything that sounds too good to be true most likely is. If the payment seems too low, you might be paying interest-only or even negatively amortizing, meaning your mortgage balance is growing each month. It's best to keep it simple and go with a loan program you can get your head around, like a fixed-rate mortgage.

9. Forgetting to lock your rate: Keep in mind that a mortgage rate means very little if it's not locked-in. If you're happy with your rate, lock it. Mortgage rates change daily and sometimes several times daily. All those mortgage quotes you obtain are just quotes until you actually tell the bank, lender, or broker to "lock it in." Once locked, your rate is guaranteed for a certain period of time, be it 7 days, 15 days, or a month. But never assume your rate is locked until you get it in writing!

10. Not reading your loan documents: Finally, it's your responsibility to read and accept the terms of your new mortgage. Sure, it might be a pain to go through all the loan documents at signing, but it's a bigger pain to sign up for something you don't want or agree with. Take the time at closing to ensure you understand everything you're signing, and thereby agreeing to. And don't be afraid to ask questions! Otherwise, you could wind up with a mortgage with predatory terms and no place to turn.

OIL FALLS TO NEAR 97 $

Oil prices fell to near $97 a barrel Thursday in Asia as the release of U.S. emergency crude reserves boosted commercial inventories.

Benchmark oil for September delivery was down 25 cents to $97.15 a barrel at midday Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Crude lost $2.19 to settle at $97.40 on Wednesday.

In London, Brent crude dropped 2 cents to $117.41 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

The Energy Department's Energy Information Administration said Wednesday that U.S. commercial oil supplies grew by 2.3 million barrels last week, roughly the amount the U.S. released from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Analysts surveyed by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos., had predicted a drop of 2.3 million barrels.

The International Energy Agency said last month it would release 60 million barrels -- half from the U.S. -- in a bid to lower prices and make up for the shut down of Libyan oil since civil conflict began the OPEC nation in February. The U.S. will eventually release 30 million barrels from the strategic reserve as part of that.

Failure by U.S. leaders to agree to lift the government's debt limit also weighed on crude prices. While most analysts expect a last-minute deal will be struck, uncertainty ahead of the Aug. 2 deadline has begun to spook markets.

The Dow Jones industrial index dropped 1.6 percent Wednesday and most Asian stock markets fell Friday.

"Few believe that the crisis will continue without some resolution before August 2, but it is now starting to look increasingly likely that the U.S. credit rating will be lowered," energy analyst Cameron Hanover said in a report.

"Equities could drop even more urgently if this crisis is not resolved soon. It would be especially bad to let it fester over the weekend."

In other Nymex trading in September contracts, heating oil gained 1.3 cent at $3.11 a gallon while gasoline
Source:AP

Copycat Apple Store Prompts China Investigation

Chinese authorities in the southwestern city of Kunming have launched a sweeping investigation of electronics stores after media reports said one retail outlet seemed to be copying Apple Inc.'s store format.
The inspection will cover business licenses, authorized permits of brand use, and the purchasing channels of each store, said China's state-run Xinhua news agency, citing a worker with the city's industrial and commercial department.
Results of the inspection will be announced to the public soon, the report said. Kunming municipal government officials couldn't be reached for comment.

Source:WSJ

NIKE WANT TO GROW IN EMERGING MARKETS

Nike witnessed a 23% increase in its direct-to-consumer business in the North American region in its last quarter. This jump was driven by an 18% improvement in same-store sales and 31% growth in online sales. Direct-to-consumer sales include those purchases made online and at company-operated stores. Nike is the largest global manufacturer of athletic footwear, apparel and equipment, and competes with Sketchers Adidas AG Steve Madden and K-Swiss

With increasing Internet penetration in emerging markets like Brazil, India and China, which together contribute approximately 22% to Nike's overall revenues, we believe online sales are poised for impressive growth.

Nike plans to boost its direct-to-consumer presence by opening between 250 and 300 new Nike-branded stores worldwide in the next five years. It also plans to invest between $500 million and $600 million over the next five years to develop the direct-to-consumer business. Nike expects mid-teens growth in its direct to consumer business, which should contribute an additional $2.2 billion to 2.6 billion in revenues by 2015.

CHOOSING OFFICE

A universal answer to the question of what makes the perfect office space doesn’t exist. The kind of space you need, and will be comfortable in, depends entirely on the type of business you’re running. The same goes for the amount of space needed per worker. If all you require is a small desk and a phone connection, you don’t need masses of square footage. However, if your office also acts as your shop floor – a place to meet with clients – you’ll want a bit more space and possibly a more attractive and accessible location.

When it comes to size, Ann Clarke, design director at Claremont Group Interiors, is reluctant to dwell on average measurements because of the varying nature of what you need the space for. “Organisations like the British Council of Offices have certain recommendations but they’re reducing all the time because space is becoming increasingly expensive,” she explains.

However, there are some rough industry standards. For example, a densely packed call centre can get away with about 6-7 square metres per head, but a professional services firm will need more like 10-12 to allow for consultation space for clients.

It’s also important to bear in mind how much of the space is actually usable, and this can be dramatically affected by the shape of the building. “There are lots of things that impact the efficiency of a space,” says Clarke. “The shape of a building, where the lifts and stairs are and the amount of circulation space all make a difference. It all depends on how the floor plate is laid out.”

Clarke says the ideal office has a usable space/circulation space ratio of 85:15. “Once it falls below 85% it can get difficult and you won’t be able to use the space efficiently.”

If you want to minimise the amount of square footage you need, Clarke advises implementing some clever desk policies. Just because you employ 50 people, it doesn’t mean you need 50 desks. Working practices such as desk booking and hotdesking can work wonders if many of your staff are only in the office at certain times during the day or week.

“Think long and hard about storage too,” urges Clarke. “Do you really need to store all that paper on site, or can it be stored digitally or moved to cheaper storage facilities? You should have a clear idea about how you’re going to manage your storage before you commit to a particular space.”

Then there’s meeting rooms. Do you really need one? If so, does it need to be used as a meeting room 100% of the time? Clarke suggests using the office of an infrequently present director or manager. “If they’re only in the office two or three days a week then why not put some furniture in the office to use as meeting space when they’re away?”

The main thing to consider before you choose your office is how exactly you plan to utilise the space and how much you actually need. Too little space and your staff will be cramped and uncomfortable. On the other hand, choosing too large an office could land you with a rent bill you simply resent paying.

GEORGE SOROS

August 12, 1930

Born - Budapest, Hungary

1936

Family changes its name from Schwartz to Soros in response to growing anti-Semitism with the rise of Fascism. In Hungarian, Soros means “next in line, or designated successor”; in Hebrew, “foundation.”

March 1944

Nazi Germany takes military control over Hungary. Soros is thirteen years old.

1945

Soros’s family survives the battle of Budapest, in which Soviet and German forces fought house-to-house through the city.

1947

Soros emigrates to England.

1952

Soros graduates from the London School of Economics.

1956

Soros moves to New York City.

1956 – 1959

In 1970, Soros founded Soros Fund Management with Jim Rogers In 1973, he left Arnhold ans S Bleichroder to set up his own hedge fund with US$12 million from investors Cristoper Ink was also involved, and other partners have included Victor niederhoffer Rogers retired from the fund in 1980.
Initially called the Soros Fund, it was eventually renamed the Quantum Fund. In 2000, the Quantum Group of Funds was reorganized, and the flagship Quantum Endowment Fund was established. Soros Fund Management LLC is the principal advisor to the Quantum Endowment Fund. Soros is the Chairman of Soros Fund Management. The firm's day-to-day operations are managed by Soros's two elder sons and the firm's Chief Investment Officer Keith Anderson. The fund has assets of approximately $27 billion.^[27] Recent investments include the 2010 purchase of a 20% stake in BNK Petroleum.

INTEL CEO ON EMERGING MARKETS

Intel Corp. and others in the PC industry are counting on emerging markets to jumpstart growth, as consumer demand in the U.S. and Europe has sagged. On a conference call with analysts Wednesday to discuss Intel's second-quarter results, CEO Paul Otellini addressed how investors should measure Intel's success in those emerging markets, such as Brazil, Russia, India and China.

Question: Can you give us a better sense of how we can track growth in those areas?

Answer (Otellini): There's no better way than by putting feet on the street. I was just in Brazil and, you know, the fact that Brazil will become the third largest country market in the world for computers next year is pretty astounding. You know, it wasn't too long ago when they were No. 6 or 7. And so it's the real-time dynamic of these markets waking up, an increase in disposable income, a decrease in the cost of computing, a decrease in the cost of bandwidth and connectivity all coming together. ... Some of this stuff is below the radar screen of some of the third-party trackers, but we see it real-time because we've got feet on the street."

Source:AP

FORD FOCUS ELECTRIC CAR VIDEO

ELECTRIC CARS

Electric Cars use the energy stored in a battery (or series of batteries) for vehicle propulsion. Electric motors provide a clean and safe alternative to the internal combustion engine. There are many pros and cons about electric cars. The electric vehicle is known to have faster acceleration but shorter distance range than conventional engines. They produce no exhaust but require long charging times. This page provides articles about electric car technologies.
The entrepreneurial Audi is planning to take advantage of changes portended in the automobile market with an eye towards emission-free vehicles. Until now Audi has not shown any interest in electric car production but now that there is a growing demand for small and electronically-driven cars, Audi is keen to join the race.

Rival manufactures like BMW with Megacity electric vehicle and Daimler with Smart ED have already taken the leap with cute little electric cars on their way to produce vehicles with zero carbon emission. Now Audi is joining the arena and the world is keenly interested to see what kind of a car will be Audi’s gift to the automobile world.

Supermini:
A supermini is reportedly the car on the anvil as per a report by What Car? Audi CEO, Rupert Stadler says,”…so we are planning for a changing market when customers will be ready.” Audi is already busy on the electric sports car planned with a limited number release by 2012, to be marketed under the E-tron name.

Audi Zero?
The plan is on for a mass-market electric car – supermini – is very much ongoing as confirmed by CEO Stadler in Munich at the launch of Audi 7 Sportback. Audi’s electric car can either be something similar to A1 e-tron Concept or a smaller platform named ‘Audi Zero’. Audi will not do any spin-off versions like Skoda or Seat had done.

Future plans:
Audi is working on the basis that in about 3-5 years time, market will be ready for such electric cars and that will be the time when these cars will also be viable. In Stadler’s words, “What we then need are customers willing to pay a premium these vehicles demand… We are a technical company planning technical solutions, but we are also entrepreneurial, so we are planning for a changing market… in 10 years time I see a point where we have clean energy too. Then the situation will be perfect.”

Five Critical Questions Your Business Plan Should Answer

Questions about pricing, hiring and other factors can crop up as a business grows. A detailed and often-revised business plan should help you answer them. Getting these answers can help you keep your long-term goals in mind when steering your company toward short-term milestones.

Here are five key questions and how your business plan should help you answer them:

1. Is my price right?
There are two essential components of pricing that should be included in your business planning:

• Consider whether your price is in line with your message. If you say you offer a high-quality custom product or service, you can't post a low price without contradicting your own marketing message. You should set your prices according to the relative value you offer, or risk confusing your potential market.
• Your business plan should include your revenues and costs on a per-unit basis, your overall direct costs and overhead. These factors can help you establish the constraints related to making enough profit. You have to cover costs, which can include expenses beyond the direct costs of buying what you sell, such as rent and payroll.

2. Can I afford to hire?
Especially when you're running a new company, you might not be able to help thinking that hiring additional employees might help you with the mounting list of tasks that have to get done. What would happen if you hired an extra salesperson? Could an extra administrator solve some of your problems?

Go back to your business plan and determine what happens to projections if you add the extra salary and benefits. Guess whether the improvement in people power will add to your revenue, or cut costs.

Or perhaps you should consider hiring a contract worker. Of course, hiring someone is almost always cheaper -- but only if there is a long-term need that justifies adding the fixed costs. If it's a short-term need then the cost won't affect your overheard forever.

Either way, working those numbers won't eliminate the uncertainty but it can make it easier to understand the variables.

3. Am I implementing my strategy? Test your strategic alignment: Do your milestones, spending for marketing activities and new product or service development, and related expenses show the same priorities that are reflected in your strategy? In my business planning coaching I've repeatedly run into client situations in which people say one thing in their strategy but do something different thing in their actions and spending. For example, you say you're going to emphasize your extensive computer expertise in your strategy, but you pay your service staff below market rates. Or you say you're going to emphasize one side of your product line, but your advertising spending emphasizes the other. 4. Can I afford to relocate? Sometimes new business owners need to relocate to help cut costs, or want to take better advantage of a prime sales area. If you need to switch your location, get back to your basic numbers and break the problem into its business plan parts. Estimate how much more your monthly rent will be at the new location. Also estimate your moving costs, costs for fixing up the new location and costs of the business lost while you're absorbed in the move. Then adjust your sales forecast to either add in the additional business you'd be able to do there or the costs you'd be able to cut. If you don't see enough long-term improvement, then perhaps you shouldn't move. 5. Am I stunting my own growth? Go back to your business plan and give your assumptions a fresh look. Consider your target market and strategy, and add in your business offering and distinctive differences. Does your business offering match your market? Are you sending the right messages to the right kinds of people?

Obama Embraces Gang of Six Senators’ Deficit-Cutting Plan

President Barack Obama embraced a $3.7 trillion debt-cutting plan by a bipartisan group of senators that would combine tax increases and spending cuts, saying it could offer a way out of the congressional deadlock over raising the U.S. borrowing limit.

“We now are seeing the potential for a bipartisan consensus,” Obama said today at the White House. He called the proposal by the so-called Gang of Six “broadly consistent” with what he has sought and “a very significant step” in so far fruitless negotiations between Republicans and Democrats over boosting the nation’s $14.3 trillion borrowing authority before a threatened default on Aug 2.

Obama said talks with congressional leaders from both parties would resume at the White House this week. U.S. stocks and Treasuries extended gains after the president spoke, signaling optimism that lawmakers can reach an agreement.

At the Capitol, the bipartisan group led by Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and Senator Mark Warner of Virginia pitched its plan for an immediate $500 billion in spending cuts followed by a longer-term effort to force bigger reductions and $1 trillion in tax increases. The plan calls for lowering tax rates and limiting the growth of entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security.

Closed-Door Briefing

About 50 senators, roughly evenly divided between the two parties, attended a closed-door briefing on the plan, a sign of potentially widespread support for the kind of “grand bargain” to reduce the debt that Obama is urging. One member of the Republican leadership, third-ranking Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, publicly endorsed the plan.

“In the next 24 hours, you’re going to see a significant portion of the Senate come behind this -- bipartisan -- maybe 60 members, and let’s see how things roll,” said Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, who rejoined the Gang of Six today after he abandoned the talks in May over an impasse on Medicare cuts. “This doesn’t solve our problems, but this creates the way forward where we can,” he said.

Senator Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, said in the “best of all worlds” the proposal would be approved as part of the debt-ceiling increase.

Still, Tea Party-backed fiscal conservatives oppose any debt compromise that includes more taxes.

It Won’t Fly

“Tax increases aren’t going to fly in the House,” said Republican Representative Kevin Brady of Texas, a member of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. “That’s not going to change.”

Some lawmakers cast doubt on whether it would offer a quick solution to the current conflict, in which Republicans have insisted on coupling spending cuts with any borrowing boost.

“There are a lot of practical, procedural difficulties” to advancing the plan during the next 13 days, and “I’m just being practical, trying to be realistic,” said Senator Max Baucus of Montana, the Democratic chairman of the Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over taxes. “The real question is: What can we accomplish prior to Aug. 2?”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said he asked Warner to report back to him by tomorrow about which elements of the group’s plan might be included in a backstop proposal he is working on with Republican leader Mitch McConnell to provide $2.4 trillion in new borrowing authority in installments.

No Quick Vote

Reid said the Senate’s rules wouldn’t allow such a plan to be passed quickly. “I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize the enthusiasm people have for the Gang of Six, but I am the person who runs the Senate.”

The White House believes the plan can help Obama make the case for a “balanced” approach -- including tax increases as well as spending cuts -- to cutting the deficit, according to an administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Still, it will need more vocal public support from Republican senators to overcome House Republicans’ resistance to tax increases, the official said.

McConnell of Kentucky was noncommittal. “I don’t have an opinion yet,” he told reporters.

House Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, was also leaving his options open. “This plan shares many similarities with the framework the speaker discussed with the president, but also appears to fall short in some important areas,” spokesman Michael Steel said in an e-mail.

‘Constructive Ideas’

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, a Virginia Republican, said in a statement issued tonight on the Gang of Six proposal that “while there are still portions that are unclear and need more detail, this bipartisan plan does seem to include some constructive ideas to deal with our debt.”

The House remained focused on a measure that would slash spending while conditioning a $2.4 trillion debt-ceiling increase on passage of a constitutional amendment to balance the budget and make it more difficult to raise taxes. That bill, approved 234-190 tonight, stands little chance of being endorsed by the Democratic-controlled Senate, and Obama said he would veto it.

Boehner said he was considering what would follow the House vote.

“It’s responsible for us to look at what Plan B would look like” because “there are a lot of options available to us,” the speaker said.

McConnell and Reid are negotiating on a separate track on their plan to let Obama raise the debt ceiling unilaterally while proposing commensurate spending cuts. They were discussing empowering a bipartisan group of lawmakers to propose those reductions and setting out consequences if the debt savings weren’t achieved.

Weekend Sessions

Reid is keeping keep the Senate in session daily -- including weekends -- until the debt ceiling impasse is resolved. The House’s Republican leaders informed members today that the chamber may be in session this weekend.

The re-emergence of the Gang of Six, which had faded as its work dragged on without an agreement, held out hope for a longer-term agreement on reining in the debt.

It would institute an initial $500 billion of spending cuts, then lay out targets and enforcement mechanisms for forcing more future reductions, including between $85 billion and $202 billion in Medicare and other health spending, $80 billion from defense, $70 billion from education and labor programs and $11 billion from agriculture programs, according to a summary.

Tax Overhaul

It would also call for a broad tax overhaul that would raise $1 trillion by limiting breaks for health, charitable giving, homeownership and retirement while lowering individual and corporate tax rates. And it would scrap the Alternative Minimum Tax, a parallel system designed to prevent higher- earners from avoiding taxes.

The plan and Obama’s endorsement boosted optimism in the markets.

“This is the biggest on-the-announcement move we’ve had” in the debt-limit negotiations, said Carl Lantz, New York-based head of interest rate strategy Credit Suisse Securities USA LLC.

Stocks surged, sending the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index to its biggest gain in four months, and Treasuries rallied amid optimism lawmakers were moving closer to a deal.

The S&P 500 jumped 1.6 percent to 1,326.73 at 4 p.m. in New York. Ten-year Treasury note yields lost five basis points to 2.88 percent, and 30-year bond yields fell 12 basis points to 4.19 percent at 5:03 p.m. in New York, according to Bloomberg Bond Trader prices.

Source:(bloomberg)

CHINA ONLINE GROWT WON'T HELP US COMPANIES

China now has 485 million Internet users, which is 52% more than the entire population of the U.S. The China Internet Network Information Center reported the figure based on numbers as of the end of June. Extraordinarily enough, only 36% of China's population uses the Internet now.nternet penetration in the U.S is more than 76%

Those numbers helps justify the extremely high valuations of many China-based Internet companies, and show why U.S. firms like Google ,facebook,Microsoft,Twiterr are so anxious to gain market share in the People's Republic. China's No. 1 search engine, Baidu has a market cap of nearly $52 billion, more than twice that of Yahoo.Yahoo's revenue last quarter was $1.2 billion, while Baidu's was $372 million. But, while Yahoo's ad sales are barely growing, Baidu's were up 88% in the first quarter. Baidu's share of Yahoo's revenue last quarter was $1.2 billion, while Baidu's was $372 million. But, while Yahoo's ad sales are barely growing, Baidu's were up 88% in the first quarter. Baidu's share of according to research operation Analysys International. Baidu's rapid expansion in the world's most populous nation helped drive its brand value up 141% to $22.6 billion in the latest brandZ report

IPOD TOUCH VIDEO

IPOD TOUCH

Tehnical specification

Size and weight

Height:

4.4 inches (111.0 mm)

Width:

2.3 inches (58.9 mm)

Depth:

0.28 inch (7.2 mm)

Weight:

3.56 ounces (101 grams)

Display

• 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen
  Multi-Touch display
• 960-by-640-pixel resolution at 326 pixels per inch

Audio

• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
• Audio formats supported: AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
• User-configurable maximum volume limit

Capacity

8GB, 32GB or 64GB flash drive

Wireless³

• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz only)
• Bluetooth^® 2.1 + EDR
• Maps-location based service⁴
• Nike + iPod support built in

Headphones

• Earphones
• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
• Impedance: 32 ohms

TV and video

• H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
• MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
• Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format
• Support for 1024 by 768 pixels with Apple VGA Adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable; 576i and 480i with Apple Composite AV Cable (cables sold separately)

Languages

Localized UI

• English (U.S.), English (UK), French (France), German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Polish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Arabic, Thai, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Malay, Romanian, Slovak, Croatian, Catalan, and Vietnamese

Localized Keyboards

• English (U.S.), English (UK), French (France), French (Canadian), French (Switzerland), German, Traditional Chinese (Handwriting, Pinyin, Zhuyin, Cangjie, Wubihua), Simplified Chinese (Handwriting, Pinyin, Wubihua), Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Korean, Japanese (Romaji, Ten Key), Japanese (Kana), Russian, Polish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Estonian, Hungarian, Icelandic, Lithuanian, Latvian, Flemish, Arabic, Thai, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Malay, Romanian, Slovak, Croatian, Bulgarian, Serbian (Cyrillic/Latin), Catalan, Vietnamese, Tibetan, Macedonian, and Cherokee

Localized Dictionaries

• English (U.S.), English (UK), French, German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Korean, Japanese (Romaji), Japanese (Kana), Russian, Polish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Flemish, Arabic, Thai, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Malaysian, Romanian, Slovak, Croatian, Catalan, Vietnamese, and Cherokee

THE EURO CRISIS HAS ENTERED IN A NEW PHASE

FOR more than a year the euro zone’s debt drama has lurched from one nail-biting scene to another. First Greece took centre stage; then Ireland; then Portugal; then Greece again. Each time European policymakers reacted similarly: with denial and dithering, followed at the eleventh hour with a half-baked rescue plan to buy time.
Financial markets turned on Italy, the euro zone’s third-biggest economy, with alarming speed. Yields on ten-year Italian bonds jumped by almost a percentage point in two trading days: on July 12th they breached 6%, their highest since the euro was created. The Milan stockmarket slumped to its lowest in two years. Though bond yields subsequently fell back, the debt crisis has clearly entered a new phase. No longer confined to the small peripheral economies of Greece, Ireland and Portugal, it has hurdled over Spain, supposedly next in line, and reached one of the euro zone’s giants. All its members, but especially Germany, face a stark choice. Consider the stakes. Italy has the biggest sovereign-debt market in Europe and the third-biggest in the world. It has €1.9 trillion ($2.6 trillion) of sovereign debt outstanding, 120% of its GDP, three times as much as Greece, Ireland and Portugal combined—and far more than the €250 billion or so left in the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), the currency club’s rescue kitty. Default would have calamitous consequences for the euro and the world economy. Even if the more likely immediate prospect is sustained stress in the Italian bond market, that will surely prompt investors to flee European assets, making the continent’s recovery ever harder. Meanwhile in the background there is the absurd pantomime of Barack Obama and congressional Republicans feuding over how to raise the federal government’s debt ceiling to stave off an American “default”
This week the shortcomings of this muddling-through were laid bare

WORKPLACE TRAINING

An alternative to organising potentially expensive outsourced training is to attempt on-the-job training. For many years 'sitting by Nellie' had a bad name in training and development circles.

It was seen as a way for tight-fisted employers to justify not spending money on proper training by 'getting Fred to show you how to do it.'

In recent years, however, work-based training has acquired a new respectability. One reason has been the introduction of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and the second is a realisation that properly conducted work-based learning can be much more effective than learning delivered out of context.

Graduate Apprenticeships offer free tuition for employees in small enterprises who study part-time for an HND or degree.
In recent years, the government has also introduced and expanded Employer Training Pilots across the UK. The scheme allows small firms to release staff for training, with bosses compensated for their temporary loss.

This tackles one of the main barriers to training in startups – traditionally they couldn’t afford to allow workers to take time off because of the knock-on loss to the business.

The Pilots are aimed at basic skills deficiencies – and with UK firms losing an estimated £4.8 billion due to poor staff literacy and numeracy, it could well be worth looking at the scheme once you have recruited. The success of the programme (7,500 employers signed up in the first 18 months) prompted Gordon Brown to announce the expansion of the scheme in the 2004 Budget.

There are other ways in which your employees can get qualified without losing them to an educational establishment – for instance, City & Guilds has more that 500 qualifications in 28 industry areas at a range of entry points. City & Guilds also offers an apprenticeship scheme that has taken on over one million young workers since 1994. The programme is open to anyone aged between 16 and 24.

“Qualifications themselves are not important, it’s the skills themselves,” Ben Knight, from City & Guilds told Startups.co.uk. “Courses can really help you, you know that’s the norm before you start up.

“It saves you having to rely on trial and error as you are going to someone who has experience several rungs further up the business ladder. Things that would take you ages to work out can be understood right away – courses can save you time and give you a real headstart.”

Knight feels that such courses are vital in addressing the lack of skills in UK businesses and advises firms to consider releasing staff for training.

BHP TO ACQUIRE PETROHAWK ENERGY

BHP Billiton Ltd. said Thursday it plans to acquire Petrohawk Energy Corp. for more than $12 billion in cash, giving the Anglo-Australian mining company access to large shale assets in Texas and Louisiana in one of the largest deals of the year.

BHP will pay $38.75 per share, a 65% premium to Petrohawk's closing price on Thursday of $23.49 a share.

The deal marks an important strategic step for BHP, which last year was rebuffed in a highly politicized $38.6 billion bid for Canada's Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc.

One of the largest global mining companies, BHP has been eager .

source:WSJ

BATTERY TECHOLOGY

Batteries store electricity in a chemical form, inside a closed-energy system. They can be re-charged and re-used as a power source in small appliances, machinery and remote locations. Advances in battery technology may one day help to solve our energy crisis. The articles on this page explore advances in battery power technologies.

Isn't it wonderful to be living in a time when technological progress is leading to ever-faster computers, ever-smaller devices and gadgets that are even more versatile? Moore's Law, the trusty old rule that says that computing power doubles every two years, practically assures us that at any point in time, electronic devices that are powered by microchips-including laptops, MP3 players, and mobile phones-will become even more powerful two years down the line.

Doggone it. I'd be cheering on this technological assault, if only these dramatic progressions were matched by similar leaps in battery technology, which have been practically nil lately.

GOOGLE CHAIRMAN ERIC SCHMIDT IN THE US SENATE

Google chairman Erich Schmidt will testify before the Senate antitrust subcommittee in September to answer questions about the company's growing dominance of the Internet.

Google had been reluctant to have Mr. Schmidt or other senior executives testify at a time when the Internet search giant is confronting a broad array of investigations into its business practices. But last month, senators on the panel warned they would use their subpoena power to compel one to appear.

On Friday, Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.), chairman of the subcommittee, announced that the company had complied with their demand.

"We look forward to Eric Schmidt's participation at our Antitrust Subcommittee hearing in September," Sen. Kohl said in a statement. "This will allow us to have a truly informational and thorough public hearing."

No date has been set for the hearing, though the Senator's office expects it to take place in September.

In a June 10 letter, Sen. Kohl, along with the ranking Republican member, Sen. Mike Lee, insisted that Google send either Mr. Schmidt or Chief Executive Larry Page to testify. Google had offered up David Drummond, the company's chief legal officer.

"We would very much prefer to work this out by agreement rather than needing to resort to more formal procedures," the senators warned in the letter.

Source:(WSJ)

ADDITIONAL HOME OFFICE TOOLS

Your computer and phone will probably form the backbone of your home office, but there's plenty of other pieces of office equipment that will come in handy, some of which will be essential. You'll also probably need:

• A printer - think about whether you need to do any printing. If you have constant access to the data on a home PC, you might not need to print much at all. However, if you will be doing a lot of printing, think about the various costs involved before making a purchase. For example, ink-jet printers are cheap to buy but replacement cartridges are expensive.
• A scanner - scanners allow you to copy photographs and documents onto a computer. For example, you may need to email your driving licence to a car rental business. A scanner would allow you to copy your driving licence onto a computer. Some scanners also come with photocopying features
• A data backup device - you will need a way to back up your data and to store it away from your home. Many PCs now come with a built in CD/DVD drive that can create backup data sets. You may also want to purchase a USB pen drive which is a very cheap and effective way of transferring data
• A copier – although if your needs are light you might be able to make do with access to one at a local shop or library.
• A shredder – especially if you deal with confidential material.
• Cables – even so-called ‘wireless’ equipment needs cables.
• Lighting – we suggest you invest in task lighting that can be angled precisely to your work area ensuring you do not get glare from your computer screen.

ANDREW MANSON GROUPON'S FOUNDER

The idea behind Groupon is a simple one send out one coupon a day every day, to people who sign up. Subscribers get great deals at local restaurants retailers, spas and more, assuming a minimum number of people go for the deal, and those businesses stand to make a killing when they are featured, with access to countless new potential customers. For its part, Groupon takes a cut of the deal. Founder Andrew Mason started in Chicago in 2008, and today, his company reaches subscribers in 150 cities across 19 countries.

With that win-win model, Groupon has become an Internet phenomenon,makind a reported 350 milion annually and inspiring copycat sites like BuyWhiteMe

Turns out this groundbreaking idea has been successful because of good old fashioned business fundamentals. "Groupon is different than most startups says business consultant Martin Vanderschow

First, they had a real business model that showed early profit, in only six months. The model really works because it makes sense on both sides of the financial equation. For investors, it provides a sound investment that's not vapor. For the companies that use Groupon to market, it provides probably the most cost-effective buy available anywhere. It's still about access to real buyers, and Groupon provides a lot of them."

So how did Mason, 29, create this Web 2.0 wonder? Looking back on Groupon's rise from virtual unknown to household name, even he seems a bit surprised.

FIVE TIPS FOR SAVING MONEY ON SHIPPING

Shipping merchandise can be one of the most complicated operations for any small business. Poor or no planning can result in owners overpaying, as well as losing sales if the company can't provide consistent and cost-effective delivery to customers.

For businesses that don't often send larger shipments of several pallets at a time or can't afford to hire a logistics provider to manage its shipping services, developing a set of guidelines can be essential.

Effectively managing shipping costs directly affects a small business's bottom line," says Don Anderson, vice president of transportation services at Topkins Associates a Raleigh, N.C.-based supply chain and distribution operations consulting firm that works with large and small businesses. "Every dollar saved in transportation translates to an equal improvement in financial performance."

Here's a look at several factors business owners should consider ahead of time before shipping their products to customers:

Match delivery requirements and fees for common shipments.
Once you've chosen a shipping service provider -- such as UPS, FedEx, DHL or the U.S. Postal Service -- work with its small-business specialist to match the carrier's fees and services with common shipping requirements for your business, such as mode of transportation and delivery timing. According to Tompkins Associates, businesses that don't work with their carrier to map out shipping criteria can spend as much 40 percent or more in fees than those that do, Anderson says.

One factor to discuss with a specialist is when to ship a package by air or by ground. "How much can be saved by using ground services versus air services can depend on distance shipped, the weight and size of the package and its

Establish transportation cost charge-back policies.
Let customers know when they will pay for shipping and when your business will, Anderson advises. "For example, three-day parcel service may be the standard level of service that's paid for by the company, and any premium services -- such as overnight air or two-day parcel -- are paid for in part or entirely by the customer," he says.

Once these policies are set, inform your sales and customer services staffs, as they generally deal directly with customers, Anderson says.

Use a postage meter.
A postage meter is a portable machine equipped with a scale that weighs packages, assesses exact postage charges and prints shipping labels. Systems like these can help eliminate the need for mailers to guess the weight of a package and purchase additional postage "just to be safe."

Know when to consolidate.
When sending shipments weighing between 150 pounds and about 20,000 pounds (usually referred to as "less than truckload" shipments, or LTL) consider working with a freight consolidation service, which will combine yours with other shipments to create a full truckload.

"Less than truckload or container load rates are usually much higher than full truckload or container load rates," Pagano says. "LTL shipments have to go to a truck terminal to be consolidated [by the carrier] into a full truckload for shipment. If the small business has a full truckload shipment, then the carrier can pull up to the company’s terminal and load the truck and go, saving time."

Track carrier performance.
One way is to have your carrier keep a "scorecard," which usually tracks service and cost. Service factors can include pickup, delivery, response to customer service inquiries by shipper, access to online status data, accuracy of that data, meeting pickup or delivery appointment times and meeting agreed-upon in-transit times (from time of pick up to time of delivery), Anderson says.

Eurozone set for a busy summer of crisis talks

The eurozone's hope that it could enjoy a summer lull in its crisis has vanished as quickly as it appeared.

Last week, it seemed all sides would get a time out. Greece had avoided a default on its huge debts. Banks had agreed to roll over their holdings in Greek bonds, and finance ministers signaled that a second bailout would be agreed -- though not before the autumn.

But while few observers believed that Europe's crippling debt crisis had been resolved, the good mood was shattered after ratings agency Standard & Poor's warned that the banks' plan to contribute to a new Greek rescue package would likely cause a default.

Rival agency Moody's then reignited market jitters in countries outside Greece when it slashed Portugal's credit grade to junk, saying a bank contribution plan would likely push it to take a second bailout.

And with Greece due for another review of its finances in August, the European Union's traditionally quiet summer period looks set for a repeat of the June drama.

That month, Greece's international debt inspectors spent weeks in Athens trying to save a faltering bailout while eurozone states fought about the role of private creditors and Greeks held days of violent protests.

At what was meant to be their last meeting before the summer, eurozone finance ministers on Monday face the challenge of rebuilding an eroding consensus on how to bailout Greece again.

"It will be a difficult Eurogroup, because positions are hardening," an EU official said of the meeting on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the bank talks.

After rating agency Standard & Poor's said that even the market-friendly French model for a bond rollover would likely be seen as a "selective default" by Greece, Germany is pushing again for its original plan: a bond swap where, instead of buying new bonds, banks and other private investors would exchange their bonds for ones with longer maturities.

"If this French model -- depending on how it is shaped -- has this problem (of triggering a default rating) too, then we can go back to the model that we had proposed," German Finance Ministry spokesman Martin Kotthaus said Friday in Berlin.

A bond swap is commonly seen as a more radical option than a rollover, because it would be easier to verify how many investors are actually taking part and thus leave more room for naming and shaming.

"We have to walk a very narrow path between a voluntary contribution, and at the same time a substantial one," Kotthaus said.

Source:AP

US WANT CANADA OIL?

In a 21st-century oil boom, this sparsely populated Canadian province has become one of the world's newest petroleum powerhouses. Foreign investors are piling in, and Alberta plans to double production over the next decade.

The problem is that the U.S.—the biggest consumer of Alberta petroleum—may not want the additional oil.

Most of Alberta's 1.5 million barrels of daily exports are extracted from oil sands, or bitumen. Turning this tar-like substance into oil is an energy-intensive process that generates lots of carbon dioxide, a gas suspected to contribute to global warming. Almost all the oil produced ends up in the

Source: wall-street journal

HOW TO MAKE ONLINE MONEY WITHOUT WEBSITE

If you've got some successful keyword research and PPC advertising under your belt for your own website, why not capitalize on that and make money online without one? Affiliate marketing through pay-per-click makes it possible.

MSN adCenter and Yahoo Search Marketing both allow direct linking to sites that are not your own. (But don't try this with Google AdWords.)

Direct linking means that you can join affiliate programs, create ads for their products, and send click-throughs directly to the merchant's site. There's no need to build an intermediary site or use your own site to direct traffic. When your click-throughs convert, you get a commission.

It's a way to create an extra stream of income--or several--with some big advantages:

• It eliminates the time, effort, and costs of building and maintaining web pages. The only time you'll have to pay is when someone clicks on your ad.
• It allows you to do affiliate marketing without cluttering up your own site with links that might send potential customers away. You can keep your site clean and focused on its job of selling your product, but still make commissions off other people's products.
• It eliminates an extra click for users. One click less for them means more commissions for you.
  
  While direct linking is a good opportunity, though, it's not a walk in the park. The PPC programs that allow it restrict the number of affiliate ads that can point at the same display URL that shows on the ad itself. So ads by experienced affiliate marketers who know exactly what they're doing can bump less skillful ads.

If you want your ads to be seen, here's what you have to do.

Step 1: Start with a big, broad market
Choose a broad market where there's a lot of searching going on. You want to get as many eyeballs as possible.

Step 2: Do some keyword research
Don't build your ads on broad, untargeted keywords, though. The competition for those will be fierce--and expensive. Your objective here is to find neglected, low-cost keywords within a broad, high-traffic market--and that's why it really helps to have keyword research experience.

And as I mentioned in an earlier article, you need to look for specific problems that are shared by a lot of people within a market. Then find relevant keyword terms that clearly show a clear intention to buy or find out more information. Those terms are much more likely to convert. And remember, you pay for every click, but you get paid only when they convert.

The Microsoft Advertising Intelligence tool can show you almost anything you'd like to know about any given keyword, including similar keywords, traffic, cost per click, and much more. The free Google AdWords Keyword Tool is also a quick and handy way of getting ideas for keywords with high search volume and low cost per click; just keep in mind that you can't use this strategy with Google.

Step 3: Find a good affiliate merchant that targets your niche
In order to find a merchant that offers a relevant product and pays you a good commission, check out these affiliate networks and directories:

• www.associateprograms.com
• www.affiliatesdirectory.com
• www.ecommerce-guide.com
• www.cj.com
• www.clickxchange.com
• www.linkshare.com

When you're choosing affiliate merchants, ask these questions:

1. Do they offer a product that directly solves a problem you've identified?
2. Do they allow direct linking to their sites? Some don't. Check the terms and conditions before you commit.
3. Does the landing page generate pop-ups? If so, then forget it. This is not allowed. The back button on the page also has to be functional.
4. Is there a strong landing page for the product? If you send click-throughs to an irrelevant page, a confusing sales process, or a site that's just plain unappealing, then they won't convert and you'll end up wasting your money.

Step 4: Write a PPC ad that drives buyers to the affiliate merchant's site
Take a good look at the landing page your ad is pointing at and make your ad directly relevant to it. Your ad must:

• address the specific problem you've identified.
• include the keyword you've bid on, preferably more than once.
• reflect the keywords of the landing page.
• highlight a benefit of the product.
• include a strong call to action.

You can give your ad an extra boost by adding your keyword, or part of it, to the display URL at the bottom of the ad. The actual target URL will contain a big, ugly affiliate ID number, but the display version can show the domain name plus a subdirectory with a word or phrase that makes it look relevant to the search, like this:

Display: internetmarketing.com/affiliates_ppc
Target: http://www.internetmarketing.com/aff-iduao74elksdjdo-2u023f

Before you create your display link, check out the PPC competition to make sure it's unique so your ad won't be bumped. The better your ads, the higher the click-throughs will be, which means your ads will be rewarded with better positions for the same money. It's worth polishing them, and then testing them to see which ones are performing the best.

Running a pay-per-click affiliate campaign probably won't generate hundreds of thousands of dollars for you right off the bat--but it is the easiest way to leverage the keyword research and PPC skills you've developed in building your own site. And when Microsoft adCenter and Yahoo Search Marketing join forces sometime this year, you'll get the traffic from both, even if you only advertise on one. That makes direct linking even more appealing.

BIODISEL FUEL

Biodiesel Fuel can be produced from a variety of natural crops including rapeseed, soybean, mustard, flax, sunflower, canola, palm oil, hemp, jatropha and waste vegetable oils. This fuel source is said to reduce engine wear and produce less harmful emissions. Biodiesel is used as an alternative fuel source, but requires engine modifications. There is still a great deal of debate about the pros and cons of biodiesel.

TO LAUNCH YOUR BUSINESS EMBRANCE RISK-TAKING

To evaluate the merits of their startup dream and strategize about its future, aspiring entrepreneurs can sweat out business plans and huddle with experts. To prepare for the emotional roller coaster of venturing out on their own, though, there's little to do in advance. They must launch and learn on the fly. For those struggling to decide when to launch, insight from seasoned risk-takers and researchers who study them could speed the decision-making process.
For Andrew Ullman and Hayward Majors, co-founders of New York's CollegeSolved.com, an online expert network for college admissions, taking the leap did not come easily. After hatching their idea in 2008, they kept their day jobs in corporate law and finance, conducting research and seeking industry input in their spare time. By February 2009, they had a well-researched business plan but lacked the confidence to pursue the venture full-time. "Despite having an opportunity in hand and some financial stability, it took the validation of creating a beta version of the website and raising capital from outsiders to get us comfortable with the [lifestyle] change," says Ullman.

Like countless others before them, Ullman and Majors were adept at identifying risks but hadn't learned to take them. "When it comes to taking risks, knowledge is a highly overrated motivator. Otherwise, we'd all buy low and sell high, and our kids would eat their vegetables," says Dr. Frank Murtha, a behavioral psychologist in New York City who works with traders and specializes in financial risk-taking. He suggests that seizing opportunities when they arise and rolling with the punches requires a skill set few have mastered.

Chemicals in the Brain

In 2008 researchers at the University of Cambridge studied the risky decision-making abilities of entrepreneurs and corporate managers with similar IQs and experience levels using a battery of neurocognitive tests. They found (paywall alert) that the entrepreneurs consistently took riskier bets. The results show that risk-taking is both behavioral and physiological. The entrepreneurs not only scored higher on personality tests that measure impulsivity and flexibility; they also experienced a chemical response in the reward center of the brain that the managers did not.

While we have little control over our natural programming, it is possible to change behavior over time, as most therapists advocate. To offer aspiring entrepreneurs steps to take immediately, I compiled these tips:

Socialize with other entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship rubs off. A study from Babson suggests that children of entrepreneurs are more likely to start businesses, as are those who know other small business owners. The inverse also holds. Risk aversion can be contagious, as Ullman and Majors experienced. "We always wanted to be entrepreneurs, but we were locked into lucrative jobs that were deemed acceptable by family and friends," says Majors. Most large cities offer business meet-ups and other networking events where like minds gather.

VISA SLOWING GROWTH IN 2012

Visa Inc. on Wednesday warned that its revenue and earnings growth will slow in 2012 after new regulations on the fees banks can charge for debit card transactions kick in.

The San Francisco payments network operator repeated an earlier forecast for its current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, for revenue growth between 11 percent and 15 percent and earnings-per-share growth of greater than 20 percent.

Next year, however, Visa said it expects its revenue growth to slow to the high-single-digit to low-double-digit range. The company expects earnings-per-share growth to slow to the mid-to-high teens.

Analysts, on average, were forecasting 11 percent revenue growth and 16 percent earnings growth for 2012.

The slowdown will reflect the rules announced by the Federal Reserve last week that kick in on Oct. 1 and next April. The first will limit the fees that banks can charge retailers for processing debit card transactions. The second will give merchants the power to decide which network handles their transactions.

Together, the two could drive down the revenue for the banks that are Visa's customers. While transaction fees are not paid directly to Visa, it's expected that the network operator will have to reduce some of the fees it charges banks. And since it operates the biggest debit card networks, giving merchants choice to go to other processors will also have an impact.

"We expect that fiscal 2012 will bear the weight of the regulations financially, and in fiscal 2013 revenue growth will regain momentum off of 2012s level," CEO Joseph Saunders said during a conference call to discuss the forecast.

Because Visa's fiscal year ends in September it was able to keep its forecast for the current year. Since the Fed moved the date the fee cap will kick in from July 21 to Oct. 1, it will have no impact on Visa's results for fiscal 2011.

U.S. debit revenue accounts for about 20 percent of the company's overall revenue, Saunders said during the call.

The CEO said Visa prepared for different scenarios while it waited for the Fed to decide on the new debit rules. Now that they are in place, Visa can go forward with its plans.

Source: (AP)