Made Moon Blog

If you do not want to spend a lot of money building a garage protecting your Truck or RV then you should consider a Truck Canopy.

Canopies are a low cost way of protecting anything from cars to boats and even tractors. These lightweight structures are made of a very light but durable material which can withstand any weather conditions. The great advantage of a canopy is that they come in all sizes. If you have a small pickup or even an 18 wheeler you will be able to find a canopy that will fit your needs. The most popular is the All Purpose 10′ X 20′ 8 leg canopy which creates a lot of opportunities for outdoor protection. The shelter includes a white, full-valanced cover and foot plates for stakes. Slip-fit connections make assembly painless. The durable frame is structured from 1 3/8-inch diameter, powder-coated steel tubing.

If you had a slightly longer truck then you may consider the 12 x 26′ Tandem Commercial Grade Canopy. This commercial-grade canopy provides you extra space for your shelter needs! At 12′ wide, there is plenty of room for walking around a vehicle, and at 26′ long, you could protect an extra-long Truck, RV, boat or position several tables for a family reunion in the shade. The 10-leg frame is constructed of 2-inch diameter, powder-coated steel tubing and features slip and connections for durability and easy assembly. The white cover is UV-stabilized, waterproof polyethylene. The price for a canopy of this size can range from $450 to $650. Good quality and size doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. The great thing about this canopy is that although its versatile to use for any occasion you could also rent it out to others wanting to use it for an outdoor wedding or party.

There are accessories that come with these canopies. You can either have the configuration in such a way that you just have the roof with the side legs showing. If you want a more enclosed look then you can opt for the side walls which will totally enclose your truck in instances where you need more protection from the weather, or just want to keep your vehicle out of site.

The price of canopies varies and this is usually in line with its size and the accessories that you may want. For a simple canopy like the one mentioned above you can expect to pay in the region of $150 to $350 but these can range up to as high as $1000 and over. There is usually no compromise on quality in the price range as all canopies are made to a very high standard.

The most important and convenient aspect of buying a canopy is that you can do it online. You can browser online stores and have your canopy delivered to your door for as little as $10. In most cases you will find that delivery is free depending on the size of your order.

Grant Marwick is a freelance writer and owner of http://www.canopy-center.com where you will find advice and more articles on Truck Canopies

Only one of every 5 businesses makes it to its 5th year, and fewer still make it to 10 years. What do the successful businesses have in common?

1. The experience and skills of the top managers. Over half of business failures are directly related to managerial incompetence.

2. The energy, persistence and resourcefulness (the will to make the business succeed) of the top managers. Many business owners have failed or come close several times before their “instant” success. Don’t give up.

3. A product that is at least a cut above the competition and service that doesn’t get in the way of people buying. There must be a compelling reason to buy; the product is great, the people love to provide service, and the buying experience is easy and fun.

4. The ability to create a “buzz” around the product with aggressive and strategic marketing. Make scarce marketing resources count. Do as much homework about your customers and their choices as you can before investing your marketing dollars.

5. Deal-making skills to sell the product at the highest possible price given your market. It comes down to your customers’ perception of the value of your product and sometimes the power of your personality.

6. The ability to keep developing new products to retain and build a customer base. Consider gradual product development based on improvements to the current product line and sold to the current customer base.

7. Deal-making skills to work with resource suppliers to keep costs low. Keeping costs lower than competitors’ and continuing to look for cost reductions even when the business is profitable is key.

8. The maturity to treat employees, suppliers and partners fairly and respectfully. Trust and respect result in productivity increases in ways that may be difficult to see and quantify.

9. Superior location and/or promotion creating a connection between your product and where it can be obtained. Studies have shown it can take seeing your product or name seven times before a customer is ready to buy.

10. A steady source of business during both good economic times and downturns. Over the long term, develop a product mix that will include winners during good economic times and other winners when times are tough.

About The Author

Jan B. King is the former President & CEO of Merritt Publishing, a top 50 woman-owned and run business in Los Angeles and the author of Business Plans to Game Plans: A Practical System for Turning Strategies into Action (John Wiley & Sons, 2004). She has helped hundreds of businesses with her book and her ebooks, The Do-It-Yourself Business Plan Workbook, and The Do-It-Yourself Game Plan Workbook. See www.janbking.com for more information.

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the byline is included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

janbking0191@sbcglobal.net

The success of ad campaigns are not easy to gauge since you don’t have any formula to help you in computing just how much of your postcards for example, has been converted into dollars. However, you may always apply trial and error methods but even this will not provide you with the exact figure of how much you have earned from your ad campaign. The trial and error method will only provide you with a rough estimate of how much returns in terms of sales your ad campaign has brought your business.

Some may tell you that you can assess or monitor your sales by the number of new customers that your business is getting everyday. But just how many business owners really do this? Probably very few and only those with very small businesses wherein their customers are composed of a couple of number of friends, relatives, neighbors that the business owner really gets in contact with most of the time. So just how would a business owner knew that the customers are new? There really is no way of telling unless of course the business owner religiously checks on her surveillance camera and take note of not so familiar faces that enters his establishment. Let’s face it; it’s very hard to remember every single customer that enters a store.

And so just how are you to gauge whether your ad campaign did work or not? Here’s how: In every ad campaign you have a certain product or service that you wish to promote and so obviously an increase in the sales of that certain product or service will tell you that your ad campaign was successful. Now if the opposite happens, it only signifies that you ought to think of other ad campaign alternative to help you in promoting your products and services.

Another way is to compare your sales before, during and after your ad campaign. However, don’t expect that you have an outright result because there are some ad drives that really take quite sometime before result can be achieved. One way of an effective ad campaign is one where a business offers discounted items attached to some of their highly saleable products are great in enticing customers to take hold of products and services a business is offering.

There are also some businesses that held raffle promos wherein they give away cars for prices. What they usually do is to place a bracket on every purchase of their customers. Telling customers that the higher the amount of purchase the more the quantity of raffle tickets given. And since most customers want to win the price they tend to purchase more to earn more tickets. This kind of ad campaign is generally employed by malls and other big businesses.

Lastly, before setting on any advertising or promotional expedition try to have a concrete and concise goal of what you want to achieve. It is important so that you will be guided not only in your choice of ad campaign but also to direct all your endeavors towards your goal.

Jinky C. Mesias is a lover of simple things and of nature. She spends most of her time reading and writing poetry.

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It is a blessing for a child to hear that she is beautiful.

My family is small, just my parents, sister and me. My sister and I are three years apart. Ever since she was born, she received many praises from family members and strangers, on how cute and pretty she was. My mother too – my relatives always complimented how good my mother looked. There are two experiences I remember vividly. My mom, sister and I were at a department store. A pretty lady from one of the make up counters rushed out and said to my mother: your baby daughter is so pretty! Then she looked at me and said nothing. Another incident happened while we were having a dinner with family and relatives. One of my aunts said to me: Noelle, I hate to tell you this, but your mother is more beautiful than you.

These incidents had hurt the heart of a little child of no more than 6 years old.

It wasn’t that I didn’t have anything good within me. I had the brains – evident by my report cards from school. Yet brains rarely impress on first sight like beauty does. It is easy to be drawn to outer beauty. But what about the beauty we have within?

Comparisons of our looks continued throughout our adolescent and teenage years. Each one of them was painful. My mother, also drawn to outer beauty, has confirmed with others who said I was inferior in looks than my sister.

These experiences have prompted me to see beauty in all people. There must be something good in each of us. This is one of the reasons why I am now a personal image consultant, because there are elements in colour, clothing and communication skills that are harmonious to every individual. What is beauty anyway? To me, beauty is harmony. Nature is all about harmony. We can always draw inspirations from it. Take a look at the sky during daytime and night time; each flower; each blade of grass. Each is different, yet each is beautiful.

Yet, it is undeniable that people judge others in the first thirty seconds of meeting. We cannot go against this ingrained human nature and think people should not judge others by how they look, because in reality, they do. How can we make the best of what we have to bring out our outer beauty?

The key word is harmony. If your body is mainly straight and narrow, wear straight lines and stiff clothing. If you body has curves, wear curvy lines and soft, drapey clothes. If you are big, wear clothing with thick lines; if you are delicate, stay with thin lines. If your eyes, hair and skin tones are warm, wear warm colours. If cool, then wear colours that are blue based, rather than yellow based. Do not feel pressured by wearing what’s current. There are elements we can incorporate into our clothes and make up to keep our images current, but we do not have to be a slave to fashion and make up. Just pick out elements that are harmonious to you, and ignore the rest.

Most important, see beauty everywhere, each person you meet. From this you will appreciate your own beauty even more. If you are a mother with a daughter, see her inner and outer beauty, and tell her how beautiful and wonderful she is. It is a great blessing to a child. This is part of her foundation in self esteem.

What will you do today to see your own beauty?

Noelle Wong sees and unveils beauty in people. She is the owner of iN-IMAGE! Inc., a personal image consulting company in Toronto that offers one-on-one consultations and workshops to help people increase their personal presence. For inquiries please contact her at noelle@in-image.com. Her website is http://www.in-image.com

Article submission is the process in which the webmaster will submit articles to the article directories that will then publish them. This can create for the webmaster an enormous amount of back links to his or her website. That allows for individuals to get the traffic that they need without paying huge advertising dollars or trying to compete too heavily with the thousands of other website owners out there. It an easy, affordable way to generate traffic to your website.

But, what are some of the benefits for using these article submission websites? What will you gain, exactly from them? To understand what opportunities you have when you use article submission, here are some things for you to think about.

We all know that emotions control every decision that an investor makes in any type of money related vehicle. Whether is be the stock market, real estate, art work or antiques, emotions ultimately set the final price on both sides of the transaction. Some investors have greater control over their emotions while other investors are destroyed by their emotional reactions to certain events.

One common occurrence that I have seen many investors make, including myself, is placing a position in a stock at the wrong time. My last article detailed the importance of timing, while this article will concentrate on the importance of staying focused and emotionally stable when things don’t work out as expected. In the past, I would study a stock’s chart, the fundamentals, the general market health and everything else that I felt necessary before placing a large sum of cash behind my beliefs. When things went wrong and I was forced to sell for a small loss, I would drop the stock from my watch lists and remove it from my memory. This was one of the biggest mistakes that I was making during my earlier years of investing. The greatest investors study their mistakes and learn why they were wrong. If you don’t learn from your mistakes, you will continue to repeat them and never move to the next level.

I was usually correct with my analysis on the particular stock but many times I was too early with my entry point during a new up-trend. Months later, I would come across the same stock in my screens but it was now up 25%, 50% or more from my initial buy point and stop loss. I would be frustrated for selling my stock too soon and was getting tired of using rules and missing big winners that I sold for a loss. I knew money could be made in Wall Street by using the law of averages to my advantage and employing strong money management skills but I needed to employ the rules more consistently. I started to practice what I was taught by selling my losers quickly and allowing my stronger stocks to ride their trends. Over time, I was experiencing a few more losers than winners but my stake was growing because these losers were smaller in size than the winners. The words written in the books were true; Jesse Livermore, Gerald Loeb and William O’Neil were all accurate with their lessons about cutting losses quickly.

More importantly, I learned to keep strong stocks on my radar even if I bought too soon and was forced to sell for a loss. My timing was wrong and my ego was shot because I was wrong, so I typically decided to stay away from that specific stock because it had already taken my cash and my pride. Emotionally, I was burned by the stock even though this was not entirely true. Investing is a game of trial and error. It is okay to buy a stock at the wrong time and sell, only to buy it again because they timing may be better. If you cut the losses small and allow winners to grow, the averages will ALWAYS work out, I promise. You must be honest with yourself to allow the averages to work out. You cannot allow a stock to drop past your sell point and you must try to always hold the strongest stocks without selling them during a premature pullback. This all sounds so easy but it is not! If it was so easy, we would all be extremely rich and the stock market would be everyone’s full time job.

I kept using my system of trial and error and started to record every thought and transaction I made. With my revised philosophy in place; I continued to study the stocks that I was forced to sell and tried my best to re-purchase, even at higher prices than my original position if the time was right. Even now I have these issues, the greatest traders of all time always had these issues and every fund manager must decide if the time is right. My latest example, which can relate to almost everyone in the community is Paincare Holdings, a stock that was purchased solely as a “test buy” that I was forced to sell. If things turn around and the general market starts to rally, I would have no problem buying the stock at a higher price than my original position if the opportunity presents itself.

LaBarge is another example, first showing up on the screens at $9.35 but during a down-trending market. The new pivot point and buy area was $14, over 50% higher than the original price but a solid entry point regardless of past gains or prices. Mentally it is always the toughest to buy a stock at a higher price than you were watching it at an earlier date but it can be the most rewarding strategy. Never look at a chart and toss away a candidate because it has moved up 50% or even doubled in recent months, the real move may just be beginning.

The moral of this article is to make you understand that timing may be your only issue when buying stocks so never throw away a possible superstar because you bought too soon. Keep it on your watch list and be prepared to initiate another position, even if it will cost you an extra point or two. If you buy again and it doesn’t work out, re-peat the process, there is always a chance that the stock was not meant to be or your analysis was slightly faulty. In either case, learn what you are doing right and wrong so you can be prepared to use those lessons with the next stock.

Chris Perruna – http://www.marketstockwatch.com

Chris is the founder and president of MarketStockWatch.com, an internet community that teaches you how to invest your money with solid rules. We don’t stop at just showing you our daily and weekly screens, we teach you how to make you own screens through education. Through our philosophy, you will be able to create your own methods and styles to become successful.

Development, it’s bound to happen.

Simply because there is a large open field, or the property you’re looking at borders woods, doesn’t mean it will or can stay that way in the future.

I could rattle off instance after instance where home buyers who may have just closed on a property, are being notified as an abutter that some type of proposed development, they hadn’t heard about previously, was taking place right next door to them.

On that note, here are a few questions that, as a home buyer, you need to raise as you look around the property and neighborhood:

• Are there any subdivisions, large or small, or plans that are expected to be coming before the planning board that would affect your prospective neighborhood?
• Are there any ongoing or existing subdivisions or plans that would adversely affect your purchase decision?
• Is it likely that the neighborhood could be redeveloped for another use?

Most municipalities have a Master Plan that gives a plan of action for how the community is or could be developed in the future. Often, discussion is by area, neighborhood or grouped by use.

One of the things you should check out is if there are any changes planned in the short term or long term for the particular area of the city or neighborhood in which you are looking to live.

Neighborhoods go through transitions that include development, stability, and decline/redevelopment. Some areas are in transition from one use to another.

Other areas are slated for actual zoning changes perhaps to a much higher density because of the dwindling supply of land that can be developed.

Getting caught in the middle of such a transition may make resale much more difficult and life at the old homestead less desirable if development occurs all around you that you weren’t anticipating or told about.

Zoning ordinances dictate what you can or can’t do in a certain area of the city, including what uses are allowed to exist.

Review a zoning map of the area to answer the following questions:

• Is the residence you’re looking at in a residential zone?
• Does the property border a different zoning district?
  • Does it border a commercial or industrial zone?
  • Does it border another residential zone that preserves a lower density?
  • Does it border another residential zone that allows for a significantly higher density?
  • Does it border a mixed-use zone?
  • Does it border an historic zone or district?
• Does the property straddle more than one zoning district?
• What is the effect on minimum lot size requirements?

I have experienced each of these scenarios being at issue with a property I was involved with at one time or another, either as a sales agent, real estate appraiser, as a member of the Zoning Board, or as a property owner.

The advice here is plain and simple.

When buying a home, be sure to do your homework. Don’t be like many home buyers who fail to understand as much as they can about the home they want to buy and end up disenchanted with their financial investment.

Copyright 2005 Don Berthiaume

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Don Berthiaume gives you the questions you need to ask when buying a home. For more details, and for a free 4-part mini-course in home buying, visit this site now: Buying a Home

As one progresses to the threshold of old age, worries and anxieties seem to grip more tightly. Not a second goes when the thought of one’s family especially children take a leave. The very thought of what will happen next clutches the person and this makes his present life a bundle of misery. However, there is a way out to all these tensions and to bathe in perfect bliss, to draft or make your Will.

Often the thought of making a will seems perturbing to people. They think that they are and will be present to settle all the monetary and other issues. But, the fact is that life is no one’s best friend. It can betray anyone at any time; it is too precarious to be trusted upon. So, one should avoid taking risks and plan a Will at the right time.

There are several merits to making a will-

• Allows you to follow your choicewhatever you have accumulated throughout your life should not at the end be at the discretion of others. You should govern the decision that who will what and how much, after all it is your money and property that you propose to be divided amongst your beneficiaries.

• Good Bye disputes’Money makes the Mare go’…it is right that the glimmer of wealth can make anybody blind. Most often the unplanned assets are a source of argument amongst the family members for everyone claims to maximum share of it. But if the allocation is pre decided through a Will, there is no scope for all these uninvited and execrated quarrels.

• The Veiled reaches the Safe Handsthere are certain secret riches or assets that people do not disclose even to their nearest ones during their lifetime. This can be due to many personal reasons. However, you cannot be a guard to these clandestine possessions always. So, through a will it is better to assign them to your closest ones so that they can enjoy the fruits of your prudence and sweat.

• Can replace tears with smilesa properly formulated Will that takes care of all your near and dear ones, is certainly a delight to them. They revere and miss you all the more for you decided to fulfill their priorities and wishes even in your absence .

• Last but not the least, Wills are not just meant to benefit your survivors after your death but they can take care of your present life also like the Living Will that is a great help in case of any accident or unforeseen trouble.

The Other Key Points

• Any 18 year old or above can draft a Will. But Wills are actually meaningful in case of adults from 30 to 35 onwards.

• There are different types of Wills and so separate ways to draft them. Before formulating a Will, you should know your desires and requirements.

i) Holographic Wills- a legal document handwritten by the Testator and also signed in their hand this Will is largely meant in case of intricate family situation and huge assets.

ii) Legal Will- is that document which is signed by two witnesses and is prepared by a lawyer according to the needs of the testator.

iii) Living Wills-those that give you the opportunity to the kind of medical care and assistance in case of crisis like accident.

iv) Self -Proved Will- has certain terms and conditions forwarded by the State. This Will need not be handwritten but requires the signature of the testator along with the witnesses.

v) Ethical Wills- not a legal Will but a personal assessment of one’s values, beliefs etc. among several other things.

vi) Living Trusts

• These different Wills have respective ways to formulate them and other requirements like choosing an executor, witness, attorneys etc. once you make up your mind for the kind of Will you are looking forward depending on your interest and wishes, it is better to consult any an attorney to know its details. Draft a Will only when you are acquainted with all the particulars of it.

• Take some time to think about the beneficiaries, executor and the assets you want to be included etc. Never rush into things. Remember your carefulness is a means to your happiness.

Mansi gupta writes about drafting a will. Learn more at www.draftyourwill.com .

Money is energy. Money is an exchange. Money makes the world go round. Money, Money, Money, Money! Money is possibly the most powerful metaphor of our planet. How do you feel when you are free? Receive the keys to wealth, and discover the soulful laws where money becomes an auspicious bird that cannot wait to perch on your shoulder to bless you, again, and again!

1. Know Yourself

What do “poor” and “wealthy” mean to you? What programs were you raised on? How did your parents handle money? Do you think that you are a good person if you are rich or if you are poor? Do you give your power away to wealthy people? Do you envy or resent them? How do you treat wealthy people? How do you expect to be treated by them? How do you speak of them? How do you speak of poor people?

2. Beware of Projections and other Personifications

[The love of] Money is the root of all evil… Money is hard to come by… Money keeps on eluding me… Money does not come easy to me… Money does not like me… Money does not grow on trees… Ask yourself: what is money? What is it not? Money is only what I think it is. Similarly for time. Time is only what I think it is. In that sense, time is money!

3. Learn To Speak Its Divine Language

Have you noticed how spiritual is the vocabulary that describes money? In God, we trust! Change. Save. Profit. Worth. Value. Asset. Cash Flow. Liquid. Appreciation. Angel Investor. Equity… Notice the balance (sheet). Like breathing in: Income. Breathing out: Expenses. In: Assets. Out: Liabilities.

4. Create Space for Something to Change

Gratefulness is the key to open the Gates of Heaven (Having). When you are grateful, your attention is on what you have, not on what you lack. When you are grateful, you love it all. And then loving what you do brings forth doing what you love.

5. Discern “Expensive” and “Expansive”

About not purchasing that lovely condo, or not working with a coach, it is never about not having the money, it is about not having the truth to do something (i.e. not really wanting it, or feeling deserving of it) If you really wanted to go to Europe, you would find a way. Become honest enough, big enough, expansive enough in your consciousness to contain the condo, or the coaching program, or the trip to Europe…

6. Dare to Be a Visionary

And claim your financial goals: I read somewhere that out of the Yale class of 1953, 3% had written down their financial goals for after college. When they convened 20 years later, that 3% controlled more combined net worth than the other 97% combined.

7. Love Unconditionally

If you wish to partner with money, give, tithe, let it go, and set it free. Did I say “FREE?” Because all you have is truly all you need. You have to have the courage to give what you want to get. If it is yours, it will come back. If it does not, you never really had it in the first place. Furthermore, since we are all one, giving to another is really giving to yourself.

8. Have Fun & Play

“Life is a game…” When millionaires lose all their money, they do not worry, as they know they can and will enjoy making it again. Relax; money is only a game.

9. Sell What Benefits Others

Ponder this: would you be happy purchasing something that is revealed to be worthless? Ethical business practices are simply to receive money for a service or a product only if the buyer deems it valuable. Ex. Price of art. Price of a house. Price of a candy bar. And should someone be unhappy with your product or service, promptly give a refund.

10. Adopt a Pilgrim’s Mind

The magic of not knowing is what makes the dream possible. Believe in something greater than yourself! That attitude will pave the road with golden opportunities. Your only work is to recognize each of them, greet them as your friend, and then act on them: that is rich!

Forwarding/Sharing

Unless noted otherwise, all material is written and edited by Mahalene Louis, Copyright (c) Soulvision Axis, Inc. (r) 2003. All rights reserved. You may reprint material from “Turn on the Light!” Top Ten in other electronic or print publications provided the above copyright notice and a link to http://www.mahalenelouis.com is included in the credits. Also please send us a copy of the publication. When forwarding this material, please send the entire article intact and unadulterated.

Mahalene is an Inspiration Anchor, an Artist, an Author and the President of Soulvision Axis, Inc., a company assisting visionaries to unleash their creativity and awaken their spirit. She authored the Ten Techniques for heARTful living, as a result of 22 years of study and experience in creativity, communication and human development.

Beyond several local publications and national e-publications to which she is a regular contributor, she currently writes a blog (http://www.mahasblog.com) and publishes a monthly e-zine, Stop Trying, Start Trusting Mahazine, addressed to visionaries, holistic coaches, and consultants on the way to birth their personal and professional leadership. She also offers a Seven Weeks Mini-course, mad from the heART, and mini inspiring movies. Please do feel free to check out her work; http://www.mahalenelouis.com

Large businesses require a lot of IT infrastructure and a department to look after it. Small businesses often can’t afford to have that sort of internal support in place, yet they need fully operational IT systems in order for the business to run properly. For businesses like these, external IT support can be a cost-effective yet vital resource.

1. Avoid IT salary bills

Even one experienced, trained IT professional can cost a lot of money. Paying a salary, tax, National Insurance, pension and any other benefits can make a big difference to your bottom line. For small businesses, there just isn’t enough IT requirement to justify employing someone to run the system full-time. Instead, put your money towards your business, and pay a lot less for an external IT professional to help you when you need it.

2. Online and telephone support

If you haven’t got support in the office, you need to know that there’s someone on the end of the phone that can help with any IT problems that arise. Most IT support firms offer phone and online support and, because many problems can be sorted out over the phone, you won’t have to wait for an engineer to come out to your office.

3. Security

Some of the most important parts of your IT system are the ones that protect you from fraud, virus or other harm. Any software that’s protecting your system needs checking and updating on a regular basis, to make sure that your business is secure. Rather than scheduling this in for someone in your office to do, it’s much easier to arrange for an external IT company to come in to your office on an agreed timetable to keep your IT security up-to-date.

Using IT support has many benefits, but for small businesses, the most important thing is that external IT support allows you to concentrate on your business, whilst retaining confidence in your IT systems – and at a much lower cost than employing your own IT expert.

Thames Computer Services provides network support to businesses in the UK and around the world. Visit their website by clicking on IT Support Services.