March 25, 2009
A Quick Word About Grants and Foundations... Take One Step
Closer to Your Dreams... What's Happening to Your Score?...
What to Do with "Downtime"...
and More.
** A Quick Word About Grants and Foundations
By Adrian Newman, Founder of e-Wealth Daily
A lot of people have been asking me about getting grants from
either the government or private foundations. I'd like to delve
into this topic a bit today.
Getting a grant isn't an easy process, because typically grants
are only awarded for specific purposes. You can't just call
someone up and say, "I need $80,000 to start a business. I
don't know what kind of business, but I'll figure that out when
I get the money."
It doesn't work that way. Grants are given to specific causes or
ventures that make detailed requests to the foundation or
government entity that they are contacting.
So how can you increase your chances of getting a grant? Here
are a few helpful tips to get you started:
• Do Your Homework
When applying for grant money, you'll be expected to prepare
a business plan or proposal. Research the agency that you are
planning on contacting. This will help you understand the
direction that the organization is taking. If you are determined
to get a grant, then you must convince the organization that
your project will fit nicely into its mission and philosophy.
Also use the same buzzwords in your proposal that the grantor
uses. For example: "Made in America," "allegiance," and "loyalty."
• Create the Perfect Proposal
Your business proposal should be straightforward and concise.
Be specific about what you are trying to accomplish. State how
the project is to be carried out and the anticipated time frame
that you will be working with. Mention your staffing
requirements. Explain what you think the outcome of your
project will be in relation to your anticipated budget. Ensure
that your plan is neatly typed and devoid of any spelling or
grammatical errors. A few finishing touches can bring attention
to your grant application. Use photographs to capture your
grantor's eye. For example, if your project will benefit
children, make a photo collage of children involved in the type
of activities that your organization intends to provide.
Send a few support letters along with your application. When it
comes time for the final decision, you may get the winning
vote based largely on those two or three support letters. Your
community and local government leaders may provide letters
(you may want to write the letters for them so that all they have
to do is sign). Referral letters can also come from leaders in
your field.
• Get Writing Help
Writing grant proposals isn't an easy task. However, there are
web sites that will practically hold your hand as you draft
your proposal.
A good proposal-writing web site is
http://foundationcenter.org/. Look under the heading "Gain
Knowledge."
Finally, here is a list of web sites where you can find out who
is giving away grants or other financial assistance and what
you need to do in order to apply:
And, of course, there's this very good resource that could help
you discover some little-known grants:
http://www.lombardipublishing.com/ads/gm/index.asp
Good luck with your grants and I'll have some more tips for
you on this topic in the very near future.
** Take One Step Closer to Your Dreams
By Doug D'Anna, the "Hundred-Million-Dollar Man"
I have perfected an easy exercise that could help you remove
the barriers to your success and overcome those feelings of
fear, boredom or dissatisfaction that keep you from moving
forward.
As I have discovered, procrastination is actually rooted in the
fear of not achieving success. Overcoming procrastination and
becoming more decisive in your thoughts and actions could not
only boost your confidence, but it could also bring you even
closer to achieving your goals.
Time and time again, psychological studies have shown us that
there is a direct correlation between focus and the flow to
success. It has been scientifically proven that when you
understand exactly what needs to be done — and you have
consciously acknowledged the payoffs of achieving your goals
sooner rather than later — you will be able to focus your
complete attention on living your life well.
Another essential concept in living a life free of procrastination
is letting go of your reservations. Is someone watching you jog
around the block for the first time? Don't assume that they are
thinking negative thoughts about you. In fact, when you are
making a positive change in your life, it shows. If you exude
confidence about what you are doing, others will pick up on it
and respond positively in kind.
My next-door neighbor recently told me that seeing me running
every morning has inspired him to start exercising again. He
hasn't noticed that my form isn't perfect or that my shoes are
wearing out, and he hasn't noticed that I am passed on a daily
basis by about a half-dozen other faster runners. He admires
my passion for my running and that I get up and go whether it's
raining outside or it's a beautiful, sunny day. My get-up-and-go
attitude is what inspires him, not my technique or how many
miles I run.
On the other hand, for almost a decade, another one of my
friends has said that he is going to start running. He has
listened to me talk about the benefits of my morning run and he
keeps saying that he wants to do the same thing in his life.
However, he still hasn't even put on his running shoes, let alone
started jogging.
To him — and to you — I offer the following guidance. If you
make a commitment to these strategies today — I mean a real
concerted effort — then you'll never let your procrastination or
fears stand in the way of your success ever again.
** What's Happening to Your Score?
By Michael Newman, Self-made Millionaire
Every day, we hear about the credit crisis and how it's more
difficult for businesses and individuals to secure the credit they
need for various things. Well, one of the things we don't
necessarily hear about is the negative effects this limited access
to credit has on our credit scores.
The fact is that the less credit we have available to us, the
worse our credit score becomes. Therefore, if nobody is
lending, no one can borrow, giving credit scores the potential
to drop. Because you really don't have that much control over
how much credit the banks and other various lenders are
willing to release, you have to focus on the things you can do
on your own to maintain your credit score and limit the effect
of today's economy on your ability to secure future credit.
One of the first things you can do is attempt to diversify the
credit you have available to you. This means looking at various
sources of credit, and doing your best to secure some. Different
credit card companies, for instance, have different terms and
conditions attached to them. They offer different rates and are
not all subject to the same rate cuts. Therefore, if all your credit
is available through only one source, your credit score is at that
company's disposal.
One thing to keep in mind when you're looking for new sources
of credit, however, is to spread it out. The more applications
you put in during a short timeframe, the worse it is for your
score. It causes you to look desperate and results in a drop in
your score. Spread your applications out over the period of a
few months.
Another way you can attempt to protect your credit score is by
spreading any balance you may have over two or more credit
cards. This is because it is better for your score to owe a small
balance on a number of cards than a large balance on one card.
It also gives you the luxury of shifting your debt if one of your
cards offers a better rate.
Finally, it's important to realize that, right now, the credit card
companies may not be your friends. In fact, some of them are
treating customer calls about lowering rates and looking for
more credit as a sign that the customer may now be a risk.
Therefore, if you don't absolutely need to talk to your creditor,
don't. You don't want to turn what may be a bad situation into a
worse one.
** What to Do with "Downtime"
By James Burt
I come from a rural-based family. Try as you might, you can't
help but soak up the lingo. My families had sayings that were
not only funny to me when I was small, but were even funnier
to my friends in the city who had never heard such odd
expressions.
"We're beating a dead horse here!" was a favorite, particularly
of my calculus teacher when trying to solve problems. Another
was, "That stinks to high heaven." And "He's as useless as..." — wait. I can't use that one. Sorry guys. This is a G-rated
publication.
But my favorite was always, "He's running around like a
chicken with his head cut off." A slightly morbid expression if
there ever was one. But it conjures up the appropriate images
of directionless-ness and confusion. As an info marketer, you
shouldn't worry about this. You would be less than human if
you never experienced the first two. It's alright, as being your
own boss can feel like that. You're taking risks that your
friends punching the clock cannot even conceive of. Naturally,
you are going to have days where there is little activity and this
can be potentially stressful if you don't know what to do with
your time.
Here are some thoughts on what to do during your downtime:
-
Get creative: You are a creative person, because you are an
information marketer, right? Why not take a break to get more
ideas? Get out some pens and paper or a notebook and start
randomly jotting down ideas for the future. This might sound
trivial, but it can lead to great things. Ask any musician. If they
even get four bars of a melody in their head, they will write it
down, record it on a boom box, or even phone their answering
machine to record it. A stockpile of ideas for the future is
always an asset.
-
Re-organize: You've likely been busy working at your
business and your office is now a mess. Downtime should be
used efficiently to get re-organized. Throw out trash that you
don't need, get your financial records in order, and make a list
of what items you will need for the future. Thinking about
tomorrow today is, again, only an asset.
-
Network: Check out your leads and customer list. See who
you have come into contact with since the inception of your
business or search the web sites for potential allies who have a
product similar to your own. If you come across someone who
might be able to help your business, come up with a pitch for
them, and give them a call. Try not to make things too social
and stay on task with trying to make your business grow. Sometimes, during downtime, you have to be the one to stir the
pot a bit, but this can generate new ideas and associations, so
don't be afraid to do it.
-
Step Outside: If you are in any kind of rut in life, the best
thing is to get out of it. Sounds too simple, right? Well, it is and
it is necessary. No one is superhuman and your mind is going
to need a rest sometime. Spend time with family, take a
holiday, or pursue an outside interest. I mentioned the beating
of a dead horse earlier...you do not want to be the person being
that beater, as it will not amount to anything.
Another prominent old saying from my childhood was the
clerically derived, "Idle hands make the devil's work." It can be
true, as, if you have nothing to do, you might face going down
a path of instability. But if you have gotten thus far in your
information marketing career, you shouldn't worry. You will be
creative enough to ward off any of the devil's temptations. |
