September 2, 2009

The New Profit Opportunity Waiting Inside You... How to Hire
the Wrong Person... The State of the Housing Market and
You... Switching Channels: Creating a Secondary Info
Marketing Business... and More.

It's still summer, so the winter blues certainly can't be setting in just yet. However, I still hear about people just being plain burnt out. They're being forced to cut costs, go green and plan for an uncertain financial future and it's really starting to take a toll on many driven entrepreneurs.

I hope you're not a member of this unfortunate group. I hope that, day in and day out, your spirits are up and your motivation is pushing you ahead in leaps and bounds.

But, even if the economy has you down, I have good news. In fact, this is better than just plain old news. It's a strategy you can use not only to boost your spirits, but also to help you bring in even more money.

You see, the answer to your woes could be already inside you. It's a part of you that you use every day while running your own business or laying down your moneymaking plans.

That's right; the answer is inside of you -- actually, it's inside your brain. What I'm talking about is information. I know, information is a pretty dull word, but, once you unlock the profit potential of simple information, you'll start to see why I get so excited about it.

Now, information on its own is a little vague, and possibly a bit boring. But, when you learn how to sell information, you'll find that excitement you've been missing.

There's a unique, exciting and profitable business field that many people are taking advantage of, yet so many others seem to be kept in the dark about. This field is called information marketing. It involves packaging information as a book, newsletter, DVD or CD and then selling it to people who are hungry to learn more.

This business has made millionaires out of ordinary men and women, and anyone, anywhere, can do it. Especially you. So, take a good long look at what you know; I'm certain there's an information product waiting to come out.

Your employees are a reflection of you. A staff of good people can be as important as a great product or service. If you can't find good people to help you out, then your business will really suffer. You need people who will be productive and valuable.

Not only that, but the hiring process can be costly in terms of time and money. It takes money to advertise and time to interview, which takes away from your own productivity, thus costing you money again. The less often you need to hire, the better.

Avoid the following errors in hiring new staff that can easily be made, and you will increase your chances of finding someone who will be a great benefit to your business and who will be more apt to stay with your company for years to come.

Mistake #1: Ignoring your instincts and focusing solely on their education and experience.

Though education and experience are obviously important, you should also rely on your chemistry with someone. You may get a candidate who is great on paper, but whose personality just doesn't fit the company.

Always choose the employee who is a good fit for you and your company, even if they don't have an impressive degree, rather than someone with 10 years of post-secondary schooling under their belt who doesn't have any chemistry with you.

Mistake #2: Not telling them specifics about the job.

If you're vague about what a new hire will be doing for you, then you're not giving yourself a real chance to find someone who will be a good fit for your business. In other words, the candidate needs to know what they will be doing on a daily basis.

They need to know what they will be responsible for, and you need to be upfront with what you need from them. Deceiving them to make a position sound more glamorous is only going to hurt you in the end.

Mistake #3: Not letting them get to know you.

Even though this person is being interviewed by you, they also need to get a sense about you and your company. If you don't tell them anything about the place where they might be working, then how are they supposed to figure out if they are a good fit for you? So, yes, job candidates are also interviewing you and your company.

You want an employment candidate to figure out if they will like the work environment and if they can work with you. If you are someone who likes a very corporate, quiet environment, then make sure that a potential new hire is aware of this ahead of time. If you like people to work in teams often and collaborate, then make sure that your interviewee knows that it's important for you that they're sociable and enjoy working in teams.

If you keep the above tips in mind the next time you are looking to hire someone, you will run into fewer roadblocks on your path to success and you will end up with a team of employees you can be proud of.

One of the many benefits to home ownership is property tax. A benefit for the government, of course, and a big headache for you. I don't know about you, but when the tax man comes around with his hand out looking for money from me just so I can rest my head at night, it kind of irks me. It irks me even more knowing that the housing market is in the dumps.

However, I recently learned that just because the tax man comes a knockin', it doesn't mean that I necessarily have to give him what he's looking for. The fact is that, because of the state of the housing market, your property tax likely isn't what it used to be. You just have to make sure you take the proper steps to ensure you pay a fair rate.

Since house prices peaked in 2006, values had plummeted 27% by the end of 2008. In the same time period, however, property taxes rose roughly 12% based on municipality collections. Clearly, something doesn't add up.

For the most part, the taxes likely haven't adjusted on par with values because properties aren't generally assessed frequently. Depending on your area, it could be every one to three years, or as infrequently as every five to 10 years. Because of the state of the market during the assessment and future predictions, the value of your home may have been overstated.

Now, just because you feel that you're paying more than your home's value in property taxes, doesn't always mean the municipality will listen. After all, they hear this kind of thing all the time. Therefore, when you approach them, you're going to want to have your facts straight. Here are some of the things you'll want to have prepared to make your case convincing:

The first thing you're going to want to do is get your hands on your official property record, either online or through your assessor's office. If you find a mistake (which isn't necessarily uncommon), your tax rate could be lowered instantly. For example, if your home is listed as a four-bedroom when you can, if fact, prove it is a three-bedroom, your assessment will change drastically.

Next, look at homes in your general area similar in size and see what they were assessed at. Use the comparisons to adjust your rate. If they are larger homes but pay less tax, bring it up. If they are newly renovated and yours is not, let them know. The more you can offer in comparison, the better your chances of getting a better rate. Show them that your house is in the same range, or even less, on the property tax scale.

You can call for an assessment at any time, but it makes the most sense to do so once you've received your tax bill. You'll then have 30-90 days for your home to be assessed and to take advantage of any savings!

** Switching Channels: Creating a Secondary Info Marketing
Business
By James Burt, Online Marketing Expert

Recently, guitar legend Les Paul died at the age of 94. I am not sure if you're a fan as I am, but if you've ever enjoyed any kind of electric guitar based music -- rock, fusion, punk -- he's a name worth remembering.

The interesting thing about Les Paul was not just his music though. During his long life, the man who was as known for his dynamo guitar licks and runs in the 1940s and 1950s was also a man of invention. Starting with his construction of the first solid body electric guitar known as "The Log," Paul also invented multi-tracked recording, studio effects, and various types of amplification. All of these things were patented and used regularly in recording global studios.

Quite a list of achievements, no?

While I doubt Paul was doing any of this with any set plan or conscious agenda, he made no secret that it was a long road to success. Not until 10 years after his first solid body electric guitar did the Gibson Company phone him and request that he come to Chicago. Only then did people begin to take him seriously and his inventions begin to be used by the music- producing public. There and then he was a multi-tasker on a grand scale.

This brings me to a recent e-mail I got from a fellow information marketer. He's been doing good business providing sports information over the last 18 months and now has some bigger dreams that he wants to fulfill. He wants to start another travel info marketing business -- his own "double venture."

Usually when I hear about people multitasking with independent business, my bones rattle a bit. It's a lot of work to handle your own business and doubling that work load, especially in the first year, is really a Herculean feat.

But then I think of my superiors, Michael Lombardi and Adrian Newman. They've done multiple ventures in the past many, many times and have had a lot of success with them. Like Les Paul, you have to struggle a bit to balance both of your businesses and see them eventually succeed. It's a very do-able situation. You just have to consider the following:

--- Examine what's needed: Like any venture, you have to do some initial, extensive planning. Ask yourself what new tools you need, what sources you have to get access to, who to market to, and how you are going to manage both businesses. Do not embark on the new venture unless you are completely confident that you have done any and all of the necessary planning required. A hint: think of what you needed to do for your first info marketing business. Generally, if you can do what you did before to get your first business off the ground, your second venture should be just as, if not more, successful.

--- Don't forget about the old business: Some people dive head- first into their new business and they neglect the responsibilities of their old business. This can have dire consequences. If you ignore your old responsibilities, then your original business risks going belly-up. Keep a well-organized schedule of your daily duties for both businesses -- when the products have to get out, when payments have to be made, etc. This will save many, many headaches in the future.

--- Watch the rookie: I hope that your second business is just as or more successful than the first business. But the only way you are going to see if this is the case is to monitor it closely, especially during its first 12 months of existence. See how sales go, how customer response is, and what improvements need to be made. If things go great, you've succeeded. However, if you notice that the new info product is not performing the way you want, consider revising or putting the second business on hold until you come up with new tactics.

--- A question of balance: In the end, it all boils down to balance. You want to come up with that special agenda where you can handle two businesses at the same time and generate success from each. It's never easy, but, over time, you will come to a point of personal satisfaction, where both businesses are delivering what you want in terms of financial and personal reward.

Getting independent success once in a lifetime is hard enough, but having it a second time even tougher. But it can be done. Provided you approach your secondary info marketing business with the same enthusiasm and care as your first one, you should find success rolling in, two-fold.