Archive for September, 2009

Proven Life Coaching as seen on NBC…

Do you have a life and money?

• Did you know it is possible to start having the life and business of your dreams in as little as 2 months?
• Did you know people who understand the bigger game of business and life succeed more than others who don’t?
• Did you know it is much easier to move toward what you want than to move away from what you don’t.
• Do you realize small changes add up to a huge difference in your company’s profits?
• Do you know the six easy ways people engage in business?

My Life Coaching and Success Programs get what you are looking for. RESULTS!

• One professional services firm jumped from $3.8 million to over $10 million in four years
• Another professional services firm rapidly grew from $4.5 million to more than $15 million in five years
• A professional services organization grew from 25 members to more than 40 within two years
• One client’s proposal win rate moved from 22% win rate to more than 68%
• An entrepreneur went from almost bankrupt to a three-fold revenue increase in just five months

Tina Ferguson – CEO Rapid Success Partners – Award-winning Marketing Strategist, Life Coach, Small Business Success Expert.

Creating Advisory Boards

By Linda Henman

There is no substitute for soliciting the opinions of the executive team, the people who will be most affected by change or its absence. However, often the answers to complicated questions don’t lie within those most affected. Frequently the CEO will need to look outside the organization for advice and wisdom. Sometimes this comes for a Board of Directors, a body of individuals that has the duty of influencing a company’s direction. Members of this board have a fiduciary responsibility to represent the shareholders by making pivotal decisions.

Advisory Boards, on the other hand, do not vote, nor do they have fiduciary obligations. Rather, as the name implies, they exist for the sole purpose of advising the CEO and executive team. Small companies, family owned companies, and organizations that do not have a board of directors often find that advisory boards can be helpful in assisting the leadership, but sometimes companies find that they benefit from both kinds of boards.

In the last decade advisory boards have been rather commonplace in the Silicon Valley, particularly for new ventures. However, even though they are relatively inexpensive and easy to form, outside this arena, advisory boards are a valuable, but much underused asset in helping companies handle change. Advisory boards are unencumbered by compliance and other business issues specific to boards of directors, and they can provide the CEO and executive team the benefits of experience, expert knowledge, contacts and credibility that will help them navigate the future of their companies. An effective advisory board can provide expertise that a small company cannot usually afford in full time employees, and it can offer ongoing personal support to those who have the lonely position of CEO.

How do they get started? Because they are free from the regulatory restrictions that shape a board of directors, advisory boards vary greatly in composition and function. Advisory board members are usually chosen for their expertise, experience, and knowledge. A well-balanced advisory board will include 4-7 individuals who have a background in one of the critical areas that affects the business: finance, operations, human resources, business development, marketing, sales, and industry issues. They will be people who are candid, objective, and independent, not friends who will tell the leader what he or she wants to hear.

Recruitment of qualified members usually occurs through acquaintances, either directly known to the CEO or known to existing advisory board members. Some members contribute their time for the pleasure of the stimulation of being involved in cutting edge discussions, but more often, participants are compensated by an annual stipend, stock options, or an hourly fee. According to Corporate Governance, the main attraction for being on a board is the intellectual adventure, the chance to meet with outstanding peers and to discuss issues of the future. It is an honor to be invited, and high quality people attract other quality people.

The purpose of an advisory board is self-evident: it gives advice. So, the members should be good listeners who offer dispassionate analysis about the challenges the company is facing. They should be sounding boards for the CEO who is struggling with decisions related to anything and everything that touches the company. If they can quickly get to the core of complicated problems, they can offer the leadership a new perspective for understanding implications and consequences.

For best results, the members’ advice needs to be both strategic and tactical. They can assist by anchoring decisions in the company’s vision, mission, and values, but they can also offer specific, step-by-step plans for carrying out plans. They need to be able to separate important from unimportant issues so that they can encourage the leadership to focus their energies, time, and resources on those initiatives that will have the most impact. In short, a successful advisory board will be able to help the CEO see a bigger picture when the temptation is to be distracted by the day-to-day problems of running a company.

This relationship is not one sided, however. The CEO has responsibilities too. First, she or he will usually be directly involved in the recruitment of qualified members. Then, the CEO will need to set meetings well ahead of time and set agendas for the meetings. Most advisory boards have two to three meetings a year, but others meet every quarter. With a start up venture, the board may meet monthly until things are under way. Usually the meetings of the entire board will be half a day or a full day, but often CEO’s find that they need specific advice from individual members more often. Whatever the needs of the company are, the effectiveness of the advisory board is enhanced when expectations are clear on both sides, and the board and leadership can concentrate on the challenges of helping the company’s employees handle change, even if it is unexpected or unwelcome.

Dr. Linda Henman works with leaders to help them become the boss that no one wants to leave. She can be reached at Linda@henmanperformancegroup.com

The Secret – Will not give you what you want without help

While the secret statement below may be true:

“The Secret reveals the most powerful law in the universe. The knowledge of this law has run like a golden thread through the lives and the teachings of all the prophets, seers, sages and saviors in the world’s history, and through the lives of all truly great men and women. All that they have ever accomplished or attained has been done in full accordance with this most powerful law. “

THE SECRET DOES NOT WORK FOR MILLIONS OF PEOPLE FOR ONE REASON.

You have to uncover what you really want before you can get the universe to deliver it to you.

Joins us today and we will show you how to take the secret to the next level in your business by using powerful tools to release fear, uncover your true desire, and increase your revenue.

Using our tools THE SECRET DVD can really deliver what you want in life.

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Link Building With Squidoo and HubPages

By Anwar Alam

No link building campaign can be deemed as complete without the use of Squidoo Lens and HubPages Hubs. While there are lots of traditional approaches of building backlinks to your site, Squidoo and HubPages are top of the class social media sites that offer high quality contextual link building opportunity.

If you have been building backlinks for your site for some time, then you know that typical methods like directory submission, social bookmarking, blog commenting, link exchange, etc. are not helping you secure the top search engine spot you are targeting. While these methods still work to some extent and do get your SERP (search engine result pages) ranking up, they are just not enough for top ranking within a competitive niche. 

Out of many social media sites these days, Squidoo and HubPages proved to offer the kind of contextual backlinks that Google seem to like a lot these days. Basically what you do to use these two social sites for your link building purpose is to join the sites for free and publish uniquely written articles covering the topics of your own site. Once you publish the articles with Squidoo and HubPages, you then need to promote those pages as well for search engine indexing. Within the articles, you can use the keywords as anchor texts to link back to your own site. 

On Squidoo, each page built is called a lens. Once you sign up for a free account and login to your account, you will see your dashboard which you can navigate through to do what ever you want to do within Squidoo. If you are to build a lens for the first time, then you can just click on the link where it says “make a new lens” on the top left corner of your dashboard. One important piece information you need to know is that, you need to build a lens with at least 3 modules (basically 3 paragraphs under 3 different headers) for Squidoo to view your lens as complete and allow you to publish it. It is ideal that you write your article in an SEO friendly fashion dividing the article by multiple paragraphs before you start building your lens. Once the article is written, you can just copy each paragraph under one separate module. You also have the option to add images on your lens which will make the lens look lot more attractive. 

Link building with Squidoo is easier than HubPages because Squidoo lenses offer you dofollow links to begin with where HubPages external links are nofollow to begin with. There is a way which allows you to get the external links to turn to dofollow however. 

HubPages is pretty much same as Squidoo as it also offers you the opportunity to publish your article for backlinks. Pages and paragraphs on HubPages are called hubs and capsules compared to lenses and modules of Squidoo. 

While link building with HubPages offers the same great benefit as Squidoo lenses, there is a little bit of extra work involved to make the hubs dofollow. Each hub account has a personal hub score which needs to be 75+ for the hubs under that hub account to be dofollow. It is not very hard to achieve 75+ personal hub score and all you have to do is to promote your hub to get some traffic and backlinks. More traffic and backlinks you will have, higher your individual hub score will be. Keep in mind to login to your hub account and edit your hubs once in a while which will also help. 

There are many other social media sites which you can use for link building purposes but HubPages and Squidoo are two sites that are being utilized most by advanced level SEO experts. There is no limit as to how many lenses or hubs you can build so you can just build one page after another one and use these 2 sites for unlimited backlink source.

Business Networking – Reach For the Stars

By Sara Blumenfeld

Who are the stars, the influential business people, in your community? How many of them do you have a relationship with? Why should you want to expand that number?

The influential business men and women in your area have a lot of contacts and a lot of experience. They have the ability to make many connections and access to tools and knowledge. They are the kind of take-action, forward-focused people you want to be around. Hanging out with them can expand your professional and personal life faster than anything else you can imagine.

In his book, “Never Eat Alone,” Keith Ferrazi relates a personal experience that demonstrates this powerful concept. He was being interviewed for a consulting job and requested a lunch meeting with the CEO before accepting the position. During their meeting he told the CEO that he would take the job only if the CEO agreed to have a private lunch with him once a year. Now there was an unusual request. The CEO said yes, Ferrazi joined the firm, and each year they met for lunch. Ferrazi became one of the most influential people in the company, in part, because of his relationship with the CEO.

So how do you go about developing connections with the influential people in your business community? Take a tip from Ferrazi and invite them to lunch. Here’s how to do it.

1. Make a list of the name, company, and mailing address of the people you would like to meet. They can be in a business that complements yours, or in a completely different field. It is very important that you refrain from editing your list (oh, that person would never meet with me). List everyone you would genuinely like to meet.
2. Send a personal greeting card or letter in which you say you would like to take them to lunch because they are an influential person in the community and have a great reputation. Say you admire them and would like to meet and find out about their business and specifically how you can refer business to them. Include your phone number and email and ask them to contact you to set up a time and place to meet.
3. At the lunch, focus totally on them. Ask questions about how they got started in that business, what their favorite part of their business is, who their target market is, how would you know someone you were talking to was a good referral for them. Take notes (this shows you are serious about wanting to make referrals to them). Refrain from talking about your business-this is very important! If they ask you what you do, give them one sentence and then turn the conversation back to them. Under no circumstance should you pitch your business.
4. After the lunch, send them a greeting card or letter (not email) thanking them for their time and information. Make every effort to find a quality referral for them within a few days.
5. Continue to be on the look-out for people or resources that might be helpful to them. Add them to your holiday card and birthday card lists. Stay in touch. Your goal is to give to them. Eventually, they will want to give back to you.
6. For the people who fail to respond to your first invitation to meet, continue to invite them once every 6-8 weeks. Eventually the timing will be right.

Having lunch with influential people on a regular basis will help you become one of those influential people in no time!

Sara Blumenfeld, the “Nurturing Networker,” educates home-based and small business owners and entrepreneurs how to maximize their connections, consistency, and cash. Want more tips on relationship and referral marketing, or just want to bring a smile to someone’s face? Check out http://www.TouchingLivesToday.com and we’ll let you send a FREE greeting card and brownies.

Why Are Pre-Boomers the Forgotten Generation?

By Don Potter

First, few people know the definition of pre-boomers. It is those of us born between 1930 and 1945, from the beginning of the Great Depression through the end of World War II. Second, no one seems to know how many pre-boomers there are. The latest estimate is more than 30 million, which is three times more than the rest of those over 65. And last, what’s unique about the pre-boomers? As a sandwich generation, we are the bridge between the so-called Greatest Generation to the Baby Boomers.

We do not remember the pain of the depression, but most of us have vivid memories of WWII and the years immediately following it. For the most part, we were too young for Korea and too old for Vietnam. We did not march in the streets for civil rights, women’s rights or to protest any wars. What we did was grow up believing America was the greatest land on earth and believed in the opportunities it offered those of us who worked hard to get ahead. So we were the driving force behind what ultimately became the longest period of peace time prosperity in the nation’s history. Oh, and don’t forget, we invented rock and rock too.

Our elders (parents, teachers and the community) taught us to be patriots, believe in one another, and believe in ourselves. We still cherish these lessons and practice them to the best of our abilities. It was the pre-boomer who taught the boomers, but some place along the line they didn’t latch on to the American values the way we did. The “me generation” became the symbol of status and the generation of “more.” This pleased the marketers of goods and services, and as the boomers came of age there was a huge group of consumers’ eager to buy what others were selling. I know, because I was one of the admen who targeted the baby boomers and later wrote a book about marketing to them, “The 50+ Boomer: Your Key to 76 Million Consumers.”

After retiring a few years back, I continued to research and write about marketing issues. In so doing, I realized how people under-valued my generation. Marketers, advertisers, the media, you name it; they simply forgot about the pre-boomers. A quick search of Web sites or online articles shows few are directed at my peers. Yes, there are people writing to “seniors” about investments, real estate, retirement planning, and insurance; but there’s not much in the way of current events or nostalgic interests specifically for pre-boomers. In fact, most people use pre-boomer and boomer as interchangeable terms — not all but enough to indicate they don’t have an understanding of the audience they’re trying to reach.

So I decided to start a blog to reach out to my generation with thoughts, comments and opinions. My hope is to spark thinking, foster discussion and stimulate debate on a variety of topics including the nostalgia of our times. Pre-bommermusings.com has been live for a few months. The reception has been heartwarming, but I’m looking to get more of us involved with more dialogue on more issues.

I’m asking pre-boomers to check out the blog; it’s your blog. I think you’ll like it: http://www.pre-boomermusings.com

Don Potter, a Philadelphia native, was born in 1936 and is a 50 year veteran of the advertising agency business. Now living in Los Angeles, he has written two novels in retirement, frequently writes on marketing issues, and has a blog dedicated to pre-boomers (those born between 1930 and 1945).

Read more articles for and about pre-boomers with thoughts, comments and opinions designed to spark thinking, foster discussion, and stimulate debate by logging on to http://www.pre-boomermusings.com

Westford Asset Management is located in Boca Raton FL

Westford Asset Management is located in beautiful Boca Raton, FL.

Boca Raton (pronounced /ˈboʊkə rəˈtoʊn/) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida incorporated in May, 1925. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 74,764; the 2006 population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 86,396. However, the majority of the people under the postal address of Boca Raton, about 200,000 in total, are not actual residents of municipal Boca Raton. This is due to the county’s stringent annexation laws passed in 2004. It is estimated that on any given day, there are roughly 350,000 people in the city itself.

Westford Asset Management is a asset management company is Boca Raton, Fl. Between West Palm Beach and Pompano Beach, Boca Raton is the largest city.

Boca Raton Created from Land boom

During the city’s early history during the Florida land boom of the 1920s, Addison Mizner’s Cloister Inn was built in 1927, later renamed the Boca Raton Resort & Club. It is today often referred to as the “pink hotel” and a 1969 addition is visible from miles away as a towering building on the Intracoastal Waterway. Following the resort’s initial construction, the Pearl City neighborhood of Boca Raton was established to house the service personnel for the hotel.

Boca Raton, FL is the home of Westford Asset Management. Boca Raton has a strict development code, including the size and types of commercial buildings, building signs and advertisements which may be erected within the city limits. No car dealerships are allowed in the municipality, according to the city zoning code. Additionally, no billboards are permitted in the city. The only billboard was grandfathered in during recent annexation. Corporations such as McDonald’s have subdued their Golden Arches due to the code.

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More than Business – Sak Narwal

Most entrepreneurs find out sooner or later that there is more to life than business. Such is the case with Sak Narwal, a successful businessman, entrepreneur and dedicated fisherman.

Sak Narwal like many business professionals transferred the characteristics that made him successful in business to fishing. He has been obsessed with fishing since he was a small boy. As he has grown and matured he has been able to follow his passion around the country and around the globe in search of the world’s greatest sports fish.

This passion for something outside of business can help a professional business owner stay grounded and rejuvenated for their next adventure. It is important to have a passion for something besides your work if you are going to stay successful for a sustained amount of time. So the next time you are sitting at your work going over the numbers for the 37th time, Think, “What would Sak Narwal be doing right now?”

• Sak Narwal fishes the Florida Keys
• Sakwinder Narwal fishes for Sharks
• Sak Narwal on the Delaware River

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NES Staffing Solutions

As people and organizations across the country have been affected by the changes in the economy it is important to have the right organization in your corner when looking for work or the right people to hire. You want an Industry leader that has experience and the tools to connect Job seekers and employers with a high degree of accuracy. 

NES Staffing Solutions started out as a small recruiting firm which has now grown into an industry leader in the employment solutions space.  The growth of N.E.S and their powerful website NESStaffing.com has accelerated because of a very high satisfaction rate in both applicants and employers.

When it comes to employment needs, N.E.S. is a company that you can trust.  Their foundation is built on meeting and exceeding each clients expectation.  You can be guaranteed that if Nationwide Employment Solutions makes a commitment to you, they will follow through until you are completely satisfied!

NES Staffing Solutions prides itself on delivering a professional and courteous service that meets your needs, wants, and desires.  From their customer service reps to their staffing agents and CEO, you will be treated in a professional manner each and every time you conduct business with N.E.S..  Guaranteed!

SSI Completes Pipeline Energy Management System – Green Energy

SSI the leader in crude oil pipeline scheduling has just completed integration of their Power Optimizer into their scheduling suite. Power optimizer is estimated to save 10 to 20 percent of the electrical costs of running a crude oil pipeline. Power optimization is a big win for the oil industry as they race to lower their environmental foot print and conform to upcoming green standards mandated by modern consumers.

SSI Power Optimization Advantage

The integration of Power Optimizer provides for passing current generated schedule data directly into the power optimization system, generating the absolute cheapest pumping solution to accomplish the current schedule. The combined solution will increase your total power savings by at least 10%. For larger pipeline operators the savings can run into the millions of dollars per year.

The cost of the combined Scheduling system and Power Optimization system is minimal compared to the money saved and is thousands of dollars less than very basic scheduling systems from our competitors. As an added bonus enjoy 30 day implementation cycles for combined systems, compared to 12-18 months per pipeline for our nearest competitor.

Company Overview

SSI Scheduling Tools is the scheduling software developed by Keith Ferguson of System Software Incorporated which he cofounded in October, 1975. SSI Scheduling was formed to realize the potential for batched crude and product pipeline scheduling applications for the Oil & Gas industries. SSI Scheduling Tools, developed with testing data from actual pipeline schedulers, is a major advance in pipeline scheduling technology since a pipeline is scheduled as an operator would control the pipeline with a SCADA system.

SSI Crude and Product Pipeline Scheduling and Power Optimization

Houston Texas, 469-831-2450

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