The ebook is a result of a contest sponsored by Hewlett-Packard, along with Bloggertone and Biz Sugar, and features articles on how to have an “amazing business.” This ebook is jam-packed with tips and information, and is absolutely free. A Kindle version is also available.

Traci’s article, “So, You Want an Amazing Business?” is featured on page 18 of the ebook. Thanks to all of our readers who voted for Traci’s submission!

To download your free copy of the ebook, visit this link.

Getting reliable internet marketing assistance and advice just got a whole lot easier, thanks to two new portals launched by Senziant.

Senziant is pleased to announce the launch of CheckMate – The Online Marketing Strategies Blog, and CounterPlay – The Online Marketing Forum.

CheckMate aims to provide insight into online marketing strategies that are actually working online today for small and mid-size businesses. The blog will added to each day with fresh posts from veteran internet marketers on Senziant’s team. CounterPlay is a community based forum where marketers, sales professionals and webmasters are invited to come together, ask questions and grow and learn together.

According to Jason Weir, Director of Marketing at Senziant, “the search engine results pages are being dominated by big brands and big budgets; CounterPlay and CheckMate aim to be free tools that small and mid-size businesses can leverage as an equalizer.”

Senziant provides several core services, including: search engine optimization, search engine marketing, competitive research and analysis. Additionally, Senziant offers advanced services like marketing analytics consulting and deployment, conversion testing, indexation analysis and custom training for their client’s sales, marketing and content creation teams.

For more information, please visit http://www.senziant.com.

Browse Laser vs. Inkjet products and descriptions

Faced with a tough and competitive job market, many job seekers are looking to transfer their skills to industries outside their chosen profession.

Recent CareerBuilder research found that 38 percent of workers who were laid off in the last 12 months and landed new jobs said they found work in a different field than where they were previously employed.

It can be challenging to know where to start when repackaging your skills. Now, two new tools help make an out-of-the-box job search easier:

Jobs By Salary
Found at CareerBuilder’s salary site CBsalary.com, the new Jobs by Salary tool identifies jobs based on a candidate’s desired salary range, while supplying the required skills and long-term outlook for thousands of positions. It also provides links to area colleges and universities if the job seeker is interested in further education.

For example, a job seeker who enters in a salary range of $65,000 to $69,999 in New York City can select marketing communications manager from the hundreds of different positions that are generated. The tool then offers the full job description, that a bachelor’s degree is required and that the profession is forecasted to grow 14 percent by 2016.

Job Discovery Wizard
CareerPath.com offers a Job Discovery Wizard to help job seekers better match their existing skill set to different positions. Job seekers use the tool by selecting their most relevant skills and rating their proficiency in each. They receive a wide-ranging list of positions that fit those criteria. In addition, skills that are still needed are detailed, along with required training and employment growth outlook.

Here are some additional tips for transferring your skills in a tough economy:

• Keep an open mind: Explore opportunities in fields you may have never considered. You never know where your next great job will lie.

• Reach out to your network: Talk to friends, neighbors, past colleagues and anyone else you can think of about positions and jobs you are interested in. Get their advice and utilize the connections to help you get your foot in the door when you’re ready to apply.

• Create a skills-focused résumé: List experience by skill categories rather than chronologically on your résumé to show how you can translate your experience into different industries.

Learn More
For more information on transferring your skills, visit CBsalary.com and CareerPath.com.

Some call it Murphy’s Law. Some refer to it as everyday challenges.

Whatever YOU call those unexpected problems that seem to arise at the most inopportune times, one thing is certain — you need to be able to address them and move on.

One minute you are rolling merrily along, and then BAM! The ground beneath you crumbles.

• Your biggest customer files for bankruptcy and leaves you out in the cold. Your business is already cash-strapped, now what do you do?

• The economy is kicking you below the belt. You just lost your job. It’s not fair! You’ve worked hard yet things just seem to happen when you least expect it.

Unexpected personal and financial problems can hit you or your business at any time. Suddenly you find yourself up against the wall. You feel like you went from 100 to 0 miles per hour in sixty seconds.

Now you’re in a crunch. We’ve all been there.

What you do next is vital if you want to survive your challenge. You can freak out. Cop out — or face it head-on in a cool, relaxed and stress-free way. The choice is yours.

After years of putting out fires and coping with unexpected crises, motivational speaker and business consultant Brian Tracy developed a system for dealing with the inevitable life and business emergencies we all face.

Brian has created Crunch Point as a way to help us cope with these annoying situations. It allows you to benefit from his experience, instead of trying to go it alone.

Remember it’s not the situation; it’s how you perceive it and more importantly how you deal with it.

If you let it get to you emotionally it can eat you alive. Your personal power comes from controlling your response.

I know — it sounds easy, but putting it into practice is a whole different ball game.

Today’s economic landscape has changed the rules for all of us — give yourself the competitive edge to navigate the obstacles of your daily life — and emerge stronger and more confident than ever before.

Crunch Point provides you with 21 proven methods to overcome any crazy situation you may be facing. Whether it is personal or financial, it makes no difference.

You will be in control of things now.

Here’s a taste of what you’ll discover in Crunch Point:

• How to take control of the situation
• How to keep your cool—stay calm and rational while every one around you is losing their minds.
• How to communicate clearly and authoritatively—let yourself be heard
• How to identify and remove the obstacles that may be blocking the solution to your problem.
• How to deal with your problems more effectively—go for the jugular
• Forget your emotions—handle your problem systematically and easily
• How to have unshakeable courage in the face of your worst crisis
• How to handle your crunch point with the confidence of a Navy Seal
• How to generate cash-flow when it seems impossible
• How to keep your focus—keep your eye on the solution without wavering

These are just a few of the topics covered!

As you read Crunch Point you will notice yourself acting and behaving differently during a crisis. You will see things with a new clarity and understanding.

Just imagine how good it’s going to feel when you handle your next big problem as easily as swatting a fly off your arm.

You’ll be poised and confident no matter what life throws at you.

Brian has made a very limited number of copies of the Crunch Point book available, and, to encourage you to grab up a copy, he’s including (5) complimentary bonuses:

Exclusive Crunch Time CD
This CD is part of a special teleseminar program Brian conducted for a group of clients.
It’s guaranteed to deliver the one-two knock out punch you need to accelerate your success.

Hire and Keep the Best People Book
21 Practical and Proven Techniques You Can Use Immediately to Get and Keep the Best People for Your Company.

A beautiful hard cover edition that will be your personal guide to attracting the best people for your company. Whether you are hiring or looking to get hired this valuable reference guide will steer you straight.

21 Great Ways to Hire and Keep the Best People Audio
This is part of a special teleseminar Brian conducted for over 500 people (they EACH paid $197!). You’re getting it for nothing, nada, zilch.

Whether you work for someone or own your company, the sage advice in this 75 minute volume will put you on the fast-track to success.

Turbo Strategy CD
21 Proven techniques to get you through turbulent times.
In business, fads and buzzwords come and go, but the proven strategies Brian shares in this audio CD have worked for decades — and they will work for you today.

With all the economic horror stories you hear each day on the news, there has never been a better time to put the explosive powers of these turbo strategies to work for you. You’ll enjoy 67-minutes of solid content, and no BS tactics to beef up your business and survive the shaky business climate.

In this 67 minute CD, I give you 21 no BS tactics for beefing up your business and surviving in a shaky business climate.

The 5th bonus is a surprise, but you can be sure that Brian will select one of his information-packed success tools that he has become famous for.

Brian is not one to “over-hype” scarcity, so you can be sure that when he says there are limited quantities, they won’t last long. To insure you are able to take advantage of this offer, visit his site today.

After all, you do want to survive your next Crunch Point…don’t you?

by: Palo Alto Software

Often you may hear about what a business plan consists of. While including the necessary items is very important, you also want to make sure you don’t commit any of the following common business plan mistakes:

Putting it off.
Don’t wait to write a plan until you absolutely have to. Too many businesses make business plans only when they have no choice in the matter. Unless the bank or the investors want a plan, there is no plan.

Don’t wait to write your plan until you think you’ll have enough time. “There’s not enough time for a plan,” business people say. “I can’t plan. I’m too busy getting things done.” The busier you are, the more you need to plan. If you are always putting out fires, you should build firebreaks or a sprinkler system. You can lose the whole forest for paying too much attention to the individual burning trees.

Cash flow casualness.
Cash flow is more important than sales, profits, or anything else in the business plan, but most people think in terms of profits instead of cash. When you and your friends imagine a new business, you think of what it would cost to make the product, what you could sell it for, and what the profits per unit might be. We are trained to think of business as sales minus costs and expenses, which equal profits. Unfortunately, we don’t spend the profits in a business. We spend cash. So understanding cash flow is critical. If you have only one table in your business plan, make it the cash flow table.

Idea inflation.
Plans don’t sell new business ideas to investors. People do. The plan, though necessary, is only a way to present information. Investors invest in people, not ideas.

Don’t overestimate the importance of the idea, particularly the importance of the uniqueness of the idea. You don’t need a great idea to start a business; you need time, money, perseverance, common sense, and so forth. Very few successful businesses are based entirely on new ideas. A new idea is much harder to sell than an existing one, because people don’t understand a new idea and they are often unsure if it will work.

Fear and dread.
Doing a business plan isn’t as hard as you think. You don’t have to write a doctoral thesis or a novel. There are good books to help, many advisors among the Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), business schools, and there is software available to help you (such as Business Plan Pro, and others).

Spongey, vague goals.
Leave out the vague and the meaningless babble of business phrases (such as “being the best”) because they are simply hype.  Remember that the objective of a plan is its results, and for results, you need tracking and follow up. You need specific dates, management responsibilities, budgets, and milestones. Then you can follow up. No matter how well thought out or brilliantly presented, it means nothing unless it produces results.

One size fits all
Tailor your business plan to its real business purpose. Business plans can be different things: they are often just sales documents to sell an idea for a new business. They can be detailed action plans, financial plans, marketing plans, and even personnel plans. They can be used to start a business, or just run a business better.

Diluted priorities.
Remember, strategy is focus. A priority list with 3-4 items is focus. A priority list with 20 items is something else, certainly not strategic, and rarely if ever effective. The more items on the list, the less the importance of each.

Hockey-stick shaped growth projections.
Have projections that are conservative so you can defend them. When in doubt, be less optimistic.

Source: bplans

These days, Americans are spending an increasing amount of time online and on their computers in general searching for deals on last-minute weekend getaways, keeping in touch with friends and even working from home.

Now is the time to safeguard against any technical issues and have your computer tuned up to avoid potential problems.

A computer is a significant investment, which is why it’s important to keep it running smoothly. Much like a car going in for routine tune-ups, your computer needs ongoing maintenance as well. Following a few simple steps can save a great deal of money in the long run.

Staples’ EasyTech service, the second-largest national technology service, has a few simple tips on keeping your PC running smoothly:

Have an Internet Security/Anti-Virus Solution: You can’t protect your computer from viruses simply by avoiding e-mail attachments and exchanging files. Avoid unknowingly getting viruses from an infected Web site by making sure your security and anti-virus software is up to date.

Tidy Up and Tune Up: For a quick fix, Windows Disk Cleanup is a handy utility that will safely remove any temporary files from your hard drive, helping you increase your hard disk space and improve your computer’s performance. For a more thorough computer screening, take advantage of Staples’ EasyTech services.

Give Your Computer Room to Breathe: Heat is a computer’s worst enemy. Be sure to use a compressed air canister to clean out any dust or dirt that has accumulated inside your computer. Store your PC in a well-ventilated place to prolong its life span and reduce the risk of hardware failures.

Defragment Your Hard Drive: Using the Windows Disk Defragmenter utility on a regular basis keeps files on your hard drive organized and accessible to help improve performance and speed.

Don’t Ignore Windows Update: Make sure that you periodically visit Windows Update to download security patches and drivers. Most Microsoft-released security updates for Windows will automatically be downloaded and installed on the second Tuesday of every month.

Always Have a Backup Plan: Keep digital files, music and photos safe and always on hand with an external hard drive. This can save you time, money and frustration should your computer’s internal drive develop an issue.

For more information on EasyTech services, drop by any Staples location or visit http://www.staples.com/techservices.

Sometimes, the most important business cards aren’t the ones you carry in your wallet.

Corporate etiquette experts say a greeting, holiday or thank-you card-or even a simple mailed invitation-can go a long way toward reinforcing a company’s image and strengthening its relationship with clients and contacts.

Plus, with Web-based stationery solutions offering unique designs year-round, the process of printing affordable customized cards is easier than ever before.

Online retailers such as Tiny Prints allow businesses to upload photos and logos to a variety of cards and stationery styles. Users can customize the fonts and colors of their designs with a click of the mouse while working with the company’s in-house experts on design issues, including photo touch-ups.

If your company plans to mail cards this year, experts offer this final tip: Order them as early as possible. Tiny Prints knows that it’s always a good idea to beat a holiday rush, so the company accommodates early-bird shoppers by offering a selection of holiday cards all year long.

For more information, visit their website.

By: Brian Tracy, Creator of Million Dollar Habits

What do wealthy people do or have that enables them to accomplish so much more than the average?

I believe that these people are successful as a result of what I call leverage. Leverage is the key to maximizing and multiplying your potential for success and financial achievement.

Here are three examples of leverage that you can develop to achieve financial independence:

Become an Expert
First, become an expert in your chosen field. Read all the books, take all the courses, listen to all the audio programs. Second, specialize in those areas that are of greatest importance and greatest value to your company or to your customers. And the third key is know your product or service inside out. Aim to be recognized as the industry expert in your field. Remember the person who has the expertise has a far greater contribution to make than the person whose knowledge is just average.

Develop Your Skills
The second type of leverage is skill. The better you are at your job, the more you will be paid. The top 20 percent of salespeople earn as much as ten and fifteen times the average earnings of the bottom 80 percent. There are three keys to developing the leverage of skill. First, make a decision to be the best. Pay any price. Make any sacrifice. Go any distance to become excellent at what you do. Second, engage in continuous improvement. Never allow yourself to become satisfied or complacent at your current level of skill. And third, always strive to exceed the expectations of your customers, your boss, of the people you serve. Always do more and better than you’re paid for.

Save Your Money
The third type of leverage is money. Money is a powerful source of leverage and usually follows the development of knowledge and skill in your field. One of the reasons that it takes money to make money is that the accumulation of funds is an essential step in the development of the personal qualities and character that must precede the achievement of financial independence. In other words, you become the person capable of becoming financially independent by accumulating the funds that are necessary for you to achieve it.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas on personal leverage into action:

First, resolve today to become an expert in your chosen field. Set it as a goal, make a plan and work every day to become a little bit better in the most important things you do.

Second, develop the habit of saving money out of every single paycheck. It was once said that, “If you cannot save money, the seeds of greatness are not in you.” The very act of regular saving changes your character and gets you ready to achieve financial independence.

For more helpful tips to put you on the road to financial independence, check out Brian Tracy’s Million Dollar Habits audio set.

• Secure — Everything is encrypted before it leaves your computer.
• Automatic — Runs quietly in the background to ensure your backup is up-to-date.
• Unlimited — Back up as much as you want for only $54.95/year.
• Hassle-Free — Recover lost files anytime, anywhere with just a few clicks.

Every year, 43% of computer users lose irreplaceable files. Even those who use on-site backup methods such as CDs, memory sticks and external hard drives are at risk. Fires, floods, theft and other disasters can render onsite backups useless. Carbonite Online Backup eliminates the risk of losing files by automatically backing up the irreplaceable photos, music, e-mails, financial records and other valuable files on your computer to a secure, offsite location. Carbonite takes less than 5 minutes to install and beings working right away to protect your most valuable files, continually updating your backup while you work — without slowing down your computer. See for yourself — Try Carbonite FREE today.

How it Works

After installation, Carbonite scans the hard disk looking for files to back up. Carbonite automatically backs up all file types except executables (such as .exe and .dll), system files, temporary files and video files. However, any of the excluded file types can be manually added to the backup by right-clicking on the file and selecting “Back this up” from the Carbonite menu. Upon setup, Carbonite offers a wide array of options for customizing your backup, but 95% of Carbonite users prefer to stick with the default settings.

In the default settings, dots on files and folders show their backup status in a glance. A green dot on a file or folder means it is selected for backup and that the backup copy is up-to-date. A yellow dot means that the file or folder is selected for backup but awaiting backup because it is either new or has been modified since the last backup. A green dot with a hole in the center (a “green donut”) on a folder means that the folder’s backup is up-to-date, but there are some files in the folder which are not selected for backup. If a file or folder has no dot, it means it is not selected for backup.

Backup

Carbonite is designed to automatically back up most files in the Documents and Settings folder, which includes “My Documents” and “Desktop”. However, some users choose to manually select files for backup, or decide to back up files that are stored in other locations. Any file or folder can be added to the backup by simply right-clicking on the file or folder and selecting “Back this up” from the Carbonite menu. Once files and folders are selected for backup, they will be continually backed up in the background so that your backup is always up-to-date.

Restore

If anything happens to your computer, restoring lost files is easy. To restore a specific file or folder, simply open the Carbonite Backup Drive from your desktop. Files and folders are organized in the backup drive exactly as they are on your computer. Locate the specific file or folder, right-click and select “restore.” The file will be restored to its original location on your hard drive. You will also have the option of restoring the file to a new location, by selecting “Restore to…” or recovering a previous version of the file by selecting “Restore previous versions…”

If you need to restore everything in your backup to a new or repaired computer, go to carbonite.com and click the Restore tab to log in to your account and restore your files. The Carbonite Restore Wizard will help you restore all of your files to your new computer with just a few clicks.

Security

Carbonite is a leader in online backup, not only for its ease-of-use, but also for its excellent security precautions. Using the same technology as online banking and credit card purchases, Carbonite encrypts your files to protect your privacy. Files are encrypted before leaving your computer and sent to the Carbonite data centers over a secure connection. In the data centers, files are stored on RAID arrays, which are 36 million times more reliable than a single drive.

Carbonite Online Backup is the secure, simple and automatic way to back up your computer. Try Carbonite Online Backup FREE for 15 days — and never think about backup again.