only backgroundI'm a wife, mother and grandmother. I'm opinionated. I contradict myself frequently. Most of all, I love my kids. I believe in them. I fight for them. They're weird and wonderful. If you want to know more, here's a bunch of other stuff from my old site.
Archive for the ‘Business’ Category
One of my sons asked me today about going into business for himself. I cringed.
I know a lot of successful business people. I also know from experience that it takes a very special kind of person to make a business work. It doesn’t matter if you do the whole thing on your own or if you look into franchise opportunities, the hard work and dedication needed for a successful business is mind boggling. Most of the time you’ll be putting in long hours for little, if any, pay for at least the first few years.
My son is young, though, and full of energy. He may have what it takes to make a go of it. He has the skills and he’s very bright. So right now, I’m just going to be very careful not to discourage him even though the prospect of starting a business does not appeal to me at all.
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When I lost my job a few years ago, my husband encouraged me to just take it easy and not look for another job. I’m fortunate that there was no pressure to go job hunting. Several of my friends have had to search for new employment over this past year and it’s obvious that the competition out there is tough. That doesn’t keep me from checking out the job market, though, and keeping my own resume up to date.
From what I’ve read and heard on various TV news shows, the way you present yourself in your cover letter and resume is more important now than ever. When I submitted my resume for my last job, I wrote it myself using a template that came with my Word Document software. Today, that just isn’t good enough. 
I was going to revamp my resume and rewrite my cover letter so I did a little searching online for some help. I was hoping to find more professional resume templates and some tips on writing my cover letter. I sure found what I needed!
Land that Job provides free samples to download and also a complete resume and cover letter package for just $9.95. What I really like about the site, though, are the helpful articles and tips. There are links to other sites with great tips, too which means I’ve got all the information I need at one site. It’s a nice one-stop type place for preparing for that job hunt.
I’m not ready to start submitting my resume just yet. I may or may not do that this year. I’m still enjoying being a grandma. I just like to keep my options open and my resume ready, just in case. And I’m keeping Land That Job bookmarked, too.
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I must be traveling down memory lane this week because so many things, in real life and online, are reminding me of those years I spent working in an office, answering phones and doing tech support. It was a good time, especially the first 4 or 5 years. We had a great team and we all worked together well, getting the job done and never minding when our job descriptions overlapped.
So, what changed and what went wrong? If I were to pinpoint the initial problem, I’d have to say that it was when one person decided that they wanted to spend less time in the office but still collect a full paycheck with benefits. That caused problems with the employee who had seniority, understandably. Much maneuvering ensued, and only in retrospect have I been able to see the manipulation and greed. I find it interesting that all of this occurred in a small business where no one ever thought that specialized Time And Attendance software was warranted. But you know what they say about hindsight.
I love the variety of software solutions at Kronos. The Workforce Timekeeper looks to be perfect for any size business. Whether your business is under 50 employees or has grown to several hundred or more, Kronos has solutions for time and employee management. The Kronos software solution also eliminates the massive amounts of paperwork that companies generate. I remember that paperwork was always a huge issue with the owners and tech guys wanting to eliminate it and the office manager insisting on a piece of paper to correspond with every digital record. Surely the Kronos system would have pleased everyone.
Not only does this look to be the right solution for the company I used to work for but the WebTA Mobile is perfect for my husband’s company. With the employees always in the field and never at a typical office, the Kronos WebTA Mobile solution would accommodate the crew when their on site. I’m passing this along to my husband so he and his partner can evaluate it.
I suppose that a piece of software wouldn’t have solved all the problems that plagued the company where I used to work; after all, they didn’t even last a full year after I left there. But Kronos does make software that might have helped them survive. And I know it’s exactly what my husband needs to make his jobs go smoother and his employees more productive. Quite a value for a piece of software, I’d say!
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I’ve gotten another job offer.
I’ve done a good job of earning money as a stay-at-home mom and gramma. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to Make Money Blogging and the help I’ve gotten from so many in the blogging community. This has been a blessing.
Now I’m going to be doing some other freelance work, tweaking websites and maybe even doing some redesign or full design. I have one assignment right now and I think I’ll be able to handle it without too much difficulty. I’m still waiting on the details.
Isn’t it interesting how things work out for the best, even when you think everything is just awful? Yeah, life is good.
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I was thinking about making a batch of soap today and once again considered selling it as well as lotions and creams. I know I’d have to decide about packaging but what about labels? There are so many to choose from so I’ll probably contact the label specialist for advice. I do want to do this the right way if I jump into it.
I tried to make my own labels once using my dandelion graphic. I think I did okay for an amateur, but if I sell my stuff I want the labels to look professional. I think that really helps with marketing. Also, if I go with a professional labeling firm and a very basic label, it should be easier to switch or upgrade to a label with a barcode if I ever need that.
Now all I need to do is make the soap. I wonder if I’ll find time this weekend. Perhaps I need to just jump in and do it!
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After Brian finishes his job in Hawaii, he’ll be heading home until the job in Phoenix is ready. Not sure where he’ll go from there but he’s looking into a few other markets. I’ve researched the Las Vegas Real Estate market and it looks really good. I think that would be just about an hour flight from Phoenix so maybe he can hop over that wayt to see things for himself.
I’m ready to do some traveling so if this works out, I won’t complain. Have trowel, will travel. Anyone need a fantastic stone mason?
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In my past life, I had a boss who became more and more greedy and unethical as time went on. Yes, his greed and lack of ethics cost me my job. No, I’m no longer bitter about that. I’m glad to not be around that kind of person. Nevertheless, I believe it’s good to look back at those kinds of situations and learn from them.
I can’t help remembering his decision to go with a lower cost phone company and then fighting with them over the fees attached to the bill, fees that were state or federal government mandated. He fought with the phone company for months over those fees. He was wrong but there was no way to make him see it. I wanted to suggest that he look into a Telecom Audit, thinking that an impartial third party would have better luck getting through to him.
But then he commented that he already “beat them out of” a certain amount of money and would beat them out of the rest of it. I knew, then, that it wasn’t about right or wrong, it was about his greed.
So glad to be out of there.
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Last week when I went to the mall, I forgot my debit card at home. YIKES! I felt totally lost without my debit card. Isn’t that strange? I can remember my first checking account; it didn’t even come with a cash card. Back then, it was called a MAC card and then an OWL card. (Hard to believe I remember that!)
Now I do everything electronically. I pay bills online. If a business or utility isn’t set up for their own online payments, I do it through the online billpay at my bank. Whether I’m using paypal or relying on electronic check processing, I almost never use paper checks anymore.
Come to think of it, is money even necessary these days? Perhaps not. It will be interesting to see what the next decade brings, won’t it?
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I always thought it was ironic that a bank would lend you more money if you already had money in an account with them. Seems the people who need money the most are those who don’t have a savings account. Those who need it least are the one who have the most money saved.
Likewise, those who need financial advice, especially about bankruptcy, have the least amount of money to pay for that advice. The problem, then, is finding free financial advice so that you don’t end up even further in debt. That’s where the internet can be the most help.
Since all my friends and family know how much I love the internet, it isn’t surprising that a friend asked me just last week about helping to find information about financial solutions. And I was happy to assist. I found a great site and after going over the bankruptcy guide with my friend, I bookmarked the site so I could look over the other information there.
My friend was really interested in the definitions of the different types of bankruptcy. I think most of us get a little confused about the difference between chapter 7 and chapter 13; I know I do! And the section titled, “Is Bankruptcy Right For Me?” was very helpful with straightforward information in a no-nonsense tone.
When I came back to the site, I immediately checked out the section on Debt Consolidation. I don’t think my debts are too terribly outrageous but I always wonder how consolidating them would help me in the long run. The really nice thing about DebtHelp.com is that they provide an interactive questionnaire that helps you determine the best solution for your financial situation. You just answer some questions, provide contact information and get recommendations on how best to proceed. I love it!
DebtHelp.com can assist you with tax payments and student loans as well. Besides the services they offer, the articles and information is excellent. If you’re like me, you like to do a little of your own research first, before you turn to a professional. DebtHelp.com lets you do just that. They even offer financial calculators to help decide if you should refinance or even to figure interest rates. If you can’t find the information you need, you can always fill out the form to ask an expert.
DebtHelp.com is really a one-stop financial help center. For those of us with no financial education this site is a real gem. I’m passing it on to as many of my friends as possible. You should, too.
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I finally contacted someone today about doing a redesign of my blogs. I’m getting bored with this look and really need something new and exciting. I love blogging and I can write html and css but I really lack the visual creativity to make my blog look really good.
Now that I’m making a little money blogging I don’t mind spending some of that money on professional services to make my blogs better. Design is first on my list but I also want to look into SEO and perhaps talk to someone about market research for a few niche blogs I have in mind.
They say you have to spend money to make money. Yeah, that’s true. I spent money on my domain and now I’m making money from it. So it’s time to spend more money, in order to make more. I think I’m getting the hang of this.
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