Author Archives: admin

Electronic Book Reader – Which One?

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Posted by admin on March 10, 2010 – 1:32 pm
Filed under Items to Buy

kindle electronic ebook readerAs a business owner, or even an avid book reader, you’re soon going to find out that you may want to read books on an e-reader, rather than do it the old fashioned way.   While each way has it’s downsides and upsides, I’ll leave that up to you to decide.

I did some research on the e-readers that are out there and came up with my top list for you to weed through what best suits you.

  • Amazon Kindle: When you think of an electronic book reader, you most likely will think of the Kindle.  By reading reviews online, it seems as if just about every person that has purchased it has nothing but good things to say.  It’s only 1/3 of an inch thick, weighs 10.2 ounces, and lets you download books wherever there’s a 3G wireless connection.  There are no contracts, no fees, and it feels like you’re reading  piece of paper!
  • Barnes and Noble Nook: The nook is by far one of the most popular e-books out there, trailing the Amazon Kindle.  This e-book makes reading easy on the eyes, with it’s E INK(r) display.  There’s no glare, and no back light.  You can adjust the text size, as well as read comfortably for hours!  With over 2GB of memory, you can store up to 1,500 books, magazines, as well as newspapers.
  • Sony Digital Reader: This pocket electronic book reader is made by Sony and while it’s the cheapest on the market, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to get what you pay for.  It displays everything from PDFs, RTF, as well as any Microsoft Office Word files.  While the memory is low at 512MB, it can hold up to 350 eBooks.
  • Ectaco jetBook Lite: While I’ve never heard of this particular product, I started doing some research online and had found that a lot of people actually enjoy this one.  It’s by far the cheapest on the block, retailing at under $150 at Amazon.  It supports everything from PDFs, JPGs, GIFs, as well as the DRM through Barnes and Noble.  It has bookmarks, auto page turn functionality, and more.

Electronic book readers are a great way to view PDF documents, explore books, read the paper, and so much more.  Instead of carrying around 800 books, why not condense it all into one?  It’s great for organizational purposes and you’re going to find that you will enjoy it a lot more than you think!

Examples of Business Plans

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Posted by admin on March 7, 2010 – 1:11 pm
Filed under Business Tips

When you’re about to launch a business, any successful business owner is going to tell you that you need a business plan.  Without a plan like this, you’re going to have no direction and it will be very hard to run your business.  I’m not saying that you can’t be successful without a business plan, but 99% of them will advise against.

So, if you’re looking for some business plan examples, I wanted to give you some sources that you can use, in order to create the perfect plan.

The Successful Business Plan: Head to any book store, or look online, and when you look for a business plan related book, you’re going to see this title pop into the top 5 all the time.  I’ve read countless reviews and it seems like business owners swear by the book.  It comes packed with 99 worksheets, sample business plans, special chapters, and over 200 real life insider secrets to help impress funders.

Business Plan Pro 15th Anniversary: If you’re not a fan of reading, and you’d rather use a software package, then you may want to consider this package.  What I’ve found is that software makes it a lot easier to create the business plan that you need.  In this package, you’re going to get over 500 editable business plan templates, step by step instructions, and built in market research for over 9,000 profiles!

Now, when you’re looking for business plan examples, you’re going to find that you always get what you pay for.  If you’re looking for “free” business plans, the problem here is that many other owners are going to snatch them up as well, making yours not unique at all.  It’s crucial to have a unique product, when you’re looking to impress potential funding managers, or the banks looking for a loan.  Trust me, these people see thousands of business plans each year.

Listed below are a few websites that you should check out when considering some business plan examples for free…

  • Bplans.com - A great sources with a ton of resources, as well as business plan examples.  By far one of the best freebies on the web.
  • About.com - A great sub page giving you great information on sample business plans.
  • Entrepreneur - This popular magazine / website has a great business plan section that can help you out tremendously.

Whether you want to purchase a product, book, or you just want to look for free.  Remember, you’re going to want to consider writing one up.  Even if you don’t want to seek a loan, or funding, it’s for your best interest to make sure that you’re on the right path.

Sample Letter of Request Tips and Tricks

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Posted by admin on March 4, 2010 – 2:57 pm
Filed under Business Tips

Whether you want to get a donation for your business, or maybe you want to get something from another person.  Sometimes you’re going to find that it’s a lot easier to request something via snail mail, rather than sending an e-mail, or even a phone call.

When you’re looking to write a sample letter of request, I will give you some great tips that you can use, and a sample letter that you can use, when you’re ready to write one out.

Why should I write a letter of request?

When writing a letter like this, I would recommend it for those asking for something such as a recommendation, requesting information, asking for something such as a raise, donation, or even a reference.  These aren’t only for businesses, but for personal use as well.

Tip and tricks that you can use

  • Simple works: Like any letter that you write in life, you want to get straight to the point, and you want to keep it sweet.  Don’t write 18 paragraphs.  Instead, tell them right off the bat on why you’re writing.
  • Give information – why? When writing your letter, let them know why you need this request.  If you need something such as more information, tell them how you’re going to use it.  The more they know, the more they will feel comfortable with you.
  • Step by step instruction: When writing, let them know what you will need.  Let’s say that you want a fiscal report for 2008.  Let them know that you need the full report, and you will need the charts and graphs as well.  If they want to live up to your request, make sure you get everything, so that you don’t have to contact them again.
  • Support it: If you feel that they aren’t going to give you this information, give them some evidence or documents that they may want to see if you feel you need to give it.
  • Let them contact you: They may want to contact you via another route, besides the mail.  Leave your name, phone number, email, and more.  Make sure that they have other options, in order to contact you.
  • Thank them: In the end, make sure that you thank them for their effort.  Let them know that their work is appreciated.

Example of a Letter of Request

Your Address

Date

Address to reciever

Dear Mr / Ms. Jones:

RE:  Request for documents

My name is [name here] and I’m writing you today because I would like to request some documents that I need from you.,

The reason that I’m requesting these documents today is because our company needs the 2008 profit chart, in order to further conduct our study with XYZ company.  Included with this letter is the documentation that you can look at in order to know where our research is headed.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, feel free to call me at [number] or e-mail me at [email].  Thank you for your time and prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

[your name]

This is just one example.  As long as you keep it simple and you let them know what you want, you should be able to get what you want in a letter or request.