What's the best/worst thing about running your own business?</h1> <article> <h1>What's the best/worst thing about running your own business?</h1> <p>Kelly Stevens — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:32:47 GMT</p> <p>I don't currently have my own business, but I wanted to get some insight on what business owners view as the best part of running your own business? Since I am sure that it's not always easy/fun, I am also interested in what is the worst thing?<br /></p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Mind-Mapping Software (Open source)</h1> <p>Robert Hutcheson — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:23:28 GMT</p> <p>I downloaded a great piece of free open source mind mapping software called "FreeMind". Check out "freemind" at sourceforge.net. If you Google "Freemind" and "download" it will take you to a WiKi that does a good job of explaining the software. It acts like an org chart on steroids. It also does a lot more than an org chart. You can attach documents, websites, show relationships between people and processes etc..</p> <p>I used it with some prospective clients to help them visualize the existing processes and inter-related continguencies that we are going to automate with an Access database and it was a great help. I learned enough about Freemind to do what I wanted with it in about 20 minutes. If your business works with processes and people, or you even need to think out your presentation, you might like to give this a look. I have used it on XP and on Vista.</p> <p>Good job sourceforge!</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>How you plan to save this holiday season?</h1> <p>Nit Sujatanond — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:34:12 GMT</p> <p>For many of us, our sales numbers are down, so our pocketbooks are a little lighter this holiday season. How do you plan to save money when gift shopping this year?</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>another question</h1> <p>mike latwin — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:14:11 GMT</p> <p> Hello All,</p> <p> I did not study business in college, so will this put me behind the 8 ball in opening my own business. </p> <p> Any help would be great!!</p> <p>Thanks</p> <p>~Mike </p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Has anyone heard of slydial?</h1> <p>Kelly Stevens — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:57:06 GMT</p> <p>I constantly find myself in situations where I need to call someone but I really don’t want to talk to them and wish I could just get their voicemail. I found this really cool website www.slydial.com that puts your phone call straight through to someone’s voicemail. It’s a free service and the best part is your call shows up as a missed call on their phone without it ever actually ringing, so it really looks like you tried to call them. Has anyone else heard of this or used it? I have used the service several times and it worked great every time. There are so many applications for slydial in both business and your personal life. Hopefully someone will find this useful in the future!</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Sarah Palin?</h1> <p>Sian Simon — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:18:18 GMT</p> <p>I'd be really interested to hear what others think about Sarah Paulin for John McCain's VP pick.</p> <p>I was milling around in a clients' office today when they announced it, the client has a big screen TV in the lobby, and the general feeling from the women there was that McCain was trying to get the 20%-ish of the 18m primary vote that would have gone for HRC, but now say they will vote for McCain . </p> <p>Personally, with regard to Sarah Paulin, i applaud her but I cannot vote for someone who is "pro-life" but is a card carrying member of the NRA and thinks hunting is OK. Regardless of his or her sex. Pro life and pro guns are not something I can reconcile in my brain.</p> <p>As a small business owner, I guess I should be voting for McCain/Paulin, as they are supposed to represent me, but as a human being I can't condone a black and white pro-life policy or anything resembling a pro gun policy.. </p> <p>But would be interested in hearing ideas from others!</p> <p>Sian</p> <p> </p> <p>PS In the spirit of honesty - I have been an Obama supporter since his speech at the Dem Convention in 2004, so I am officially biased........</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>No Amnesty For Wall Street</h1> <p>George Agee — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 04:09:39 GMT</p> <p> All comments welcome.</p> <p> </p> <p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable"> <tr> <td style="padding:0in;"> <div id="message230073540"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"></span></span><strong><b><span style="font-size:x-large;font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:24pt;">No Amnesty For </span></span></b></strong><span class="yshortcuts"><b><span style="font-size:x-large;"><span style="font-weight:bold;font-size:24pt;">Wall Street</span></span></b></span><br /><br /><br /><br />At the time of this writing, the U.S. House and Senate are poised to pass a<br />$700 billion bailout to Wall Street. At the behest of <span class="yshortcuts">President George W.</span><br /><span class="yshortcuts">Bush</span>, the U.S. taxpayers are going to be on the hook for what can only be<br />referred to as the biggest fraud in U.S. history.<br /><br />Virtually our entire financial system is based on an illusion. We spend more<br />than we earn, we consume more than we produce, we borrow more than we save,<br />and we cling to the fantasy that this can go on forever. The glue that holds<br />this crumbling scheme together is a <span class="yshortcuts">fiat currency</span> known as the <span class="yshortcuts">Federal</span><br /><span class="yshortcuts">Reserve Note</span>, which was created out of thin air by an <span class="yshortcuts">international banking</span><br />cartel called the <span class="yshortcuts">Federal Reserve</span>.<br /><br />According to <span class="yshortcuts">Congressman Ron Paul</span>, in the last three years, the <span class="yshortcuts">Federal</span><br /><span class="yshortcuts">Reserve</span> has created over $4 trillion in new money. The result of all this<br />"money-out-of-thin-air" fraud is never-ending inflation. And the more prices<br />rise, the more the dollar collapses. Folks, this is not sustainable.<br /><br />Already, Bear Stearns was awarded a $29 billion bailout, followed quickly by<br />the bailout of Freddie and Fannie that will cost the taxpayers up to $200<br />billion. Then the Fed announced the bailout of AIG to the tune of $85<br />billion. Mind you, AIG is an enormous global entity with assets totaling<br />more than $1.1 trillion. Moreover, the Feds agreed to pump $180 billion into<br /><span class="yshortcuts">global money markets</span>. And the Treasury Department promised $50 billion to<br />insure the holdings of money market mutual funds for a year. Now, taxpayers<br />are being asked to provide $700 billion to Wall Street. (I hope readers are<br />aware that, not only will American banks be bailed out, but foreign banks<br />will also be bailed out. Then again, at least half of the Federal Reserve is<br />comprised of foreign banks, anyway.) In other words, the Federal Reserve is<br />preparing to spend upwards of $1 trillion or more. Remember again, this is<br />fiat money, meaning it is money printed out of thin air.<br /><br />All of this began when the U.S. Congress abrogated its responsibility to<br />maintain <span class="yshortcuts">sound money</span> principles on behalf of the <span class="yshortcuts">American people</span> (as<br />required by the <span class="yshortcuts">Constitution</span>) and created the Federal Reserve. This took<br />place in 1913. The President was <span class="yshortcuts">Woodrow Wilson</span>. (I strongly encourage<br />readers to buy G. Edward Griffin's book, <span class="yshortcuts">The Creature from Jekyll Island</span> .)<br />Since then, the U.S. economy has suffered through one <span class="yshortcuts">Great Depression</span> and<br />several recessions--all of which have been orchestrated by this<br />international banking cartel. Now, we are facing total <span class="yshortcuts">economic collapse</span>.<br /><br />But don't worry: the international bankers will lose nothing--not even their<br />bonuses. They will maintain their mansions, yachts, private jets, and <span class="yshortcuts">Swiss</span><br /><span class="yshortcuts">bank accounts</span>. No matter how bad it gets on <span class="yshortcuts">Main Street</span> , the banksters on<br />Wall Street will still have the best of it--President Bush and the Congress<br />will make sure of that. This is one thing Republicans and Democrats can<br />agree on.<br /><br />America 's founders were rightfully skeptical of granting too much power to<br />bankers. <span class="yshortcuts"><b><span style="font-weight:bold;">Thomas Jefferson</span></b></span><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> said, "If the American people ever allow </span></b></strong><span class="yshortcuts"><b><span style="font-weight:bold;">private</span></b></span><b><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /><span class="yshortcuts">banks</span><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> to control the issuance of their currency, first by inflation and then</span></b></strong><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will</span></b></strong><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">deprive the people of all their property until their children will wake up</span></b></strong><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."</span></b></strong><br /><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Jefferson</span></b></strong><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> also believed that "banking establishments are more dangerous than</span></b></strong><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">standing armies; and that the principle of spending money to be paid by</span></b></strong><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large</span></b></strong><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">scale."</span></b></strong><br /></span></b><br /><span class="yshortcuts"><b><span style="font-weight:bold;">Daniel Webster</span></b></span><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> warned, "Of all the contrivances for cheating the laboring</span></b></strong><b><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">classes of mankind, none has been more effectual than that which deludes</span></b></strong><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">them with paper money."</span></b></strong><br /></span></b><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Webster also said, "We are in danger of being overwhelmed with irredeemable</span></b></strong><b><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">paper, mere paper, representing not gold nor silver; no, Sir, representing</span></b></strong><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">nothing but broken promises, bad faith, bankrupt corporations, cheated</span></b></strong><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">creditors, and a ruined people."</span></b></strong><br /><br /></span></b>Our first and greatest <span class="yshortcuts">President George Washington</span> said, "Paper money has<br />had the effect in your State [<span class="yshortcuts">Rhode Island</span> ] that it ever will have, to ruin<br />commerce--oppress the honest, and open the door to every species of fraud<br />and injustice."<br /><br />If <span class="yshortcuts">George W. Bush</span>, <span class="yshortcuts">John McCain</span>, or <span class="yshortcuts">Barack Obama</span> had any honesty and<br />integrity, they would approach the current banking malady in much the same<br />way that <span class="yshortcuts"><b><span style="font-weight:bold;">President Andrew Jackson</span></b></span><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> did. In discussing the Bank Renewal bill</span></b></strong><b><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">with a delegation of bankers in 1832, Jackson said, "Gentlemen, I have had</span></b></strong><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">men watching you for a long time, and I am convinced that you have used the</span></b></strong><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">funds of the bank to speculate in the breadstuffs of the country. When you</span></b></strong><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">won, you divided the profits amongst you, and when you lost, you charged it</span></b></strong><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">to the bank. You tell me that if I take the deposits from the bank and annul</span></b></strong><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">its charter, I shall ruin ten thousand families. That may be true,</span></b></strong><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">gentlemen, but that is your sin! Should I let you go on, you will ruin fifty</span></b></strong><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">thousand families, and that would be my sin! You are a den of vipers and</span></b></strong><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">thieves. I intend to rout you out, and by the eternal God, I will rout you</span></b></strong><br /><strong><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">out."</span></b></strong></span></b><br /><br />What President Andrew Jackson said to the bankers in 1832 is exactly what an<br /><span class="yshortcuts">American President</span> should say to these criminal international bankers today.<br />But what <span class="yshortcuts">George Bush</span>, John McCain, and Barack Obama want to do is provide<br />amnesty for the international bankers, just as they want to provide amnesty<br />for illegal aliens. I say, No amnesty for Wall Street, and no amnesty for<br />illegal aliens, either. Instead of sending these banksters on extended<br />vacations to the Bahamas with millions of taxpayer dollars in their pockets,<br />we should be sending them straight to jail!<br /><br />The only way to fix this economic mess that the international bankers have<br />created is to return America to sound money principles, as prescribed in the<br /><span class="yshortcuts">U.S.</span><span class="yshortcuts"> Constitution</span>. This means dismantling the Federal Reserve and the<br /><span class="yshortcuts">Internal Revenue Service</span>, overturning the <span class="yshortcuts">16th Amendment</span> and the <span class="yshortcuts">personal</span><br /><span class="yshortcuts">income tax</span>, and returning the American <span class="yshortcuts">monetary system</span> to hard assets: gold<br />and silver. Anything short of this will only delay and worsen the inevitable<br />collapse that has already begun.</p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> Thanks for viewing, George</span></span></p> </div> </div> </td> </tr> </table> </p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Nedd Advisory Board</h1> <p>Sian Simon — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 04:46:52 GMT</p> <p>Calling all people who work for, or volunteer at, a Non Profit organization. </p> <p>I'm looking to set up an Advisory Board to test some online services (web design, web site creation, web site hosting, search engine optimization etc) for a client.</p> <p>If you would be interested in testing out develoing a web site (there may be a free website in this) please let me know. This offer is open to religious organizations, non-profits of any size, team sports (your local Little League etc), and any non-profit organization interested in fund raising for a cause.</p> <p>This is not a scam - it is a genuine request for research participants who want to build a web site for their organization. Feel free to call me if you are interested - 703 966 1075. Or send me a message through MySolutionSpot. I don't want to publish my e-mail for fear of getting more spam than I already get.</p> <p>Sian</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Going to England for the first time in about 15 yrs.....</h1> <p>Sian Simon — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 04:42:24 GMT</p> <p> I have two clients whose projects both end at the end of September. My cousin is gettng married on Oct 4 in England. My son is 11 years old and has never been to England (even though we both have dual European and American citizenship). My husband has a ton of Airmiles on United. </p> <p>So even though we just got back from Spain last week, we booked flights to England from Oct 1-7 tonight for me and my son using hubby's Airmiles. Daughter is at college and husband has graciously agreed to take care of the horses, dogs, cats, and rabbits we have on our farm.</p> <p>Our plan is to hang out with my friends and rellatives on Oct 2-3 in London, then go to Bath on Oct 3 or 4 to see some other friends, go to the wedding on Oct 4, hang out with my cousin on Oct 5, then go to another Aunt and Uncle who own a hotel in Dorset on Oct 6-7, then get the train back to London.</p> <p>Soooooo - does anyone have any suggestions about what we should do in London on Oct 2-3? I lived in London for 15 years.....but that was 15 yrs ago and I am not an 11 yr old boy - at least I wasn't the last time I checked:-)</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Checkout options</h1> <p>Toni Kick — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 03:50:27 GMT</p> <p>I'm looking for some advice from the group on checkout options. For an internet-based retail business, do you think it is necessary/preferable to offer several checkout options (Google, Paypal, Network Solutions payment product)? Or is one option sufficient? Do you think that customers find multiple options desirable or just confusing? </p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Is there any news on when the upgrade to version 7 will be here?</h1> <p>Derrick Armendariz — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:56:53 GMT</p> <p> I was told in December that my store would be upgraded in the first quarter of this year, and here is is going on September and all I got was a worthless VIP tag and a broken forum link.</p> <p>What is the holdup? </p> <p>When will I get it? </p> <p>I am about to drop network solutions honesty $100 a month for broken promises and a stupid VIP in front of my name when I log in. NO I am sick of waiting on you. I am already working on moving my store if I am done before you get that upgrade out I'm gone.</p> <p>Sick of your delays,</p> <p>Derrick</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Not related to business...following the Olympics</h1> <p>Freirish Farm — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 01:55:34 GMT</p> <p>I was wondering if anyone has been following the medals in the Olympics. As a horse person I am very excited that the US got the Gold in Show Jumping. But it seems to me that China is being a bit sneaky. I was reading about the gymnasts and it seems like at least one or maybe two were technically under age, but "maybe" the Chinese government forged their passports to make them appear to be 16 ( the new minimum age for gymnasts).</p> <p>While I know this isn't really business-related, I'd be interested in having a discussion about it. I will be studying Communications and Political Studies for my degree and I think this is a good example of something worth thinking about.</p> <p>Chess</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Can anyone provide me with organizational development contacts in professional services associations?</h1> <p>Sian Simon — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:46:59 GMT</p> <p> I'm not sure that this post should really be in this category, but I couldn't find one that seemed appropriate.</p> <p>Anyway, I am a boutique consulting firm (boutique = me and some people I have on 1099!). I have a professional services association client for whom I am doing some work looking at alternative organizational structures. They want to find ways to deliver high quality and consistent services to all of their members, regardless of location. They have engaged me to help and I am looking for associations that have restructured themselves, based on member feedback, to achieve more consistent and beneficial services.</p> <p>If you have contacts at any associations that have radically changed their way of working, and potentially would be willing to talk to me about what they did and how they did it, I would love to hear from you.</p> <p>Thanks!</p> <p> </p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> </main></body></html>