Have you ever thought about how your “need” for money could be the biggest obstacle preventing you from getting the money you “need”? Getting past this problem is a key “success secret” that should be a part of every success mentoring program.

One of the reasons why it is unhelpful to focus on the thought that you “need money” is because it is likely to cause you to lower your horizons and grab the first offer that comes your way.

If you are in a situation where you feel that you really do “need the money”, what would happen if you didn’t get it?

When you come up with an answer, ask yourself what would you do next… Even if you did not get the money you “needed” there could well be other opportunities out there that prove to be much better – because no single opportunity is the be all and end all of a situation.

Here’s another question: How long could you live without this money before you’d have to go and live on the streets?

I know of someone who thought he “needed money” but, when he did this exercise, he discovered that he could probably survive for ten years before turning himself out to the mercy of the streets.

Working with a success mentoring coach, he decided to concentrate on building his business on the assumption that he had enough money to live.

Now, instead of focusing on his “neediness” and his fear of poverty, he based all of his decisions on his vision of the future and his desire for success.

And, guess what… in less than a year he was making TEN TIMES more money than he had been doing when focusing on his fears and his perceptions of neediness.

You might think that this person was a lot less needy than you are and so it was much easier for him.

Well, if that is what you are determined to believe, so be it.

Nevertheless, his experience does illustrate a very interesting fact.

When you let go of neediness and start acting on what you desire from the point of view of who you aspire to be, you are no longer working out of desperation, but out of inspiration.

As I said earlier, a sense of neediness will cause you to settle for the first thing that comes your way. Every time you focus on a negative thought you reinforce its power over your life and load the scales on the side of failure.

But when you act as if you already have plenty of money and are assured that you will have more, you will find yourself moving forward with the assurance of a sleepwalker.

You then make decisions not only without fear, but with joyfulness, and you can ask for what you want and making your vision plain without fear of loss.

Unfortunately, the great majority of people have been conditioned to act on fear and worry. Unfortunately, fear is a terribly ineffective state within which to make decisions.

What is fear?

Fear is a belief in our inadequacy to deal with something.*

When you are in a state of fear you shrink and suffer a loss of inspiration and a narrowing of vision. You get more and more anxious and your anxiety communicates itself to other people who will then hesitate to do business with you.

But when you operate in a state of self belief, courage, optimism and benevolence for others, you radiate ease and well-being. Your creativity grows. Opportunities that you had not noticed before suddenly become available to you and others are keen to work with you.

*Source: Harry Palmer, Living Deliberately, p. 84

There is nothing quite as thrilling as starting your own small business. It is a time where you are finally on your own and do not have to take orders any longer. You can start a business doing whatever you want and take it in whatever direction you choose to. But there are some things you must do to start the online small business on the right foot.

Research is absolutely essential when it comes to starting a small business. Without research you will not know exactly what has public demand and what is too competitive. Entering a niche that is extremely competitive is only going to set you up for failure. But of course you want to get involved with a business that has public interest and demand.

Once you have researched the market, plot out exactly how you want your business to go. This includes goals, when you want to achieve these goals by, how you intend to promote the business, what products you are going to sell, and where you want to take the business. You will learn that your plan will change as the internet constantly evolves, but having an initial plan can pave the way to success.

Now that the plan is set, it is time to get the online small business up and rolling. First thing you need to do is get a domain name and hosting company. This will allow you to have a web site running live for customers to come to. Then it is time to begin developing your site.

When it comes to developing your site, there are two main things you must focus on; the content and the design. Within the content, you want to have fresh and enticing content that nobody has touched on yet. You can determine what people are looking for by researching in the search engines. This way you can take what people want and give it to them.

To keep people at your web site, you want to have a visually appealing design. There is nothing that turns visitors away more than a poorly designed site. Make the site appealing without going overboard. Try to create a balance between your content and graphics as well.

The last thing you need to get your small business started right is an effective marketing plan. You want to begin marketing as soon as possible. The quicker you begin marketing, the quicker you can begin generating traffic. There are free methods such as article writing, posting in forums and posting in a blog, or paid methods such as putting up a banner on someone else’s site or paying to climb up the search engines. Whatever methods you choose, do it right away.

It can be stressful starting a small business because of the amount of work needed. But once the site is up and running, it is smooth sailing from there. You can focus on promoting the site, adding fresh content, and generating a high income.

Her opinion will be helpful in selecting the wedding venue, reception site, invitations, decorations and favors.  Most importantly, she will be asked to help shop for the bride’s gown as well as the bridesmaid dresses.  She may be asked to go to register at various stores with the bride-to-be, if the groom is not available.  Many times the maid of honor will plan and host the bridal shower as well as the bachelorette party.

Being a maid of honor can require a lot of time and money.  The bride needs to sit down with this sister, friend, cousin, or future sister-in-law, and find out exactly how much time and resources can be expected.  She needs to inquire about work schedules, babysitting requirements and budget constraints that might figure into the attendant’s ability to participate.  The bride can then accurately assess how much responsibility to give the maid of honor and then delegate to other attendants and family.

If the maid or matron of honor is coming from out of town or state, she may be coming the day before the wedding and leaving the day after.  Most of her moral support will come by telephone in the weeks and days before the wedding.  Although far away, she can still give her opinion about wedding colors, decorations, food, and music.  

The out of town maid of honor probably will not make the bridal shower, but will be available for the rehearsal dinner and bachelorette party.  On the wedding day, her duties will be assisting the bride in getting into her gown, veil and makeup.  She can be a calming source for the nervous bride, and keep track of the bouquet and the groom’s ring. 

By having an honest discussion with her maid of honor, the bride can avoid overwhelming her with responsibilities.  The bridal party should be happy and relaxed, enjoying this memorable event with the bride and groom, their cherished friends.

Content   2008 Smoky Mountain Painting

As a professional painting contractor for more than thirty years I have heard literally hundreds of horror stories from customers about their past experience with hiring painting contractors. Some of the most common stories that I have heard include painting contractors who have obtained a down payment from the customer and never returned who were not actually painting contractors but just plain crooks, painting contractors who started the job and their work was so bad that the customer was forced to ask the contractor to leave. These are just a couple of the typical stories that I have heard and continue to hear from customers. In this article, we will look at what you can do to protect yourself when you decide to hire a painting contractor.

Although there are many places to find a quality painting contractor such as the internet, yellow pages or even the local newspaper, the best place to start is by asking friends, relatives and coworkers what painting contractors they have used in the past and ask what kind of experience they have had with a particular painting contractor. Make sure to ask if they were satisfied with their work, the price and how long it took the painting contractor to complete the job. You can also check with your local paint store and ask them for a recommendation. If you can not locate a painting contractor from any of these sources, then you can turn to your local Better Business Bureau and ask if they can provide recommendations.

To begin with ask the contractor for a certificate of insurance. Quality contracting firms will be only too happy to provide you with copies of their certificates of insurance. Not all states and municipalities require licensing however business registration with your state and municipality is generally a minimum requirement.

Get references from the contractors you’re looking at most seriously. Talk with those people honestly and openly about the services they received. Don’t hesitate to ask questions about money and service. You want to know that you are hiring a professional painting contractor who will give you a quality job at a fair price.

It is very important to get a written contract. Reputable contractors will encourage the use of a written contract. This contract should clearly explain the scope of the work to be performed. It should also cover such items as surfaces to be painted, methods and extent of surface preparation, time schedules for the project, and payment procedures. If you know the total scope of the work in writing you will be better able to determine the cost difference between different contractors. The contract protects both you and the contractor.

Other questions to ask include, how long has the contractor been in business? There is a high turnover rate in the painting industry. Be sure to hire someone who has been in business for at least five years. Ask about the experience levels of the companies workers, because there are some companies who will hire workers with little or no experience in order to save money. Also ask what preparation the painting contractor will do on your job, preparation is one of the most important steps in painting any surface. Ask the painting contractor to make recommendations on materials for the job. A professional painting contractor will be able to suggest particular paints, colors and finishes.

Next you will need to find out if a paint warranty is included? If a paint warranty was included find out the length of time that the contractor will guarantee his work. Simply stating a warranty is not enough, you must get the warranty in writing including any limitations.

Many contractors will ask for a down payment upon signing the contract. This is normally customary, however before giving a down payment make sure that you have completed checking all of your references and are that you feel completely comfortable with the contractor. Be wary of anyone who asks for a substantial down payment and never give anyone more than 20% of the price up front.

Next, take time to compare the estimates carefully. The lowest price may not be your best choice. If you find there is a wide range between the bids, ask the contractors for an explanation. Are all the contractors using the same paint and materials? The low bidder may be taking shortcuts on quality. Keep in mind, getting the lowest price should not be your first consideration. You want to get someone who is skilled, experienced, fully insured, and has an experienced crew. In the painting industry as with most other industries you will usually get what you pay for. Good professional painting contractors want your business and will provide you with insurance certificates, references, advice on colors and finishes and are polite and professional to deal with. Once you have made your selection, step back and allow the professional painting contractor to complete the project that you have hired him to do. If you want high quality and professional service, you must be willing to pay the price that comes with it.

It is unfortunate that many people find great online business ideas, get started with loads of enthusiasm but after a while that dwindles and then they lose interest and quit.

So before you get started here are a few tips on what you need in order to achieve success with your online business ideas.  Taking note of these will help to ensure that you do not end up as one of the quitters.

Firstly and most importantly, you need to ask yourself why you are embarking on this venture.  What is it that you want to achieve?  Is your reason or “why” strong enough?  In other words what is your motivating factor? 

For some it may be that they want to work at home full-time to be with the children.  For others it may be that they are desperate to quit the corporate world.  Others may want to make more money while still working a 9 to 5 job and some may need to build an income for retirement.  Perhaps you have children that you need to fund through University or you need to buy a bigger house.

Whatever your reason is it has to be a very strong driving force that is going to keep you motivated to work at your business on a daily basis until you succeed.  If you are going to quit when the going gets tough then your reason is not strong enough.  You really need to have a burning desire that spurs you on through thick and thin i.e. you need to know exactly why you are doing this.

You need to be prepared to learn.  The internet is an ever evolving environment and you need to keep abreast of the changes.  Every step of starting and running a business online may well be a new experience for you, so at the outset realize that you are going to go through a steep learning curve.

You need to have a very strong work ethic.  This means that when you do not feel like working you will push yourself to work.  You need to be disciplined and be prepared to make sacrifices initially, like giving up watching TV in the evenings in favor of working on your business. 

In summary, if your reason to start an online business is strong enough, are disciplined and prepared to learn, then the work you put in on a consistent basis will pay off.