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  Multi Entrep Ideas 6:07 am on August 21, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  Plan to make your presence known in the 2010 Census 

  Step up and be counted! That expression could be the motto for the 2010 Census.

  The first Census, conducted in 1790, had counters going door to door on
  horseback. It covered sixteen states and the Ohio territory. In 2010,
  220 years later, the counters will be walking and riding in cars in an
  attempt to locate 300 million people.

  In February and March, Census questionnaires will be mailed or delivered to households. Census takers will visit households that did not mail in their questionnaire.

  Why is there a Census every ten years? Because it is mandated by the
  Constitution. The results are used to allocate seats in the U.S. House
  of Representatives based on the population of each state. It is
  important for people to answer the Census since it could be used to
  decide on extra seats for a state or the loss of seats.

  The Census is also used to make decisions about what community services to
  provide and how to distribute federal funds to local, state and tribal
  governments.

  There will be some changes for the 2010 Census.  Only a short form will be sent to each household. Just seven questions will be asked including your name, sex, age and date of birth, race, ethnicity, and relationship to the head of household and whether the home is owned or rented.

  It will take only a few minutes to complete the questionnaire. In 2010 for the first time, questionnaires in English and Spanish will be sent to households in areas that have high concentrations of Hispanics.

  Despite the fact that the law requires participation and confidentiality is always promised, the 2000 Census had only 67 percent of households responding. It is estimated that 6.4 million people were missed.

  Don’t be among the missing! You are important, so stand up and be counted.

  Maria Smith-Alvira

  http://acommunityonline.com

   

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  Multi Entrep Ideas 8:47 am on August 19, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  How to get employees to support your plans during difficult times 

  No matter what business they’re in, CEOs generally have plans that work well in good times. Now they have to think smaller, sometimes a lot smaller. But one area to protect is R&D. It can set the stage for future growth.

  Slower business means bosses will be forced to cut payroll, or cut it more than they already have. As office workers go, most are experiencing anxiety over whether they will have a job. Those left on the job could form alliances, backstab, and wind up reducing the quality of their work.

  You may have noticed that when business is good, busy people perform very well. When it’s not, they make more mistakes and don’t perform as well.

  What can you do to keep people focused on your plans?

  Authorities writing in Business Week say constant communication is a must. People are more willing to give of themselves if they know you’re in it for the long haul.

  Be visible, walk the hallway and offices and hold meetings where everyone is invited. Some people say it’s very helpful to let people know the reality, which usually isn’t as bad as they fear.

  While managers everywhere would be smart to plan on things getting worse before they get much better, Robert Reich, labor secretary, says it’s possible to be very hopeful and at the same time to be quite sober about what you are going through.

  In any case, the rest of 2009 will be an uncertain time for those whose job it is to make decisions and for those who work for them.

  Maria Smith-Alvira

  http://acommunityonline.com

   
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  Multi Entrep Ideas 5:42 am on August 13, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  Corporate Bonds are still a good investment 

  Now that many of your investments have taken a beating, how about considering safe, investment-grade bonds offering up to 10 percent interest?

  Smart Money’s James Stewart recently checked the bond market. He looked for A-rated or above bonds with yields of 5 percent to 10 percent and maturities of three to five years.

  The high rating should protect against default, and the relatively short term protects against higher interest being available from other investments.

  To use Stewart’s search technique, visit http://www.finra.org. Search for corporate or municipal bonds based on your criteria. Click on “Investors” on the home page, then on “Market Data.”

  He found very respectable companies and financial institutions offering 6 percent to 10 percent and maturing within five years. Many were big banks that are not only doing fairly well but are supported by the government, which makes them a good risk.

  Maria Smith-Alvira

  http://acommunityonline.com

  
   
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  Multi Entrep Ideas 8:09 am on August 11, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  What to do, What not to do 

  When Jim Collins makes a plan for the new year, before designating new projects, he identifies three things he wants to stop doing.

  Collins, author of Good to Great, says having a not-to-do list is as important for achieving your goals as a to-do list.

  First, the to-dos as recommended by Gary Bencivenga, author of Success Bullets.

  * Apply the famous 80/20 rule to your work. About 20 percent of your activities are responsible for 80 percent of your success. Give those activities a high priority. Review your to-do list every day.

  * Rise an hour earlier and give your highest-payoff activities your attention. Earl Nightingale claimed that if you spend this hour in study of your field, you will be an expert in five years.

  * Slow down. Everything is not urgent or important. Define matters that will improve your work and life. Do those things well, though you sometimes have to ignore other things.

  Your not-to-do list

  1. Don’t answer email in the morning. Let phone calls coming from people you don’t recognize go to voice mail.

  2. Don’t overcommunicate with low-profit, high-maintenance customers. Discover which customers are responsible for your profits and which just take up your time.

  3. Don’t carry your to-do-list in your head. It will perpetually nag you so you won’t be able to think as well on priority work.

  4. Don’t multitask. Doing two things at once brings a poor result for both.

  5. Never agree to go to a meeting that has no clear agenda, recommends Tim Harris, author of The 4-Hour Work Week.

  Maria Smith-Alvira

  http://acommunityonline.com

   
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  Multi Entrep Ideas 6:21 am on August 6, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  How to sell to a ‘very attractive’ prospect 

  Did infatuation ever make it difficult for you to get your act together and make the sale? Most salespeople won’t admit it, but it does happen.

  Nancy Lubin, a fund raiser writing in Fast Company, not only admitted it, but went to some experts for help. One advised: Meet at the office, not in social settings. Avoid personal conversations. Keep the meeting short, and remember that he cares less about the product than you do. You have to convert him.

  An executive coach at McAlinden Associates told her to prepare more deliberately for the meeting and know the three things she wants to impart. Link them together in a one-minute speech with what matters to the prospect. When your meeting becomes a discussion about how to solve a problem the attractive one cares about, you’ll have no time to be affected by how handsome or beautiful the prospect may be.

  Maria Smith-Alvira

  http://acommunityonline.com