Userplane’s Michael Jones explains why online video must be included in your marketing mix.

Thanks to online video ads, guys with bad hygiene and pathetic social skills can try wooing VH1 VJ Rachel Perry– and they even get a well-mannered response. Ah, the wonders of the internet.

The ad campaign was an innovative partnership between laddie-mag Maxim and Pontiac to hype the carmaker’s Solstice Roadster. Users logged onto the magazine’s website and submitted pick-up lines to an image of Perry, actually an incarnation of the beautiful celebrity compiled from hundreds of pre-recorded videos. People with the best lines registered to win a car. Depending on the attempt, the program culled Perry’s retort in real time from hundreds of pre-recorded responses. The site was flooded with users. According to Advertising Age, 16,000 people registered in its first three weeks.

The titillating Pontiac campaign was the successor to Burger King’s Subservient Chicken, an online craze of its own. The two demonstrate the unique potential for online video ads. They lock millions of users to the sites, create a viral response by allowing fans to email the links to friends, and generate pop culture buzz. And of course, the online video ads paid off in higher chicken sandwich sales and registrations.

We shouldn’t be surprised online video ads are becoming so popular. The streaming ads are a natural outgrowth of technological advances, evolving consumer habits and the perennial desire to gain traction with users. They are a much-needed advance in the maturation of the internet and will help ensure its future profitability. Fortunately, companies are realizing this. The online research aggregator eMarketer projects streaming video spending will nearly triple to $640 million in the next two years, and grow to $1.5 billion by 2010.

Three key factors have caused the rise of online video ads, and will guarantee the medium soars in 2006.

1.) A tech-savvy culture

If the internet were a child, we could say it’s leaving the awkward ugly stage and beginning to blossom. Let’s face it, only a small number of consumers jumped on board with the latest technologies when they over-promised on the results or didn’t work out the bugs. At first, technology was holding back advances, which held back the profits. I was like a parent, cringing and wincing at those banners and pop-ups. It was like seeing my youngster lurching through puberty. Hang in there little buddy, you’re gonna make it! Now, technology is catching up with expectations, which entices a broader range of consumers and gives marketers a piece of the action. I’m beaming.

The rapid adoption of broadband internet access is the primary driver of online video ads. And it’s only going to get better. The U.S. market hurdled a barrier to internet advertising this year when more than half of online households were using high-speed connections. A study by eMarketer estimates the number will continue to grow, from 42.3 million households in 2005 to 69.4 million in 2008.

With all those high-speed connections out there, comScore Networks found consumers putting them to good use. More than 94 million people in the United States viewed a streaming video online in June of last year, according to comScore. The company recently released the first comprehensive assessment of the online streaming marketplace and, surprisingly, discovered that technology isn’t just for youngsters anymore. Consumers between ages 35 and 54 accounted for more than 45 percent of online video ads watched in August 2005. It is 20 percent more likely that these mature adults will watch an online video than the typical internet user, the study found, and people between the ages of 25 and 34 are 12 percent more likely to watch a streaming video. These are hot marketing targets, and they love their streaming media.

“Contrary to public perception, it’s not just ‘college kids’ or ‘bleeding edge’ internet users who are streaming videos,” said Erin Hunter, senior vice president of comScore Networks media and entertainment solutions. Publishers are using innovations like high-quality video product clips, music videos, movie trailers — even news broadcasts — to engage consumers, Hunter said. “This creates a fantastic opportunity for advertisers to capitalize on what is now a mainstream audience,” she added.

2.) An evolving business mindset
The video ad pioneers have mainstream companies hot on their heels, jumping on the online video bandwagon. Todd Herman of MSN told Clickz.com that 23 of the top 50 brands have advertised on the site since its launch in August 2004. They include Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, General Motors and Johnson & Johnson.

Hunter, of comScore, says advertisers are “waking up” to the potential of online video ads. “People want more than a two-dimensional experience online, and this powerful medium now reaches everyone with engaging and interesting content,” Hunter said.

The internet makes users part of the media experience. They aren’t just viewers, as they are on television. They’re participants. They’re members of the online community. Advertisers are taking advantage of this increased engagement and loyalty. On New Year’s Eve, MSN aired 30-second video ads from the entertainment and automotive industry throughout its live web cast from Times Square. The coverage allowed internet viewers to become part of the show– sending emails that were included in the web cast.

Companies are also mainstreaming online video ads because they use quantitative data to connect consumers to products and services. This is the new “golden metric” to determine ROI, according to Diane Mermigas, contributing editor to The Hollywood Reporter. “It is impossible to counter the logic that paying 28 cents for a click on Google by a targeted consumer who might engage in an electronic transaction is not preferred to paying 10 cents per reader for a national magazine print ad that might not be seen,” Mermigas writes.

Mermigas says traditional media outlets can cash in on the online action by moving consumers and advertisers to websites. In the future, look for more joint marketing sales between internet video advertising and traditional media outlets. Companies will integrate campaigns, combining online videos with TV spots run on cable networks. This naturally extends the campaign because video production costs were paid when the content was prepared for traditional media.

3.) Interactive, engaging and informative
Finding your ads’ target audience is only a start, you have to lock them in to be effective, get them to engage. TV, radio and print have skinned this cat every which way for decades, but they’re still handicapped. They’re dealing with passive mediums and can’t snoop while the consumer interacts with the pitch. The truth is, they don’t know who’s paying attention or for how long! Meanwhile, customers who check out the new online video ads by Ross-Simons not only get a behind-the-scenes peek at the styles of jewelry merchant, their interaction with the ad teaches marketers what works.

Ross-Simons just launched its streaming ads on its website. They star soap opera actress Lauren Koslow of NBC’s “Days of Our Lives,” and allow consumers to click on highlighted items to learn more or order the product. The videos engage customers and allow them to take action at the moment of interaction. It’s more than an advertisement– it’s a prelude to a transaction.

Shot on digital video, there is little comparison between online advertisements and their passive cousins. Programmers can blend interactive concepts with the campaigns, like hidden “Easter eggs,” flash, 3-D and high-resolution images. Many online ads include viral elements like emailing the ad to friends or allowing users to become part of the online community by posting comments on the site.

David Hallerman, senior analyst at eMarketer, said, “More than any other advertising format, internet video has the potential to blend hot marketing elements together– branded entertainment, paid search, viral marketing, consumer generated media, behavioral targeting, website brand marketing and online gaming.”

And every time a user emails an ad, clicks on an Easter egg or conducts a search, we’re learning more about our target audience. We’ll take that information and improve, giving consumers what they really want next time, and the time after that, and the time after that. The best part is that this is only the beginning.

Michael Jones, founder and president of Userplane, oversees the company’s application and business strategy, focusing on the future of live communications through the development of web applications. During the past four years, Userplane has gained recognition as a leading web-based application provider, in large part due to the success of its Flash-based Audio/Video Webmessenger and Webchat. Jones, one of the primary team members in the design and development of the Userplane Community Suite remains the primary manager of the application and its deployments. Currently Jones sits on the board of IdeaOasis, and holds advisory positions on several dating and social networking websites. Prior to founding Userplane, Jones was CEO of PBJ Digital, a national web development agency with clients ranging from Disney to Boeing. Among other activities, Jones has been a keynote speaker at the 2003 OFFF conference in Barcelona Spain, a featured presenter at Flash Forward 2003, a guest speaker at BlogOn 2004, and has written a number of published industry articles. He earned his Bachelor of Ar

Alexander Graham Bell once said, “When one door closes another opens; but we often look so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that is opened for us.” If you’re in sales you gotta remember this one.

Right now, during these challenging and difficult economic times, salespeople are facing more closed doors than ever before. Some salespeople are like the news media - they focus on what’s negative. In sales, being positive is better.

I see this all the time in my sales training programs that I conduct for my corporate clients. It’s easy to blame the economy. It’s easier to blame a competitor’s price. And it’s unbelievably easy to soak up the daily headlines and point fingers everywhere. Where’s the personal accountability?

What’s not so easy is to take a personal inventory while looking directly in a mirror. It would seem that everything is wrong with everything else except the person you see in the mirror. When was the last time you asked yourself, “How can I increase my sales,” in spite of these challenging times?

I’m very proud of the fact that I have had 16 straight years of increased sales and profits. I did not however, experience 16 years of blissful growth. On the contrary, I’ve had to be feisty, assertive, optimistic, determined, creative, and results oriented in order to increase the size of my business.

My first huge mistake was to invest $20,000 in a distributorship that sold videodisc telemarketing training programs. I invested this money in a very small division of GTE. I got off to a quick start and was making money. The only problem I experienced was that GTE decided to get out of the training business.

So I searched for a new product and found one. Rank Roundtable, was a huge European conglomerate, and decided to enter the U.S. market with a brand new sales training program. Proudly I became one of their first U.S. distributors. Once again I got off to a very quick start.

And once again a very big company decided to get out of the training business - leaving me high and dry.

Remember, I’m using this as an example - not looking for your sympathy.

These two big gigantic DOORS were abruptly closed to me. Alexander Graham Bell’s quote says when one door closes another opens. It will only open for you if you’re looking for it.

In my own situation I decided I would not build my business around someone else’s products. I created and sold workbooks to my clients. I added audiocassette tapes. I’ve written and published five books. And I could go on.

This is not the best of times for professional speakers, sales trainers, and consultants. When you factor in September 11th a lot of people in my industry are singing the blues.

I decided to sing a different song. My song is called “My Way.” I also decided I wasn’t going to participate in this recession so I raised my speaking fee. I also tried new business opportunities. For example, I started doing monthly TeleSeminars. Last year I wasn’t. Last year I did not have an eight-cassette album. This year I do.

You get the point don’t you?

Enough about me - what about you?

What’s the one thing you’re fretting over that you can convert into a new selling opportunity for yourself?

There are two kinds of doors in the sales world. There are closed doors and there are open doors. The closed doors will find you. You have to find the doors that are waiting to be opened by you.

My brother Ray was a New York City fireman who was killed September 11th in the World Trade Center. He perished along with 342 other firemen and several thousand other people.

Consider this, no matter how difficult your current situation may be, everyone who perished in the World Trade Center would, if given the chance, be willing to trade places with any of us.

YOU CAN DO IT! THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE WORDS CAN AND CAN’T IS THE LETTER “T” for TRY! GO FOR IT.

Never give up. Never give in.

Eliminate the words can’t, impossible, and discount from your vocabulary and you will experience a success you never before imagined.

Jim Meisenheimer is the creator of No-Brainer Sales Training. His sales techniques and selling skills focus on practical ideas that get immediate results. You can discover all his secrets by contacting him at (800) 266-1268 or by visiting his website: http://www.meisenheimer.com

Windsor Castle is the biggest occupied castles on the planet and the eldest in nonstop occupation (in excess of 900 years). It’s one of Queen Elizabeth’s three royal homes, and is repeatedly said to be easily her preferred home. The Royal Standard soars above the Round Tower of Windsor Castle whilst Queen Elizabeth is at the palace - nevertheless, at other times, the Union Jack flag flies as normal.

Samuel Pepys once mentioned Windsor Castle to be “the single most romantic castle in the world.” That was stated in sixteen sixty six & the same is true even today.

Windsor Castle Stirring History:

The erection of Windsor can be found lying in the early 7th century Saxon settlement of Windlesora, where the contemporary day dwellings of Old Windsor can be found. The town of Windsor is more accurately well-known as the “New Windsor” - the actual word “new” being referenced in a loose sense! For details for Windsor Castle, visit the Enjoy England website.

Windsor Castle was firstly put up by the famous William the Conqueror, as a result of his attack of England in ten sixty-six. The original building was erected from timber with earth fortifications. Windsor Castle held a noticeable strategic location on a big hill overlooking the River Thames, and was one part of a collection of palaces surrounding the Capital, with the Tower of London, one whole days walk away, at its hub.

The Palace was re-erected in rock, & grew in value during the centuries. Henry II built the Round Tower and the original stone outer wall. Following the English Civil War, the structure’s crucial function became that of a royal home. Windsor Castle has stayed principally unchanged ever since the start of the 19th century, apart from the renovation effort straight after the awful fire.

Article writing and distribution creates free one way incoming links back to your web site. Link building in this manner increases your web sites exposure, visitors and you overall search engine rankings. By using the following techniques you can dramatically improve your web site traffic in a very short period of time.

1. Create Viral Content For Your Web Site - Add your own resource box/byline to your articles and post them on your web site. You could allow your visitors to publish the articles on their web site if they also include your resource box and keep your hyperlink active. This will spread your link around the internet like a virus and increase your link popularity fast.

2. Submit your articles to free content web sites for other webmasters to reprint for publishing. When you include your resource box at the end of the article with your website URL you will not only get free advertising but you will get a link back to your site. This will increase your link popularity and cause your site to rank higher in the search engines.

3. Combine your articles into a free e-book. You can place your business ad and hyperlinks back to your site in the e-book. E-book creating software is inexpensive and easy to use. By giving your e-book away to visitors and allowing them to link to your site to give it away to their visitors will multiply your web site traffic, exposure and link popularity.

4. Create an article directory on your web site. People will visit your web site to get the free information. By allowing them to reprint your articles with the stipulation that they keep the resource box and hyperlink active you will increase your link popularity. Also allow your visitors to place a link on their web site that links back to your article directory. By providing your free “instant article directory” to their visitors you will increase your web site’s exposure and receive a percentage of their visitors as well.

5. Offer other web sites, that are relevant to your own, free content articles about your area of expertise to post on their web site. Include your link on all of your content. Your article should be related to your web site because it will bring you visitors that are interested in your product or service.

6. Use an article distribution service that distributes articles to thousands of web sites, newsletters and ezines at one time. Your article will be published on dozens of web sites almost immediately. I used this technique with an article distribution service called thephantomwriters.com and got literally thousands of links from only four articles. Distribute your articles several times and you will increase your exposure. Change your article’s title and redistribute it several times more to maximize your article’s potential.

As you can clearly see, writing and distributing articles can have a profound affect on your web site’s exposure. There is absolutely no better or faster way to increase your web site’s exposure, link popularity and search engine rankings.

© Copyright 2005 Affordable Concrete Cutting, Inc.

Until a few days ago, if you had asked me to tell you about Sierra Leone, I would have had to think long and hard to tell you much about this West African country. I could probably have explained roughly where the country is located. I may have mentioned something about the slave trade being connected to Sierra Leone. I could certainly have told you that they had experienced a brutal civil war. I might even have admitted that I wasn’t entirely sure whether the war was 100% over. And that’s about it.

Slavery and war. A pretty negative view of what is in fact an exceptionally positive country. Today, I see Sierra Leone from an entirely different perspective.

It is difficult to ignore Sierra Leone’s history and focus purely on the present. Once a fertile area inhabited by dozens of tribes, it was settled by the Portuguese in the 1400’s who built a fort as a trading post for gold, spices, ivory and slaves. A British protectorate in later years, Sierra Leone had the dubious honour of becoming home to more than 40,000 freed slaves who gave Freetown its name. As a protectorate, Sierra Leone was exploited for its mineral and diamond wealth in the 1900’s and Sierra Leonean’s fought against the Germans in Cameroon in the First World War, and alongside the British in the Second World War. In 1961, Sierra Leone achieved independence from Britain and governed itself peacefully for 30 years. The peace was not to last and was followed by a decade of brutal civil war that destroyed the economy, brutalised the people and left a country that is rich in resources as one of the poorest in the world.

The conflict was officially declared over in January 2002, and President Kabbah reelected in May 2002. Since then, the people of Sierra Leone have been pulling together to repair, renew and regenerate.

Whilst doing research for a new website looking at travel and tourism in Sierra Leone, I came into contact with Sierra Leoneans from all manner of backgrounds living in both Sierra Leone and elsewhere. Their passion for the country was infectious: they clearly wanted to get the message across that Sierra Leone has far more to offer than a sad recent history and that reconstruction is moving ahead at a rapid pace. And indeed, proof of reconstruction is everywhere - new roads are being built, mines are being re-opened, dam projects started before the war are once again underway, markets are once again thriving and humming with life. There is also a great deal of confidence in Sierra Leone’s potential as a tourist destination: a Chinese company has recently invested a reputed US$270 million in the hotel infrastructure; enterprising companies like Kevin McPhillips Travel (based in the UK, USA and the Netherlands) offer exclusive twice weekly flights to Sierra Leone; African Tour specialists are researching viable package holidays in the region. The exciting thing about investment in Sierra Leone is that more is set to follow!

They have a right to be confident. The beaches along Sierra Leone’s golden peninsula are said to be one of the world’s best kept secrets. Secluded, clean and stretching for miles on end, beach tourism is one of the top items on the government’s tourism promotion agenda. Beaches with very British names like Kent, Lumley, Sussex and York mix with more African names like Bureh Town, Tokey and Mammah beach, and

Although many of the forests and much of the wildlife has been disturbed and in some cases, destroyed, by the war, eco-tourism is an important focus of Sierra Leoneans and natural treasures like Outamba-Kilimi National Park, populated by game animals such as elephants, chimpanzees and pigmy hippos, and Mount Bintimani, the highest point in West Africa, are just two of the worthwhile wildlife attractions on offer. Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary rescues orphaned and captured chimps and has been described as one of the most successful Sierra Leonean wildlife endeavours, whilst Tiwai Island is home to over 3000 chimps as well as other game.

Lakes, rivers and dams are perfect for picnics and relaxing. The marshlands hide a myriad of colourful birds - indeed, the bird life has been less affected by the war than the animals, and everywhere you go, the air is filled with birdsong. Sierra Leone is a bird-watchers dream! Tiwai Island for one boasts over 135 different bird species!

For culture vultures and those with historical interests, the remnants of the slave trade make interesting and though-provoking expeditions. Bunce Island, a slave trading fortress, is a brief boat trip up the river; Freetown is itself a monument to freed slaves and its Cotton Tree, which stands in the heart of what is thought to be an old slave market, is now an impressive national symbol. Graves, monuments and forts are all that remain of British and Portuguese power in Sierra Leone: each has a tale to tell. There are over 16 different ethnic groups in the country, including the Krio, descendents of freed slaves who speak an English-based Creole called Krio, and visiting villages and chatting to people in markets and in the streets is rewarding for all parties!

Freetown is probably the most developed of the cities, offering a level of safety that is difficult to match even in Western countries. Hotels, restaurants and nightspots are sprouting like mushrooms, and eating out in Sierra Leone promises a range of traditional and international treats, and seafood that is beyond belief!

One has to wonder what attraction will tip the scales in making Sierra Leone the popular destination that it once was before the civil war. Based on my experiences with Sierra Leoneans in recent weeks, I feel that it will be the people who make the difference. Without exception, every Sierra Leonean that I have met or worked with has been proud of their country, proud of its progress and excited about the future. They are unfailingly welcoming, greeting aid-workers and travellers alike with smiles that you can only find in Africa, with an optimism - no, positivity - that other countries would do well to emulate.

For travellers in search of a “diamond in the rough”, Sierra Leone offers a holiday like no other - my only advice to you is to visit sooner rather than later, to avoid what is sure to be a stampede once holiday-makes and tour operators latch on to this gem of a destination.

Suzanne Whitby is the founder of Naturally Africa Dot Org (http://naturallyafrica.org/) which provides travel, tourism, business and event information about countries in Africa. To date, South Africa, Sierra Leone and Madagascar are live on the site.

Adopting a dog is a lot of fun, but it can also add a lot of responsibilities to your life. When you become a dog owner, you take on the responsibility to make sure your pet has everything he needs, a safe environment to live in, proper care, and everything he needs for a happy and healthy life! It’s a big step to care for a dog, but you’ll be rewarded with a loving companion.

The first step in providing a good life for your pet and making sure your dog remains safe is to get him trained properly. Believe it or not, many people do not see to this important task and then wonder why their dog jumps up on visitors or won’t listen to their commands. Many a dog has been considered a “bad” pet when all he really needed was the owner to take the time out to train him properly.

If you train your dog properly, not only will he have some cool tricks to show off, but it will also add to his safety. Should your dog be heading off into a dangerous situation, your obedience training will come in handy and you can call him back to your side and safety. A well trained dog Will be well behaved around strangers and the family - an obedient companion. Plus the training process can help define you as the master and act as a bonding experience for you and your pet. You can train a dog on your own, or you can join an obedience training class and get instruction from professionals.

You want to make sure your pet is as healthy as can be and part of dog ownership is to provide your dog with excellent veterinary care. A yearly physical exam should be performed and any vaccinations updated. Also make sure you put him on the right heartworm and flea and tick medications. If you notice a difference in your dogs behavior schedule a vet appointment right away. Even a small change in habits, mood, eating or elimination pattern should be checked by your vet - it could be nothing, but it’s better to be safe than sorry! Have your dog neutered or spayed - they WILL be much happier.

Providing a safe environment for your dog is up to you as the pet owner. Make sure there are places your dog can get stuck in or fall from and there is no sharp objects like nails or pins laying around. Everyone in the family should know not to leave the door open so that your dog can run out in the street. Refrain from feeding your dog “people” food as some of it can be harmful to them. Chocolate, for example, can even be deadly!

Grooming your dog can be a good time to bond with your pet and can also help him stay healthy. Brushing his coat, trimming his nails, cleaning his ears and around the eyes are all part of good dog health. Proper dental care is the most important grooming task you can do for your dog. Bacteria that builds up on the teeth can break away and cause health issues in other organs of the body. Brushing every other day is recommended to keep your dog’s mouth clean and will have the added bonus of giving him fresh breath!

Hopefully you’ll never need to enact it, but you should have a plan for the dog in case of emergency. What if there is a fire or some other disaster? Make sure someone is responsible to get your pet out of the house in case of emergency. It’s not a bad idea to have a designated person that can mind your dog on short notice if you get called out of town on an emergency.

Bringing a dog into your family, you are committing to provide that dog with all the things he needs for a happy and healthy life. Some dogs Can live into their teens if taken care of properly. That’s a long commitment on your part, but the rewards are so great that the commitment pales by comparison.

Lee Dobbins write for Train The Dog where you can learn more about dog training for every breed. Check out their list of dog breeds and see which ones are easier to train.

The incommodity of having to drive to a real life betting room can be ample reason to drop the idea if it can be avoided. Certainly traffic jams, the incommodity, and tasks tied to it are too much to justify the difficulties only for the prospect of laying your bets at real life betting room, but if you’re the kind that craves gaming rooms then going online could be the obvious answer. It’s not required to leave the house to experiment with online poker etc for the simple reason that it can be easily accessed from your home provided you own a servicable computer plus, obviously, a functional Internet connection. Though allowing for this, before you’re getting all excited, there’s a few important things which you positively should get the picture of regarding online poker etc, specifically should you happen to be a beginner.

The top priority which I as a shrewd Web gamester would pursue is an online poker etc webpage of the category which has top winning odds. Take care the online poker etc webpage is supervised by a reliable accounting firm in order to appraise the actual online games’ pay-out odds at fixed intervals. Always make sure that the virtual card-playing webpage holds a genuine license, e. g. by scrutinizing the ministerial approbation as featured on the casino site’s About page. If it’s not possible to discover any ministerial approbation on that virtual card-playing webpage, do not think of betting with that Web page. Learn here, win play casino anywhere! Sign up today.

Moreover, another chief tip is to try your luck first in smallish amounts rather than throw away top dollars right away. Check, first of all, the integrity of the virtual card-playing operator prior to chancing any dangerous injury- specifically financial ones! And now, our last consequential prompt regarding online casino gaming. It can only be this: to remind yourself always that gambling in an online casino should be about fun rather than big winnings. Gambling in online casinos isn’t a livelihood, on the contrary - it’s a pastime which ought to let you feel sunny and your overall life fun. Finally, after having kept to all these suggestions, you’re free to submit to the invitation of virtual card-playing…

Failure is a must to succeed in business and in life. So often we are told we can not fail, it’s a bad thing. From the time we start to school, till we go to the here after, fail, that 4 letter word is a bad thing. It is almost like a curse. My question is how do we learn and continue to grow if we don’t fail? How do we succeed in business if we don’t fail?

I started my first Home Based Business 2 years ago. I invested over $6000 just for the web site and the 10 mentoring sessions. That was on top of the $250 initial fees for set and a merchant account, that doesn’t include all the little fees (no one expects). What I received for this was an online store, web site, 2000 free useless hits, link exchanges (that I had to pay for and didn’t need to) and oh yes the useless mentoring sessions (that didn’t teach me anything). I worked hard on this site for 6 months (which doesn’t seem like a long time), except they told me I would be able to make back all my invested money in the first 3 months. I made nothing, and eventually lost over at least a $7000.00 before I decided to shut it down. To top it all off the company I went through gave me a hard time about shutting down the site and my merchant account. I had failed miserably. You would have thought that I would have been angry and upset, and initially I was. I received the “I told you so” looks, the rhetoric 9 out of 10 businesses fail etc. when I told people my business had failed.

But what no one realized is that I had learned so much. Not only did I learn what not to do, I also learned, that regardless of my business “failing,” that I loved the ownership of it and that no matter how many times the business didn’t pan out that I would continue to learn, grow, and to build businesses.

So since then I have looked over other online businesses, done background research, and have started another; that I am happy to say seems to be doing well. By failing, all that did was whet my appetite to do it again. 9 out of 10 businesses fail, but it is the 1 time that it doesn’t fail that I am after. So, when you look at your failures, look at them as a way to succeed, that has given you a wealth of knowledge and that knowledge is what you need to succeed in life and in business.

About The Author

Copyright 2004 Written by Lisa Saylor Author. Lisa has a business site about online business opportunities and articles at http://www.homebasedbusiness4all.com and has a online store and business opportunities.

lisa_saylor1@hotmail.com

Did you know that you can be a millionaire without knocking off a convenience store or winning the lottery?

Have you ever thought about what you spend? For example, if you make $36,000 a year, after 30 years you will have made (and probably spent) just over $1 million dollars — not accounting for growth or cost-of-living adjustments.

Over your lifetime, you will spend well over a million dollars. What are you spending it on? How much are you saving?

If you are like the average American, you are saving less than 3% of your income. That is less than $30,000 over your lifetime — not accounting for interest and growth.

Can you save a million? Yes, with the compounding of interest, it is definitely possible.

For example, let’s say that you have $$35,000 in your tax-deferred savings right now. You started early and saved a bit. If you can find $200 each month to save at a 9% rate of interest, it will take you just under 33 years to save $1 million.

If you don’t have 32 years, you will simply have to increase your saving allotment to fit into the time frame.

You don’t need to have a million before you retire, but sometimes it can be nice to know that you have more than you have to have.

You can simply sit back and dream about being a millionaire, or you can get up and make it happen.

Take tips from the wealthy. Run your life and family like a business. Track every penny that is spent or saved. Set goals and live frugally.

Protect yourself from potential financial disasters. Create an emergency savings account as the first savings you devote money to. You should have at least three months’ worth of expenses in this account. It will protect your budget from accidents, repairs, medical emergencies and job losses. You won’t have to worry about taking money from your retirement when the washing machine breaks down. Your budget won’t be blown when a tire goes flat. You have money that cushions you from emergencies.

You should also make sure that you have good insurance coverage. Have it on your home, your car, your expensive luxury items and your health and life.

You can have a lot of money in savings, but a car wreck without insurance will land you paying up in court. Don’t let your lack of health insurance drain your savings if you develop a serious condition.

It isn’t silly or self-serving to make having $1 million your financial goal. Keep your goals in mind every day. Manage your finances, don’t let them manage you.

With the right goals, a little self control and a lot of dedications, you too can find your million. It’s too much money to spend on things you won’t even remember in 30 years.

Martin Lukac, represents http://www.RateEmpire.com, a finance web-company specializing in real estate/mortgage market. We specialize in daily updates, rate predictions, mortgage rates and more. Find low home loan mortgage interest rates from hundreds of mortgage companies! Visit http://www.RateEmpire.com today.

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