The internet allows you to do whatever you want
whenever you want. There is an endless amount of opportunities for
entrepreneurs to pursue, including starting a Christian business
online. However, it can be a bit difficult to determine when you have
crossed the line with a business like this. What should people consider
when starting an Internet Christian business? Should
they only consider Christian products like T-shirts, Bibles, crafts, or
jewelry? Would it be wrong to consider yourself a Christian
business if you did not promote only these items?

Of Course not, Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” It does not
say, “Sell all the T-shirts, Bibles, crafts, and jewelry you can.”
You can  promote affiliate programs that have the moral integrity
described in God’s plan and word. If you make sure to only promote
businesses that are honest and legitimate, then you can feel
comfortable and assured that God will Bless your efforts. 
Remember Proverbs 22:16, He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.

When
have you crossed the line when it comes to making money by promoting
God and your beliefs? This is a difficult question to answer because it
really depends on the person. There is nothing wrong with promoting
your beliefs and spreading the knowledge with others. Where it becomes
a bit wary for people is when money becomes an issue. I believe you
have crossed the line when you perpetrate the Christian name in pursuit
of making a big profit immorally.

I think you have crossed the line when
you promote credit solution companies advertising to reduce your debt
30 – 70% and all it turns out to be is the ole 700% to 800% interest
pay day loan. Then there is the scam which has all the neat and
impressive Christian advertising on the outside for a Christian
business opportunity. You give your name and email address just to
enter the site and find out you can pay 250 – $350 and they will give
you the same exact website to promote and sign up the next sucker so
you can give him a website just like yours. There is never a product, just an
exchange of money for websites.

Starting a Christian business can
be a bit sketchy as you want to share your knowledge and beliefs, but
you obviously need to make money as well. The great thing about the
internet is you can make money doing what you enjoy. And if sharing the
Christian religion and honest and legitimate business opportunities to
others is what you enjoy, why would there be anything wrong with making
money from it?

What you have to understand is you are not
boasting yourself or taking all of the credit. Yes, you are running a
business and profiting from it. But you have to realize that you are
doing so by glorifying the blessings of the Lord and praising him for
giving you such an opportunity to take advantage of. As it is said in
Deuteronomy 8:18,  “But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who
gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant,
which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.”

You have to
realize that running a Christian business does not mean it belongs to
you. While you will be the one earning the money and doing the work,
the business truly belongs to God. If you approach your business with
the understanding that you are a partner in this business with God, you
can rest assured you have done nothing wrong.

Success with a
business comes just like success in any other facet of your life; with
hard work, dedication and the belief that God will be there every step
of the way to watch over you. You have to believe that God will approve
of your actions toward promoting him and sharing the knowledge and love
for him. Despite the fact that you are profiting from it, you are still
doing a good thing over the internet.

And be assured,
there is a huge cross-section of people interested in Christian
products, information and e-books. People also are looking for an
opportunity to start their own internet business and they search out
what they hope to be that honest and legitimate business for them. You
have the opportunity to profit greatly from doing something you enjoy
ever so much. Do not be afraid to cross that line when running your
own Christian business from home. Just make sure you obey God’s word and you should find your business from home a Blessing.

Make
sure to develop a bathroom remodeling plan and use a standardized bathroom
remodeling guide and/or bid sheet when kicking off a bathroom renovation
project.

Bathroom
remodels are a hot ticket in the home remodeling industry today. With more
homeowners convinced that they will be staying in their homes a lot longer than
they had originally planned many are opting to improve the live-in value of
their homes.

Many
homeowners view a bathroom remodel as the perfect place to start in improving
their home’s living space. It’s a room that gets a lot of use, it’s relatively
small in space, and there are a variety of features that can be included in it
to accommodate any budget. A bathroom remodel also has a high return
on investment. 

However,
prior to jumping into a bathroom renovation project it is wise to first do your
homework and make a decision on whose going to do the work. It’s also important
that you put pencil to paper and map out the key features you want to
incorporate in your bathroom remodeling plans. This list will also help
you cost out your bathroom renovation plans, at least for the materials. Keep
in mind that a bathroom renovation is a major financial investment and
will interrupt your family’s busy lifestyle for a month or longer. 

If
you plan to hire a bathroom remodeling contractor then you may want to use a
bathroom remodeling guide or a standard contractor bid sheet. You can find them
on HomeAdditionPlus.com or a variety of other websites. A bathroom
remodeling guide or contractor bid sheet will help you find the right
bathroom remodeling contractor for your specific bathroom renovation goals.

Look
for a bathroom remodeling guide or bid sheet that includes an in-depth
questionnaire that you can provide to prospective remodeling contractors for
them to fill out. Also make sure it includes expected answers from contractors
so that you can easily evaluate the contractors’ bids and responses. After
comparing the various questionnaire and contractor bid responses you’ll
quickly be able to determine who is the right contractor for your bathroom
remodel project.

So
before hiring any old remodeling contractor off the street do your homework and
use a standardized contractor hiring guide and bid sheet. The last thing you
want to do is hire the wrong contractor and end up wasting thousands of dollars
on a bathroom remodel that doesn’t achieve the features and look that you are
ultimately seeking in your renovated bathroom.

When writing a business proposal Executive Summary we suggest the following flow to the structure of this part of your sales document:

– What’s the requirement?
– What’s the ideal solution?
– How does your solution solve the buyer’s problems?

An Executive Summary is like a mini-proposal, so when you respond to an RFP (request for proposal) you will have the opportunity to answer the first two questions in more depth. So in your proposal section “Our understanding of your requirement” you can demonstrate your understanding (the need or problem) of the client’s business issues. Only when this is identified and clarified can you go onto present a solution to the problem. This is the real “sales document” part of your proposal where you set out how you will meet the requirement and solve client problems.

The way you structure this section and write your tender or bid (and it’s sub-sections) depends on the kind of product or service you are providing and also the way that the RFP requires you to respond. However, whatever the specific content, the key to writing winning proposals is to ensure your solution focuses on how you solve the client’s business need.

The aim is to present a solution so compelling that the client believes that you are uniquely capable of delivering the contract. It’s not enough to say ‘we can do it’ – this is the time to say ‘we can do it’, ‘this is how’ we do it and ‘this is what makes our solution different, and better, than the competition’. This is the time to present and expand on your win themes developed in your Bid Capture Plan or Account Management Strategy.

In your win themes always:

– Pick your competitive advantages that are important to the client
– Emphasise the value to the client
– Back them up with evidence
– Use them in your business proposal
– Use win themes to present your differentiators within the context of your solution and back them up with evidence.

In many cases a table of compliance can be included. This useful when there are detailed and specific requirements listed in the RFP and it provides a visual reference to the buyer that they can refer to.
It is important that if you submit a table of compliance that you are compliant! You can be sure that your competitors will be. There are two reasons not to be compliant and submitting:

– You have a superior alternative that doesn’t impact on the remainder of the requirement
– The requirement is not mandatory and the rest of your solution demonstrates your superiority

 However remember that non-compliance can often lead to an early exit from the procurement process.

If you are thinking of submitting a non-compliant bid, then first talk with the client and ask them if they will be happy to accept it.

How does Design Psychology help stage your home for a top-dollar sale? Beyond the usual de-cluttering and super cleaning, you stage your home with suggested activities that speak to your buyers’ feelings.

A new service for home sellers, home staging, helps property owners prepare their home for the best possible sale. Home stagers visit your home and either tell you how to redesign it or actually do the work for you. These services do great work, but they don’t always understand residential Design Psychology. They know what sells houses, but many home stagers could benefit from a little interior design and marketing psychology training to assure the homeowner of a quick top-dollar sale.

How does Design Psychology help stage your home for a top-dollar sale? Design Psychology helps you with emotions: yours and your prospective buyers’. You must learn to love your house at the same time you learn to let go of your home. When you remember why you bought your home in the first place and clean it up with love, your care radiates throughout. Your buyers pick up on the undercurrents in your home; they desire to buy happiness and a new lifestyle. You need to emotionally let go of your home so that you can be objective about staging your house. Thinking of your house as an investment or product for sale clears your emotions to pack up your personal treasures, which instill your personality. This means that you create a new setting for your buyers, one that allows them the freedom to visualize their own personal treasures in your rooms.

Design Psychology also helps you make easy choices in your home redesign. Understanding your target buyers’ emotions means that you know what to leave in your home and what you need to take out for home staging. Beyond the usual de-cluttering and super cleaning, you stage your home with suggested activities that speak to your buyers’ feelings. Home buyers desire to feel happy, relaxed, and smart about their home choice. Therefore, make over your home with design details, such as colors, lighting, patterns, and textures which support the buyers’ feelings. Happy colors depend on the selling season; use warm colors in cool climates and cool colors in warm seasons. Balance with relaxed colors like grays and sky blues. Stage “smart” activities like reading and playing chess.

Also, you will know, without a lot of agonizing, which colors to paint the exterior. For instance, perhaps you only need to repaint the front door to attract your specific type of buyer. If your property costs less than the average home in your market, you’re targeting first-time home buyers. These buyers–typically young and unsophisticated–prefer basic, uncomplicated colors. If you’re selling during warm weather, you want to offer a cooling oasis. Maybe, like 80% of houses, your home is basic tan or cream. In this case, you would choose cool blue or green to freshen your front door.

Design Psychology strategies help you makeover your home with the buyer’s profile in mind. House buyers pick the home they can’t live without, even if it costs more than the house next door. Stage your home to attract your target buyers’ emotions and sell your home, fast, for top dollar.

Content   2005 Jeanette J. Fisher.  All rights reserved.

A few weeks ago (April 18, 2007), Discover Financial Services launched a new business credit card that offers frequent flier miles to small business owners. Among the credit card brands, Discover was one of the last to start offering business credit cards to the small business sector. Reportedly, this is only the latest in a virtual avalanche of business credit cards designed for small business.

One cannot but wonder at the sudden interest.

Perhaps a glance at recent research material will offer some clues. Data shows that in 2006, the small business sector spent $4.9 trillion; but only one-twentieth (5%) of that money was paid through business credit cards in any form (credit or debit card). The credit card companies now want in on that huge market, and believe they can induce small business owners to not only make use of their business credit cards but also to spend more on their cards.

To achieve this, the credit card companies will have to convince the small business owners to use business credit cards in less traditional ways. Traditionally, business credit cards have largely been used to cover travel and entertainment expenses. What card companies want is for businesses to use their business credit cards for everyday spend.

This is the reason behind the new cash back rewards business credit cards. These cards offer 5% discounts on purchases of office supplies, gasoline, courier services and other essential business needs. MasterCard even went as far as launching a business credit card targeted at a specific industry: contractors and construction companies. MasterCard was also the first card company to provide zero-liability protection to small business credit card holders.

Discover’s recently launched business credit cards offer small business the chance to purchase checkbooks. This enables small business owners to pay for purchases from vendors that don’t accept business credit cards. These checkbooks tap into the spending limit on their Discover business credit cards. Visa offers a directly competing program.

American Express sponsors various networking events for small business credit card holders. It also features one of the most extensive business resource databases to help users of its business credit cards to address and resolve their everyday business management problems and concerns.

How big is the potential market for business credit cards, you may ask? If you take the $4.9 trillion small business spending in 2006 and double the current business credit card spend from 5% ($245 billion) to 10%, you have $490 billion. If you charge 15% interest on that, you have a $74 billion potential contribution to profits. In fact, market research companies forecast double-digit growth in small business credit cards between now and 2010, and total charges are projected to reach $740.2 billion by that year. That is a lot of profit.

It has been an uphill climb to get small business owners to subscribe to an expanded use of business credit cards. It takes time, but eventually business owners will respond. One issue that business credit card issuers will have to address is the marked preference of small businesses to pay their full balance for the month as and when it falls due. Card companies do not earn from such transactions. That should be food enough for thought.