Don't Fake It Until You Make It
Fake it ‘till you make it.This is a tag line that one of my former bosses was quite fond of. She would regularly represent our business as having capabilities that exceeded our ability to deliver. She never outright lied in her marketing efforts. She simply positioned us as a different kind of company – one that she thought our customers wanted to do business with. In the end she was setting us up for failure.Your brand positioning should be based upon your capability to deliver. This is as true for your personal brand as it is for a business brand. One of the key components in positioning yourself is determining who you want to attract as a customer. Ultimately, your brand is the sum of your customers’ perceptions of you. In order to influence the perception of your potential clients, you must achieve a high level of self-awareness.Here are a few things to keep in mind as you develop your brand:You are what you are. Anytime you represent yourself to be something that you are not, you run the risk of losing a customer forever. You need to position yourself as different and valuable. Those qualities must be your own. You must be honest with your customers – and with yourself.Consistency is important. Regardless of the business you are in, your customers must be able to count on you. If you want to impress your customer, don’t complete an assignment early one time – beat your deadline every time. Your client will know that you are the firm to call if she must have a critical project completed on time.Don’t count on getting a second chance. First impressio

How To Save Money On Your Inkjet Printer Cartridges
If you've ever bought inkjet printer cartridges, whether for your own business or your employer, you know how expensive they can be. It doesn't really matter what industry your business is in, you've probably got reams of reports, announcements, invoices and other paperwork that you have to print regularly.The end result of this constant stream of printing is that you have to replace the ink in one or more of your printers on an ongoing basis. This can send your monthly office supplies expenses through the roof, particularly if you buy your ink cartridges from your local office supply store. If you do a lot of printing, you can save quite a bit of money by ordering your ink online instead.Online ink retailers generally save you money in 2 ways. First, the "branded" ink from your printer manufacturer is usually less expensive. Online merchants don't have the same overhead as a traditional "bricks and mortar" store, and they pass that savings on to you in lower prices. They're counting on the fact that they'll make up the difference in volume.The other way you can save on your printing costs is by using remanufactured ink cartridges. As you would expect, these are recycled cartridges that are sold under a generic name.These ink cartridges are recycled versions of the original ink that have been thoroughly cleaned and tested to be sure they will continue to work properly. They are refilled with ink that meets the original manufacturer's standards.This remanufacturing has not always worked well, but it has come a long way in the last several years with most users reporting results as good or

Top 10 Reasons NOT to Start Your Own Business
Although I spend most of my time evangelizing about the benefits of entrepreneurship, I do want to throw a little reality out there for those who may look at it only through rose-colored glasses. Here are ten reasons why you may NOT want to start your own business:#10: You can't blame your lame boss for your problems. As much as you might have complained about your boss or "Management" in your corporate job, you might find yourself missing the person who takes the heat for big decisions. Whichever success or failure your company experiences is squarely on your shoulders.#9: YOU are all the departments in your business. You must take care of product development, sales, marketing, accounting, customer service, information technology, legal, procurement and shipping. Most of us do not have strengths in all these areas, so you must quickly learn what is necessary to stay within the law and in business.#8: No free office supplies. Did you really ever think about how much a paper clip or manila folder costs? How about a desk, no-glare monitor or printer toner? All of a sudden you will become aware of all the "hidden" expenses when you have to do it all yourself. And no, I don't suggest sneaking out the back door of your corporate job with a big box of supplies. Bad karma! (I will sheepishly admit to taking a pad or two of post-it notes in my time, and I am sure I paid for it somehow)#7: No safety net of a regular paycheck. Even if you do well in your business, most orders do not come in an orderly, timely manner as your paycheck does. Paying bills can be much more of a juggling act whe

The Lucrative Oil Rig Career Path
Oil Rig Jobs range from Offshore Oil Rig Jobs in Australia to Oil Rig Jobs in Alberta to Oil Rig Jobs in Texas. Below we examine the main oil rigs jobs available to those interested in working in the oil and gas industry.Leasehand oil rig positions are entry-level. The position exists to help inexperienced individuals become familiar with the activities around an oil rig. Individuals beginning as Leasehands can move up to the position of Floorhand within a short period of time depending on their ability and availability of other positions at the oil rig site.Leasehands perform various duties around the oil rig. They may be required to load and unload trucks, build fences, dig ditches, and assist other crew members with maintenance and pre-job preparedness. Leasehands are also responsible for housekeeping on the rig and often do extensive go-for driving on remote winter roads.Floorhands on oil rigs spend a lot of time working on the oil rig floor. There are usually two floorhands on a crew but smaller rigs often have only one. In general, floorhands on oil rigs• use wrench-like tongs to smoothly and quickly connect and disconnect the lower parts of the drill pipe when it is being lowered into and raised from the hole,• clean and maintain equipment,• catch samples of drilled cuttings to be analyzed,• assist in laying casing into a well after it has been drilled, and• assist other members of the oil rig crew wherever needed.Floorhands are also responsible for "housekeeping" on the rig:• cleaning the oil rig floor, and• painting or scrubbing around th

Why Create a Brand?
If you take all of the things we have mentioned about your company name and how it is displayed, you will be ready to create your own brand. A brand is more than a name but it starts with how you deal with customers, and how customers perceive you. A brand also entails having a logo that is easily recognized and is also identified with your product or service. When you are creating a brand, you need to look at many facets. Brands are not just rational facts; they play into the emotions as well. Your corporate identity, personality, and other things all come into play. Your message will need to be consistent and it must grab the audience. You will need to decide: How to develop the content or the words that talk about the brand What technology to use in promoting your brand What style you want to portray - whether it is play, or professional How the audience will interact with your brand What level of customer service will be associated with your brand What stationery will you use (letterhead, envelopes, labels, business cards, communications, memos, everything that goes into print or on the web) What colors will you use What name will you use for your company How will you answer your phone and cell phone What follow-up system will you use (yes, this fits into branding as part of customer relations) Will your logo on everything that goes out to customers or prospects Before you begin branding, make sure you are aware

Just Get To IT - Taglines that Grab Attention
Why bother with a tagline?Most consultants think it is better for clients to remember their company name rather than some logo or tagline. Although this is ideal, they may not be able to figure out what you do just by the name of your company. My company BizMechanix does give a hint of what we do but it is not specific enough for someone to get it when they see the name for the first time. Most consultants use their own name in the title of their company. I like this idea as it gives a professional feel but it absolutely does not let anyone know what you do. If you add a tagline to your name, then the chances of being better recognized are greater.In industry there are several taglines that you can instantly recognize and attach to a company name. “Just do it”, “innovation defined”, etc.When you are defining your tagline think about the services you offer and brainstorm some taglines that will work for you. Elizabeth Kearney and Associates has the tagline “The Experts Alliance” which shows that she has people she works with that are experts in their fields. It takes her organization from one level of expertise to a level that offers expertise that messes with the company core competency.Producing a tagline is not a one hour process. It takes time to define and come up with the right combination of words. However, it is well worth the effort. The tagline can be used to enhance all of your marketing materials, your branding, and your value proposition.Here are four steps on how you can create a tagline for your consulting practice.Step one: Make a list of one word descriptors for th