Monday, March 26, 2012

How Outsourcing Can Grow Your Business |

The term ?outsourcing? refers to hiring others to complete a portion of your business workload. While this is a great way to free up some of your time, or complete projects you are not necessarily skilled in. ?Outsourcing some of your tasks can also help your business grow by leaps and bounds.

For instance, if you are in direct sales, you make money by selling products and recruiting people. Instead of spending your time answering emails, creating newsletters for your team and customers, manage your social media, you could hire social media manager or a virtual assistant to do those things for you. You will be able to take the time you would normally spend on those tasks and use that time to book extra parties.

If you are an internet marketer who creates and sells information products, a social media manager can grow your social media platforms which will dramatically expand your market. A virtual assistant can handle administrative tasks such as distributing articles and press releases, answering emails, and researching new topics. You can hire a ghostwriter to write your articles, special reports, etc. This will allow you more time to market and sell your product.

If you feel as though you cannot afford to outsource, there are actually many ways to do so on a budget. You can start outsourcing one or two tasks a month; you can add to this number as your profits grow and you can afford to outsource more tasks.

Finding someone to outsource your work to is very easy. If you belong to a message board or forum that is business focused, you can ask other members that you know and respect for referrals. Some of the members that you know may be service providers, themselves.

You can also visit sites such as www.elance.com or www.guru.com and post a job opening for free. The site?s members can communicate with you through a messenger system and bid on your job. If you do list your job, you are not obligated to hire anyone. You can also post your job opening through a service such as www.craigslist.org.?

Whichever way you go about posting your job, you will want to interview several candidates before you hire anyone. This can be done via email or phone. You should ask for referrals from others they have worked for in the past and to see samples of their work. Make sure they have a clear understanding of the project you want completed; both of you should understand the price that you will pay and when the project is due.

If you need assistance with your Social Media strategy and/or implementation we'd love to talk to you about it. ?Please email me at KMStarry@gmail.com.?

Also, we'd love if you would sign-up for our free weekly newsletter that will provide you with tips to help you grow your social medial following, positively impacting your bottom line. ?We will keep you informed of the newest trends and happenings in the industry. ?Please sign-up today by filling out the form on the right-hand side.

Source: http://www.starrynightsocialmedia.com/2012/03/26/how-outsourcing-can-grow-your-business/

san francisco earthquake san francisco earthquake terminator salvation terminator salvation jarhead montrose ronnie montrose

Coaching Tools 101: The Coaching Exercises and Templates I ...

I am often asked which Coaching Tools and Exercises I like best, use most, would recommend or would not be without ? so I thought this would be a useful article to write. Below, I share the tools that I think are?most universally useful?for coaches and our clients but, as I created them all, if I?m honest I really wouldn?t be without any of them! Please note that this is the second longer than usual article ? and again, I have tried to jam-pack it with useful tips for you! Enjoy.

I?d also love to hear from you which tools and exercises you use most ? or find most useful ? in your practices! Anyhow, here are mine:

  1. ?The Wheel of Life? Coaching Exercise. The ultimate coaching tool, it?s endlessly usable for different applications. Also see our article with 12 different ways you can use the Wheel of Life here.
  2. ?What Makes My Heart Sing???This coaching exercise draws out experiences where people are very present with themselves. You coach them to see how the experiences they?ve chosen are both easy to create and ? usually ? free! Great for helping people begin to understand what creates joy and happiness. Great for: life-coaching, spiritual workshops, one-on-one sessions and also for homework as part of values exploration.?Ultimately this exercise helps our clients connect with what makes them truly happy and to see how easy it can be to create that.
  3. The ?Big Rocks? Coaching Exercise?uses a powerful metaphor of trying to fit rocks, pebbles and sand in a jar and how we tend to?fill our lives with sand and pebbles first and leave no room for our ?Big Rocks? . The story and concept comes first and then a jar with ?Big Rocks? is used as a visual to help them prioritise their activities and cement the learning. You coach them around identifying, learning to prioritise and action the ?Big Rocks? first, and then to put their metaphorical pebbles and sand in AFTERwards. Great for:?Anyone who struggles with many priorities and tasks ? especially moms! Also great for business, executive, career coaches and corporate workshops to help with procrastination, improving productivity and being more focused.
  4. ?The Urgent Important Matrix?. This coaching tool helps people become very AWARE of how they could waste less time ? and be more productive. So like ?Big Rocks? it?s a great tool for business and corporate use. Great for: This coaching exercise is very versatile and helps absolutely everyone better understand how they currently spend their time ? and to identify and eliminate their unique time-wasters. With the amount of television, internet and social media usage these days this tool couldn?t be more relevant!
  5. ?Spheres of Influence?. This coaching tool reminds me of the serenity prayer ? to focus on what we have control over and let go of the rest. There are 3 concentric circles representing what we have 1) control, 2) influence and 3) everything else. The client focuses on a current issue and fills out the circles . This coaching exercise helps with identifying where and where NOT to spend their time and energy ? and decide which actions to focus on. Great for:?Life! OK, so any situation where your client is worrying over things they have no control over. Also, corporate situations where there?s a lot of change in the environment. This concept is a powerful take-home for workshops!
  6. The??Personal SWOT? Coaching Tool. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It is an age-old business tool that has been adapted for personal use. Who wouldn?t benefit from an inventory and understanding of their talents, skills and so-called ?weaknesses?? Great for: Fantastic coaching opportunities around the client?s ?opportunities? (goals) and ?threats? (self-improvement and actions). AND this tool can also be used for confidence boosting ? to help the client value themselves and spiritually to help them accept their weaknesses as part of the whole. I love this tool ? while it?s great for career, executive and business coaches, it?s also great for life-coaching and self-awareness generally.
  7. ?Energy Zappers? or ?Tolerations? Coaching Tool (Free). These are simple, powerful ?list? tools that help clients identify literally what?s zapping their energy or what they are tolerating. The coaching is around eliminating these energy sucks and freeing up more energy for their goals and life. Great for:?Anyone ? because we all have things that are zapping our energy. A fun group exercise in workshops where you?d like your client to free up more energy, this coaching tool is helpful for any type of coach with any type of client!
  8. ?Life-Mapping Tool?. This visual coaching tool gives a helicopter overview of significant events in a client?s life. It specifically asks for events of importance to the CLIENT and not what others would think. And because it asks for what is significant for THEM (not just so-called achievements) it gives clues to values, meaningful goals, limiting beliefs and more! Great for: This is an awesome tool to start a coaching relationship with. It?s more fun and powerful than interviewing a client or getting them to write out events ? and the relative ?peaks? and troughs give an instant overview for both client and coach to move forwards from together.
  9. ?Detox Relationships?. We ALL have difficult people in our lives ? and when it comes to family and work colleagues we may have little choice about it. This coaching exercise helps our clients assess who energises and who drains them. The coaching helps them find more time for people that energise them and less time or different strategies?for those who drain them. Great for: Fabulous for individual coaching ? whether in a career or broader life situation. Watch out:?While it?s excellent for a teleseminar, use with care in a workshop situation if people know each other ? who knows how they will appear on someone?s list or whether someone will feel they can be honest with a friend sat right next to them.

So, that?s the tools I think are most universal. But as I mentioned, we?d all love to hear from you which tools and exercises you use most ? or find most useful ? in your practices. Please add in your favourite tools and exercises by commenting below!

Find this helpful? Please use the??Share This? buttons below
and share with your friends and colleagues!

Source: http://www.thecoachingtoolscompany.com/launchpad/coaching-tools-101-the-coaching-exercises-and-templates-i-would-not-be-without/

trace adkins the darkest hour the darkest hour neverland marlins marlins wormwood

Crema On Top

How Crema Coffee Co. is finding success in a Starbucks-dominated city and industry

by Karen Brochu

There are so many smells, sights and sounds that are associated with coffee. The robust aroma of ground beans, the high-pitched gurgle of steamed milk, and the sight of long lost friends huddled in the corner catching up over a warm mug of their favourite brew. These are the simple pleasures that make up Geoff Polci?s everyday, and they spill into the street with the cool winter air.

After opening his first location of Crema Coffee Co. in the Junction in April 2008, the company has bloomed into four locations around the city of Toronto. Geoff has worked hard to separate his independent caf?s from the large chain coffee houses found on every corner.

?We have a strong focus on the coffee, so we only buy premiere specialty grade coffee from reputable roasters,? Geoff says proudly. Though they do make organic and environmental efforts, such as using recyclable cups and fair trade organic cane sugar in their stores, the focus remains on quality. While Geoff supports organic coffee, he will only bring it into his stores if it makes the grade.

This unwavering commitment to high quality coffee may come from the fact that Geoff and his wife previously owned a restaurant in Costa Rica. There, premium coffee and roasters surrounded him. After selling that business, Geoff wasn?t sure exactly what he was going to do, but he knew it would have something to do with coffee.

Eventually Geoff moved to Toronto and launched Crema Coffee Co. The third location of Crema is found on the Danforth. Several aspects drew Geoff to this particular area of the city. Primarily, he found the area to be lacking of any quality coffee establishments between Broadview Avenue and Pape Avenue. Robyn Urback agrees in the review written for BlogTO, ?[Crema] is filling the void of independent espresso bars on this stretch of the Danforth.? The area is also overflowing with young people, families, and people with a genuine interest in food and drink that, according to Geoff, have a ?more developed palate for coffee? and want something different from Starbucks.?

Being scrupulous about which coffees are available in his caf?s is not the only way Geoff separates himself from ?brand name? caf?s such as Starbucks and Second Cup. Crema features a smaller menu of options as compared to some of his competitors. He emphasizes his preference to do a few things very well, rather than to do a lot of things so-so. Even their baristas undergo rigorous training in order to assure total customer satisfaction. A trainee may spend three to six months behind the register before they are ready to make drinks. All this speaks to Geoff?s commitment to the customer: to provide the best experience, best coffee, and best service to customers each time they enter his caf?.

So what does Geoff, one of Toronto?s coffee elite, drink?

Espresso.

?Once you start drinking really good espresso, it?s hard to drink much of anything else.?

Source: http://onthedanforth.ca/2012/03/26/crema-on-top/

uss carl vinson holly marie combs unc basketball college basketball gunsmoke papelbon papelbon

Update: Microsoft decides to make good after getting smoked in its own game

Windows Phone Smoked Contest

Update: And just as we suspected, Microsoft's decided to do the right thing. Ben Rudolph (aka @BenThePCGuy) just tweeted the following:

Hey @sahaskatta , @Microsoftstore & I want to make things right. So I've got a laptop & phone (& apology) for you. Email me!

Wish it hadn't taken a public shaming, though.

Original: We've always watched Microsoft's "Smoked by Windows Phone" competition with a bit of amusement. On one hand, Microsoft hit a stroke of marketing genius here. (And lord knows it's had enough experiences in the opposite direction.) Put a Windows Phone up against anything else to see which can perform a specific task more quickly, and film it for posterity.

We've used Windows Phone. It absolutely can do some specific tasks pretty darn quickly -- often enough more quickly than other phones, and catching folks getting "Smoked" is YouTube gold. But it's also always been a bit of a techie carnival sideshow, albeit a popular one, as we saw for ourselves at Mobile World Congress. (No, I didn't actually get smoked, because I didn't belly up to that midway game.)

That brings us to today's tale. Skatter Tech's Sahas Katta writes that his Galaxy Nexus, armed with a couple weather widgets on the home screen, indeed was able to beat Windows Phone at its own game -- "bring up the weather of two different cities," Katta says. He had an ace in the hole: An option mod that bypasses the Ice Cream Sandwich lock screen and goes straight to the home screen when he presses the power button. The Windows Phone competition didn't have that, and finished "a split second later."

So Katta and his Galaxy Nexus won, right? Nope. the Santa Clara (Calif.) Microsoft store decided, after some gnashing of teeth, followed by some quick thinking, that it had to be to cities in different states. Oh. Good bye $1,000 custom laptop, hello "Smoked" pic of shame.

We're willing to bet Microsoft makes good here after this PR gaffe, and that some store employees might have seen better days. And let's hope Microsoft does it on camera, and posts it alongside its other "Smoked" videos.

Source: Skatter Tech, via WPCentral; more: Smoked by Windows Phone



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/JTaYJVU1n28/story01.htm

project m rubio brandon jacobs brandon jacobs washington redskins nfl draft 2012 colts

Get daily deals from authentic websites online

The present-day growth in technology has made online shopping a favorite option among many. The internet serves as an essential mode of communication on part of both the business enterprises and their target customers. It is through the respective websites that the traffic gets to know about the products, services, and daily offers that the businesses put up online for attracting customers. To make this bond stronger and allow you in encountering several items together at discounted prices, there has been an emergence of websites featuring deals. While, on the one hand, they help the business enterprises in promoting the required items, on the other, they let individuals experience offers of daily deals.

?

The websites operate in a rather simple manner and registering into them is certainly not a difficult task.

Just as you become a member of the website, you are entitled to view all the deals at one place. The items and the places to which they belong are usually divided into categories for the benefits for the users. You can get coupons that can be used for few days. The deals also come in the form of exciting travel offers. The addition of daily deals is enough to make a person spoilt for a choice. As such, they are given the option to sort by the categories, prices, discounts or perhaps the amount of time left since the offer was first placed on the website.

?

Registering into one such website helps save both time and money as one gets to know about all the best deals at one single site. The deal aggregator sites work in collaboration with the businesses that want to communicate a specific city- based deal.

The websites get a significant amount of commission from the business enterprises, and this is determined by the amount of people that the sites have been able to motivate into taking part in the deals. The business, too, get benefited in? a consequential way. Becoming a part of the daily deals often turns individuals into regular customers of certain products and services, offered by a particular organization.

?

While some daily deals websites offer specific items such as the digital products or the sports equipments, others feature a wide assortment of products and services. It is necessary to choose a website that seems to cater to your particular requirements. Make sure that you get informed on the regular updates so as not to miss the opportunity of grabbing an exciting item. The authenticity of the websites is an equally important concern, as it is certainly not desirable for you to supply the credit card details to an unrecognized site. Above all, it is best to take part in deals that are of real use instead of getting swayed away by the insignificant and irrelevant ones.

Source: http://leisure.ezinemark.com/get-daily-deals-from-authentic-websites-online-7d34dfa4cc01.html

million hoodie march tebow trade mike the situation jacksonville jaguars jacksonville jaguars benjarvus green ellis shaka smart

Sunday, March 25, 2012

9 years later, Kansas still special to Williams

North Carolina head coach Roy Williams laughs as he answers questions during a news conference, Saturday, March 24, 2012, in St. Louis. North Carolina is scheduled to play Kansas in an NCAA tournament Midwest Regional final college basketball game on Sunday. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

North Carolina head coach Roy Williams laughs as he answers questions during a news conference, Saturday, March 24, 2012, in St. Louis. North Carolina is scheduled to play Kansas in an NCAA tournament Midwest Regional final college basketball game on Sunday. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

North Carolina head coach Roy Williams answers questions during a news conference, Saturday, March 24, 2012, in St. Louis. North Carolina is scheduled to play Kansas in an NCAA tournament Midwest Regional final college basketball game on Sunday. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

North Carolina head coach Roy Williams answers questions during a news conference, Saturday, March 24, 2012, in St. Louis. North Carolina is scheduled to play Kansas in an NCAA tournament Midwest Regional final college basketball game on Sunday. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

North Carolina forward Harrison Barnes, center, answers questions during a news conference, Saturday, March 24, 2012, in St. Louis. North Carolina is scheduled to play Kansas in an NCAA tournament Midwest Regional final college basketball game on Sunday. At left is forward John Henson and right is head coach Roy Williams. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas head coach Bill Self answers questions during a news conference, Saturday, March 24, 2012, in St. Louis. Kansas is scheduled to play North Carolina in an NCAA tournament Midwest Regional final college basketball game on Sunday. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

ST. LOUIS (AP) ? It's been nine years since Roy Williams left Kansas, and he knows the Jayhawks and their fans have gotten over him.

No matter how much time passes, he'll never be able to say the same.

Williams would rather top-seeded North Carolina (32-5) face almost anyone but his "second-favorite" team Sunday, a trip to the Final Four on the line. None of the players who played for him are still at Kansas, no one on the Jayhawks staff has ties to Williams and coach Bill Self is building his own legacy in Lawrence.

For Williams, however, Kansas (31-6) will always be personal.

Williams says he tried to "give everything" to Kansas for 15 years, and will always have fond memories of his time with the Jayhawks.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-03-24-NCAA-Kansas-North%20Carolina/id-601c92b1f55e496b80d7b9bad53f6b8b

jay z and beyonce baby cpac powell the last lecture kim jong un josh powell madonna halftime show

Drug-resistant TB blamed on Indian treatment flaws

[ [ [['Witnesses said the gunman pulled up on a black scooter', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GzwOIW', '[Related: New York police tighten security at Jewish sites]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['test Zimmerman for alcohol or drugs', 11]], 'http://yhoo.it/Gzn6VF', '[Related: White House says Trayvon Martin is local issue]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['associated with such a small earthquake', 4]], 'http://yhoo.it/GTco9z', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/0/b4/0b493c1a47b6e3f97f8f48a2b251d7d4.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger', ], [ [['Fox News host Geraldo Rivera sparked outrage', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GKMVTk', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/2/7c/27c7367bc512d233ae1790b320a5e92c.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP Photo/John Minchillo', ], [ [['The charges signed against Bales include', 1]], 'http://yhoo.it/wZT5zV', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/7/a0/7a07c51b2aa0f39b1a23355046d13870.jpeg', '512', ' ', 'AP Photo/DVIDS\, Spc\. Ryan Hallock\, File', ], [ [['George Zimmerman, if I had a son', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/thousands-protest-fla-teen-death-1332387124-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/03/22/d761a49f3fcc99080a0f6a70670053cd-jpg_150905.jpg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/John Minchillo', ], [ [['Mohamed Merah', 10], ['prosecutor Francois Molins', 5]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/four-dead-in-french-jewish-school-shooting-1332173151-slideshow', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120321/2012_03_21t151508z_425380421_gm1e83l1sqs01_rtrmadp_3_france_shootings_raid.jpg', '630', ' ', 'REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier', ], [ [['Shortly after he wrapped up his victory remarks', 2]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/4-straight-romney-wins-washington-gop-caucus-1330835515-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/3/e9/3e9b0082c3c3111dcc19e3527ae94cc7.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/Steven Senne', ], [ [['best understands the problems of average Americans', 2]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/4-straight-romney-wins-washington-gop-caucus-1330835515-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/3/e9/3e9b0082c3c3111dcc19e3527ae94cc7.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/Steven Senne', ], [ [['Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GB2RVy', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/03/20/photo-1332257995646-4-0-jpg_171722.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AFP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/drug-resistant-tb-blamed-indian-treatment-flaws-163325199.html

honda generator honda generator cc sabathia ruth madoff ruth madoff in living color enews