Saturday, April 26, 2008

Candle Making 101

If you wish, you try your hand on the manufacture of candles, set aside for two hours a day next weekend, then with a simple project, with your old candles to test the water & 39;. S & 39; s & 39; it is the instant satisfaction you wish, you can see the fruits of your work in a few hours with a minimum of & 39; effort to supplies.
People often speak of candle-making and soap in the same sentence, as if similar experiences. The process & 39; n is not the same thing. If you thought that you can make your own soap, try the first candle. The process seems similar, but it is much easier and safer. If you have your own candles, you are simply melting wax, not the implementation chemistry experiments in your kitchen.
We & 39; ll give you a play-by-play overview of the process, but think c & 39; is a view & 39; together. Before that you are enrolled Shop-and-Play Maker candle for & 39; afternoon to instruct a number of regular & 39; step by step procedure beginning at d & 39; Internet. Here you will find hundreds of candles online projects, but d & 39; first recycling your old candles only d & 39; a feeling for the process. In this presentation, we describe the process of merging your old candles and give them a new votive candles.
If enjoy the experience & 39;, c & 39; is like cooking, you need more supplies before Starting your candle hobby seriously. With a little & 39; exercise, you can single hand-made gifts and leave your friends seduce you with something that you personally created.
Safety First
Anytime They work around & 39; an open flame, you have all the ingredients of & 39; a potentially dangerous situation. Work carefully to your safety and the spirit & 39; P and Q & 39; s at all times. Manufacturing candles requires your attention. Do not think once at work multitasking wax.
Materials and Preparation
Before hot start, you must gather the following:
Old candles - anything you accuse d & 39; other away
Votive wicks, tabbed
Votive Pre-mold (metal is the best )
Scissors
Silicone spray for metal votive molds
Old pans to the creation of a boiler & 39; & quot; double & quot;
Candy thermometer
Oven mitts
To minimize cleaning your burner is intended to cover with aluminum foil and the spread of newspapers and old rags on a flat surface area.
Prepare work of the Molds
If help you prepare your mold to & 39; advance She won & 39; t have encryption at the last minute, and the risk of the possibility of your wax cool before paying it.
Spray l & 39; within each mold with a silicone instructions on a pre can.
Place Tab votive candle wick in form, and make you aside.
Melt the Wax
This process, it is necessary to your wicks non attention.
Remove old labels so bare minimum to limit the clip burned wax.
If you wick.
Melt old glass candles, you & amp 39; ll need to melt the wax in glasses separately.
Pour the Molds
Allow cooling the wax from 160 to 180 degrees F.
Pour wax in the preparation and cool molds.
Allow wax shrink.
Melt repour them and let it cool to 180 degrees F.
Repour at the top of the molds.
Allow to cool.
Remove votive candle holder.
The the key to success, the preparation is the manufacture of candles and & 39; installation. If you have prepared and easy to achieve, you have a smooth melt to be paid. & 39; If you are not ready to advance & 39;, May wax cool faster than you prepare your work space and mould, the additional cost of time.
That & 39; he are all the candles to create any new candle from your leftovers. If you love the process, progress in establishing its own base of candles giving them as gifts, or even the creation of a new career & 39;.



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ACCOUNTABILITY - They are Still Missing The Point

Many in the government we are talking about accountability in business as a result of accounting scandals and stock market. President Bush signed the Corporate Fraud Act, which is supposed to make CEOs accountable. They are still missing the point about accountability. What we are really talking about is the responsibility of the law, no accountability! In addition, we are talking about accountability as if it were something that can be legislated or directed - can not!
What then is the accountability? Accountability is a combination of rules and responsibility (accountability = + liability rules). This implies a definable and measurable commitment to deliver a particular result. In other words, to paraphrase Harry Truman, which defines the buck stops " ", which is in all levels of responsibility. Much of the confusion stems from a lack of distinction between responsibility and accountability. Responsibility concerns the functions to perform, describing what should be done, without specifying how well or how timely tasks must be carried out. Responsibility is an action, accountability is the result (compared to standards).
The logical next question is: Who are accountable to us? Responsibility and accountability, by their nature, to infer a relationship. The answer is; our stakeholders. Interested parties are individuals or organizations involved in or may be affected by the company& 39;s activities. There is a diversity of stakeholders in any business or organization. Each shareholder has a different perspective and only need to be satisfied by the organization. For example, an employee has a need for security, a paycheck and a safe working environment. Moreover, an investor has a need for a reasonable rate of return on your investment. A customer has a need for a quality product or service that provides value. The local government has a need for tax revenues and on.
The by the business community has failed at the point of the party concerned, because it has taken an unbalanced approach to meeting the needs of stakeholders. For companies to succeed, must be held accountable at all levels for all the various stakeholders. For many years, business has focused on meeting the needs of investors rather than meet the needs of all stakeholders. For example, a company decides to reduce costs to drive up its perceived value for investors, and sets-off 1700 employees. What is the impact on the actors? Investors will see improved cash flow and reducing liabilities, bringing the perceived value of company stock higher. The Director-General realizes greater value to their assets (shares and stock options). The dismissed employee is out of a job and she realizes decline in value of its assets. The worker realizes maintained greater demands on their time, declining quality of working life and family life, greater stress, etc.
The impact on the organization is higher turnover (voluntary and involuntary) that drives costs Increases waste, reduces efficiency, and often loses customers. The myopic view of stakeholders is a threat to the long-term viability of the company or organization.
Business needs a fresh look at how they are being carried out in order to restore the confidence of its stakeholders. A few arrests not, the new laws is not enough, and the words of our politicians is not enough. We must rethink our business structures in terms of genuine accountability to our shareholders - all interested parties of ours! This requires reinventing our business in such a way that is responsible at all levels. Accountability must be linked throughout the organization to its strategic goal, his vision and values, as well as all stakeholders.
Accountability requires a commitment from all parties. That commitment must be based on the obligation to obtain predetermined results in a given activity. Such a commitment will come only when both sides have something to say in the construction of accountability. That responsibility not just happen, we need a system.
Any such system must take into account the obligations that all companies or organizations that have their interlocutors. Without an obligation, there can be no accountability. In business there are five fundamental obligations, including: * *
Survival obligation
essential work obligation
* Main markets obligation
* Main products obligation and
* Main obligation.
These territory obligations exist at all levels of the organization, although it can affirm little different at each level or department to department. They lead the company& 39;s mission and its strategic purpose. The five basic obligations are the basis for defining the work in terms of " The continuation of vital activities. " These activities, if that were not done according to certain standards, could harm overall operating results.
Continuing vital activities (CVAs) is the framework within which realistically achievable goals and develop. They help focus the work so that the goals reflect what needs to be done (results-based goals), rather than what will ensure that premiums are obtained (permissive goals).
We need to change the system permissive of the goals that many organizations have fallen victim to one that binds concrete results to the obligations that the organization has for those interested. These objectives require that standards be applied to ensure that the necessary results are obtained. The biggest obstacle to effective results-oriented objectives is a resistance of managers and subordinates alike to define appropriate standards. Standards development must be part of any system of accountability if it is to succeed.
There is a program available for the construction of a true system of accountability within an organization - which is called the " Reporting Management accounts " guidance system provided by the eaves Consulting Group, Inc. The " Accountability Management " guidance system provides a systematic structure based on five fundamental obligations. It creates a climate of mutual commitment to the obligations of both the management and staff. It helps organizations to analyze the work to identify Continuing activities vital to the success of its day to day operations. Once the CVAs have been identified for a position, " Accountability Management " guidance system requires managers and subordinates to sit down and discuss the nature of work depending on the results the manager has to reach from the subordinate. The subordinate then defines the standards you& 39;re willing to or able to achieve the deadlines. The discussion between the manager and subordinates produces a " Results " commitment for each of the identified CVAs.
The accountability orientation changes in the system of management attention from the responsibility to accountability.
http: / / Www.AleraGroup.com



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Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Make Your Time Count

If you are like most people today, you live a very busy life. You wake up in the morning and before you know it, bedtime is here again and you feel like you still have a million and one things to do. This can cause a lot of added stress in your life - stress that you don t need. So let us look at ways that you can schedule and prioritize your life to get more done in a day.
1) Sit down and write out all of your priorities. These priorities should be the things that are the most important in your life, not everyone else s life. What are the most important things that you have to get done every day? Now put these priorities in their order of importance. If you have deadlines to meet, the jobs with the closest deadline should be at the top.
2) Write out every hour of the day starting from the time you get up until the time you go to bed. Be sure to schedule meal times. To stay productive you have to keep yourself healthy and your brain fed. Try to schedule yourself for at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night. This will get your body and brain enough time to rejuvenate from your hectic day.
3) Insert your priorities into your schedule. Do you have a particularly difficult project that you have to finish? Insert it into your schedule during the time of day that you work the best. Some people are the most productive in the mornings, while others are more productive in the early evenings. Determine the time of day that you are at your best and schedule your most important projects there.
4) Don t try to schedule everything to be finished in one day. While it is tempting to try to get everything done at once, doing this will only make you feel rushed and stressed and your projects will suffer because of it. Extend them out over the period of a week or more. You can schedule an hour each day to work on individual projects. If you need more time to finish, request an extension from your boss if possible.
5) Be sure to schedule in free time every week. Everyone needs a little free time to just relax around the house or go out to a movie. Schedule in your household chores also. It doesn t have to be daily but you should schedule in enough time through the week to get things like laundry and cleaning done.
6) Mark through each item on your list when it is accomplished. This gives you the feeling of closure and accomplishment. It can make you feel less stressed by knowing that things are getting completed in a timely manner.
Just remember to make a schedule for a week at a time. This will help you to plan ahead and get psychologically ready for your week. Schedule tight. Do not leave a lot of time in between projects. This is just wasted time that could be better spent. Don t be afraid to adjust your schedule if you find that something is not working. Be flexible, because life is unpredictable.
The most important tip of all, once you make your schedule: Use It!
Shafir Ahmad is the author of The Experts Guide to Managing Your Time. 95% of the general population aimlessly wastes their time. Don t waste yours! Get your 7-Part eCourse on Secrets To Better Time Management at http://www.PlanYourTimeNow.com



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Thursday, April 10, 2008

Why Pay for Advertising That Does Not Yield Sales, Increase Your Conversions

Why pay for advertising that does not yield sales?

Before you part with your cold hard cash, consider various ways to increase and maximize your conversions. The term conversion simply represents the number of website visitors that take the action that the web publisher desires. In most cases, conversion refers to an individual browsing a website and purchasing the product(s) or service(s) being sold. The idea is that a browser has been converted into a buyer.

What if you could increase the number of people that visit your site to customers who purchase or take action on your site by 1 percent. What would a 1 percent increase in conversion mean to your bottom line? Even on low ticket items, a 1 percent increase in conversions can be potentially staggering when considered over time.

How do you increase conversions?

Obviously the copy is critical in converting a browser into a buyer and while a webpage should be optimized for search engine spiders, search engine optimization should not be at the expense of web surfers. Webmasters must balance search engine optimization with sensible copy that calls the website visitor to the appropriate action.

What about advertising?

Keyword advertising can be very effective. In order to increase the conversion of keyword advertising, create continuity between your keyword and your landing page. Use the same words in the ad as in the landing page. Keep in mind that landing pages do not have to be part of a websites normal navigation. Webmasters can customize landing pages to cater to a specific audience, advertisement, or search term.

Ultimately, the goal is all about ROI or return on investment--publishers aim to make more than they spend. For every dollar you spend in advertising, you want to make a profit of $ 2.00 or better. That means in many cases you will need to monitor any changes in sales and web traffic, and determine what specific actions are resulting in the sales increases.

When evaluating advertising campaigns, consider whether the results will be long term or short term. Long term results from a short term expense could involve a website design. Short term results are generally things like ezine advertisements that result in sharp sales spikes that don t generally last.

Consider whether the expense is a one time cost or ongoing. Equally important, determine whether you can reliably track and measure the results of the advertising campaign. Can the results be reproduced by spending more money?

Targeted advertising will convert at a higher rate than non-targeted advertising. It is critical that advertising be targeted, so that you can maximize your conversion and increase your ROI.

On the other hand, if you have a low conversion rate, spending money on advertising is not likely going to produce significant results or a high ROI--so before you part with any hard earned cash take a look at your conversion rate.

Why pay for terms that are not converting?

Monitoring is critical to any advertising campaign. As a webmaster, you have a whole host of tools that allow you to track the actions that your visitors take. Use these tools to analyze and test theories that relate to conversions. When determining areas of low conversion, evaluate weblogs. Look at the abandon rate by viewing single access web pages. Use cookies to track the actions that browsers on a website take, do they return and purchase at a later date? Another option is to track customer actions using javascript that is embedded in the website s webpages.

Pay particular attention to what keywords result in traffic, and what keywords result in actual sales. Anyone can purchase traffic with the keyword phrase "free money" but how many of those who click are going to take the desired action on your webpage? Keyword terms that are closely related to the product or service being sold are going to have a higher conversion. It is important to filter phrases or keywords, that do not convert or result in unrelated traffic (due to synonym use).

What about the landing page?

When designing the landing page think about the action you want and emphasize it; remove all other distractions from the webpage. The landing page should be designed in such a way that the website is driven to the action you wish for them to take.

Unique URLs or special landing pages can be instrumental in tracking a advertising campaigns success. They are also helpful when you conduct split-testing sending users to different web pages, and then tracking the actions that result.

What common problems result in poor conversions?

Poor web site design can result in a low website conversion. Websites should explain the product or service is that you are selling in simple terms. The website navigation should be intuitive, and it should not be difficult to locate what visitors are looking for. Avoid vintage web graphics that are of low quality, or fonts that are unreadable. Avoid color schemes or font size that alienate web visitors, colors should be used to highlight important points. Webmasters should avoid small font sizes or fonts that are not easily readable.

While some items are easy to measure, others become a little more nebulous, it is difficult to know whether enhanced graphics will increase sales, but they should be considered when evaluating a poor conversion rate.

Copyright 2006 Sharon Housley



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