Sunday, August 5, 2012

Busy, Busy, Busy...

...busy, busy, busy, bus... OK, slap me with a wet diaper! Enough of that silliness. Most you know what I'm talking about though, right? That's us! Busy. Doing what? Stuff. What kinds of stuff? All kinds of stuff. Like what? You name it. Give me an example. Can't. Why not? Too busy...

OK - that's it! Blow the danged whistle! We need a Time Out!

Holy Smokes, Folks! We're going outta control. No, not all of us of course. But there are enough of us pushing our physical, mental and emotional limits that it's worthwhile talking about it. Let me ask you this. When was the last time you just kicked back and looked at the clouds to see what cartoonish kinds of figures or shapes you could see in them? Or the last time you touched a plant leaf and really thought about how it felt and how amazing it was that it was an actual living thing? Or the last time you strolled leisurely down the road or path and thought about nothing in particular? Or the last time you watched a baby sleep and enjoyed the feeling of being a part of a great creation? Or the last time you leaned back in an easy chair and snoozed - not because you were completely worn out, but just because it seemed like a neat thing to do?

How long has it been? An extremely long time? Never? Hmmm...

Many of us unfortunately, are the proud owners of the skewed assumption that we must always be doing something. OK, for those of you who have a tendency to get overly technical, we are always doing something - even when we're doing "nothing". You know what I mean. I'm referring to our obsession with physical and mental (and sometimes emotional) activity. We go to work, do stuff, talk with folks, go home, go to the store, go out to an activity, run errands, pay bills, haul the kids around, fix meals, do yard work, do house work, fix stuff, paint stuff, reorganize stuff, buy more stuff, watch TV, surf the web, and on and on. Even our vacations are so crammed with "doing" that we're pooped puppies by the time we get back home.

Yeah, I know. I have heard time and time again, "But I just have sooo much to do that I can't get it all done in a day!" Hmmm (again...). And I think to myself that there are several possible reasons for this comment. This person may be in a survival mode of operation and his/her day is filled to overflowing with more than one job, caring for loved ones and trying to meet the demands of everyday living. This can be tough, but we do what we gotta do. Or this individual may just be a bit disorganized and have a difficult time establishing logical priorities. Or, maybe he/she isn't really all that busy but for some inner reason would like others to think he/she is. Or maybe this person has a difficult time saying "no" for a variety of reasons. Or perhaps this individual has become so accustomed to being busy or having some type of auditory input or stimulus that to do otherwise is uncomfortable - again, for a variety of possible reasons.

We all have our individual, special reasons for being busy and admittedly, many of the reasons are completely valid. I'm suggesting however, that none of the reasons are valid enough. Every single one of us needs time to kick back for at least a few minutes each day to recharge our physical, mental and emotional batteries. And the busier we get, the more critical this re-charge becomes.

Most of us know, or have known, people who have succumbed to the Go-Go-Go Syndrome. We have seen everything from burn-outs to complete physical, mental or emotional collapse. Suddenly, the go-go-go has turned into a stop-stop-stop. Everything that seemed to be such a high priority dropped dramatically in its ranking - probably closer to the level it should have been at in the first place.

I think it would be very beneficial if we all made the small effort that it takes to reserve at least fifteen minutes a day just for us. Fifteen minutes for a time out to relax, meditate or just let the old brain cells cool down. Fifteen minutes to regroup and recharge our batteries. Just fifteen minutes. About one percent of our day. OK, considering all the other possible options, it might not be the absolute best fifteen minutes you've ever enjoyed in life but it's still worth doing. Give it a try. You'll like it...

About the Author

Gene Simmons, through NuPathz.com, provides an easy reading self-help blog, articles, quotations, thoughts and links along with affordable personal growth and self improvement books & materials - all designed to help folks find the road to a more enjoyable lifestyle, to pass on some of life's "secrets for survival" in a chaotic world & offer a few smiles along the way. It's a down-to-earth, simple approach to discovering a better life. Yo

Busy Businesses Can Benefit From International Banking

Busy businesses searching for ways to maximise their profit margins and scale their businesses could find that the specialist services provided by international banking could be just the financial solution they're looking for. Whether running an international business, planning extensive business travel or simply interested in the benefits of offshore banking, you could find that international banking holds the answer to your needs. Offshore banking is the name given to the use of banking services that are out-with the country of the depositor and international banking facilities are typically located on island nations. However, a number of Swiss and banks of other landlocked nations are also referred to under this umbrella term. There are a number of advantages to international banking services, for example, choosing international banking offers assurance that should the political situation in the home country become unstable, financial investments would remain safe in the offshore account. International banking services are also often able to operate on a lower cost base with smaller overheads meaning that they are able to provide higher interest rates than many onshore banking options. This is also due to the fact that government regulations are different for international banking as international banking options are not always subjected to the same taxes as domestic banks. Additionally, when calculating interest for international account, offshore banks typically offer interest without deducting tax which can prove an advantage to those who do not pay tax on worldwide income or who do not pay tax until the tax return is agreed. Tax neutrality in offshore banking means that it is easy for individuals and businesses to manage and plan their own tax affairs.While international banking has suffered from a slightly negative reputation traditionally, the regulations for the industry have increased significantly in the 21st century. Supra-national bodies are responsible for regulating the international banking industry and ensuring that they maintain compliance with international standards. The specialist accounts and products that are offered by international banking recommend offshore accounts to many businesses that are hoping to expand their operations or are searching for stable ways to manage their money out-with their home country. However, there is often a minimum limit of funds for those wishing to open international accounts - so it is worth checking with banks what these limits are when considering international banking options. While the advantages for international or growing businesses are apparent, there are also benefits to offshore banking for expats planning to take their career abroad or retire in the sun.

About the Author

Adam Singleton writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

Part 4 – The Heartbreak Comeback. Busy Busy Bee

You know a Bee lives for around 21 days and during that time its busy busy, buzzing around collecting pollen, helping to make honey. It doesn't really sleep it just grabs a couple of minutes "Shut Eye" and then off to work again. So the term "be as busy as a bee" is a good one, not that we want to live on 21 days at the pace a bee does but the "Busy Bee" motto is where today's "Heartbreak Comeback" article is going to lead us.Personal, Business, Health whatever the heartbreak we have had a bit of a sook and eaten some chocolate whilst we watched some old movies, well now it's time to open up the curtains, have a shower change out of those Pj's and get to being a "Busy Bee"Now I know a lot of you out there will be thinking "I'm not ready" I need more time" well sorry princess life has to go on, the world is waiting for you and most likely other people need you so cut out that Busy Bee Picture at the top of the page stick it on the refrigerator and let's get ready.Does becoming a Busy Bee make you forget? Does it fix all the issues that you might have to face? NO. But what it does do is stop the wallowing part of the Heartbreak Comeback, that part that can see you slip back into eating chocolate and watching bad movies. The other benefit of being a Busy Bee is it can stop you from the worst of results and that is slipping back into the situation that caused your need for a Heartbreak Comeback in the first place!Your "Heart Immunity" has not had time to grow so it's easy to say yes to that "lets chat" drink, or "lets have a coffee" " Lets discuss it over dinner" and next thing you know your waking up or driving home with that "Oh no what have a I done" feeling, and we don't want that do we?To build up our "Heart Break Immunity" we need time, we need to time to reflect, to think to really assess that whole situation so we can decide if we want to have that drink or dinner, to decide if it's really 100% over and move on or out. We need this time so if we are 100% committed to moving on either to find a new relationships or even a new job we can do that without falling back into old comfortable situations, and we can do it with a new lease of life and excitement.So what are you going to do be a little "Busy Bee" Well in my life of heartbreak comebacks and many people I have spoken to, the "Busy Bee" time is the best opportunity to start some new hobbies or get back into some old ones?Go back or start at the Gym, take up tennis, play golf, join a cooking class all of these things will keep you busy and have an added bonus, that being if you have decided it's all over and your ready to move on guess what? You may meet someone new or even new opportunities for Work and life may be introduced to you.So, up, up and away; time to build up that Heart Immunity, get busy like a bee.Big Hugs to youShane

About the Author

Are you wondering what does The Heartbreak Comeback is all about?

Okay, no need to feel alone. You are not the only person asking what The Heartbreak Comeback is all about. Yes, there are lots of people like you asking the same question. And as a help, let me share my knowledge of what comeback is all about.

In this link, you will be able to reveal the answer. Just click this The Heartbreak Comeback

Business to Business Banners

Business to Business is also referred to as B2B; It is a term that describes commerce transactions that are solely between business and not consumers. An example of this would be a transaction between a wholesaler and a manufacturer or a retailer and a wholesaler. There are two other contrasting terms, B2G (Business to Government) and B2C (Business to Consumer).


As a comparison between B2B and B2C the actually volume of sales is much higher in Business to Business, the main reason for this is business transactions in a typical supply chain tend to involve raw materials or sub components and a consumer transaction tends to be one item (the end product). An example of this would be a car manufacturer... the business transactions would involve the sale of all of the parts, where as the consumer transaction would be the finished product (one single transaction, the car itself).


The term B2B was coined originally to describe electronic communications between enterprises or businesses in order to distinguish it from consumer communication.

This was eventually picked up and used in marketing and now it is used all over the world to describe services and products used by enterprises.

However even though most marketing and sales people work in Business to Business a lot of trade publications and professional institutions focus a lot more on the Business to Consumer side.


If you are looking for these services there are a lot of companies out there that offer them, be sure to look around and find the company that best suits your needs.



In the advertising world there are two main categories, you could say advertising is split in 2 the two different types are Business to Consumer and Business to Business. In this article I will write a bit about both types and some of the companies that offer these services:


Business to Consumer


This side of advertising is for companies that wish to offer their products or services to the general public and not necessarily to other businesses. A good example of this is general high street shops, they all offer products that anyone off the street can come in and purchase. In an advertising sense here are some companies that offer advertising for Business to Consumer:


Yell.com - This is one of the larger companies offering this service, they offer advertising for pretty much any industry sector. You will be able to find services like Plumbers, Food Restaurants and Takeaways, Toy Shops etc.
Plumber Marketing - This one specialises in plumbers, if you are looking for plumbers this would be a very good place to go.

Business to Business


This differs because of the target audience. This is much more specialised and is aimed for companies to advertise their products or services that are for other companies to use or buy. If you offer something that is designed for use by other companies this is the advertising that you should look in to. Here are some companies that offer Business to Business Advertising:


Businessmagnet Ltd - One of the leading directories available
Applegate - Well known and been around for some time
Kellysearch - Probably the longest running, however becoming dated and not used so much

There are a lot of other companies offering both services, feel free to look around.



In my previous article I wrote about Unique Search terms and how they can help your advert, in this article I am going to write about another powerful feature that many Business to Business Directories offer:


Banners


When you go on to a Business Directory and start searching for companies, you may come across an animated Banner above the list of companies when you type in a product or service you are looking for. These are called banners; companies with adverts can purchase a banner and a set of unique terms that attach to the banner. It is essentially an animated flash file; the designers will take images and text from your own website and incorporate it into the Banner.


Once you have purchased one you will be asked to pick some terms (the amount depends on what you have agreed with the directory), these terms will belong to you for the duration of your contract and no one else will be able to purchase them.

Say you pick Mezzanine Flooring...Whenever some one goes to the directory and types 'Mezzanine Flooring' you banner will flash up at the top of the page above all of the companies that offer that product, this encourages people to click on your listing instead of others.

Whilst it does not have the power of the 'Search Terms' to get you world wide coverage, it is still a very effective method of drawing extra traffic into your advert and will increase the potential leads you receive.

Business to Business Advertising

Business to Business is also referred to as B2B; It is a term that describes commerce transactions that are solely between business and not consumers. An example of this would be a transaction between a wholesaler and a manufacturer or a retailer and a wholesaler. There are two other contrasting terms, B2G (Business to Government) and B2C (Business to Consumer).


As a comparison between B2B and B2C the actually volume of sales is much higher in Business to Business, the main reason for this is business transactions in a typical supply chain tend to involve raw materials or sub components and a consumer transaction tends to be one item (the end product). An example of this would be a car manufacturer... the business transactions would involve the sale of all of the parts, where as the consumer transaction would be the finished product (one single transaction, the car itself).


The term B2B was coined originally to describe electronic communications between enterprises or businesses in order to distinguish it from consumer communication.

This was eventually picked up and used in marketing and now it is used all over the world to describe services and products used by enterprises.

However even though most marketing and sales people work in Business to Business a lot of trade publications and professional institutions focus a lot more on the Business to Consumer side.


If you are looking for these services there are a lot of companies out there that offer them, be sure to look around and find the company that best suits your needs.



In the advertising world there are two main categories, you could say advertising is split in 2 the two different types are Business to Consumer and Business to Business. In this article I will write a bit about both types and some of the companies that offer these services:


Business to Consumer


This side of advertising is for companies that wish to offer their products or services to the general public and not necessarily to other businesses. A good example of this is general high street shops, they all offer products that anyone off the street can come in and purchase. In an advertising sense here are some companies that offer advertising for Business to Consumer:


Yell.com - This is one of the larger companies offering this service, they offer advertising for pretty much any industry sector. You will be able to find services like Plumbers, Food Restaurants and Takeaways, Toy Shops etc.
Plumber Marketing - This one specialises in plumbers, if you are looking for plumbers this would be a very good place to go.

Business to Business


This differs because of the target audience. This is much more specialised and is aimed for companies to advertise their products or services that are for other companies to use or buy. If you offer something that is designed for use by other companies this is the advertising that you should look in to. Here are some companies that offer Business to Business Advertising:


Businessmagnet Ltd - One of the leading directories available
Applegate - Well known and been around for some time
Kellysearch - Probably the longest running, however becoming dated and not used so much

There are a lot of other companies offering both services, feel free to look around.

Business to Business

Business to Business is also referred to as B2B; It is a term that describes commerce transactions that are solely between business and not consumers. An example of this would be a transaction between a wholesaler and a manufacturer or a retailer and a wholesaler. There are two other contrasting terms, B2G (Business to Government) and B2C (Business to Consumer).


As a comparison between B2B and B2C the actually volume of sales is much higher in Business to Business, the main reason for this is business transactions in a typical supply chain tend to involve raw materials or sub components and a consumer transaction tends to be one item (the end product). An example of this would be a car manufacturer... the business transactions would involve the sale of all of the parts, where as the consumer transaction would be the finished product (one single transaction, the car itself).


The term B2B was coined originally to describe electronic communications between enterprises or businesses in order to distinguish it from consumer communication.

This was eventually picked up and used in marketing and now it is used all over the world to describe services and products used by enterprises.

However even though most marketing and sales people work in Business to Business a lot of trade publications and professional institutions focus a lot more on the Business to Consumer side.


If you are looking for these services there are a lot of companies out there that offer them, be sure to look around and find the company that best suits your needs.

About Business-to-business

The concept of business-to-business is quite ubiquitous in todays business world. It pertains to the commercial transactions between businesses. The transactions between a manufacturer and a wholesaler or between a wholesaler and a retailer are instances of business-to-business (B2B) commerce. A typical supply chain is characterized by a large number of B2B transactions in comparison to any other type of commercial transaction in the same supply chain. Going by the example of an automobile manufacturer that makes multiple B2B transactions, it procures tires, glass for windshields and other bits and pieces for its vehicles. B2B has been evolving and currently is being used in a new context as well. Many businesses are now using it for communication and collaboration and are referred to as B2B communication.


Originally, the term business-to-business was used to describe the communications between enterprises so as to differentiate it from the communications between enterprises or businesses and consumers. In the current scenario, B2B is also used in marketing to describe products and services put into use by enterprises. B2B marketing strategies have assumed great significance because they are instrumental in its overall success. B2B branding, pricing, promotion, campaigning are some of the aspects of marketing strategies. Experts are of the view that B2B shares the largest part of all marketing while its market value far exceeds that of the consumer market.


According to the expert analysts, there are three factors which are driving the phenomenal growth of B2B marketing. The first is the revolution of technology which is constantly evolving thereby spawning newer products and services. Next is the entrepreneurial revolution. The companies are engaged in a cut-throat competition where the business adage is change or perish. Unexplored markets are being tapped aggressively while new uses of existing products are being found by way of innovation to maintain their competitive edge. The third revolution is taking place within B2B marketing itself. Traditional theories and assumptions are being challenged while conventional work processes are being replaced by new models and concepts. Building relationships with consumers a well as different forms of partnerships are the new defining mantra of marketing.


The impact of the internet on B2B marketing has been more than apparent. Internet is instrumental in presenting new opportunities to businesses while it improved customer service and retention. With its advent, new businesses which are of by-products by nature have emerged. If the glaring facts and statistics are what to go by, B2B is the next marketing phenomenon which is potent enough to change its dynamics for good.