How to Start and Suceed with a Home Business

No matter who you are, remember everyone starts from ground zero as far as experience is concerned. Building a home business is no different. One will have to lay the foundation first of all which will consist of choosing a product or service, that requires knowledge of what you are trying to sell. You can't help your customer very well if you are unable to fully answer their questions. Do your research so that you may present yourself in a professional manner. This will compliment you in the future.


Learn how to promote your business. The big companies learned this long ago or they would have never become big. If you don't believe me look at the flyers in your mailbox or just open the paper. Advertising is the key to letting the world know that you have something that they need or want. You can not drive down the street with out seeing signs, posters, billboards, or a store window that says 30% off. Remember advertising is your voice, without advertising no one will know you exist. The louder your voice the more that will hear. Isn't that what you want, for them to come to see what you have? Don't whisper, scream to the world!


Now that you have brought the customers into your store whether it be a physical store or an internet site, be excited about your products or service. People love to be around exciting people. It creates an atmosphere in which sales are much easier to make. Let them know that you believe in what you are doing, in other words don't be a fake, customers can sense this and are turned off by it. If there is a warrantee or guarantee let them know this, it will help to make the sale. Always let the customer know that you are going to be there to assist them if any problems arise.


Now you need to establish a customer database, keep in touch with your clients on a regular basis. This is important! Send them advertise-ments, inform them of new products or services that you have added to your business. These steps will help you create confidence with your clients. It is also important to ask them for their feedback and suggestions that might prove to be beneficial to your business. Remember the customer is looking from another vantage point and may be more helpful than you might imagine.


Finally, don't be afraid of change or updating your business when needed. Times and trends change rapidly these days. Technology demands changes and requirements continually. Most of the time it is to our advantage to change with it so that we can meet the needs of an ever changing world and customer demands.


Just as computers and software demands are changing, so are the needs of your clients. The world is always moving and so must you to keep your business healthy and prosperous. By following these basic rules and using good old common sense you can and will have an enjoyable and rewarding business future. You make your own future...so make it bright!

How In Control Are You

Are you in complete control of your life or do you let others make all the major decisions about where you’re going, who you’ll do when you get there? Try this fun quiz to find out.

1. You’re invited on a fab holiday with a mixed group of friends, male and female, but you know your parents won’t approve. You:
1. Tell them but go anyway and to hell with the consequences. It’s your life, right?
2. Lie to them, either pretending it’s an all female group or that the trip is necessary for work or study.
3. Try to win them over, invite a couple of these friends over so they know your mates are not axe murderers or druggies. But you won’t go if you don’t win your parents’ blessing.

2. Some friends plan a cinema outing but you don’t fancy the film they’ve chosen. You:
1. Keep quiet about it. Why rock the boat? You’ll find someone else with whom to share your choice of film.
2. Say you don’t fancy the film but will meet them later for a drink.
3. Demand they all go to see your choice of film – your taste is infinitely better and your ability to argue stronger.

3. When you’re out with your man, how do you feel about who picks up the tab?
1. He does, of course, even if you earn more. That’s what are for, surely?
2. You do, mostly, because you like to pay your way and it means you always get to go where you want to.
3. No matter who earns most, you always split it down the middle for fairness.

4. What is your idea of having fun?
1. Life is a rollercoaster and you just ride with it. You like a wide variety of fun-filled activities, so long as there are lots of them.
2. You hate big crowds and funfairs and prefer small, intimate gatherings. You shine best at dinner parties, restaurants or nights in with the girls.
3. It all depends where the fun people are. You’re happy to join in whatever your friends are doing.

5. Your boss has been extremely critical recently and you can’t seem to please her. You:
1. Have it out with her, ask her what her problem is. You know you’re doing a good job and, if she doesn’t like it you know darn well you could move.
2. Ask your friends and family for advice but, be honest, you don’t have to take it. You just need warm shoulders to lean on right now.
3. You look at your performance overall, find ways to improve, then put then put them into action. You only confront her if she’s still unsatisfied.

6. When bills, like credit card statements, arrive at the end of the month, what do you do?
1. Shove them in a drawer till you vaguely think it’s time to pay them. You’re frequently behind with payments so get clobbered with late payment charges.
2. You file them away in date order and them pay them in time, but always at the last minute.
3. You’ve set up standing instructions with the bank so you just check to make sure the right amount has gone out.

7. When do you plan your big holiday of the year?
1. As soon as you get back from the last one.
2. You always go for last-minute bargains, it’s more fun that way.
3. By poring over brochures endlessly before making a final decision.

8. You believe that taking good care of your health is …
1. Something you know you should do and you know what you should do too. And you will – once you hit your 30s or 40s.
2. You exercise regularly, never smoke, hardly drink, eat a balanced diet and get plenty of sleep.
3. You know what you should do and you follow it most of the time but you lapse at times. Still, you try, don’t you?

HOW YOU SCORED

1. a-3, b-2, c-1
2. a-1, b-2, c-3
3. a-1, b-3, c-2
4. a-2, b-3, c-1
5. a-3, b-1, c-2
6. a-1, b-2, c-3
7. a-2, b-1, c-3
8. a-1, b-3, c-2

Control Freak (24-18) Boy, are you a controller! The higher your score, the more you are in control of your life. Or would like to be. You’re just like Madonna, organizing your life so spectacularly that even your children come in the right order, on time, and when you want them. Your wedding will be, like hers, a major opportunity for people to see you exactly as you want them to. Like her, you’ll have every detail sorted. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? For goodness’ sake, lighten up. Life cannot be totally controlled. Ask yourself why you need to be in such control. Let go a bit more and you might finally do what you fear most – enjoy yourself.
	Smooth Sailer (17-11) You like a bit of control over your life but you’ve no illusions. You know control is, well, an illusion. So you do what you can to control what you can but you don’t mind letting others sometimes lead the way, or let life take you where it will. Life isn’t completely about fate but nor is it something where we have total control over the script, principal players and plot. You recognize that. You’re healthy, fun to be with and friends appreciate you. Just make sure those parts of your life you are trying to control are the ones that matter – mostly your health and finances. As for the rest, have fun. Don’t be too hard on others if they don’t share your balanced attitude to life.
Doormat (10 or less) You’re either a complete wimp or, much more cleverly, you prefer to let others take the sweat out of your existence and make all your decisions for you. You’re so easygoing and laid back, you’re practically falling over. You don’t mind what happens to you. You know you’ll enjoy it. But you could be in denial. Maybe you fear others won’t listen to you so you just go along with what they say. Perhaps you fear trying to have more control over your life because you understand how hard this can be. Maybe you’re a youngest child or someone who has a “rescue me” script – you’re just waiting for others to make your life okay. It won’t work. Your need to grow up a bit. It’s fine to be easygoing, but try to form some opinions of your own.

Discovering ones own body – with the help of a partner

Too often women expect their men to pleasure them without having first identified what they like. This is not to say that women do not recognize when something feels good, rather, what I am suggesting is that some women do know what the literal motions are that cause them to feel good. Thus, this exercise is designed to help women identify which motions are most pleasing to their own bodies. Given that this is a two-person exercise, the male will also benefit from this exercise. Not only will he be with a woman who has a greater awareness for her own body, but he too will have learned with her what types of motions turn her on the most!

This exercise begins when the male has an erection and the female is lubricated. Some couples prefer masturbating to ensure a ‘hard’ erection and a ‘wet’ vagina. If the woman is having trouble lubricating, sometimes adding a little bit of Astroglide, a water based lubricant, is helpful. Once wet, engage in coitus with the woman on top. Specifically the male should lay still to encourage the woman to engulf his erect penis with her vagina. The woman should then move her hips in as many different ways as she can think of, all the while taking note of which motions feel the best to her. Having discovered what feels best, repeat, but this time changing the position of the knees / legs. Specifically a) squatting, b) sitting upright with legs out in front (so the motion comes from using your arms to help move you, c) laying down with both feet being near each other d) kneeling while leaning forward e) kneeling while sitting upright. Again move the hips in all different directions a) forward, b) side-to-side, c) circular and d) up & down. Throughout all of these positions their should be silence between the partners. The goal of this is NOT for the male pleasure, but rather for the female pleasure. She is simply moving for her own excitement. Then, at the woman’s command, the man should tilt his pelvis a) back, b) none c) slightly forward d) all the way forward. Again, the woman will need to repeat all the different positions so that she will be able to determine which positions causes her the most arousal.

Helpful hints:
. . . .tell your partner how much this exercise is turning you on. Tell her let go of her inhibitions and to ‘ride you’ any way that feels comfortable. Get creative verbally and find ways to give her permission to be selfish and just to focus on her own sexual pleasure.

For the female . . .use this as a great opportunity to focus on yourself for once. Too often lovers spend too much time trying to please the other and they forget about focusing on self. Remember sometime knowing that someone is orgasmic from their penis is as much of a turn on as receiving a blow job.

Vaginal Dryness

(written by Kelly Connell, MS.Ed.)

Ask Kelly,
I have recently started to have problems with vaginal dryness due to my age. I will be talking to my doctor about this to look at options. This question may seem silly but since I have never had to use lubrication before I would like to know how and where to apply the lubrication to make it most effective and to make it last the longest so we don't have to stop to reapply if possible. Also suggestions also on what products work best. We use condoms so the product has to be condom friendly to. Thanks for your help.

Dear Suzanne,
You did not mention how old you are or if you are going through menopause but I will try to give you some tips that may help you. First, you are absolutely correct when you mention talking to your doctor. He/She may want to give you hormone replacement therapy. Also, vaginal dryness can be a side effect of certain medications.

There are NO silly questions! I am glad you felt comfortable enough to write to me. There are many brands of lubricants out there today. Flavored, unflavored, some with spermacide, some thick, some thin etc. If you are using condoms, which by the way, is great! you want to use something that is WATER based. DO NOT use oil based products like vaseline, cooking oil or some of the lubricants sold in stores. Always check the label first. Oil based lubricants destroy condoms very fast and they will make them break within minutes. Water based lubricants are condoms friendly. As for brands, there is KY Jelly or Liquid, Astroglide, and Wet just to name a few. Some are available at your local drug store, but depending where you live, stores like Condom Kingdom or Condom Mania have a wide selection. I think they are available online through these stores. It might be fun for you and your partner to experiment with different brands, flavors etc. to see which ones you like the best. As for applying the lubricant...start by putting some on the outside of the condom once it is on his penis. Then put some on the outside of your vagina, and inner labia (lips) this will help you be more comfortable with the friction of intercourse. Lastly, try putting some inside the vagina. You can put some on the inner part of your vagina, by the entrance, with your finger. If your have small or short fingers (or your partner does) and can't manage to get some up inside the vagina, you can use an applicator like the ones that come with spermacide. You may not need to use a lot at first. Start with small amounts and gradually increase the amount until you feel comfortable. You may also need to stop during sex and add more. Vaginal dryness is very common in women as they age but it need not be a barrier to a satisfying sex life. Talk to your doctor and try these things. I have mentioned. Good luck! Kelly Connell, MS.Ed.

HTHGS: Wet Vagina (Kelly Connell, MS.Ed.)

Dear Kelly,
Please help me. I have an embarrassing thing I need help with. My vagina is always wet unbelievably. Sometimes it is nice but other times it is very embarrassing. I am not that horny of a person to be wet all the time and it is gross because my underwear is always wet as well. Please tell me what I can do to make it better. It worries me because I think men think it is gross sometimes when I get fingered when they pull out their finger there is slime stuff on it. I know that I do not have a sexual transmitted disease so it is not discharge. Is douching something I should look into???? If so how to I go about doing it. Embarrassed Sue

Dear Sue,
Please do not be embarrassed. Women's vaginas are like a self-cleaning oven. They continuously lubricate and clean themselves to protect against infection. The amount of vaginal lubrication also changes with the menstrual cycle because of the hormone fluctuation in the body. The slime stuff you are referring to may be occurring when you are ovulating and the vaginal secretions take on an egg white appearance and texture. This is perfectly normal. There are vaginal secretions that have nothing to do with sexual arousal, they are just part of the normal function of the vagina. The first thing I would do is make an appointment with my gynecologist. Just because you don't have a sexually transmitted disease does not mean there isn't something else going on. Ask them to do a blood test to check your hormone levels. You may be producing a lot of a certain hormone and your body responds by producing an excess of vaginal secretions. or you may just be one of those women who lubricate a lot and that is what is normal for you.

If you are concerned about your partner’s reaction to your lubrication, try having a towel or wet washcloth next to the bed or where ever you are having sex where he can wipe his hands if he wants to. However, many times I think the woman is worried about his reaction and he doesn’t even notice or think anything is wrong. If you are concerned about your underwear, try wearing an unscented panty liner.

Lastly, DO NOT DOUCHE!!!!! I cannot stress this enough!! Douching is bad for you for several reasons. The advertising industry tries to convince women that their vaginas should smell like a rose garden. You have a natural smell and secretion level. Douching wipes all the normal secretions away and your body OVERCOMPENSATES by producing MORE secretions! In other words, it will come back heavier! You are also wiping away the normal bacteria that live in the vagina and it will come back heavier too, often resulting in a infection as the bacteria produce at a high rate to try to catch up. If you do have an infection douching pushes the infection higher up into your vagina transferring all that infection to your uterus and fallopian tubes. it can be very dangerous. Even the ones made of water are unsafe. If something does not look right, feel right or smell right it is usually because something is not right and you need to get to a doctor! Same goes for all the deodorant tampons, pads etc. You are putting chemicals into your vagina every time you use them. I hope this helps Kelly Connell, MS.Ed.

Relationship Problems

(written by Chris Fariello)

Ask Chris,

I have been seeing a man for about 1.5 years and he has not introduced me to any of his family and I have met only one of his friends (and I was introduced as a business partner), his son and his ex girlfriend, (his son's mother for only a minute). This in itself is weird. My first thought / feeling was that he had another woman, he swears not.

We live about an hour apart in Toronto, his son lives far from him as well, 1.5 hrs. and he does drive a lot. He feels we live too far apart and is always wanting to wait until our situation changes before he commits to a serious relationship with me, which I felt we were already involved in. At first I was hurt but I can see that this is not going to work as both our needs as people will not be met. I am a social person, he states he is not.

We work together in a business environment and speak to each other daily. Each time I agree to let go or break it off and say goodbye as lovers, he agrees but insists we must be friends and keep in contact with one another.

My biggest "beef" is that I feel that we have not been together as a couple, he has kept me at a distance for some time unless it has involved his son and mine who are close in age, or our business relation which may remain in any event. We have had amazing sex together, something he says is hard for him to let go of. I do like him as a person and we both have our own emotional baggage, but I feel that I am constantly shut out by him i.e.. when he arrive to see me he is already announcing his departure for the next day as he walks in, he had not invited me to a couple of parties he had last summer, and has already planned his vacation with his son alone this summer. During the course of this relationship we have seen each other 2 - 3 times a week max and spend little to no vacation time together as he wants to be alone with his son, that is alright with me as I have my own son to raise. We have had lucid times together and enjoy each others company from time to time.

He gives me mixed messages, from marriage to I'm not ready now to let's wait until summer, he always suggests that if I wait until whenever things are going to change and he will be ready then and in fact this has been going on for the duration of this relation and nothing has changed but my attitude, I want to move on from this and not think about why he would be so mixed up.

Last weekend I caught him lying to me and he had admitted to lying to me before. He said that he was with his son out of town and would not be back until later that day and my call display indicated he was in fact in town. He said he did not want to tell me because he wanted to something other than spend time with me and did not want an argument. At that time I told him our personal relationship was off, completely. Since that time he has called every day at least 3 times to tell me how much he misses me and likes me and now wants me to meet his brother and friends who live close to me. He has also said that he really wants this relationship to work out (only after a professional meeting where the prospective client was interested in me as a woman and he was jealous). This man grew up without his mother after 14 when she passed away, if that has any bearing. I had grown up in an abusive household myself and have had years of therapy for it.

My question is why would a man say not now, you are free, I want this to work out, and I want you forever but wait? What is the best way to say goodbye and be able to maintain a professional relationship? Thanks for your time,

Janis,

I feel for you. Your story is not necessarily an unusual one and I would need to know more understand the reason behind both your and his decision to remain in this type of relationship. What does stick out, however, is that you do not sound happy about the current situation. I usually suggest to my clients to go with their gut. If you feel cautious about his intentions you may want to see that as a red flag. This may not speak directly to his character but rather the similarities to each of your perspective WANTS in terms of a relationship. You have spent 1.5 years already. Assuming the relationship will not progress, how much longer would you be willing to "settle" for good sex and occasional meetings? His recent reaction can be the result of many catalysts, perhaps he is sincere, or perhaps he only believes he is. Knowing/believing will be difficult. Establish for yourself specific boundaries and enforce them. It's important that you take responsibility for your own decisions in this relationship.

As for saying goodbye- this is never easy. Again, you need to make a decision for yourself, set boundaries, and let him know what they are. Then you must stick to it. Typically there is pain associated with breaking up. This tends to be elongated when the break up drags on and on with hopes that things will change (typically, he will change) and they never do.

Finally, it can never hurt to seek professional help, even for a short time, to help understand how you ended up in this type of relationship and well as mourning the loss.

Janis, if you demonstrate to people your strength, they will see it and offer you the respect you deserve. You will also get more of your wants, and will spend less time waiting for others to meet your expectations.