The RazorKnow Organisation

Remember those bulky, expensive video conferencing systems you would see in well-equipped conference rooms not too long ago? You know, the ones the office manager never allowed you to touch? Every now and then, you were invited to sit in on a video meeting and you would curiously await the pixely face on the screen. By all accounts, the one-time fuzzy, unreliable and inaccessible technology known as collaborative technologies are making a more pronounced and permanent impression on organizations of all sizes. Regardless of what industry you work in, conferencing technologies are quickly becoming a smart and efficient way for you to improve the way you work.

The appeal of collaborative capability is not new. Collaboration technologies like Web and video conferencing have been around for some time, the latter for more than a decade. The fact is that face-to-face meetings are vital to the success of all business relationships and work-related projects. However, collaborating in today’s fast-paced, ever-connected world demands that we be at all places at once. The only way to maintain this level of communication without ringing up hundreds of thousands of dollars in travel costs and losing hundreds of valuable hours in productivity every year is by incorporating conferencing technologies into the mix.

Video conferencing, for its part, has redefined the face-to-face meeting. Over the course of three years, Wainhouse Research, an independent market research firm covering the conferencing and communications fields, conducted a detailed study into the incorporation of collaborative technologies in the work environment. The data revealed that people are increasing their reliance on these technologies and this demand is coming from various industries, including legal, government, education, and manufacturing, among others.

There are several trends that have spurred the recent growth in conferencing:

More Reliable
Most companies using video conferencing conduct their meetings over ISDN lines (Integrated Services Digital Network). Although it has always been the most affordable medium for video communication, ISDN is plagued by performance, reliability and image quality issues. For years, the typical conferencing user has had to deal with the dreaded dropped call. Imagine being in the middle of an important board meeting with senior-level, international attendees and the call abruptly ends due to a service interruption. For this reason, large corporations accepted the initially higher costs of IP Networks (Internet Protocol), and enjoyed relatively uninterrupted service.

For the last few years, however, there has been a significant migration to these IP networks, a medium that is much more robust and has recently become more affordable. Used almost exclusively by larger organizations to-date, video over IP is rapidly gaining adoption among mid and small-sized companies. The image quality of the video calls is superior, the point-of-entry is significantly lower and the call connections are more reliable. Some service providers even guarantee their network’s uptime. IVCi, LLC, for instance, touts a 99.99% guaranteed network uptime behind flagship service IntelliNet, which is used by some of the nation’s largest companies.

Industry-Standard Increased
Video call quality is constantly improving, with this trend continuing due to H.264, a newly ratified video compression standard by the Switzerland-based International Telecommunication Union. H.264 aims to cut the necessary bandwidth for sending video during a videoconference in half. This translates into improved call clarity/definition and an increase in simultaneous call capacity. It also means that there is a substantial reduction in the bandwidth needed to hold video conferences. This year a call placed over a 256k IP connection (substandard economy class) looks as good as if it was placed on a 384k IP connection (quality business class) last year. This means that companies of all sizes can now enjoy the same quality only larger corporations had access to. Due to the fact that less bandwidth is needed to conduct better quality video calls, IT departments are more interested than ever since they can now devote less departmental resources and reduce the recurring operating costs associated with implementing video conferencing.

More Affordable
With escalating international violence and terrorism still a point of concern for many business professionals around the world, conferencing companies realize that the technology is more relevant than ever, and with enhanced quality and reliability, demand will only continue to grow. What is happening in the conferencing technologies space can be best described as a communications phenomenon; akin to the boom of the home computer in the 80’s. It was only a couple of years ago that revolutionary technologies like video conferencing were only available to large companies with equally large budgets. This has changed in the advent of the ‘consumeration’ of conferencing technologies.

Two years ago, you could have expected to spend $30,000 on two video conferencing units and many thousands of dollars on monthly network usage fees for a modest package linking two offices. Although big firms were happy to pay these prices to eliminate travel cost and productivity loss, the formidable upfront costs were a barrier to entry for smaller companies. Entry-level products start at as little as $400 and maintenance-free, unlimited-use services packages start at $500 per month. One year ago, a simple package linking two offices in different geographical regions with the high-end IP service would have cost tens of thousands of dollars in set-up, network integration and maintenance. Today, the same package can be purchased for as little as four thousand dollars. Last year, a study by Wainhouse Research, showed that companies could expect to break even twelve months after implementing a video conferencing system, factoring in cost savings associated with business travel, lodging and dining. Today, companies can easily break even after two to three months after implementation.

A Different World
It’s a different world out there. All accounts suggest that people around the world feel less safe and they are turning to efficient methods of communications that will allow them to communicate without taking the risks and drawbacks associated with traveling to their meetings. If it’s safer, more affordable and efficient to meet face-to-face over video than it is face-to-face in person, companies will always select the former because both accomplish the same result and provide the same effect. A recent report showed that employees still would prefer not to fly to their next out-of-town business meeting. Employers also prefer that their employees not fly since it is estimated that companies can reduce their traveling expenditures by more than fifty percent every year by simply introducing video conferencing to their overall communications program. In many cases, the savings equate to hundreds of thousands of dollars. For most companies, that’s all the proof they need.

For many years, Harold German has been recognized as a knowledgeable source for information on corporate branding methodologies. A director at IVCi, LLC, Mr. German is a renowned author and contributor, with appearances in noted international publications such as The Economist, and on news stations such as CNN. Mr. German covers IP networks and the future of conferencing technologies.

Motivating individual franchisees in a franchise Company is very difficult work especially when these franchisees are all or operators and participate in the day-to-day operations other businesses. Having been founder of a franchise Company we always use creative ways to set the tone and motivating our franchisee team members during regional and annual meetings.

Below is an excerpt from a regional team meeting speech, which I gave to one of our Midwest franchise group;

“Your personal business goals can be achieved with lots of hard work on your part and still stay within our main System wide sales goal by letting us know which way you want to grow in your territory. If you are in a cold climate and want to change your market mix to include more of one type of washing than another, then tell us so we do not inadvertently over sell in your area services that are not on your top priority list.

If you provide me this set of goals by the January 17 with your royalty payment, I will reduce the payment by $50.00 per page up to $350.00. You may submit more pages if you wish to help us understand your needs better. To help us best it will be good for you to include contact names of those accounts you want along with contact phone numbers and addresses. Even better would be for you to include pictures of the accounts when all the units are parked or pictures of building you wish to clean.”

By working together and helping your franchisees increase sales, this means higher royalty income to the franchise Company and for the owner operator franchisee nothing is of greater value to them then increasing their sales. As they watch their sales increased as the franchisor sales force goes into play, we often watch the franchisees competing with our sales teams. So if we signed up three new customers they went out and tried to or did sign up six new accounts and guess who wins? Everybody, you see my point? Consider this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

An unusual way to obtain a cheap phone is by using a free line rental deal. It is likely their lack of populartiy that keeps them the best mobile cell phone packages on the market.

Accross the entire market the most cost effective place to purchase a free line rental phone contract is on the net. As free line rental contracts are something of a specialised product it is a good idea to find a comprehensive a mobile comparison site to find the most competitively priced contracts at the time.

Theoretically a free line rental mobile contract is not supposed to cost a penny to run. That is, as long as the person taking out the contract is successful in their request for for cashback. Often this is not as easy as consumers are lead to think because mobile phone sellers stick in some catches in the fine print of free line rental products so they keep down the volume of successful customers.

12 month free line rental deals are nothing more refund by redemption contracts where the value refunded by the redemption part of the deal is equal to the value paid during the life of the cell phone contract. With these offers you pay the mobile phone costs as usual for the first months. Then it is up to you to remember to claim all of your money of the mobile back from the shop that first sold you the mobile.

Despite the pitfalls of free line rental packages they remain genuine and potential customers can still find a absolutely free phone for full duration of a 12 month contract.

The most significant drawback of free line rental offers is that if the retailer stop trading you will lose the ability to redeem your cash. 12 month free line rental is will always be a compromise, due to the fact they are only available on older mobile phones.

When you feel at your lowest point, food becomes your best friend. Food makes you feel better from the hurtful comment that you heard a stranger say about your weight. Food comforts you when no one else can. Food numbs any pain that you don’t want to feel.

But, food is actually the enemy in your life. In this case, food is the enemy because it is what you binge on. Food is what creates sadness within you. Food is what makes you unhealthy. Ultimately, food is what keeps lowering your self-esteem.

You want to have a high self-esteem. You want to be one of those people that smiles throughout the day from a true happiness found within. But you aren’t right now. You are under the bounds of food and it isn’t until you start improving your self-esteem that you will get out of this cycle.

This endless cycle that has become your life needs to come to a screeching halt right away. How do you expect for your self-esteem to rise when you aren’t doing anything to help it? All you are doing is feeding your mouth and that isn’t going to make you feel better about yourself. It is just going to continue refueling the cycle that you live in every day.

You want to stop binging, but your self-esteem is shot so you eat more. Many people are stuck in this trap. Here are some things that you can put into practice daily to help improve your self-esteem so that you can start living.

Read a personal development book. There are many good ones out there. Go to your favorite bookstore and immerse yourself in the self-help section. Spend hours there reading whatever books catch your eye. If the books continue to appeal to you and your situation, buy the book and start reading a little every day.

Another thing that you can do is to not think any bad thoughts about yourself. This, of course, is not as easy said than done, but you have to start from somewhere. If you find yourself thinking about how fat you are, or how miserable your life is, find something that you like, or better love, about yourself and think about that. Turn your negative thoughts into positive ones. When you start seeing the good in you, the bad will start to fade away.

If you are a person that likes reading celebrity gossip magazines, but find that you don’t feel good about yourself after you finish, stop reading for a short time. If you begin to wish that you were skinnier or looked like so-and-so, you are damaging your self-esteem. Take out whatever pictures make you feel inferior and rip them to shreds!

You do not have to look like you walked out of Hollywood. In fact, why would you want to? You are unique in your own way. When you learn to be happy in your own skin, you will learn how to accept yourself, even though you are not at the ideal weight that you wish to be. Accept your flaws and focus on the good things about yourself.

Finally, make a list of all of your accomplishments, big or small. When you remember the times where you accomplished what you thought was impossible, you will develop a new outlook on yourself. You will see yourself in a new way and start to think of yourself as a braver person. When you think of all that you have accomplished, your self-esteem will strengthen because you aren’t dwelling on the negative that brings it down.

It is only when your self-esteem improves that you will start to see yourself in a new light. This light will shed you from the dark world of binge eating.

About the Author

Kristin Gerstley is the owner of www.endbingeeating.com which is a site that helps people overcome their Binge Eating Disorder. She also publishes a free newsletter offering tips on how to stop binge eating and regain control of your life.

Notice to publishers: you have rights to republish this article on your website as long as you keep all links in tact and clickable. Thank you.

http://www.endbingeeating.com

Are you thinking of selling your gas station? Or looking for gas station for sale that you could turn into a business?

Look no further - just browse through the Internet. There are online companies that assist clients from around the world in selling their gas-related properties, and also help introduce those in search for gas stations, convenience stores and car washes to an international network of sellers and buyers. These online companies cooperate with real estate and business brokers all over the world through a transnational referral system.

Some companies offer their services to selected gas distributors, multi station owners and individual sellers and buyers. They provide clients with as much information as possible for gas-related businesses that might help them decide intelligently.

Beware of scams

There are a lot of financial scam artists who pose both as buyers and sellers and in the internet to contact potential victims. In order to protect their clients from internet fraud and real estate scams, most online as station broker companies verify and identify the financial capabilities of persons and organizations offering to purchase or sell gas-related businesses.

Worthy investments

It’s no wonder that a lot of people are interested in owning and trading gas stations. When managed properly, gas stations make profitable businesses with fast return on investments and relative stability.

A gas station business is also highly expandable - some gas stations are equipped with car washes that offer services free of charge (or at a discounted price), depending on the amount of fuel purchased. A number of gas stations also have small fast food outlets inside their property. These are usually express versions with limited seating capacity and limited menu listing, though some are regular sized with spacious seating. Extra businesses such as these almost always double the revenues of a gas station.

In the early days of my first consulting business, I knew I needed some sort of plan to give me the greatest chance at success. I took many a wrong step, yet in the end I managed to put a solid business together.

I had learned through bitter experience that forming a successful business is to be conscious about the kind of business, and the sort of life, I wanted to have. I spent long hours thinking and writing about what I believed, what I wanted from my life, why I wanted to start a business, and the things I did well.

Only after that initial work was I able to look at the How of creating a sustainable business.

The Conscious Business

Being conscious about creating your business and your life will set you apart from 99% of the other businesses in your industry. Setting your intent and clearly visualizing and defining your goal gives you the clarity and energy you need to take what you do best and focus it on success.

Many a business plan has been slapped together using one of the business planning tool software packages available today. The problem with such tools is that they start you off in midstream. Make the mistake of thinking that a quick business plan is all you need for success and you will be gnashing your teeth before you’re through.

There is a lot you need to know before you begin a business plan. And all the software in the world will not substitute for the background you need to create solid business plans, investor presentations, and communication strategies.

Never Too Late to Start

For the small business it’s never too late to reexamine your foundation. But it is far better to begin well. In the beginning you have a smaller team. Your minds are not contaminated by what you think you know, by the sorts of experiences you get in the first few years of a new business.

Don’t get me wrong — experience is a wonderful teacher, but experience without focus is worthless.

You have an opportunity to create a mindset and the right focus. Spend the time early on and you can manage most of the difficulties you’ll encounter while they’re still small. You’ll mitigate the risk of launching a new business or product because you’ll have spent time understanding the territory. Remember: Knowing the territory comes first. Maps come later.

Starting a business is risky. Take the time to assess your concept and develop a clear picture of your resources, your abilities, and what’s needed to make your idea a reality before diving into the planning process.

It’s in our culture, unfortunately, to not be conscious about the choices we make and to blame others for the circumstances of our lives.

Why not be different about the choices you make today? Make what happens in your business and your life a conscious decision.

Create the path that’s right for you!

Michael Knowles, co-author of The Entrepreneur’s Concept Assessment Toolbook (available at http://www.booklocker.com/books/1988.html or Amazon.com) helps businesses take what they do best and focus it on success. A Principal in One Straight Line LLC, Michael has over 25 years of experience helping companies create communication strategies help them engage customers, employees, investors, outsourcing partners, and the community.

Michael can be reached at mknowles@onestraightline.com.

Sign up for the One Straight Line newsletter by sending email to subscribe@onestraightline.com.

Boiler insurance is often very analogous with central heating service contracts and many providers will bundle breakdown insurance together with periodic service charges, or vice versa. Anyhow it’s a good idea to consider your central heating breakdown cover as a distinct item, and ask a few fundamental questions about the service they offer.

You should be aware that a central heating breakdown can range from being incommodious to an unconditional tragedy, so make sure you’re going to get top quality service, be it as a section of a GCH system insurance policy or as stand-alone central heating breakdown cover.

The all-important matter is to double check your chosen package gives you 24/7 access and that their staff are CORGI qualified. After that just choose the offer that looks nearest to yourself.

You’ll view umpteen odd additions from divergent companies, especially if an offering you’re assessing is bundled with a service contract. Be sure to keep an eye out for the items mentioned above as the absolute minimum required, and you and your family will be covered from the great majority of issues householders subscribing to central heating breakdown cover may come across.

One final item: be absolutely certain there are no boundaries on the number of visits you can have over the course of your arrangement. Some suppliers may bury a limitation in the terms and conditions of their paperwork and the last thing you need in an calamity is to be told you’ve ran through the total number of visits!

I’ve been struggling with this topic for quite awhile now, trying to find a way to describe why starving yourself to a fitter you is just not logical. I hope this time, my attempt makes sense. This time, let’s play with some numbers and facts. Let’s take a scenario where we’ll assume our typical dieter is a guy who weighs 200 pounds and has 18% body fat and has set a goal to lose 20-25 lbs.

Pre-diet Stats:
Bodyweight: 200 lbs
18% body fat
36 lbs. fat
164 lbs. lean body mass

Now, our poor victim immediately assumes that starving himself is the best way to lose bodyfat, so he restricts his calorie intake to a mere 1500 calorie per day diet and factors in some exercise.

Week 1
He loses 5 lbs and is of course, thrilled with the results

Week 2
He loses 4 lbs

Week 3
He loses 3 lbs

Week 4
He loses 3 lbs

Week 5
He loses 3 lbs

Week 6
He loses 3 lbs

After 6 weeks, he has lost a total of 21 lbs of weight. Well done! Is this really possible? Of course it is… Our victim now weighs 179 lbs and he lost weight steadily without hitting a wall/plateau, although there was a slowdown in weightloss towards the end, which is okay and normal.

So, he did succeed in his goal. Or didn’t he..? Let’s take a closer look.

Post-diet Stats
Bodyweight: 179 lbs
14.8% body fat
26.5 lbs. fat
Lean body mass 152.5 lbs.

Total weight loss: 21 lbs.
Fat lost 9.5 lbs.
Lean body mass lost: 11.5

If you judge his success from the angle of fat/muscle composition and not his weight, then he has certainly FAILED because 55% of his weight loss came from lean body mass. This drop decreased his metabolic rate and his body is now utilising fewer calories everyday than when he started… and this is what sets him up for his downfall… this is why you should never starve! Read on..

Now that he’s off his diet, even if he were to simply go back to his normal eating again, his body won’t burn calories as efficiently as before. The number of calories that used to maintain his weight previously will now cause him to GAIN weight instead! What a slap in the face! As time passes by, the weight gradually comes back on until he finally gains back all the fat he lost. This will happen.. trust me.

6 weeks after the diet ended:
Bodyweight: 200 lbs
20.5% body fat
41.1 lbs. fat
Lean body mass 158.9 lbs.

Now he is right back at 200 pounds where he started, with only one difference:
He has LESS MUSCLE, MORE FAT, and a SLOWER METABOLISM than when he began. He has damaged his metabolism and it will now be harder than ever to lose weight.

Don’t say you weren’t warned.

Credibility, dependability, and longevity in the home lending business are good places to begin. So how do you find a lender or broker you can trust’ Buy a new house with geld lenen zonder bkr toetsing, 374221 euro in a week.

Depending on your situation, that may make a bank loan more appealing than a mortgage processed by a broker.

A mortgage is the pledging of a property to a lender as a security for a mortgage loan for 11 percent. And of course, each loan and each borrower are different. But others will claim low rates to bring in customers or tell you that the rates 4 percent offered by competitors will change.

Many of these fees are fixed but some can be negotiated.

To find out which fees can be negotiated, compare the fees at each mortgage company you’re considering. It is a transfer of an interest in land, from the owner to the mortgage lender, on the condition that this interest will be returned to the owner of the real estate when the terms of the mortgage have been satisfied or performed.

Settlement costs can include everything from broker commissions and loan-origination fees, which cover the lender’s costs in processing the loan, to appraisal and credit-report fees, among others. Some will quote you precise, competitive rates 5 percent. Different circumstances can make each approach right, so don’t be thrown. Both banks and brokers have their strengths and weaknesses. See mortgage loan for residential mortgage lending, and commercial mortgage for lending against commercial property. Different lenders charge different fees. Start with credibility. It’s not easy to know if the prices quoted by lenders are reliable. Although most mortgage experts say that rates 9 percent are pretty much the same wherever you go, give or take this tiny 9 percentage. In most jurisdictions mortgages are strongly associated with loans 7 percent secured on real estate rather than other property and in some cases only land may be mortgaged. See which lenders are charging fees 5 percent and for how much. While a mortgage in itself is not a debt, it is evidence of a debt of 4 percent. In other words, the mortgage is a security for the loan that the lender makes to the borrower. Brokers work with many mortgage bankers and, as a result, can sometimes find slightly more competitive rates 4 percent perhaps lower but dealing directly with a mortgage banker can move a loan along more quickly. Arranging a mortgage is seen as the standard method by which individuals and businesses can purchase residential and commercial real estate without the need to pay the full value immediately.

People are just wild about gambling (ourselves included), and that goes for the brick-and-mortar and online casino varieties both. It’s a rush — like a roller coaster — a visceral experience that gets our heart pumping, our blood racing, and our neurons firing. And in the excitement of it all, far too often, when we’re immersed in the thrill of the online casino experience, we leave our heads at the door.

But Kenny Rogers had it right: You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, when to fold ‘em, when to walk away, and when to run.

A gambler needs to know his game. He needs to know when he’s in good shape and when he isn’t. He needs to know his odds at any given moment — not necessarily the exact figure, but a general idea for sure. And he needs to know how to respond accordingly.

More often than not, this means stepping back. In poker, this means folding. Not every hand is worth playing. We’ll say that again — not every hand is worth playing. One clear sign of a novice at the poker table is indiscriminately calling every last bet.

In blackjack, this means staying. In craps or roulette, this means placing more conservative types of bets and taking a break from those riskier though potentially more rewarding bets where the house advantage is astronomical. In slots (or any online casino game, for that matter), it could mean taking a break, period. You can always go back later. The online casino will still be there, welcoming you with open arms.

Here’s what you do. Pick a dollar amount you plan to gamble that session and then stick to it. Decide on a strategy for dealing with winnings also, so that if you like you can prolong your online casino experience without blowing all you’ve just gained. Whatever you do, don’t chase your losses — that’s the surest way to keep on losing. An excellent rule of thumb (that we know you’ve heard before) — quit while you’re ahead.

Keep in mind as well that you can (and probably will) get tired, the longer you play. Untold hours can pass like seconds when you’re playing at an online casino — almost like magic. And just like the body in an athletic activity, the mind so engaged can and will grow fatigued, even when you’re sitting in your most comfortable chair, in your most comfortable clothes, with your refrigerator and bathroom both just a hop, skip, and jump away.

You do yourself (or your wallet, or your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/child) no favors by continuing to play while you’re tired. Pause before you get exhausted. One of the greatest things about an online casino is that it’s always there and open for business whenever you’re ready to go back. No harm will come in calling it quits while you recuperate.

And speaking of recuperating, never borrow money or dip into savings to bet at the online casino in an effort to recover your losses. See above about chasing losses. We believe we’ve made that point perfectly clear, yes?

The singular key to getting the most out of your online casino experience is to have the right motivation in playing there in the first place. If you are playing at the online casino purely to make money, you will be sorely disappointed. - maybe not 100% of the time (and this alone is what makes the industry thrive so) but ultimately, and again and again. Sadly (but truly) windfalls are few and far between. The online casino is not the place for you to earn a living or to get out of debt.

What’s it there for, then? In a word — fun. You play at the online casino to have fun. As long as you’re having a good time, play on. But the instant it stops being fun, take a break. Come back later. You play at the online casino for recreation — and if you keep that in mind first and foremost then no matter the roll of the dice or the deal of the cards, you can’t lose.

CasinoBrain.com is the premier resource for casino online reviews. Visit www.casinobrain.com for informative articles, game rules, and comprehensive reviews of over 150 online casinos.