It’s a great idea.  Money is in short supply right now, so organizations are going to find it difficult to get the monetary donations they need.  However, many people have a lot of stuff in their homes that they don’t need or even want anymore — by asking them to give you their stuff to sell, instead of donating it to Goodwill or a similar organization, you can raise some money for your organization even when most people don’t feel they have enough to spare for cash donations.

The organization I’m thinking of has been making money by selling vintage dolls and other valuable collectibles online, but there are other ways in which nonprofit organizations can make money.  Selling gold jewelry is another option.  Nonprofit organizations can also hold garage sales or thrift sales, and ask donors to give them clothes, books, and other items appropriate for such a sale.  Additionally, nonprofits can ask donors to volunteer their services — say, washing cars, mowing lawns, shoveling walks, babysitting, etc. — and donate their proceeds to the organization.

If you are creative, you can probably think up at least a dozen ways that you can turn donations and volunteers into cash.  Even during tough times, nonprofit organizations don’t have to suffer for lack of monetary donations!

Technorati Tags: nonprofit organization, selling gold jewelry

There are many ways you can get into ecommerce.  Many people sell used goods or homemade items on sites such as eBay and Etsy.  However, the big bucks aren’t in small time sales, such as what most people do on those sites, but on larger, and sometimes more specialized, ecommerce sites.

One way to ensure your success in ecommerce is to choose a niche industry, preferrably one you have special knowledge of to help you build your business and gain trust as an expert in the field.  For example, if you worked as an audiologist in your previous career, selling hearing aids online will make use of your knowledge and experience.

Ecommerce is a great industry to be in right now, so think about how your past work experience and education could be translated into an online retail company!

Technorati Tags: audiologist, Bush administration, hearing aids

But that also means that we are needing to clean things up before we move the business.  It is amazing at the amount of Super 8 film reels we still have kicking around.  It has been ages since we have used it.  We were considering donating it to a museum, but due to the potential copyright issues, I think we will just dispose of it.

It will be sad to see our editing services department go as that is where I started in this business.  But we need the space to accommodate the new staff that we have hired, so it is the right thing to do.

We should be in our new offices hopefully within the month and then business can resume as normal.  It will be nice to have a change of venue, but I will still miss this old place - we had a lot of great times here.

Technorati Tags: editing services, super 8

Top secrets of a team captain include:

• You don’t have to have all of the answers. Many leaders try to pretend that they know things that they don’t. A good team leader will admit what she doesn’t know.
• You do have to be calm under pressure. Team captains lead their team through tough times. Have a solid and steady presence if you’re going to be a team leader.
• Don’t be afraid of technology. Our leader used cutting-edge group management software to keep track of everything that was going on with the team.
• Learn to delegate. You have to release some control in a team. Learn to delegate tasks to the right people. Learn to trust your team.
• Know that all problems have solutions. Being a team leader means that you have the final say when it comes to solving problems. If you approach problem-solving with a positive attitude then you should be fine.

What other tricks are there to being a good business team captain?

Technorati Tags: group management software, team captain

It was just a part-day preschool program, meaning that she didn’t have to worry about providing breakfast or lunch, or putting kids down for a nap.  She literally just had the kids for a couple of hours every morning, during which time the mothers typically went out for coffee together or ran errands.

For parents who want their kids to go to a good preschool for the learning benefits, but don’t necessarily want or need to leave their kids in daycare all day, a morning preschool program operated out of your home may be the perfect answer for them.  However, starting a preschool in your home means more than just running an ad and opening your doors for business.

For starters, you will need to have some plans for a curriculum, because discerning parents are almost certain to ask what you will be teaching their children.  You will also need to have an assortment of preschool-ish toys such as wooden toys and blocks, jigsaw puzzles, an imaginative play center (usually with a play kitchen), and of course plenty of paper, crayons, and other materials for open-ended art activities.

You will also need a place appropriate for teaching, which probably means a long, low table or two with child-sized chairs.  Furniture scaled down to child sizes allows kids to feel more comfortable when they are using it.

Finally, you will most likely need to have an inspection and get licensed to care for kids in your home.  Since you will just have a morning program, and won’t need to put kids down for naps, this part may be relatively easy, but be sure to check with your local government to find out what their requirements are.

Running a preschool out of your home can be a lot of work, but it is also typically very rewarding.  Besides, by having the kids for only part of the day, you are leaving the rest of your days open for anything else you might want or need to do — one of the advantages of owning your own business is, after all, having more control over your schedule!

Technorati Tags: good preschool, jigsaw puzzles, woooden toys

Last week we went to a seminar about starting your first online business, and I have been hoping to find something to start as a business.  Sure, you could say that this blog is a business, but I really just do this more for fun than anything, and I want to start a business to make money – not just to play around with it.

So, when I received the invitation to a seminar this week on how to sell jewelry online, I knew that I would have to attend.  Not only do I like jewelry (I am a girl after all), but it is something that I could see myself doing as a business.

So, I am going to go and learn the basics of selling gold jewelry at the seminar, and hopefully by the end of next week, I’ll also have my first real business site up.  I am so excited and I just hope that this seminar gives me the information that I am looking for.

Technorati Tags: sell jewelry online, selling gold jewelry

We get plenty of employee recognition program as teachers.  Most of it is peer driven, some administratively driven, some very small amount is parent and community driven, but it’s all nice.

Sometimes it goes a little far:  one half hour of our monthly faculty meetings is given to little employee recognition awards, but it’s better than the alternative, I guess.  Actually, all we really need is for our bosses to personally congratulate us, talk us up among the rest of the school once in awhile, back us up when there’s a problem and maybe even write a nice email in First Class once in a blue moon.  That makes our daily efforts seem worthwhile, but to have us go the extra mile to save energy, exercise, decorate or chaperone…well, the tangible stuff is the best way to go.

Technorati Tags: employee recognition, employee rewards, First Class

Too often, I think business owners and hiring managers view employees as expendable, not really all that important or necessary to their business.  But the truth is, your employees represent your business.  In many cases, they are the only representatives  of your business that your clients will come into contact with, so it definitely behooves you to choose your employees well.

Many businesses respond to this by having long, detailed questionnaires for applicants to fill out, that are supposed to determine whether they are worthy of representing the company.  These questionnaires are effectively character tests.

Businesses also may require a certain dress code, or require employees to sign a code of  conduct.  But I think that a more important factor to look at, as a business owner or a hiring manager, is education and training.  It definitely benefits you to require a certain level of education, perhaps with a specific degree or area of study.

You might also offer opportunities for ongoing training for your employees. For instance, if you have a home care business, providing fall prevention resources or caregiver wellness DVDs benefits your employees by keeping their training current and providing opportunities for advancement, and benefits you by ensuring that your employees are well-trained, skilled, and therefore good representatives of your professional image.

Technorati Tags: caregiver wellness DVDs, elder care, fall prevention resources

The other type of insurance that can be done is life insurance financing.  Dependent upon the time in your life that you get the policy, you can get finance the payments of the policy to not be overwhelming in the amount that you pay each month or year for the premium. As you go through life, your statistic for staying alive starts to go down.  It is just a part of life.  Companies offer financing for life insurance policies, which is not only important for business but for people too.

Technorati Tags: life insurance financing, life insurance information, life insurance premiums, term life insurance

When you work from home, your home office is important because it has such an impact on the quality of your work and even your life.  Here are a few things I think a good home office needs:

1. A door you can close.  If you live with other people or even with pets, you can never underestimate their ability to distract you when you are supposed to be working.  Live work lofts are great for home-based businesses, but be certain your office will be your own space (not shared with anyone), and will have a door on it!
2. Phone and/or cable jacks.  Although you could feasibly set up wireless in another part of the house, your Internet connection will be much faster if your computer is hooked up via a hard line.  You will also need a phone line for an office phone and/or a fax machine.
3. Plenty of storage space.  Paperwork alone requires a lot of storage space, so a filing cabinet or drawer is a must — but don’t forget that after a few years of being in business, you will probably need a lot more than just the one drawer.  Then you add in office supplies and inventory, and you have lots of stuff to store.  Be sure your office has file storage as well as a closet to use for additional storage!

When you are searching for live work space, it is important to keep these things in mind.  Identify things that are dealbreakers so that you can quickly eliminate properties and avoid wasting any more time than necessary.  For instance, if you are browsing Carlsbad homes for sale or townhomes in Carlsbad, you want to be able to narrow down your selections online, so that you don’t even waste time looking at properties that you know won’t meet your requirements.  Your work needs will be equally as important as your personal preferences in your final decision.

Technorati Tags: Carlsbad homes for sale, home office, live work lofts, townhomes in Carlsbad