Advantages Of Drop Shipping

Drop shipping is 'a type of retailing where the retailer does not keep goods in stock, but instead passes the customer's order and shipment details to the wholesaler, who then dispatches the goods to the customer directly.' [Source: Wikipedia] The retailer then keeps the difference between the wholesale price and the retail price. If you're planning to start an online retail business, drop shipping may be just the option for you.

Let's review the process of drop shipping, and analyze the advantages that the drop shipping business model has over the others.

No Upfront Payment

First of all, you do not need to pay upfront for a stock of products before you can start selling. With drop shipping, you can simply get into business by displaying the products you want to sell on your website, before you've actually purchased any of the goods. After you've received your order via the internet, you can then forward the order to the drop shipper, usually through email, who will then deliver the products to your customer (s).

In essence, this is the reverse process of normal retailers. You actually 'sell high' first before 'buying low'. Since you're not making a huge upfront down-payment for your products, you're not bearing any risk at all. There is not a risk of purchasing thousands of units of a product, and realizing that you're not able to sell them because the consumer demand is insufficient.

So, by not needing to make an upfront payment to stock products, you're benefiting in two ways. One, the drop shipper bears all the risk for you. If the products are not in-demand, it's the drop shipper who is potentially making a loss, not you. Second, your startup costs are extremely low. All you need to invest in your drop shipping business is an initial deposit or down-payment, to demonstrate your commitment to the drop shipper, and also ongoing web hosting fees and advertising fees. This is a huge difference from retailers who have to invest on a fortune to purchase huge stocks of goods to get into business.

Product Delivery Taken Care Of

The second feature of drop shippers is that they take care of the products delivery and shipment for you. This is highly advantageous if you're just starting out in business because you can focus all your time and efforts on marketing your business, instead of worrying about order fulfillment or delivery.

Order fulfillment can be a very tedious and time-consuming process if your monthly orders number in the hundreds or thousands. You need to spend generous amounts of time keeping track of your inventory, packaging the products and shipping them to your customers individually. On the other hand, if a drop shipper takes care of product fulfillment for you, you're automating the process of shipping the products, and you can focus on your core competency - marketing your business to bring in more customers. This is another great advantage of using drop shipping as your business model.

No Need For Warehousing

Since you do not need to purchase a huge inventory of stocks from the drop shipper, there's no need for warehousing costs as well.

This is highly advantageous if you consider this opposite scenario: If you rely on the usual wholesaling business model instead of drop shipping, you need a location to store your products after purchasing your initial stock. Depending on the space you need, your monthly warehouse rental costs can cut into your profit margin significantly. You may even be operating your business at a loss. Why not let the drop shipper stock the products at their warehouse until your customer makes a purchase instead?

Flexibility Of Product Catalog

With drop shipping, you have the choice of promoting any number of products you want on your website catalog. Since you do not need to make upfront capital investments, you have the flexibility of promoting as many products as you want, as long as the products are all related to the category of products you sell.

However, it's essential to strike a balance between the range of products you have, and the 'product focus' of your business. Your business should focus on a single category of products - you can not be a supplier of everything to everyone, like Wal-Mart. Be sure to include only the products you think are related to your core 'product focus', and avoid promoting too many unrelated products on your web catalog.

No Minimum Quantity Restriction

The last advantage of drop shipping is that most drop shippers do not make a minimum quantity order. When your customers place orders at your website, you can forward your orders to your drop shipper one-by-one. Most drop shippers do not have a problem with that. So, drop shipping is very beneficial for your business because it offers the greatest flexibility.

In conclusion, drop shipping is definitely an option you want to consider if you're planning to start an online retail business without all the hassles of inventory and product delivery. If you evaluate the above advantages carefully, you'll realize that drop shipping is unduly a viable option for the small-business retailer. Large retailers, on the other hand, will have sufficient resources like capital to use the wholesaling model for their business.

Getting Past an Apartment Background Check

Most apartment complexes now conduct criminal background checks and this is in order to avoid discriminatory accusations of biased renting and also to protect their investments. Apartments also want to ensure that they keep their reputation as a safe neighborhood so existing tenants can renew their leases. All these factors weigh heavily into why apartments screen their prospective tenants. Another reason why apartments feel compelled to conduct criminal background checks is because they do not want their apartment to be a regular source of police activity and thereby drive rent prices down.

So if you have a criminal record, what are the tactics you can employ? There are a few tactics you can employ but one of the most effective is to get someone who is esteemed in society to vouch for your character. You can achieve this by getting someone like a pastor who knows you to write a letter to the apartment and state that he or she knows you and that you are a reformed person and an outstanding model citizen. To augment the letter, you can also write your own that also explains your side of the story.

One other thing you can include in your letters is the any membership to any community volunteer services. These can be extremely helpful and can sway the apartment manager into granting you an approval.

Apartment managers are also employees who also have bosses and upper management monitoring their actions. Sometimes the apartment manager does not have the freedom to grant you an approval and he or she may have to go to his or her manager. In our experience, if you present yourself convincingly, you may be granted an approval.

Renting an apartment with a criminal record can be a frustrating ordeal especially if you do not know where to start. You may end up with numerous denials which can really wreak havoc on your self-esteem. One thing to remember is not to give up and to think strategically because there is a solution no matter how bleak the situation.

You can also seek more advanced publications which can give you more tips on how to get past an apartment criminal background check.

MYOB - How to Enter Creditor Purchases

In the Command Center click on Purchases and then Enter Purchase. A Purchase - New Service format window will appear. The format New Service is used when you are not maintaining inventory. It is used to enter service purchases such as legal fees, electricity, rates, telephone, etc. accounts that fall in one month but are payable in another. This window can also be used for businesses that purchase inventory but do not stock it as it is typically for a specific job and is used immediately.

Enter the Suppliers details and hit tab or enter. Enter the Purchase Number if you have allocated one, the Date and the Suppliers Invoice Number. Type in a Description of the purchase and the Account Code that relates to the purchase. This would normally be either an Expense Code or a Cost of Sale Code. Enter the Amount and Record the transaction.

If entering Inventory that goes into stock, you need to change the Layout of the Purchase Window to the Item Layout window. At the bottom of the window click on Layout. Here you select the Item Layout. As above, enter the Suppliers details, the Purchase Number, Date and Suppliers Invoice Number. Under the Bill column, enter the quantity of the Item you received. MYOB automatically acknowledges the Received amount. Enter the Item Number from your Items List or add a new item as shown in How to Enter Inventory from a previous module. Enter the Price per unit unit, check your Totals and Record the transaction.

If you ordered a larger amount and only received part of your order, you would place the amount still to come in the Backorder column. This stays in the system as an Order until you receive the balance of your Items and acknowledge it as a Bill. At a later date, when you enter the Supplier in the Purchases window, MYOB automatically brings up the Order so that you can complete the Billing transaction which also adjusts the Inventory quantity. MYOB will only acknowledge the liability to that Supplier for the amount of Inventory received and not Ordered.

There are two other Purchase Layouts. The Professional Layout is very similar to the Service Layout and is used when buying services from your Suppliers. This could once again be Services provided by an Accountant or Lawyer in which they Bill you at the end of a month for several services provided during the month and have recorded them on a daily basis.

The Miscellaneous Layout is used to record transactions that do not need to be printed and could be used to make adjustments. For example, you may have entered a purchase with the wrong dollar value and find out at a later date you need to credit the balance outstanding. The Supplier does not need a copy of the transaction as it was an internal error. You would enter a Credit to that Supplier and settle it against the outstanding amount.

Wondering "Why is My Computer Slow?" Understand the Causes and How to Speed ​​Up Your Computer

If you are struggling to improve productivity and wondering - why is my computer slow? This article could help demystify some of the common causes for this problem.

Cause # 1 - A critical part of your windows based computer is the registry file. The registry is like a database repository that has information about files, software, hardware, preferences and many other settings. The process of installing and removing software applications can easily make the registry file messy leading to decreased performance and many other problems like blue screen, dll errors, freezing and crashes.

If you continue to use your computer without fixing problems in the registry then the size of the registry keeps growing and the performance of your computer will continue to degrade on a continuous basis. And at some point of time your PC will come to a complete halt.

Cause # 2 - The use of internet has reached such proportions that we do not buy music or videos on physical compact disk anymore. We download most of the stuff from the internet. This results in a large number of files getting stored on your computer occupying large space. Very rarely we remove the music and video files to free up hard disk space. Over a period of time your hard disk gets filled and this leads to slow speed and crashing.

Cause # 3 - Another major impact of internet browsing is the installation of malicious code automatically without your knowledge. Many of these malicious programs manipulate the registry on your computer so that it behaves in a certain fashion. This again leads to slow speed and malfunctioning of your computer leaving you wondering why is my computer slow.

Cause # 4 - Another major cause for slow speed and improper functioning of your computer is improper installation and removal of software applications. Many install and uninstall programs are coded poorly and they do not remove all the bits and pieces of the software package completely. Many times this results in left over entries in the registry also. These left over entries can play havoc with your PC and bring it to a complete halt.

All or some of the above causes may be the factors that are impacting your productivity. There are a few ways for fixing this problem. The first method is to manually correct the registry file. However this can be a daunting task. The second option is to purchase a good quality registry repair software and free yourself from worrying - why is my computer slow? Most of the quality products handle the scanning and correction of registry in an automated fashion after the initial setup.

Technology and the Age of Exploration

Advances in technology, valiant journeys, and important people of the Age of Exploration created an impressive step towards the modern era. Improved technologies, such as the compass, which helped sailors along their journey to reach their destination, were promoted during this age. The brave journeys by many men were incredible, like Gil Eanes' short, but significant voyage across the Green Sea of ​​Darkness. In the Age of Exploration, many important people decided to move beyond their ability, for example Ferdinand Magellan, who circumnavigated the Earth.

Many of the significant improvements of the technology were made during the Age of Exploration. First, the caravel's smooth hull, lateen sail and two rudders were improved by Prince Henry's designers for the trips that the sailors had to make. The compass, that is crucial part of any type of journey, which was used for looking at the direction one was going, was promoted through this age. Prince Henry's plan for sailing needed the astrolabe, which determined latitude to prepare for their voyage. Improved maps were part of the technology's improvements during the Age of Exploration and were used to find their destination.

Additionally, the valiant journeys of many important figures were all very astonishing. Gil Eanes' voyage across the Green Sea of ​​Darkness was short, but he was the captain of the first successful voyage across the ocean. The well-known journey of Columbus was an exciting journey that led to the Native Americans and discovering of America, which he did not know was America. Journeys of Vasco De Gama were significant because he was the man that began to go on a tough and a lengthy journey. Magellan's circumnavigation is one of the most respected voyages of all time because it was not a very high chance of success and some of his crew made it.

Finally, the remarkable figures of this time decided to go beyond their skills. Prince Henry, the navigator, was the man that destined some people and some technology to become an important part of history. Gil Eanes, the valiant sailor of Portuguese is a respectable person of this time because he was the man who broke the fear of the Green Sea of ​​Darkness. The two people, Columbus and Vasco De Gama, are both gigantic people that made some tough and long trips that impacted the history immensely. Lastly, the remarkably momentous man of this generation would be Magellan with his unrealistic circumnavigation that surpassed various abilities in his time.

To sum up, many significant achievements were accomplished during this time. Old technologies were modified for the fundamental figures that made successful journeys in their lifetime. Respectable people of all time represented this time period showing consummation during the voyages and improvements. The time period of exploration was an incentive accomplishment for the venerated people of the time.

Computer Maintenance - Computer Repair in Hawaii

Computer Repair Hawaii

Computer Repair Services in Hawaii is not so much different than the mainland, especially on the island of Oahu, but there are a few challenges. Having lived on Oahu over 45 years ago in Ewa Beach, and returning just over 7 years ago, the scene has changed drastically. Things were more rural back then, and of course there was no internet.

In Oahu, people seem to work on one side of the island and work on the other. Since there are only 1 or 2 ways to get around, traffic can be extremely congested, and parking can be a challenge. So while you are looking for a Computer Repair Shop to drop off your computer, or waiting for a Mobile Technician to drive out to you, timing can be a challenge. For some reason, even in Paradise, things can get pretty busy. With that said, I just wanted to put out my two-cents that affect both the customer and the service provider about computer repair in Oahu.

Traffic Challenges

If you live in Waianae, Waialua, Haliewa, or the North Shore, Windward and around Waimanalo, you will have to rely on Mobile Technicians willing to come out to your location, or to drive the distance yourself. The problem with dropping off a sick computer yourself is that most shops open about 9-10am and close at 6pm. You either have to take time off from work, hope traffic is light after getting off work, or just wait until a day off.

For some reason, there are no shops I am aware of in Waianae, Haliewa and all through the North Shore. Shops on the Windward side are scarce as well, but I vaguely hear that there may be a shop out in Kaneohe, but they must not do much advertising. If you have a Macintosh, there is definitely a shop in Kailua, just be aware that not all shops repair both PCs and Macs, and while do mobile technicians.

My Rant About Windward Computer Repair

Concerning computer repair for our valued Windward customers, I have to rant a little bit. Windward customers in Kaneohe and Kailua are fiercely loyal to their local businesses, which is a good thing. But when it comes to computer repair and they are looking for a mobile technician, they always want someone who looks closer to where they are, which at first, looks to make sense.

If they call you and you actually have a physical location and provide both in-shop and mobile services, they get hung-up on your shop's physical location even though they are calling for mobile service. The truth is, that they have no idea where the technician is coming from. The technician may already be scheduled to be out in that area for another customer and can easily set an appointment for you as well. They are not just just sitting around at home all day waiting for you to call, so you just can not assume where they will be dispatched from. That may sound harsh, but it always surprises me when we spend some valuable time over the phone with a prospective customer, trying to understand their computer problems and comfort them with our solution to their problem, and as soon as we mention that our shop is over the hill on the other side of H3, they start backing out of the conversation almost as if they thought they were doing "us" a favor and say thanks but no-thanks, we'll just call someone a little closer. I do not get it, and even when I can truthfully say that I have a tech in the area already, they do not care. I know other shop owners who get this same response about mobile repair on the Windward side. The fact is that we are happy to serve customers on the Windward side, and we appreciate their loyalty once they finally hire us to repair their computer. But it is a hurdle starting that relationship. I might add that it is a beautiful drive to the Windward side, especially if you get to drive back through the Northshore if you have the time. I always look forward to a good Shrimp Plate lunch from one of my favorite shrimp trucks along the way.

Parking for Mobile Computer Repair Technicians

If your business or home is located in a reliably populated area away from the areas I just mentioned, you'll have plenty of options for both in-shop and onsite computer repair in Oahu. But if you need service in the congested business areas of downtown or Waikiki, parking is a problem. My suggestion is that if you want prompt service, that you provide information to the technician about the most convenient place to park as well as any parking fees (which may be added to your bill). You might even be able to pre-arrange parking in a reserved area for vendors. And lastly, it even helps to know details such as any vehicle height restrictions for parking garages, or detours due to emergency or special events.

Giving Directions

When setting an appointment for mobile service, it is vital that you provide an accurate address and phone number. Many local Hawaii residents prefer to give directions and landmarks than actual addresses, but Mobile Technicians end up learning the island very well and even use GPS devices these days. Some even print out directions with Yahoo or Google before coming out. We would prefer that you just give us your complete address and then maybe a landmark if you live in an obscure hard to find location. We need the address for our invoice anyway. We appreciate the directions, but customers somehow assume we will be driving to their location the same way they do everyday, but the fact is that we might be coming from the other way, and then left becomes right, and right becomes left and it gets confusing while driving.

Be Sure to Give and Get Correct Phone Numbers

As for your phone number, things happen and we may need to call you. We also like to call before we come out to ensure you'll be home. Fortunately, we are not like the cable companies that tell you they will arrive between 9-5. Mobile Technicians can usually provide you with a 30-60 minute window. But if you have something come up, we would appreciate if you could call us as soon as possible to postpone.

Also, be sure that you know which Computer Repair company you made the appointment with and have their correct number. Many customers call quite a few shops before they choose who they will make their appointment with and get phone numbers mixed up. Some even call us more than once because we have more than one phone number. It gets quite funny hearing the same person calling again, now using a better description of their problem because of talking to us earlier. The problem is that it might get confusing to remember who you chose in the end. Now and then I'll get a person calling us by mistake to cancel an appointment that we never made. Imagine the frustration of the technician when he drave out to your home or business just to find out that you said you called and canceled already, why are you here?

In-Shop vs Onsite Computer Maintenance

This basically boils down to price, turn-around time and convenience. In-shop repair fees are usually flat rate fee based, and takes days to get back, but you will get more thorough service this way. Shops are also more prepared for the extremely difficult problems. With shops, you can just walk-in during normal business hours, although you should call first to get guidance on what to bring. For laptops, you should always bring the AC Adapter (battery charger). For desks, we usually only need the computer itself (no cables or peripherals, although it would not hurt if you bought your CDs).

Onsite service is usually hourly fee based, and may even have a trip charge. Onsite service by nature is by appointment only, but many problems can be diagnosed and repaired within an hour or two. With onsite service, it is critical that you describe your computer problem as well as possible, because if it sounds obvious that it might be a hardware problem, your computer may be a better candidate for in-shop repair. It's already difficult enough to get certain types of parts on island such as motherboards and CPUs at a Computer Store, so you can expect that a Mobile Technician will not have every part needed to fix every computer in their vehicle. Some parts even have to be ordered online and can take a week or so to arrive. Hopefully you can see the complications this may cause with setting another appointment as well as how the technician will bill you for the first and second appointments. It would just be better to bring these problem computers to a shop.

Major Limitations for Mobile Only Technicians

I certainly do not want to knock mobile only technicians, because I got my start that way. But you have to know that these ones can only service a small finite number of customers in any given day. Many people get attached to their computer guy once trust is established, but it can get frustrating when your trusty Mobile PC Tech can not make it out fast enough. They might even need to take a vacation and when you get a hold of them on their cell phone, you find out they are on the mainland for a week or two. If you can not wait, you have to find someone else.

Mobile repair is limited as well for reasons spelled out in the "In-Shop vs Onsite Computer Maintenance" section above. There are also certain types of maintenance that will never get done onsite due to how long it will take. If I think I have to perform a surface scan on a hard drive just for starters (which can take 2 hours or more in some cases), I almost immediately recommend I take the computer back to the shop to complete at the flat rate. Some computers develop multiple problems and can take 4-5 hours to repair. For one, it will save you on further hourly charges, but it will also help the technician to be on time for other appointments after you, since he probably only allotted 2 hours for your appointment. The complicated part is that a mobile technician may not have a shop to take your computer to, and may only be able to take it to their home. If you are okay with that, then fine, no problem.

I would add that a technician that has both in-shop and onsite experience are the best technicians. For mobile only technicians, it can be hard to get this experience because they will rarely get a customer that is willing to pay a technician to spend 4-5 hours onsite, not to mention having to dedicate their own personal time as well to be there . But if the technician does not ever get the chance to spend time on the real hard problems, it is unlikely that they will ever progress to become a master technician. If you were choosing a doctor for a complicated surgery, how concerned would you be about his or her experience? The answer is obvious.

Anyways, while our computers and online lives might not be life and death situations, we seem dependent on them neglectless. So I hope this insight into both sides of Computer Maintenance and Repair in Hawaii help you make the right decisions when that inevitable computer problem occurs. That way, you can be armed with the insight to make the best choice available for your computer needs.

Financial Planning the Right Way: Mapping Your Future With a Professional Financial Advisor

Anyone can write a financial plan, or at least it looks that way. You can consult your banker, go to a brokerage firm, or hire someone who calls himself or herself a financial planner to prepare a plan for you. Financial planning simply is not that complicated, right?

Let's consider what's included in a comprehensive financial plan. There's a section on what happens if you died today. Will estate taxes be due? Does your estate have enough liquidity? Another section outlines what happens if you become disabled or need long-term care. Have you saved enough for retirement? And how will you pay for your kids 'or grandkids' college education? What about charitable giving, income tax savings, and investment allocation?

The first place to start is selecting the right person to develop a financial plan. Find someone with a fiduciary responsibility such as a Certified Financial Planner ™.

It is important to seek out someone who will listen to your objectives and design a plan to meet your goals. Be sure the person you choose to draft your initial financial plan is familiar with how the planning you do in one area affects exit in another. For example, what you do in the area of ​​investment planning can affect your tax planning. What you do to provide for asset protection can affect your estate planning, and so forth.

A sound financial plan should also address how you are expected to have when placed in a variety of scenarios. The only certainty in life is that the unexpected will always happen. When placed in an unexpected situation, most people will tend to make major decisions based on emotion, and then try to rationalize them, underlining their long-term planning. Therefore, a solid financial plan should be flexible enough to accommodate the unexpected. This is especially true in the investment-planning arena. It is important to have a written investment policy statement to help protect your portfolio from unplanned and impulsive revisions of sound long-term policy. Especially in times of market turmoil, investors without an investment policy statement are inclined to make investment decisions that are inconsistent with prudent investment management principles - and their best interest. Your investment policy provides an agreed-upon and well-thought-out framework from which sound investment decisions will be made.

Many people believe the process ends once the plan is written. But good financial planning means regularly monitoring and adapting strategies to ensure you're meeting your goals. Remember, you're not just trying to create an end product that will not ever need to change. You're developing a map that will help guide you toward financial stability. And regular comparisons of where you planned to be in the future with where you actually end up can generate important discussions about why you ended up where you are. Are you ahead of plan because your investment portfolio did better than expected, were taxes lower than expected, or maybe you spent less than expected? The reason you end up at a particular place is important to understand because determines what types of adjustments might be needed for your plan A financial plan that's developed with the help of a professional financial planner could be the right map to help you reach your financial destination.

Many people can help you prepare a financial plan, but the most successful plans are crafted by professional planners which allegiance is to you, the client. Professional planners have the credentials and understanding to know how the different areas of financial planning affect one another so they can help determine what is right for you. And professional financial planners will follow up with you after the plan is in place to assist in analyzing deviations from the plan in order to make competent adjustments to steer you away from failure.