Maxim Magazine - Number One Selling Men's Lifestyle Magazine

History of Maxim

Maxim magazine started its circulation barely two decades ago in 1995. An international monthly men's magazine, MAXIM has its origins in the United Kingdom. Today considered the first and last word in men's magazines, MAXIM is exalted in its ranks due to the distinct, bare-all approach it takes while showcasing the largest names in fashion, cinemas, music, sports and more. The MAXIM editions are available in the following countries: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, France, Germany, , Spain, Thailand, Ukraine, and Portugal.

Felix Dennis was the brain behind the MAXIM in 1995; as he went on to introduce the publication to audiences in the US. By1997, the popularity of the magazine was soaring, as Dennis cleverly inserted appealing tags such as: sex, sports, beer, gadgets, clothes and fitness.

MAXIM magazine was then sold to Quadrangle Capital Partners LP in 2007 and is currently in the hands of a publishing giant called Alpha Media Group Inc., controlled by creditor Cerberus Capital Management LP.

The MAXIM Purpose

MAXIM has poised itself as the home of everything sexy, amusing, racy and fantabulous. It really is all you'll ever need including super-sexy cover shots of world-famous gorgeous models or celebrities together with their behind-the-scene videos. You'll never turn down the hottest ladies on the planet!

MAXIM is the bridge between cutting edge and adventurous; racy and rollicking; smoldering and stupendous. It also lets you in on the other things you need to be aware of including news matters, sports, TV, movies, music, video games, food, alcohol, crazy stunts, celebrities, gadgets, gear, sex, cars and so much more. You can always count on MAXIM for that teasing amount of danger and stupidity. From the finest drinks on the planet to the buzz in the entertainment industry MAXIM has it all mapped out.

Fun is serious business at MAXIM

They take their fun seriously at MAXIM, with the homepage bearing testimony to the craziness that makes the publication.

MAXIM boasts of an amazing archive of all the best celebrity interviews with Hollywood A-listers, sporting superstars, legendary comedians, sexy starlets, and the strange yet wonderful people that give you advice on everything useful and surprisingly weird. A subscription to MAXIM gives you access to what most men want - humor, wit, sports, entertainment, gadgets, rides, and beautiful women.

Impact of MAXIM

The rising popularity of MAXIM saw several similar themed titles springing up. Many men's publications in the US attempted to create their editorials to keep up with the growing trend.

MAXIM on digital

In 2005, MAXIM was launched across cellular carriers in twenty European and Asian countries. This was the start of the digital publishing era; MAXIM realized that, in UK, there was a future for the brand in the digital market. So, as the print magazine was losing its sheen, publishers launched the digitized version and earned a huge consumer base; extending this to every part of the world.

The shift in trend from print to digital is evident in the current market scenario. Many of the publishers are making the transition cautiously enabling them to benefit from increased revenue streams. A digital magazines offers storage of thousands of magazines in the cloud; instant access and easy reading on your mobile devices whenever and where you want.

You can gain access to your digital magazines on practically any mobile device of your choice: iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows 8 devices, other tablets, or on the web. Switch to the digital version of your favorite Maxim magazine and be an active part of the green revolution! H

Stay Connected Through The Help Of Government Phones

Staying connected is a critical necessity these days. It helps people work, connect, and reach out to colleagues, friends, and family. Good news is, Americans can have access to free government phones.

Are the phones for everyone?

No. The devices are reserved for American citizens who fit a certain eligibility criteria.

What makes you eligible?

The criteria vary from state to state. Typically, you should be participating in one of the following government programs:

• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
• Medicaid
• Food Stamps or Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Supplementary Security Income (SSI)
• Federal Housing or Section 8 Assistance
• National School Lunch Program
• Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program

In addition, you can also be eligible if your total household income meets certain federal guidelines.

How can you prove that you are eligible?

The documents that you need to pass for review vary from state to state. Visit the website of your preferred provider and enter your zip code to find out what you need to prepare. You can either mail the files or have them uploaded digitally. The usual files to prepare for submission are:

• Your federal notice letter of participation in the government assisted programs that you are a part of.
• Social Security statement of benefits
• Current income statement from your employer
• Unemployment compensation or retirement pension
• Divorce decree
• Child Support Award

Can each person at home get a free phone?

No. Only one wireless or landline account is allowed per household. A household does not necessarily mean a family tied by blood. It is any individual or group of individuals who live together at the same address and share their salies and expenses. To add, households are not allowed to receive benefits from multiple providers. If they get done doing so, they will be removed from their plans.

Does your place of residence matter?

Yes. The address provided on your plan service should be issued in the name of one qualified customer in your household. Keep in mind that the plan availed is non-transferable. If you want to move or change address, you should notify your provider within a month of moving.

Can the plans be terminated?

Yes. If your service goes unused for two months or 60 days, it may be subject to a 30 day probationary period. You will need to contact the provider's representatives to confirm that you want to keep on receiving the services during the probationary time. If you do not get in touch with them, your benefits will be terminated. To avoid this, it is always advisable to use your government cell phone for calls at least once a month.

Business Management Can Be a Group Effort

Many people may harbor the desire to run a business, corporation or enterprise. Supervising day to day tasks is one of the most well-known aspects of working a company. Presiding over a staff is the area that many people may focus on as they get started in the marketplace. However, not everyone is suited for this role.

Some people are very good behind the scenes of a company. There are many levels of being an entrepreneur. Each of the roles that can and should be filled are very important aspects of ensuring the success of a company, especially in the first year. It may be appropriate for participants to allow their natural inclinations to help them to find their niche.

Preparation is one key of good managing practices. Educational study and real world experience go hand in hand towards success. One may need to look at an area of ​​industry that truly interest them and delve into it with fervor. Perhaps, find out everything about that area as possible and become creative with the knowledge learned and funnel it into a money-making endeavor.

Promotions do a lot to help keep a company afloat during the fledgling year. Many companies may not initially see a profit, but a powerful marketing plan will potentially position an enterprise for a great deal of future success. Someone on the team who specializes in marketing will note the methods of publicity that generate the most response and hone in on them.

Choosing a proper financial handler is another aspect of good practices for staying on target. The financial person will look to acquire loans and other capital in order to make sure that expenses and payroll are covered. It is common for companies to suffer due to the bad accounting skills by someone who is only doing the job simply because they have to.

It does a company good to have skilled salespeople at the front to greet customers with a smile. This frontline role is not to be overlooked or filled lightly. The salesperson that fulfills their job may not bring in customers the way the promotions person does, but they will be instrumental in keeping the consumer in the store and encouraging them to come back again.

Business management is a collective effort. With the right team, an enterprise has an excellent chance of success. Although, different people may specialize in various areas, it also helps to keep in mind that the goals of everyone involved is the same; making a profit and sustaining the company.

Targeted Traffic to Your Mini-Site

Generating traffic for your mini-sites is the challenge.

Search engines look for large content. Therefore it is easier to get search engines to "spider" your website. Of course large content sites take more effort in building.

Mini-sites, however, are only 1 to 5 pages with the sole purpose of selling immediately to site visitors.

This makes it a lot more difficult to get mini-sites to rank well for competitive keywords. Without of course you are a whizz at webpage optimization.

So that is why most webmasters do NOT rely on search engines for traffic to their mini-sites.

Remember this, you want targeted traffic, not website "hits". It is the targeted visitors that buy.

This article will briefly give some strategies to generate traffic to your mini-sites. Here are some traffic generating techniques to get traffic.

Forums / Discussion Boards

Search for forums / discussion boards that relate to your mini-sites theme. Post your comments and respond to posts and use your signature file to attract targeted visitors.

The basic strategy is to find related forums and become active in them. Build your reputation by getting yourself known as somebody qualified to give assistance and advice.

Find out what forum members talk about and offer your solution to their problems.

Forum marketing requires you taking the time to make sensible responses or by asking good questions.

Typically, forum promotions have no cost but you must abide by forum rules of conduct.

Ezine Advertising

Ezine advertising is a great way to gather traffic to your mini-sites but this technique can cost some money. If you select the right ezines, advertising can provide very good results. However, some ezines may not provide any results.

You usually have the option of "sponsor" ads or "solo" ads. If you have your own mailing list you may be able to negotiate an "ad swap".

The advantage of ezine advertising is that you know before you promote that you have a targeted audience that has already expressed an interest in your topic. That's why they subscribed.

One of the keys to doing well with ezine advertising is to run repeat ads in the same ezine. Your results improve on the second or third promotion. However, if you get no results on your first mailing, do not repeat that ezine again.

Article Writing

Write articles and submit them to ezines, web sites and article sites.

A couple of article directories:

EzineArticles.com
Free-article-directory.com

The advantage with this strategy is that when other websites owners post your article on their website you get a link to your site through the resource box of your article. Also those that read the article may click through to your site. Imagine your articles being posted onto hundreds of other sites with a similar theme to yours.

List Building

You must of hear the expression - "the money is in the list". Without a list you are forever looking for new targeted visitors. Building a list means that you are marketing to an audience that has trust in you.

Your list could be for an ezine, autoresponder course, a free give-away, or a customer list. Whatever you decide, get started now. People prefer to buy from people they know and have a degree of confidence in.

Notice a the end of this article I am offering a free ebook. When you click through the webpage you will see that I am building a list. You are also welcome to give the ebook away to build your own list.

Pay Per Click

Set up Pay Per Click campaigns and monitor the response level to ensure you are getting a return on investment.

You need to pick your keywords and keyword phrases carefully. It is best to compete for less popular terms related to your minimal theme rather than the top words which can be quite expensive to get top ranking.

Link Exchanges

Trade links with other web sites. They should be related to the theme of your minisite. A lot of sites now have an automated process for trading links. Search for similar theme sites and look for "link partners" page.

You will submit your details and the link exchange software will look for the return link.

If you are doing the process manually it is best to put up their link first, then tell them where it is and the link information you want in exchange.

This is not a comprehensive list of traffic strategies. However, get started putting some of these strategies into place. Otherwise nothing will happen.

Business Gift Guide

There are many reasons to give a business gift to a college or client. The types of gifts vary for each occasion. It is paramount to understand who and what type of business, general relationship, policies on gift amount limits, culture and region when you decide giving a business gift is appropriate. So try to avoid the embarrassing pitfalls of giving too much or too little by using this guide to help steer you towards success. Here are a few reasons to consider gifting:

Holidays
Birthday
Special Occasions
Motivation
Recognition
New Clients
Client Retention Campaigns
Branding
Trade Show & Events
Awards
Speakers
Valued Supplier
Advertising Incentives
Special Programs
"No Reason at all"

Individual Taste: Adopt the policy that a gift is for someone else and try to gear your selection towards their tastes and preferences. The catch is that you need to know a few things about their tastes and preferences. Finding out can be an adventure. A few examples are: foods, favorite sports teams, music, events, authors, travel destinations, color preferences and hobbies.

Probe: You may never know unless you ask. Without being "captain obvious" about your intension, a pointed conversation covering general topics should get you the basic background information you need for appropriate planning. Birthdays, special occasions and promotions are just some areas to consider. Where and when is up to you.

Alternative Probing: Sometimes a conversation with your recipient is not an option. Fear not, because making a tactical "back door" call to their college or secretary should provide you with at least one target event. Be upfront by explaining your intension: let them know that your gift is a surprise and always remember to thank them for the information. If you are motivated, you could even drop your contact a quick note or a card expressing your gratitude. Remember, "All hail the mighty secretary!" A gatekeeper is seldom impressed. This is your chance to do so when they feel involved in what you are doing.

Your Calendar: Keep your database flourishing with important dates. For example, a personal call on someone's birthday may just make all the difference in your relationship, even if you leave a voicemail. Having a current calendar assists by helping you avoid last minute shopping. You can plan your ordering and delivery of your gift (s) in a targeted manner.

Creativity: Sometimes creating your own occasion offers a twist to the norm. For a few of your colleagues and clients, certain holidays or occasions offer a mountain of gifts. They have no idea, or in some cases do not care where they came from. Sending a small token may be appropriate, but stand out from the crowd by giving off-season gifts in a scheduled manner. Be consistent. You will have the opportunity to stand out from the crowd.

Your Budget and Legal Allowances: This becomes a juggling act for business people in any number of industries and government to make the gift fit with legal allowances. Some entities allow $ 25, while others up to $ 75 or more. We suggest you get the facts for yourself before you continue through our suggestions below. However, if there is no legal cap on your ability to invest in your gift (s), then you need to decide what the breakout of your budget will be. A gift should never look like a bribe! Some companies issue a blanket maximum, while others base budgets on performance levels or even a flat budget. It is up to you to decide how you break that out. Most importantly, try never to embarrass a superior by out spending him or her.

What to give: Now you know what your college or client would consider a great gift, your budget is set, but how do you decide what to purchase? That directly correlates with the value of that person as an asset to your organization and your professional relationship with them. Remember, never too personal, but something which will be appreciated. This is a cold statement, but a complete reality. Would you purchase a $ 2500 watch for a salesperson that loses you money consistently or for the one that just made you a $ 250K profit this quarter? Sometimes multiple gifts following a theme will be greater then giving just one item as well. For example, if you give a nice bottle of wine, accompany that with tasteful stemware or a jazzy corkscrew. With that in mind, here are a few suggestions broken out by organizational level:

A. CEO / Board Members / VP and Director: At the highest levels, we suggest you try to stay with a more traditional route of standard corporate gifting. This may include quality pens, personalized notepads, desk clock, fine wine, trips or even art. If you are a CEO reading this, then all bets are off and you will garnish presents as you please. For everyone else, depending upon your level and the size of your company, sometimes less is more. KISS absolutely applies to you. B. Middle Management / Supervisor / Supplier: For folks in the middle of the management structure, we suggest a mix of both traditional and non-traditional gifting. These people are the rising stars in most organizations and why not let them feel like it! We still suggest quality pens and desk clocks, but also add tickets, Mp3 players, PDA, dinners, flowers, as well as a weekend "get-away". The possibilities are awesome! C. Colleagues / Counterpart / Employees / Speaker: These folks are in the trenches with their sleeves rolled up! Treat them well, for motivation and productivity may just rise! Most at this level really do not expect much. The "WOW" factor might not have to either when it comes to gifting for them. We suggest personalized desktop or travel items, flowers, tickets, gift baskets, gift cards, wines and even surprise them by letting them off for the afternoon on a Friday. D. Your Boss: Since this person directly decides if you collect your paycheck and pass go, be extremely tactical when looking for an appropriate gift. Only you know your boss' personality. Depending upon the size of your company, you may get to know them rather well. If the organization is immense, you may need to ask a close colleague. To repeat from above: Do not out spend your superiors! E. Your Client: Who keeps the lights on? Your clients do! Since in most cases, your competition is waiting for a slip up, never give them that opportunity. Your database should have multiple types of information about them and their like / dislikes. Trust your instincts, your budget and stay within those parameters. Think about your best client for a moment. What is their birthday? Favorite activity? Goals? Expectations of you? That should already have your brain fired up about what you need for them. We probably do not even need to suggest anything, but, in case you do not have the answers, may we suggest considering all the above? What are they really worth to you? As a reminder, this is a generalized guide and not written exclusively for multi-million dollar corporations or sole proprietorships, so we must leave it at that. Only you know what your client is worth. F. Trade Shows and Events: Who just walked up to you? Good thing you probably got their business card. After a few hundred of them, those cards are all you have to remember them by. We suggest bulk purchase items with your company logo. Believe it or not, plastic bags are very appropriate when people are collecting information from many companies over a short period. The standardized gifts of pens, calculators, hand sanitizer, note pads and stress balls all fit the bill.

Surprise: Hand delivering a gift may require an appointment (for something else of course) and offers The Personal Touch. However, some gifts need to be delivered by a courier.

Thank You: Professional gifts are a great way to say thank you. This not only can help you to brand yourself, but your company as well. Gifts show respect for the recipient when they are thoughtful by acknowledging your relationship. Plus it is a great way to keep your business card in their hand and your company on their mind.

Gift Wrapping: One of the most overlooked ways to "un-impress" someone is to give them a gift that looks like you wrapped it in twenty seconds or less. The quality of the gift can be eliminated by the first impression. There are many brands and styles of gift wrapping out there. Make sure yours is appropriate. BusinessGifts.me always always The Personal Touch when choosing how to impress. Beautiful rice paper vs. newspaper is just one example of how to make even that $ 50 box of chocolates look like they are so much more. Not all gifts need you to wrap them, because the status and prestige of the store it came from can offer a much higher impact to the recipient. High end brand names are stand alone. Think about receiving a "gold bag" of chocolates accompanied by a "blue box" of jewelry with satin ribbon. We rest our case.

Correspondence: Even the most lavish gifts can be compromised if you give a generic or unprofessional card. If at all possible, handwrite a sincere and professional note.

Delivery: Face to face delivery is the best way to give your recipient their gift. Practically, this is hardly ever an option. If that is the case, always send your gifts first class or a similar option with your preferred business carrier. The third class delivery option may save you a few bucks, but could introduce the person receiving it.

Gift Etiquette: If you delivered the gift yourself and they opened it right in front of you, it is very appropriate to see how they have or are enjoying it. Tickets, dinner reservations or other date-sensitive gifts fall into this category. But, not always, so use your best judgment when venturing into the topic. They will usually bring it up first. Asking: "Did you get my gift?" is probably the absolute worst thing to do with your recipient if you have not received a thank you yet. What if they did not receive it? You could stand a good chance of ruining the surprise. Plus, it is quite frankly poor etiquette. Surprising someone is a personal excuse which they may need to enjoy during the right moment in their day. A wrapped gift offers anticipation and excitation when sitting on the edge or a desk.

We hope this guide has been helpful to you in understanding what business gifts represent and can help steer you in the right direction in your decision. It is always recommended that you check any questions you may have with the appropriate parties. Remember The Personal Touch can make all the difference. Please visit our store!

Planning For Emergency Financial Situations

Emergency financial situations can happen to anyone and any financial arrangement exercise is not ideal without planning for such occasions. The whole idea of ​​having an emergency fund is to offer a cushion against any unexpected expense.

This will ensure it does not have any negative impact on your financial condition and does not rip off the whole financial security.

There are many circumstances which can cause a financial emergency such as a sudden illness, accident, medical emergencies, emergency house repairs, loss of a job, emergency car repairs and much more.

The major reason for having an emergency fund is very clear because when a person falls into an emergency financial situation, they will have to break their savings or make a compromise to get the needed money.

It's not rare to find people who just take out their credit card and swipe it for hard cash. Opposing popular opinions, credit cards are the worst way to fund any financial emergency. The fastest way to get thousands of dollars its to get a car title loan it is not a long-term solution but a short-term solution.

In a circumstance where you've taken a cash advance with your credit card to get the needed money, the credit card company will charge you a cash advance fee with an interest rate. This is a very cost way to borrow and manage finances for emergency situations.

Therefore, what is the best amount that should be set aside as emergency money? There are diverse opinions on it. Some professional's experts agree that a minimum of 3-6 months' worth of monthly income should be set aside for an emergency situation. This amount can differ according to marital status, the size of family and lifestyle.

Everyone must reserve some extra cash in case of emergencies. But, the amount to reserve depends on your income and monthly expenses. The amount that is needed for your emergency fund is open to debit, the minimum amount should be sufficient to cover your expenses for daily living for at least 3 months. It's also ideal to save for 6 months even though some financial advisors agree on a full year worth of cash.

These funds must be kept in an instrument, which is easily available when needed. It could be money in a bank account, hard cash, liquid funds or fixed deposits. This will ensure the fund is always accessible immediately or within a short period when it's needed.

Where to Keep the Cash

Your situations and what can offer you peace of mind are the factors that can help you determine how careful you want to be. Keep your emergency fund somewhere that is safe and accessible because you may be required to get the cash in a hurry when an emergency arises. The best option you've had to open a money market account or savings account. But, always examine their offer with regards to the interest rate, minimum balance, and other terms.

When you think you've saved enough, you can stop. You can now sleep easier and try to start placing your extra saving into higher-interest and less accessible accounts or investments.

Important Aspects of a Business Strategy

A proper strategy requires time and effort put into it, but in the end, it will all be worth it. This is why it is so important to create a strategy if you plan to have a business. You need to understand the different aspects of creating a proper business strategy before you go about doing it. By understanding the different parts, you can create a whole strategy.

A business strategy is not the same as a business plan, although the two are similar. A strategy is more detailed about the necessary actions that need to be taken within the venture rather than just vague ideas. When it comes to your strategy, you need to think more carefully about the marketing, product planning, and the targeting than in a plan for your venture. The plan is more about profits and expenses while a strategy is more about how to go about winning customers and profits.

The first thing that you need to think about in a strategy is the target market. You need to know who you want to advertise your products to and who is most likely to buy them. These future customers are the people that you need to target for your product or service's advertising campaign. Rather than blindly advertising and wasting money, you can strategically advertise and gain more customers while saving time and money.

The next thing you should outline in your business strategy is your plan for marketing. While there are a lot of ways to market, there is only one best way. There are a lot of marketing portals such as newspaper ads, radio, internet, billboards, posters, and word of mouth.

While a business may have a general type of products that they want to sell, it is important to figure out exactly what to sell. You could make your own products or you could provide services to your customers, or sell products of others and be a middleman. You need to know what your product is about, what it is for, and every other possible detail about it.

The last thing that you need to figure out is how to start. Once you have all your plans drawn up, this does not mean that you will automatically have a great venture. You need to start smartly and start soon so that your ideas and your motivation will be strong and fresh in your mind. With all of these parts of the business strategy, you have the building blocks of a great business that will definitely lead you to success and a great amount of profit and efficiency with the least possible expenditure.