In a Saturated Marketplace? 7 Steps to Great Business Ideas

The difference in business ideas can be compared to the difference between mediocre and exceptional and between boredom and passion.

Whether you're coming up with an effective way to streamline the job search process, writing a best-selling headline to attract new clients, or coming up with a product or program that can take your business to the next level, to attract potential clients you need to stand out or you'll be overlooked.

You're an expert at making your clients stand out from the crowd. Now it's about making you stand out from the crowd.

Consider these 7 Steps when coming up with new ideas to build your business:

1. Trigger Creativity - What helps take your mind in different directions? A day away from the office? Listening to your favorite music? Gardening? Running? Spending time with your kids? Meeting up with collections? Attending a mastermind group?

2. Examine Your Beliefs - What beliefs or thoughts keep you stuck in the same old, same old? Which ones hinder your efforts or keep your ideas small?

3. Identify the Purpose or "Juice" - What is it that you LOVE to do? See if you can include that, or the energy of it, into your ideas.

4. Notice What's NOT Working - The heart of a problem is rich with potential for creative solutions.

5. Ask - Reach out to colleges and professional network and ask for their input. And, if you're spiritual, you know the power of prayer. Ask for help and guidance from the Lord God Himself. "But if any of you lack wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it." (James 1: 5)

6. Be Open - Ideas can come from anywhere. You never know, your spouse, kids, or siblings may spark an idea that will work for you.

7. Keep Track - Great ideas are often born while driving, running, when showering or taking a relaxing bath. Always keep something handy to jot down your ideas-avoid the risk of forgetting them! You can ...

• Put a pen and notepad in your car's glove box and another one on your nightstand.

• Get one of those notepads with a magnet to put on your fridge.

• Use your cell phone: Use the notepad feature, send yourself a text, or send yourself an email as a reminder.

The ultimate goal here is to come up with ideas that will serve to meet the needs of your target market.

An Introduction To Vending Machines

The very first vending machine was said to have been invented by Hero of Alexandria, a 1st century inventor. His machine accepted a coin and then dispensed a fixed amount of "holy water."

Basically, a vending machine is a machine that dispenses merchandise after a customer deposits money. Vending machines have a currency detector which determinates if the money inserted is sufficient to purchase the desired item.

Common locations where vending machines are typically placed include: next to the entrances / exits, next to the water fountain, in front of the restroom, in the break room, by the coffee maker, next to the other vending machines, by the receptionist, next to the cash register, next to the listening station at a music store, next to the change machine or in the waiting area.

The items sold in vending machine vary. In the US vending machines may even carry alcoholic beverages such as beer and cigarettes. This practice is increasingly rare though, due to concerns about underage buyers. I

n Japan, there seems to be no limits to what is sold by vending machines. These include: drinks and cigarettes, bottles of wine, cartons of beer and pairs of underwear. Japan has the highest number of vending machines per capita, with about one machine for every 23 people.

Vending machines are classified primarily according to the products it carries. Below are just some of them:

Newspaper vending machines

With newspaper vending machines, a customer could open the box and make off with all of the newspapers after paying for one. Such assumes that the customer will be honest.

Candy vending machines

Candy vending machines are mechanical machines that offer a courtesy of candy, a bouncy ball, or sometimes a capsule with a small toy or jewelry, for one or two quarters.

Soda snack / vending machines

Soda / snack vending machines are, as the name suggests, sell cans or bottles of soda and / or small packages of snacks. For operators, soda / snack machines have the advantage that many locations recognize their need for such machines.

Specialized Vending

Specialized vending machines are those that dispense personal products, typically in public toilet facilities. These vending machines are often found in toilets used by transient persons in high traffic locations, such as bus stations and truck stops.

The machines in ladies restrooms typically sell sanitary napkins, tampons and tissue paper. In men's rooms, the vending machines contain tissue paper, cleansers and sometimes condoms.

These vending machines use a spiral kind of mechanism to separate and hold the products. When the machine vends, the spiral turns, then pushing the product forward and falling down to be vended.

Most vending machines are designed as large safes. They have also been extensively tested and designed to inhibit theft. Like any machines, vending machines are susceptible to malfunction. The causes are many-fold.

Coin acceptors often jam up, especially if a child inserts a bill or other foreign object into the coin slot. Bill validators sometimes falsely reject a legal tender bill that happens to be crumpled, ripped, or dirty. Vending machines typically have a phone number that angry users can call for service.

One of the newest vending innovations is telemetry, which is made possible by the advent of reliable, affordable wireless technology. With telemetry, data can be transmitted to a remote headquarters for use in scheduling a route stop, detecting component failure or verifying collection information.

Advice on Finding The Highest Paying Jobs

When we graduate out of college, the very common problem that we all have is the position hunt. There's not many individuals who can land jobs in spite of an outstanding resume. With the present global recession, you may still find a whole lot of men and women who are able to rake in a large amount of cash with the function they have done. With that believed in mind, I give you the top highest paying jobs of 2011.

1. Anaesthesiologists

This is a specialty in the discipline of medicine where a trained physician works with the anaesthesia of every single patient in the operating area. An operating place may require one or two anaesthesiologists in the unit depending on the dimension of the hospital. They will have an annual salary of $ 292,000 USD annually.

2. Surgeons

This type of person specialized doctors who have been trained to do surgical treatment on the system. Such as cosmetic surgeons, general surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, and many more. They are shut to the top spot through an annual salary of $ 219,770 USD.

3. Chief Executive Officer

These men and women are on top of the "food chain". This type of person considered as the large boss in each company plus they are responsible for carrying out huge decisions and policies on a day to day basis. They gather a normal annual salary of $ 140,880 USD annual. This varies among companies depending on the annual income its can gather.

4. Dentists

These folks get a whole lot of patients yearly and many companies would even need their workers to have a monthly dental check-up. With the frequency and the quantity of men and women needing dental treatment, these individuals can have once a year salary of $ 133,000 USD.

5. Attorney / lawyer

The job of the lawyer is to defend the oppressed individuals of society and they are tasked to restore the rights of the ordinary citizen of society. The task of a hero is difficult which is why they desire to be paid well for the operate they've got done to restore justice. They've got an estimated estimated income of $ 129,000 USD.

Business Planning - Issues Facing Strategic Planners Today

Different companies hire strategic planners internationally or as consultants to guide them toward profitability. These strategic planners do thorough research using the company's SWOT or Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analyzes. They use these kinds of information to be able to predict how to react to future problems or obstacles.

Having a strong and effective strategic plan is like having a strong weapon in achieving success in your business. However, strategic planners are facing some issues these days that might hinder them in coming up with a successful plan for the future of the company. To be able to understand more, here are some of the issues that strategic planners are facing today:

1. Lack of information - Researched information is basically the bread and butter of strategic planners. They usually get information from the competitors to have a comparison but most of the times these competitors are protecting their business so they do not disclose much information.


2. Fear of losing a job - Another way for strategic planners to create a successful plan that will help the organization dodge bullets or storms for that matter is by asking current employees with some questions that will make the case study stronger. Of course, the voices of employers will be heard too but most of the times, these employees are afraid to tell the truth because they are afraid that they might lose their jobs. How are you going to develop a plan when employees are picking the good words to say about the company? This problem is indeed one of the major headboards that strategic planners go through.


3. Predicting the future -Another issue that strategic planners is facing is the ever-changing trend in the market. This problem becomes worse because of the presence of new technology that can easily improve a man's way of living.

These are the challenges or issues facing strategic planners today. It would be best to get as much and as accurate information that you can get to be able to create an effective and strategic plans. Since you are now aware of the problems that might hinder in the development of an accurate plan then it is best to act on these problems. Here are some examples:

1. If you find it difficult to gather accurate information about the competitors then you might want to consider doing another approach like hiring another person to get this information for you.


2. If you were having trouble because some of the employees do not want to reveal the truth because they fear losing employment, then you must explain to them that you are conducting this research to help them secure their employment.


3. If the competitors were being proactive planner then be sure to distinguish a campaign that is worth your time - ie the campaign that will help you determine their actions towards the future. You need not chase them all through. Planning based on potential threats could be more reactive than strategic planning so you need to be selective with the information that you get too.


4. Well you can not do much about predicting an accurate forecast because if you are just basing your research from potential strength, possible weaknesses, opportunities and threats then you will not really produce a plan with 100% accuracy.

Effective Application Forms and Cover Letters

Most people tend to find having to complete application forms a 'pain in the backside'. But as they say, "no pain, no gain"! Whilst the majority of UK Employers in the Private Sector prefer to receive CV's, quite a number do not - they request you fill in a form. In the Public Sector the reverse is generally true, and in some parts of that sector, such as Local Authorities, it promises to be an automatic requirement!

Here are a few practical tips;

• If you are a 'bit messy' then get the form photo-copied first and start by using that!

• Follow all the instructions; ie Use Back Ink so they can copy the form!

• Have the Job Advert, Job Description and Person Specification to hand

• Make sure you address all the Employers stated requirements by spelling out clearly on your application that you meet his / her requirements. ie Show you match their needs as far as you can!

• If you add additional pages, put your name and Job applied for at the top of each - they may get detracted inadvertently when opened!

• Check everything through thoroughly, check spellings and grammar.

• Take a copy for your own use and to prepare if you are interviewed.

• Consider whether you need an accompanying letter, not usually required with an Application Form, although some Employers' do ask for one!

• Use as large an envelope as possible because if it's folded many times and crumpled up that will not give a very good impression.

• Remember the closing date and post it in good time!

Covering letters:

These are usually used with CVs and there are some of a much larger topic, like I said about CVs and I can not possibly give you all the low down. However I can give you some important practical tips and guidelines, again from my extensive personal experience.

• Use single sheet, good quality A4 paper - usually white

• Get it word - processed, except the advertisement specified 'please send a hand - written covering letter'

• Remember "Dear Mr ..." or "Dear Mrs ..." at start, - "Yours sincerely", at the end

• OR Dear Sir / Madam at start, - Yours faithfully, at the end.

• Do not repeat yourself by re-hashing the CV, keep it short, otherwise they will not get into the CV itself.

• Three short paragraphs should do: An opening one to make clear which Job you are enclosing your CV for, remember they may have more than one kind of Job advertised. A middle paragraph which clearly picks out how your experience and background fits with what they want. Very brief main point or two only! A final one which ends positively, ie do not say 'I hope to hear from you'. It's better to say "I look forward to hearing from you shortly" etc.

• Finally, do make sure you include your full postal address and current Telephone Number and email address if you have one. You would be amazed how many people get that wrong or miss part or all of it out!

The Secret Behind Mobile Apps

In general, as apps are used for different aspects of the business, the app should be built specifically to focus on the aim that is to be complimented, for a particular platform eg. Android, iOS and should be cost-effective. The icon / s that represents the app, should be eyeball grabbing, jaw-dropping, with a strong emotional connect, to attract users. To cap it all, it helps if all relevant technical documents to felicitate development of the app, and contracts are drafted out well in advance.

The bigger challenge is always, to retain the loyalty of customers to brands. A strategy adopted by several startups, following in the steps of Facebook, is to have multiple apps which are interconnected, to meet various consumer needs. These apps are launched on different platforms like Android and iOS.

This approach, in addition, gives several advantages to the business. Apps can be developed and updated faster, innovative revenue models can be used, and user experience becomes smoother.

An example in case, is Flipkart, which has separate apps for e-books, the Flipkart app for electronics and other shopping, Flipkart seller hub for business and Flipkart nearby as a mobile supermarket. Similarly, Snapdeal too has 5 different apps, catering to different groups like buyers, sellers etc. Commonfloor, which deals with realty, has 4 apps like agents, residents etc. and FB has Messenger, Pages and Groups.

Amidst all the frenzied endeavors to develop apps for every conceivable business, there is a debate which has recently sprung up, about the prudence of using only mobile apps vs. using the website, to do business. Or when service oriented businesses benefit more from using apps or product businesses.

The reactions to this have been mixed, from different players. While some like Urban Ladder, the online furniture store, garner a lesser share through the app, there are others like BoookMyShow, for ticketing, who do better business via a mobile app. Irrespective of the income, it is definite, that more and more business will be connected on mobiles, in the coming years.

In fact, as this kind of social behavior of "living" practically online, matures, our relationship with mobile apps, will be quite akin to what Aladdin had, with his magic lamp!

That, my dear friends, will indeed be, true magic, at your fingertips!

And traveling long, dusty miles, to say, "open sesame", to discover a cave full of glittering goodies and ear-to-ear smiles, would be a thing, long gone in the past!

Spare Your Family Some Financial Stress

As human beings, people under different experiences that lead to diverse outcomes. This results to a display of diverse beliefs as well. In spite of this diversity, they tend to share one thing in common - the same fate. This fate is known as death!

Death comes in without even a knock. Therefore, this is reason enough for you to be prepared so that you are not taken off-guard. There are various ways of dealing with funeral expenses. However, you need to consider looking at the big picture before landing on one of these choices and have a better understanding of what amount to spend and what is accessible.

The mention of a burial insurance to many may seem like a joke or even unnecessary. Death is predestined and expenses have to be paid by somebody. Why leave your family with the worry of how to cover your funeral expenses while there are so different burial insurance rates to choose from?

Death is certain but ways of covering your funeral costs is not. Insurance companies assure you of a stress free burial for the family members as well as friends. Consumer groups will probably not want to invest in them since they do not consider them good investments. You on the other hand benefit yourself and those close to you. The name and even status may not sound good for the ear, but whatever the case, this policy covers every expense related to death, funeral, cremation as well as the sendoff ceremony.

There are two main things to look into before buying a burial insurance policy. This means that you have to compare the different companies.

· Go shopping for the best among the many

For you to land on the best, you need to shop for the best in all insurance companies around your area. Companies and what companies offer are different from each other. To make this work easier, you could opt for an independent agent. An independent agent is more like a jack-of-all-trades since he or she is able to sell not just for one company but the companies around your area. Your work in this case will be just to analyze what is brought to you by the agent from the various groups.

· Know exactly what you need

Once again, getting an agent in this case is also advisable. This assures you of a right decision. Working alone, you may end up missing details that are very important especially about what is standard among these companies.

You will not go wrong in making the right decision on insurance rates considering you have been informed and all that is left for you to do is start shopping!