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The fashion industry is a utopia where money rains down on streets paved with gold; where the citizens are bedecked in the finest fabrics and jewelry known to man. They live in extravagant homes surrounded by diamonds that grow from trees. This utopia is such an amazing place that words cannot describe it. Well, okay maybe I’m exaggerating a bit. But when you see the staggering amounts of money that is made in the fashion industry annually, it is hard to not compare the industry to a fairytale.

The fashion industry seems to attract money like iron filings to a magnet. Clothing lines make millions of dollars each year, some well-established lines and designers even make billions of dollars. Now the fourth largest industry in the world, the fashion industry brings in $4 billion a year and includes the revenues from old established companies and a host of new clothing lines introduced by the urban market.

Contemporary Fashion History at a Glance

Initially Contemporary fashion as we know it was run by such top couture companies and designers as Channel, Calvin Klein, Karl Lagerfeld Gloria Vanderbilt, Dianne VonFurstenberg, Ralph Lauren, and Liz Claiborne to name a few. These and others such as Donna Karen, Guess? and Tommy Hilfiger bought couture style to the ready-to-wear market. Today, new clothing lines have made their mark upon the fashion industry, and include the wave of urban clothiers like Phat Farm, Sean John, Rocawear, and at one-time the mega clothing company FUBU.

Given the laundry list of clothing companies and fashion designers, one would think the market is over saturated. But quite the contrary is true. Like an elastic waistband, the market has simply expanded to accommodate each new clothing line, many of which have been able to capture a significant portion of market share to be rewarded with millions of dollars for their creativity, fashion sense and work efforts. Simply put, if you are the owner of a hot clothing line, chances are, you’re rich!

Marketing Genius

Tommy Hilfiger should be considered the poster child for marketing innovations. He was the first traditional clothing designer to capitalize on the Hip Hop world. From 1990 to 1993 Tommy Hilfiger was only bringing in $25 million a year. But that all changed in 1994 after a performance by Hilfiger-clad Snoop Doggy Dog performed on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. After the performance Tommy’s sales quickly jumped to $67 million. Since then, Hilfiger’s sales have continued to claim nearly $900 million. In 2002 Tommy Hilfiger reported sales of up to $1.9 billion. The company has remained around the billion-dollar mark. In 2006 Apax Partners, a global private equity investment group bought Tommy Hilfiger, Corp. for a reported $1.6 billion along with the agreement that Hilfiger would stay on to run the company.

Ralph Lauren, designer of the POLO brand is synonymous with the word fashion. Since the 1980s Ralph Lauren has been a dominating force in the fashion industry. His sales consistently hit record numbers and in 2006 for the U.S. market reached $3.75 billion. Projections for fiscal year 2007 are anticipated to reach $4.5 billion.

The company Guess?, by designer Maurice Marciano is yet another example of clothing line that has remained on top. Since 1981, the brand has dressed infants to senior citizens. A crossover brand, it has earned sales from both the urban and suburban markets, and in 2006 the company reported profits of $1.2 billion. Both Chairman Maurice Marciano, and co-chairman and CEO Paul Marciano command million-dollar salaries in their leadership positions in the company.

The men of fashion are not the only ones commanding high salaries and huge profits. In 2006 Liz Claiborne Inc, reported sales of $5 billion. While Liz Claiborne unfortunately died on June 27, 2007, her legacy lives on as does the testament to the longevity of the Liz Claiborne brand.

A self-taught fashion designer, Claiborne founded her company with her husband Art Ortenberg, Leonard Boxer, Jerome Chazen in 1976. Within a decade, the clothing company became a billion-dollar business. That type of growth is a testament to just how great and rewarding the world of fashion can be.

Another of the many top women in fashion is Donna Karen, founder of DKNY (Dona Karen New York). The DKNY name commands great respect in the fashion world and in 2006, the privately owned company reported earnings of $1.2 billion. The company’s 2007 sale projections are expected to stay steady at around the 1.2 billion-dollar mark. It should be noted that some companies partner with others to achieve their high financial earnings. For example, DKNY Jeans and DKNY Active are partnered brands of Liz Clairborne, Inc.

In 1967, fashion icon Calvin Klein graced the industry with his presence. Since then, Calvin Klein has become a household name. Another designer to use apt marketing strategy the Calvin Klein Company has also hit the billion-dollar mark. In 1980, Klein pushed the envelope with his Jeans ad where a young Brooke Shields stated, “Nothing comes between me and my Calvins.” Since then, the sentiment has been true for many. By 1996 Calvin Klein company surpassed $3 billion in sales worldwide, and by fiscal-year 2006, its subsidiary, Calvin Klein Jeans Wear Co., hit $90 million in sales. Just as Hilfiger sold his company to Apex, Calvin Klein sold his brand to the Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation, the largest shirt maker in the United States. According to industry financial reports, the Calvin Klein Company was sold for $400 million dollars in cash and $30 million in stocks.

The fashion industry is not limited to clothing. It also includes accessories and shoes. The cosmetics industry is different yet closely related market that cannot be overlooked when discussing fashion. Many designers, such as Chanel for example, branch their brands out to include cosmetic and fragrance lines, and for many consumers, cosmetics are just as important to their overall sense of fashion and style as clothing, shoes and accessories. The Estée Lauder Company has held on to its market share for quite some time. Estée Lauder sales for fiscal year 2007 were reported at $7 billion dollars. For the year, that figure breaks down to approximately $19.2 million per day. The company’s sales were up 9 percent from its recorded 2006 earnings of $6.46 billion, which shows just how much the cosmetics industry parallels the fashion industry.

“The fashion industry is a best-kept secret. There is so much money to be made is this business that it’s unreal! If you have a good name and some really hot fashion designs along with the knowledge to bring it to the market and keep it there, chances are good you will do quite well for yourself! In the fashion industry the potential is always present for a clothing line to make millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars. This business is unreal and that’s why it is a best-kept secret!”

-Jay Arrington co-owner of www.startingaclothingline.com

New Kids on the Block take the Industry by Storm

Talented, new urban designers have imposed their will on the fashion industry with the same force, if not a greater one, as their fashion predecessors did. They have opened new doors to an industry that was difficult to break into. This phenomenon started in the early 1990s with the former companies Cross Color clothing and fashion designer Karl Kani. While they are no longer active companies, they were the trailblazers for FUBU, Phat Farm and many other clothing designers.

Trail Blazers

Cross Colors was founded by Carl Jones in the early ’90s. Cross Colors. Upon its arrival on the market, the company was so hot, that they had major problems filling orders. With $130 million in pre-paid orders, they could only ship $89 million. The company grew at an uncontrollable rate. In its first year of business, Cross Colors made $15 million, and by 1992 it made $89 million. These figures are staggering and show the kind of market share that the new, urban market was able to capture easily.

Designer Karl Kani started his career with Cross Colors (Threads 4 Life), but left the company in 1994 to start his own label. In its first year the Karl Kani label had $22 million in sales, ranking him No. 38 on the Black Enterprise Industrial/Service 100 list. In the following year, Kani had $59 million in sales-a 37 percent increase over the previous year. The 1995 numbers earned him a leap from No. 38 to No. 25 on the Black Enterprise Industrial/Service 100 list. After such an impressive first two years, the line lost its market share, but Kani managed to reinvent himself and the company. Often called “the godfather of urban fashion,” in 2002, Kani returned with the introduction of “Life” a new clothing line that made $25 million in its first year. Achieving success where Hilfiger failed, Kani partnered directly with Hip Hop artists, rather than just having them wear his product.

For Us By Us, (FUBU) was an inspiring slogan that motivated four friends from Queens, New York to follow their dream. According to legend the guys from FUBU went to the Magic Show in Las Vegas. Magic is the biggest clothing convention in America, and at the convention, buyers were so impressed with their designs that FUBU took $1 million in orders from stores across the country. Lacking the capital to fill the orders, they placed an ad in the newspaper for investors. It read: “One million dollars in orders. Need investors.” The ad attracted the attention of the conglomerate Korean company Samsung, which made an investment in the company and helped FUBU fill the orders. Since then, FUBU has been a household name.

FUBU went on to take the fashion industry by storm. They went from selling hats on the street corners of New York to selling full collections in stores all over the world. Their operation moved from a basement in Queens to the entire 66th floor of the Empire State Building. In 1997 FUBU made $75 million, in 1998 they made $200 million; in 1999, $ 350 million and by 2001 their sales reached $380 million. Overall, the company’s worth grew to $450 million.

While FUBU does not currently have the same market strength that they had a few years ago, last year, they still managed to make $12.1 million from international sales. It is this ability to capture both domestic and international markets that shows the versatility of the fashion industry.

“With respect to the urban market, Carl Jones of Cross Colors invented it, Karl Kani solidified it and FUBU refined it!”

-Jay Arrington

The classic urban brand, Phat Farm, created by the godfather of hip hop, Russell Simmons is another line that took the fashion industry by storm. While the company did have its ups and downs, including going bankrupt, with the perseverance and business savvy of Simmons, the company has thrived. A resilient entrepreneur, Simmons pulled the company out of bankruptcy and went on to make millions of dollars. He started developing his collection and product line slowly. In 2000 Phat Farm made $120 million dollars; by 2001 it made $200 million. In 2003 Russell Simmons reported earnings for Phat Farm of $350 million. Taking a cue from other successful designers, Russell launched the subsidiary Baby Phat line in 2000. In its first year Baby Phat made $10 million. A year later, Baby Phat tripled its sales. In the last seven years, Baby Phat’s earnings have continued to climb the chart and in 2006, reached $100 million in earnings. Phat Farm kids was also launched by Simmons, and made $15 million in 2000 and $25 million in 2001. The entire Phat Fashion line brought in $659 million from licensing deals and in 2006, the Phat Farm label had around $740 million in retail sales alone overall, the entire Phat Fashion Label made approximately $2 billion in 2006. Without sound business practices however, the company might have suffered the same fate as many other new companies.

In early 2004, Russell Simmons sold Phat Fashions to The Kellwood Company for $140 million in cash. He stuck around for two years to make sure that the company stayed on track and judging by the numbers reported above it did. Russell, job well done!

“You see, most people don’t understand the fashion business. You start a brand and you make it hot! And then you start licensing out the name to other companies to create more products and that helps to build your brand and your company. That’s how you get to the billion-dollar mark. And when you do licensing deals, others do the work and you get a cut of the action. Why? Because it’s your name! I love this business!”

-Jay Arrington co-owner of www.startingaclothingline.com

Rocawear was founded by the Shawn “Jay Z” Carter, Damon Dash and Kareem Burkes in 1999. Since its inception, the company has been a force in the fashion world, bringing in an average $300 million annually. As Jay Z states in the lyrics of his song The Watcher, “I had it laid out before you knew what a plan was $300 million later now y’all understand us.” Rocawear’s annual sales are currently up to a staggering $700 million making it one of the highest earning clothing lines in the industry. Carter recently reported selling Rocawear to the Iconix Brand Group, Inc. for $204 million in cash and $35 million in stocks. Two years before the sale, Damon Dash sold his stake in the company for $22.5 million in cash and controlling interest of several spin-off apparel and fashion brands. His business manager estimated the total value of the deal to be approximately $30 million.

Another Hip Hop star to cross over into the fashion business is Sean Combs. Known during his musical career by several different names, he has made his mark on fashion with the Sean John line. As Sean Combs would say, “It’s not a brand, it’s a lifestyle.” And apparently it is a lifestyle that the world is buying. In the first year of Sean John’s full arrival, the company received great reviews and quickly shot past $100 million in sales. In 2002 Sean John brought in $325 million; in 2003, $450 million. In the short time that Sean John has been on the market, the company has consistently maintained an average of $400 million a year. With the upcoming introduction of his women’s line, earnings in the billions can only be expected in a short time as well. Comb’s has also signed a licensing deal with power house Estée Lauder to distribute his fragrance worldwide. The fashion business is not local or regional, it is global, and those who really succeed in the business for years and years know how to capture a global market share.

“You know one of the reasons why I always praise this industry is because you can be a self-taught clothing designer and still make millions or even billions of dollars! Tommy Hilfiger, Liz Claiborne, Karl Kani, Christian Dior, Yigal Azrouel are all self-taught, but a lot of people don’t know that.”

-Michael Harper co-creator of www.digitalfashionpro.com

Miskeen is a new company that in 2002 started out making t-shirts into wearable art canvases. They created original designs on each shirt and in the first year Miskeen made $502,000. In 2003 they made $4 million and in 2006 the company increased sales to $12.5 million! Like with many other companies, Miskeen could go far, so I will be keeping my eye on them. With sound business practices along with great designs and good marketing strategies, they could be another FUBU or Phat Farm. And who knows? Maybe one of you will be the next hot clothing designer that catches the public eye. Until then, think fashion and you will always look your best!

Nigel Christopher is a fashion stylish, designer, industry insider and researcher. He currently resides in New York City as free lance clothing designer. He is also a budding fashion writer so be sure to look for more articles from him.

Can we simply take the pain away from our children? I think that typically, we cannot but we can at least support our children in dealing with their pain. Pains of children can range from many different aspects. Pain from being teased at school, suffering from having their feelings hurt and the most horrendous pain are when wickedness comes to our children. As parents, in order to deal with our children’s pain, we must remember what it was like at their age and the mentalities of our children. I personally remember some heart breaks as a child and how I was totally clueless in dealing with those heart breaks. As a parent, I always try to ensure that my son does not have to deal with his grief alone, and I believe this is the most critical aspect of aiding our children in getting through atrocities.

I have found as a parent that speaking to children on “their” terms works tremendously. Speaking to a child aids them to know what you are trying to relay. Children need to experience comfort and safety with their parents. Children who have been abused or severely wronged begin to lose faith in people. It is the responsibility of parents to talk through the issues and atrocities which have occurred which will encourage children in not losing their faith altogether in people.

We can “speak” all we want to our children, and this is a powerful thing; however, it’s not enough. Children need to witness their parents actions in keeping them safe and secure. If incidents occur at school, our children need to see parents calling the school, speaking to their teachers. If someone harms our children, the children want to see parents taking active strides in keeping them safe as compared to only “talking” about it. If someone scares our children, parents need to be viewed taking preventive measures in preventing such things.

It is our duty as parents to safeguard our children from the weights and worries of this world. Children need positivity not negativity. Never speak ill of people who have wronged our children in front of our children. I’m not saying that we should say pleasant things about people who have wronged our children but speaking badly about people around our children adds to negativity. We should want our children to become effective thinkers. Displaying certain actions in dealing with abuse aids children in adapting to distressing situations.

Children are more intelligent than people think. Children will always know who protects them as well as who is TRULY there for them. This aids our children in forming lasting, trusting bonds when they feel protected and secure. Life is not always a bed of roses and sometimes, dysfunction can creep into not only our lives but the lives of our children. How parents handle these situations will affect the emotional reason of their children.

If you want emotionally healthy children, ensure you talk to them, listen to them, protect them. If you want emotionally damaged children, ignore them, ignore the situation and pretend that dysfunction has not occurred in your child’s life. Nurturing children entails taking time out of your active adult life and doing what needs to be done in the best interest of your children.

Anyone can say…”I would do whatever it takes for my child” but it takes a “parent” to execute this statement and put it into action. It is our duty as parents to protect our children. True love of a child is to set yourself in front of them while shielding them from pain and suffering. Parenting is not always happy times. Parenting sometimes consist of literally standing up and advocating for your child, even when no one else joins in your mission.

Love them. Protect them. Comfort them. Talk to them. They will love you back. They will run to you. They will talk to you. They will remember. They will do the same for their children. There is no more of a sacred trust than that which is held between parent and child. There is no greater responsibility than ensuring the rights of our children are respected. Our children’s success should be a priority. Children deserve to grow up without fear and want. It is our duty, and privilege to ensure this happens.

The single most important piece of equipment a tennis player will purchase is a tennis racket. With the wide variety of tennis racket brands, models, types, and specifications on the market, selecting a tennis racket can be a daunting task. Prospective tennis racket buyers should consider several important criteria. These criteria are brand, racket weight, racket length, grip size, balance, and head size.

Many tennis racket manufacturers produce multiple racket models with varying specifications. Popular brand name tennis rackets include Avery, Babolat, Dunlop, Fischer, Gamma, Head, Prince, ProKennex, Volkl, Wilson, and Yonex. Each racket manufacturer has its own unique characteristics and nuances that pervade their entire tennis racket line. You can consult your local tennis professional or tennis racket expert for advice on the brand of racket that is most likely to fit your needs. Ultimately, however, testing out different brands of tennis rackets is the best way to find the right match.

Weight is another important consideration when selecting a tennis racket. Most tennis rackets weigh between 8.5 and 12.5 ounces. In general, lighter rackets are easier to swing and players that lack strength (e.g., older players, children) will be able to swing lighter rackets faster, generating more power. The overall effect of tennis racket weight is somewhat ambiguous, however, as heavier rackets, while more difficult to swing, are more stable and transfer more force to the ball upon impact. Thus, when choosing a weight, comfort is the most important consideration. Typically, players that are more skilled prefer the stability and control offered by heavier rackets.

While the length of tennis rackets is fairly standard, many manufacturers have begun to offer longer rackets in recent years. The standard tennis racket length is 27 inches. While the rules of tennis allow rackets to measure up to 32 inches, most tennis rackets measure from 27 to 28 inches. The benefits of increased tennis racket length are increased reach and increased power. Longer tennis rackets can provide more power because the arc the racket travels during the swing is longer (especially on the serve). Players that are more skilled generally prefer the maneuverability of standard length rackets.

Because the grip is the tennis player’s link between the tennis racket and his or her body, grip comfort is of supreme importance. Tennis racket grips typically range from 4 inches to 4 7/8 inches in circumference. Most adult tennis players use grips between 4 1/4 inches and 4 5/8 inches. The easiest way to determine your grip size is to grip a tennis racket and place the index finger of your other hand in the space between your fingers and thumb/palm. If your index finger fits comfortably, the grip size is correct. If your index finger does not fit, the grip size is too small. If there is a large amount of space around your index finger, the grip size is too big. Selecting the proper grip size on your tennis racket is important not only for comfort and for performance, but also for injury prevention. Using a tennis racket with a grip that is too large or too small can lead to arm injuries.

Tennis rackets are also classified by the balance point or how the weight is distributed in relation to the head of the racket. The two balance classifications of tennis rackets are head heavy and head light. Head-heavy rackets provide more power because they place more of the tennis racket’s weight behind the ball on impact. Head-light rackets, on the other hand, provide more control because they are easier to swing and maneuver and absorb more of the ball’s energy on impact.

One final consideration when selecting a tennis racket is head size. Typically, tennis racket heads range in size from 85 to 135 square inches. In general, tennis rackets with larger heads provide more power while tennis rackets with smaller heads provide more control. Players that are more skilled generally prefer the control and maneuverability offered by midsize tennis rackets (85 to 95 square inches) and midplus tennis rackets (95 to 105 square inches). Older adults and those who lack strength and precise strokes may benefit from oversize tennis rackets (110+ square inches). Oversize tennis rackets can lead to sloppy strokes, and are therefore not recommended for junior players.

Tennis racket selection can be a daunting process. However, understanding the specifications discussed in this article, brand, racket weight, racket length, grip size, balance, and head size, will help simplify the tennis racket selection process.

For more information on tennis try visiting http://www.TennisQuestions.com, a website that specializes in providing tennis related tips, advice and resources to include information on the best tennis racket.

Camping food for many people has come to mean granola, oatmeal, and more granola. Camping food can range anywhere from veggies or hot dogs – great for roasting over an open fire – to a steak-and-baked-potato dinner and one-pot meals. Freeze-dried camping food is great for hiking, backpacking, or camping meals because you don’t have to keep it cold to avoid spoiling. Camping food such as Mountain House Brand or Backpackers Country brands can be a very convenient way to eat. Camping food benefits include your meals can be already. Camping food downsides include cost as meals can be more expensive, and you can lose your creativity for cooking while camping.

Camping Food Recipes

A search of the internet will turn up many online cookbooks and recipes submitted by people interested in camp cooking and are free for you to download. Things to consider when researching camp recipes include cooking for different travelers on different days, planning for large groups, planning for partial trip days, different guests eating different meals, large and small appetites, storage for ingredients, and much more.

Do not overlook soup recipes for camping and other meals that require only one pot or pan, so you can pack light, eat well and enjoy your camping trip.

You can create yummy gourmet meals with a little understanding of grilling and adapting recipes to the grill. You should learn how to adapt regular recipes to grill cooking, too, and you’ll see that you can create some mighty tasty gourmet recipes that taste like you’ve spent hours preparing them.

Family Camping Food Ideas For Children

Children love to get involved, and the beauty of camping is that the recipes are usually simple, easy and fun. The kids will enjoy them even more if you let them modify the camp recipes and have some cooking fun. Before your next family camping trip, gather up some kid-friendly camping recipes. Camping dessert recipes are fun and easy for kids to make, and the whole family enjoys eating them.

Camping Meal Planning

Meals should be planned around the “core” entry but like buying a car it’s the extras that make it more enjoyable. Meals should be made as simple as possible. Meals or soups in a cup are definitely convenient foods but they may be too bulky for many backpackers and campers. Meals take more time to prepare at the campground but it’s also one of the jobs that everyone seems to want to help out with. Meals around the campfire are just as much the centre of camping life as meals around the kitchen bench at home.

Freeze-dried Camping Food

A quick search of the web turns up numerous companies producing freeze-dried foods for backpacking, including many vegetarian options. One of the best types of camping food is freeze-dried food or dehydrated food. Nowadays, people climbing the Himalayas, exploring the Poles, competing in offshore races, canoers and all kinds of travelers and globetrotters take very light freeze-dried food with them, which in extreme conditions can be made eatable by adding water acquired from snow or even sea water after desalination. Dehydrated or freeze-dried camping food is great for hiking, backpacking, or camping meals because it doesn’t have to be kept cold to avoid spoiling. Camping, backpacking, or hiking food that’s freeze-dried or dehydrated can reduce weight by sixty to ninety percent. With a little creativity it’s easy to make meals better-tasting and healthier than freeze-dried astronaut meals!

With some tasty camping food in your pack, you can make sure you won’t go hungry. Take easy to carry, high energy camping food to fuel your expeditions and outdoor adventures. If you’re used to eating at gourmet restaurants, no matter what type of camping food you pack you’ll probably be disappointed but you’ll still have fun. You’ll also want to consider animal and/or bear resistant camping food containers especially if you’re going to bear country. Please check the local area for suggestions on camping food storage and how to deal with trash. Good camping food is easy, light-weight, and served hot quickly.

Alison Stevens is an online author and maintains The Hiking And Camping Website to assist hikers, campers and backpackers to choose the right equipment and enjoy their outdoor adventure.

Montana is home to some of the best trout fly fishing in the United States. People come from all over the world to fish its legendary waters. Some fly fishermen seek the expertise of a Montana trout fly fishing guide while others are determined to go at it alone. Regardless of how you do it there are certain things that you must be prepared for. This is a quick guide to Montana trout fly fishing that is aimed at helping ensure a successful trip to one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Even if a person was to fly fish Montana for a year and never catch a fish, the trip would still be a success. You cannot believe the sheer beauty of this place until you have been there. The wildlife alone is enough to get people coming back for more; throw a few 20 inch trout into the mix and you are in for one of the best trips of your life. To make this trip as successful as possible, there are items that you will not want to leave behind and situations that you will want to be ready for. Read on to get a general idea of what you need to be ready for, the essential items that you need to bring, and ideas on how to make this a great trip, and hopefully a successful one at that.

Where to Fly Fish in Montana

Montana is one of the biggest states in the U.S. and is home to the Rocky Mountains and other massive mountain ranges that feed thousands of rivers, streams and lakes. With all of this water, it can be a daunting task to pick a particular body of water to fish. I have had to decide where to fish on several occasions, and I’ll tell you, it is not easy. For the most part, all you have to do is find some cold clear water and you can bet there are trout in it, probably big trout. From the northwest to the southeast corners, and everywhere in between, fly fishing for trout can be good. A good portion of the Montana is not so mountainous and more so desert, but even in this 2/3 of the state, an experienced fly fisherman can find big trout if he or she knows where to look. This is an area where a Montana trout fly fishing guide can come in handy.

Southwest Montana is by far the most popular part of the state for fly fishing. It is home to some incredible rivers that are fed from the numerous mountain ranges that can be seen in all directions. This area is unique in that a person can fish many different bodies of water in a short trip. From one blue ribbon trout river you can drive over a mountain pass and be fishing in another blue ribbon river in an hour or two. Here is a quick list of the rivers that you have to choose from in SW Montana:

1. Madison
2. Big Hole
3. Bitterroot
4. Ruby
5. Rock Creek
6. Beaverhead
7. Jefferson
8. Yellowstone
9. Gallatin
10. Missouri

All of these rivers hold a large number of big trout, but are just a few of the bigger named rivers that Montana has to offer. It takes many trips to Montana to really determine a favorite river. A person could fish Montana for a lifetime and still have new rivers to fish.

When to Fly Fish Montana

I have been to Montana and experienced both great and not so great fly fishing. Whenever the conditions are right though, the fishing has consistently been on the great side. A good way to better your chances of experiencing good fishing is to time your vacation around both weather and insect hatches. Most of the hatches are dependent on weather though, so if you come during the time of year that weather is most predicable (summer), your chances of having a successful trip will increase.

Here is a quick break down on each season and what can be expected.

• Winter: Cold! This is the time of year to book a trip to do some tropical fishing. Many of the rivers in Montana freeze all the way across or are made up of big dangerous ice shelves. There is some fishing in some tail waters near the dams, but unless you are a local, the fishing is not worth going out of you war to be freezing. If you do come this time of year, bring your skis, the skiing is better than the fishing.
• Spring: The fish this time of year are less fearful than they get once they have had a few hooks in their mouth a little later in the year, so great fishing can happen. The problem becomes the water flow and clarity. There is usually a small time frame when the snow and ice clear in the valleys, but remains in the mountains, making for clear water. This is a good time to fish but the window of opportunity is very small. If you can get away with short notice, as soon as you here the fishing is good, you’d better get on it because as soon as the snow starts melting and the spring rains start coming down, the rivers will rise and clarity will drop.
• Summer: This is the most popular time to be fly fishing Montana’s trout rivers. The temperatures are comfortable and the river levels drop and become clear. The Salmon Fly hatch is the first hatch to really start off the season. It happens usually after June 10^th. This is a busy time of year for a Montana trout fly fishing guide, but the trout love to eat these significantly sized insects. From the middle of June and throughout the rest of the summer, there will be hatches of either caddis, mayflies, hoppers and many more.
• Fall: After the summer crowds leave, the fall gives way to cooler temperatures and less crowded rivers. This is a favorite time of year for many hardcore fly fishermen. The fish are ready to fatten up for the winter and some big insects begin hatching. The main attraction this time of year is the Fall Caddis hatch. These supersized caddis are a trout’s main entree and can be taken with ease off the top with large floating flies such as stimulators and caddis in size 6 – 10.

Being Your Own Montana Trout Fly Fishing Guide

For an experienced fly fisherman, Montana can be effectively fished without the help of a guide. This will certainly cut down on the budget, but is only advised for those that are proficient at casting and working flies. There is a huge learning curve in fly fishing and if you are not over that curve, then it will be beneficial to have someone to help you out, either a friend or a guide. Before you go, you will want to know what you will need as for as gear and fly patterns. At the link at the end of this article there is an insect hatch chart for Montana that can help you decide what flies to take. Another good way is to stop at a fly shop on the river you will be fishing and ask. Most of these people spend a lot of time on the river and will be able to steer you in the right direction. You may also want to ask them if they have any guides available as sometimes you can book a trip last minute for a discounted price if the guide has nothing else to do. If you are going to fly fish Montana on your own, then make sure you read the gear guide below to make sure you have all you will need.

Hiring a Montana Trout Fly Fishing Guide

One of the best ways to ensure a successful fly fishing trip to Montana is to hire a Montana Trout Fly Fishing Guide. It is amazing how much knowledge most of these guys have after putting fly fisherman on trout every day.

Here is a list of the benefits that a fly fishing guide can offer:

• Knowing the insect hatches: Yes, Montana is full of big trout, but the way these trout get so big is because they are smart. They know which insects are hatching, the color and size they are, and how they float in or on the water. Knowing these key features is exactly what a guide is paid to do, so he or she had better be good at it or they will not make it in this business. When fishing these smart trout, you need to have everything perfect; a guide can definitely help to make this happen.
• Where to Fish: Trout have certain conditions that they prefer. Fishing in the right spot is a crucial factor to success on any trout water. Insects and other organisms that trout feed on collect in certain areas and this is where you will find big trout. A good Montana trout fly fishing guide will be able to put you in the right place at the right time
• Access: Getting to the trout waters is sometimes half the battle. Much of Montana’s trout fishing is best accessed by a boat or by walking through private property. Not everybody has a boat and even if you do, it may not be feasible or possible to bring it. A guide will get you where you need to be one way or another.
• Equipment: Most guides will have a high quality fly fishing rod, reel and line set up for you to use that is designed to cast the flies you will be using and fight the fish you will be fishing for. It is very important that you use the right equipment as this will greatly improve you fly fishing efficiency.
• Knowledge: A Montana trout fly fishing guide will be able to offer clients so much more than just fishing advice. A good guide also knows the history, geology, anthropology, and stories that make this part of the world so interesting and beautiful.

Gear to Bring:

Montana is a demanding place, both in fly fishing gear and clothing alike. To make this the best trip possible it is advised that you come prepared for anything that Montana can throw at you. I have seen it snow in July, and I’ve lost several fish due to size that I was not expecting. Let’s go over some items that you should not come to Montana without.

1. Fly Fishing Gear: Things you will need if not hiring a Montana Trout Fly Fishing Guide

• Fly Fishing Rod: It is very important that you bring a fly rod that is of high quality. The Wal-Mart combo set is not recommended and will lead to headaches and a far less successful trip. A well made fly rod is much easier to cast, more accurate, and stronger leaving you much less likely to break it. Two rules of thumb are: 1. Buy the best rod you can afford. 2. Only consider rods that offer a lifetime warranty. For more information on buying a fly rod and all other fly fishing gear mentioned here, click the link at the end of this article.
• Fly Fishing Line: Fly lines are a close second to the importance of a fly fishing set up right behind a quality fly rod. With fly fishing, you are casting the line which delivers the fly to where you want it. This means the line has to work with the rod. This is why it is advised to use a high quality line in addition to a nice rod. Also, you will want to be able to fish many different situations as the fish are not always willing to take an insect on the top. You may need to use a sink tip to get bait fish imitations to the fish so it is also wise to go with a line that has interchangeable tips of different sink rates from floating to fast sink.
• Fly Fishing Reel: a fly reel is less important and receives far less use than the line and rod, but a smooth drag system is very helpful if you hook into any trout 16 inches or more. It is not a good experience to lose a fish of a lifetime over a cheap piece of equipment. Again, it is suggested to buy the best reel you can afford, but if you must skimp on either a rod, reel, or line, this is the place to do it.
• Waders and Boots: These are an essential. Most Montana fly fishing is done at elevations well over 6000 feet making for cool mornings and cold water even in August. Having owned a couple pairs of cheap waders in my early fly fishing days, I can tell you how important a quality pair can be. Although they may cost twice as much, a quality pair can last 3 times as long before they start leaking in the seams and cutting in to your fun. Also, a good pair of wading boots is a must on the slippery rocks of almost all Montana Rivers. Good support and traction are what you should be after. There are many types of soles to choose from. A big push in Montana is rubber soles as opposed to felt in an effort cut down on transporting invasive aquatic organisms that can live in a felt sole that does not have time to dry out before using them in a second river system. Nearly all quality wading boot manufactures have come out with rubber soles designed to grip slippery rocks and many have removable cleats that can add a lot of stick to your traction. Check out the gear guide link at the end of this article to help you decide on all equipment you will need.
• Flies, leaders, tippets, floatant, and line cutters: These are all necessary if you are going to be your own Montana trout fly fishing guide. It is important to know how to tie all this together and what types of flies are effective during the time of your adventure. One would think a trout would take any fly that it sees, but even the small fish are smart and will mostly only take flies that match the insects that are hatching at the time.

2. Things to bring guide or not:

Hiring a Montana trout fly fishing guide will definitely cut down on the amount of gear you will need to pack as far as fly fishing equipment. Still there are several items that you will not want to leave home without that your guide will not provide, especially if you are not hiring one. Here is a quick list of items that should not be left home.

• Rain proof coat: have it ready too. The weather in these mountains can change in an instant from sunny and warm to cloudy, rainy, and sometimes even snow.
• Binoculars: the areas are home to some incredible wildlife and you never know what you are going to see. Deer, elk, big horn sheep, moose, wolf, coyote, bear, and many more species are all possible.
• Camera: Make sure you have one handy when you real in that fish of a life time. The surroundings are picture perfect as well.
• Sun Screen: The sun is intense at these altitudes and the rays will reflect off the water.
• Sun Glasses: Sunglasses are very helpful when spending all day on the river. Polarized sun glasses are recommended as they cut down on the glare coming off the water and enable a person to see through the water much better than with just regular sun glasses.

Handling of Montana Trout

All trout are very delicate. It is best not to touch them at all, but if you do need to take a picture, wet your hands before touching, take a quick photo, and get it back in the water. It is best to let it swim away as soon as it has the power to do so. Please do not caress it and rub its belly like you see them do on fishing shows. Get the trout out of your hand as soon as possible. Most of Montana requires Barbless hooks, but do it because it is the right thing to do as it is so much easier to remove the hook this way. Barbless hooks get a bad rap for losing fish. I think it is more of an excuse. Many times that hook is going to come out barb or not, the key is to keeping the line tight. Many experienced fly fishermen including many Montana Trout fly fishing guides will agree that the barb actually makes it harder to get a good hook set on a fish because it has a wider shank to seat it firmly in the mouth tissue. The final argument against barbed hooks is the fact that it is not smart to have a barbed hook flying around your head, or any part of your body for that matter. A barbed hook in your eye is not a pretty sight. Just hope there is still have sight from that eye when you get back from the hospital.

Conclusion

No matter how many big Montana Trout you do or don’t catch, you are sure to have a good time. Like I said before, the scenery alone is worth making a trip here. Typically my drive home to Idaho is spent planning out the next trip to Montana. Every time I make the trek to these legendary waters I am faced with not having enough time to fish all the water I would like to. That is because a lifetime is not enough time to fish all of this state. On the drive to Montana it always seems like I have more than enough time to be fishing, but before I know it, it is time to pack up and head for home. I guess time flies when you are having fun, luckily there are many more trips to come if I have things my way. I hope to see you all there, and please be respectful of the fish so we all can enjoy fly fishing Montana together for years to come.

To make sure you are properly equipped with the right gear for fly fishing Montana, go to this gear guide where you will find advice on fly rods, lines, reels, waders, and all necessary gear related to fly fishing: http://onlineflyfishingguide.com/onlineflyfishinggearguide.html and click on the gear guide. For more information on hatches, river flows, and other important articles about fly fishing, click on this link: Montana Trout Fly Fishing Guide.

There is actually plenty of blogging advice offered on the internet regarding what we will need to do in order to operate our blog successfully. If you’ve been thinking about assembling a blog with regard to your business, this blogging advice detailed below is designed specifically for you.

Listed below are the very best strategies an online business blogger is able to use to seek out visitors. These tips tend to be especially for new bloggers, those individuals who have next-to-no market right now and would like to get the process started however if you have been blogging for a while you still might find some useful information in the list below.

It will help if you focus on this particular checklist from top to bottom since each and every strategy builds upon the prior strategy that will help you produce momentum. At some point when you create plenty of momentum you will get what is known as “traction”, which usually is a big enough market base (around 500 visitors per day is great) which you will no longer need to work so hard in acquiring new visitors. Rather your current faithful visitors perform the actual work for you by word of mouth marketing.

Be Efficient With These Top Blogging Tips

Create A Minimum Of 5 Main “Pillar” Posts

• A pillar post is actually a mini seminar style write-up geared to educate your target audience on a specific subject. Normally they’re longer than 500 words with plenty of really useful ideas or advice. This informative article you’re presently reading through might be regarded a pillar post as it is really helpful plus an excellent “how-to” training. This brand of writing offers lasting appeal, remains current (it is not information or time centered) while offering actual worth and knowledge. The more pillars you’ve gotten onto your blog the more effective.

Create One New Blog Post Each Day

• Not each post needs to be a pillar; however, you need to focus on having the five pillars finished all at once while you keep the blog refreshing with new information as well as short brief blog posts. The biggest thing at this point will be to show your new site visitors that your particular blog will be current on a regular basis so that they feel that if he or she returns down the road they are going to most likely discover something totally new. This will cause them to bookmark your blog as well as subscribe to your blog feed.

It’s not necessary to create one post each day at all times however it is crucial one does whenever your blog is completely new. When you receive traction you will still have to keep your new content coming however your faithful viewers may well be more flexible in the event you lessen the pace to a couple each week instead. The initial few months tend to be crucial therefore the more written content you are able to generate at the moment the more beneficial.

Have An Appropriate Domain Name.

• If you’re seriously interested in blogging for money get really enthusiastic about whatever you name your blog. As a way for people to help quickly spread your message regarding your blog you will need a simple domain name to remember. People today frequently discuss blogs that they like when they’re talking with friends that are within their business circle of friends, therefore, you’ll want to make this simple for these friends to spread the word and also give your Web address. Make an effort to purchase a.com if you’re able to and concentrate on small, simple, not difficult to memorize domains instead of worrying about getting the right keywords (keep in mind if you’re able to find excellent keywords as well as easy to remember keywords then you must have done a great job in researching!).

Here is a great tool to help you find that perfect domain name: Domain Samurai

Leave Comments

• Begin leaving comments on some other blogs. After you have your own pillar articles or blog posts as well as your every day new short article posts your blog is able to be presented around the world. One of the greatest techniques to discover the ideal kind of reader with regard to your blog would be to comment on other people’s blogs. It is best to make an effort to comment on blogs aimed at the same niche subject as your own because the readers there might be much more likely to be interested with the articles on your blog.

Many blogs that you leave your comments with will let you include your name/title related to your blog whenever you give a comment. This is one way people discover your blog. If you are someone who comments all the time and who usually has something important to say, other bloggers notice your comments and if this peaks their interest they will want to learn more about your business and therefore simply click your link to see your blog.

Trackbacks and Backlinks

• Trackback and link to other blogs and forums within your blog posts. A trackback is kind of just like a blog discussion. Whenever you publish a brand new article to your blog and it links or recommends another blogger’s article you’re able to do a trackback therefore to their entry. Exactly what this really does is actually give a short overview of your blog post in their blog entry: it is kind of similar to your blog informing somebody else’s blog that you had written a post talking about them. Trackbacks usually look like comments.

This is an excellent strategy because just like placing comments a trackback leaves a link from another blog back again to yours for readers to follow, which will do something extremely important: this gets the interest of some other blogger. Another blogger will more than likely come and browse your post excited to view what you wrote concerning them. They will often later become a faithful reader of yours or at best keep track of you so if you’re blessed some time in the future they might create an article linking to your own blog attracting additional visitors.

Promote Comments On Your Own Blog.

• You’ll find the most successful strategies to encourage someone being a faithful reader is undoubtedly showing there are more faithful readers currently following your blog. When they notice several people leaving comments on your blog chances are they’ll think that the articles must be very good because you currently have readers so they really ought to stay on your site to see precisely what all of the fuss is about. To be able to really promote comments you may in simple terms present a question inside your blog post. Make sure to always answer comments to help you keep your discussion going.

Submit To A Blog Carnival

• Post your most recent pillar article to a blog carnival. A blog carnival is actually a posting inside a blog which summarizes an accumulation of articles or blog posts from a number of blogs with a particular subject. The objective would be to gather a few of the greatest content on a subject in a given week. Quite often a number of other blogs link back to a carnival host and therefore the actual people who have articles or blog posts showcased within the carnival often like an increase in new readers.

To determine the perfect blog carnival for your blog, perform a search at blog carnival.

Post Your Blog To Blog topsites

• To tell the truth this particular word of advice won’t generate a ton of new visitors nevertheless it really is simple to complete and just requires five minutes therefore it is really worth your time and effort. Visit Blog Top Sites, look for the suitable category for your blog and publish it. You need to copy and paste a few lines of code to your blog to help you rank then relax and see the traffic come in. In all probability you’ll basically acquire 1-10 incoming visitors each day using this strategy however with time it could increase while you climb the rankings. Everything will help!

Submit Your Main Posts To EzineArticles.

• This is certainly an additional suggestion that does not generate an abundance of new readers right away (even though it could in the event you continue to keep doing the work) on the other hand it really is beneficial since you only leverage whatever you currently have – your pillar articles or blog posts. Each week take one of the pillar posts and submit it to Ezine Articles. Your post now becomes accessible to several other people who can easily republish your article on their blog or inside their newsletter.

The way you profit will be by using what is known as your “Resource Box”. You will design your own private authors resource box that is similar to a signature file in which you have one to two sentences that link back again to your blog. Anybody who publishes your article is required to include your author’s resource box which means you get incoming links. When someone who has a significant newsletter posts your article you can receive plenty of brand new visitors at the same time.

EzineArticles has a WordPress plugin that is just excellent. I use it all the time. Experienced WordPress users will be able to submit their WordPress posts and blog entries right to EzineArticles.

Another great place to post your articles will be at Goarticles, Articlesbase and Worldvillage..

Create A Lot More Pillar Posts.

• Anything you choose to do that was previously mentioned will help you get blog visitors. Then again all of the strategies I have listed primarily work when you’ve got powerful pillars ready. Without having you choose everything previously mentioned you might attract visitors however they will not likely remain or even take the time to return? Strive for one strong pillar post each week and in the end of this year you’ll have a customer base well over 50 outstanding feature posts designed to work tirelessly so that you can attract increasingly more visitors.

I really hope you enjoyed my collection of blogging tips. Pretty much everything previously mentioned here are strategies I have put in place personally with regard to my blogs and has proved helpful for me personally; nevertheless it is most certainly not an extensive list. There are lots of additional steps you can take. Acquiring visitors is about testing to determine exactly what performs better for you as well as your market and I currently have little doubt when you decide to put some effort into this you’ll discover some sort of system which works for you.

Monique is an entrepreneur whose only goal is to help people succeed in business. If you would like information on attraction marketing, home business, internet marketing, leadership, personal development, or need inspiration? Then visit my blog at: Helping People Succeed In Business

I was traveling around St. Patrick’s Day and while I ate dinner and enjoyed some Irish music I saw a promotional T-shirt for Guinness beer announcing the holiday. It was a very stylish T-shirt, but it was the tagline that I loved the most. It read:

Celebrate like you mean it.

I haven’t been able to get that phrase out of my mind since.

Organizational leaders think about celebrations a lot. Maybe not the type Guinness was thinking about with that tagline, but they definitely think about them. They think about what, when, where and how to celebrate. Sometimes they get it right. But far too often they don’t.

Celebrations are important, but even more important is handling celebrations appropriately.

Of the four points mentioned above (what, when, where and how to celebrate), what to celebrate and how to celebrate it are the most important for you to consider. But first, let’s start with an underlying principle – why to celebrate in the first place.

Why to Celebrate – Consider the Underlying Purpose

There are at least three great reasons to celebrate in your organization:

to commemorate results and efforts.

to recognize people accomplishments and contributions.

to appreciate people.

When you think about these purposes, especially in an organizational context, it makes it easier to think about when to celebrate.

But before we get more specific about that, think about the last five times you arranged or participated in a celebration, and what the expressed purposes were. And, perhaps more importantly, what are the situations when you didn’t celebrate that, using the purposes above, you could have?

When to Celebrate – Consider your Reasons

Read any book on team building, employee engagement or project management and you will read that celebrations are important. You can easily find lists of reasons to celebrate that usually include things like:

Celebrate when you . . .

Reach a goal.

Achieve a milestone.

Gain a major Client.

Release a new product.

Win an award.

These are probably obvious times to celebrate (in part because so many experts have reminded us). Most organizations do something at these types of “big achievements.” And yet when you consider the stated purpose above, there are so many other situations when you could celebrate. What if you celebrated when:

People worked exceptionally hard?

People delighted a customer?

People lived your organizational values in a unique or important way?

People deserved thanks?

People reached a milestone, even if the project isn’t complete yet?

Each of these lists could be longer – but please notice a critical difference. The first list is about completion and success, the second is about people. The first list is the obvious times to celebrate; the second list might be more of a surprise and have greater meaning to those being celebrated.

Successful celebrations occur in part when you are celebrating for the right reasons, and when those reasons are perfectly clear to those involved in the celebration.

How to Celebrate – Consider Your Attitude

Ever been to a celebration that flopped? Chances are it wasn’t about the cake, punch or surroundings. The single biggest reason why celebrations flop is because people are just going through the motions.

Like when the leader arrives late, makes a proclamation then rushes back to his or her meeting.

Or the purpose for the celebration isn’t clear.

Or it has been postponed three times.

These are all examples of celebrations becoming perfunctory and without any passion. And in the end, these “celebrations” hurt engagement, morale and energy more than they help.

If you want successful celebrations you must be real and genuine about the reason for celebrating. You must be gracious and thankful for those involved. Your comments must be heart-felt, and you must be present – really there in the moment – sharing in the celebratory feelings of the event.

There is another article that could be written (and I”ll probably write it) about the ways to do the celebration, because not all celebrations are (or should be) created equally.

However you do it, in the end, the biggest key to any celebration’s success is all about the slogan from that T-shirt. If you want your celebrations to be meaningful, celebrate like you mean it.

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Potential Pointer: It isn’t about the venue, the theme, the budget or even the food. When celebrating events and accomplishments in your organization, what matters most is that you clearly want to celebrate! So, celebrate like you mean it.

Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. To receive your free special report on Unleashing Your Potential go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/uypw/index.asp or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.

Most of the lesser complex animals, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, and reptiles probably have a worldview along the lines of ‘it just is’ and accept whatever comes along – go with the flow. But once you consider the relatively higher and more complex animals, like birds and mammals, then brain complexity becomes such that to a greater or lesser degree, intelligence and the ability to think and figure things out has to be taken into consideration.

For those of you who have companion animals, or even those of you who have just watched animals at a distance, you may have wondered how those animals view and perhaps even think about life, the universe and everything. That is, each animal must have some sort of personal worldview; a perspective or point of view probably forever beyond our understanding – usually but not always.

I’m picking on cats in this particular case because I’ve owned cats nearly all my life. This essay could just as easily have been dogs or horses or some other domesticated mammal.

So what are cats? Can we identify with them? Can they identify with us? Well, domesticated cats are playful; curious; adaptable; selfish; they dream; they like variety though they can also be creatures of habit; they can ‘think’ things through and make decisions; they have a vocal language and a body language; they display emotions; they have memory and therefore somewhat a sense of history; they have the same sensory apparatus as we have; they have their own likes and dislikes whether it be food; a place to sleep, where they want or don’t want to be scratched or rubbed or petted; and, in short each cat has their own very unique personality. Cats are certainly very self-centred, perhaps a bit more so than typical adult humans, but certainly akin to human infants and toddlers whose worldview is very self-centred with a near 24/7 gimmie, gimmie, gimmie; I want, I want, I want. Cats, at least those intersecting with humans have a gimmie/I want aspect to them, and like infants/toddlers the ‘pester’ factor can often reach extremes. In short, cats really seem to be mini albeit furry versions of humans, especially infants/toddlers. But, how close might that version really be?

For starters, and perhaps like all animals, the cat probably has a worldview something akin to it being the centre of things – the be-all-and-end-all – and that the entire environment the cat finds itself in is there to provide for all the cat’s requirements. From the domestic cat’s point of view, the world owes it a living! How else could the cat view things? One’s self perceptions tend to revolve around ‘I am the centre of the universe’ because you are most intimately bound up in your worldview with yourself and not as intimately with anything else. Therefore, anything else, in a self-centred worldview must be subservient. Of course the cat often finds out the hard way that parts of that external reality have differing opinions. That never seems to shift the cat’s worldview however that it is ‘top dog’* and deserves all the best that comes its way – which might not be all the ‘best’ that nature could provide but the cat doesn’t know that.

Cats certainly have no comprehension, perhaps like toddlers, of being in the way, underfoot, in danger of being trodden on or sat upon, while helping themselves to whatever piece of household geography suits their fancy. One could conclude from their selfish (from our point of view) behaviour, their worldview must be one of ‘supreme being’ and ‘rank has its privileges’, and such a worldview will persist at least until such time as their tail gets stepped on or they get tossed out of the easy chair! They still probably see themselves as supreme beings – it’s their worldview of you that’s now somewhat changed.

The average head of the household and cat owner is probably somewhat of the opinion or has the rationale that ‘I pay the bills, therefore I call the shots and what I say goes’! Cats can probably understand ‘head of the household’ in that in cat society, as in all animal societies, all cats are not equal – there is a hierarchy and one cat alone will be ‘top dog’ as it were. But there’s nothing in a cat’s worldview that corresponds to money or bills or economics or finance. Everything is a free lunch, be it sunshine or the electric/gas/wood heater you, the owner, pay for. Even if the cat goes outside and catches and eats a mouse, it’s still as free a lunch as far as the cat is concerned as the food you put in its food bowl. So that bit about ‘I’m the boss because I pay the bills’ has no meaning or significance to the cat since the concept of ‘bills’ is foreign.

Cats have no mythology about shopping. The post Xmas sales and weekly specials at the supermarket are alien concepts. So is that nearly supreme abstraction to humans – time. Birthdays are a non-event with no realization when they occur and with no relevance in any event. Ditto all those other special points in time like holidays we humans are obsessed with. Cats don’t make a habit of staying up late on New Years Eve. It’s of no consequence. Weekends are no different than weekdays.

Equally the cat has apparently no worldview of tomorrow or of the future (though it has a memory of the past). It doesn’t save for a rainy day. I’ve never observed a cat hide away a few of its dry cat food pellets for a future emergency or a midnight snack. A cat is very ‘now’ oriented. A cat probably has no concept of death, far less an afterlife. I’ve always tended to have two cats at a time on the theoretical grounds they have companionship when I’m not around. As such, one cat will finally get to go to that great ‘litter box in the sky’ and as such the surviving cat (for a while at least) will be without its companion feline ‘friend’. I’ve never noticed however any real change in the behaviour of the surviving cat. The demise and removal of the other animal has apparently all the relevance of my tossing an empty can into the recycling bin. Now if I tossed out the cat’s favourite easy chair that would probably cause more of a reaction!

It’s difficult to teach a cat anything that isn’t already hardwired into its little grey cells. I mean you don’t tend to have guard cats, seeing-eye cats, or cats that sit up, stop on command at the corner, beg, and play fetch, etc. when their human owners say so. The cat’s worldview is quite foreign to such concepts, though there’s little difference between a cat’s IQ and a dog’s IQ. Maybe that’s why the saying ‘dogs have masters; cats have slaves’!

So those are several significant differences between the worldview mythologies of the cat relative to humans (or even dogs, who, are well known to ‘grieve’ upon the death of a fellow companion dog or of their owner. If I died, my cat’s loyalty would shift quick-smart to the next human who fed it).

I noted above that cats dream and why not. I judge this because often when they are sound asleep I frequently notice their paws and mouths twitching as if in response to something going on inside their head. I assume it’s not some abstraction that occupies this assumed dream state. It’s probably related to visions of chasing and eating fat mice and plump flightless birds! There’s no way of telling for sure, but that’s what I suspect. If they dream, they dream practical cat-related things.

I’ve never gotten the impression that a cat ponders anything at anytime but practical matters that have a direct bearing on it in the here and right now. An obvious example is that any cat always finds itself on the wrong side of a door, and you are expected to correct that state of affairs as often as is necessary – which is very often indeed. No wonder people install cat flaps! Anyway, things like philosophy and religion and the arts and mathematics and anything abstract not only isn’t considered and immediately dismissed, the cat probably can’t even conceive of such things in order for them to be dismissed as of no relevance to the cat’s worldview. There’s no creativity in their little grey cells whatever. I very much doubt whether any cat has pondered whether or not it has free will. My cats don’t respond to cat art, like the pictures of cats on calendars. Music soothes the savage beast but with one minor exception all my cats have been oblivious to whatever type of music CD I’m playing, be it classical or jazz, country & western or film scores; vocal or instrumental. That one exception is that I once had a cat that would react to whistling within a song that emanated from the speakers. Still, cats probably therefore never have to endure that annoying experience of having an irritating song play endlessly, over and over and over again inside their head!

If the cats were of a human frame of mind, they might conceive of something like: In the beginning the great cat deity, lets name it Bastet (also spelled Bast, Baast, Ubasti and Baset) after the ancient Egyptian cat goddess, created not only the domestic feline, but all that’s part and parcel of their world. In the beginning Bastet created the ever pristine litter box; the ever full food and water bowls, and lots of birds and mice for felines to chase, catch and snack on. That’s of course according to the mythology of the cat, if the cat had a human’s imagination. Well actually, not. No cat has imagined any self-contained mythology about the origin and evolution of cats. If cats have a worldview mythology outside of the concepts of self and now, then it probably centres on what strange companions humans are. And I’m 99% sure that while such human activities might be fascinating, they are equally incomprehensible.

Translated, whatever mythology our domestic feline companions come up with that explains to their satisfaction their worldview, it will bear little resemblance to actual human activities on behalf of the animal, like the concept of money to pay for the goods and services it receives. The cats have no conception of livestock (slaughtered as pet food), of biological evolution (that provided the birds and mice and the abilities of the cat to chase, catch and snack on them), of the infrastructure that gets them their fresh water (and other goodies) that ends up as the end product in their water bowls, etc.

So while I have no idea what worldview mythology my cats have (and they probably aren’t the exact same – each cat’s worldview will be in part unique) it’s wrong.

However, we can speculate; take scenarios that are part and parcel of their world, natural or otherwise, and try to figure out how they see and interpret things through their eyes.

So what goes through a cat’s mind when it’s not immediately concerned with me; now – when it’s not in immediate need of catering to various biological requirements and functions? The cat is just sitting, wide awake, alert, observing, but what is it thinking? Does it have to be deep in thought at all? Probably not I suspect. In fact, it’s more likely as not they are observing just for the sake of observing – always on the lookout for something to chase and eat (that’s probably just hardwired into their brain), or for something that might chase and eat them.

I mean my cats are interested in birds; I’m interested in birds too – but for totally different reasons. On the other hand, my cats are interested in a clean litter box, but what goes through their minds when every time they go to the litter box it’s pristine, even though it wasn’t in that condition a little while back for obvious reasons? Do they associate that ‘it wasn’t then but now it is pristine’ phenomenon with a cat deity or with me or neither? Cat food appears on demand in bowls they eat out of, yet they have no comprehension of the chain of events between manufacture, distribution, the need for money to purchase, transport, open and pour into those bowls that food. So how do they account for the food that somehow magically appears before them? Do they have a food bowl mythology? Or, perhaps it is a phenomena that just is, and they think no more about it than a fish ponders the nature of the water it swims in. For some reason I find it very hard to picture my cats deep in thought wondering about all those whys and wherefores associated with the food they consume.

Well we have some idea what a cat’s worldview mythology is (me; now), and isn’t (nothing that’s abstract) but you, the owner, aren’t an abstraction. How do you fit in to your animal’s mythology?

Cats must have a field day with respect to inventing a mythology that accounts for the strange habits of those creatures they share their environment with – humans. For example, my cats see me getting dressed every morning – I’m putting on the fur. Since cats don’t need to dress, this behaviour must be really weird to them. Ditto making the bed or washing the dishes. The cats must be totally freaked out by my habit of deliberately getting wet via a daily shower or bath. What activity could repulse a cat more than that? Yuck! How do cats explain the dwelling they reside in along with all the stuff it contains? I know where it all comes from, but how do they account for it all? Do they even bother to try to account for it? Part of that all is my personal computer (PC). They see me typing away on this PC but I’m sure they have no comprehension of what this PC device is or why I’m pecking away on it instead of paying attention to them. When I go out of the house, shopping say or off to the club for a few cold beers, do they wonder where and why? Do they worry that I might not come back, because if I don’t they will find themselves in a pretty pickle. Or, is the fact I’m away of no interest and no consequence and causes no speculation? Since they don’t seem agitated when I leave, I suspect they have no comprehension of the possibility that I might not return, being hit by the proverbial bus instead.

So, do my cats develop a point of view, a worldview mythology to account for birds (a natural part of their environment), litter boxes (not so natural), and PC’s (totally unnatural)? I suspect they don’t. These things just are and don’t require any mythological interpretation to otherwise explain them.

Cats like to lie and stretch out in and soak up the warmth of the Sun. How do they account for sunshine and this warmth since presumably they know nothing of stellar astrophysics, nuclear fusion, photons, etc.? Might it be, if it be at all, that our cats conclude that in the beginning that great cat deity Bastet created the Sun to give pleasure and warmth to them, but, Bastet hides the Sun at regular intervals (at night) so as not to totally spoil us cats? Probably not I suspect. The warmth of the Sun probably just is (like the water is to the fish) – in fact they might not even make the connection between the Sun, sunshine, and the warmth that gives them.

Conclusions & Summary: So what is a domestic cat’s worldview mythology? Well, if the cat could speak, it might say something like this: “It’s all about me; it’s all about now; everything else just is and if it doesn’t affect me now, it’s not relevant.” The more I think about it, the more I draw a parallel between a cat being an eternal toddler (me; now; everything else just is, albeit interesting and worthy of exploring), but at least without the temper tantrums!

*The standing observation or joke is that a dog thinks to itself that ‘my human feeds me and plays with me and looks after me, therefore he must be a god’. The cat thinks to itself that ‘my human feeds me and plays with me and looks after me, therefore I must be a god!’ There’s an awful lot of relevance in that observation IMHO.

Science librarian; retired.

Type summer camp into any search engine and the results can be overwhelming. There are pages and pages of listings. One cannot rely on the search engine to rank the “best” camps from top to bottom. At or near the top of the search results will be camp-directories. This is because they put the most money into their sites and have the most links since they represent so many clients. Of course a directory cannot dictate the best camp for you.

Somewhere on the pages you will find individual camp-websites you can peruse as well as the aforementioned directories.

While the camp directories are convenient, they are not authorities in identifying the best camp for you: you are. The directories are companies that charge camps for their listing services. There are charges for premium placement (being at the top of the page) for banner ads (the ones that blink or scroll at the very top of the page) and badge ads (logotype ads on the side of the page), as well as, for information they will share (website links are always more, color, movies, etc). I have been quoted upwards of $6000.00 dollars for a one-year ad in one of these directories. In fairness I should mention often the directory will offer a free listing, these are at the bottom of the listings with little to no data.

For you, a prospective camper or guardian thereof, there are some nice features to be found on the directories: camps are broken down by category, by region, byreligious affiliation and by overnight or day camp etc.

While this data can help draw you closer to the type of camp that is an excellent fit for you, they should not be the end of your search. It is always good to do your own search engine crawl once you have parsed out the features you want in a camp.

Maybe you want a rafting camp but you would also like to go away from home or visit another part of the United States. Then you can search for camps that can accommodate the special circumstances surrounding your camp arrival and departure: for instance a camp that offers shuttle service from the local airport.

To help you begin your camp search, here are some questions to ask yourself and thoughts worthy of consideration:

1. How long are you wanting to be at camp: for the day or overnight? (overnight camps are referred to as resident camps) If attending a resident style camp for the first time, it is NORMAL to feel nervous. Deciding on a resident style camp can be nerve-wracking but don’t eliminate this option. Remember, the other campers will be new too: you are not alone in this. Many campers who attend resident style camps make friendships that last years and often the experiences are more meaningful simply because of the newness of the experience.
2. Do you want a religious focus to your camp? If so, then make that a priority in your search. If not, then be aware, many non-denominational camps are great and respectful of all lifestyles.
3. Do you want the camp to be unisex or is CO-Ed acceptable? Either way, camp directors and counselors are aware, day and night. There are pros and cons to either camp scenario.
4. Decide what you want to do on your vacation. If you want an acting/drama-intense-camp, then choosing a camp focusing on water sports is not for you. This said it is important to look at what camps do offer because there are differences even in camps that appear similar. You may be able to do MORE and spend about the same. For example, in our area, the foothills of Northern California, there is a camp on a lake that has many water activities as well as hiking, crafts, ropes, etc. Just down the road is a camp that is based on a river. The camp on the river does everything the lake camp does as well as whitewater rafting, off site excursions to water-parks, pro-basketball games and visits an historic State Park. The costs between the two camps is nearly identical, in fact the river-based camp is even a little less expensive. Make sure you do your shopping. If you are debating between a few camps, email them, ask them questions and then compare their responses.
5. Do not exclude yourself before you make contact with a camp! For example, if you see the word “adventure” in the camp title, do not assume this is only for aggressive outdoor enthusiasts. Email and ask what, if any experience is necessary. Same goes for rafting or skydiving or surfing… well you get the idea. Most camps are geared for nearly everyone in the accepted age range. If they are worth their salt, they will have competent and positive staff to guide you along each adventure.
6. Do not be afraid to make contact, in fact, I encourage you to make contact via either email or phone. Question these people, listen or read their responses with receptive ears and eyes. You can gauge the authenticity of someone by the way the respond and interact with you. You are important and so is your summer experience, go with someone you feel comfortable!

The long and the short of it, there are many options for you when choosing your summer adventure. Take a moment, stretch yourself a bit and really go for something you want to do. Make contact with the camp. Do not exclude yourself from something new, ask questions. You are important; the response you receive should make you feel as such. These steps should help you find that right fit.

Christopher Pyle is the owner/director of http://www.actionwhitewater.com adventure summer camp and whitewater rafting company in Northern California. His entire company philosophy focuses on creating the safest and most encouraging environments for campers and rafters alike. We focus on TEAM, we focus on KINDNESS, we focus on SAFETY, we focus on personal EMPOWERMENT, we focus on COMMUNITY, we focus on SUPPORT. We’re family run, family oriented and wanting to share our place with you. Kindly, Chris

Some camps have a targeted focus like religious study, academics, and competitive sports. The variety of camps available today is almost innumerable, meaning there will be some specialized camps that may have availability left even into the summer. Each summer, more than 10 million children and counselors attend day camps and overnight summer camps across the country.

Basically, if you can think of any subject of interest, there’s probably a camp that specializes in it. The more artistically minded might consider arts and crafts, clowning, drama, photography, or dance to be important elements of having a well-rounded camp experience. There are overnight summer camps with a focus on self-improvement, weight loss and grief counseling.

There are overnight summer camps that are co-ed camps, boys camps, girls camps or brother-sister camps where boys and girls may have separate venues and activities. There are four basic types of camps to choose from for your child: day programs, sleepaway or overnight summer camp, day programs with trips, and special needs camps. Special needs camps meet the needs of a wide range of children with disabilities; these camps provide an outdoor summer camp experience along with a therapeutic environment.

Four weeks at a good private overnight summer camp or sleepaway camp will cost anywhere from $3500 to $6500, and eight weeks will range from $4000 to $7000. Although camp counselor jobs don’t usually pay very well, usually minimum wage or less, counselors receive free room and board; many take the job primarily for the camping experience. Try to determine whether the director incorporates a similar philosophy to running the camp as you do in parenting your child or children.

Camp tuition can be expensive; similar to travel insurance, there are now insurance policies for families sending their children to overnight summer camp to cover last minute cancellations, homesickness, medical emergencies and emergency evacuations. The best overnight summer sports camps do much more than just improve a camper’s soccer, tennis, lacrosse, or wrestling skills – they help each child become a more skillful athlete, a more gracious competitor, a more committed team player, and a more confident person.

Visit the camp; you can view campers and counselors in their element, witness activities as they occur, and just obtain an overall feel of the camp, something that cannot be accurately experienced when the camp is closed.

Get to know the camp director from an in-person visit to your home if possible, phone conversations, email or other correspondence. At camp would it benefit your child more if he or she interacted more with the opposite gender? Weight loss camps are for children and teens in order to help them learn about how to lose weight and how to keep it off while having a great overnight summer camp experience.

Most camp counselors are in their late teens or early twenties and are high school and college students on their summer break. Some camps are often called adventure camps – having a very specific theme or interest; many of these programs emphasize skill development and personal growth through the adventures the offer. There are many types of overnight summer camps with a focus on education that cater to students with differing ages and academic interests.

If you spend the time needed to research your options and include your child in all the decisions, he or she will most likely have a memorable experience that provides pportunities to grow while having a lot of fun and making new friends. Look over and evaluate the brochures and promotional materials; read the fine print.Take time to consider what you can reasonably afford. If you think your child may not be ready for a sleepaway or overnight summer camp, choose a local camp in case you end up having to make a late night pickup in the event he or she gets homesick.

For more information on choosing the best overnight summer camp and finding the best sleepaway or overnight summer camp online and offline go to http://www.OvernightSummerCamp.biz a nurse’s website specializing in overnight summer camp tips, help, facts, free tuition resources, including information on overnight summer camp reviews

Your child will soon grow up to really appreciate their surroundings. They will soon be at the stage where they will understand the necessities of what a bedroom should be like. Then comes the inevitable: they’ll choose the furniture for their selves. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that because they are in charge of their own room.

The bed is not the only thing that your child will change. They’ll change the complete makeup of the room from the headboards to the bookshelves. Fortunately you can find complete childrens furniture in online stores and look at them with your child. You won’t be disappointed in the selection of furniture that’s available.

A child’s bedroom should reflect more than just the bed; it should reflect their imaginations. If they are adventurous and action-oriented, then buy furniture that’s geared toward that. Fantasy-filled? There’s furniture for that, too. There is nothing that can’t be done in this regard. Your child will have much furniture from which to choose and you’ll be able to go with them.

Your child’s bedroom is going to more than just a bedroom, too. It’s going to be a central area where games are played and friends are going to spend the night. As such, you should buy childrens furniture that best reflects the child’s needs in regards to space and imagination.

The best option is to buy them online because many stores have limited time from which to shop. At least online, you can shop to your heart’s content.

To learn more about childrens furniture you can research more through some trusted website or learn more through children bedroom furniture.

Indie film financing and movie distribution reminds of what it would feel like dancing nude on stage (much respect for exotic dancers at Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club!). You show up to pitch your movie project and need to be able to dance to a film investor’s music. It’s their stage and not yours as an indie filmmaker seeking film funding. They want you to make a sellable movie which appeals to movie distributors so the production can make money.

Most investors I’ve met with are not interested in putting hard money into indie art house films because those are tough sells to movie distributors and overseas film buyers aren’t usually interested in seeing them. The dialogue and scenes of certain art house type films don’t translate well to foreign buyers and movie viewers. Action, horror and skin does not need subtitles for people to follow the story is what I’ve been told by distributors. Talking head movies can make no sense to viewers that don’t understand subtle lines spoken in a foreign language.

Independent film financing continues to change as indie movie distribution gets more financially shaky. The place it’s hitting indie movie producers hardest is right at the source – film financing. Film investors right now aren’t feeling excited about putting money into movies that do not have bankable name actors. This is not like so-called indie movies that have A-list actors or are produced for millions of dollars. Those type of indie film passion projects you can make once you’ve made it in the entertainment business at the studio level.

Indie film investors and movie distributors won’t expect you to have an A-list actor, but they do want producers to have actors (B-list or C-list or D-list) with some name recognition or celebrity. The first question film investors and movie distributors ask is who the cast is. This is where most indie movie producers are blown out of the water because they have an unknown cast of actors. Plus there is a glut of indie movies being made because technology has made it more affordable to make movies.

The bright side is that entertaining indie movies are being made that might not otherwise ever have seen light of day before. The downside is meaningful movie distribution (getting paid) for indie produced films continues to shrink as indie films being made rises (supply and demand 101). I talked to one movie distributor that caters to releasing independent films and they told me they receive new film submissions daily.

They were honest saying they get very sellable movies and ones that are less than appealing, but with so many movies out there they no longer offer a majority of producers advance money against film royalties or pay a lump cash “buy-out” to secure distribution rights. Their business viewpoint is most indie filmmakers are just happy seeing their movie released. The term they used was “glorified showreel” for an indie filmmaker to display they can make a feature film. So, they acquire many of their movie releases without paying an advance or offering a “buy-out” agreement.

Not making a profit from a movie does not make financial sense for film investors that expect to see money made. When people put up money to produce a movie they want a return on their investment. Otherwise it’s no longer a movie investment. It becomes a film donation of money they’re giving away with no expectations. I’ve been on the “dog and pony show” circuit meeting with potential film investors and learning invaluable lessons.

I’m in the habit now of talking to indie movie distributors before writing a screenplay to see what types of films are selling and what actors or celebrity names attached to a potential project appeal to them. This is not like chasing trends, but it gives producers a sharper picture of the sales climate for indie films. Sometimes distributors will give me a short list of actors or celebrities to consider that fit an independent movie budget. Movie sales outside of the U.S. are where a bulk of the money is made for indie filmmakers.

Movie distributors and film sales agents can tell you what actors and celebrity talent is translating to movie sales overseas at the indie level. These won’t be A-list names, but having someone with some kind of name is a great selling point to help your movie standout from others. Brief cameos of known actors or celebrities used to be a good way to keep talent cost down and add a bankable name to your cast.

That has changed lately from my conversations with distribution companies. Movie distributors now expect any name talent attached to have a meaningful part in the movie instead of a few minutes in a cameo role. Cameo scenes can still work if there is a visual hook that grabs the attention of viewers in some way. But having name talent say a couple of lines with no special hook won’t fly anymore.

Another way to make an indie film in need of funding more attractive to investors is to attach talent that has been in a movie or TV show of note. Their name as an actor might not be that well-known yet, but rising stars that have appeared in a popular movie or TV show can give your movie broader appeal. If you cast them in a supporting role keep working days on the set down to a minimum to save your budget. Try to write their scenes so they can be shot in one or two days.

When you’re pitching to serious film investors they will want to be given a detailed movie budget and distribution plan on how you plan on making money from the film’s release. The Catch-22 that happens a lot is that most movie distributors that cater to releasing indie films won’t commit to any deal until they’ve screened the movie.

There is not built-in distribution like with studio budget films. Film investors that are not traditionally part of the entertainment business can get turned off when a producer does not have a distribution deal already in place. They don’t understand the Catch-22 of indie filmmaking and distribution. This is where a movie producer really needs to have a solid pitch that explains the financial dynamics of indie film distribution.

Most film investors will pass on an indie movie producer’s financing pitch that mentions self-distribution in it. From a movie investor’s business perspective it takes entirely too long for an indie movie to generate money going the self-distribution route. It’s like the old school way of selling your movie out of the trunk of your car at places, but now it’s done online using digital distribution and direct sales via a blog. That’s a long grind that most investors will not be interested in waiting around for. Moving one unit of a movie at a time is too slow of trickle for investors.

A possible way around the Catch-22 is to reach out to movie distributors while you are pitching to film investors. With a firm budget number and possible cast attached you can gauge to see if there is any meaningful distribution interest in the movie. It’s always possible a distributor will tell you that they would offer an advance or “buy-out” deal. They usually won’t give you a hard number, but even a ballpark figure of what they might offer can let you know if your budget makes financial sense to approach movie investors with.

I know one savvy indie movie producer that makes 4-6 movies a year on very reasonable budgets and knows they’re already making a profit from the advance money alone. The film royalty payments are a bonus. The producer keeps budgets extremely affordable and streamlined at every phase of production. Once you have a track record with a distribution company you know what you can expect to be paid. Then you can offer film investors a percent on their money invested into the production that makes sense.

Social networking with other indie filmmakers lets you hear what’s happening with movie distribution from other people’s real life experiences. A cool thing I’ve been hearing about is that there are film investors that won’t put up money to make movie that is going to be self-distributed, but they will roll the dice on a feature that is going to specific film festivals. Not the art house film festivals. The ones that are very genre specific like for horror or action films. Like Screamfest Horror Film Festival or Action on Film (AOF). Film buyers attend these events and meaningful distribution deals are made.

Independent film financing and movie distribution are areas of the entertainment business all filmmakers will have to deal with and learn from each experience. I was in the hot seat today pitching to a film investor. I’ve streamlined the budget as much as I can without making the plot lose steam.

The jam I’m in as a producer is there are hard costs that cannot be avoided that include lots of gun play including two rigging shots where baddies get shot and are blown backwards off their feet. Badass action films need experienced and seasoned film crews to pull-off hardcore action shots off clean and safe. The cast I want to hire has the perfect appeal and name recognition for this indie action movie to rock viewers. There is nothing that can get lost in the translation in this film for foreign film buyers and movie viewers.

What I think got lost in the translation with the potential film investor today is if I keep taking out below-the-line crew to save money I’m going to have to do rewrites to the screenplay to take out action scenes. These are selling points that will hurt sales if they are written out. But it’s my job as an indie filmmaker to balance a budget that appeals to film investors. We’ll see how this goes. This is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing fade out.

Get the inside scoop on writing, producing, directing, and movie distribution at Slice Of Americana Films. Check out the life and times of filmmaker Sid Kali.

Preview: Boost Your Business Marketing! Speak Professionally. Inexpensively Attract New Clients/Customers. Tested And Proven System. Get repeatedly invited, acknowledged – and even paid – as an “expert-who-speaks”. Market your products, services or yourself to numerous potential individual or group clients at once. Step up to Smarter Business Marketing(TM). This article tells you how.

Preamble

The ideas I share in this article are based on personal experiences I have had as an entrepreneur, and strategies/techniques I have developed as a result, to help me achieve my goals. Basically, I use them every now and then depending on whether I assess a particular situation or opportunity to have “good business selling potential”. They are not designed to be immediately applicable to every situation, which is why I suggest you think of ways you can adapt them to suit your unique circumstances and/or needs.

How Effective Are You At Speaking Before Important Persons Or Large Audiences About Your Business?

Do you worry or become anxious when you have to speak one-on-one with an important person or before large audiences? Do you have to market products or services to NEW people daily? Do you dread having to make those cold calls to their phones, offices or homes to try making the sale? Are you looking for a proven technique to help you increase your success rate in speaking convincingly to people AT FIRST CONTACT/MEETING?

As a serious minded business owner, you will know that successfully creating (adequate and continuous) awareness about your products/services can be quite a challenging task. I have certainly found it to be so, on a number of occasions! But, I have also always been a person with a passion for problem-solving and process simplification.

To put it another way, I am perpetually on the lookout for cheaper yet more effective way(s) of doing anything I do. My “search” eventually led me to develop for myself – about 4 years ago – what I have called the “Public Speaking for Business Marketing system(PSBM)(TM)” which is designed to enable me cost-effectively boost my marketing efforts when speaking to potential (individual or group) client audiences.

This article offers street-smart, tested and proven strategies you can use to equip yourself to succeed more often in making good and lasting impressions through WHAT YOU SAY and HOW YOU SAY IT(i.e. your communication skills) – especially at formal events like interviews, presentations, business meetings etc.

Speaking Effectively Is Important For Your Business Marketing Success

In doing your business marketing, you will find that sometimes you are required at some stage to have a one-on-one meeting with a prospect, who will want to hear from you exactly how you think your product or service will benefit him/her. In some cases the individual you have to speak with could even be representing a larger group of people, and your ability to CONVINCE him/her that you have something the group or organisation needs could win you an invitation to do a presentation to the larger group of decision makers – taking you closer to making the sale you want.

In essence, when I speak here about speaking effectively in public, I refer to both situations i.e. one in which you have to speak with an individual and that in which you have to speak to a group of people, or indeed a large audience.

Without taking the pains to think carefully through and articulate the key benefits of what you have to offer, in a way that you can SAY it to those who need to hear it, you are likely to STRUGGLE to convince your individual or group audiences that they need your service or product. Potential buyers tend to develop cold feet when the seller they are considering is unable to give them CONVINCING arguments/reasons to go ahead and buy, or make enquiries about buying from him/her.

What Is The Public Speaking for Business Marketing System(PSBM)(TM) About?

What I have called the PSBM(TM) is a “customisable” combination of innovative techniques designed to enable business owners/entrepreneurs/self-employed professionals cost-effectively boost their marketing efforts by speaking professionally to potential client audiences.

There is one key objective of developing/using a PSBM(TM) system: to promote a significant increase in the level of awareness about the speaker/marketer’s products and/or services. Another is the generation of continuous streams of patronage from existing – and new clients. These and more can be achieved, using this system, typically at a fraction of conventional marketing/ advertising costs.

The system will typically have two aspects:

a. the Public Speaking aspect

b. the Street-Smart/Electronic Marketing Strategies & Techniques aspect.

Used together, practically anyone can successfully boost his/her business marketing efficiency and effectiveness.

Who Needs To Use Public Speaking For Business Marketing(PSBM)(TM)?

Virtually every business owner is likely to have need for a cost-effective, long-term and comprehensive system like this. One that enables you to keep prospects and clients “thinking” about what you can do for them for “longer” periods – thereby increasing your chances of getting contacted by them, so you can “close” the sale.

As the preview to this article proclaims, if you can find a way to repeatedly speak professionally – in your areas of PROVEN expertise – to potential client audiences, you stand a good chance of continuously generating new business for yourself. This will happen as a result of increased awareness about, and interest (in you and/or) your services/products – which would have been triggered by your speaking activities.

How Using Public Speaking For Business Marketing(PSBM)(TM) Can Help You

“Whether you’re selling (products), services or yourself, Public Speaking is a great way to market yourself to a lot of potential clients at once ..(and) drum up new business” – Robert Dickman (Highly sought after Hollywood performance consultant, who was once asked – in year 2000 – by Time Magazine to rate the public speaking abilities of America’s Presidential candidates at the time.)

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Going by what I have said so far, it becomes obvious that your ability to speak effectively can yield at least two benefits:

(1) Stimulate prospects’ interest and consequently generate sales leads.

(2) Help you win MORE (sometimes even paid) speaking opportunities & new clients.

Since the ability to speaking convincingly to your prospective buyer about what you have to offer is so important to generating sales leads or closing sales, I believe it only makes sense to LEARN how to speak MORE effectively in a way that makes the above – and more – happen on a regular basis.

How/Where Can You Find Business Marketing Speaking Opportunities?

1. During your routine business marketing visits – or meetings/appointments – with individual/groups decision makers, This would be a typical one-on-one or small group situation.

2. By writing and sending out letters(or even e-mails) to decision makers introducing yourself and stating that you offer such and such talks, keynote speeches. You would make it known that you are available to speak at conferences/events/meetings/retreats etc organised by individuals or groups fitting our target audience profile.

The second opportunity offers potentially greater rewards because YOU would have been invited by them, meaning(unlike the first opportunity which is a “cold call” situation), the audience is MORE likely to be interested in what you have to say – and sell. In addition, many individuals and groups fitting your target audience profile are likely to be LOOKING for “experts” or “specialists” to deliver “talks” or “keynote speeches” at their special outings or corporate events. Your chances of making even greater marketing impact would therefore be boosted since you get to speak to a large number of potential “buyers” all at once.

But you have to make a success of the speaking outing first – and giving a good speech is only a PART of it! Learn why I say so below.

You Don’t Just Need A Speech(es) – You Need A SYSTEM!

It’s not just knowing how to speak and then going out to do so. Having a PSBM(TM) goes beyond that. In ADDITION to being a competent and effective speaker, you will also have in your arsenal other things you will do BEFORE you speak, WHILE you speak and AFTER you have spoken, that will help you achieve the business marketing results you want. It is the combination of your speaking and associated non-speaking actions that constitutes your PSBM(TM) system.

Below, I have listed some key considerations you need to make in developing a PSBM(TM) system that works for you. It does not cover every possibility – you will have to think through what needs to be added, modified or removed completely.

1. How can I learn to (write and) deliver speeches that will help me market my products, services or myself to potential customers/clients?

2. How will I get myself repeatedly invited as an “expert-who-speaks” by my target audience?

3. Is it really possible for me to get PAID as a “speaker/educator”? – and if it is, how exactly do I go about making that happen?

Suggestions: Recognised paid speaking professionals, like Burt Dubin, offer a Speaking Success System(http://www.SpeakingBizSuccess.com) that guarantees you success in the speaking business or your money back. That is of course if you really want to make speaking another dimension to your business offering(I say why not?!). Alternatively, enroll for a Public Speaking training programme at a reputable outfit. Questions you have will be answered there.

Then there is a compulsory assignment: Get yourself a copy of Dale Carnegie’s book: How TO Develop Self-Confidence & Influence People By Public Speaking AND read it over and over again, till you can virtually recall what is written on the next line while reading the preceding one. It’s an excellent book that teaches the art of public speaking in a manner that makes it REAL for the learner.

4. How do I successfully convert enquiries generated through my public speaking activities into new business/patronage?

5. What can I do to reduce the effort it would take to do all the above, so it doesn’t tell on my ability to run my business?

Suggestions: Always use low cost business marketing techniques – both offline and especially on the Internet. Prepare Edumercials (Educational Commercials) about your products or services that will be made available as printed handouts – but preferably as downloaded documents from your website, which you can invite the audience you speak to, to visit your website to request using a contact form(to which you will link follow-up autoresponders as appropriate).

Your website can do so much work for you here. It provides a very cost-effective medium through which to capture prospects. Your speaking outings, and business cards, etc that you give out to those who ask will drive traffic to your site -since you WILL have invited the recipients/audience to visit your site and get say your free report on a useful/interesting topic.

Your free website newsletter(weekly, or periodical) would ALSO be on offer for subscription by your visiting prospects, and through it, you would stay in touch with visitors and even get them to invite friends to join too, because they’re getting useful tips from you!

Convert speeches you deliver to articles and special reports, then offer them for publication online to ezine owners and free submission websites. Make sure to indicate the article is based on a speech you delivered at so and so event, since that adds to your credibility as a recognised authority on the subject. If you have not been invited to speak before, the quality of your articles- if good – can eventually influence decision makers to invite you. Just make sure that by the time they do, you have fully prepared yourself to make a success of the opportunity. In certain cases, you may discover that your writing reputation has preceded you so well, that THEY will be the ones asking you what your speaking FEES are! So, make sure you have THAT already worked out before they ask!

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity” – Unknown

What You Need To ALWAYS Remember!

PLEASE NEVER FORGET THIS: You can use your PSBM(TM) system on individuals as well as on small groups or large audiences. In short, you should use your PSBM(TM) system in EVERY business marketing situation that you find it appropriate or relevant.

Of course, since speaking to more than one person offers better potential returns, you would do well to seek opportunities to make that happen more often – hence the need to announce your availability to speak on your area of expertise in as many appropriate places as possible.

The important thing is that you make sure you deliver your intended marketing message in a way that makes those who listen to you, and who fit your your target audience profile(NOT everyone will), readily recognise a need for your products and services, and willing to take action to get it by contacting you for details etc. If you can do this, your PSBM(TM) system can be correctly judged to be working well!

Summary

Business marketing is primarily about getting yourself to the top of your target customer’s consciousness and staying there for as long as necessary to make him/her “buy”. It’s a game of percentages. You can expect maybe ZERO to say 3 of every 100 persons exposed to your marketing to give you a chance to “sell” to them. That does not mean ALL of them will buy. Which is why you need to market FREQUENTLY and to as many pre-qualified prospects as possible: which means plenty of WORK for you!

Adopting a system that takes the work out of your business marketing is sure to dramatically transform the way you do business for the better. It will forever alter, positively – and powerfully – how your existing (and prospective) clients/customers see you – including the ones that do not buy from you(at first).

Why not relieve yourself of the stress of unraveling the marketing dilemma that plagues most business owners today? Develop and start using your own Public Speaking for Business Marketing(PSBM)(TM) system. Take the decision to Step Up To Smarter Business Marketing(TM(TM) today..NOW!

Self-Development/Performance Enhancement Specialist – Tayo Solagbade – works as a Multipreneur, helping individuals/businesses develop and implement strategies to achieve their goals, faster and more profitably.

WANT TO LEARN HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR OWN PSBM™?

A comprehensive Acrobat PDF E-book(which can be printed/bound in physical form) that details everything you need to know to successfully develop and start using your own PSBM™ system can be personalised for, and delivered to YOU. Just fill/submit the request form (stating any needs and interests) at http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com/contact.htm

As one of the oldest children in a family of nine, I know that cooking for a crowd can almost be a full-time job. Once-a-month-cooking has been a lifesaver for our family. In the beginning though, when we first heard of cooking 30 meals in one day, it sounded rather impossible. It was not until we had tried it, though, that we found it is not only possible, but it can even be quite simple and fun!

Blessings

If you are skeptical about taking on what might seem like an overwhelming task to you, let me first share some of the blessings which have resulted for our family from once-a-month-cooking.

o It has saved us many hours of trying to figure out what to have for dinner and answered the infamous question, “What’s for dinner?”

o We have been more readily able to show hospitality to other families when the main dish is already made and in the freezer. (We usually plan ahead for this by doubling or tripling seven to ten of the recipes on cooking day to use as “company meals.”) In like manner, it is much easier to being meals to needy families when you have casseroles in the freezer ready to be pulled out and heated at the drop of a hat. (We also plan for this by preparing many of the dishes in disposable pans.)

o It saves time (You only have to do mountains of dishes one day a month, not every day! You also don’t have to start dinner at 4:30 p.m. or earlier everyday… just pull dinner out to thaw in the morning.) and money (You can usually save quite a bit by buying in bulk).

o We are brought closer together as we spend a special day as a family cooking these meals.

o This is an excellent lesson in Home Economics for your children. Mom always has the oldest girls plan the menu, grocery list, and strategy for the cooking day. She often has us do the grocery shopping, as well.

Planning

Proper planning is essential for a successful cooking day. I usually start planning at least a week in advance. First, pick which day will be your cooking day. Clear your schedule that day. You will want to focus your energies entirely on cooking.

Menu Planning: After you have chosen your cooking day, begin menu planning. Go through your cookbooks and find recipes suitable for freezing. Strive for variety. My list usually includes: one-dish dinners, meatloaf, meatballs, layered casseroles, soups, chili, hamburgers, meatless dishes, and so on. Make sure that you include a number of family favorites, in addition to any new recipes you may be trying out. You do not want to fill your freezer with meals your family won’t find appetizing! When you write down your menu, make sure and write down the cookbook and page number the recipe came from. In addition, mark whether you are planning to double or triple the recipe.

Make Your Grocery List: Using your menu list, write down the quantities of ingredients needed for each recipe. I like to categorize like ingredients on five to seven different lists (meats, vegetables, cheese, pasta, spices, etc.). Take these lists and combine all like ingredients onto a final list. For example, if there are fifteen recipes calling for one pound of ground beef, you will write “15 pounds ground beef” on your final grocery list.

After you have made your final grocery list, make sure and check your cupboards to see what you might already have on hand. You probably have most of the seasonings. But be sure that if you need four teaspoons of garlic powder, you actually have that much in the jar. I have not checked thoroughly before, and it has been real headache.

I have found it most helpful to keep a separate “food preparation list” along with my grocery list which states what is to be done with the items which I need large quantities (Such as, if one the items on your list is “20 pounds of chicken breasts,” note beside that item how many cups need to be cooked and diced, how many chicken breasts need to be cooked and left whole, how many need to be left frozen, etc.).

You will also want to make sure you have plenty of freezer bags and foil on hand. These will be essential on your cooking day.

Cooking Day Strategy: It is wise to develop a basic cooking day strategy of what you will do when. This does not need to be an exhaustive list, but it will save you time and effort if you have planned the basic order of what you will be cooking when. If you are going to be working together as a family on cooking, plan who is responsible for what tasks. Although everyone will need to be flexible, it will definitely save hassle to have most of the schedule worked out ahead of time.

Shopping: The day before you begin cooking, do your grocery shopping. Make sure you do not rush through this. Read your list thoroughly and check to get the best deal.

Cooking

The sooner you can start in the morning, the better. Begin by cooking the meats, grating the cheese, chopping the onions, or whatever bulk preparations your “food preparation list” says you need to do. If you have planned to make soups, you should start these early on, as they usually need to cook for longer.

Cooking the meat is one of the most time-consuming projects and you will probably find you end up browning ground beef and boiling chicken most of the day! As much as is possible, use all of the burners on your stove at the same time.

Keep soapy water in the sink at all times and take turns being on “dish duty.” As soon as a dish is used, wash it. This will save you from having an enormous mess at the end of the day. You might also find it helpful to take a five-minute kitchen cleaning break every hour or so to wipe down the counters and put things away which you are no longer using.

Freezing

What do you do with the completed dishes? Here are some guidelines for freezing:

o We always designate the kitchen table as our “finished recipe” zone. We often have someone who is specifically just working on labeling things and taking them to the freezer from the kitchen table.

o Proper labeling is a key factor in making sure you know what you have in freezer. Make sure you label the containers with the recipe, the cookbook it came from, the page number, how many it serves, and any additional instructions for the dish. Also write out a list with all of the recipes you make and freeze and how many they serve on the outside of your freezer.

o Transfer soup to a big bowl and cool for about an hour. You can either place the soup in plastic freezer bags or plastic containers with lids (32 oz. cottage cheese and yogurt containers work well for this).

o Most other recipes can be transferred to plastic freezer bags. Do not fill the bags very full, as foods expand when frozen. Do not put anything which is still hot into bags. You will likely split the bag at the seams and have a gigantic mess to deal with!

o Use smaller labeled bags for cheese or anything else to be sprinkled on top once the dish is cooked. Make sure you keep these in a very accessible place in the freezer.

o If the recipe is something like lasagna which cannot be frozen in a plastic bag, freeze it in the size of pan the recipe calls for, cover with foil, and label.

I wholeheartedly encourage you to give once-a-month-cooking a try. If you are like us, you will soon wonder how you ever lived without cooking this way! You could also simplify this plan and just cook for two weeks at a time to start.

For further information, ideas, and recipes, I highly recommend you read Once-A-Month-Cooking by Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg and Dinner’s in the Freezer by Jill Bond.

Happy Cooking!

Crystal Paine is a 23-year-old homeschool graduate and the owner of Covenant Wedding Source, LLC (an online retail bridal business). She writes articles on a variety of topics and recently authored her first booklet for young women, The Merchant Maiden: Earning an Income Without Compromising Convictions. She lives with her husband in Topeka, KS. They are expecting their fist child in January. For more information on her business and booklet, visit her website: http://www.covenantweddingsource.com.

Cheap car insurance protects the car and takes care of all the relevant expenses in the event of a car accident. Car owners must choose a suitable car insurance that offers them desirable coverage. There are various kinds of car insurance available to car owners, and it may be a daunting experience to select the right insurance. There are policies such as comprehensive car insurance policies and liability car insurance policies that differ in the extent of coverage offered. Insurance provides financial security to car owners in the event of a fatal accident. The rules and regulations regarding auto insurance may vary from state to state. In most states, it is mandatory for all car owners to have car insurance. In Los Angeles, the premium for the insurance of a car may vary greatly depending on the insurer. It is advisable to look out for quotes from different insurance companies to obtain cheap car insurance.

The minimum coverage requirements may vary from state to state. The minimum limit of insurance for California is 15/30/5. This means California requires a minimum coverage up to $30,000 for all persons injured in an accident, subject to a limit of $15,000 for one individual, and $5,000 coverage for property damage.

Generally, the insurer examines the driving record of a car owner. If the car owner has a good driving record, he is eligible for some discounts in the premiums. Many car insurance companies offer loyalty discounts to car owners renew their insurance policies with the company repeatedly.

Many insurance companies offer free quotes over the Internet. Car owners can utilize the services of discount car insurance brokers, to find cheap and reliable car insurance. There are several insurance companies that offer extremely cheap car insurances. The car owners must however verify the credibility of such companies. Car owners must compare and contrast all the quotes before choosing an insurance company.

In Los Angeles, the cost of car insurance depends on the make and model of the car. Generally, car insurance for a sports car is costlier than other cars.

Los Angeles Car Insurance provides detailed information on Los Angeles Car Insurances, Los Angeles New Car Insurances, Los Angeles Car Insurance Quotes, Los Angeles Used Car Insurance and more. Los Angeles Car Insurance is affiliated with Philadelphia Car Insurance Quotes.

Congratulations!

By deciding to investigate the benefits of television advertising, you are taking the first step to more sales and faster profits. More businesses owners than ever are turning to television as a powerful tool to grow their profits. And it’s not the traditional “deep pockets” crowd either. Small and medium sized businesses are flocking to television advertising like never before. Some are coming away battered and bruised. But many are smiling ear to ear because they have unlocked the secrets to television advertising success – on a print or radio budget.

The Golden Rule?

Don’t let the tail wag the dog. You need to take control of your journey into television advertising so that it pays off.

Does that mean you have to be an expert?

No. But you do need to know how the industry and the medium work in order to end up with a cost-effective television advertising campaign.

Which is exactly why we prepared “An Insider Guide To Crossing Over To TV Advertising… On A Print Or Radio Budget..And Making Plenty Of Profit!”

It’s your GPS to an affordable and profitable TV Advertising experience.

Now is the best time in history for small business owners to use television advertising to explode their sales! Airtime and commercial and television production rates are the most affordable they’ve ever been! Specialty channels let you laser target your ideal sales prospect.

Television adds a level of credibility to you and your business like no other medium can do.

There’s a reason you’re seeing video pop up just about everywhere as more and more business owners come to the realization that the more senses you can appeal to, the more likely it is that you can gain a foothold in the most crowded place anywhere – your prospect’s mind.

Need any proof? Just look at the absolute astounding success of You Tube. People are attracted to watching video.

Isn’t it time you jumped on board and gave it a try?

The 5 secrets revealed below will help you leverage the power of television advertising in your business.

Secret #1 Have A Clear Unique Selling Message

This applies to all your marketing but is especially true when it comes to TV advertising.

You need to provide your prospects with a compelling reason to want to learn more about your product or service.

And, if you’re using a 30 or 60 second commercial to achieve this objective, you need to make sure your message is equipped to get your prospect to take the next step in your sales process.

That’s why you must have a very clear message.

What is the main benefit, promise or solution you want your prospect to walk away with?

Or, put another way, what is your unique selling proposition (USP)?

It’s important to have one otherwise you will have trouble differentiating your offer from those of your competitors.

Not sure how to boil it down to a simple clear message?

You can start by asking and answering the following questions:

• Why do people buy from you? Why do people NOT buy from you? Really give this some thought and make a list.
• What benefits do clients gain from doing business with you? People buy to gain benefits. What does your product or services DO for them
• What emotional appeal does your product or service have? Does it provide a sense of relief? Make your clients feel a sense of pride? Television provides the perfect forum for hitting your prospect’s emotional hot buttons.
• What problem do you solve or what need do you fulfill?

Another way to gather ideas for your USP is to survey your current clients.

Ask them WHY they bought from you. Find out what problem you solved for them why did they pick you over the competition? You may be surprised by the answers. People buy for different reasons.

In developing your USP, what you want to do is figure out the most common reason people decided to buy your product or service and then use that insight to create a powerful selling message that makes you stand out.

Don’t forget to check out your competitors. Many times what is obvious to you and your competitors, isn’t obvious to your potential clients. And you can use that differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack. Here’s an example… Years ago, Folgers coffee decided they needed to increase sales. Competition was everywhere. So what did they do? They started promoting the fact that Folger’s was mountain grown and stamped “Mountain Grown” on their coffee cans. Sales exploded. After all, coffee grown on a mountain simply had to be special. Right? What the average coffee drinker was unaware of is that fact that MOST coffee is mountain grown. Folger’s simply used this little known fact to make itself stand out. The more finely tuned your USP is, the more effective your television campaign will be – and all of your marketing for that matter.

Secret #2 Know Your Ideal Client

Your ability to generate sales leads from your television ad campaign will be greatly enhanced if you have a clear understanding of who your best prospects are and why they buy from you.

Otherwise it’s virtually impossible to create an effective television commercial.

This vital knowledge allows you to create a script that speaks to the specific needs of the people most likely to buy your offering and present your unique selling proposition in a compelling way.

Your message resonates and creates a natural attraction. But let’s say you’re not exactly sure who your ideal client is? Or why they buy? How do you go about finding out?

Well, a quick effective way to do it is to take a look at your current clients. Especially those you really enjoy working with. What do they have in common? Do they share a number of similar characteristics? You may already have a target market and just don’t realize it.

Here are just a few “target market” criteria you can use to define your niche.

• Age – try to narrow the age group range of your best prospects
• Gender – who makes the decision to purchase your products or services? Who might influence it? This is important to know so you can make the right appeal.
• Marital status (single, married, divorced)
• Household Income. Do your best to estimate the income of your target customer.
• Occupation – are your best prospects white collar construction, sales people, entrepreneurs, retired • Geographical region. (ex: Toronto, warm climate, people who live near water)
• Lifestyle (professional, conservative, risk-takers)
• Company size (self-employed professionals, Fortune 500, companies with $10 Million + in sales)
• Industry specific (a marketing consultant who focuses on solo-professionals)
• Leisure Time Activities – what do your customers do to relax and have fun? Hobbies? Pastimes? Once you complete your research – combining the information you have about your existing clients along with additional characteristics – you will be able to build your ideal target customer profile. This will give you will have a clearer understanding of the language and tone you should use in your script and what type of information your target market will be looking for.

And it will help pinpoint the type of audience your television commercial should be presented to in order to produce maximum sales results.

Secret #3 Be Involved In the Process

Many small and medium sized companies that shy away from television advertising quickly latch on to the “perceived” high cost (more about this in Secret #5) as a reason they have been reluctant to give it a try.

But there’s often another factor lurking in the background that keeps many businesses from enjoying the success a professionally created television commercial can create.

Simply put: for some, making the leap to the world of television advertising can be intimidating.

In print, you write your ad and the publication runs it. In radio, you record your commercial and the station plays it.

With television, there are a lot pieces that need to be pulled together to produce a successful advertising campaign and for those who haven’t been through the process before, it can be a real leap of faith.

You need to be a kind of project manager for your television advertising experience. Do you need to be an expert? No. But you do need a sense of what the process involves so you can add to the experience where applicable.

To help you understand the elements that provide the foundation for a successful TV advertising campaign, here is a checklist:

• Budget – Many small and medium sized businesses don’t realize that the money they are currently investing in radio or print ad campaigns could be used to create an effective television advertising campaign – provided you know the secret (we reveal it in Secret#5) to avoiding one of the major hidden costs TV advertising. Production costs and airtime will be the two main components of your budget.
• Script - The script is your ad in words. This is your core selling message. The script dictates who says what, the tone and expressions used, what is seen on screen, who moves when and where. A script will be necessary for your commercial.
• Talent – This includes on-camera talent and voiceover talent. The more well-known and in-demand the talent, the more you pay. For many advertisers, local and regional talent will produce a professional result.
• Production Elements – You need to decide what kind of graphics, audio, or music you want – along with any other special effects..
• Length – Typically, TV commercial spots run 30 seconds. You can also run in 15-second and 60-second increments. An “infomercial” often runs 30 – 60 minutes and costs more to produce and to run.

At the end of the process, your TV commercial should answer one very important question for the viewer:

‘What’s in it for me?’

The way to answer that question so that both you and your prospect end up with a positive outcome is to make sure your commercial is focused on how the viewer can benefit from your product or service.

No one can sell your offering better than you.

You must use every bit of selling information you can to gain favorable attention immediately with the viewer! Otherwise the viewer will click away and your investment will be wasted.

And last, but definitely not least…

Tell the viewer what you want him/her to do next!

It’s incredible how many new TV advertisers (and some longtime veterans) fail to ask the viewer to take the next step in their selling process make this mistake. Do you want them to visit your web site? Pick up a phone and call? Come into your store? You need to lead them to where you want them to go next. Now, let’s move on to one of the costliest mistakes television advertisers make along with tips on how you can avoid it.

Secret #4 Be “Marketing Ready” For Your Prospect

Most businesses today use advertising and marketing as a way of initiating a relationship with a prospect. The same is true of television advertising.

After all, a 30 second spot on TV isn’t going to answer every question.

If your commercial has done its job, the next step is to invite your prospect to learn more about you can benefit him/her.

This could involve an invitation to visit your web site, pick up a phone and call you or drop by your location.

It’s critical to make sure that whatever you ask your prospect to do that you’re equipped to keep your prospect moving toward a sale.

This is where many TV advertisers drop the ball and end up wasting their valuable marketing dollars..

Let’s use a visit to your web site as an example. We’ll assume your prospect has watched your commercial and is shown your web site URL on the screen as it finishes.

Your commercial piqued his curiosity and made him want to know more about you and your offering.

Congratulations. You’re past the first hurdle – getting the prospect to take the next step in your selling process.

But that’s all you’ve accomplished at this point.

Now you’re moving on to the all-important “conversion” part of the sales process. Tons of visitors to your site won’t feed your family, pay your mortgage or let you lie around on the beach in Cabo San Lucas.

For that, you need to convert your prospects initial interest into a sale.

And a web site that doesn’t clearly pick up where your television commercial left off by immediately reminding your visitor ‘what’s in it for him’ and presenting your sales story in a compelling way is going to bring a selling opportunity to a grinding halt.

What’s the point of tempting a bunch of hungry prospects only to have them arrive and you’ve nothing to feed them?

Same thing holds true if you want them to call you. Every member of your team who has public contact must be ready to keep the momentum going.

The job of your TV commercial is to attract the fish. The rest of the job – hooking the prospect (in an ethical way, of course) and getting him into the boat and converting him into a lifelong profitable client is the job of your marketing.

You need to make sure your marketing message is consistent throughout ALL your marketing. Otherwise you won’t get the ROI you should.

Secret #5 Don’t Let Tail Wag The Dog

Television advertising can be rewarding, but you need an experienced hand guiding you past the pitfalls so you can produce a profitable result. So far, we’ve armed you with the knowledge you need to make sure your television advertising efforts position you for a successful outcome. Now it’s time to introduce the key thread that ties it all together. Making sure you partner with an industry professional who knows the ropes. The first place many small and medium size businesses turn for assistance is an advertising agency. A very expensive mistake.

Here’s why: Many ad agencies focus on “institutional” type or branding type messaging. They are image builders. While having a professional image is important, most of the businesses flocking to TV advertising these days need sales. You’re probably the same. You want viewers to watch your commercial and take the next step in your selling process. Maybe a visit to your web site or a phone call. For that, you need direct response television advertising. And many advertising agencies simply aren’t equipped for that. Nor do they know how to “convert” an interested prospect into a profitable lifetime client.

But here’s the dirty little secret they hope you won’t find out about: Many don’t have in-house resources to write your script. Or television production facilities so they can shoot your commercial. Or an editing booth where they can edit your footage. Here’s what that means to you… If the ad agencies don’t have the resources themselves, they have to go outside, cobble together a team of industry professionals who can and pay them. Guess who gets stuck with all the middleman mark-ups? But this ‘don’t worry, the client will pay for it’ old school mentality doesn’t stop there. Once your commercial is ready to air, you need a TV program to run it on. For looking in a book and phoning up to schedule your spots, the ad agency will charge you 15% of your media budget. Is that how you want to spend your valuable media dollars? Having someone round up a bunch of people who can and charge you for doing it? Thought so. Here’s an alternative… Creative Bube Tube is a full-service, one source expert at producing direct response television advertising and corporate videos. We work with small and medium size business to help them generate profitable sales. Many of our clients are newbies. But we’ve opened the eyes of more than a few savvy veterans along the way.

Here are four pillars we’ve built our business model on:

• One Source – Every aspect of your television advertising is handled in-house by our team. This means you avoid the unnecessary added cost mark ups, delays and finger-pointing caused by too many fingers in the pie.
• Expertise – We are television advertising experts. Period. It’s all we do. And we know how to sell. To you, that means campaigns that not only look professional, they send you a steady stream of qualified prospects.
• Cost Efficient – Because we know our craft, we understand how and where to use your budget efficiently – without having to grease the palm of a number of disconnected middlemen. That way, every dollar you invest is working to increase your sales. The media relationships we have built through the years provide you with red carpet access to your target market – for a fraction of the cost you would pay otherwise – with no hidden fees.
• Process – The key to effective affordable television advertising is sales driven creative, efficient production, proper planning and organization. That requires precise communication. Everything we do is in-house. We don’t outsource your creative to a production company that has no marketing background. Then send the footage after filming to a post-production house. Then hire a media buyer who has likely never even seen any of the creative. Then sit back and watch the confusion, as your budget gets chewed up in a sea of disorganization and chaos. Everyone on our team intimately is involved in your project – from beginning to end.

Creative Bube Tube makes television advertising effective and efficient – for both newbies and long-time television advertisers who are tired of wasting valuable marketing dollars propping up old-school practices. If you’ve been thinking about trying television advertising but have been holding off because you were concerned it was very expensive, we’d behappy to show you not only how you can afford it, but also how you can use it to skyrocket your sales results. Please call us today at 1-855 BUBE TUBE or visit our web site at http://www.creativebubetube.com and learn more about how we can help you generate a stream of profitable lifetime clients.

2011 Creative Bube Tube

About The Author: As the President of Creative Bube Tube, Jenny Munford has been directly involved in hundreds of television advertising campaigns and corporate video productions. She created Creative Bube Tube in response to a need she saw for someone in the industry to make television advertising affordable and effective for small and medium sized businesses who felt they were tied to print and radio to market their products and services. By creating a one-source shop that can handle all of a client’s needs, Jenny is able to provide clients with cost efficiency by eliminating one of the biggest costs of TV advertising – middleman markups. To learn more about how Creative Bube Tube can help you sell more of your product or service, please visit http://www.creativebubetube.com or call us at 1-855 BUBE TUBE.

LCD televisions are usually brighter than plasma TVs, and many can double as a computer monitor or media-center display. LCD televisions are now coming out bigger and at prices that are really starting to compete with those of similar-size plasma TVs. LCD televisions tend to have a slightly slower response time than their plasma counterparts. LCD televisions use less energy that their plasma counterparts and tend to have a longer lamp life (although recent advances in plasma technology have made the lamp life issue almost a moot point).

LCD

LCD Television technology has advanced greatly, particularly with respect to the reproduction of black levels. Large LCD televisions can literally be hung on the wall, while smaller sets, up to 21-inch screen size, can easily fold under a wall cabinet. The only major drawback with LCD television sets is that larger screen size LCD panels are usually more expensive than their plasma equivalents. Though LCD Television sets are turning out to be even more affordable than ever, with 40-inch LCD TV sets selling almost on par with similar screen-size plasma televisions, yet LCD televisions still represent an expensive investment.

Although Plasma TVs seem to be getting all the attention in this area, the LCD television is also making an impact. Plasma televisions share most of the same characteristics as LCD televisions, but do show strength in areas that LCD’s come up short. Many people feel that and LCD television showing a blank, black picture, can appear almost gray in contrast to the plasma image which is much closer to a true black. Up until recently, it was rare to see an LCD television in a 37-inch screen size. Size is still an issue with respect to LCD Television.

Smaller sizes are therefore the rule when in comes to LCD Television. These new LCD Televisions are all set to go head-to-head against plasma screens for the future of TVs. The main things one has to see are the size of the LCD Television and the price of the TV. You have to see the factor called the higher Color depth, of the LCD Screen the ability of the Screen to show more number of Colors, shorter response times by which the LCD Television is able to show even fast moving objects with out blurring the fast movements.

LCD

LCD’s on the other hand look best when viewed straight on. LCD panels have been used for a number of applications, including computer monitors and television displays.

Television

Television (TV) product specifications are obtained from merchants or third parties and although we make every effort to present accurate information. Burn-in is no longer much of a concern as it used to be with plasma televisions up to the recent past, especially for people with normal TV viewing requirements. Flat panel televisions are quickly becoming quite commonplace on store shelves and in consumers’ homes. Sony Bravia KDL-40V2500 40-inch 1080p LCD Television The Sony KDL-40V2500 is a 40-inch 16×9 LCD television with a native pixel resolution of 1920×1080 (1080p) and a real world contrast ratio of 1,300:1. The detail, color consistency, and contrast, on this LCD television is great.

Clint Thomas is a successful Webmaster and publisher of www.TvThroughTime.com [http://www.TvThroughTime.com]. He provides more information about televisions and television issues [http://www.TvThroughTime.com] that you can research in your pajamas on his website.

Television has taken on an entirely new look and feel, even in the past decade. What was once an industry based on three major networks with very limited programs in the 1950′s has erupted into many major networks and thousands of cable channels available throughout the world in every imaginable language. Television has truly become a three-dimensional experience for producers, directors, project coordinators and other professionals in the industry, not to mention a multi-dimensional experience for viewers. With a variety of genres and styles of programming available, from news programs and specials to different types and lengths of commercials, sit-coms, dramas, reality programs, game shows and countless others, being someone involved in television production is both wrought with opportunity and teeming with challenges.

Finding inexpensive background music and production music for television programs can be much more difficult than finding it for other types of media projects because the medium is so diversified and so societally pervasive. As a director or producer of television programs looking for ear-catching television music for your show, you have to be very cognizant of not only your target audience, but also what you are up against in your allotted time slot. Sometimes whether a show succeeds or fails has nothing to do with its quality. Success in television programming has more to do with what you are up against and the time and day your program airs. If you are producing a talk show, for example, you might be on at the same time as more than five or ten other talk shows. Or your program might conversely be when no other talk shows are on television, but at a time when typically people are more likely to watch news programs, Sit-coms or other types of programming.

Still, choosing the right television music can certainly help you make the most out of your particular project. Again, because of the diverse nature of television, there are many different types of production music and background music to choose from. There is music for commercials, music for dramas, music for news programs and specials, music for sit-coms and many others. As a producer of a television show, you probably also will have to consider how your music will blend in with the music of commercials that might air during your broadcast. Because the line between commercials and programming has been blurred, starting in the 1960′s commercials have become an integral part of all television shows, sometimes not only on network television but also on cable television. Before the mid-1960′s, commercials used to have to be signaled in all television programs by an announcement that they would begin. Similarly, announcers were responsible for signaling the return of the regular program. Now, there is not always any clear sign where the show ends and the commercial begins or vice versa. It’s all about the timing.

Because Copyright Law has become stricter to account for the proliferation of diverse recorded music, finding and affording production music and background music for television programming has been further complicated. Before the 1980s, music in commercials and even on many television programs was limited to jingles and transitional music, most of which was instrumental or with very brief and simple vocals. Occasionally lyrics to popular music would be changed to fit a particular product or the theme for a show, a phenomenon that would not work easily or cheaply under today’s copyright standards, and didn’t come inexpensively then either. Still, while some pop and rock songs were re-recorded for television programs and commercials, the cost of licensing original recordings was very daunting until the late 1980s when it became more doable.

Today commercials use many popular songs as background music and production music, and many programs, particularly those geared towards young people use popular music regularly in an effort to promote burgeoning music groups. Television has become such a cultural phenomenon and a showcase for music that many shows, including “Dawson’s Creek” and “The O.C.” have even gone on to put out music compilations based on music heard in episodes of the show throughout specific seasons. Previously, songs were often used without artist consent, but thanks to stricter Copyright Law this is no longer a possibility. Still, most artists are willing to accept often high payment for use of their songs in popular television programs and enjoy the exposure they get as a result to very specific markets made up of people that will buy music they make in the future.

Using popular music in television programs and commercials can be incredibly expensive for the typical producer and director. Whether your show is a hit with a large budget, or a smaller show just starting out, you want to make an impact musically at minimal cost, as there are so many other elements to consider in the production of television projects. Fees for use of popular music can total thousands of dollars, and when you multiply that by how often you will probably use songs as themes, production music, background music and other incidental elements, the numbers can add up quickly. But, even though you want to save money on television music, you certainly don’t want to skimp on quality.

What are your options when it comes to production music and background music for your television projects if you want to build a collection inexpensively and still honor the spirit of your project?

As a producer or director of television programs, you most likely travel in circles of artists and musicians. You might know some good composers or bands, or people you know might know some that would be happy to help with music for your project. Because of the almost culturally invasive nature of television, most struggling musicians or composers would not object to helping you out with your project in exchange for exposure and the chance to work on something beyond the norm. Many bands have been launched when their song was chosen as a theme song for a television series, and many composers have broken into the film, television and music industry after working on scores for television programs.

Finding under-appreciated talent in your network is a good option and often one that could help get you a deal on production music or background music, but it is by no means a simple solution, nor one that is long-term. If your show is a hit, or your theme song or the band that sings it is a hit, you will be morally, if not legally obligated to pay more for the music you are using. This either leads to the same problem you had before of expensive music or back to square one, looking for inexpensive television music.

Another option for inexpensive production music, and one that more producers and directors are choosing every day, is royalty free music provided by reputable music companies. Choosing royalty free music allows you access to a catalog of music in varying styles and can be downloaded directly from a centralized royalty free music company website online. Well-known companies such as Royalty Free Music.com give you music libraries with songs you can add permanently to a collection. This means you can build your own store of production music and use it in present and future projects. And because of the nature of the music, you just pay a very low upfront fee to satisfy all aspects of Copyright Law.

Television production gets more complex as time and technology progresses, but directors and producers will never lose the ability to control what production music and background music fits best with their projects. Television music is critical to keeping a program or a commercial at the top of its game, and helps communicate important themes to viewers. As a producer, director or project coordinator, the musical choices you make are some of the most important decisions.

India is plagued by many maladies and evils like corruption, nepotism and red-tapism, gender-bias etc in the political front, inflation, black money, unemployment and poverty etc in the economic front, caste system, child marriage, infanticide, dowry system, child labour, illiteracy and beggary etc in the social front. Some of these evils like poverty, beggary, dowry system etc are overlapping issues both in the economic and social front.

The root causes for many of the above mentioned issues are illiteracy, deeply ingrained superstitions and religious beliefs.

If we take up the political evils mentioned above, corruption has become the part and parcel of Indian political and social system and some political leaders even define corruption as a ‘world phenomenon’. A strong political will coupled with stern action from the political leaders is required to root out corruption in the public life. As far as common people are concerned they seemed to have resigned to the fact that corruption is a part of Indian political system. Corruption largely manifests itself and plays a vital role during the day to day administration of its bureaucracy and during the elections. The people who become victims of corruption or corruptive system, simply curse the system without playing any role on their part to root out corruption. They should come forward to play their role of desisting from co-operating in a corruptive system, though there may be hurdles or even hardships at the initial stage.

Nepotism is another political evil which has a monstrous growth in the Indian politics in the modern days.The Indian democracy being hailed as the largest democracy in the world, is gradually slipping towards ‘hereditary democracy’. The conspicuous feature of this ‘hereditary democracy’ is the planned upbringing by the political leaders of their wards as the political heirs or heir-apparent to the higher posts in politics. Similarly, in the name of fidelity and maintenance of secrecy and confidence,close relatives are frequently appointed or recommended to the responsible posts at the highest level, thereby depriving the common man any semblance of authority in politics.

No doubt the common man has a vital role to play in the Indian politics. He has to identify the genuine men of principles as politicians who are free from any ‘isms’ and personal motives and shun others who have ulterior motives and designs coupled with nepotism. Especially during elections he has to pick and choose the persons who are genuine. Otherwise, there is no use in cursing the system.

Similarly red-tapism plagues the Indian political system that rests responsibility with many a hands in the name of decentralisation, thereby driving the common man from pillar to post in search of his legitimate remedy. But when a common man remains vigilant and has sufficient political awareness, the evils of red-tapism may be largely reduced or even avoided.

Gender-bias is another important political issue which is spoiling the Indian political system. Though the Indian constitution has guaranteed equal political rights to both men and women, still men play a dominant role in Indian politics, thereby depriving women their legitimate share and role in Indian politics.Apart from India’s President Pratibha Patil, women politicians like Ms. Sonia Gandhi, Ms. Mayavati, Ms. Jayalalitha and Ms. Sushma Swaraj are some exceptions in Indian politics There are some people who still argue that there is no gender-bias in Indian politics since the Indian constitution does not discriminate on the basis of sex.But the reality is the women do not have adequate representation both in Parliament and the state assemblies, proportionate to their population strength and so the women’s organizations are clamouring for women’s empowerment and demand reservation for women in parliament and the state assemblies.

The Women’s Reservation Bill providing 33 % quota for women in parliament and state assemblies, recently introduced in the Indian Parliament amidst a high drama is a step in the right direction. However the bill has a long way to go before being enacted into a law.

Despite of boasting itself as the largest democracy in the world, India is being plagued by the above political evils. Apart from political consciousness and co-operation of the Indian people, a political messiah is needed to steer India on its right political course.

1. The Hindu (daily)

2. The Deccan Chronicle(daily)

People like to shop online for gadgets, supplies and other items that can be a chore to bring home from a store or shopping centre. With more people realising the potential of online shopping, more types of dealers are setting up shop behind a website of their own, including numerous merchants within the pet supplies industry.

Pet supply stores can be low in number in your area and may not offer a very fine selection for your pet. Some people may not even know what supplies to get for their pet. Online shops provide greater options and can lead you to better products if you learn the basics on how to shop for these supplies. These tips should put you in the right direction to quality supplies.

Find Local Dealers

Finding local based dealers online should be your first step because the support teams behind the shop are more accessible and the shipping costs are most likely lower. Some of these pet supply stores may sell items that come from premium manufacturers while others may offer some of the products that you can only find internationally which could be even better if your budget allows.

Look for Product Reviews

No matter what types of supplies are being sold, you won’t be able to tell if these products are actually good. Don’t let the online store do the talking because they are more focused on making you buy as many pet supplies as you can. Some online sites may have a comment area where people can post their feedback on certain pet supplies. If comments aren’t available, do an Internet search on the product name and see what others have to say about these pet supplies.

Compare with International Dealers

You might find an international dealer that sells the same items that local dealers offer along with newer or more improved pet supplies. If the online retailer has a good reputation in selling quality pet supplies to international consumers, this may be the better dealer for you if the price difference isn’t much. Just keep in mind that items coming from international dealers may take longer.

Take Advantage of Voucher Codes

Some online pet supply stores drive attraction to customers in the form of voucher codes where a code needs to be inputted for some bonuses to take place such as discounts, free gift items, or free shipping. Taking advantage of several voucher codes can stack up to more savings that you can use to buy more pet supplies.

Concentrate on a Single Online Store

You might end up ordering from two different stores because they offer different supply products. While this method should be fine in getting exactly what you need, it is much easier to concentrate on a single store so you can easily fill up your shopping cart with everything you need and then enjoy a lower shipping cost for all of the goods combined.

With enough time dedicated to finding a good pet supplies shop and eliminating the rest, you can already cease your occasional visits to your local pet supplies store and do everything online.

Vincent Norman is a freelance writer living in the UK. He regularly contributes articles for The Online Shopping Centre, who offer the best range of top quality stores for Online Pet Stores.