Direct sales (like FHTM, Avon, and Mary Kay) offer recession-proof jobs
Not long ago, Craig Lapp made his living driving a truck that helped carve Southern California's soil into new developments. But then housing sales slumped, and in November 2007 Lapp's construction company let him go.
While he searched for another job, Lapp began working alongside his wife, Lynne, in a business based in their Temecula home, selling nutritional supplements made by the direct-sales company Isagenix. Nearly two years later and with no construction job in sight, Lapp says a one-time sideline has become the couple's bread and butter.
Michigan real estate developer, Sherri Russell saw her real estate development business evaporate in a matter of a few months when the economy soured in Michigan and soaring unemployment rates near 14% keeps the prospect of reentering the real estate market anytime soon.
Sherri looked at a Fortune Hi Tech Marketing business (FHTM) offered by a Realtor and mortgage lender that she had worked with in the past. FHTM offers over 25 products from Fortune 500 companies such as Dish Network, Sprint, AT&T to name a few. FHTM has help support this single mom of 13 year old son Kyle says Sherri.
GOT A BUDDING BUSINESS?
"It's paying our mortgage, our car payments … putting food on the table," says Lapp, 55, who adds that he and his wife are earning a six-figure income. "It was our 'Plan B' that turned into our 'Plan A.' "
Direct-sales businesses that rely on home-based representatives to peddle their wares are seeing their sales forces rapidly expand as the nation's unemployment rate soars to nearly 9% and those who lost jobs and nest eggs look for new ways to make money.
"We're recession-resistant in the sense that more people come to us during economic hard times for supplemental income or replacement of a lost job," says Neil Offen, president of the Direct Selling Association, the trade group that represents the largest U.S. direct sales companies.
While 2008 industry figures aren't yet available, "Anecdotally we're hearing that recruitment is up and … unfortunately as the unemployment rate rises to 10% or higher, we'll be picking up more people who need an income-earning opportunity."
The recession has become a recruiting tool. An Avon cosmetics representative declares in TV ads that "I can't get laid off. It's my business." Companies such as Isagenix, a marketer of weight-management and nutritional supplements and snacks, and jewelry maker Silpada Designs are coaching their representatives to spread the word that direct selling can keep you afloat in the faltering economy.
"Right now, our direct-selling opportunity is really the No. 1 product that we have to sell," says Geralyn Breig, president of Avon North America. With that in mind, Avon this year launched its most ambitious recruitment campaign and saw its U.S. sales force grow to more than 680,000 through March, its largest ever, Breig says.
The same month, cosmetics company Mary Kay began airing its first TV ad for new representatives. In its first three days, visitors seeking information about becoming "beauty consultants" at Mary Kay spiked 108%.
Silpada Designs, a Lenexa, Kan.-based company specializing in sterling silver jewelry, says its sales force in the U.S. and Canada was up 11.8% on May 1 from a year earlier. And Chandler, Ariz.-based Isagenix says its sales force was up 30% in March from a year before.
The hope is that larger sales forces will grow revenue, even in an economy that has shrunk sales for many companies.
"Representatives and recruiting is a leading indicator of future sales," says Jerry Kelly, Silpada's CEO, who acknowledges sales for his privately owned company were down roughly 10% in the fourth quarter of last year. "We're optimistic that we're going to fare fairly well this year as a company in a very difficult climate. … We're seeing a more determined and focused representative who might be looking to supplement lost income for their family."
Can You Qualify For Loan Modification If You Are Unemployed?
News of downsizing and layoffs has been prevalent during these downturns in our economy. Those who have lost their jobs are concerned about meeting their bills, including their monthly mortgage payments and wonder if there's any opportunity for them to participate in a loan modification program. That's a valid concern considering that obtaining a loan usually requires the ability to repay the loan, which requires the borrower to have a job in order to earn income.
You are not alone if you are finding it more difficult to make your monthly mortgage payments. Millions of Americans are experiencing the same problems as you are facing. Foreclosure is a scary word that you don't want to have to consider and there may be other options that will work better for you and your family. Don't feel guilty about being in the situation that you find yourself - it's not your fault.
Unemployment is income and if you are receiving unemployment insurance benefits, this would be something that a lender would look at while considering your application for a loan modification. What the banks are calculating to determine your qualifications for a loan medication is your debt to income ratio - the amount of your debt as a percentage of your total monthly income.
If you're concerned about applying for loan modification while unemployed, you could wait, but don't wait too long. Once you have a good lead on a job that you feel will pan out, that might be the time to apply for a new loan because your chances of loan approval improve in direct relationship to your financial situation.
If you have an exemplary work history and meet other qualifications of your mortgage bank or lender, you can sometimes attain approval of loan modification. This won't be the case if you've had a sporadic work history or if your most recent job was of short duration.
There's no hard and fast rule about approval for loan modification when you're unemployed, whether or not you receive unemployment income. While you would hope that your unemployed status would only be short and temporary, a lender may not want to assume that risk of loaning you money without the ability to repay it.
The KeyDemon hardware keylogger solution
Familiar with the hardware keylogger concept? A hardware keylogger is an ideal solution for monitoring a computer user's activity. A hardware keylogger is a pure electronic device, requiring no additional software or drivers, and no access to the operating system. A hardware keylogger leaves no traces behind, and is completely undetectable to software and security scanners.
What are the applications of the KeyDemon hardware keylogger? Parents use hardware keyloggers mainly for monitoring their children, protecting them from on-line hazards and predators, observing WWW, E-mail, and chat usage. Employers may use the KeyDemon hardware keylogger for monitoring employee productivity, checking acceptable internet usage, and collecting corporate equipment usage statistics. Private investigators apply hardware keyloggers in the process of collecting computer-related evidence. Finally the KeyDemon hardware keylogger may be used by anybody to check if their spouse is cheating on them, or simply to make a backup of typed text.
One of the questions that should be answered at this point, is if using a hardware keylogger is legal. Technically speaking, you should contact a lawyer to get detailed information about the local laws, and the application for which you intend to use a hardware keylogger. Generally it's permitted to monitor your own computer, meaning you can watch what your kids and family are doing on the computer. If you want to monitor your employees, or perform any other type of surveillance, you should display a clear notice about this fact. It is obviously NOT LEGAL to use this device for any type spying, or stealing confidential data.
KeyDemon offers a broad range of hardware keylogger devices. The entry level KeyDemon USB and KeyDemon PS/2 have 4MB or 2GB of built-in memory, meaning years-worth of typing. Installing a KeyDemon hardware keylogger takes a few seconds, and requires no additional software or drivers. Simply plug the keylogger in-line between the keyboard and USB or PS/2 port. Keystroke logging will start automatically. To view recorded data, use a 3-key combination supplied with every device. This will switch the hardware keylogger into a removable flash disk, containing a text file with all the logged keystroke data.
5 Ways to Build Your Buyers List as a Wholesaler
Beginners in the real estate investing business are surprised to learn that it is possible to build a buyers list before you ever have a property under contract. In fact, it is best that you have the list built ahead of time.
You want to be in the position that when your first contract is in your hand and you have a property to flip, you have a list of potential buyers to call or email. When you have your list ready, that means your flip (your wholesale deal) will be completed and closed that much faster.
Here are five tips on building that initial list.
1. Run an Ad
Place an ad in the local paper such as "Handyman Special" or "Fixer Uppers." The responses you get will be contractors, rehabbers, investors in search of rental properties, and newbies just getting into the real estate business. Find out what they are looking for, in what areas, and their price range. Be sure to get their email address. Set up a notebook, or an online spreadsheet. This is the birth of your buyers list.
2. REIA Meetings
If you are fortunate enough to have a real estate investors association (REIA) group in your city, attend every meeting you can and get involved. You buyers will be hanging out at these meetings. Hand out business cards and collect business cards. Again, find the contractors who are buying bargain properties and find out what they want. Add them to your list
Helping Baby Sleep, a Simple Plan
Do you have a baby who has trouble sleeping? Lack of sleep in babies can affect their growth, immune system and their ability to thrive, not to mention your own sanity! Helping baby sleep is possible when you know how. I have provided information below to attempt to make this a bit easier for all parents.
There may be several resons why your baby is not sleeping well. Some of the reason we hear most about are colic or abdominal discomfort, food intolerance, teething, urinary tract infection or even separation anxiety. As well as the above, other factors such as an unsuitable crib or uncomfortable or ill fitting sleepwear could be causing your baby's restlessness. Try to find out the reason your baby isn't sleeping well before seeking out some baby sleep help.
Many babies have problems sleeping, so you're not alone. Most of these problems will simply go away on their own as your baby gets older. Most children will outgrow these problems as they grow and mature. However, at times, sleeping problems could become chronic and could develop into more serious sleeping disorders. So, if your child's sleeping problems are persistent, you should immediately seek some baby sleep help from a qualified physician.
Data Logger Use in Environmental Monitoring
With worldwide concern about global climate change the use of data logger equipment to monitor a wide range of environmental factors such as temperature, solar radiation, rainfall, and water table levels is becoming increasingly prevalent.
Many modern data logger models offer long operation on internal batteries coupled with multi channel universal input capability. This makes them ideal for use in the field with a variety of environmental sensors. The basic data logger inputs required for these sensors are listed below:
Data Logger Temperature Sensor Inputs
The three main types of temperature sensors are thermocouples, PT100 sensors and thermistors. Thermocouples require a data logger with high resolution and cold junction compensation. Thermocouples do not require external power making them ideal for use with data logger installations in remote locations. Thermistors are low cost and accurate, but are non linear so the data logger needs an internal look up table to read these devices accurately. PT100 sensors are very accurate, but as they are three wire devices many low cost data logger models are not compatible.
The Best Free Games Apps for the Apple iPad 2
Everyone has different tastes when it comes to playing games on the ipad, some prefer games with stunning graphics but little playability and some prefer the addictive games, hopefully some of the following free games will meet with your approval. At least they are free so if you download them and find they are useless, simply delete them and it hasn't cost you anything. There are thousands of free ipad games apps out there but some are really poor, some of the following are free but you can then purchase extra content if you like them. These were all free when I wrote this but may not be now.
Labyrinth 2 HD Lite - I find this game so addictive, I find it hard to put the ipad down sometimes. Ok, it's a demo but you get 15 mazes to try out tilting your ipad to move your marble across the screen avoiding obstacles along the way. This is one of the few games that I have tried that I actually paid the extra just to play some more mazes. There are many similar games but this one is probably the best.
10 Pin Shuffle Lite - Yes, it combines ten-pin bowling and shuffleboard. This has three game modes and my favourite one is 10 Pin Poker, it adds a card game to the mix. If you get a spare or a strike, you're given one or two cards and at the end of the tenth frame, whoever has the best hand wins.
Tap Tap Radiation - In my house, the Tap Tap rhythm action games are very popular for all ages but this version for the iPad is a much more exciting game. On the iPhone, you have 3 or 4 hit zones that are always positioned at the foot of the screen in the same positions but with this ipad version, the hit zones meander around the screen, sometimes snapping into new formations to keep your mind working.
Aging and the senior cat
Aging and the Older Cat: What is Senior? There is no specific age at which a cat "becomes senior." Individual animals and body systems age at different rates, but one convenient way to view older cats is to classify them as "mature or middle aged" (7-10 years), "senior" (11-14 years), and "geriatric" (15+ years). (FAB) This helps to focus on the varying disease risks of the different groups (e.g. obesity in the mature group; cachexia in the geriatric group). In this document, as elsewhere, the word "senior" is used as a broad category for all older cats, unless otherwise noted.
With good care, many cats live into their late teens and some into their twenties; the percentage of older cats is increasing. (Broussard et al 1995, Wolf 1995) The inevitable biological changes associated with aging result in a progressive reduction in the ability to cope with physiologic, immunologic, and environmental stresses. Along with "normal" aging, the incidence of certain diseases gradually increases.
Baby Care Games
Something is up with kids these days. Babies like exploring, playing and gaming a lot. Discussion of games that fit babies as they grow has taken centre stage in most homes. Parents are working hard to get give the required attention to their babies and baby care games is actually the answer.
Toys are fun for some kids, but games beat them with the exciting nature of interaction that it has. Games give babies a chance to think and play. Discussions have been carried from work places to play centers, about effects of games to babies. Games are a constructive learning process. Well, let the kids play and have fun.
But which games are safe for kids to play? With hundreds and thousands of baby games coming into the market these days, parents must be aware of the content that their kids watch. Share a game that you are sure is good for a baby.
It can be so embarrassing to organize a birthday for your baby only to discover that all shows you bought are kaput. Babies are honest people. Yes, the baby is not enthusiastic with the game because it’s not nice.
Best Practices for E-Commerce Web Design
Designing an online shopping site is different than other website design because it is focused on building relationships and making money. It is not nearly as important to showcase the company brand as it is to satisfy consumer's expectations, and the reason customers choose to shop online is because it is faster and more efficient. The more an ecommerce site meets customer's wants and needs, the more often customers will return to shop. For this reason, web design for ecommerce should be predictable, focus on efficiency and give users comparison-shopping and control.
Like All Web Design, ecommerce should use the following:
Web-safe fonts 1024 x 768 screen resolution Page footer with room for additional navigation, copyright, credit cards accepted, secure site verification certificate, credits, shipping and return policies and contact information. In the footer also Include links to social sites, bookmarking, and make sure that it is easy to share your pages Use gradients that can be tiled horizontally or vertically for easy repetition on X or Y axis in background images Leave blank space on the left/right and bottom of the design to show the developer how the web site (and backgrounds) will function as the browser is maximized and/or resized Page header should contain: Large Phone Number, Login, View Cart, Your Account, Help, and if you have it, Chat. These links need to appear on every page of the web site. Create a vertical left hand navigation bar for the cart's product catalog. This can be in addition to a main navigation bar, or part of the main nav bar if the main nav is vertical. Navigation should include a place for company news, about us, a blog Provide an area for a "Search" input box and associated submit button. This should also appear on every page of the web site. Use a white background. Create a wide area of the design in order to accommodate the checkout process. Leave at least 600px of horizontal space for the ecommerce pages to "live."
Understand How to Develop Customer Trust Right on the Home Page
More so than on any other type of website design, customers who shop online must trust your site and company. Pictures help, awards and certifications help, testimonials from trusted sources help to develop trust. Facilitating communication (via chat, email, phone, etc.) also help.
Giving Shoppers what they want on the home page: Search features that allow shoppers to find specific items
Rather than a Flash header all about the company, consider a large graphic of the current best-seller, or several large pictures of featured products, brand name (i.e." Cisco", "HP" etc), rewords program, finance options, phone support etc.shown in a "content slider for easy browsing and customer interaction. Not only that, they serve as an easy way to manage and display content.
Recommendations Wish Lists Deals, new featured products Coupons and discounts Show partners Show testimonials Show financing options
When designing for ecommerce it is wise to review the giants like Amazon, Walmart, Borders, and Nordstrom to see what works for them.