The Truth About Using A Computerized Accounting System

There are many versions of accounting software available to small business owners, but accounting is only one aspect of recordkeeping. Word processors, databases, spreadsheets, and all sorts of graphics can aid you in managing the financial and clerical aspects of your business. There is probably no area of greater confusion to the self-employed businessperson than the true costs and benefits of installing and using a computerized accounting system. Such business owners frequently have an inflated picture of the benefits of computerized accounting and an incomplete understanding of the costs. Some computer resellers and systems installers are unwilling to point out these conceptual errors, which often results in some unpleasant surprises and bad feelings.First and foremost, computerized accounting is not simpler than manual accounting. Even the very best accounting system will not magically convert a clerk into a bookkeeper. In fact, many full-charge bookkeepers insist that computerized accounting requires sharper bookkeeping skills than a manual system. Manual systems generally break tasks down into simple steps. Errors are not automatically carried into other accounts. Second, if you are going to bring your accounting in-house, you need to realize that a computerized accounting system is not going to straighten out a manual accounting mess. Small, rapidly growing businesses, faced with limited capital and cramped cash flows, often put off establishing proper accounting procedures until a sunnier day. A manual accounting system verging on a bad dream can become an almost impossible nightmare when computerized. To "go onto" a computerized accounting system, your books have to be in perfect order. Accounts receivable and payable have to be exact and up-to-date, and beginning balances must be accurate. Moreover, where staff is already stretched, part-time help may be required, because the two systems should be run in parallel for at least two months. In this way, mistakes are more easily caught and corrected and the business need not rely on the new system to provide accurate data. Your staff simply must have time to learn the new system. Expect three to six months to return to earlier efficiency. The system you purchase will not do everything exactly as you want it. Some modifications may be needed to produce the output you need; these won't be free. Plan on involving an accountant in this task. Don't expect the package seller to provide advice only an accountant should provide. And some tasks simply do not lend themselves to easy, efficient transfer to computers. Computers are only tools.Finally, let's look at the support issue. Support includes all the services necessary to get and keep your computer system up and running and as productive as possible. These services include instruction, education and maintenance both under warranty and other. Some resellers include preventive maintenance to service your computer before it stops working. The accounting package reseller probably captures a gross margin of 20 percent to 40 percent of the accounting package retail price. Out of that margin, sales commissions and all overhead expenses must be paid. Most support requires not only a thorough knowledge of the package, but a sound grounding in standard accounting procedures. Well-trained and equipped support personnel normally need to charge at least $60 to $75 per hour to make a reasonable profit. Therefore, on average, one should probably not expect more than one hour of qualified support "free" for each $1,000 of purchase price. Free, unqualified support generally costs you more than you can afford.

Plus Size Fashion Freedom!

Just ten years ago plus size women were limited to clothes shopping in the two back corner racks of the local department store. We didn't have a lot of selection in style and fit and really--we didn't enjoy shopping for ourselves all that much. It's hard feeling good about a wardrobe full of cartoon character t-shirts and too short stretchy pants, and it was disappointing to shop for more of the same.Our choices in fashion were basic polyester stretch pants (remember those thick elastic waistbands ladies?), plain oversize t-shirts, and flowing, flowery polyester house dresses. Anything that was somewhat nice was stocked in limited quantities and at an exorbitant price.Ladies we felt & looked frumpy and dowdy because that's all we had to wear!Today however, full figured women can now enjoy trendy and comfortable fashions--at prices most can afford. And with easy online access, we are no longer limited to what the local department stores choose for us. We can choose from denims, cottons, silks & satins. Flower prints, stripes, solids and polka dots. Well fitted career wear, two piece bathing suits, short pants, long pants--the sky is the limit and we have more choices than ever before.Want to wear a fun, flirty skirt? Or a trendy tanktini on that fabulous beach holiday? No problem! It's just a click away online. Your biggest dilemma will be choosing just one item out of the three or four that have caught your eye. What a shift from ten years ago!Today taller plus size women can finally find those pants that fit both width AND length. And then there's petite plus size fashions for women who are shorter than average. We've got fashion selections now that fit all heights of fuller figured women--short, medium and tall.With online shopping, plus size fashion freedom has finally arrived for full figured women. Choose all the figure flattering and trendy styles you want and say goodbye forever to frumpy and dowdy. It's time for us to shine like the beautiful women we truly are.

3 Effective Tactics Every Business Should Implement

Do you remember your first day as a business owner? You were probably just like the rest of us... pretty darned happy and bit on the proud side. Yeah, back then we thought we could conquer the world. Now we're too busy conquering our own little corner of the world to pay a lot of attention to the rest of the world... unless it's to learn a few tips from successful marketers just like us who have made it big. Tips just like these... that will apply to every market - regardless of the product or service - and are great motivators to try something new. Yeah, you never know when the next idea will be worth a million pounds! 1. Create a Special OfferA special offer is exactly that... an offer that is special. Normally, customers would not be able to purchase this product or combination of products, and once the products are gone... sorry!You don't have to go out and order a bunch of new products to put together a special offer. It don't take a whole lot... just use what you've got. Grab a few items that are related, group them together, discount the price, and your customers will be excited to be getting a good deal. Think about it from your standpoint... you've sold three or four items rather than one. Yeah, combination offers are winning deals for everyone!2. Address the Small Customer GroupsNiche markets are everywhere, right under your nose! Within the customer audience that you serve right now are groups of people who share common traits. Think about it... maybe you have a group who speaks Spanish, a group of teens, and a group of middle class family men and women.Evaluate these classes of people, and discover the unique needs and desires they share. That will set you up to customize your advertising campaign directly to them. It’s not hard to take your current ads, and make a few changes to adjust to the niches. They’ll be impressed that you understand THEM, and the increase in your profits will be the best thanks you can get.3. Set Up a Winning Referral ProgramSuccessful marketers develop the ability to turn their customers into advocates. Often, they don't even have to directly ask customers to refer them to others. Their willingness to go the extra wins customer loyalty and support. Naturally, satisfied customers refer their friends and family to the place that will take good care of them.Quality service and is the first step toward referrals, but you can easily take it one step further. Studies show that every satisfied customer tells three people about you. What would happen with a little incentive added to the picture? Yeah, a lot more. Give customers who refer friends a thank you - whether it's a discount, special gift item, or a simple thank you card - and watch the referrals spiral!You can get two birds with one stone by implementing customer surveys. A few quick questions about what the customer does and doesn't like about your product, followed by a request for the names and addresses of friends and family who would benefit from the product, and you're all set to go with the contact information of a prospective customer!

Do You REALLY Want Your Own Business?

The ideal of being your own boss is very attractive and casually asked most people would say, "yes to be my own boss would be great." However, it needs to go farther than being the ideal. Having your own business is super. But what is it that you are really setting out to achieve?1. Is it. Freedom from employment?Freedom from 9-5?Freedom from boredom?Freedom in general?2. Or are you wanting To be rich?A better lifestyle?More time with your family and friends?More time for sports and recreation?3. Or do you need toFulfil a long held ambition?Create a product from your world beating idea?Create something which will be your legacy to - your family, your community, mankind?Express your creative talents?Create income?These questions have been pulled out of the air to illustrate a vital issue for consideration in your thinking and motivation when starting your own business. There are probably others that you may need to apply directly to your situation.What matters is that as you decide to make the leap into the exciting business of becoming independent you must be clear on your motives. Your motives, their priority and your honest understanding of them will have a direct bearing on your chances of success.The points listed under section 1 are understandable but no real foundation for starting a business. If you want to escape you will need to be very clear on what you are escaping from and where you are escaping to, you do not want to start a business only to find that you are not really suited to it?The points made in sections 2 and 3 are more positive. Giving them and any others specific to your circumstances close consideration and priority ranking will lead to an understanding of why you want to make the change in your life. What is your motivation and what goals you are setting for yourself?How exciting! Changing your life. It's important so let's do it properly. Clearly understand what is motivating your desire for change, when you understand that you can start to work out what type of business you are best suited to and how to go about creating it.

Improving The Performance Of Your Computer In A Few Easy Steps

Anyone who spends a lot of time with computers knows when the performance of the computer isn't as good as it used to be. Find out how you can avoid having problems with your computer in simple ways.One thing that a computer user should regularly do is to free some disk space. This is easy to do. Just click on Disk Cleanup regularly so you can safely delete all files that are unnecessarily taking up space. You may also empty the Recycle Bin every now and then to ensure the speed of your computer. Or you may even remove programs that you don't use anymore. Make sure, too, that you remove temporary Internet files.Use your Disk Defragmenter regularly. The overall performance of your system is slowed down when files are constantly being fragmented. The defragmenter consolidates all fragmented files so they occupy only one space. This way, accessing data becomes faster. For optimum computer performance, do this once a month especially when you've added large files or when your disk space has reached critical stage of less than 15% of free space and when you have installed a new version of Windows.This is also important, you must regularly run your Error Checking utility to check on bad sectors that slow down your hard disk performance so that even saving files become a problem. A weekly check would be perfect.Also make sure you protect your computer against spyware. This is to protect your privacy against other viewers in the Web. These spywares may lie hidden in your computer.You can also improve your computers performance by limiting multitasking. Close all programs that you aren't currently using. This can slow down all functions of your computer. Only open programs when you need to use them. So do one or two tasks at a time. Also, be offline when you don't really need to go online. This uses up your systems resources too. When programs automatically start when you turn on your computer, just right click on the icon to close the programs. This way, you are left with less programs running. Make sure, too, that when you remove programs, you aren't simply deleting but actually uninstalling.Those simple tasks can help in improving the performance of your computer. You can now access files faster and better. Just give yourself a few minutes regularly to maintain the optimal performance of your computer.

How To Change The Wallpaper Of Your Desktop Computer

The computer's wall paper is the image or view behind the icons. It fills the entire area of the screen and any computer user sees it all the time unless the windows opened cover it. Some computer users say an interesting and refreshing desktop wallpaper provides relief for tired eyes. So, why not have a variety of wallpapers by changing it as often as conveniently possible? Sources Of WallpaperThe image to be installed as desk top wallpaper maybe chosen from the background list in the Display Properties box , from scanned pictures, or downloaded online. There are a lot of choices and photos of loved ones is a popular choice of wallpaper. Scanned pictures should be saved at the resolution compatible to the computer's setting, which is either 640x480, 800x600, or 1024x768. In downloading online, check also for the right resolution and size. To check the resolution, right click the mouse on any vacant space on the desktop, click on properties and the setting tab in the Display Properties box. Record the pixel size for reference. How To Change The WallpaperClose all windows before starting to change the wallpaper. The following procedure is for Windows users: 1. Click on "Start"2. On the expanded box, click on "Control Panel" and a window opens.3. On the control panel window, click on the "Display" icon and the Display Properties box shall appear OR simply right click anywhere on the desktop, then choose "Properties" and the Display Properties box shall also appear. 4. Select "Desktop" and choose from the list of background images. The actual image of each item on the list is displayed in the preview screen. Is the wallpaper to be installed is from a file of photos, click "Browse" and select the photo to be installed. 5. From the Display Properties box, choose to Center, Tile or Stretch to resize the image to fit the screen. 6. Click 'OK"To change the wallpaper back to the original image, follow the following procedure:1. Right click mouse on clear space of the desktop.2. Click "Properties"3. Click on "Desktop" tab4. Select former image from the background list or browse if the former image is from one of the files on the computer. Hours of clicking away in front of a computer will be less tiring and boring if once in a while, as a window is closed, you see a pleasant view, the face of a loved one or a picture taken during a very memorable vacation.

Google, Adsense, SEO, Is This Works

Google uses an algorithm to determine the search engine results (SERPS). The algorithm is based upon certain factors that include keyword density, Meta Tags, anchor tags, image tags, back links, etc etc . If your site is optimized for specific keywords than you will rank better in the search engines. There are many factors but onsite optimization is a must. You can research and fine out the information yourself or hire and SEO. I have put together some Free Basics on www.seo4dummies.com Overture shows you the bid price of certain keywords. Wordtracker show you the amount the term is searched. You can use www.nichebot.com a free tool to see all this at once. Adsense / Adwords. Google Adwords have a bid price to display certain keyword terms. Think of Adwords as TV commercials. Webmasters can put Adsense on there websites. Think of Adsense as the TV Program. If a viewer of your webpage clicks on one of your ads, you get a commission. That commission is based upon the price of the Adword. Google keeps about 60% of the bid price and passes about 40% to the webmaster or Adsense account. The way the Adsense ads are displayed is determined by the Keyword Density of your individual sites. If you site is prominently about say Dogs then the Adsense will display ads about Dogs. However, Google in its new business model is now tracking IP numbers and providing more local ads. Think of the local TV commercials. They are not as expensive as the National Ads. Therefore you may have local ads that are displayed on your site that have only a$0.03 payout rather than a $5.00 payout. If you optimize you site for your theme, or content, then you can generate more traffic to you sites based upon your keywords. The Google Adsense, will display ads relevant to your topics. If they are not displaying ads to our topic, then you must adjust your Density of your keywords in the body of text of the page. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of changing your website, so that it is spider friendly. If your site is brand new it will take a few months for Google to index your site and be visible in the SERPs. This is known as the Google sandbox theory. Aged sites should already be indexed as long as the site has something for the spiders to grab. Excessive graphics, java scripts, PHP sessions are all not spider friendly. To get spiders to come to your site often and grab your data, you must have links from outside websites to your site. This is the Coveted Page Rank factor. Page rank is only a factor of the amount of incoming and outgoing links to your site. Only a small percentage of Page Rank is attributed to the Google Algorithm for Search Engine Results at this time. Spiders follow links, once there are links established the spiders will Crawl, your sites. They will gather minimal information. Several Weeks to months later, the spiders will Deep crawl you site and index all that is available. To speed this process along, back links or links to other sites is a must. The more links the spider can travel to get to your site the better. Linking to like minded topics is always best. You don’t need to buy LINKS. You can acquire links via posts in forums, writing and submitting articles, using a Blog post, submitting to SEO friendly directories. To view the spider activity on your site, first go to your traffic stats. Look for the googlebots. See how often they come and the amount of data they have grabbed. You can also go to Google itself and if you are indexed view the Cache of your page. That cache date is a good indication of the last true crawl of your site. To see if you are indexed go to Google and type in the search box, site:www.yourwebsite.com ( make sure the word site is not Capitalized and you replace he words your website with your actual URL). View the results. You should also repeat the process and this time leave out the www. , and just enter the site:yourwebsite.com Sometime webmasters leave out the www., but then look for Google using the www. Or link to sites using the www. Either way is fine, just pick one version and be consistent with www. Or non www throughout your website career. As the spiders come to your site they will start to grab information, that information is sorted and returns the SERPS. Did you know that there are different DataCenters throughout the world that Hold that information? If you ask a friend on the say East Cost to search for a term and tell you where you site is in the SERPS, they result on the West cost may be completely different. As much as 5-10 or more positions depending on the activity of that keyword.

Invalid clicks or impressions on any ad

You've been slowly and steadily attracting new visitors to your site, you've crawled up the search engine rankings and the AdSense clicks have started to appear. Just as you're on a roll, having accumulated only a few dollars short of your first AdSense pay check, you get the dreaded email from Google:
Hello Joe Bloggs, It has come to our attention that invalid clicks and/or impressions have been generated on the Google ads displayed on your site(s). Therefore, we have disabled your Google AdSense account. Please understand that this was a necessary step in order to protect the interest of the AdWords advertisers.
A publisher's site may not have invalid clicks or impressions on any ad(s), including but not limited to clicks and/or impressions generated by:
- a publisher on his own WebPages- a publisher encouraging others to click on his ads- automated clicking programmes or any other deceptive software
- a publisher altering any portion of the ad code or changing the layout, behaviour, targeting or delivery of ads for any reason These or any other such activities that violate Google AdSense Terms and Conditions and programmer polices may have led us to disable your account. The Terms and Conditions and programme polices can be viewed at:
Publishers disabled for invalid click activity are not allowed further participation in AdSense and do not receive any further payment. The earnings on your account will be properly returned to the affected advertisers.
If you feel that this decision was wrong and can maintain in good faith that the invalid activity was not due to your actions or negligence or those of the people that you are responsible for, such as employees and family members, you may appeal against the closing of your account. To do so, please contact us only through this form:
If Google decides to evaluate your appeal, we will do our best to inform you quickly and will proceed with the appropriate action as necessary. If we have reached a decision on your appeal, subsequent or duplicate appeals may not be considered.
Yours sincerely, The Google Adsense Team So what do you do next? Google has very good click fraud detection methods and if they say they have detected invalid clicks and/or impressions you can be fairly confident this is accurate. Probably 99% of Adsense publishers who receive this message have been correctly suspended for violating the Adsense terms and conditions, although most won't admit to it. They have clicked on their own ads, asked someone else to, or had a 'helping hand' from their friends, colleagues or relatives. So what of the other 1%? The 1% of AdSense publishers suspended from the program because of the actions of an unscrupulous business rival, mischievous trouble-maker or genuine error or omission on the part of Google? If you fall in this 1% you face a difficult challenge - you need to convince Google, who get it right 99% of the time, that they've made a mistake this time. This isn't an easy task, but it is possible.
If you find yourself suspended for invalid clicks and/or impressions, and you genuinely believe you've done nothing wrong, here's what you have to do:
Complete the appeal form as fully and accurately as possible. It is a web form so once you send it the data is gone. Be sure to keep a copy of what you write.
Pay particular attention to the last 2 boxes of the appeal form:
"Any relevant information that you believe would explain the invalid click activity we detected" and "Any data in your web logs or reports that indicate suspicious IP addresses, referrers or requests". You need to think carefully about what you write here. It needs to be well structured and well mannered. These boxes are your opportunity to explain the suspicious activity and offer evidence to prove you weren't responsible. The importance of keeping accurate visitor logs for your sites can not be over-emphasized. You might like to supply visitor log entries, suspicious IP addresses, whois records or ISP records - the more evidence you provide the easier it will be to convince Google of your innocence.
Be honest in your appeal. If your six year old nephew went berserk with the mouse on your AdSense ads tell them that. If you were tidying up a web page and you accidentally clicked an ad own up to it.
Be polite in your appeal. Hopefully it will be read by a real person, although this is increasingly unlikely with Google. A person is more likely to read and consider a polite appeal form than one which is rude and insulting. Remember that the person considering your appeal form has probably read a hundred offensive forms already that day - you are at an advantage if you buck that trend.
Conclude your appeal form by doing a little grovelling. Tell them how much you respect the AdSense program, how you understand they need to protect their advertisers, how you would be happy for any revenue earned by invalid clicks to be refunded to the advertisers concerned and that you are more than happy to assist them in any further investigation.
After you've submitted the appeal, just sit and wait a few days for them to consider it. Within a few days you will get an automatic email reply, nearly always as follows: Hello Joe Bloggs,Thank you for your appeal.
After receiving your response, we re-reviewed your account data thoroughly. We have reconfirmed that invalid clicks were generated on the ads on your site in violation of our Terms and Conditions and programme policies.
We have implemented these policies to help ensure the effectiveness of Google ads for our publishers as well as our advertisers. According to our policy on this matter, we are unable to reinstate you into the programmer.
Please bear in mind that subsequent or duplicate appeals may not be considered and you may not receive any further communication from us. We appreciate your understanding.
Now for the best bit - you need to complete the appeal form all over again! That's why you need to keep a copy of your first appeal. Do not be put off by the "Please bear in mind that subsequent or duplicate appeals may not be considered and you may not receive any further communication from us." Complete the second appeal form exactly as you did the first. Obviously include any new information that might help you prove your innocence. Google will know you have already appealed. They will also see that your second appeal form agrees with the first, that you remain adamant of your innocence and that you are keen to stay involved with AdSense - all of these are points in your favour.
Hopefully a few days later your efforts will be rewarded by your account being reinstated, but this is still by no means certain. At least you've tried your best and can start looking for another contextual advertising service.
Remember that prevention is much better than cure. Minimise your chances of being suspended by keeping an eye on your AdSense account and visitor logs - if you notice anything suspicious , or accidentally click your own ad report it to AdSense support immediately. Normally they are quite understanding.

Easy Computer Financing

Finding easy computer financing is not as simple for some as it is for others. Chances are that if you have perfect credit, you can finance just about anything. If this is the case, finding easy computer financing will be just as easy as the financing itself.
On the other hand, if you have bad credit, poor credit or no credit at all, you might have a significantly more difficult time obtaining the easy computer financing you will be needing. Regardless, when you are on the search for easy computer financing the best place to start looking is in the stores themselves.
Just about every brick and mortar store around has its own credit card, and almost all of the time you get a discount on your first purchase. If you use this kind of easy computer financing to make a decent sized purchase (like a computer), you can usually get a discount of up to 15 percent this way.
Also, many times these stores will usually give out credit cards to people with less than perfect credit. If you are confident that your credit is so bad and no store would ever issue you a credit card on purpose, you will need to look at other easy computer financing options. For example, you might want to look into getting a credit card from a place that does not check your credit at all.
To find these credit card companies, type in no credit check credit card into your favorite search engine. From there, you merely have to sift through them until you find the one that offers low fees and a low APR. Most of these places require you to have an active checking account, and that is it.
If you do this, you will pretty much instantly have the easy computer financing you desire! Once your new credit card comes in the mail, you can use it for easy computer financing. All you have to do is put your computer purchase on the card and pay it off over time. If you were not able to get a credit card with a limit that is high enough to put the entire purchase on one card, you could try applying for another one to carry the remainder of the balance. Or, you could make up the difference between your easy computer financing and what is left over by paying for the remainder with cash.

JV - International Joint Ventures

At long last, specialists have agreed upon two model contracts for international joint ventures. Legal experts from a Geneva law firm who provided the initial drafts describe their features.For several decades, companies’ legal departments secretly developed their own tailor-made joint venture contracts. They couldn’t do otherwise: no international model existed and no one dared to propose one in view of the diversity of legal cultures and practices.A joint venture is a classic type of strategic alliance between two or more companies. It can be long or short term, and used for various activities: engineering, production and distribution, among others. It seemed that no model could suit all these needs and reconcile lawyers from diverse backgrounds. Yet the demand for international models was pressing.In 1998, ITC conducted a worldwide survey on trade contracts. Over 245 trade promotion organizations (TPOs) from 125 countries responded. The survey showed that joint venture model contracts were requested and considered a priority by 77% of TPOs. Surprisingly, in less than two years a group of some 55 specialists from 45 countries, representing all legal cultures (see related article on ITC’s Pro-bono Committee on Model Joint Venture Contracts), have agreed on two models.Help for small firmsJoint venture model contracts provide the international business community with models for two forms of joint venture agreements. The contracts are especially designed for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging economies and developing markets. These model contracts take into account the particularities of specific business fields, as well as the requirements of civil and common law legal systems. Both the guidelines and the texts of the model contracts have been reviewed by international trade law experts from various professional, cultural and legal backgrounds.Two optionsA joint venture may be about the joint performance of a single-activity contract, or about the organization of long-term cooperation between parties. Model contracts are already available for short-term single-activity joint ventures, such as a construction contract. See, for example, the International Federation of Consulting Engineers’ (FIDIC) construction, plant and design build, and engineering. The joint venture model contracts vary with respect to both the objective of the joint venture and its joint implementation. As a result, two types of joint venture model contracts have been prepared: the first in view of creating a company; the second in view of cooperation without creating a company. These are applicable to different situations:• Incorporated joint venture contract. This is a model to create one or more joint venture companies, which are legal entities established to carry out a common activity. In this case, the joint venture agreement helps to prepare the creation of a company in a specific country. In addition to the joint venture agreement, the cooperation of the parties requires further legal instruments, usually articles of incorporation of the company, by-laws and a shareholders’ agreement.• Contractual joint venture contract. This model regulates cooperation between parties. A legal entity is not created, but a collaborative group exists. Only one legal instrument is usually necessary: the contractual joint venture agreement. Model agreements are suitable for most commercial and industrial activities for which joint ventures are used, including transportation, prospecting for and developing natural resources, and the hotel and tourism industry.TopicsThe model agreements address: initial and additional contributions of the parties; management and representation of the joint venture and/or the joint venture company; external and internal liability of the parties; sharing of profits and losses; deadlock resolution; acquisition; loss and transfer of partnership status; exclusion of a partner, end of the joint venture; and dispute resolution.