This article is about Reaching your heart through the feet -
and reaching the brain, sinus cavities, glands, stomach, spinal
column, reproductive system, etc…

The human body is an amazing work, it never ceases to amaze me,
as a Massage therapist I learn new and wonderful things about it
almost daily it seams.

Reflexology is an ancient healing art, that was lost for awhile and the

re-discovered.

In short we have areas on our feet that correspond with every area on our

body, we also have these points on our hands and to some extent on our ears.

The method we use to practice is as follows:

First we do some really yummy releasing exercises, Reflexology is primarily

gentle touch, which is really the only way to send the signals from our feet upto

our body is to do it when our feet are relaxed and more alert.

There are two major methods of performing reflexology, there is finger walking (where
your thumb or forefinger walk along different patterns on the foot, but it looks
and feels more like it’s trying to wiggle like a worm, it takes some practice to
accomplish, but isn’t too hard.) Then there is hooking in and pulling back, where
you kind of hook your thumb into a point and scoot it down a little towards the
heel.

Another quasi-stroke I find that works well also is if you find a point that’s really
congested, you can rotate counter clockwise, in essence it will feel like you’re sending
the congestion back up into the body, and for really lose or lack of congestion you can
pull energy down to that spot by rotating clockwise - you can recognize by the way it
feels - it usually feels hard and/or may have some urine crystals in(bet you didn’t know
that uric acid settles in the foot and when you feel little crunchy things in someone’s feet
it’s really these crystals)

Of course to practice I would get a good chart of the points on the feet, and also some books for further reading, as there’s a lot more you can learn about reflexology
this is just a starting point.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Patrick Curl is a Massage Enthusiast and owner of http://www.aboutbodywork.com

Where Massage Enthusiasts Meet. Drop on over for your chance at winning a

FREE Massage from a therapist in your area.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Promotional products are a necessary part of the whole trade show experience. As a participant, you want to excel at building new clients, networking, increasing sales, circulating your brand, and marketing your business. The marketing experts have performed numerous studies time and again proving that promotional gifts enhance these exact tasks. When planning your next trade show experience, you should not be asking yourself, “Am I giving away promotional products at this event?” Rather, you should pose the question, “WHAT promotional items am I giving away for this trade show event?”

While any knowledgeable promotions professional can assist you with the decision making process, choosing an item like promotional yardstick would be wise.

First of all, the implications during the show are enormously wide. This is a larger quality item - one that visually begs for more attention than smaller items like stress balls, key chains, or pens. This item is most likely carried by recipients, rather than stuffed in a bag. Therefore, the yardstick, as well as the advertising you have imprinted on it are standing out more so than other products.

People at trade shows enjoy walking around with this item. It literally functions dually as a walking stick, and weary browsers appreciate the utility of this promotional product. As they traverse the multitude of other vendors at the trade show, it never fails that others notice the yardstick and inquire about where they received this particular item. All ages are fond of this marketing product, from very young children on up through adults, as well as the elderly. When passers-by see others with this item and discover its location, people will make their way to your booth in order to obtain one for themselves. This opens the door to the discussion of your company- your products, your special services, existing discounts, and current sales.

The yardstick is a handy house hold item. It stores comfortably in pantries, kitchens, closets, garages, tool sheds- just about anywhere. And, this wooden item is durable, having the potential to last forever. It is also multi-purpose. Individuals can use it to measure, build, hang pictures, remodel, draw a straight line, and walk with. The public highly regards free items that make their lives a little more interesting.

As far as your marketing plans for the trade show go, the yard stick lends itself to a range of possibilities and relates to just about any profession. Thematically, you can connect this product to any business from construction to education- from banking to communications. Moreover, the creative slogan ideas are endless. Consider the gourmet pizza place that claimed to “take pizza to new heights” at a restaurant show. Similarly, an investment company implemented the message “your wealth is growing” through the use of the yardstick. Likewise, one school district simply imprinted, “Bearcats Rule” for an event. And, at one certain engineering conference, a particular firm customized this gift with the question, “Does your insurance plan measure up?”

As a promotional giveaway in the trade show world, the yardstick is a favorite advertising medium. Any type of businesses can easily use the large imprint area for their marketing.

No trade show event should be complete without the donation of promotional products. These items are a necessary marketing tool. The promotional yardstick has a history of serving as a popular trade show giveaway. Your intentions of attending such events are most likely to help solidify your business’ goals. Perhaps you desire to build new clients, succeed at networking, increase your company sales, advertise your brand, and foster loyalty. You are attending to market your work overall. Advertising specialists are aware of the benefits of using promotional products to assist in the accomplishment of such plans.

Consider ordering the promotional yardstick to serve as your next company giveaway. A professional promotional consultant is available to help you with customizing this item with your official company name, web site URL, contact information, or other special message.

Remember that promotional products are the key ingredient to ensuring traffic at your trade show booth. Your time and energy are precious, and you want to be sure you are maximizing every potential reward from this next event that you can. Results of marketing studies demonstrate that using promotional items grants you a major advantage over the competition. Buyers are more likely to visit vendors giving away promotional products than those who do not, and the yardstick is an innovative way to reel them in.

Author: Rick Sheldon has 18 years experience in the Promotional Products Industry and is currently CEO of Save on Promotional Products Inc. a Discount Online Promotional Products Company He can be contacted at 1-800-826-8706; email: rick@justpay10.com or go to our site: Promotional Yardsticks

A new muscle building supplement, Aplodan, is causing a big commotion within the bodybuilding community. This is because MuscleTech, the makers of Aplodan are making some claims about this new bodybuilding product that seem as if they are too good to be true. Specifically, statements are being made that Aplodan can help make its users an average of 83% stronger.

Although this may seem like an outrageous claim about Aplodan, the MuscleTech Company says it has research data to support their statements. Backing up the claim is a research study that was done at the University of Milan, one of the largest universities in Italy and a member of the League of European Research Universities. This clinical study on the primary ingredient of Aplodan involved test subjects taking the supplement for seven days. When the week was over, the subjects experienced an increase in their muscle tension threshold limit by an average of 83%.

During additional research, runners who supplemented with the key ingredient in Aplodan demonstrated a boost in their speed and power by increments that would ordinarily have taken years to achieve.

Although that number appears nearly unbelievably high, when one understands the process by which Aplodan delivers these significant results, the explanation seems quite reasonable and credible. The reason for Aplodan’s success in increasing muscle strength is that most gym workouts, no matter how long or strenuous, do not have any effect on dormant muscle fibers. This is the foundation on which MuscleTech began developing Aplodan, the fact that there are clusters of dormant muscle fibers within every bundle of muscles throughout the body.

It was theorized that, if these untapped, dormant muscle fibers could be activated, the potential for increased muscle growth and improved strength would be great. The formula for Aplodan was developed to be released rapidly into the system where it quickly can spread into dormant muscle fibers and stimulate them into becoming activated. After formerly dormant muscle fibers, in effect, “wake up,” then they will begin to respond in the gym.

Of course, Aplodan does not work magic on the body. Someone who wants to build more muscle bulk and increase strength will still be required to put in the effort in the gym. But, unlike workouts done prior to supplementing with Aplodan, a person’s daily exercise, strength and muscle building rituals can, with the assistance of Aplodan, achieve much greater results.

At the time of this writing, there is no other muscle or bodybuilding supplement other that Aplodan that addresses the previously un-recognized situation of untapped dormant muscle fibers.

Robert Scheer is a freelance journalist and consultant for the Aplodan Review web site. For more information visit aplodanreview.org

Spoken by 250 million people worldwide, primarily at the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America, Spanish is dominating as one of the top languages.

Imagine having it as another entry on the “language spoken” part of you resume.

An effective way to get the ball rolling is by studying the letters and sounds. From these sounds, you create words and phrases.

Do your best during your foreign language training by immersing yourself to the language being used by other speakers. This is done so you can familiarize yourself with the basics and everyday expressions.

Watch TV programs and films that use the language with translations that you can understand. Watch plays starring characters with accents that are native of the language you are trying to learn.

During this time, you should be able to observe how the native speakers pronounce the sounds, the speed of their dialogues, how they form words and sentences, and when they use certain expressions.

Contrary to what others believe, Spanish sounds are not really hard to pronounce. Once you’ve learned a few basic rules, it shouldn’t be too long before you can read and speak it.

First, know that Spanish has 30 letters, in contrast with English that has only 26. You must know how each letter is called and the sound it produces.

The four other letters present in the Spanish alphabet includes ch (read as che) as in chocolate, ll (read as el-ye) as in million, ñ (read as en-ye) as in onion, and rr (read as er-re).

The common 26 letters also has Spanish names and do not take on the ABC names of English: a, be, ce, che, de, e, efe, ge, hache, i, jota, ka, ele, elle, eme, ene, eñe, o, pe, ku, ere, erre, ese, te, u, uve, uve doble, ekis, y grieyega, and zeta.

Spanish also has 5 vowels – a, e, i, o, and u.

However, what makes their vowels different from English vowels is that each of these vowels produces only one sound.

The vowel a is always read as in shut/other/son and never as in cat nor tape; e is always read as in pet/enter/let/said and never as in week; i is always read as in hit/pity and never as in bike; o is always read as in saw/Auckland/decor and never as in hope; and u is always read as /oo/ in book/put/push and never as in hut nor umbrella.

On the other hand, the letters that are pronounced the same way as in English are b, ch, d, f, k, l, m, n, p, s, t, v, w, x, y, and z.

The letter h is not pronounced verbally and is always silent, unless it belongs to the /ch/ sound. The letter r is always rolled, even more strongly when it occurs in rr. The letter q is pronounced the same way as in the English letter k.

The letter c is pronounced in two ways: /th/ as in thin before the vowels e and i, and /k/ elsewhere. The letter g takes the sound of the gargled /g/ as in the German word Bach before the vowels e and i, and /g/ in English elsewhere. The letter j also takes the sound of the gargled /g/ in all conditions.

It is important to keep these rules in mind. Before you can actually speak out the words, phrases, and sentences fluently, you have to master how to enunciate these sounds properly. Spanish is romantic. Try to keep the passion and sentiment with every sound you pronounce.

With basic knowledge of the everyday expressions, you can start practicing. Use them as much as you can. For example, instead of saying “good morning” to the people you live with as you wake up everyday, say buenos dias. They say practice makes perfect. So the more you use the terms, the more you will get used to it.

You can then start reading books and training materials. For better results, purchase books containing exercises (with key to corrections) and audio tapes, if any, in order for you to evaluate how you are doing during your self-study. Don’t forget to have a complete and comprehensive translation dictionary between the language you are trying to learn and a language you understand very well (ex. English-Spanish Dictionary). This way, whenever you encounter a difficult word, you will be able to look it up immediately and understand what it means.

Finally, if you think you have more than enough knowledge after many practice exercises, try watching a film (this time, without subtitles and translations) or read a book written purely in that language. For unfamiliar words, don’t hesitate to press the pause button (or you can pause yourself from reading), then consult your dictionary. Do this over and over again until you can finally speak, write, and understand Spanish very well.

Yes, foreign language training sure needs hard work and determination. But hey, didn’t you notice it can be so much fun?

Having problems getting your tongue to love Spanish? Learn how cutting edge technology can help you get started in an effective yet fun way of learning Spanish.

Go to this website for more information including where to get free mini-course with audio.

Who would you be if you weren’t in charge, and if you weren’t in control? Do you have the self-esteem it takes to risk looking foolish? Are you willing to “put it out there” in a big way and trust your teammates to catch you if you fall?

What would happen if you had to find a way to agree with the present moment? Would you have the courage to allow the flow and stop resisting “what is?” Are you willing to accept or even agree with others even when you don’t fully understand their point of view?

Depending upon your role in your company, owner, president, employee, entrepreneur, you’ll have a standard “seminar answer.” If you’re on the top rung of the ladder you’ll say something like “I’ve been to Covey’s Seven Habits Training.” If you are on the middle rung you’ll say something like, “I teach this stuff and have developed the material.” Or if you’re on the bottom rung you’ll say you’ve been through the “ropes course” at the company retreat.

Although these courses and methods are valuable, if you want to know the skinny on these answers to these questions, take the eight-week course at the Skinny Improv. The Skinny Improv is a comedy troop in Springfield Missouri. The troop performs every Friday and Saturday night, and offers lessons to anyone who wants to learn the same skills to use in business or in life. If you have an improve troop in your area it is worth the personal investment. You’ll learn a lot about team building and even more about yourself. Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned after six weeks of investing in myself for the training.

Lesson One: It’s not about you.

Although you are on the team, it’s never really about you. It’s about making everyone else look good. When you do your part and your intention is to be there for the other team members, then everyone is a star. It’s not your job to get the limelight, to get the last word or deliver the funniest line. It’s your job to make everyone else look good. When you focus on yourself, you do so at the expense of the team. In the business world being competent in lesson one will work magic for the team and work miracles for customer service.

Lesson Two: Go with the flow.

In Improv, you never know what the other person will do, so it’s easy to get thrown off guard. When you are caught off guard, the natural response is to resist instead of looking for agreement. When you are used to being in control it’s difficult to let go. If you are in a position of power you are used to planning and facilitating but you forget what it’s like to participate. It’s easy to ask others to step up but when you go with the flow you become a participant instead of the controller. So often in the business world we resist and stress over the current situations instead of looking for opportunities to go with the flow.

Lesson Three: Trust is paramount.

In order to have a great team you must trust that your team members are there for you. They will rescue you when you stumble, they will catch you when you fall. After all, they also believe in the philosophy that it’s not about them, but it is about making you look good. What goes around comes around. The end result is a great customer experience and in Improv the audience is the customer. In the business world your end result is to satisfy the customer so that you can keep them. You do this by making sure the team supports each other so that they can deliver the end result.

Lesson Four: Judgment blocks success.

It’s impossible to be creative in the midst of criticism. It doesn’t matter if the criticism is directed toward someone else or yourself, judgment blocks the flow of energy. It takes discipline and practice to learn how to suspend the gremlins in your head that tell you how stupid you look and it takes a conscious positive intention to allow others the same courtesy.

Lesson Five: Growth takes courage.

In order to learn something new we have to be willing to leave our comfort zone momentarily and that takes the courage to risk. When you believe that everyone on your team has your best interests at heart, and that you will not be judged your capacity for courage is maximized. You can only risk when you have trust, when you have learned to go with the flow, you let go of judgment, and when you’ve been on the giving and receiving end of the philosophy that “it isn’t about you.”

Marlene Chism works with people who want to stop the drama and take charge of their lives.
To learn more about life purpose, the Karpman Triangle or the Three Life Tragedies go to http://www.stopyourdrama.com Marlene is available for speaking engagements by calling 1. 888.434.9085.

A panic attack can be an extremely frightening experience because, during one, people imagine the worst possible things happening to them – they may fear they are dying, suffocating, having a heart attack, or even going crazy. Treating panic attacks is an important process. Though it is true that a panic attack is harmless, but repeated panic attacks may lead to deterioration of the mental condition (which will then percolate down to the physical well-being) if left untreated. Generally, relaxation techniques are used to treat mild panic attacks. But if the attacks are serious then medication is needed.

Methods of Treating Panic Attacks

Medication, relaxation techniques and behavioral therapy are the common ways used in treating panic attacks, with medication being the most popular method. However, before any patient is put on medication, it is important that he/she is evaluated by a mental health professional. Here are, in brief, the various treatments available to deal with panic attacks:

Medications such as sertraline, fluoxetine, paroxetine, or fluvoxamine help relieve anxiety and stress, and are often the first choice of medication administered to a patient. Benzodiazepines such as alprazolam and clonazepam help too. The problem with allopathic medication is that a patient begins depending on it and gets addicted to these medications, sometimes even for life. Also, if this medication is stopped abruptly, then panic attacks may recur. The medication is usually prescribed for 3–6 weeks (once daily), but the doctor is the best person to decide the dosage and the time period.

Relaxation techniques, which a patient can practice at home, are effective too in controlling panic attacks. As these relation techniques are natural in nature, there are no side effects involved. However, the flip-side is that a patient will be in no mood to try out these techniques unless his mind is calmed instantly, which is something only medication can do.
Apart from these, there is also behavioral therapy, which is nothing but psychotherapy and counseling based on the cognitive model of emotional response. The therapist teaches and trains a patient and makes him realize that it is the way he thinks that causes the panic attack. Then the therapist trains the patient to replace this destructive thinking with positive thoughts, which will over a period of time stop the panic attacks.

In Conclusion

Which treatment works for whom depends on how mentally prepared and tough a patient is. Treating panic attacks is certainly something that has been accomplished before. But all said and done, most patients prefer to start off on medication for a quick fix and then move on to the relaxation techniques or the behavioral therapy methods of treating panic attacks.

Treating Panic Attacks -

Are you having panic attack symptoms? Don’t panic, get our panic attack treatment.

In Part I of this article, I discussed the many features you should consider when buying a massage chair, as well as the durability aspect of your new massage chair. Let’s get on with the remaining 7 “Absolute Musts” to consider when looking into a new massage chair recliner.

#3. Ease of Repair – because of the weight and bulk of a massage chair, simple repairs become a real bother when you have to ship an entire chair back to the manufacturer just to repair something as simple as a tear in the material. For this reason, I suggest looking into a chair that is constructed with a modular design. This makes repair cheap and easy. If a part is broken or material is torn, the modular design will allow you to isolate the damaged part and send it off for repair so much easier and cheaper than sending off the whole chair.

#4. Customer Service – As far as I am concerned, this is probably the most important thing of all. If something does happen to your chair or if you are concerned about any function of your chair, it is so great to have a company that is always available to answer your questions. This puts your mind at ease and you can’t put a price on that. So, make sure that whatever chair you buy has a good company backing it up. Whether that is the manufacturer, the seller, or both…you want peace of mind right from the start of your relationship with them.

#5. Price – Even the cheapest massage chair still costs hundreds of dollars, at a minimum…they are not cheap. You will need to invest quite a bit of money to get a new chair you can count on. Prices, however, do not need to be sky-high. Depending on the features you want and/or need, prices can range anywhere from $1000 - $6000. Quite a spread, isn’t it? Well, you can get a chair with all the necessary massage therapy features for between $2000 - $3000. If you want real leather vs. man-made leather, an MP3 player, a USB port, or headphones, etc., of course you will pay for those extras. But for the basic features of massage therapy, you do not need to overspend. By the way, when you compare the price of your chair to regular visits to a massage therapist or chiropractor, over time the price of the massage chair is far less than what you’d pay out for all those therapy visits.

#6. Money Back Guarantee – Does your retailer back up the sale of your new massage chair with at least a 30 day unconditional money back guarantee? If not, then you need to be a little skeptical. This is a red flag. This goes back to customer service (#4). They MUST stand behind their product. How else can you feel good about your purchase if it’s not backed up by the seller? Some companies even offer 60 or 90 day money back guarantees!

By the way, it is standard policy for virtually every massage chair retailer/distributor that you are responsible for shipping and freight back to the seller if you do decide to return your chair. Shipping, by the way, can cost anywhere from $150-$400.00…it isn’t cheap!

#7. Adjustable to Different Body Sizes - I have seen some chair companies that offer “sizing” for a chair. With some product lines that may be necessary, but with a well-manufactured chair, height and width adjustments are standard and can cater to virtually every body type. Some chairs now even come with a detached ottoman so that the chair can cater to a 6’10” person as well as a 5’4” person.

Most chairs will handle up to 300 pounds of body weight. If you are buying your new massage recliner for a very heavy person, make sure that you get the maximum weight allowance for the chair you are interested in.

#8. Remote Control – Virtually every new massage recliner comes with a remote control of some sort to make chair adjustments. Some remotes come with large and fancy displays, but as long as it adjusts the features of the chair, it doesn’t really matter how large or small it is or how high-tech it looks.

#9. Appearance - this might sound goofy or vain, but I want my chair to blend in comfortably and seamlessly with the room décor of my home or office. Don’t compromise on looks for price! You’re going to have to look at that chair everyday for as long as you’ve got it. You don’t want to be sitting in a chair you think is so ugly that it creates stress. Especially when you are using your new massage recliner for stress relief!

#10. Satisfied Customers - A salesperson will tell you everything you want to hear to get you into his/her chair. What do real and actual clients think about the massage chair you are considering? Are their testimonials for you to hear or read? If you ask him for a list of some folks who have purchased their chair and you get no response…run! I will trust another buyer, just like me, before I’ll trust someone trying to sell something to me. Testimonials should be on every seller’s website or literature.

Now you have 10 things that should help you make a more educated buying decision when considering your new massage chair.

Dr. Alan Weidner is the owner of
http://www.massage-chair-relief.com, a website dedicated to the education
and sale of massage chairs by Panasonic, Sanyo, Omega, and Interactive
Health. He graduated summa cum laude from Southern California University
of Health Sciences in 1991.

One of the basic tools today’s on line entrepreneurs simply must have in their promotional strategy is email marketing. Following up with prospects and existing clients with email, either by using autoresponders, or by sending regularly published e-newsletters (ezines), or better yet, a combination of both, produces measurably better results than other types of direct marketing. With the latest advances in technology, it has never been easier to prepare, publish and profit with ezines.

How fast you can expect to see results from email campaigns will depend largely on the type of business you’re running. For example, if you are a life coach, it may take you months to establish a connection with your contacts, until they get to know, like and trust you enough to hire you. However, if you sell real goods, such as vitamins and supplements, your email promotions may produce results immediately.

Unfortunately, many budding entrepreneurs mistakenly think that sending email is free, and that they can simply use their own email program to send email promotions. Wrong! This type of email list management can quickly get you in trouble: with your local ISP, possibly with the law, and, most importantly, with your contacts!

As an ezine marketing coach I see this on a regular basis. People collect hundreds of email addresses from various sources, such as Yellow Pages, chamber of commerce directories, association members lists, etc., and start sending them email promotions from their own PCs. Most beginner e-marketers don’t even know they can put all the addresses into the BCC (blind carbon copy) field, so that everyone’s contact information is hidden from public view.

If you’re thinking of marketing your business or professional practice by email, the first step you need to take is choose the most appropriate Email Publishing System (EPS), or List Management System, as they are sometimes referred to. Please notice that I am not using the word the best, but rather the most appropriate, because the best will mean different things to different people.

Just like it is with anything these days, choosing an EPS can be a bad case of “too-much-choice-itis“. Because they all offer a free trial period or a money-back guarantee, you may think you’re not going to lose money if you make a bad choice. However, if you’re working on launching your business on line, you’ll want to make your first choice the right choice. Your money may be refunded, but your wasted time can’t be replaced.

Here’s an overview of three major players in this area: AWeber, Constant Contact and 1ShoppingCart. I have hands-on experience with all three of them, so this, in a nutshell, is my personal list of their best features.

AWeber

* I like their robust list-management features; absolutely the highest CAN-SPAM compliance, and very high deliverability rates.

* Of course, major feature is unlimited auto-responders, with unlimited follow ups and broadcasts, plus I like their low flat monthly fee for up to 10,000 leads.

* In December 2005 HTML templates were introduced, however, even after the Fall 2006 upgrades to the graphical HTML editor, creating an HTML email is still not as user-friendly as Constant Contact’s mail wizard. However, for those who’d like to use their own HTML code, AWeber offers much greater flexibility and ease of use.

Recommended for: those who either do not sell on line, or have an e-commerce or shopping cart system already in place. AWeber connects nicely with most e-commerce solutions currently available, such as PayPal, ClickBank and 1ShoppingCart, among others.

Constant Contact

* In early 2007 they have completely revamped the email creation wizard, that puts anyone with average computer skills in the captain’s seat of creating a great-looking HTML email, without knowing a bit of HTML. Using the wizard also automatically updates the text-only version of the email.

* Some entrepreneurs will appreciate the ability to import their existing lists without being required to re-confirm every single subscriber (like AWeber does). Subscribers can be re-confirmed “softly,” over time.

* Their tracking features are probably the most detailed and useful out there, although, in my humble opinion, they border on being a Big Brother tool. More on this in an upcoming feature article.

Recommended for: e-marketers who have large lists of existing contacts, or for those who’d like to create their own snazzy HTML emails without hiring an HTML coder or designer.

1ShoppingCart (a.k.a. Kick Start Cart, Auto Web Business)

* What I like best about this system is that it’s a completely modular on line business system, that provides list management, autoresponders and ezines, a shopping cart with credit card processing, on line delivery of your digital products (such as PDF e-books, courses or music in MP3 format, etc.) and an affiliate program.

* They are also more friendly towards purchased leads, through various co-registration services, such as Glen Hopkins’s ListBuilder.

* The system supports split-testing and ad tracking, and so many other great features. It’s really no wonder that most big-name internet marketers use it.

Recommended for: new and established e-marketers who want a completely integrated turn-key system which includes a variety of tools and features all under one roof.

Conclusion

With monthly fees for these services ranging from $15 to $29, and a wide variety of features and capabilities, one of these service providers should fit both your budget and your requirements. Defining your requirements before you go shopping for an Email Service Provider will save you time and aggravation in the long run.

Copyright © 2007 by Boris Mahovac

Online entrepreneur Boris Mahovac, “Your Ezine Coach,” publishes the ‘Contacts 2 Clients’ semi-monthly ezine. Sign up today and receive a free tele-seminar: “Six Steps to Setting Up Your Business On Line and Making Money with Ezines,” an exclusive interview with Glen Hopkins.

If you want to jump-start your small biz marketing, make more money while working less, get your free tips now at http://www.YourEzineCoach.com

What are you trying to achieve? Where are you going? What do you want your small business to look like in 5 years time? Answer these questions and your day to day decision making will change…

A small business vision can be compared to planning a holiday! People usually decide where they want to holiday based on the offerings of the destination.

If it’s a relaxing holiday they are after, they may go to Fiji. But if it’s for shopping, then Dubai may be their choice. If it’s to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge then they will go to Sydney, Australia.

Holiday destinations are determined by desires, with a few restrictions like budget and time available.

The same should apply to your small business. In 5 years time what do you want your small business to look and feel like?

Do you want a large street frontage or small office at home?

Do you want to be actively involved or have a manager controlling your employees?

How many employees do you want?

Do you want a business with excellent cash flow or a business that is worth a large sum of money when sold?

Answers to these questions and much more will help to provide a clear vision of your small business in 5 years time. And often this will completely shape your growth.

The majority of small business owners start a small business based on their trade or what they know. They never usually give much thought to their small business vision.

While it’s comforting running a small business using the skills you have, sometimes this can be a recipe for disaster.

Business should be kept simple and always be fun. But business owners tend to make a simple thing into a complicated thing and let others control them.

Owning a small business should mean a better lifestyle - flexible and shorter working hours and more money. But this is hardly ever the case; it’s more like working 60+ hours a week for about $4 an hour.

Why is this so?

Because small business owners have never sat down and thought about their vision. They don’t know where they are heading, they have nothing to aim for. They have no idea what the finished product will look like, so the business eventually takes control.

Decisions are based on what happened that day, instead of the business vision you are working towards.

Take the time now and think of your small business vision.

What will your small business look like in 5 years?

Why should your customers remain loyal to your small business?

How will you beat your competitors?

What will make your small business attractive to any buyers?

What are all the potential risks?

Think carefully about these questions and then write your vision down. This will immediately tell you, the universe and anybody else, exactly what you are creating.

It gives you a defined target to aim for and achieve.

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It’s surprising to see how many people spend their time writing up their opinions and feelings on the latest Stephen King book, or the latest Red Hot Chilli Peppers album; and then just upload them to their personal blog or article website (like this one). Most people don’t realise that there is a website which actually pays people to write their opinion on thousands of products which are listed on their own website.

These product review websites are free to join, and they will pay you every time another member reads and rates one of your reviews. You can also be rewarded at the end of the month, when a selection of the month’s best reviews will earn a ‘premium fund’; usually around 5 or 10 pounds.

It’s probably quite hard to understand why these websites are paying you just to write your opinion on a product. It is also quite hard to explain why they do so, but I will try to do my best. By writing a review and leaving feedback for a product, the manufacturers are getting publicity and (usually) are getting some free praise. These reviews are used on the database of thousands of products, and they help web-browsers to form an opinion on the best products. The product review website would earn a great amount from commission bonuses; people go to the site, read a positive review and then click the link on the site directly to a shop (such as EBay or Amazon) and then they purchase that item. The product reviewing site will then earn a percentage of commission from this sale, and so this is how they can afford to pay its users for writing product reviews – everyone’s happy.

There aren’t many requirements to use these product-reviewing websites; you need to be at least 13 years old and need to be based in one of the supported countries. Obviously it would help if you have a passion for writing, and that you aren’t too impatient. To earn good money you need to write quality product reviews, and you need to build up a reputation on the website. The more users you get to read and rate your reviews, the more money you will earn. Therefore it pays to be popular.

These product reviewing websites already have some very well established communities on them, and this is done thanks to the points system. Every review you read and comment and every rating you receive will all earn you virtual community points. There is a colour scale which matches the points earned, and the more points you have the more important the colour is that you receive. For example, join the website and write a review and you will probably still be on a white colour. Write hundreds of reviews and you will no-doubt become a golden colour. Not only does this colour represent an active and respected user, but it will earn you a lot more money. People will be more likely to read and rate your reviews, thus earning you far more money then usual.

When your earnings reach a certain rate you can cash them in; through Amazon vouchers or you can get paid by BACS (a direct payment into your personal bank account). This is all completely safe and secure, as the websites have implemented some very strict security measures. The websites are also listed as some of the most popular, and gain millions of visitors every month. These figures show no signs of failing or dying down, so I highly recommend that you jump on the band wagon. Start writing your own opinion on any of the thousands of products listed – from TV’s to Shampoo to Internet Search Engines. Every individual is catered for, and even if it isn’t you can still submit another of your own products if they aren’t already listed. Join a product reviewing website today for free, and start getting paid to write product reviews – you can’t go wrong.

Earn money online from answering paid surveys by email, writing product reviews, and by earning cashback every time you shop online; learn more and join these sites for free at http://www.paid2review.co.uk