Insurance Is Available for Pet Caretakers (Sitters and Dog walkers)
Most every small business owner is aware of the need of having insurance to protect themselves. It was only a given that the pet care industry would see the importance of having an insurance policy to protect them–and their clients–if an unfortunate event did happen to arise. Pet sitters and dog walkers around the world are coming to see that it is essential to their business (whether part-time or full-time) to have pet sitter’s insurance, and the insurance industry has risen to the occasion and now offers policies to those who care for pets.Pet sitters are animal lovers. They were wise in spotting the change in society and family living and have stepped forward to fill the needs that many pet owners have. In days past, animals were free to roam and many were outside pets. Having an “inside” pet was generally not the norm, but as society changed, so has the way that pets live.Most areas have a leash law and a noise ordinance. Fido is no longer allowed to roam at will and howl at the moon. Pet owners are held responsible for the actions of their pets and this extends down to the pet sitter and dog walker, as well. With the rise of lawsuits, pet owners are turning away from employing a teen in the neighborhood to walk their dog or to feed their pets while they are vacationing. Pet owners have realized that to protect themselves they must employ someone who is an expert in their job, and who is adequately covered by insurance.You may be wondering what pet sitter’s insurance will cover? Pet insurance is like other forms of insurance and has the general liability, bodily injury, and property damage. This insurance will protect you against

Oil Change Guys History; Part III
Studying the history of franchise companies is interesting is watching all the ways they grew and all the partnerships, vendors and mergers along the way. It is a myriad of deals and team building, which makes it all possible. Continuing Part III of the saga:Mr. Winslow offered to buy an Oil Change Company out of Tampa Florida, a franchise system, with only three franchisees, one of which was in a market we also serviced with our Car Wash Guys Franchise in Jacksonville, FL. The Jacksonville franchisee of the Mister Mobile On-site Oil Change Company was not doing so hot and we knew we could fix that, since we had tons of contacts there and were already kicking the crap out of our competition FleetWash in Gainesville, Tallahassee and Jacksonville. We figured we could buy the company, hire back the founder in Tampa for training and fix the customer base issue in Jacksonville.Unfortunately the founder of that company Mister Mobile On-site Oil Company, Dave Hendelson, did not want to work anymore and wanted to retire and coming to terms on the price of the franchise system was another issue. Meanwhile we learned that the Owner of the Tampa Franchise On-Site Oil Change was a former franchisee who never paid royalties and the former Franchisor who went out of business was suing him for stealing the proprietary rights of the system. So defending that lawsuit would have to be figured into the price as well as taking over many leased vehicles which were financed by sleazy leasing companies and had left the owner upside down in payment to value ratios. A prefect scenario ruined by litigation and bad fiscal policy. Mr. Winslow was getting a little upse

7 Steps To Hire The Best
You can use this step-by-step method to hire applicants who are likely to be “superstar” employees:- highly productive- low-turnoverImportant: Focus on hiring applicants you rate positively on all seven prediction methods.1st Prediction Method = Brief Initial Screening InterviewIf an applicant’s application looks suitable, then conduct BISI, a customized 15-30 minute over-phone or in-person interview. BISI quickly reveals if an applicant has biographical data similar to your company’s “superstar” employees.For example, at one company, we discovered “superstar” Sales Reps had many similarities before working for this company:* Work: (a) 1 or 2 previous sales jobs, (b) only 1 or 2 jobs before applying at the company, and (c) kept prior jobs 2 – 5 years* Education: (a) earned B.A. from state universities, (b) majored in business or liberal arts, (c) worked part-time throughout college, and (d) college jobs entailed a lot of people contact* Pay: Earned less than likely first year compensation at this company* Vocal Style: Exuded high energySo, this company’s BISI screened-in applicants with similar work, education, pay, and vocal style – and screened-out other applicants.2nd Prediction Method = Customized Pre-employment TestsIf the applicant did well on 1st Prediction Method – BISI, then you can have applicant take customized pre-employment tests. Use tests specifically designed to screen applicants and predict:A. Work Behavior – e.g., interpersonal skills, personality, and motivationsB. Mental Abilities – e.g., problem-solving, vocabulary

Networking; The Dine and Dash Technique
If you do a lot of networking then you know that if food is served it is a good time to throw out a few one liners, make eye contact with other guests and get some grub. However let me tell you a little secret about this. Sure get in the food line, but get in the back of the line not in the front with all the “free food free loaders” and carefully select only a few items even if you are hungry.The best thing to do is to eat prior and not be such a pig a networking events sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce or other such civic group get togethers sponsored by service clubs, charities, political action committees or non-profits. I call this my: “Networking; The Dine and Dash Technique.”First the people at the back of the line are your more influential people, they have been doing this party thing all their life and they are not interested in being first in line like a bunch of first graders. Indeed they also eat well, as they are successful and have seen a million shrimp plates and fancy food platters in their life.Additionally, you can do a lot better when breaking the ice when you do not have food in your mouth and it is nearly impossible to hand someone a business card if they ask for one, while holding a drink and a napkin under it and a small paper plate of the latest and greatest treats of the hour.

Do You Want A Larger Income Stream With Lower Risk Investments?
April 23,2006Do you want more income with lower risk investments?CLOSED END FUNDS for GROWTH and INCOMEIf you’re looking for more income, this article could shed some light on the advantages of deeply discounted closed end funds and demonstrated advantages over no-load mutual funds, exchange traded funds (EFT), and loaded mutual funds for income investors. In my over 20 years of investing I’ve constantly seen people make the same mistake of paying too much for their investment. This article is designed to educate on a very unique investment style designed to achieve a greater probability for growth, higher current income, and lower overall risk.First some basic facts about closed end fundsAccording to Lee, Shleifer and Thaler (1990) from 1980-1998 the average discount on most US closed end fund varied from 0-20% and averaged around 5%.According to the Investment Company Institute, at the end of 2005 there were 634 closed-end funds with combined assets of about $276.35 billion. Many of the same managers of open end funds have loaded and no-load funds along with closed end funds and often have similar investments, risk, and returns.The four main factors about closed ended fund from Lee, Shleiler and Thaler.Closed end funds are:1. Issued at net asset value (NAV) or above 2. On average they trade at a relative discount 3. The discount or premium is subject to wide variations over time and across all funds and classes. 4. At termination, the price converges back to NAVHow to increase your incomeI will use the Gabelli Dividend & Income Trust or symbol (GDV) as our

When NOT To Invest In An Online Business
A friend of mine, Joe (not his real name) recently asked for my opinion about investing in an online business. He had found his "fantastic" money making opportunity on the Internet. Joe was thinking of investing a substantial amount. All he had to do for this "online business" was view a couple of websites a day and he would be paid a percentage of his investment every month. He said some people were making thousands every week! When I heard this, red lights flashed in my mind and they were screaming "SCAM! SCAM! SCAM!"When he had finished telling me about the "investment", I asked him two questions: "Don't you think it sounds too good to be true and have you done any background research into this?" Joe said he did do some checking and although he found a fair bit of criticism about this "investment" on a couple of online forums and chat rooms, he was still willing to invest and see if it worked. I then asked, "Joe, you sound desperate. Is everything OK with your business?" The truth finally came out. Joe's business had folded about a month earlier and YES, he was desperate. I advised him to hold on to his money – that he would need all his money to help him and his family through the tough time ahead. I offered walk him through starting an online business if he really wanted to – just not this particular one.This wasn't the first time someone had asked me about such "investments" when they were in the midst of a crisis. Desperate people resort to desperate measures. It's so very easy to believe what you read on the Internet. The web is filled with millions of sites that guarantee you riches if you will just make a "minimal investment". The