Many companies screen the employees before recruiting them. This helps them weed out undesirable candidates at the outset. It also protects them from litigation, regulators and the risk of high turnover. Besides verifying the details on your resume, employers most commonly screen for criminal behavior, drug abuse, regulatory violations, and appearances on a terrorist watch list. They also keep a check on employees’ tax liens, bankruptcy filings, ongoing divorce or custody proceedings, driving violations or bounced checks. Employers are also concerned that someone with monetary problems, health issues or family concerns may not be fully focused on the job. During the screening process, companies gauge a candidate’s temper, social skills, and reaction to stress, attitudes and how they handle tough situations.

Screening Parameters:
Employers generally screen employees on the following parameters:
• Social Security Number Trace. Especially if a candidate has a change of name.
• Criminal record check. This is run on all names in all counties. Information on both felony and misdemeanor convictions can be requested as well.
• Driver’s license check. It is very important especially for a driver assignment and client’s safety. It should have valid dates and a blemish-free record.
• Employment verification. It contains true past employment history. Basic verifications like employment dates, salary, job titles, etc., to guard against false resume information.
• Drug testing. It is important to know what painkillers or any other drugs a person takes, to guard against an on-the-job mishap.
• Credit history reports. Many jobs require absolute trust, truthfulness, and honesty. If an employee, because of personal economic pressure, resorts to dishonesty or violates your trust, it will bring a bad name and financial liability straight back to you.
• Civil history reports. It will bring to light the employee’s criminal record. In many cases, it also reflects a pattern of behavior like habitually suing people.
• Worker’s compensation history report. Check on his history of attempting to fake work-related accidents to claim compensation insurance.
• Sexual offender’s registry report. This is very important where the employment is for children or elderly or disabled people.
• Professional reference report. Most important for health care providers and financial services firms. Both should have clean records to guard against fraud, felony, or battery. • Medicare/Medicaid fraud report. This report is important if your company participates in these programs.

Keeping Your Record Clean:
• Review your record. Order your own background check through MyPublicInfo.com to guard against any error in it.
• Do not get too personal in interviews. Do not divulge your personal history of family, finance or medical information unnecessarily.
• Stay positive. Do not disparage your previous employer or boss. See the silver lining in challenging situations.
• Use Internet properly. Companies may check your online profile to see your behavior pattern.

Once hired, do a great job and eventually re-enter the larger corporate world. Put time and success between you and past bad events.

Have you ever thought of starting a wholesale distribution business? Maybe you're ready for a new challenge or have realized the profits that you can make when you deal with larger quantities of product. In any case, you need to know what to do in order to be successful.

The first thing that you want to do is choose the products that you will be selling to retailers. You may want to choose products that you already know something about in order to use that expertise to choose quality products that you can then sell and make profit from. Make sure that you are testing the products prior to purchasing larger quantities. You want to be sure that you are always selling a superior product.

These products will need to be stored somewhere, so choosing a warehouse is the next step in your wholesale business. You need to choose an area that is both secure and easy to manage. You might want to consider renting a space or using your own facilities if they are large enough. Determine how much the cost of the warehouse will be in terms of square footage and make sure that you are comparing multiple warehouses to ensure that you're getting the best deal.

You might also want to consider setting up your warehouse in one of the southwestern states in the U.S. as this will allow you to be accessible more easily from Mexico or South America – where manufacturing is expected to skyrocket in the next few years. This will not only be more efficient, but it can also cut down your distribution costs.

To start off right, you will want to create a system that will allow you to monitor the progress of your products from the manufacturer all the way to the customers. This can be called an order flow system. To build an effective strategy in these areas, you will want to coordinate product movement within the warehouse as well as the movements into the warehouse. This can be achieved through the use of computer systems that monitor package label numbers.

You will also want to establish a working system of moving the products from the trucks into your warehouse – without damaging anything along the way. Try to envision how the shipments will come in to determine where you will need to set up inventory lists for double checking the incoming products as well as areas for products to be packed and sent to customers.

And since money is truly everything in business, you will want to establish yourself as a competitive wholesaler by offering something that your competitors do not: easy payment terms for buyers. By allowing your customers the ability to extend their payments or have higher credit limits, you will show how your services might be the better choice for their needs.

If you're able, you might want to consider looking at other wholesaler businesses to see if there are any tips that you might want to consider along the way. Talk with the owners to see if you can meet with them to ask about setting up and maintaining your business. If you find another wholesaler that distributes different products than you do, you may be able to help each other successful as well.

Did you catch the October/November 2006 issue of "Scientific American Mind"? The cover hailed the following innards:

"Flashes of insight in a BRAINSTORM"

"Tap Your Creative Powers"

And the feature article…

"AHA! The Eureka Moment" !!!!!!!

As co-owners of Epiphanies, Inc. – a content strategy team powered by a mission, logo, and tagline that says, "A-Ha Yourself!" – such innards are priceless.

The article kicks off with Einstein flipping the concept of time and space with one of his bold flashes. Though we non-genius types may fall short of such humanity-shaking breakthroughs, we DO have mega-important insights that rock our own worlds and businesses.

As authors Buenther Knoblich and Michael Oellinger put it:

"We all know how it feels for a solution to a tough problem to suddenly appear in our mind. The chips fall into place, the lightbulb goes on - and the answer seems so obvious that we are amazed we had not noticed it sooner, which is what creates the 'Aha!' feeling."

Want more breakthrough moments in your life and business? Here's how…

•SLEEP! That's right. Cat nap, power nap, meditative shutdown, or the deep, eight-hour bed flop. Such time outs are prime playgrounds for churning ideas and problems, and restructuring them to create solutions you may have missed in the harsh light of the waking world.

•GET FRUSTRATED! Often, our mightiest "Aha!" moments come after we face a challenge using our previous know-how to no avail. Our stale smarts have us running in circles, wasting time "reapplying methods we already know to be futile." The upswing? "This mounting failure is precisely what drives us to restructure a problem. The increasingly tense stalemate initiates unconscious processes that change our mental representation of the problem…Suddenly, novel possibilities emerge."

•DUMB IT DOWN! Ever heard of "TMI"? It stands for "Too Much Information." Ironically, TMI in your field or niche is a threat to your "Aha!" moments. When you're steeped deep in your own info, "habitual use of familiar objects and problem-solving strategies limits the ways [you] employ them." So while a certain level of education or experience is vital to your success, finding ways to get out of your own head is key to busting through mental blocks.

•PERK UP! Wander. Meander. Break away and lift your spirits. The authors suggest a good ol' ping pong game, or an ice cream cone - something simple that'll boost you out of flat-lining emotions and thinking. Give your brain a break from its toils. "Plenty of research has shown that a positive attitude helps the unconscious brain look at a problem from a different angle, improving your chances of solving it."

Remember, the best "Aha!" moments ultimately lead to the all-powerful "A-Ha!" - bold insight PLUS joy-filled action - that fertile birthing ground for monuments, businesses, paradigm shifts, theories of relativity…and your next inspired venture.

Increase the number of "Aha!" moments in your life, and the chance for the "A-Ha!" that rocks your business increases exponentially.

Your law firm needs new clients in order to stay in business. Many law firms do not actively market their services and thus miss many potential clients. Since the demand and supply dynamics keep changing, it is crucial to keep ahead of competition and promote your services. Here are some methods of reaching out to potential clients.

1) Referrals
Most law firms get in touch with potential clients through a network of common friends and acquaintances. See who among them know potential clients, and (subtly) ask them to refer your firm to those who might be looking for the services of an attorney.

2) Website
Having a well designed, informative website is crucial for law firms looking for new clients. Most people look up law firms on the Internet, and you can make things easier for them by putting up online forms they can fill if they need more information about your services. Search engine optimization is also crucial if you want people to find you through search engines. Hire the services of an SEO firm to ensure that your website is ranked high on search engines.

3) Seminars
Attend seminars and conventions to publicize the services offered by your law firm. Give speeches and interact with the audience. Try to give small gifts to members of the audience you think may be potential clients or lead you to potential clients. You can also ask for the business cards of these people.

4) Membership of Organizations
Join organizations you think can promote your business. See if the organization has members who are potential clients. Ask your clients if they are members of a particular organization. Never join an organization that cannot help you get in touch with new clients.

5) Advertising
Advertise your services in local radio shows, TV programs, Yellow Pages, and newspapers. Targeted advertising works much better than more expensive mass marketing. Overnight radio shows and cable TV are cheaper than primetime ads.

6) Direct Mailing
Use direct mailing services to promote your law firm. Ensure that the letters are not too long, and carry testimonials of previous clients. Give special offers if you like.

7) Press Releases/Articles
Nothing works like press releases and articles related to law. Be a regular contributor of legal articles to ezines, websites, and newspapers. This will attract readership and ensure that some of the readers know that you are an expert in your field.

These are just some of the methods you can use to publicize yours. Use targeted advertising to reach them. If you need more help in promoting your law firm, you could approach a professional agency for help. Your law firm needs new clients in order to stay in business. Many law firms do not actively market their services and thus miss many potential clients. Since the demand and supply dynamics keep changing, it is crucial to keep ahead of competition and promote your services. Here are some methods of reaching out to potential clients.

Have you ever wondered how some flea market vendors seem to build strong businesses, with high profit margins, and strong sales?

The answer to their success might surprise you.

Instead of their success being based on an esoteric formula, the real truth is actually deceivingly simple.

The reason successful flea market vendors make money is because they understand their customers.

Understanding your customers is actually the answer to success in any type of business situation. Once you understand the needs and wants of your customers you will be able to better serve them.

But the problem that arises is that most flea market vendors proceed to overlook the obvious and think too deeply when it comes to their customers.

They forget that their customers are guided by a very simple set of desires.

Here is a sample of important elements that constitute the reasons customers shop at flea markets.

Flea Market Customer Desire #1

Saving money. Yes, most flea market customers visit flea markets simply to save money. They know that they can buy most of what they need at the local Wal Mart or Dollar General. This type of customer is simply shopping at a flea market to save money.

Present the customer with substantial savings and you will have a good repeat buyer.

Flea Market Customer Desire #2

Entertainment. Okay, a flea market might not be the most exciting event, but believe me that plenty of people are excited to see what they can discover there. If you want to sell to this type of flea market customer you will need to have items such as collectibles, DVD movies, CDs, comic books, and other entertainment related items.

Used clothing has long been a staple segment of the flea market business. Vendors would either unload their no longer needed clothing, or buy it from a local Salvation Army thrift shop.

Flea market vendors could make good money selling used clothing, often working on profit margins of over 500%.

Many established businesses set themselves up to supply used clothing to flea market vendors, offering pieces of clothing for as low as .25 each.

Vendors could then resell the clothing for $1 to $2 each, enjoying great returns while saving their customers plenty of money.

So it’s only natural for prospective flea market vendors to consider selling used clothing.

The pros are pretty clear. High margins combined with low priced goods mean that anyone can easily buy profitable merchandise to sell.

But based on the market research I have done, I have determined that used clothing is no longer a good category for flea market vendors.

My reasons are the following:

Reason #1

The price of new clothing is dropping drastically. Customers can now buy brand new clothing at Wal Mart for around $5, or even less at many dollar stores. Why should they buy previously worn clothing when the savings become pennies?

Reason #2

Better quality clothing. Clothing manufacturers are producing better quality clothing which lasts longer. Customers know that it is worthwhile to spend a few dollars more for new clothing. Since the clothing will last them longer, they will save more money than if they had to replace the used clothing in a few months.

Reason #3

Rising incomes. With the overall per capita income rising in the United States, most people can easily afford new clothing. While there will always be poor consumers, their buying power will increase as clothing manufacturers reduce the price of new clothing. In other words, as the price of new clothing decreases, more people will buy new only.

Profit margins seem to be main focus of executives and small business owners.

Everyone from the CEO of General Motors to your average eBay seller is focused on it.

But think fo what a profit margin actually represents. It’s not an indication of how much money you are actually making, it’s only a figure that tells what the profit portion is as a percentage of the total sale.

In other words a $10 profit on a $100 sale means that your profit margin is 10%.

Now let me ask you this, let’s assume your average profit margin is 100%. That type of profit margin would make any business owner envious. But what if the total sale was only $2? Your actual profit would only be $1, even though you are working a high profit margin.

I am sure you realize how many products you would have to sell to make any serious money.

But what if your profit margin was only 5% on a $100,000 sale?

Your actual profit would be $5,000. In net terms you are making more money even though the profit margin is 20 times smaller than in the above example.

That’s the real reason your profit margin is not important. What is important is your actual net profit.

Profit margins are good formulas for general accounting and investment decisions. But as a business owner your determining concern should be your net profit.

Need more convincing?

Let’s look at your average dollar store compared to your average car dealer.

The dollar store is working on a profit margin of up to 300%, while the car dealer is working on a profit margin of as little as 10%. Let’s further assume that the dollar store sells strictly dollar items and the car dealer focuses on $20,000 cars. Using these figures the dollar store will have to sell roughly 4,000 items to earn the same profit as the car dealer does with one sale.

Controversy has long been the secret weapon of experienced marketers. They know that word of mouth spreads the quickest when there is a developing controversy. For this reason you will see Madison Avenue advertising agencies using controversial topics and images to promote their customers products.

Movies such as Borat rely on the power of controversy. By creating a fictitious character and inserting him into the lives of unsuspecting people, the movie quicky created a debate among viewers over the ethics of the producer.

While the ethics of the producer are being debated, millions of movie goers have lining up to purchase tickets to Borat.

Clearly, creating a controversy, or capitalizing on a controversy, can be a tremendous advantage to your business.

While I am not recommending any immoral or unethical acts, I am advocating the study of this great marketing technique.

The following are steps to capitalize on controversial topics.

Controversy Profit Tool #1

Issue a new product in response to a controversy. For instance, if there has been an E Coli outburst you can release a product to help test food for the bacteria.

Or you can publish a book explaining what the bacteria is, and how it can avoided.

Controversy Profit Tool #2

Create your own controversy. Send out a press release disagreeing with an accepted idea, or publicly challenge a competitor over product claims.

Controversy Profit Tool #3

Make an unbelievable offer. Stores have had customers wait outside their doors overnight in hope of being the recipient of an expensive prize. You can offer a free DVD player or plane ticket to your first 5 customers. Sure it sounds expensive, but think of the attention your business will receive.

Nobody I know wants to spend the last period of their life struggling with debt. Unfortunately though, that is exactly what is happening for an increasing number of senior citizens. There are a lot of options available to younger people such as getting a second job to pay off the debt faster are just not available to senior citizens. So what is? Here is an often overlooked list of items that can help you in such circumstances:

Even if you have some savings it is not a good idea to pay off the loan even though you are paying 20% interest on one hand and earning only 4% on the other. The reason is that incase you face any financial burden in the future, you will not find help anywhere. So it is wiser to keep your cash to yourself, and credit to your creditor! Easier said than done, but remember, your money is for your security.

Also, if you really don’t have the money to pay off your credit card debt you can consider letting the creditors sue you! This decision has more psychological barriers than any other. If a creditor sues you they cannot seize your property. The worst they can do is put a lien against it and claim it only after you die.

If you don’t have a property then the debt is written off with your death and your inheritors don’t have to pay it. Creditors are also unable to access your retirement funds so you really don’t have that much to lose, until you lose your life, at which point you have lost everything anyway.

If you have a life insurance policy you can definitely consider taking a cash surrender loan. This loan doesn’t have to be repaid and your policy value is surrendered when you take one. The benefit here is realizing that this policy money is received by your heirs only after you die, and is therefore not helping you in any way.

Rather than draw on a line of credit for your home a better idea would be to go for a reverse mortgage. In a line of equity, you have to repay the sum with interest, in a reverse mortgage you don’t have to repay anything but simply give up ownership rights of the property after you pass away. You will receive a fixed sum monthly until you die, where after the property will be taken by your creditor. This means you are simply forgoing leaving the asset to your loved ones, but are able to secure an additional monthly income to improve your life while you live.

It’s up to you. Do you want to sacrifice your golden years for your heirs, or do you want to live them for yourself

Integrity is one thing that stands strong when everything else falls apart. What goes around comes around. So many of us could have been successful today if we had been honest with ourselves. As an internet marketer sometimes I am tempted to over exaggerate in order to make quick sales but I have come to discover that most successful people online succeeded on the ground of integrity. Indolent people cannot survive in commerce scenario of today, it imperative that as a business person, one should be diligent and FOCUSED in achieving maximum success. Say it as it is. Be sincere in your business dealings because it pays in the long run.

You see in this life there are forces and principles that control our very lives and believe it or not this principles also apply in business. Have you taken time out to read stories of most successful people in America ,if you haven't please try and read one or two. People remember you for what you did in the past. Endeavor to be prudent and creative in presenting your business to your customers .Integrity brings about creativity and This is the gospel truth .I have personally experienced this myself when your business partners know you as a honest ,sincere, serious minded person your business will astronomically excel.

Integrity is tested and tried in hard times of business, which we all face but never for a minute jeopardize the confidence your customers have in you. Always have new ideas and innovation because people get bored when you keep presenting the same thing in same old way. I urge you to research deeply into any product or idea you present to your customers, test these products and make sure it is impeccable . Give your customers the very best. Integrity is the key to business success.

Not Rocket Science

Becoming financially independent is more a matter of common sense and long term discipline than anything else.

The great Cambridge economist and investor John May nard Keynes, placed his funds in no more than two companies at any one time. This simplistic approach was later adopted by Warren Buffet.

Invest Before You Spend

The most basic of all rules is to make sure you allocate funds into your investments first, only then spending what is left over. A good rule of thumb is to invest 30% and live of 70%.

Never Lose Money

The Golden Rule of investing is to never lose money. You must be careful to take advice from and invest with people who have better track records than yours.

A wealthy businessman I know of uses the following simple rule. Whenever approached to invest in shares or property, he simply asks to see the adviser’s tax returns for the last 3 years. If the returns are better than his (and very few are on account of the fact that he never hears from most people again), only then does he strategically invest some of his hard earned funds.

Losing money translates to the direct loss of the time and therefore life that it took to accumulate in the first place. When in doubt, walk away. Remember, don't lose money !

Avoid Instant Gratification

Most people fall victim to what economists call ‘emotional spending’.

They spend all they have and then some by getting into debt over items that keep little or none of their value over time. What have you purchased over the last 12 months that in hindsight you are getting minimal value from? What did it cost? Could you have better invested your money somewhere else?

In the ‘Millionaire Next Door’, the authors Stanley & Danko conducted extensive research on hundreds of self - made multimillionaires, coming to the fundamental conclusion that all of them behave in a frugal manner. If you cannot overcome your desire for instant gratification and spend all you make, then the seeds of greatness are not in you.

The Greatest Investment In The World

People often ask my advice on where to best invest. Cash, shares, or property?

My reply is that they first begin by investing in themselves.

Take between 1 - 3% of you monthly income and invest it back into yourself through books, audio programs, and personal development seminars.

Remember, you are where you are in your financial life because of what you both do and don't know. The only way you can possibly earn more is to learn more. Your rewards we always be directly proportional to what your mind brings to the table.

Action Exercises

1. Regain control of your financial world by honestly reviewing your current financial position. Does it look healthy?

2. Make a list of all the items that you spend money on that are adding very little value to your life.

3. Where could you best invest the surplus cash generated by you spending less and saving more? Who could you ask for advice?

4. Set up a separate direct account (with a book club) into which you place between 1 - 3 % of your gross monthly income. Invest this back into your brain!!!!!

Dan Floros is the world's leading authority on Clarity, Focus & Simplicity.

He is a highly sought after keynote speaker, seminar leader, and mentor in his capacity as chairman of Sydney and Dubai based Dan Floros International.

His organization specializes in the development of human potential at both the personal and corporate level through fundamental success principles, unbreakable universal laws, together with time proven strategies that cut through complexity and deliver meaningful results……..fast!

He is passionate about transforming the lives of peoples around the globe through cutting edge knowledge in the disciplines of leadership, personal effectiveness, business strategy, and financial independence.

We are living in the Golden Age of Mankind. Not the Dark Ages, not the Middle Ages, not the Classical Age, the Industrial Age, but the Golden Age.

What does this mean? Essentially historians have labeled our times as Golden because of the overwhelming possibilities for human beings to become prosperous and live lives of abundance and happiness.

Yet despite such possibilities, many still struggle because the are unaware or choose to ignore the laws of financial freedom.

Financial independence is simply defined as:

The ability to live from the income of your personally invested resources.

How does one go about reaching a point of financial independence? Glad you asked. Here we go, as practiced by self-made people from all walks of life.

Extremely prosperous, financially independent people:

1. Value their money. They value each dollar bill as a money seed. Wealthy people know that a dollar a day can grow into a million dollars. So they are very respectful of every dollar they spend.

2. Control their money. They control their money down to the penny. Prosperous people take a few extra steps every time they spend money: (a) they shop for the best value, (B) they ask for and expect a discount, (c) they examine their receipts for mistakes, (d) they attempt to turn expenditure into a legitimate tax-deductible business expense, (e) they know the score, balancing their check book to the penny (f) they file their receipts.

3. Save money. They save at least 10% of what they earn, never ever touching this money. As their income increases, so does the amount they save, from 10, to 15, to 20% and upwards. As their income rises, they save more and more.

4. Invest money. They invest before they spend, following their own, simple allocation system. They understand that investing is not at all complicated, nor should it ever become so.

5. Earn more money. They understand that their greatest asset is themselves and therefore their ability to earn from Multiple Streams of Income outside their vocation.

6. Protect their money. Money lost is more than that. It is time lost in earning it. They therefore protect themselves with trusts, corporations, limited partnerships, and other legal entities. They have very few assets in their name.

7. Give back. They establish or are aligned with foundations to which they donate 10% of their money. Period. The more they donate, the more the Universe gives back.

Action: How are you doing when it comes to the habits just mentioned?

In what way can you begin to incorporate such behaviors into your money management skills?

There are no excuses by the way. We've heard them all before. People from the most humble beginnings and catastrophic setbacks have achieved financial freedom. So can you.

Long Term Thinking, Short Term Focus

The most precious commodity in this world is time. How many of us are time poor these days? Just seems to be a universal pandemic, especially in the western world.

Deployed correctly, one can design and live a magnificent life. Contrary, if one chooses to waste the hours on frivolous activities, then life is mediocre at best.

Let’s cut to the chase.

Everyone talks about time management. Do this. Do that. Try this. Use this new management system ……. the list is endless. Here’s the best advice I can give, derived from the experiences of some of the best people I've worked with.

Think Long Term

Number one life management tool is to project yourself forward 5, 10, even 20 years. In the year 2015, what does your life look like? What have you mastered? What sort of relationships are you in? Where are you working, living, traveling, investing, socializing?

Recall, that clarity is the key. The greater the clarity, the higher the probability of achieving the intended outcome. Once more (yes, this is important)

The greater the clarity, the higher the probability of achieving the intended outcome.

Recall that only 3% of people ever contemplate their life in detail.

Everybody would love to make lots of money quickly, working from home, and only doing a few hours of work per week. I've spent the past two years trying to find a great way of doing this. Only over the course of the past few months have I found any "get rich quick" programs worth buying. I've been trying to make money online for a long time. I had a few small websites, but they never made much more than a few hundred per month. It was easy money and didn't require much work on my part, but I knew there were people out there doing better than I was and I knew I could do as well as them.

Now, I've seen a lot of "get rich quick" programs. Most of these people make claims about earning $2000/day with Google or something similarly insane. Almost all of these people are complete liars. Even if they were making $2000/day with Google AdSense, it'd be because they had high- traffic websites with a lot of quality content. I'd know, because in one whole month, I never even made half of what they promised I'd make daily with their programs. Maybe you've already been scammed by one of these fraudsters. Anyway, I finally got sick of what was being offered. I decided I'd look through the all of the "get rich quick" programs I could find and see if there were any that were actually legitimate. I found that there were owners selling their programs for well over $100, but the information in them could be found almost anywhere online for free. Additionally, they all contained out-of-date information, had no e-mail support, no money back guarantees, and broken links in the downloads section.

In conclusion, almost all of the programs I found were completely useless. The owners knew it, but they couldn't care less about their customers since they didn't offer refund policies! Amazingly, while looking through all of the programs, I actually did find a few legitimate programs. They were run by ordinary people like you and me, and they had found some great methods of making money from their home by doing very little work.

I spent some time working with those programs, and my income is now ten times what it used to be. These programs provided a large amount of great information on how to make extra money on your computer doing very little work. Numerous customers had provided great feedback and reviews for their products. Many of them have started to make money just days after buying! Their programs have excellent prices, and the authors have a group of paid staff who are dedicating to helping you or providing assistance if you need any. I must say I was amazed! If you do decide to purchase any of the programs listed below, I recommend you join quickly. Most of the owners tell me they are getting an overwhelming number of sales and plan on raising prices in the near future, so order while prices are still low!

If your company is like most, a great deal of paperwork is passed from department supervisor to department supervisor in order to approve an order, a purchase, or even a departmental change. The expected chain of events is that the document is initiated by a departmental coordinator. The document is manually carried or mailed via intracompany mail for review and approval. The company may require reviews and approvals from a large number of departmental managers or supervisors. The paper trail of a hardcopy document is extremely hard to maintain and trace. In fact, there is a high possibility of misplacing the document. The anticipated end result is that the original document eventually receives all the required reviews and approval signatures. The proposal is then finally authorized for execution.

There are numerous factors that could break this workflow process, thus delaying the expected outcome of proper authorization. One obvious problem is that the document gets lost. If there is a deadline associated with the written proposal, there could be high consequences to pay and the company could suffer a setback.

How many supervisors have extra time on their hands? If the document is delivered to a supervisor for approval, it may sit on a desk or in a “to do” pile for an undetermined amount of time. This could delay the entire workflow approval process.

Companies where documents and procedures are contained in an electronic realm avoid most of these workflow problems. The review and approval of traditional paper documents is replaced with electronic document routing. Documents created in PDF format are emailed to the correct reviewers. Electronic approvals, rejections, and comments are applied to the workflow documents. Additionally, if an actual signature is required, the documents may be printed. After final approval, the documents are indexed and filed with the appropriate review notes, comments, signatures, and date stamps into the electronic records management system.

A few of the features available for reviewing and approving PDF documents are:

1. Important text may be highlighted.
2. An audio clip may be incorporated into the document.
3. Reviewed and Approved stamps with names, dates, and times may be applied.
4. An electronic sticky note may be added.
5. Barcode may be applied for automated indexing.
6. Rejections and reasons for rejections may be added.
7. Signatures may be added electronically.

There are many advantages to automating your workflow process. The electronic documents cannot be lost or misplaced. The documents are emailed which may speed up the approval process. The features available for PDF documents simplify document reviews. The electronic documents are filed and stored for future retrieval.

Would you like your company to be able to cut down on the amount of time and effort spent on reviewing and accepting proposals? Do you wish for a better way to organize and manage the company’s documents and easily maintain automated workflow? Investigate solutions to these and other workflow related problems by investing in an electronic records management system with automated workflow capabilities.

Companies spend millions of dollars trying to decipher what’s behind the buying behaviors of retail consumers.

But, what about B2B decision-makers? According to Bryan Eisenberg in an article at ClickZ, most B2B business decision-makers fall into one of four preference categories -- methodical, spontaneous, humanistic or competitive. Depending on the style of decision-maker you are trying to reach, you will want to set up your Web pages in certain ways. Here are the four preference categories:

Methodical decision-makers: Most B2B sales efforts are designed for these individuals. They care about rules, organization and methods. They’re practical, analytical, conservative and devour information. They can also be too rigid.

Spontaneous decision-makers: These business people are high energy, poised, adventurous, responsive, flexible and value authenticity. They seek individual expression and attention. They can often be impatient.

Humanistic style decision-makers are people-oriented. They care about relationships, harmony, principles and big-picture outlooks. They’re creative, listeners and seek meaning in their work. However, they can be perfectionists and slow to make decisions.

Competitive decision-makers are aggressive and competitive. They’re no nonsense and want things to get done. They are driven to achieve success.

While this is helpful information, I am not sure how to predict which type of decision-maker will arrive on your Web page. To reach all four types, do you try to include something for each style of decision-maker? Or do you set up your pages to appeal to one particular type of decision-maker to the exclusion of other types? How do you determine to which type you direct your appeal? If one type is more prevalent in your industry, is that something peculiar to your industry, or is it just a by-chance occurrence of luck?

And, finally, do small business owners tend to fall into one preference category versus others? I don’t think so. In fact, there is danger in stereotyping. Small business owners run the gamut of all different types, depending on the industry they are in and their own particular personalities and backgrounds. They’re different. They’re unique. In fact, they sound a lot like retail consumers.

My name is Edwenia Blake and I am 34 years old, engaged to an awesome young man and have a beautiful 6month old baby girl, Ava Amelia. However, it occurred to me that the masses of people are experiencing a world separation, or rather, the world divide. For example, in the future, there will no longer be a middle class, that would have once existed on our social stratification. There will be, at best, the rich and the poor, so you will either have money, and live or have no money, and die. Is there a way out? Yes. Free-Enterprise, the best kept secret and one of the most powerful money making vehicles around. For example, you can work a job and earn a living or you can build an enterprise and create a legacy. I spent 10 years working for some of the greatest companies in the world. For example, IBM and Sprint Corporation, but I was still not satisfied. Because at the end of the day, I found that my time was truly not mine. Finally, I made a bold decision to take control of my life and began building a foundation for a new legacy.

In October 2006, I was introduced to a well respected organization, Wealth Masters International, a lifestyle design company. This entity is committed to providing everyday people with an opportunity to redesign their lives and truly live out their destiny. What I found to be unique in its design are the principles in which they use to shape your livelihoods. For example, Wealth, Health and Wisdom are the key factors in how your life is enriched and how using these key elements can create an ongoing legacy for you and your family. Also, the product and services that the company make available to you are income earning strategies that have been used since the 1920’s, but were only available to the most elite. For example, tax strategies for business professionals, choice of entity secrets revealed and living trusts. Now, you may say to yourself, “I know all about this”, but believe me, you don’t. I am pleased with what I have gained through this company. Further, some may say, why this company? Simple. Consider the ongoing economic crises, which includes, but are not limited to, job loss, 30 and 40 percent cuts in salaries, increase in job displacement, credit card debt at a 4% minimum payment, foreclosures at an all time high, increase in crime and the no health insurance epidemic. Here you have it. No fancy words, just straight in your face, real life. So, if not Wealth Masters International, it will be something else, but that’s only if you see this world for what it really is and not what you may perceive it to be.

Is there a paradigm shift? Yes, people are becoming more educated on life and changing every day. Are people willing to take control of their livelihoods independently? Yes, what other choice is there when you are released from a career or job of 10, 20 or 30 years. Will there ever be equality for all man kind? No, but many would have seen what could have been a life changing opportunity, but failed to take a chance. Will that be you