Close Encounters of the 4th Kind: Doing Multi-Cultural Business with Little Green Men (and Women)!

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Close Encounters of the 4th Kind:

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Doing Multi-Cultural Business with Little Green Men (and Women)!

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An original Business blog article by Yonatan Maisel

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If you’re looking for a skeptic, I guarantee you, they do not come bigger than me. I don’t believe in “Bigfoot,” (Sasquatch), I think the Loch Ness Monster is a bunch of hogwash and I think that those who believe in aliens and UFOs are…

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Wait, just a second…

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It was about quarter past two in the morning, just over eight hours ago. My wife Rivkah opened the back door to let our eight year old Canaan dog into the backyard (I’m allergic to dander and the very sight of the dog made me think of getting the best air conditioner filters for allergies and pet dander). That’s when I heard my normally calm and collected wife yell, “Holy SHIT Yoni…get out here NOW!!!”

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Her rare use of a curse-word was all the proof I needed that it was something VERY out of the ordinary! I ran!

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To my utter shock, we witnessed for a span of about sixty seconds an orang-ish, translucent, disc-shaped object hovering in the Jerusalem sky, moving in crazy patterns and doing things that no aircraft can possibly do! Then, in a flash, it turned towards Bethlehem, flew at phenomenal speed and disappeared over the Jordanian mountains in seconds flat! 

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Multicultural? Try Inter-Planetary!

Yes, we live in a new Global-Village connected by wires, circuits and Social Media. We are told, rightfully so, that in order to succeed, we need to be “wired in.” There truly is a world of billions to do Business with!

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But as the owner of my own Small Business, I am a writer, I’m going one step further to get a leg-up on the competition!.

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I’ve had clients and customers from India, South America, the U.S., Russia and beyond. Now it is the “BEYOND” that I’m thinking about more and more!

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Maybe that strange object in the sky was a weather phenomenon, maybe it was some sort of optical illusion? I don’t care!

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If they were aliens, there’s a new Market to be cornered!

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If their goal is not to wipe us out (if it were, they probably would have done so already), it must be to have some sort of relationship with us Earthlings. Maybe they wish to live amongst us in peace.

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I’m hoping they wish to work amongst us too! And for that they will need resumes, corporate bios, cover letters, speeches, blogs and all of the other things which a good writer can offer them!

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As is the case with cross-cultural Business, I might have to learn a new language. I might have to learn and internalize cultural nuances, traits, characteristics, and respect differences. Hell, I might have to get used to shaking green, slimy hands! I’m willing to do so.

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Be forewarned. We truly live in a multi-cultural world.

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A society which might soon include “Little Green People!”

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Is Your Business prepared for the cross-cultural world…

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Of the 21st Century?

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Image Credits: Aliens: http://www.lostbrain.com/; Global Village: http://www.crechechildcare.com/; UFO: http://www.patriciamclaine.com/; Alien family: www.lifestylescribe.files

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Yonatan Maisel is a Business blogger, history buff and author. He specializes in all aspects of Business writing.

From speeches to resumes, from corporate bios to research, from blogging to website content, from articles to ghost-writing, he provides the highest level of quality at a very reasonable price.

How Richard Warren SEARS Went from Railroad Station Manager to Business Mogul in 8 Incredible Steps!

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How Richard Warren Sears Went from 

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Railroad Station Manager to Business Mogul in 8 Incredible Steps!

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An original Business blog article by Yonatan Maisel

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Yup, Richard Warren Sears. He’s the Sears part of Sears, Roebuck and Company, the famed American mega-department store chain.

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But how, you might wonder, did this 19th Century businessman create his global empire?

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How did he parlay his job as a railroad station manager into the title of undisputed king of catalogues and a multi-billion dollar empire?

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His story is inspiring. It is educational. It’s history. And his cunning, vision and entrepreneurial spirit gives hope to any businessperson starting out with only the spark of a dream… 

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Image Credit: www.thecincyblog.com

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1) 1886. Richard Warren Sears is the station manager for the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway in Redwood Falls, Minnesota, USA.

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2) Richard Sears is offered a shipment of gold watches which were refused by a local jeweler.

 

Knowing that the United States has just implemented time-zones, he realizes the importance watches will have on businesspeople, particularly railway worker and farmers.

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3) Sears takes possession of the watches on consignment (no payment up front). He will keep all profit earned over the stated value made on each unit. He peddles the fancy gold watches to station agents, train engineers, farmers and passers-by. People in other towns along the rail line hear of the watches; Sears arranges delivery via rail. Within a few short months, he nets a $5,000 profit.

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4) 1887. Sears moves to Minneapolis and founds the R.W. Sears Watch Company. With a savvy Marketing campaign utilizing flyers, he transforms his company into a mail-order business. He takes orders and utilizes the railroad for delivery.

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5) 1888. Sears partners with Alvah Roebuck to form the Sears, Roebuck Company based in Chicago, Illinois.

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6) 1893. The first Sears Catalogue is published. It offers only watches.

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7) 1897. The Sears Catalogue expands to include men’s and women’s clothing, basic farming equipment, tableware, houseware, footwear and bicycles.

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8)  1899. Through his savvy advertising and marketing, and through his ingenious use of the railroads as a delivery system for catalogues and products, the Sears Catalogue, now a whopping 500 pages, is reaching 300,000 homes! 

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Sears established its first fixed-location store in the 1920s. It quickly grew into a mega-chain with locations throughout the US. It remained the largest American retailer until the mid-1980s.

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If you ask me…

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It’s not too damn bad…

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for a guy that began as a railroad station manager…

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and bought a bunch of unclaimed watches!

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The Sears Tower, Chicago, Illinois

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Dear Reader, Thanks for stopping by! If you’ve found this blog post enjoyable, inspiring or in any way useful, please consider giving it a Re-Tweet. I’d be most appreciative!

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Image Credits: R. Sears:  www.wikimedia.org; Gold Watch: www.antique-pocket-watches.co.uk ; Sears Tower: www.1.bp.blogspot.com; House: www.th09.deviantart.net 

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Yonatan Maisel is a Business blogger, history buff and author. He specializes in all aspects of Business writing.

From speeches to resumes, from corporate bios to research, from blogging to website content, from articles to ghost-writing, he provides the highest level of quality at a very reasonable price.

The GREATEST Business Technology Breakthrough Ever: And Why We’ll Laugh At It In a Few Years!

The GREATEST Business Tech Breakthrough Ever:

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And Why We’ll Laugh At It In a Few Years!

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 An original Business blog article by Yonatan Maisel

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Ah yes, TECHNOLOGY! The "savior" of man and his Business? 21st Century must-have gadgetry and devices.

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What words come to your mind? Innovation? iPhone? Steve Jobs. Apple. 3.0. Kindle. Microsoft. Gates. Speed. Terabyte. E-book. Cloud Computing…

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Always something better. Always something smaller. Always something with more memory, faster computations and more Applications! And like zombies…we wait with bated breath, stand in line for hours and shell out mega-bucks for that latest-greatest product that the-powers-that-be tell us we MUST HAVE!

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SO HERE IT IS!

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Behind the curtain. Without further adieu…I present to you…

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Courtesy of MattTheSaiyan at YouTube…

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The GREATEST BUSINESS INNOVATION EVER!!!

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Did you hear that???
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It not only reads letters and numbers…it also reads PUNCTUATION MARKS!!!
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"WOW!" "HOLY COW!" And "IT’S A MIRACLE!" are exclamations people must have been uttering back in the 1950s. And, perhaps, rightfully so!
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Now We LAUGH:
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Yup, we can sit back now and have a good chuckle at the UNIVAC, perhaps the greatest technological leap-forward of its day.
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Just like we laugh now at those cumbersome, 30 lb. computer monitors we gave up a few short years ago. Just like we laugh at the PENTIUM 1, 2 and 3 which a mere decade ago we thought were the most awesome things since sliced-bread. And just like we’ll be laughing at and mocking the iPhone 4 a few short years from now. 2013: "You’ve still got a 4?…you dork!"
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Quality NEVER Goes Out of Style:
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Looking for things to help your business? Looking for a leg-up in attracting clients and customers? In producing top-notch quality? In gaining a reputation? In having those clients return to you time-and-again…and recommending you to others?
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Gadgetry, apps and circuitry might help you get the job done a bit faster and more efficiently.
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But keep in mind some old-fashioned words like:
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 QUALITY, PERSONALIZED, VALUE, CHARACTER, SATISFACTION, RELATIONSHIP, CRAFTSMANSHIP, DISTINCTION, CONSISTENCY, SMILE, HANDSHAKE and PRIDE.
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Business terms that will never become obsolete…
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Principles that will never go out of style!
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Image Credits: Satelite: http://www.globeinfotech.com/; Curtain: http://www.subvertednation.net/; Laughter: http://www.aperfectworld.org/: Quality Assured: www.ashitaunited.in.  

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Yonatan Maisel is a Business blogger, history buff and author. He specializes in all aspects of Business writing.

From speeches to resumes, from corporate bios to research, from blogging to website content, from articles to ghost-writing, he provides the highest level of quality at a very reasonable price.

A Modern Business Lesson from Soviet Lt. Colonel Stanislav Petrov: The Man Who Saved the World!

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A Modern Business Lesson from Soviet Lt. Colonel Stanislav Petrov:

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The Man Who Saved the World!

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An original Business blog article by Yonatan Maisel

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It is a story almost too terrifying to believe. It appears at first to be the script of a Hollywood movie. But it really happened. And all of us, every single one of us alive today have one man to thank for our very existence…

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It is a chapter of history with many lessons. On heroism. On humanity. And for those in the world of Business.

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The date was September 26, 1983, the height of the Cold War. Mere weeks before, Soviet Air Force MIGs had shot down Korean Airlines Flight 007, a civilian 747 which had mistakenly strayed into Soviet airspace. All 269 aboard perished including U.S. Congressman Larry McDonald. The world was a powder-keg waiting to explode…

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On that morning, Lt. Colonel Stanislav Petrov was the duty-officer at "Oko," the secret military bunker in the Moscow suburbs which housed the Soviet Early Warning System, a network of computers designed to detect an incoming American nuclear attack…

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Just after midnight, sirens began blaring and lights flashing. The system had detected an incoming American nuclear missile. Shortly thereafter, four more were detected. All indications were that the US government under Ronald Reagan had launched a pre-emptive attack with its doomsday arsenal. The first wave was clearly on its way! And the outcome would be devastating…

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Soviet doctrine, at this point, though merely a warning, was terrifyingly clear: a full counter-attack of the country’s almost 10,000 nuclear warheads. If there was any delay, it would be too late to launch. The doctrine was crystal clear and beyond compromise. The computers were ready to begin the sequence to launch the Soviet counter-attack on their own…it would take the push of only one button to set them in action…and it was Petrov’s job to push that button!

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Petrov hesitated. He thought to push the button several times. His head was spinning. The fate of billions of people was literally in his hands. Yet at the same time he knew there would be severe consequences for not following orders. The world was on the brink of nuclear annihilation. He would later state: "I imagined if I’d assume the responsibility for unleashing the third World War – and I said, no, I wouldn’t."

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As it turns out, the detected launch was due to a series of bugs in the satellite detection system. There were never incoming ICBMs. In retrospect, however, Soviet military leaders stated emphatically that based on the warning alone, and given the limited time-frame for decision, they would have launched a nuclear attack against the United States! Petrov, who was initially praised by the Soviets, later underwent intense interrogation and reprimand for improperly following several procedures. And not wanting to admit to the failure of their defense system, the government needed a human scapegoat. Ridiculed and taunted, he was forced out of the military and suffered a nervous breakdown.

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In 2006, "The Man Who Saved the World" traveled to New York and at a special ceremony at the United Nations was presented with the World Citizen Award.

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Lessons for the World of Business:

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In the Business world, we might not have our fingers on buttons that control the outcome of humankind.

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Yet most of us do have our fingers on buttons: computer keys, and yes, the mouse.

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Whatever our business, whether computer engineers, marketers, pilots, lawyers or investors, as businesspeople in the 21st century, we have become reliant…perhaps overly reliant…on data. Yes, numbers, statistics, predictions, formulas, equations and more.

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Do we believe, should we believe, everything we see? Should we always follow what "infallable" machines dictate to us is the correct action to take? Or are there consequences for putting all of our hope into the hands of electronic circuitry? In the 21st Century is technology on the verge of supplanting the "gut instinct?"

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A human being is capable of making ethical and moral decisions and taking into account what is good, what is bad, what will harm and what will help. At this time I have yet to hear of a computer which can weigh decisions based on these factors. Nor has a machine ever been created which has a conscience.

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In 1983, one very special man…

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demonstrated that…

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There is still room for the HUMAN factor!

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He is a hero to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude! 

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Image Credits: Stanislav: www.myhero.com; Globe: www.1.bp.blogspot.com; Mushroom Cloud: www.heyokamagazine.com; Earth: www.imba.nccu.edu; chip: www.garnerosborne.co.uk  

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Yonatan Maisel is a Business blogger, history buff and author. He specializes in all aspects of Business writing.

From speeches to resumes, from corporate bios to research, from blogging to website content, from articles to ghost-writing, he provides the highest level of quality at a very reasonable price.

 

A Great Way to Measure Business Blog ROI: Hours Hired ÷ Hours Writing = Blog Profit!

   

Image Credit: http://www.robinbondurant.com/ 

 

 

A Great Way to Measure Business Blog ROI:

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Hours Hired ÷ Hours Writing = Blog Profit!

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I’ve been Business blogging for about 14 months now, and make no secret that it is the single-biggest step I have taken to put my business on the map and on the road to success. With effective content, catchy titles, a wise choice of keywords, some pics and images to jazz things up, tips, advice, Business insight and a bit of humor and slices-of-life, readers will stop by. With consistency and quality they will return again-and-again! Throw in a sales-pitch (preferably at the end so as not to turn your article into a blatant advertisement) and you’re almost set…

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Add a Re-Tweet button, the savvy use of Social Media tools such as Twitter, LinkedIn, FaceBook, Digg and BizSugar and you’ll be well on the way to drawing clients and customers in with your 21st century MAGNET!

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I myself have written about 140 blog posts. Those posts have translated into approximately 120,000 hits. A drop in the bucket perhaps when compared to the biggies in the industry, but as a one-person owner of a small writing business, it’s a figure I take pride in.

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Image Credit: http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/

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Measuring Blog ROI:

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The manner in which I have measured Business blog success in my mind has changed much since the inception of the venture.

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At first, perhaps like most, I mulled over in my head the hours I was wallowing away in conceptualizing, typing, proofreading and editing. That was when my posts were averaging 50-80 hits each. Then that level rose. Today, the average stands at about 800 hits each. It might take each article one, two even five months to get there, but they do on average.

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But a funny thing began to happen along the way. My phone began to ring more often and, as a pleasant surprise, prospective customers began to fill my Inbox with job inquiries.

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When I asked them how they had found me, a vast majority of these clients stated that they had read one or more of my postings, followed the link to my website and/or profile, and as a direct result decided to hire me as a writer. Suddenly those endless hours of writing were paying dividends!

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My Formula:

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Hours Hired ÷ Hours Writing = Blog Profit!

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Every hour I now spend writing (my average posting from start to finish takes approximately 1.5 hours) translates into nearly 9 hours of time spent working for clients, those clients that is who hire me as a direct result of reading my blog.

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Considering my blog is my only form of Advertising and Marketing, it seems like a pretty effective way to attract clients.

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A rather good Return On Investment if you ask me.

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Image Credit: www.jfmg.co.uk

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Calculating ROI can provide you with concrete and tangible insight into what is working and what is not. What articles are your readers/clients responding to? What types of articles and approaches seem to be attracting them? Which forms and style of articles are turning readers into paying customers?

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Measuring also serves another purpose: it allows you to "tweak" things and make corrections and adjustments…

 

…if things are not going according to plan!

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A well-written Business blog is beyond comparison in the 21st Century!

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It’s FREE…the only cost is hours spent writing.

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But when you start measuring those hours against income generated…

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I’m sure you’ll find that all of that hard work is…

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Well Worth It!

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Dear Reader, THANKS for stopping by! If you have found the contents of this article useful or informative, please consider giving it a Re-Tweet. I’d be most appreciative!

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Yonatan Maisel is a Business blogger, history buff and author. He specializes in all aspects of Business writing.

From speeches to resumes, from corporate bios to research, from blogging to website content, from articles to ghost-writing, he provides the highest level of quality at a very reasonable price.

 

The Success Breeds Success Paradigm: And On Some Maniacal Jackass in a Souped-Up Sportscar!

 

 

Image Credit: www.notguiltyfl.com

 

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The "Success-Breeds-Success" Paradigm:

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And On Some Maniacal Jackass in a Souped-Up Sportscar!

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An original Business blog article by Yonatan Maisel

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It happened twice last night while my wife and I were driving to our favorite coffee-shop…

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Traffic was flowing pretty steadily…though obviously not fast enough for a few idiots. Signalling my intention to merge into the fast lane, I heard the blare of a horn. I remained in my lane as a souped-up sportscar flew past at at least twice the legal limit. Upon passing me, the driver jerked two lanes to the right, passed a few cars and without signalling, moved over three lanes to the left, accelerated even more…and disappeared into the night.

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Never mind the cars who had to brake and swerve to avoid an accident. No turn signals, braking, no ‘nothin’…just, seemingly, the narcissistic belief that rules are made for others to follow; others in cars with less horsepower?

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Image Credit: www.aisajib.com

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Moments later, the scenario almost repeated itself exactly. The only factor which prevented it from being an exact duplicate was this time it was two souped-up sportscars, racing each other down the road.

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"ASSHOLES! " I thought aloud. No regard for the safety of others.

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Then another question came to my mind. The paradigm; the conundrum which perplexes researchers the world over: that of Directionality. Put simplistically, it’s the "what came first, the chicken or the egg" question.

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The question which scientists would ask here would be:

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"Does owning a sportscar turn people into maniacal, law-breaking idiots…people who might not otherwise drive so dangerously…or are people who have such reckless tendencies drawn to such cars, cars that allow them to fulfill their recklessly pre-programmed expectations?" 

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The Directionality Paradigm in the World of Business:

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As the owner of my own Small Business (I’m a writer), and as a Business blogger, as those speeding taillights disappeared over the horizon, I began to contemplate the directionality paradigm of success in Business.

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"Does success breed success in the world of Business?"

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Or, as the researcher might posit the question: "Does finding your niche, your area of expertise where you are inclined to succeed breed success, or do people who would ordinarily succeed naturally succeed because they are pre-programmed to succeed where others might fail?"

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I would offer another alternative…

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Image Credit: www.mandellia.fr

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Any jackass in a sportscar capable of going 0 to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds can press the accelerator pedal to the floor and go fast. No special foot-skills required. The trick is containing that speed and using it in the proper context and at the proper time. It’s about having fun, enjoying the ride while not risking the lives and well-being of others. It’s about not making the evening news as the coroner puts corpses into the wagon. Take your sportscar to "track-day" where on abandoned air-strips you can race others to your hearts content and kill only yourself if you slip up!

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Anybody, well almost anybody, can succeed in Business. It’s about finding your niche, making wise decisions, finding the right time, place and conditions, and implementing a sound Business plan and strategy. It’s about checking recklessness and unbridled spontaneity at the door. It’s about leaving the tendency to be an asshole driver = a reckless businessperson on the side of the road, then checking to make sure it’s safe to proceed.

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And it’s about asking some questions, especially if investors are involved. It’s also about being responsible with other peoples’ money!

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1) Do you have the tools necessary to succeed?

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2) Are you experienced?

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3) Are you fulfilling a need?

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4) Do you have value to offer?

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5) Do you have a strategy for Marketing, Advertising and getting clients and customers to part with their money?

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6) Are economic conditions right?

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7) Do you have the drive and passion to pull it off?

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8) Are you willing to risk failure while pouring your heart and soul into fulfilling your dream? 

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9) If things don’t work out will you drag others down with you?

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Answered "Yes" to all of these questions (except #8 of course)?

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Only then can you and should you…

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look around, make sure it’s safe…

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…press that gas pedal down to the floor and…

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GO FOR IT!

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Yonatan Maisel is a Business blogger, history buff and author. He specializes in all aspects of Business writing.

From speeches to resumes, from corporate bios to research, from blogging to website content, from articles to ghost-writing, he provides the highest level of quality at a very reasonable price.

 

 

21st Century Business Lessons from 1776: On Revolution and the Evolution of Biz-Combat

Image Credit: 4.bp.blogspot.com
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21st Century Business Lessons from 1776:

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On Revolution and the Evolution of Biz-Combat

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An original Business blog article by Yonatan Maisel

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Please forgive me for looking back upon history and judging with 20/20 hindsight. Judging "The Redcoats" to be exact.

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For anyone not familiar with the American Revolution (1775-1883), though a history-buff myself, I will not bore you with a long-winded account. Rather, I will just say that once-upon-a-time, 13 American Colonies went to war to break free from the mighty British Empire of King George III. It was a long, bloody and protracted war which eventually saw the birth of the United States of America.

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But back to those darn "Redcoats." Yes, it was the name given to British forces due to the, yes, bright red coats which they wore. And yes, those red coats have implications, as we shall see, on the…

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World of Modern Business…

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What the HELL Were They Thinking???

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Yes, with 20/20 hindsight, I’m going to go out on a limb and say it: "IT WAS THE STUPIDIST WAY TO FIGHT IMAGINABLE!"

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First of all, let’s not hide or make any use of barricades, foxholes or trenches. Let’s just stand out in the open in long lines. Yes, it’s the "gentlemanly way to conduct combat."

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image Credit: i.ytimg.com

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Secondly, let’s wear bright red uniforms so that the enemy can have the maximum chance of hitting us. Perhaps British Command even contemplated painting "bulls-eye" targets on their uniforms?

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Needless to say, the Colonial American forces had little trouble mowing down their "red" counterparts. With a musket and a target screaming "HIT ME" would you have missed?

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Image Credit: www.isinc.com

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21st Century Business-Combat:

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Thankfully and mercifully, 21st Century Business battles are conducted with mouse-clicks, communication and networking rather than with deadly weaponry.

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But make no mistake about it. Finding that next customer or client and landing that next project ahead of your competition is a battle which is fought in the trenches!

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It is a battleground which demands changes in thinking and the evolution of new "combat" methods. It demands modern-day tools such as blogs, newsletters, great websites and new Marketing and Advertising techniques unheard of a few short years ago. It demands an online presence. And it necessitates the savvy use of Social Media tools such as Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook and Digg.

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Happily, these modern tools can also be blended with good old-fashioned Business principles such as relationship-building, communication, honesty, integrity and personalized service.

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But those who refuse to adopt these modern methods, yes, those who refuse to take off their red coats, risk being left behind.

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Image Credit: images.sodahead.com

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Combat Evolution:

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Since the times of the Redcoats, combat principles have changed markedly. Standing out in the open has given way to taking cover, however "ungentlemanly" that might have seemed in 1776. Yes, the British Army has long-since given up their bright-red garb for camouflage. And Kevlar helmets have supplanted those ridiculous powdered wigs!

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It’s given them a "fighting-chance" where once they were mere "cannon-fodder" all-too literally!

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New times demand new tactics, methods and approaches.

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Change is Not Always Easy…

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New ideas are sometimes met with skepticism and reluctance…

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But in these times, we as businesspeople must ask ourselves:

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Will I adapt?

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Or do I risk becoming a casualty?

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Dear reader, thanks for stopping by! If you’ve enjoyed, your Re-Tweet would be much appreciated: 

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Yonatan Maisel is a Business blogger, history buff and author. He specializes in all aspects of Business writing.

From speeches to resumes, from corporate bios to research, from blogging to website content, from articles to ghost-writing, he provides the highest level of quality at a very reasonable price.

A Bu$iness Lesson from Atop the World’s Tallest Skyscraper: Bigger is NOT Always Better!

 

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A Bu$iness Lesson from Atop the World’s Tallest Skyscraper:

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Bigger is NOT Always Better!

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An original Business blog article by Yonatan Maisel

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Is Bigger Always Better in Business?

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At 828 meters (that’s 2,717 ft.) Dubai’s Burj Khalifa has rocketed past all comers, shattered the competition to attain the title of "World’s Tallest Building."

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It is, beyond debate, a modern-marvel, a testament to state-of-the-art engineering and building methods. It is a magnificent structure which is, well, beyond comparison. It’s a skyscraper on STEROIDS!

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Well, the "beyond comparison" part? Perhaps not for long. You see, on at least three continents, in at least eight major cities, plans are already in the works to surpass "The Burj." The race is now on to be the next "biggest" and "baddest!"

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Need a few examples? The Burj Mubarak al-Kabir, planned to be built in Bahrain, is slated to reach a height of well over 1,000 meters. And then there’s Miapolis, Miami, Florida’s vision of a 160 floor, 3,200 ft. behemoth.
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How are Thing$ at the Top of the World?

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Fourth Quarter (Q4) 2010:

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825 of Burj’s 900 luxury apartments are un-occupied.

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In October, Catherine Clarke, head of residential valuations at real estate consultancy firm Colliers International, said that sales prices at the tower had dropped by up to 75 percent.

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And commercial space in the Tower? All of that prime office-space that international companies were supposedly salivating over? The government will not release that information though many property developers in-the-know state unequivocally that it lags behind  the residential rates of sales. In other words? They’re pretty much empty!

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I’m not a Real-Estate guru, only a humble writer, but these figures?  They can’t be good. And…I’m sure the investors are none-too-pleased! Probably not what they had in mind during the star-studded, Hollywood-esque grand-opening bash!

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Reality & The Business World:

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In the world of Business, whether Big Business or Small Business, there are forces which constantly conspire against success. They may be financial. The may be competitive. And yes, they may be a case of "your eyes being too big for your head."

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Sometimes the needs of clients and customers can best be met and served when things are a little bit smaller and a bit less dramatic…

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And yes, a little bit more PERSONAL! "Personal?" you ask? Call me a fool, but post-9/11 would you want to be working in an office 1/2 a mile in the air?

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Whatever one’s business, from computers to Law, from Engineering to Sales, Marketing or Advertising…keep one thing in mind. Rapid expansion and/or the drive to be bigger and better can end in success…or with…

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 IMPLOSION!

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Some thought perhaps for those who are now planning…

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 the next "World’s Tallest Building"

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…or next "World’s Biggest Business."

 

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    ….

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Image Credits: Burj Khalifa: ctbuh.org/Portals; Tape Measure: naturallyintense.net; Gold: t0.gstatic.com; Globe: imba.nccu.edu.tw.

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Yonatan Maisel is a Business blogger, history buff and author. He specializes in all aspects of Business writing.

From speeches to resumes, from corporate bios to research, from blogging to website content, from articles to ghost-writing, he provides the highest level of quality at a very reasonable price.

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The Man Whose Head Exploded Because His Blog Resulted In Too Much Business (Article & Autopsy Results)

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The Man Whose Head Exploded Because His Blog Resulted…

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In Too Much Business (Article & Autopsy Results)

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An original Business blog article by Yonatan Maisel

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DISCLAIMER: The late Arthur Sanderson was a friend of mine. A great father, husband and aspiring businessman. The story you are about to read is true in all aspects and regards…I swear to it…I was a witness to the entire, tragic spectacle. Actually, as they say confession is good for the soul…it is I who bears the brunt of the blame. For the death of Arthur Sanderson…

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Arthur Sanderson was a man of immense talent. He owned a small business which offered a very decent array of products and services. He was honest and ethical in his dealings, a point nobody who knew him could deny. But those customers and clients who were privileged to form a professional bond with him were sadly…few and far between.

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You see, what Arthur possessed in skill, acumen and wisdom, he lacked in 21st Century Business savvy. First and foremost, he refused to utilize the pantheon of modern, free Business Marketing and Advertising:

 

Yes, The Blog!

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So Arthur, working from his home-office began to get a bit too comfortable in his downtime-based lifestyle. He began to take comfort in the phone that did not ring often. It became a crutch so to speak…a crutch that allowed him ample time to watch reruns of "Gilligan’s Island," 8-hour cycles of CNN and the latest grapevine-pickings from the world of Soap Operas.

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But as can be expected, the fun didn’t last long. The bills piled up as did the anger from his wife who began to curse that fateful day when Arthur decided to leave behind the 9-5 world to become a freelancer. His life was going downhill fast. That was the terrible day, burned in my memory, when Arthur picked up the phone, called me and asked me about Business Blogging.

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It was the day that I told Arthur Sanderson EVERYTHING which I had learned in my first year of blogging. Everything which had resulted in the 85% of my new customers and clients who now hire me as a direct result of having read my blog articles.

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Arthur, I explained: "Here is everything you’ll need to do to get a blog going and turn it into an effective tool for attracting clients to your business":

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1)  Offer content which your prospective readers will find interesting, educational and useful.

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2) Allow your readers to get to know you, both personally and professionally, through your writing.

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3) Plant the seeds of a potential relationship.

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4) Offer your expertise to your readers in the form of tips, advice and the experiences you have accumulated.

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5) Provide value so your readers keep coming back.

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6) Humanize yourself by using snippets of humor, wit and insight.

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7) Provoke thought and discourse.

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8) Add a photo of yourself in the blog. Let readers see who you are.

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9) Add a sales-pitch in to your blog, preferably at the end so as not to turn your blog into a blatant advertisement.

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10) Be consistent! A great business blog can result from only 2-4 hours of thinking, writing, editing and proofreading per week.

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11) Upload your Business blog links to Social Bookmarking sites such as BizSugar, Tip’d, StumbleUpon and Digg. Remember the Cardinal-Rule of blogging: If readers can’t find your blog…they won’t read it!

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12) Utilize Social Media tools such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook to spread the word about your blog posts.

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13) Add a Re-Tweet Button to each of your posts to allow readers who found them useful to pass them along to others.

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14) Begin to think of each and everyone of your readers as a potential paying customer.

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15) Thank your readers for stopping by. Remember that blog readership is both earned and a privilege.

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16) Most importantly…make your blog FUN to read. Add some pics. Embed a relevant YouTube video. Change fonts. Add a splash of COLOR. Tell a story, spin a tale!

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 But back to poor Arthur for whom this all worked too well:

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His phone began too ring often. His email box kept filling up higher and higher with inquiries from clients and customers. He got knocked up to the next tax-bracket as a result of added income…

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Yet all was not well. You see, Arthur Sanderson had become addicted to Gilligan’s Island and his favorite Soaps including "General Hospital" and "As the World Turns." He began to miss episodes of "Gomer Pyle USMC" and "The Beverly Hillbillies." Left always in a state of mental-flux of not knowing if Gilligan would escape his island hell, whether Pyle would survive the Marine Corps of who would be murdered in the next twist-filled Soap episode, his head began to spin and his concentration to ebb. Then there were the trips to the local pub with his drinking buddies that had to be cancelled when clients needed something done on short-notice…PRESSURE MOUNTED! And…

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His head exploded! Yup, the first medically documented case of…

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Death due to Business blogging…"Blogicide!"

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And it is I, ravaged with guilt…

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Who is left behind to take the blame!

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A Business blog WILL bring customers to your doorstep…

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But consider the ramifications!

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Dear Reader, thanks for stopping by! If you’ve enjoyed this article or found it to be useful, please consider giving it a Re-Tweet. I’d be most grateful!

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Image credits: Head Exploding: msnbcmedia.msn.com; Blog: prospectresearch.com; Tips: motherandinfant.co.uk; R.I.P.: thor.he.net   _____________________

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Yonatan Maisel is a Business blogger, history buff and author. He specializes in all aspects of Business writing.

From speeches to resumes, from corporate bios to research, from blogging to website content, from articles to ghost-writing, he provides the highest level of quality at a very reasonable price.

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Don’t Let Outdated Thinking Allow Your Business To Go Up In SMOKE! (Article & Video)

Image courtesy of www.wonderfulphotos.com
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Don’t Let Outdated Thinking Allow Your Business…

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To Go Up In SMOKE! (Article & Video)

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An Original Business blog Article by Yonatan Maisel

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"There is nothing wrong with change…if it is in the right direction." — Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

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Image courtesy of studentlinc.typepad.com

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Change:

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Changes in thinking. Changes in ways of doing. It’s not always easy. It requires soul-searching and introspection. It requires, at least at times, admitting that the current way might not be the best way. Yes, admitting that we might be on the wrong track can force us not only to admit we might be wrong, it can send us back to the drawing-board to re-write reality.

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In the world of Business, however, periodic reassessment is not always optional, it can, instead, be born of necessity. Yet the need to change from time to time can affect so many facets and aspects of our businesses: Marketing, Advertising and Communication…to name but a few.

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The ways in which we portray ourselves, our businesses, products and services dictate how we are perceived by clients, customers, blog readers, newsletter recipients and visitors to our websites. It affects those who might see our message via that great pantheon of 21st century communication: Social Media. Yup, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and more.

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In short, our ways, for better or for worse, mold attitudes.

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I’ve searched high-and-low to find a tool to deliver this message in the most impactful way possible. Perhaps nothing else which I found spoke to me more than the following short video clip from YouTube.

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Let’s jump in our time-machine and set the dial for the 1950s. Yes, a time and a place where attitudes, accepted norms and ways of doing business were quite a bit different from those of today. Ah, the changes that have taken place since!

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Is your current methodology working?
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Are you delivering the message which you desire?
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Are you achieving the results you want?
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Is it time to re-think some outdated ways?
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Dear Reader, Thanks for stopping by! If you’ve found this article enjoyable or helpful in any way, please consider giving it a Re-Tweet…I’d be most appreciative!
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_____________________

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Yonatan Maisel is a Business blogger, history buff and author. He specializes in all aspects of Business writing.

From speeches to resumes, from corporate bios to research, from blogging to website content, from articles to ghost-writing, he provides the highest level of quality at a very reasonable price.

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