Negotiation techniques

Recently, I attended a seminar about effective communication in the work world, anticipating the part in the program when the featured speaker would teach us how to negotiate.

I was starting my own business, with promotion an important part of my game plan to success, and I wanted to learn the most effective way for getting what I wanted out of a deal.

The seminar was almost over when the speaker told us she had a few minutes left to tell us about how best to negotiate a deal. She said the lesson involved arm wrestling, so, if we would turn to the person next to us, and clasp hands, elbows on the table, we could start with the lesson.

Everyone laughed. We weren't planning on having to hold hands with our neighbors, let alone arm wrestle. It was a little embarrassing, to say the least.

I looked at the woman next to me, and she was a solid lady, muscular from cleaning corporate offices. We were seated at the table in front of the room, so, I didn't want to lose. We grasped one another's hands, elbows to the table. Her grip was dry and strong. Mine was loose. I didn't want her to think I was trying.

Before telling us to "GO!", our instructor added this last bit of information. She told us that everytime we forced our opponent's hand to the table, we would win $1,000.00. Then she said,"Go"!

The cleaning lady and I pushed against each other arm to arm, palm to palm. I could feel the strain of keeping my arm up all the way to my toes. At the end of 12 seconds, our leader called time's up! She asked how many of us won $1000.00. A few women raised their hands. Then she asked a strange question. She asked how many of us had made more than $1000.00. Two women raised their hands. They were partners in the arm wrestling, and they managed to make $10,000.00 in 12 seconds.

Everyone gasped. "How did you do that?" our leader asked.

"We did this," one of them answered. They demonstrated by holding hands while they pushed each other's arms to the table--back and forth--back and forth---as fast as they could. Each hit won them $1,000.00 imaginary dollars.

As the point of the lesson hit home,I more than learned what I had come to learn. Negotiating in the right way is a win-win situation. Everyone profits. Good negotiation is cooperation.

How have I used this valuable lesson in the work world?

I have a radio show. I highlight area musicians, writers, poets, you name it. One lady that I interviewed was grateful for the free exposure. In return for my free promotion of her, she wrote a song to preface my program--giving it a much more professional sound.

This has caused my program to be picked up by other stations. Which has increased my audience--and hers!

She and I have never charged one another a dime for our mutual services and support. But, our negotiations always take us places we could never have reached alone.

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Starting your own small business

Starting your own business is not a difficult process. Just follow a few well thought out and organized steps and you can be well on your way to success. Starting your own business can be challenging as well as fun.

How to go about starting your own business? First you must decide what you want to do. Make a list of of all the skills you possess. Anything from work experience to every day tasks that you do, yet take for granted. Tasks such as driving a car, shopping, cleaning, cooking, job experience such as secretarial proceedures, office management or healthcare. Then decide what you enjoy doing and is it something that you can offer the community as a service? Once that's decided the rest is strictly by the book. So, if you happen to choose a cleaning service or a day care then you would concentrate in that area of interest and start from there. Following is a list of steps that should start you in the right direction to follow your dream of owning your own business.

1. Decide what service you will offer.

2. Research the area you live in/near and find out if it's a service that is needed.

3. Work out a budget listing start up costs. Some expense will be licensing, office supplies, phone service, book-keeping services and a fax machine.

4. How much money can you live off of until you get your first income from your business? Where can you cut corners to stretch you money?

5. Will you need to hire staff for your business or can you work solo?

6. Make a list and keep checking items off or adding items in. Frequently check your list.

7. Will you continue working full time or will you quit your job and devote your time to your new business? More specifically ask yourself if you can afford to quit your job and work full time at your new business. Many people decide to work part-time at a new business and stay with thier full time job so they can keep a steady income coming in while the new business gets off the ground.

8. Apply to your State for a Trade Name. This will cost apprximately fifty to one hundred dollars.

9. Once you've decided on what type of business you are creating then you'll have to apply for your licensing. For food service of any type, bakery, sub shop, pizza shop, etc., apply with the Department of Food Protection. Follow these guidelines for any type of business whether it be food service, cleaning service, marketing and so on. Call your appropriate State Office. If you get the wrong office don't fret, they will guide you to the correct one.

10. Decide whether your business will be in-home or out of home. In-home is much less expensive and you can still claim part of it on your year end taxes. Factor in the costs carefully.

11. Decide whether you want to incorporate or be a sole-proprietor. Incorporating costs money. Staying a sole proprietor costs nothing and it only means that you individually own your business.

12. Once you've applied for a licence with the appropriate State Agency you will be assinged an EIN number. This will be used for tax and identification purposes. Also it will be used to open up a business checking account. At this point finding a book-keeping service is recommended. A book-keeping service is fairly inexpensive and you'll find, one of your greatest resources. They will be the one's to assist you with the many tax questions you will have and with your payroll should you need to hire employees.

13. Decide whether you will be applying for a start-up loan or not. Most small businesses use savings to fund the new business or they use thier weekly paychecks.

14. Keep every purchase as low cost as possible. Be frugal, be cheap. Money is the name of the game here and don't spend any that you don't have to. Instead of purchasing new, buy used. Have friends and family buy you supplies for birthdays and Christmas. Be creative....be frugal.

15. Advertising. The big worry right? Wrong. If you have access to a phone, a photocopier and a fax you have a world of advertising at your fingertips. Make flyers on your computer and have friends, family and everyone you know post flyers up all over the area you are targetting. Use the local markets, post offices, telephone booths, telephone poles, libraries, shopping malls to your benefit. It's free and just takes a little energy and time. Have all your friends spread the great news! Word of mouth is the greatest advertisment of all and it's free.

16. Begin building a customer base through the telephone and the fax machine. Cold calling is hard when you first try it but it does get easier each and every time. Fax your flyers out to all the business's in the telephone book and follow up with a phone call. "Hi, my name is ....and I work for ..XYZ..company. I am offering this...for this price.... Can I interest you in the services I am offering?" Simple eh? Keep your pricing comperable to the competition. Offer introductory specials. Call other companies of similar services and check out thier pricing. Keep a running list of who you've contacted and follow up. Be persistant. It will pay off. Follow up with a Thank You note. Customers and potential customers appreciate this. Even if they haven't yet agreed to using your services a quick note will remind them that you are out there in case they are dissatisfied with thier current vendor. You may not get their business on the first try but eventually you will.

17. Set up your office. You only need a few basic peices of equipment. A desk, chair, fax and phone, some paper supplies and a phone book. If you have a computer it would be helpful. Keep you space organized and neat. There's nothing worse than being on the phone with a customer and not being able to find what your looking for. If you have a computer start setting up your files, if not use a spare desk in the drawer. Keep strict record of telephone numbers, addrs, contact names and services performed or requested.

18. Set your hours and stick to them. Let your family know that these are the hours you have to work and that it is important to you. Customers hate nothing worse than to call you during business hours only to find you are closed. This will cost you business.

Starting your own business is rewarding and fun. But it is also very hard work. You must approach it as you would a career and you must be persistent. Plan on spending most of your free time devoting yourself to making your business work. It takes time but in the long run it is well worth it. If you are serious then it will work for you.

Following is a list of ideas for business:

Bakery, Cleaning Service, Home Based Typing Service, Health Care Agency -Temporary Staffing, Coffee/Sandwich Shop, Shopping Service, Day Care, Ghost Writing Service, Resume Writing Service, Research Specialist, Novelty Items such as bath oils, soaps,

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Starting small businesses

Starting your own business is a big venture and has probably been everyone’s dream at one time or another. It doesn’t have to be just a dream and with a little planning and persistence you can make your dream a reality. Plan out your business ahead of time, decide what the business will be and what you will and will not deal with in terms of products and services. Scope out your competition and make sure your business is in a demographically advantageous area for whatever your goods or services may be. Don’t, for example, open a hardware store in a town that already has three. Look for a location that will benefit your business.

You will want to register your business before you get started. You must decide if you want to be incorporated or not. An accountant can help you decide what is right for you. You must register the name of your business with your county and make sure that no other business is using that name. There is a nominal fee to do this and it only takes a few minutes to fill out the application. You will need this registration in order to do such things as open business accounts at your local bank and you will want to be sure that the name you have chosen has not been used before you have any business cards, letterheads or signs made up.

Once you have chosen your location, get a feel for the average rental costs in your area in order to help calculate how much your start up and maintenance costs will be. You will have to pay security costs to acquire your rental property unless you are planning to purchase the property for your business. Calculate also, what you will need as far as inventory to get started and try to have some customers lined up before you even hang your sign on the door. Don’t forget to acquire liability insurance and decide how many employees you will need. All of these things need to be considered when you decide how much money you will need to start your business. Get everything sorted out before you go to the bank so there will be no surprises.

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How to start an antique business on a shoestring budget

The business of buying and selling antiques is a wonderful experience for anyone with a spirit of entrepreneurship. And surprisingly enough, it takes far less investment capital than one might think.

For many, ‘antiquing’ begins as a hobby that can quickly evolve into a passion. Many collectors develop a true ‘love’ for certain, collectible items. All antiques have a story and often times, the story is far more important than the item was in its prime. It has often been said that “there's a collector for everything and something for every collector.” Therefore, the entrepreneur can safely assume that there’s a buyer for everything under the sun. But how does one find these buyers? What of start-up cost and overhead? Should you advertise? And how does the ‘collectible’ market compliment the antique market? As with every new project, you need a plan. Let’s examine some ways to break into the antique and collectible business with a minimum of investment.

First, you should do your homework. Most new antique dealers wisely begin with a modest inventory, selected after first testing the local markets. You need an idea of what sells and what doesn’t. Now, keep in mind that just about everything will sell, eventually. But you need a product that’s fairly accessible and moves quickly. Where do you find such a product? For starters, check your local newspapers and find auctions in your area. Household and estate auctions are excellent sources of information on the relative value of an item in your area. Pay close attention to the numbers of people that bid on a particular type of item. Glassware may be a hot commodity in your area. Or it may go ‘dirt cheap.’ You need to be aware of the local supply and demand before you settle on a given item line. This doesn’t mean you should restrict yourself to only a few items. It just means that by keeping you inventory to a few product lines, you can become more knowledgeable in less time. And to the antique dealer, product knowledge is everything.

Local estate sales can also be a valuable source of both knowledge and inventory. But be wary of first day prices. Most estate sales last two to three days. The first day, most prices are inflated and will gradually decrease as the sale progresses. Don’t let personal tastes interfere with your sense of business. If you pay that first day price, you're likely paying retail. A dealer who buys at retail market prices will quickly go out of business. You need the bargains, even if means settling for a slightly less desirable item.

Arm yourself with some much needed expertise by visiting your local bookstore. There are some excellent price guides available, many with hints on how to spot forgeries and fakes. One note on this subject. When looking at the price guides, remember that they are just that: a guide. Nothing is ever written in stone and you may find a wide disparity in regional prices. Abingdon pottery is extremely popular and moderately expensive in the Northeast U.S., but is found at ‘give-away’ prices in the Midwest. Know your market.

You’ve got some inventory at this point and the question is where do you find the buyers? The finest antiques in the world are worthless unless you have a buyer. One solution is ‘flea market malls.’ Don’t be mislead by the name. Flea market malls are viable outlets for both antiques and collectibles. They come in all shapes and sizes, some dealing only in upscale items while others are more modest in inventory. There are some tremendous advantages to these outlets and it may be worth your while to do a little investigating. Most malls rent out space to vendors, allowing the vendor to arrange the displays, attach prices and leave instructions for negotiations. The mall will handle the actual sales then pay the vendors on a regular schedule, such as weekly or bi-monthly. This leaves the vendor free to search for new items to dale. So malls charge a small commission in addition tom the rental space while others charge nothing but the fee for the space used. Check around for the best deal in your area.

Another option is the internet. There a host of online auction services, featuring regular, dependable ‘shoppers.’ The buyer is only a click away with such internet powerhouses as Ebay.com and Yahoo Auctions. These companies actually act as a broker, allowing you to set a minimum price on your item, then posting the item along with pictures and text descriptions. This is by far the most ‘overhead free’ method of getting into the antique business . Whichever method you choose, remember, there’s a buyer for everything. You just need the product.

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Information and resources on becoming an amateur radio operator

Becoming an Amateur Radio Operator is as easy as it is rewarding. It is best to begin by contacting the Amateur Radio Club (or Ham Club as they are commonly known) in your area. Some Ham Clubs work closely with city and county offices providing communications during community events and/or natural disasters, therefore paying a visit to a local town hall or county seat is often beneficial. These offices will most likely be able to provide names of area Amateur Radio enthusiast. If, however, there is no local information, an interested party may contact the American Radio Relay League directly by searching for them on the Net. This web site provides a listing of over 2,000 affiliated Ham Clubs. By simply typing in some general location information, a specific area or regional club should be easy to find.

After locating an area club and talking with some of its active members, it may be appropriate to attend an actual meeting. This first hand exposure to both long time and newly licensed Amateur Radio operators provides a clear picture of what Ham Radio is all about - licensed individuals of all ages and walks of life joining together in the common hobby of communications.

The next step is actually obtaining a beginner’s license. Although rules for earning an Amateur Radio license may vary some from country to country, in the United States the most popular beginner’s license is the Technician Class license. This license is obtained by correctly answering a 35 multiple-choice test written with the beginner in mind. This test does not require the knowledge of Morse code as do future licensing upgrades, but covers questions regarding basic regulations, operating practices, and electronics theory. Successful completion of this test authorizes new operators to use all amateur VHF and UHF frequencies above 50 MHz. In preparing for the exam, be sure to check with area Ham Clubs for training classes and review sessions which are generally offered. Purchasing the book, “Now You’re Talking! All You Need For Your First Amateur Radio License” may also be a sound investment on the road to achieving Technician status.

After acquiring the beginner’s license, check with other Ham Radio operators for detailed information on the purchases of two-way radio equipment. Long time Hams will know the areas most reliable retail businesses as well as on-line outlet stores. Also, consider attending a Hamfest (which to the layman might best be described as the ultimate flea market for radio equipment.) It would be wise to have an accomplished Amateur Radio operator accompany a first time buyer to such an event.

With the Technician Class achieved, moving up the licensing ladder to the General Class will prove to be a giant step in operating privileges. Achieving the status of General allows for both cross-country and word-wide communications.

The third class license entitled Extra Class authorizes its licensees to operate on all frequencies allocated to the Amateur Service. Both of these Class upgrades require comprehensive testing. Again, valuable instruction and review are available through area Ham Clubs.

So for the would-be Amateur Radio operator, advice is simple. Locate an area Ham club, utilize the assistance of knowledgable Ham operators, glean the benefits of the skills acquired, and enjoy a hobby that connects those involved with the entire world.

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Career advice: how to become a pilot

The aviation industry is an exciting career path to choose; becoming a pilot is equally exciting. You’ve made that decision, now you need to figure out how to get there. Fifty years ago your only choice would be to fly in the military; however, airlines now hire both ex-military and civilian pilots. Although choosing the civilian route is more expensive, it does allow you to make more choices regarding your flight training and career. The path to becoming a professional pilot will require you to choose where to complete your flight training, how you will build up your flying hours, and what type of flying—airline, corporate, fractional, or cargo—you want to pursue.

Two types of flight schools exist: college programs that offer a degree along with the flying (bachelor degree in flight operations) or a flight school at a fixed-based operator (FBO) that only offers courses associated to flying. Both options have positive aspects. By attending a college to complete your flight training, you’ll earn a degree in the process (currently, not all airlines require a degree, but more airlines are adding that as a requirement), you may qualify for financial aid that will help cut the costs of flying, and you will have the degree to fall back on in case you no longer want to fly. A flight school is beneficial because it takes less time to complete (on average a year for all of the flight training versus four years for college), the scheduling is more flexible (better for families or someone who needs to work full-time), and it is solely focused on flying.

Once you choose where to complete your flight training, you will follow a sequence of courses, earning different licenses and ratings. First, you will work towards your private pilot’s license, which allows you to fly small, single-engine airplanes in certain meteorological conditions (visual flight rules—known as VFR—means you must remain a certain distance from clouds and poor-visibility weather). After this point, you will work towards your first rating—an instrument rating. Now you will be able to fly by instrument flight rules (IFR) through clouds and weather conditions where there is poor visibility.

After earning your private pilot’s license and instrument rating, you will work towards your commercial license; once you complete this, you will be able to receive money for flying. Then, you will work on a multi-engine rating. At this point, you will be qualified to fly single- or multi-engine airplanes in any type of weather condition for hire. You will have to make a decision: do you want to continue your flight training or try to find a flying job with your qualifications?

If you continue your training, you will earn your Certified Flight Instructor’s (CFI) certificate. You will also want to earn your instructor’s certificate for multi-engine and instrument, allowing yourself the opportunity for more students. Being a flight instructor will officially be your first job as a pilot; however, your primary focus at this point is building your total flight hours.

If you try to find a flying job other than flight instructing, you will not have many choices. Because you won’t have a lot of flight hours or experience, you probably won’t find an airline that will hire you. Other options include flying at a skydiving operation or fly for a banner towing company. Again, like the flight instructor’s job, your primary focus is to increase your total number of hours flying.

Once you have enough flight hours to meet the qualifications at companies, you can start looking and applying for jobs as a professional pilot. Different types of professional flying jobs exist: airline, corporate, fractional, and cargo. An airline is a company that flies passengers on a set and regular schedule; airlines range in size from regional companies that fly small, turbo-prop airplanes to the major airlines flying 747s. A corporate flying job would be flying an airplane privately owned by a company to wherever it was needed to go. A fractional company is similar to a corporate job because both do not follow a set flight schedule; however, a fractional company is similar to a timeshare at a condominium: many different people own a fraction of time with the airplane. Finally, a cargo company doesn’t carry passengers—only cargo—and it follows a more structured schedule than the corporate or fractional company.

Each type of flying has its benefits and its downfalls; the best research is to talk with a wide variety of pilots and hear what they have to say first-hand about their company and type of flying. No matter what path you choose, your experiences flying will be great. And many more options beyond the ones here exist—airshow pilots, aerial photography, and medical flights, just to name a few. You can become a pilot with some hard work and dedication.

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Preparing for a career in biological research

These tips are designed to help high school students and college students gain valuable research experience prior to graduating from college. This assumes the student is already interested in biological research and wishes to pursue a career in the field.

Stay calm.

First and foremost, don't be intimidated. If you've made up your mind that research interests you, then go for it. People who work in research are attracted to self-motivated and confident students who bring something to the research community. A lab is a close-knit family, of sorts. You will work a lot with these people. They will be your friends and mentors as you grow. Treat them with respect, learn to love them, and your research experience will be that much greater. Have fun, stay calm, and enjoy yourself.

Prepare academically and assess your natural talents.

If you want to work in a biology lab, you must know basic biology. High school biology courses give a broad overview that introduce you to a variety of topics, but research requires a much greater depth of knowledge. It's to your advantage to take a college-level introductory biology course and lab. You won't learn everything you need to know, but it will provide a foundation on which you can build your experience. You will find that you have a natural interest in some topics. Pursue those. Read supplementary material that is not assigned in class--the more you know, the better prepared you are. When you are an expert on the subject, you will be able to ask intelligent questions and think critically about experimental results.

Take advantage of outreach programs and research scholarships

Many universities and colleges have programs designed to help students gain real research experience. Some programs offer basic lab training, some will provide a research stipend, and others may set up extra courses and seminars to help students find a lab that interests them. Look for these programs at colleges and universities in your area. Sometimes, even hospitals and clinics will let a bright, interested student work in a lab. A number of research grants and private scholarship funds are available from companies like Beckman Instruments and Pfizer, Inc. to pay an undergraduate working in a research lab. If your grades are good and if your project is sexy, your entire undergraduate education may be funded by companies and individuals supporting your research.

Know that you'll fall, but don't give up.

Research is hard work. Expect to put a lot of time into research. Most principal investigators expect 10-20 hours a week from their undergraduate students, but you have the most to gain from 30-40 hours a week (especially when you're still learning where everything is). No matter how you prepare academically, it still takes time to learn how things work in the lab. It will be overwhelming at first, but you soon learn the vocabulary and gain the skills you need to become a productive member of the lab. When you first start, you will probably be working with a graduate student or post-doctoral fellow (post-doc) on a project they've already started. Learn everything you can from this person, and ask about anything you don't understand. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't pretend to understand something if you don't know what they're talking about. That only hurts yourself. You'll have to go over some things three or four times before you get it. That's normal. If you want to make progress and learn valuable skills, you must learn things one step at a time.

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