Midtown Marketing Group Inc.

Grant Opportunities

2012-01-28T00:45:00.000-08:00

1. Garden Grant Opportunity from the Whole Kids Foundation. These grants are open to nonprofit school or school districts (public, private or charter – elementary, middle or secondary) and/or a 501(c)(3) organization that is developing or currently maintaining a school garden project that will help children engage with fresh fruits and vegetables. http://www.wholekidsfoundation.org/gardengrants-application.php

2. Childhood Obesity Rapid Response Grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the American Heart Association. Grants will be geared toward activities like grassroots organizaing, coalition building, public opinion research or media relations to influence public policies affecting healthy weight and living among children.
http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@tcs/documents/downloadable/ucm_433609.pdf

3. Scotts Miracle-Gro is accepting applications for the 2012 Grassroots Grants program. Grants of up to $1,500 are awarded to local communities to help bring edible gardens, flower gardens and public green spaces to even more neighborhoods in the United States. The application deadline is February 24, 2012
http://www.thescottsmiraclegrocompany.com/corporateresponsibility/community/gro1000.html

4. The Rolf H. Jensen Memorial Public Education Grant provides a $5,000 grant to one local fire department to support a community-wide fire and life safety education program or campaign. Funded by the RJA Group, the grant is open to any fire dept. (career or volunteer) located in the United States or Canada. The application deadline is February 3, 2012
http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=473&itemID=17871&URL=Training/Scholarships,%20awards,%20grants/For%20public%20educators/Rolf%20H.%20Jensen%20Memorial%20Public%20Education%20Grant&cookie_test=1

5. Classics for Kids Foundation aims to bridge the funding gap and enhance school music programs by providing matching grants for beautiful new stringed instruments.
If your school or non-profit organization believes in the role of fine instruments in your program, and can show evidence of need and commitment to raising matching funds, you are a strong candidate for the Classics for Kids matching grant program.
The next application deadline is March 31, 2012
http://www.classicsforkids.org/grants.html

6. The Safeway Foundation supports nonprofit organizations whose mission is aligned with their four priority areas: Hunger Relief, Education, Health and Human Services, Assisting People with Disabilities. All organizations funded by The Safeway Foundation must serve the community where Safeway operates stores.
The next application deadline is March 31, 2012
http://www.safewayfoundation.org/get-funded/what-we-fund.html

7. The Public Welfare Foundation supports efforts to ensure fundamental rights and opportunities for people in need. They look for carefully defined points where their funds can make a difference in bringing about systemic changes that can improve lives. They focus on three program areas: Criminal and Juvenile Justice, Health Reform and Workers’ Rights. Applications are accepted throughout the year. Applicants should submit letters of inquiry six to eight weeks before proposal deadlines. The next proposal deadline is March 26, 2012.
http://www.publicwelfare.org/ApplyGrant.aspx

8. The Thornton S. Glide, Jr. and Katrina D. Glide Foundation is a perpetual California charitable trust. Its purpose is to provide benefits for qualified organizations committed to animal protection organizations, other land and wildlife conservancy groups, agricultural purposes, preservation of land in its natural state, and opera, symphony, and other similar civic organizations. The foundation has two programs; a regular grant program for funding up to $25,000 and a major grant program for funding up to $50,000 intended for capital expenditures.
The next application deadline is August 15, 2012. http://www.glidefoundation.org/grants/

9. RBC Blue Water Project™ Guidelines & Eligibility.RBC Blue Water Project offers:
Leadership Grants. These grants range from $25,000 to $500,000, are awarded annually and are directed to organizations that are leaders in providing programs in North America and other countries where we do business; and
Community Action Grants. These grants range from $1,000 to $5,000, and focus on local watershed protection. They are available on an on-going basis to local or community organizations in Canada, the United States or the Caribbean.
http://www.rbc.com/community-sustainability/apply-for-funding/guidelines-and-eligibility/blue-water-project.html

10. Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation Toolbox for Education grant program. Through the program, Lowe's will donate a total of $5 million to U.S. public schools and public school parent teacher groups at more than one thousand public schools. http://www.toolboxforeducation.com/

Writer Grants & Money

2012-01-27T23:50:00.000-08:00

BARBARA DEMING MEMORIAL FUND
Susan Pliner, Executive Director
Money for Women/Barbara Deming
Memorial Fund, Inc.
P.O. Box 309, Wilton, NH 03086
---
The Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund awards grants
of up to $1,500 to poets, fiction and nonfiction writers, visual
artists -- as well as for a mixed-genre category (illustration
and text) -- who are feminist women. Application fee is $20.
Two application deadlines each year: December 31 (art and fiction)
and June 30 (nonfiction and poetry). Fund does not maintain email,
phone, or website. To request application materials, write above
address and include SASE.

=====

CREATIVE CAPITAL OPENING UP TO APPLICATIONS
http://creative-capital.org/apply
---
On February 1, 2012, Creative Capital will begin accepting
online Letters of Inquiry for grants in Emerging Fields,
Literature and Performing Arts. To be eligible to apply, an
artist must be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident,
at least 25 years old, a working artist with at least five
years of professional experience, and not a full-time student.
Selected grantees receive up to $50,000 in direct support and
a suite of services valued at more than $40,000. The Inquiry
Form will be open until March 1, 2012.

Happy Birthday Martin Luther King

2012-01-16T07:27:00.000-08:00

Address at March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (Aug 1963)

Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed - we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.

This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!"

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every tenement and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last."

Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech (Dec 1964)

I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive goodwill will proclaim the rule of the land.

Most of these people will never make the headlines and their names will not appear in Who's Who. Yet when years have rolled past and when the blazing light of truth is focused on this marvelous age in which we live -- men and women will know and children will be taught that we have a finer land, a better people, a more noble civilization -- because these humble children of God were willing to suffer for righteousness' sake.

Domain Name Resources

2012-01-05T08:01:00.000-08:00

NameStation
Ajax Whois
Easy Domain Finder
Nameboy.com
domain hacks
domai.nr
Dot-o-mator: Domain and company name ideas generator.
DomainsBot: Domain name search engine.

Call to artists, writers & more

2011-12-14T16:25:00.001-08:00

da Vinci Film Festival issues open call for entries — Entry deadlines are Dec. 10 (regular entry), Jan. 20 (late entry) and Feb. 5 (extended entry). The da Vinci Film Festival is seeking submissions for its 2012 program, to be held during the July 20-22 da Vinci Days in Corvallis. Films will be accepted in the categories of Documentary, Narrative Shorts, Animation, Experimental and Young Filmmakers (middle and high school). Documentary films must be 90 minutes or less. Young Filmmaker entries must be 10 minutes or less, and all other categories must be no longer than 30 minutes. Film submissions are made via Withoutabox (www.withoutabox.com), an online service for film festivals. The festival is especially interested in works that incorporate themes of art and science, but all submitted films will be considered for selection. Winners will be chosen for each of the five categories. In addition, two cash prizes for $150 will go to the best “Emerging Artist” and to the film that best captures the “Spirit of da Vinci.” Information: 541-757-6363 or www.davincidays.org.

CALYX open to electronic submissions — CALYX Journal is now accepting electronic submissions of poetry and prose through Dec. 31. Please submit to www.calyxpress.org/submissions/. Submission guidelines are available at www.calyxpress.org/submission.html. Information: 541-753-9384 or www.calyxpress.org.

Northwest Film Center asks filmmakers: to “Make It Short” — Submission deadline is Jan. 6, 2012. The Northwest Film Festival kicks off its “Make It Short” 40-Second Film Competition, challenging Northwest filmmakers to create outstanding short films in any format — from Super-8 to cell phone videos — the only caveat being that the films must have a running time of 40 seconds or less. Contestants may compete in youth or adult categories. Information: www.nwfilm.org.

Oregon Poetry Association seeks young poets — Entries must be postmarked no later than Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. The Oregon Poetry Association has announced its 14th annual Oregon Student Poetry Contest. All K-12 Oregon students are eligible to enter. Ten winners each in four age categories receive cash prizes ranging from $5 for honorable mentions to $30 for first place. All 40 winning poems will be published in Cascadia: The Oregon Student Poetry Anthology. Each winner will receive a certificate and copy of the anthology. There is no entry fee. Complete guidelines can be found at www.oregonpoets.org or by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Student Contest, P.O. Box 1016, Klamath Falls, OR 97601-1016 or by sending an email to fishtrappe@hughes.net.

Salem Art Fair & Festival accepting online applications — Visual-artist applications for the 63rd annual Salem Art Fair & Festival will be online through Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012, at www.zapplication.org. Other applications, including musical performers, nonprofit food booths, the Kids’ Court and Cultural Corridor, are also available online, at www.salemart.org. The festival will be held July 20-22, 2012, at Bush’s Pasture Park in Salem.

UVAA solitics art, photos for shows — Submission deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012. The Umpqua Valley Arts Association invites artists and photographers to submit to the annual ArtWorks NW and PhotoWorks NW juried art shows and competitions. Applicants may submit up to three entries in all themes, genres, media and photographic processes (ArtWorks NW, however, is not accepting photography), except video. Cost: $30 for up to three entries. All work must be display-ready on arrival. Information: 541-672-2532 or http://uvarts.com/call-to-artists.

Kip Smith Young Writer’s Award now accepting submissions — Deadline is Monday, May 7, 2012. The Kip Smith Young Writer’s Award is open to all high-school seniors in Benton County. Students should submit their best writing in any genre — poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama or translation. The award offers a cash prize of $1,000 and is sponsored by Poetry Enterprises, a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Prior to his death in an Alabama traffic accident, Kip Smith was a 1981 Crescent Valley High School graduate. High school seniors should submit as many samples of writing as desired to show their scope and interests. Entries should be sent to The Kip Smith Young Writer’s Award, Poetry Enterprises, 712 N.W. 13th St., Corvallis, OR 97330.

Reading/Writing Contest for Young Readers — Entry deadline is Friday, Jan. 6, 2012. The Library of Congress announces “Letters About Literature,” a national reading and writing promotion program for readers in grades 4-12, sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in partnership with Target. To enter, readers write a personal letter to the author, explaining how his or her work changed their view of the world or themselves. To obtain the guidelines and required entry form, ask your teacher or librarian, or dowload it from the Letters About Literature website at www.oregon.gov/OSL/LD/youthsvs/aboutlit.shtml.

Travel Oregon seeks appetites for Oregon Bounty Wanderfeast contest — Travel Oregon invites foodies to dig, gather and forage for the Oregon Bounty Wanderfeast, a statewide excursion with 10 of the state’s top chefs as guides. One lucky foodie will win a four-day, three-night Oregon Bounty Wanderfeast. To enter, create an itinerary of your choosing from a variety of Oregon culinary destinations and submit in 25 words or less what makes Oregon the perfect place for a Wanderfeast. A randomly selected winner will have the opportunity to bring three friends or family members on a culinary adventure. The prize includes the chosen itinerary, airfare on Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air and lodging by Best Western. Information: www.traveloregon.com/bounty.

Win a bike trip to Angkor Wat, Cambodia with Bike Beyond Boundaries. Visit Bike Beyond Boundaries Facebook page for details.

Update for the Holidays

2011-11-29T17:31:00.000-08:00

So I am busy like all others but here are some links to published clients:

http://jumpin-beans.blogspot.com/2011/11/we-were-busy-with-perfect-picture.html

http://dsc.discovery.com/adventure/off-roading-gear-guide-the-essential-stuff-to-have-in-your-truck.html

funding database

2011-10-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

So, way back in the beginning of this blog I wrote:

"I know, I know. You are probably thinking finding funds to finance your business venture may come from anybody or anywhere. But I have taken the time, over past 15 years, to create a list of over 4600 funding sources that came from everybody and everywhere." Well, well, well.

We are counting the database and yes, well over 4600. Try 10,000 plus but then again we are still counting. I will keep you posted.

innovation

2011-10-05T23:58:00.000-07:00

Today another innovator left us. Steve Jobs died today. 56 years old and so much to show for his life.

I loved the Stanford speech....http://www.ted.com/talks/steve_jobs_how_to_live_before_you_die.html

September Promo Days

2011-09-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

Eye & Health Safety Month
Read a Book Day September 6
Labor Day September 6
National Suicide Prevention Week September 6
Rosh Hashanah September 9
Patriot Day September 11
William Sydney Porter's - "O. Henry" - Birthday September 11, 1862
Grandparents' Day September 12
Mayflower Day September 16
Mexican Independence Day September 16
U.S. Constitution Signing Day September 17, 1787
Yom Kippur September 18
Autumn Equinox September 23
Native American Day September 24
William Faulkner's Birthday September 25, 1897
Johnny Appleseed's Birthday September 26,1774

PR Internships

2011-09-25T13:02:00.000-07:00

PR Internships and relevant experience matter. It's very rare for one to be able to get hired for a Public Relations job without relevant experience – regardless of your education, spend the time getting actual working experience in the Public Relations field. An internship is a valuable stepping stone – and entrée points to the PR agency world.

Export Assistance...Finance

2011-09-23T09:15:00.000-07:00

One of your first resources for export financing is a visit to your local bank. If you cannot receive the necessary credit for your export activities from your own bank, you should shop around for another bank willing to consider your loan proposal. Generally, a bank that has an international department or one that is active in small business lending will be more receptive than others to your proposal.

Ask your bank for the name of a correspondent bank that provides international financing assistance. In shopping for a bank, however, keep in mind the distinction between international trade services and international trade lending. Some banks have international divisions that offer international trade services, such as advising and negotiating letters of credit, but these divisions do not lend money.

International lenders, on the other hand, have the authority to make loans, as well as provide related services. Be sure to verify that the bank officer with whom you are dealing has the authority to lend for an export transaction or is willing to work with another division that has lending authority.

Before approaching a bank for financial assistance, you should understand the distinction between venture capital and lending. Venture capitalists invest in a business by providing capital in exchange for equity. Venture capitalists expect that, as the business grows, their equity in the business will grow proportionally. Unlike the venture capitalist, the lender does not obtain equity in the enterprise. Lenders simply provide funds to a small business in the form of loans. Lenders make their money on the difference between the rate at which they borrow money and the rate at which they lend to their customers. Lenders, then, are more sensitive to risk; a proposal that looks good to the venture capitalist may not appeal to a lender.

Usually, you should make your financial arrangements well in advance of expected sales. If you wait until you need credit to begin talking to your banker, you'll probably lose the sales.

Assistance Programs:

http://onestepsourcing.com/services-offered/financial-assistance/

http://www.exportassist.com/res_gov_exim.html

http://www.exportassist.com/res_gov_pefco.html

http://www.exportassist.com/res_gov_opic.html

http://www.exportassist.com/res_gov_tda.html

http://www.exportassist.com/res_gov_idb.html

http://www.exportassist.com/res_gov_ida.html

http://www.exportassist.com/res_gov_miga.html

http://www.exportassist.com/res_gov_wbg.html

Export Credit Agencies:

http://www.exportassist.com/res_eca_official.html

Venture NW 2011, Bend's Venture Conference & Seed Oregon Deadline Near

2011-08-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

Deadlines are coming up fast for two competitions sponsored by the Oregon Entrepreneur Network (OEN.) The Seed Oregon PubTalk is a unique opportunity for companies from Oregon and Southwest Washington seeking capital within the range of $100,000 to $2,000,000. In this competition, CEOs of emerging companies learn the rules of the road for effective fundraising and receive coaching from content experts. The first application deadline is Friday August 12.

Central Oregon is gearing up for their annual venture competition October 13-14, and southern Oregon companies are welcome to apply! The competition is targeting $200,000 for its primary investment award, and has added a “concept stage” award that will be worth $5,000 to $10,000 as well. The early bird application deadline is August 12, with an application fee of just $99 that includes a ticket to the event. Learn more and plan your trip to Bend at http://www.bendvc.com

OEN's Venture Northwest is an outstanding networking opportunity for all entrepreneurs and investors. Not only will your application be reviewed by a selection committee filled with investors, but if you are selected, you will be invited to present at the conference, as well as attend the prestigious Intel/Perkins Coie Investor Reception on the eve of the main event. Applications to Venture Northwest are due Friday, September 2. You can learn more and apply via http://www.oen.org/invest.aspx

August Promo Events

2011-08-03T17:37:00.000-07:00

Monthly Events
American Adventures Month
Cataract Awareness Month
Children’s Vision and Learning Month
National Immunization Awareness Month
National Inventors’ Month®
Ramadan
Virgo , The Virgin

Weekly Events
World Breastfeeding Week
Aug 1st - Aug 7th

International Clown Week
Aug 1st - Aug 7th

Assistance Dog Week
Aug 7th - Aug 13th

PGA Championship
Aug 8th - Aug 14th

National Aviation Week
Aug 15th - Aug 21st

Little League Baseball World Series
Aug 19th - Aug 28th

National Safe at Home Week
Aug 22nd - Aug 26th

Be Kind to Humankind Week
Aug 25th - Aug 31st

Daily Events
Girlfriend’s Day
Aug 1st

Canada Civic Holiday
Aug 1st

Respect for Parent’s Day
Aug 1st

Psychic Week
Aug 1st

National Night Out
Aug 2nd

Coast Guard Day
Aug 4th

Sister’s Day®
Aug 7th

SNA: What Major & National Advertisers Wished You Knew
Aug 11th

National Garage Sale Day
Aug 13th

Best Friend’s Day
Aug 15th

National Relaxation Day
Aug 15th

National Aviation Day
Aug 19th

National Men’s Grooming Day
Aug 19th

World Humanitarian Day
Aug 19th

National Homeless Animals Day & Candlelight Vigil
Aug 20th

Poet’s Day
Aug 21st

National Dog Day
Aug 26th

Women's Equality Day
Aug 26th

Identifying Generational Markers

2011-07-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

There is some debate as to the start and end dates of each generation, these are the generally accepted demarcations usually associated with each American age cohort:

•The Silent Generation or Traditionalists (born late-1920s through 1945)

•Baby Boomers (born 1946 through 1964)

•Gen-X (born 1965 through 1980)

•Gen-Y, or Millennials (born 1981 through 1993)

•Gen-Z, or Generation Next (born 1994 through 2004)

Want Your Product Featured on 40 Morning Talk Shows?

2011-07-27T08:16:00.000-07:00

Toys, Strollers, Electronics and Household products! It's a PTPA Media Blitz Alert! PTPA Media (Parent Tested Parent Approved) is on the hunt for the top products for parents and kids for their fall and holiday campaigns. From gadgets and games, clothes and toys and household appliances, PTPA is looking for it all. PTPA is the leading awards company in North America with over 40,000 parent testers. These guys know how to pitch a product. They have been featured on over 40 morning shows.

Submission deadline is August 8th so hurry up and submit here:

http://ptpamedia.com

What is EBITDA?

2011-07-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

If you’re not familiar with the term EBITDA, don’t worry. EBITDA is actually pretty simple – it’s simply defined as – Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization.

With that in mind, you can pre-calculate your historical and projected EBITDA as follows:

+ Net Income (or Loss) from your Income Statement

+ Interest Expense (if any) from your Income Statement

+ Taxes (if any) from your Income Statement

+ Depreciation (if any) from your Income Statement or Cash Flow Statement

+ Amortization from your Income Statement or Cash Flow Statement

10 YouTube Videos Every Entrepreneur Should Watch

2011-06-11T09:31:00.000-07:00

Inc.com compiled a list of videos that every entrepreneur should watch and Business Insider compiled them at:

www.businessinsider.com/10-youtube-videos-that-every-entrepreneur-should-watch-2011-6#developing-the-ceo-within-you-1

Becoming a CEO is all about constantly learning and improving oneself—and later, others—to establish a true role within a company, instead of merely being a placeholder.

I have watched them all and it’s true, these really are videos that Every Entrepreneur Should Watch.

June Promo

2011-06-02T23:02:00.000-07:00

•Accordion Awareness Month, Natl
•Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat Month
•Aphasia Awareness Month, Natl
•Audiobook Awareness Month
•Bathroom Reading Month, Natl
•Camping Month, Natl
•Cancer from the Sun Month
•Candy Month, Natl
•Caribbean-American Heritage Month, Natl
•Child Vision Awareness Month
•Childhood Cancer Campaign Month, Intl
•Children's Awareness Month
•Dairy Alternatives Month
•Effective Communications Month
•Entrepreneurs "Do It Yourself" Marketing Month
•GLBT Book Month, Natl
•Great Outdoors Month
•Iced Tea Month, Natl
•June Dairy Month
•June Is Perennial Gardening Month
•Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month
•Men's Month, Intl
•Pharmacists Declare War on Alcoholism Month
•Professional Wellness Month
•Rebuild Your Life Month
•Rivers Month, Natl
•Rose Month, Natl
•Safety Month, Natl
•Skyscraper Month
•Soul Food Month, Natl
•Sports America Kids Month
•Steakhouse Month, Natl
•Student Safety Month
•Surf Music Month, Intl
•Vision Research Month

Funding a Restaurant Franchise?

2011-05-17T12:59:00.000-07:00

It’s raining and raining. Like the sunshine, good loan opportunities are hard to come by for restaurant franchises or franchisees. Whether the collateral is commercial or residential, the pool of good quality well collateralized, stabilized loan opportunities are small and, along with employment numbers, shrinking. Costs, meanwhile, and the regulatory burden on small businesses are climbing. Tough times to be a banker, not to mention a small business owner. Some have had loans called in by lenders, foreclosed on and others have walked away but the times are a changing. You can negotiate on the restructuring of your loan, and in some cases, buy back the loan at a sharp discount.

According to Tom Mullaney, founding principal with Huntley Mullaney Spargo & Sullivan, Inc. (HMS) specialized in debt restructuring for companies and high-net worth individuals having trouble paying back their lenders:

“If you have the appetite to think about growing again, now is the time to strike. If that great location is at $90,000 this year, it will be at $120,000 next year. Banks make loan loss reserves every quarter, so it’s a good time to go to the bank and buy your loan back because as time goes by and reserves increase, you odds of getting a discounted loan payoff improve. And, if you do it right, you can buy back your debt at a significant discount. Of course, it all depends on the situation—including personal and corporate guarantees. But there are ways of dealing with guarantees. Now is the time to horse trade with a landlord. The landlords need to show their lenders they have signed tenants with lots of lease term. They don’t want their loans called in, either. The window of opportunity will be gone soon.”

Franchisees are the great American story and franchise lenders are more willing to put capital to work in franchising. So here are some options to grow your business:

1) The answer to lackof-credit-access issue without becoming a lender. Franchise
Note Buyers purchases business-backed notes (IOUs) on the secondary market. They allow franchisors to drop the risk of being their franchisee’s lender while also helping buyers and sellers of existing small businesses to finance and cash-out their
resale transaction without requiring a buyer’s bank loan. They specialize in buying franchise-backed notes, but they also buy notes that are secured by non-franchised small businesses.

“We’re spreading the word that deals can get financed without bank loans – transferring some power from the banks back to business owners.” For more information on Franchise Note Buyers, contact Rich Kolman, president, at (855) 362-2274, or by e-mail at rich@franchisenotebuyers.com .

2) First Franchise Capital specializes in lending to the franchised restaurant industry, and works with well-known brands across the country. The company provides financial solutions to help franchisees purchase real estate and equipment, remodel,
finance new construction, acquire existing locations, refinance debt and restructure ownership. For more information, contact Tom Schuldt, president, at 201-326-4007, or at Thomas.Schuldt@firstfcc.com ; or contact Rick Riecker, first vice president, marketing development at (201) 326-4021, or at Richard.Riecker@firstfcc.com.

3) Infinity Franchise Capital will offer conventional financing for experienced
operators in the nation’s top restaurant brands. The firm will offer loans for equipment, real estate, new store development, partnership restructuring, refinancing and remodels from $100,000 to in excess of $20 million. For more information on contact Sharon Soltero at ssoltero@infinityfranchise.com .

4) GE Capital, Franchise Finance is a lender for the franchise finance market via direct sales and portfolio acquisition. With more than 30 years of experience and $14 billion in served assets, they serve more than 5,000 customers and more than 22,000 property locations. For more information, call 866-GET-GEFF (438-4333).

5) Wells Fargo Restaurant Finance provides capital to corporate restaurant brands, multi-unit restaurant franchises, private equity firms and other financial investors in restaurant companies. For more information, contact Becky Brown, managing director, at (858) 756-8422 or by e-mail at becky.d.brown@wellsfargo.com.

6) United Capital Business Lending, which recently acquired the small business lending operations of Butler Capital, is a subsidiary of BankUnited, the largest bank in Florida with $11 billion in assets. The newly formed United Capital Business Lending now brings the prior experience of Butler Capital together with the financial strength of BankUnited. For information on United Capital Business Lending, contact Trey Grimm 866-218-4793.

7) CG Commercial Finance finances equipment for middle and large-ticket deals for larger or multi-unit restaurant companies, both through debt financing and tax leases. For more information on CG Commercial Finance, contact Jon Albin, senior vice president at 949-720-9511 or by e-mail at jon.albin@cgcommercial.com.

8) Guidant Financial is a provider of 401(k) rollovers as business start-ups (ROBS). Guidant’s services allow entrepreneurs to invest their existing IRA or 401(k) funds into a small business or franchise without taking a taxable distribution or getting a loan. Guidant also offers franchisees the option of matching their financing needs with an appropriate lender. For more information on Guidant Financial, contact Jerry Darnell at 888-472-4455, or by e-mail at jerry.darnell@guidantfinancial.com.

9) AEF is an equipment financing and leasing company, operating in multiple locations across the U.S. and headquartered in Warren, NJ. AEF provides same-day approvals for up to $250,000, and specializes in leases and loans ranging from $25,000 to $1.0 million. AEF is an independent commercial finance company specializing in financing to the QSR franchise and retail petroleum industries. For more information on American Equipment Finance, contact Richard A. Baccaro, president, at 800-785-3060, ext. 203 or by e-mail at rbaccaro@aefllc.com.

10) Pinnacle Commercial Capital, founded in 2002, is a commercial finance company that specializes in financing franchisees throughout the U.S. Pinnacle’s clients include multi-unit operators of national and regional restaurant concepts and specialty retail brands, and provides and manages franchisor-sponsored loan programs to assist with franchisee acquisition and conversion initiatives. For more information, contact William Wildman, president, at (317) 472-2828 or by e-mail at ildman@pincomcap.com; or James B. Railing, vice president, at railing@pincomcap.com

11) BoeFly is the online marketplace connecting lenders with business borrowers, secondary market loan buyers and professional service providers. For more information on BoeFly, contact Mike Rozman, executive vice president, at (646) 755-7433, or by e-mail at mrozman@boefly.com.

May Promo Month Ideas

2011-05-17T12:58:00.001-07:00

•Allergy/Asthma Awareness Month, Natl
•Arthritis Awareness Month
•Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
•Awareness of Medical Orphans Month
•Barbecue Month, Natl
•Better Hearing Month, Natl
•Better Hearing and Speech Month
•Bike Month, Natl
•Business Image Improvement Month, Intl
•Civility Awareness Month, Intl
•Creative Beginnings Month
•Ecodriving Month
•Family Wellness Month
•Fibromyalgia Education and Awareness Month
•Freedom Shrine Month
•Get Caught Reading Month
•Gifts From the Garden Month
•Good Car-Keeping Month, Natl
•Haitian Heritage Month
•Hamburger Month, Natl
•Heal the Children Month
•Healthy Vision Month
•Hepatitis Awareness Month, Natl
•Huntington's Disease Awareness Month
•Internal Audit Awareness Month, Intl
•Jewish American Heritage Month
•Latino Books Month
•Meditation Month, Natl
•Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month
•Mental Health Month, Natl
•Military Appreciation Month, Natl
•Motorcycle Safety Month
•Moving Month, Natl
•Older Americans Month
•Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month, Natl
•Personal History Month
•Photo Month, Natl
•Physical Fitness and Sports Month, Natl
•Preservation Month, Natl
•REACT Month
•Revise Your Work Schedule Month
•Salad Month, Natl
•Salsa Month, Natl
•Smile Month, Natl
•Strike Out Strokes Month
•Stroke Awareness Month, Natl
•Sweet Vidalia Onion Month, Natl
•Teen CEO Month
•Tennis Month
•Ultraviolet Awareness Month
•Victorious Woman Month, Intl
•Vinegar Month, Natl
•Women's Health Care Month
•Young Achievers/Leaders of Tomorrow Month

May-June
•Family Month, Natl (May 8-June 19)
•Prepare Tomorrow's Parents Month (May 8-June 10)

Business Loans Aren’t Just About Money

2011-05-13T16:14:00.001-07:00

Getting your business financed isn’t easy by any means. There are several types of loans and several types of financial institutions you can look to for financing.
Here are some options:

SBA 7 (a) loans
As you know, the SBA 7(a) loan guarantee program provides long term financing for small businesses not normally available through conventional commercial lending channels. This program provides the nation’s small business community with manageable long term debt service. Loans can be guaranteed to a maximum amount of $750,000. The originating bank, Credit Company or credit union keeps the non guaranteed portion and services the loan. The guaranteed portion is frequently sold on the secondary market. This is true of the SBA 7A and each of the loan types
discussed below.

Nearly 3,000 lenders have made 7(a) loans last year which is up 21% from 2008. The 7(a) program is the SBA’s largest loan program. The SBA is involved in less than 10% of all small business loans, however, and some banks won’t participate because of red tape. Lenders must follow the SBA’s rules when making 7(a) loans, which can be used for working capital, fixed assets and other business expenses. The term of the loan can be as long as 25 years.

7(a) Loan Program

The 7(a) Loan Program includes financial help for businesses with special requirements. For example, funds are available for loans to businesses that handle exports to foreign countries, businesses that operate in rural areas, and for other very specific purposes.

•Special Purpose Loans Program
http://1.usa.gov/dXysSH

•Express & Pilot Programs
http://www.sba.gov/content/express-pilot-programs

•Export Loan Programs
http://www.sba.gov/content/export-loan-programs

•Rural Business Loans
http://www.sba.gov/content/rural-business-loans

Eligible Use of 7(a) Loan Proceeds Include (Non-Exclusive):

•The purchase land or buildings, to cover new construction as well as expansion or conversion of existing facilities

•The purchase of equipment, machinery, furniture, fixtures, supplies, or materials

•Long-term working capital, including the payment of accounts payable and/or the purchase of inventory

•Short-term working capital needs, including seasonal financing, contract performance, construction financing and export production

•Financing against existing inventory and receivable under special conditions

•The refinancing of existing business indebtedness that is not already structured with reasonable terms and conditions

•To purchase an existing business

Don’t ever forget that getting a loan isn’t just about the money. When you choose to apply for a loan make sure you use a lender with whom you have been saving your money, making mortgage or credit card payments with, writing checks to, or you have a special relationship with. Granted, sometimes this will not be possible because your best bet to obtain financing will be from a specialty lender, but most of the time, it will. But what if you need the money now? This Community Bank can finance nationally. They offer both SBA-guaranteed and conventional financing. They will finance up to $300,000 for FF&E, and up to $10 million for restaurant acquisitions, new build and equipment purchases. For more information on Equity Bank, contact Brad Elliott,CEO/President at 316-858-3106 or by e-mail at belliott@equitybank.com.

Hedge Funds

2011-05-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

To hedge means to minimize risk or insulate oneself. Generally the term 'hedge fund' is used to refer to a type of private investment vehicle that invests all or most of its assets in publicly traded securities and hedges the investors’ risk from market exposure. These investment vehicles are commonly structured as limited partnerships in which the investment manager, or the investment manager's capital management company, acts as the general partner while the investors act as the limited partners. These funds are alternative investment vehicles and are generally available to high net worth individuals and institutional investors. For the investors who make up the fund, there is usually little or no market liquidity. In fact they usually have a minimum lock in period ranging from one to three years.

Hedge funds are broadly defined by their structural characteristics. They are considered to be an asset class that aims in producing absolute (not relative) returns, irrespective of how the markets perform. The best of these funds offer greater diversification, less risk and more stable returns than conventional equity investments moreover some offshore hedge funds can offer plan sponsors a third advantage: tax-free hedge fund investing.

The conventional equity and bond manager’s performance is largely related to the
performance of the underlying markets. On the other hand, performance of hedge funds
depends on the skills of the fund manager, who risk his own as well as his clients’ capital. The manager receives a fee for managing the fund, only if it is productive.

Strategies of Hedge Funds aka Hedgers
Hedgers use the futures market to protect themselves from risk. Similarly the portfolio managers hedge stock fund risk. Commonly, prices in the cash markets have a fundamental relationship to the futures prices. When the forces of demand and supply change the prices in the cash market, the future prices are supposed to move in a parallel fashion. But in reality they do not move.

Hedgers take advantage of this relationship between cash and futures prices. Analysts attempt to classify them into a number of different strategies and sectors, but each set of managers is essentially looking to exploit pricing anomalies through trading, rather than through simply buying and holding of the assets. Hedge fund managers aim to exploit price differentials, remaining market-neutral. Successful funds with good track records make money and prosper, although limits to the size of trades and the need to stay nimble do limit a manager's size.

The size of the hedge fund industry, relative to the markets in which the funds operate, is too small for hedge funds alone to move the market. However, it is
possible that they may move the market because other investors follow their lead.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedge_fund

http://www.barclayhedge.com/research/educational-articles/hedge-fund-strategy-definition/what-is-a-hedge-fund.html

http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/18/news/economy/hedge_fund_liquidations/?postversion=2008121817

http://www.hennesseegroup.com/releases/release20100119.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110304-711526.html (Trillions)

http://www.hedgeworld.com/

http://www.hedgefund.net

Investor Presentation

2011-05-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

Wondering what types of information that could be useful in helping you secure funding? Well, there are numerous different types of investor presentation material that you can use. The kind you select simply depends on your needs. Will you use the business plan to secure funding from a venture capitalist or angel investor? Perhaps you're considering a loan? I suppose it just depends on who you talk to as to who wants what. Some investors want an Investment Overview which is used in conjunction with your Long Version of an Executive Summary aka Business Summary. This is used to not just solicit interest from an investor or venture capital firm (VC) about your investment opportunity, but it gives an investor the facts about your opportunity so it can be quickly qualified and vetted.

The process of looking for money can be lengthy, but by providing the right documentation from the get-go, you will shorten the VC process and get the attention your deal deserves. The following is what I suggest:

Investment Overview aka One Pager following this format:
https://angelsoft.net/pdf/sample_application.pdf

This is probably the single most important document you will send to prospective investors, so ensure it is targeted, concise, complete and accurate, with no mistakes or sloppiness. Develop the Investment Overview last, after you have completed your Business Plan, Executive Summary, and PowerPoint presentation.

A PowerPoint presentation, 12 slides is all you need:
1. Cover Page/Intro
2. Overview
3. Problem
4. Market
5. Team
6. Solution
7. Customers/Revenue Model
8. Go to Market
9. Competition
10. Financials
11. Milestones
12. Summary

Long Version Executive Summary aka Business Summary:
Generally this is detailed, yet it should be brief and concise. Your Business Plan will provide the next levels of detail the Investor or VC requires. Venture Capital firms provide their investment criteria and requirements on their website so that prospective entrepreneurs can provide them the information necessary to determine the deal’s qualifications in view of their investment parameters.

Business Plans
Business plans vary as well. A Business Plan should be over 50 pages and can be upwards of 100+ pages. This is highly dependent on the size, background and complexity of the business, venture or project.

The Business Plan Package is specific to the audience. Be sure to include sections specific to that audience’s requirements and interests. Each Business Plan is packaged and edited for the type of plan and customized for the audience.

Comprehensive Plans are the long ones thus the name. Or you can write a shorter plan sometimes called an Ancillary Plan, typically these are no more than 30 pages with 20-25 pages being the goal. Ancillary Plan brevity forces you to decide what is most important and requirement for the type of plan and the intended audience. Some business plan software templates produce this types of plans.

Going for a bank loan? A basic business plan with an executive summary, market analysis, and three year financials is suitable for bankers. For venture capitalists or angel investors, you may need to expand your financial forecast to five years.

If you fail to grab the attention of the person reading the one pager, executive summary within the first five seconds, it’s quite likely that he or she will stop right there and move on to the next project. So think like a fisherman, you gotta hook'em.

Personal Gifts & Funding a Business

2011-04-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

The Types 5 of Personal Gifts
• Cash (direct to you, paid on your behalf, etc.)
• Discounts (letting you piggyback on a deal…)
• Freebies (free use of something or someone)
• Sweetheart Deals (overpayment, 1st choice…)
• Loan Forgiveness (from debt to gift)

Making Personal Gifts Work
• Gifts always cost time, usually cost aggravation, and sometimes even money
• Gifts work best when leveraged
• Most start‐ups depend on gifts, but don’t notice them
• Restate them as “in‐kind payments” to realize their value
• Get it in writing, e.g. a promissory note, see: www.inc.com/guides/2010/10/how‐to‐write‐a promissorynote.html

A possible source of grants for small businesses is the White House Faith-Based and Community Initiative funding that comes from federal agencies like HUD down through to churches and non-profits, to which you apply for a grant for your business. Do not be misled by the name, the program is for any for-profit or non-profit business that qualifies. You can view the program at http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/fbci/

Investment Styles

2011-04-13T18:18:00.000-07:00

I have a variety of companies that ask me what certain terms mean as it relates to investment styles, thought this may help.

Business Angels
Accredited angel are worth more than $1M
– Professionals, wealthy families, more established
– Think your church, schools, network from work

Everyday angels are people like you
– Friends, family, people in your neighborhood who might be willing to take a chance

Lists of Angel Groups:
http://bit.ly/g7xOqW

Private Equity
The investment focus of a private equity fund is generally on a specific style of investing, largely determined by either the portfolio company’s stage of development or industry focus. A key feature is that investments involve equity ownership in a business, in contrast to loans.

Equity investors generally receive a seat on a company’s board of directors and are involved in management and strategic decision-making. Private equity investment funds can be classified into the following three styles:

Venture Capital
Venture capital invests in companies early in development, ranging from seed
investments designed to develop a concept, to funding complete development of a product, to late stage investing where expanding a firm’s customer base is the investment goal. Venture capital is frequently deployed in technology-oriented companies. This investment strategy carries the highest risk; early stage companies are subject to numerous risk factors, including financial, market, operational, and technology. Venture capital investing can also provide spectacular returns.

Buyout/Corporate Finance
Investments in existing operating businesses make up a large portion of the private equity investment universe. These investments may include helping new owners finance the acquisition of a business (generally as a result of a sale by a corporate parent or a generational change in the ownership of a family business); finance expansion for an existing business, allowing it, for example, to acquire smaller competitors; or to recapitalize a business to provide it greater flexibility to operate. Buyout and growth equity investments frequently involve organizations with substantial
employment and prospects for job growth.

Mezzanine
Mezzanine investments are a form of corporate finance where the investment has
characteristics of both a loan and an equity investment. These investments are at the point in a company’s capital structure between debt and equity (hence the term “mezzanine”). The fundamental difference between private equity investing and investments in public securities is the manager’s participation in the growth and development of the portfolio company. The investment manager’s ability to devise strategy, hire key staff, implement an optimal capital structure, seek new customers, and identify possible acquisitions set private equity apart from passive investments in public securities.

Open call for roundtable interview subject

2011-04-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

Generation X Documentary

Name: Manny Merchan (Feature Documentary)

Email: manmadefilms@me.com

Deadline: 07:00 PM EST - 9 April

Query:

The groundbreaking documentary film, “Xingularity: a film about gen X” (genxfilm.com), is having an open call for roundtable interview subjects. We are looking for both individuals and/or small groups of friends (3-4 people).

All applicants must have been born between 1965 and 1980, and lived a majority of their lives in the United States. For these particular sessions we are only looking for people who live in and around the Los Angeles areas!!!! These experimental interview sessions will take place in one sitting in unique locations around Los Angeles. This unique small-group approach, will deal with a variety of heavy
personal topics of the era including interpretation of historical events, opinion regarding our identity, occupational issues and cultural turning points. Before applying please be aware that we will need for you to incorporate a couple of personal traits.

You must be comfortable expressing unique opinion in front of camera and be willing to delve deep into personal aspects of your life both among friends and strangers. The heart of Generation X lies solely in the attitudes, opinions and honesty of its
members. This experiment is our attempt at effectively deciphering who we are, where we are and why we are. If you feel like you might personally have an opinion to express or think that maybe your small group of GenX friends have a dynamic that
is unique to our age group…please feel free to apply for inclusion in this unique event. How do you apply? You might ask… If you are an individual, email a short description of who you are. (Age, sex, occupation, a summary of your outlook or
angle) What makes you unique or relevant to the birth range. It could be as simple as being an unemployed student, single mom or youth pastor. If you are part of an applying group, give us a sense of the collective dynamic and the individual details of each member. Our email: manmadefilms@me.com

We are all a part of something that is much larger and more powerful than any single one of us. Be a part of our attempt at unlocking this lurid undercurrent. Thank you for your time. Please take a look at the films official website at: www.genxfilm.com

Wanna Go to Beauty School?

2011-04-03T10:37:00.000-07:00

IMMEDIATE CASTING NEW PILOT FOR A MAJOR CABLE NETWORK - THIS WEEK!

Shannon McMahon Lichte (Major Cable Network)

Deadline: 07:00 PM EST - 7 April
Query:

BEAUTY SCHOOL? ALWAYS WANTED TO GO? THIS SHOW MAY BE YOUR FREE
TICKET IN! Casting fun/opinionated characters from around the
country who dream of one day making it HUGE in the beauty
industry! This series will be airing on a prominent cable network
and we're casting young adults, 18 to 25 with strong
personal/family stories who have the drive and passion to REALLY
make it! How to apply: casting happening this week! Email:
CastforReality@Gmail.com the following things to be
considered… 1. Recent photo(s)/facebook link 2. Contact
Information (cell & email) 3. Persona bio & WHY you would be
perfect for this show! 4. If you are really passionate about
changing your life, send us a link to you tube or vimeo with a
video showing us your big personality telling us why beauty
school?

April Promo Days

2011-03-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

April
•African-American Women's Fitness Month, Natl
•Alcohol Awareness Month
•Autism Awareness Month, Natl
•Cancer Control Month
•Car Care Month
•Card and Letter Writing Month, Natl
•Child Abuse Prevention Month, Natl
•Confederate History Month
•Couple Appreciation Month
•Customer Loyalty Month, Intl
•Decorating Month, Natl
•Defeat Diabetes Month
•Donate Life Month, Natl
•Emotional Overeating Awareness Month
•Fresh Florida Tomato Month
•Grange Month
•Holy Humor Month
•Humor Month, Natl
•Informed Woman Month
•Jazz Appreciation Month
•Knuckles Down Month, Natl
•Landscape Architecture Month, Natl
•Month of the Young Child
•Occupational Therapy Month, Natl
•Pecan Month, Natl
•Pet First Aid Awareness Month, Natl
•Pharmacists' War on Diabetes Month
•Physical Wellness Month
•Poetry Month, Natl
•Prevention of Animal Cruelty Month
•Rosacea Awareness Month
•School Library Media Month
•Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, Natl
•Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) Education and Awareness Month, Natl
•Soyfoods Month
•Straw Hat Month
•Stress Awareness Month
•Twit Award Month, Intl
•Women's Eye Health and Safety Month
•Workplace Conflict Awareness Month
•World Habitat Awareness Month
•Youth Sports Safety Month, Natl

Casting Struggling Businesses

2011-03-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

Thought this may interest some of you small biz owners:

Name: Alexis Diamond (Television)

Email: alexisATcastingduoDOTcom

Deadline: 07:00 PM EST - 19 March
Query:
A major cable network is currently casting businesses that are struggling with finances and staff issues and need to turn around their fortunes lest they close their doors forever. Businesses of most types and sizes will be considered, from mom and pop independents to businesses with a larger reach and employee base.

We'll take a look at you all: Tattoo Parlors, bakery/pastry shops, bars, bed and breakfasts, music stores, book stores, flower shops, corner grocery stores, doggie hotels, etc. On the show, businesses will be assisted by a very well known business consultant who will aid in the businesses' recovery. The consultant will identify and tackle all of your businesses' problems, whether that be lack of sales, marketing issues, unruly staff, or communication issues.

If you'd like to know more about the project, or you're interested in having your business appear on the show and bouncing back from the brink, please contact us and we'll take it from there. We welcome nominations as well. This is a new and unique take on an already existing and successful project, and we appreciate your consideration.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/fbh/2240081583.html

March Promo Days

2011-02-28T23:25:00.001-08:00

•Caffeine Awareness Month, Natl
•Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Month, Natl
•Clean Up Your IRS Act Month, Natl
•Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Natl
•Craft Month, Natl
•Credit Education Month
•Employee Spirit Month
•Ethics Awareness Month, Natl
•Expanding Girls' Horizons in Science and Engineering Month
•Eye Donor Month, Natl
•Frozen Food Month, Natl
•Honor Society Awareness Month
•Humorists Are Artists Month
•Ideas Month, Intl
•Irish-American Heritage Month
•Kidney Month, Natl
•Listening Awareness Month, Intl
•Malignant Hyperthermia Awareness and Training Month
•March into Literacy Month, Natl
•Mirth Month, Intl
•Multiple Sclerosis Education and Awareness Month, Natl
•Music in our Schools Month
•Nutrition Month, Natl
•On-Hold Month, Natl
•Optimism Month
•Peanut Month, Natl
•Play-the-Recorder Month
•Poison Prevention Awareness Month
•Red Cross Month
•Save Your Vision Month
•Sing with Your Child Month
•Small Press Month
•Social Work Month, Natl
•Spiritual Wellness Month
•Umbrella Month, Natl
•Women's History Month, Natl
•Workplace Eye Health and Safety Month
•Youth Art Month

PR Lead-Struggling Business?

2011-02-22T23:28:00.000-08:00

Name: Jonathan Tanzman (Bravo)
Category: Business and Finance

Email: query-zig@helpareporter.com

Media Outlet: Bravo

Deadline: 07:00 PM EST - 24 February

Query:

Casting Struggling Businesses for a Major Cable Network Show!
We’re on the hunt for businesses that are in the red, and need
to turn around their fortunes lest they close their doors
forever. We want to help you regain the profits and stature your
business once enjoyed. Businesses of most types and sizes will
be considered, from mom and pop independents to businesses with a
larger reach and employee base. We’ll take a look at you all:
Tattoo Parlors, bakery/pastry shops, gyms, bars, bed and
breakfasts, music stores, book stores, local insurance companies,
real estate companies, etc. On the show, you will be assisted
by a very well known business consultant who will aid you in your
businesses’ recovery. The consultant will identify and tackle
all of your businesses’ problems, whether that be lack of sales,
marketing issues, unruly staff, or miscommunication issues. If
you’d like to know more about the project, or you’re interested
in having your business appear on the show and bouncing back from
the brink, please contact us and we’ll take it from there. This
is a new and unique take on a project, and we appreciate your
consideration.

February Promo Month

2011-02-04T07:08:00.000-08:00

•AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month
•American Heart Month
•Bake for Family Fun Month
•Bird-Feeding Month, Natl
•Black History Month, Natl
•Boost Self-Esteem Month, Intl
•Care about Your Indoor Air Month, Natl
•Cherry Month, Natl
•Children's Dental Health Month, Natl
•Expect Success Month, Intl
•February Is Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month
•Library Lovers' Month
•Marfan Syndrome Awareness Month
•Mend a Broken Heart Month, Natl
•Parent Leadership Month, Natl
•Pet Dental Health Month, Natl
•Plant the Seeds of Greatness Month
•Pull Your Sofa Off of the Wall Month
•Relationship Wellness Month
•Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month
•Spunky Old Broads Month
•Time Management Month, Natl
•Weddings Month, Natl
•Wise Health Care Consumer Month
•Worldwide Renaissance of the Heart Month
•Youth Leadership Month

Won't you take me on a sea cruise/ Oo-ee, oo-ee baby

2011-02-01T09:37:00.000-08:00

Passenger Lecturer:

Princess Cruise Line provides an opportunity for interested passengers with confirmed reservations to deliver a presentation to passengers. Interested passengers should have proven public speaking experience and credible knowledge in their topic. All presentations must be accompanied by a PowerPoint slideshow. Passenger lecturers must provide their own laptop computer for this purpose. Presentation offerings must be pre-approved by Princess’ shore side operations.

Submit a brief resume, proposed presentation titles and description to:

Manager Enrichment Programs
Princess Cruises
24844 Avenue Rockefeller
Santa Clarita, CA 91355-1283
rsmolkin@princesscruises.com

Mobile Marketing & Mobile App Development for Authors

2011-01-27T09:39:00.000-08:00

You can do a lot more with your mobile phone than just talk and text. With thousands of apps for Android and BlackBerry smartphones, and even basic mobile phones.

Innovative platform is a simple & inexpensive way for any author to build and manage their own app. Why do you need an iPhone and Android app? To sell your books, promote your tour, share resources with readers, and to engage your fans on a personal level. Sound good? http://mobileroadie.com/authors

App Inventor for Android: http://appinventor.googlelabs.com/about - Step by step instruction to create apps for Android phones.

Book Marketing Network mobile website: www.thebookmarketingnetwork.com/m - Access this social network with 6,000 book authors via your cellphone.

DotMobi: http://mtld.mobi - Provides tips & resources for designing & testing websites designed for use w/cellphones & web-ready mobile phones.

iPhone Stimulator: http://iphone4simulator.com - To see how your mobile website or app will work on an iPhone (from your home computer), simply go to iphone4simulator.com or, better yet, simply add your mobile website URL to the end of the .com. Easy to use, and very effective.

Mobi Ready: http://ready.mobi/launch.jsp?locale=en_EN - This website offers a free report that scores your mobile website (1 to 5). Provides an in-depth analysis of pages to determine how well your site performs on a mobile device.

GREEN BUILDING WRITER

2011-01-14T13:08:00.000-08:00

www.greatgreencareers.com/career/26543/Green-Building-Writer-Various

Green Education Foundation (GEF) is seeking experienced and
talented science writers to complete online text resource for
a national 11th/12th grade hybrid online course in green building.
GEF is launching its Green Building Course in partnership with
the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council) and in alignment with
its LEED certification process. Write content for virtual text,
which integrates a focus on green building and is aligned with
the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council) guidelines. Revise and
edit previously developed content to meet standards outlined by
project manager. GEF is currently seeking writers who have the
knowledge and expertise to focus on the following areas:

Materials and Resources
Sustainable Sites and Landscape
Environmental Quality

Important Dates in February

2011-01-14T09:49:00.002-08:00

February 1 — National Baked Alaska Day
February 1 - Robinson Crusoe Day
February 1 — Serpent Day
February 1 - Women's Heart Health Day
February 2 - Bonza Bottler (2-2) Day
February 2 - Groundhog Job Shadow Day
February 2 — Home-Baked California Kiwi Fruit Day
February 2 - Brew Hog Day
February 2 - National Heavenly Hash Day
February 3 - Dump Your Significant Jerk Day
February 3 — National Carrot Cake Day
February 3 — National Men's Grooming Day
February 4 - African American Coaches Day
February 4 — Create a Vacuum Day
February 4 - National Girls & Women in Sports Day
February 4 — National Stuffed Mushroom Day
February 5 — Disaster Day
February 5 - More Hollywood & Broadway to Lebanon, PA Day
February 5 - Weatherman's (Weatherperson's) Day
February 5 - National Chocolate Fondue Day
February 6 — National Frozen Yogurt Day
February 6 - Pay A Compliment Day
February 6 - Wear Red Day
February 7 — Charles Dickens Day
February 7 — Love Your Robot Day
February 7 — National Fettuccine Alfredo Day
February 7 - Wave All Your Fingers at Your Neighbor's Day
February 8 - Boy Scout Anniversary Day
February 8 — Kite Flying Day
February 8 - Laugh and Get Rich Day
February 8 - Man Day
February 8 - World Marriage Day
February 8 - National Molasses Bar Day
February 9 — National Bagels and Lox Day
February 9 - National DAV (Develop Alternative Vices) Day
February 9 — Toothache Day
February 10 - Leadership Success Day
February 10 - Plimsoll Day
February 10 — Umbrella Day
February 10 - National Cream Cheese Brownie Day
February 11 - Be Electrific Day
February 11 — Don't Cry Over Spilt Milk Day
February 11 — National Inventor's Day
February 11 - National Shut-in Visitation Day
February 11 - Satisfied Staying Single Day
February 11 — White T-Shirt Day
February 11 - National Peppermint Patty Day
February 12 - Darwin Day
February 12 — Home-Baked Pancake Day
February 12 - National Lost Penny Day
February 12 — National Plum Pudding Day
February 12 - Oglethorpe Day
February 13 - Black Love Day
February 13 - Get A Different Name Day
February 13 - Blame Someone Else Day
February 13 - International Skeptics Day
February 13 — National Tortini Day
February 14 - Congential Heart Defect Awareness Day
February 14 - Ferris Wheel Day
February 14 - National Have A Heart Day
February 14 - Pre- Will Hayes Movie Day
February 14 - Quirky Alone Day
February 14 - Race Relations Day
February 14 - Romance & Remembrance Day
February 14 - National Cream Filled Chocolates Day
February 15 — National Gum Drop Day
February 15 — National Sea Monkey Day
February 15 - Susan B Anthony Day
February 16 — Do a Grouch a Favor Day
February 16 — National Almond Day
February 17 — Championship Crab Races Day
February 17 - My Way Day
February 17 — What Shall I Be? Day
February 17 - World Human Spirit Day
February 17 - National Cafe Au Lait Day
February 18 — National Battery Day
February 18 — National Crab Stuffed Flounder Day
February 19 — National Chocolate Mint Day
February 20 — Harry Potter Day
February 20 — National Cherry Pie Day
February 20 - Northen Hemisphere Hoodie Hoo Day
February 21 - International Mother Language Day
February 21 — National Sticky Bun Day
February 22 — Be Humble Day
February 22 - For the Love of Mike Day
February 22 - Joe Cain Procession Day
February 22 - National Margarita Day
February 23 - Curling is Cool Day
February 23 — International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day
February 23 — National Banana Bread Day
February 24 - International Pancake Day
February 24 — National Tortilla Chip Day
February 24 - Paczki Day
February 24 - Spay Day USA
February 24 - National Chocolate Covered Peanuts Day
February 26 - For Pete's Sake Day
February 26 - Introduce A Girl to Engineering Day
February 26 — National "For Pete's Sake" Day
February 26 — National Pistachio Day
February 27 — International Pancake Day
February 27 — International Polar Bear Day
February 27 - National Kahlua Day
February 28 - Floral Design Day
February 28 — International Floral Design Day
February 28 — Public Sleeping Day
February 28 - National Chocolate Souffle Day
February 29 - Bachelor's Day
February 29 - National Surf and Turf Day

Weekly Dates to Remember

February 1-7 - International Coaching Week
February 1-7 - Publicity for Profit Week
February 1-7 - Willie Covan Loved to Dance Week
February 1-7 - Women's Heart Week
February 1-7 - Children's Authors and Illustrators Week
February 1-7 - Get Paid to Shop Week
February 1-7 - International Personal and Business Coaching Week
February 1-7 - National Consumer Protection Week
February 2-6 - National School Counseling Week
February 6 -14 - Sitter School Week
February 7-8 - Corvette Days
February 8-14 - Boy Scout Anniversary Week
February 8-14 - Cardiac Rehabilitation Week
February 8-14 - International Table Manners Week
February 8-14 - Jell-O Week
February 8-14 - National Family, Career & Community Leaders of America Week
February 9-15 - Celebration of Love Week
February 9-15 - International Flirting Week
February 9-15 - Freelance Writers Appreciation Week
February 13-15 - "Braveheart" Scotts Days
February 14-21- National Condom Awareness Week
February 15-21 - Build A Better Trade Show Image Week
February 15-21 - Heart Failure Awareness Week
February 16-22 - Live to Give Week
February 22-28 - International Friendship Week
February 22-28 - National Pancake Week
February 22-29 - National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
February 22-29 - National Engineers Week
February 21-28 - National FFA Week
February 17-23 - Nostalgia Week
February 21-23 - Second Honeymoon Weekend
February 29 - March 6 - Telecommuter Appreciation Week

January Monthly Observances:

2011-01-14T09:49:00.001-08:00

Book Blitz Month
Bath Safety Month
Birth Defects Month
California Dried Plum Digestive Month
Celebration of Life Month
Cervical Cancer Screening Month
Financial Wellness Month
International Change Your Stars Month
International Creativity Month
International Quality of Life Month
International Wayfinding Month
International Wealth Mentality Month
National Be On-Purpose Month
National Bird Feeding Month
National Clean Up Your Computer Month
National Get Organized Month
National Glaucoma Awareness Month
National Hot Tea Month
National Mail Order Gardening Month
National Mentoring Month
National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month
National Poverty in America Awareness Month
National Radon Action Month
National Skating Month
National Soup Month
National Volunteer Blood Donor Month
Oatmeal Month
Rising Star Month
Self-help Group Awareness Month
Shape Up US Month
Thyroid Awareness Month

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T11:31:00.000-08:00

One of my heroes is Teddy Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, a creative writer and a great man of letters and of action. Here is one of his famous quote for the new year:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

So let’s make 2011 a great year. Here are 4 starters:

1 - Be open to change as it is a constant as is your competition's resistance to it is probable.

2- Think BIG because BIG ideas have more potential but can be trimmed, small ones don't lend themselves to growth,

3 – Think WILD and Outside -the-Box otherwise you'll never get a BIG idea

4 - Don't talk about it ... do it!

Parenting Resources Competition

2010-12-21T22:13:00.000-08:00

The National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) is accepting entries for its Parenting Resources Competition from now through Jan. 20, 2011. Gold winners will be highlighted in more than 30 regional parenting publications on June 1. Early submissions will be featured in "Entry of the Week" departments on Parenthood.com. There's a fee for entry. Entry forms are available on the website.
http://nappaawards.parenthood.com/enter_nappa.php

Direct queries to NAPPA manager: Barbara Smith Decker 617-284-1413 barbara.decker@parenthood.com.

Children's Products
Products that kids use
Toys: Deadline: June 30

Games Deadline: June 30

Music Deadline: July 15

DVDs Deadline July 30

Storytelling, Audio Books & Spoken-Word Recordings: Deadline August 10

Software, Video Games & Web Sites Deadline August 10

Books & Magazines Deadline August 10

Parenting Resources
Enter now! Deadline: January 20, 2011

Parenting product categories include:

Pregnancy & Childbirth

Breastfeeding

Baby Gear & Accessories

Health & Skin Care

Nutrition & Fitness

Childproofing & Safety

Academic Skill-Building Tools for Kids

Special Needs

Parenting Books, DVDs & Websites

Family Organization

Time-Saving Gadgets

Want stand-alone iPad app for your book?

2010-11-29T23:11:00.000-08:00

Electric Publisher will create an iPad app for you:

Book app with the following features are available: easy navigation, hyperlinked Table of Contents to any chapter, progress bar and page numbers, hyperlinked footnotes, font size changes, bookmarks, margin notes, highlights, videos, audios, newsfeeds from your blog or Twitter, discussion boards, text messages to fans - all this for $600.

Want an iPad book app that allows you to add additional books to the app, the cost is $300 for each new book.

For more information, go to http://www.electricpublisher.com or email: info@electricpublisher.com.

November Promo Days

2010-11-04T19:59:00.001-07:00

November: American Diabetes Month
November: Aviation History Month
November: Epilepsy Awareness Month
November: Family Stories Month
November: Lung Cancer Awareness Month
November: National Adoption Month
November: National AIDS Awareness Month
November: National Alzheimer's Disease Month
November: National American Indian Heritage Month
November: National Family Caregivers Month
November: National Healthy Skin Month
November: National Hospice Month
November: Peanut Butter Lover’s Month
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
November 1st - 7th: National Fig Week
November 1st: National Author’s Day
November 1st: National Family Literacy Day
November 1st: Mexico - Day of the Dead
November 1st: Sadie Hawkin's Day
November 2nd - 8th: Notary Public Week
November 2nd: All Souls Day
November 2nd: Daniel Boone's Birthday (1734)
November 3rd: Birthday of the 4th Earl of Sandwich (1718) / Sandwich Day
November 4th: General Election Day
November 4th: Will Rogers' birthday (1879)
November 5th: Guy Fawkes Day
November 7th: Notary Public Day
November 8th - 14th: Pursuit of Happiness Week
November 11th: Remembrance Day - Canada
November 11th: Veteran's Day
November 13th: World Kindness Day
November 14th: Claude Monet's Birthday (1840)
November 15th: America Recycles Day
November 16th - 22nd: American Education Week
November 16th - 22nd: National Geography Awareness Week
November 16th: UN International Day for Tolerance
November 17th - 23rd: Children’s Book Week
November 17th: Homemade Bread Day
November 19th: Anniversary of the Gettysburg Address (1863)
November 19th: National Educational Support Personnel Day
November 20th: National Great American Smokeout.
November 20th: UN Universal Children's Day
November 21st - 27th: National Farm-City Week
November 22nd: Start of Sagittarius astrological sign
November 23rd - 29th: National Adoption Week
November 23rd - 29th: National Family Week
November 23rd: Bible Sunday
November 25th: UN International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women
November 27th: Thanksgiving Day
November 30th: Computer Security Day

iPhone/iPad apps developer

2010-10-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

KadaMedia is an iPhone/iPad game developer who has started partnering with authors to bring games to market that compliment a recent or upcoming book release.

The app costs 99 cents and includes a link to buy the book at iBooks. Kadamedia can create apps for as little as $1,000 up to $10,000 for more complex apps.

For more information, http://www.kadamedia.com.

Real Estate Book Reviews

2010-10-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

Lambert Munz of Expert Landlord Resources is looking for more real estate books to review. His book reviews are posted on Amazon.com, Google, and his own site at

www.expert-landlord-resources.com.

His reviews are based on his 45 years as a real estate broker, developer, and property manager.

Send review copies to Lambert Munz, 777 Campus Commons Road #200, Sacramento CA 95825

Email: propertymanager@arbourpm.com for additional details.

eBooks?

2010-10-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

Borders is publishing ebooks and making them available for sale! For just $89 you get the software to turn your manuscript into an e-book and you also get an ISBN number (which generally costs more than $89). Sounds like a great deal.

According to 14 large publishers who report to AAP's monthly sales estimates, ebook sales jumped 172.4% in August 2010 to almost $39 million in sales. Ebook sales for the entire year (Jan to Aug) were up 192.9% to $263 million (that's 9% of trade sales).

Real Estate Investment Clubs

2010-10-07T10:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.creonline.com/real-estate-clubs/or.html

Financing for Assisted Living Facilities 4 Seniors

2010-10-07T09:59:00.000-07:00

HERBERT J. SIMS & CO.
=====================

"Herbert J. Sims & Co. is a 70 year old investment banking firm and
fixed income financial services brokerage headquartered in Southport,
Connecticut with eight locations nationwide. It has over 40 years of
experience in financing senior living facilities and has underwritten
over $9 billion in projects throughout the United States. HJ Sims is
recognized as one of the leading experts in underwriting financing for
the senior living industry."
http://www.herbertjsims.com/

Contact Form
http://www.hjsims.com/contact_hjsims.html

3530 Post Road
Southport, Connecticut 06890-1169
Call us toll-free 1-800-HJS-1935

DOUGHERTY & COMPANY LLC.
========================

"Through a separate affiliate, Dougherty Funding LLC, the firm
provides a broad range of commercial finance products to real estate
developers and corporations."
http://www.doughertymarkets.com/03_ibs/02_commercial.html

* Health Care (senior housing, assisted living, and health clinics)

Contact:
612.376.4000
800.328.4000
http://www.doughertymarkets.com/04_contact/index.html

CIT GROUP INC.
===============

"We are your source for nursing home loans and assisted living
facility loans. As one of the nation's largest providers of Small
Business Administration (SBA) loans, we understand the financing needs
of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. That is why we lend
millions of dollars annually to help fuel the growth of elder care
centers around the nation."
https://www.smallbizlending.com/contactus/main.asp

More about Healthcare financing (long-term care facilities)
http://www.cit.com/main/financial-solutions/corporate-finance/healthcare/default.htm

The management team of CIT Healthcare has over 100 years of healthcare
finance experience. To speak to one of our healthcare experts, please
contact us at healthcare@cit.com or 800-547-7026.
http://www.cit.com/main/financial-solutions/corporate-finance/healthcare/contact-us.htm

MERCANTILE COMMERCIAL CAPITAL
==============================

Only MCC offers Smarter Financing for Assisted Living Facilities
(ALFs) Nationwide with Advantages like:

* A third to half as much equity down with up to 90% loan-to-cost
financing -- allows you to keep more of your capital to do with it
what you want.
* Lower monthly payments with longer, fixed-rate terms -- minimizes
the impact on cash flow and controls real estate expenses.
* Own commercial property faster and easier - get 24 hour
Pre-Approvals, 3 day Commitments and Closings to meet your deadlines
with Simplicity from Specialists.
* Highest cash-on-cash return financing available in the commercial
mortgage market. GUARANTEED.

Toll Free: 1.866.622.4504
http://www.504experts.com/assisted-living-facility-loans.asp?gclid=CKOI0LzvjokCFQloYAodcEdK7g

DOMINION HEALTHCARE FINANCIAL
==============================
http://www.dominfin.com/assisted_living_facility_loans.html

"Healthcare real estate financing for assisted living facility loans?
We specialize in it. You have connected to the premier nationwide
healthcare mortgage lender providing healthcare real estate loans of
$1,000,000 and up for * Assisted living facilities

Contact
http://www.dominfin.com/contact_us.html

Please feel free to contact a representative at 1-800-477-3012.
From within California, call 1-310-477-3041.

ZIEGLER SENIOR LIVING FINANCE
==============================

Ziegler has achieved a unique position within the nonprofit senior
living finance industry due to our ability to implement financing
solutions that incorporate a variety of financial tools. Our firm has
cultivated a combination of products and services that accommodates
the most complex financings for virtually every type of nonprofit
senior living provider.
http://www.zieglerseniorlivingfinance.com/display/router.aspx?docid=1770

Contacts
http://www.zieglerseniorlivingfinance.com/display/router.aspx?docid=1770

WAINWRIGHT BANK & TRUST COMPANY
=================================

As a leading socially progressive bank, Wainwright has committed over
$500 million in community development loans for projects addressing
issues such as affordable housing, special needs housing, hunger,
homelessness, environmental protection, health services, and more. In
fact, Wainwright is one of the few banks in the country to have a team
of lenders exclusively dedicated to community development lending. If
you are a nonprofit or a developer who wants to work with an
experienced, dedicated lender for your next project, contact Pam
Feingold at 1-888-444-BANK (2265) or email
pcfeingold@wainwrightbank.com.
http://www.wainwrightbank.com/html/business/loans.html

See "Ruggles Affordable Assisted Living Development."
http://www.fhlbboston.com/communitydevelopment/profiles/ruggles/member.jsp

PACIFIC MORTGAGE FUNDING
=========================

Pacific Mortgage Funding provides conventional, and FHA commercial
lending all over the United States on loan requests for assisted
living facility loans, skilled nursing loans, congregate care loans
and acute care hospital loans. Proposed new construction loans or
substantial rehabilitation loans of skilled nursing, assisted living
and other specialty care facilities.
http://www.pacificmortgage.com/loan/e_loan.php?PHPSESSID=606b8a037472f5e47d4ad5c9af885def

Call or E-mail Us For a Free Commercial Real Estate Mortgage Loan Evaluation

12631 E. Imperial Hwy.,
Suite C-107 Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
Office: 562.864.4006
Fax: 562.864.4003
info@PacificMortgage.com

VINE STREET FINANCIAL
=======================
"Creating a wonderful place to live for those who need assisted living
and Alzheimer?s care requires a lot of experience and attention. At
Vine Street Financial, a division of Branch Banking and Trust Company,
we are specialists in financing assisted living and Alzheimer?s care
facilities."
http://www.vstfinancial.com/vst/assisted_living/default.asp

For more information about Vine Street Financial:

Call 1-800-758-0038 and ask to speak to a loan officer.
E-mail: SKASHDAN@BBANDT.COM

CAMBRIDGE REALTY CAPITAL
========================
"The First and Last Call in Senior Housing and Healthcare Financing!
Privately owned since its founding in 1983 as a real estate investment
banker specializing in commercial real estate properties, Cambridge
today ranks as one of the nation?s leading Senior Housing / Healthcare
lenders. The company has closed more than 275 transactions totaling
$1.75 billion since the 1990s."
http://www.cambridgecap.com/

Chicage, Il
Tel: 312-357-1601
Fax 312-357-1611
info@cambridgecap.com

PECK SHAFFER
==============
http://www.peck-shaffer.com/home.php

Assisted Living Facilities

Experienced attorneys. Peck Shaffer attorneys have been involved in
tax-exempt of financing assisted living facilities (ALFs) since the
beginnning of the development of such facilities.

We understand the financing structures. Peck, Shaffer attorneys have
structured ALF financings as qualified residential rental housing
issues under Section 142(d) of the Internal Revenue Code with
for-profit owners and as qualified 501(c)(3) issues under Section 145
of the Internal Revenue Code for owners that are 501(c)(3)
organizations. We have been involved in both single facility and
multiple facility financings. We help guide the transaction. In
guiding the transaction to its conclusion, we often help coordinate
the activities of the borrower, borrower?s counsel, a third party
developer, feasibility consultants, credit enhancers and their
counsel, the underwriter, and underwriter?s counsel. We understand
the needs of the various parties to the transaction to conclude the
financing as quickly as practical.
http://www.peck-shaffer.com/services.php?SectionID=14&subSectionID=36

Contact: http://www.peck-shaffer.com/contact.php
PRESTON GATES ELLIS LLP
========================
Preston Gates & Ellis LLP represents a wide variety of insurance
companies and financial institutions in documenting and closing their
lending transactions. In addition, we assist corporate, governmental
and individual borrowers in obtaining secured and unsecured, real
estate and non-real estate loans. Our financing experience includes
conventional secured real estate loans, conduit loans, UCC and non-UCC
personal property secured loans, unsecured loans, foreign currency
indexing, equity participations, guaranties, leasehold financing,
shared appreciation loans, off-balance sheet credits, securitized
asset lending and quasi-public bond financing. We also represent
clients in negotiating commercial loan workouts and restructurings as
well as judicial and non-judicial foreclosures, with respect to real
estate and UCC collateral and other collateral and receiverships. With
our Bankruptcy Practice Group, we represent lenders and borrowers in
pre-bankruptcy planning and bankruptcy proceedings.

Examples of our recent transactions include:

* Represent developer in obtaining financing for multiple assisted
living facilities
http://www.prestongates.com/practices/practice.asp?practiceID=221&parentPracticeID=134&showPage=detail

Contact:
http://www.prestongates.com/firmProfile/contactUs.asp

GUARANTY BANK
=============
Offers construction loans to developers and operators of assisted
living, independent living, Alzheimer's facilities, and medical office
facilities located on large hospital campuses.
http://www.bank.guarantygroup.com/corporate/lending/realestate.asp

Contact
http://www.bank.guarantygroup.com/resources/contactus/default.asp

RED CAPITAL GROUP
=================
Red Mortgage Capital, Inc., the mortgage lending arm of integrated
capital provider RED CAPITAL GROUP, recently provided FHA mortgage
financing for an existing skilled nursing and assisted living care
facility located in Northbridge, Massachusetts.

RED CAPITAL GROUP provides debt and equity capital to multifamily
housing, seniors housing, and other real estate projects and is
Multi-Housing News' 2003 Capital Choice award winner in the categories
of tax credits, bond financing and Fannie Mae loans, and Apartment
Finance Today's 2003 Reader's Choice award winner in the categories of
FHA loans and bond financing.
http://www.redcapitalgroup.com/News/2004/2004-042.htm

Contact
http://www.redcapitalgroup.com/Contact/default.htm
GE HEALTHCARE FINANCIAL SERVICES
=================================
At GE Healthcare Financial Services we understand the challenges
senior care operators and investors face. Our commitment to this
industry spans more than 10 years and $1 billion in funded assets.
We offer a wide variety of products. So whether you need a fixed or
floating rate first mortgage structured as interim or permanent debt,
a senior secured revolver, construction lending or an equity
partnership, GE Healthcare Financial Services can help.
http://www.gehealthcarefinancial.com/YourBusiness/LandingPages/GE_SeniorCareProviders.asp

Success Stories
http://www.gehealthcarefinancial.com/SuccessStories/YourBusiness/GE_Story_SeniorCareProviders.asp

Contact
http://www.gehealthcarefinancial.com/GE_ContactUs.asp

ROCKPORT MORTGAGE CORPORATION
=============================
Assisted Living: Rockport Mortgage has completed more HUD financed
facilities than any other mortgage company in New England.
http://www.rockportmortgage.com/ps/assisted/index.html

Vice President, joined Rockport Mortgage Corporation in 1999. Chip
specializes in the financing of healthcare facilities including
skilled and intermediate level nursing homes, assisted living
facilities, and other senior housing for both profit-motivated and
non-profit owners and operators. Chip participates in all phases of
loan origination and loan processing.
http://www.rockportmortgage.com/about/people.html

Contact:
Rockport Mortgage Corporation
17 Rogers Street 3rd Floor
Gloucester, MA 01930
Tel: (978) 283.9208
Fax: (978) 283.1957
E-mail:info@rockportmortgage.com
http://www.rockportmortgage.com/email.html

RURAL DEVELOPMENT/RURAL HOUSING SERVICE (RD)
==============================================
U.S. Department of Agriculture
4949 Kirshling Court
Stevens Point, Wisconsin 54481
Phone: 715-345-7620 or 715-345-7600
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov

Rural Development Community Facilities loan and limited grant funds
can be used to construct, enlarge, or improve community facilities.
Assisted living facilities are eligible projects for the Community
Facilities program. Eligible applicants must be Public Bodies,
Nonprofit Corporations, Indian Tribes, Associations or Cooperatives.
The project must be located in a rural area or town of not more than
20,000 people.

Great plotmap for startups looking for money

2010-10-05T14:50:00.001-07:00

http://tinyurl.com/39mjvwt

Exporting?

2010-10-03T12:55:00.000-07:00

Going global is a big step for many companies who are only familiar with their domestic market. It is important for the health of your business to really know why you want to export. On average, it takes about a three-year commitment to establish a presence in a foreign market. This will require the resources of people and finances during this developmental period. Checking the feasibility of the venture is an obvious exercise before you go global.

You may want to examine whether your interest in exporting is market driven, or
product/service driven. Here’s the difference...a market driven entry would look at what the foreign market wants, and how you will fulfill that need. A product/service driven entry would be, here’s what my company offers, now let’s find sales in a foreign country. The common link is that both require feasibility and a lot of resource planning.

Preparing an export plan is a fundamental first step in any export strategy and will help structure your decision-making throughout the entire export process. Developing a simple, practical and flexible plan will help you focus your activities to ensure you achieve defined outcomes.

The purpose of developing an export plan is to assemble facts, constraints, and goals into a comprehensive action statement. A good plan will lay out what needs to be done, a timeframe for completing it, and allow for marking each milestone in order to measure success.

http://www.unzco.com/basicguide/table2.html
A sample outline of an export plan.

http://www.wiuec.org/workshops/IntTrade/indexImport.html
This website provides questions you may want to ask yourself as you develop a plan to expand into the global market.

http://www.freebizplan.org/export-plan.htm
A more instructive guide to developing an export plan. Includes templates for outlining strengths, weaknesses, goals, etc.

http://www.smallbusinessnotes.com/
Information and resources for small business owners. Contains many useful resources when developing an international trade plan.

http://strategy.sauder.ubc.ca/antweiler/baim500/exportplan.html
The University of British Columbia provides a plan that you may find valuable as a beginning exporter.

http://www.buyusa.gov/northbay/
Getting started exporting

Remember that good market research allows an exporter to have confidence in the market they plan to enter. Targeting the correct consumer base and exporting the right product could make all the difference in your export experience.

Market research should always begin by researching previous studies of markets as well as other information available on the internet or in libraries. It is far less resource-intensive than primary research and can be conducted in a more timely manner. Secondary research will most likely have been collected for a reason other than your own, so it is benefi¬cial to gather from a variety of sources.

http://www.sba.gov/idc/groups/public/documents/sba_program_o_ce/oit_bitg3rd_wb.pdf
An international marketing plan workbook that asks important questions and covers many important topics such as setting goals and de¬ning your strategy.

http://fita.org/
Federation of International Trade Association’s website an excellent source for international trade leads and events. It also links to thousands of international trade related websites.

http://www.census.gov
Government website covers research on regional business profiles and statistics,
demographics and geography.

http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/press.html
Reports about exporting from the United States as well as useful statistics.

http://www.uschamber.com/default.htm
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce provides a start for secondary research.

http://www.buyusainfo.net/adsearch.cfm?search_type=int&loadnav=no
The Market Research Library; select your industry and this tool will pull articles and research that may be of use.

http://www.americaneconomicalert.org/news_home.asp
The American Economic Alert provides recent news from around the world that could affect your export business.

http://www.citd.org/Booklets/index.cfm
Center for International Trade Development’s resource guide to finding the best market for your product.

Perhaps the most common method of payment, a Letter of Credit (L/C) is a letter from a bank guaranteeing that a buyer's payment to a seller will be received on time and for the correct amount. In the event that the buyer is unable to make payment on the purchase, the bank will be required to cover the full or remaining amount of the purchase.

Understanding a Letter of Credit
http://www.crfonline.org/orc/cro/cro-9-1.html

Who Is Linking to You? Do You Know?

2010-09-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

Search engines determine the importance of your site by finding out who is linking to you. If a trusted library, college, municipality, government, high ranking business or organization links to your site, you are going to have an easier time finding your desired rankings. The alternative is to get several personal websites, blogs and forums to link to your website you to get the attention of the search engine that other people (or sites) find your site important.

There are several directories that you can include your site in that can be helpful but they should only play a part in your linking strategy. Human edited directories are the most desired like Yahoo Directory and DMOZ as they have the size and scope that search engines trust. Logic being, if they trust your site, then I do to. There are many directories that allow you to input your site information automatically which can be helpful.

If you can post and keep a link on Wikipedia it can be helpful to capture traffic but the weight of page rank will not follow because Wikipedia blocks that aspect of it with No Follow tags on their links. Requesting links from private and public website can be a good strategy as many webmasters like to have the most complete listing of a certain topic.

Getting natural links from a wide variety of pages is extremely important and failure to do so will impede you in your goals. Search engines can store the date that new links are discovered. From that they can determine when an artificial link campaign has occurred. People the buy links for their domain are sure to be discovered and penalized by the search engines. The only way to benefit from incoming links is to have people want to naturally link to your site. Of course you can send people emails making them aware of your site, but do it steadily and over a long period of time.

Blue Backlinks: http://www.bluebacklinks.com - A great website for checking what websites are linking to your website. You can also use it to see who is linking to your competitors, websites you might want to create a relationship with, or websites targeting the customers you want to reach. Websites that link to your competitors are great places to start creating relationships for your website, books, or authors.

Here Wiki, Wiki, Wiki

2010-09-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

We have all heard the term two heads are better than one. This day and age we use the term collaboration which means to work with another or others on a joint project. Collaboration is all the rage among corporate executives these days, one such collaborative device is a wiki.

A wiki can allow people on different continents to work together, or it can improve the efficiency of a multi-person office. It's all because wikis encourage collaboration. Wikis, first popularized by Wikipedia, are interactive Web sites that allow multiple writers and editors to produce and distribute content collaboratively. Wiki software automatically tracks revisions and changes, providing a convenient audit trail, and (if necessary) the ability to revert back to previous versions. While Wikipedia may be the best known example, wikis are not only becoming the first place people turn when conducting online research, but also when they're looking to build specialist online communities. Ward Cunningham, the man behind the very first wiki, described it as "the simplest online database that could possibly work."

A better description would be a wiki is the simplest collaborative content management system that could possibly work. Now that we know what a wiki is, the question becomes why should anyone use them? What are the benefits? The biggest and most obvious benefit is that wikis are a great source of free information. While not every wiki is free to use, most of the ones found on the web do not charge any money. And, because they are the collaborative work of many different people, they often contain a lot of good information. In many ways, the rise of the wiki has turned the Internet into an easy-to-use library of reference material. But finding a list with all the wikis to search, now there’s a task.

Data Wiki: http://datawiki.googlelabs.com - This service allows you to create a wiki based on structured data. Most wikis are currently based on unstructured data. I haven't tested this service yet, but it seems to offer the possibility of creating a database that you can create, edit, and share (and allow other users to edit and add to). I think that might be a great way to present structured data, like a listing of book printers, a series of recipes, etc. It's not clear right now, though, how you could monetize that content.

Article Submission Sites

2010-09-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

If your marketing strategy includes posting press releases on PR posting sites, you may want to also post articles on Article posting sites. There are many places where you can post your articles and pull in all sorts of good traffic. Just like press release posting increases your SEO so does Article posting which translates to giving your site a search engine rank boost. Most people think article marketing is just about getting links. They couldn’t be any more WRONG! Article marketing is about getting your messages (in the form of articles) out to as many prospects as possible in as many ways as possible.

No longer can you submit an article to thousands of article directories and expect the traffic to come pouring in! Whether you're just starting out in article marketing, or you already run an article marketing campaign, you have to learn how it should be done in today's world if you want it to succeed. Over the last couple of years, article marketing and article submission has evolved into a tactical marketing strategy that must be executed properly in order to realize it's full potential.

Below are some article submission sites. These sites will accept, within certain parameters, an article on any topic you want to write on. While others only want business related topics.

Some don't have any particular theme to them, but generally attract a lot of traffic and have high search engine rankings (both good things for you).

1. ezinearticles.com
2. articlesbase.com
3. suite101.com
4. buzzle.com
5. helium.com
6. goarticles.com
7. articlesnatch.com!
8. articlealley.com
9. articledashboard.com
10. selfgrowth.com/articles.html
11. bukisa.com
12. ideamarketers.com
13. amazines.com
14. isnare.com
15. searchwarp.com
16. articlecity.com
17. infobarrel.com
18. sooperarticles.com
19. articleclick.com
20. articlerich.com
21. articlecube.com
22. a1articles.com
23. articlestars.com
24. submityourarticle.com/articles/
25. abcarticledirectory.com
26. web-source.net
27. articlecompilation.com
28. articlesfactory.com
29. articlepool.com
30. EvanCarmichael.com
31. site-reference.com
32. articleslash.net
33. upublish.info
34. acmearticles.com
35. e-articles.info
36. articlenexus.com
37. thewhir.com/find/articlecentral
38. articlesalley.com
39. 990m.com
40. fourpxarticles.com
41. articlecell.com
42. articlebliss.com
43. 365articles.com
44. articlewarehouse.com
45. articlemonkeys.com!
46. articles.everyquery.com
47. thecontentcorner.com 3
48. affsphere.com
49. articlewheel.com
50. goarticles.com
51. biznik.com/articles

Once you write an article for one of these sites, submitting it to the others is pretty easy. They require, for the most part, the same information and have you fill in the same fields.

Contemporary Photography Call for Submissions

2010-08-25T21:14:00.000-07:00

Call for Submissions / Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography / Artists and Curators / Toronto, ON / Deadline Date: Thursday, September 30, 2010

Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography is a non-profit artist-run centre committed to the advancement of photographic art. We encourage the submission of exhibition proposals from emerging, mid-career and established artists and curators who are innovative in their use of materials and approach to subject matter. Gallery 44 views photography within the larger context of contemporary artistic practices and relevant cultural issues in today's society.

Submission Guidelines
Please submit the following:

1. A maximum of twenty slides or digital images (CD must be readable on MAC OSX) representing a recent body of work or a specific project. Digital images should be: RGB, jpeg format no larger than 1024 x 768 pixels at 300 dpi. They should be numbered 01 to 20 (01_tree, 02_house, 03_car etc.) Gallery 44 does not accept original artwork.
2. An image list indicating title, year, medium and dimensions.
3. An artist's statement, curatorial statement, or other written description.
4. A physical description of the proposed exhibition, including the number of works, the space required and any unusual installation requirements.
5. A curriculum vitae, resume or biography of the artist(s) and/or curator (including all artists if it is a curated exhibition).
6. A self-addressed envelope (SASE) with sufficient return postage. Without an SASE we will not return submission packages and will dispose of submission materials appropriately.

Gallery 44 welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with other arts and community organizations. Please contact us to discuss your project.

Gallery 44 will take reasonable care with submission materials; however, we cannot accept responsibility for damage or loss to original photographic prints. Gallery 44 does not accept submissions by fax or email.

Late submissions will not be accepted. Submissions must be postmarked by the deadline. Please clearly label your envelope with the call that you are applying for. Artists are paid in accordance with the CARFAC Fee Schedule.

Please see Submissions on http://www.gallery44.org for a floor plan of the gallery and further information.

Contact for submissions:
Alice Dixon, Exhibition Coordinator
alice@gallery44.org | 416.979.3941

Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography
401 Richmond Street West, Suite #120
Toronto, ONM5V 3A8

Oregon Book Awards Submission Deadline

2010-08-19T20:29:00.000-07:00

Important Date! Oregon Book Awards Submission Deadline Is Fast Approaching.

OBA Deadline Date Applications for the 2010 Oregon Book Awards must be received by 5 pm on Friday, August 27, 2010.

For submission guidelines click here!

The Oregon Book Awards honor outstanding books by Oregon authors.

The finalists for the 2010/11 Oregon Book Awards will be announced in early 2011 and the winners will be announced at the 2010/11 Oregon Book Awards ceremony, to be held in the spring of 2011.

Awards are presented in the following genres: Poetry, Fiction, General Nonfiction, Creative Nonfiction, Children's Literature, Young Adult Literature and Drama.

For more information contact Susan Denning at susan@literary-arts.org or by phone at 503-227-2583.

Attention Native American artists and craftspeople

2010-08-19T10:37:00.000-07:00

President Obama has signed into law legislation that promotes economic opportunities for Native American artists and craftspeople and protects consumers from fraudulent art and craftwork. The Indian Arts and Crafts Amendments Act and Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 increases economic development and job opportunities for Native Americans who produce and market authentic Indian art and craftwork while cracking down on counterfeit marketers who are hurting sales of this authentic Indian work. The law helps tribal leaders combat violence and increase safety on Indian reservations by providing law enforcement resources. The total market for American Indian and Alaska Native arts and crafts in the United States is estimated at a billion dollars, with an unknown but substantial amount of those sales going to misrepresented, non-authentic works.

The new law also strengthens the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, which makes it illegal to sell or offer or display for sale any art or craft product in a manner that falsely suggests it is Indian-produced, an Indian product, or the product of a particular Indian Tribe.

The Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), a federal agency under the Department of the Interior, administers and enforces the Indian Arts and Crafts Act. Before this new legislation was enacted, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was the only federal law enforcement agency with statutory authority to investigate alleged Indian Arts and Crafts Act violations. Under the new law, the IACB may refer potential Act violations for investigation to all federal law enforcement officers, including those from Department of the Interior bureaus, and can work with federal law enforcement officers who uncover violations of the Act in the course of their regular duties.
In addition, the new legislation strengthens the penalties for violations of the Act by imposing harsher penalties on those involved in more significant sales of arts and crafts misrepresented as Indian-made. For fraudulent works with a total sales transaction amount of $1,000 or more, a first-time violation by an individual will result in a fine of up to $250,000, imprisonment of up to five years, or both. A first-time violation by a business will result in a fine of up to $1 million.
For smaller cases with first-time violators, if the total sale amount is less than $1,000, an individual will face a fine of up to $25,000, imprisonment of up to a year, or both, and a business will face a fine of up to $100,000. In the case of a subsequent violation, regardless of the amount for which any item is offered or displayed for sale, or sold, an individual could be fined, imprisoned for up to 15 years, or both; and a business could be fined up to $5 million.

Established by Congress in 1935, the IACB promotes authentic Native American art and craftwork of members of federally recognized Tribes, as well as to implementing the Indian Arts and Crafts Act. For more information, see www.iacb.doi.gov

Spiders, Robots, Oh My!

2010-08-09T05:08:00.000-07:00

Search engines find your web site using little programs called "robots" or "spiders" that search the internet for new content. These are busy little guys, continually scouring the internet for the latest and greatest information. If you know how to cater to them you'll get your site noticed by search engines.

First and foremost there's one concept that you cannot go wrong with:

The more human-friendly your site is, the more search engine friendly it will be.

It's sort of a simple----search engine spiders are trying to look at each web site they encounter as if they were human. If something is good or helpful for a human visitor, a search engine will give you a better rank. Here's what I mean:

Humans like fresh content. Human visitors like new content to read. You wouldn’t like reading the same article every month in your favorite magazine, would you? If you put new pages and text on your web site on a regular basis, people will come to your site more often to read it.

Likewise, the more often you update and add new content the more often search engines will search your site and index your new content. If you post new stories on your blog a couple times a week, Google might visit your site once a week to see what is new and add it to their search results. Google will visit larger sites (like, for example, CNN.com) several times a day because the web site is updated continually throughout the day.

So, to get your web site visited regularly by a spider, you want to update your site as often as possible. If you stop adding new content for 6 six months, a spider will act like a human visitor would---they'll visit less and less frequently until they stop visiting completely.

Making content accessible:

Humans like to be able to find new content. If you create a new page and you put a link from your home page to that new page, it's easy for people to find the new page. Whereas if you put a new page on your site but you don't link to it, human visitors can't find that page.

Spiders find content by following links too. Once you've got a new page on your site, you want to make sure there is a link to the new content so a spider can find it.

One thing you can do to make sure search engines visit all the important pages on your site is create a site map. A site map is simply a list of links to each of the important pages on your site.

A search engine that finds this link will quickly gain access to all the pages on the web site. The spider can just go down the list. A site map is also helpful for your human visitors. If someone cannot find the information they are looking for, a quick visit to the site map can point them in the right direction.

Outgoing links:

If you're giving a human visitor useful information, you would probably link to other resources around the internet that would also be useful for your visitors to visit. If you have a lot of content, it's expected that it will include links that leave your site. Without outgoing links you become a stagnant dead in the water website---links go in but they don't go out. Since links to other resources off of your site are helpful to humans, search engine spiders want to see them on your site.

For more information on this, you may want to visit these links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitemaps

http://webthang.org/downloads/RobotsReferenceWorksheet.pdf

http://www.barkerenterprisesinc.com/uploads/Spiders_-_CEM_08.09.pdf

http://www.epdfsearch.com/en/pdf/SEO+Tips-3.html

One of my buyers is looking for the following:

2010-07-15T13:11:00.000-07:00

Composters – both countertop and larger outdoor units

Planter/Table/Cooler

Benches and Gliders

Gazebos and Canopies

Outdoor Rugs (not mats)

Butterfly Houses & Butterfly Bathes & Ladybug Feeders

Birdhouses/Birdfeeders

Rain Barrels

Kneeler/Garden Seat

Garden Scoots

Eco-Friendly Garden Products

Pest Control

Instant Greenhouses

Solar Products that “do something” during the day

Outdoor Storage

Outdoor “Fire” items

Let me know if you have anyone with products in any of these categories.

Thanks,

Foreward Reviews: 2010 Book of the Year Awards

2010-07-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

ForeWord Reviews is now accepting entries for the 2010 Book of the Year Awards. This time-honored book award celebrates the independent spirit; it's open to independently published books which have been or will be released in 2010.

ForeWord Reviews' Book of the Year Awards program was established to bring increased attention to librarians and booksellers of the literary and graphic achievements of independent publishers and their authors. ForeWord is the only review trade journal devoted exclusively to books from independent houses.

The deadline to enter is January 15, 2011. To enter and find out more about the award categories, eligibility guidelines, and judging criteria, visit: www.forewordreviews.com.

If your books expand a reader's world, introduce a voice society needs to hear, offer practical knowledge where none existed before, or simply entertain so compellingly that all distractions fall away, they should be submitted for the Book of the Year Awards!

Event calendar listings

2010-07-09T12:07:00.000-07:00

Are you holding an event, gig, class, group meeting or seminar? One of the easiest, and possibly most overlooked, ways to get free publicity is through calendar listings. Despite checking the local paper and other neighborhood news forums when looking for activities to do, many people do not utilize the calendar sections when it comes time to promoting their own event.

There are a number of places where you can submit calendar listings, depending on your business and your community. Larger city newspapers are dwindling and less inclined to print something in the paper if it’s not a big event, but online locations are a great place to get the word out. Neighbors want to support their local businesses and people are always looking for fun things to do.

Some locations to consider posting your event:

Local radio station, local newspaper website, local television website
Craigslist Community section
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
http://taweet.com
Tourism & Visitor Associations websites
School District Websites
Local fraternal organization websites
http://www.localwineevents.com/submit/an_event/
http://www.artfaircalendar.com
http://www.meetup.com/
http://eventful.com/

What goes into a calendar listing?

You want to include the following items:

Who: Your company or the name of your event

What: Self-explanatory, but basically, what is your event? Is this an anniversary? A sale? A seminar? A gig? A grand opening? A class? Philanthropic tie-ins should also be noted.

Where: Provide the address and note any needed parking information. If you are hard to find you might want to put a map link into your verbage.

When: Day and time

How: Do people need to purchase tickets in advance? How much are they? Is there a website?

Be sure you include your own contact information so journalists or attendees can get in touch with you for any follow-up questions.

Do you know your real Google rankings?

2010-07-05T15:23:00.000-07:00

When you search Google for the rankings of your websites for
keywords, you might not be seeing the same rankings as other users.
Why? Because Google uses your previous searches to rank websites
you often visit (such as your own websites). The sites you visit can
often rank higher for you than for other users.

How can you find out what others see? Easy. Use Scroogles scraper.
This website searches Google without using your search history or
computer's unique address. That ensures that the search is clean
and more accurate than a search done simply from your computer.

To use Scroogle, go to: http://www.scroogle.org/cgi-bin/scraper.htm

Syndicating Your Feeds

2010-07-05T15:21:00.000-07:00

If you want to syndicate your blog or parts of your website so people
can subscribe to your feed (to get regular updates), here are a few
services you could use.

Note: Feedburner is the service used by many major websites, but it does cost some money. The other feed services list below offer a free version (and charge for upgrades or more capabilities).

http://feedburner.google.com
http://www.feedcat.net
http://www.feedity.com
http://www.rapidfeeds.com
http://www.postrank.com

Media Angles

2010-06-18T17:44:00.000-07:00

July Monthly Observances

Air-Conditioning Appreciation Days (7/3 to 8/15)
Bereaved Parents Month
Bioterrorism/Disaster Education & Awareness Month
Blueberries Month
Cell Phone Courtesy Month
Dog Days (7/3 to 8/11)
Family Reunion Month
Family Golf Month Link
Freedom From Fear of Speaking Month
Hemochromatosis Screening Awareness Month
Herbal/Prescription Awareness Month
International Blondie and Deborah Harry Month
International Group B Strep Awareness Month
International Women with Alopecia Month
International Zine Month
National Black Family Month
National Child-Centered Divorce Month
National "Doghouse Repairs" Month
National Grilling Month
National Ice Cream Month
National Horseradish Month
National Hot Dog Month
National Make A Difference to Children Month
National Recreation & Parks Month
National Share A Sunset With Your Lover Month
National Wheelchair Beautification Month
Sandwich Generation Month
Smart Irrigation Month
Social Wellness Month
Tour de France Month (3-25)
Women's Motorcycle Month

July Weekly Observances

National Unassisted Homebirth Week: 1-7
Freedom Week: 4-10 Link
Be Nice To New Jersey Week: 4-10
Nude Recreation Weekend: 5-11
International Chicken Wing Week: 10-12
Sports Cliché Week: 11-17
National Farriers Week: 11-17
National Parenting Gifted Children Week: 12-18
Rabbit Week: 15-21
National Ventriloquism Week: 16-19
Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) Education & Awareness Week: 18-25
Captive Nations Week: 18-24
National Independent Retailers Week: 18-24

www.brownielocks.com/july.html

Sorry for inactivity

2010-06-18T14:58:00.000-07:00

I've been horse and banished to the barn with whatever is going around. Will catach up soon.

Product Reviews/New Product Releases are Your Best Sales Tools

2010-05-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

Most of us read reviews of movies, books, games and CDs before making a purchase decision. Well, it’s often the same with other products too. With so many choices in every product category, we generally look for critical reviews of a class of products to help guide our decision making.

Find the trade publications, consumer magazines/newspapers, web sites and our social media networks that publish product reviews on a regular basis. If you have a tech product, contact the publication’s test labs or other staffers to find out if and when they’re evaluating your type of product. As them what the evaluation procedure is that they follow. If all goes well, you’ll get some kind of “Editor’s Choice,” or “Top Pick” ranking in the published review, which, believe me, looks just great in article reprints, in sales collateral, on your web site – and, yes, as the subject of a news release.

But be aware that you can’t control or influence the evaluation process or results. They do have editorial integrity. So while a rave review can do wonders for your sales, a negative ranking can have just the opposite effect. Take a “warts and all” look at your product’s overall strengths and weaknesses before going forward with a product review.

In consumer publications we call these reviewers new product release editors or gift guide editors. And bloggers must come clean on product reviews. FTC regulations on blogger payola and freebies went into effect on Dec. 1, 2009. Bloggers, Twitterers and others who write online reviews or endorse products using new media must disclose when they receive free merchandise or payment for writing about an item. This is a controversial subject. Fueling the controversy over the new guidelines is the fact that mainstream media, such as newspapers and magazines, are exempt. But in an age of media transparency, bloggers must play fair if they want the public’s respect.

Pet product?

2010-04-30T00:09:00.000-07:00

Did you know you still may have lots of PR opportunities in 2010?

• Oct. issue of the Griffin Report is covering the Pet Aisle
• Oct. issue of Private Label Magazine is featuring pet care
• July/Aug issue of Web MD Magazine is on Pet Health
• Oct issue of Women’s Day is on Pets
• Sept. issue of Coastal Living Magazine is covering Pet Products & pampering
• July issue of VMSD is on Pet Care
• SheKnows October is featuring Perfectly Pampered Pets in their Living section
• May 2 – “Be Kind to Animals Week/National Pet Week”

Christmas Time is Here!

2010-04-29T23:56:00.000-07:00

Public Relations specialists know that Christmas can provide a bonanza of media coverage. Every media outlet, it seems is cranking out a special edition on gifts for the winter holidays. So, Christmas is the time to get ink for your product.

For many of these opportunities you need to be thinking at least six months out so that your product or service finds its way into the special sections. Magazines like BH&G or Woman's Day have long lead times, while newspapers, tv and radio have deadlines a few weeks from the holiday. And don't forget trade magazines that reach your wholesale customers. Electronic media typically will work closer to the actual holiday date. Another avenue to consider is syndicated columnists, who also have shorter lead times.

A great way to get coverage is to suggest a story idea into which your product or service fits. Think about the users as well as the use for your offering, and think about the publication and what their readers like. Best bet is to look at their editorial calendar.

So it is about to be May and 6 months is November and that’s when lots of Christmas gift sections shop up in publications. Best get going.

Getting Picked Up By the Media

2010-04-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

Do you have a great idea for a story? Or a great product that solves problems? But no clue how to get it in the news? Are you tired of pitching press releases the news media simply ignores? Writing attention-getting releases isn't about lying, but about putting a creative twist on the truth.

So, here are seven steps to increase your chances of getting covered:

1) BE TO THE POINT
The press gets tons of pitches, press releases, news releases, article submissions; they do not have time to read all of it. Writing a pitch is short and sweet.

2) BE DIFFERENT OR CONTROVERSIAL
Out-of-the ordinary is what they seek. If you are not out of the ordinary find a way to make it so. Research via Google News and see what is going on in the world as it relates to your pitch and tie it in. Tips from the experts on how to....you name it they like it.

3) WELL WRITTEN
It must be well-written, moving, funny, and dramatic, with no spelling or grammar errors.

4) WRITE LIKE A REPORTER
You read. What kinds of things have caught your eye to read further? Write the kind of headline that a magazine or newspaper would run. And be conversational so that a TV anchor could read it right on the air. Why is this so important? Newsrooms get hundreds of press releases every day. Often the decision on whether to cover your story is made in a matter of seconds. If you do the work for them, they will pick you and not the other guy.

5) CHOOSE THE RIGHT REPORTER
Make sure it is a topic that Reporter writes about. Read previous articles they have written. Perhaps the most common mistake you can make is trying to sell a good story to the wrong person. Most reporters have a specialty, like "fashion" or "food." Seek out the reporter who will have the most to benefit from your story. Start studying the news. Before you call a TV station or try and pitch the paper, become familiar with a reporter's work. Don't try and sell an investigative story to a reporter who covers books.

6) BE VISUAL OR…
Reporters tell stories with pictures. If the pictures aren't there, chances are the reporters won't be either. Even the most non-visual story can be made visual if you're creative. Don’t send an attachment though, be sure to embed a link to the image or share the website. Print reporters want photographs and online/TV reporters want video and radio, well they want audio.

7) WAIT FOR A SLOW NEWS DAY
The holidays are the slowest "news times" of the year. When government offices and banks are closed, news slows down. So take advantage of it. Check this site for those holidays: http://www.opm.gov/Operating_Status_Schedules/fedhol/2010.asp

If the government isn't making news, reporters are scrambling to find something to cover. Pitch even an average story on a day when the media is starving for news, and you're much more likely to get coverage.

But if it is not a slow news day, be different, visual, and pitch it to the right person.

Free Places to List Your eBook

2010-04-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

EBOOK SUBMIT
www.ebooksubmit.com/

FREE EBOOKS
www.free-ebooks.net/submissionForm.php

E LIBRARY
www.e-library.net/add.html

EBOOK 88
www.ebook88.com/submit.html

EBOOK PUBLISHING TOOLS
www.ebook-publishing-tools.com/ebook_promotion.html

INDUSTRIEBOOKS
www.industriebooks.com/

EBOOK JUNGLE
www.ebookjungle.com/submit.php

EBOOK BROADCAST
www.ebookbroadcast.com/submit.html

GET FREE EBOOKS
www.getfreeebooks.com/?page_id=81

EBOOK DIRECTORY
www.ebookdirectory.com

EBOOK ZONE
www.e-book-zone.com/e_submit.html

EBOOK ENGINE
www.ebook-engine.com/free_submit_url.html

FREE EBOOKS DOWNLOAD
www.free-ebooks-download.org/submit-ebook.php

FREEBYTE
www.freebyte.com/free_ebooks/

EBOOK GALLERY
www.ebookgallery.com/submit-ebooks.htm

EBOOK LEADS
www.ebookleads.com/submit-ebooks.html

FREE EBOOKS
www.free-ebooks.net/

TRIPOD
WWW.members.tripod.com/ebooks_for_everyone/submit-your-ebook-site.htm

EBOOK MALL
www.ebookmall-publishing.com/ebook-sales/ebook-sales-form.htm

ROCKET DOWNLOAD
www.rocketdownload.com/products/free-ebook-submission.html

DIESEL EBOOKS
www.diesel-ebooks.com/cgi-bin/item/parent-9780425223680/Submission-eBook.html

FREE EBOOKS
www.free-ebooks.net/submissionForm.php

VIRTUAL EBOOKS
www.virtual-ebooks.com/subsites.htm

FreeOnlineNovels.com

This is a popular web site run by author Jennifer Armstrong. She
provides links to ebooks in all categories, with one simple requirement: The ebook must be free. http://freeonlinenovels.com/submissions.html

This great site is operated by Mark Gladding in Australia. It lists both free and paid books. You’ll find submission guidelines here:
http://www.ebooksjustpublished.com/authors/

Online Novels Online
Novels at http://onlinenovels.blogspot.com/ provides an attractive
directory specializing in free books.

Submissions link: http://onlinenovels.blogspot.com/2008/10/submissionsandbrokenlinks_
02.html

Getfreeebooks An attractive directory of free ebooks. The operators ask that you carefully follow their submission guidelines, outlined here: http://www.getfreeebooks.com/?page_id=81

Finding Free Ebooks

This popular site lists free ebooks, and also will list books that carry a price if you provide them a timelimited coupon code. You’ll find submission instructions at
the home page http://findingfreeebooks.blogspot.com/

How Do I Get a Barcode

2010-04-15T19:37:00.001-07:00

I just got off the phone with a referral asking me how to get a barcode. So here is what I know:

An organization called the Uniform Code Council assigns the numbers – see http://www.uc-council.org/ – it will cost $75 to get a number assigned. Once a number is assigned, THEN you can order the actual bar codes as a stick-on item, or have the code printed directly on your product by your printer.

Press Release Distribution Options

2010-04-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

My previous post came from a site called HR Marketer and they have lots of cool info to share. Here's some more info to know:

The simple task of Sending out a press release is not so simple anymore. Making sense of your press release distribution options is becoming increasingly difficult because there are so many product choices, with new ones emerging monthly and existing ones adding features regularly. This article walks companies through best practices in news distribution.

http://tinyurl.com/y2572bj

Social Media Marketing

2010-04-14T20:54:00.001-07:00

I search the web often for potential information to post to Twitter and then on this blog. Here's one I thought would be of benefit. Even though they are talking about Human Resources, there is plenty of great info to know.

Here's a quote from the HR Marketer site:

Social media marketing is all about combining the power of online marketing and social networking so that HR suppliers converse openly with their buying universe about their firm – good, bad and all in between. Social media marketing uses social networking services as a means of doing just that. This eBook outlines the importance of participating in social media marketing that will definitely come back to HR suppliers in the form of familiarity, trust, thought leadership and credibility with their customers, prospects and influencers. Another powerful way to generate publicity, traffic and leads.

http://tinyurl.com/yg2rtoq

PR Lead for Inventors

2010-04-14T20:41:00.000-07:00

Summary: Radio show looking for successful inventors & expert resources for inventors

Name: Terry Morris

Email: terry@gotinvention.com

Title: Program Director

Media Outlet: Got Invention Radio

Specific Geographic Region: N

Region: US

Query:
New radio show specifically geared towards inventors is looking for future
guests to be featured on the show and tell about their journey to success
or if you provide resources for inventors we would like to hear from you.

Don't Write the Words, You'll Kill Yourself.

2010-02-28T13:05:00.000-08:00

Remember that commercial, "Don't take the car, you'll kill yourself" That is true of writing your own press releases. Last night I had another conversation with a business owner asking about press releases. I will shed some light, as many have before me, to the question that plaques small business owners everywhere. How do I do it? If you have a story to tell, or want to make people aware of your event or fundraising activities, know about your addition to urban sprawl, launching a new product or want to talk about an existing product line or just want the press you deserve; you should let your local media know by sending them a press release. There are other ways to get found in your hometown online. Check this out:
http://tinyurl.com/yb9wgl4

Sending the local media your press release still holds true but we have more items to consider. When a term is entered into the search engines, the results often seem arbitrary, random, or just don't match what you are looking for. SEO Press Releases are the way to get your website into that top ranking, and listed on the first page of the search engines. Search engine optimization, (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is growing at an alarming rate, predicted to be a $13 billion dollar industry in 2010. Combine this with the introduction of new SEO technologies including social media, blogs, and user generated distribution it is critical that your business looks at the resources a PR Specialist can bring.

Many businesses want to write the release themselves. Big mistake! Someone with professional level writing skills and ample public relations experience will probably be your best bet for writing a press release that meets industry standards. Although small business owners often write and distribute their own press releases, it goes without saying that they may know their business but not the PR business. You should strongly consider hiring a professional. PR Specialists are usually proficient writers, will be privy to current best practices and updated journalist formatting preferences. Although it may seem cliché to say, press release writing truly is an art, and journalists are beyond savvy when it comes to deciphering a newsworthy piece of information from a fluffy, sorry excuse for a press release. Not only is it insulting to them when you waste their precious time by tooting your own horn about nothing special, but what's worse...it makes you look bad. In addition, they know where to distribute it utilizing the catch phrases of today such as SEO and social media marketing. For us PR is easy, for you the small business it may not be. Why not ensure success and hire the professional? But maybe you are saying I can’t afford it.

If that is the case, the following may help. If you really want to understand what goes in to writing a great press release, and to find out if the information you are sending is up to par, ask yourself these 5 simple questions:

Is your press release:

1. Attention Getting
The first question you should ask yourself before you even dive into writing a press release. Is it newsworthy? Don’t know what is newsworthy? There are no pat answers. But some general guidelines exist. Below are several characteristics that can make information newsworthy. The more of these characteristics a piece of information has, the more newsworthy the information is.

• information has impact if it affects a lot of people

• information has timeliness if it happened recently

• information has prominence if it involves a well-known person or organization

• information has proximity if it involves something happened somewhere nearby

• information has conflict if it involves some kind of disagreement between two or more people.

• information has weirdness if it involves something unusual or strange

• information has currency if it is related to some general topic a lot of people are already talking about

2. Do your homework! We all have homework. Remember writing a paper when you were in school? How you didn't cite any of your sources? Needless to say, journalists are much like teachers: they want to see that you've done your homework and that you have a thorough understanding of the topic on which you are writing. No, you don't need actual citations in your press release, but you should definitely be prepared to answer in depth questions if the situation presents itself.

3. A timely press release is the first cousin of a researched press release. That is to say, a press release that is relevant to current events or cutting edge technology is more likely to get noticed. Remember, it is important to be aware of trends in your particular industry so that you can seize opportunities to create the news!

4. The golden rule still applies: Tell the Truth
Ask yourself: is the press release written in simple, concise, factual language void of industry jargon and buzz terms? Can I get my point across in an understandable manner in less than 400 words?

5. Media Ready
A reporter or editor should be able to take the information from your press release and plop it into any medium without having to correct bad grammar, or call to get specifics on what the heck you are trying to say. The key is to make the journalist's job as simple as possible. If you master this, then your chances of getting press placement will increase exponentially.

You can either adapt to an industry press release template like this:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact:
Contact Person
Company Name
Telephone Number
Email Address
Web site address
Headline
City, State, Date — Opening Paragraph (should contain: who, what, when, where, why):
Remainder of body text – Should include any relevant information to your products or services. Include benefits, why your product or service is unique. Also include quotes from staff members, industry experts or satisfied customers.
If there is more than 1 page use:
-more-

(The top of the next page):
Abbreviated headline (page 2)
Remainder of text.
(Restate Contact information after your last paragraph):
For additional information or a sample copy, Contact: (all Contact information)
Summarize product or service specifications one last time
Company History (try to do this in one short paragraph)
# # #
(indicates Press Release is finished)

Or develop your own by following some tips:
http://tinyurl.com/6ltw4m

We are the world-heed the call

2010-02-07T12:15:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzw6GiqZyD0&feature=related

Lyrics:

Lionel Richie
There comes a time when we heed a certain call

Lionel Richie & Stevie Wonder
When the world must come together as one

Stevie Wonder
There are people dying

Paul Simon
And its time to lend a hand to life

Paul Simon & Kenny Rogers
The greatest gift of all

Kenny Rogers
We cant go on pretending day by day

James Ingram
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change

Tina Turner
We are all part of gods great big family

Billy Joel
And the truth, you know, love is all we need

Chorus:
Michael Jackson
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving

Diana Ross
Theres a choice were making
Were saving our own lives

Michael & Diana Ross
Its true well make a better day
Just you and me

Dionne Warwick
Send them your heart
So theyll know that someone cares

Dionne Warwick & Willie Nelson
And their lives will be stronger and free

Willie Nelson
As God has shown us by turning stones to bread

Al Jarreau
So we all must lend a helping hand

Chorus:
Bruce Springsteen
We are the world, we are the children

Kenny Loggins
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving

Steve Perry
Theres a choice were making
Were saving our own lives

Daryl Hall
Its true well make a better day
Just you and me

Michael Jackson
When youre down and out, there seems no hope at all

Huey lewis
But if you just believe theres no way we can fall

Cindy Lauper
Well, well, well, well let us realize that a change can only come

Kim carnes
When we stand together as one

Chorus:
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving

Theres a choice were making
Were saving our own lives
Its true well make a better day
Just you and me

We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving

Bob Dylan
Theres a choice were making
Were saving our own lives
Its true well make a better day
Just you and me

Chorus
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving

Theres a choice were making
Were saving our own lives

Bob Dylan
Its true well make a better day
Just you and me

Ray Charles
Alright let me hear ya

Chorus
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving

Ray Charles
Theres a choice were making
Were saving our own lives
Its true well make a brighter day
Just you and me

Stevie Wonder / Bruce Springsteen
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving

Stevie Wonder
Theres a choice were making
Were saving our own lives
Its true well make a better day
Just you and me

Stevie Wonder / Bruce Springsteen
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving

Bruce Springsteen
Theres a choice were making
Were saving our own lives
Its true well make a better day
Just you and me

Chorus
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving

Theres a choice were making
Were saving our own lives
Its true well make a better day
Just you and me

James Ingram
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving

Ray Charles
Theres a choice were making
Were saving our own lives
Its true well make a better day
Just you and me

Some great links to begin again

2010-01-03T21:09:00.000-08:00

http://blogtactics.com/twitter-automation/

http://tinyurl.com/ydp3f6r

http://tinyurl.com/66ta64

http://bloglines.com/

http://www.caroline-middlebrook.com/blog/files/NicheSitesWP.pdf

http://roguecfo.podomatic.com/

http://www.mediaontwitter.com/

http://www.journalisttweets.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twzYm--XU5c

http://thenationalnetworker.blogspot.com/2010/01/venture-finance-reality-versus-rumor.html

http://om.shaayad.com/

http://christinesculati.com/blog/2010/01/finding-the-silver-lining-in-2010-10-social-innovations-shaping-our-communities/

http://b-clear.biz/354/small-business-brand-identity-strategies/

https://www.yammer.com/

http://www.ideamarketers.com/

http://justtweetit.com/

http://justtweetit.com/twitter-tools/

http://tinyurl.com/ya6plj8

Some useful websites he shared, which we are now sharing.

hitmelater.com This is a great free service for busy people.

filtrbox.com This is a cool web tool for monitoring social media.

peoplebrowsr.com This is another resource for monitoring things people are saying online.

Twitter Tip-Branding

2009-12-30T15:02:00.000-08:00

If you use Twitter, your tweets are generally branded with the service
you use (Twitterrific, TwitterFeed, Ping.fm, TweetDeck, etc.). If you'd
rather that your tweets be branded with your own website name and
URL link, use the free TweetBrand service.

TweetBrand allows you to brand your tweets (with your website link):
http://www.marketmetweet.com/tweetbrand/

Crowdfunding, Microfinance, Micropatronage, Collective Action, Middlemen and the Movies

2009-12-28T11:17:00.000-08:00

Boy, just keeping up with all the terms is a chore these days. A not so new one is crowdfunding. Wikipedia defines it: Crowd funding (sometimes called crowd financing, crowd sourced capital or "mass funding") is an approach to raising the capital required for a new project or enterprise by appealing to a group of people (figuratively, "the crowd") for contributions from one or many. When such an appeal is global it is mass funding.

Crowdfunding is a neat derivative of microfinancing, which offers financial services to poor or low-income people. It’s a form of micropatronage that is being experimented with as a funding mechanism for creative work like film projects. Micropatronage is a system in which the public directly supports the work of others by making donations through the Internet. Micropatronage differs from traditional patronage systems by allowing many "patrons" to donate small amounts, rather than a small number of patrons making larger contributions.

Crowdfunding is circumventing traditional funding mechanisms like bank loans or venture capital. Basically, it says let's see if we can get a ton of people to chip in a very small amount of money that in aggregate can help somebody to do something. Sounds like mass collaboration with our pocketbooks. And mass collaboration is a collective action. Collective action is the pursuit of a goal or set of goals by more than one person.

Very similar to sponsorship term though I think sponsorship is more applicable as a verb meaning to sponsor something. To support an event, activity, person, or organization financially or through the provision of products or services. A sponsor is the individual or group that provides the support, similar to a benefactor. Which basically means a good maker.

And since so many of us want to make good, the creation of crowd funding comes into play. One site trying to use crowdfunding to benefit film is Indiegogo.com, a collaborative way to fund ideas and fuel innovation. They act as a resource market, where visitors can watch a pitch trailer for films in varying states of production, share clips with friends (thereby creating a buzz), ‘demand’ screenings in their area and even contribute to a film’s release costs.

On IndieGoGo, projects use the fundraising, promotion and discovery tools provided to build an engaged fan base of funders. They take 9% of the money filmmakers raise themselves and deliver what? Fiscal sponsorship? An escrow account? Most fiscal sponsors charge less than 5%.

If someone managed to raise $200k, Indiegogo would take $18k. That's two days of shooting at that budget level. I can't think of many things worth two days of shooting. For $18k you could build a web site, incorporate the production, set up an escrow account (or an account that holds funds separate from the production's operating account), pay for a few decent meals for the crew, hire an extra PA, etc.

Has indiegogo helped anyone? So far the stand-out IndieGoGo success story has been the documentary Tapestries of Hope, which raised US $25,000 through the site to expose the shocking child abuse problem in Zimbabwe, where young girls are raped because of a mythological belief that virgins can cure Aids and HIV. Another film, The Lilliput, a feature based on the true story a Jewish dwarf who hid in garbage bins during the Holocaust, raised $10,000.

I've always thought that the potential for funding entrepreneurs via crowdfunding was a very powerful concept. I thought of it years ago, even before crowdfunding existed as a term.

But I'm certain that it's only a matter of time before crowdfunding overtakes angel investing and other traditional financing mechanisms as a great way to fund a new business concept.

But they are going to have challenges. If a small contribution obtained via crowdfunding is actually an equity investment or even a loan, then crowdfunding companies may soon have issues with securities laws. I forget the details but if you raise money from over a certain number of investors, you start being subject to all sorts of securities laws.

Is it a IndieGoGo a valuable tool? Depends on what type of project, I suppose. If you are looking for small amounts, it might be a good ticket item. Maybe I am shortsighted but they sound more like a finder or a middleman taking a piece of the pie like we have always done. A middleman is simply someone investors listen to — often another entrepreneur or investor. Now getting investors to listen, telling the story they want to hear, and you gotta have traction aka product testing. Investors don’t invest in businesses they invest in stories. You must start building your product and start testing it with your market before you start raising money. A story without traction is a work of fiction but then again, that’s the movies right?

Some cool links

2009-12-23T15:18:00.000-08:00

www.HelpAReporterOut.com (HARO) – Get notified of journalists looking for sources to interview for their stories.

www.ReportersSource.com - Also notifies you of reporters looking for sources - not as populated as HARO.

www.FreeConference.com – Set up a conference call for free.

www.HotRecorder.com – Record your conversations using Skype or other VoIP application.

www.Guru.com – Find experts to help you with any project.

www.PitchEngine.com – Create a social media newsroom. It’s FREE for 30 days!

www.PRWeb.com – Distribute your press release online and in newsrooms.

www.ContactAnyCelebrity.com – Look up the contact information for any celebrity.

www.ZapGrab.com – Grab screen shots and turn them into JPGs.

www.CutePDF.com – Convert your documents into PDFs for FREE!

www.ShrinkPictures.com – Resize any image for FREE!

www.WhichDraft.com – Download sample legal forms and documents.

www.SquareSpace.com - A great site to create a simple, low-cost website.

www.Pixability.com - Make a video and get it professionally edited. They even mail you a camera to use!

www.AwardSync.com - A site that helps you identify and track awards for you and your business.

http://www.mediabankers.com/PDF/DeSilva%20+%20Phillips_Celebrity%20Media_%20White%20Paper%203_09%20--%20by%20Ken%20Sonenclar.pdf

Blogs

2009-12-22T17:15:00.000-08:00

According to Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere 2009, there are over 112 million active blogs in the world. Many of them are maintained by professional bloggers and are integral parts of company marketing plans. Who would have thought that blogs would grow so big. As we learn to harness the power of the Internet, business blogs are using this sphere as a way to talk with customers and clients on all sorts of things, from new product and service offerings to simply inform investors of the state of their companies to wishing them Merry Christmas.

BTW

2009-12-20T13:22:00.000-08:00

I had a conversation this week explaining the many great reasons to pursue major national coverage. First, getting coverage in a major national publication like USA Today, or a market specific trade journal like Private Label Magazine sets in motion a chain of events that will raise your company’s visibility dramatically. There’s the article itself, which you can get reprinted and include in sales and proposal packages for additional creditability. Then, you can issue a local release that says something like: Regional Firm’s Accomplishments Gets National Attention, that sort of thing. A single “hit” in a major publication can be leveraged in a multiple ways – over an extended period of time (long shelf-life). That enables your company to “amortize” the cost of getting the attention over multiple uses during an extended time frame. Priceless! Second: getting this kind of coverage catapults a company into an entirely new and more significant category of player. There’s something about the “gravitas” that comes with the attention from a major. That’s not to mention the points I have highlighted in the past about increasing perceived value of the company, better positioning it as a candidate for acquisition, all of those positives as well. No brainer. If it’s easy, and doesn’t cost a fortune, it’s worth a shot.

Twitter

2009-12-15T12:21:00.000-08:00

Expect the unexpected. Even the best plans cannot anticipate everything that might happen, so you have to improvise as you go forward. And one such improvisation is Twitter. When you wrote your Marketing Plan, maybe Twitter did not exist but it does now. Twitter started in 2006 and according to Wikipedia is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as followers.

Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow open access. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications. While the service itself costs nothing to use, accessing it through SMS may incur phone service provider fees.

The 140-character limit on message length was initially set for compatibility with SMS messaging, and has brought to the web the kind of shorthand notation and slang commonly used in SMS messages. The 140 character limit has also spurred the usage of URL shortening services such as tinyurl, bit.ly and tr.im, and content hosting services, such as Twitpic and NotePub to accommodate multimedia content and text longer than 140 characters. Since its creation, Twitter has gained notability and popularity worldwide.

Now for some stats:
•According to a recent report on Pew Internet “the median age of a Twitter user is 31, which has remained stable over the past year. The median age for MySpace is now 26, down from 27 in May 2008, and the median age for LinkedIn is now 39, down from 40. Facebook, however, is graying a bit: the median age for this social network site is now 33, up from 26 in May 2008.”

•According to a recent study by Business.com of 1900 social media professionals:
◦65% have less than 2 years of experience working with social media.
◦ The companies represented by these professionals are just as new to the ballgame with 71% having less than 2 years of experience with Social Media.
◦In 66% of these companies the marketing department leads the social media efforts.
◦In 23% of these companies the customer service department leads the social media efforts.

Twitter is a great way to develop relationships and promote yourself and your product or business. But it's important to avoid being seen as someone who just promotes themselves. Most of your tweets should be about helping others, but you also need to inject some personality to help people get to know you.

Here's a great blogger who offers tips about Twitter:

http://johnfmoore.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/your-2010-social-media-plan-making-140-characters-count/

Here are some ideas for tweeting:

1. Link to helpful or entertaining articles, Web sites, and blog posts and recommend products and services you find useful.

2. Offer an incentive to subscribe to your ezine or blog, or offer a free eBook or sample of one of your products with no strings attached.

3. Announce your live and virtual events.

4. Teach a mini-lesson in 140 characters.

5. If you make a mistake say so.

6. Get to know your followers.

7) Twitter is as a "knowledge network". A "network" of people to whom you can pose questions and - usually extremely rapidly - get back responses.

8) Conduct a survey.

9) Twitter as a Travelogue, plane late? traffic? Check it all out on Twitter.

10) Use Twitter as a tool to drive traffic to blog entries.

One final note. If you have actually read this far along (thank you, if you have!), you might have come to the conclusion that I spend a lot of time using Twitter. The truth is that I really don't, but I have found a way that works very well for me to fit occasional glances at the twitterstream into my regular daily workflow.

A Viral Campaign Begins

2009-11-22T19:52:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year, I was retained by DoodleBra to get them some press for their product. My initial meeting with Randy, Betty Ann Segal, Deborah Delaunay and one other person was to discuss how Midtown Marketing Group could help them grow their brand awareness. I explained – the rules of marketing change rapidly and public relations is front loaded. Most of the work is done in the beginning; interviewing them, learning more about them and their business, their product line, researching potential media outlets that would be interested in their press release or pitch, and preparing their pitch grid. (A pitch grid is a fancy name for a story-pitch tool that is visual and laid-out in grid fashion.)

Once the research is done, press releases, new product releases and pitches are written based on what is learned. The power of their brand relies on the ability to focus. That is why defining their target market would help to strengthen their brand's effectiveness. In the initial meeting, I saw fashion, teen entrepreneur, and party favor attributes as the assets that I could leverage. Once retained, we could flesh-out the strategy over a few days, and build-in the flexibility to roll with the punches. Mounting a visibility campaign and build awareness in target top-tier dailies, weeklies, long-lead monthlies, syndicated columnists, reviewers, radio and TV talk shows, and bloggers. Blogs also have comment fields, allowing users to leave comments and be more interactive with the blog author.

Their web site was good but needed to operate more like a product driven site. Who comes to the site should experience easy navigation and be able to find what they want. The web site works more as a digital, online brochure and information gathering site. Adding a shopping cart is a good idea, so when a buyer does come - they can buy. Randy said he was working with an India company to get that done.

I advised they would need an online press kit. They had the makings for one since they had been published locally; the information just needed to be re-structured and included into a link on the site called PRESS. (A press kit is a promotional package that includes press releases, tip sheet, bios, FAQ sheets, photographs of you, your business, product shots, logos, etc., reviews, published pieces and other pertinent information.)

It all boils down to budget. Different amounts get different things. I am, however, mindful of the budgetary constraints. Randy stated they would love to have press right away as they want to sell bras. I explained it does not always work that way, sometimes you can get the press right away and other times, the press picks you up when they have the need. I added that I could pitch them to my sales database. We could try and get a rep to rep his product but they generally want a line not just one product. Randy said he would retain me to pitch my PR and sales database. I pitched 1200 contacts including manufacturer's reps, resident buyers, QVC rep, television, radio, print and bloggers. And whala!

http://www.beautycutie.co.uk/2009/04/doodle-bra.html

http://www.pinkblog.it/post/3527/doodle-bra-decora-il-tuo-reggiseno-personalizzato

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/crafts/2009/04/doodle_your_bra.html

http://www.lilyqtalksclothes.com/2009/06/doodled-all-over-that-shiz.html

Fab Sugar

Glamour Magazine
http://www.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/slaves-to-fashion/2009/04/all-of-that-plus-the.html

Lingerie Buyer Magazine

The View

http://abc.go.com/watch/the-view/167365/241870/the-view-1120

http://www.google.com/trends/hottrends?q=doodle+bra&date=2009-11-20&sa=X

http://news.google.com/news/more?pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&cf=all&ncl=di7yAlNt7j7lfaMFs4s_XGtQ-UI-M

http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=Doodlebra&spell=1&oi=spell&sa=X

http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=Doodlebra

http://hotissuestrends.blogspot.com/2009/11/doodle-bra.html

Making a Product in China

2009-11-06T10:35:00.000-08:00

The pathway to a successful product is challenging enough for big companies, but for the average person with a great idea, getting a product to market can be downright intimidating – to the point that many great products are never made.

Beyond the hurdles involved in getting a product in front of buyers and customers is the fundamental task of actually making a product. While it may be easy enough to make a prototype or two or ten, making 10,000 or 100,000 or millions of almost anything at a globally competitive price will most likely require an entrepreneur to manufacture overseas. Yet unless an inventor-turned-entrepreneur can assure a major buyer that their product can and will be available in quantity, there’s no real chance for growth.

As manufacturing in Asia, Eastern Europe and elsewhere becomes more standard operating procedure than strategic competitive advantage for businesses of every size, first-time inventors often find themselves slogging through the cultural quagmire of dealing with foreign languages, inconvenient time zones, different manufacturing standards, and unusual business practices – all real-world issues that are part of the process of off-shore manufacturing.

John Mulry, founder of Rescue Facts in Central Point, Oregon, www.rescuefacts.com is such a budding entrepreneur. John – a retired EMT– saw a need for a way to quickly provide emergency personnel with critical personal and medical information about the victims of automobile accidents. This basic concept led him to develop the Rescue Facts product – an inexpensive nylon wrap that secures around your seatbelt with Velcro. An embroidered universal medical symbol alerts EMS and Police that there is important health information inside.

Initial prototypes were well-received by potential customers and large scale buyers. His business was off and running. Their first production run was handled by a Southern California agent who got their product made in China , but at a price that left quite a bit of room for improvement. Working with me, John was introduced to one of my subcontractors, specializing in U.S./China business facilitation. He provides U.S. companies with a bi-lingual, bi-cultural, time-convenient channel of communication to sources of manufacturing in China through their partner in Guangzhou, which specializes in sourcing and facilitating all manner of manufacturing in China from low-tech to high-tech.

For Mulry, it was a perfect match. Not only was he able to shave a large percentage off his wholesale price, but he ended up with a much better product. From beginning to end, getting things made (and made right) overseas is all about communication. We first took John’s basic product description and drew up a detailed product specification that served as the foundation for the manufacturer to quote against. It assures that both sides understand what is expected – particularly when there are language and cultural issues involved.

Then we worked with both parties to write up a well-structured statement of work and quote. Once their order was placed, Rescue Facts had the opportunity to sign off on samples of every aspect of their production including materials, workmanship, printing and packaging and packing. Together, we work out the details of the process and troubleshoot the problems in both worlds so my clients don’t have to.

What can happen along the way? Lots of things. Most problems arise from simple mis-communication over details that are exacerbated by language, metric conversions, and a lack of technical understanding on the part of the entrepreneur.
First-time inventor/entrepreneurs often don’t understand the manufacturing process and what goes into mass-producing their product. The value-added of a subcontractor is that we not only address the East/West business issues, but also helps bridge the tech/non-tech gap between my clients and the Chinese manufacturers. This really can’t be done effectively by e-mail alone.

For Rescue Facts, the key to quality was both in the production process and in the shipping. Their first batch of products from their original Chinese manufacturer was basically okay, but the packages were unsellable. The product packages were packed improperly allowing them to be damaged in shipping. Mulry was disappointed with that first production run. But now that he is working with me - in English and during normal business hours – everything’s worked out fine. Everything looks good for this new international small business venture.

Are Big Retainers Really Necessary?

2009-10-27T12:01:00.000-07:00

I've been quite taken with the breathtaking ability of large Ad and PR agencies to demand up-front retainers that look at lot like a King's ransom. Now what we do is front-loaded to be sure, but I've been getting the feeling that a lot of the fancy retainers being paid in the market today are more about what the client will bear than the delivery of actual value. Ya think?

So Midtown Marketing Group is working on a new model, that we will be announcing more formally in the near future. I wanted my blog readers to know it was coming. It seems to our group like a change in business-as-usual is in order, given the new economic realities. Cost-cutting and efficiency are now mandates, and at MMG, we get the message.

Look for an announcement next week detailing the specifics. If you're tired of big retainers and questionable value propositions, stay tuned.

Tina

History Repeats Itself

2009-10-25T14:12:00.000-07:00

I have been wrapping myself around the new catch words…Cloud Computing. It is the latest incantation being chanted by the IT Business World. It is being presented as a new idea but it really reminds me of the old mainframe computing of the 1960’s and early 80’s. Remember the days of when mainframes were the predominant model of computing, transitioning through the creation of the personal computer to ASP’s, managed services, Saas (Software as a Service), and now the new catch word…Cloud computing?

I remember the ASP (Application Service Model); it came right after the dot com boom. It was an acronym that had to evolve a few times too and had its buzz for a short time; it never really gained a strong business acceptance. Then the metamorphosis started and whala! The managed services market. This is basically what we all do in business. But to give you an idea, this is Wikipedia’s definition:

A managed services provider (MSP), is typically an information technology (IT) services provider, who manages and assumes responsibility for providing a defined set of services to their clients either proactively or as they (not the client) determine that the services are needed. Most MSPs bill a flat or near-fixed monthly fee, which benefits their clients by providing them with predictable IT support costs. Many MSPs now provide many of their services remotely over the Internet rather than having to perform on-site client visits, which is time consuming and often expensive. Common services provided by MSPs include remote network, desktop and security monitoring, patch management and remote data back-up, as well as technical assistance.

In 2006, Peter Sandiford, Intel’s Resource Center wrote this: With managed services, an Information Technology provider monitors your systems remotely, as if you have a full-time professional IT staff right in your office. From printers to e-mail to network maintenance to storage backup, managed services can keep your computer systems protected and operational.

Where I see this is channel partners aka the middleman. Channel partners is a term that came up with tech companies but the middleman has been around for years. Thank goodness. Think about how many middlemen there are in business: stock brokers, publicists, manufacturer’s representatives, food brokers, resident buyers, VARs, OEMs, MSPs (there’s that term again).

Computers have made our jobs busier and easier. The creations affiliated with computers like software have standardized or simplified our life. And for business, the commercial model varies. Instead of buying hardware, servers, etc., and creating our own network, thanks to the Internet we all can use the network. We are all trying to figure out how to make a living utilizing the new medium…Internet. True it is not so new but capitalizing on it, is constantly evolving.

So what I can figure out at this point is another term has been born. It basically takes what I have been doing for years for very small businesses, pay as you go. But cloud computing is more about a new management and commercial model than it is about a new technology per se. Or here just think of the Internet as the cloud.

Need Funding?

2009-09-15T22:54:00.001-07:00

I know, I know. You are probably thinking finding funds to finance your business venture may come from anybody or anywhere. But I have taken the time, over past 15 years, to create a list of over 4600 funding sources that came from everybody and everywhere. Whether your funding source is your spouse’s savings account, your friends, your family, your banker, or your customers…you need a story! Once we put your story into the hands of “the money”, you will be in the spotlight! You will carry your passion laden dream, along with rock hard numbers to the potential investor's ears, heart, and perhaps, even touch their soul! You may be exactly what they have been looking for!

If you have the equity, we can introduce you to banker types. If you have an emerging technology, maybe you don’t want to go into the manufacturing business then maybe an invention licensing executives would be right for you. Say your business is seed or start up, then you might be perfect for an “Angel”. These "Angels" are high net worth individuals who may have been entrepreneurs in their early days and now look for ideas, new companies & individuals they can embrace. They really want to succeed along with you. The "Angels" bring important business connections along with their money and can open many doors.

OK, you’re not a start up. Your Angel has taken you as far as he/she could and it’s time to breakout. It’s time for you to run your story past the big boys…our venture capitalist, investment banker, hedge fund manager, and merger & acquisition firm friends. Your dream has become reality and you need breakout funds to reach the next level. Your story doesn’t matter anymore, you’re a big boy or girl now and the numbers tell their own story. You may feel that you are in a race to reach the next stage of growth before competitive forces swamp you. We can put your name on the itinerary of the big boys and they will respond…if your numbers & your history can move them. Are your numbers attractive & your history impressive?

The essential ‘reaction’, is to take action! But where to start? An executive summary of your business in our hands will get the process started. We will present our synopsis of your summary to the “4600”. ‘Our portal’ is your access to potential investors who may be moved by the synopsis offered and are interested in getting more information. If they are interested, we will be contacted and we will turn these interested contacts over to you immediately so that they can hear your story directly from you. You will now be in control of ALL communications!

It’s that easy…only one issue remains…it’s not that easy! Connecting for you is hard work. “4600” is just a number to you. To us it is 4600 names, faces, phone numbers, email addresses, attitudes, synergies, investment goals, relationships, and trust…mainly trust…that we analyze and sort through. Take action NOW, your future is well worth it!

Whew, I needed to get that out. Now that was a sales pitch if ever I heard one.

The Firm - Our Practice

2009-08-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

Midtown Marketing Group has evolved over a couple of decades of development. I opened the business with an emphasis on sales, marketing and pubic relations. In the ensuing years, MMG developed extensive databases of contacts in all three areas of focus. That is, we developed a database of investors and funding sources; a database of sales channel intermediaries, and, a database of key media gatekeepers and opinion makers.

The agency specializes in "the pitch." MMG works with clients to develop superior, attention-getting elevator pitches; business plans, investment marketing memos, and the kind of documentation required by traditional Venture Capitalists and Angels. Or, we generate the kind of press materials and pitch your business requires to build visibility, brand and message. Finally, MMG professionals with years of experience pitch your company's products or services to the kind of channel intermediaries; distributors, agents, buyers you'll need to get onto retail shelves or into the highest levels of the B2B market.The MMG team targets your pitch to the correct sub-set of our extensive target databases - based on your goals and objectives. We document the process, and provide our clients with regular updates and reports.

MMG serves clients nationwide - in a wide variety of industrial and institutional sectors. The company works on a project retainer basis, billing accrued hours against our monthly invoice. We are located in beautiful, sunny southern Oregon - which means we don't charge "big city" prices for our services. Tired of agencies that require hefty monthly retainers and produce very little results? Ping us, you won't be disappointed.

Best regards,
Tina

MMG
Midtown Marketing

Welcome

2009-08-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Midtown Marketing Group's blog. Based in Medford, Oregon, MMG serves the communications needs of small-to-medium size busineses, non-profits and institutions through our comprehensive website and databases of funders, sales & channel intermediaries; and, writers, reporters, columnists and correspondents.

MMG serves start-ups as well as growing and expanding organizations throughout the United States. Our digital, Internet-based model leverages the latest technology to put your pitch in the hands of precisely targeted gatekeepers.

This blog will give me and our professional staff and partners a platform for sharing our practice, our clients and our experiences with interested readers. Of course we'll be focusing on our successful projects, but we'll also share the lessons learned along the way. Weblogs being what they are, journals in diary format, we hope to post regular notes and a few in-depth articles. So look for weekly updates, and we'll point toward a goal of two-to-three posts per week after all the kinks are resolved and we've achieved warp speed.

Best regards,
Tina