Family business is a dominant organization form worldwide. Over 75% of all registered companies in the industrialized world are family businesses (OECD).
Few key groups are: -
Fiat Group (Italy) revenues $54.7 B (Agnelli family)
Grupo Modelo (Mexico) revenues $3.5 B, (Diez Fernandez family)
IKEA (Sweden) revenues $10.4 B (Kamprad family)
L’Oreal (France) revenues $12.2 B (Bettencourt family)
McCain Foods (Canada) revenues $3.5 B, (McCain Family)
Samsung Group (South Korea) revenues $98.7 B (Lee family)
Tata Group (India) revenues $7.9 B (Tata family)
Reliance (India) – Ambani Family
The Gap (USA) revenues $13.8 B (Fisher Family)
Wal-Mart (USA) – revenues $217.8 Billion (Sam Walton family)
Fortune 500 companies now constitute only 10 percent of the US economy. Companies with 19 or fewer employees create 50 percent of US exports. Companies with 500 or more employees create only 7 percent of US exports. About 83 percent of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s) are family businesses: members of the same family occupy top management positions and own the majority of the shares.
What distinguishes a family business from any other?
Features
Key advantage of a family business is that a cohesive force usually exists providing a strong sense of mission and a shared vision ideally cemented by loyalty and commitment.
The benefit of low capital costs allows them to adopt longer-term business strategies or to exploit market niches, which are not sufficiently profitable for larger business.
Family business is also free from pressure for short-term profits. They own long term perspectives, saving and reinvesting capital and viewing the business as legacy of heirs.
Family business is inward looking. Decisions are based on emotions rather than commercial grounds.
Let’s compare systems in family and business systems.
Family System Business System
Traits Traits
Inward looking Outward looking
Emotion based Task based
Unconditional acceptance Unemotional
Sharing Reward performance
Lifetime membership Perform or Leave
Averse to change Embrace change
Tasks Tasks
To nurture To generate profits
To develop To develop skills
To grow adults
Family businesses have their own life cycle.
Birth and initial expansion
Worldwide statistics show that the mortality rate among small and middle-size businesses is about –
15 % at the end of the first year of existence and 23 % after the second year.
The newly created company is a fragile little flower, which demands a great deal of effort, time, and energy devotion, just like a newborn child does. Opening companies have a propensity to have high operational costs and low profits while the turnover is rather modest and still unpredictable.
Everything depends on the promoter’s personality. As the driving force of the company, he takes all the decisions and assumes all the economical responsibilities. As the young company grows, more employees are coming to work in its dynamic team. Trustworthiness and loyalty to the company are important values.
The great challenge for families in business is to separate the world of the family and the world of the business appropriately and to maintain this separation.
Growth and complexity: Development through Generations
A crucial period for a family business is during expansion. There will come a stage when the family or existing management do not have either the skills or sufficient time to manage the business effectively. It is time to introduce external management, if not done.
In this stage, the Promoter must delegate many tasks, allow others to take over vital functions in the company and he must be able to hand over the power of decision to others, be it family members, be it non-family employees.
The typical stages of development for a family business, as it passes on from generation to generation, is for the founder to pass the business on to his or her heirs.
The founder must be prepared to gradually let go of his direct influence in exchange for indirect influence through his leadership. The non-family members working in a family business need special attention. When the children grow up, some of them will probably work in the family business. The way they enter the family business is important.
Maturity – Sibling Rivalry
As the business "matures" and Promoter also grows older, the business is fully developed.
The second generation has taken over some of the leadership and they have important functions in the company. In the second generation there may be conflict between brothers and sisters due to sibling rivalry.
Non-family managers and executives are in high positions.
However primogeniture, the phenomenon of favoring the first born, is often evident in a family business, with elder brothers, is often evident in a family business. Conflict may arise from a parent’s wish to treat children equally.
The Founder has to consider transference of the property and the delegation of the management. The fair distribution of the property among all the children is such a way that the continuation of the company is not endangered, is a difficult and complex task.
The basic rule is: ‘what is good for the company is good for the family.
For every business stage the prerequisite managerial skills and abilities are different and many of the dilemmas faced in family business are related to the stage of development of one or more family members. Each of these issues has its own challenges and tasks, and the business can suffer if the family does not face such realities.
Principles in Managing Family Business
1. Family Business does not mean unprofessional business.
2. Accept emotions and personal relationships as unavoidable elements in the rational world of your company.
3. Accept the synchronicity of the family and business life cycle.
4. Keep family and business separated whilst knowing that they are both sides of one coin.
5. Accept help in order to avoid blindness for family and for business affairs.
6. Respect the loyalty of ‘non-family family’.
7. Give the company a chance.
8. Succession is a coin with two faces: hereditary succession and management succession.
9. Succession preferably implies a (mental) de-familiarization.
10. What is good for the company is good for the family.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Business Planning for Starting a Home Based Business
Business Planning for Starting a Home Based Business
Want to start a home based business? Here’s how to plan for starting your own business from home…
Enlarge ImageIntroduction
A home based business needs to have a proper plan in place for it to be successful. Working from home is a wonderful option for those of us who cannot, for whatever reason, go to an office for work. Several employment options exist for such home based entrepreneurs, to start a work at home business. However, to take advantage of the offers, you need to be well planned and organized. There are several things that you would have to consider before starting a home based business.
Step One
First things first, you need to know in which area you want to provide work. For that you need to examine your skill sets and qualifications. That should give you a fair idea of which service you are able to provide.
Step Two
Then you need to know your place of work. Obviously, since you are going to be home based, you would be working from your home. But even there, do you have a dedicated work area where you can work peacefully. Finding such an area is the key, especially if you are staying at home because of kids or such responsibilities. You need to find a time and place when and where you would not be disturbed or distracted. You can fix the number of hours that you can devote to your work based on these factors. Your earnings would therefore depend on the number of hours you can spend working, and how fast you can do your work within these restraints.
Step Three
The next thing you need to have is a Business Plan in place. An ideal business plan will outline all of the above mentioned factors in clear cut terms. An analysis of cost factors will determine your cost per hour. Market factors would determine your price per hour. You can thus calculate your projected income based on the number of hours you work.
Step Four
Once you have a plan in place, you need to apply for the necessary licenses and registrations. Check with your local government for the required formalities. It pays to have the paper work in order so as to avoid legal complications at a later date.
Step Five
The next step is, obviously, getting the work. If your work is internet based, then you need to look for websites where you can get such work. There are several wonderful websites where you can get such work on the Internet. However, if your work is not Internet based, then you need to generate work from other sources. Place an Ad in the local newspapers. Throw a launch party for all your friends and family and put the word out there.
Going Further
Let the work come to you. Once you get the work, do it well, so that your clients remember you. Don’t forget to discuss payment terms before the work is done so that there are no misunderstandings later. Word of mouth publicity only works if you work well and deliver on time. As for publicising your work via other media: you need to keep on doing it all the time, so as to generate constant work.
So gear up and get started. Well begun is half done! All the best of luck!
Want to start a home based business? Here’s how to plan for starting your own business from home…
Enlarge ImageIntroduction
A home based business needs to have a proper plan in place for it to be successful. Working from home is a wonderful option for those of us who cannot, for whatever reason, go to an office for work. Several employment options exist for such home based entrepreneurs, to start a work at home business. However, to take advantage of the offers, you need to be well planned and organized. There are several things that you would have to consider before starting a home based business.
Step One
First things first, you need to know in which area you want to provide work. For that you need to examine your skill sets and qualifications. That should give you a fair idea of which service you are able to provide.
Step Two
Then you need to know your place of work. Obviously, since you are going to be home based, you would be working from your home. But even there, do you have a dedicated work area where you can work peacefully. Finding such an area is the key, especially if you are staying at home because of kids or such responsibilities. You need to find a time and place when and where you would not be disturbed or distracted. You can fix the number of hours that you can devote to your work based on these factors. Your earnings would therefore depend on the number of hours you can spend working, and how fast you can do your work within these restraints.
Step Three
The next thing you need to have is a Business Plan in place. An ideal business plan will outline all of the above mentioned factors in clear cut terms. An analysis of cost factors will determine your cost per hour. Market factors would determine your price per hour. You can thus calculate your projected income based on the number of hours you work.
Step Four
Once you have a plan in place, you need to apply for the necessary licenses and registrations. Check with your local government for the required formalities. It pays to have the paper work in order so as to avoid legal complications at a later date.
Step Five
The next step is, obviously, getting the work. If your work is internet based, then you need to look for websites where you can get such work. There are several wonderful websites where you can get such work on the Internet. However, if your work is not Internet based, then you need to generate work from other sources. Place an Ad in the local newspapers. Throw a launch party for all your friends and family and put the word out there.
Going Further
Let the work come to you. Once you get the work, do it well, so that your clients remember you. Don’t forget to discuss payment terms before the work is done so that there are no misunderstandings later. Word of mouth publicity only works if you work well and deliver on time. As for publicising your work via other media: you need to keep on doing it all the time, so as to generate constant work.
So gear up and get started. Well begun is half done! All the best of luck!
Small Business Consultants: Avoid Clients Using Peer-to-Peer Networks
Small Business Consultants: Avoid Clients Using Peer-to-Peer Networks
Small business consultants should avoid working for clients with peer-to-peer networks. Companies with dedicated servers are a better option for the small business consultant. Very small businesses, those with less than a handful of PCs, often use informal peer-to-peer networks to share files and printers. This is in sharp contrast to a more robust client/server network with a dedicated server computer, and often selected to keep costs to a minimum.
They are generally built around a consumer-oriented operating system, such as Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows ME.
Small Business Consultants and Peer-to-Peer Networks Don’t Mix
Although rarely utilized in the field, a business-grade desktop OS on a dedicated, business-class PC can provide a solid "happy medium" between extreme low-budget solutions and more robust (and more expensive) client/server solutions.
For small business consultants however, peer-to-peer networks are generally not a good thing - unless of course an upgrade is imminent.
Peer-to-Peer Networks Often Come With Other Problems
Since peer-to-peer networks are often selected to keep costs to a minimum, there is generally little or no budget for outside small business consultants or the owner or manager has plenty of funds, but just doesn’t "believe" in the value of technology.
Many times peer-to-peer networks go hand-in-hand with lots of other undesirable IT issues, such as a complete inattention to software licensing, data security, virus protection and data backup.
The Bottom Line about Small Business Consultants
On the flip side however, the above "IT-plagued" small business may be so fed up with the unreliable performance of their peer-to-peer network, the owner or manager may finally be receptive to your dedicated-server recommendations. And as their small business consultant, that’s your golden opportunity!
Small business consultants should avoid working for clients with peer-to-peer networks. Companies with dedicated servers are a better option for the small business consultant. Very small businesses, those with less than a handful of PCs, often use informal peer-to-peer networks to share files and printers. This is in sharp contrast to a more robust client/server network with a dedicated server computer, and often selected to keep costs to a minimum.
They are generally built around a consumer-oriented operating system, such as Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows ME.
Small Business Consultants and Peer-to-Peer Networks Don’t Mix
Although rarely utilized in the field, a business-grade desktop OS on a dedicated, business-class PC can provide a solid "happy medium" between extreme low-budget solutions and more robust (and more expensive) client/server solutions.
For small business consultants however, peer-to-peer networks are generally not a good thing - unless of course an upgrade is imminent.
Peer-to-Peer Networks Often Come With Other Problems
Since peer-to-peer networks are often selected to keep costs to a minimum, there is generally little or no budget for outside small business consultants or the owner or manager has plenty of funds, but just doesn’t "believe" in the value of technology.
Many times peer-to-peer networks go hand-in-hand with lots of other undesirable IT issues, such as a complete inattention to software licensing, data security, virus protection and data backup.
The Bottom Line about Small Business Consultants
On the flip side however, the above "IT-plagued" small business may be so fed up with the unreliable performance of their peer-to-peer network, the owner or manager may finally be receptive to your dedicated-server recommendations. And as their small business consultant, that’s your golden opportunity!
Home Business – How To Be A Business ConsultantIn today’s world,
Home Business – How To Be A Business ConsultantIn today’s world, we find that more and more people know less and less about everything, as there is just too much to know.
So when something new comes along to a business that can be an opportunity or a potential problem, consultants are often called in first.
Be a consultant, and you can start your own business from home in your spare time.
What is a Consultant
Simply, a business consultant is someone who knows a particular business process, or segment, through wide experience and study, better than others in the same field.
A typical consultant is someone is their late 40s or 50 (or older) that has worked for a large company, government organization, or themselves, and then retired from daily operations from that activity,
However, with the extensive knowledge and experience of years of daily work, and a host of colleagues and contacts, the consultant can offer this combination to a client for a fee.
Specializations
Being a consulting is about specializations.
If you think you have an adequate and comprehensive knowledge on any particular business process or commercial specialization, you can become a consultant.
Your knowledge is very valuable to those who are interested in the same subject, have been presented opportunities, and need to pursue some process that ALWAYS INVOLVES A LEARNING CURVE.
Any good manager knows that the learning curve is much more expensive than a consultant, and so, your specialization can be rewarding and commercially beneficial to you and your clients.
Building a Clientele
This is never easy, and advertising will not do what you wish. You need to build up your clientele from contacts and direct approach to those companies and managers that you discover have arrived at an opportunity or situation wherein you can help. Offer you help. It will not go unappreciated.
You will need to have some fact sheet about yourself listing your skills, companies or government agencies you worked for, and special contact categories. You can prepare a PDF email presentation, and although you will not achieve 100% success with this, you can be sure to attract some clients.
One client always brings others, and from your first, you can start building your consulting business.
Professional Terms and Conditions
Before you actually begin your business, you must decide on your professional terms and conditions. You must write them out, and also consult with a local attorney to be sure they are in conformation with you tax and professional laws.
This term sheet must also contain your remuneration policy. Sometimes you will need up-front money, sometimes not.
You must also have a clear policy of "expenses" that you incur on your client’s behalf. They must be pre-approved, and when you issue an invoice, these must not be a surprise to anyone. A good consultant will keep expenses to a minimum, unless ordered to do special tasks that require them, and then with the client’s pre-authorization.
Getting Started
If you follow the advice above, you can easily start your own consulting business. However, good planning in advance is always a prudent and necessary step. You might use the Desyatnikov Method for goal achievement, and this will guide you swiftly to your desired success.
On all aspects of business and making bigger Business profits visit our website for a huge resource of articles, features and downloads or click here.
So when something new comes along to a business that can be an opportunity or a potential problem, consultants are often called in first.
Be a consultant, and you can start your own business from home in your spare time.
What is a Consultant
Simply, a business consultant is someone who knows a particular business process, or segment, through wide experience and study, better than others in the same field.
A typical consultant is someone is their late 40s or 50 (or older) that has worked for a large company, government organization, or themselves, and then retired from daily operations from that activity,
However, with the extensive knowledge and experience of years of daily work, and a host of colleagues and contacts, the consultant can offer this combination to a client for a fee.
Specializations
Being a consulting is about specializations.
If you think you have an adequate and comprehensive knowledge on any particular business process or commercial specialization, you can become a consultant.
Your knowledge is very valuable to those who are interested in the same subject, have been presented opportunities, and need to pursue some process that ALWAYS INVOLVES A LEARNING CURVE.
Any good manager knows that the learning curve is much more expensive than a consultant, and so, your specialization can be rewarding and commercially beneficial to you and your clients.
Building a Clientele
This is never easy, and advertising will not do what you wish. You need to build up your clientele from contacts and direct approach to those companies and managers that you discover have arrived at an opportunity or situation wherein you can help. Offer you help. It will not go unappreciated.
You will need to have some fact sheet about yourself listing your skills, companies or government agencies you worked for, and special contact categories. You can prepare a PDF email presentation, and although you will not achieve 100% success with this, you can be sure to attract some clients.
One client always brings others, and from your first, you can start building your consulting business.
Professional Terms and Conditions
Before you actually begin your business, you must decide on your professional terms and conditions. You must write them out, and also consult with a local attorney to be sure they are in conformation with you tax and professional laws.
This term sheet must also contain your remuneration policy. Sometimes you will need up-front money, sometimes not.
You must also have a clear policy of "expenses" that you incur on your client’s behalf. They must be pre-approved, and when you issue an invoice, these must not be a surprise to anyone. A good consultant will keep expenses to a minimum, unless ordered to do special tasks that require them, and then with the client’s pre-authorization.
Getting Started
If you follow the advice above, you can easily start your own consulting business. However, good planning in advance is always a prudent and necessary step. You might use the Desyatnikov Method for goal achievement, and this will guide you swiftly to your desired success.
On all aspects of business and making bigger Business profits visit our website for a huge resource of articles, features and downloads or click here.
Business Advice
Business Advice
Business Advice for startupsHave you ever considered the possibility of running your own business? Would having your own tutor help? Maybe you should write a business plan. Business plan writing scares the heck out of most people because of the uncertainty of knowing what to do. Don’t fear, help is at hand.
There are only two effective ways to write a business plan. One is by writing it yourself and the other, to get it done quickly and properly, is to hire a professional.
How do you identify a business plan writer [BPW]?
Before you engage a BPW you have to be aware of what a BPW is. Don’t believe that someone who advertises this service will actually know what they are doing.
You will need someone who not only understands business very well but can effectively write a properly understood plan. They should show you how easy it is to understand what they have written and what is going to happen.
Let’s take a look at what you should expect from someone who is going to write the plan for you. What you don’t want is a BPW to take what you want and document it for an easy read. What you should seek is a BPW that works with you in developing the plan from the idea through to the finished workable document. The amount of work involved is enormous and depending on the depth of the business plan can easily take up to 200 hours. However, for the small business it most likely will take less time.
So where do you find a BPW?
There are a number of options available to you. First you can look in your local newspaper. This will allow you to access a BPW quickly and cost effectively. Or you can go to the professional organizations and get a referral from them for a suitable candidate. Alternatively if you can’t find a suitable BPW you can always fall back on the Internet for help. Simply complete a search for business plan writers and make your pick based on a pre thought out criteria. Be careful in your selection. The document has to be well written and one that will give you the option of presenting it to future financiers.
A great way to sort out the wheat from the chaff is to ask for referrals of any work they have completed previously. Ensure you get value for your money. Ask if the plan costs includes any future updates and a number of copies when needed over the next 12 months. Unlimited editions would be great or enough drafts at no extra charge until you are happy with the document. Check to see if you are charged for the completion of the document by the number of words or pages? At any rate make sure you know exactly what you are being charged for.
Why not do it yourself ?
This is the final option available to you. Even though there are many reasons why you should give the job to a professional BPW there are just as many reasons why you should do it yourself. As this article is a about business advice, the fors and againsts for doing it yourself is for another article.
Business Advice for startupsHave you ever considered the possibility of running your own business? Would having your own tutor help? Maybe you should write a business plan. Business plan writing scares the heck out of most people because of the uncertainty of knowing what to do. Don’t fear, help is at hand.
There are only two effective ways to write a business plan. One is by writing it yourself and the other, to get it done quickly and properly, is to hire a professional.
How do you identify a business plan writer [BPW]?
Before you engage a BPW you have to be aware of what a BPW is. Don’t believe that someone who advertises this service will actually know what they are doing.
You will need someone who not only understands business very well but can effectively write a properly understood plan. They should show you how easy it is to understand what they have written and what is going to happen.
Let’s take a look at what you should expect from someone who is going to write the plan for you. What you don’t want is a BPW to take what you want and document it for an easy read. What you should seek is a BPW that works with you in developing the plan from the idea through to the finished workable document. The amount of work involved is enormous and depending on the depth of the business plan can easily take up to 200 hours. However, for the small business it most likely will take less time.
So where do you find a BPW?
There are a number of options available to you. First you can look in your local newspaper. This will allow you to access a BPW quickly and cost effectively. Or you can go to the professional organizations and get a referral from them for a suitable candidate. Alternatively if you can’t find a suitable BPW you can always fall back on the Internet for help. Simply complete a search for business plan writers and make your pick based on a pre thought out criteria. Be careful in your selection. The document has to be well written and one that will give you the option of presenting it to future financiers.
A great way to sort out the wheat from the chaff is to ask for referrals of any work they have completed previously. Ensure you get value for your money. Ask if the plan costs includes any future updates and a number of copies when needed over the next 12 months. Unlimited editions would be great or enough drafts at no extra charge until you are happy with the document. Check to see if you are charged for the completion of the document by the number of words or pages? At any rate make sure you know exactly what you are being charged for.
Why not do it yourself ?
This is the final option available to you. Even though there are many reasons why you should give the job to a professional BPW there are just as many reasons why you should do it yourself. As this article is a about business advice, the fors and againsts for doing it yourself is for another article.
How to Create a Business Website
A business website, by definition, is an online web address that usually represents one’s business or organization in the World Wide Web. It is where a particular firm discusses its products and services for the online audiences ranging from other businesses, advertisers, professionals, and the public.
In building your own business website, you need to understand how things work online. Everything in the Internet is based on the number of hits a site gets from the online community. The number of hits in a particular website dictates whether the business is doing well or not. The more popular the website becomes, the more potential for company to grow.
The top two things that a businessman or business organization needs to have to build a website are:
A domain name (yourwebsitename.com or yourbusiness.biz).
The domain name, otherwise known as URL address, will give the online audience an idea on what your website is all about. Remember, the shorter the domain name, the better chances of being remembered by the online audience and the more chances of getting more hits.
A web host service.
Web hosting is a type of Internet service that allows a particular website to be accessible to the users in the Internet. Web hosts are often large companies that provide leases or rentals for a server space so a website can be connected to the web.
If you have already decided on what domain name and web host you will use, the next thing you need to ask is: What does your business website need?
Here are several things that you need to consider before you decide on the actual form of the business website you want:
What will be the end result? Make sure that the website you will create will help you meet your goals. Your business plan is always the final answer to the question. So, build a website in line with your company’s goals.
What are the supports needed? These usually include phone lines, business e-mail, and business address to where customers can communicate with you.
Who am I competing with? You should bear in mind that there are already millions of websites all over the world. You should ask yourself, what can help my website standout from others. Explore things that have never been explored before by other business.
What are keywords? These are words that are most commonly used by online users to search for particular product or service online. Know the psychology of the people and the product that you are offering then find the right connection that will help direct them to your website.
What are the additional supports needed to maintain the website? These are the regular maintenance checks and feedbacks from people who are frequently viewing the website. This can be done after reading e-mail, comments, and blog entries from users.
If you follow these instructions, you can never go wrong in developing your own business website.
In building your own business website, you need to understand how things work online. Everything in the Internet is based on the number of hits a site gets from the online community. The number of hits in a particular website dictates whether the business is doing well or not. The more popular the website becomes, the more potential for company to grow.
The top two things that a businessman or business organization needs to have to build a website are:
A domain name (yourwebsitename.com or yourbusiness.biz).
The domain name, otherwise known as URL address, will give the online audience an idea on what your website is all about. Remember, the shorter the domain name, the better chances of being remembered by the online audience and the more chances of getting more hits.
A web host service.
Web hosting is a type of Internet service that allows a particular website to be accessible to the users in the Internet. Web hosts are often large companies that provide leases or rentals for a server space so a website can be connected to the web.
If you have already decided on what domain name and web host you will use, the next thing you need to ask is: What does your business website need?
Here are several things that you need to consider before you decide on the actual form of the business website you want:
What will be the end result? Make sure that the website you will create will help you meet your goals. Your business plan is always the final answer to the question. So, build a website in line with your company’s goals.
What are the supports needed? These usually include phone lines, business e-mail, and business address to where customers can communicate with you.
Who am I competing with? You should bear in mind that there are already millions of websites all over the world. You should ask yourself, what can help my website standout from others. Explore things that have never been explored before by other business.
What are keywords? These are words that are most commonly used by online users to search for particular product or service online. Know the psychology of the people and the product that you are offering then find the right connection that will help direct them to your website.
What are the additional supports needed to maintain the website? These are the regular maintenance checks and feedbacks from people who are frequently viewing the website. This can be done after reading e-mail, comments, and blog entries from users.
If you follow these instructions, you can never go wrong in developing your own business website.
Friday, December 25, 2009
How To Speak Spanish
How To Speak Spanish
There are a few basic phrases that you need to know to quickly learn any language. They are not what you might think.
Enlarge ImageWant to know how to speak Spanish quickly? Of course it can help to learn how to ask for the bathroom, and to say hello. Here are a few of those basic phrases, with the phonetic pronunciations:
Hola. (oh-la) Hello or hi.
Buenos dias. (bway-nos dee-ahs) Good day.
Cuál es su nombre? (kwahl ays soo nohm-bray) What is your name?
Mi nombre es Jose. (mee nohm-bray ays ho-say) My name is Jose.
Dónde está el baño? (dohn-day ays-tah el bahn-yoh) Where is the bathroom?
Muchas gracias. (moo-chahs grah-see-ahs) Thank you very much.
Learn How To Speak Spanish Quickly
To really accelerate your learning though, you need to know the basic phrases that will get the native speakers to be your teachers.
"Cómo se dice..." (co-mo say dee-say) - How do you say... and "Cuál es la palabra para esto?" (kwahl ays la pah-la-brah pah-rah ays-toh) What is the word for that? are great phrases to know. You can say "Cómo se dice..." or "Cuál es la palabra para esto?" and point at something, or use the English word, if the person you're speaking to knows a little English.
"Por favor, habla mas despacio." (Poor fah-voor, ah-blah mahs day-spa-see-oh) Please, speak more slowly. "Yo no entiendo." (yo no ayn-tee-en-doh) I don't understand. "Cómo se escribe?" (co-mo say ays-cree-bay) How do you write it?
Yo deseo aprender español" (yo day-say-oh ah-prayn-dair ays-spahn-yohl) I want to learn Spanish.
You'll need to learn grammar, and vocabulary, of course, but speaking a language is the best way to learn it. Spanish speakers are generally very tolerant, and love to help you learn. Here are four keys to quickly learn to speak Spanish:
1. Learn the basic phrases to ask for help.
2. Carry and use an English-Spanish dictionary.
3. Spend time with native Spanish speakers.
4. Start talking.
This is a sure formula to learn how to speak Spanish.
Steve Gillman has been working on his Spanish with his wife Ana Blum, a native of Ecuador. Together they have built a website where you can get free lessons in Spanish. Visit: http://www.TheSpanishLesson.com
There are a few basic phrases that you need to know to quickly learn any language. They are not what you might think.
Enlarge ImageWant to know how to speak Spanish quickly? Of course it can help to learn how to ask for the bathroom, and to say hello. Here are a few of those basic phrases, with the phonetic pronunciations:
Hola. (oh-la) Hello or hi.
Buenos dias. (bway-nos dee-ahs) Good day.
Cuál es su nombre? (kwahl ays soo nohm-bray) What is your name?
Mi nombre es Jose. (mee nohm-bray ays ho-say) My name is Jose.
Dónde está el baño? (dohn-day ays-tah el bahn-yoh) Where is the bathroom?
Muchas gracias. (moo-chahs grah-see-ahs) Thank you very much.
Learn How To Speak Spanish Quickly
To really accelerate your learning though, you need to know the basic phrases that will get the native speakers to be your teachers.
"Cómo se dice..." (co-mo say dee-say) - How do you say... and "Cuál es la palabra para esto?" (kwahl ays la pah-la-brah pah-rah ays-toh) What is the word for that? are great phrases to know. You can say "Cómo se dice..." or "Cuál es la palabra para esto?" and point at something, or use the English word, if the person you're speaking to knows a little English.
"Por favor, habla mas despacio." (Poor fah-voor, ah-blah mahs day-spa-see-oh) Please, speak more slowly. "Yo no entiendo." (yo no ayn-tee-en-doh) I don't understand. "Cómo se escribe?" (co-mo say ays-cree-bay) How do you write it?
Yo deseo aprender español" (yo day-say-oh ah-prayn-dair ays-spahn-yohl) I want to learn Spanish.
You'll need to learn grammar, and vocabulary, of course, but speaking a language is the best way to learn it. Spanish speakers are generally very tolerant, and love to help you learn. Here are four keys to quickly learn to speak Spanish:
1. Learn the basic phrases to ask for help.
2. Carry and use an English-Spanish dictionary.
3. Spend time with native Spanish speakers.
4. Start talking.
This is a sure formula to learn how to speak Spanish.
Steve Gillman has been working on his Spanish with his wife Ana Blum, a native of Ecuador. Together they have built a website where you can get free lessons in Spanish. Visit: http://www.TheSpanishLesson.com
Spanish Grammar
Spanish Grammar
Spanish is spoken by more than 400 million people. Read on to pick up a tips about this relatively simple language…
Spanish is one of the most commonly used languages in the world. It is also relatively easy to pick up, especially for people who are fluent in English. If you want to learn a new language for the sheer passion of picking up a new language, to learn about a whole new culture or for additional grades in your school then Spanish is the language for you.
At the end of this article you will not be speaking Spanish fluently but I will try to help you pick up a better understanding of the basics of the language.
Spanish Alphabets
The alphabets of the Spanish language are very similar to the most of the European languages. Following is the list of the Spanish alphabets and their pronounciation:
•A – a
•B - be
•C – ce
•CH – che
•D – de
•E – e
•F – efe
•G – ge
•H – hache
•I – i
•J – jota
•K – ka
•L – ele
•LL – elle
•M – eme
•N – ene
•O – o
•P – pe
•Q – cu
•R – ere
•S – ese
•T – te
•U – u
•V – ve
•W – uve doble
•X – eguis
•Y – i griega
•Z – zeta
I would like to highlight here that not all authorities on the Spanish language agree on the list that makes up the Spanish alphabets. The common exclusions are the alphabets ‘w’ and ‘k’. Some authorities are of the opinion that the alphabet ‘RR’ pronounced as ‘erre’ is part of the list. The feminine alphabets are ‘a’ and ‘b’.
Pronunciations – Vowels and Consonants
I had mentioned in the article at the beginning, Spanish can be picked up easily by people fluent in English. This is because the vowels and consonants are pronounced like they are in English. However, the Spanish consonants are softer than their English counterparts while the Spanish vowels are more distinct than that in English. Further, as in most languages, the sounds of the vowels can vary a little with the letters that are before and after them but generally remain the same irrespective of the word.
Purals
In the English language, we have a few common rules for making a noun plural like adding an ‘s’ at the end of the word unless the word end with a ‘y’ wherein the ‘y’ is replaced by ‘ies’. Thankfully, the rules in Spanish are this simple too. In Spanish, if the word ends with a consonant, ‘es’ is added to the word and if the word ends with ‘z’, the ‘z’ is replaced with ‘ces’ to get the plural form. Further, ‘y’ is also treated as a constant when obtaining the plural form of the word.
Like in English, there are a couple of exceptions, but then again I guess the entire point of having an exception in a language is to make it more interesting and keep people on their toes.
Gender
Gender is an inherent characteristic of nouns in the Spanish language and the nouns are classified as either feminine or masculine with no neuter nouns. A very simple rule that can be followed is that the masculine nouns are used with masculine adjectives and articles while the feminine nouns go with feminine adjectives and articles. A useful tip to make Spanish easy is that the masculine words are preceded with an ‘el’ while the feminine words are preceded with ‘la’, both the words meaning ‘the’.
Spanish Greetings
It is very important that you pick up a couple of Spanish greetings before you visit an area where Spanish is the native language. It will help break the ice and the natives will definitely be more cordial when they see that you are making an effort to fit in. Here are a list of some common greetings that should help you get through:
•Hola – Hello
•Adios – Goodbye
•Buenos días – Good day
•Me llamo Anju – My name is Anju
•Bienvenido - Welcome
•Gracias – Thank you
As I had mentioned at the beginning, this article is not going to help you speak Spanish fluently. Although I do hope that I have managed to convey across as to how simple a language Spanish is.
I would like to end this article with the thoughts of Karl Albrecht who said, "Change your language and change your thought".
Spanish is spoken by more than 400 million people. Read on to pick up a tips about this relatively simple language…
Spanish is one of the most commonly used languages in the world. It is also relatively easy to pick up, especially for people who are fluent in English. If you want to learn a new language for the sheer passion of picking up a new language, to learn about a whole new culture or for additional grades in your school then Spanish is the language for you.
At the end of this article you will not be speaking Spanish fluently but I will try to help you pick up a better understanding of the basics of the language.
Spanish Alphabets
The alphabets of the Spanish language are very similar to the most of the European languages. Following is the list of the Spanish alphabets and their pronounciation:
•A – a
•B - be
•C – ce
•CH – che
•D – de
•E – e
•F – efe
•G – ge
•H – hache
•I – i
•J – jota
•K – ka
•L – ele
•LL – elle
•M – eme
•N – ene
•O – o
•P – pe
•Q – cu
•R – ere
•S – ese
•T – te
•U – u
•V – ve
•W – uve doble
•X – eguis
•Y – i griega
•Z – zeta
I would like to highlight here that not all authorities on the Spanish language agree on the list that makes up the Spanish alphabets. The common exclusions are the alphabets ‘w’ and ‘k’. Some authorities are of the opinion that the alphabet ‘RR’ pronounced as ‘erre’ is part of the list. The feminine alphabets are ‘a’ and ‘b’.
Pronunciations – Vowels and Consonants
I had mentioned in the article at the beginning, Spanish can be picked up easily by people fluent in English. This is because the vowels and consonants are pronounced like they are in English. However, the Spanish consonants are softer than their English counterparts while the Spanish vowels are more distinct than that in English. Further, as in most languages, the sounds of the vowels can vary a little with the letters that are before and after them but generally remain the same irrespective of the word.
Purals
In the English language, we have a few common rules for making a noun plural like adding an ‘s’ at the end of the word unless the word end with a ‘y’ wherein the ‘y’ is replaced by ‘ies’. Thankfully, the rules in Spanish are this simple too. In Spanish, if the word ends with a consonant, ‘es’ is added to the word and if the word ends with ‘z’, the ‘z’ is replaced with ‘ces’ to get the plural form. Further, ‘y’ is also treated as a constant when obtaining the plural form of the word.
Like in English, there are a couple of exceptions, but then again I guess the entire point of having an exception in a language is to make it more interesting and keep people on their toes.
Gender
Gender is an inherent characteristic of nouns in the Spanish language and the nouns are classified as either feminine or masculine with no neuter nouns. A very simple rule that can be followed is that the masculine nouns are used with masculine adjectives and articles while the feminine nouns go with feminine adjectives and articles. A useful tip to make Spanish easy is that the masculine words are preceded with an ‘el’ while the feminine words are preceded with ‘la’, both the words meaning ‘the’.
Spanish Greetings
It is very important that you pick up a couple of Spanish greetings before you visit an area where Spanish is the native language. It will help break the ice and the natives will definitely be more cordial when they see that you are making an effort to fit in. Here are a list of some common greetings that should help you get through:
•Hola – Hello
•Adios – Goodbye
•Buenos días – Good day
•Me llamo Anju – My name is Anju
•Bienvenido - Welcome
•Gracias – Thank you
As I had mentioned at the beginning, this article is not going to help you speak Spanish fluently. Although I do hope that I have managed to convey across as to how simple a language Spanish is.
I would like to end this article with the thoughts of Karl Albrecht who said, "Change your language and change your thought".
How to Become a Successful Entrepreneur
How to Become a Successful Entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship requires certain distinctive characteristics. Do you have it in you to be a successful entrepreneur? Check it out here.
Running a business is a challenging, creative and flexible way to chart one’s future and become one’s own boss. Apart from earning a living, it is about creating a new way of life. Becoming an entrepreneur takes foresight, determination and courage. You will be stepping out of the relatively safe environs of the salaried world, where you get regular paychecks, and venturing into the uncharted territory of the business world.
But, how can you know whether it would be better for you to be a salaried employee, or if you have it in you to be a successful entrepreneur? While there is no guaranteed formula for entrepreneurial success, according to studies it has been shown that there are certain characteristics that all successful entrepreneurs have in their persona. Check out these characteristics, given below, to see if entrepreneurship is what you need to opt for.
Having Self-Confidence: To be a successful entrepreneur, you need to have tremendous self-belief. Do you really think that you have the willingness to overcome all obstacles and achieve your goals? If you lack that crucial element of confidence in your mental makeup, then entrepreneurship is not for you. Belief in yourself is what gives you the self-confidence you need to be a successful entrepreneur. If you have the self-belief that you can do it, that will give you all the confidence you need. Can you inculcate self-confidence in yourself? Yes, you can, by trying to push yourself to doing a little more than what you are comfortable doing each day. And before long, you will find yourself accomplishing things you would have never thought were possible. Bear in mind, that many successful entrepreneurs that you see, started out with nothing, or very little, apart from self-confidence and self-belief.
Having Belief In Your Business Venture: Put the question to yourself whether you really believe in the business you are venturing into. If you find that you are not completely convinced about it, you need to continue looking until you can pinpoint one that you feel you will be ready to be committed to. To be successful in any business venture, you will have to be focused on it practically 24 hours a day. You will have to continuously be building it, fine-tuning it, and re-inventing it. This requires an enormous amount of self-commitment.
Focusing On Your Strengths: Each person has his/her own strengths as well as weaknesses. In order to be an effective entrepreneur, you will need to pinpoint your strengths and focus on them. You will achieve more success by being able to channelize your efforts into the areas you are best at. For instance, if marketing skills are your forte, then you need to harness the capability, making full use of it in the business. And get assistance in those areas that you may be weak in, like bookkeeping or accounting. You can even turn your weaknesses into strengths by getting trained or learning about those areas.
Having The Ability To Recognize Opportunity: In case your business were to be destroyed tomorrow, how would you look at it? Would it seem like an irreconcilable loss, or would you look at it as an opportunity to make a new beginning – to improve, to grow, to rebuild? Successful entrepreneurs eye everything as a source of opportunity. They have an inquisitive and questioning attitude about everything. No matter what they come across, they always wonder if there is a better way of doing things. And if they do think that indeed there could be a better way, they set about finding the solutions themselves or get help from an expert. Indeed, opportunity can be found in a vast plethora of ways and places, and with the help of the Internet available these days, there is no dearth of opportunities knocking at our computer screens. If you are a true-blue entrepreneur, you will see opportunity everywhere.
Being A Decision Maker: If you required some information, would you be able to get it fast, without having to waste other people’s or your own time? Put differently, if you had to make a decision, would you be able to get the information you need fast enough and then make the decision? Or would you keep procrastinating, until the very fact of your not having made a decision becomes the decision? Being an entrepreneur involves making a lot of decisions, which involves getting information swiftly and making equally swift, albeit informed, decisions. Keep in mind that each decision that is made by you, regardless of how unimportant it may appear at the time, will have an impact on the future of your business in some way. Most successful entrepreneurs have accurate gut instincts, which they use whenever in doubt.
Being A Leader: You will not be able to do everything all by yourself. A time will come when it will be necessary to hire employees, speak to investors, apply for loans – thus, having to assume the role of a leader. If you don’t have the ability to lead, you will not be able to get any followers. As the head of your company, the people you hire will look to you for support and guidance. The ability to give the correct support and guidance will be the basis of your success as an entrepreneur to a large extent.
Thinking success… Being passionate… Planning well… Working hard… Being willing to learn… Persevering and having faith… Leading by example… These are some of the mantras of becoming a successful entrepreneur.
Entrepreneurship requires certain distinctive characteristics. Do you have it in you to be a successful entrepreneur? Check it out here.
Running a business is a challenging, creative and flexible way to chart one’s future and become one’s own boss. Apart from earning a living, it is about creating a new way of life. Becoming an entrepreneur takes foresight, determination and courage. You will be stepping out of the relatively safe environs of the salaried world, where you get regular paychecks, and venturing into the uncharted territory of the business world.
But, how can you know whether it would be better for you to be a salaried employee, or if you have it in you to be a successful entrepreneur? While there is no guaranteed formula for entrepreneurial success, according to studies it has been shown that there are certain characteristics that all successful entrepreneurs have in their persona. Check out these characteristics, given below, to see if entrepreneurship is what you need to opt for.
Having Self-Confidence: To be a successful entrepreneur, you need to have tremendous self-belief. Do you really think that you have the willingness to overcome all obstacles and achieve your goals? If you lack that crucial element of confidence in your mental makeup, then entrepreneurship is not for you. Belief in yourself is what gives you the self-confidence you need to be a successful entrepreneur. If you have the self-belief that you can do it, that will give you all the confidence you need. Can you inculcate self-confidence in yourself? Yes, you can, by trying to push yourself to doing a little more than what you are comfortable doing each day. And before long, you will find yourself accomplishing things you would have never thought were possible. Bear in mind, that many successful entrepreneurs that you see, started out with nothing, or very little, apart from self-confidence and self-belief.
Having Belief In Your Business Venture: Put the question to yourself whether you really believe in the business you are venturing into. If you find that you are not completely convinced about it, you need to continue looking until you can pinpoint one that you feel you will be ready to be committed to. To be successful in any business venture, you will have to be focused on it practically 24 hours a day. You will have to continuously be building it, fine-tuning it, and re-inventing it. This requires an enormous amount of self-commitment.
Focusing On Your Strengths: Each person has his/her own strengths as well as weaknesses. In order to be an effective entrepreneur, you will need to pinpoint your strengths and focus on them. You will achieve more success by being able to channelize your efforts into the areas you are best at. For instance, if marketing skills are your forte, then you need to harness the capability, making full use of it in the business. And get assistance in those areas that you may be weak in, like bookkeeping or accounting. You can even turn your weaknesses into strengths by getting trained or learning about those areas.
Having The Ability To Recognize Opportunity: In case your business were to be destroyed tomorrow, how would you look at it? Would it seem like an irreconcilable loss, or would you look at it as an opportunity to make a new beginning – to improve, to grow, to rebuild? Successful entrepreneurs eye everything as a source of opportunity. They have an inquisitive and questioning attitude about everything. No matter what they come across, they always wonder if there is a better way of doing things. And if they do think that indeed there could be a better way, they set about finding the solutions themselves or get help from an expert. Indeed, opportunity can be found in a vast plethora of ways and places, and with the help of the Internet available these days, there is no dearth of opportunities knocking at our computer screens. If you are a true-blue entrepreneur, you will see opportunity everywhere.
Being A Decision Maker: If you required some information, would you be able to get it fast, without having to waste other people’s or your own time? Put differently, if you had to make a decision, would you be able to get the information you need fast enough and then make the decision? Or would you keep procrastinating, until the very fact of your not having made a decision becomes the decision? Being an entrepreneur involves making a lot of decisions, which involves getting information swiftly and making equally swift, albeit informed, decisions. Keep in mind that each decision that is made by you, regardless of how unimportant it may appear at the time, will have an impact on the future of your business in some way. Most successful entrepreneurs have accurate gut instincts, which they use whenever in doubt.
Being A Leader: You will not be able to do everything all by yourself. A time will come when it will be necessary to hire employees, speak to investors, apply for loans – thus, having to assume the role of a leader. If you don’t have the ability to lead, you will not be able to get any followers. As the head of your company, the people you hire will look to you for support and guidance. The ability to give the correct support and guidance will be the basis of your success as an entrepreneur to a large extent.
Thinking success… Being passionate… Planning well… Working hard… Being willing to learn… Persevering and having faith… Leading by example… These are some of the mantras of becoming a successful entrepreneur.
Starting an IT Consulting Business
Starting an IT Consulting Business: The Importance of a Website
IT Consulting Business and websites go hand in hand. Make sure your website has good content, a way to reach you, and personalizations that will connect your customers to your IT consulting business.
It is very important to have a website when starting an IT consulting business. It is easy to tell who is working full time at starting their IT consulting business and who’s not just by looking at their website, or lack thereof.
Keep it Simple
Don’t go overboard on your website. Don’t use flash because you’ll never get decent search engine spidering and you’ll annoy a lot of people with it. Keep it very simple, about 4 or 5 pages.
Your Website Content
Of course you’ll have your homepage. Then, off the homepage you should have a page that talks about the benefits of the solutions that your IT consulting business offers. You should also have a bio page that talks about your background.
Show Your Face
It is important to note that you shouldn’t hide who you are. Often times when you visit a website you can’t figure out who owns the business. Make sure your name is up on your IT consulting business’ website.
You can even put your picture up there. Utilize tools like audio options if you want to build a stronger emotional connection. Definitely make sure that your website conveys who you are as the owner of this IT consulting business.
Make it Easy to Reach You
In starting your IT consulting business and working on your website, ensure you have a contact form somewhere within the site. You may also want to have a links page where you can exchange links and share some traffic with other trusted businesses.
Additionally, you may want to have a hidden referral page on your IT consulting business’ website. This could be a page where it is easy to refer people to.
The Bottom Line about the IT Consulting Business
You should definitely have a website. Write it from the standpoint of what’s in it for the small-business owner. Focus on the benefits and what you bring to the table.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved.
About the Author:
IT Consulting Business and websites go hand in hand. Make sure your website has good content, a way to reach you, and personalizations that will connect your customers to your IT consulting business.
It is very important to have a website when starting an IT consulting business. It is easy to tell who is working full time at starting their IT consulting business and who’s not just by looking at their website, or lack thereof.
Keep it Simple
Don’t go overboard on your website. Don’t use flash because you’ll never get decent search engine spidering and you’ll annoy a lot of people with it. Keep it very simple, about 4 or 5 pages.
Your Website Content
Of course you’ll have your homepage. Then, off the homepage you should have a page that talks about the benefits of the solutions that your IT consulting business offers. You should also have a bio page that talks about your background.
Show Your Face
It is important to note that you shouldn’t hide who you are. Often times when you visit a website you can’t figure out who owns the business. Make sure your name is up on your IT consulting business’ website.
You can even put your picture up there. Utilize tools like audio options if you want to build a stronger emotional connection. Definitely make sure that your website conveys who you are as the owner of this IT consulting business.
Make it Easy to Reach You
In starting your IT consulting business and working on your website, ensure you have a contact form somewhere within the site. You may also want to have a links page where you can exchange links and share some traffic with other trusted businesses.
Additionally, you may want to have a hidden referral page on your IT consulting business’ website. This could be a page where it is easy to refer people to.
The Bottom Line about the IT Consulting Business
You should definitely have a website. Write it from the standpoint of what’s in it for the small-business owner. Focus on the benefits and what you bring to the table.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved.
About the Author:
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