Month: February 2012

Instant Payday Loans Can Get You Out Of A Money Crunch

It is not unusual to be short on cash when an unexpected expense arises. In fact, there can be a number of reasons why you might not have the cash you need at certain times. Whatever the reason may be, what do you do if payday is a week away and you need cash now? Instant payday loans may present a solution to your problem.

payday loans

Sudden Need for Cash

If you have just paid all of your bills and your paycheck is now depleted, it can be quite a hassle to have a sudden need for cash when the money is not available. If you cannot wait until your next paycheck, you may find that by obtaining an instant payday loan, you can quickly get the cash you need and pay back your loan when your next paycheck arrives.

Many individuals who may need cash in a hurry are afraid that they will not be able to obtain the necessary funds due to bad credit. There are a number of lenders who do not require excellent credit in order to issue a payday loan. If you have bad credit or even no credit at all, you can still obtain a loan that will tide you over until you get paid again as no credit check will be necessary. It can bring such peace of mind knowing that your sudden need for funds can be handled even if you are dealing with credit issues.

Short Term Loans are Easy

Since the loan is for a short period of time and will be paid back when you next receive your paycheck, you can obtain the cash you need just by meeting a few criteria. You will be required to have a steady source of income, be at least 18 years of age or older, reside in the United States and have a checking account. With a payday loan, you can receive your cash almost instantly, which can help you out of a financial jam.

Instant payday loans can be obtained through a neighborhood lender or online. It only takes a few minutes to fill out an application. With instant approval, you will find yourself with cash in hand in no time at all. If you establish a good working relationship with your lender, you will have somewhere to turn when tough times come along and you need a sudden influx of cash.

Use it Only for Emergency

Depending on the lender, you may be able to obtain up to $1,500 for sudden expenses. Whether your emergency is a medical bill, a car repair or some other issue, you will have the funds you need to pay your bill and get on with your life. You will repay the loan, plus any applicable interest fees, when you receive your next paycheck. If there is a problem with paying back the loan at the designated time, you may request an extension from your lender.

Instant payday loans can be a way to get out from under a financial burden when you are faced with sudden unexpected expenses.

How to Become a PR Specialist

Public relations is an essential part of any company. Not only do PR specialists handle press releases, but they can also help keep the press at bay when the company becomes of interest. It’s easy to see that this is an important position and one that can be very successful. If this career sounds interesting to you, here are just a few tips on how to become a PR specialist.

how to be a pr specialist

Expand Your Education

Those interested in becoming a PR specialist should set their sights on an expansive education. Communications and journalism are necessary for this career. You may want to major in journalism and minor in communication. You should also consider choosing courses that are based around writing so that you can build your skills in this area.

Network

It pays to network with as many people as possible when shooting for a career in public relations. For example, if you want to work as a PR specialist for food companies, you might want to network with restaurant owners, food bloggers and other food professionals. You should also network with those in media, such as newscasters and reporters.

Create an Online Presence

In this day and time it pays for professionals to have an online presence, especially in social networking. However, this is a step that should not be overlooked by PR specialists. A strong online presence can be a great way to contect with others. Those with expansive networks will be prized among companies. Remember to include your professional network of friends in your social networks. Companies will be especially grateful of an employee that knows professionals in the field.

Be Forward

Part of the job of a PR specialist is getting a company’s voice heard. This means that companies are looking for people that aren’t afraid to approach people and refuse to back down. This means you should be forward when approaching the company about a career. Tell them why you’re best for the job, discuss your online presence and your professional network.

Write, Write and Write Again

You will never make it in public relations without great writing skills. You need to know how to get a message across, know what works to get media attention and how to make something bad actually sound good. This takes years of practice and you should never skip a chance to write a PR statement. The more practice the better. You may even want to take additional writing classes outside of your degree in order to get the best education possible. You should also take advantage of tutoring services offered by your university to help you beef up your writing skills.

A PR specialist is vital for a business. However, there are things you need to do before you can land a career in public relations. Not only do you need to be forward about your request for a career, but you need to have excellent writing skills. Last, but not least, you need a great education with a network of professional acquaintances to become a PR specialist.

About the Author: Douglass Shamel just narrowed down his short-list of cheap Dallas apartments and plans to relocate from California in March of this year. He will be working for a public relations firm and hopes to one day open his own practice.

Tips for Internet Startups

While there is a lower threshold these days for starting a business online, it still isn’t as easy as the movies make it out to be. It’s still a business – you’re going to need to consider overhead costs, who to hire, what kind of profit margin you’re looking for – and if these are all things that are over your head – if you’re an “ideas man” (or woman) you’re going to have to find someone you can work with that can translate your vague goals and ideas into actionable metrics and concrete, well-articulated goals.

Find the idea

If you’re just venturing into the world of e-business, what follows is a primer of those things that you are probably going to encounter and have to consider when starting up your internet start-up.

Think Big

There are a few different facets to this concept when applied to internet start-ups. The first angle of interpretation for “thinking big” comes with branding. Branding is an integral part of your long-term strategy and can determine what markets a company eventually enters into, and succeeds, in. Branding is not the red-headed stepchild – it’s not something that you can neglect until after your first product has launched, in fact, having the proper branding and image to project to angel investors or venture capitalists can make or break the success of your first product.

And then there is the “think big” side of the product itself. I mean, look at Google – do you think they would be as successful as they are today if they set out to “organize the information of the United States”? Nope. Their mission is nothing smaller than organizing the worlds information.

Always Innovate

Internet companies never stop innovating, never stop changing or expanding. Google is constantly innovating, adding new product lines (and cutting them out if they fail). And just in the nature of the internet, there is always a greater user base, and more features that you are able to add as you proactively respond to the customer. Look at Twitter – their offering is pretty straightforward – 140 character social status updates, but what their interface encompasses keeps expanding – from picture and video integration to new profile layouts – they always strive for a better product. 

When you’re starting an internet company, be wary of the lures of monetization and hubris. A product is never the best that it can be, and while you don’t want to fall the other direction and not release a product until it’s absolutely perfect, you never want to stop making a product better, either.

Be Social

Funny we talked about Twitter in the previous section, because probably one of the most important things that a start-up can do is get the word out – and in the internet, “word of mouth” is the social sphere – Twitter, Facebook, Google+, oh my!

While these can be a time suck, getting involved can be quite key for getting the word out about your product, and creating a loyal base of early-adopter users (and actually listening to what they have to say). 

Don’t Forget There is a World Outside of Google

While you may be an internet start-up, don’t forget about traditional marketing either! While it may be less relevant for you if you don’t also have a brick-and-mortar store, neglecting other forms of advertisements is probably just as silly. GoDaddy just had a Superbowl advertisement, and they don’t have a brick-and-mortar store – they exist entirely in the cyber sphere.

You are going to want to analyze your business model and your competition and see what arenas could be most profitable for you in terms of reach. At this point in your business life cycle it may not be practical to move beyond your internet sphere, but don’t neglect traditional marketing, either.

Stay Organized

You may be the “ideas man” with grand plans, but how are you going to execute them? Do you have some sort of integrated software, or a bunch of different software programs that will help you keep your ducks (and your money) in line? Are you always late to meetings? If you really are dedicated to making your business work, that’s going to have to change – or you’re going to have to hire someone to stay organized for you, manage all your invoices and paperwork, time clocks and facilities (even if it’s just your home office).

Sarah Stevens is a writer who works most often with a company that makes sure that your company is kept running smoothly with asset management software – and she hope that if this article inspires you to create the next big thing you’ll offer her a finder’s fee!

Are Self-Employment Opportunities on the Rise?

Chances are you know someone that is self-employed. In fact, you may even work from home. Whether it’s a career in freelance writing or selling items on eBay, there are a number of jobs to be had. Of course, many of these jobs have been available for the past decade. Still, people can’t help but wonder if self-employment jobs are on the rise and if so, why?

The Numbers

In the fall of 2011, self-employment hit a record high of 41.4 million, which added up to an 8% rise since spring 2008. While this sounds like a huge increase, the truth is these jobs may not be what people expect.

Why Are People Turning to Self-Employment?

The truth is many people aren’t turning to self-employment as a career per say, but as a way to simply make ends meet. It is estimated that people working odd jobs, equaling less than 30 hours per week, accounted for 89% of the recent rise. These people are those that were left unemployed due to a bad economy and want to avoid unemployment. In other words, they may be working these jobs, while also looking for another job. States like Delaware have even made the idea of self-employment more enticing by offering a weekly allowance to help unemployed individuals start their own small business. Of course, the unemployed aren’t the only ones looking at self-employment. Companies are actively seeking contract employees to fill positions. A number of large media businesses actually let employees go in favor of freelance employees as a way to save on the costs of benefits, unemployment and taxes.

What Jobs Are People Doing?

There are a number of self-employment jobs to be had. Those that are doing odd jobs to make ends meet may be cleaning homes, doing landscaping or handyman work. Those that are serious about self-employment may be working as freelance writers, website creators, online sellers or even professional bloggers.

The clear answer is that yes self-employment is on the rise. However, in many cases this isn’t because the person wants to be self-employed. In most cases, due to the poor economy and massive layoffs, people often don’t have a choice. This usually means taking on odd jobs to make ends meet, while looking for a more permanent solution. Unfortunately, in today’s economy, these odd jobs may soon become the only source of income for those that are out of work.

About the Author: Enrique Maden is a small business owner who enjoys working from a virtual office set up in his home. He was one of many left unemployed after his company closed and is now making it on his own.

4 Perks Every Small Business Owner should Steal from Google

For three consecutive years Google has been ranked as one of the top companies to work for. While pay is good, the perks the tech company offers its employees is what most say really keeps employees happy and eager to produce constant good work – headquarters are equipped with a rock climbing wall, gourmet chefs, free laundry services, and even allow employees to bring their pet to work just to name a few. While you’re a small business owner and can’t afford to hire a sushi chef for example, that doesn’t mean that you can’t use Google as a model and put your own twist on some of the amenities they offer. To learn some perks that will earn you the best boss award and can keep the employees you have satisfied, continue reading below.

1. Provide Cheap Beverages and Snacks. Ok, so you don’t have the funds to buy a fancy espresso or cappuccino maker, but you can buy a traditional coffee maker and some flavored creamers so that your employees can have a free pick-me-up in the mornings or afternoons. Stocking the company fridge with at least 3 different flavors of soda or tea and some filtered water is also a great, simple idea. Can sodas are inexpensive (especially if you purchase in bulk using a discount Sam’s Club or CostCo card) and it’ll keep your employees hydrated (which is needed to activate brains) as well as give your employee’s bragging rights – most companies do not provide free snacks. To ease up on your wallet, only restock snacks once a month.

2. Keep Social Media Sites Active. Most corporate companies choose to make social media sites like Facebook and Twitter inaccessible at work because they believe it will only distract their employees from completing the tasks at hand. But blocking popular sites like Facebook can make some employees feel like their employer is a control freak and may actually end up resenting their boss a little bit. Besides, some studies say that allowing employees to take small breaks to check social networking sites and surf the web can actually boost productivity rates.

3. Casual Everyday. Some corporate offices give their employees permission to indulge in a “casual Friday.” Google, on the other hand, allows their staff to wear jeans every day of the week – of course there are limits; it’s more of a “business casual” than “casual-casual” but it’s a great way to promote productivity. That’s because some experts claim that formal business attire, such as suits, heels, and pencil skirts, can be really constraining, causing people who have to sit or stand for 8 hours a day to be extremely uncomfortable which prompts them to do less work. However business casual attire removes the stress of having to get ready each morning and let’s your employees breathe while at work. While causal everyday may not work for every small business (if they don’t have to engage with clients or investors on a normal basis) it may be a good idea to at least give them one or two days a week of casual dress. Of course there can be restrictions – no flip flops etc.

4. Set up a Game Room. Lastly, like mentioned before, in addition to a rock climbing wall, Google has a myriad of other fun games to boost office moral and motivate its team to work harder for breaks such as a foosball table. Creating an area where your employees can get together and unwind for a few minutes doing something fun is a fantastic amenity to add. With careful research you can find some inexpensive foosball tables or something similar like a ping pong table. Investing in an office gaming system (Wii’s are about $80 now) and getting some group-involved games like Mario Kart is also great activity to have in the workplace.

About the Author: This guest post is contributed by Lauren Bailey, who regularly writes for accredited online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: blauren99 @gmail.com.