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5 Business Ideas for Shipping Containers

Shipping containers used for transporting goods overseas are an untapped industry for entrepreneurs that wish to take advantage of a green business. These sturdy metal containers, often 100 square feet or more in size, are in abundance at shipyards around the country, ready to be recycled into new products or for new uses. Shipping companies often “retire” these containers after a few uses because of changes import specifications, vendors or customers. Once retired, these containers sit there waiting to be re-purposed, otherwise they just sit and waste away.

Five Novel Business Uses:

Innovative business owners and developers have found that these shipping containers are perfect for many different types of construction projects. With a little creativity, and a little reconditioning, these containers have been changed into some wonderful structures.

1. Coffee Stand Starbucks, in an effort to be creative and stand by its environmental policy of being “good citizens to the Earth,” has taken a retired shipping container and changed it into a walk-up coffee stand in an area where they could not put in a stand-alone building. This experiment has been so popular that the company is planning to change many of their stores into this type of building.

2. Shopping Mall An innovative developer in Michigan thought that these containers could create the perfect eco-friendly shopping mall. Each container is connected by walkways, and each one is an individual store. Of course, you will not see super-sized stores in this mall, but every unit is occupied, and there is no lack of business.

3. Apartments Another developer in the Michigan area discovered that these containers could be easily changed into micro apartments, perfect for those with limited need for space or limited income. The units meet all health and safety standards and were quickly occupied.

4. Storage Facilities Developers all over the country have discovered that is is more economical and more environmentally sound to re-purpose these shipping containers into self-storage units than to build these units from scratch. This is an incredible opportunity to save resources while providing a valuable service.

5. Tool Shed These containers make great personal storage units on your own private property. A business has begun purchasing and refurbishing these shipping containers into personal workshops and tool sheds. Because these items are still considered to be “mobile” structures, many areas will not require special permits to have them on your property and they are not a built-in structure which will produce more taxes on your home.

These are just a few of the most recent uses found for these retired shipping containers. With some imagination, these containers could be re-purposed into any type of business or structure. It is an environmentally friendly type of business that will draw a lot of attention from potential clients due to its uniqueness. What is perhaps the most impressive, however, is that they are very low cost in comparison, and the potential for profit is very high.

Jonathan Billings is a small business entrepreneur and offers this article to share unique and affordable uses of containers typically thought of as only temporary shelters for valuables on job sites and other short-term uses. At StorageContainer.com you can either lease a self-contained job site office, or buy several for a cool community project!

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/clhendricksbc/8459875381/

U.S. Real Estate Investment – Will It Ever Bounce Back?

When the U.S. housing market began to crash in 2007, it looked like declining values and foreclosure activity would never end. By 2009, most of the country saw a 34 percent decline in their property values, with some areas seeing drops of 65 percent or more. Every day it seemed as if the news brought only more disastrous coverage of the housing crisis.

Investors were even shying away from purchasing these low priced properties. Why purchase today when values would only drop again tomorrow? This was the sentiment felt by everyone concerning the housing market. However, time heals all market crashes, and there has never been a better time to invest into properties and “flip” them for a profit.

The Trend Started In 2012

In 2012, the housing market began to take a turn for the better. Foreclosures activity, while still high, began to ease, which allowed home values to begin to rise. During 2012, home values increased each month, even if only by a fraction of a percent, creating the best year the market has seen in half a decade.

In fact, the housing industry even contributed to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the nation in 2012, which was a first since 2005.

There are many other factors that are creating a good housing market at this time. Unemployment figures have steadily dropped over the last year and a half, consumer sentiment is on the rise, and interest rates remain low, making purchasing a home even more attractive.

What This Means For The Investor

If you are interested in investing into the distressed properties that still remain on the market, or if you are already a real estate investor, this news should make you happy. Even slight increases in home values means that you can easily purchase a distressed home, complete any necessary renovations, and flip it for a great profit because the market is now moving to benefit the seller.

If you are new to this type of business, you may wish to consider partnering with a cash-for-homes business that will help you learn the tricks of the trade. Why would a company be willing to share this type of information? Simple, because there are more than enough opportunities around that will allow everyone to profit.

Will The Trend Continue?

There are people who may wish to invest in this type of venture but are afraid that they will not be able to turn a profit because home prices are steadily increasing. This is, however, the farthest thing from the truth.

Even though home prices have been steadily increasing over the last 15 months, they are still on average 28 percent below their peak values in 2006. Some areas, such as Florida, Nevada, and parts of California are still 50 percent or more below their 2006 values. This leaves an extraordinary amount of room to generate a profit.

Additionally, there are still over 2 million homes in the Shadow Inventory. The Shadow Inventory are homes that are either severely delinquent in their mortgage payment, somewhere in the process of foreclosure, or have been seized by the lender but not placed on the market for sale. With this amount of property still looming, there will still be pliantly of properties available for investments.

Blogger Brady Sullivan is a tradesman and knows that certain types of updating and improvements actually do help your home sell faster. PDXRenovations.com has been transforming the Metro communities of Phoenix and Portland with high-quality property faceliftss, achieving quicker home sales at higher prices.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arnoldmasonryandconcrete/7517687932/

How to Keep Your Best Employee Focused When Their New Baby Arrives

A major goal of any small business owner is to hire intelligent, hard-working people and keep them around for many years to come. If you run your own business, you already know that attempting to find good employees can be a tiring and frustrating process. People can sometimes seem amazing during the interview, only to begin demonstrating a poor work ethic a few weeks into the job. Other times, major life changes, such as health problems, having a baby or returning to school, can drive your good employees away. If you have a beloved employee that is pregnant, you may want to consider doing some things to help keep her around after the baby is born.

Throw an Excellent Baby Shower

Throwing an office baby shower is a good way to support your employee during her pregnancy. Not only will the effort warm her heart and provide her with numerous gifts that she will need for the baby, but it will also show her that she is a valued member of your team. Just as it can be difficult to find good employees, it can also be difficult to find a good place to work. A baby shower could remind your employee just how special your place of business really is.

Be Understanding and Generous With Time Off

It’s important to understand that your employee is going to need plenty of time off both during her pregnancy and after the baby is born. Allow a good amount of time for pregnancy leave as well as plenty of sick days in case anything unexpected should come up.

Provide a Reasonable Work Load

Being a new mom can be quite distracting. If your employee has just returned to work after having the baby, understand that she may be more tired and spaced out than usual. Therefore, you may want to provide her with a less-demanding workload than she is used to. Start slow and help her ease back into her regular routine by adding a bit more work each week and talking to her about what she’s comfortable with.

Make Room for the Baby at the Office

Finding a babysitter can be difficult, and many new moms don’t feel comfortable leaving their newborn right away. By allowing your employee to bring her baby to work, you’ll be helping her get back into the swing of things without having to suffer the distraction of wondering how her baby is doing while she’s away. Plus, you’ll be making your other employees happy, because who wouldn’t enjoy having an adorable baby around? To help make the new mom comfortable, consider purchasing a sanitary changing table and play yard for babies and placing it in her office. That way, she wont have to waste time taking the baby to a different place to change him or her.

Running a small business is like being the leader of a tribe. When the leader is kind, generous and understanding, the entire group does well. The more love and support you give your employee during this changing time in her life, the more she will appreciate you as a boss and want to continue doing a great job.

Having been a TV reporter with a new baby on the job, Ann Bailey encourages support for any employee coming back to work as a new mom. A clean, modern play yard for babies is a powerful statement of support that business owners can easily provide for seamless continuity for their employees with new family additions.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/johneric/2587428334/

Recurring Meetings in DC? Surprising Ways a Condo Can Save Your Business Expenses

Small business owners understand the expenses associated with traveling. In addition to the flight, airport fees and meals, you could be talking about serious costs, and you haven’t even booked your lodging yet. The following are advantages of condominium ownership, and ways it can improve for your business savings.

Great Resale Value

Washington DC is one of the few areas around the United States experiencing a rise in home prices in recent years. Not only have the values on homes, condominiums, and town homes increased, the area is reporting substantial housing property growth within the community. For companies with employees consistently traveling in and out of Arlington VA and the Washington area on business, you’ll find buying a substantial savings to renting or booking an expensive hotel. Depending on the location, you can find affordable condominiums for sale in a great neighborhood. Also, with interest rates at an all-time low, your payments will be minimal compared to expense-budget money on lodging.

Savings on Meals

Meals on the road can be expensive for business owners and eating out several times a day can add up. With a condo, you have the opportunity to trim your budget by eating in-house and preparing your own food. Hotel gift shops, convenience stores, room service and the mini bar can be expensive, and you won’t find the healthiest of choices. Storing your own food, beverages and toiletries can save many a traveler on unnecessary costs.

Centrally Located

Condominiums that are centrally located make it easy for you and your co-workers to get to your meetings and trade shows on time. The urban destinations are also ideal for entertaining, and you’ll have an assortment of restaurants, shows and historic sites to select from.

Additional Benefits

In addition to saving on expenses such as food, lodging and time, you’ll find owning a dwelling in the Washington DC area an added tax benefit compared with renting. Not only is your money going down the drain by renting, your company’s monthly mortgage amount will stay the same, and the debt reduced significantly every year until it’s paid off. Maintenance on the building and other common elements are also taken care of so you don’t have to worry about mowing the lawn or general upkeep. Many condominiums have an assortment of amenities at your fingertips such as a fitness facility, clubhouse and security.

Using a Real Estate Agent

Utilizing the services of a real estate agent can help small business owners when selecting a Washington DC condominium. Not only are they an expert in the realty industry, they can also offer sound advice on selecting the perfect dwelling for your needs. A Realtor is also a tough negotiator and can provide you with the data to make the right offer on a property.

Business owners traveling to the Washington DC area regularly may want to think twice about wasting their hard earned cash on renting or reserving a hotel room. Investing in real estate can save you money on an assortment of expenses and help you place the funds saved on your company’s growth and success.

A small business owner, Ann Bailey shares these pointers for saving business travel expenses on Arlington VA and DC trips. The dedicated Realtors at Northern Virginia Avenue Realty work tirelessly to help their clients find exactly what they want and need in property around the nation’s capitol.

Your Business Website: Will Clients Like What They Find?

The purpose of a business website is to promote a company in some fashion. Whether a company is selling products or providing services, the site needs to incorporate all of the technical aspects that make it both web-visitor and search-engine friendly. The ability to do this is no small feat. That’s why serious businesses utilize professional web builder and SEO services to ensure that they can receive the best possible results.

Everyone has heard, time and again, that the customer is always right. The way that this is applied to web design is that when people arrive at the site, they need to feel welcomed. If not, just like in a brick and mortar store, they will leave. Added to the challenge is that web visitors are impatient – they simply are not going to stick around if there is nothing worth looking at on the site. Because there is so little time to engage them, every second counts when visitors arrive at a website.

What are Customers Expecting?

First, what are they not expecting? There is nothing more annoying to a web visitor than a poorly designed website. An ugly or outdated site is not fun and it wastes time. Therefore, your website simply must be designed properly – and that is best done by an expert web builder. Secondly, the site must be user friendly. The layout should be clean and simple, with links that make sense and work properly.

Who’s Looking Anyway?

There are generally three types of people who could arrive at a website for any given reason:

1) Random strangers – People who know nothing about the business have landed on the page due to a related search. Theoretically, they could still be converted to customers or refer the site to others they believe would find it useful. Therefore, the site should contain something of value to the average person, if possible, such as current and relevant articles that solve a problem.

2) Friends of Yours – They like your cause or business. These are people who probably know your URL and may visit on a regular basis. To keep these people engaged, there should always be fresh content to lure them in. One great way to accomplish this is by encouraging people to visit the site through a newsletter or membership.

3) Fans – These are more avid web visitors who regularly come to the site for — you guessed it – the same thing that friends come there for and more. These are often consumers who make regular purchases, so it is very important to ensure that they stay loyal.

Do You Have Fresh Content?

The one thing that all three of these types of web visitors have in common is that they want great, fresh content to be inspired for repeat visits. One added bonus about fresh content is that it also makes the website more search engine friendly. So it’s a win-win for everyone! Customers get something of value, the site stays at the top of the search engines and you have far more potential to:
-Keep customers engaged
-Engage new prospects
-Attract new customers
-Make more sales

Because websites are on the Internet and available for most everyone to see, it is important for serious business owners to ensure that their sites present the most accurate and relevant picture of their offerings possible. When a site is is visually appealing and constructed well by a professional SEO company, such as www.eversparkinteractive.com, it is more likely to attract, and keep, all kinds of visitors.

Since there is only one chance to make a first impression – a site really must make those clicks count! Professional web design is the only way that businesses can ensure that their sites will include both technical and marketing best practice techniques. This is absolutely critical in order to consistently gain and keep a loyal following and attract target markets.

As a writer in the arts and business fields, Ann Bailey sees the beneficial effects of good web design daily. The professional web and SEO builders at www.eversparkinteractive.com put every client’s web design on the cutting edge of internet business presence.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chasingdaisy/5843303770/