Jessica Lunsford Blog

There are many ways you can offer free advice. Offering free
advice on the web brings site visitors who can become your next
clients. Advice can be just useful ideas that are simple yet
worthy. Below is an example of a free advice newsletter reprint
that brought 24 hits to my site in 3 days that resulted in 2
customers buying $834 worth of plants.

Save Your Joint- -Compound buckets, that is. Seriously, those
extremely common, ubiquitous, you could say, 5-gallon
polyethylene buckets are IDEAL for landscape and gardening work.
Thick-walled, heavy duty buckets are worth at least 6 dollars
apiece. Save your lid. Another pun, but seriously, don’t only
save the pail, save the container’s lid too. At least, try to
save some lids. You’ll be glad you did too when toting water and
when you want to seal a container on occasion. Watch for what
gets left as residue. We’re being too “punny” yet again, right?
But this is important when you consider the cleanup. Find any
five gallon bucket when you can and consider what material was
inside originally and how readily you can clean out the residue.
Joint compound has such poor adhesion to the polyethylene
plastic it scrapes away easily when dry. It’s also very water
soluble too. In short your cleanup with joint compound will be a
snap, that’s why we’re recommending it first. Okay, that and the
chance to make humorous puns,. Many materials come in 5-gallon
plastic buckets today. While roofing tar won’t make a good
container to save unless you want a disposable one-time- use
garbage can, latex-based driveway sealer and commercial-sized
latex-based paint rinse out as easily as joint compound. Over
time build up a collection, maybe a dozen or so of these
buckets. If you’re not getting ‘em from “new” from work at your
house, stop by where you see construction and ask if you can
have any “empties,” or check the trash dumpster. One DON’T is
when storing the containers, DON’T PUT ONE DIRECTLY INSIDE THE
NEXT. DON’T STACK THEM. The slightly tapered smooth walls and
static electricity of the polyethylene will almost weld the
buckets together. Drop a scrap of 2 x 4 wood, a small rock or
two, you get the idea, in the bottom of each bucket as you place
them one into another. Good luck.

Just about everything has a value and that value is ever changing. When something is in plentiful supply then it is not valued very highly. As it becomes less plentiful, so its value increases. As well as everyday commodities, this can also be applied to antiques. A bedside cabinet, a vase, or just about any object will lose value from the day it is first made. It loses value as it becomes older as it is deemed to be of a lower quality than a newly made version. Then, a curious thing happens. When this object reaches a certain age, assuming it is still intact, its value increases through the passage of time and eventually becomes an artefact or an antique. The art of dealing in antiques is to spot this crossover point, the point at which the object changes from being old and jaded to being valued as a rare relic of the past.

This doesn’t only apply to tangible objects. It also applies to more abstract things such as music and plays. We may have been battered by a pop tune that was constantly played on the radio a few years ago. After a few weeks we may have had enough of it. The tune would have become stale. Then, after several years we might happen to hear it again and along with it memories of whatever we happened
to be doing when it was in vogue. The same goes for old tv shows. Some may have seemed mundane at the time. Truth is, that some probably were mundane to many of us. All the same, we will often look back in affection at even the most ordinary of tv shows from years ago. As media is changing almost beyond recognition, those old pioneering tv shows are becoming an ever rarer commodity. Perhaps we have now reached that crossover point when old tv shows from the 50’s
and 60’s are going from old and unwanted to rare and sought after.

Many recordings of old tv shows are indeed rare. I’m afraid there isn’t one central library of pristine recordings of these shows. Film, VHS and DVD copies of these rarities can turn up from any corner, in an attic here, or a forgotten company stockroom there. Many have never survived, especially from the early 1960’s and earlier. Many more were never recorded in the first place. Most early tv shows were made live to air, even plays. Others were recorded on tape only to be recorded over by a newer show. Oddly enough, many tv shows went out live and were filmed or recorded so that the sponsors and directors could review it. Once they were done with it the recording it was discarded or wiped. Some film of old tv shows were lost in a fire, or disposed of because of fire risk, or may have degraded and rotted away. From the late 1960’s onwards, tv shows were more likely to be kept more safely as video became less costly and more shows were recorded anyway. What remains is a demand for tv show recordings that is steadily growing through the passage of time. What is certain is there are still old recordings of tv shows out there that are yet undiscovered. If you know of any, please email mail@bygonetv.com

It is not just the older generation that are interested in these shows. Younger people are increasingly curious about how life was in those days. Television has been a big part of U.S. culture for many years. We all know about our family history. We know the highlights: births, death, marriages etc. What youngsters find it hard to understand is the everyday existence of past generations and not just the big occasions. We are now at the point where tv itself was a significant part of that existence. Old tv show recordings are not only curiosities in their own right, they are also documentary evidence of what life was like from day to day. Some shows reflect everyday life, albeit, in most cases, a Hollywood glitzy version. A real insight into the way we were is the tv commercials and sponsorship messages. If you are planning to obtain any old recordings of tv shows, try to get those that are recorded as transmitted. The quality will not always be the highest, but the commercials and message of the time will give the recording an added dimension.

A example of a tv show that is now very rare is Bachelor Father. It is a situation comedy that first aired in 1957, starring John Forsythe. In Bachelor Father he played the part of Bentley Gregg, a wealthy bachelor who suddenly finds himself having to raise his niece after her parents are killed in an auto accident. Sammee Tong played his reliable but beleaguered manservant, Peter. This was quite a gentle comedy and certainly did not have a high laugh-per-minute rate. One very interesting aside regarding these old television shows is what happened to the stars. In the case of Bachelor Father, John Forsythe later went on to become the character of Blake Carrington in the 1980’s iconic soap opera, Dynasty. He is now retired. Noreen Corcoran, who played his niece, switched into theater management and Sammee Tong committed suicide in 1964.

Old tv shows are part of our history and heritage. I wonder how long it will be before you will see a DVD section in an antique shop?

I was a fifth grader the first time I flew on a commercial flight. I remember being amazed that I could get all the soft drinks I wanted for free. I remember the wonder of looking out at the clouds and the topography far below. I remember watching us land. The entire thing was a great adventure and I was full of wonder.

In college, as I flew once in awhile, I always got a window seat - I wanted to be able to watch the ground pass below me. The wonderment of it all - the patterns and beauty of looking out the window was overwhelming. Yes, I would sometimes read or do something else, but much of the flight I would sit… and stare… and be in wonder of it all.

Soon after I started working, I found myself flying a bit more, and it became clear that during my business life that I would fly. I mentioned once to my Mom, who loves to fly, that I’d never lose that great feeling that an airplane flight brings - and that I would always get window seats.

Somewhere along the way from flying once every couple months to flying 100,000 miles per year I moved to the aisle. I lost the wonder of it all. Last week, I had a window seat and stopped working or reading long enough to spend some time looking out the window. Today, as I write this, I have just finished 20 minutes of window gazing. Some of the wonder is back!
There are many things in our lives that we once considered wonderful (full of wonder). Many of those things we now take for granted. All of this makes me wonder, where the wonder has gone.

Where’s the Wonder?

I believe seeing the wonder in things around us is one of the ways we make our lives more meaningful and enjoyable. This is one of the reasons we go on vacations. Yes, some people’s vacations consist of little more than a beach (which can be wonderful in many ways!). But many more people take time to learn new things on vacations, by going to museums and art galleries. Many of us travel to exotic places to marvel at sites, and cultures and foods. Wonder plays a big part in the allure of these trips and the satisfaction gained from the experiences.

You may be thinking, is wonder really such a big deal? I would say a resounding yes! Why? Think about it, the absence of wonder, is often called boredom, or worse, cynicism. These are not things that people aspire to!

While we can all certainly experience wonder in new things - new locations, new experiences, new books, new ideas, I believe I found an important key to a more enjoyable life outside the plane window. That key is to add more wonder to life by re-capturing past wonder, and finding new wonder in the things I do each day.

Re-discovering Wonder

There are several things we can do to add to the wonder in our lives - to make our lives more wonder-full.

1. Look at things with fresh eyes. Think about things that have become habit for you. The next time you do them, do them as if you were a beginner again. Start with your drive or commute to work. Make it an exercise in finding wonder. For example, perhaps you go by a school on your way. Spend some time thinking about things from your kidhood days in school. Then try this “fresh-eyed” approach to other routine tasks.

2. Make a list of things you found wonderful at different stages in your life. If you write a journal do it there. If not, make these lists instead of watching TV one evening. Once you have the list, spend some time reveling in those wonders. Think too about how you could re-experience those things again.

3. Make a list of wonders you find each day or week. Again, a great journaling task, or a great routine to add to your planning for a new week.

4. Plan a mini-vacation or a day trip to someplace wonderful for you. I grew up on a farm, so a drive in the country in spring or fall is particularly helpful in restoring my sense of wonder in the growing process. Others might find your mini day to be boring - help them see your wonder - and in turn you will experience your own at a deeper level. Then go with them when they try to recapture their own.

5. Go to an old event, focused on different things. The next time you go to a ball game, focus less on the action, and more on the spectators, or vice versa. Go shopping and shop for something entirely different than you usually would. You get the idea.

These are just a few ideas to help you re-infuse your life with wonder. This idea is really taking hold in my life, in small ways each day is more wonder-full and more meaningful as well.

I believe when you choose to rediscover your wonder, you’ll benefit in the same ways.

You know, the Mississippi River is an awesome sight from 31,000 feet.

Kevin Eikenberry is the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (KevinEikenberry.com) and author of Vantagepoints on Learning and Life. To read more stories like the one above or order your copy of the book visit www.vantagepoints.net or contact Kevin at (317) 387-1424 or toll free 888.LEARNER.

The most common cause of businesses failing is a lack of cash flow. Cash flow is the money coming in, compared to money going out.

Your business plan will identify where, and when, your major business expenditures occur. These are unlikely times when your income is at a maximum.

Businesses often run into cash flow problems because their customers delay paying their bills, or when their customers cannot pay their bills at all.

Many individuals delay paying bills until they have to. All companies do this, because it improves their own cash flow position and because the companies that owe them money are doing the same thing.

When someone starts a business it usually comes as a surprise when debtors do not pay their bills on time. The company owing you money knows that you want to keep their business, so you are unlikely to chase them for debt collection immediately or aggressively.

The attitude your customers, your debtors, take is that your cash flow is your problem. If your company fails then there are plenty more suppliers they can turn to, and meanwhile the money they owe you is in their own bank account, earning interest. If your company fails, then they will have the use of your money for six months or more, while accountants pursue them for the debts.

There are 2 ways out:

1. You can delay paying your suppliers until you absolutely have to, i.e. pass the problem along the supply chain.

2. You can sell your debts to a finance company. This is called factoring.

The factoring company will buy your 100 dollars debt for between 75 and 98 dollars. The range varies with the likelihood that the factoring company will be able to get the debt paid. If you factor all of your debts after 21 or 28 days the factoring company will give you a better price than if you only sell them debts that have been outstanding for 6 months or more.

Factoring can mean the difference between your business thriving or folding because of the difference in cash flow it makes. Your income is predictable. Your cash flow is secure. You can pay your debts and sleep at night.

Factoring means that you collect less than the full amount of each invoice, but at least you get 98 cents on each dollar on time. Your profit margin may appear to be lower, but when you take loan charges necessary to cover your outstanding invoices into account, there may be little or no difference.

Pearl Deloria has a background in management, including SMEs. For more management information check out Business Cards or Company Relocation