School is an Investment

School is investment ... so that the investment will take us a lifetime. Often the assumption that the form of investment cars, land, homes, etc.. I yearn for you to invest in education you will get results that are very kind. Results from investment in education can not we also feel that time, but it is the long-term investment. The higher education Logically it easier or more extensive field work that we can get, the more knowledge that we find the insight will be more extensive. Is not many companies want their employees not only broad-minded values that good ? Ok ... .. This was how we choose a school a good investment that we are not missing free:

1. Choose a school that has a good reputation. This means that a network with many companies and provide internship work, not only rely on big names only.

2. Choose majors that have the prospect of the future sought by companies bonafit. Eg: Faculty of Computers.

3. Science-absorption of many of the schools. Assuming that all knowledge is important in all schools, not the important one course means that we close the horizons of our knowledge.

4. School is not only learning, but also build relationships and networks. we must build a relationship first, because it is what we will become partners or our relationships. This means that people Be good and friendly though friends like interacting with us.


I said that the school waste is the cost, but if we do with the serious results from the schools will be felt. So the school is the investment required for all people...Let’s go to SCHOOL

How to Successfully Navigate Your Business through an Economic Downturn

An economic downturn is a phase of the business cycle in which the economy as a whole is in decline.This phase basically marks the end of the period of growth in the business cycle. Economic downturns are characterized by decreased levels of consumer purchases (especially of durable goods) and, subsequently, reduced levels of production by businesses.

While economic downturns are admittedly difficult, and are formidable obstacles to small businesses that are trying to survive and grow, an economic downturn can open up opportunities. A well-managed company can realize the opportunity to gain market share by taking customers away from their competitors. Resourceful entrepreneurs capture the available opportunities, from an economic downturn, by developing alternate methods of doing business that were never implemented during a prior growth period.

The challenge of successfully navigating your business through an economic downturn lies in the realignment of your business with current economic realities. Specifically, you, as the business owner, need to renew a focus on your core clients/customers, reduce your operating expenses, conserve cash, and manage more proactively, rather than reactively, is paramount.

Here are best practices that will help you to successfully navigate your business through an economic downturn:

Goals:

The primary goal of any business owner is to survive the current economic downturn and to develop a leaner, more cost-effective and more efficient operation. The secondary goal is to grow the business even during this current economic downturn.

Objectives:

• Conserve cash.

• Protect assets.

• Reduce costs.

• Improve efficiencies.

• Grow customer base.

Required Action:

• Do not panic… History shows that economic downturns do not last forever. Remain calm and act in a rational manner as you refocus your attention on resizing your company to the current economic conditions.

• Focus on what YOU can control… Don’t let the media's rhetoric concerning recessions and economic slowdown deter you from achieving business success. It´s a trap! Why? Because the condition of the economy is beyond your control. Surviving economic downturns requires a focus on what you can control, i.e. your relevant business activities.

• Communicate, communicate, and communicate! Beware of the pitfall of trying to do too much on your own. It is a difficult task indeed to survive and to grow your business solely with your own efforts. Solicit ideas and seek the help of other people (your employees, suppliers, lenders, customers, and advisors). Communicate honestly and consistently. Effective two-way communication is the key.

• Negotiate, negotiate, and negotiate! The value of a strong negotiation skill set cannot be overstated. Negotiating better deals and contracts is an absolute must for realigning and resizing your company to the current economic conditions. The key to success is not only knowing how to develop a win-win approach in negotiations with all parties, but also keeping in mind the fact that you want a favorable outcome for yourself too.

Recommended Best Practice Activities:

The Nuts and Bolts… The following list of recommended best practice activities is critical for your business' survival and for its growth during an economic downturn. The actual financial health of your particular business, at the outset of the economic downturn, will dictate the priority and urgency of the implementation of the following best practice activities.

1. Diligently monitor your cash flow: Forecast your cash flow monthly to ensure that expenses and planned expenditures are in line with accounts receivable. Include cash flow statements into your monthly financial reporting. Project cash requirements three-to- six months in advance. The key is to know how to monitor, protect, control, and put cash to work.

2. Carefully convert your inventories: Convert excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory items into cash. Consider returning excess and slow-moving items back to the suppliers. Close-out or inventory reduction sales work well to resize your inventory. Also, consider narrowing your product offerings. Well-timed order placement helps to reduce excess inventory levels and occasional material shortages. The key is to reduce the amount of your inventory without losing sales.

3. Timely collection of your accounts receivable: This asset should be converted to cash as quickly as possible. Offer prompt payment discounts to encourage timely payments. Make changes in the terms of sale for slow paying customers (i.e. changing net 30 day terms to COD). Invoicing is an important part of your cash flow management. The first rule of invoicing is to do it as soon as possible after products are shipped and/or after services are delivered. Place an emphasis on reducing billing errors. Most customers delay payments because an invoice had errors, and therefore, will not pay until they receive a corrected copy. Email or fax your invoices to save on mailing time. Post the payments that you have received and make deposits more frequently. The key is to develop an efficient collection system that generates timely payments and one that gives you advance warning of problems.

4. Re-focus your attention on your existing clients/customers: Make customer satisfaction your priority. A regular review of your customers' buying history and frequency of purchases can reveal some interesting facts about your customers' buying habits. Consider signing long-term contracts with your core clients/customers which will add to your security. Offer a discount for upfront cash payments. The key is to do what it takes to keep your current customers loyal.

5. Re-negotiate with your suppliers, lenders, and landlord:

i) Suppliers: Always keep your negotiations on the level of need, saying that your company has reviewed its cost structure and has determined that it needs to lower supplier costs. . Tell the supplier that you value the relationship you have developed, but that you need to receive a cost reduction immediately. Ask your supplier for a lower material price, a longer payment cycle, and the elimination of finance charges. Also, see if you can buy material from them on a consignment basis. In return for their price concessions, be willing to agree to a long-term contract. Explore the idea of bartering as a form of payment.

ii) Lenders: Everything in business finance is negotiable and your relationship with a bank is no exception. The first step to successful renegotiations is to convince your lenders that you can ultimately pay off the renegotiated loan. You must point out to your lenders why it would be in their best interest to agree to a new arrangement. Showing them your business plan and your action plan that includes your cost-savings initiatives, along with "the how" and "the when" of the implementation of your plan is the best way to achieve this goal. Explain to them that you will need their cooperation to insure that you can survive, as well as, grow your business during the economic downturn. Negotiated items include: the rate of interest, the required security to cover the loan, and the beginning date for repayment. A beginning date for repayment could be immediate, within several months or as long as a year. The key is to realize that your lender will work with you, but that frequent and continual communications with them is critical.

iii) Landlord: Meet with your landlord. Explain your need to have them extend the term of your lease at a reduced cost. Make sure you have a clause in the lease agreement that entitles you to have the right to sublet any or all of the leased space.

6. Re-evaluate your staffing requirements: This is a very critical area. Salaries/wages are a major expense of doing business. Therefore, any reduction in the hours worked through work schedule changes, short-term layoffs or permanent layoffs has an immediate cost saving benefit. Most companies ramped up hiring new employees in the good times, only to find that they are currently overstaffed due to slow sales during the economic downturn. In terms of down-sizing your staff, be very careful not to reduce your staff to a level that forces you to skimp on customer service and quality. Consider the use of part-timers or the current trend of outsourcing certain functions to independent contractors.

7. Shop for better insurances rates: Get quotations from other insurance agents for comparable coverage to determine whether or not your present insurance carrier is competitive. Also, consider revising your coverage to reduce premium costs. The key is to have the right balance-to be adequately insured, but not under or over insured.

8. Re-evaluate your advertising: Contrary to the other cost-cutting initiatives, evaluate the possibility of increasing your advertising expenditures. This tactic realizes the advantage of the reduced "noise" and congestion (fewer advertisers) in the marketplace. The downturn period a great opportunity to increase brand awareness and create additional demand for your product/service offerings.

9. Seek the help of outside advisors: The use of an advisory board comprised of your CPA, attorney, and business consultant offers you objectivity and provides you with professional advice and guidance. Their collective experience in working with similar situations in past economic downturns is invaluable.

10. Review your other expenses: Target an across-the-board cost-cutting initiative of 10-15%. Attempt to eliminate unnecessary expenses. Tightening your belt in order to weather the downturn makes practical, financial sense.

Proactively managing your business through an economic downturn is an enormous challenge and is critical for your survival. However, through well-planned initiatives, an economic downturn can create tremendous opportunity for your company to gain greater market share. In order to take advantage of this growth opportunity, you must act quickly to implement the above best business practices to continue realigning and resizing your company to the current economic conditions.

Copyright © 2008 Terry H. Hill

You may reprint this article free of charge in your newsletter, magazine, or on your website, provided that the article is unedited, and that the copyright, author's bio, and contact information below appears with each article. Articles appearing on the web must provide a hyperlink to the author's web site, http://www.legacyai.com

Terry H. Hill is the founder and managing partner of Legacy Associates, Inc, a business consulting and advisory services firm. A veteran chief executive, Terry works directly with business owners of privately held companies on the issues and challenges that they face in each stage of their business life cycle. To find out how he can help you take your business to the next level, visit his site at http://www.legacyai.com

Top 5 ways to prepare your finances for the year ahead

With the New Year having past us by, many of us are starting to think now about our New Year's financial resolutions, one of the major issues that most of us always promise to address it finances. Most of us find that we could make a number of improvements to our finances, whether it is in terms of managing our finances and budgeting more effectively or whether it is in terms of cutting back and streamlining our outgoings.

With 2008 well under way and our Christmas spending hitting home, now is the time to start thinking about improving our finances, so that we can look at starting the New Year on a more positive financial note. Below are some of the top ways in which you can improve your finances for 2008.

1. Streamline your outgoings: It is amazing just how much money we all waste each year, often without even realizing. If you go through your regular outgoings with a fine tooth comb you could well come across things such as unused subscriptions and useless memberships for services that you no longer really use, and you can cancel these and put the money to better use.

2. Cut back on non-necessities: Of course, we all love to splash out from time to time, but many of us tend to live a champagne lifestyle on beer money. Go through your monthly outgoings and try and make cutbacks wherever possible on non-necessities such as going out and spending on clothes. By spending a few extra nights in – perhaps cooking dinner at home for friends instead of going out for meals – and avoiding the temptation of too much retail therapy you could save a small fortune.

3. Take advantage of the sales: Although this may seem as though it is contradicting the above, you can be really thrifty by taking advantage of the sales. Watch out for them, as many shops have sales at different times of the year, and not just january. This doesn't mean you should go out and spend on anything that looks like the price has been knocked down even if you don’t really want or need it. However, try and determine whether you will need things such as clothes for work or for the kids in the coming months, and get them during the sales when you can often get twice as much for your money.

4. Improve your financial management: If you are the type of person that hates to look at their bank balance and does nothing to monitor income and outgoings then now is the time to make a change. Keep a track on everything that goes in and out of your account, and check your balance regularly. This will help you to avoid everything from becoming the victim of fraud or theft to accruing costly bank charges for exceeding overdraft limits.

5. Review your debts: Most of us have a number of debts in one form or another, whether it is credit cards, stores cards, or loans. Take a look at how much you owe and see whether you could save yourself hassle and money each month by consolidating your debts – or in the case of just credit card debts by transferring them onto a 0% balance transfer card.

By David Lynes

Obama dan Kita

Seperti yang telah diramalkan dan diharapkan banyak orang, Barrack Hussein Obama, 47 akhirnya berhasil terpilih sebagai Presiden Amerika Serikat yang ke-44, menggantikan George Walker Bush yang akan lengser pada Januari 2009 nanti

Obama berhasil mengalahkan saingannya, John McCain, 72, calon dari Partai Republik, dengan selisih angka yang cukup telak. Sampai pukul 21.00 WIB, Obama berhasil mengumpulkan electoral voters sejumlah 349 (52%) mengungguli McCain yang baru memperoleh 147 (46%). Sementara masih ada 2% suara yang belum dilaporkan. Kemenagan Obama ini mematahkan tradisi bahwa Presiden AS harus berkulit putih. Kekhawatiran bahwa Bradley efek akan terulang pada Obama ternyata tidak terbukti. Mungkin masih teringat dimana Tom Bradley yang berkulit hitam diunggulkan untuk menjadi Gubernur Los Angeles tahun 1982 gagal dalam pemilihan, walaupun dalam jajak pendapat selalu menang dan dapat dikatakan pantas terpilih. Namun kenyataannya bilik suara berkata lain. Pada saat peghitungan ternyata Bradley kalah. Orang Amerika memang cenderung tidak mau disebut rasis, oleh karena itu dalam jajak pendapat dan hasil pemilihan bisa berkata lain. Kasus Obama memang membuktikan setidaknya mayoritas orang Amerika sudah mulai bisa menerima kehadiran pemimpin yang berkulit hitam, walaupun Obama sendiri enggak hitam-hitam banget karena ibunya berkulit putih...he..he. Terpilihnya Obama menjadi Presiden membuat banyak negara bersuka ria, termasuk Indonesia yang pernah ditinggali Obama kecil. Harapan Obama akan lebih ceng li dengan Indonesia akan lebih terbuka (gini-gini kan punya andil besarin Obama...he...he). Namun hendaknya kita tidak terlalu banyak berharap mengenai kebijakan-kebijakan yang akan dijalankannya, karena Asia Tenggara nampaknya belum menjadi prioritasnya, apalagi ekonomi Amerika bener-bener lagi goncang. Ada baiknya pemerintahan kita tidak terlalu bergantung terhadap sosok Obama, bangsa kita harus mandiri, bagaimanapun juga bagi saya Amerika tetap Amerika dimana ada kepentingan yang menguntungkan di situlah mereka akan memihak siapapun presidennya. Dolar sampai tulisan ini dibuat telah menembus Rp 12.000,-. Nilai rupiah yang begitu tinggi memang bisa mengguncang perekonomian kita, apalagi daya beli masyarakat kita yang belum kunjung membaik. Mudah-mudahan Barack Obama bisa membawa angin segar bagi perekonomian dunia yang naik turun kaya lift...he..he. Tapi siapapun presidennya hendaknya kita juga sadar, bergantung pada negara lain bisa bikin susah sendiri. Saatnya bagi kita juga untuk mengeksplorasi kemampuan kita, entah bakat atau hobi yang bisa mendatangkan income bagi kita kalau modal jadi kendala.

Reasons You aren't Rich

Here are 10 more possible reasons you aren't rich:

You care what your car looks like: A car is a means of transportation to get from one place to another, but many people don't view it that way. Instead, they consider it a reflection of themselves and spend money every two years or so to impress others instead of driving the car for its entire useful life and investing the money saved.

You feel entitlement: If you believe you deserve to live a certain lifestyle, have certain things and spend a certain amount before you have earned to live that way, you will have to borrow money. That large chunk of debt will keep you from building wealth.

You lack diversification: There is a reason one of the oldest pieces of financial advice is to not keep all your eggs in a single basket. Having a diversified investment portfolio makes it much less likely that wealth will suddenly disappear.

You started too late: The magic of compound interest works best over long periods of time. If you find you're always saying there will be time to save and invest in a couple more years, you'll wake up one day to find retirement is just around the corner and there is still nothing in your retirement account.

You don't do what you enjoy: While your job doesn't necessarily need to be your dream job, you need to enjoy it. If you choose a job you don't like just for the money, you'll likely spend all that extra cash trying to relieve the stress of doing work you hate.

You don't like to learn: You may have assumed that once you graduated from college, there was no need to study or learn. That attitude might be enough to get you your first job or keep you employed, but it will never make you rich. A willingness to learn to improve your career and finances are essential if you want to eventually become wealthy.

You buy things you don't use: Take a look around your house, in the closets, basement, attic and garage and see if there are a lot of things you haven't used in the past year. If there are, chances are that all those things you purchased were wasted money that could have been used to increase your net worth.

You don't understand value: You buy things for any number of reasons besides the value that the purchase brings to you. This is not limited to those who feel the need to buy the most expensive items, but can also apply to those who always purchase the cheapest goods. Rarely are either the best value, and it's only when you learn to purchase good value that you have money left over to invest for your future.

Your house is too big: When you buy a house that is bigger than you can afford or need, you end up spending extra money on longer debt payments, increased taxes, higher upkeep and more things to fill it. Some people will try to argue that the increased value of the house makes it a good investment, but the truth is that unless you are willing to downgrade your living standards, which most people are not, it will never be a liquid asset or money that you can ever use and enjoy.

You fail to take advantage of opportunities: There has probably been more than one occasion where you heard about someone who has made it big and thought to yourself, "I could have thought of that." There are plenty of opportunities if you have the will and determination to keep your eyes open.

By Jeffry Strain

Hypnotic Writing

Definisi Hypnotic Writing

Hypnotic writing adalah penggunaan kata-kata yang secara sengaja ditujukan untuk mengarahkan orang ke suatu keadaan mental yang terfokus, di mana mereka terdorong atau terbujuk untuk membeli produk atau jasa yang Anda tawarkan.”

Hypnotic writing adalah sejenis “hipnotis dalam keadaan terbangun.” Pembaca tidak kehilangan perhatian, tetapi justru terfokus perhatiannya pada tulisan yang kita buat.

Singkatnya, esensi hypnotic writing bukanlah tentang manipulasi, tetapi tentang komunikasi. Yakni, bagaimana Anda dapat berkomunikasi secara lebih baik dengan para pelanggan, sehingga Anda dapat lebih baik pula dalam membujuk mereka untuk membeli produk dan jasa Anda.

Lantas, bagaimana strateginya untuk mempraktikkan hypnotic writing tersebut?
Lima langkah ke arah hypnotic writing:

• Niat: Arahkan pikiran Anda.

Niat berarti menetapkan tujuan atsau hasil yang diharapkan dari tulisan tersebut. Buatlah serinci mungkin. Anda bukan sekadar ingin membuat tulisan buat iklan. Semua orang bisa membikin tulisan iklan. Tetapi Anda menginginkan tulisan iklan, yang berhasil menarik pembeli, sehingga terjual barang atau jasa sampai jumlah tertentu.

• Riset: Isi pikiran Anda.

Riset berarti sebelum menulis, Anda harus mempelajari dan memahami betul barang/jasa yang akan Anda tulis. Anda tentu tak mungkin menulis iklan tentang mobil Toyota Avanza, sebelum Anda mengetahui spesifikasi Avanza tersebut, kelebihannya dibandingkan mobil merek lain sejenis, hal-hal baru yang tak terdapat di mobil merek lain, dan sebagainya. Anda perlu melihat mobil itu, merasakan bagaimana rasa ketika mengendarainya.

Tokoh periklanan ternama, David Ogilvy, pernah membuat satu kalimat iklan yang sangat legendaris, setelah membaca manual mobil yang Akan ia buat naskah iklannya. Yaitu: “At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from electrick clock.” Dahsyat, bukan?

• Kreasi: Curahkan pikiran Anda.

Kreasi berarti produksi atau menghasilkan suatu produk (tulisan). John Vitale selalu menulis sebuah naskah secara cepat. Tetapi ingat, naskah itu baru draft pertama, bukan hasil final. Setelah menulis draft pertama itu, baru ia membaca ulang dan berusaha menyempurnakannya.

Ide dasarnya adalah Anda harus menjalankan dua fungsi, yakni sebagai penulis dan sebagai editor (penyunting). Kedua fungsi itu sama-sama diperlukan, tetapi Anda tak bisa menjalankan dua fungsi itu pada saat bersamaan. Jadi, Anda harus memisahkannya. Pertama, Anda berfungsi sebagai penulis dan mencipta tulisan. Sesudah itu, barulah Anda berfungsi sebagai editor yang mengoreksi dan merevisi tulisan itu.

• Tulis ulang: Pertajam pikiran Anda.

Tulisan (draft) pertama, itu seumpama intan yang belum diasah. Jika dipaksakan untuk dijual, harganya masih murah. Untuk membuatnya menjadi bernilai tinggi, Anda harus mengasahnya, merevisinya, menyempurnakannya.

Penulis yang sehebat apapun tidak pernah menulis dengan sekali jadi. Sebuah tulisan bisa mengalami proses revisi atau perubahan di sana-sini, sampai akhirnya mencapai bentuk akhir yang betul-betul final. Jadi, sebenarnya tidak ada great writers. Yang ada adalah great rewriters. Cara terbaik adalah tulislah sampai betul-betul selesai. Kemudian, Anda baca dari awal dan revisi di sana-sini.

Lebih bagus lagi, jika Anda bisa menggunakan resep penulis cerita horror terkenal, Stephen King. Mintalah 10 orang lain (bukan anggota keluarga Anda) untuk membaca tulisan Anda dan memberi komentar. Lalu, Anda membuat sejumlah perbaikan setelah mendengar masukan mayoritas. Kalau 8 dari 10 orang yang dimintai komentar mengatakan, tulisan Anda sulit dimengerti, tampaknya tulisan Anda memang perlu diperbaiki. Tetapi jika cuma satu orang yang punya komentar berbeda, tak usah risau. Anda tentu tidak bisa memuaskan semua orang.

• Menguji (testing): Latih pikiran Anda.

Menguji berarti mengakui bahwa Anda belum cukup cerdas untuk mengetahui semua keinginan orang lain. Anda tak bisa menebak-nebak. Jadi, buatlah tulisan terbaik, kemudian revisi, perbaiki dan sempurnakan. Lalu, serahkan pada pasar. Lihatlah, apakah tulisan iklan Anda berhasil menarik orang untuk membeli produk atau jasa yang ditawarkan.

*** Ditulis dan diadaptasi untuk konteks Indonesia oleh Satrio Arismunandar, berdasarkan konsep yang diutarakan John Vitale dalam bukunya: Hypnotic Writing, How to Seduce and Persuade Customers with Only Your Words (Penerbit John Wiley & Sons, Inc, Hoboken, New Jersey, 2007).