Egg nog latte’s are now out and cranberry bliss bars on the 17th… At least in hachie
Archive for category Business
Tonight I teach on the marriage feast (matt 22). Not everyone who says Lord, Lord will enter in.
Calling it a day
Oct 19
Calling it a day
Earlier last week I posted regarding a frustration with Empire Gold Buyers and how we felt my sister was getting the run around.
Suffice it to say, Empire Gold Buyers actually came through, and gave my sister exactly what she requested. I also received a call from a gentlemen there and he was was cordial to explain the process upon reading my post via google. My apologies to Empire Gold Buyers, and I have since removed the post!
I retract my statement regarding Empire Gold Buyers being a possible fraud scheme, and actually I am pleased at their follow-through, reputation, and would recommend them to anyone. As a side note though, I was told that no matter what your retail price of a diamond that buyers market/dealers only value it at about 25% of the retail price.
So my advice is, if you need the cash turn in your rings or jewelry to Empire Gold Buyers, but do not expect more 30% of your original retail price.
I decided to jump on the bandwagon and swich my business email to Google Apps, and I am pleased that I did. I was able to do the swich with little issue and used IMAP to backup all my emails from Apple Mail to GMail first before deleting the account from Apple Mail.
WARNING: Be sure to set up your Google IMAP or POP on Apple Mail and drag and drop your Apple Mail emails to the Google IMAP Server or to the new GMail Pop account folders first, then you can delete the old pop accounts in Apple Mail. Otherwise you will lose everything FOREVER!
Some key links for setting up Apple Mail with your new GMail or Google Apps Account (opens up new windows)
Apple Mail 3.0 (Leopard) IMAP Setup
Now you can either add the Gmail or Google Apps email to your Blackberry Messenger or do what I do which is much less tasking on your phone and more browser based so the phone does not get bogged down.
USE GMail Mobile! or go to m.google.com/mail on your Blackberry
GMail Mobile is incredibly fast, notifies you with a blinking light on your blackberry, but when you open the application it has the friendly GMail interface we come to love. Great thing is you can add multiple accounts too!
Now the best part is working with Google Calendar and it being totally compatible with iCal and your Blackberry Curve. Google Calendar has now upgraded their program to include tasks so take advantage of that. I personally use the following add-on to sync my Blackberry Curve’s contacts. calendars, and email.
or you can go to http://m.google.com/sync on your Blackberry browser to download it right to your phone. Once you download, install, and open it. It will ask for your account info so you would put in your email address and password and go from there.
ATTENTION: Your contacts will sync perfectly, but you may have a problem syncing your blackberry calendar and this is why I write this post. Below I explain the method for getting your calendar sync to succeed.
Having a problem syncing your google calendars to the blackberry from a fresh install of google sync. All you Blackberry users would get frustrated without this info so here we go with the solution!
- Quickly add your Gmail or Google Apps Mail to your Blackberry Messenger through your providers outlet. If you are not going to use Messenger to retreive your emails, no worries just simply select in the settings to not download emails from this account just add it as a dummy account of sorts.
- Once your phone gets the acknowledgement that your Blackberry is now setup with yourname@gmail.com, you can take out the battery, wait 30 seconds then reinsert battery.
- Once the Blackberry loads up, go to Options
- Go to Advanced Options
- Go to Default Services
- Click under Calendar (CICAL): and slect your GMail address
- Keep messaging the same
- Get out of there completely!
- Open Google Sync on your Blackberry
- Click the menu button
- Set Sync to Automatic or whatever option you prefer
- Scroll to Sync these Calendars and Click
- Here you will select which Google Calendars you would like to sync
- Back out twice and save
- Click yes on Sync Now and Voila!
I personally used Apple Mail to backup my old emails then I stopped using it and downloaded Google Notifier for Mac which puts two small icons at the top bar giving you nice lightbox notifications of your new emails and events coming up.
Download Google Notifier for Mac
I was in need of certifications in First Aid and CPR and as I was searching through all the online certification organizations one caught my attention. The International CPR Institute Inc., is nationally accredited and follows all of the American Heart Association guidelines. The best part is that it is quick, easy, and cheap to take the classes and test for your certification in BLS CPR and First Aid.
Besides meeting full OSHA standards ICPRI also mails you your official certification cards and instantly lets you print a certificate of completion for each course you take. If $19.95 per course sounds good to you then check out www.icpri.com today.
International CPR Institute, Inc.
2665 N. Atlantic Avenue, Suite 321
Daytona Beach, FL 32118
386-253-1937
Trinity Combat Academy opened on February 18, 2008, and the gym is already quite active. The owner and head instructor Brandon Quick hails from Hollywood, CA and moved to Waxahachie, TX in the summer of 2007. Brandon, whose nickname is "Never Quit", has trained with some the best in the MMA world including Eddie Bravo, Bas Rutten, and Randy Couture.
What separates this gym from anything else in Ellis County, TX? If you walk into Trinity Combat Academy you would know for yourself. The gym is located at 200 N. Monroe Ste. C in Waxahachie, TX 75165. The prices and schedule are all listed on the Trinity Combat Academy Website. When asked what brought Brandon Quick and
his wife Veronika to Waxahachie, they eagerly answer that their church brought them.
Trinity Combat Academy offers mixed martial arts training for the beginner through professional fighter. The following are the classes that are offered at Trinity Combat Academy:
- 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu – Trinity Combat Academy is an official 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Training Center and Brandon Quick is an official 10th Planet Instructor and offers other gyms and organizations seminars on the 10th Planet system. 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu was created by Eddie Bravo who tapped out Hoyler Gracie as a brown belt at the Abu Dhabi Tournament. TCA has people coming as far as San Antonio to train and is travelling as far as Trinidad/Tobaggo to hold seminars.
- Muay Thai KickBoxing – This martial art is known as the science of "eight limbs" and is a staple for almost every fighter in the Mixed Martial Arts World. Whether you want to be a professional fighter or just simply lose weight these classes are for everyone. If you are familiar with Bas Rutten, Brandon’s influence and instructor, then you know you will get some of the best training at TCA.
- Krav Maga - Probably the most effective martial art in the world! Brandon Quick is a black belt in Krav Maga, and TCA is an Official Krav Maga WorldWide Training Center. Krav Maga is an anything goes system that is mostly martial and little art. Brandon always says that Ellis County just got safer, and this is true for those who take the class. Krav Maga is not only a hard-core fighting style, but will get you in great shape too.
- MMA – Learning everything from takedowns and wrestling to full out sparring. This class will get you ready to compete in the cage or ring whether it be amatuer or professional. Trinity Combat Academy offers a Kids MMA class for chidlren ages 8-13.
Why shop on the internet when you can buy all your MMA equipment from Trinity Combat Academy? The gym has a 20 foot ring and a 20 foot cage as well as 1,500 square feet of mat space with six 6 foot muay thai bags, and a full cardio and weight gym. So if you live in the Dallas – Fort Worth Area and interested in MMA training then Trinity Combat Academy may be the place for you. Call them at (972)923-9177.
I have been researching how technology can affect small businesses in their respective management practices and tangible purchases. Most of my research has mostly to do with Information Technology because as a small business owner I understand the mental anguish I personally go through deciding if it is time to take the BIG STEP.
What I mean by the term, Big Step, is that I may feel pressure to upgrade my server or buy the newest POS software. Do I need this technology for my business? I must first research the product, find businesses that are already using it, put together a forecast of how this product will affect business, will there be a significant amount of profit loss in the beginning, and much more.
I believe it was the New York Times in the 1930’s that said that the common pencil would shortly disappear from offices and businesses due to the production of the typewriter. I can safely say that the New York Times were all too wrong about that prediction, yet imagine you were a small business owner who owned a pencil making shop. You have been making a little profit and just getting by, and you pick up your copy of the New York Times and there it is on the front page, Pencils May Disappear! Your heart races, and depending on your experience and education you make either an impulsive decision or an educated decision for your business.
The impulsive decision would be to begin closing your pencil-making shop and start assembling typewriters or at least reselling them. With the Great Depression at hand, you end up loosing it all because the typewriter really made it’s mark in the mid 1940’s and you were bankrupt before you could reap any profits ten years later.
The educated decision would be to continue pencil-making while starting to research the typewriter. Trust your actual sales and productivity for the now, but do not be ignorant of a growing future elsewhere. This person would perhaps decide to advertise their pencils on the same page as a typewriter ad in the New York Times. The majority of people would see the price tag for typewriter and a pencil and most likely buy the pencil first.
I am not one to agree with always holding back from a potential profit that could change your life, but wisdom would say to carefully research your options. Right now in our time and age there is an overwhelming amount of advertising that compels businesses to make a change, upgrade, re-train, sell something else, or overhaul your business practice. Before you buy into the message you must have a vision for the future of your business.
The bottomline is that not all technology in your market is necessary to implement, but understanding the technology in your market is an absolute necessity.
