Answer Upon - Business

Are You Ready To Run Your Own Business?
Running your own business isn't easy. It's a life-changing commitment that requires a great deal of your time. But the possible rewards can often vastly out-weigh the trials, trouble and tribulations you'll encounter along the way.Before embarking on this perilous and exciting journey, you must first perform a very honest appraisal of yourself by asking the following questions:Are you able to work on your own?Unless you're in a partnership of some description, then you're on your own. This can be hardest aspect to face for most people. Almost every decision you make will be your own. There's no passing the buck because the buck stops with you!Are you stubborn and determined?Either directly or indirectly, people are going to get in your way. They're either competing head-on with you, or you're dealing with people who're making your life hard in some way. In addition, you could be working towards fulfilling an agenda or part of a strategy which is proving harder than you first imagined.If you're not both stubborn and determined, t

Internet is nothing but a big LAN.

This is the premise behind the next generation of towing software. The application will be run from a secure server farm (several servers working together) and each towing company will just be a user on the network. Therefore you will only need a low cost computer, a security code and access to the Internet. The set-up time will be a matter of minutes instead of weeks. The average person can setup the computer and download the software instead of having to pay the high costs of flying in a technician. Most users will be able to follow the onscreen instructions and will not require weeks of training. However, training will probably still be required for the more advanced features. Addionally, there will be little or no maintenance costs. You will simply pay a monthly fee in addition to your regular Internet costs. These t

(Home-Based) Business Success Tips: Busting Five Myths
Every day I come across people who are unhappy because they are struggling to make ends meet, working like slaves, living paycheck to paycheck, in debt up to their eyeballs. I recognize them because I used to be in that situation. No longer though; I’m now part of the home-based business revolution.Why aren’t they? Because as I find out when I talk with them, they subscribe to many of the myths that surround business in general, and in particular the home business industry. To help them—and you if you’ve been thinking about it—I’d like to take a look at five of those myths and BUST them!MYTH # 1: You need A LOT OF MONEY to start a business…This is true IF you want to buy an existing business or start a traditional business (in most cases), specially a brick & mortar business. While doing some research the other day, I saw a motel for sale for $600K and a drycleaner for $250K.I’ve owned a brick & mortar business once: an art gallery and framing shop in Whitehorse, with 12 employees. I bought it in 1986—inventory & goodwill for $200,000 (they wanted 250K). I had to borrow $20,0

The Internet has grown significantly in the last several years. Almost all businesses today use email for everyday correspondence. It is being used in the towing industry by motorclubs and towers alike. The motorclubs dispatch calls and accept claims over the Internet. Many towers are using it to send pages to drivers, to track their truck locations, and in some cases they have even virtually eliminated the radio by using two-way pages or Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs). The next generation of towing software promises an even greater integration with the Internet.

This trend is likely to continue because of the dramatic cost savings that can be realized using the Internet. Motorclub calls now take less than 3 minutes from start to finish using Digital Dispatch. Whereas before, using the phone, a call could take 5-10 minutes. These few minutes add up to tremendous savings for both motorclubs and service providers.

You can even locate a service provider online using sites like www.wrecker.com. The call can then be sent via email, fax, phone, and using digital dispatch like the motorclubs.

The next generation of towing software and management systems promises to be completely integrated with the Internet. You will no longer have to have an expensive, high-powered server networked with several fast workstations to run your towing software. Furthermore these networks require a true computer geek to keep them fine-tuned and running. Backups will be a thing of the past. Access from home is presently complex and slow. This too will no longer be a problem with the newer towing software packages. An Application Service Provider (ASP) will run these packages from a central location. These new solutions can be accessed from anywhere with your security code and an Internet connection (office, home, motel room, etc).

When it comes to Internet connections you have many affordable choices today. The table below lists the common types available:

Connection Type
Expected Speed
Typical Cost
Service Providers

Dial-up
28.8 – 53kbs*
$0-25/month
AOL, AT&T, Earthlink, MSN, CoreComm, MCI,etc.

ISDN
64kbs or 128kbs
$40-70/month
Earthlink, MSN, Telocity, AT&T, MCI, etc.

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)
128 - 1544Kbs
$40-300/month
Earthlink, MSN, Telocity, AT&T, MCI, etc.

Cable
56 - 1544kbs
$40-70/month
Time Warner, Adelphi, CableVision, etc

Satellite (2-way)
150 - 500kbs
$40-70/month
Starband, MSN, DishNetwork, DirectPC/DirectTV, etc.

Frame Relay
56 - 1544kbs
$200-1500/month
Ameritech, GTE, MCI, AT&T, etc.

Fractional – Full T1
128 - 1544kbs
$250-1500/month
Ameritech, GTE, MCI, AT&T, etc.

* 53kbs is the maximum allowed by the FCC. So even if you have a 56Kbs modem it cannot connect faster than 53kbs.

The connection speed you choose depends on your budget and what you need to do on the Internet. Internet (email) paging and Digital Dispatch do not need a very fast connection. A simple dial-up connection will provide enough speed, but it is not very reliable. You may want to choose one of the other connection types. IDSL, Cable, Satellite, Frame Relay and T1 all stay connected full time. This means they do not need to “dial out” to establish an Internet connection; they are always connected just like a workstation on your Local Area Network (LAN). After all, the Internet is nothing but a big LAN.

Leadership - 12 Ways To Tell Your People They're Important
There's an old saying” “Your actions shout so loud I can't hear what you're saying.”Many managers feel constrained by the rules and regulations of their organizations. They feel that their hands are tied when it comes to rewarding their people – that their actions are controlled by others, and there is little of any real value they can do to motivate their people. Leaders understand that recognition and reward applied on a one on one level is essential to success.They understand the greatest sense of accomplishment and importance often comes from non – monetary actions and rewards, and from positive recognition from the person who is the boss.What are the ways to make your people know they are important?Way #1 – You have to believe the work performed by your people is important. This may sound pretty basic, but if you do not really believe that, there is simply no way you can convince your people that what they do is important.. How often have your heard – or been guilty of saying – or thinking – “Oh, she’s just the receptionist” or, “He's just the janitor” or “They're jus

ndous savings for both motorclubs and service providers.