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Plan To Succeed With Information Product Creation: Why You Need To Split Your Process Up

One of the keys to succeeding in information product creation is to break the process up into discrete steps. This frequently isn’t an instinctive reaction for the typical information marketer. Especially on the internet where small sized learning products are the norm.

However, it is extremely important to your ultimate success. In fact, I would go so far as to say that if you don’t do this you probably won’t succeed… even when you are starting out let alone as you move forward.

Your product creation system should do this for you if only to help you to understand the overall task.

But why?

In this article, I’m going to ignore chunking and focus on the practical aspects. That’s not to say that chunking isn’t important. It is. It’s important to understanding and to learning the process. But while you can use the same chunks as you move forward, long term your focus needs to be on the operation of the system not the understanding of it. Unless of course you are constantly training new people!

So why is chunking important to long term use of the product creation process? (Yes, I know systems design uses a different term for this process but I’m not teaching you systems design. So I’m going to use the word learning content designers use.)

The first reason that having individual discrete tasks is important is one of schedule estimation. Frequently it is very difficult to estimate how long the total task of creating a product will take. After all, the size and type of the products matters as does the number of products in your product funnel. And those are just the most obvious elements. However, estimating a discrete task is often much easier. The total can then be estimated as the total of the discrete tasks.

Secondly, scheduling a large task can be problematic. However, by segmenting the task into a number of discrete tasks, you gain a much greater flexibility in scheduling. Not only that but as your business begins to add people you are able to schedule multiple people to the product creation.

Finally, segmenting a large task into smaller discrete tasks allows you to have much better control over the product creation. This affects two different areas — status and quality.

By segmenting your process into discrete tasks you are able to schedule and record the progress at much more detailed level. As a result you are more in control of the status of the product creation. You know what everyone is doing. When they should complete it. And how much it should cost. You also know exactly what has been done.

You also improve your overall quality. Instead of waiting until everything is done you can check quality as you go. This allows you to immediate react to low quality products without absorbing their costs. This means that you have less rework and your rework costs less. And if the product is not going to meet its quality requirement you will know about it in time to stop the development, change the requirement or fix the product.

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Investing Essentials – Balance Your Risk By Using Varied Investment Vehicles

Investing is such a complicated field that there are literally tens of thousands of books written on the subject. Investing can be quite difficult, depending on the strategy, though it and can also be simple and straightforward if done properly. One of the best pieces of investment advice ever given is to diversify your portfolio into several different investment vehicles. This can help you spread out the risk and achieve a steady return on your investment capital. This is the goal of most investors. This type of investing can be categorized broadly as value investing and with a diversified investment strategy that holds a goal of long term positive returns.

Value Investing
On the whole, value investing is generally defined as investing that focuses on buying investments that have good value. This is a fundamentally safe and secure type of investment strategy. The goal is for steady appreciation and consistent yields on capital invested. Value investing is a fundamental and lies at the base of a solid financial investment plan. Buying investments because they are a good value is a mark of a solid investment plan. If you buy companies because they are good value, then chances are you will be in a position to enjoy capital appreciation in the years to come.

Stock Market Investing
Stock market investing is one of the fundamentals of value investing. By diversifying investments into the stock market it is possible to spread out investment funds into a wide variety of different companies and their stocks. It is certainly very difficult to choose specific stocks that are going to go up in value immensely in the years to come. The Walmart-like stocks are few and far between and taking them at their outset is almost impossible. This certainly does not mean that you should not try. Buying fundamentally sound stock market investments can be a goal and ticket to a fruitful financial future ahead.

Penny Stock Investments
Penny stocks are those that bear their own name. These stocks are often valued very lowly and the costs are often quite low-often times ranging from a few pennies per share up to a couple dollars per share at the most. Some investors believe that there is great potential return in penny stock investments because you can buy for such a low cost a large amount of shares and if there is any appreciation in value this year value will likewise increase. An increase in the share value will yield an increase in the investment return as well.

Bonds Investing
Bonds are another core element of a diversified investment strategy. Bonds typically have slow and steady growth patterns and consistent yields year after year. This makes them the ideal investment for slow and steady capital appreciation. There are several different types of bonds available ranging from government-backed bonds to higher risk corporate bonds. Bonds remain one of the best ways of diversifying a portfolio with safe and secure investment returns. Talk with an investment adviser about the different kinds of bond ratings and how the different types of bonds will play an important part in your overall investment portfolio.

Mutual Funds Investing
Mutual funds are yet another way of diversifying investment risk and return. Some mutual funds specialize in high risk/high yield type investments, while others mirror segments of the stock market (as in Spider Funds, which buy the exact companies that appear on certain stock indices). Mutual funds are run by a board of directors and a management team in most cases. These individuals have the responsibility of making the investment choices for the entire fund.

Mutual funds are traditionally one of the most popular investments options and routes to take. Mutual funds are easier to become involved with than almost any other investment. They are often times the starting place for investors who are looking to have the potential for return while also curving the risks in spreading out the potential downside. One of the challenges with mutual funds, however, is the fact that there are so many and they can be difficult to choose between them. Out of thousands of different mutual funds, finding one that meets your investment requirements can be tricky. It also should be noted that just because a mutual fund has done well in the past that does not mean that it will continue to do well in the future. Very few mutual funds maintain a steady track record over time.

Commodities Investing
Commodities are another option for a diversified investment portfolio. Commodities represent certain items like corn, oil, gold, silver, and other such natural items classified as commodities. Commodities can often be used as a ‘hedge’ investment and have a safe and secure track record. Investing in commodities should be done with the help of an experienced investment adviser only or with much experience under your belt. They are not typical investments and should not be viewed as ones that are as easy to invest in as bonds or mutual funds. Typically, commodities investments can be used as a counter-trend type of investment, or in other words, as a protection against loss when other types of investments seem to be falling. Commodities will typically hold their value contrary to the stock market as a whole.

All of these different types of investment options should be discussed with a qualified investment adviser or broker. To venture into these investments on your own can be dangerous. It should be mentioned that with any investment there is the potential for loss. Anytime you have the potential for substantial gain, likewise you have the potential for substantial loss. Some of these investments are more secure than others. You should discuss your options and your long-term strategy with your investment adviser to determine the best plan moving forward. You’ll want to create a diversified plan that creates a steady return while minimizing risks.

Home Based Business Is Booming

STARTING A HOME-BASED BUSINESSHome-based business is booming! Not only does the amount of home-based businesses continue to rise, the amount of people wanting to start their own business from home is increasing dramatically too. Why? Because the benefits of working for yourself, from home, are extensive. You save on gas; chose you own hours, have more time for your family… there may even be some tax benefits. Best of all, you reap all the rewards of your hard work.The reality is however that it can be a challenge to get your home business up and running, and probably the biggest hurdles you will face, is where to start.Taking the first stepSo, you have decided you are going to make a go of working from home- the first step after this is to choose that kind of home-based business you will conduct.You mustn’t jump into this lightly. You are potentially going to invest a lot of money in this business over the coming months, hopefully years, so you need to tread very carefully in the initial stages.Hopefully your business will be something you are passionate about, and skilled to do. There are many ‘professional’ career jobs being conducted successfully out of home offices, all over the world. Writers, journalists, designers, photographers software programmes, web developers, bookkeepers accountant and financial advisers, virtual assistants and administrative support staff, typists and data entry clerks, marketers, PR professionals and practically and type of consultant… the list goes on. All of these careers are completely feasible in the home -business world.The term ‘freelancer’ is more widely accepted and increasing popular with companies needing a professional for a one-off project. The freelancer market is becoming stronger, and allows more and more experts to take their skills to a number of clients, instead of working for just one firm. It is profitable for the free lancer, and keeps things interesting with the constantly changing client base and project. For the employer, hiring a freelancer offers the option to work with a specialist, without the paper-work, cost and usually length process involved in having to recruit someone full-time. The ideal solution to their short-term needs.On the other hand, if you are making a complete career change with your move to home business, you will find the opportunities on the internet are endless. Out of the millions of work-from-home offers on the Internet these days, you will more than likely stumble upon more than your fair share of ‘scams’ claiming to change your life and make you rich. Don’t be fooled. You need to first determine whether the offer is legitimate. If you are satisfied that it is, and want to push ahead, you need to decide whether this is the right home business for you.Here are some questions to ask yourself when assessing the opportunity.• Will I bore easily? If this is something you think you will tire of in short time, it is probably not the ideal choice. Most business require patience and persistence, and if you are already thinking you will find the job boring, there is no point going ahead with it.• Do I have all the equipment to conduct this business? If not, how much do I need to outlay and can I afford it? If this job needs you to have access to a computer with Internet connection, phone, fax photocopier, printer, web-cam, massaging service, then it is going to b expensive to set up. However, if you are able to commence business with equipment you currently already own, with the opportunity to build on what you have, then this is going to be more suitable, especially financially.• What is the earning capacity in the early stages, and down the track? Understanding the compensation for job you take on is imperative determining whether or not the job is right for you. You need to be able to support all your existing financial obligations and live off the income you will generate from new business. Assess to the best of your ability whether the earning potential on going is one that will provide financial stability, and if you’re not sure, speak to someone in the know.• How do you feel about the product or service the business will provide? Unless you truly believe you are selling a quality item, you will have trouble making sales. The best businesses are based on passion and desire to deliver something great. Whether it be a piece of writing you have penned, a new software program you are trying to get off the ground, or newly designed vacuum cleaner that cuts your cleaning time in half, you need to have faith in what you’re doing.• Does the business have long-term potential? Or is it just relevant now? You need to see, at the outset, that there will be room for growth. Ideally, your business will expand over time, and its money making potential will grow with it. If you feel that the business will only be sustainable for a little while, then you’ll need to come up with something else, it’s probably better to focus on something different for your work at home career.• What does your ‘gut’ tell you? Don’t underestimate power of the ‘gut feeling’. If you are feeling unsure, or something doesn’t seem quite right, there is probably a reason. Unless you address the uneasiness, and have your questions answered, you will probably continue to feel uncomfortable it’s unlikely you business will prosper.After you have gone over all these questions, and contemplated the answers making the decision to go ahead with your home business venture is exciting. There is a saying that you should “start as you intend to continue”, so if your first step are positive, considered, confident and most importantly smart, you are setting a strong foundation for a successful work at home business.