Hyper Flavor

Eyeing the Competition

“Never underestimate your competition.” Today, that old business adage holds more meaning than ever, but many companies do not take time to objectively assess their company or products and compare them to their adversaries in the marketplace. Worse yet, some companies even feel that their products have no competition. Though it can be daunting to look at the realities of your market, understanding your competitive business environment is critical when planning for your company’s future profitability.

Hammers Vs. Crowbars
First, let’s clarify: everyone has competition, though it may not always seem obvious. Marketing experts cite two categories of competition: indirect and direct. Every company has indirect competition, no matter how unique or high-tech their product or service.

Indirect competition provides the same benefit the customer obtains from your product, only in a different form. Take, for example, the Acme Hammer Company. Acme’s indirect competition comes from whatever customers use instead of hammers. Those more creative in the craft of carpentry might use a crowbar to drive a nail into a board or pry it out of wooden siding. That makes a crowbar manufacturer an indirect competitor.

Looking at it this way, the possible indirect competition seems almost limitless, but it is critical to acknowledge all the options your customers have to meet their needs. You can use information about indirect competition to realistically target your markets, create your positioning and messaging or creatively and efficiently developing new products and marketing strategies. Remember, even though the indirect competitive product is not at all like your product, you can still lose an order because of it.

Hammers Vs. Hammers
Acme’s direct competition might come from other tool manufacturers such as Stanley, Husky and Craftsman. Because direct competitors are easier to identify and research, you may want to start your analysis here.

Gather as much information as possible including the competition’s sales materials. Have your employees keep their ears open for anecdotal data they obtain from discussions with industry experts, manufacturers’ representatives or trade show participants. Ask your customers about the quality of the competition’s products, services and management.

You should also gather quantitative data such as information about the competition’s gross revenues, ownership, number of employees, legal issues, new products, industry awards and relevant trade articles. Libraries, databases, trade literature and Internet web sites can help you fill any gaps in your knowledge.

Orders are won or lost over small advantages or disadvantages. Knowing your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses allows you to tailor your products and services to get that critical advantage. More specifically, you use this information to strengthen relationships with your customers, stay informed about your competitors’ activities, remain knowledgeable about industry trends or acquisition prospects and identify potential product problems.

What’s an example of using competitive information? Let’s say your new competition has recently lowered their pricing, leading you to pricing pressure. However, the competitor is having legal problems due to inferior product quality. In this case, you can emphasize the high quality of your product in your sales materials to take advantage of the weakness of your competition, rather than meeting the price point of your competitor.

Knowing your competition leads to new products or product improvements, sales tools positioning your product positively against your competition’s weaknesses, finding new distribution strategies and many other business decisions.

Deborah Henken served as VP of Marketing at several Silicon Valley start-ups, quadrupling revenues in 18 months, and in senior marketing and channel positions at Hewlett Packard, Informix and BEA Systems. As Founder of Highland Team, she and her team brings strategic marketing thinking and rapid implementation to assure increased sales revenues and optimal ROI to both large and small companies. She earned her MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Susan Henken has directed marketing at consumer and health care companies for more than 15 years. She provided marketing consulting to manufacturing companies at Minnesota Project Innovation through a grant from the SBA and Department of Commerce and ran her own consulting business. She is currently Director of Marketing for Consumer Products at Compex Technologies. She earned her MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

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Override Evasion Software for Telematic UAVs

Our Unmanned Aerial Vehicles have proven themselves in the battlespace to be some of our most important assets. These UAVs have also been used fighting fires, guarding our borders and helping in disasters. Many of these UAVs are controlled by line of sight communication command and control systems, while others can be controlled remotely via satellites. When these UAVs are controlled via satellite there is a one second delay in commands from the desktop pilot, who is basically operating from a PC with a joystick and some instruments, not a whole lot different than Microsoft Simulator Program you buy in the store. This system works well when you are merely flying around looking at stuff and sending back the video feed to command and control.

There comes a problem when you need instantaneous maneuvering and are also dealing with the reality of situational awareness from a UAV and also with the time delay in directions from the virtual pilot in augmented reality at command and control. However many things such as evasion could be preprogrammed for dodging SAMs (surface to air missiles) shot from an enemy. If you have to wait for the communication delays it could be too late for your drone UAV. Once the UAV takes the drastic measures to evade the SAM, it would then seek normal flight on the former heading or a heading of exactly 180 degrees from where it started. Thus it has evaded, recorded the location from where the missile was fired and retreated. Now you can assign the launch location of the SAM as a legitimate target.

A UAV has an advantage over a fighter aircraft with a pilot, as it can turn with more G’s as long as stay with in its envelope. Indeed there would be the same control limits for flight departure issues as in the newest of fighters when you travel outside the envelope, which would be massively expanded with new materials, lack of biological needs of a pilot and directional thrust tricks of the trade and intake air opening changes in-flight all computerized.

As a pilot myself “single engine land,” I do not want to ditch the pilots just yet for the silicon chip versions. Especially as I look at the cost of some of these high tech advanced UAVs, after all that is an expensive piece of hardware, but we are seeing more and more evidence of Big Blue beating the best chess players of the air. In the end our decision must be for the mission, not our debate over organic VS autonomous or robotic, I guess I would say, I just want to WIN, that is all; using the whole track is that was the first thing they told us in racing school, it helped keep me alive. We need to do whatever it takes, for however long it takes to accomplish the mission, whatever that might be. It is only about winning. But we cannot send a UAV into an area laden with the enemy that has shoulder fired or batteries of surface to air missiles unless these robotic counterparts have master evasion software programs, which immediately over ride the command and control and autonomously address the threat. Think on this.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

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Stress Management Tip - The Art of Delegation

If you are like a lot of other competent and self sufficient people, you may think that no one else can do certain tasks or jobs better than you. This can be especially true for managers and team leaders in the work place as well as mothers at home. In such cases, you may feel that you know exactly what you want and how best to do it. There is a very common saying, “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” While this attitude is great, the problem with this logic is that for a small list of tasks this might be manageable, but as the task list grows you will never ever be able to stay on top of things. You have two choices. You can continue on by working longer and harder but eventually the workload will become just too great resulting in feeling totally overwhelmed and stressed. Or alternatively you can learn to delegate tasks to others.

So why exactly don’t you like delegating? Here are some common reasons.

- There is no one else that can perform the task.

- There is a risk that the even though the task will be completed, mistakes will be made.

- There is no else that can complete the task quickly enough.

- There is a concern of shirking off of responsibilities.

- Delegating may require investing precious time in another individual.

These reasons may be valid but there are many benefits to delegating work. Firstly by delegating, you will not be overwhelmed with tasks which means the tasks you do choose to perform will be done well. Trying to take on too much can result in less than satisfactory outcomes. Secondly, by delegating, you have an opportunity to work on higher priority tasks which can actually strengthen your position in an organisation. Thirdly, by sharing the work around, you give others the chance to potentially learn new skills and take on more responsibility. This means as people grow underneath you, you will naturally be pushed higher up in the company. It also means that you will be seen as a good manager that gets good results from your team, making you a likely candidate for future promotion.

When delegating, there are a few things that you should keep in mind. If you are new to delegating, you can start small by farming out easy tasks. This will minimize the amount of time you need to spend with the individuals, reducing the learning curve and chance of mistakes. For larger tasks, pick the person who you think is capable and willing to learn. You will have to accept that the person may need some time to be trained and initially require close supervision. This is best viewed as an investment of your time that will eventually consume less and less of your time as the individual becomes more competent in the task - that is, short term pain for long term gain.

To ensure the task is completed successfully, set clear expectations and deadlines. While you will define the required outcome, ensure the individuals are given enough scope to work autonomously, promoting creativity in thinking and approach to the task. You will also need to be clear about the level of authority the individuals have in order to get the job done, that is stipulate whether other people can be hired as well as any budget limits. Most importantly you will need to define the key performance indicators (KPI) that will be used to measure the performance of the individuals and quality of the outcome.

Throughout the entire task, or project, keep following up with the individuals until the task has been completed. This will ensure that larger tasks do not go off the rails. If you maintain an open mind, you may just find there is indeed a better way of doing some things compared to how it had been done in the past. Finally let the individuals, YOUR TEAM, know when they have done good work. If certain things could have been done better, suggest an alternative in an encouraging manner. By building their self confidence, it is more likely they will complete the task more efficiently and to higher standard next time.

As you can, the art of delegation is an extremely important skill to have as you rise up in an organisation and even at home. It allows you to manage your ever increasing workload concentrating on the most important tasks at hand. Potentially it can significantly reduce the stress associated with your role at work or at home, while increasing the responsibility and level of enjoyment of those under you as they take on new tasks.

David Tomaselli is the creator of Stress Management and Self Improvement Techniques - The Wholistic Development Exchange. The aim of the Wholistic Development Exchange is to empower you to deal with stress, pressure and the day to day challenges that life brings by providing you the latest Tips, Techniques, Articles, News, E-Books, Products and other Resources related to Stress Management and Self Improvement.
To download free E-Books go to our Free Stress Management E-Books section.
To find out how to create an Extra Hour in your Day, have a read of our NEW seven part Time Creation Tips series.

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Do You Need a Real Estate Agent in Order to Sell Your Own House?

Selling a house is big move for its owners, especially if the house holds sentimental value. A sale though, could mean a chance for a fresh start and a way to escape from the grips of the past. Whatever the reason for selling a house, house owners want to get the best deal out of the sale. From any angle, selling a house is a complex task.

The owners can do it individually, like looking for potential buyers and processing important papers. Such move has risks though, like getting duped by buyers into a less profitable agreement. There are also taxes to take care of. Unless the owners themselves are realtors, chances are they are better off getting a licensed real estate agent to do business for them.

Sure, real estate agents cost commissions but they are the ones who are adept at selling houses. They know the nooks and crannies of price ranging, business dealing, and the legal technicalities of selling real estate properties.

Although homeowners can go gung-ho and do all the things themselves, they must be ready to weather anything that will come their way: frequent visits to the appropriate government agencies, construction firms, plumbers, electricians, and the like. Real estate agents most likely have contacts to these people. And since they are working for commissions, they would like to get any amicable deal as fast as possible, get the sale done with, and move on to the next property.

Dennis Tamburo

Commercial Real Estate and private equity

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Haledon, New Jersey: A Renaissance In The Making?

Not every small town in America can live up to a realtor’s dream of providing top notch schools, new housing, well kept streets, and abundant recreational opportunities. Where Haledon, New Jersey currently lacks in refinement, it offsets some of this with its sense of history as well as opportunity. Read on to find out more about this small Passaic County borough.

On the western border of the city of Paterson in northern New Jersey lies a gritty town, Haledon, home to more than 8400 residents compacted into an aging one square mile borough. As a working class community, the town has long served as a bedroom community for blue collar workers who skillfully manned the textile mills that dotted the town and surrounding communities for well over a century.

Today, the mills are no longer in use and most of the buildings have since been converted to other uses. Once a community occupied mainly by Dutch and Italian immigrants, the borough’s tapestry has expanded to include residents from Eastern Europe, Latin America, and from various other parts of the world. Indeed, the shops and stores scattered throughout Haledon point to the rise of the local Muslim population, including Circassians, who are helping to shape Haledon’s future.

Haledon government officials are currently in the process of preparing an important overhaul of the borough’s main business district on Belmont Avenue by installing new curbing, sidewalks, streetlights and pavers, as well as looking at possibly securing private property to develop much needed off street parking. A federal grant totaling $350,000 was secured in December 2004 which will be used toward the project.

The town’s most important landmarks include the Botto House/American Labor Museum on Norwich Street, a rallying point for the 1913 Paterson Silk Strike and the borough hall on Belmont Avenue which itself was once a mill.

School age children in Haledon attend the town’s lone elementary-middle school and then can go on to Manchester Regional High School, also located within the town.

Overall, the town has a shortage of recreational facilities - there is no municipal pool - and the borough has its share of urban blight. High taxes, a limited infrastructure, underperforming schools, and a declining business base are all challenges currently faced by the borough. Still, with the anticipated sale of borough owned property including the Haledon Reservoir, a much needed cash infusion may help to bring about a long anticipated and much needed renaissance for the borough.

Matthew Keegan is the owner of a successful article writing, web design, and marketing business based in North Carolina, USA. He manages several sites including the Corporate Flight Attendant Community and the Aviation Employment Board. Please visit The Article Writer to review selections from his portfolio.

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Plan for Your Child’s Future with a Scottish Friendly Child Bond

Kids grow so quickly which means it is essential to start thinking about saving when they’re young. By saving from just £10 to £25 a month with Scottish Friendly’s child bond without delay you could make all the difference when they are older. For instance helping to pay for university fees or for the deposit on a new car.

You can save tax-free for any child with a Scottish Friendly Child Bond. It’s tax-free because it’s a friendly society savings plan, which means that under today’s law it grows free of income or capital gains tax. It’s a marvelous way for parents, grandparents, family members and friends to make a huge financial difference when the kids are older.

Basically the Child Bond is a with-profits investment plan: It invests for long-term growth as well as an element of security, in stocks and shares, fixed interest funds and cash

Money accumulates through the addition of potentialyearly bonuses and when the bond matures there is a tax-free payout. The value of bonuses depends on how much profit we make and how it is distributed by us. Please note that bonuses are not guaranteed.

The Child Bond runs for a minimum of a decade, but if you want you can invest for longer if you like - perhaps to coincide with an 18th or 21st birthday. You can save either monthly, annually or with a lump sum payment.It really is completely up to you. It should be noted that if the plan is cashed in before the end of the term, the amount the child will receive may be less than the amount paid in.

If you choose the monthly option, you can start saving from as little as £10 a month - up to a maximum of £25 a month. Or you can make yearly payments of up to £270 a year.

You can also take care of all of the premiums in one go through our lump sum funding plan. If you invest the maximum amount of £2,340 for ten years, this actually invests £270 a year into the Child Bond - making £2700. The minimum lump sum of £1,040 provides £120 a year for 10 years - a total of £1,200. This provides a means for you to take care of all your premiums in one go and is especially popular with grandparents who like the reassurance of knowing all premiums for the entire term of the plan are taken care of.

This plan includes life cover so you should consider if this is appropriate for your financial needs.

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Marvelous electrical tools to be won at Dutch Windeprijsvraag.nl

Many state lotteries also run a second chance sweepstakes in conjunction with the retail sale of state lottery scratch cards. Sweepstakes are generally easier and quicker to enter than contests. In an effort to increase consumer demand for scratch cards and to help control the litter small problems associated with the disposal of non-winning lottery tickets. It should be super or really great to win 6172 euros. 11 months ago a Dutch dutch online company took of a online sweepstakes. You can win absolutely fantastic computers every 11 hours at windeprijsvraag online contests. Really everbody can win great TVs every 15 weeks. 5 days ago a European dutch company has started with a contest websites. Sweepstakes are also legally different from contests in the United States. Fantastic laptops to win at dutch online contests. Realy terrific speedboats to be won at sweepstakes websites. 3 months ago a Europe based webcompany begun with a dutch online sweepstakes. Entering sweepstakes by mail is declining in popularity. Many more sweepers are choosing to enter online sweepstakes. Consumer promotions advertised as contests, however, can require an entry fee or proof of purchase. Terrific BMWs to win at online sweepstakes. Its really great or realy terrific to win 4245 dollar. The reason why contests are treated differently is that the winners are not chosen by chance but by an element of skill. Thats fantastic or absolutely fantastic to win 3647 euro. Sweepstakes promotions are prohibited from requiring a purchase to enter. There are also other online services, which automatically enter members into sweepstakes. 2 days ago a Belgium company started a contest websites. 8 hours ago a Belgium online company has started with a dutch online sweepstakes. Marvelous plasmas to be won at sweepstakes websites. Members sign up once and are entered to various sweepstakes each month. Everybody can win terrific Ipods every 15 weeks. Sweepstakes are frequently used by fast-food restaurants to boost business. This saves entrants time and effort. Before home computers were popular a common method of entry was a mailed one. That will be super or great to win 5810 dollars. Although some sweepstakes ask for a proof of purchase or UPC code, the sponsors must provide an alternate method of entry if they do so. Really anyone can win realy terrific prizes every 17 days. Really great cars to win at dutch online contests.

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You Better Not Lie, I’m Telling You Why

Santa Claus Is Coming

Holiday season brings the perennial return of Santa Claus. According to traditional lore, St. Nick flies around the world on his reindeer-powered sleigh. He lavishes gifts upon the good children of the world, and as for the naughty youngsters…well, they can expect lumps of fossil fuel in their stockings. This jovial, rotund old fellow provides a magical experience that enriches the lives of children. Right?

Well, not necessarily.

Parents often recount their childhood stories as cherished memories and want to recreate the same experiences for their children. Unfortunately, parents’ good intentions may actually lead to mixed messages that may be harmful to childrenand there is no magic in that. After taking a closer look at how the Santa “fantasy” really affects children, you’ll realize that it’s time to give the traditional Santa fantasy a modern makeover.

You Better Not Pout….

“He knows when you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake.” The song “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” provides an example of the mixed messages associated with the traditional Santa Claus myth. In this song, the take-home message for many children is: “Santa is watching you, so you better be good. If you are not good Santa won’t bring you toys.”

Adults, in some cases, take advantage of this message to control children’s behavior. A department store employee once boasted that she had the perfect way to keep customers’ children under control. Whenever children became unruly, she would warn them that Santa had cameras all over the store, and he could see them being bad. If they didn’t stop misbehaving, the clerk warned, they wouldn’t receive any toys on Christmas. She took great pride in the fact that this trick worked every time.

What a creepy idea: Santa watches and judges you, and worse, he may even punish you. Youngsters believe that if they don’t perform in acceptable ways, Santa won’t bring them toys. This reward/punishment scenario encourages children to be good for the sake of a reward, and even worse, it instills a sort of “Big Brother is watching” feeling. So be good to get toys, and be good because someone’s watching you. What happened to be good for goodness sake?

He’s Gonna Find Out Who’s Naughty or Nice….

Another harmful message implicit in the Santa myth is that material objects reflect quality of character. In this faulty logic, if being good leads to toys, then receiving toys signify good behavior. Take, for instance, the following examplea true story.

After the holidays, several children discussed the exciting gifts Santa had brought them. One child claimed that she had been so good that Santa brought her the bike she had really wanted. Another little girl, who had suffered parental abuse and neglect, listened to the first girl’s story. Later, in a very meek voice, she asked her caretaker a heartbreaking question: Since she had been good, when was Santa going to bring her bike?

In this case, and unfortunately in others, the Santa myth sets children up for disappointment and self-doubt.

I’m Telling You Why….

At about age five children begin to question the Santa myth by asking such questions as:

• Is Santa Claus real?

• How can he make it to all the houses in one night?

• How can he fit down the chimney?

• We don’t have a chimney, so how can Santa come to my house?

• How can this be Santa when we just saw him at another store?

• Do reindeer really fly?

For each of these questions, parents must extend the fantasy (i.e. generate more lies) to keep the myth alive just a little longer. While these adults think it’s okay to deceive children when it is for their own good, it may actually harm them.

Whether they finally figure it out for themselves or their parents confess the truth about Santa, children experience sadness, regrets and often, a sense of betrayal. Their parentsthe adults whom they had trusted the mostlied to them. What good is a short-term fantasy if it damages a child’s core sense of trust?

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Parents need not do away with the Santa experience all together. A fun and emotionally safe alternative to the traditional myth is the Santa Claus Game. In the Santa game everyone pretends that Santa is real. This enables everyone to enjoy all the activities that others enjoy. The main difference is that your children understand that Santa is just pretend.

You can introduce the game during the pre-school years. Of course, at this age children are too young to truly understand the difference between pretend and real. But you can take them to visit Santa and do all the Santa related activities children like to do. From time to time you can say things like, “This Santa game is fun!” You can even put out milk and cookies for “Santa,” again explaining that it’s just pretend.

As the children get older and want to know more, explain that in this pretend game Santa has magic and can do all the amazing things that people talk about. Talk about Santa in a fairytale, magical kind of fashion. The fact that it is a game will not detract any pleasure from the child’s fun.

By the time children are five and six, you can stop the emphasis on the pretend factor. At that age they will still be excited to visit Santa and sit on his lap, even though they know it is all pretend. When the children are ten and eleven years old, they can still get presents from Santa and many will still want to put out milk and cookies. The difference now is that they will have that “special twinkle” in their eyes when they ask, “What kind of cookies would Santa like this year?”

Eventually you won’t have to talk about it being a game anymore; you’ll simply have fun. And isn’t that what the holiday spirit is all about?

Children are excellent at pretend games and enjoy them immensely. Even though the Santa game is make-believe, it differs from the traditional myth in a crucial way: All the players know it is a game. Adults may then tell children that not all families play the game and that some children don’t know it is a game. This information explains why Santa doesn’t come to all families, and why some children think Santa is real. It also clears up why some children don’t get what they want from Santa, even when they have been “good.”

Children who learn the Santa game equally enjoy the magic and excitement that others receive from the traditional Santa experience. Most important, though, they don’t suffer the disillusionment and sense of betrayal of discovering that Santa isn’t real. So keep in mind that when you sing, “You better not lie, I am telling you why”a child’s trust and happiness is at stake.

About The Author

Dawn Fry is the founder and CEO of Helping Our Children Productions, a publishing company that provides educational CD’s giving practical help to families and childcare professionals. Ms. Fry has more than 60,000 hours of professional experience working with children. For more information, visit www.DawnTalk.com.

www.dawntalk.com/PDF/2004-PressKit.pdf

NOTE: This article is copyrighted! (c) 2002-2004 Helping Our Children Productions & Dawn Fry. All rights are reserved. Limited use and reproduction is allowed within the permission guidelines listed below.

Permissions - The following article is offered for free use in your ezine, print publication or on your web site, so long as the author’s resource boxes at the end is included. Notification of publication would be appreciated, please send an email to Dawn@DawnTalk.com. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated. Thank you

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Spain - Madrid, Barcelona and Ibiza

Spain is the land of romance and amazing oddities. From bullfights to Gaudi to partying the night away on Ibiza, travelers could easily spend a year exploring Spain.

Madrid

With a population of over three million, Madrid is a big, modern city in central Spain. The suburbs of Madrid are very modern and not particularly interesting. Make it to the center of the city, however, and you are in for a treat. Small alleys, hidden squares and odd little shops are the norm. In this center, you will find a vibrant public life with outdoor cafes literally overrun with the passionate and interesting people of Madrid. When visiting the city, keep in mind it is very hot in the summer and pretty cold in the winter.

Barcelona

One of my favorite travel destinations, Barcelona is a costal city oozing charm. The city embodies all of the interesting little oddities of Spain with ancient streets where the local hobby is people watching. The city is also the home of best Gaudi architecture in Spain. Gaudi was either a genius or a madman, but there is no denying his architecture is unique. I would describe it as a mix between dripping candles and normal architecture. The big tourist attraction, of course, is the Sagrada Familia church, but better examples can be seen by just walking through neighborhoods. Yep, his work is throughout the city. The only downside to Barcelona is a trend of modernization. While modernization is generally okay, I think it is taking a bit away from the historic charm of Barcelona.

Ibiza

If you’re looking to sit on the beach all day and party the night away, Ibiza is the hottest spot in Europe. An island off the coast of Spain, Ibiza is the rare tourist spot where monstrous tourist hotels don’t dominate. Instead, you’ll find yourself staying in rented rooms, little hotels and hostels in Ibiza Town. During the days, it’s all about enjoying the beaches. At night, the bars and clubs of the island are world famous and they never really seem to close. Bring plenty of aspirin!

If you’re going to visit Spain, you can’t really go wrong. If time is short, Madrid, Barcelona and Ibiza are three spots worth seeing.

Rick Chapo is with www.nomadjournals.com - makers of travel journals. Writing journals are great travel accessories and travel gifts for him or her. Visit www.nomadjournaltrips.com for more travel articles.

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Handy Man Talents - Do You Fit The Bill?

Do you pride your self as a competent handy man? Lets face it, there are many women who just love guys who can turn their hand to just about anything around the house. But it’s not enough to be “just” a handy man, to be a well rounded in demand handy man you need to develop many different sets of skills.

Some people just like to do small handy jobs using timber, perhaps doing repairs to door jambs - window sashes & frames or repair a few rotten floorboards, and believe it or not the vast army of people working as handy men never seem to run out of work.

Perhaps instead of promoting your services as an all round handy man, you could specialise and concentrate your skills in certain areas, such as woodwork repair - fence repairs - household utensil repairs - garden furniture repairs - garden equipment & tool repair, there is an almost endless list that could be compiled in the general handy man arena.

But just imagine if you made a special effort and went a little further
than the average handy man does with his skills, and included special metal craft skills that placed you into a position that few other people were able to offer in your area, now wouldn’t that give you a competitive advantage.

Tools - equipment & other things break all of the time around a house, the simple solution is to simply throw broken items out, and that is what most people do, and one of the major reasons why so much stuff ends up in landfill refuse dumps. Many of these broken items could easily be repaired and put back into service once more, people will save money and landfills will end up with a lot less material & things being dumped.

Metal repair skills are not difficult to learn, many trade colleges offer short courses on equipment - tool maintenance & repairs. If you are an enterprising handy man there’s a good chance you already have the right kind of skills to succeed. You don’t need a large inventory of tools either, a mid size electric arc welder, a sturdy bench fitted with a 4″ vice, plus a hacksaw, a pedestal drill press and several other metal working tools and you are ready to go.

The piece De resistance of metal craft skills is when you have learnt and understand the art of metal casting, this is where you melt aluminium or bronze and pour the metal into a pre-made sand mould. Almost any shape can be made, castings made in the hobby workshop can range in weight from 1oz to several pounds or KG. All kinds of knobs, handles, levers, rods and flat shapes such as nameplates and plaques can be made with some practice.

There is an acute world wide shortage of people with practical skills and
know how to rebuild - repair and maintain, perhaps this is the kind of work that you would like to do either full time or part time. You only have to look in the newspaper classifieds to see that many people make a reasonable living rebuilding and repairing all manner of things.

Col Croucher

Need content? You may use this article at your website, or in your
newsletter. The only requirement is inclusion of the following sentence -
Article by Col Croucher of http://www.myhomefoundry.com - the definitive source for hobby metal casters of all ages. While at the web site you can download a free ebook to learn about, & understand hobby metal craft.

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