New Year Resolutions

First I have to say sorry Ive not been keeping my blogs up this year.

Well we have finished picking the olives for oil that as kept us busy until the middle of January and now we are ready to make our New Year Resolutions for the year.

February is a good time to make ours, most people will have made them by now and broken them by now. As we are taking a breath before the next round of work its time for us to make ours, we like to look on them as goals

Our first one is we are going to sell our home here in Spain and move nearer to family nearer to the coast still in Spain.

Second its time to move our Internet Business forward, so there will be articles, motivation and advice for you to follow, as well as my posts on selling our home, which I hope you read its call As My Home Got Your Name On It.

Third to set up our other websites more about them later.

Fourth to finish my ebook which is nearly there, got bogged down with e-book compilers.

Itś oh so easy to get way laid when you work from home there are so many things that just happen to pop up that you just have to do.

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Snow, Snow and more Snow

The best laid plans of mice and men

Snow, Snow and more Snow

Part 3: For the last week we have had SNOW. Thursday the first day we had
four inches in three hours every thing looked fantastic, just like
a christmas card. The second day the internet went down not to be
seen again untill today Tuesday.

We have used a months wood in one week so now we will have to
stock up with more, it's a good job we live in the National Park.

The previous weeks gails brought down several trees, the forest
commission send men out to cut them up into logs and they always
leave plenty for the locals to collect you just have to know where
they leave them.

So that is our next job first dry day we have.

The dogs loved it they have never seen snow and thought it was
great fun, chickens poor things could not understand it and
stopped laying their eggs and the sheep they just went into
their barn and stayed there.

I've taken pictures on my mobile just need to find disc to download
them to my laptop

The locals say the last time it was like this was thirty years ago and
never as early as November,

Who would have thought we live in Sunny Spain still every cloud as a
Silver Lining I got all my housework done, no washing but I caught
up with my ironing and more important I have caught up with my writing.


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Today Started of with Good Intensions Again

The best laid plans of mice and men

Today Started of with Good Intensions Again

Part 2: It is now one week later, I trot down to the local IT centre this morning, the sun is out and every thing is right with the world, last week was the challenge of not being able to delete messages from my autoresponder so I went home and deleted the work and put in a new draft copy of my course to test when I arrived today.

So here we are again, logged into my auto responder account, my work is waiting to be tested great this should not take to long. Silly me how wrong could I be, clicked on test and hey a blank green screen appears "wheres my fountain of all knowledge" over he trots and I show him what's gone wrong and I'm told the sites blocked, but I say it was working ok last week and he say's yep but it's not this. That's Spain for you.

Well what is an IT centre for? (a taking shop about what you can and can't do on the computors)

Well what to do now another challange to sort out.

Today is Wednesday and on Friday we could go to the coast some 50 miles away. My cousin has an apartment and the internet connectin is good "sometimes" should I risk it. The other option is to load one part of my course a day in the morning when the connection is a little better.

They say every cloud as a silver lining so I'll look on the bright side if I'm on the coast and the internet is no good we can go down to the beach for an hour and relax.

I feel sorry for the expats here at the centre soon we will not be able to access any sites at all, at least we have the option of a ride to the coast. Sand, Sea, Sunshine and Internet fantastic I hope.

Well let's move on email and blogging here I come.

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http://www.OurHelpYourSuccess.com

Ladder up Against the Wrong Wall

The best laid plans of mice and men

Part 1: Today started of with good intensions, my goal was to set up a new campaign with my auto responder.

So of I trot to the local IT centre, after having written my course ready to load on to their fast computers. Finished in record time one hour, did my tests great, found some mistakes never mind plenty of time to alter them before I go for lunch.

Wow MESSAGE CAME UP ON THE SCREEN sorry you cannot delete your messsage from your autoresponder. PANIC what have I done wrong and where is the great guy who is the fountain of all knowledge (just popped out to do his shopping).

Ok not to worry, head for the Questions and Answer section in my Autoresponder, no answer to my challenge there.

Great the fountain of all knowledge as just arrived back, he tells me its the way the computors are set up so that people cannot go into your work and delete it.

What a fantastic idea, only thing is I can edite my work but will have to delete any messages I don't want from home.

No problem just means that my new campain will have go out next week. Hope the IT centre is open.

Not to be down hearted thought I'd catch up on my emails and blog

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http://www.OurHelpYourSuccess.com

Welcome To My World, Won't You Come On In?

Welcome To My World, Won't You Come On In?

I woke up this morning feeling great, the sun is shining the snow as gone except on the very top of the mountains. What a day yesterday was, one of my friend went back to the UK a week ago because her mum was not well, and yesterday I heard her mum had passed away.

My husband was watching the Spanish news and what a treat that was. They were interviewing people around the world asking how they felt about the man who had just been voted in as President off America.

I have never seen such a reaction since Nelson Mandela was released in South Africa.

Next I watched a DVD by a guy called Willie Jolley and yes that’s his real name how true were his words. If you want to see a change you have to change what you are doing now.

And last but not least Hamilton won the Grand Pri what an inspiration for the young people of the world.

I don’t want my blog to become a political battlefield so when you read my blog today please think hard and long.

What did all four of these men advocated? (CHANGE). People all over the world are hurting, no matter what class you think you are, we are all feeling the effects of the financial crisis (The World Recession) people are losing their jobs and their homes.

Here in Spain the men are losing their jobs because the building industry is collapsing round our ears, and many of their women are going each day to collect hand outs of food, this is a hard thing for them to do as they are a proud people. Many family’s have only 700 euros a month coming in to live the rents for many of these people is around 500 euro.

The expat’s are handing in the keys to their homes back to the banks because they cannot pay their mortgages, they are going back to the country they left, many of them are retired and have seen their pensions reduced by 40%

Many have lost their dream of living a better life, I’m sure everybody out there as a similar story to tell

WOW I THINK WE ARE READY FOR A CHANGE

I hope that when people all over the world look at the New President of America it will rekindle the idea of the American Dream, that no matter who, what or where you are in life we can all Succeed

A Dream, Perseverance and hard work is what takes to get on in the world. Look at problems as challenges and challenges as opportunities

I might not be able to post this whilst tomorrow as we have no Internet connection this morning. Every Cloud as a Silver Lining my husband as collected wood and corns for the fire, brought the logs in of the dry pile and put wet logs to dry in the sun.

As for myself I’ve turned over some more land and planted 30 cabbage and 30 cauiflowers plants. The vegetable garden is looking great, some of the tree in the orchard are already getting buds on ready for next years fruit.

I’ve caught up with some mundane housework, not my favorite job and best of all I’ve worked on getting some blogs ready to post and it only 10-17 in the morning

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www.OurHelpYourSuccess.com

Perseverance

Snow Covered Mountains

November 3rd what a surprise, woke up this morning and the mountains are covered in snow, locals say it as been thirty years since there as been snow so early and they say we have “global warming”.

The Costa Del Sol is known for all year round sun, we have been here four years leaving a cold Britain for warmer climates (Sunny Spain), the first year here I got sun stroke on Christmas Day.

Never mind if I can get the internet to stay connected should be able to get more work done on the business, will not hold my breath though as the internet disconnected itself nine times in the last three hours.

Sat at my computer glass of red wine by my side, I’ve decided to make the most of the internet once again going down and am catching up on my writing. I’d like to thank the people who have left comments on my blog and when my computer is live I will be paying them a visit.

My book is still making progress and nearly ready to publish as an ebook. There are lots of things I need to be getting on with, I've, wrote two articles this afternoon and now looking to get them out there on the net. Great the nets on again better get this on my blog before it goes of again.

Rosalie

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http://www.OurHelpYourSuccess.com

No Time To Spare

My last post here was August the 14th, but that does not mean that my journey has stopped, far from it.

Trying to get my head round how to complete my ebook project was a nightmare, so I thought I would share the experiance with you as I made progressed, that part of my journey is nearly complete four more parts to go. Take a look at my blog Starting An Ebook Business.

The last two months have been very hectic for our household, Growing fruit and veg, Almond picking, picking olives to bottle, my dogs, chickens, and sheep all have to be fitted in around starting our new internet business.

Blogs are an important part of what we have to do, and that takes up a couple of hours a day, but its worth it as it does encourage people to our site.

The next part of my journey will be to modify this site and add a box so that we can offer more FREE STUFF.

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www.OurHelpYourSuccess.com

A Good Business Idea

A good business idea

A good business idea could be an invention, a new product or service, or an original idea or solution to an everyday problem. It might also be, a gap in the market that you can fill, a business related to the work you do already an interest or hobby that you can turn into a business.

Some of the best advice you can get comes in the form of “What NOT to do.”

It may sound a little cynical or negative, but it’s really the best way to learn from other people’s mistakes and avoid repeating them in your own day-to-day business activities.

A tried and tested business model: Some self-starters choose a well-trodden path - such as buying an existing business or rights to a franchise - which can carry fewer risks than going it alone.

Advantages: It is usually easier to get finance, as a market for the product or service will have already been demonstrated. A business plan and marketing method will be in place, and you should have valuable experience to draw on, many of the problems will already have been discovered and solved. A franchise comes with financial support too.

Disadvantages: Some businesses that are up for sale may be experiencing difficulties. Make sure you fully understand the reasons for selling, as you may need to invest quite a bit more on top of the purchase price to give it the best chance of success. The rights to a franchise or to sell particular products or services may be expensive. With a franchise, there may be a particular way to run the business that you have to stick with. Some franchises can never make money always consult a solicitor to look at the paper work before you sign anything as once you have parted with your money you are bound to continue with it. Therefore it can be an expensive mistake.

A specific business opportunity: Sometimes the possibility of owning your own business can come as a complete surprise. Perhaps you are offered the opportunity to buy out your employer, or take on a family business.

Opportunities like these are like any other business start-up. You still need lots of personal commitment, you may need to put your own money on the line, and you'll need to do some careful assessment to make sure that the business really is viable.

Advantages: Development, planning and market testing should already be in place. There may be established customers, a reliable income, a reputation to capitalize and build on, and a network of useful contacts. You probably already have expertise in the product or service and a good understanding of the business you're taking on.

Disadvantages: You may be taking on someone else's problems when you take on the business. Ask yourself if there are problems with the business, and if so, can you solve them? If you are buying out your employer, you may lose support services that you take for granted, now you won't just be responsible for your core role, but for everything else as well, such as accounting, staff management and payroll.

A change in circumstances, a major life change can often enable you, or push you - to set up your own business. Maybe a dramatic personal event kick-starts you into action or your job situation means that now is the time to take the plunge. Such changes might include unemployment, redundancy, a change of family circumstances, coming into money.

Advantages: A change in your circumstances might be an opportunity to start again or do something you've always wanted to do. Redundancy payments or receiving a lump sum of money can provide an opportunity to invest in the business. At its best, being your own boss can give you the flexibility to work around family commitments.

Disadvantages: Major life events can also be very stressful and are not always the best time to make big decisions. Starting your own business is unlikely to provide a speedy return on your investment and you should be prepared for a long haul. In the early stages especially, running your own business can mean putting in long hours and making sacrifices elsewhere in your personal life.

Many people have great ideas, but their businesses go under because there really isn't a market for their product or service. Thorough research will help support expectations about a business's success as well as uncover any holes in your idea.

Ask yourself these 6 questions:
1) What problem does my product or service solve?
2) Who will buy my product or service?
3) Why will they buy it?
4) Where will they buy it—specialty shops, large stores, mail order, online?
5) What do I need to charge to make a healthy profit and will people actually
pay that?
6) What products or services will mine be competing with?

Don’t let this put you off starting your business I have known many people who have started with very little money, they were so hungry for success that it focused their mind on how they would achieve the money they needed for their business once it was started.

www.ourhelpyoursuccess.com

Focus

A confused mind always does nothing!
That just might be the single most important sentence you'll ever hear. I suggest you read it again. In fact, you might want to write it down and tape it to your computer so you see it all the time.

Being retired is not for me and so I decided to write a book and at the moment it is sat on my computer looking at me. Turning it into an e-book is the start of my journey. A product of my own that will help start my new Successful Business. You will be able use this e-book to guide, help and support you whether you are a start up business or a fully fledged company.

Do you feel that there are not enough hours in the day, not had time to draw breath. Well its time to TAKE STOCK and FOCUS and If at first it all appears too much to take in use the salami approach, one bite at a time.

We all have Dreams if your reading my blog it could be that your Dream is to have a Successful Business, it does not matter if your Dream is to have a bricks and mortar business or an online business that basics are the same.

What are your goals have you written them down, have you checked that what you have wrote is what you really want. Will it benefit you and your family?

Have you a Plan? A Road Map to Your Success? If you have not then sit down now and do one. Involve your family in creating your plan as you will have to keep them on board,.

Remember this is your dream not theirs. Their dream could be entirely different to yours, which could at time cause conflict. Sort it out now start planning together.

What are your Reasons for going into Business have you just lost your job. When you go for a job do employers say you are too young or too old. Or do you believe that it is time for you to step up and make the choice to start up your own business.

What ever your reasons good luck with your venture visit my blog again soon
http://www.ourhelpyoursuccess.com/

A Word of Advice

Wow what a last few days it as been, now at last I have a little time to catch my breath and add a little more to my blog, firstly my thanks to Ina for leaving me a such nice comment.

I am writing my blog from Spain, our study window looks out on to a view of the National Park and the Mountains, the sun is shining and as I’m writing you can hear the drone of our generator in the background. The generator is supplying the electricity to my computer. Who said running a business from home was going to be easy.

Many people going into business are overwhelmed by the belief they have to start from scratch. In other words; they think they have to reinvent the wheel. Trying to reinvent the wheel is a big waste of time. People think “what can I do that no one as ever done before”? But unless you are a technological genius, like Bill Gate or James Dyson forget it.

For most people starting a business, you simply need to answer the question: “How can I do something better?” or “How can I do it differently from the other guy doing it over there”? Well now you know that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel, you can get on with starting and growing your business.

We all need encouragement to carry on, just Remember the Road to Success is always under Construction. But don’t worry – success is like oxygen – it keeps you going. There are many roads to Success this is just one of them. The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first step.

Running your own business is neither as mysterious as some would have you believe, nor as risky as legend would have it. But it is a journey that is best not taken alone.

If you are looking to start up in business or already up and running, please visit my blog again soon as I hope we will start on our new journey together.
http://www.ourhelpyoursuccess.com/

Starting on a New Journey

I hope you have visited my blog because you are either looking to start up in business or are already in business, this is my very first attempt at writing a blog though it is not my first attempt at writing.

My husband and I ran several businesses over the last thirty five years. Both of us were business advisors for many of those years, this was before it was a sexy thing to be and when being an entrepreneur was a dirty word.

My book was written as a result of all my experiences of being an entrepreneur and business advisor and will shortly become available as an e-book.

Thanks to my husband James for his encouragement and patience whilst my-book was finished, so that the knowledge we have gathered over the years could be made available to a wider audience and not be wasted, without his support I would not have attempted writing it.

Also to the people who just because they thought I was crazy, gave me the passion to carry the project through.

Last but not least thank you to all the small and medium enterprises that worked with me, we have gained much from each other.

Are my ideas the only road to having a successful business? No I’m not that smug!. What I do know however is that the road to success that I’m about to reveal to you as been repeated many times by my clients and other and it as worked for them.

As retirement does not fit me I am now on a new road from a bricks and mortar business to an internet business and very excited as a whole new way opens up.

I’m sure my past experience will come in useful so I invite you to visit my blog again to gain some insight as to how things are progressing

“I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed: and the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I can fail and keep on trying. - Tom Hopkins”

http://www.ourhelpyoursuccess.com/