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Track every penny with Spa & Salon 2007!

As one of my friends recently said, “it’s all about niche software these days….”

And, he was right. Take salon software, for instance: Milano Systems markets Spa & Salon 2007 which eases all aspects of salon ownership including managing your revenues and costs. The software makes it easy to control where a spa owner’s money is going and why.

The salon business is competitive, so once a business aquires customers, they want to keep them. The spa software understands the customers value to the spa and determines programs and services that ensure their loyalty.

Most owners put in 60-hour weeks managing cash, purchasing, clients, staff and product sales. Now where is the time to figure out where the hard-earned money has gone?

It’s easy to understand that you want specific software for salons. Niche software takes that work-load off your mind. Every minute of every day, you can precisely put your finger on profits, bookings, labor costs and more.

iPhones are neat gadgets and have tremendous possibility to influence your life. I’ve used a Palm PDA for years, but why should I be forced to carry around a device solely to check email casually and do some basic calculator functionality? I’ve long thought that my cell phone would be a good candidate.

Fortunately, my new cell phone (the iPhone) may be able to start taking over my laptop soon thanks to the release of the iphone sdk. The implication of a freely available Software Development Kit for the iPhone means that developers can now develop cool, fun iPhone applications.

If you’ve got the desire to become one of these iPhone SDK Developers, you need to cruise on over to http://planet-iphones.com/forums/index.php#10. It’s the best place to start learning for iPhone SDK Developers. You can download the SDK and discuss all relevant topics about the SDK.

New users can acquaint themselves with the rules about the forums. Developers find it is a great site to work through difficult questions during the development process.It’s also a great site to find out what cool new apps may be coming.

Ordinary iPhone users can sign up to the site and find all the new plugins and applications for your iPhone. This includes the latest wallpapers, games and must-have accessories.

I love working on old laptops. My current refurb project is an old Toshiba Portege with a 600×800 screen. I was going to buy another EEE PC, but then I figured I may as well toy with an old one during the process. I picked up a Toshiba for next to nothing on Ebay. Luckily, the screen was good, but you can often find great deals on laptops with bad screens and replace the Laptop LCD Screens yourself.

If you are into Laptop Repair, you can seriously find almost anything you need at the spare parts warehouse. Even when I’m buying a new laptop, I usually buy a cheap model, replace the hard drive with a 7200 rpm model, replace the ram with the maximum possible and put in a new processor (if it will fit). Some laptops don’t let you replace the processor very easily - which is unfortunate.

Finally, it seems like I am always looking for Laptop AC Adapters somewhere. Don’t get burned with a “universal” adaptor from Radio Shack. Inevitably, you’ll inadvertently set the wrong voltage - often simply by bumping up against it - and you’ll fry your laptop. Laptops are expensive enough the way they are - there is no reason to complicate the process by trying to use a one-size-fits-all power adapter when you can so easily find the correct power adapter online.

Everyone has a website these days. The competition is stiffer than ever. Now, the problem is attracting people to your website. Once you start getting those valuable eyeballs, you need to make them stay with quality content! 

Do you need content for web site? If so, there is a great way to augment the content on your website with a relatively cheap, easy and painless solution. Prowebcontent.com has a quarterly website content maintenance program that will automatically update every 1-6 months (your choice!). Search engines (especially Google) love to see website content that is updated so this a great program for any online business.

If you have an online web presence, you need web site content. That is all there is to it. You cannot live without it. Your business depends on it.

We’ve all heard the saying, content is king. Your competitors know that that good web content places them ahead of competitors. You need to have web content relevant to the nature of your business so that you rank highly in search engines.

Your business deserves a professional, skilled web site content service. They feature professional writers with decades of SEO content writing experience. Your site WILL NOT rank naturally without explanatory content about your business. Best of all, each page is customized to meet your online web presence needs.

I’ve had a pending bathroom remodel hanging over my head for a couple years now. Every time I set aside to do it - something else came up - like a new video game, my tan or meditation. Then I found www.stockblowout.com! I needed to this remodel on the cheap. I really needed Discount Bathroom techniques to get the job done.

So, I got what I needed and started working away. One thing led to another and things were really beginning to click. I got sink and cabinets done. I installed a new bathtub and a separate shower enclosure with multiple showerheads. Then I thought I was finished.

My wife took one look at it and soon I was ripping the floor out. After that, it looked great but we noticed that we totally forgot the lights. There was a single spare bulb hanging from the ceiling! I went online looking for cheap lights, found them AGAIN at stockblowout (great place), and then everything was zen!

Apparently, IBM is using a corporate legal strategy in an attempt to slow Asus’ sales of its phenomenol EEE laptop. IBM is suing under an old patent trying to freeze sales of the EEE laptop in the U.S. Don’t worry though - the rumor is that you’ll still be able to purchase the laptop from Canada just as easy.

This is coolest gadget I’ve purchased in my life. I almost bought an ”iTouch,”but since I can use AIM and Skype I figured I’d go with the actual computer. Boy am I glad I did! 512 meg of ram is plenty to do whatever you need to do. The thing boots so fast you won’t believe it is actually starting.

There are limitations, you’re not going to use this as a development machine or a server, but it’s got plenty of horsepower for your average user. There has been a lot of fuss made about the keyboard, but actually I became accustomed to using the keyboard very quickly. Unless you’ve got gargantuan hands, you can easily use this as your main machine. I can pound out upwards of 75 words per minute. 

The Main Beef

Is the Asus EEE pc cool? Definitely.

It is a great novelty computer. I’m a gadget nut. I love this thing. Do I NEED this thing? Nope. I wish I could say it was a life changing machine. It’s not. Most people are characterizing it as a great 2nd laptop. Now ask yourself, “Do I need a second laptop?” Unless you plan to make this your 1st laptop, I’d say you don’t need it - but it sure is cool.

I have a Palm TX that can basically do everything the EEE pc can do, but the TX doesn’t have a full size keyboard. The TX does have wireless and bluetooth, a crappy browser and office productivity applications. It was great when I first bought it, but I’ve found that I simply don’t use it over time.

I can see the EEE pc collecting a lot of dust on people’s shelves. Women will love the small form factor. It’s truly powerful enough to be your only machine. I’ve also heard that Windows runs just fine on it if you use the slimmed down version.

Good luck!

I’m involved in several websites that are spread across numerous web hosting companies. I’m always on the hunt for better web hosting service, more uptime, more features, and -quite frankly - a cheaper solution. Recently, I stumbled across the best service related to webhosting that I could possibly fathom!!!

Web Hosting Choice (www.WebHostingChoice.com) provides one of the coolest, quickest search utilities to find hosting companies that I’ve come across.  They have a “quick search” that allows you to specify dollar amounts for monthly cost and the setup fee. You also get to enter values for bandwith and data storage. Then BLAMMO! It goes out and finds the best web host for the values you’ve specified.

Another very cool thing about them: they are ADVERTISING FREE - so you’re not getting bombarded with adsense and popups when you’re cruising the site.  They have information on hosting services that runs the entire gamut from small companies to large, ecommerce or enterprise solutions.

The problem with most hosting “review” sites is that they are actually created by HOSTING COMPANIES! So, they try to steer you toward their hosting services while disparaging the competition. Web Hosting Choice gives you completely unbiased reviews and lets you decide.

There’s plenty of excuses you can come up with. From “…my business is too
small at the moment” to “computers take too much time to learn.”

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Computers are for young minds.
I can’t change now. I’m not sophisticated enough. It worked right for
me all these years and there is no reason to change now. Why fix something
that isn’t broke? I could never work a computer. I can’t even type a letter
let alone, work one of “those things.”

The list of excuses goes on and on.
Does it sound like you’ve come up with a good enough excuse yet? Perhaps you
can turn this report into an exercise and try and dream up more.
However, the fact remains that all those excuses are only “myths.” YOU CAN
afford a computer and YOU CAN increase your productivity while increasing
your income _ ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

All you have to do is get a computer!

As a business owner you took many risks in starting your business. You didn’t
let opinioned people stop you. You didn’t come up with excuses not to start
your own business _ you just did it. What happened to that part of you?

A computer is nothing more than an appliance. It doesn’t know more than you
do _ you control “it” and tell “it” what you want “it” to do. The only
problem is you have to understand how to make “it” work to YOUR advantage.
It’s really not difficult. In fact _ it’s fun!

Always remember that a computer is a stupid thing. It only knows what “yes”
and “no” are. It only knows “on” and “off.” As complex human beings we not
only know “yes” and “no” but also “maybe.” We know about “on” and “off” but
we also know about “lukewarm.” Since we think on multi-dimensional planes
and a computer only knows two _ in reality WE are really SMARTER than our
computer.

So stop being scared to join the electronic age. Call up a computer store in
your area and start trying to locate a 1-week night class for beginners. Or
better yet, locate a neighbor or family member who has computer knowledge
and get them to show you a few things one evening after work on their home
computer. Play a few games on it. Feel comfortable in knowing that you can
actually touch the keys and it won’t blow up.

As a computer instructor in the late 1980’s, most of my time was spent in
training beginners. Computers were not quite as popular as they are today
and everyone was “more” emotional about touching them. In order to help my
students relax and learn how to work with their mouse I installed a
Solitaire game on each computer. I then allowed the students to “play”
the entire first and second day of classes.

Since most everyone already understands the concept of playing the game of
Solitaire with regular cards, they immediately were introduced to something
they already felt comfortable with. So instead of concentrating on how hard it was to work a mouse on a real-live computer system _ they actually forgot
they had a mouse in their hands. Their concentration was deviated toward
the Solitaire game itself.

Once this wall of fear was broken _ students learned at astronomical rates!
Believe me, if I can take a 62-year-old lady directly from typing with a
manual typewriter to producing high-quality brochures and flyers in
WordPerfect 5.1 _ you can do it too!
One of the keys to learning is by having people-to-people instruction for
a couple hours if you have never sat down at a computer before. Some people
will require more people-to-people instruction before they feel comfortable,
while others may be able to do it all by themselves. (Gene Brown is a mail
order friend of mine that did just that. He is a self-educated computer
operator and is now wondering “how” he did without his computer before.
Gene will be the first to tell you that he cannot believe the time and
automation benefits having a computer has made to his business.)

Do not get sold on buying a new computer just because industry experts say
that they are obsolete after 4 years. Many computer models can be updated
and upgraded by simply replacing specific parts and installing new software.

If you cannot decide her you need to buy or repair, here’s the basic rule
of thumb to guide you in making that decision: Purchase a new computer if
the replacement parts or software necessary to bring it up to date cost more
than 50% of its original purchase price.

If your company (business) buys a new computer model, it should consider
selling the old one. There are secondary markets who export old computers
to Third World countries. The average resale price of a 3-year old system
is usually 10% to 15% of the original purchase price.

The IBM PC and IBM-compatible machines are the ultimate tool for the small
business. With a PC, you can instantly access individual records for your
customers, write letters and marketing materials, keep track of your books,
and more.

You can’t do it without software, though. Software are the computer programs you need in order to do anything with your computer.

Unfortunately, most business software is quite expensive, into the hundreds
of dollars. There is a way, though, to get professional quality IBM
computer software for $5 and less. The software is a special type called
SHAREWARE.

Shareware programs, in most cases, are distributed directly by the author
of the program.

Why would they want to do this?

It is much easier for their program to get wide distribution if they do it themselves, rather
than if they try to get a major company to produce and distribute it. Many
shareware programs are as good, if not better, than commercial programs (the
ones you buy at a computer store).

What’s better, the pretty much unwritten rule in the shareware industry is that you shouldn’t charge more than $5 for a shareware disk. If you know where to look, though, you can get the programs for FREE!

Shareware is meant to be shared, hence the name. It’s OK for you to copy
a shareware disk and give it to a friend, unlike commercially released
programs, which are protected by copyright.

What this means, is that you can get PC-WRITE, a word processor that rivals WordPerfect, the industry leader, for free. WordPerfect, on the other hand, costs over $400.

Other great shareware programs include FILE EXPRESS (a database, great for
customer mailing lists, and inventory records) and AS-EASY-AS (a spreadsheet,
for accounting and bookkeeping). All these have the features of a
professional program.

So, where can you get these programs? There are dozens of shareware dealers
like Software Labs (800-569-7900), which sell programs by the disk, usually
for $5 per disk. Some programs, like the ones mentioned above, are so big
they come on more than one disk, and may be priced differently than single-
disk programs.

There’s also a way you can get this programs for free. How? Through bulletin
board services that offer free sharewares.

First you’ll need a modem, which lets you connect your computer to the phone
line. Then, you’ll need a “terminal program,” which turns your computer
into a terminal which can communicate over the phone. The best terminal
program to use would be QMODEM.

Call computer bulletin board services, which have programs you can “download”
(transfer) through the phone line into your computer. The best sources for
these programs would be America On-Line.

A shareware program is meant to be a trial program. If you like the program,
and use it a lot, you should REGISTER it with the author. Registration is
outlined in the program itself, or the documentation that comes on the disk.

You will have to send the author a payment, varying from as low as $5 to a
high of $100 (vary few are more than that). For registering, you will
usually get a package of items from the author than can only be gotten by
registering.

This usually includes a copy of the latest version of the
program, sometimes with extra features, and a printed instruction manual.
Items might include free or low cost updates to the program when available,
phone support from the author, or other programs the author has written.

It really is worth it to register the program. After all, you’ve gotten the
opportunity to inexpensively try the program to make sure it will fill your
needs. You will get a full-fledged software package at a much lower price
than the commercial equivalent. Also, you will be supporting the author, so
he or she will be able to continue upgrading the program and/or writing new
programs.

Registration fees are how the shareware author makes a living, and it’s
unethical to use shareware permanently without registering.

With shareware, you get the best of both worlds. You get to “try the
software on for size,” without getting stuck with a $300 program you won’t
use. Once you find the program for you, you can register it and have a
professional quality program that still cost a fraction of the competition’s
programs. Any way you look at it, shareware makes sense!