03 January 2010View Comments
Credit: MychaelThompson
You must have seen several ads about how to get “free” money for your small business. Is there really free money available for your businesses?
While the government does offer grant money, it is not easy to qualify or receive as some may lead you to believe. There are hundreds of scams out there that entice small business owners with the promise of free money, for a small fee.
These scams work by guaranteeing that you will get a small business grant or you will get all your money back. They charge you a fee of about $50 for a packet with information on how to write your grant proposal and a list of organizations that can provide the grant you are looking for. Unassuming business owners pay this fee and receive information with a list of organizations that don’t give any business grants. When you try and get your money back, you find that the guarantee was just a hog wash.
Does that mean there are no small business grants?
There are, but are rare, and the information you need to find and apply for the legitimate grants is available “free” of charge. For businesses that qualify, there is a possibility of getting free grants from the county, state and city governments. There are also some private corporations and foundations offering these grants.
Grants for Technology Startups
Businesses that stand the best chance of getting grants are technology startups. As long as they match the extremely stringent requirements, the federal government’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology (STTR) programs are there to help. They award more than $2 billion in grant funding each year.
Small Technology Focused Businesses
Many state and city governments offer grants for small businesses that focus on technology. In Ohio, TechColumbus offers grants to help entrepreneurs test their ideas and see if they can actually run a business. In Philadelphia, The Ben Franklin Partnership and in Gardiner, Maine, the Maine Technology Institute are just a few of the many organizations that help local tech companies out. Continue Reading →
23 September 2009View Comments
Are you fascinated by a topic and you want to know more about it? Is the thought of attending a prestigious university appealing, but not realistic for you? The Internet and Open Courseware are making top notch educational opportunities available to the public on the Internet through free online courses from top universities and organizations.
You won’t earn course credits or a degree with these free online courses, but they’ll allow you to expand your mind by reading, listening to, and watching some of the best minds in various fields. Whether you’re interested in learning more about business and marketing, history, foreign languages, science, or the arts, you’re bound to find something you’ll love from these places offering free online courses.
1. Yale University
Credit: Yale University
Wouldn’t you love to sit in on a Yale lecture? Now you can with their Open Yale program, which offers several free online courses in topics ranging from The Old Testament to Biomedical Engineering. Continue Reading →
07 October 2008View Comments
The economy in the United States is causing great concern for everyday citizens around the world. While top level executives are walking away with millions from failed companies, investors and employees are facing hard facts about their investments, their careers and their future. When you find yourself under the axe, your career aspects are bleaker across the board and if you’re not prepared for the possibility of lay-offs, you can be a tight spot both in the short-term and long-term.
Jobs and Recessions
There is little doubt there is a huge correlation between jobs and the economy. When the economy dips, companies trim the fat on their budgets. Often, this means non profitable departments are cut along with nonessential personnel. Contractors, freelancers and others might find themselves out of work for one company where they were duplicates of actual employees who must now shoulder more work for the same salary. Freelance individuals might find also themselves with more work as companies opt to outsource work to contractors rather than pay employee benefits and salaries.
In a recession, many jobs will be lost and the jobs that remain will become more cumbersome. Some fields will remain the same or even grow, such as the medical industry, virtually undisturbed by the economic conditions. Your plan for a bad economy should reflect your career track, your skills and your initiative. Continue Reading →
30 September 2008View Comments
Kinesthesia is our movement sense. It simply refers to an awareness of changes in momentum, balance, pressure and body position in general. It tells us all about how we are moving our bodies. Kinesthetic intelligence includes control of the bodily motions, the ability to handle objects skillfully and the gift for using whole body motions.
You would have seen or you could be one of those people, who are always on the move; who study while walking, whose body is forever active irrespective of what they are doing, even while watching TV. For the kinesthetic types, moving is fundamental and they often fidget if nothing else. It helps them concentrate better.
This “body smart” group as they are called affectionately includes overly active people who indulge in physical self and for whom learning is a physical experience. Continue Reading →
01 April 2008View Comments
Education has been proven many times over to be the absolute best means to grow your career and increase your earnings. To use education effectively, you should pursue learning opportunities in your current field or select a new field that suits your interest and skills. The more you learn in a particular industry, the more advanced your skill level will be and the more valuable you will be to a particular employer – or you might learn enough to employ yourself.
The Benefits of Education
The costs of education are almost always far outweighed by the benefits. Knowledge alone is priceless, but to put a price tag on a degree or certificate the latest figures show an individual with just a high school diploma earns an average of $30,940 per year. Six months to a year of higher education increases that salary to $35,048. An associate degree earns an average of $37,492 and a bachelor’s degree is another big step up at $50,024.
If you were to complete a bachelor’s degree while working in a skilled job of some kind, you would stand to increase your earnings by over $12,000 a year. Should you go on to pursue a master’s degree, you can expect to see your earnings jump even higher to $59,280. There is definitely value in a single certificate or training class, but the impact on the bottom line by a full degree is even more impressive.
Using Education
To use education effectively, you must first assess your long-term career goals. If you’re hoping to start anew in a totally different industry, your educational program will be far different than the associate looking to move up to a management position within a corporation. Once you have your goals in mind, you can begin to sort through the many programs and alternatives to find the best educational solutions for you. Continue Reading →
18 March 2008View Comments
Only a few employers require it, but all career minded individuals can benefit from continuing professional education, or CPE credits. Continuing professional education hours are required in industries such as education, law, real estate and the medical field. Tax accountants and most other certificate based positions require a certain number of hours or credits of continuing education to maintain the certificate and meet the standards set forth by the industry.
But these industries are not the only ones which can benefit from CPE courses, seminars and conferences. Every industry is evolving and there is always something new and possibly better to discover in your current career field. Attending conferences or taking CPE courses online will not only keep you abreast of the latest developments in your industry, it will also be very impressive in your personnel record when it comes time for raises and promotions.
Find Applicable CPE Credits
If you work in an industry that requires a certain number of CPE credits to maintain or earn a certificate, your company or professional organization likely offers many courses and seminars throughout the year to bring you the latest news and strategies in your industry. Take advantage of these programs as they are often sponsored by entities which can afford to bring in excellent speakers and you are able to attend and reap the knowledge for free.
If you’re already attending all the mandatory and offered training sessions, expand your search to include training sessions online which can be completed at your leisure in a variety of areas. There are also conferences and courses offered by other organizations in your area or out of your town.
Continue Reading →
27 September 2007View Comments
Financing for a college education is often one of the most important steps that people can make in their college career. It is important to make the decisions as to how a college education will be paid for, be it via personal expenses or through assistance. More times than not, it is through the latter that many college students will receive funding for their college educations.
Various Resources are Available for Financing Your Education
There are several choices that are best for a college education. These choices are typically through scholarships, grants, military funding, and loans. Scholarships are the widest received forms of college funding. Scholarships are often received while in high school, and in some instances, through special organizations for students that are returning to college. There are a lot of monies that are rewarded every year to scholarship recipients, all of whom greatly welcome the reprieve from paying the additional funds for school. This is typically the best choice for financing your college education. Scholarships are typically rewarded to individuals based on grades and community services. A scholarship is the best source for financing a college education since the monies do not have to be paid back.
Paying for Your College Education with Grants
Grants are another great way to receive financial assistance for your college education. For those that do not have the adequate financing for college, and if living at home your family does not make enough income, then grants are frequently rewarded. It should be noted that grants must be repaid, and not everyone that applies for a grant will be awarded money. Receiving a grant is still a form of assistance, and it often well received. Continue Reading →
27 September 2007View Comments
Attending college is perhaps one of the most important educational moves and investments that a student can make. College is quite expensive, however, so student loans are often needed to help the college student pay for their financial responsibilities while attending school.
Various Methods to Receive Financial Assistance
There are various ways that a student can receive financial assistance for college funding. One of the most popular ways is through a student loan lender. A student loan lender can be in the form of a bank, a financing company, or through an individual lender, be it public or private. There are several key points that should be addressed when dealing with a student lender. Some of the items that can be of question for the student loan lenders are: can the lender meet all of your needs, what is the rate for interest and the terms applied, what does the loan application consist of, how do the repayment plans operate, what are the rewards that are given to those that pay the loans on time, and what are the methods that a loan lender can be reached. Continue Reading →
24 July 2007View Comments
An MBA certifies you as a master in business administration and is one of the most prestigious business degrees that you can have. Having an MBA gives you the opportunity to advance your career and increase your salary.
In 2006, MBA graduates expected an average base salary of $92,360 with an average signing bonus of $17,511. Their undergraduate counterparts who earned a bachelor’s in business administration expected to an average of $40,976 per year, according to College Journal. In terms of salary expectations, an MBA is certainly an asset.
Although the statistics don’t differentiate between starting salaries for those attending traditional brick-and-mortar college and online schools, an MBA is an MBA. If you earn an MBA online at a reputable school, it’s likely that your starting salary will be comparable to that of other MBA graduates. Continue Reading →
19 July 2007View Comments
Entrepreneurs are self-made success stories of hard work and perseverance. Ironically, many colleges and programs now offer courses to help budding entrepreneurs get off on the right foot. These courses range from basic business principles to complex courses on government legislation regarding business specifics. A businessman can use the courses to his advantage, and should – there is a lot to learn about successfully running a small business.
Formal Education
The first step in running a successful business is to gain as much formal education as possible. College courses and a full degree prove to be tremendous assets to most entrepreneurs. There are always those who greatly succeed without completing a university degree, but many others benefit from even basic courses in accounting, finance, management and marketing.
Of course more specific technical courses can also make the difference in a fledging business and a success. To run a business, you must have a skill or product. Knowing how to create that product or serve your clientele is essential. College or university level courses can give you that knowledge. If you’re impatient to begin living your dream, there is no reason to not start a business while still in school. In fact, it may be easier to secure financing and assistance if you are a still a student. Continue Reading →
