JUST ARTICLES

Many people file for bankruptcy to get rid of their debts and liabilities. But, you should consider this step only as a last resort. If you have any hope of recovering and coming back on the financial track, then bankruptcy is not for you.

There are many other debt solutions for people who are bearing the brunt of heavy debt repayments every month. If you are in a grave debt situation, debt solutions like an Individual Voluntary Arrangement, Administration Order and Debt Management Plans can save you from going bankrupt. No doubt, bankruptcy also protects you from the creditors and permits you to start afresh but there are many long-term consequences that can have very harmful effects on your financial standing.

Once you file for a bankruptcy application, all your belongings come under the charge of trustees. Your credit history goes in the air for as long as ten years. There is very less possibility of getting a loan in the future. On the other hand, debt consolidation loans allow you an opportunity to recover while maintaining your monthly repayments. No debt is reduced in case debt consolidation. Only your existing debts are converted into a single debt.

You can reduce the monthly outgoings by taking out debt consolidation loans. The repayment duration and overall interest payments may increase in the process. But, you will get time to bring things under control. Debt consolidation loans are particularly beneficial when you know that after sometime down the line, you will have stronger financial capabilities. Your financial standing remains intact in this case.

Lenders all over the UK offer debt consolidation loans [http://www.loans-bazaar.co.uk/debt-consolidation-loans.html]. These loans can be taken out against your home or on the basis of your monthly income as well. If you need a more than ?25,000 of loan then you will have to offer your home as a security to the lender.

Recently our church rented the local community center for a crafts bazaar. We were going to serve lunch so the kitchen was to be used. As we set up what did we find? We found a kitchen that was set up for use by a Chef. The cookware was stored on pot racks and on shelves. Everything was in the proper place, stored very efficiently and handy for use. As we unpacked the food we were going to prepare, it was an awesome feeling to be able to use such fine restaurant equipment. After all the bags and boxes were emptied we were ready to cook some good food to serve to our hungry customers.

Now that I had time to survey the whole kitchen area, food warmer and server, the pots and pans, the pot racks and all the cutlery and cooking utensils, I found some interesting facts. Yes, some of the pots and pans were very oversized as compared to the cookware as seen in most homes. The reason for the layout of the kitchen and the types of utensils, pots and pans found was easily understandable. Where I was puzzled was the type of different metals used in the pots and pans. I thought all would be made out of the same metal in this restaurant style setting. As customers started coming to the bazaar some were associated with this community center. One woman had spent a considerable time in this kitchen and her work consisted of cooking for a senior citizens retirement home. When asked about the different metals of the pots and pans, she explained to me some of the reasoning in the kitchen set up.

She started at the food warmer and server. This was made out of stainless steel. The reasons were that this was the heart of the food serving and would get the most use and abuse over time. This unit had to be strong but also had to be easy to clean and disinfect. Stainless steel was the best choice for this application. Stainless steel is easy to clean and is not as porous as other metals, so this metal does not have as many places for bacteria and germs to get trapped. Stainless steel will wipe to a great shine and is very appealing to the eye. This is the first thing you see if you are in line to purchase food. What a great first impression!

The next area was the stock pots or soup pots. These were made out of cast aluminum. The reason was to have a large pot, but not a lot of weight. These pots would be heavy enough when being used at a dinner. Cast Aluminum provides even bases as compared to the side walls. This gives excellent even heat transfer in a large pot, and when also provided with tight fitting lids, these pots will hold heat without a high burner setting. This provides very hot food without the food sticking and burning. The cast aluminum also was fairly easy to clean.

As the tour continued we talked about the smaller pots and pans. There was quite a selection to choose from. I was told the best was to always use a pot or pan that had a lid to help keep the heat in. A tight fitting lid would also prevent the food from being dry or burnt from too much evaporation of cooking water or juices. She showed me the rack of smaller pots and pans (same as used in home kitchens), that was her favorite to use on the stove top. These were made out of stainless steel also. The big advantage, I was told, to these pans were their multi-ply bottoms. The bottoms were made out of 2 plies of stainless steel with a layer of aluminum sandwiched between. This provided the pot or pan to have even heat distribution, no hot spots and could be used with lower heat settings. Also for healthy cooking the pots and pans would require much less water when used, due to their tight fitting lids. The pots and pans cleaned up very easy, and as with the warmer/server mentioned above the stainless steel wiped to a really terrific shine.

All of the cooking utensils were metal, with the exception of a few wooden spoons. The metal utensils were not a problem as none of the cookware was Teflon. In this environment Teflon was damaged too easily and had to be replaced often. As with all of the pots and pans, the utensils were hanging on a pot rack or on the side of metal shelves. This provided easy access, air dried and nothing was damaged from storage. During long periods of inactivity the shelves and racks were covered.

The same principals should be used when purchasing cookware for the home, every piece will be of value and easy to clean, as we seen above. The lessons learned are; stainless steel multi-ply bottom cookware promotes healthy food due to being non porous, with tight fitting lids uses less water or no water to cook, easy to clean, wipes to a great shine and looks fantastic when stored in open view. Larger pots and pans must have an empty weight consideration, since they will be very heavy when one half or three fourths full. They should be aluminum or stainless steel with large handles. Frying pans that are large should have two handles for ease of use, the larger the handles the better.

Last Year over 20 Billion Dollars worth of product was sold on Ebay. (Yes Biilion with a “B”). Many people are earning $10,000 or more selling on Ebay. Many more would like to sell on Ebay but they face that big hurdle - Where Do I find Items to sell on Ebay. Here are the 11 Best Places to Find Items to sell on E-Bay.

1 - Garage Sales

The Strategy that works best with Garage Sales is stop by at the end of the day and offer to buy all the merchandise they have left. You can often spend $25 - $50 and then resell on Ebay for $500 or more.

2 - Storage Units

You’ve seen those Storage units. If people don’t pay their rent the contents are auctioned site unseen.
You can almost always make huge profits reselling these items on Ebay and you almost always break even if you happen to get a lemon.

3 - Household Items

Clean out the attic, go through the garage and even your closet. Most Households have hundreds if not thousands of dollars of “Junk” they can sell on Ebay.

4 - Government Auctions

Government Auctions are a great place to find things to sell on Ebay.

5 - Consignment

This appears to be one of the fastest growing small business of the New Millennium. You sell things for other people on E-Bay and you keep 25% of the profit

6 - Ebay

If you know a market like coins, Antiques, Stamps you can often buy items on Ebay at deep discounts from motivated sellers and then turn around and sell them at a very nice profit.

7 - Retail Inventory

If you happen to own a store this is a great way to get rid of your overstock, Off Season or returned items. Using the consignment idea you can offer to sell (hard to sell items) for local merchants on Ebay.

8 - Flea Markets/Swap Meets

Flea Markets/ Swap Meets often have Day Sellers. Many of these people don’t want to load up the stuff at the end of the day and take it Home. By offering to by all that is left at the end of the day you can often get great deals.

9 - Church Bazaars

The Church Bazaar strategy is similar to the Flea Market Strategy above. Offer to buy what’s left at the end of the day at a deep discount

10 Fairs and festivals

Use buy it all strategy above at local fairs and festivals.

11 - Drop Ship

Drop Shipping is a great way to get items to sell on E-Bay. See the Ebay Resource link below for more information.

Do you need some help in planning that bazaar for your church or organization? Let me give you some tips I’ve learned from my experience as a vendor coordinator.

* Plan the time and location of your event.
Check other churches in the area and find out when they are planning their event. You don’t want to clash with their time. Find out if your organization has a hall or gym that can be used for your event. How many tables can it hold? Do you need to order tables and chairs? Do you want food served? Who is going to serve it? Are volunteers available to help with setup and take down? What is your theme?

* Advertising is key factor.
Ask the Chambers of Commerce if they would hang a banner for your event. Advertise in the local papers, craft magazines, and festival.com for the event as well as vendors needed. When you mail out the applications to the vendors, include fliers to advertise the event in their area. Pass out fliers to local merchants, craft supply stores, grocery store bulletin boards, and libraries. Place signs around the town advertising the event.

* Other activities to consider.
White elephant sales, raffles, and bake sales draw crowds. It would be wise to include these activities during your bazaar to increase business and your vendors will love you for it. Have volunteers man the tables in shifts. You will also need volunteers to bring in baked goods and items for the white elephant sale. Get your vendors involved by asking them to donate an item from their wares to be raffled off. This will draw attention to their tables.

* Food service.
Vendors appreciate bazaars that serve meals. Some vendors are by themselves and can’t take a break to get something to eat. Get volunteers or students involved by checking with the vendors for assistance. The vendor coordinator should make rounds to the vendors to see if they need a bathroom break or to handle any problems.

* Directions.
Place arrows and signs directing customers to different areas such as the bake sale, etc. Place vendor locations in breezeway, halls, outside doors. This helps not only the vendors but their friends that may be looking for them. Keep a copy of vendor locations in a binder that you can refer back to and have another in the main office. Label the tables with vendors’ names. Have an announcer, every hour, call out what crafts are available in each room. This draws the customers to the vendors.

* Keep the area attractive.
Make trash cans available in rooms and hallways. Decorate appropriately for your theme but not overbearing. If parking lot is becoming clogged with traffic, volunteer someone to act as parking attendant. Have an area specified for smokers. If it’s a holiday theme, consider playing holiday tunes or light background music.

* Organize vendor locations.
Separate same crafts away from each other. This will please your vendors and customers. Who wants to walk in a room that everything looks the same? Keep diagrams of your vendors and their crafts to make it easier to map out.

* Vendor packets.
Mail out applications at least five months ahead of your bazaar. Vendors like to plan out their time. Include directions to bazaar with application. Send out confirmation letter after receiving vendor’s application. Consider a due date to have the applications in by. Place a letter of welcome on the vendor’s table and include where the bathrooms are located.

* Fees.
Consider how much per table to charge the vendor. Check with other organizations to found out what the going rate is. Decide on food costs if the organization is serving food. Keep track of fees paid on a spread sheet.

I’ve been a vendor for over fifteen years and a vendor coordinator for three years. With my tips, you could have a profitable bazaar and have fun in the process. Just think- you’ll be the first one to get a peek at the vendors’ wares and possibly make new friends.

At a time in India weekly bazaars (markets) used to be held. People from near by villages used to come together for shopping of their daily needs. Such markets also were occasions of meeting people and knowing their neighboring village fellows. Even today, when the country is rapidly developing the mall culture has still retained the older norms. To make shopping a delightful experience malls have special days of discounts and sale. They also believe in socializing with people. Thus they conduct games, DJ sessions and call celebrities to promote their mall and its culture.

In this scenario the local bazaars are slowly losing out on their shine. The local markets selling cheap yet somewhat durable products is losing out on their share because of the big entrants in this arena and even the future bazaar i.e. online shopping. Local markets have been in vogue since forever and it is the past decade that is noticing a transformation. The change is rapid yet not so strong that it could wipe out the local bazaar trend. The famous local bazaar of Mumbai, ‘Fashion Street’ is slowly losing out on its clientele because of the enormous options available to people in shopping malls and online shopping, the future bazaars of India.

The future of shopping is online based shopping because of the numerous benefits it offers. The future bazaar offers wide availability of options including international brands and retailers. The ease of shopping anywhere, at anytime adds to its popularity as it cuts down tremendously on the shopping time and effort. The local bazaars in India are inconvenient to shop at during the monsoon season. The parking is an issue as these bazaars are located in busy streets. The same or even better quality products are available in shopping malls and online at the same cost or even better deals. Online sites provide auction facilities which enable the user to decide its price and worth.

The local bazaars have an edge because of the feel of products that they offer. One can touch and know the quality and can verify the claims of the seller. Even such facility is offered in popular online shopping based websites like naaptol.com which offers the options of local stores and retailers which enable them to get the product locally. This is important in case of consumer durable items which need close inspection and after sales service. The future bazaar, would be a combination of local and online sellers, who work hand in hand to provide utmost convenience to the consumer.

Three times I have revisited Turkey after living in the country for two years in the
1970’s. How could I ever forget? Salespeople everywhere can glean some wisdom
about the unique sales approach by walking through the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.
At least three unmistakable key sales components are apparent: ask questions, be
persistent and appeal to emotions.

ASKING QUESTIONS

As you revel at the array of products lining the street in the Bazaar, you hear
someone say, “We have a great deal on leather coats today. How would you like to
buy one?” On it’s own merit a question is one of the best ways to begin a
relationship with a new customer. Questions early on show interest and allow you to
gather information. However, at the beginning of getting to know someone, you
want to use what I call high fat questions. High fat questions will usually get more
than a one word response from someone. This question, “How would you like to
buy one?” is headed for either a “sure,” or more likely “no” answer. Now a follow on
question, “But, why?” is high fat. Sure, you could answer it with one word like,
“because.” More likely you will begin to explain why you are not interested or say
what you are really doing is just browsing. Try using “How come?” in place of “why;”
it does the same to inquire in a less heated way.

Questions give the asker power. You can better control the direction of the
conversation. Regardless of how a customer responds to a question you gather
relevant information when you listen. This merchant is going to help one of us buy.

BE PERSISTENT

As a salesperson masters the art of questions, it’s easier for that steadfastness of
purpose you need to help the customer buy. When you ask questions, you nurture
persistence. It becomes pleasing to discover more about your customer.

Most salespeople give up way too soon. Brian Tracy, master sales trainer, states a
statistic that 80% of salespeople quit just at the time when most of the sales are
made. Consider persistence a necessity. You can’t drive a nail into a block of wood
with one try can you? Sometimes it takes more than one try to have your message
take hold.

If you sense your prospect feels pressure or keeps coming up with excuses, then
tone things down. But at least, either state or agree on the next step, even if it
means then the customer says no. Put energy into finding out what your customer
needs and presenting what you have in a way it will satisfy those needs. One
merchant knows that my son is going to buy a Turkish drum and he keeps helping
him to decide which one.

PEOPLE BUY ON EMOTION

Get the customer involved. By engaging your customer you get to the emotion of
how a product or service will make them feel. Their face shows it; their voice lets
you hear it. At a more subtle level, even their breathing lets you know they are a
buyer. The merchants in the Grand Bazaar of Turkey wisely and easily do this. Not
only are you intrigued by their fondling of some products, you want to feel the silk
as well. Between your fingers, on your face, you love the luxurious softness. People
don’t buy a car because of logic. They buy it because it makes they’ll look
prestigious driving in it. Or they love the sound of the stereo. Or they love the way
the leather feels. Create situations so your customer can feel the emotion of wanting
want you have. After tapping several different size drums my son begins to
negotiate for the best price on the drum he’s decided on. His emotion helps him to
want to take this memory home with him.

Whether you sell shoes or insurance, whether your products are tangible or
intangible, and no matter if what you sell takes a minute or a year, its questions,
persistence and getting the customer involved that move sales results from fiction
to fact.

Copyright? Patricia Weber, http://www.prostrategies.com.

Queen Amara began her day with a scented bath, a skin rub of herbs and oils, a shampoo followed by the sweet fragrance of sandalwood being infused into her drying hair, and an application of custom cosmetics. After being dressed and jeweled by her many attendants, a blossom was tucked into her hair and she was given cloves to freshen her breath. The process took half a day but she was ravishing for the king.

There was more to this influential and contented queen than her beauty. Her father was a still king in his own right so she entered the harem with sizeable personal wealth. In addition, she received a regular allowance and frequent gifts from her generous husband. When these gifts were land, they included the accompanying taxes and tolls from that property. She could even, through a eunuch, increase her impressive wealth through trade.

She spent her money on additional personal upkeep beyond what she was lavishly provided. Additionally, she built hotels which were made available to travelers on her own land, and commissioned buildings and gardens to beautify the empire.
She loved her life and today being Bazaar Day made it even sweeter. Because none of the harem could shop in the market, the women of the bazaar’s merchants brought luxury wares to them. They displayed piles of bangles, veils, jewels, caged birds, wine decanters, sweetmeats, and more for their wealthy audience.

The bazaar women brought something else that was exciting: gossip. Thus the queen could count on learning of events occurring in the surrounding city, the marriages and births, the quarrels and the intrigues of women in other harems.

Gulban, a concubine who no longer received more than an occasional visit from the king, could not accept the harem’s restrictions. Although she continued to be handsomely rewarded for her past attraction to the man who brought her here, she had been replaced by another pair of bright dark eyes brought into the City of Women.

When a woman in the harem showed signs of pregnancy, Gulban became a jealous “sister.” She had become expert in devising spells and potions for women whose wombs were more fertile than hers. Unexplained injuries and even deaths were facts of harem life. Gulban and others were known to injure or poison women even without the spur of pregnancy.

The lack of men encouraged women to become quite inventive in ways to satisfy themselves without them. Bringing a man surreptitiously into the harem was too dangerous even for Gulban so physical yearnings were satisfied by an occasional eunuch. Or other women.

Beneath the notice of the lofty queen and the once-favored concubine, was a woman who, along with hundreds of others, maintained the glitter and the cleanliness of the harem. Suti, who had been sent to the Royal Harem when she was twelve, lived in a single room. For her, life in the harem was one of long hours of work, small living quarters and a lack of possessions.

She was content, however, realizing if she had remained in her village she would not know this dazzling environment, nor could she be certain she would have had a roof over her head and enough food to eat. She did not share the privileges of the royal women around her, but she shared their confinement. Although she was not cut off from communications with her friends and family in her home village but she would never see them again.

When so large a group was brought together from throughout the empire and confined within the same walls, irritations and animosities arose. Particularly when the very family or clan a woman had been taught since childhood to **** or fear was now nearby on a daily basis.

What was to be done with the natural intelligence and creativity pulsing within the confined women? To channel these talents and to increase the “value” of the harem as a whole, educational opportunities were presented. Many women eagerly learned how to play a musical instrument, how to sing and how to dance. In addition, tutors were arranged for instruction in calligraphy, languages, poetry, and social graces. Women became accomplished scholars who competed with one another but never against men.
Did women enjoy the pampered lives they led in the Royal Harem?
Would you?

Everyone loves Christmas bazaars. It’s very popular among those looking for gifts for themselves or for others. It is this reason why it’s also popular among promoters who are looking to market themselves or their business. It is because it’s one of those places wherein you can stay put and people will come to you.

Christmas bazaars are usually held in big halls to accommodate the number of people attending. Hundreds of people attend good bazaars in a single day. It goes without saying that almost all people, young and old, are excited to attend one. It usually means Christmas shopping, and we are usually more open to the idea of spending a lot of money in one place.

That’s why promoters take advantage of these events. They try to think of the perfect crafts to make for a Christmas bazaar. It’s a good opportunity to make the next bazaar best sellers and to make yourself known as well. If you’re a local personality looking to be known in more areas, you can easily do so with the help of these events. Bazaars like these are well-attended even by others from neighboring cities. The mere fact that you’re a local celebrity will spark their interest and they’ll check you out. It’s now up to you to build on that interest.

Since you’re thinking of crafts to make for Christmas bazaar, why not make something that will market yourself or your business? But forget about shirts or caps. You will be competing with a lot of exhibitors if you do that. Why not make something fun, creative and a perfect extension of yourself? Bobble head figurines are those things and more.

A bunch of bobble head figurines in your image is sure to be one of the bazaar best sellers. If it’s someone who knows you as a local celebrity, chances are they’ll buy it for themselves or as gifts for their friends. Let’s face it, a bobble head figurine of a celebrity is a collector’s item. If someone from out of town sees the bobble heads, it will make him wonder who you are, and maybe buy out of curiosity. Besides, they’re fun to have even if you don’t really know who it represents.

Christmas bazaars are also a great place to promote your business or your product. Most people are receptive, thanks in part to the holiday season. Why not make a bobble head of yourself in a festive Christmas outfit? It’s somewhat viral since it can be given as gifts.

Aside from the fact that it can easily be one of the bazaar best sellers, it serves a dual purpose. Not everyone’s going to buy it. But a lot of people are going to see it. Believe me. It’s hard to forget the image of a bobble head doll in action. It can be you or a mascot for your business. The image is going to stick.

The best part is you don’t have to create a fancy poster with a great tagline to market yourself or your business. You just need a basic idea of how you want yourself to look as a bobble head figurine and the “bobble” will take care of the rest.