Friday, December 6, 2013

How to Keep Colors Bright?

Just about every laundry detergent in the world claims to whiten whites and brighten brights, so why do our most colorful clothes seem to come out of the wash looking less vibrant than before they went in?
Keeping your colors bright may not be the first thing on your mind when you wake up in the morning, and we hope you're not losing too much sleep over it at night, but unless you're going for that comfortably faded look, there's no denying that clothes look their best when the colors are crisp and new. Preserving the original color can also help you save money by extending the life of your clothing, since the best techniques for brightening colors tend to be gentler on fabrics than the old tried-and-true method of jamming as much as you can into the washer and hitting "start." (It's OK, we've all done it!)

Some of the best tricks for keeping colors bright rely on inexpensive, environmentally friendly ingredients you probably already have in your home. If you enjoy doing laundry as much as I do (which is to say, not much at all), you'll be glad to know that these color-saving tips are almost as simple as the throw-it-all-in-there approach, but with much better results.


Colors fade when the chemical bonds between the dye and the fabric break down, so the best way to keep your colors bright is to wash clothes in a way that either prevents dyes from dissolving, protects the fibers in the fabric -- or both. Follow these tips, and your colors will look as good as new!

Turn clothes inside out -- According to experts, the tumbling action of the wash cycle and the dryer can cause fabric fibers to break as clothes collide into each other and against the walls of the machine. While you can't prevent the damage entirely, turning clothes inside out before you wash them will keep the worst of the fraying on the inside, where it's out of sight. If you dry your clothes on a clothesline, hang them inside away from direct sunlight to help prevent fading.

Soak clothes in salt water -- Salt is inexpensive, environmentally friendly and great for keeping your colors bright. Before you wash that colorful new top, soak it overnight in salt water. Simply fill your washer with cold water, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of salt, and then add your clothes. In the morning, just add detergent and run the washer as you normally would. You can add additional clothes at this point, too -- just be sure not to overfill the washer.

Wash only when necessary -- The simplest way to prevent colors from fading in the wash is to wash your clothes less frequently. If you're careful, you can get several wears out of clothes you wear to work in an office or for a few hours to a dressy event. Promptly blot and spot-treat any liquid spills, and use a dry sponge or a fabric softener sheet to remove white deodorant streaks or powder makeup.


Wash in cold water -- Washing in cold water instead of hot not only helps keep your colors bright, it also conserves energy and saves you money. For best results, use a detergent formulated for bright clothes and cold-water washing.

Monday, December 2, 2013

Tips for Washing your Bed Sheets

For health purposes, It's recommended that bed sheets and pillowcases get changed once a week. More washing and drying means more wear and tear on your sheets, so ideally, you'll have at least two complete sets that you alternate each week. Your typical set of sheets in the 300-to-500 thread count range should be washed in hot water with regular detergent and then dried on a hot setting. This is especially important for allergy sufferers, because the hot temperatures help kill dust mites. But once you're up in the 1,000-thread count range, most of which are considered luxury sheets, the washing instructions are a little different. High thread count sheets use cotton threads that are thinner than regular yarns, so when they're exposed to high temperatures, they're much more likely to break. These sheets should be washed in warm water and dried in the dryer on a cool setting. If you prefer your sheets to be wrinkle free, then you're probably going to have to do a little ironing.



When washing sheets, It's important not to overload your machine because the rinse cycle won't be able to get all of the soap residue off. Leftover soap means your sheets won't feel as soft. If you wash a full load, you may want to consider running an additional rinse cycle. It's important not to use chlorine bleach or detergents with brighteners on your bed linens because they can weaken the fibers. If you want to naturally brighten white sheets, just add a quarter cup of lemon juice to your load. If you use powder detergent, be sure to dissolve it in the water before adding your sheets to the mix. And try not to wash sheets with towels.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Laundry and Dry Cleaning Pick Up and Delivery Service

Raspberry Laundry & Dry Clean Services offer a Pick Up and Delivery Service within Pasig City ( Ortigas Center, Renaissance Tower, Goldland Millenia Tower, Riverfront Residences, Valle Verde, Hampton Gardens, The Grove, Astoria Plaza etc.).

The process is as simple as calling us on 0917.447.4068  and arrange a convenient time for us to collect and when it will be suitable for us to deliver. We are open 7 days a week (apart from certain National Holidays). If the phones are busy, please be patient or you can text us.



Rapid turn around. Your laundry and/or dry cleaning will be ready and delivered typically in 2 days. Express, Same Day and emergency service is also available.
We recommend you place your items in a bag clearly labelled with your name and instructions. We collect your order at the arranged time slot from you or your porter, receptionist, house-keeper, etc. Please allow a 2 hour window for collection and delivery - we can guarantee our service but unfortunately we cannot predict the traffic.

Your items will then be Professionally cleaned and delivered back to you as per your instructions. Payment is by cash.

We provide collection and delivery either to your home or place of work. If you wish to have your dry cleaning and laundry picked up from work but don't know how, let us know which company you work for and let us organize it.



Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Laundry Practical Tips

Over the past few weeks I was thinking of new ways to make my laundry routine the natural way using stuffs that are found in my kitchen. I had to face new ways to treat faded clothing and yellowish whites.So I began experimenting because I don't want to use chemicals on a regular basis. I still prefer using biodegradable materials and alternative solution that has proven results. I've collected empty jars filled it up and labelled each.Below are the tips you can try for yourself.



1. Keep Your Whites Their Whitest

Do your white T-shirts tend to go grey? White socks look dirty no matter how many times they're washed? Try one of these tried and trusted methods for making whites stay white.

Soak in a solution of 4 liters water and 180g bicarbonate of soda.
Soak in hot water in which you've dissolved 5 aspirin tablets (325mg each). Add 240ml white vinegar to the washing machine's rinse cycle.

2. Get Blacker Blacks, Darker Darks

While faded and distressed-looking garments are the rage for some age groups, you may prefer not to look as if the last time you went clothes-shopping was 1998. Here are some tips for keeping black and dark-coloured wardrobe items looking like new.

• For blacks, add 2 cups brewed coffee or tea to the rinse cycle.
• For dark colors like navy blue or plum, add 1 cup table salt to the rinse cycle.
• For denim that will be slow to fade, soak jeans in salt water or a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar before the first wash. Turn the jeans inside out before putting them in the machine and turn the temperature setting to cold.

3. Get Rid of Odours

Know that "new" smell of dye or chemicals that comes with just-bought sheets or shirts? Have a teenager who thinks nothing of leaving sweaty clothes in a locker or gym bag for weeks on end? Worse, ever have a run-in with a skunk? Grab two old deodorizer standbys. First, add ½ cup baking soda to 1 gallon (3.78 litres) water and presoak any smelly washable items for about 2 hours. Then, as you machine-wash them, add ½ cup white vinegar to the rinse cycle.

4. Get Rid of Yellow Stains

With time, white cotton and linen tend to turn yellow — hardly the fresh, crisp look for which cotton is famous. Let sodium come to the rescue by mixing ¼ cup salt and ¼ cup baking soda with 1 gallon water in a large cooking pot. Add the yellowed items and boil for 1 hour.

5. Freshen a Laundry Hamper

Hampers are handy for keeping dirty laundry in one place, but they can get a little ripe when packed with soiled clothes. Two ways to prevent hamper smells:

• Cut the foot off a pair of old panty hose, fill it with baking soda, knot it, and toss this makeshift odour eater into the hamper. Replace the baking soda every month or so.
• Keep a box of baking soda next to the hamper and sprinkle some on soiled clothes as you throw them in the washer, where the soda will freshen and soften the load.



Wednesday, October 23, 2013

DIY Stain Removal

Today I want to share with you some tips on how to treat stains using stuffs found in your home.
Below are the formula for each type of stains.

Keep in mind that you should treat each stain super fast before loading it into the washer or you will be having a tough time treating them. Untreated stains shouldn't be dried in your drier unless you want those stains permanently on your clothes.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Laundry Guide Procedures

I would like to show you the wash care tips. Follow this symbols and you won't go wrong.
Managing a laundry business is as easy as doing your own laundry if you follow the rules. I've been doing the laundry for almost eight years yet I still learned a lot each day. They say that experience is a great teacher, Well said and very true for me. I have experienced a lot when it comes to laundry such as shrinking, fading, yellowing, things left on your pockets and more.


So before tragedy happens to your new shirt please keep this guide. You can even use this as a wall art decoration in your laundry area. 

4 Laundry Tips








Friday, September 20, 2013

Why Branding is Important

Branding is just as important for small businesses as it is for big names. Indeed, many corporate brands are trying to look more like small firms in order to appeal to consumers that prefer to support independent brands. I would share my knowledge to help you develop your own brand identity.

Many small business owners I talk to already understand that branding is essential to their business, but a surprisingly high number of them don't really know why.

They recognize the link between successful businesses and strong branding and aspire to build a brand that emulates similar success for themselves. And they understand that branding is not just a logo or how their business is perceived externally. But few realize that successful brands have this branding at the heart of the business. So much so that in many ways you could almost substitute the word brand for business.
Branding is a way of defining your business, both to yourself and your team and also to your external audiences. It could be called the business’s “identity”, but only on the understanding that the identity embodies the core of what the business is and its values, not just what it looks and sounds like. Customers of all sorts of businesses are so savvy today that they can see through most attempts by companies to gloss, spin or charm their way to sales.




The benefits that a strategically defined brand can bring are the same as when people fall in love with each other. When customers connect emotively — because they share the same values and beliefs of a brand — it obviously leads to higher sales and better brand differentiation. It also leads to loyalty, advocacy and can even protect your price in times when competitors rely on promotional discounts to drive sales.
Just like with people when the relationship is strong, they often decide to start a family. Once customers are emotively connected with your brand it gives you the ideal platform from which to extend your offering or range.

Here are the ten tips on how to successfully implement branding for your business.

1.   Start by defining your brand. Review the product or service your business offers, pinpoint the space in the market it occupies and research the emotive and rational needs and concerns of your customers. Your brand character should promote your business, connect with your customer base and differentiate you in the market.

2.   When building your brand, think of it as a person. Every one of us is an individual whose character is made up of stories, beliefs, values and purposes that define who we are and who we connect with. Our personality determines how we behave in different situations, how we dress and what we say. Of course for people it's intuitive and it's rare that you even consider what your own character is, but when you're building a brand it's vital to have that understanding.

3.   Consider what is driving your business.
What does it believe in, what is its purpose and who are its brand heroes. These things can help establish your emotive brand positioning and inform the identity and character for brand communications.

4.   One of your branding goals should be to build long-term relationships with your customers. Don’t dress up your offering and raise expectations that result in broken promises, create trust with honest branding — be clear who your company is and be true to the values that drive it every day.

5.   Your brand should always speak to your customers with a consistent tone of voice.It will help reinforce the business’s character and clarify its offering so customers are aware exactly what to expect from the product or service.

6.   However, don't be obsessed with consistency, repeating the same message in the same way over and over again. Alternatively, aim to make your key messages work together to build a coherent identity.

7.   If you are a small business, don’t try to mimic the look of chains or big brands. Try and carve out your own distinctive identity. There is a big consumer trend towards independent establishments, and several chains are in fact trying to mimic an independent feel to capture some of that market. Truly independent operators can leverage their status to attract customers who are looking for something more original and authentic, that aligns with how feel about themselves.

8.   Be innovative, bold and daring – stand for something you believe in. Big brands are encumbered by large layers of bureaucracy, preventing them from being flexible and reacting to the ever-changing needs of their customers. Those layers of decision-makers can make it hard for them to be daring with their branding.

9.   Always consider your branding when communicating to your customer base, especially when doing offers. Don't lose your pride or dilute your brand positioning with indiscriminate discounting. Try offering more, rather than slashing prices. Promotions are an opportunity to reinforce your brand mission.

10.The old way of doing things was to simply stamp your logo on everything that sits still long enough.
The future of branding is fluid and engaging — respect your customers' intelligence by not giving everything away up front. Generate some intrigue and allow them to unearth more about your brand for themselves. This is the way to foster ambassadors who revel in telling other people what they have discovered.

Sales Invoice VS Official Receipts

Today's article is about the difference between invoice and official receipt (OR). Probably most of us are still confused between the two receipts. With the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) implementing a new ruling on the receipts, it signals that they are becoming strict with their collection and taxation.

So, what is the difference between an invoice and an official receipt? Invoices, more specifically, Sales Invoices, are used for sales of goods while OR’s are used for sales of services. Sounds easy enough, right?
Here are some examples to show the difference.
Example 1: Food
  • When you dine in a restaurant. They will give you an OR, because they sell the whole experience. It is not the food that you are paying for. Official Receipts are for services.
  • When you buy your groceries and you ask for a receipt, they will give you a sales invoice.
Example 2: Construction
  • When you buy at your local hardware. They will give you a sales invoice.
  • But, if you have your house built by a construction firm, upon payment, you will receive an OR.
In both examples, there are different scenarios given but you receive different kinds of receipts. To reiterate, ORs are for sales of services, while Sales Invoices are for sales of goods.
There are also other types of receipts, called supplementary receipts as what the Tax Law says. Examples of these supplementary receipts are billing invoices, delivery receipts, etc. These are what we were accustomed to referring as “invoice”. So when we want our clients to pay us, we ought to give them billing invoice or service invoice – not an invoice or a sales invoice.


Monday, September 9, 2013

Holiday Season Business Ideas

Do you smell Christmas in the air? The “ber” months begins! The Philippines must be the only country that starts the holiday season once September kicks in. It is also my favorite time of the year since this season is the busiest time in any business. Today I want to share with you some business ideas for the holiday season.




Here are some great holiday business ideas that you might try this season:
1. Party Planner
The Holiday season is the season for parties. However, many people are simply too busy or otherwise not inclined to plan their own affairs. The Holiday season is the perfect time for starting a party planning business. You may need to enlist the assistance of a few friends and family members, or even hire contract wait staff, but you will likely find many people who would be glad to pay for the convenience of a party planner this season. Remember, most businesses have some type of holiday party for employees and even customers. Market your new venture to local businesses, too.
2. Outdoor Lighting and Decoration Service
Many people would love to see the outside of their home festively decorated for the Holidays, but the task is just too much effort for most. Start a business that will decorate yards and homes with lights and outdoor decor. Don’t forget to offer tacking down the decorations for an additional fee!
3. Holiday Interior Decorator
Most families are tasked to the limit during the Holiday season. One service most households could use is a seasonal interior decorator to make their home a winter wonderland without the hours and hours of effort. Offer to set up and decorate the Christmas tree, apply all decorations and make each home a Holiday fantasy. If you create your own decorations and crafts, you could incorporate these into your decor, too.
4. Personal Shopper
So many people consider holiday shopping a chore that the season is a great time for starting a Personal Shopper service. Consider charging an hourly rate for your service and you may find that you have more business than you can manage. You may even need to hire a helper or two.
5. Gift Wrapper
Each year, we suddenly remember just how time consuming the task of gift wrapping really can be, especially if you like for your gifts to have a special touch. This Holiday season, try starting a gift wrapping business. This is another business that may just take off so much that you need assistance from a helper or two. You can offer to come to the homes of clients to wrap their gifts. Charge an hourly fee with an extra charge if you supply the wrapping materials. You may even ask local retail outlets if you could set up a table in an area of high traffic to offer your services.


6. Hand-Made Crafter
During the Holiday season, everyone wants those special, little hand-made items, such as cute wreaths, baskets and little Christmas towns. If you have a penchant for creating hand-made crafts, consider selling your crafts. Offer your wares at craft shows, flea markets and community centers.
7. Holi-Daycare
A great time to open a daycare or babysitting service is around the Holidays. As parents need to shop for their children, they need a safe place where the children will be well cared for during the shopping excursion. Offer holi-daycare for parents who need some time to shop or even those who just need to get out for a while or attend that Holiday party. 
8. Personalized Gift Basket Service
Gift baskets are a popular gift idea for just about anyone. You can offer to create personalized gift baskets based on the recipient hobbies, profession and personal preferences. A personalized gift basket is simple to create once you have an idea of what the recipient likes. Start a business creating personalized gift baskets for your customers to give those on their lists. You can express your creativity and make some holiday cash at the same time.
9. Personalized Holiday Cards
If you have any graphic design skills this one may be for you. Imagine meeting with a family that wants to send our unique cards to their family and friends. You can discover exactly what they want and offer three separate design concepts. Your customer chooses the one they want and you have the cards printed by your local printer.  People will pay for a service like this because it’s one less thing they need to be concerned about. If you implement this idea don’t forget to triple check for typos and have your customer sign off on the design before you send it to the printer. You don’t want to be stuck with cost of a reprint!
10. Sweets and Baked Goods
If you have the passion for baking cookies and pastries you can turn that passion into a profitable business this holiday season. I love to cook a lot and whenever I have extra time during the holidays I make puto, brownies, cup cakes and leche plan and had them posted online for sale.
11. Christmas Decors
You can sell christmas tree and decors online like what i did every holiday season. I posted them online and I offer delivery service right at their door steps. 
This sounds like fun, doesn’t it? I hope these ideas inspire you get started on your holiday business today. I wish you and yours a wonderful and prosperous holiday season.



Thursday, August 29, 2013

Persian Kebab by Chef Emz

I love travelling and eating different cuisines and one of these favorites of mine are Korean food since their food is so flavorful. Today's article is about the Persian Food Kebab which is popular here in the Philippines. I have tried a few Kebab and Pita wraps here in Manila yet I was never satisfied with the taste. Yesterday despite our busy schedule from the office my husband and I decided to visit a former client of ours who manage a Kebab Food Kiosk located in Starmall Food Court Shaw Boulevard Mandaluyong City.

 I ordered my favorite Beef Pita Wrap it was truly flavorful and delicious compared to other kebabs, not only that it's also affordable. If you are craving for something new better try this and you won't regret it! Believe me it was soooo delicious.


Beef Pita Wrap by Chef Emz of Persian Kebab


Beef Keema with Rice by Chef Emz of Persian Kebab

For orders you may call 0915.532.3687





Home Based Business Ideas for Stay at Home Moms

Being a stay-at-home mom or full time housewife is no longer fashionable in this present age. The reason is because the economy is getting tougher. Nowadays both parents needs to work to sustain the needs of their growing family. But who should look after the kids? As a mother of four it was too difficult balancing my time for my family and business since we are having a hard time getting a reliable baby sitter. I was just lucky to have a supportive husband not just as a partner in raising our kids but in managing our business as well. 

"Two are better than one, for they may well enioy the profit of their labour." Ecclesiastes, 4:9,


Having been through a lot of hardship, "I realized that when there is extreme difficulty it also comes with extreme opportunity." So now let me show you some business ideas that are suitable for moms who want to spend more time with their family while working.


1.  Start a daycare center
A daycare center is one of the best businesses you can start from home, especially if you love being around children. Operating a day care center allows you to spend a great deal of time with your own children while taking care of other people’s children as well. This business is a good choice for moms and women who are already experienced in caring for children.

2.   Start making novelty gifts and party favors from home
If you are a creative individual, and you have an eye for good art designs; then you can start making party favors from home. With proper marketing, you are sure to make a lot of money on Christmas, Baptismal, Wedding, Birthday, etc.

3.  Start selling home baked goods
If you are skilled in baking and making snacks, you can as well consider going into the business of selling home baked snacks. This business is lucrative especially when you become a known brand within your neighborhood. You can start by baking cupcakes, pies, cookies, homemade bread, etc.

4.  Become a freelance contractor
Doing freelance jobs is another great way to earn money from home. In fact, this business is very profitable. If you reside in countries such as Philippines, Nigeria, Ghana, China, India, etc; then this is an opportunity for you to earn an extra income because jobs are now been shipped out of the U.S. Example of jobs you can do online from home include writing, typing, editing, script writing, animated video production, etc.

5.  Offline and Online Tutoring
This field no longer only caters to struggling children or those people with learning disabilities. Rather, parents are now flocking to tutors to help their children get ahead and learn much faster. Times are changing indeed. Another tactical approach to this business is to take your teaching skills online. Do you know that there are a lot of people online willing to pay to learn English language? Do you know that the educational trend is now moving towards online learning? Well, I leave you to your thoughts.

6.  Start a business coaching service
Do you have administrative or management experience? Have you been through trying times and overcame? Then you can become a business coach. When the economy gets tough, business owners need all the help they can get to move ahead. As a business coach, your duty is to empower these business owners and managers, and help them improve their work performance; through personal development and change.

7.  Start an elderly care service
A growing population of elderly citizens means big opportunity for non-medical home care service providers. Your task in this business is to help the elderly people go through their daily lives. Examples of services you can offer include house cleaning, transportation, dietary assistance, bathing, etc.

8. Start a web designing business
In today’s technology driven world, business owners are realizing the importance of having their businesses on the internet. In fact, running a web based business is a trend that has come to stay. So, if you have got the technical know-how and the skills, you can build a career as a web designer right out of your closet.

9. Start a candle and craft production
Making and selling these handicrafts is a great way to make good money. If you are good at making attractive crafts, you can have your children help you create these items while you market them easily from your home. You can also venture into small scale candle production as candles are always in demand throughout the year.

10.  Start a catering service
Catering can be a good idea for that mom who loves cooking and entertainment. Most of the work can be done in your home while looking after your children. You don’t need to rent a space and you can only spend a minimal time out of the house; that is if you plan adequately and have a competent staff.

11.  Start offering nanny services
Another business you can do from home is a babysitting business. You can fulfill your dream of working from home by rendering nanny services to busy mothers who do not have enough time for their babies, as a result of their job or other things.

12. Publish your own book
Yes. You can become a publish author without even leaving your home. Instead of spending your free time gossiping with other jobless housewives or chatting online, why not write a book. You can either publish through a traditional publishing company or you can self publish online through Amazon and Kindle. J. K. Rowling, author of Harry Potter series became a billionaire right from home. If she can do it, you too can.

13.  Start an event planning business
Do you possess good organizational skills? Do you thrive under pressure? Do you have a flair for putting together beautiful events? If yes, then you will succeed as a event planner. You can even take your business further by putting it on the web.

14.  Start a carpet cleaning business
Only but a few people are willing to let their carpets get dirty but unfortunately, they don’t have time to clean their carpet. This is where you come in. You can help people clean their carpet and you get paid for the service that you have rendered.

15. Start a housekeeping service
Housekeeping services is all about helping people maintain and keep their houses in order. You can start around your neighborhood and with time, you will get to extend your services to other areas. Extra services you can do alongside your housekeeping service include housecleaning, lawn care, etc.

16. Start a buy and sell business
You can start your buy and sell business by selling the stuffs you don’t need found in your home. I used to sell unused items and turn it to cash then used this to purchase an item which is in demand. “All i do is supply a demand” like diapers which will i buy in bulk then unsold items can be used by my kids, detergents soaps, big bikes which my husband trade for cash, furniture, gadgets and more.

16. Start a laundry business at home
You can start your laundry business at home. I started my own laundry shop from home with a little capital because everything i needed to run this business was found in my own laundry room. Starting a home laundry service is a great way to make money without having to sacrifice a lot of your time. 



Raspberry Laundry Capri Oasis Renovation

From the typical blue and white interior paint now Raspberry Laundry in Capri Oasis has its new look.
We paint the walls in ocean blue, rose pink and green semi-gloss finish. 


                                          
  We retain the counter in blue and white laminated finish with blue cove lighting.



 The laundry cabinet is painted in white ducco finish.


Sunday, August 25, 2013

Donardo's Chili Garlic Sauce Anghang Sarap!!!

Chili sauce is an incredible condiment that adds spice and flavor to a wide range of dishes, from Asian recipes to Western favorites. It can be used as a wonderful dip for finger foods of all kinds, a side condiment to add more spice to your food (just as you might add salt & pepper), or even as a handy cooking ingredient (a great substitution for fresh or dried chili!). In most Asian countries like China and Korea, no table setting is complete without a bottle or jar of spicy chili sauce!




The Advantage of Asian chili sauce is that it can be used with nearly anything you might be eating or cooking, including western dishes like hot wings or spicy pasta dishes. I cook a wide variety of international foods at my home, but keep only one or two chili sauces on hand which work wonders with all types of cuisines. Try our very own Donardo's Chili Sauce Proudly Philippine Made!Donardo's Chili Sauce is available at all leading supermarkets nationwide like Puregold, The Landmark, Shopwise and more.

For more details you may call (+632) 366.23.81

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Entrepreneur's Guide to Hiring Employees

Hiring staff can be time-consuming, but if you cut corners, there's a good chance you won't get the right employee. Today I want to share with you some vital tips to recruiting a good employee which I learned from the book "The Mafia Manager". If you have not read the book “The Mafia Manager”; then you are definitely missing some unconventional business lessons. If you are ready to learn, then please read on.

1.            It is not necessary to have a large family with many soldiers and button men. In fact, the fewer employees you have, the fewer betrayals or disappointments you will experience. Many employees, many betrayals, many disappointments and also higher overhead.
2.            Your staff must be of the highest possible quality in critical positions. One good man is, of course, better than a hundred fools.
3.            For a truly responsible job involving others in its performance; don’t hire someone just out of school, no matter how impressive his record. Hire the person who already has demonstrated an ability to work with others.
4.            For jobs less critical to the success of your organization, you will want to hire a good attitude before experience. Attitude reveals itself in a number of ways. For example, if an applicant asks about salary early on in his first interview; his is a bad attitude and moreover, he is stupid.
5.            For a truly vital job, don’t hire a high powered expert; no matter how impressive his credentials. Experts care only about their credentials and their fees; and their caring never stops.
6.            Don’t hire more than two members of a household (except possibly your own) and never hire lovers or husband and wife; no matter how necessary their individual skills may be to your organization.
7.            Before you hire, you will interview. Knowing what skills and performance you want from the person you will hire give applicants time to think about your questions on those matters.
8.            Be specific in your questioning. Generalities begat general (thus useless) responses. Require applicants to be specific in their answers. Use the questions “why” and “how” to follow up responses.
9.            As for the interview strategy itself, seat applicants beside you if possible; rather than across the desk from you, in order for you to better gauge his reactions. Pick up his/her resume, frowning every now and then as if pondering on something. When this bit of play acting is finished; and the applicant suitably is unsettled by it, begin by asking the applicant why he wants the vacant job and why he feels qualified to do it. Let him sell himself as much as he wants to; interrupting only with specific questions. Finally, if the applicant is presently working, ask him why he wants to change jobs.
10.          If the applicant should frown, squirm or stroke his cheek with apparent concern while you are outlining the job difficulties; you should begin kissing him off. In polite language, let your feelings be known to the applicant. Unless the applicant tries to sell himself back into contention, do kiss him off. Tell him you have others to interview and you will let him know, one way or the other in a day or two.
11.          Also kiss off any applicant who is full of questions about his career’s future with you.
12.          In any case, close interviews when you have found out all you need to know; whether this takes five minutes or fifty.
13.          When an applicant seems worth another look, check out his business references and employment history. Forget about personal references; he’s not going to list someone who will bum rap him. If you happen to know one or more of his personal refs, a call or two may get you some useful inside info.
14.          Bring in the most likely candidate for a second interview, preferably at lunch and at this meeting; zap him with whatever you may have turned up bogus in his business references or employment history. If those doubts; real or imagined are resolved to your satisfaction, sell the job to the applicant.
15.          Sell the job; make no promises of future raises, promotions or broadening of responsibilities. What the applicant gets is what he gets; nobody, not even you have the crystal ball that works. Let him do the job applied for and we’ll see what happens.
16.          Following your selling of the job, pose a few hypothetical problems the applicant may encounter on the job and ask him how he might go about meeting them. If the applicant passes muster; make an offer and hire him. If not, back to the office to schedule a second interview with the next most likely candidate.
And lastly, never you hire someone of the opposite sex in hopes of future erotic reward. It might be the beginning of the end for your business. 


Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Food Cart Business

Food is one thing that will never cease to be in demand as long as life is in existence. Food is needed at every point in time or country and food cart is one of the easiest way to make food readily available. It is also one of the affordable ways to enter into the food business.

One of the greatest advantage of this business is that it is mobile and you tend to sell faster because you are taking the food right to the door step of your customers. Another advantage is that if you find yourself in a poor location, you can easily move your cart to a better location where you will be able to make better sales. From an entrepreneurial standpoint, kiosks and food cart have a lower overhead than restaurants and can be moved if one location does not generate enough business. Rather than having to determine where to open a restaurant and worry about the old real-estate adage "location, location, location," the owner can actually drive to a new location if business is poor.

The third advantage is that the start-up cost for this business is cheaper than a restaurant. So, if you are planning to start a small business but don’t actually know which business to start, you can as well give food cart business a trial. But before you start, you have to start off on a good note, here’s how to start a food cart business.



1. Conduct a feasibility research
The first thing to do before starting a food cart business is to conduct a research. The research should include your start-up cost, projected expenses, revenue projection, marketing strategies, human resources and a list of the challenges the business will have to overcome to achieve success.

2. Decide on your business location
Areas of high traffic such as schools, malls, large commercial areas, busy intersections, terminals and supermarkets are good locations to operate your food cart business. But make sure you carry out a thorough research in the area of your location because it is your location that determines the level of sales that you will make.

3. Register your business
In other to ensure an easy and undisturbed running of your food cart business, you have to register the business with certain government bodies like DTI for sole proprietorship or SEC for partnership, bureau of internal revenue, food regulatory authorities, etc. You have to also get a clearance from the department of health.

4. Construct your cart
For a start, go for an affordable but admirable cart but before constructing your cart, you need to consider the type of food you want to sell. If you intend to sell burger or other foods that requires you prepare it on set, you might require a larger cart.

5. Brand yourself
After getting your cart ready, the next step is to brand your food cart with your business logo or business name. Consult a graphic designer to help you in designing your logo or color scheme on your cart.

6. Get Connected
Running a food cart business is not all about vending food on a mobile cart during lunch hours in a crowded area. You may need to advertise yourself both online and otherwise. By so doing, you get to connect your business to vast corners of the world. So many food cart business owners make their money by catering special event and cooperate functions.

7. Hire highly motivated personnel
Great care must be taken when hiring the right employees to help run your food cart business. You need to hire a hardworking and trustworthy person with a good hygiene. You must ensure the applicant is good in simple arithmetic. Lastly, a cheerful attitude and a presentable appearance is important to draw customers.

A food cart business is an easy business venture and it is advisable for young entrepreneurs. This is because it requires little capital and it is easy to run.