Adalberto

In marketing, there is a particular strategy known as branding. In many ways, trademarks are designed to protect your brand from use by others.

An Introduction to Trademarks

A trademark is a form of intellectual property. Intellectual property is owned by the person or business creating it. With practically all forms of intellectual property, however, you have to take steps to formally notify the world of your property and protect it.

A trademark is a distinctive mark used to identify a product, company, service or device. When you think about it, you are very familiar with trademarks. At the risk of being sued to the high heavens, the following are trademarks: Coca Cola, Pepsi, Google, EBay and Toyota. Each of these words mean something to you and are readily identifiable with a product or service in your mind. When you think of EBay, you immediately think of an online auction site that was originally created so the owners girlfriend could trade Pez dispensers [true]. When you think of Toyota, you think of cars. This is the power of brand recognition and trademarks are used to protect them.

A trademark is a powerful thing when it comes to the law. If you obtain a trademark, it is binding nationwide and others are not allowed to infringe upon it in an effort to swipe your customers or confuse the public. With your mark, you can sue to stop the infringement and recover monetary damages suffered. Basically, a trademark is a hammer for stopping nefarious conduct cold.

To obtain a trademark, you must have patience, patience and more patience. The mark is obtained through the Patent and Trademark Office. It is a very slow process. You or your attorney do a search to make sure are not in conflict with any previous marks. You then file an application and begin waiting. Within 8 weeks, the Patent and Trademark Office will send you a notification indicating they acknowledge receiving your application. Just receiving it! You will then wait another 6 months or so to hear if the application is accepted. Often you will receive correspondence asking for clarification or raising a problem. You then provide a response and wait. Months will pass. Eventually, the back and forth will come to final result. If your trademark application is accepted, it will be published and you are protected. The process is so lengthy that it is not uncommon for it take well over a year for the application to be approved. In short, you are going to need a lot of patience.

While obtaining a trademark can take forever, it is well worth the effort. Once you have it, you can keep competitors and others from using the trademarked term you worked so hard to establish.

Gerard Simington is with FindAnAttorneyForMe.com - an online trademark attorney directory.

posted by jamalvmn  # 10:38 PM 0 comments

These days, kitchen sinks are becoming more and more of a central focal point in kitchen design. In the past, sinks are only seen to be the area where you clean up, but designers and DIYers have realized the impact that kitchen sinks create through their visual and functional appeals.

Here are the most popular kitchen sink styles today:

Vessel Sinks

Vessel sinks, also known as basin sinks, have become popular in contemporary kitchens. These types of sink are slightly recessed from the counter, and usually placed slightly above the counter top, instead of below it as in traditional sinks. Due to its recessed nature, a vessel sink is largely visible so that it makes a major design statement.

There are a variety of vessel sinks available and they are made of various kitchen-friendly materials such as stainless steel, natural stone, metal (copper or aluminum), glass, and wood. Since they are raised above the counter top, it can be convenient to use as home owners need not bend over while working, so it will expectedly be easier on their postures and on their back. The cost of vessel sinks largely depends on the material.

Farmhouse Sinks

Farmhouse sinks, also known as apron sinks, are becoming quite a trend as well nowadays. They are named so because they imitate the rectangular, deep look and visible front that is very common in vintage and rural houses. They can either be mounted or placed on top of the counter top, and these basin-style sinks usually do not have a deck on its exterior so that faucets and other accessories can be installed directly onto the counter top, or somewhere beside the basin.

Most farmhouse sinks are made from enamel or white porcelain, but a lot of manufacturers have started to use other modern materials such as stainless steel, fireclay, natural stone, copper or wood. They are available in single and double basin styles.

Prep and Entertainment Sinks

Many home owners have recently discovered the advantage of having a slightly smaller, secondary sink. These auxiliary sinks create a huge difference in terms of the kitchen workflow. These prep or entertainment sinks offer an additional workspace for other minor functions such as for wine to chill, for someone to assist in chopping onions or for washing the hands before eating a meal.

Trough Sinks

For kitchens which are rather crowded, conventional rectangular or square sinks can be a problem as it offers only a limited space. Trough sinks have been developed to accommodate two, three or four drains and faucets, so that there can significantly be enough elbow rooms for big families who look to cook. These are best for big kitchens, restaurants, and so on.

Seamless Sinks

Nowadays, sink styles have evolved into seamless designs. People have realized how difficult it is to clean the spaces and crevices between the sink and the countertop. In seamless sinks, the sink and the counter top are put together in one single piece so that pushing food, dirt or spills right into the drain is as easy as 1, 2, 3. With seamless designs, it is a lot easier to maintain a clean kitchen.

Kitchen sink designs slowly evolve to fit the needs of home owners. Thus, if you are choosing yours, make sure that you choose one that fits right into your functionality needs, as well as the overall kitchen design you want your kitchen to be.

Please visit author's websites at http://www.sinksusa.com
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posted by jamalvmn  # 4:28 PM 0 comments

Cindy hangs up the phone and immediately begins massaging her temples. She just booked another appointment, Nicole and Megan are fighting and Zachary is pulling on her leg asking for a drink. How in the world did she get to this place? When she started her home-based business a year ago, she thought it would be nice to have something to work on a couple of hours a week and bring in some extra cash. Little did she know, it would turn her house upside down! Between that, the kids, running the house and volunteering at school, Cindy is about to have a nervous breakdown. She has so many things on her plate, she cant even get dinner on the table half the time.

Keeping her office organized is definitely a problem. When they moved into the house, the room began as the kids playroom. As clutter threatened to overtake the rest of the house, it turned into the dump room as well- you know, the place you throw everything when company is coming? Then she started her home business and now it is.... well, it is what it is- a disaster! The desk is covered, the floor is covered. Lets face it- everything is covered! Once something goes into that room, it doesnt usually resurface again for quite some time. Come to think of it, Cindy has found sippy cups with sour milk in them numerous times, but thats another story.

Cindy has attempted to clear the space several times with little success. For one thing, she cant cram another paper into that file cabinet of hers. Plus, she can never seem to remember which file to put things in which makes it diffi- cult to locate things when she needs them. Amidst the desk are overdue bills, kids artwork, junk mail, half finished pro- jects and the like. A larger desk would likely solve the problem she thinks to herself. Then there is the calendar issue. How many times has she set up an appointment only to find out later that her husband will be out of town that night and she doesnt have childcare? And of course, getting ready to leave for an appointment can be the most stressful of all. Locating contact information, sample products and a bag to carry it all is no small chore when it is spread all over her 2 story house.

Tracy opens her computer and pulls up her calendar to look at tomorrows schedule. This is a ritual she began when she started her home-based business last year. What was once a play room, has now become a business office for Tracy. Having a dedicated space to store inventory, make appointments, and pay bills has played a significant part in the success of her business. The desk she chose isnt huge but there is enough room to work. And, a smaller desk gives her less space for things to pile up. Tracy loves having a space of her own where she can shut the door and concentrate. With everything organized, she feels motivated and confident to accomplish the tasks at hand.

Tomorrows schedule holds a dentist appointment for Nicole and volunteering at Brandons school in the afternoon. She also has a business appointment that evening so she had better pack her bag now while the kids are asleep. After packing her bag and visually processing the next days events, she heads to bed.

The next morning while she is preparing breakfast for two year old Alex, she remembers that she needs to call the pest control place. She heads to her laptop and puts it on her To Do list so she wont forget. Right now she needs to stay focused on getting the kids out the door and to the dentist on time. Just before she leaves, Tracy looks over her To Do list. She sees that she needs to pick up her prescription and realizes she will be driving right by on the way home from the dentist. She can pick it up on her way home.

Later in the day while dinner is in the oven, Tracy runs upstairs to change clothes for her business appointment. After getting dressed, she heads to her file cabinet where she has a folder for each client with MapQuest directions to their homes. She grabs her bag from the hook, her client folder and laptop. She will need to be heading out the door just as soon as Kevin gets home.

That night when she returns home, Tracy is tired and relieved that she has limited herself to 2 business appointments a week. Having a margin is what keeps her sanity intact these days. She heads up to her office to quickly unpack her bag and glance over her calendar for tomorrow. With that behind her, she can plop down in front of the TV with Kevin for a few moments before heading to bed.

Tips for organizing a home office:

Add color to create the a desired mood. For example, a brightly colored room may inspire creativity.

If you like the colors and containers you are using, you will be more inclined to keep your space neat.

Everything must have a home or it will find itself in a pile on the desk.

Use To Do lists. Place it on the computer so you dont have to look around the house for it. Also, keep a separate list for work and personal.

Keep a calendar and be relentless about writing down appointments. Whether you use a day-timer, a wall calendar or a computer calendar, consider color coding by person or topic. For example, all of my business appointments are in one color and all of my home/family things are in another color on the same calendar.

Schedule transition time in your day. What if you trained yourself to take 15 min. when you first walked in the door to unpack the car, your purse or briefcase? Often we keep our schedules so busy that we dont allow ourselves or our kids to transition from one event to the next.

Determine what functions you want the office to provide and keep those functions to a minimum. For example, it may not be realistic to expect an office to act as a business office, home office, kids craft room, weight room and storage area.

Get a file system that appeals to you. People typically dont like to file. Having a system that is simple, close to the desk and not crammed full, will make this dull task more bearable. My personal favorite file system is www.smead.com/Director.asp?NodeID=529

Live lighter. The amount of papers that come through your door on any given day is astronomical. Before keeping something, ask yourself, what would I need to keep this for? For example, if you dont report utilities on your taxes for a write off, is there a reason to keep the stub once youve paid the bill? Save yourself the headache of filing and shred instead.

Separate business from personal. If you are using the same office for business and personal use, keep things separate by using different sides of the room, separate colors in a file cabinet or separate storage boxes. It is hard enough trying to tackle business without coming across a bill or permission slip that needs signing in the middle of the pile.

Designate a home for the bag you use for work or other activity. The middle of the floor in any room does not count! Con- sider getting an attractive bag, hanging it on a hook and making it part of the design of your room.

Are you forever arriving at a business appointment only to find that you forgot a thing or two? Consider making a checklist on your computer for all of the things you need to remember to take. Keep it on your computer desktop or print it out and laminate it. You could even attach it to your bag with a hole punch and ring clasp.

Offices in open rooms are a nice idea if you are short on space but are difficult to pull off. Having a room with a door assures your disarray during an overwhelming week is not on display to everyone coming or going in the house.

If your home business requires keeping an inventory, designate ONE place to store it. Mixing inventory with personal products being used by the family makes things more complicated. Sort like with like, use labels and dont store more than you have to at any given time. Open shelving can help you to see what you are running low on at a glance.

Set up a database on your computer to keep track of contacts, phone numbers and email addresses. Not only will you know where to go to find the phone number, but it wont take up any valuable desk or drawer space.

Around 23 percent of people pay late fees on bills they cannot find. Designate a place where unpaid bills go when they come in the mail. Set a schedule of when you will pay the bills. Paying bills online is incredibly easy- even for the technically challenged.

Ask yourself what is driving you to continue at the pace you are going. It may be time to cut back a little and enjoy the moment.

Susan Stewart is a professional organizer and the founder of Perfectly Placed Professional Organization and Design in the Phoenix area. Perfectly Placed specializes in bringing peace and order to busy families through organization. You can find out more about Susan and Perfectly Placed at her website: http://www.perfectlyplaced.org

posted by jamalvmn  # 10:17 AM 0 comments

People who want to make a 6 figure income in the best MLM Network Marketing business opportunities will require to measure progress. What you can't measure, you can never know your progress. How else are you going to know when you have hit your desired outcomes?

You will learn in this article:
* What exactly is tracking?
* What can you measure within your MLM Network Marketing business opportunity?
* How to effectively track in your MLM Network Marketing business opportunity


::: What exactly is tracking? :::
Tracking is:
- Control mechanism
- Recording of an event
- Monitoring a process or the results of an action


As we can see there are many ways to define what tracking is and it all boils down to having a system in place to measure something for the purpose of improving on it. If you do not measure something then you can never know how you are performing on it.

Imagine a football game, basket ball game or any other sport without anyone keeping track of the scores! The game would be in total mayhem. No one would know who won and worst of all how would we know when the game has finished?

This goes same in your MLM Network Marketing business. If you don't keep track of the time and what you are doing during that period - how would you know how productive you are? You may have been sitting down and wasting time, but because you have not measured what you have been doing, then you won't know that you have been wasting time.

When you measure, you give yourself the ability to set a benchmark and be able to constantly improve on that to achieve success within your MLM Network Marketing business.

::: What can we measure within our MLM Network Marketing business? :::
There are many things we can measure in our MLM Network Marketing business, some of the things we can measure are:
- How we use our time (tracking time)
- Amount of prospects we have shown our business to in a week
- How productive we have been on a scale of 0-10
- Amount of income during a period of time
- What have we done today that is bringing our goals closer?
- What we learned today?


::: Performing tracking within your MLM Network Marketing business ::: To do lists are great, however in this millennium a new way of doing things is necessary. To be able to achieve success a to do list is a waste of time. It is very easy to get overwhelmed with a to do list. Take a look at what steps which you can take today that will bring your goal closer to you. Then choose 3 to 5 things you can do today.

Get a countdown timer or stop watch and measure your time and what you have done with that time every 30 minutes and keep a log. You may think that this is going to take a lot of your time, but what will actually happen is that you will gain much more time as you are racing with the clock. Remember the clock keeps ticking whether you are aware of it or not. Your time is the best thing you can measure. Money can be replaced, your time never can.

Go for it,

Kozan Huseyin ~ Multilevel Marketing opportunity Expert, Internet Marketer, Life Coach, Author.

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posted by jamalvmn  # 4:07 AM 0 comments