"Helping Your Business Fly"
Issue 6

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. FLIGHT LINES: "Listen and Learn"
2. WING TIPS: Virus Detection and Prevention Tips
3. FEATURE ARTICLE: "How to Use Other People's Money..."
4. ALTER EAGLE: The Power of Magic Words
5. EAGLE'S TALON: Blaze a Traffic Trail
6. EYE OF THE EAGLE: Turn...without moving
7. FROM THE BENCH: On the Go?...Stay "Charged Up"!
8. CONTACT THE FLYER: Send questions, comments and articles

1) ======= Flight Lines =======
[Observations on business and life]

It takes a great man to be a good listener. --Calvin Coolidge

I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen. --Ernest Hemingway

2) ======= Wing Tips =======
[A variety of business helps and tips]

Virus Detection and Prevention Tips

Never open files attached to email unless you know and trust the source. Before you open a file, attached to email, scan the file manually, or be sure that you have a background virus scanner checking your email attachments.

The reason for this is; some viruses are designed to duplicate and spread, attaching themselves to outgoing email.

Never open files attached to email if the subject line is questionable or unexpected. If the need to do so is there, always save the file to your hard drive before opening. And be sure to scan the file before opening.

Delete chain emails and junk email. Do not forward or reply to any to them. These types of email are considered "spam", which is unsolicited, intrusive mail that clogs up the network.

The best way to deal with this type of email, is to use a quality email program, such as Eudora, and set up filters to automatically delete incoming unwanted email.

Never download files from unknown sources. Having said that, be sure to scan the files after downloading.

Update your anti-virus software regularly. We recommend updating the actual software every one to two years, or as recommended by the virus software company. Many virus intervention software companies, such as McAfee, are now starting to offer web-based subscription services that will update your software and virus definition files, without your attention.

When you consider the value of your data, your customer information files, and all that is important to the success of your business, it may be worth considering such a service.

Whether your business consists of two, or two thousand employees, make sure that you have some sort of policy about the handling of incoming documents and virus concerns, and check that everyone is "on the same page".

Over 500 new viruses are discovered each month. so make sure you are protected.

Back up your files on a regular basis. If a virus destroys your files, at least you can replace them with a backup copy. You should store your backup copy in a location, separate from your work files, one that is preferably not on your computer. And always keep a copy offsite, for added insurance against loss.

When in doubt, always err on the side of caution and do not open, download, or execute any files or email attachments. Not executing is the more important of these caveats. Check with your product vendors for updates which include those for your operating system web browser, and email. One example is the security site section of Microsoft located at Microsoft Security

If you are in doubt about any potential virus related situation you find yourself in, click here to report a virus: McAfee Virus Reporting

Sites mentioned in this article include: Eudora email McAfee Anti-virus

Editor note: We use and recommend both Eudora and McAfee products. Much of the information in the above article was obtained from the McAfee web site.

3) ======= Feature Article =======

FEATURE ARTICLE: "How to Use Other People's Money for Your Business" By Matthew Lesko

"Money is a terrible master but an excellent servant." - P.T. Barnum

John Ray, the famous 17th century author, was known to have written the aphorism, "Money begets money." In the business world, I'm sure you've also heard the saying, "You've got to have money to make money."

There are countless sources of cash, but by far, the best one to utilize for your business is ... other people's money.

Perhaps one of the greatest "secrets" of the richest people in the world is summed up in those 3 words: Other People's Money - OPM for short. If you took a cross-section of the most affluent business people, you'll find that the majority of them launched their fortunes using OPM. In the next few minutes, I will show you how you can obtain other people's money for your business. What you do with the money, however, is up to you - but if I were you, I'd take P.T. Barnum's advice, and make money your servant so that you, too, you can make your own fortune.

The use of other people's money has become such an ethical and acceptable mainstay in business because one can leverage other people's money to your benefit.

For example, you can leverage borrowed money into high-yield investment programs that could generate a return that would then pay back your lender and line your pockets as well. Or you can leverage borrowed money into asset-producing or income-generating real property. Or you can simply borrow money to start or grow your business.

The benefits to using OPM are obvious: 1) When you use other people's money, especially within the parameters of a corporation, your debt is assigned to your business, and your debtors can make no claims against your personal finances; and 2) the infusion of cash allows you to have money to make money for your business.

Of course, even with the proliferation of lending institutions and venture capitalists, it is often difficult to obtain other people's money.

Well, since Wall Street Journal has kindly called me a man who "finds answers in unlikely places," I'm going to reveal an unlikely place where you can obtain other people's money. This one is available to all, and yet very few ever take advantage of it. It's the federal government.

I've coined a phrase for this source of money: I call it "other taxpayers' money" - OTM for short. The federal government has millions of dollars of taxpayers' money allocated to funding businesses like yours.

Here are a few great sources of OTM:

1) If you want to get training and/or money to start your own business, millions of dollars are available at www.sba.com. They'll also show you how to find alternative sources of financing, how to protect your invention, how to sell your idea, how to license your product, how to write legal contracts, how to sell overseas, and how to buy business equipment.

2) If you want money to export and sell products to foreign countries, you can obtain it from the Export-Import Bank of the United States at www.exim.gov. Or you can go to The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) at www.opic.gov.

3) If you want to obtain government contracts, then access the Procurement Assistance Offices online. Here, you'll learn how to draw up a business plan that'll get your business noticed. They can match the product or service you're selling with the appropriate agency, and then help you market to them more effectively. You can find these programs at www.dla.mil.

4) If you need venture capital for a new or existing business, then you need to go online and access the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC). These are privately-organized and privately-managed investment firms that are licensed by the Small Business Administration (SBA). With their own capital and with funds borrowed at favorable rates through the federal government, SBICs provide venture capital to small independent businesses, both new and established. You can access them at SBA

5) If you need free help or want to learn how to do your own personal or business taxes? All you have to do is access Tax Help

You can also obtain a free 26-page book on the Internet called The Credit Process: A Guide for Small Business Owners. It's written for small business owners seeking financing for the first time. It covers sources and types of financing; funding resources; preparation of a business plan; preparation of loan applications; and action to take if a loan is denied. It also contains an especially useful and comprehensive glossary of finance terms, agencies, and fair lending regulations.

========================================

Matthew Lesko is a New York times syndicated columnist, and author of 2 New York Times best-sellers. He is regularly featured as the nation's top expert on government freebies on TV programs such as Larry King, Oprah, David Letterman, Jay Leno, the Today Show and Good Morning America. His latest book, "Free Money for Entrepreneurs on the Internet" identifies hundreds of little-known sources of free government money for "net-repreneurs" and reveals the secret formula for easily obtaining the money for your business. Matthew Lesko

4) ======= Alter Eagle =======
[Products and services that we recommend]

"The Truth Must Be Told!"
A Review of "Magic Words That Bring You Riches"

I once heard someone define advertising as being "truth well told." By this brilliant definition, Ted Nicholas is an absolute genius because he knows how to dramatize the truth in the most compelling and memorable way. He does this simply by using choice words and phrases.

It's no wonder that sometime ago, Ted brainstormed a single headline for a newspaper advertisement, and it successfully pulled in over $75 million in sales over a period of several years. It's also no wonder that he achieved almost $25 million in direct mail sales of one of his books, and he is often called the 500 Million Dollar Man, having successfully marketed over $500 million worth of products in 49 different industries.

Does Ted Nicholas have the magic touch? No, but what he does have are magic words.

Ted claims that you are only 17 words away from making a fortune. He's convinced that his book, "Magic Words that Bring You Riches," will enable you to earn several hundred thousand dollars a year.

The book's promise was too fantastic to resist. So I finally got a hold of it, and after I read it, I truly wondered why it took me so long to find this amazing book.

The first few short chapters, which fall under the heading, "Magic Words that Get You Everything You Want in Life" may not be monumental -- but they're definitely useful in everyday life. I picked up a few "magic phrases" I didn't know, such as how to get the very best table in any restaurant; attract the opposite sex; have clients or employers clamoring to hire you; fly first class for the price of coach; or rent a Mercedes for the price of a Ford.

After reading the last 23 chapters, however, I was positively speechless. Ted shares his earth-shaking secrets for accomplishing marketing miracles. Recognizing that different words produce different results, Ted invested over $100,000 in tests to discover magic words that produce the best results in marketing. He dispenses these magic words freely throughout this book. This is simply pure gold for anyone who wants to succeed in marketing, particularly direct response marketing.

"Ted's strategies earned me over $1,000,000 last year!" --- Mike Enlow, Masters of Marketing, Magnolia, Mississippi

Although I'd like to explain the phenomenon behind these magic words, I'd rather you hear it straight from the horse's mouth - so I'm going to let Ted explain how he discovered these powerful words and phrases - and how you can use them to market successfully.

Listen… if you were just 17 words away from achieving great wealth, wouldn't you want to discover what those magic words are? Magic Words

5) ======= Eagle's Talon =======
[Tools to help you "get a grip" on things]

S t a r t B l a z e

Concept: Website Traffic Building System
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
Ease of Use: 5 out of 5
Effectiveness: 5 out of 5
Recommendation: Use it Immediately - Mission Critical Tool
Price: FREE

We heard some talk about the new free traffic building system called StartBlaze created by Mark Joyner of Aesop.com and decided to test it out. Mark and his guys are always releasing *something* over there, but this one is unique - powerful and easy to use.

We could probably fill up volumes with all the cool features, but rather than waste your time, we thought we'd just give you the URL so you could try it out yourself:

Startblaze

Bottom Line: This is probably the most effective traffic building system we have ever encountered. We just hope it stays free... You should get it now while it still is.

6) ======= Eye of the Eagle =======
[Ideas to help you think creatively]

What can turn everything around without moving?

(Answer in the next issue of the Flyer)

***
Answer to Last Month's Puzzler...

(Some months have 30 days and some have 31 days. How many have 28 days?)

All 12 months have 28 days...some just have more!

7) ======= From the Bench =======
[Real-life accounts of hardware, software and more]

If you depend on your portable computers and PDA's, as an increasing number of our customers do, you may want to pick up a handy new device.

For those times when your equipment is 'out of gas' and you either need to keep on the move, or simply aren't near a power source, "Instant Power Charger" by Electric Fuel may save your day.

Retailing for under twenty bucks, this alternative power source could be handy if you ever forget to charge up, or when you just run out of time to get everything done.

The refill cartridges go for $9.95 and are good for up to three complete charges of your cell phone or PDA. And you can use your equipment while it is being charged. This works on a chemical reaction and is completely safe.

You can order from their web site or shop from well-known names like Sam's Club, Wal-Mart, CompUSA and Circuit City.

Get the complete details from their web site at: Electric Fuel

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Registered with the Library of Congress. ISSN: 1535-8429
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