Energy Deregulation - Are You Aware Of The Changes?

Energy Deregulation in the U.S. - Are you aware of the effects of Energy Deregulation?

With over 90% of American businesses paying more than necessary for their energy services, Energy Deregulation is a subject that EVERYONE should know about, because it is so direct, simple, and easy to lower their energy bills.

Most people do not know the details of the history of the Natural Gas and the Electric industries. Both have experienced the same kind of dramatic changes during the last 60 years which have happened in society, the environment, and technology. Energy Deregulation is the most recent, and most important, change in the Natural Gas and Electric industries.

Regulation of public utilities in the United States by the Federal and State Governments began in the 1930's. It encouraged the construction and safe operation of the transmission networks supporting these industries and resulted in a transcontinental pipeline network and electric grid supporting the entire country. The prices were low, and the industries experienced high growth dealing with the ever-increasing demand.

The advent and growth of the Energy Industries was very similar to other industries in the U.S. in the 19th century. Pioneering leaders encouraged local production to serve their communities. Many business leaders became elected officials, and the market was well-understood by these leaders. The industries grew dramatically when pipelines and power lines were built to deliver the Natural Gas and Electricity to other nearby communities, and, eventually, to other states.

Every time the industries changed, the Federal and State governments addressed the newly-created or altered marketplaces (Local, Intrastate, and Interstate). In order to prevent excessive charges to customers, the governments formed Public Utilities Commissions and Public Service Commissions, beginning with New York and Wisconsin in 1907. These regulatory bodies commissioned studies and consulted with experts to set reasonable rates which could be charged to consumers.

In the 1970's and '80's, the telecommunications, airline, and trucking industries were transformed from monopolies into deregulated, competitive industries with many more companies involved. Due to Energy Deregulation, today's rates for these services are lower than before deregulation, adjusted for inflation.

The deregulation of the electric and natural gas industries ONLY applies to the price of the underlying commodity. Transmission and Distribution are still performed by the local utilities, whose rates for those services are still regulated by Federal and State Tariffs.

When the FERC lifted the regulation of the price of the underlying commodity, the States began to decide how Energy Deregulation could take place, and which cities, towns, and geographical areas would have deregulated commodity prices. Not all areas could be included, because of geographical limitations.

There are currently 27 States with Energy Deregulation. Some have deregulated the price of Natural Gas, others have deregulated the price of electricity, and still others have complete Energy Deregulation of both industries. The local utility still delivers the Natural Gas or Electricity, no matter which marketer is chosen to supply the commodity.

The utility also continues to maintain the distribution system, respond to emergencies and read meters.

Throughout their turbulent histories, the U. S. Natural Gas and Electric industries have been pushed, pulled, and molded into their current forms. Originally intended to guide and control the building of infrastructure in populated areas, regulation had a positive and lasting effect. The companies involved in these industries built the infrastructure to serve the entire nation. They developed the markets throughout the country. They established practices that were reliable and safe, and many Energy Providers prospered.

With the growth of the largest companies into unwieldy conglomerations, monopolistic practices became a very real occurrence. In order to prevent the abuse of that situation, Federal and State regulatory bodies wrote the rules, guidelines, and practices for Energy Suppliers and Utility Companies to abide by. The U.S. Congress passed laws so these rules could be enforced. Both adverse and beneficial effects were experienced by all the businesses and government agencies involved, and,most recently, the changes made by Energy Deregulation have helped consumers and suppliers alike. Consumers are now becoming more educated in regard to the structure of the industry, and now they are taking advantage of the savings opportunities now available to them.

Joe Lowery is a rising star in lowering energy costs for American Business Owners. Having worked for over 30 years in his telecom career with Fortune 500 corporations, Joe is now helping American Business Owners lower their costs of doing business. Joe is on a quest to help business owners get the upper hand in dealing with their energy providers. The cost of natural gas and electricity continue to rise, and Joe's mission is to empower all American business owners by engaging an Energy Broker to negotiate on their behalf, at NO cost to the business owner. The business owner is represented by the broker, who obtains the best possible rates from all the Energy Marketers in the region - due to the Broker's large contracts, the business owner gets rates usually reserved for only the largest corporations. NOW, these rates are available to small and medium sized businesses, because of the representation of the broker.

When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going! How To Stand Out From The Crowd

Oh boy it is tough in the marketplace today, whether you are a freelancer, running a business or looking for a job. It can be all too easy to get stuck at these times. Repeated rejection, the need to stretch yourself way outside your comfort zone are all triggers that can lead you into negativity and procrastination - putting off the actions you know you need to take right now. It is fear that holds us back from the success we deserve. I know, I've been there!

So what is it you need to succeed when the going gets tough?

Firstly you need to stand out from the crowd. To do that you need to face your fears and take action. When the 'Tough Get Going' it is the action they take that leads to their success. Winners do what losers don't! So here are some action tips for you to consider:

• Accept that rejection is part of moving forward - No-one likes rejection but winners accept it as part of the process. They do not take it personally; they look at what they can learn from it and move on to the next possible opportunity. Each rejection is a step closer to you landing a great opportunity.

• Stop looking the world and life negativity - When you are looking at the negativity you are missing the positive opportunities that are definitely out there even if they are in short supply right now. Don't let negativity hold you back.

• Stop the negativity and the moaning - We all do it but it only stops us succeeding. Prospective clients and employers pick up on negative vibes (it's like they have a sixth sense) and it definitely influences their decision. If you have to moan always end it with a positive action you can make to move forward.

• Actively look for the positives and for opportunities - Every morning and every evening make a list in a journal or in your mind of all the positive things that are happening in your life. Can't think of any? Start with the fact that you woke up this morning and that you have your health. Count your blessings every day no matter how small.

• Get into the habit of doing some positive self- talk - Script your day by thinking of all the positive things that will happen to you that day. Better still, play it all as a film in your head of everything going well. Make it as detailed as possible and do it every day. Check out and note how much more positive your day is when you do this. Add it to your 'Blessings List'.

• Stop procrastinating - Identify what is stopping you from taking the action needed to move you forward. Decide what is in your circle of influence to change or action. Start taking action no matter how scary it is.

• Identify the actions that will take you out of your comfort zone - these are the ones you procrastinate about the most. Winners know that this is where the learning is and also the success. Make these the first actions of the day - feel the fear and do it anyway.

Take action now! Stand out from the crowd and fulfil your potential.

Chrissie Webber is the manager of the University of South Wales, Graduate Business Incubator Centre, The Business Loft in Newport, South Wales. With over 30 years experience as an entrepreneur Chrissie also runs her management development and coaching business CD Consultancy & Training Group and Chrissie Designs Jewellery a wire work and wedding jewellery business.

She is a published author - Weight Loss life Gain - and an ardent blogger. Her passion is helping people grow and develop and find the work they were born to do.

Dispelling The Myths About Selling

Many years ago when I started my management training and coaching business, selling was the one thing I hated doing. The face to face selling was difficult enough but the worst part for me was picking up the phone and making an appointment. I did not help myself by procrastinating about this very important task and putting off the job of making those calls.

Eventually I decided to do some sales training. Here I was taught all the tricks of the trade from mirroring body language to 'getting past the dragon' (the PA or gate keeper for the busy person I wanted to speak to). I must have been doing something right as I was bringing in some work but not a lot for all my efforts, it has to be said. The most telling thing about this situation was that I still hated selling. Not good if you are running a business!

Then one day I reflected on the fact that using all the selling techniques I could was doing one thing - preventing me from being myself. Next I thought about my first career as a nurse and midwife and how I loved talking to people, finding out about them and their needs and then fulfilling those needs to make them happier and more comfortable. BINGO! The light bulbs went on, all at once, as I realised that first and foremost selling is about being yourself and building sound and trusting relationships with people.

That got me thinking about how easy and enjoyable it would be if I were to forget about what I was selling and just develop friendships with people. Being the kind of person who is fascinated by what work and businesses others are engaged in, I found this new approach so easy and enjoyable. I started to join networking groups and was soon developing an extensive database of contacts and friends.

Now don't forget this was way, way before email and social media (that's showing my age!) so picking up the phone and following up on meetings was vital. However, you still need to use this personal contact even in today's digital age. Phoning to talk to a new contact was still a problem area for me until an experienced telesales lady told me the secret - never try and sell on the phone ONLY get the appointment. That was definitely easier if I had met them at a recent event but I still needed a really good 'sound bite' to tell them very succinctly about my business. Creating a short snappy sentence that describes your business and unique selling point (USP) is the key. Yes I know this is easier said than done when it is your own business, so ask your friends and business contacts to help you come up with one. They will surprise you with their ideas and it is such fun to choose the right one for you.

When it comes to the actual meeting remember the 20:20 rule - your prospective customer talks 80% of the time and you talk only 20%. You are still building friendships not selling a product/service. Ask delving questions to find out more about their business and future needs in the area of your service/product. Listen carefully for any problems that they flag up that you may be able to help them solve. There really is no need to give them the full on sales patter. Make notes whilst they are talking and then later on show them the services/products you have that will help them. Fill the gaps of their needs and desires.

Remember People buy from People and mostly from people they like and trust.

Chrissie Webber is the manager of the University of South Wales, Graduate Business Incubator Centre, The Business Loft in Newport, South Wales. With over 30 years experience as an entrepreneur Chrissie also runs her management development and coaching business CD Consultancy & Training Group and Chrissie Designs Jewellery a wire work and wedding jewellery business.

She is a published author - Weight Loss life Gain - and an ardent blogger. Her passion is helping people grow and develop and find the work they were born to do.

Cloud-Based Solutions Are Ideal for Boomer Home-Based Businesses

When retiring or laid-off Baby Boomers launch a home-based business, one of their most important decisions is choosing what type of solutions to utilize.

Previously, the answer was clear - use resident software for performance and security. However, in the era of high-speed Internet connectivity, switching to cloud-based solutions offers many advantages:

• Lower costs - no software licenses or equipment to purchase and maintain.


• Instantly available - you do not have to install anything on your home computer.


• Often available with no long-term contracts.


• Accessible over the Internet from anywhere.


• Secure access.


• Free updates.


• Satisfies the need for disaster preparedness - If you lose your hard disk or your house burns down, your critical business information is still available from any laptop!


• Sometimes free for up to 2-3 users or basic functionality!!

Cloud-based solutions are those (e.g., accounting or customer relationship management) not resident on your home office computer, but which rather reside on a remote server and are accessible over the Internet. Typically, cloud-based solutions are less expensive and offer an easy means of quickly adding functionality. They are especially beneficial when you have partners, contractors or employees working at remote locations because databases and activities can be easily synched, ideas and projects improved through online collaboration, and sales/marketing management simplified.

For example, many home-based businesses use online QuickBooks or FreshBooks for accounting. Pricing is reasonable and partners can access and update information from any location. And having an easy accounting solution is critical for any small business, especially at tax time!

A plethora of cloud-based solutions exists for backing up critical business data and online collaboration. Two of the most popular are Google Docs and Dropbox. Residing online at distant servers which are backed up daily, they also provide the benefit of disaster preparedness should your home office suffer a burglary, fire, flood or earthquake.

Cloud-based solutions can also assist Boomers who have client-based home businesses. Consider DocuSign, for example, which facilitates secure online delivery and signatures for agreements. These services are professional, save a lot of time, and enhance customer relations.

Baby Boomers discover soon enough that achieving success with a home-based business requires time management. There is a hard way to get things done and the easy way. Leveraging cloud-based solutions is economical while also adding ease-of-use and functionality. Compared to resident desktop solutions, these online tools are hands-down winners!

In short, Baby Boomers starting or operating a home-based business can expedite their launch, cut costs, acquire professional functionality and make their operations run smoother by simply embracing cloud solutions. What's not to like?!

How To Market Your Way Out Of A Paper Bag! Marketing Means Action

Most people, from my experience, write a business plan and then file it away. These are the ones I am talking about here who are most likely not able to "market their way out of a paper bag!" They spend time properly researching the market and their competitors but have no focussed plan as to how to effectively use this information to their advantage. What a waste of time! It may have helped them achieve their objective of obtaining funding but a business plan is far more than that. It is should also be a PLAN OF ACTION. The action part should include marketing, social media and sales strategies.

Notice that here I have included social media. This is because in this day and age it should be included as an integral part of any marketing strategy. Along with any strategy there should be a detailed, schedule of actions with deadlines to help keep you on track as you project manage the implementation the development of business through your strategy.

The reason for having a detailed strategy and action plan is to ensure that all your efforts to promote your business and gain sales are focussed and targeted in the areas that will gain you the highest potential. However, a word of warning:

Marketing Is The Prelude To Selling. A sales strategy is also required even if your business is done totally online (online shops are notably more difficult to get off the ground and gain sales than retail shops)

So what should you include in this Marketing Action Plan?

• Brand image and logo development and design - only one image and logo or you confuse your brand image. Use colour or design to differentiate different parts of the business if required.


• The design and production of marketing material - business cards, brochures etc.


• The design and development of your web site - with potential for interaction and sales/bookings where ever possible and applicable.


• An action plan of events - launch party etc., to promote the business (if required).


• An action plan of publicity - press releases and a list of media contacts you have made to ensure a better chance of getting free publicity.


• A contents schedule and action plan for each of your social media platforms - this should include a plan of how you post, share and comment and how often as well as how you will use analytics to assess the effectiveness of your strategy and make changes to improve it.


• A sales strategy both for online and offline sales - without this all the marketing actions are wasted.

In the same way that you review your business turnover and finances against your cash flow projections, as a means of keeping on course and making necessary adjustments, a month by month analysis of the marketing, social media and sales actions help reduce risk and enhance business growth.

Chrissie Webber is the manager of the University of South Wales, Graduate Business Incubator Centre, The Business Loft in Newport, South Wales. The Loft offers office and co-working space for start-up businesses and support such as training, mentoring and networking for business growth.

With over 30 years experience as an entrepreneur Chrissie also runs her management development and coaching business CD Consultancy & Training Group and Chrissie Designs Jewellery a wire work and wedding jewellery business.

What Are the Benefits of Hiring a Professional Electrician

Are the lights flickering on and off? Is the electrical outlet causing you to miss a part of your favorite television show? How come you can't operate several of your appliances in a certain area of the kitchen? Well, it may be due to the electrical functions of your home.

Is it finally time to schedule an appointment with an electrician or to grab your tools and do it yourself? Since performing electrical work can be rather dangerous work, especially for those who are unable to safely complete the work involved and resolve the problem. When in doubt, always call up a professional, skilled electrician or electrical contractor to remedy the issue.

There are a wide variety of benefits to hiring a certified electrician to fix some of the matters you are experiencing in your home. By not doing so, you risk causing even more damage in the end, despite your self-proclaimed tool man (or woman) status.
Here are some of the benefits of hiring an electrician:

Cost savings
Imagine this, if you will: you're starting to rummage around through the wires in an electrical socket, but suddenly there is a brief spark and now nothing seems to work. What could have been a minor adjustment will now turn out to be a huge bill when the electrician arrives at your home.

In this economy, we all want to save a few bucks, but when it comes to something as serious as electricity in your home and you're not astute in the topic, it's always best to request an electrician to come to your home. It'll save you a lot more dollars in the end.

Get the job done
Aside from you making matters worse, an electrician can come and get the job done and less likely to be negligent. This means that not only will an electrician fix the problem, but they won't leave wiring hanging that could lead to a fire or won't perform a mediocre job.

Insurance
In the event that you hired an unlicensed electrician or you tried to fix the problem yourself and it led to significant damage, your household insurance provider may not cover the costs and could hold you responsible for the bill. To save even more money and avoid disaster, a professional electrician is the best solution.

Time
When an electrician comes to the house, he usually charges by the hour or provides a set fee (if it's very simple they might not even charge the homeowner). In a lot of cases, the certified and licensed electrician will simply rework the wiring or fix something and it's done. Instead of spending hours doing research and then repairing it yourself, an electrician can come and solve it in half an hour.

Safety
Safety is the most important thing in this whole conversation. You or an unlicensed electrician may not take the necessary precautions that an experienced electrician might take. Also, as the electrician performs the repair, he or she is more likely to complete the job in a safe manner. When the task is completed, you can have the confidence and reassurance that your home is now safe and the electricity is fully operational.

Three Relationship Tips for Small Business

We all know that most small businesses don't make it past four years. So you have started your business and not gone bust! Well done.

But after survival phase, you need to find a way to manage growth of your business. Growth is more likely to follow relationships, than sales. So here are three relationship tips that are worth thinking about:

1. Customers. Build relationships with your customers, even if they are not your biggest ones. This takes time, but need not be expensive. You don't need to take them out to lunch, or send little gifts with your business name on. A quick unexpected phone call, a personalised email, or some timely information can be very effective. Be clear that you want a business relationship. Always talk about them first, ask a question, try and find out at least one thing you did not know before and don't be afraid to ask directly for a referral. But most importantly, know their history! Make sure you know what business you have previously done with them, how long they have been a customer, keep phone notes, emails and other communications handy and part of your customer records. If you can demonstrate that you know your clients, they will respect you for it. It is clear that if people respect you, they will remember you and refer you.

 

1. Your team. Your team are both your frontline brand and the key to efficiency! It is much harder to find and develop good staff, than it is to keep the good staff you already have. So how do you develop good relationships with your staff? Empathy, good humour and patience are probably most important. Remember that everyone is not like you (probably a good thing), and learn to appreciate and leverage the relative strengths in your team members. But equally important is to stay organised and clear in your communications. Most people don't mind being asked to do things at work, as long as the process and instruction is clear and the outcome is recognised. Setting up simple workflow will help to keep people organised. Providing all team members with clear instructions, and a simple interface to report on outcomes will help keep everyone happy and will also help you manage those situations where things don't go according to plan!

 

1. Yourself and your family. Running a business is hard work and almost always eats into your personal time. This is normal and acceptable, as long as you love being in business in the first place. But always remember why you have gone into business and what you want in your life when you have sold the business or retired. Ultimately your business should work for you, not the other way around. If you do not have good systems in place that automate your workflow, keep your records in place and keep finances under control, then you will waste a lot of time chasing your tail. Typically this is the time that eats into your personal life. So if you care about yourself, support yourself with systems that free up your time.

Why Quality Content Is So Important To Your Business

In the days of old marketing was not as social as it is today. You could simply have a good sales pitch and an awesome product and you were set! Not today. In today's market even really good products and services that are needed by consumers can go under noticed and under sold simply because they lack content marketing strategies. This is an area no business owner or professional can afford to ignore.

What is content marketing?
Content marketing is a strategic marketing technique that includes creating and distributing relevant and valuable written content in order to attract and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience - with the objective of driving sales.

Purpose of content marketing
Content marketing is done with the ultimate goal of driving customer action BUT more importantly it is done to build a relationship with your target audience. This is your 'give back' to those who give to you--your customers! This is your way of assisting them and helping them to solve problems and make informed decisions. It is a way to share your expertise with those who need it most. The essence of this content strategy is believing that if we, as business owners and professionals, deliver consistent, ongoing valuable information to buyers, they ultimately reward us with their business and loyalty. The days of taking from consumers and not giving back are long gone! And as businesses... why shouldn't we provide optimum value to our customers in every way we can!

Why is content marketing so important?
Smart marketers understand that traditional marketing is becoming less and less effective by the minute. In today's society consumers have technologies available to them that allow them to use a DVR to bypass advertisements on television. They have YouTube videos to explain the latest news rendering the need for magazines useless and they surf the internet so well that they can retain online information without banners or buttons. It is clear that content marketing is vastly important and any professional or business owner that does not understand this is sure to suffer for it.

How do you use content marketing?
Content marketing is a part of all of your marketing tactics, not a separate entity. You should ALWAYS provide relevant, informative content across all forums.

Social Media Marketing: Social media marketing strategies actually come AFTER content marketing strategies.

Inbound Marketing: The better your content the more inbound traffic and leads you obtain.

SEO: Search engines have ways of rewarding quality, consistent content with higher rankings.

PPC: PPC does not work well without quality content behind it.

PR: The most successful PR strategies focus less on their businesses and more on the concerns of their readers.

Content Strategy: It is more effective to have quality content that is well guided and intentional.

Which businesses should use content marketing strategies?
Virtually any and all businesses can use a content strategy and benefit greatly from it. A hair salon can give great tips on hair care. A car dealership can provide informative content on how to detail your car at home. A plumber can provide content on things that can damage your pipes or make the last longer. A day care center can provide parents with information on proper nutrition for children and the list goes on and on!

Use Of Plastic Crates And Its Significant Benefits

Plastic is one of the most versatile products that are used for a wide variety of purposes. It has literally altered the purpose of storage, transportation and display items. In the earlier days, wooden crates were used for storage and transportation purposes. But due to various shortcomings, wood can seldom be used for transportation.

Plastic crates include various beneficial features and therefore it is widely used for a range of purposes. Moreover, it is easy to buy different types of crates from online stores at affordable price rates.

Some Important Benefits:

Eco-Friendly: One of the major benefits of using these crates is that it is environment friendly and it can be recycled.

Light in Weight: These crates are light in weight and therefore it can be used for shipping and transportation purposes. Bottles, containers and food items can be easily transported using these crates.

Easy to Manufacture: It is also quite easy to manufacture these materials as it requires less energy compared to the process of manufacturing paper.

Easy to Clean And Maintain: Another important benefit of using these crates is that it is quite easy to clean and maintain effortlessly.

Less Labor And Storage Cost: It also involves less labor and storage costs compared to the other types of materials. It can be attractively stored and displayed on the floors to increase sales.

Durability: It has a longer shelf life compared to wood and paper storage items. It is therefore quite cost-effective compared to wooden counterparts.

Odorless: As it seldom retains contaminants and dust particles, it remains clean and odorless for a long period of time. It is therefore considered to be an ideal material to store and transport all types of materials such as chemicals, food, diary products, meat products, poultry, fish and so forth.

Easy to Transport: As it is light in weight, it can be used for transportation quite easily. It also helps to save fuel as it can be moved easily.

Tensile: It is also known to be stronger than the wooden crates and it has the capacity to hold more materials.

Anti-Corrosive: As plastic material is anti-corrosive, it can be used to transport metals and other products which tend to become corrosive. As these crates seldom corrode, it is easier to clean and maintain even if it becomes wet.

Today plastic crates can be bought easily from online stores as there are a huge range of materials made available through various online stores at reasonable price rates.

Plastic crates can be bought in different sizes, styles and designs to suit different requirements and purposes. There are crates in different colors too which can be chosen accordingly. There are products with legs which facilitate easy storage and use.

Apart from these varieties, there are crates which are molded specifically to store vegetables, fruits, milk packets and so forth. Most of the reputed manufacturers also offer customized products to buyers at affordable price rates. These crates can be custom ordered in various sizes and shapes to suit different requirements.

Storage In Cloud for Small Business

Whether you are a large business or an individual, you may be interested in the benefits that cloud storage can provide. This is a progressive technological development that may interest a few people out there. If you would like to make sure your documents are stored safely, you will need to consider cloud techniques. This is because they offer some top rate security and can prevent other people from gaining access to your private information. This is why there are some files that really must be stored in the cloud if you want to support data security.

One example of this is employee driver's license information. Many businesses may be required to collect this information on their employees for a number of reasons. If they will be driving on the job, employers will need to verify that they have active licenses. This can also be a good way to make sure that employees are actually who they say they are during the hiring process. But if you want to keep this information in your records, think about how you can store it if possible. Think about checking out how you can use content focused software to further streamline the way you store this data. One that can offer a useful content curation lens that can quickly search for employee information like this.

You might also need to think about whether you can keep up tax records through these different cloud storage locations. This is important for businesses that need to make sure that they are keeping accurate records over time. You may need to have financial professionals take a look at these records for regular reviews. Think about looking for a visual search option that can help people find the right records that they need to look through. You don't want to lose valuable records like these, so make sure you are well equipped to store them properly.

Many businesses may also need to gather confidential data from their customers. If you manage a tax preparation company, you may have to get regular access to the financial information of your clients. You will need to find a content management system that will help you store these files in a cloud system, helping you analyze the data that you have stored. This could be perfect if you need to look through encrypted financial data that you want to keep secure, but don't want to leave unorganized.

Finally, you will also need to find the right cloud storage space that will be able to host medical records. These records often need the strictest levels of confidentiality, which is very important for some people out there. If you have wanted to store employee or consumer health records, think about linking up with a document search function. This can give approved people the ability to conduct a visual search of health records you have safely stored in the cloud. This is a surprisingly helpful tool if you need to store these records in cloud space.