"We choose The Baum Group Changing the World with Care
Supporting, providing for
and promoting prevention
"...finding solutions for businesses, families and individuals
for the best service, support and value!"
Since 1972
Celebrating 14 wonderful years on the 'Net
by turning obstacles into opportunities."
Dr. Rae & Associates
Looking for ideas?
Try any one of these found here...
This Journal Blog page was developed with you in mind. It was developed to help stimulate your creativity. Feel free to use any of the ideas and projects described below for your business online and offline.
March 15th : While reviewing this Journal Blog today we came across several links to other sites we visited that are no longer available. Although we have no control over this situation, we apologize for the inconvenience. We began to delete links to sites that are no longer available and then realized that would compromise the integrity of this Journal Blog, so we stopped...
Enjoy your visit, learn as much as you can from our entries and most of all, be original. Open new frontiers by finding and living your purpose in life; and not your pain or disappointment.
February 25th : Meeting Kevin Eikenberry online several days ago created a buzzzzzzzz for our online business.
We located Kevin's web sites and eMail address using Google to inquire about the origin of "the mystery" of finding his name with no eMail address or any other contact information in our OE address book.
Kudos Kevin for linking to one of our signature URLs; finding and then sharing our "StressTest" with your Blog readers.
We visited one of your many (not to be missed) sites several times and plan to continue doing so since your sites are rich with resources and very rewarding.
You do the same.
You will be glad you did!!!
February 22nd : We're back...
Each year, we compile our previous year's work and put them into an eCourse called the "Marketing in the 21st Century : Building Relationships with Less Stress" and give it to you free of charge.
We learned this approach from Ken McCarthy's "Pre-Seminar" free eCourse and we quote....
"Why on earth would I give away what other people charge thousands of dollars for in high-priced coaching programs and boot camps?
Simple...and there's a marketing lesson in it for you.
One word: Demonstration.
...Your prospects are intelligent people.
What they want...is PROOF that you can deliver on your promises.
Isn't that what you want when you're a buyer?
There is no better way to proove that your product or service works than to DEMONSTRATE it in action.
...That's why every year, I give away more free, immediately actionable 'how to' information than you'll find in many paid products.
It works very well for my businesses and it's worked for every business I've ever seen that's tried it.
If you want to see my "Pre-System" Seminar in action and pick up more breakthrough ideas about marketing that you won't hear anywhere else, visit the "Pre-System" site today"
January 3rd : We have (and are planning) many new ideas for you during this coming year. Begin now by taking Your Personal Tour and be sure to let us know what information you need to make your life and business prosper.
May 5th : During this rather long hiatus we have been concentrating on how to make YourStressMatters.com more viable for you, and for us. During the months since our last entry into this journal we have been searching for information, and then trying this information out prior to passing it along to you. Finally we found some thing that has caught our attention and want to share it with you.
According to our colleague Abbie Drew, Editor of DEMC E-Magazine "The Internet has expanded dramatically since I began publishing DEMC in 1995. Businesses who moved to the Internet over the last 10 years did so predominately for the global expansion possibilities."
She continues in the April 21st edition, "However, in the next few years this is going to change. The
next wave of opportunity on the Internet will be localized
marketing.
Just last week, Google expanded its offerings for local ad
targeting. Businesses can now target keyword-based ads to
users in a city or within a specified distance of a location.
Yahoo! also recently launched a service called SmartView
which provides information on local businesses to
searchers. Even ebay has a local trading area where you
can run auctions to reach local consumers.
Why are search engines, auctions sites and others in a
hurry to offer the local option? According to a survey
done in February of this year by The Kelsey Group and
BizRate.com local commercial searches - those seeking
merchants "near my home or work" - represent 25% of all
searches being performed by online buyers.
What's more according to Nielsen//NetRatings, affluent,
broadband households are the fastest growing Internet-
user. And broadband users have been found to rely more
on online information sources. They use search engines
and Internet Yellow Pages to find local business
information, often at the expense of traditional offline
sources like Newspapers and printed Yellow Pages.
Also consider that there are roughly 10 million small
businesses in the US. The majority of these businesses
have fewer than nine employees and conduct most of their
business within 50 miles of their physical locations.
These companies currently spend a lot of money on local
advertising options. Depending on the source, local
advertising pulls in somewhere between $22 billion and
$94 billion a year.
Do you see the opportunities here?
First, if you're an Internet business you should start
looking to your local marketplace. 25% of individuals are
using search engines to find local business. Why not
optimize your site for your location. Plus take advantage
of the new tools search engines are offering for local
business. Promote your business online to your local
community. Use the larger search engines, but also
consider running promotions on the web sites of your
local paper, and/or local radio and TV station.
Second, if you're looking for an expansion opportunity,
consider developing a portal site for your local community.
Provide information about area events, high school sports,
local weather, town issues, etc. As you develop traffic,
you'll build a valuable local email list and you will be
able to sell sponsorships on your site to local businesses.
Third, if you sell Internet related products/services to small
businesses, start targeting your local businesses. Currently
it's estimated that less than 30% of these small businesses
have web sites.
Local businesses over the next few years will migrate to
the online realm. These businesses will have to move
online, as they'll be unable to ignore the growing segment
of the population which uses search engines to find a local
business rather than the yellow pages and newspapers.
You can provide a multitude of tools to these businesses.
Web hosting, web design, email services, internet
consulting, tracking services, SE optimization, advertising,
information, are all items these business will need in the
coming months.
Lastly, if you are a local merchant not yet online, now
is the time to move. Establish your position as a local
business online and grow your customer base before your
competition gets online.
Or if your local business is already online because you
expanded to attract the global marketplace, be sure to also
focus locally. Remember a quarter of the searches being
conducted are people looking for local businesses. This
number is only going to increase.
The Internet is still growing and becoming more and more
a part of our lives and businesses. Rather than being
discouraged by the constant changes which occur in the
online marketplace, look for the opportunities this change
offers. One such opportunity is localized Internet
marketing as it's on the verge of expansion. Capitalize on
this knowledge and give your business the competitive edge."
Share your comments with us and we will pass them along to Abbie.
In the meantime, take a look what we have begun and share it with your family, friends and colleagues.
To our mutual success, we remain faithfully yours...
February 29th : Welcome back! We have been busy re-defining our business, something everyone in business must do periodically especially during times of uncertainty. And, this is such a time. In his book
Purple Cow : Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin
"Mr. Godin outlines many ways in which a business, or even a product, can become remarkable and successful without spending millions on mass marketing. The author concentrates on niche areas, maximizing a marketing plan with significantly less funding that traditional marketing insists, and finding your Purple Cow. There is no magic formula for a purple cow but he presents avenues to look around at existing businesses/products/services and see where there is room for improvement. And sometimes the improvement comes in surprising ways." (A Reader from Franklin, Indiana USA)
Go ahead, transform your business and be remarkable...
Please bear with us as we transform this Journal Blog into a somewhat "conventional Blog" format.
Ooops...
...just realized that there is no way to post your comments. Until we find out how this is done you may eMail your comments to us and we will post them for you. We regret the inconvenience and will look to resolve this ASAP so that we all have a Happy Blogging experience in our Blog journey.
June 10th : Welcome back!! Now that we have piquéd your interest in blogging as an alternative to eMail marketing, we sincerely hope that you will add this approach to your eMarketing arsenal if you have a web site with your products/services already displayed for your guests to see. What?? You are in need of a web site/page? Become part of our web site! See details on our Shopping Network and join us today! What are you waiting for???? We want to see you on the 'Net. 
May 15th : we just received this from a colleague of ours and frankly it gave us the proverbial "kick-in-the- " to get this journal/blog up to date. Thank you Abbie Drew!
"How To Blog Your Way to Success"
I have seen many small Internet businesses come and go through the years. And I've talked with hundreds of individuals struggling to start up their own businesses. Some have survived and flourished, but most have failed.
What has been the main difference between those who make it on the Internet and those who do not?
Writing.
The business people who are willing to write and write often are the business people who succeed.
Why?
The Internet is all about written communication. If you want to make your presence known on the Internet you have to write about it. Yes, writing is difficult and time consuming.
you do not write up material for your business, you do not have a business.
Sure you might have a business idea in your head, but who knows about it? You have to write down your business information to make it available to others.
You have to write to create a web site that sells. You have to write to produce an ezine that builds trust and credibility. You have to write if you want to create ebooks, articles, ecourses, etc. to promote your business.
If you're not willing to write, your online business will not survive.
Making excuses, that you are not a good writer or you do not know how to write sales copy will not save your business. It is a thousand times better to write something, even poorly than to not
write at all.
In fact, informal communication is shown to be effective and appreciated on the Internet.
There has been a recent emergence of blogs (short for weblogs) in gaining recognition on the web. What are blogs? Essentially, they're peoples' journals kept on the web.
An individual, the "blogger" posts his/her notes, thoughts, ideas, comments to a web page for others to
view. Blogs are brief musings, updated frequently and regularly. Typically, they're passionate writings about the blogger's chosen subject matter.
Blogs are informal, non-salesy communication which people like to read. These unpolished, passionate ramblings on a subject matter of interest work to inspire trust and pique people's curiosity. Blogs it seems make good web content.
So how can you use this knowledge to your advantage?
First, when you write stop always worrying about dotting your i's, and crossing your t's. Blogs have shown informal writing works. Start being yourself and having fun when
you write.
Second, try out the blog mentality in your email communications. Send brief frequent emails with interesting bits of information and avoid emails that constantly marketing your wares. People love tips, trivia, jokes, soundbits, etc. so give them what they want.
Third, write to educate instead of sell. Blogs are not designed to sell anything, they share what a blogger knows and has learned. Consider incorporating this education mentality into
your writing rather than always trying to create slick sales material.
And finally, remember to keep writing and writing and writing! Your online business depends on you to continually express yourself as bloggers do.
Don't become a Internet statistic. Start writing your way to success!
Abbie Drew So start today, we will do the same
DEMC Editor
mailto:mail@demc2.com
To Subscribe Click Here!
February 28th :
For your review we have published and distributed (since the New Year 2003) Feng Shui messages in Your Weekly Message ePublication ~ now in its 5th year.
The Bagua is a foundational feng shui concept.
It is an octagon whose eight parts help show which part of your environment affects which aspects of your life.
January 12th : Essential to understanding Feng Shui is understanding the fabric of life, the five universal elements --- fire, earth, metal, water, and wood. Each element relates to the others in two ways : a generative or creative connection that provides strength and power/balance and harmony, and an overpowering or destructive relationship that undermines strength and power/balance and harmony.
The generative/creative cycle ~ Fire generates earth ~ Earth generates metal ~ Metal generates water ~ Water generates wood ~ Wood generates fire.
The overpowing/destructive cycle ~ Fire melts metal ~ Metal cuts wood ~ Wood moves earth ~ Earth dams water ~ Water puts out fire.
January 9th : To understand Feng Shui it is important to understand the concept of Yin/Yang. Yin traits/qualities are feminine ~ soft, passive, nurturing, dark, fluid, even numbers and the right side of the body (which is different in Bioenergetic Analysis where the female qualities are found on the left side of the body). The Yang traits/qualities are masculine ~ bright, hard, actrive, aggressive, odd numbers and the left side of the body (which again is different in Bioenergetic Analysis where the male qualities are found on the right side of the body). More can be found at the...
January 8th : Here is a Feng Shui Taboo from Angi Ma Wong ~ Do not use an all-glass front door; choose a solid door instead. A small beveled window on the door is acceptable, but too much glass does not offer protection for your home and your office and allows prosperity to leak out.
BONUS : Many of us have made New Year's resolutions to make our lives better. According to Feng Shui master Carole Swann Meltzer, instead of making resolutions, changing the way you dress can help make positive changes in your life.
Meltzer is the author of "Feng Shui Chic". A large part of this book is about achieving well-being through internal and external health. By balancing energy, we balance our internal organs in conjunction with spatial alignment. Dressing to attract what we want in life in the nine life zones: career, love, creativity, strategy, knowledge, health, power, fame and nature is one of the main points in her book.
You can purchase copies for yourself, your colleagues, family and friends by clicking here and read an excerpt of this book
at the...
January 7th : Once again from our resource "FENG SHUI ~ 365 DOs & TABOOs" a Page.A.Day Calendar by Angi Ma Wong ~ About Antiques
Did you know the eight compass directions (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, and NW) within a home, office, room, garden or other space govern the various aspects of your life? Each direction is associated with specific colors, animals, numbers, and elements. To activate and improve certain parts of your life -- such as your marriage or your wealth -- place an appropriate color, animal, number, or element into the direction associated with that part of your life. More
can be found at the...
January 2nd :
Keep a journal/blog of the feng shui changes you make and notice what happens after these changes are made. Be patient, because there is a reason and a season for everything in your life.
Get the Edge by using these decorative animals of the Chinese zodiac -- the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar -- as decorations in your home and in your office. These animals where chosen for the Chinese zodiac because as an ancient legend tells of the great Buddha, who summoned all the world's creatures to his death bed, only twelve animals appeared. Each of these dozen faithful had a year named in its honor.
December 1st :
September 15th :
April 5th :
During this month, we came across Carolyn Myss and her bottomline we want to share with you here-and-now. We will continue to do so whenever her words of wisdom touch us...
"Trust that you will be where you are supposed to be."
"Trust that you
will meet the people you are supposed to meet."
"Respect your intuition when
it directs where you should go every stage and step of your life."
March 5th :
January 8th :
January 1st :
December 17th :
The inaugural poll asks visitors to the center's Web site whether they continue to consider ebusiness "to be of strategic significance" to their organizations, considering that "ebusiness" is often associated with the dot-com meltdown. More than 87 people responded to the survey, with about 65 percent contending it is of "strategic significance," according to a news release. The eBusiness Research Center is a joint effort of Penn State's Smeal College of Business and the school of information sciences and technology. It promotes research by academics and practitioners on various aspects of ebusiness, with an emphasis on governance and execution issues.
The new instant polls can be found at http://www.ebrc.psu.edu/ ~ cast your
vote! And, be sure to read this book...
Pushing
the Digital Frontier : Insights into the Changing Landscape of E-Business by
Nirmal Pal and Judith M. Ray
ABSTRACT: This is a very timely book on business in the changing digital economy for managers of old economy, new economy, and the emerging “bricks and clicks” companies. It is an excellent compilation of contributions from 34 experts in various aspects of e-business. It offers innovative and forward-thinking insights on 14 key areas. These areas include: assessment of the new business environment, leverage of old economy fundamentals in the new economy, leadership issues, regulatory aspects, online and offline organizations, management of emerging technologies, human resource issues, personalization strategies, collaborative commerce and learning solutions. Integration of such diverse set of chapters is not an easy task, but the editors have kept the focus on the strategic aspects of e-business throughout the book. It is a must read...
Wishing you health, wealth and happiness for the coming year. May the New Year bring us all Peace.
December 3rd :
October 19th :
September 25th :
August 16th :
"While much of the stuff we access on the Internet -- using PCs, PDAs (personal digital assistants) or, to a lesser degree, mobile phones -- costs nothing, the free ride Web surfers now enjoy probably will not extend to the wireless realm, according to a study from Ovum."
The study recommended that service providers offer a mixture of paid and free content starting on the day they launch wireless Internet offerings. Such an approach would instill a sense of value in consumers' eyes by sending the message that content is worth paying for. This strategy also would enable companies to earn revenue from the start.
The typical mixed-content model offers basic services for free while a charge is levied for more desirable, valuable premium content, analysts said."
We are considering this approach with our Internet presence. Let us know what you think. Send any e-mail to: The Baum Group
August 1st :
July 19th :
July 18th :
July 17th :
"The Internet has a wealth of great information. It's all there free for the taking IF you've got enough time to search for it. With the average work week reaching toward 60 hours, very few of us have the luxury of spending the day picking through search engines and web rings. We appreciate it greatly when others do the work for us and tell us which good sites to see. If you have found web sites that are useful to people in your business--share them. Make a list of your favorite sites along with a short explanation of what each offers and why it is special. Put your contact and ad info at the bottom of the list. Lists of hand-picked web sites are one of the most valuable gifts you can give a client, prospect, or customer. They make great marketing.
Marie writes, "I've got a list of 10 great web sites. Could I build a newsletter around that?"
Absolutely! Several of my favorite ezines regularly list several great web sites along with a regular list of standards. I find it a real time saver, idea generator, and I save these newsletters for later reference. You'll also find customers and prospects will pass your list on to others who could also become customers or associates."
July 16th :
While chatting we noticed a web site that we will be visiting shortly to see if we can use their services for live chats here on YourStressMatters.com -- stay tuned...
July 12th :
July 11th :
June 25th :
On our drawing board are plans to include art work on The Shopping Network and we have begun to make contact with Art Galleries and Dealers to partner with. In this regard we plan to visit Art Galleries and Dealers that already have an Internet presence as well as offer those that do not as yet have their own web site to consider using The Shopping Network and Associate Program to jump-start their web presence. We plan to visit Bicycle Paintings; iCollector.com and will report back with our findings. Stay connected...
June 6th :
May 11th :
Additional discussion boards will be posted as they become available...
April 29th :
April 23rd :
April 22nd :
April 18th :
April 16th :
When we surf the 'net we not only find what is on the 'net, we also find what is not on the 'net. And, this is where we fit the empty space with our eBusiness ideas. You can too! Not only can you create your own opportunities using your own resources, you can also collaborate with others and become an eBusiness partner. Take a look at what we have done. We have found that our passion drives our eBusiness. Our strength and commitment grows as we share our resources and our responsibility with groups of people as well as with individuals. By constantly mastering new skills we change lives (ours and others).
April 12th :
We are working at great speed to separate stress resources from the Business Center with ebusiness resources. When we began designing our web site in 1995 we thought those interested in stress related issues such as: motivation, purpose of life, peace of mind, positive attitude and assertiveness would be interested in business resources and financial advice (also offered on YourStressMatters.com) This may still be the case. Let us know what you think.
April 10th :
Today, we began utilizing a resource we have been receiving for several years (Daily News Briefs - a division of individual.com) collecting data (e-mail addresses, website URLs and phone numbers of contact person/s) to send TeleClasses and Concierge information to companies found. We have decided to do this every Monday and Friday.
For assistance in creating, developing, hosting, redesigning and updating your site (for details click here...) The Baum Group Web Page Team found a website on WebDesign (see below) and plan on pursuing this further.
Today, we also submitted our Toll-Free Number and Internet Address for a free listing in the next edition of the National Toll-Free & Internet Yellow Pages (deadline is May 2001) . On this website (see below) we found further details to help us set up our newest program on how to Download (coming soon) "your weekly stress tip" directly into your Palm™ handheld and wireless devices -- courtesy of YourStressMatters.com
Feel free to send this page to your colleagues, family and
friends
because they will thank you, and we thrive on referrals.