The Business Of E-Commerce

E-commerce has long been awash with statistics. You can now purchase from the web readymade PowerPoint slides containing compelling statistics about e-commerce, just in case you need to pep up your own pitch to the board or your investors.

Most introductions to the topic have opened with predictions of mouth-watering revenues:

Billions of dollars generated in sales of goods and services and implementers of e-commerce systems. The hard facts and figures that made headlines following 1998’s holiday season are now beginning to the take over as motivators. There’s action in e-commerce, or e-business, or e-whatever. Most business people know they need to be a part of it. But what is it? The e-numbers are palatable; but what’s the story?

Many definitions of e-commerce exist and all are useful to some extent. For most people e-commerce means selling items over the World Wide Web. Some people include charging for web content. Others concentrate on the sale of advertising space on websites and e-mail.

Along with these voices are those who argue e-commerce isn’t just about the transacting with consumers, but it’s also crucially concerned with inter-business trading. If you listen to too many hardware, software, and service vendors, you will come away with the dizzy sense that just about anything and everything can be e-commerce.

There’s no agreement about what e-commerce is or what it might come to be, because e-commerce is the next big thing. In the cynical interpretation of that phrase, e-commerce is a magic marketing word that can be literally sprinkled on any dish.

Whatever e-commerce is, it attracts attention. In the more positive interpretation, e-commerce is a fundamental change in the way business is done. E-commerce is perceived as the next wave in the evolution of business and it is where we are all migrating.

Businesses aim to create dialogues that are relevant to the individual customer condition and concerns. In a company, the cost of acquiring a customer is a significant variable and the best business. Designing the business for repeated interactions with retained, quality customers is the stated aim of most leading service companies and the implicit aim of companies engaged in sophisticated lifestyle product branding. Buy Now Pay Later

If we can no longer simplify the task of adding value to our customers by making some broad assumptions about their wants and needs, then how can we protect the economic efficiency of the corporation? Drawing a chart that shows the ineluctable evolution of a product from mass-produced to individually-demanded is easy, but it’s less easy to identify the evolutionary mechanism that takes us all the way.

 

Is Mobile Commerce Really The New Frontier For E-Commerce

The giant e-commerce company, eBay Inc, recently took over Magento. Magento is one of the world’s most widely used open source platform for Web development (Extensively used for E-commerce development). The takeover was an attempt to produce an innovative and highly flexible platform for developing e-commerce websites. It bundles up various commerce products and capabilities into one single framework. Enjoy some of the most widely used e-commerce applications and products packed in one single package.

eBay has come forward with an exceptionally innovative and revolutionary concept for E-commerce website development. They have introduced “X Commerce” which has more features than any other open source e-commerce development platform available. The project has been supported by many more giants of e-commerce industry that provides this platform various unique functionality.

Some of the capabilities and features of X Commerce are:

X Commerce Developer Package: X Commerce comes with a developer’s package that contains all the documentation, important codes and everything required for getting started with this magnificent framework. This package helps the developers in building and testing websites and applications over this framework.

PayPal Access: The PayPal Access provides enhanced user experience to the users. The Module is easy to integrate in applications and is easily compatible with the iPhone and Android platforms. PayPal is currently the most widely used online payment method. It provides easy functionality by registering users in one single click.

New X Commerce Products: The product page of X Commerce provides various downloads, API reference pages and more. Products are accompanied with proper documentation so that the developers don’t have any problem in working on these products. Buy Now Pay Later No Credit Check

Merchant Pricing: X Commerce is a complete package for all the online store owners (or those want to have one) and connects some of the most preferred commerce technologies with the merchants who want to be on the top. The X Commerce connects these merchants to solutions and applications that can play a significant role in growing their business.

How Developers Can Profit: The developers can develop their own applications & extensions and increase their value by offering these extensions in their solutions. The developers can also list and sell their applications by listing then on Magento Connect. It is the most frequently visited commerce application marketplace. Developers can offer Magento Go to the clients who require it and can receive 25% commission on the ongoing monthly subscription.

X commerce is still an untapped territory therefore there are wide opportunities for both merchants and developers in it. The X commerce market is expected to reach $10 trillion by 2013 and therefore the opportunities are going to roll in very fast. The capabilities of the framework make it more flexible and easy to understand than any other e-commerce development platform. The eBay Inc has come forward with an exceptionally great solution for all the e-commerce web development requirements of merchants. It will be very interesting to see how the developers and merchants utilize the platform to its full extent.

 

You Could Never Be An Entrepreneur!

There are many different versions of the definition of entrepreneur. The different versions usually stem from an individuals interpretation of the definition, coupled with the regurgitation of the definition with an added portion of their interpretation. Basically the definition gets skewed by the playing of the classic “Telephone Game”.

This article will be no less skewed, but hopefully a tad bit more helpful than most. The word “Entrepreneur” comes to us from the French. In fact the female version of the word (in French) is “Entrepreneuse”. The root of the word Entrepreneur is “Enterprise” (again a word that stems from the French). The verb “entreprendre”, in French, means to undertake. So with this very basic understanding of the roots of the word, one may conclude that “Entrepreneur” means: Someone who wishes to undertake an enterprise (this being of course a loose translation). Now I will give you a very basic “American” definition of the word, and follow that up with my interpretations and observations.

Entrepreneur [en-tre-pre-neur] (Noun) – An Innovator. One who recognizes opportunities and organizes resources to take advantage of those opportunities.

Now let me explain to you my definition of an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur is a “Go-Getter”! He/She is someone that sees an opportunity and does whatever it takes (Ethically), to take advantage of that opportunity. Usually entrepreneurs have at one time in their life said, “Why does the boss make that much money”? And, “I can do it better”!

Usually found in every entrepreneur there are two core qualities: Heart and Dedication. Having “Heart” means that you have a passion for success. It means that you are not satisfied, nor will you be satisfied until you have achieved success. Having “Dedication” means that you have the will and determination to achieve that success. There is no use having heart if you don’t have the drive to follow your heart.

One more thing! Being an entrepreneur does not guarantee you success. There is a lot more that goes into being a successful entrepreneur (for tips on how to be successful check out this free informational blog at [http://www.secretsofwealthandprosperity.com/MyBlog] ). Many of the greatest entrepreneurs have failed many times over before they succeeded. A successful entrepreneur learns from his/her failures and the failures of those that have come before him/her. No one say’s that being an entrepreneur is easy. If it were easy to become a successful entrepreneur then everyone would do it. Fortunately for those of us that are blessed to live in the United States; The U.S. celebrates and encourages entrepreneurialism, and gives its citizens more opportunities and incentives to achieve success. Miki Agrawal

 

4 Necessary Traits and Knowledge The Entrepreneur Must Possess

An Entrepreneur will encounter on average about 1 person a week that will throw out an annoying, innovation killer phrase that will often send him into retreat.

Or maybe as an Entrepreneur you’re just hearing these things in your head, from the small “non risk taking” side of your brain.

Here are the 5 Entrepreneur Innovation Killers:

It’s Not In The Budget

Entrepreneurs are almost always looking for the cheapest route to get the work done, and yes…using money wisely is very important. But, take a look at things you’re claiming are “not in the start up budget”. Cheaper isn’t always better.

Instead, get creative. There’s a world of possibilities for you without forking up a lot of dough: equity partnerships, strategic relationships, debt financing, investors, bartering, and preferred vendors that may be willing to wait on payment.

There’s No One To Do the Extra Work

Yes. I know you’re an Entrepreneur. I know what the real problem is. Your strengths are not accounting, paperwork, etc. You’re strength is management & innovation. Problem is, the mundane tasks have to be done and they seem to be taking up all your time.

It Won’t Work

What Entrepreneur hasn’t heard this one before? It’s not like as a young Entrepreneur growing up you ever listened to your teachers or parents when they told you “no”, so why should you care now? Do listen to it though, but evaluate it against your own instincts. If what they’re saying feels incorrect to you, it probably is. Trust in yourself.

It’s Too Risky

They only say that because they’re too scared to take risks. Not you, you’re an Entrepreneur. You were born for risk. It’s all risk, and no security. If you’re not okay with that, then you shouldn’t be starting a business anyhow.

No One Does It Like That

This is the stupidest thing I’ve heard someone tell an Entrepreneur. That’s the whole point to being an Entrepreneur! You’re filling a gap in the marketplace, and of course no one does it like that! How else do we make money?? Miki Agrawal

There’s great resources out there for Entrepreneurs that promote your strengths and innovation. Another good article to read is “Here’s to Being an Entrepreneur!”.

Amanda Chantell Frazier is a 25 year old serial Entrepreneur, the CEO of Plan to Start Inc., and the founder of a high growth technology start up, Synergy Hub.

 

Entrepreneurs: Secrets Of The Super Successful

Does it seem like some entrepreneurs have all the luck? Even though you’re successful, you don’t consider yourself “super successful.” Maybe you’re just considering becoming an entrepreneur and you’re wondering if there are any success secrets. Believe it or not, there are entrepreneurs who are a step above the rest because they discovered the secrets to becoming more successful. It isn’t about the business itself, but more of a mindset and lifestyle change that creates the super successful.

Discipline

While it may sound simple enough, this is one of the biggest obstacles for entrepreneurs. You must create a set schedule to accomplish your daily, weekly and monthly goals. Start by determining your clear cut goals. Next, create the list of tasks necessary to accomplish these goals. Finally, arrange your schedule so that you have ample time for your work and personal life. Now it is time to discipline yourself. Stick to your schedule. Don’t get distracted or discouraged. Working for yourself doesn’t mean you get to stop working. With discipline, you can honestly work less and you can become even more successful.

Gain Support

Being an entrepreneur is a lonely venture, right? One of the most important entrepreneur success secrets to learn is, you always need support. This doesn’t mean financial support, though that is helpful. Instead, socialize or work with like minded people who believe in your goals. This keeps you focused and confident. Try to find other entrepreneurs to talk to. They’ll guide you through common pitfalls and more importantly, they understand exactly what you’re going through. Friends who are also colleagues, are crucial to your success.

Embrace Failure

Obviously, this sounds counterproductive, but think about it. No one wants to fail. However, if you let go of your fear of failure, what do you have to lose? Every failure is simply another chance to learn how to do something better. Even the greatest entrepreneurs have failed. The committed, successful entrepreneur doesn’t give up though. Instead, they study their failure and turn it into success. Don’t let failure stop you. It happens, and it can be a great learning experience. Remember that success also happens when you persist. Miki Agrawal

Strive for Perfection

Just because you are starting to see success, it doesn’t mean you should be content. Successful entrepreneurs constantly strive for perfection, by continuously trying to improve. Don’t become obsessed, but look for opportunities to improve products and services or create something new. This builds your business and allows it to thrive, instead of allowing a competitor to destroy all your hard work.

Get Personal

Don’t let your work consume you. Of all the success secrets, it is vital to remember you need a personal life. Odds are, part of the reason you dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur was to have more time for friends and family. Without downtime, you will burn out. Take time for yourself and those around you. You’ll feel happier, more confident and better prepared to take on the world. No matter how busy you are, schedule time to take care of yourself. Exercise, eat regularly, socialize and do something fun!

While there are many entrepreneur success secrets, these are some of the most important and they apply to every single entrepreneur, no matter what business you are in.

 

Entrepreneurs Aim High & Gain Freedom!

It never ceases to amaze business owners how some seemingly simple decisions, made during the early years of their business startup, can become fatal errors down the road. After meeting with many business owners across a broad spectrum of industries it’s common to find them enduring the consequences of the same, or similar, errors over and over again. In most cases these early errors become very costly. In some cases they are fatal. Below are the 5 most common errors to avoid when starting a business.

1. The most common error to avoid is not doing the math.

While successful business owners need not have a PhD in Mathematics, they do need to know how to use the basic functions of a calculator. Every fourth grade student has learned the basic math skills of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. It’s surprising to see how infrequently they are applied. Not doing the math can be the root cause of long term financial difficulties for business owners. Here are a few of the many ways:

* Offering an employee a salary without considering all of the associated costs of employment. Such costs include employer federal, state and local taxes, unemployment taxes, worker’s compensation insurance, healthcare and other insurance premiums, retirement and incentive compensation, vacation and other forms of paid leave and benefits.

* Signing a lease for retail or office space without considering all of the associated costs of the lease and/or understanding what the relative market price per square foot is in the community. It is somewhat difficult to compare commercial rental space unless you break it down to the cost per square foot “fully loaded.” This analysis requires addition, multiplication and division. However, it’s important to understand that it is necessary to add up all of the costs associated with the rental space on a monthly basis (not just monthly rent), multiplying that figure by twelve and then dividing it by the number of square feet to obtain the “fully loaded cost per square foot.” Armed with this information, the entrepreneur is able to compare apples-to-apples.

* Ignoring the total costs required to deliver the product or services offered by the business. If all the costs are not considered, the likelihood of a business being able to set the price for its product or services at a level that permits the business to earn a profit is a gamble at best. Pencil, paper, and the addition function on the calculator are what the entrepreneur needs to avoid this fatal error. It’s really simple. Just do the math! Miki Agrawal

2. The second fatal error is offering equity without risk to friends and family members in an effort to entice them to become the business owner’s partner.

While many friends and family may have proven to be loyal and responsible people, not all of them prove to be great entrepreneurs. And most of them make lousy partners. Not really nice to say, but true in most cases, nonetheless.

When starting out, many entrepreneurs find the journey frightening and feel that they “need” a partner to pull it off. In some cases, this is true. They recognize their own talents but understand they need the skills and talents of others to succeed in the long term. Where the business owner runs into trouble is when they find it comforting to search for that complementary talent among their lifelong friends, college roommates, or sister or brother-in-law.

And it creates an even more complicated situation when a business owner offers their friends and family the promise of equity without requiring them to assume risk. Risk comes in many forms. Risk may include cash to start and/or sustain the business, bank or lease personal guarantees, cash for payroll, working more than the typical 40 hours, and in some cases contributing sweat equity without compensation in any amount whatsoever until the company makes a profit.

If one partner is assuming such risks and other “partners” are not willing to do the same, then the unwilling partners are not partners at all. By offering them rights to company ownership, you are giving them equity without risk. If such an arrangement does not bother the entrepreneur initially, it will some day in the future. When it does, the feelings of frustration, disappointment, anger and betrayal will become a problem. It is better not to form partner relationships with others unwilling to share your risk.

 

Are There Cures for Cancer? Uncovering the Truth of the Medical Industry

Many of us are very concerned or even angry about the inequities caused by the government and corporate America. Our existing political and economic systems are only proving to shake up the very foundation of our lives. Trust in government throughout the world, including the U.S. to a degree, is breaking down due to the perceived greed and lust for power, and involvement in useless costly wars and military interventions. We are mislead by the media, commercial interests and by our leaders into believing that everything is manageable, when in reality the political and monetary systems are coming unglued everywhere.

Thousands are needlessly dying from cancer each year and many thousands more remain sick or suffer from illnesses that could be eradicated in a few months, days or even hours. The average cancer patient costs about $300,000 to test and treat. Then most die. These expensive treatments and tests are ordered by doctors and paid for by insurance companies and programs like Medicare. No wonder our Medicare system is being threatened by massive cuts in spending? The US government can’t afford to pay the huge costs of these programs, although the AMA, cancer industry and big pharma lobbyists are relentless to control the flow of income (from insurance companies, including Medicare) to their members are who are getting obscenely rich at the expense of the government and of course, we, the people. Twenty percent of all spending in the U.S. is on medical care. Although this is only one (major) part of the financial problems in this country, the U.S. continues to increase its national debt plus taxes everyone (in practically unlimited ways) partly in order to support these organizations and individuals in the grandeous style they have been accustomed to. Although possibly only a metaphor, we remember learning in history class that “Nero fiddled while Rome burned.”

At any rate, this essay is not intended to explore economic policies or defame our government or health care systems. The intent is to enlighten folks with the reality and knowledge that there are presently inexpensive cures for serious diseases and chronic conditions that negatively motivated corporations have kept hidden from the eye of society for the last 80 years. There were also major medical and engineering breakthroughs in the early 20th century that were kept suppressed. One is publicly available in Europe where there is no persecution of alternative practitioners and freedom of medical practice. In the U.S. two prominent scientists of their time, Nickoli Tesla and Royal Rife, made discoveries that were meant to advance society by providing inexpensive energy and cures for most diseases. The seeming difficulty was, at the apex of their discoveries, heavily vested major corporations were providing the energy and medical needs to most Americans. Among others were Edison Electric Co. and RCA. Infrastructure such as cables, wires, equipment and other technology, were already being manufactured and installed by Edison, plus there were massive amounts of money invested in radiation technology and research by RCA, what to speak of the new pharmacuetical (drugs) industries being financed by J.P. Morgan and friends. Pharmaceutical companies in collaboration with the American Medical Association (AMA) were writing curriculum for medical schools as well as supplying huge research grants to major medical and scientific universities. CEO

At the time, Nickoli Tesla, an electrical engineer who worked for Edison, was independently researching and developing electrical systems meant to cheaply supply and transport electricity to end users. Royal Rife, an avid independent scientific inventor, had developed, along with a powerful microscope, a nearly 100% effective treatment and cure for many diseases including cancer, also using electrical technology. Unfortunately, at the time, the work of these brilliant scientists was eventually crushed by the competition, almost to extinction. In fact, both scientists had their labs mysteriously vandalized and destroyed. Equipment was confiscated and stolen. Research material was both stolen or burned in fires. These gentleman were purportedly ruined emotionally, physically and financially by the same type of power structure and individuals that are running corporations and governments of today. If it wasn’t for the honesty, determination and fortitude of many intelligent researchers, doctors, engineers, scientists and practitioners brave enough to posthumously carry on the work of Rife, we would not be presenting his most important discoveries at all. Are there currently real cures for cancer and other serious diseases? We will try to uncover the truth.

 

Medical Industry – Forever Growing

What’s hot and what’s not in the job arena today? One of the fastest growing job markets today are careers in medical fields. Medical jobs seem to be a dime a dozen. Don’t believe me? Just open up your local newspaper and see for yourself. The medical industry is a ever growing industry. It has grown enormously over the years, in order to meet population demands. The medical industry has been around since the beginning of time, and isn’t going anywhere anytime in the near feature. CEO

Due to rough economical times, many people have been forced to look into new career opportunities. If you are a person who is looking for a career that you can be secure in, you might consider training in a medical field. There are a wide variety of medical careers to chose from, starting at entry level positions that provide you with the training you need, while on the job. Some jobs require special certificates or a few years in school.

The bottom line is the medical industry is one of the few industries that are still growing, during these hard economical times. Their are many different ways to get started in the medical industry. My advice? Explore your options, and decide what job interest you the most. After that, find out what requirements you will need to meet for that job. If the medical career you have chosen requires further education, their is a ton of information on the Internet that can help you on your way.

 

Know How a Food Manufacturing Consultant Can Help

Manufacturing a new food product requires a great deal of time, effort, research and product consulting. If you are planning to launch a new food product in the market, consulting with professionals having a huge knowledge in the field of food manufacturing can be immensely helpful in making your product a hit in the market. Unless you do appropriate food business consulting, there are high chances of your food products to turn out to be an expensive failure. Let us discuss in this article the role of a food manufacturing consultant in making your product a success in the market:

Know the Changing Market Trends: Market trends tend to change very fast. This means a trend that is accepted and admired by customers today may not be admired tomorrow. A food manufacturing consultant, owing to their immense knowledge of the food industry, can efficiently get the market pulse, thereby advising you appropriately on the kind of food you should opt for to become successful in the market.

Finding the Right Healthy Food: No matter how much the market trend in the food industry changes, one thing seems to remain unaltered. And that is peoples’ desire to eat healthy food. When you are trying to decide on the type of food product you want to launch, one of your best options is healthy and organic foods that are low in fat and salt. However, any health food is not going to be hit. It needs adequate researched to decide on the right kind of health food to make it popular among your target customers. This is where a food manufacturing consultant needs to step in. They can advise you correctly on the kind of healthy food that can become successful in the market in all probability. Gary McGaghey

Maintaining the Right Balance: While there are people who want to purchase and consume a healthier version of the food they love to eat, there are still people who want to stick to the conventional version of them. Finding the right balance between these two versions while manufacturing a new food product can help you immensely in making your product a hit in the market. This is where a food manufacturing consultant can help. Owing to their deep insight into the market trends, they can help you obtain adequate information on the right balance you should maintain while producing a new health product.

Appropriate Packaging: For any product to be a success in the market, it must be presented to the customers in an appealing and attractive manner. Any product that fails to exhibit an attractive look cannot possibly make a mark on the minds of the consumers. And it is especially true in case of food products. The history of the food manufacturing industry has shown innumerable instances where inappropriately packaged products have failed to make a place in the market. In order to become a hit, it is important that the packing of your new food product is attractively designed and provides appropriate information about the product to the consumers. This is an important area where a food manufacturing consultant can help.

 

Slot Machine Myths

The revolution in the world of gambling happened awhile ago when first online casinos started to appear on the Internet in 1996-1997. Almost immediately, online casinos attracted a lot of attention from both public and mass media. It was something new, something different, and so tempting to try for everybody who had access to the Internet. In the end online casino gambling proved to be so convenient, so secure and so advantageous entertainment for millions of people that it has become one of the fastest growing sectors of Internet commerce.

These days you will find thousands of online gambling sites on the Internet with more being opened every month. The most visible difference between online and land based casinos is that online players can play their favorite casino games on the computer in the safe and familiar environment of their home. All online casinos provide customers with detailed information on the site, and a quick guide on how to play at the casino. Some online casinos will offer articles on various game strategies, and detailed information about rules of the games, so novice players can feel at ease while getting themselves familiar with the gambling parlor, its rules and policies. At land based casinos beginner players frequently feel intimidated by the noisy and busy environment, numerous service personnel and gate security guards. They often feel confused, intimidated and lost in the vast building space, being unable to enjoy the gaming process and to concentrate on the game itself. Online casinos allow players to practice, to hone their gaming skills and to slowly adapt to the new environment at their own pace. Most online casinos allow you free play tries so you can find out for yourself if this casino is what you are looking for. You can even play for real money without the risk to lose your savings by using no deposit bonuses offered by some online casinos as incentives for new players.

Another advantage of online casinos may not be so visible, but it is a very important one. The odds of winning a game at online casinos are usually slightly higher, than at land based casinos. Due to lower maintenance costs for online casinos, they have been able to operate with fewer expenses 24 hours a day, without any days-off. According to the Casino Journal Magazine, the average payout for land based casinos is around 89%, which means that out of every dollar wagered at the casino, 89 cents are paid out to winning customers. At the same time, it is not rare to see payouts reaching 96-98% for online casinos, which means more payouts to playing customers! slotxoth

Another feature which makes online casinos so attractive is promotional bonuses and no deposit credits available at many of them. Using these incentives wisely, you can play games and have fun with the casino money thus saving some of your own.

Be aware that besides reputable casinos with good service record there are a few online gambling parlors which have stained their reputation by dishonest practices, bad customer service, and slow payouts. You will be asked for your personal information before you are allowed to play online, and you want to make sure that your personal data is protected by the casino. Therefore, it is very important first to read online independent gambling guides to casinos to find out the players’ favorites, trusted and well-known casino sites. Secondly, read carefully the casino’s rules and policies. Third, try the casino for free before you start wagering your own money. Fourth, make sure that the laws and regulations in your area allow online gambling. Do not break the law!