Save time in your business

One of the biggest wastes of time in a major corporation has to be hiring new employees. The screening process is so in-depth and there are so many company rules and requirements, that some companies have a specific department dedicated just to recruiting prospective employees and going through the hiring process.

One way companies can save lots of time and money is by going through an outside recruiting firm that assesses, pre-screens, and interviews candidates ahead of time so when you come to them with your requirements they may already have a perfect candidate in mind. Imagine finding the perfect employee in a matter of days or weeks, as opposed to months. Online recruiters can be especially helpful in the areas of risk management jobs, financial and accounting, legal, communications and technology fields.

Vacation or not?

We are debating whether or not to take a vacation to Orlando this year. We took our daughter just before she turned three and that was a good age and this summer our son will be the same age, but can we justify spending the money? Part of me says the kids are only this age once and you have to take vacations for the sake of family bonding, but the other part of me says until we are making enough money here and not dipping into savings a bit each month, we shouldn't spend money on luxuries.

Of course, we could just do lots of research and find the best deals on airline, hotel, Disney World, and Universal Studios Tickets. Our frugality carries over into vacation planning, and we've been very careful to get the best deals on previous vacations. But somehow, we always end up spending thousands of dollars. Usually the highest expense is park tickets and meals. The meal prices are so unpredictable and it's almost impossible to budget for that, but at least you can buy park tickets online before your trip and save money by planning ahead.

Another gift idea Mom will love

I guarantee that if you ask any woman you know if she would like a day of pampering at a spa (at no cost to her) she would jump at the chance. Day spas are very popular and can be found in any major city, and most of the smaller cities as well. The services offered at day spas and the fees charged varies, so shop around to make sure you get the treatments you want at reasonable prices.

All spas have basic services like massage and nail care, but more advanced spas also offer Botox, laser hair removal, non-surgical facelifts, microdermabrasion, skin peels, and more. If your mom lives in California, Ontario, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon, Indiana, or Missouri, Pure Med Spa is the leading day spa in these states and offers all of the advanced cosmetic techniques I mentioned.

Call a spa and make her a surprise "day at the spa" appointment for Mother's Day. It will be a gift she never forgets!

What to do with so much family?

My mother-in-law in Denver, Colorado, just found out that she will be having two families visiting from out of town during the same week in August. If they want to do things together as a large group, there will be nine people total. They already know they can't all fit in one car, so they will have to drive two cars everywhere. Plus, they will have to call ahead to make sure restaurants can accommodate them. I suggested she be on the lookout for a new website for Denver Magazine, which will be launched in June.

It will be the one-stop site for all the area attractions, restaurant reviews, and help in planning activities for such a large group. Denver Magazine promises to be the most advanced informational site and area guide in Colorado. We'll check it out too, when we are planning our next trip to Denver.

Deliver something different

Did you know research shows that 83% of people like to receive flowers unexpectedly? I suspect the remaining 17% are probably people that just don't like surprises in general because I would think everyone would like to receive flowers or gifts delivered. If you've already sent Mothers Day flowers, why not try something different this year?

Check this out: you could deliver Mom a "Home Spa Package" which includes a comfy chenille robe, an aromatherapy backwrap, chocolate covered berries, and a lasting orchid potted plant. If orders are placed by noon in the recipient's time zone, same day delivery is generally available in the US and Canada. This is possible because Flowershop.com is affiliated with local florists and they have almost 35 years experience in the flower industry.

Their website has many different gift options available for any occasion. You can shop by occasion or by flower type, and then by price. Flowershop.com offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so why not give them a try this Mother's Day?

Arizona, anyone?

For anything you need to know about Arizona, whether you are a local or planning a visit, can be found at Azcentral.com. Having recently beefed up their travel section to include more area attractions and destination guides, now they are planning a major revamp of their hotel booking engine. They are currently working with Alliance Reservation Systems of Phoenix to make these improvements.

Azcentral has been a top-ranked newspaper affiliated website, giving area news in addition to travel information and online booking at Arizona Hotels. The website is chock-full of information, and the front page appears somewhat cluttered. The navigation bars at the top are the site's saving grace, however, and you can use them to find your way around with ease.

Appreciative Coaching

Have you ever heard of Capella? It's an accredited, fully online university where you can get a distance learning degree. Your classes are all taken from your computer, so you can work it around your schedule to best fit your needs. Capella currently offers 82 graduate and undergraduate specializations and 16 certificate programs. With almost 18,000 students worldwide, many people are furthering their education without totally disrupting their schedules.

One of the faculty members of Capella, Sara Orem, has co-authored a book entitled "Appreciative Coaching: A Positive Process for Change." The book is based on recent developments by psychologists who suggest that people and organizations flourish when they focus on human ideals and achievements. They use the term Appreciative Coaching to describe teaching with the use of positive images, dreams, and focusing on people's positive aspects, rather than pointing out their problems. Basically, making people feel good about themselves, so the organization can work together to achieve their goal. The book is geared toward individual coaches of managers, executives, and “those who do one-on-one work with people who can influence and create change in their organizations.”

This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com

Shouldn't a vacation be relaxing?

One vacation option we've never tried is the "all-inclusive" experience. I always thought it would be way too expensive and that we could find better deals searching for hotels, food, and activities separately. But at Vacations.net, the leader in the all-inclusive experience, you can book a Great Beach Vacation with savings up to 50% off regular rates. They've just revamped their website with a customized booking engine and intuitive functionality. The site conveys a relaxed feeling with its color scheme, images, and soft edges. The navigation is easy and everything you need is right there on the front page - simply and without clutter.

Looking back on previous vacations, the most stressful thing is trying to figure out where to get a good meal for a decent price. We would sometimes spend hours walking around aimlessly searching for food. A lot of time is wasted this way. If the trip included all meals, drinks, and activities, you would never have to worry about what to do next or where to eat. More time would be spent where it should be - with your loved ones, having fun and relaxing.

Maybe this is why I always feel stressed out after a vacation instead of rested. Next time, we'll go "all-inclusive" and see what a difference it makes.

Your dream vacation may be within reach

Do you dream of taking an exotic trip to a foreign country that only an experienced travel agent could set up for you, but don't want to pay the usual overhead that they charge? United Vacation Network is a wholesale travel agency, so you get all of the service and extras you would expect from a professional travel agency without paying agent's commissions.

They handle destinations in countries all over the world and can arrange all of your travel details including condominiums, hotels, Bed and Breakfasts, resorts, cruises, airfare, rental car, RVs, tours, and individually prepared customized vacation packages. Their staff maintains proper accreditation and the required licensing and training needed to support their clientèle and provide them with the vacation of their dreams at the best possible price.

Landscapers with a personal touch

We have been reading several books and taking notes in preparation for a small garden in our side yard. I wish we could hire a professional to do our Landscape Design, but we just can't afford it right now. Maybe in a few years we will tackle the tough parts in our backyard, and we will definitely need help because of the sloped terrain.

One great landscape designer I found online is SLDA. They believe your landscape is "extended living space for expanded living." SLDA has a three stepping-stone process to ensure you will love your landscaping for years to come. The first step is a 2-3 hour walk of your property and an interview. They want to get to know you and your family's habits and what you expect from your yard. They strive to design landscaping that fits your family, not just the property. The second step is the designing. They use CAD and computer sketches to view the ideas on the computer, before even picking up a shovel. You can review and make changes as needed before the contractors begin working. The third step is implementation. You will get daily updates on the progress by a company representative, or you can log-in to the "client work in progress" section of their website to see progress notes and pictures of your yard for yourself.

From the very start, to the smallest details, to the completion - your landscape designer should have your complete satisfaction as their goal. SLDA meets this requirement and will even follow up with you for a long time afterwards to ensure that you are still happy with your landscaping and how it is maturing.

Another great site to shop for Mom

The next time you send someone flowers or a gift basket, why not use a company that fully understands that the gifts you send represent you and are devoted to making sure that impression is superb. Dot Flowers will send flowers, gift baskets, charming cookies and more in beautiful arrangements.

Their website is bright, cheerful, and easy to navigate - which is important for those last minute orders that must be completed in a hurry. They will even deliver on the same day you order, if you place your order before 1:00pm Eastern Standard Time. You can place your order online with their secure order form, or you can call the toll-free number to place an order with a member of their award-winning customer service staff.

Whatever the occasion, Dot Flowers is fully committed to ensure your satisfaction with their service. Mother's Day is coming up, so I think I will browse the site and place an order for the wonderful mothers in my life.

Speaking of a Disney World vacation...

I found some great deals on Orlando hotels at OrlandoVacation.com. In addition to hotels, you can compare prices with vacation homes as well, which might be a better deal if you travel with other family members or friends. That way, you will have a kitchen to prepare homemade meals so you could save money by not having to dine out all the time. If you split the cost between two or three families, it would probably even be cheaper than staying in a hotel and a lot more comfortable.

This site also has park admission tickets at a discount, and offers package deals that include Disney World, Universal Studios, and Sea World tickets that you can customize based on how many days your visit will be. You have the option to reserve your stay online through the website, or you can call the toll-free number if you prefer a live customer service representative. OrlandoVacation.com is a member of Better Business Bureau's Online Reliability program, so you can book your trip with confidence.

Time for another Disney adventure?

As I mentioned in my last post, my husband and I spent our honeymoon in Disney World ten years ago. We also took our daughter there when she was almost three years old. She had a blast and it was the perfect age to bring a child for the first time. This summer, our son will be almost three, so we are wondering if it may be time to go again. I think we would have a great time, it's just such a financial burden. We would have to pay for airline tickets for all four of us, plus hotel (which usually is very reasonable within the park), plus theme park admission tickets.

I found a website with discount Disney World Tickets. They have many different options for daily tickets, from one to ten days, which they call "Disney Magic Your Way". In addition to Disney tickets, they also offer discount tickets for Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and all the popular Orlando dinner shows. Orlando Fun Tickets guarantees the lowest prices and best personal service on all their admission tickets. If we can save enough on the admission tickets, the trip may be worth it. After all, family vacations build memories that last a lifetime and the kids will only be this age once.

Great Mother's Day gift ideas

Instead of sending a traditional flower bouquet to your Mother, why not surprise her with something different that she can really use? Gift baskets have come a long way, and you can send a wide variety of different baskets with many useful items inside. Fruit Gift Baskets are a traditional favorite, and are usually the most friendly on the wallet. For something more extravagant, why not pick an Italian Gift Basket, a Chocolate Basket, or Wine Basket?

Gourmet Gift Baskets is a family run and operated business that has been delivering specialty baskets since 1940. There are never any surprises, as they list exactly what will be in any basket you choose. Their website has pictures of the items assembled in the complete basket, and if you look at the detail page, you are supposed to be able to roll your mouse over the item to see what it looks like unwrapped. This sounds like a great feature, but I couldn't get it to work on my current browser.

You can shop on their secure site by category or view all available baskets by price. They offer some very unique categories, such as: new baby, anniversary, pets, housewarming, sushi trays, Texas baskets, Kosher, and many many more. You could send a basket for any occasion, really. A gift basket is always appreciated, and the recipient will know you took that extra step to create something truly unique that reflects the occasion or their particular interests if you order a basket from Gourmet Gift Baskets.

Customer Magnetism

There has been a lot of buzz lately on the internet about search engine optimization. Everyone wants their website listed first when people search on Google, Yahoo, and MSN. The competition is fierce, and many companies promise to get you to the top spot. The company I am reviewing is called Customer Magnetism. First of all, I love their name. It is very catchy and easy to remember - that's important in a cutthroat market. They specialize in organic optimization, which is important since studies show that only 30% of users will click on a sponsored search link. They work very hard to get high quality links from relevant websites, directories, and blogs in order to improve your search engine rankings.

Customer Magnetism is interested in your business for the long term. Once your initial term is over and your rankings are improved, they offer renewal plans at a fraction of the price to keep you as a customer and continue to monitor your page rankings. Even if you get to the top rankings, you must work to maintain those positions or another site may slide into the top spot. The search engines are always changing, so you can't slack off and expect to keep top rankings. It's much easier to have a professional SEO marketing firm doing this maintenance for you, so you can have time to run your business and not worry about page rankings all the time.

Everything is locked up tight

With the increasing security concerns in today's business world, companies must be locked up tight even within their own operating systems. There are many areas where sensitive information can leak out and unfortunately, there are employees that can't be trusted. Sometimes there is a "fox in the henhouse" who is a threat to the security of the company and their systems.

Fortunately, there is a great Identity Management System that can ensure the total security of a company's operating systems. The managers can control individual employees' access levels which protects against insider threats, improves operational efficiencies, and reduces system administration time and costs.

Symark offers a free thirty day evaluation of any of their security programs so companies can "try before they buy" and be assured the system will work for them.

Invest in metal

Historically, when the stock market goes down the value of precious metals like gold, silver and platinum goes up. So wouldn't it make sense to diversify your investments between the stock market and metals? If you are ready to find out more about purchasing gold as an investment, Monex is America's best dealer. They have been in the business for over 30 years and can help you every step of the way. Their website is very straightforward without a bunch of complicated investment terms. They have knowledgeable Account Representatives who can answer your questions and help you make a purchase. Purchases can be delivered directly to the buyer, or can be safely stored at an independent bank or depository.

The value of metals has continually increased and they are thought to be a very good investment and a great way to maintain one's wealth and purchasing power. Contact Monex if you are ready to invest in precious metals.

"Paradise is just a click away"

This is the slogan for Vacations.net and it sounds very appealing to me! Whether you are looking for an All Inclusive Resort In The Caribbean, Mexico, or the Dominican Republic, their all new website should be your first stop. There are striking images of all the different hotels and resorts to choose from, along with detailed information on customs, culture, history and activities in the areas you are interested in. The website is well organized for easy navigation, which is very important when you are planning a vacation.

The site has all the information you would ever need on every hotel, including photos, maps, features, room rates, and more. There are even traveler ratings so you can see how others felt about their stay. The best part is you can save up to 50% if you book your vacation through their website because they list all the latest all-inclusive deals and vacation packages.

Travel the World

One of my long-term goals is travel. Big time travel. We're talking travel around the world. I've always been curious about different cultures and countries. From the people to the history, to the architecture, all of it interests me. One of my tropical destinations would definitely be the Virgin Islands. The white beaches and blue water remind me of some beautiful areas in Mexico. But the advantage of visiting either the US or British Virgin Islands is that they speak English. So you won't have the language barrier that you would have at many other tropical hot spots.

In the Virgin Islands, people spend most of their time either on the beach or on a boat in the ocean. One option to try is st thomas sailing. Scubadu is a luxury catamaran, offering day trips and dinner cruises which depart from several different areas in the Virgin Islands. The reasonable rates include a licensed captain, a chef and first mate, gourmet food, open bar, snorkel gear, kayak, swim mats, towels and fresh water showers.

More than a vacation

We have several relatives and friends who have moved to different areas in Florida and they all love it. We have been to Orlando a few times, but have stayed in Disney World for the most part. One option for regular visitors to the area is to purchase a vacation home there. You will gain equity and can get a management company to rent it out when you aren't occupying it. You could make it even more affordable by getting other family members or friends to chip in and run it like a time share.

If you need a good Orlando Real Estate Agent, why not pick a company that works exclusively with buyers? That's the only way to ensure your agent is working solely with your best interests in mind. Since buyer's agents work only with buyers, you don't have to worry about them always being busy on the weekends running open houses for sellers.

In addition to home searches, the website also includes lots of information about the Orlando area such as demographics and schools. These are all things to consider if you are moving to a new city as your primary residence or just for a vacation home part of the year.