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Is it Time for a High-Volume Merchant Account?

When your business grows to the point where it is ready to move into the electronic age, you should give some thought to opening a high volume merchant account to expand your company’s potential. A merchant account will allow you to partner with a local bank or another financial institution to provide credit card processing payment options to online customers through the company Website.

Creating a high volume merchant account will let you increase operating capacity to process exponential numbers of customers and credit transactions. You won’t have to worry about keeping correct change on hand at all times, nor will you have as many bad checks to chase after. Your customers won’t have to look for an ATM and pay extra usage fees to get cash when they wish to shop at your company’s physical location or online Website. You can hire fewer people to accept payments since your electronic equipment will be able to do that for you. In a short time your profits may soar as operating costs dwindle.

To apply for your high volume merchant account, first find a bank that offers this service. It need not be in your area, as you can now do most banking tasks online via the Internet. You will probably want to open your merchant account in a country that is economically stable. One with U.S. bank branches might be particularly useful in helping you open a high volume merchant account, since many U.S. banks enjoy a highly esteemed international reputation. Whether you apply online or in person, you will need to show proof of your citizenship and your company’s country of operation. You must show that your business does not involve illegal, and in some cases, immoral activities like pornography, gambling, pharmacy, and telemarketing initiatives. Generally, there are no limits on volume, so even if your credit card processing unit brings in far more profit than anticipated, you need not worry about being charged extra fees, although you will have to clarify this up front.

Your application for a merchant account could be approved in a day or two, which means you could start accepting credit card payments in a couple of days. Of course, you will need to select the type of credit card processor that you want to use either at a physical location or via your online Website. You may want to use a wireless processor for employees who travel from one site to another. Your high volume merchant account will be ready for business promptly to ensure that payments can be processed right away for your customers’ convenience and your company’s profit.

Many entrepreneurs, company owners, and managers find it exciting to expand their operations to include credit card processing options so that customers can shop night and day, 24/7. Start browsing online banking sites or community financial institutions that can provide this opportunity, and carefully read the conditions and terms for each institution before you choose one and apply for your high volume merchant account.

How Reverse Phone Lookup Services Have Evolved Over the Years

The concept of reverse phone lookup has been around since the beginning of the telecom revolution and the birth of the simple but handy telephone directory. Finding a phone number based on a person’s name has always been around but telephone users have always wanted a service where they could identify a person’s name or location based on their telephone number.

Although the need for reverse phone lookup services have been around for a few decades now, it is only after the growth of the internet that this much required service has taken shape and grown over the past few years. With the internet becoming the fastest and most preferred way of communication, this has given rise to several internet based services and also many of the traditional ones have transformed themselves to be an online service.

With the traditional telephone directory going online, it gave rise to the possibility of not just looking up phone numbers using names but actually to lookup names of people using their phone numbers. Thus the first form of reverse phone lookup service was born. The first version of this service was extremely simple and basic in nature. You could just get the name of the owner of a phone number and that’s it.

The second step in the evolution of this unique service was trying to get much more information than just the name of a person. Most users of this service already knew the name of the person but wanted more information like the location or postal address so they could get directions before visiting a place. This prompted online service providers to try and add as much information as possible connected with a phone number including the actual location of the phone.

Next came the big cell phone wave which once again completely transformed and revolutionized the telecommunication industry. Telephone users started replacing their landline numbers with new and the more convenient cell phone numbers. Either landline numbers were being completely replaced or users would use a cell phone number as a secondary number apart from the existing landline phones.

This required the reverse phone lookup service providers once again to upgrade their services and include a reverse cell phone number lookup service along with its landline lookup facility. The good thing about looking up cell phone numbers is that nowadays the service providers even tell you which carrier the person owning the cell phone number is using.

Just like any other service which has stood the test of time and has remained a very important part of our lives, reverse phone lookup services have continued to evolve over time and made sure that new information was available to its users all the time. The latest innovation now is that you can report phone numbers from which you feel you are receiving prank calls and warn other users of these pranksters. You could also report a phone number and upload your bad experiences from receiving calls from the number and get help from the online community.

All these innovations have made sure that reverse phone lookup services will remain an important part of our lives as it strives to provide as much information as possible at the press of a button.

How Can a Virtual Business Help Me Survive the Recession?

A question I get all the time is «How Can a Virtual Business Help Me Survive the Recession»?
Unemployment is not letting up, businesses are not hiring. The best way to survive the recession is to take advantage of the economic turmoil and start a business. Not just any business, but a virtual business.

The benefits of a virtual business are endless. To mention a few:

1. Low cost to entry
2. Speed to market
3. You can work from home
4. You can run your business remotely
5. You can hire virtual employees

Therefore the answer is, start a virtual business!

According to Entrepreneur.com, these are the 10 hottest trends to watch for 2010. Not all of them can be set up as 100% percent virtual businesses, but their entire back-office and operations can.

Here is the list:

1. Economic turmoil: Results from Challenger, Gray & Christmas’ job market index revealed that 8.7 percent of job seekers gained employment by starting their own businesses in second quarter 2009

2. Green Power: Thanks to government incentives and changing public sentiment, clean energy is the most popular kid on the green movement block. The stimulus plan poured billions into renewable energy.

3. The Senior Market: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the aging-services industry composed of home healthcare, elderly and disabled services and community care facilities for the elderly make up three of the top 10 industries with the fastest employment growth.

4. Discount Retail: In 2009, secondhand shops increased revenue by $223.3 million, according to Ibis World.

5. Local Businesses: Demand is exploding for locally grown and made a product—which means more support for mom-and-pop stores. The dividend: For every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $68 comes back to the community. Only $43 re-circulates from national chain stores

6. Education: Huge numbers of people are going back to school—ducking the bad economy, retraining for new jobs, even reinventing themselves completely

7. Parental Outsourcing: Taking care of the kids, scrubbing the toilets, checking in on Mom, helping with homework, coaching Little League—more people than ever are paying professionals to do their domestic chores. The trend even has a name: Parental outsourcing.

8. Health and Wellness: Home care was the No. 1 growing industry from 2004 to 2009, averaging yearly increases of more than 7 percent, according to Ibis World. In-home care already employs a staggering 1.33 million people, and revenue is expected to grow beyond $72 billion by 2011.

9. Texas: Texas dominated 2009’s lists of best relocation destinations, home-building markets and job-creation cities. This very magazine also named Austin one of its own Best Cities for Small Businesses.

10. Affordable Alcohol: The alcoholic beverage industry has been growing steadily for the past three years and is expected to reach a record $455 billion in 2009.

You can see an example of a real sustainable, successful virtual business (100% virtual and paperless) at groupbenefitagency.com

Visit http://virtualbusinessdashboard.com to get the 20 insider secrets for starting your own virtual business on a shoestring and a video of the best business to start in this new economy.

Learn to Earn Extra Money at Home

Due to the present condition of the worldwide economy, many people are looking to alternate methods to make additional income. A great place to supplement your income is right at home with your internet connection. You can make some extra money at home by selling other peoples products. This is called Affiliate Marketing.

The best way to learn to earn extra money at home is from someone who is already doing it. Some one who has ironed out the wrinkles so to speak. Better yet, why not learn from someone who actually makes a full time living and then some at affiliate marketing. In the internet marketing business these are called Super Affiliates!

There are many online promoters who will teach you all the steps you will need to accomplish to earn extra money at home but most of them will never give you all the pieces to the puzzle. Most will try to make you their personal cash cow, charging you for small chunks of information at a time never fully divulging all the methods you need to learn at one time. So what is a person who wants to earn extra money at home to do?

If you wanted to be a doctor, nurse, teacher or any other professional what would you do? You would have to take some college classes, of course. Less intense professions would require less intense courses that might even be found at a local community college and not cost so much to take. Some college courses can be even taken online. I know this for a fact since my daughter is doing this currently.

Why not learn to earn extra money at home by taking an online course. It is the perfect solution. There are some very good ones out there. I can personally think of three myself. The beauty of these online courses is that you can progress at your own pace and they are a lot cheaper than going to college.

Most of these types of courses are membership sites. You will be charged a monthly membership fee as long as you stay. $50 — $100 per month is what you will need to get involved in a quality course.

Here is a couple of tips.

Be sure to use a course that will also accept you as an affiliate. Most will give you 50% commissions for referrals. You can then use the techniques you learn in the course to sign up others and after 2 or 3 sign-ups your membership will be free.

If you have a high speed internet connection use a course that teaches using video. You will progress faster than by just learning from written material. One course I use has HD Video content that you can download to your computer or watch online. This lets me learn even when I don’t have a high speed connection.

Would you like to use your computer to earn extra money at home and become the next Super Affiliate? I thought so.

Keep Your Home Fresh with Natural Carpet Cleaning, Virginia Organic Dry Carpet Cleaning

There are many ways to keep you home feeling fresh and healthy and one of the major ways is by organic dry carpet cleaning. This is done by professionals who are licensed in organic cleaning methods. There are many differences between this type of cleaning service and the more traditional version. The most noticeable difference is there is no waiting for your carpet to dry before you can return to your normal activities. When it comes to organic dry carpet cleaning there are many advantages that do not just affect the drying time of the carpet. This method will also protect your family from harsh chemicals and the possibility of mold.

With the more traditional methods of carpet cleaning harsh chemicals and water is used to eliminate any odors, stains, and germs in the carpet, this is not the case with natural carpet cleaning. Virginia is one of the states that is jumping to the forefront of this trend and now has many service operating in the state. The organic dry carpet cleaning method is one of the safest and least evasive options available to the consumer. This method uses state of the art equipment and technology that creates a safe and healthy living environment for both you and your family.

When it comes to natural carpet cleaning, Virginia has set itself on the cutting edge of this new technology. There are many other options available, but none that offer the peace of mind that organic dry carpet cleaning does to both you and your family. The way this system works is by using an all natural powder instead of a chemical solution. The powder attaches itself to the dirt, germs, and stains in your carpet to leave it completely clean and germ free for your family.

The advantage to organic carpet cleaning is that you can resume your normal living habits the second the technicians are finished with the carpet cleaning process. There is no waiting for you carpets to dry, and no risk of mold forming from excess solution left in the carpet fibers. This is a great incentive for those with small children and pets, because there is no harmful residue left with natural carpet cleaning. Virginia is one of the first states to take this type of carpet cleaning to heart, and it is now used in many of the homes in that state.

It is no secret that carpets need to be cleaned regularly to keep your home’s environment as healthy as possible, and this can be accomplished with natural carpet cleaning. Virginia is on the cutting edge of this technology by offering the service in many areas. Playing on the fact that traditional carpet cleaning uses harsh chemicals to leave your home fresh; technology has come up with a better solution to this problem in natural carpet cleaning. Virginia has claimed this technology as one of the rising stars of the carpet cleaning community, and its popularity will only continue to grow as homeowner’s discover all of the benefits of this natural alternative.