Finding the Best Antique Bargains of All Can Be So Surprising!

June 22nd, 2008 by cellegopisetty

By John Cohen As a collector of antique Japanese netsuke, inro, lacquer boxes, as well as Chinese snuff bottles and Jade carvings (particularly pendants) like all other collectors I have always been looking out for the chance to buy a bargain! Values One has to be able to evaluate the value to be able to recognise a bargain. A comparative value as applied to skills of craftsmanship is something I use when considering buying. There are some limitations to this however. For example one could not value paintings this way, otherwise a few lines by Picasso would never justify being worth so much more than pictures with more intricate applications of paint. So artistic merit has to be another important factor. It is necessary to appreciate that all prices are dictated only by the market place. If demand is great prices go up, if not, they go down. This applies to antiques in just the same way as to all other commodities. However having had many years’ experience as a collector I have never seen prices fall in our particular fields of interest as long as one bought good quality. What has happened on the few occasions when I thought that prices had reached the highest point possible (in other words ridiculously high!) was that the following year such records were broken! Only the larger Jade carvings have not proved quite so successful, this is the only area of our collecting that has been affected by less demand, and really what seems to have happened is that prices have remained static for a long time. Craftsmanship and Fashion There is an element of fashion in collecting, and at the moment, as has been the case for quite a long time now, small is beautiful! So the smaller items, like most of the antiques we collect, are in very big demand. There is more to it than that however; all the antiques we collect represent such amazing craftsmanship, the like of which is certainly never likely to be produced again. With so many keen collectors, now established all over the world, searching for the very limited supply of these fine pieces, I am convinced that this is unlikely to be subject to any change of fashion for a very long time. Although the larger Chinese Jade pieces do not sell so easily, there are certain exceptions: very valuable pieces that appeal to the Chinese taste do sell well in the Hong Kong sales, but the European market is rather poor. This is something that could suddenly change, and I believe it will, particularly as these larger carvings appear better and better value for money. Bargain Hunting So many collectors begin with the view that they will only buy if they are satisfied that they have found a ‘bargain’. Whilst this was possible many years ago, when believe it or not, Japanese netsuke and Chinese snuff bottles were sold in lots, which consisted of six or more at a time, but those days have long gone by and today it is far more difficult. However looking back, with the advantage of hindsight, over so many years of collecting I have come to realise that surprisingly, our very best bargains (we had a few) were not the ones we had thought of as good bargains the real bargains have turned out to be more often than not, our most expensive purchases. These were the outstanding pieces, that we just had to have, even though at the time the prices often seemed quite outrageous. I remember being worried about having paid too much, on several occasions, for quite a long time afterwards. But although I reminded myself that these were exceptional, very rare, superb examples, I confess I still worried! I would certainly never have thought of these as being bargains, or even potential bargains, at the time! I am not sure if there is any lesson to be learned from all this. Yet I can now report that it is these that are now the treasures that have proved to be the most amazing bargains of all! The author has been a very keen collector for many years in helping to create The Cohen Collection. To see more articles with photographs please use the following link: - http://www.jncohen.net/antiques/articles.htm Also to learn more about The Cohen Collection please use the following link: http://www.jncohen.net/Cohen_collection Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Cohen http://EzineArticles.com/?Finding-the-Best-Antique-Bargains-of-All-Can-Be-So-Surprising!&id=183202 licensed payday lenders michigan pay day loans gone bad- washington state payday advance greensburg pa download payday game

Nokia N95 - Made for You

June 19th, 2008 by cellegopisetty

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Amanda_Dorthy]Amanda Dorthy Nokia, the Finnish mobile giant has given a new name to the way people talk-communicate. Reliability and user-friendliness are the two main attributes of this mobile phone major. Riding high on the wings of great customer satisfaction, the company is launching newer and sophisticated handsets at a regular interval of time. N-Series has been the biggest onslaught in the competitive mobile market from the company till date. In the last two years, Nokia has unveiled several N-Series mobile phones. The latest to join its league is the Nokia N95-which is ‘not one thing but many’. The Nokia N95 is not a mere mobile phone, it’s your mini computer. Equipped with a two way slider opening mechanism, the phone comes with a plethora of features which include imaging, music, connectivity, gaming, memory expansion and much more. This 3G smartphone measures 99 x 53 x 21 mm and weighs 120 grams and carries a 16 million colour TFT screen with an effective resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. But the highlight of the phone is its highly impressive 5 megapixel autofocus camera that incorporates Carl Zeiss Optics Tessar lens, flash and dedicated camera key. The phone captures exciting stills as well as mesmerizing videos. The Nokia N95 boasts of an integrated music player supporting MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+ and WMA files. Stereo FM radio and visual radio are two other music features in the phone. Connectivity channels like 3G, Bluetooth, USB 2.0, Pop Port, EDGE, WLAN Wi-Fi, HSCSD are the best in its class. The Nokia N95 has also got GPS Navigation of 100 countries map-isn’t that exciting? The rest of the features of the phone include Quad Band support, push-to-talk, document viewer, second CIF camera for video calling, email support, WAP, XHTML, HTML, 160MB internal memory plus supplied 128 Mbyte MicroSD memory card and so on. With so many features, the Nokia N95 is a definite show-stealer. For more information on latest [http://www.bestcontractmobilephone.co.uk/Phone_Deal.asp?Ph=Nokia--N95]Nokia N95 and [http://www.bestcontractmobilephone.co.uk/Phone_Deal.asp?Ph=Nokia--N95--Sand]Nokia N95 Sand on 3 mobile, t mobile, orange, O2, Vodafone network, please visit our online [http://www.bestcontractmobilephone.co.uk/]Mobile Phones Shop. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amanda_Dorthy http://EzineArticles.com/?Nokia-N95—Made-for-You&id=597795 earn extra money online loan san antonio no credit check car loan is it legal to charge someone interest in a personal loan in nj payday loans for self employed people

New Members of N-series: Awesome Threesome

June 15th, 2008 by cellegopisetty

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Callum_Liam]Callum Liam The emergence of Nokia N-series mobile phones is a boon to the people who love to have everything at their fingertips. Right from good connectivity to web access, from imaging experience to music-the Nokia N-series give you all the pleasures of latest mobile telephony. Nokia N-series incorporates innovative features and cutting-edge technology to deliver you new experience, new heights of imagination. The Nokia N70, the Nokia N71, the Nokia N72, the Nokia N73, the Nokia N80, the Nokia N90, the Nokia N91 and the Nokia N92 were the initial members of the popular N-series. The most recent to join the N-series bandwagon are the Nokia N93 and the Nokia N95. The Nokia N97 is yet to hit the market. The Nokia N93 is a gorgeous 3G phone with numerous futuristic features like 3.2 megapixel camera ( with 20 x digital zoom, autofocus and flash ), Carl Zeiss Optics Tessar lens, dedicated camera key, video player, video recorder ( MPEG4 ), video streaming, video stabilisation, second camera for video calls, direct TV connection, email, instant messaging, music player, visual FM radio, voice commands and the list goes on and on. The Nokia N95 also scores high on features. It is a 3G phone with a smooth slide opening mechanism. The camera feature is completed with a 5 megapixel camera which comes complete with Carl Zeiss Optics Tessar lens, digital zoom, autofocus and flash. Video recording, video playing, video streaming, video calling ( with the help of the second camera at the front ), stereo music player, visual FM radio, email etc are all available with the Nokia N95. The powerful and terrific Nokia N97 is yet to be released. The Nokia N97 is said to have got a 5 megapixel camera with 20 x digital zoom, auto focus, flash and Carl Zeiss Optics Tessar lens. For the music lovers, the Nokia N97 is going to be a priceless possession as it has got a massive 20GB internal memory. Rest of the features are more or less same with the Nokia N93 and N95. To sum up, the Nokia N93, the Nokia N95 and the Nokia N97 run on the revolutionary S60 Software on Symbian Operating System. All of them are equipped with great connectivity via 3G, USB, Pop-Port, Bluetooth, and EDGE. Callum Liam is the webmaster of bestcontractdeal.co.uk, a site specializing in comparing [http://www.bestcontractdeal.co.uk]mobile phone deals and [http://www.bestcontractdeal.co.uk]contract mobile phones of various mobile phone merchant in UK on latest [http://www.bestcontractdeal.co.uk]mobile phones. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Callum_Liam http://EzineArticles.com/?New-Members-of-N-series:-Awesome-Threesome&id=418477 online auto loans payday a finance simulation goodheart-wilcox payday loan in minutes studen loan no co-signer bad credit

Safe Weight Loss with Healthy Snacking

June 7th, 2008 by cellegopisetty

By Troy Shanahan Fact: whether it comes from fats, proteins, or carbohydrates, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. Fact: if you eat more calories than you use up, you will put on weight. Its as simple as this - the amount of calories in must be equal to or less than the amount of calories out. In these times of hectic, frenetic, busy daily lives, when we all are juggling a diversity of roles, its no wonder that healthy eating goes straight out of the window. Rushing to get to work, get the kids to school, to catch up with our work, goingto meetings, getting the domestic chores done etc, makes it easy to miss meals altogether and buy impulse junk food. You can make it easier to be sure you get a wide variety of foods from all the food groups and follow a healthier eating plan if you use a little planning ahead. By snacking on healthy foods, you can, to a certain degree, overcome any harm you are doing to your body by not eating properly. Likewise, eating small meals throughout your day can help you provide stable nourishment for your body. Food in its raw state, eaten as unprocessed as possible guarantees that you are getting the full extent of the vitamins and minerals since nothing will be destroyed by cooking. Heating modifies food molecules and destroys many nutrients and enzymes within your diet. Eating food which is raw obliges you to chew more, to break the food down. Doing this also sends signals to the digestive tract to produce just the right amount of digestive enzymes. Another healthy eating tip is that where possible, try to grill or bake your food in rather than frying it. If you must fry or saut, then use half the amount of fat called for in the recipe, giving preference to polyunsaturated fat oils. Dont forget that brown bread and rice is nutritionally superior to the white counterparts, containing higher amounts of fiber, minerals and other nutrients. Wholemeal bread is an top notch convenience food, so try to get your kids accustomed to brown bread in their earlier years, and avoid white bread altogether. When it comes to drinks and hot beverages, you are almost overwhelmed for choices when it comes to the realm of herbal teas. It might not sound like your cup of tea now, but dont knock them until youve tried them. For coffee lovers there are even healthy coffee alternatives available, such as dandelion coffee. Make the switch to healthy snacking for safe weight loss in a busy day. Visit http://www.Medopedia.com for information about safe weight loss surgery options. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Troy_Shanahan http://EzineArticles.com/?Safe-Weight-Loss-with-Healthy-Snacking&id=390982 can i transfer balance on personal loan loan interest short term loans low interest unsecured loans personal loan financing

Buy Your Own Car and Enjoy a Sheer Delight: Car Loans In UK

June 1st, 2008 by cellegopisetty

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Eva_Baldwyn]Eva Baldwyn You like driving. You want to go for a long drive with your nearest one. But, you do not have your own car. What will you do now? If you are UK borrower, you can apply for car loan. Yes, car loan in UK gives all borrowers a chance to finance their desired car model. In the UK, car loans are available in two forms- secured and unsecured. As far as secured option is concerned, a borrower can avail car loans by placing a security against the lending amount. Any sort of valuable objects can be used as a security. Some of them are like home, other real estate, automobile and others. A borrower in the UK also can use the car he is going to buy as a security. On the other hand, unsecured option is available without any security. Hence, all sorts of borrowers in the UK can apply for these loans. But in this option, borrowers need to produce his income, employment and financial documents for ensuring their repayment capacity. By opting for the secured option, borrowers can borrow a higher amount as car loans in the UK. Since, these loans are risk free and secured properly on borrowers property, hence, the interest rate of these loans is lower. As opposed to this, unsecured loans are available at a higher interest rate, as the loan amount is not secured on borrowers property. However, the repayment period of these loans is decided on the basis of borrowed amount. But generally, it is seen that these loans are obtainable for 2-5 years. With car loans, a borrower in the UK can buy any type of cars. Furthermore, these loans also can be taken to finance old car. But in that case, the car should not be more than 5 years old. Car loans in UK are also obtainable for the borrowers having a bad credit score. It includes the cases like, CCJs, IVAs, arrears, defaults, bankruptcy and so on. But, due to bad credit scorer, a borrower may have to pay a higher interest rate on these loans. These loans are easily available in the UK. Many traditional lenders like, banks, financial institutions, lending companies in the UK offer car loans. These days, car loans in UK are also obtainable online. This process is easier and less time consuming. In this option, borrowers can avail a hoard of various loan quotes within a few minutes. Besides, you need not face the hassle of lots of paper work. Only by submitting an online application form, you can apply for these loans easily. Now you can drive your own car with sheer delights. So, do not miss this chance and apply for these loans ASAP. Eva Baldwyn aims to inform common men and women of the several issues involved in personal loans and mortgages through her articles. An MSc in Economics & Finance from the Warwick Business School is proof enough of the knowledge that she possesses in the field of finance.To find [http://www.carloaninuk.co.uk/Car-loan-in-uk.html]Car loans in UK, New car loan, Used car loan in UK, UK personal car loan, Cheap car loan in UK, Online car loan visit [http://www.carloaninuk.co.uk]www.carloaninuk.co.uk Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eva_Baldwyn http://EzineArticles.com/?Buy-Your-Own-Car-and-Enjoy-a-Sheer-Delight:-Car-Loans-In-UK&id=364773 instant decision loan online payday loans in georgia unsecured bank loan how much can i borrow payday loan in minutes

The Secret Garden: An Outdoor Las Vegas Wedding Venue

May 29th, 2008 by cellegopisetty

By Rebecca Johnson If you are planning to have an outdoor wedding in Las Vegas, you may want to take a closer look at The Secret Garden at the Las Vegas Racquet Club. This wedding venue is located on the grounds of a private Las Vegas country club and offers a beautiful ten acre garden area for wedding ceremonies and receptions. The garden features a gazebo, covered patio, pool with fountain, and plenty of twinkle lights. The Secret Garden also offers a lovely indoor wedding pavilion which also features a gazebo and twinkle lights. Although the country club is private, anybody can have a wedding there. The Secret Garden offers several ceremony and reception packages. Packages include a ceremony with an officiant, flowers, and a disc jockey who provides music for both the ceremony and reception. Hors doeuvres and cocktail receptions or buffet style dinner and open bar receptions are offered and include a wedding cake. The Secret Garden can also provide photography and videography services. Another very interesting and unique feature that is offered by The Secret Garden is a vintage horse and carriage. This can really add to the romantic atmosphere of an outdoor wedding. They also have classic cars available and can arrange Elvis and themed weddings. Packages at The Secret Garden run about a thousand dollars more on Saturdays than the rest of the week. If you are not set on having your wedding on a Saturday, you can save yourself some money by choosing a different day of the week. It is definitely worth your time to give The Secret Garden a closer look if you are planning an outdoor garden wedding. Their packages include everything you need and take the pain out of planning a wedding. And you cant beat the wonderful atmosphere that they provide. Rebecca Johnson is owner of Las Vegas Wedding Informer, a website that provides Las Vegas wedding location and planning information. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rebecca_Johnson http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Secret-Garden:-An-Outdoor-Las-Vegas-Wedding-Venue&id=170541 laws for personal loans used auto loan and bad credit cash advance bothell wa debt consolidation bad credit personal loans credit cards

Be Careful With Loans For Bad Credit

May 26th, 2008 by cellegopisetty

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Tim_Gorman]Tim Gorman If you’re saddled with debt or find yourself in an emergency situation where you need cash urgently, it is possible to get loans for bad credit. Loans for bad credit will not ostracize you for bad or zero credit. Loans for bad credit will get the ball rolling immediately, sometimes too fast. How could loans for bad credit be too fast? Well, if you get loans for bad credit within a few hours or overnight, you may not have time to actually realize what you’re getting in to. The truth is, with loans for bad credit, as with any other loan, there will be interest attached. Let’s say you need a mere one hundred dollars to tide you over this week. The interest probably won’t be high for this particular loans for bad credit, but if it’s even just eight and a half percent, you’ll end up repaying the loans for bad credit with one hundred and eight dollars and fifty cents. Not a big deal, right? True. But it can become a big deal if you need more money in your loans for bad credit. If you borrow a larger amount from your loans for bad credit, such as three thousand dollars (which nearly all online loans for bad credit tout as a possibility) you’ll end up owing between two hundred and fifty five dollars interest to four hundred and fifty dollars interest, all on top of the three thousand dollars you originally borrowed. This will become a problem if you apply for more loans for bad credit than you can adequately handle. All that’s needed to avoid this pitfall is some common sense and patience. If you can borrow money from friends or family and put off your need for loans for bad credit, then eventually loans for bad credit can and will be eradicated once and for all. Tim Gorman is a successful webmaster and publisher of Military-Loans-Online.com an online website that offers money saving rates on auto, home, bad credit, [http://www.military-loans-online.com/payday-loans.html]pay day loans and other free loan information that you can view in the privacy of your own home. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Gorman http://EzineArticles.com/?Be-Careful-With-Loans-For-Bad-Credit&id=27462 private money lenders no credit check virginia personal loans & private lenders & toronto ontario reasons for personal loans best interst rates for a personal loan

Depression Medication

May 18th, 2008 by cellegopisetty

By Robert Kokoska When a person is suffering from chronic depression, most possibly, he or she may need to be prescribed depression medication as soon as possible. If you have any of the classical systems of depression, persisting for more than a month, you may need to visit your physician without fail. You can assist your physician diagnose and help you, by providing as much details as possible about your problems of depression. But remember that if your problem is severe enough to demand extra help, you will need to take a family member or friend along on your first visit, to see that you are helped in a proper way. A good depression medication consists of correct analysis of your previous clinical history, present condition of the disease and a right diagnosis. So the first obvious step on your part, is to provide every bit of information about your problem; the previous medical history, physical tests, and preliminary laboratory tests can assist your doctor know a lot, if a general medical problem is the real cause of your malady. Most cases of depressions are usually caused by a general medical illness or medicines associated with those illnesses. Once these conditions are identified and treated, the depression will usually disappear by itself. Depression medication is not possible without your active cooperation and help; never hide anything from your doctor. Based on the intensity of the disease condition, depression medication is classified in two main categories: Acute medication and Continuation medication. These depression medications are used to treat any one of the three types of depression symptoms, like severe depression, moderate depression and mild depression. For each type of those symptoms, there is a defined treatment or medication, which works better with a clinical efficiency. The main aim of acute medication is to systematically take off the severe symptoms of depression until you feel well and better. Continuation medication means continuing the treatment for more time even after you feel fine, and it is critical because it avoids the recurrence of depression after some time. If you have an episode of recurrent depression, a third medication, commonly called maintenance treatment is commonly used. In maintenance depression medication, the patient is maintained on the depression treatment for a longer period of time. There are many types of depression medication methods like antidepressant medicine psychotherapy, antidepressant medicine combined with psychotherapy. Medication for depression works slowly and gradually over a period of several months. However with correct medicine, most affected people experience good results within a month; but with psychotherapy alone, it often takes a long time. Early detection and medication is probably the most important parameter in depression treatment. Depression must be treated at any cost, as soon as it is detected and diagnosed. Otherwise, depression may relapse again, with more severity and intensity. Are you sick and tired of feeling depressed? Elevate your mood and self-esteem naturally with MindSoothe Depression Capsules Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Kokoska http://EzineArticles.com/?Depression-Medication&id=144053 default on a payday loan in texas short term loans in atlanta paycheck deductions calculations cash advance america manager job description

True Love Waits

May 14th, 2008 by cellegopisetty

By Alyssa Avant What is true love? Have you ever thought that you were in love? I know I did when I was dating; early on in my teen years. But was it really love? I am not going to say for sure, but I do know that the Bible describes love best. It does so in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 which say, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” These are all characteristics of true love. Love is also about a relationship. The purest form of a love relationship is that of Jesus Christ. We must look for characteristics of Jesus in another person in order to find true love. So many times today, we allow other characteristics such as physical appearance, popularity, or personality to attract us to someone else. This causes us to be convinced that it is true love and then we often share the rarest gift that we have with the wrong person. Love is not an emotion, but rather both a commitment and a devotion to someone else. If you are truly committed to and devoted to something you can wait for it. Christ was so devoted to us that he gave his own life. We need to be so devoted to our true love that we can wait to give them our rarest gift. Likewise, sex and love are not the same. Sex is a completion of two people becoming one. The Bible explains it is a part of a marriage relationship, another gift given to us by God. Pre-marital sex only leads to pain and heartache because it does not include the characteristics of the true love relationship, that of commitment and devotion. If you think about it, most people who participate in pre-marital sex do it on a whim or because of a long night of drinking. They are not in any means committed to or devoted to the person with whom they share their rarest gift. I can remember vividly being a part of a True Love Waits rally. The True Love Waits campaign began in 1993. I was 13 years old. Standing in about the second pew of the church. I was asked to sign a card committing to stay sexually pure until marriage. I signed that card and committed in my heart also to stay sexually pure. So did my best friend, Laura. We even had a conversation afterwards saying that we would hold each other accountable. That next year Laura moved away. I was not in constant contact with her, and therefore it was a little more difficult to hold each other accountable. However, almost 2 years later, late one night, I had just arrived home from a date with my boyfriend; when the phone rang. I fully expected it to be my boyfriend who always called me after he arrived home. However, it wasnt, it was Laura, speaking through her tears, told me that she had broken her promise and had given away her rarest gift that night. She shared with me how badly she regretted it, how much she felt cheated, how she felt scared, alone, and dirty. It hurt me so bad that she had done it and I longed to reach out over the phone lines and make it better. But, there was nothing I could do. You see, when you have sex outside of marriage, that person can so easily and freely walk away from you because there is no real commitment made between the two of you. That night, Lauras boyfriend had to go home, they werent married, they were young, stupid, and had made a mistake. They broke up later and there was nothing left for her to hang on to, no way to feel that love or devotion. I can tell you that my friend was heartbroken and I can tell you that true love waits and heartbreaks dont. If you want to be heartbroken, give away your rarest gift to the wrong person too soon. Therefore, how can you avoid this heartbreak occurring in your life? Well, the Bible says, Do not be mislead, bad company corrupts good character. 1 Corinthians 15:33 When I was in high school I was constantly pressured more so by my friends and peers than by my boyfriend himself to participate in pre-marital sex. If you surround yourself with those who are sinning and in sin then you too will be pulled into sin. I know that this is sometimes unavoidable. However, be watchful and mindful of those with whom you spend your time. People will automatically think you are like those that you hang around. And, as my dad always used to say, you will be guilty by association. Plus, you will be more tempted. Everyone undergoes this temptation. However, how you choose to respond to it is what is important. The Bible says, No Temptation has seized you except what is common to man, And God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV) It is important that you are ready, that you know how to avoid this temptation. For instance, what you spend your time thinking about and dwelling upon will eventually become what you will do. Your thoughts do indeed become your actions. Psychologists have proven this true. If you dwell upon lusting after the opposite sex, then you will be led into the temptation and indeed sin. Remembering that whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. Philippians 4:8 True Love is indeed worth waiting for. Not only will you be rewarded with the rarest gift your spouse has in their life, on your wedding night, but you will understand and appreciate the commitment and devotion that you share with each other; from that day forward. And only Christ defines true love better than that. Alyssa Avant is a Christian Author and Speaker who helps moms connect with their daughters. A work at home mom , Alyssa is the founder of Beauty By Design Ministries, http://www.beautybydesignonline.com Receive a free My Princess: A Letter from a King, a letter from God to your daughter when you sign up for my e-zine. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mom-daughter_connection/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alyssa_Avant http://EzineArticles.com/?True-Love-Waits&id=484160 online decision for personal loans multiple payday loans fha loan application online no teletrack short term loans

Ground Truth, and the Importance of Market Research

May 9th, 2008 by cellegopisetty

By Karyn Greenstreet I know. I know youre excited about your new business. I know you have a great idea and when you tell others about it, they think you have a great idea, too. A great idea is the birth of a new small business. But as a self-employed small business owner, you cant afford to take chances on ideas without getting more information about what your entire market audience wants and what theyre willing to pay for it. Talking to 10 or 20 other people isnt enough. Youve got to talk to thousands. In the military and in NASA, they use a term called ground truth. While they can observe things via satellite and other distant monitoring devices, nothing beats getting down on the ground and seeing whats really happening in real life. Heres NASAs explanation of how they use Ground Truth: http://asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/groundtruth.html So, how can you get ground truth about the viability of your business idea? The answer is market research. Market research is a study of your consumers preferences and your competition. Sometimes youll hear it called a feasibility study. Through surveys, literature research, internet research, and other information gathering techniques, you can learn the trends in your industry, as well as individual preferences of your potential customers. If youre in a well-defined industry, like toy manufacturing, you might find that your national professional organization has already conducted research studies on behalf of the members of the organization. Why is market research necessary? Because we all have different tastes, different ideas about whats important in our lives, and different ability (or willingness) to pay a particular price for what we want. Often the small business owner thinks they have a great idea for a new product or service, only to discover that people either dont want that service or product, or theyre not willing to pay the price that the small business needs to set in order to be profitable. Sometimes they discover, joyfully, that not only do people want this new product or service, but that these same people can suggest other new products and services that would work well with the new idea, allowing the small business owner to see future growth into new areas. Or maybe they discover through their market research that if they made a small change in their product or service, for instance, making a product with a red cover instead of a blue one, that people would buy it more often. Another purpose of market research is to discover what your competition is doing. Say that you want to create a new type of office product and you think your idea is unique. Take a look at whats on offer at the Staples, OfficeMax and Office Depot websites, and you might discover that your competitors have already created a product to solve the same problem as your product solves. Does that mean you should then give up the idea entirely? No, not necessarily. What it means is that you now have some ground truth about what youre up against if you want to go head-to-head with these competitors. You need to know the ground truth about your ideas before you spend countless hours and money taking a new product or service to market. I know that it feels like its putting a damper on new business idea creation, but in fact, its just the opposite: Im encouraging you to find out what your customers want, and what they will pay for it, so that you can ensure future success. About The Author Karyn Greenstreet is a Self Employment expert and small business coach. She shares tips, techniques and strategies with self-employed people to boost focus, create sustainable motivation, and increase profits. Visit her website at http://www.PassionForBusiness.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karyn_Greenstreet http://EzineArticles.com/?Ground-Truth,-and-the-Importance-of-Market-Research&id=226415 poor credit need a loan short term loans debt consaladation unsecured uk loans capital one sba loan