7 Essential Resources for Small Business

Written by Jinger Jarrett


So you want to start a business but you don't have a lot of money? Start your business online, and it won't be a problem.

There are some pretty terrific resources you can use. Some of them you have to pay for, but they are inexpensive and can get you started quickly and easily.

1. A domain and web hosting. If you want others to see you as a professional and take you seriously, then you need to invest in your own domain and web hosting.

Purchased separately,repparttar cost can add up very quickly. Here are some very low cost solutions to help you put your name onrepparttar 103820 map.

Dot Easy - http://www.doteasy.com - For only $25 per year, you can purchase your own domain. The web hosting is completely free. Although this hosting account is stripped of allrepparttar 103821 bells and whistles like CGI, you still get 15MB of bannerless hosting for free, and if you build minisites, this is a really cheap way for you to get started. Buy a domain a month, and before you know it, you have your own empire of products set up for a lot less than if you had bought all of this separately.

Go Daddy - http://www.godaddy.com - Although as far as I know they offer domain names forrepparttar 103822 cheapest price onrepparttar 103823 Internet at $6.95, their service is pretty good. I buy all of my domains here, and I've never had any problems.

Free Web Space - http://100best-free-web-space.com/ - If money is a real problem right now, but you still want to make a good impression, then this site can help you findrepparttar 103824 most affordable web hosting or even bannerless hosting that's free.

Remember, you get what you pay for, so eventually, when you can afford it, upgrade. There are some good budget web hosts out there like Dot Easy, but forrepparttar 103825 most part, you get what you pay for.

2. Web Site Creation Tools.

There are some fantastic tools onrepparttar 103826 Internet you can use to build your web site, and they're all free.

Considered to berepparttar 103827 best HTML editor online, Front Page 2000 will give you hundreds of scripts, as well as a free FTP client you can unzip intorepparttar 103828 directory and upload your files directly fromrepparttar 103829 HTML editor.

There are four different modes, including beginner and expert, so no matter what level at creating HTML you are, this free editor will definitely help you.

You'll find it here: http://www.evrsoft.com.

While you're there, make sure you check outrepparttar 103830 free metatag creator, as well as some ofrepparttar 103831 other great free online tools you'll find there.

3. Scripts.

If you want to getrepparttar 103832 most from your web site, scripts will help you do this. You don't have to be an expert in installation either. You can quickly and easily learn how to install them. I taught myself from reading some ofrepparttar 103833 webmaster sites online.

You have two choices when it comes to installing scripts on your site:

You can install them yourself, or you can use remotely hosted scripts. Remotely hosted scripts are great when you don't have a CGI bin on your site.

This site is offering scripts for free: http://site-by-design.com/affiliates.php - Scripts include: Autoresponder Script, Fly-In Ads Script, Paid To Read Emails Script, Safelist Script, Rotator Script, Homepage Traffic Script. Definitely worth a look.

Two resources that offer a wide variety of scripts in different formats are:

http://www.cgiextremes.com/ http://www.hotscripts.com

If you want remotely hosted scripts,repparttar 103834 best sites I have found are:

http://www.cgispy.com http://www.bravenet.com

4. Autoresponders. Autoresponders will help you in two ways: you can use them for your opt in lists and ezines, and you can also use them to follow up with your customers.

With opt in lists and ezines, an autoresponder will save yourepparttar 103835 trouble of handling subscribe and unsubscribe requests, which can become very tedious after awhile. This will allow you to automaterepparttar 103836 mundane part of building a relationship with your customers and newsletter subscribers, providing you withrepparttar 103837 credibility you need online to makerepparttar 103838 sale.

Two sites that offer free autoresponders that are very reliable are: http://www.getresponse.com/ http://www.sendfree.com/

Diamond Flashes

Written by Laura Ciocan


Diamond Flashes

Beyond magnificence and splendor,repparttar world of diamonds evolves on stirred grounds. Whenrepparttar 103819 stake is so important, interests collide. But technology develops following its onward course. Here are some interesting off-stage events inrepparttar 103820 diamond industry and innovations in technology.

De Beers sued by head ofrepparttar 103821 Diamond Bourse

Derek Parsons,repparttar 103822 president ofrepparttar 103823 Diamond Bourse ofrepparttar 103824 Southeast United States has filed a lawsuit against De Beers, onrepparttar 103825 charge ofrepparttar 103826 company's disregard of American competition law. Their Supplier of Choice policy putsrepparttar 103827 American dealers at a disadvantage. The suit was not launched on behalf ofrepparttar 103828 Miami bourse but on behalf of diamond dealers in America, condemningrepparttar 103829 criteria on which De Beers makesrepparttar 103830 sales – they would sell only to their sightholders, discouragingrepparttar 103831 non-sightholders and keeping prices artificially high at a non-competitive level.

Diamond mining expands

De Beers holds control of only 50% ofrepparttar 103832 roughs market

Diamond rising prices have stimulatedrepparttar 103833 exploration and mining in more countries such as Canada, Russia, Angola, India, Brazil. Nevertheless, about 40% of diamonds still come from Botswana and South Africa. De Beers' control onrepparttar 103834 rough diamond market was declared to have decreased from 70% to about 50%. Canada, Russia and West and Central Africa are considered by specialists an important potential diamond source. India and Brazil are prospected by geologists also due torepparttar 103835 fact that they are known to have been a diamond source inrepparttar 103836 past.

The largest diamond reserve of Africa lives in extreme poverty

Althoughrepparttar 103837 fourth largest producer inrepparttar 103838 world by value andrepparttar 103839 holder ofrepparttar 103840 largest diamond reserves in Africa. Angola's per capita gross national income GNI is estimated at $650 per annum. People' s main means of subsistence is agriculture. The diamond sector has been seriously affected byrepparttar 103841 long war and by gem smuggling. Yet it still represents a very important potential driver of economic development. Since 2002, whenrepparttar 103842 conflict betweenrepparttar 103843 government andrepparttar 103844 UNITA rebel movement ended, developingrepparttar 103845 sector has become a national priority andrepparttar 103846 government has already made changes torepparttar 103847 diamond sector regulations. Serious redevelopment and investment is needed in this area. At present, artisanal mining operates in Angola and it brings very little economic benefit to local communities.

Increasing conflict in Russia between diamond cutters and miners

The Russian company Alrosa isrepparttar 103848 largest diamond miner inrepparttar 103849 world outside De Beers. Diamond cutters accuse Alrosa of favoring exports and providing larger stones forrepparttar 103850 foreign market and offering only small-sized diamonds torepparttar 103851 internal market. Onrepparttar 103852 other hand, Alrosa says that cutters cannot be allowed to pickrepparttar 103853 assortment of size they want. The result is that Russian cutters are buying million dollars in rough stones from South Africa each month. Russian manufacturers had a production of $1.1 billion in 2003, and Alrosa is estimated to produce around $2 billion worth rough diamonds this year.

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