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A Better Business Bureau for Businesses

bizbeware — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:26:36 GMT

For the past 25 years, I have been involved in the service industry, with most of those years, owning my own business. As a young man I was taught that in life and in business, you were to have integrity. This has been a mainstay for my foundation in life and in business. The problem is that there are an increasing amount of people who do not hold these same values. I grew up during a time when most people were told �the customer is always right�, but that isn�t always true anymore.

The idea for Business Beware came from years ago when I was eating with a fellow friend and business owner. We sat there talking about our businesses when we both said that there was a customer that had given us such a headache while trying to work with them and we both soon realized we were talking about the same person! That�s when the idea about a site where businesses can warn each other about these certain �hard to please� customers came to me. I researched to see if there was anything already available for businesses, and there was nothing.

I told my daughter Ashley about the idea, and she thought it was a great idea, so we started looking into everything we needed to do to make this idea into a reality. We launched the site in May �08 and since then have had nothing but positive feedback from everyone that has come across it or heard about it. Most will say �I have been looking for something like this for years!�

For so long customers have had many outlets available for them to rate businesses. All of them are great sites for consumers, but what about the business and their side? With Business Beware, we want to give your business a voice where you have the chance to tell your side of the story too. Not all customers are bad, there are just some that literally take advantage of businesses any way they can. Even restaurants deal with those that eat their food then try and get out of paying for the dish they just consumed� Businesses need an outlet they can warn fellow businesses about these certain type of customers for future reference.

In the same way the Better Business Bureau works, Business Beware allows...... businesses and contractors to file complaints against(hard to please) customers in their area throughout the US and Canada. Customers are also able to file a rebuttal if they want to tell their side as well. Our goal is to shed light to businesses who are trying to work hard and do a good service for customers, but have had to deal with slow paying customers, customers who will not pay, and customers who you cannot please.

Each day we have more members join from all over and we receive numerous testimonials from people that love the site and are so thankful to have this tool for their business. For example: �After I joined Business Beware, I started using the site to search and post about customers I have dealt with in the past or here recently. When I sent out late notices and received notes back with excuses for why they (the customer) were not going to pay, I kindly wrote them back but also said there is a site where we can let others know about non-paying customers. They quickly sent a check that following week! Use this site to your advantage and maybe the customer will cooperate with you! Thank you for this great tool that has been made available for business owners!� We also have started a new section where we spotlight small businesses all across the US and Canada. Small businesses are the backbone of America and sometimes they stay in the background while the larger corporations and businesses get the attention and spotlight. We decided to spotlight the small businesses and tell their stories of how and why they started their business. It doesn�t matter what type of business you own, because behind every business is a great story.

Business Beware is ultimately for businesses. Unlike other forums, it is not for ranting and raving about customers. The site is to warn fellow businesses about certain customers that might take advantage of them as a business owner. The site is about businesses networking together to provide information to help prevent future problems with customers.

Visit us at www.businessbeware.biz

10 Ways to Increase Your Blog�s Pageviews

seoservicepro — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:45:34 GMT

With Google Adsense or Yahoo Publisher, having people click onto more pages helps your revenue immensely, but how do you get them to read more than one page when they visit your website? Here are a few tips;

1. Create pages within the blog that contain reference material you refer to often in your posts. These static pages will also get crawled and indexed by the search engines and as you write posts about your topics you can refer people to these static pages as references to what you are posting about.

2. Use articles as static pages. You can reprint articles on any topic for free by visiting one of the many article directories like http://www.articlecontentprovider.com/articlesubmit/ Then refer people to read the articles that relate to the post you are making. You could even add one article as a new page every time you make a post.

3. Refer to other posts you have made on your blog or on another one of your blogs while posting. This gets the reader to click over to previous posts. You can even decide your posts by browsing previous posts and deciding which one to follow up on. Those archives are not to be lost and forgotten. Its great material, (you wrote it right?), so use it.

4. Create a page that links to your favorite posts that are timeless. You browse your old posts, find posts that you want readers to find easily, then build a links page with those posts directly linked. Then add a link to that page from your front page. Call it favorite posts or whatever and you will benefit by those that click through and follow those links.

5. I've posted here before about the "more" tag. You write your post as normal, then decide where you want to break the post up onto a new page. You put the more tag in and readers have to click to a new page to read the rest of the story.

6. Write once per week special projects. These are a series of articles on a particular topic. You will be offering it once per week giving readers a week to comment on it, then have them hanging on for next weeks special post in the series. Each time add links to previous posts in that series.

7. Using your content from your other websites or blogs is also a great way to get more pageviews for all of them. Use the target new tag and refer to material on your other blogs and websites. It will open a new window leaving the current blog open while they visit your other website or blog. You can quickly double up your pageviews while also introducing your readers to your other websites and blogs.

8. Make a list of 10 previous posts and the links to those posts. Make a post in your blog about 10 things you want your readers to know and read in case they have not done so before. At your suggestion they will at least go see if they have read those posts before, increasing your pageviews once again plus bringing old material to new readers. That also lets them know they should browse the archives for things they have missed.

9. Using that same list of 10 posts or a new one, visit other blogs on your topic. Find posts that talk about something similar to one of those 10 posts, then instead of adding a link in your signature to the home page, make a comment there and refer to the post that is similar and that contains helpful information to that blogger and their readers. You will also be increasing your link popularity while doing this. Do not spam the link. Make sure it actually contains useful information. Don't be trolls or spammers and you will end up with new readers and more page views for your blog.

10. Do not stop being creative. Use the tips in this article, plus invent some of your own ways to interlink your blogposts together. Create pages. Don't just post and forget. That content is valuable, use it. Do not make people search your blog. They are lazy and busy. Bring it to them. That is just good customer service.

I hope this article helps you learn there is more to blogging than just writing a post once in awhile or even daily. If you employ the tips I just gave you into your blog I guarantee you will increase your pageviews which in turn will increase your revenue if using an ad program in your blog.

Visit http://www.BlogContentprovider.com for professional business blog management.

Passion that started my Success in my Business at age 19.

hairsecret — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:18:41 GMT

I grew up playing with barbies with whomever was around me. I love socializing and had eyes for beauty. I never imagined that I would be a young and successful entreprenuer for about six years now and I'm still loving it! What's the secret?.....Hair Secret! Come and find out. Our friendly and professional team works together to provide quality products and services to meet and exceed our client's satisfaction. Check out our website www.hairsecretsalon.com.
I love what I do for a living. I make people look good and feel good. Because I have passion in my industry, the economy today doesn't get me down, well maybe sometimes due to laying off some staff members but when our loyal clients have enough money, they come and we get busy. Our staff is real loving, and we work in harmony. We have understanding and we are patient. When times are slow, we talk and try to stay productive. Economy will get better. We just have to ride the waves. Use this time to rest and grow so we can be prepared and ready for everybody when they are ready. When times are tough, I personally go to Abundant Living Family Church in RC and love pastor Diego when he speaks. He is funny and real. I always walk out feeling good and keep my faith being a better person as much as possible. I always look forward to my Sundays. During my working days Mondays through Saturdays, I do what I do best....Hair and talk to my wonderful clientele who are mostly referrals for as long as 11 years now....! So keep doing what you love to do and remember to keep the faith and don't give up during bad economy. Keep your passion and sharing is caring.
I hope my story inspired you and helps you get to know me and my business a little more. Please feel free to email me at HairSecret@live.com with any comments, questions, advice, or appointments. It's best to call though:
Upland (909)920-9999
Pomona (909)455-2090
Direct (909)455-2853
***MENTION THIS STORY AND GET A FREE SCALP TREATMENT BY APPOINTMENT ONLY!

Blessed with Success,
Sophie Kim

A checklist for successful business management

visuals4u — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:09:55 GMT

It amazes me how many companies are still using outdated technology and volumes of paper documentation to conduct business. With any sales process, the goal is to close the customer. However, many business owners are at a loss when attempting to calculate a profitable price for their products or services. Others are confused when determining how to get their products to the customer. Should I sell online? Should I open a retail store? Would it better to sell through another business already established? No matter how many times the questions are answered, thousands more pop up everyday.

A business owner, small or large, has countless details to resolve to stay afloat. The majority opinion in the business world is that there are seven areas to strategize when developing a management plan:
A. Marketing
B. Finance
C. Production
D. Distribution
E. Research & Development
F. Government Regulations
G. Labor

Here are few of suggestions. Keep up with your receipts so tax deductions can be taken later. Don't make your customers pay for shabby services. Dependability will add a premium value to your business. Your customers will notice and start talking about your merchandise (or service) to their family & friends. Tap into the power of social media and internet marketing to promote your company. You can always find ways to create a "well-oiled machine." Improvements typically translate into returns on your investment. This is an excerpt of my article,* "10 Business mistakes for start-ups to avoid." To read the full story, go to http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2321982/10_business_mistakes_for_startups_to.html

Beats The Tweet Outta Me

Strategist007 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:23:35 GMT

Back in July, Best Buy Co. Inc. launched a major advertising campaign built around its bold decision to use Twitter as a scalable customer service tool. Their so-called Twelpforce currently has about 14,000 followers, and hundreds of Best Buy employees are answering approximately 75 to 100 consumer electronics questions per day.

QUESTION: Is that what Twitter was built for?

Simple answer - NO. Twitter wasn't built to be a customer service tool, but the minds at Best Buy looked at Twitter's platform and its RAW application and said.... Hmmmm, I wonder what else we could do with it. Now they may not be the first to explore this possibility, but they're the first one that comes to mind.

Is this news to you? No. Did you give it a second thought or did it even make you stop and think when you heard or read about it? Well, aside from saying "hey that's a pretty cool idea", probably not. Putting these rhetorical questions aside for a moment, the thing that you really need to ask yourself is - Why not? Why didn't something like Best Buy's approach to Twitter make me stop and think? Is it because something like that is for big corporations? Maybe it's because you don't have the bandwidth or manpower to even consider using Twitter like that.

UGH! - FORGET ABOUT WHAT BEST BUY IS DOING WITH TWITTER - IT DOESN'T MATTER!!!

I'm not suggesting that you turn Twitter into a customer service tool for your company and copy what they did, what I'm suggesting is that you get your head out of the sand, strip Twitter down to its bare bones like you just had a team of developers build a customized application for you, and THINK about what you could actually do with it!

Honestly, have you ever given any serious thought, I mean really thought about what Twitter is, what it does, or enables you to do; or did you just fall in-line when you got to the party and played along like everyone else? If so, that's okay. You're just like the other 30 million users out there.

Off the top of my head, I attempted to make a short list of just some of the things that Twitter and/or its platform was designed to do:

You can create a self-defining marketable name: @YourName, @YourCompany, @YourProduct, @YourSpecialty @YourNiche that is searchable by tens-of-millions of people. You can even create multiple accounts.
You have the ability to create a billboard of sorts as a background or "landing page" that introduces you to everyone that you encounter, to help reinforce your personal or corporate Brand.
You can introduce yourself, your interests and strengths in a 160 character bio.
You can provide a link to your company website, blog or latest promotion and drive traffic.
You can search for specific people to connect with and add them to your network.
You can send direct messages that people will actually receive in their inbox. Messages that won't be considered spam.
You get instantly notified when someone has elected to follow you, and you can elect to block them if you so choose in the event that they're just not the audience that you were looking for.
You can send messages and stay in touch with your network from your phone (SMS).
You have an instant searchable database of millions at your disposal from day one to choose from.
And oh yeah - it's free!

In addition to all of this, there are hundreds of spinoff websites and applications that have built their model around Twitter. From sites that allow you to search Twitter bios, to applications that allow you to schedule the time of your posts in advance and tweet for you. Please don't get me started on automation.

However, with all of this laid at your feet, chances are you created an account that includes your bio, a link to your website, your photo and maybe even a custom background. You follow, they follow you, you each say "Thanks for the follow" and then you never hear from each other again. Then it's off to the races to see who can reach 100,000 followers without any rhyme or reason or game plan in place.

Today I challenge you to strip Twitter of its name, just put it aside for a moment, and forget about what everyone else is using it for. Think of how these features, like Best Buy, could be tailored to suit your business model or personal needs. Remember, Twitter wasn't designed or intended to be used as a customer service tool, but Best Buy saw it differently.

Come on, isn't it time that you stopped taking things at face value?

SOURCE: http://www.MarketingCouch.com

How to Stay Ahead of Your Competition With a Smart Website

iQuestDesign — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:11:33 GMT

Slow-loading graphics and web pages, old-style �framed� coding, and the use of graphics for text instead of pure HTML text�all these indicate that your site was designed in 1995. It may also look like you could not care less about the appearance of your business. You recognize that your current design is not perfect for your purpose and what once seemed like a good idea may not be as beneficial or practical now. There is always room for improvement. If web design trends are changing, so should your site. It is a very good idea to stay ahead of your competition. If direction of your business has changed since you have designed your web site or your business has grown significantly then it is very important to reflect those changes in your new web design. Your web site is a reflection of you business. A modern and fresh looking website design will certainly increase its credibility.

Making your site user-friendly or customer friendly is a valid reason for changing a site�s design. This will not only improve a visitor�s experience but also make them stay longer on your website, which in turn will beneficial to you. By adding text and images over time, the site becomes confusing or unwieldy. If the navigation can be restructured, visitors will be able to easily find their way around your site and few clicks can take them where the need to be. If your site has broken images, poor design, or out-of-date information it reflects an unprepared and unprofessional image.

Take advantage of the latest techniques that was not available at the time of your website creation. The newer techniques can help to improve loading speed, increase the site�s ranking in a search result, and to obtain a variety of detailed reports. It can also improve the accessibility of your website by the use of the right colors, the right text size, and the proper naming of all the images, so that those who are visually impaired (color blindness, poor eyesight, blindness) can access information from your site with less trouble.

Poor design choices and coding can result in low ranking in the search engines. If the HTML codes on your current site are not clean, then the search engine optimization (SEO) task becomes very difficult. SEO is one of the major reasons why you should redesign your site with easy to read text, fresh images, and a clean HTML coding. Atlanta Web Design Company can help you achieve your goal by assigning a skilled web designer to design your site. It will not only improve your page ranking but also make site navigation easier.

The latest web site technique can do a lot more then just display your business. It can help you attract new prospects, close sales, and make your business easier to run. Your website is your sales person so dress him up according to your business image; it will pay off. Encourage you visitors with calls to action such as signing up for newsletter, price alerts, or just contacting you. Estimating tools, forms, downloading articles or specs sheet, surveys, and an auto responder email series can help you stay in contact with your prospects and clients all the time.

If your existing site is costing you a fortune to maintain or update then you should consider redesigning it with a content management system (CMS). With this CMS you or your staff can make changes to your site such as adding, replacing, or updating text and images with just a few clicks. If your website has up-to-date information, a fresh look, improved accessibility, and easy navigation, your visitors and clients will believe your business is reliable and is a good fit for their web designing needs.

ShaiQuest is experienced in sales and marketing, web design, graphic design, and search engine optimization with www.iQuestWebDesign.com, an Atlanta Web Design firm, offers affordable website services.

Surviving in an unfair market!!!

Designiam — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:18:19 GMT

I run an interior design firm in Charlotte NC and at times it can be challenging. In this economy many people want to get more while spending less. I have learned some ways to do this to help me land jobs and outshine my competetiors. It is important to know your product and who is using it. One thing I have learned is that by re evaluating your services your can reach a group that normally would not be your client group therefore making new clients. For Example, Until recently I only concentrated on interior spaces however I have found that exterior spaces also need some attention. Patios and other outdoor living areas are huge selling features for those who are attempting to sell their property so it is new strand of clients that I now service because I re evaluated my services. Don't be afraid to revise what is not working and try something new, your consumers will thank you for it.

5 tips to improve your page ranking

careboxgirl — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:01:24 GMT

The internet is a complex world. Everybody uses it to find something�it's a way of life now, where 10 years ago it wasn't. So, what do you do when you start a business, and decide an on-line store is what you want? Well, it's not as easy as one would think. The biggest question is: how do people find you?

The web is about validation. It's a huge body of references from all over the world with everybody looking to verify something or somebody. I know if I can't find a product or place on the web, then I assume it has no history, which means I won't want to spend my time or money on the product�what if it wasn't real? Then out the door goes my money. It's all about TRUST.

Caution is the name of the game. People don't take a chance on anything unknown or untested, which means for a small on-line business you just need to start someplace and expect to put in time, money, and a long wait until you achieve some on-line status. And always answer the phone.

If you are serious about an on-line business, have made a committment to really do it, and understand that time is part of the job, then proceed.

Here are 5 tips that can help you start, and that's all it is, a start, and let's assume you have a website:

1. Make sure you include the highest level descriptive (key) words in the slug for every page of your site (example: Hotdogs::ballgame food, fun food, kid's food)

2. Match those key words with some text on your top page, or which ever page you want to highlight. (example: Hotdogs are a fun food for your kids party)

3. Match those same words as your meta key words for the page (when you have three references to a word, then search engines match that up, and google finds you easier)

4 Be sure to sign up for Google Analytics (it's free) and watch "traffic sources" to see which key words people use to find your site. Experiment with different key words, and keep track of which key words are working best for you.

5. Keep an eye on your page rank (prchecker.info/check_page_rank.php), the higher your page rank is indicates how Google is evaluating your site.

Remember, an on-line business is not for the faint of heart, you need to believe in what you are doing, do it, and keep at it, every day.

Good Luck!

Christine Curavo
Founder - CAREBOX�
www.carebox.com

How Auto-Responders Killed The Potential Business Deal

Strategist007 — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:01:06 GMT

Knock, knock. Who's there? Nobody. Nobody who?

Nobody who knows a damn thing about marketing.

You know we all sit up in our ivory towers worried about our children and the social impact that computers and the internet are having on them today. How they would rather run home from school and IM back and forth with their friends on Facebook, who all live on the same neighborhood mind you, rather than grab a ball on a beautiful day and have a healthy pick-up game or go out and climb a tree in the local field. Yup - there's no doubt in our minds that they are going to become social misfits because they spend more time online than on the playground.

Look at them? LOOK AT US!

Before the internet what were we like? We didn't email one another. We didn't communicate with auto responders, webinars and videos. We took the time to get to know one another and develop a relationship over a phone call or a cup of coffee. Now all we try to do is find a better app that will allow us to clone ourselves so we can kill two birds with one stone. In the process we shoot ourselves in the foot, because in this microwave society that we live in, personally contacting multitudes of people has become impersonal. And if you're on the receiving end, chances are - you take it personally.

Thanks to network marketing and the vast array of tools available to us today, marketing has become less of an "intentional science" and more about simply playing a numbers game, leaving potential opportunities on the side of the road. A perfect example of this is the use of Twitter direct messages.

When I was interviewed about Twitter in the August issue of Entrepreneur Magazine, I referred to it as "a single guy's one-liner tool, the proverbial "is this seat taken?" I went on to say that "Twitter has replaced email as a way to introduce myself and start a dialog with someone who may not return my phone call or respond to my email." What I failed to point out is that for all of its advantages, Twitter is unfortunately one of the most underutilized PERSONAL marketing tools available to us today.

Now don't misunderstand me, I didn't say under-monetized, I said underutilized. Lord knows there's no lack of products out there that will show you how you can gain 50,000 followers in only two days.

The fact is, when you follow someone chances are you will receive one of two things. Nothing at all or, an auto responder direct message that thanks you for the follow and asks you to either visit their blog, check out their website, etc. Sad but true.

I recently decided to conduct my own micro-experiment. I hand selected and followed exactly 100 people. Of the 100, practically everyone followed me back. Next step - direct message. This is what I sent...

"Michael, thanks for the follow. Are you reading this or are your DM's automated? I ask because I have a question regarding what you do - Duke"

As you can see, I personalized it not only by addressing them by their first name and providing them with mine as well, but I put their name as the first word in the message in order to grab their attention and separate my message from the others that they receive. Out of the 100 that I sent, only 9% responded. Now of course that could mean any one of several things.

1.) They're not interested in having a dialog with me

2.) The DM's that they receive are directly sent to their junk folder

3.) They receive way too many to read them all

4.) They follow anyone who will follow them

5.) I'm having a bad hair day

6.) OR, for them, everything is on auto-pilot

However one thing is for certain, 91% of them potentially missed out on a great business deal, joint venture, network partner, strategic relationship etc... all because they never saw it coming.

Direct messages, instead of being an unbelievable tool have unfortunately become a formality.

SOURCE: http://www.marketingcouch.com/

FATHER KNOWS BEST

TIMCATER123 — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:12:40 GMT

Diane Hernandez

Chef Steve Griffiths

FON 119, Catering

April 4, 2009

Father Knows Best

An Interview with Tim Ferman

Dad's Catering, the name alone conjured up a vivid image that I thought should be the company's logo prior to my interview with Tim Ferman. Whenever I heard the catering company's name, a balding, mid-aged fat guy, wearing a "Kiss The Cook" apron, holding a beer in one hand and a pair of tongs in the other, standing in front of a barbeque grill, automatically popped into my mind. But since I have had the pleasure to talk to the co-founder and proprietor of Dad's Catering, I know better. Dad's Catering is not all about picnics and backyard cook-outs-unless that's what you want it to be. Tim Ferman and his sister Linda Ek have owned and operated Dad's Catering since 1976. Recently, I sat down with the patriarch of this award winning company to discuss what it takes to own and operate a successful catering business.

Dad's Catering which started as a family owned butcher shop here in the metropolitan Phoenix area, has grown over the past thirty-three years to be one of the most sought after catering companies in the valley. Recently Dad's Catering won the award from Phoenix Magazine as Caterer of the Year 2008. They have also won the same award from The Knot, New Times, Arizona Brides and Arizona Wedding Chronicle for consecutive years since 2000.

It all began one day when the family's banker walked into the Ferman's butcher shop and asked Tim if he would cater his company's annual picnic in the park. Tim asked the banker what he meant, and when he explained he needed someone to barbeque hamburgers and hot dogs for the bank's employees, Tim agreed and just kind of forgot about the request. A few weeks later when the banker returned, he told Tim he had got the job. Tim quickly asked, "What job?" After the banker refreshed Tim's memory, Tim thought he better ask about the particulars just incase he would need help or an extra car to transport the food. What happened next is how Dad's Catering got started.

The banker told Tim the picnic was for the entire company not just his branch and that they expected 1,700 people to attend. After the initial shock wore off, Tim and his family sat down and figured out how to pull off the giant event. Not only was the picnic a success, they commissioned 40 more parties from that event that were equally successful. After that, Tim and Linda decided to open their own catering company separate from the family's butcher shop. The brother and sister were standing together one day when someone asked what they were going to name their new business. When they looked up and saw their father walk through the door, simultaneously they said, "Dad's."

Tim Ferman has stepped easily into the role of "Dad" to give the company a face far from the image I imagined. The fifty-five year old soft spoken, well mannered, man's type B personality probably has something to do with the company's success. However, Tim gives all the credit to his sister, wife and staff. Yes, I said sister and wife, but that's not all. The company is primarily all family. Both Tim's adult children and Linda's adult children work for the company. Anyone who has been in the business for any length of time knows you should never work with family, but Tim seems to think that is why they have done so well. Plus, they all built the business in very close quarters. Today the Phoenix based business operates out of a state of the art kitchen in a giant 14,000 square foot building where they house all of their equipment, props, china, linen and d�cor, but that has only been for the past few years. Dad's Catering spent 30 years planning, designing, preparing and cooking for events in a small 3,000 square foot building which required incredible organization.

Tim says his management style and philosophy are all about respecting the employees and never asking them to do anything he would not do himself. Even though today Tim spends most of his time answering the phone and being the first contact for excited brides, harried corporate secretaries and distraught people who just lost a loved one, he is willing and able to perform any job for his catering company. A duty he often does, because another one of the company's philosophies are to never refuse a job. "We built this company on jobs no one else would take," Tim proclaimed proudly.

When I challenged that philosophy and read Tim a recent posting on notalwaysright.com, I knew I could get him to agree with the author of the posting. On the site under the catering tab, a Connecticut caterer wrote out the phone conversation she had with a prospective client trying to hire her two days before the would-be-client's party and the week prior to Christmas. The caterer was dumbfounded by the request and then was insulted when the would-be-client said, "It's only one more party, why can't you do it?" Customer service professionals posted many comments calling the would-be-client every name in the book. Tim simply said, "I'd take the job."

"If you think this job is going to flow perfectly the way you want-don't do it." Tim says calmly. Tim also feels that you can plan, be prepared, execute an event flawlessly but he only knows one thing, something will change and you need to be ready. Being flexible and expecting the unexpected allows you to handle anything, even last minute events, not to mention the monsoon season in Arizona.

I suppose when you are the President and CFO of a company, saying no to a job is out of the question, especially when the equation for financial success is so clear-cut. "One-third for food, one-third for expenses: rent, utilizes, catering truck payments, etc., and one-third staff salaries and wages. If I do my job properly and the salaries are a third of the last one-third, our net profit is usually 8 to 12 percent." Tim said, challenging the articles I had brought to his attention stating caterers net a 66% profit.

I asked the caterer whose education into the business came strictly from trail by fire, what advice he would give to someone starting their own catering company. "The stress from this job is high, but if you take one job at a time, commit, and do what the people want, it is a good profession." Tim said it took about ten years to truly feel comfortable with any type of catered event, but today he feels his catering company can handle absolutely anything. A desk littered with thank you letters from satisfied clients attested to that statement.

Before I concluded my interview, I needed to mention my preconceived image of a catering company named "Dad's." Tim admitted in the beginning as the company started venturing out of the barbeque type catering and into the more formal social catering arena, they tried to change the company's name. However, when it caused business to drop rather then increase, Tim and Linda knew "Dad's" would always remain the company's name. That means, move over Wolfgang, it just might be "Dad" to handle the next Governor's Ball at the Oscars.