Managing the Manager

Your organization has decided to outsource a project to an external firm. In some cases, the organization may allow your team to manage the project, but more often than not, the organization may want full return and to manage the engagement themselves. What does this mean to the project manager from the client organization? Depending on your company's project management philosophy (ie do they see project management as a scheduling function, or someone that truly manages the project and risk), this type of agreement may be more challenging than you first think. While it may be helpful to have the outside assistance, it may require a change in your normal approach and project management function in order to provide, effective, external team support and oversight.

I've been in situations where I was the contractor that has had customers instruct me on the process they would like to use and others that have allowed me to use my organization's expertise to deliver the best result. I've also been in situations where my organization is the customer who has outsourced a project and was responsible for truly managing the external resources and other situations where requested to allow the contractor to exert full control over the management, using their own approach and practices .

While the specific approach needed should be tailor to your specific situation and organization, I fine one of the more unequally challenging situations is when you outsource an engagement, including the management / oversight and project approach. While there are always opportunities for learning and growth, the last scenario can be difficult and even confusing for a strong project manager. The level of authority and your role will depend very much on your organization's perspective on project management. If you are put in this type of situation, my suggestions are:

1. Clearly Understand Roles & Responsibilities : Regardless of the scenario, clear role definition is an essential first step. You'll need to understand specific role expectations from both your organization as well as your contractor. Defining what the contractor is responsible for all the way down to communication with your organization is also important.

2. Be Prepared to Be a Passenger : Not being responsible for running the project can be tough for strong project managers who are asked to interface with the external consulting organization, especially where there are deviations from your recommended approach or where you identify areas for improvement and their process is set in stone. Understanding the roles and responsibilities of all involved will help you understand where you can provide value and where you can intervene. You may also need to prepare yourself for having more of an administrative role than an orchestration or technical role. Understanding who does what will help reduce the push and pull between organizations.

3. Ensure There is a Sound Escalation Path : While you may not have direct authority, you will want to understand what types of items can be escalated and when. You'll also need to ensure you have the proper support within your organization. The lack of direct and indirect authority, plus no support does not make for a prosperous environment.

4. Utilize Lessons Learned : Reviewing prior projects, especially those with many of the same variables is useful for educating the organization and can even assist your contractor. Continue to collect intelligence on what works well and what does not work well, even if you do not have direct control over changing the immediate situation. This information can be useful for not only the current situation, but future endeavors.

5. Educate Your Organization on the Value of Project Management : Even though you may not have direct control over the project or even the support you need, never give up on educating the organization and vendors on project management value and best practices. Hopefully the contractor will apply the same project management rigor you would, but if not, there is always a positive takeaway for you personally and hopefully professionally for your organization. Help educate your organization on your discoveries, the impact of these discoveries and the lessons you have learned through prior experience. Project management is not for the fault of heart, but requires tireless perseverance. Show your organization why you are in your role and the tremendous value this function can provide your organization.

There is always something to be gained and learned from each situation. While outsourcing to an organization that owns the management of the project may not directly utilize all of your project management skills, it will certainly help develop new ones.

Trying To Make Money With No Money Does not Have To Be Difficult

All to often people give up on the initial idea of ​​trying to make money with no money online. There are a lot of people pulling profit from the internet and many that will share their knowledge if you have the true desire to get ahead.

Running a business online is not so much different to that of an offline business. It is a lot more technical but since you online anyway the answers to all your questions you have along the way are right at your fingertips. To get those answers your best friend is going to be Google. Or whichever search engine you use. Just pop your question in there and you're good to go.

There are sites that pay you for your services online. So if you have a particular skill you can simply freelance your work and get paid for your services. Sites get "elance" and "get a freelancer" are places you can register.

If that is not up your street you can start your referral business. A referral business is what is known as affiliated business models. Some of the commission can be quite high and it is relatively easy to set the process up.

Affiliate business owners often get the sense that they need to sell a product. Honestly if you are looking to sell someone else's product, let them do the selling. An affiliate will refer customers to a good deal. If the product owner can not sell it, it's a waste of time and probably your customers money as well.

If you are good at writing you can get paid for that through revenue sharing and if you can learn the art of writing good copy, ten you could stand to make a lot, either from freelance work or getting involved with search engine marketing using pay- per-click.

When it comes to pay-per-click there is a lot of cash being pulled from the search engines but this is for further along in your business. To make money with no money online, the AdSense program through Google can work wonders. Also some publisher sites share the revenue they get with you. Other advertising networks provide the same sort of service and let you publish ads on your web space. That does not mean you need to shell out for a website. You can make money with no money on free to use services. Try Blogger for a fresh new website and an online address of your choosing. Need an easier platform. Try Squidoo.

There are a couple of big names that are great at teaching free to use sites. Try Potpiegirl, or "bum marketing method". (Travis Sago)

These two folks are true gold mines when it comes to business start-ups for free. They started me up before I moved to the other side of the fence and started using PPC marketing. That was starting out trying to make money with no money. It does get easier. I started my business only months ago and went leaps and bounds from having no direction to owning my own site.

Motorcycle Safety Myths

Whether you are a new rider or you have been riding for many years, you may have heard - or may even believe - some of the much-circulated motorcycle safety myths. If you take actions based on those myths, some of them could get you injured or even killed.

If you know a biker who believes any of these myths, be sure to direct them to this article!

Myth 1: Bikers Wear Leather Because it Makes Them Look Cool

While leather does look cool, that's just a bonus. Leather, because of its unique properties, is very protective against abrasions, cuts, and scrapes. It's also very warm, even with the wind chill caused by riding on a cool day. Biker leathers are usually made from cowhide because it provides more protection than buffalo hide or pigskin. We know a rider who front wheel slid on some new, wet street tar, and he slid right underneath the pickup truck that had stopped in front of him. While he had trouble traveling "no problem," to the cop who showed up, and his shoulder was sore for weeks afterwards, absolutely all he had to show for his spill was a black abraded area on the right shoulder of his brown leather jacket. Obviously wearing leather is no excuse for recklessness, but it can certainly help minimize bodily surface damage.

Myth 2: Drivers in Cages Do not Give a Hoot About Bikers

It's not that they do not care - it's that they do not see you. They're not looking for someone on a motorcycle. You can help these drivers see you by wearing motorcycle safety equipment, such as a bright helmet and brightly colored clothing. Motorcycle helmets do save lives, that is a fact. You can hear and see quite well with even a full-faced helmet. Also, have the proper safety equipment on your bike, including brighter-than-stock lights or extra lights.

Myth 3: The Louder the Pipes, the Safer You Are

If you've ever ridden in a group, you know you can barely hear the bike behind you. And the bikes on the side of you are not that loud either, unless they are right next to you. So no, loud pipes are not going to make people driving cars aware of you, especially if they have their noses buried in their cell phones, are eating, putting on makeup, reading, or are otherwise distracted.

Myth 4: Lay the Bike Down if You Are Going to Crash

This is the worst thing you can do. When you slide, you have a good chance of getting burned beyond belief by the exhaust or you could slide under a vehicle. Instead, learn how to brake effectively. The one time that it might be better to lay the bike down is if you are on an elevated roadway, such as a bridge, and the only alternative is to fall over the guardrail to your death.

Myth 5: Surface Streets are Safer than Highways

Many people believe surface streets are safer than highways because of the slower speeds. However, they are actually more dangerous since you have traffic coming at you from all sides, and often unexpectedly, since it is so difficult for drivers to "see" motorcycles. You have people pulling out of side roads, parking lots, and driveways. It's bad enough when someone turns right on red and cuts off a car because they're in a big hurry, but when that person does it to a motorcycle, there is more damage than just a busted fender. Highways are safer since you are all going in the same direction - unless you have some drunk guy driving in the wrong direction.

Do not Believe Motorcycle Safety Myths!

You may have heard many more motorcycle safety myths. Do not believe them. If you hear something that sounds suspicious, do some research just to see how true it is. Having the proper safety equipment will save your life more so than doing something crazy like dumping your bike on purpose.

Money Or Excuses - How You Doing?

What is difference between those who make money and those who do not. Its been stated by successful people with certainty and congruence, "People can make money or excuses but they can not make both."

This is the truth. All of us come to this world with choices in our financial life. We have the choice to keep moving forward with perseverance and responsibility for every step we take of the process, or just stop and let everything we did go undo or slow down. Well, I am sure you know what path to take for getting the results you want. Unfortunately, most people stop and never dig deep to their dreams.

Well, when people first strive to go for their dreams about making money, they quickly stop when the going gets tough, and they look for people who will agree with them, so they can stop - and they do. Unfortunately, they never reach the level they had in their dreams which was - work on the Internet from home. Think about it, making money or an excuse is a choice everyone has in life. Which legacy would be the best to leave your kids? We are leaving a legacy behind one way or another.

The Internet has open an awesome opportunity to most of the world. As far as financial means, we can earn money on the net. So I could not create an excuse good enough even if I wanted to. I had to put my head down and ignore the comments many people had for me, since I worked so hard and long without making money on the net.

Going back to that quote, I have found so much more truth on "money or excuses" statement. I mean is not that life? I have the tendency to get lazy and listen to the wrong people and I also feel like quitting. I realize the price successful people went through, and I make it a reminder in my own life, whenever I weakened to the common human level.

My question to you - How are you doing? Are you choosing the good life or are you settling for the common one? Have you ever notice that every time we encounter a difficult challenge, we look around for the wrong people, because we are not looking for strength or direction, but we are looking for sympathy. You need to ask this questions. You might find these questions a way to determine your journey.

Am I focusing on success or failure during my progress?

How am I thinking about my future as I follow my progress with the ups and downs?

Do I believe in the system that I am following or am I looking for a good excuse?

I have two ideas that can help you on your weak moments and stop you from derailing into excuses.

Focus on moving forward-lift your partners and update your goals and your system to reach them.

When you look back, just check your improvements and how else can you improve the past - all about improvement.

The people who succeed are the people who prevail, and make no excuses - because there is NONE !!!

Respectfully,

Efren Maldonado

The Benefits of Safe Driving

Some of the benefits of driving safely are obvious (you are less likely to die). But some are a little less evident. Have you ever thought about the gas that you save by driving the speed limit? Or the incredible amount of money you will save on your car insurance? These things will save you a ton of money over your lifetime. Being a good driver is much more than just staying out of accidents.

Speed ​​limits have a couple of functions. They limit the speed on a freeway to a safe amount (theoretically), and they are optimized to improve fuel efficiency in cars. Driving the speed limit, which is slower than most people drive, will lower the amount of drag that is put on your car by the air. This allows your car to move freer through the air and get better gas mileage through better aerodynamics. If you couple this with properly inflating your tires to the recommended PSI and not running the air conditioner you are going to squeeze every MPG you can out of your car.

Safe driving can help prevent accidents. Obviously, not all accidents can be claimed, but you are going to reduce the chance that you are the cause of the accident. This is going to keep your insurance premiums dramatically lower. If you have already been in a car accident that you were at fault for you have seen what happens to your monthly payment. Safe driving also lowers the risk that you are doing something dumb and getting a ticket. Tickets will also increase your insurance premiums.

Drive smart, drive safe, and save a ton of money!

5 Ways To Fund Your App Project

Buddy Funding

A client of ours recently ran with the buddy-funding method. He asked people within his network to help him fund his project in return of a share in his business.

He sold shares of his business for x-amount of dollars each and raised over $ 40,000 for the first phase of development (MVP).

If all goes well with the app, he, his family and his friends all get a share in the glory and the financial reward at the end.

Crowd Funding

Crowd funding is an interesting concept where you post your pitch out to the public and ask for small investments. In return, investors get a share in the company. Or you can get creative by offering a free copy when the app is out.

Of course when taking this venture on hand, you have to consider the fact that you are emerging your idea out to the vast majority of people without any way of ensuring non-disclosure.

Depending on the sensitivity of the idea, you may want to go for a more private fund arrangement.

Angel Investors & Venture Capitalists

This is a fantastic option for seeking funding. You will need a detailed business plan with clear exit strategies.

Many of my close friends have gone this route when seeking funding for their project. And one thing they all mentioned afterwards was the intensely hard work and many rejections they received in their request.

However, if you need a $ 250,000 injection to your new business, this is definitely the way to proceed.

Get A Bank Loan

Banks are almost always happy to loan money ... when the economy is good at least.

Once again, you will need a business plan that clearly states your intentions for the loan and how you are going to use it. At the end of the day, they are simply securing their own return on investment.

Find A Business Partner With Funds

A business partner or a silent partner is a great way to get funding.

Make sure you do your research on potential partners and make sure they are legitimate. Any baggage they bring with them could affect you and your business.

The main thing investors look at when considering an investment is: "Are you the right person for this job."

It comes down to positioning yourself in a way that shows your potential investors that the project must be done, you must do it and you need x-amount of dollars to get it done.

Good luck on your fund-raising campaign!

Free Massage Education

Many people wonder how they can get a reliable and effective massage education. Some would like to be able to massage their partner, or just massage friends they know. Others would like to be able to massage their husband or wife. Others still would like to be massage therapist, or as massage therapists learn more about massage and its different modalities! How can I learn massage the inexpensive way?

Well, as a massage therapist we have to pass a twenty four hour course every two years to keep out massage license. These classes can be in any modality we choose, deep tissue, myofascial trigger point release, reflexology, ayurveda massage, thai massage, tuina, amma, californian massage, esalen massage, medical massage, craniosacral. Some courses are live hands-on and really you get the most training this way and learn the most as you can practice the new skills you are learning on real people. But I also found that many LMT's (licensed massage therapists) order videos to watch at home to practice and then they can pass a test online where you are asked a series of questions and need a certain number of correct answers to pass and get your certification in whatever modality you are taking!

The videos usually go with a books which is most of the times about 30 pages long and ends with a test where you can test your learning, then when you are ready, after having practiced the exercises on a live person, a friend of yours, or family member, you can go online to their website and pass the real test, where you are required to have at least 60 percent right answers. If you fail you are able to pass again and pay a repass fee; Some of these courses are very expensive 300-400 dollars if you order the videos and the texts. The state of Florida require 24 hours of CEU's every two years.