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Creating your own small business is such an enjoyable undertaking. It takes a heap of time away from loved ones to get your business started and turning a profit. Then your business may take the next step and you may start to hire employee’s and grow your company. It is this growth that can usually do or die a company depending on how it is handled. During this growth period, some entrepreneurs may look at getting insurance for their business and get some quotes to protect what they have built. Small Business Insurance Quotes

Small business insurance quotes can vary significantly depending on who is giving you these quotes and what the policy is covering. Before you go out asking for quotes, it is a great idea to sit and truly think about how much coverage you need and what the most significant things are that you want to be covered. Talking to your CPA may help as well or even a small business counsel can give you some good ideas. You never desire an insurance policy with coverage in it that you’re going to never use just like you never want an insurance policy that does not cover the key important items. Small Business Insurance Quotes

Especially when you have employee’s it is even more important to have insurance for your business to protect your retirement package and other staff member benefits. There are even some legal requirements that may vary by confirm that stipulate differing kinds of policies that your company must have in order to be an absolutely legal operating business. Check with your state to make certain you are compiling with all the local laws and rules. Small Business Insurance Quotes

In today’s world, there are a few insurance firms which will offer some extraordinarily attractive plans for SOHO insurance quotes. Search around your area and look for those that push working with small businesses. The very last thing you want it to try and get a plan for your business from a company that works with large firms. If this happens, you could be getting a policy that is much more than you really need as well as a dearth of private attention because you’ll be such a small account for that company. Ask some other home entrepreneurs who they use and you can also check out your local better business bureau to look for companies too. Overall, you do the proper thing when hunting for growing businesses insurance quotes and your business will be healthier because of this next step you are taking.

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Educational guides are a very useful medium for delivering flexible deliverance when the topic and circumstances are conducive to it.

According to Bruhn and Guthrie (1994), a Educational Guide is a ’structured booklet designed to direct the learner through a series of learning activities and to a range of resources to achieve specified competencies or learning outcomes”.

A learning guide is not a ‘how to’ manual like manuals that accompany television sets, microwaves and computers etc, but they may be used in conjunction with them. The key focus of educational guides (hereafter ‘guides’) is that they guide users through a structured learning experience. Manuals don’t do that, they simply a number of activities users can follow to get certain outcomes. An example will highlight the difference.
Example:

On one occasion I used guides to cover a half dozen or so small topics that were important, but which did not warrant group training sessions (I redeveloped them as computer based instruction modules delivered online). This was in an organisation that had six offices spread throughout the Northern Territory (Australia), two of which were remote. Costs for training were often high due to the need for travel, therefore, it was desirable to find alternative modes in order to keep costs.
One of the topics my guides covered for example, was titled “Using Delegations” and consisted of only 16 pages.

Note: For those not familiar with delegations, they refer to the acts or omissions a person holding a specific job can do or not do eg, approve leave of absence for a staff member,buy goods and services valued up to $30,000, or terminate an employee’s service. People exercising a delegation are called delegates. If you don’t hold delegation, then you can’t lawfully execute a task.

It was important that delegates knew what they were, or weren’t authorised to do. Non-delegates had to know who had delegation to carry out the tasks required. My short learning guide included the following parts:
A Module Overview setting out the purpose, strategy, learning outcomes, how to achieve the outcomes, resources required, and details about how the topic was to be assessed
Five learning activities
An assessment questionnaire
A summary and review page
An attached answers guide for the intermediate assessment topics (self assessment)

Educational activity one detailed the framework in which delegations exist ie, Constitutional and other legislative matters that allow delegation. There were two activities at the end of Educational Activity One. The first required learners to obtain a copy of an Act of Parliament and study several sections (about delegation). The second required people to read a description, find the section of an Act that related to that description and write in the answers on a blank table. (This was my way of making sure people actually read specific sections).

Learning activities two through five all had a similar process of getting learners to do something followed by a short self-assessment.

Finally, learners were expected to answer 10 “fill in the answer” questions and provide answers for two small case studies involving real life delegations activities.

The former required learners to refer to the organisation’s Delegations Manual and record which delegation (if any) fitted a specific circumstance. When learners completed the assessment questionnaire, they would fax it to the Training Department. One of my people would mark it and feedback about the result.

Each learning activity covered a separate, small part of the whole topic. (People learn in small bits). I provided feedback through self-assessment and faxed assessment. (People need feedback). Topics were logically sequenced. (People need to work from general concepts to specific concepts). Learners used the manuals and legislation that actually applied to them in their everyday jobs. (Adult learners particularly want to learn ‘real’, practical solutions, not deal with fiction).

You’ll understand now how the structure in a educational guide and the use of instructional design principles makes them different from a standard operating manual. One key advantage of educational guides is that you don’t have to incorporate documents that are elsewhere available … all you do is reference them. If they change, it’s not that difficult to update your learning guide.

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Self Help Books

Everyone has something about themselves that they would like to improve, and there are many self help books out there that can help. These books take a look at a variety of different ways to improve just about anything, from personal communication skills to building self confidence. There are a number of sites online that specialize in self help books, online counseling and coaching, that can readily be put into action. Self help forums and chat rooms are also available for additional support as needed. Self help books can also be purchased through www.amazon.com and at book stores such as Barnes & Noble or Borders. Self help books are also available for check out at any local library. Not sure what to get? Just ask a knowledgeable staff member for a recommendation.

So what are the most common reasons that people seek out self help books, and professionals to help them overcome obstacles that may be keeping them from self-actualization? These people may feel that they need some sort of coaching in order for them to attain their personal and professional goals, because they have not been successful on their own. Maybe stress is an issue, or time management. These are two common self help topics, as well as improving memory skills, or becoming more organized. If a person is motivated, then self help books may be very effective, but for others it may be more beneficial to enlist the help of a professional, such as a counselor or psychologist who specializes in coaching others. This approach can also be used in conjunction with self help books, to assist the person in staying focused while pursuing goals.

Self help books can help boost self esteem, confidence, personal growth, communication skills, and most anything else that will increase happiness and success in personal and professional endeavors. Recognizing and conquering self defeating behaviors is the first step to personal growth. By staying motivated and optimistic, these self-defeating behaviors can be more easily overcome, paving the way for great personal growth and satisfaction. Self help books should be chosen by the approach taken, if it is practical and easy to incorporate; it shouldn’t feel like swimming upstream against the current. No one should ever be embarrassed to find themselves on a self-help website or be seen with self help books; this is a huge step toward achieving self-actualization and leading a fuller, happier life.

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