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When setting your business goals for the week, month, or year, it’s worthwhile to follow a particular format that many great minds have written about over the years. First of all, they must be written down. A goal that is in your head is nothing more than an idea. Writing it will crystallize the goal and make you far more likely to accomplish it. All written business goals should be in the present tense, positive, and personal. As you write them and repeat them to yourself, your subconscious mind will begin to believe it, and they will become true.

1. Present
The subconscious mind can only understand the present moment in time. So instead of saying “I’m going to start a business” or “I will start a business” a present tense business goal would be “I am starting a business”.

2. Positive
You should always reaffirm positive beliefs about yourself. Instead of saying “I don’t make bad investments” write “I make good investments with a high rate of return”.

3. Personal
You can’t change others, but you can change yourself. Instead of writing “My boss will transform into a nicer person” try “I will perform better at work and get along with my boss”.

Each time you write your business goals, take a minute to evaluate them. Was that a positive belief about myself that I just wrote? Am I trying to change something outside my control or am I focusing on myself? Am I talking about the future here or did I phrase it in the present tense?

Business goals that starts off as “I will try to….” are doomed from the start. In fact, I cringe every time I hear someone say “I should really get to the gym more often” or “I’m trying to start a company right now”. The very act of writing “try” or “should” indicates a lack of commitment and a high probability of failure. Either you are starting a company right now, or you probably never will.

Good business goals have two other properties; they are measurable and have a deadline. This is where many people drop the ball, even big time company CEO’s! Writing a goal that isn’t measurable has one major problem: you can’t tell whether you’ve reached it or not. Finally, you must have a deadline to create a sense of urgency. Without a deadline you may complete your goal, but it won’t be nearly as soon as you’d like.

1. Measurable
Instead of writing “This year I earn more money” try “This year I earn $100,000″. If your goal isn’t measurable then you won’t be able to determine if you achieved it or how close you are.

2. Deadline
Instead of “I sell 1000 widgets” try “I sell 1000 widgets by June 1st this year”. This provides a sense of urgency and a time line to follow.

Finally, all business goals must be written down. A goal in your head is not a goal at all. It is merely an idea. One study conducted on Yale graduates over a period of more than ten years showed that those who WROTE their business goals were earning ten times as much money as those who merely had goals in their head. Good luck with your goals setting, and demonstrate your commitment to them RIGHT NOW by putting them on paper!

Brian Armstrong makes it easy to learn the secrets of todays top business owners. To discover the “7 Essential Steps to Starting a Business” in his Free Online Course, visit this site now: http://www.startbreakingfree.com/

Every year it becomes more difficult for the business to make a lasting impression or create name branding. One way to do that is by repetition. This is why it’s one of the reasons to send corporate greeting cards.

You can send thank you cards, Christmas cards, birthday cards, or just about any other occasion you can think of. The cards have your name and logo on them which is a very cost effective way of advertising. And it’s so much cheaper than the more traditional mail method.

There are several reasons to send corporate greeting cards.

1. Customer service – nil is customer service these days and one way to build customer service is by sending out a greeting card which then can have a specialized message.

2. Personal touch – just like customer service, a personal touch is long gone by the wayside. Heck it’s almost impossible to find a living breathing person to talk to. By sending out a card whether it’s for birthday or Christmas is very personal.

3. Corporate Branding – with so many similar companies getting customers to recognize who you are has become a little bit difficult and using greeting cards to do so is just smart business sense because corporate branding comes from repetition so over time your company will be remembered.

4. Advertising Opportunity – disguise an advertising message within the card. For example Christmas or birthday the message can offer 20% off of a purchase or any other offering that brings them into the store to spend money.

5. Promotional – this works well when you are sending a thank you out and including a discount. For example – thank you for your recent purchase as a thank you we would like to offer you 10% off your next purchase or thank you for referring customer x as an appreciation we would like to offer you 25% off your next purchase.

6. In the Spirit of the Season – Christmas is such a busy time and modern Christmas has changed somewhat we all still enjoy a traditional Christmas card with a modern electronic twist. It brings your name to the forefront and it feels like a personal message which customers like.

7. Cheap Advertising – online greeting cards is one of the cheapest forms of advertising around and it takes little time to set up. Advertising budgets seem to shrink more and more each year and this is one way you can still get great exposure.

8. Volume – you can reach the most customers in the shortest period of time. In just minutes you can target thousands of customers. And once you’ve got your customer database set up you can change the type of card, create a cycle for re-sending or do a host of other things to automate the process.

There are many reasons to send corporate greeting cards and these are just a few but I’m sure you get the idea of the potential such as simple gesture has for your business. Consider the potential that’s waiting here for pennies on the dollar. It just makes good business sense.

Terry Fitzroy is a professional writer and reviewer. For more information on how to improve your sales and business relationships go to http://www.hammond.com/

If you relocate your business, and your home, to the lovely United States Virgin Islands (USVI) for at least 183 days out of each year, the corporate benefits, and the taxes you save could be enormous. Let’s take a look at the details of your savings through this USVI Economic Development Council program.

Your business, once relocated to the U.S. Virgin Islands is totally exempt from three United States tax programs. The EDC program exempts your company from any real property taxes when that same real property is used in your USVI business. You’re also exempt from any tax on gross revenue, otherwise referred to as gross receipts taxes. Nor does your U.S. Virgin Islands have to pay any excise tax on any of its tools, building materials or other supplies that are to be used in the alteration, construction, redesign, reconstruction or extension of the premises where you conduct your business.

Under this great EDC tax reduction plan your USVI business also gets to take advantage of a 90 percent reduction of income taxes on qualified USVI business income. You also get a low one percent rate on any customs duty on your company’s component parts and raw materials that are going to be used for manufacturing or industrial processing.

Nor is this Economic Development Council program designed to only save your company taxes and provide other corporate benefits for an annual period. Once your firm has qualified the terms vary from a lengthy 10-30 years. In general your firm’s approval for the EDC program guarantees these savings via an Economic Development Council certificate that is issued to the company for 10 years. There are some geographic or industry-specific exemptions that double or even triple this term. In Christiansted Town, on the island of St. Croix, for instance, the EDC corporate benefits program certificate is issued for 20 years.

If the approved USVI company is in the agriculture or mari-culture (water-related) industry, its certificate for Economic Development Council tax savings is issued for 25 years. A business that is established in Frederiksted Town, on the island of St. Croix, is issued a 30 year EDC certificate once approved.
In every case, the USVI company can petition one time for a renewal of the certificate for the identical time period.

Perhaps the best part of all these wonderful corporate benefits and the opportunity to save on U.S. taxes for these business, is the fact that the relocation required, for at least 183 days of every day, is no hardship at all. What entrepreneur, business partner, or corporate leader would balk at the fate of living half of her or his year in a gorgeous island paradise, basking in warm ocean waves, sunning themselves on white sand beaches, and reveling in all the Caribbean culture and recreation that St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas islands have to offer?

It wouldn’t seem that this EDC is such a tough sell for anyone.

GR is a retired Airline Captain who has been involved in real estate and building since childhood. Now, he is retired in the US Virgin Islands where he writes and does more marketing from home. A good place to learn about the islands and to find your home is http://www.StThomasLuxuryHomes.com

If you have your own firm and you’re sick and tired of Uncle Sam reaping too much of your hard earned profits, you might consider moving to St. Thomas or other parts of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). Here not only can you enjoy a year round paradise of pristine white sand beaches, palm trees, low humidity day after sunny 80 degree day, but, through its Economic Development Council (EDC) you can also save about 90% on your U.S. business income tax.

The primary mission of the USVI EDC is written in its Title 29 bylaws. The Economic Development Commission has offices not only in St. Croix and St. Thomas but also in Washington DC and New York City. The objectives and general purpose of the organization is to encourage the growth of industry and business in the U.S. Virgin Islands and to assist in its development, expansion and creation. A side mandate, one that is a result of the EDC’s success in its mission is the growth of job opportunities for resident of USVI.

Companies have to qualify for the help of the EDC but those who do receive a number of benefits, the best of which is a reduction of 90 percent in the income tax they must pay to the U.S. federal government.

One might wonder why U.S. businesses aren’t flocking to the Virgin Islands for this benefit and why the Economic Development Commission hasn’t been overrun by applications. The simple truth seems to be that U.S. companies, and individuals who want to become entrepreneurs have just not learned about this wonderful business growth and start up program.

What this means for you entrepreneurs or entrepreneur hopefuls is that the door is open wide for you to take advantage of this stupendous tax benefit before the word gets out to everyone else.

If this seems like a rather outrageous offering, and perhaps one with a catch consider this: the economy of the Virgin Islands is insular and small. Its own natural resources are scarce. As a result the USVI must heavily rely on services and exporting to generate employment and income for its residents. The territorial and U.S. federal governments put their bureaucratic heads together to come up with a series of business tax incentives that would drive growth and investment in the USVI. The major focus on this growth was expected to be on activities related to trade and export.

As of the last documented report, close to 100 firms that employed close to 6000 islanders were realizing federal tax benefits from their EDC participation. The industries were varied, and included guest houses and hotels, manufacturing and assembly, tourist attractions, service industry businesses, transportation services, and manufacturing. Of the latter, the categories including the production of aluminum, refinery of oil, watch manufacture, pharmaceuticals, rum and liquor, high tech electronic parts and assembly and construction materials.

GR is a retired Airline Captain who has been involved in real estate and building since childhood. Now, he is retired in the US Virgin Islands where he writes and does more marketing from home. A good place to learn about the islands and to find your home is http://www.StThomasLuxuryHomes.com

If you have a hankering for your own business and a yen for fun in the sun, your best bet is the U.S. Virgin Islands. Here you can build your own business, or grow your existing one, and keep most of what had been your tax payments for yourself and your firm.

The USVI and its Economic Development Council has a plan to let you reap a tremendous financial boon and corporate benefits that will wow you. Here are the industries and types of firms that can apply for this 90 percent federal income tax break for business. They are divided up into four different categories.

The first qualifier category includes firms who produce milk and other dairy products, that manufacture rum and that assemble and manufacture time pieces and other jewelry.

Category two is made up of companies engaged in product assembly, and any manufacturing other than jewelry and watch assembly, agriculture or food processing, Mari culture, any marine related firm, the processing of raw materials, guest houses or hotel facilities, and companies offering telecommunications or transportation services.

The next category of qualifying organizations include those engaged in services such as financial or investment advisors and managers, management and business consultants, software designers and developers, firms and sites engaged in e-commerce, call / contact centers, high technology companies, businesses engaged in international public relations or trading and distributing internationally, and any other type of business that serves clients that are located beyond the borders of any of the Virgin Islands.

The fourth category of qualifying businesses include utility providers, healthcare facilities, recreation and athletic facilities, insurance carriers, physicians and their corporate entities and any other firms that the Economic Development Commission decides are appropriate. All that’s required to add a firm to the qualifier list is the EDC’s decision that doing so will advance the well being and economic growth of the United States Virgin Islands and its residents.

To earn the benefits of EDC a company must qualify. The requirements include a minimum investment of $100,000 – this does not include inventory, and residence either as an individual or a business entity in the USVI. Business entity includes partnership, corporation, trust, limited liability partnership and limited liability corporation.

The applicant must actually be an investor in the firm that is applying, and that firm must employer at least 10 full time employees, 8 of which must be residents of the Virgin Islands. The company must also qualify ecologically; i.e., it must be a firm that is friendly to the environment in mission and in practice. The firm, if contracting for services or products, must use firms licensed with and registered in the Virgin Islands. The company must also provide assistance either financial or through on site training to educate local VI residents. It must also maintain its payroll account in a bank that resides in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

GR is a retired Airline Captain who has been involved in real estate and building since childhood. Now, he is retired in the US Virgin Islands where he writes and does more marketing from home. A good place to learn about the islands and to find your home is http://www.StThomasLuxuryHomes.com