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Launching your own enterprise? In our present economy, it may be gruelling. The old practice of depending on outside investors has become less of a certainty for countless would-be new enterprise proprietors. They find themselves nose to nose with the credit crunch. Currently, more than ever, we are called to go “back to basics”.

What are the fundamentals of your business, though?

Credit. You need to have stellar credit. Drop a line to each credit business (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax) for a copy of your credit report. Corroborate the statistics on your report and identify any “difficulties” that you will need to address before you continue on your entrepreneurial endeavour.

Identify your enterprise structure. Seems straightforward, but scores don’t even survey what manner of business they desire to own. Will you be a corporation? Limited liability corporation? Partnership? Sole proprietorship? It’s a straightforward question with a lot of implications. Not every one of us may be a one-man event, but we need to be heedful of the venture configuration that is generally valuable to our goals. For example, if you require capital for start-up, possibly you take on a partner. Survey the business structure that you deem would most assist you. Appreciate the tax, liability and financial consequences of your chosen structure. This will avert back-pedalling later on. The more you appreciate, the more you control. Going back to the nuts and bolts involves taking on more of the accountability for oneself. Possibly you don’t sign up that junior you imagine depending on, or the coffee boy we’ve every one become accustomed to.

Make your financial plan airtight. This means “very careful”. Sketch out the responsibilities of your business plan for a sound financial strategy. For every responsibility, write down a cost-effective means to manage it. For instance, if your enterprise will require you to attract a considerable client base, write a marketing e-mail and a potential customer list, instead of suffering advertising costs. Set a dollar amount on everything that will have to be contracted out. As soon as you have finished summarising your responsibilities and solutions, create a different list for “general” overhead. This list must include any equipment and miscellaneous office expenses. Add together the grand sum of this list to the preceding list of the items that will have to be contracted out. At the same time, set up a “rainy day fund”. This fund must be for the items that inescapably slip through even the most airtight strategies. plans. Again, you’re preventing any back-pedalling.

Have confidence in yourself. When you run into a challenge, identify it and mark it down. Solutions develop. Enter them down too. Create a “challenge journal” for your enterprise. Refer to it often, and it will not only give you a feeling of achievement. It will infuse the belief to strive even higher, while becoming more and more self-sufficient.

Now and then, we have to have a failure to have a breakthrough. The crash of our financial market is forcing countless potential enterprise owners to break through. Countless business owners are appreciating, now more than ever, that becoming self-sufficient is paramount to their continued existence. New business ideas can help to stimulate development and profit.

If you want to get paid what you’re worth here are eight ways to sell value – not price:

1. Be Unique. If there is nothing that differentiates you from your competition you become common. Webster defines the word common as, “ordinary or not special” and the only way buyers select one common service over another is price.
Take inventory of your skills, experience and knowledge. Are you a specialist in some area? Are you an expert in certain facets of your business? These and other differentiators can make you unique and valuable to a select group of clients.

2. Choose Your Clients Carefully: Don’t ever let your clients choose you or you will be at their mercy. If a deal is going to close successfully, the true professional should be in control, not the client.
To begin controlling your business, write down the attributes of the people you want as clients and then go out and get them with targeted marketing. I hope the first item on your list of attributes is that they are people you enjoy spending time with. Being a business owner is far too difficult to work with people you don’t like just to earn a living.
Turn away people who don’t meet your criteria. When you reject or refer clients it tells the world that you don’t just work with anyone, you are selective which raises your perceived value. It also makes you unique from other businesses who will work with anyone who can bring them a paycheck.

3. Set High Standards: If you work with anyone and everyone your value drops. If people have to qualify to work with you your value increases. Of course you know that there are prospect who will ask you to give them a bid with no intention of ever buying from you. They’re planning to use your bid to leverage a discount with their current vendor or any one of a dozen other reasons that they want your knowledge but not your services. Then there are buyers who will waste your time and then purchase through another vendor (probably a relative).
Don’t ever meet with a potential client until you ask a logical list of questions to determine their seriousness and loyalty. You need to know their motivation and if they are interviewing other vendors. You also need to know if they’re financially qualified. If you don’t have serious, financially solvent, and loyal clients, why waste your valuable time with them?

4. Compete On Value, Not Price: No disrespect intended to other business models, but it doesn’t take any special skill, experience or knowledge to compete on price. All you have to do is be the cheapest, but this is a losing game.
Some people may remember the gas price wars of the 1960’s and early 1970’s when there seemed to be a gas station on nearly every corner. To gain market share, one would cleverly lower its price, but then all the others quickly followed suit and the only result was that everyone’s profit margin was reduced.
The way to get paid what you’re worth is to visibly demonstrate your value to your clients. Competing on price does not create value.

5. Create Value In The Eyes Of Clients: Frankly, most people throughout the country believe that people in sales do little to earn their commissions. This is our fault because we should be educating them about how hard we work before ever accepting them as clients.
Keeping my prices firm was a problem until I started tracking of all the different duties required to earn my pay. I developed lists of activities I do for customers. This amazes clients because most have no idea how complicated their orders sometimes can be (whether it’s manufacturing, servicing, fulfillment, etc.)
Since I created these lists I’ve never had to cut prices. If a prospect asks for a discount I simply show them the list and say, “Here are just some of the activities I must complete to earn my money. Why don’t you point out the things that you’d be willing to do instead of me. If you save me time then we can talk about saving you money because I earn every penny I get.” When confronted with a list that runs nearly ten pages long their eyes glaze over and they usually respond with something like, “You’re the expert, I expect you to do this work!” To which I simply say, “If you want me to do all of these activities on your behalf then you need to pay me what I’m worth. If you want to pay less, I’ll see if I can find someone who will do less and maybe they can save you some money.”

6. Educate Your Clients About How Much You Make. After speaking to thousands of agents all over the country for the past 15 years it’s clear to me that the average prospect is clueless about how your prices are determined, factoring in overhead and other expenses we have to run our businesses.
Most business owners face the reality of having to pay 33% federal, 10% state and 13.2% self-employment costing a total of 56.2%. As a result, clients often say, “Wow, you are underpaid for handling all these activities for me!” This was exactly my intent by taking the time to explain how I earn my money and how little I actually keep. This way they never try to cut my prices because they know that, like them, I earn my money and I don’t make as much as they may have previously thought.

7. Provide value that no one else offers. When prospects do business with me, they get a complete outline that explains my process from start to finish. It also includes samples, a list of service providers that could be involved in the process and much more. No other competing business offers any of these benefits, so if a client wants to work with me they must pay what I ask.

8. Reject price shoppers. Studies show that only 15-18% of people make their decision to purchase a product or service primarily based on price. This means that the majority of clients appreciate value and are willing to pay for it – if they see it.

Don’t forget that real professionals earn their money by helping clients maximize value, minimize costs, save time, and much more. If potential clients don’t appreciate this then feel free to refer them to your competition.
You don’t need every prospect and you certainly don’t need every buyer to be successful. If all someone wants is a cheap transaction, send them to a vendor who competes on price and wish them both luck!

The Fox Realtor is experienced in commercial real estate in Minnesota. Working with developers, investors, and institutions to realize their investment objectives using real estate. He can be contacted at mo@foxreg.com, and more information is available at www.foxreg.com

Have you ever wondered about your own funeral? How many people will attend and what do you imagine they will say about your life? Recently I read a story about a man named Alfred who had the rare opportunity to read his own obituary. Apparently the newspaper in Alfred’s hometown mistakenly believed that he had died and prematurely published his obituary. Alfred was a philanthropist who had made a fortune by inventing dynamite in 1866. In his obituary his invention was blamed for the death and mutilation of thousands of people. He was shocked and dismayed by the harsh manner in which he was portrayed. Alfred was determined to improve his public image and leave a better legacy. He wanted to be remembered as a man of science and of peace. When Alfred died in 1896, his will provided the major portion of his $9 million estate be set up as a fund to establish yearly prizes for merit in physics, chemistry, medicine and physiology, literature, and world peace.

Alfred’s last name you ask? Noble, Alfred Noble. The prize that bears his name is an international award given annually since 1901. Previous recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize include; Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., Albert Schweitzer, Henry Kissinger, and Theodore Roosevelt. Alfred did a remarkable job reestablishing his legacy. One century later we no longer associate the name Noble with destruction, but rather, with peace. What if Alfred Noble had never read his obituary? I believe it is never too late to improve your legacy. In India many years ago, a newspaper reporter interviewed Mahatma Gandhi. He asked Gandhi to give his readers a message that would inspire them. Gandhi smiled at the young reporter and replied, “My life is my message!” Consider what message you are giving your coworkers, customers, friends and family. Unlike Nobel, you may not be given the unique opportunity to read your own obituary, however, you are in a good position to influence what it will say. How do you choose to be remembered?

John Boe, based in Monterey, CA, helps companies recruit, train and motivate top-quality people. To view his online Video Demo or to have John Boe speak at your next event, visit www.johnboe.com or call (831) 375-3668.

With hundreds developments taken place in electronics almost every day, very few have proved to be more convenient and valuable than the launch of the netbook computer. The actual size of netbook computers is the most important reason that makes them so needed to the usual end user or business. Where notebooks are some what large to fit right on most people’s laps, netbook computers boast the perfect size and portability. Perhaps the best example to display this would be on either a train, or passenger jet whilst travelling to, or from your destination. In these instances, a netbook computer is indeed the more appropriate hardware to purchase, frequently being almost half the size of an average laptop. Find a large assortment of technology products such as; netbooks, sony televisions and panasonic televisions from leading brands online.

The actual size of these netbooks brings to light quite a few fears with regards to their display resolution. With such a small size, comes a small screen, so you may possibly want to ensure you obtain a model that has a sharp contrast ratio, and high resolution. This will save you from numerous head pains when trying to watch a presentation or a motion picture. Making sure you get the highest contrast ratio for your price range is very straightforward, for the most part because there are loads of websites that assess each netbook models against their opposition. This can provide valuable information when selecting a netbook computer.

This comparing of netbook computer models can be excellent in maximizing the quality of the hardware in the computer, & the price that you intend to spend. Hard drive space, wireless functionality and cost are several main qualities that you want to make sure you examine when buying a netbook computer. With such an assortment of different businesses putting out netbooks so far in 2009, there are several special offers around that you can catch just by undertaking ample homework before buying. Making sure you get the very best hardware for your budget is very important especially in this economic situation. Why not take the first steps towards upgrading your mobile computing experience. Get hold of a netbook & enter into the terrific world of convenience and portability that netbook computers deliver.

A contemporary review explained that less than half of Brit adults own life assurance policies. So when is the appropriate time to contemplate life cover?

The key suggestion is the sooner the more appropriate. It safeguards your family financially in the conceivable event of the unfavourable departure of adults and means money could be made reachable for dependents. But life assurance is not simply about defending your offspring’s financial security, those who don’t have young ones may vote to take out life assurance policies to certify that their companion is taken care of financially in the catastrophe of his or her dying.

There are four main life moments that routinely prompt one to find life insurance policies. The first is purchasing a new residence.

Buying a new house is a notably trying time, specially if it’s the 1st step in the advantageous housing ladder. And so this event will often be an excellent – and assuring – point to get life assurance, that may be put to use to pay off the home loan should the unimaginable occur to you or your husband or wife.

The second causing occurrence which fosters obtaining life insurance is formalising a relationship through coupling or perhaps a civil companionship. If you’ve recently sworn your constant passion to someone, it goes without saying that you would want to ensure they will be financially protected in the event that unimaginable occurs to you.

Having a child to provide for generates a whole novel dimension of encumbrance to one’s existence, and correspondingly this can be the third primary persuader for those purchasing life insurance policies. Ensuring that there’s a financial safety-net in place to safeguard one’s young ones can be of the absolute importance to any new mother or father.

Oftentimes after a separation individuals come to fully appreciate his or her financial worth and the need to keep his or her families financially secure more than ever before. Also if divorce leads to the removal of a joint life assurance policy the people involved will need to organise further insurance separately.

Now that you’re a mother for the first time, you are probably noticing numerous things in a completely different way; for example, the beauty of tiny sock to the various number of electrical sockets there is all around the flat. And actions which previously seemed very easy, for example, a casual walk in the country, are now extremely more tricky. Find a large selection of baby & child products including; prams, babywear and cot beds from leading brands online.

Laying your hands on the perfect pram or pushchair is very important. Yet, it can be overwhelming to learn about the variety of baby prams, pushchairs, travel cots, three-in-one prams and three-wheeler pushchairs on sale nowadays. However, the key to getting hold of the proper pram and/or pushchair is easy – acquire a pram that is ideal for you, your child as well as your whole family.

If you are looking for a pram, pushchair or versatile vehicle ideal for jogging then look for user-friendliness. You want to have the capability to assemble, dis-assemble and load your pram with your beloved cargo with calm composure, even if the prized one desperately needs a rest. Always try out your pushchair at a shop, otherwise look for customer comments on the internet in order to help identify which one will best suit your specific needs.

The way you usually travel will certainly affect your pram or pushchair selection. Regular public transport users will need a pushchair which is light and uncomplicated to get up and down steps. If you use a vehicle, then it is important that you ensure that the pushchair folds down to a size that fits in the boot of your car. Some pram and pushchair combos can also be changed into a car seat, which is very helpful.

Two pram characteristics can simplify walking with your toddler. Pushchair wheels by and large either swivel around, which makes it much easier to use them, or lock, which is perfect for uneven land. Many pushchairs incorporate both.

Always take a look at the handle height on your pram or pushchair. This is vital if older brothers will be walking with the pram, on top of varied-sized grown-ups; as you might well need a pram that has a variable handle height extension.

Pram and pushchair combinations will accommodate your child’s changing needs, from newborns lying back to more active children who like to move around. Simply by thinking about your needs, and the most important qualities of the prams and pushchairs, will help you invest in a pram that you can take you and your infant into your future together.

Nominated for 17 Emmys in its short four-year run, Soap premiered in the Fall of 1977 as one of the most controversial shows in American television history (and all before a single episode ever aired). The show was opposed by many groups who thought its subject matter would be too mature for a prime-time audience. But Soap never overstepped its bounds, and the show became an instant smash hit with its brilliant and satirical spoofs of classic daytime programming. Sporting an all-star cast and talented producers, the show spawned successful spin-off Benson in 1979, a series that launched Robert Guillaume’s career to a whole new level…

Set in suburban Connecticut, Soap follows the lives of two sisters – Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond), a wealthy yet dim elitist, and Mary Campbell (Cathryn Damon), a housewife in a more traditional blue-collar atmosphere. But regardless of their social station in life, neither woman manages to escape the scandal and intrigue surrounding a typical soap opera family. Jessica’s daughter Corrine (Diana Canova) is smitten with a priest, yet they are both having an affair with the same tennis pro. Meanwhile, Jessica and her husband Chester (Robert Mandan) incessantly cheat on one another. As for the other side of the family, Mary’s husband Burt (Richard Mulligan) is certifiably insane, her son Danny (Ted Wass) is a mobster, stepson Jodie (Billy Crystal) is an out-of-the-closet homosexual, and all of them are caught up in a family filled with promiscuous infidelities and quite possibly murder! Throw in the insubordinate and sarcastic Tate butler Benson (Guillaume), and Soap holds its own as one of the funniest sitcoms in TV history…

The Soap DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the series premiere in which the audience learns the background of the two differing, yet similar, families. Jessica overhears Chester making plans to meet his mistress just before she meets her own lover, a local tennis pro named Peter. Jessica leaves Peter just before Corinne arrives for a lesson of her own… Meanwhile, the Campbells are beset by a rift between Danny and Burt, and Burt reveals to Mary that his inability to perform in the bedroom is a result of guilt from having killed her first husband… Other notable episodes from Season 1 include Episode 4 in which Jessica and Corrine encounter each other in Peter’s apartment, and Episode 25 in which Charles Lefkowitz (Sorrell Booke of Dukes of Hazzard fame) orders Danny to marry Elaine or else he will kill the entire Campbell family…

Below is a list of episodes included on the Soap (Season 1) DVD:

Episode 1 (Episode 1) Air Date: 09-13-1977
Episode 2 (Episode 2) Air Date: 09-20-1977
Episode 3 (Episode 3) Air Date: 09-27-1977
Episode 4 (Episode 4) Air Date: 10-04-1977
Episode 5 (Episode 5) Air Date: 10-04-1977
Episode 6 (Episode 6) Air Date: 10-25-1977
Episode 7 (Episode 7) Air Date: 11-01-1977
Episode 8 (Episode Air Date: 11-08-1977
Episode 9 (Episode 9) Air Date: 11-15-1977
Episode 10 (Episode 10) Air Date: 11-22-1977
Episode 11 (Episode 11) Air Date: 11-29-1977
Episode 12 (Episode 12) Air Date: 12-06-1977
Episode 13 (Episode 13) Air Date: 12-13-1977
Episode 14 (Episode 14) Air Date: 12-27-1977
Episode 15 (Episode 15) Air Date: 01-03-1978
Episode 16 (Episode 16) Air Date: 01-10-1978
Episode 17 (Episode 17) Air Date: 01-17-1978
Episode 18 (Episode 18) Air Date: 01-24-1978
Episode 19 (Episode 19) Air Date: 02-07-1978
Episode 20 (Episode 20) Air Date: 02-14-1978
Episode 21 (Episode 21) Air Date: 02-21-1978
Episode 22 (Episode 22) Air Date: 02-28-1978
Episode 23 (Episode 23) Air Date: 03-14-1978
Episode 24 (Episode 24) Air Date: 03-21-1978
Episode 25 (Episode 25) Air Date: 03-28-1978

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Soap (DVD).

Far too many people who are training in the martial arts or in a self-defense program – including police and security personnel by-the-way – take for granted that all they have to do is learn a few tricks and that’s it. When, according to the reality and nature of self-defense, no technique that you’ve learned in a martial arts or self-defense class is perfect in-and-of-itself for the unique situation and circumstances that you will find yourself in when you need it. And…

…that’s okay.

What’s important to learn is this…

…these techniques that everyone hold up as the “holy symbols of their style,”…

…were just passed down from past-generation masters as “examples” anyway!

After you’ve been training for a significant while with a focus on being able to handle a real-world self-defense situation, rather than merely memorizing a preset string of moves for your next belt, what you’ll find is that…

…in your attempt to defend yourself in a given situation and against a unique assailant with his own ‘favorite’ techniques and attack-methods, you will actually be stringing several basic moves together in a moment-to-moment, spontaneous flow. The trick is to know your techniques so well that you can do this in what appears to be an effortless flow from one technqiue or skill to the next.

Just as I pointed out in “The Karate-Myth” there are certain critical pieces missing from the vast majority of training programs. And, it is those key elements that MUST be managed during a physical altercation if you are to walk away with most of you intact.

So, if you really want to be able to use what you’ve learned in a real-world self-defense situation…

…then you must be able to give up your attachment to your “perfect techniques.”

Remember: The only people who believe that any given technique or skill is “perfect” or “unbeatable,” has not been around long enough, or…

…has deluded themselves into believing that training in class, or competing in a tournament, is somehow equivelant to the all-out, adrenalin-triggering, overwhelm that makes you feel like your heart will explode in your chest during the “real thing.”

Jeffrey M. Miller is the founder and director of Warrior Concepts International in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. He is the author of the “Foundations of Self-Defense Mastery” eCourse, which is available free of charge to subscribers of his self defense newsletter. You can subscribe to the newsletter at: http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com/newsletter-subscribe-self-defense.html He is also the creator of the EDR: Non-Martial Arts Defensive Training Program, author of the book, “The Karate-Myth” as-well-as the powerful, “Danger Prevention Tactics” video. Additional information is available by visiting http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com

It hardly takes much convincing to conclude that having blinding speed of punches or bone-cracking power in kicks are the most desireable assets for Martial Artists to posess. Remember Miyamoto Musashi stated in his famous text “A Book of Five Rings” that one ultimate goal of the warrior is to learn to end the fight with a single blow! That’s exactly where speed & power come in! The idea is to make them as specific as possible so as to achieve the most applicable results. In this article we will attempt to explore some of the best methods available to get those results.

Economy of Motion. Basically the more you practice your peticular techniques, the more your nervous system becomes familiar & you naturally get faster. Its a really good idea to use mirrors because you can self-coach so to say & strip away wasted movements as well as learn to utilize power centers (like the hips & legs). For example you can immediately make your punch will be twice as powerful by springing off the slightly bent legs when you execute it. Think of your body akin to a coiled up snake about to strike!

Think SPEED! Sounds simple but when you start thinking you are fast you will actually start moving faster. Get over any preconceived mental limitations you may have. The other aspect of this notion is to keep the thought of speed on the forefront of your mind. As you train to do those skills you wish to be faster & stronger at make a conscious effort to do them with your best speed & power efforts! Time yourself. Count down how many strikes or roundhouses you can land on a target or heavy bag in a 10 second period. Seek to improve your numbers every session.

Overspeed methods A.K.A. Forcing faster muscle memory! The abridged version goes like this:You have an innate speed at which muscles can fire off & move any given limb. Factors like motor unit recruitment, neural efficiency/capacity, & strength ratios effect this. What we are going to do is teach the nervous system to coordinate movement & build muscle memory at faster speeds! To speed up punches wrap a tubular resistance band or even bungee cord around your wrists and anchor the other end or have a partner stretch it out. Now release & throw the arm into motion with the added speed. Relax the opposing muscles to avoid any “braking” effects. The same proceedure can be performed on kicks by binding the band to the foot.10-20 reps 2 times aweek will be enough to develop noticeable results.

Specific drills to build power. Much can be done with a simple medicineball & even bodyweight outside of what you are already familiar with. Here are some to get started on:

Power absorbtion exercises:How the theory works is that you can’t create more power than you can absorb. So it only makes sense to start here before we start “jumping” into plyometrics! For upperbody power, drop push-ups are king! Assume a position upright but on your knees with both arms at chest level slightly more than shoulder width apart bend aprox 90, now drop to your hands without hesitation and forcefully contract when the hands touch the floor as to limit the amount of arm bend. The higher the “drop” the more force is absorbed, thus the more power potential to develop. The same concept is easily adapted to the lowerbody by doing drops from a 4′-5′ surface landing in a 1/4 squat. For pulling power, hold yourself at the top of a pull up position & fall to “catch” yourself about 1/2 through the pull ups range of motion.You’ll find after performing as little as 10 reps each you’ll be plenty sore! Its a good idea to work these 4-8 weeks, 2 times a week before progressing to the next phase…

Plyometric Kung Fu:Okay to begin lets start with punching/pushing power. Clapping push-ups work great but I feel the need to mention that the idea is to “bounce” off of each rep. Not just get the clap in! In fact forget the clap, just repetitively hop off the floor from this position. Its the fast reaction off the landing that matters so focus on that. One idea that will work good on the legs is to depth jump right into a kick. Peticularly a jump-kick! Now these are good starters…ready to leave elementary onto High School? Get a partner & medicineball (start with light ball, please!). Have him Throw it (throw, not toss) at you. The first step its to rebound it as soon as it touches your hands. Next level of progress is to actually strike the oncoming ball out of the air with a chop, punch, palm, & even any various kicks you desire to build power onto.

This drill works some serious plyo-power into your martial arts! Start with a light 3 lb. ball & slow throws gradually working up to faster throws & heavier balls.Obviosly the further you are able to displace the ball/target the more power you have gained(Like a baseball batter). Kind of works as a measuring devise as well. For you solo practitioners get a bouncy type med-ball & react off the rebound of a wall throw. Please exercise caution as this last one is alot more difficult than it sounds & takes some serious getting used to.The great thing is you can build accuracy at the same time you get faster & more powerful techniques. Lastly plyometrics like these are intense, so only work out with them 2 times a week.

Mark learned plyometrics as well as other modalities of training as a professional & collegiate gymnastics instructor.He started w/ the city of Ormond Beach, Fl. USA Gymnastics has there own certs & credentials & training programs for levels of qualified instructors. As He climbed in Instructor status he moved on to coach at larger facilities with even more advanced gymnasts.
Mr. Sias now is a Firefighter/Paramedic which allows him much free time to study advances in exercise science. Currently, he works with large group clinicals,charging per-head fees to cheerleading squads & local highschool basketball/volleyball teams.Before getting into this niche he has had the opportunity to do some private 1 on 1 vertical jump-specific training with a handful community college players (almost by accident)with very great results. Some of which have stepped up to Division 1 schools.

More recently he’s had the opportunity consult with a new NBA trainer who’s working on a problem player.
Mr. Sias also frequently consults other trainers across the U.S

A fine front door is not only a delight to see but an impressive addition to your home.
You drive by or walk by some fine vintage homes. A main focal point is always that impressive front-door. These doors are usually canvasses of superior craftsmentship and graceful mouldings.

You always ponder as to where the owners found such a regal door to frame the entraceway into their home.

An antique door can instantly add mellow hues and dcorative carvings to any home. They also have a rich patina of color that adds to the ambivance.

You can also have vintage doors on the inside of your home, leading to a dining room, the master bedroom, or any other focal point in your home.

Expensive – yes and no. They are expensive in their exquisite details, with hardwoods and sometimes decorative glass inserts. Most cities and towns demolish buildings to add super modern structures to a demanding world. These buildings can include churches, banks, heritage homes, etc. The offcasts of these buildings are referred to as salvage. The monetary value is what you place in it, and the benefits are years of service and beauty for your home.

A slight problem – what if the door you love just doesn’t fit where you want it? Talk to a carpenter or check with home supply stores. They can give you tips, and tools to make sure that your “found” dor will be “as tight as a bug in a rug.” Even if years of paint are added to the fine architecture of your door, paint can be removed and fine finishes are available at all hardware stores. The advantages – beautiful ironwork, stained glass or leaded glass insets that let the sunshine dance on your foyer floor, and impressive trims and lines.

A little more work than a mass-manufactured door – but well worth it. Next time you enter through your front door – consider the possibilities and ENJOY! ©Arleen M. Kaptur 2003 February

About the Author

Author of numerous novels, cookbooks, and articles in both magazines, and on the internet. Simple rustic living – life is good! Websites: http://www.arleenssite.com http://www.Arleens-RusticLiving.com http://www.webspawner.com/users/rusticliving/ http://topica.com/lists/simpleliving