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Sunday, September 13, 2009

Advocating the Use of Petfinder.com

Today, I would like to discuss a topic apart from writing and entrepreneurship, Petfinder.com. I completely advocate this website to aid in the search of an adoptable pet. Not only will they provide the closest listed pets to your home area, you can also post a free classified ad to adopt out a pet. I found 2 of my dogs on this website. One, Taz, who was the Manchester, Connecticut's Animal Shelter Pet of the Month back in September 2001, became my beloved Benny.

I already had a gorgeous shepherd - husky cross named Luc. Luc was a gift from my step-mother who went on to love and protect all those in his immediate family circle. He was a true pound puppy as his mother was turned in to the Mansfield, Connecticut Animal Shelter when her owner found she was pregnant. All the puppies, save for Luc, had been adopted. I asked about his mother and she too had found a new home.My parents went to see him on a very hot July day in 1999. Then, they brought him home and my step-mother placed the young puppy in my arms. He was my loyal companion, and hers, until the day he died.

When Luc was two years old, I began searching for a companion dog for him. That is when I saw Taz in a nearby town shelter who resembled Luc. Taz looked so cute and was looking for a second chance. Luc and I went to see him. He was the only German shepherd cross amongst many Pitbulls. I felt sorry for all those Pitbulls, yet could not bring myself to adopt one as I lived alone and did not feel I could stop any potential flare ups between my dogs. Luc was not receptive to a new brother and was quite jealous. I wanted to adopt Taz who was quiet and sweet. So, I persisted for an hour hoping Luc would give Taz a chance. He didn't, so I put Luc in the van and put Taz in the way back.

I went on to have Taz, who became Benny, for 6 more years. In between there I was surfing the Petfinder.com website and found Maxx. Another dog, a full-blooded German shepherd who needed a second chance badly. So, I drove my big 2500 RAM VAN to Putnam, Connecticut near the Rhode Island border. I met Maxx who a woman on welfare had rescued from a man who allegedly left Maxx outside for 2 years with a barrel to live in, tied up and nearly starved. She could not afford him with her other dogs, but had badly wanted to save him.So, we took Maxx home. He was very thin and I took him to the vet that weekend for shots. The vet had an accusing look to me on his health. I said I had just adopted him and that's why he was at the vet.

In 6 months, Maxx did not really ever mind me. He put on weight where eventually he became strong and even jumped my 4'feet chain link fence. I realized he was not happy with me, however, he took to Benny. Luc ignored him. So, after 6 months, I made many phone calls to shelters and eventually, the Westport, Connecticut shelter said they had room. I paid a drop off fee after an hour's drive. He went willingly with the control officer. I asked about his chances of adoption. He said he had just placed out an 8 year old shepherd, so he should be able to adopt out a 2 year old one. I made one follow up call and he was still there. I hated to do it, but Maxx was a liability as I never knew what he would do with strangers in view of his background with the cruel owner in Putnam. I had said good-bye and told Maxx he was now in Fairfield County, Connecticut in the wealthiest state in America. So, after transporting him and taking care of him for 6 months, I hope he went on to a much better life.

I still had Luc and Benny. I also had rescued Tyson a Rottweiler and took in a stray who came into my yard in a snow storm in January 2002. I named my stray Red. It took 3 weeks for Red to be captured by animal control. I decided then and there to adopt Red. I had been putting out food and water in my front yard for 3 weeks and it was gone each morning. Then, one day it was still there and I later found animal control had the big, red dog.

Today, it's just Red and me (Mama) down here in North Carolina. However, if I were to adopt another dog some day, I would definitely turn to Petfinder.com as my first resource.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

6 Tips for Starting a Business After Age 50

Today, in view of the economy and rate of unemployment here in the U.S., I thought I would post an excerpt from the following article taken from the http://www.usnews.com/ website. The website invites one to share the article and so here I will share with all of you visiting my blog site.

I myself have started 2 new businesses this year after I turned 48. With 50 fast approaching and the slow economy here in Wilkes County, I decided to become an AVON Independent Sales Representative in addition to my freelance writing. The following article highlights individual entrepreneurs who have also opened online store fronts. I, too, have started an online store at YourAVON.com/vhynson. I can see the tremendous benefits to an entrepreneur by lowering one's overhead costs. In addition, now one has a store that is open for business 24/7.

I commend Emily Brandon's article both for the examples of the types of entrepreneurial endeavors out there and the list of cities where such endeavors have the opportunity to flourish. So, please read this article if you have been considering a career change or relocation move or both.

6 Tips for Starting a Business After Age 50
Boomers' experience puts them in a better position than most to succeed

By Emily Brandon
Posted June 29, 2009

Starting a business is difficult at any age. Baby boomer entrepreneurs planning to retire soon need to be particularly careful that they don't gamble and lose their life savings. "You have more capital to invest, and at the same time, you have more to lose," cautions Dan Olszewski, director of the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship at the business school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. But baby boomer's accumulated knowledge and experience also put them in a better position than most to succeed. "Many of the most successful businesses are when the entrepreneur knows something about the industry and they are able to leverage that knowledge in some way and come up with a better solution," Olszewski says.
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Here are some tips to help baby boomer start-ups boom:

Tap your network. A lifetime's worth of accumulated friends and acquaintances are essential to get a business off the ground. "We have this archetype of the lone genius, but that's not really how it works. It's more often a team effort," says Dane Stangler, a senior analyst at the Kauffman Foundation, a group that promotes entrepreneurship. "No one could build a company today in the absence of a network, and you can see how someone in their 50s is going to have a much deeper network to tap into to build their company." Many cities have business incubators, which provide start-up companies with affordable office and lab space and valuable mentorship and networking services. Local colleges also are a valuable resource for ideas and troubleshooting.

Use your experience. Many baby boomers have accumulated expertise in an industry that gives their business a head start. "You know a lot more and have an understanding of what your customers need because you may have been in that industry," says Olszewski. "You probably have a much larger Rolodex of connections that help you pull together different resources, such as funding and finding customers." Lyn Berg of Fayetteville, N.C., served in the military for 28 years and now runs a business designing quickly erectable 150-foot mobile communications towers, Mobile Tower Technologies. "My experience in the military and my experience in
undesirable situations was a great help" Berg, 71 says.

Find start-up funds. One of the greatest barriers to starting a business is coming up with the start-up capital. Dan McDonald, 57, a retired electrical engineer from Knoxville, Tenn., and his business partner, Ron Michaels, won a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop their plant X-ray system and start their company, Phenotype Screening Corp., in 2004. But even that did not solve their money worries. "We were very fortunate to have won a grant from the Department of Energy for $50,000, but my partner and I couldn't take a salary on that kind of money," says McDonald. "We mortgaged our homes, and you are always hustling and watching over your business." Some cities offer tax breaks to entrepreneurs and small-business investors. For example, North Dakota's Seed Capital Investment Credit gives investors in start-up companies a significant tax break, and new entrepreneurs in the state also get special tax deductions. And in Maryland, the state-funded Maryland Venture Fund provides financing for start-up technology and life science companies. To find out about tax perks in your state, contact your state's department of revenue.

Plan for longer hours. Just because you don't have a boss, don't assume you'll get to take long lunches and go home early. "Usually when you start your own business, you are on a shoestring and you don't have a lot of other people around to do the work for you," says John Challenger, CEO of Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. "One issue for people in their 50s is: Do you want work to dominate your life?" Linda Remeschatis, 60, a former prosecutor in Madison, Wis., who started an online food and gift store, Wisconsinmade.com, now makes less money and works more hours than she did as an attorney, but she says enjoys her second career more.

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Wilkesboro, NC, United States
My interest with writing began by composing poems about nature in my childhood. I also co-wrote a play in my 4th grade class when I lived in New Rochelle, NY. It generated enough positive feedback that my class put on the play in the school auditorium. I was fortunate to have a lead part. After my high school graduation, I entered the working world. For over 30 years I have been steadily gaining writing, editing and digital publishing skills. I began by composing letters and emails to company clients. I contributed to articles written for The Commuters Register based in Windsor, CT. Since 2009, I have added social media, digital publishing and blogging here in Wilkesboro, NC. Since 2010, I write ad copy for the listing descriptions for each of my 3 Internet shops open at Etsy.com. In 2012, I entered a poem about my dog Red in the World Poetry Contest. The poem was chosen for publication. I have written articles for the Winston-Salem Frugal Living Examiner and Hub Pages. In 2012, I acquired The Wilkes Gazette digital newspaper that was renamed the Wilkes County Gazette in 2014. I write under both my own name and my pen name, Jeanne Armonk.
Pet Adoption