How To Prevent Obstruction By Knowledge
Our point of view, perception, and learning are all objects of our knowledge, and these are things that prevent us from going ahead. "I already know everything there is to know about that. I don't need to learn any more." We have arrived only at the fourth rung of the ladder, yet we think it is the top rung. Whatever the value of what our intellect and our insight has attained, we have to abandon it. If we don't, we put an end to further progress. Even though it has some value, our knowledge has become an obstacle. If we are caught in our knowledge, if we say that our knowledge is absolute truth, we suffer from the knowledge-obstacle. Those who have knowledge but know that they have to abandon it in order to go further do not suffer from the knowledge-obstacle.Objects of knowledge are like water that has become ice and prevents the river from flowing. We need knowledge, but we have to use it intelligently. If we think that our present knowledge is paramount, our way is blocked. Our knowledge has become an obstacle. We cannot [or should not] be attached to anything; we have to abandon even our insight, our understanding

Look Cool - Lean Back with Bistro Tables and Chairs
If brown is the new black, then bistro table and chairs are the new furniture. Well, they would be, except that they have been around for almost two centuries now. Ask most people what a bistro table and chair set actually is and, chances are, they will shrug their shoulders and say they don't know. But, really, we've all seen them, especially those of us who live in cities or countries that exhibit continental sophistication. Yes, you have that right. The bistro table and chairs set is that easy-looking trio of small, inauspicious dining furniture that crowds the sidewalks, providing perching, posing, or lounging space to any city's latt? or mocha-drinking population.Bistro in a Hurry Bistro tables and chairs take their name from the famous and characteristically Parisian style of dining known as bistro. Bistros are cafes that sprang up everywhere around Paris towards the end of the 19th century. They served small but very tasty meals, often to soldiers who are in a hurry. This explains the name "bistro," which comes from the Russian or Slovak derivative "Bystr?," literally meaning "hurry." Bistro tables and c

Business Financing Options for Canadian Companies
One of the biggest challenges for Canadian company owners is obtaining business financing. As a first instinct, owners usually try to go to the bank hoping for a business loan or line of credit. They soon find that qualifying for bank financing is hard, as the bank will demand collateral and three years worth of financial statements. Although large companies can qualify for bank funding, most small and midsized companies can’t. However, small companies are not out of options. There are two alternatives.If the business sells goods or services to other businesses and your main challenge is that they need money to pay suppliers or employees, the solution could lie in using two little known financing products – invoice factoring and purchase order financing.Most small and midsized businesses have cash flow problems because clients take 30 to 60 days to pay their invoices. Although waiting to get paid is a standard business practice in Canada, it can wreak havoc on the company’s finances. Because, while waiting to get paid, business owners still have to pay employees and suppliers, who coincidentally, don’t like wait

What's the Measure of One Word?
It's absolutely essential that you find a way to differentiate your business in a meaningful way. I know I talk about this all the time, but it's that important.What if you interviewed a handful of clients and asked them this question: "What's the ONE word you would use that best describes what we do well?" Is it fast, attentive, welcoming, creative, cheap, cool, techie, smart, caring? One word is tough, but you need to get there. One simple word that sums up how you are different. If you can do that, and it's a word that means a lot to a lot, your marketing job will be significantly easier.Can't think of a word? If your business was a car, what type would it be? Why? What are the qualities you admire in people? What color is your business? What kind of music do you sound like? What kind of plant would you be? Why? (Sorry if I'm scaring some of you with this!)Got your word? Now, how does everyone in your firm define and own that word. Starbucks uses the word welcoming. If you sneak a peak back in the back room of a Starbucks you might find a bulletin board full of "thoughts on welcoming" written by the st

eRecording: The Future of Document Recording
We are currently experiencing a trend that is shifting our nation from a paper-based to an online system of commerce. With every passing year the internet becomes more deeply integrated into our daily lives. We pay our bills online, we rent movies online, even our biggest auction (eBay) is now an online service.This impact that this trend has had on business is incalculable. In the past, countless hours were spent doing tasks that can now be accomplished with the click of a mouse button. One such service that has recently been optimized with internet compatibility is document recording.Whenever a legal transaction takes place, proper county filing is required. When you sign a mortgage, deed, land record, property title, etc, the agent or company in charge of realizing that transaction must file the record at the County Recorder’s Office. Until recently, filing these documents meant driving to the county office or mailing them via postal services. But rather than driving and waiting in lines or hassling with postage, a new option is available. Square Peg in a Round Hole - Being a Creative Artist in the Corporate World
Those of us who are highly creative and artistic employees know how we can be looked at differently by those who operate from the other side of the brain in the corporate world. It can be hard to fit in to conservative work environments at times for those of us who are free-thinking and artistically expressive. The creative mind is cut from a very different cloth than many. Speaking for myself, it takes adapting a free-spirited and detail oriented mind to a different world - where logic, analytical minds and strict rules usually apply.Sitting behind a desk for forty hours is a hard thing to doBefore becoming a home agent for my company, I spent a year in-house, sitting in a cubicle and obeying strict rules. It was, as usual, a bit torturous to have to take breaks at assigned times, and be under the constant scrutiny of bosses. Having worked as a freelance artist most of my adult life, it was important for me to put aside my usual carefree lifestyle and adapt to being corporate. My superiors had some adjusting to get used to me, as well. Eventually, getting up at the crack of dawn and going into work, then stayin