Does Your Small Business Need A Facelift?

How you look affects your self esteem and how your business looks affects your bottom line. But what if you need to improve your business image but have minimal staff or budget to support those changes?

Not to worry. There are some simple tips you can apply that cost nothing or next-to-nothing and that can get almost immediate results. So where do you start? First, you need a plan.

Plan Your Brand

A facelift, also known as an *identity* plan deserves detailed thought because it involves more than your logo and letterhead. Having a plan assures that everything you put before a potential customer carries a unified image so that the customer can identify the product or service with your business. This identity becomes the brand upon which you build future business, so putting optimal resources toward your brand development will provide the best return.

Revamping your brand may be as simple as updating a logo or as complex as creating a many-page website with double opt-in lists, links and affiliations. Because you will likely be living with your choices for a long time, you will want to consider selecting the image that is not only the most acceptable but the one you believe will enhance your success. It is always a good idea to solicit feedback from others when creating something as critical as your identity.

Five Ways to Find the Services You Need at a Fraction of the Cost

How do you find someone to help with your identity plan? Five ways come to mind:

1. Offer a high school or college art student the chance to design what you need in exchange for including the finished work in his or her portfolio. A letter from you verifying your satisfaction with his or her work is a help, too.
2. Post the job on a freelancer site and subcontract the work. Search with your favorite browser for freelance graphic designers, publish your proposal and determine from the bids you receive what works best. (These sites can be global marketplaces so determine if terms of agreement are acceptable before you post your proposal.)
3. Barter services with a designer whose work you know and trust. For example, if your business is landscaping, offering to rid the designer of yard-weeds in the spring may be enough to offset what you need.
4. Offer to introduce a designer to two other clients who would agree to use his or her services. The business referral may be seen as equity for your own work.
5. Buy an already created set from a software or shareware company. Add your business information and voil?, you have got a new look.

Some Words of Warning

Although it may seem like a good or convenient idea to have a family member or friend do the design work for you, it usually turns out to be far more costly not only financially, but also with relationship conflicts. So, weigh the potential outcome before you ask.

Finally, make sure you have the electronic file formats and copyright permissions (or ownership) you need for the work you purchased. After all, you do not want to be seeing your image anywhere but on your business face.

Rebecca Jacoby is a business writer an award-winning designer who has written numerous projects for the web and print. She is the author of the e-book for small businesses, Surefire Design Ideas for the Design-Challenged. For more information see http://www.AFewChosenWords.com

Ford Mondeo LX TDCi 130 PS Hatchback 2003 Pre-Facelift Model - Used Car Review

Background

Replacing the Sierra in 1993 with a $6bn new car programme (one of the most expensive ever), the Ford Mondeo has become one of the most popular mid-size vehicles in the UK market. It?s no coincidence that its reliability has made the Ford Mondeo the favoured car for fleet owners of any size.

The current MkIII (mark 3) model Ford Mondeo was introduced in 2000 after the MkII (mark 2) mondeo was discontinued 3 years after its inception in 1997. The third generation Ford Monde was launched in 2000, and addressed the 2 main criticisms of its predecessor: the modest legroom and sluggish diesel engine. The legroom is noticeably bigger and the pull of the straight-four-cylinder, turbo-intercooled, 16-valve direct-injection TDCi engine is a marked improvement. The chain-driven camshafts also rectified a common problem in the earlier models.

The security of the Ford Mondo MkIII is also an improvement on its predecessors, including the Intelligent Protection System (IPS), anti-lock brakes and electronic brake distribution. No wonder it frequently featured as the most popular car in its class at the turn of the new decade and ranked as high as 8th top selling car in the UK.

Common faults
Injectors.
The review

We purchased the Mondeo LX 130 TDCi as a 3? year old diesel vehicle with 85,000 miles on the clock and full Ford service history.
To look at the MkIII (mark 3) Ford Mondeo is still a modern looking car, and with 85,000 miles on the clock, this Mondeo neither looks nor feels tired. The light metallic blue paint gives it a bright, happy look, and although the wheel trims don?t have the same effect of the alloy wheels (alloys) of the zetec or ghia models, this LX is still a great looking car. With the dash and centre console following the lead set by the 1996 Volkswagen (VW) Passat, and a nice dark charcoal upholstery, I was looking forward to getting behind the wheel for the roadtest.

On the road I wasn?t disappointed, and the extra 15 PS made the 130 PS TDCi faster than a lot of its petrol rivals I came across that tried to add an extra minute or two onto my journey time. The handling was fine, brakes sharp, and the increased torque was just enough to keep the ride ?pokey? without the slip-and-slide of a lighter competitor. And it even has lower emissions than its 115 zetec counterpart...

In summary, a good pedigree, good handling, solid build quality, generous equipment, roomy interiors and low cost servicing. And when you can get 200 to 300,000 miles from a well serviced TDCi Ford Mondeo LX 130 for only ?5495 on the road, you won?t be disappointed with your investment.

Please feel free to submit your comments and experience of your Ford Mondeo LX 130 PS 2003(03) 2.0 TDCi hatchback to the webmaster at the used car world website.

See also used-car-review-2-ford-mondeo-zetec-115ps-2004-04-2-litre-tdci-diesel-hatchback
This article is the intellectual property and copyright of Car World. It may be used freely if unedited and links are kept live.

Car World - supplying new, nearly new and used cars throughout the UK.
Contact us to discuss your vehicle requirements - 01782 444 289.
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My Thermage Face Lift Journal

Saturday, September 9

I Had a Face Lift Today

If I had a face lift today, you may wonder how I am able to sit at the computer and type up this journal. I look pretty much as I did when I got up this morning and I feel fine. After the procedure, my husband and I went to a restaurant for a nice lunch.

Are you wondering why I look pretty much as I did this morning and why I?m not wrapped up like a mummy and in excruciating pain? It?s because I had a non-invasive face lift procedure called Thermage.

I think I look better already and my skin feels tighter, but it?s not enough that others should notice and it might just be a temporary irritation effect of the procedure. You?re still wondering why I did this, right?

Well, my plastic surgeon (and the Thermage website) explained that the treatment causes collagen to grow to re-plump and lift the face.

Given my age (60) and the condition of my skin (very good for my age), I can expect the improvement to continue for the next 18 months. He said the improvement will last for another six years after that.

Everyone is different. He said the results depend on how much collagen you still have; because the treatment works on that which you have ? thickening and lengthening it. I?ve seen the before and after pictures on the Thermage website and in a brochure the doctor gave me.

I?m really excited about the prospect of looking younger and younger each day for the next year and a half (instead of the reverse!). I?m also pleased that the treatment should last almost as long as a surgical face lift and that it was so affordable.

Next time, I?ll tell you about the procedure itself and I promise to pull no punches.

Monday, September 11, 2006
Thermage Non-Invasive Face Lift ? Blow by Blow Account

Some doctors will want to see you for an evaluation before scheduling the Thermage procedure. I asked mine if everything could be done in one visit because his office is quite far from my home. He was very accommodating.

I arrived at 11:00 and was taken right into the doctor?s office. He looked closely at my face and the condition of my skin. Then he explained the procedure in detail and said he would do 600 pulses which would include treatment of the forehead, crow?s feet area, mid-face, around the mouth, along the jaw line and the upper neck (in front). He gave me an anti-inflammatory pill to place under my tongue.

I was asked to remove my makeup thoroughly and lie on a reclining chair (as in a dentist?s office). A large rubber pad coated with gel was placed on my waist area and a cord was plugged into it. I assumed this was to conduct electricity through my body. Uh-oh, I thought this was going to be radio waves. Nobody said anything about electricity!

Then came the ?tattooing?. Don?t worry, it?s not permanent. The doctor placed a transparent flexible sheet with a grid-like pattern against my forehead and carefully rubbed over it with alcohol, transferring the grid pattern to my skin. Then he did the same to the rest of my face and to my neck. I must have looked a sight! Good thing I couldn?t see myself.

Come back next time for the rest of my story: Thermage Non-Invasive Face Lift ? Ouch and Wow!

Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Thermage Non-Invasive Face Lift ? Ouch and Wow!

So there I was, stretched out on the ?dentist?s chair?, staring at the bright overhead lights with a rubber pad stuck to my belly and lines ?tattooed? all over my face and neck. The doctor showed me the radio-frequency wand which would be used for my Thermage.

Each patient gets their own individual tip. I?m not sure why. Since the procedure is non-invasive, I doubt that it is for sanitary reasons. Perhaps the electronic chip which delivers the charges wears out?

Thermage works by heating collagen fibers beneath the skin?s surface. With age, collagen fibers thin, shorten and rigidify. As the face loses collagen mass, the epidermis wrinkles, collapses in and eventually begins to sag.

For some reason, heating the existing collagen fibers with radio waves causes them to relax and lengthen. Just as importantly, the heat stimulates the existing collagen to grow and thicken again. This is why the results of Thermage are not immediately evident, but rather develop over time.

The doctor warned me that I would feel a sensation of heat and at times a bit of ?discomfort?. If I could not tolerate the ?discomfort?, he could lower the frequency. To protect the epidermis from burning, a little jet of Freon (I think) is sprayed at the same time the radio waves are transmitted.

Darn, I?m out of time again and I didn?t get to the ?Ouch and Wow!? part. Next time ? I promise.

Friday, September 15, 2006
Thermage Non-Invasive Face Lift ? Ouch and Wow 2!

The doctor began zapping my forehead according to the tattoo pattern. That wasn?t too bad. A little heat and sometimes a bit of a tingling sensation. However on more sensitive areas of the face and neck, there was definite pain. It reminded me of facial electrolysis.

As the nurse noticed me tensing with the pain, she offered me a small foam ball to squeeze. The doctor told me to breathe deeply. I learned that there is a definite rhythm to maximize the pain relief using these techniques. Inhale deeply. Squeeze the ball tightly and exhale with the pain. It really helped. Kind of like mini-Lamaze, I guess.

Several times, the doctor asked me if I wanted him to lower the intensity. Each time I said, ?No?. I wanted the maximum benefit from the treatment. The doctor made a first pass over each area. This was the only painful one.

Then he did a second pass at the interstices (between the first points). Finally, he went over the ?really bad areas? (his words, not mine ? but I think we all know what he meant!). I hardly felt that. An hour after the procedure started, I was done. Big sigh of relief.

I was unplugged. The doctor and nurse wiped the tattoo from my skin.

Next time, I?ll tell you about aftercare and answer the burning question, ?Would I ever do this again??

Sunday, September 17, 2006
Thermage Non-Invasive Face Lift ? You Bethcha!

When I last wrote (I feel like I?m doing an old radio show ? ?When we last left Little Orphan Annie, she was cowering in the coal bin with her faithful dog, Sandy ?), my Thermage procedure had just been completed. I stood up from the ?dentist?s chair? and felt a bit woozy. The nurse said that was from the tension and it quickly dissipated.

I went to the washroom to freshen up and get the first glimpse of the new me. No redness, no swelling. I looked pretty much as I did right before the Thermage. I say ?pretty much? because I thought I detected a slightly tightened look but realize that may have been wishful thinking on my part.

My face felt fine. There were a couple spots of very minor tenderness, but nothing I would even take an aspirin for. Then I sat down with the doctor to learn about aftercare.

For two months I am to drink a tablespoon of chlorophyll dissolved in water morning and night, as well as a glass of 1000mg of vitamin C dissolved in water.

In the morning I am to put on a high SPF face cream and at night, an active C, a.k.a. L-ascorbic acid or C esther face cream. My doctor explained that vitamin C is the best thing for collagen.

Who knew? I?m not sure why the chlorophyll and want to research that.

It?s now eight days post-treatment. My husband says in profile he sees a remarkable improvement in my neck. I see a remarkable improvement over all. I just look better every day. Friends are starting to look at me funny but no one has asked ?the? question yet.

Am I glad I did it? As they say in the movie ?Fargo?, ?You betcha!?

Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Thermage Options and Alternatives

If you?re interested in Thermage after reading my blow-by-blow account, go to the Thermage website. There you will find lots more information, before and after videos of real people, and even a worldwide Thermage-certified physician finder.

If you live in a high cost country, like the U.S. or Canada, you may want to consider combining a vacation with your Thermage. The money you save on the Thermage will probably pay for your vacation. And since there is no recovery period or post-treatment pain you can enjoy all of your stay.

By: Jean Bowler, manager of the Ageless Beauty website, devoted to help all baby boomers hold on to the glow of youth for as long as possible. For more on plastic surgery and cosmetic proicedures, please visit our AntiAging Cosmetic Procedures Guide.

New features and face lift for www.mototips.com

Now, on our 3rd month anniversary, we (the team from Mototips (www.mototips.com) decided to offer you a few gifts - a brand new layout, a life calendar of the moto-world, a photo gallery, as well as a lot of new posts in our forum (www.mototips.com/forums.php).

Maybe the most interesting new feature (accessible right from the main page) is the calendar that informs you of each and every OHV event, and as well as over events related with motorcycles.

Another new addition to our site is our photo gallery, where any of our members can upload their own motorcycle photos and share them with their friends and with the other members of our forum. Quite a few interesting pictures were already posted and everyone is anxious to see the other people's comments.

We also answered our members request and we added a lot of new and interesting topics, especially technical specifications for almost all new motorcycles models - a must read for anyone who is planning to buy a new "bike".

If you're not a member of our growing community yet than now it's the time to join us; it takes only a few moments and it's free! The new features from Mototips (www.mototips.com) are waiting for you; we promise that you'll find everything that interests you on our forum! It's all here: dirt bikes, MX bikes, dual-sport bikes, trail bikes, on-road and off-road bikes, motocross, supercross, racing, desert racing, information about both new and old bikes, tips for both newbie or experienced bikers. And that's not all - new and new features will be added to the site in the next months. So join now and stay tuned.

We want to announce all Mototips (www.mototips.com) members and visitors that the new features and layout are finally in place. We just added a life calendar that includes all-important motorcycling events, as well as a photo gallery and many motorcycles models technical specifications.