Obama challenges lobbyists to legislative duel

WASHINGTON–President Barack Obama challenged the country’s vested interests to a legislative duel Saturday, saying he will fight to change health care, energy and education in dramatic ways that will upset the status quo.

“The system we have now might work for the powerful and well-connected interests that have run Washington for far too long,” Obama said in his weekly radio and video address. “But I don’t. I work for the American people.”

He said the ambitious budget plan he presented Thursday will help millions of people, but only if Congress overcomes resistance from deep-pocket lobbies.

“I know these steps won’t sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they’re gearing up for a fight,” Obama said, using tough-guy language reminiscent of his predecessor, George W. Bush. “My message to them is this: So am I.”

The bring-it-on tone underscored Obama’s combative side as he prepares for a drawn-out battle over his tax and spending proposals. Sometimes he uses more conciliatory language and stresses the need for bipartisanship. Often he favours lofty, inspirational phrases.

On Saturday, he was a full-throated populist, casting himself as the people’s champion confronting special interest groups that care more about themselves and the wealthy than about the average American.

Some analysts say Obama’s proposals are almost radical. But he said all of them were included in his campaign promises. “It is the change the American people voted for in November,” he said.

Nonetheless, he said, well-financed interest groups will fight back furiously.

Insurance companies will dislike having “to bid competitively to continue offering Medicare coverage, but that’s how we’ll help preserve and protect Medicare and lower health care costs,” the president said. “I know that banks and big student lenders won’t like the idea that we’re ending their huge taxpayer subsidies, but that’s how we’ll save taxpayers nearly $50 billion (U.S.) and make college more affordable. I know that oil and gas companies won’t like us ending nearly $30 billion in tax breaks, but that’s how we’ll help fund a renewable energy economy.”

Passing the budget, even with a Democratic-controlled Congress, “won’t be easy,” Obama said. “Because it represents real and dramatic change, it also represents a threat to the status quo in Washington.”

Obama also promoted his economic proposals in a video message to a group meeting in Los Angeles on “the state of the black union.”

“We have done more in these past 30 days to bring about progressive change than we have in the past many years,” said the president in remarks the White House released in advance. “We are closing the gap between the nation we are and the nation we can be by implementing policies that will speed our recovery and build a foundation for lasting prosperity and opportunity.”

Congressional Republicans continued to bash Obama’s spending proposals and his projection of a $1.75 trillion deficit this year.

Almost every day brings another “multibillion-dollar government spending plan being proposed or even worse, passed,” said Sen. Richard Burr, who gave the Republican party’s weekly address.

He said Obama is pushing “the single largest increase in federal spending in the history of the United States, while driving the deficit to levels that were once thought impossible.”

Charge More For Your Consulting Services

There is one very simple, straightforward and easy way to make more money from consulting. You only need to raise your rates.

Some find the idea horrific. “Won’t I scare my client away if I ask them for more money?” is the most common concern. It’s this mental block that holds back most individual from increasing their consulting fees. And yet it shouldn’t.

You may lose a few clients by charging more. But you’ll make so much more with your other clients and the new ones you take on that in the end you’re bank account will sit fatter.

If you take it one step further you can find creative ways to keep your clients from jumping ship when you raise your fees.

If your client can’t afford your new rate you can offer to spend an hour or two less a week (for example) at your new fee. That way they still get to keep you and you keep them. It’s a compromise that often works.

When increasing your fees the key is to be prepared. You don’t just want to show up and say “Just so you know, next week my hourly rate is $150 an hour and not the old $95 an hour.” Be sure to explain why you are raising your fees.

Consultants usually use one of the following reasons:

* You’ve completed a new certification
* You know more than you did last year
* You’ve added an employee
* Fees you are charged have increased
* Demand for your services has gone through the roof.

Personally, I feel the last one blows the rest out of the water. Whatever you’re saying, it all really comes down to increasing your skills and knowledge and by de facto you’re services are more attractive to more people. And in order to keep working with your client and grow your business you have had to raise fees for all clients.

You should be raising your fees every year or two at the minimum. If this idea is hard for you to swallow, take some time to think it through. After all, you have to be comfortable initiating it. But as any successful consultant about raising fees and you’ll hear from everyone one of them that it’s a must.

Best Ways to Simplify Your Business

Many business owners own a business because they want freedom and flexibility, these benefits elude them. Simplify your business.

This imbalance can be restored. Most of us would like to live a successful career life in harmony. By making a few changes, you can make the proper adjustments and rediscover the benefits of being in business for yourself and life.

1. Don’t let technology disrupt your work
It is so easy these days to be connected and reached via any method that you prefer. Try to keep track of how long you are actually working without any interruption by technology such as your PC, cell, pagers, iPods, Gaming councils, and other distractions to work.

2. Have great Time Management
This is one of the hardest things to do for people who are in business for themselves. Managing your time is crucial to success. Keep track of how you spend your time. Try to create time slots for certain tasks and projects and stick to it without disruptions.

3. Better get Organized
I can not stress enough how important organization is to success. I find slobs rarely effective and successful. Get organized in your career and life. Stop wasting time. Automate and organize your files on your computer, folders in your office, paper work, and more. Implement structure to stay organized.

4. Create Templates and Structure
Anything that you will need over and over again, create templates for. Create with your logo templates of sales documents, marketing docs, invoices, proposals, contracts, and anything else that you are going to use more than once.

5. Manage E-mail Communication
If you are in business for yourself and/or have multiple businesses, you will need to manage your email communication better. Structure your inbox folders out and create rules to avoid all your emails going into your inbox. Create email templates for frequent outgoing emails and stay organized. Create specific times to check email accounts.

6. Modernize your Bill Payments
By now almost all banks have online banking and almost all vendors allow you these days to pay your bills online. Modernize how you pay your bills it will save you lots of time and money. And let’s not forget it is very convenient and it can be automated. Make time for productivity.

7. Keep Your Bookkeeping Up-to-Date
With software and fairly inexpensive bookkeeping fees there is no excuse for today for bad bookkeeping practices. Get a software to manage frequent entries and if needed look up a local bookkeeping service, it will be worth the investment.

8. Get Multiple Inboxes for Filing
Multiple inboxes for organization to file is a key strategy. I cannot stress how important this is. As information is coming into your life, keep multiple inboxes labeled to whatever serves your life. These boxes will keep information organized until you have had time to read it and file it.

9. Get Professional Advice
Even the smartest business man will tell you that he does not have all the answers. Business owners can be stubborn. Get professional advice to avoid pitfalls and increases chances for success. Consultants can be of great help and very profitable investment.

10. Remember why you went into Business
It’s very easy to get so involved and forget to live. Remember why you went into business. If you burn out and it does not become something that serves you anymore, it is most likely not something you wanted. Keep your vision and goal in mind and make sure you enjoy the ride.

Top Ten Consulting Businesses in 2008

The trend has become more evident in certain businesses than others, however, today. Below is a current list of the where the demand is the highest. there is a market for business consultants in almost every field.

1. PUBLIC RELATIONS Every organization knows that a great PR consultant is one of the most valuable players of the team. Attaining a favorable public image is clearly invaluable.

2. WRITING SERVICES Whatever your specialty is, write about it! There will always be a demand for fresh, written information.

3. PUBLISHING If you become an expert in the field of publishing you can help to guide new ventures (websites, newsletters, magazines, newspapers, and other such publications) when they are ready to launch.

4. MARKETING “Marketing” is, of course, the promotion of products, especially advertising and branding. It’s not always necessary to have a degree in social sciences or economics to do well in this field, but sometimes just great ideas for promoting a business and the ability to help a business write a marketing plan.

5. COMPUTER CONSULTING A growing field with no end in sight especially once we hit one computer per household!

6. BUSINESS WRITING Businesspeople tend to not be strong writers. This void can be filled by a skilled business writing consultant.

7. COMMUNICATIONS Helping improve intercommunications between employees within a business is vital to the overall ‘health’ and success of the business itself.

8. BUSINESS Second only to computer consulting, this field is currently the most in demand. If you are business savy and can help make a business more profitable then this may be an area to explore.

9. ACCOUNTING Inarguably, every type of business must deal with accounting and finances, even nonprofits.

10. ADVERTISING Developing strong ad campaigns and defining markets are an integral part of creating a successful business. Most businesses have an advertising budget and want to get the most for their money by hiring an advertising consultant.

Top Ten Reasons to Hire a Business Consultant

1. TEACHING In order to remain competitive, companies must employ someone to teach employees new skills and discoveries in the given field. The consultant, therefore, must always keep up with the trends.

2. “REFRESHING” A BUSINESS New ideas for improving a business are always sought after. More times than not it is someone from the ‘outside’ who can truly see what is called for to infuse new life into the organization.

3. “VIP” NETWORKING If you know many wealthy, famous people you may be hired simply based on that alone. The area of entertainment consulting is a niche that many companies place great value in.

4. TROUBLE SHOOTING Just like when trying to bring new ideas to a business, trying to determine new solutions to “problems” within an organization is usually best done by someone from the outside.

5. SPECIALTIES If you have a proven track record at applying your expertise in a certain area, public relations for instance, it will give you credibility to be hired to do it again.

6. AS TEMP STAFF There are certain circumstances when a business actually saves money by hiring a consultant over a full time employee. Even though a consultant’s fees tend to be higher than an employees salary, they don’t need to pay benefits but also reap the benefits of the consultant’s expertise.

7. CATALYST Help is always needed to create change. The consultant can work to create change without worrying about the corporate culture or other issues that get in thed way when an organization is trying to institute new ways.

8. CREATE A BRAND NEW BUSINESS Some people have a great knack at conceiving an idea and developing a game plan.

9. CARRY OUT LAYOFFS AND CUTBACKS Sometimes one might be hired to eliminate staff and/or divisions in a company.

10. IMPARTIAL COUNSELING An objective party is commonly needed to provide a fresh viewpoint without need for concern about what the people within the organization might think about the result or how it came to be.

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