Content Maker Network Blog

Many homeowners today want to increase the value of their home. When you want to sell your home, the first things that you think of are remodeling the inside and replacing the carpet. However, have you thought about adding vinyl siding to the outside of your home?

Vinyl siding seals homes against water damage while making the house look great. Vinyl siding is also easy to clean with a pressure washer. Vinyl siding costs depends on the color and style that you pick. There are many colors to choose from and they will raise the value of your home.

There are blues, creams, browns, and reds. Each color will add to the value of your home, however, choosing light colors that appeal to more will help sell your home. A darker vinyl siding color will make the house look small and unwelcoming, whereas warmer, brighter colors will make your house look larger and more welcoming.

No matter how small your house may look, using a bright color will help to make it look bigger. The most popular vinyl siding colors are the light browns and creams. These colors seem to be the ones that are making houses with vinyl siding more popular to buy. Another thing besides color is the vinyl siding cost. Costs for vinyl siding can vary depending on the brand, style, and color of the siding that is chosen.

The most expensive form of vinyl siding these days is the new vertical siding. Vertical vinyl siding, just like horizontal siding, will help keep the home safe from water damage. Vertical siding is also easier to clean. This is what makes it so special and somewhat more expensive. Vinyl siding, in itself, is easy to clean and maintain. A simple spray down with a pressure washer, or a quick wash and rinse with soap and a hose will help to keep the vinyl siding looking clean and new. The nicer the siding looks and the newer it is, the more value your home will have.

Remember to compare vinyl siding costs before you choose your color and style, and remember that vinyl siding doesn’t just add value to your home, it will make your home look and feel new again.

Mark Kessler – his website Vinyl Siding 411 is a comprehensive resource for Vinyl Siding information, providing links for vinyl siding colors, installing vinyl siding, vinyl siding cost, liquid vinyl siding, vinyl siding paint, how to install vinyl siding, installation contractors.

Typically, there is a lot of blame and frustration associated with Attention Deficit Disorder. Depending on how long the problem has gone before being diagnosed, there may be serious mental and emotional scars as family members and the child dealt with issues associated with ADD. This disorder is not only difficult for parents, but also the child with ADD and other siblings in the family.

The obvious victim of ADD is the child it affects. Being accustomed to negativity, these children usually suffer from very low self-esteem. Although they want to behave well, they have impulsive actions that typically result in constant punishment. Parents and teachers of an ADD child often are not aware or do not accept that the child suffers from a disorder and they are not always acting on a conscience level. The child, after being reprimanded and not being able to control their actions, is left feeling as though they will never be adequate or meet everyone else’s expectations.

The parents of an ADD child suffer from incredible frustration and doubt of their parenting skills. Often ridiculed by teachers, family members, and other acquaintances, they are often viewed as being the cause of their child’s behavior, as though lack of discipline is the root cause of their child’s actions. Attention Deficit Disorder sometimes places a strain on the parents’ marital relationship as well, as parents blame each other for being overly lenient or harsh in their rearing habits. This can lead to many arguments and disagreements that prove to be difficult on spouses.

An often forgotten casualty of Attention Deficit Disorder is the siblings of a child with ADD. Often not apparent, siblings in this situation often experience similar frustration and anxiety as the parents and child with ADD. Jealously sometimes plays a factor in their feelings as their sibling requires so much more attention, even if it is negative in nature. Also, these children often get the brunt of their sibling’s impulsive actions, including aggressive behavior typical of ADD. These children may also find themselves being categorized in school and other social environments because of their sibling’s behavior, which can also have a negative connotation.

In addition to immediate family, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins may also be affected when a child has ADD. Depending on the closeness of the family, behavior outbursts and discipline issues may be a factor dealt with on various levels. In extreme cases, ADD may actually cause some familial relationships to be severed.

Sarah is an acclaimed writer on medical matters, and has written extensively on the subjects of Attention Deficit Disorder, Bird Flu and Crohn’s Disease. For more of her articles, go to www.imedicalvillage.com now. www.imedicalvillage.com“> Click here now and re

Getting into debt these days has become very easy. Credit card companies bombard us with offers in our mailbox, ads on TV, promotions in stores. If you can sign your name, it seems like you can get credit.

But what happens when you use so much credit that you can no longer pay your credit card bills every month?

And what happens when no matter how much you pay, your bills get bigger…and bigger…and bigger?

There are several strategies for getting out of debt.

All of them have their good points. And all of them have their bad points. Which one is right for you? Here is an overview of the different debt reduction options available to you:

Borrowing money from friends or relatives:
If you have a friend or relative who has enough money to help you get out of debt, consider yourself lucky. But think long and hard – and then think again – before choosing this option. While borrowing from a friend or relative can help you avoid the high cost of interest (if they are willing to give you the money without asking you to pay interest), borrowing money can hurt, or even ruin, your relationship. Everybody wants to pay back their “rich uncle” – but what happens if you don’t? Or you can’t? This can put both of you in an uncomfortable position. Even if the money is a gift, it can change your relationship entirely. So make sure to give this option a lot of thought before borrowing money from a friend or relative.

Credit counseling:
For many people, credit counseling is a good option. After all, inmost cases you can lower your interest rate, lower your monthly payment, and combine your credit card bills into a single payment. But be careful. There are LOTS of “non profit credit counseling” companies out there. And not all are created equal (and not all do what they say they will do). Before signing any paperwork, it is a good idea to ask lots of questions. And compares the fees and other program details. Just because a business is non-profit doesn’t mean there aren’t costs to you – and doesn’t mean you don’t need to shop around and compare programs!

Debt consolidation loan:
If you are fortunate enough to own a home (and you have enough equity to borrow money from your home’s value), a debt consolidation loan may be the way to go. In many cases, your interest may be tax deductible (but check with a tax professional first to make sure). And also think carefully about this option – because if you borrow “against” your home, and you cannot make the payments for whatever reason, you may risk losing your home! Fees, interest rates, and terms vary, so make sure to shop around for the best loan program for you!

Debt settlement:
If bankruptcy seems like the only option, then debt settlement (also called debt negotiation) may be a good alternative. The process of settling your credit card bills (paying them off for less than you owe) is a more aggressive approach to getting out of debt. But if you are behind in your payments, this can be a less drastic step than declaring bankruptcy. You will pay income taxes on the amount you save, but this amount is usually still much less than the amount you would have paid in interest. Before deciding on debt settlement, make sure you feel comfortable with such an aggressive strategy – and once again, shop around and compare terms and fees.

Bankruptcy:
Typically, bankruptcy is the last alternative. And with the new bankruptcy laws put into place in October 2005, you should consult with a bankruptcy attorney before considering this option. With good reason (for the most part), having your debts “written off” through bankruptcy has become more difficult. So, find a good lawyer, and discuss your options carefully.

Now, which of these debt reduction strategies is right for you?

There is no simple answer. The best advice is to check out all your options – very carefully – before deciding which strategy is best for you. Before signing up with any company:

• Ask lots of questions so you are comfortable with the company
• Learn how the process works, find out the fees, and get ALL agreements in writing
• Check with the Better Business Bureau to see if there are any unresolved complaints

And while being in debt is certainly very stressful, always remember that life is not entirely about money. Life is about making the most of each day, and being thankful for the things that you do have – while you are working on fixing the things you don’t!

Kris Bickell is the owner of Debt-Tips.com, a site for consumers struggling with credit card debt. For more tips on getting out of debt faster, sign up for the free course “5 Simple Tips For Getting Out Of Debt Much Faster” at www.Debt-Tips.com.

To start out the New Year, we gave thanks for the people we
love, the things we enjoy and made the obligatory
resolutions for the New Year.

Now, let’s get practical and give thanks to the people who
make our industry function, make us look good and help us
make money.

1. We thank the Show Sponsor who has the marketing
vision and takes the financial risk to put on the event.
Without both the will and the way, there would be fewer
successful shows.

2. We thank the Show Organizer who, with the Sponsor’s
vision and financial support, puts all the pieces together,
draws the contracts, supervises the nitty-gritty and gets us
all through the door for the show and out again.

3. We thank the Exhibitors who invest time, money and
manpower to present their products to the world in this
unique environment. It’s how we find out who’s who, what’s
what and become attuned to what’s going to happen in our
industry.

4. We thank the Attendees who also invest time, money and
manpower to attend the trade show and who look, listen
and learn about our firms. With the golden hope that
Attendees beget Leads beget Clients, we give them much
thanks.

5. We thank our Exhibit Managers who make it all go so
smoothly. These detail wranglers handle minutia with a
smile and professionalism unfathomable by most
marketing types.

6. We thank the Exhibit Designers who take our many “..but I
think…” and “I wanna…” and turn them into dynamic,
attention-grabbing and profitable conveyors of the right
image at the right time.

7. We thank the Unions – yes, we do – for their dedication to
their crafts, their ability to take boxes and cases and crates,
and make them the magic we need for the show – and then
pack it all up again.

8. We thank the Freight Folks, from the local courier to the
big guys in trucks, trains and planes. We appreciate their
understanding of “time critical” and “fragile”, and we
especially thank them for customer service courtesy and
online tracking. Bah Humbug to those who haven’t gotten
the message yet.

9. We thank the Creatives, those promotion folks who run
the gambit from defining the marketing experience for each
show, selecting goodies to hand out, and pulling it all
together so we’re successful on both sides of the aisle.

10. And, last but not least, we thank the Exhibit Staff. There’s
no job description that says “stand in the booth and hand
out brochures”, so staff is drawn from many disciplines
throughout the company. Trade shows are hard work. They
make you physically tired because of travel, long hours and
a compact agenda. They drain you emotionally because you
get more rejections than acceptances. And, they compound
the amount of work you have to do because there’s still your
“real” job back at the office which you’re still at the show.

Make this your New Year’s Resolution – a salute and a
Thank You to all who make your trade shows successful.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Julia O’Connor – Speaker, Author, Consultant – writes
about practical aspects of trade shows. As president of
Trade Show Training, inc, now celebrating its 10th
year, she works with companies in a variety of
industries to improve their bottom line and marketing
opportunities at trade shows.

Julia is an expert in the psychology of the trade show
environment and uses this expertise in sales training
and management seminars. Contact her at
804-355-7800 or check the site =>
http://www.TradeShowTraining.com

The Sarbanes-Oxley Actof 2002 has been defined as the most far-reaching U. S. securities legislation in years. All companies that file reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have increased responsibilities and corporate obligation. Non-compliance of the Act attracts significant penalties on company boards.

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board was established to oversee the audit of public companies. The board has the power to inspect, investigate and enforce compliance from companies. They also set standards and rules for audit reports. It is mandatory for all companies to register with the Oversight Board.

Auditors have been provided with a list of non-audit services that they are not permitted to perform during an audit. A one-year waiting period has been imposed on audit firm employees who leave an accounting firm to join a former client.

All transactions that affect the financial status of the company must be disclosed. Executives and directors of companies are prohibited from taking personal loans. All annual reports must include an undertaking, which states that the management is responsible for the internal control structure and financial reports.

Any alteration, destruction, concealment or falsification of records or documents is subject to fines and up to 20 years imprisonment. All audit worksheets must be retained for five years.

Research analysts who make public appearances or offer research reports must disclose of any conflicts of interest. These disclosures must contain information about the company that is the subject of the appearance or report. The analyst must disclose if he or she holds any securities in the company or has received corporate compensation. Brokers and dealers must disclose any public company that may be a client of their firm.

Minimum standards have been set with regards to professional conduct of attorneys who represent public companies before the Securities Exchange Commission. A section of the Sarbanes-Oxley law requires attorneys to report securities violations to the CEO.

The concurrent opinion amongst the lawmakers and the media in this country is that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act has been successful in enforcing discipline and ethics amongst companies.

Information Technology has improved the leasing process, parts at a time. Every company has evolved some manner of maintaining customer information. Accounting software has kept the back-end humming. The sales force has devised methods for maintaining customers and then bridging them with funding sources. The vendor is contacted when an order needs filling. Further down the chain, the collections process is managed independently. And, the savvy leasing business has found ways of retaining customers to keep the process alive.

Limitations of the traditional Lease Management Software
But the permeation of technology has been sporadic, at best. Thus far, the existent lease management software have spot lighted sections of the leasing process, affecting each uniquely, independently and in isolation from the whole lease operation. This has forced companies to tie together the disparate sections of the lease process manually, without using any lease management software. Inevitably, intervening to help one part of the business communicate with another without a technical platform such as lease management software to collaborate both parts creates inefficiencies. While financial data would help the sales-force negotiate with repeat customers, the sales-force may not be privy to the relevant information easily devoid of innovative leasing software. The lessee may be offered an online lease application, but a potential funding source is not intimated of the new request until much later. Unfortunately, the disjointed nature of traditional technology necessitates physical intervention almost every time one link of the lease chain needs to be connected with another.

Improving productivity through consolidated lease management
Here’s where concepts like Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Supply Chain Management, so successfully used in manufacturing and telecommunications, become relevant to lease management. Today, Internet-driven technology such as the lease management software can consolidate the entire leasing process, beyond simply improving its various sections in isolation. Productivity-wise, this consolidation will do to the leasing business what the assembly line did to automobile manufacturing. And, if implemented wisely, the cost of this technology is quickly covered many times over by the resulting synergy – and the quantifiable savings — that it brings to the leasing enterprise, regardless of its size.

Managing leasing relationships through the Lease Management software

Lessor <> Lessee
The lessee-lessor relationship, for one, fits intuitively into the Internet model of the lease management software, given the high level of interaction it requires. After all, lessees have ongoing and insatiable needs, ranging from the most basic monthly invoice to the more complex asset-dependent property tax management specifics. Lessees with numerous assets under each of their leases, for instance, need a specialized flow of information to track their assets and stay abreast of their accounts by way of an effective lease management system. With a lease becoming a service rather than a mere financial product, lessors have to find ways of catering to the growing customer demand for information. One cannot help wondering why the systems they use for lease management, veritable storehouses of the needed information, don’t have CRM functionality. Indeed, CRM is as relevant at point-of-sale as it is during the lease process; it allows lessors to understand a lessee’s ongoing needs and even distinguish one customer from another. An online interface by means of lease management software can form the perfect channel of information exchange for the data-starved lessee.

Lessor <> Funding Source
Driven by tight marketing conditions and innovative funding models, the unique investor-lessor relationship can also benefit greatly from the use of technology via lease management software. Typically, lessors sell receivables, in whole or in part, to various investors to fund their leases. In some cases, the residual value is even sold separately with the investor and lessor sharing the proceeds generated from off-lease remarketing, contingent on various realization thresholds. But, regardless of the level of complexity in their relationship, there is one undeniable truth: Information that is already present with the lessor has to somehow travel to the investor. Typically, this entails hours of error-prone report and document preparation, the need for pain-staking clarification and, possibly, re-reporting. Again, these inefficiencies beg a rather obvious question: Why not let the investor get the information it needs, in a controlled, secure and real-time environment, devoid of manual intervention? Shouldn’t it be possible, at least in theory, for the investor to view information that lives with the lessor without the latter’s direct involvement? With an Internet based lease management system, this becomes a very practical possibility. Once the lessor determines the type and extent of information access it wants to offer, a customizable Web interface can provide the forum that eliminates the traditional inefficiencies of the lessor-investor association.

The Solution – Internet based Lease Management Software

Indeed, owing to the ease of information flow that the Net inherently facilitates, Internet based leasing software technology can tie in the hitherto unconnected parts of the lease process. Through this technology, the lessor can provide its business partners with controlled gateways to information residing in the back-end. In light of optimizing these relationships, the technology used to forge this data exchange must be based on the same technology that is used to maintain the information. If, therefore, the back-end accounting software were Internet based, it would become a minor step to make the relevant information available to investors or lessees online.

The technological consolidation of the leasing process by way of a internet based lease management software begins, then, with the back end. Lease management software is the battering ram around which the rest of the leasing process is built. In fact, Supply chain management and CRM, as they pertain to leasing, are fueled primarily by the data-rich back end. After all, here’s where every detail about a lease, from inception through maturity, is maintained. Yet, despite the obvious opportunity to realize these efficiencies, the leasing industry has not recognized the benefits of online lease management software. Most software vendors still earn a living touting systems that are entrenched in the client/server model and that are seriously limited by their legacy origins. This scenario is changing, however, with companies like Odessa Technologies, Inc., based out of Philadelphia, that make Internet based lease management systems.

Through LeaseWave(Lease accounting and management software product), Odessa Technologies provides a cost-effective means to benefiting from the Internet. LeaseWave, at its nucleus, provides for complete asset management and lease accounting functionality, allowing the lessor to efficiently manage any number of lease portfolios. Beyond this core, LeaseWave provides a series of interactive web sites that connect the lessor with business partners including lessees, funding sources and vendors. This allows for the lessor to consolidate the leasing process, tying together business partners online, on a real-time basis. Through LeaseWave, the leasing supply chain meets CRM around a robust, Internet based lease management software.

Indeed, it was through supply chain management and CRM that Wal-Mart recently revolutionized the retail industry. IT investment “enabled the company to squeeze out every last inefficiency from [their] merchandising chain.” By connecting with their suppliers such as Procter & Gamble, Wal-Mart was able to reduce inventory, lower order-processing costs and thereby offer “low, everyday prices.” One better than Wal-Mart, Cisco, one of the largest Internet hardware suppliers now boasts a paper free supply chain. Cisco’s suppliers only begin assembling components after a customer places an order online, giving “just-in-time supply” a new standard. Why then can’t our retail shops (read lessors), their suppliers (read funding sources) and their customers (read lessees) be similarly connected? Don’t we also want low, every day prices?

Bios
Jay Mehra is the COO of Odessa Technologies, Inc. He worked for Ernst and Young, LLP and consulted for the Dispute Analysis and Investigation wing of PriceWaterhouseCoopers, LLP before joining Odessa.

Sudhir P. Amembal is member of Odessa Technologies, Inc.’s advisoy board. Mr. Amembal is also Chairman of Amembal & Associates, the world’s foremost authority in lease education, consulting, and publications. Through April 1998, Mr. Amembal served as Chairman of Amembal, Deane & Associates (AD&A). AD&A was founded by him in 1978. For 18 years, he served as its President and CEO.

Reduce Discounts:

Early adopters of ROI selling methodology have reduced discounting by 20-30% and realized significant up-sell and cross-sell opportunities by selling on value rather than price.
International Data Corp (IDC)

Optimal pricing is all about delivering maximum value to each customer and capturing an equal value for your company in the form of fair, value based prices.
PricePoint Partners

By making prospects fully aware of all the costs and benefits they become less price sensitive enabling vendors to discount less and achieve list prices more frequently.
CIOview

Reduce “No Decisions”:

81% of buyers expect vendors to quantify their value proposition.
Information Week

Between 60-80% of all losses are due to ‘No Decision.’
Customer Centric Systems

Results from 707 proposals produced 30% wins, 15% losses and 55% no decision/pending. Of the no decisions only 2% became wins (98% became losses).
Thomas & Company Inc.

Executives that believe that shareholder value is a critical component for making corporate decisions, 75% of them said they require ROI analysis before making an investment choice.
Doremus Communications

Reduce Sales Cycles:

“On average the sales cycle is reduced 30-40% with ROI-based selling.”
IDC

A valid ROI sales effort reduces the sales cycle by 30-40%
Gartner Group

Early adopters of ROI selling methodology have increased selling effectiveness by as much as 60%.
IDC

The average sales cycle for a million dollar Lotus Notes deal is 18 months. For companies that first completed an ROI analysis, 65% reported their purchase process to be 6 months or less.
IDC

Glenn Clowney, President of ROI-Calc, Inc. glenn@roi-calc.com

At ROI-Calc we quantify the business results your prospective customers will get from purchasing your product or service. We can create customized interactive flash-based calculators and other tools to help you build the “business case” your customer needs to get the internal support necessary to buy from you.

We can also customize ROI sales training that easily integrates into your current selling process to quickly double your profits by accelerating sales cycles 20-50%, reducing customer ‘no decisions’ rates 25-40%, and cutting price discounts 35-50%.

Glenn has managed 6 products that became worldwide market share and gross margin dollar leaders, including InternetWeek’s Best of Best Award and being ranked #1 for overall product value (Information Week Survey).

To view examples of our Calcs visit http://www.roi-calc.com/demos_calculators.htm

Call 877-764-2252 and learn more in a 15 minute phone conversation than most people learn in a sales seminar.

So, you are in high school and you think you might need a resume some day. The only problem is that you really do not know how to write one. Fortunately, there are guidelines to help you create an awesome resume than employers will actually enjoy reading.

High School Student Resumes: Get the Facts

Most resumes have the same major sections. They are: Heading, Objective, Education, Experience, Activities/Awards and References. Employers like to know where to find the information they are seeking, so use the sections that are listed above and put them in a common resume format, such as: Chronological, Functional or Combination.

If you do not have any work experience, consider listing volunteer work and/or school-related experiences, such as design work for a yearbook, maintaining the equipment for the football team, participating in various clubs (especially as an officer) or something similar. All of those responsibilities and tasks can be used to emphasize your skills on a resume.

Accomplishments are probably the most important things you can list on a resume. This is true regardless of how old you are or how much experience you have. Employers like to see results. If you can show the employer that you set a goal and achieved it, then you will be more likely to impress them. A resume is the one tool that can help you realize your future employment dreams. It will lead you toward job success.

Here are a few additional resume tips to consider when writing your resume:

• Collect the information you need before actually writing the resume. Do not “wing it”. Prepare, plan, then place your skills and accomplishments on paper.
• Keep your statements to one or two sentences. Anything longer than that and the person reading your resume may lose interest.
• Effectively use the “white space” on your page. Guide the reader down the page, providing an occasional break for the eyes.
• Write professionally and eliminate jargon or slang. Do not substitute “u” for “you”. This is the real world now.
• Revise your resume until it is perfect.

If you want to find a great job, you have to do whatever it takes to ensure you are looked at more favorably than your competitors. Lead the crowd by using the high school student resume tips listed above and make your career as fantastic as possible. You deserve the best, right?

Initial lack of customers and cash flow often causes a small business to put off designing a logo and marketing materials professionally “until [they] got a few clients” or “until [they] get started.” Designing their own marketing materials when they launch their business, instead of having them professionally created, will make getting those initial clients more difficult, and may result in a business that will not succeed.

Many entrepreneurs choose to design their own marketing materials when they launch their business, especially by creating their first business card. Or, they will have an amateur designer, friend or relative create the design. There are several reasons why this is not the best idea. An amateur logo design and business card can make your business more likely to fail because:

- Your business won’t look stable. It will appear to be more likely to fold or to fail. Clients won’t have confidence in doing business with you. Would you do business with someone that seems to be on unstable footing – who might not be in business by the end of your project, or after you’ve purchased an item?

- You’ll look like a very small business. Large, successful businesses would never consider doing business without professional, originally designed marketing materials. Using materials that are not professionally designed (i.e., Microsoft or Vistaprint templates) makes your business appear even smaller, and can possibly indicate that you cannot perform to or meet the standards required.

- You’ll look unpolished and rough. Not having a professional look and feel can make it look as though your business does not matter to you. Customers may get the impression that you don’t care about the way your business presents itself, which might indicate that you wouldn’t care about the quality of your work, or the way that your work reflects upon their business.

- You’ll look unfocused. Unprofessional, uncoordinated marketing materials can make your business look “jumbled” or confused. If you have a business card with one look and feel and a website with another, this creates a confused – and confusing – look and feel for your business. This can also cause an identity crisis for a small business. When looking at your differently designed materials, potential clients may be fooled into thinking that they are looking at materials that represent different companies.

About half of all businesses fail within their first few years. One source of failure that’s commonly cited by experts is sloppy or ineffective marketing – if your marketing materials don’t stand out from your competitors’, your sales will suffer.

When you start a business, you need to create the quickest possible route to business success. A logo helps to create this by contributing to your business’s visibility, credibility, and memorability – three factors that will help your business to grow and achieve success. So, while putting off your logo development may seem like a prudent idea from a cash-flow point of view, it could result in your business never getting “off the ground”. It can also lead to your business folding when it would otherwise succeed – if you don’t invest in your business, who will?

If you think that you can’t afford to design a logo when starting your business, consider the outcomes – how can you afford not to?

About the Author

Erin Ferree, Founder and Lead Designer of elf design, is a brand identity and graphic
design expert. She has been helping small businesses grow with bold, clean and
effective logo and marketing material designs for over a decade. Elf design offers
the comprehensive graphic and web design services of a large agency, with the one-
on-one, personalized attention of an independent design specialist. Erin works
closely in partnership with her clients to create designs that are visible, credible and
memorable – and that tell their unique business stories in a clear and consistent
way. For more information about elf design, please visit: Logo design at http://www.elf-design.com

Summer is coming, and the kids will soon be out of school. Mom’s and dad’s everywhere will soon here “I am board; I don’t have anything to do.” Give them a lesson and a project that will teach them a skill, and provide them a physical memory of time spent with mom and dad or one another.

My friend and his wife have four children from four to twelve. While they were visiting, my web site (www.stoveramishfurniture.com), they saw a few small piece of unfinished Amish Furniture. Now it would have been just as easy to pay a little extra and have the pieces finished, but they thought “Why not let the kids do it?” So as a summer project for the kids, they bought four different pieces of Amish Furniture. They then set aside a space in the garage for the projects. Each child was given a role in the finishing. The youngest two where thought to sand a clean each piece. The oldest two went to the library and the hardware store to find books on finishing the projects. They were all given a schedule and a planned completion time.

The kids were surprisingly really industrious. When I visited they reminded me of Amish Craftsmen, by the care they took in each of their operations. Those four pieces took roughly three weeks and about thirty-five hours to finish.

What really surprised my friends was that the kids turned there work into a business. They went out into the neighborhood and started collecting piece from their neighbors to finish. They did several chairs and a few tables, and made enough money for each to enjoy activities on vacation.

Amish Furniture is born of Amish Tradition. A tradition is something passed on from parent to child, a lesson that will be remembered for a life time. Amish families instill great values in their children, through hard work and lots of love. By purchasing a piece of Amish furniture, like my friends did, your family will become a part of that tradition. Your family will have a lasting piece of furniture that will provide a memory of when parent and child worked together and lessons where learned. Visit www.stoveramishfurniture.com for unfinished furniture projects.

John Stover