William Online Education

The health care profession has certainly grown throughout recent years from pharmacists to doctors and especially nurses wherein the demand in the United States has been steadily increasing. Various nursing schools, which can be found in the country, will be able to provide nursing aspirants with the proper training as well as nursing degrees which will play a critical role in the country’s health care system.

Since there are various nursing schools in the country, expect that these nursing schools also offer various types of nursing education which includes the Registered Nursing degree, RN to BSN programs, licensed practical nursing schools, RN to MSN programs, CAN training as well as Parish nursing. It really depends on the kind of nursing job that you want to pursue later after you graduate from the nursing school.

In nursing schools, some of the nursing education programs are especially designed for students who are already registered nurses who wants to give their career that added boost which is why in the RN to BS nursing education programs in the nursing schools, teachers will their nursing school students to prepare for the transition towards taking on more senior nursing roles in the nursing profession.

Each and every nursing school actually offers the needed clinical training which is needed in your area so that you will be ensured that whatever nursing education and training that you get from theses nursing schools. You will surely be able to benefit from them once you start working in the health care profession. Also make sure that whichever nursing school that you choose to attend to is actually NLN accredited.

Nursing school graduates are definitely in high demand nowadays since there are more and more important managing roles in clinics, hospitals, research etc that is in great need of professional nurses. There is actually a great shortage of nurses in the United States which is why a lot people are being encouraged to become nurses since not only is it a great job but it does have its numerous benefits as well. However, if the United States continues to have a great shortage on nurses, the country will be suffering a shortage of 400,000 professional nurses by the year 2020.

A good nursing education from a reputable nursing school will be able to help these nursing students prepare for the seemingly daunting task of helping the sick, the injured and the disabled. And in addition, each and every of the nursing schools in the United States also offer financial aid as well as job placement assistance for their students.

Aside from the usual nursing schools wherein you actually have to go there to have the nursing education that you are looking for, take classes and basically just have a normal nursing life there are those working professionals who are thinking of becoming professional nurses but don’t actually have the time to go to nursing school. Various nursing schools in the country have thought of putting up online schools so that these working professionals as well as those who opt to have the leisure of time when it comes to studying, to just take their classes as well as their other training modules in the comfort of their own home or whichever place that they can find which has a computer and internet connection.

The California College for Health Sciences is a good online nursing school because it offers comprehensive online diploma courses for both bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in various health care professions such as Nursing, Respiratory therapy, early childhood education, public health and health care management. This popular online nursing school also offers the following health care programs, administration (for the medical office), dental assistant, gerontology, EKG technician, health care management as well as health care management associates, health care management (bachelor’s degree), health care management (master’s degree), medical transcription, nursing (master’s degree), nursing (RN to bachelor’s degree), Pharmacy Assistant/Technician and Respiratory Therapy.

There really are a lot of career opportunities that are just waiting to be tapped by simply attending a reputable nursing school. Various nursing jobs that are available in various hospitals, clinics right now are the following: registered nurse, case management nurse, clinical nurse specialist, home health aides, home health nurse, hospital nurse. LPN careers nurse, anesthetist nurse, midwife nurse practitioner and nursing aides.

For more great nursing school info and advice check out: http://www.nursingschoolhq.com

The rising number of health patients has created a greater need for more trained health professionals, especially in the field of nursing. No longer is there a standardization of nursing degree. Today’s health care emphasizes the need for a more educated, learned, and experienced nursing professional.

While there are many educational institutions capable of providing quality and reliable nursing education, there are other factors to consider before choosing which institution is right for you.

Some additional considerations when researching your educational choices are listed below:

A. Educational History and Inclination

Your understanding of just what is required for a nursing education is crucial. A Nursing education requires time, effort, driven internal enthusiasm and self-motivation.

Although a nursing education program is available to nearly all student-graduates of any field, several prerequisite subjects are required to be completed in order to ensure that enough medical background exists before the actual studying commences.

B. Time Availability

For a career professional with other financial responsibilities, there just may not be the luxury of time and money to spend on additional studying.

Career professionals, who are interested in the benefits of a nursing career can fast track their education through an accelerated version of a nursing degree program. Online learning and educational institutions have pioneered this kind of learning advantage.

Distance Learning is also one, if not the best, option for individuals who maintain more than one job. Online statistics show that since 1990, the number of available degree programs has grown from 31 to 168.

The success growth of online degree programs is mainly attributed to the kind of lifestyle people nowadays enjoy – the convenience of studying anytime, anywhere and anyhow.

C. Position Availability

The number of nurses required to fill the vacancies in health labs and institutions is overwhelming.

With vacant nursing positions continuing to rise, the need, as well as the opportunities, for nursing and other nursing-related degree graduates will continue to increase as well.

Basic and Advanced Degrees

Nursing degree programs, as with many other educational fields, varies by level. Similarly, basic and advanced course offerings are primary features of the nursing program. Nursing graduates who want to pursue higher learning and research in their field of study are advised to take Masters and Doctoral programs to enhance their area of specialization.

A. A Basic Degree in Nursing

This degree generally provides basic health care instruction offering essential knowledge and techniques in promoting and sustaining the health of patients, along with various health care strategies for special cases.

B. Masteral and Specializaton Degree Programs

Master and Specialization programs provide a solid understanding of the core services a nurse will provide, and focus on nursing management, leadership, and the continual development of nursing knowledge that will help shape the future of learning.

Advanced degree programs also provide graduate nurses the training and knowledge to educate and train future nursing professionals, thereby contributing to a growing knowledge database for all nurses.

Carl DiNello is an Article Author whose articles are featured on websites covering the Internet’s most popular topics.
To read more, please visit Nursing Jobs & Training Resources!

You may republish this article on your website, or e-zine so long as none of the content, or author information has been edited or changed in any way, and all links are left active and unchanged.

Q: I am thinking about starting my own business, but statistics show that most new businesses fail. Why do you think most businesses fail?

A: This is the column that probably gets me kicked out of the entrepreneurial chapter of the Priory of Scion. I look silly in those long robes anyway, so here goes.

A thousand apologies to my entrepreneurial brothers and sisters, but. I think the more important question is: do businesses fail or does the entrepreneur in charge of them fail? I have to be honest and tell you that I think most business failures must be laid at the feet of the person in charge.

Sure, there may be contributing factors to the demise of a business, such as a huge chain store moving in next door, a down economy, the lack of qualified employees, new government regulations, the failure of a strategic partner, etc., but any entrepreneur worth his salt should see such things coming and make adjustments to weather the storm.

And the truth is sometimes the storm can’t be weathered and you have to abandon ship. Is that a business failure or an entrepreneurial failure? I think the coin flips both ways.

Starting a business is never easy and the fact is approximately half of all small businesses fail within the first four years, with a large percentage of those failures occurring in year one.

There are many reasons why businesses fail, but according to a 2003 survey by U.S. Bank, the majority of business failures can be attributed to three reasons: bad management, bad financial planning, and bad marketing.

The survey showed that seventy-eight percent of the business failures examined were due in part to the lack of a well-developed business plan and a business owner who had no business being in the business he was in.

In other words, the business owner did not have the adequate knowledge or a thorough understanding of the business he had chosen to start. This is why software entrepreneurs like me don’t start shoe stores. I have feet, I wear shoes, but that’s not enough to qualify me to go into the shoe business.

Seventy-three percent of the businesses surveyed were also managed by owners with rose colored calculators. These optimistic entrepreneurs over-estimated revenue and under-estimated cost.

Seventy percent of the failed businesses were led by entrepreneurs who were in denial regarding their own competence, or more to the point, their own incompetence. These business owners either didn’t recognize (or more likely chose to ignore) their own entrepreneurial shortcomings. These entrepreneurs also did not seek assistance from others who might have made up for their inadequacies. It’s hard to ask for help when you are supposed to be the one with all the answers. It’s harder still to lose your life savings when your business tanks.

The final contributing factor to the death of sixty-three percent of the businesses who died from bad management was that the owners had no relevant or applicable business experience. Just because you eat at McDonald’s does not mean you’re qualified to manage one.

Bad financial planning was the second reason why most businesses fail. According to the study, eighty-two percent of the business failures studied reported poor cash flow management as a contributing factor to the death of the business.

Seventy-nine percent of the businesses were inadequately funded to begin with and seventy-seven percent miscalculated the cost of doing business. In other words, they failed to take into account all of the costs involved when setting the price for their products.

Bad marketing was a contributing factor in the death of sixty-four percent of the businesses surveyed. Many of these misguided entrepreneurs either minimized the importance of marketing and promotion or ignored it totally.

A vital part of marketing is knowing who your competition is and always knowing what they are up to. The entrepreneur who ignores his competition is a fool (gee, was that too harsh?) and is always destined to fail, as proven by the fifty-five percent of the dead businesses in the survey who either didn’t even know who their competition was or simply chose to ignore the competition altogether.

Here’s a nice hole in the sand for you, sir. Please insert your head

Another mistake made by forty-seven percent of the deceased businesses was that they relied on just one or two customers for the bulk of revenues. This is a common mistake made by many business owners who devote all their energy to one huge client. What they don’t seem to understand is that if that one customer goes away, so does most of their revenue.

Moral to the story: before diving in you should know the industry, know the market, and know the competition. You should also leave your ego at home, ask for help when you need it, be realistic with the finances, and go out of your way to tell every person on the planet about your product.

Will that guarantee the success of your business?

Not at all, but it sure can’t hurt.

Here’s to your success.

Tim Knox
Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker
Tim is a nationally-known small business expert who writes and
speaks
frequently on the topic.
For more information or to contact Tim please visit one of his sites
below.

http://www.dropshipwholesale.net

http://www.smallbusinessqa.com

http://www.timknox.com

There is no more solid a foundation for your career in the world of nursing professionals than getting the best nursing education you possibly can. Whether your plans are to enter into a serious nursing career in a health institution, or to explore other fields such as mentoring undergraduates and fellow nursing experts, getting a quality nursing education will prove to be the single most valuable tool in helping you to reach your career goals.

Formal Advanced and Continuing Education

Many institutions of higher learning include with their course offerings programs for aspiring nurses. For those who wish to enter into this wonderful field of health science, the opportunity to do so can be easily found. When considering nursing as a career, keep in mind the fact that nursing is becoming highly specialized. This offers the added advantage of allowing nursing students to not only learn nursing in a general sense, but to also have an opportunity to specialize in an area of nursing where they have the greatest interest.

From the baccalaureate programs, nursing studies have spawned to include Masteral and Doctoral programs, as well as other special courses for nursing aides and private and public caregivers (detailed below).

Doctoral Programs

Masteral Programs

Nursing Education Online

Specialized Schools of Nursing

In addition, and as a result of nursings in-demand status, the education offered to individuals interested in nursing courses has been taken to the busiest place ever: the Internet.

Online nursing education programs are given by accredited online and standard tertiary institutions. Due to the impersonal approach of internet teaching programs, specialized prerequisite requirements are needed to help determine student admission.

Nursing Scholarships

There are a good number of scholarships available to students pursuing undergraduate, or graduate nursing education. While the criteria varies between scholarships, some of the more common include financial need, academic success, and community service. Others may require the recipient to work in a specific location after graduation. It is advisable for anyone looking for a nursing scholarship to include in their efforts a thorough Internet search for – nursing scholarships.

Nursing and Social Work

Nursing, unlike many other professions, demands not only medical expertise, but also quite a bit of social work. A patient is more likely to see a nurse before a doctor. The nurse must not only evaluate the patients physical condition, but when necessary, also evaluate the mental and emotional state of the patient as it relates to the patients illness, or injury.

This touch of social work is included in a nurses educational curriculum. As are the values and vision that a nursing practitioner should embody and perform in their everyday duties on and off work.

Design, Implementation, and Innovation

This is a call for all professionals and students alike to continue on their quest for knowledge, and to contribute to the development of knowledge itself. This will help insure that the next generation of nursing students will continue to have the experiences of their predecessors to compliment their nursing education.

Carl DiNello is an Article Author whose articles are featured on websites covering the Internet’s most popular topics.
To read more, please visit Nursing Jobs & Training Resources!

You may republish this article on your website, or e-zine so long as none of the content, or author information has been edited or changed in any way, and all links are left active and unchanged.

As a homeschooling parent of a child with autism, I am often asked, “How do you do it?” It takes dedication, planning, and research, of course, but I find that it is not all that difficult when I remember why I do it.

There are 5 primary reasons why homeschooling is the best option for my child:

1. One-to-one instruction provides for optimal learning. It is a generally-accepted educational principle that the lower the teacher-to-student ratio, the more effective the teaching can be. Most parents realize that the more students a teacher has, the less attention and direct instruction each student will receive from the teacher. One-to-one instruction is always preferred for private lessons or tutoring because the lessons can be customized to the student’s ability in order to maximize their progress in the shortest amount of time.

Homeschooling or private tutoring offers a child with autism the opportunity to make the most of their learning potential. The child receives more direct instruction time, immediate feedback, and teaching that is tailored to their learning style and strengths. Due to the individualized instruction he or she receives, the child with autism is able to experience success on a daily basis which helps improve their self-esteem. Feelings of success are something that many children with autism do not experience in a typical school setting.

2. The environment can be adapted to the child’s sensory needs. In a home setting, it is much easier to control the learning environment. Unlike a classroom situation where other students can be a big distraction from learning, homeschooling parents can structure an environment that is best suited to their child’s needs. Whether it is a quiet room, special lighting, background music, or breaks for sensory issues, the home can be an ideal educational setting.

3. Homeschooling offers flexible scheduling. With fewer distractions and more direct instruction, home-schooled students require less of their time to be spent on schoolwork. There is no time wasted on the taking of attendance, class announcements, student reprimands, repetitive teaching on a subject the student has already mastered, etc.

The school day can also be planned around the child’s best time for learning. Some children with autism are “night-owls” by nature and have a difficult time going to bed early and getting up early for school. We can adjust our hours of instruction to correspond with the times that the child is naturally most alert and able to focus. We can also schedule shorter learning sessions throughout the day with plenty of breaks as needed. Shorter sessions also promote greater intensity and concentration on academic tasks resulting in the child retaining more of the material being taught.Most parents quickly realize that another benefit of homeschooling is the fact that you can plan field trips during the week when places are less crowded. This is a big advantage for children with autism who may not do well with large groups of people.4. The child has a better opportunity for positive socialization. All socialization is not beneficial for our children. In schools, you must take the bad with the good. In a home setting, parents have more say in determining when their children are ready for specific social situations. For more on the topic of schools and socialization, see my article entitled, “Social Skills and Autism – Where’s the Best Place for Socialization?”

5. The child’s interests can be incorporated into their schoolwork. Anything that your child is interested in can form the basis for their studies. In homeschooling circles, this is referred to as unit studies. You take any topic of interest and design a complete educational program around that topic. This approach works well for reluctant learners who say that school is boring.

For my family, homeschooling is a great time-saver that allows us to focus our attention on constructive social opportunities, educational field trips, and practical daily living skills. We don’t have to worry about which teacher our child is going to have every year nor do we have to spend most of the year trying to help the teacher “get to know” our child and their needs. We don’t have to fight the school district for services or for the correct implementation of services that were promised. We don’t have to waste our time going back and forth to school or to school-related meetings. Simply put, homeschooling offers my son with autism a method of instruction that works efficiently and effectively to enable him to achieve his highest potential.

Mary Gusman is an educational consultant and an expert in the area of home-schooling children with autism. With over 8 years of personal experience home-schooling her own son with autism, she offers nationwide educational and home school consulting services to families with special needs children. Mary can be contacted via her website at http://www.ochomeschooling.com/specialneeds

There are a variety of methods that can be applied in the area of homeschooling. The method you select will have an impact on the curriculum and style of teaching. The following are some of the most popular homeschooling methods.

The Charlotte Mason method is named after Charlotte Mason, who is known as the originator of the homeschooling movement. She herself was a homeschooler, and she wanted to establish a basic plan for a complete and effective homeschooling program. The Charlotte Mason method emphasizes poetry, fine arts, classical music, crafts, and classical literature. This method is designed to encourage an awareness of literature and involves reading to the child every day. The child is then asked to tell what he or she has heard. This starts at the age of six. By the age of ten, the child is expected to write narrations in a book. Mason encouraged the use of nature diaries as well. The child writes observations of nature in the book as well. This creates a sense of respect for the environment in the child. Mason thought that good behavior and character were critical for a child’s complete personality development.

The Eclectic Homeschooling method is a combination of several techniques. Innovative parents rely on their own judgment to select topics that make up the curriculum for their own child. These parents are always looking for the best products they can find to help them meet the needs of their home schoolers. Many of the curricula in this method are improvised. This means that, while the basic curriculum is established, parents change it to adapt to the individual needs and interests of their children. The curriculum is generally established according to the temperament, learning style, and interests of the children. These programs typically include visits to libraries, factories, and museums.

John Holt, a public educator in Boston, developed the ‘unschooling’ method. Holt believed that children learn best when they learn at their own pace and are guided by their own interests. He wanted to ‘unschool’ the child by requiring parents to take their cues from the children. This approach has no set curriculum, schedules, or materials. It is the most unstructured of the homeschooling techniques.

The Montessori method had its start in Italy. It was found that children go through extremely sensitive periods in which they experience periods of intense concentration. In these phases, children will repeat an action until they receive some measure of self-satisfaction from it. This method relies on prepared environments to facilitate learning. All materials utilized in this method are meant to satisfy the child’s interior desire for spiritual development. Materials for this method range from simple to complex, and they are relatively costly.

Whatever method is selected, the underlying concept is flexibility and a strong interest in the child’s own desires. The key is to use children’s desire for knowledge to further their education.

To learn more about education and learning visit http://total-education.com

I. The Three Intuitions

IA. Eidetic Intuitions

Intuition is supposed to be a form of direct access. Yet, direct access to what? Does it access directly “intuitions” (abstract objects, akin to numbers or properties – see “Bestowed Existence”)? Are intuitions the objects of the mental act of Intuition? Perhaps intuition is the mind’s way of interacting directly with Platonic ideals or Phenomenological “essences”? By “directly” I mean without the intellectual mediation of a manipulated symbol system, and without the benefits of inference, observation, experience, or reason.

Kant thought that both (Euclidean) space and time are intuited. In other words, he thought that the senses interact with our (transcendental) intuitions to produce synthetic a-priori knowledge. The raw data obtained by our senses -our sensa or sensory experience – presuppose intuition. One could argue that intuition is independent of our senses. Thus, these intuitions (call them “eidetic intuitions”) would not be the result of sensory data, or of calculation, or of the processing and manipulation of same. Kant’s “Erscheiung” (”phenomenon”, or “appearance” of an object to the senses) is actually a kind of sense-intuition later processed by the categories of substance and cause. As opposed to the phenomenon, the “nuomenon” (thing in itself) is not subject to these categories.

Descartes’ “I (think therefore I) am” is an immediate and indubitable innate intuition from which his metaphysical system is derived. Descartes’ work in this respect is reminiscent of Gnosticism in which the intuition of the mystery of the self leads to revelation.

Bergson described a kind of instinctual empathic intuition which penetrates objects and persons, identifies with them and, in this way, derives knowledge about the absolutes – “duration” (the essence of all living things) and “

Is there young children around your home right now? Running playing, making a mess sometimes, it is a wonderful time in a child’s life. They’re not old enough to have to attend school, yet they are developing the ability to be able to do so much. You should embrace this stage while it’s here, because before you know it it’s gone. Something that I wish I would’ve researched when my daughter was younger was childhood education programs. There are more common today then when my girl was younger. Today parents often pounce on the chance to provide their child with a head start. By placing your kids in an early childhood program they are given the chance to get a feel for what’s coming in kindergarten.

If you’re one of those parents that is considering an early childhood education program good for you. It’s a great way to propel your son or daughter. The more they learn at an early age the better off they are as they progress into public of private schools. They’ll be introduced to curriculum’s, and the different learning processes. There are a lot of kids that enter the public school system when they are four or five and have trouble adjusting to what’s exactly going on. Of course this is because they’re only interaction each day has been with their parents, now suddenly there are hundreds of other children, and only one teacher to instruct. Often kids don’t take well to this scenario right away.

If you enroll your child in an early childhood education program you will help show your children exactly what to expect when they do reach public school. You’ll likely have a greater success rate of your child adjusting well when they enter school as well.

Now if you don’t want to place them in early childhood education programs there are other options. Another wonderful way for your child to get a head start is with the Internet. The online world is loaded up with educational games to help teach your child new things in a fun way. I encouraged my daughter to play these games when ever she wanted from age four on. Some of these games she still enjoys playing today even at age eight.

If you are considering enrolling your son or daughter in early childhood education programs I recommend you do some research online to see what is available in your area. You’ll likely find numerous websites and find the perfect program for your child close by. It’s never to early for them to start learning, and hopefully they’ll never stop.

For more articles and tips on children and child recreation take the time to visit our website at Child Enjoyment.

Do your children ask during school hours if they can take just a little, teeny five-minute break? Mine do. I’m not sure how they came up with the idea that they are entitled to do this (probably the first time they tried it, and it worked!), but they insist that five-minute breaks should be a part of every home-schooling day. Lunch and recess? No problem. Five-minute breaks? Beware!

So,what’s terrible about a little five-minute break? The problem is, they somehow turn into fifteen-minutes or more, and then you find out that in addition to growing longer (all by themselves), they are also addictive! Yes, first it was just one five-minute break a day. But soon the requests changed to “When I finish my math can I take a five-minute break?” “When I’m done with spelling, can I?” And then reading, and on and on. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if I opened a teacher’s manual and saw the instruction: “STOP NOW FOR A FIVE-MINUTE BREAK.” Why not? They seem to be everywhere.

Okay, five minutes is not a lot of time. I realize that. The problem is that kids do not. Really. To them, being granted permission for a break is like getting a key to a magical door to another world: they step into it hoping they will never have to come back. Take my oldest son, for instance.

Hungry for his next five-minute “fix,” Brian’s eyes, which are large anyway, suddenly take on beagle proportion, and he puts on all the puppy-dog pathos he can muster. (Please, Mom, p-l-eeease, can I take a 5-minute break?) And despite the five minutes stretching into ten or more, I am then subjected to a barrage of complaints such as, “Oh, already! I just started playing with Matt! It can’t be five minutes already!”

ME: Well, actually, it’s FIFTEEN minutes!

BRIAN: (laughingly) Fifteen minutes? No way! No way!

Despite his blossoming skills at telling time, he just cannot fathom the realities of a sixty-second minute. Somewhere in the mysterious regions of his just turned seven-year-old brain, he thinks of five minutes in terms of seconds (300 of them) and then expects to live them out in years; What else can account for his daily baffled expression when I inform him that his time is up?

Once, losing all patience, I made the radical move of threatening to abolish five-minute breaks from our school. My children were in arms instantly:

ME: Where is it written that you must have five-minute breaks?!

THEM: Mom! EVERYONE has five-minute breaks!!

ME: I don’t! I never get a break! What about that?

(For some reason, this morsel of truth never evokes anything other than sheepish smiles: It’s true, but they don’t care!)

Of course, I do take breaks. I nurse the baby when she’s ready for it, but I keep within ear shot of the “classroom”–just close enough to keep up my stream of “Okay, no more talking! That’s enough! Be quiet, you two! Brian, did you finish ALL those spelling words? Kaitlin, I thought you were reading!!”

(It seems the closer we get to the end of the school year, the more my children suddenly have to say to each other across the table during school. It’s actually a law of the universe, like gravity: The closer kids are to being DONE with something, the more they drag it out.)

Are you thinking that our methods are not enough fun, that school shouldn’t be such a drag that kids can’t wait to get away from it? I agree. I just haven’t figured out, yet, how to complete all the requirements of the school year in a way that is always fun.

Learning, let’s face it, is sometimes hard work. Perhaps in some ideal world (and maybe in some ideal homes), it’s always fun, but that isn’t the case in my experience or our school. My kids show me they enjoy learning by all the spontaneous inquiries they make, reading they do, and so on. The trick, I suppose, is to encourage their natural curiosity with the right amount of work, while trying not to overwhelm them in the areas in which they are not naturally inclined.

Until I get that right, however, I’ll just have to live with the five-minute break. Only for now on, I’m setting a timer!

Linore Rose Burkard writes Inspirational Regency Romance as well as articles on Regency Life, Homeschooling, and Self-Improvement. She publishes a monthly eZine “Upon My Word!” which you can receive for FREE by signing up at her website quickly and easily. For her latest short story check Here Ms. Burkard graduated from the City University of New York with a Magna Cum Laude degree in English Literature, and now lives in Ohio with her husband and five children.

American small business is again in transition. Many employees, now working from home, are no longer tied to a geographic office and the woes of commuting. This is a relatively new phenomenon with hints of explosive sector growth in the days ahead. As this turbulent economy has forced downsizing, offshore restructuring and closures in large companies, many new entrepreneurs have been born. These are people, who instead of tirelessly attempting to find new employment and possibly enduring the same fate as previously experienced, are now starting small businesses and enjoying the benefits and perils of self-employment.

There’s an old story telling of an Admiral’s decision to fight a battle against overwhelming odds. It seems that he was approaching the coast of an enemy land, with a larger naval force closing in from behind and a great army approaching from the land ahead. He prayed and then addressed his men. He announced that their battle weary forces would land on the beach ahead, dig in and prepare for the upcoming battle. There was no turning back and no other alternative. He ordered their ships burned after they landed. Their only choice was to fight to win or perish. They defeated their enemy because he eliminated any other escape route. They were fixed on the goal of survival and none other.

That is the same attitude we as entrepreneurs must take. We can not afford to be denied. We must grow and prosper or our business will surely perish. We must constantly be looking for ways to cost-effectively market our business and increase sales. We must control costs and have sufficient cash flow for daily operations. Each of us must be persistent, relentless and vigilant. As CEO, we are the manufacturer, the sales team, the marketing department, legal office, accounting office, human resources manager, IT manager, the webmaster and so on. We can’t afford to be all these positions. Our job is to sell! We must locate cost effective resources to help us grow and protect our investment in our business.

The growth of the internet has changed our marketplace as well. Years ago, a small business owner decided upon a geographic chunk of the market and set up shop. Today, that shop is typically located in an office at the entrepreneur’s home. The marketplace is now the world. The costs of marketing products and communicating worldwide are so low that almost anyone can take part in this revolution. Sophisticated voice mail, cell phones, email and effective ecommerce web sites now provide the illusion of size and grandeur for even the smallest home-based business. The end customer typically has no idea whether their supplier is local or across the world. He may be dressed in a shirt and tie or in his pajamas! All that typically matters is that the exchange of product and services is successfully made for a profit.

It is critically important for the small, home-based entrepreneur to be aware of resources available to her as she makes this great leap. Too many people leap prematurely into business only to fail because of poor planning and insufficient financial resources. Do not get caught in this trap. Don’t quit your day job until you have enough cash on hand to pay the bills for at least a year into your new venture. Become aware of and develop the resources available to you. You want everything possible going for you as you make this leap of faith into the entrepreneurial world.

Here in South Carolina, we have the outstanding Women’s Business Center (http://www.scwbc.org), a division of the SCMEP, South Carolina Manufacturers Extension Partnership (http://www.scmep.org), one of the best kept secrets available to businesses at all levels in our State. Other States have similar programs modeled after ours. These are incredible resources, partially funded by the State and private resources, available at little to no cost to entrepreneurs, with the purpose of aiding the successful growth of small business. Some additional national resources are:

http://www.nationalbusiness.org

http://www.nase.org

http://www.gosmallbiz.com

http://www.empoweringbiz.com

http://www.nfib.org

http://www.qualitybusinessdirectory.com

There are also numerous magazines devoted to small business, home-based business, marketing, sales, accounting, etc Get tuned in to these and other resources available to you. Read your industry publications to stay abreast of competition and other facets of your business interests.

A single legal issue, FACTA problem, accounting error or marketing miscue can put you out of business. In the case of FACTA, insufficient security or poor record-keeping these days could find you legally responsible for a single employee’s identity fraud issue, which may end up being very costly. A single lawsuit or vendor dispute can shut you down. Many entrepreneurs are ignorant, ill-prepared and under-schooled with regard to these and other issues. Do not get caught in the deadly ignorance trap.

There is more opportunity available today than ever before for the wise entrepreneur. Get all you ducks in a row before you make the fateful leap into the new world marketplace. Be smart, learn all you can as quickly as possible and take action on your ideas. Like the Admiral, be determined to win in the face of what may appear to be overwhelming adversity.

Daniel Sitter is the author of the breakthrough e-book, Learning For Profit, the revolutionary how-to book providing simple, step-by-step instructions to teach people exactly how to learn new skills faster than ever before. It’s currently available from c|net’s download.com, the author’s web site http://www.learningforprofit.com/ and a variety of online book merchants. Mr. Sitter is a contributing writer for several online and traditional publications. His expertise include sales, marketing, effective learning techniques, self-improvement and general business interests.