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DIY Solar Panel System: How to Build It Cheaply - GOGREEN INPLIX

DIY Solar Panel System: How to Build It Cheaply - GOGREEN INPLIX

IMPD Officer Shot, Killed in Line of Duty Indianapolis 7/6/14

Indy Democrat Blog: IMPD Officer Shot, Killed in Line of Duty: Please keep the family and brothers of IMPD officer killed tonight in Indianapolis. After 22 years of service. Stop the violence!

Small Biz - A Never Ending Lesson - The Early Days

Wow...when I look back to all that I have learned in business, it is vast. My entire career actually involved business & leadership in some capacity. I had never consciously made the decision to work in the business sector during my 20's & early 30's. Unbeknownst to me, I was learning very important business lessons back then; that I would apply later in my businesses.

Before I was a RN, I was an Optician & managed a smaller optical store in my town. At the age of 22, I was as green as possible in both leadership & business. I worked for a chain of optical stores in my state. I learned at age 22, that this company made their products & services stand out when compared to others. They did this by offering 1 hour glasses. They trained & pushed us to do upsells. Our office ran a special all the time, 2 pairs of glasses & an eye exam for $99.00. This special included single vision lenses & basic plastic frames. Over 80% of the time, individuals bought different frames &/or contacts. If they wanted contacts, they had to pay an additional examination fee. I estimate less than 20% of those customers walked out of there only paying $99.00. 

I attended nursing school & after receiving my RN degree, worked in the hospital. After 3 years, I started working for homecare & infusions. I eventually became the Director over it & learned a wealth of information. Our homecare agency was one of the top in the country. This included profit margins, performance (outcome of our patients) & exceeding regulatory compliance. We were highlighted in medical magazines, which inflated the executives to want more. They immediately purchased other homecare agencies in other counties, thinking they were unstoppable. The newly acquired agencies had been underperforming & some were located 2 or more hours away. After 6 months, our agency was losing money like a leaky faucet. The issues that impacted us were:

• Larger geographic coverage was difficult to manage. Staffing shortages & other issues we could handle effectively in a smaller core area. Distances definitely impaired this
• Our agency was owned by the local hospital. This resulted in all homecare referrals getting referred to us. After buying other homecare agencies in other areas, we could not bank on getting all of that areas hospital referrals. They viewed us as competition.
• The highest profit margins for earning is durable medical equipment & infusion medications vs. providing services

In a response to losing money the executives immediately got scared & sold off our infusion pharmacy contract to a local durable medical equipment company. This was a seriously bad decision. Our infusion pharmacy had only 1 of a couple abilities to mix meds. I wont get to technical to keep it simple. The executives never realized the financial impact of losing this. In hind sight, they should have ran a report showing the different areas of income for products & services we were rendering. If they would have done this, they would have found, infusion & pharmacy had the highest profit margins. About 3 months later, over 75% of the staff were let go. The agency had to relocate to a smaller less expensive location & ultimately ended up closing their doors forever more. 

Any successful business can go from #1 to locking their doors. Every decision you make for your business can make or break it. The vital lessons were:

• Allowing executives who lack the knowledge of the actual day to day business, making decisions that impact operations
• To never get conceited about the success of your business
• Do not ever think your successful equation will work in other new areas, there are many many factors that can impede it
• Know your stats, know what products/services have the highest profit margins

Despite the market you work in, these lessons will apply. Stay tuned to my next posting for business lessons learned after running one of the biggest multi-billion dollar companies.

The 2013 Guys Guide to Unavoidance Avoidance of V-day due to being in a Semi-Serious Relationship

The 2013 Guys Guide to Unavoidance Avoidance of Vday- 

due to being in a Semi-Serious Relationship

Guys....2013 Valentine's Day is Less than 30 Days Away & counting.....

For those guys who know they will be procrastinating till the last minute trying to figure out (or totally avoid dealing with) what to get that special someone (who has to put up with you the other 364 days) for V-day. I decided to give you guys a break; after all, I get you... Even though I am a girl, I can totally understand how dealing with this, can drive you to doing shots of tequila til you wake up on a cold tiled floor with no pants on in a rest stop in Tijuana. This guide is your quick n easy fix to solving this dilemma, you will not have to even spend another minute putting this off for another minute.

This Guide is Simple - Pick below which status your relationship is and you will have a 100% safe n quick solution.

For the guys who are perplexed or avoiding trying to figure out what to get her for V-day this year; let me help you out based on the status of your relationship:

• Not super serious to semi-serious: you call her or see her on a somewhat regular to non-regular basis. If you think, your relationship is not even to this level, but she knows it's you when you text her - Sorry... You fit HERE!  Despite how casual you feel it is; if you ever want her to answer your text or speak to you again, you choose this... It'll take 10min & you won't have to leave. Just buy her a simple bouquet of flowers. Most girls do not care about the size of the bouquet (we are referring to the flowers) - just the fact you took the time to do this, will add super plus points. This is one time, where small & simplistic goes a long way here guys... What is even better, google 1800flowers.com valentines day 2013 coupon codes and you will find codes to enter when ordering the flowers that can save you upwards 25-40%! She will not know you entered the savings code... Anyway, if your girl busts your chops on your financial savvy; you may want to re-think your relationship goals (unless you are a relentless tight-ass, then she's in her own right for having to deal with you OCD financial theories).

• Sorta-Serious to Lock n Tied Serious but Not Fully Committed : This category is for the guy who is still commitment-phobic, but pretty well in a committed relationship (that he'll probably deny to his friends & co-workers). Here's a guideline to check if you qualify in this area: If she's the one you call every time you go out with your buddies at 3am, your in the right category. You still can do her right, by ordering her flowers or take the plunge & fork out a little more cash, to buy her a simple piece of fine jewelry. Some of today's flower bouquets can cost upwards of a $100. I can promise you this, if your debating between the two - most girls will love the jewelry over the flowers (this applies only for those relationships that are not fully committed. Fully committed V-day advice is a totally different ball game & requires alot more thought n preperation).  In case you aren't aware, you can buy a simple piece of fine jewelry (let's say a simple sterling silver necklace with pendant) for around $120 during V-day promotions. This does require you to go to your local mall & check out a Zales or other chain fine jewelry store. Sterling silver & stainless steel jewelry are nicer that fake costume jewelry. It's not white gold, but honestly, a huge percentage of jewelry sold in fine jewelry chain stores are actually sterling silver or stainless steel. For only $20 more investment over flowers, I will guarantee you will get 100% return on profit with this choice! Important - I want to clear up a misconception & enlighten you guys with a small piece of female info. Buying us a simple piece of fine jewelry, will not make us believe that your intentions moving forward are to lay down & procreate then spend the rest of your life beside us! I really think most guys just over-think this one, thinking that is gives a "more serious" intention vs. what we really perceive. So relax... she will not be bringing her mom over to your place on Feb. 15th, asking to meet all of your family (warning: there is a small % of the female population, that may react to this gesture as a serious relationship forming step. BUT, there should have been many, many red-red flags a flyin' before now to tip you off about this).  By the way.... If by chance, you are a "Super-Stalker type of guy" - none of this applies to you, in fact, this entire blog entry does not apply - Just pray she doesn't file a restraining order  against you before 2/14/13.

One last hint that will help you make this 2013 V-day mean something special to her without losing your mind... Do not buy this (see below)... thinking.. it will be the greatest Vday present ever in history:

 Sorry, no matter how casual or serious your relationships are, this just doesn't cut it (and yes....even with your hot body rockin' it!)

Here's to hoping at least one guy on the internet learned something.  If all else fails...**You can always shop for her at my retro vintage site www.DustyJunk.com - which has tons of items she'll love (like the dress forms)!
I will even give you a discount code for the guys only, that will save you 15% off your entire order, code: 2013GuyVday (valid 2/13/13)
Here's to helping you to have some sorta sex-life post V-day in 2013!

Angi
www.DustyJunk.com

Guide to Buying & Collecting Vintage or New Dress Forms

Guide to Buying & Collecting Vintage or New Dress Forms

Part I Guide - Arming Yourself with a baseline of Facts about Dress Forms

I love vintage Dress Forms & have been collecting them for almost five years now. I have learned alot about them, the different styles, materials, worth, future value, sizes & anything else you could ever need to know about them and finding one to meet your needs.

Because there is a variety of vintage dress forms to choose from, the most important point to think about when shopping for one is: Why am I buying this?

Typically those shopping for a dress form have one of 3 reasons to buy one:

1. Want to use as decor only in their home, office or crafting room
2. Want to use for sewing or fashion design (we won't get into this reason in this guide)
3. Want to use for business purposes. Either to photograph products to sell online or have a storefront (antique mall, etc) and want to display products to promote sales

I have purchased dress forms for all three reasons. One our website www.DustyJunk.com we actually offer a variety of dress forms to fit all above reasons while matching your style and budget. We have vintage dress forms listed under our "Vintage Section" and we offer new cute dress forms (some look vintage) under our "New Modern Section"

On our website, we offer a cute metal wire dress form (it is new, but looks vintage) for only $45.00, so if you are mainly budget driven and want one for home decor, buying new may be a better option vs. buying vintage. Remember when buying any dress forms, they come in different sizes (some are adjustable but vintage ones may not adjust as good as they used too). When buying a wire dress form, it is a standard size. So metal wire dress forms are great for home decor and displaying some business products. I own 3 metal wire dress forms and have successfully photographed products for online selling. The type of products that metal wire forms work well with are: scarves, neckties, necklaces, clip photographs to them or other smaller products (jewelry, artwork or ephemera craft). You can also display belts and sometimes womens fashion can display well on them depending on the size of the form and the size of the clothing you are displaying. This photo is a new wire dress form that we sell alot of that looks vintage. This form is great that it can be used for home decor or business and display products I've discussed above. But it also features a center display shelf where you can display products you are wanting to highlight or photograph; like shoes.

One of my fav dress forms I own in my personal collection is an ivory metal wire dress form similar to this. I have a variety of my fav vintage items on it: a couple belts, vintage ribbon tied around a single wire, clipped photos and ephemera. I get more compliments on this form as it sits in my crafting room. It's simple, didn't bust my budget, it wasn't vintage but I originally paid around $60.00 for it.

 

Therefore, we've highlighted how important it is before you buy, to decide what you want to do with it... If you know you want to buy a true vintage dress form for home decor, photographing or displaying products on. We will help you understand what options you have and how not to get ripped off.. I have seen tons of ads listed on Craigslist for vintage Wolf dress forms. After I clicked the photos and reviewed the description, the form being sold was not an actual Wolf Dress Form. Therefore, I urge you to shop wisely when buying a vintage dress form from Craigslist. People have found shortcuts to make a fake look like a true Wolf Dress Form.

For those of you wondering what is a Wolf Dress Form? Vintage Wolf Dress Forms are highly valueable and hold future value. Thus they will cost you alot more when buying, but will hold their worth in the future. Vintage Wolf Dress Forms cost more due to Wolf Company custom handcrafts each form and they are mainly used by fashion designers. There are many different styles of Wolf Forms and I recommend you google Wolf Forms and visit www.WolfForm.com to understand what they look like. I have owned and purchased tons of Wolf Forms in the past. I am going to post a pic of my fav one. Sorry we recently sold this one, but if you decide you want to buy an authentic Wolf Dress Form, expect to pay from $350 up to $1000.00 depending on the year and condition. The Wolf Dress Form pictured here shows some important details that Wolf forms feature and will help you red flag fake ones. This form photographed, shows on the neck that it is a size 6. It also displays Wolf Dress Form across the chest. Watch the font, I've seen fakes where they mark a fake one with Wolf Form lettering. So please do you research and get to know how authentic Wolf forms lettering and fonts look like. On our form photographed, it also showed Model 1965, which helps you date the form. Wolf forms feature a solid brass neck finial and heavy wrought iron stand and base with wheels. The stand adjusts in height. Wolf forms are pinnable which is important if you want to photograph jewelry or other items.

 Continue to follow our Blog to see our Part II Guide which will help you understand other types of Vintage Dress Forms on the market. This guide will explain metal caging and other rare findings seen when shopping for vintage dress forms.

Hoarding.... more than a mental issue

I would've never categorized myself a glorified "Hoarder" - I watched those tv shows where their house is packed from floor to ceiling with junk and their 100 indoor cats. I am really quite the opposite, clutter typically induces great anxiety until I clean it up or organize it. I absolutely cannot figure a way to walk away when I find a great retro vintage item!
I tell myself a million rationale answers: you have enough, no room etc... But I still find myself thinking, "I may never find another like this" or "you will sell it asap" - when the time comes for me to list that item, it feels like I am throwing away my baby blanket that's comforted me until I wore the edges out rubbing them!
There are certain vintage items I just cannot fathom parting with! One of the biggest is old dress forms. I don't even know how or why I originally got into collecting them?
I just imagine that dress form being used back in the 50's and that just maybe some of our famous fashion may have been pinned to it!
I have just some plain weird obsessions with old vintage items that I can't even rationalize.
About a month ago, I listed on of my most fav dress forms on our site DustyJunk.com - listing it well over $400, all while feeling a little better that I was at least putting an effort out to sell some of them. Yet confident that I would get to keep it because it would not sell for that price. It was absolutely beautiful, circa early 50's with an old wire industrial stand.
Imagine my shock when I read my email that it sold.... I felt like my very first boyfriend love just broke up with me! I pondered for days on how I could keep her but no decent reasoning surfaced. I packaged her up and shipped her off to her new owner, who I hope will cherish her like I did..

If it wasn't for my weakness of vintage items, my business DustyJunk.com would have never materialized. For now that perfectly justifies my weakness for hoarding retro finds..

Lucky for me I just bought 5 Wolf dress forms circa 60's arriving tomorrow!

Follow our site, you may catch me at a vulnerable moment where I list some of my most treasured finds. Let me know your vintage weakness so I will feel a little better!