Travel Savings Tips for Entrepreneurs

Airlines

• Prices will stay low on common destinations, due to carrier competition.
• Search sites that connect you to many other sites, such as farechase.com, kayak.com, mobissimo.com and Sidestep.com.
• You can save money buy buying a ticket directly from the airline's site.
  
• Bring anything you will want for the flight to prevent yourself from paying for things you already have.
• Keep you luggage within the airline's guidelines to avoid paying extra fees.
• Look into online agents. Sites such as Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity may charge a small fee; however, they commit to helping you if something goes wrong with your travel plans.
• Earn points through various programs to use towards awards at a later time.

Car Rental

• Orbitz provides a fast car booking experience.
• Understand what your personal insurance covers on a rental car. Consider paying with a Visa card, as all cars rented with this card will be covered.
• Do a thorough examination of the car before taking it off the lot for dents. Photograph the car when you return it. This will provide proof of the condition the car was returned in.
• Avoid pre-paying for gas through the rental office. This will cost you more than filling the car yourself, unless you return the car on "empty."
• Enjoy renting an exciting car, such as the vehicles in Hertz's "Fun Collection."

Cruises

• Pay the full bill as early as possible. If you wait, you may incur extra charges, such as a fuel-related surcharge (up to $10 a day).
• Check with a travel agent about repositioned ships. These have had to change their itineraries, usually due to weather, and therefore reduce their prices.
• Make sure your trip is covered with cancellation insurance.
• Hipper ships and low nightly rates can often be found at EasyCruise.

Hotels

• Calling a hotel at the last minute, or looking into Hotwire.com or Priceline.com may allow you to access prices below the initial published rates.
  
• Some hotel rooms, such as the Conrad London and select W Hotels, are coming equipped with am IPod docking station.

Rail

• Amtrak offers a free companion fare for a parent and a child who is college-hunting. Visit collegevisit.com/amtrak/.

Miscellaneous

• Carry the $3 Tide to Go stain remover pen to help stains disappear on the spot.
• Join a travel club with will gain you access to free upgrades, spa visits, and luxury trips.
• Research Rainforestalliance.org to learn about environmentally friendly trips.
• Trackitback.com offers a services where by affixing a sticker (from the company) to your items, the company with cover the cost of having your items returned you to.

Build a stronger business by using tips that make you and your budget go further.

Let Go of Aggravations is a Way to Increase the Quality of Your Life and Business

You can easily improve your life by limiting the amount of useless purchases and aggravations you allow into your life. The following items are just a few that clutter up your life, with suggestions on how to limit them:

• Calls from telemarketers - Gain back your time by registering with the National Do Not Call Registry at donotcall.gov (888-382-1222).
• Antibacterial soap - Scientists have proven that antibacterial soap is no more effective than regular soap. A good, 20-30 second, lather with any soap is effective.
• ATM fees - Search out places that do not charge you an ATM fee. For instance, Citibank does not charge its customers to use other back's ATMs, Wawa does not add a surcharge, and many grocery stores and drugstores do not change you to take out cash when you are using your debit card for a purchase.

What else can you eliminate to free up your time and energy? Make these decisions to build a stronger business.

Humor and Wit Have A Place in Building a Stronger Business

With the national landscape swiftly changing, even the "water cooler" discussions about the prior evening's television-viewing have heated up from rehashing season premieres or the weather to highly-contested political debates and controversial government bailouts. Rich Masters, a specialist in teaching people how to prepare for televised talk shows, has several suggestions for keeping a cool head during these possibly heated discussions.

• "Zing it!" Have one or two "zingers" ready, quotes that can help you break the ice or clinch the conversation. Think like Jon Stewart...have something amusing and memorable to add to the discussion that supports your argument.
• "Don't Squawk Alone" Having someone like-minded to "jump in" gives you a chance to collect your thoughts.
• "Give in-- a little" Don't be afraid to concede a smaller point to win the larger argument. Besides being agreeable can throw your opponent off-guard as well.
• "Stay Calm and Polite" As Masters explains "If you are smiling it will leave the person with a positive impression." And luckily they cannot hear your thoughts.

Remember injecting humor into a situation with a pithy saying or a witty retort, maintaining relationships with like-minded people, being willing to concede on the small stuff, and remembering to take conflict in stride will help you maintain relationships as you build a stronger business.

Reflexive Reactions Happen in a Flash

Why do some people seem to sneeze every time they walk out into bright sunlight? According to a new study reported in The Wall Street Journal in February, it's because one in four people have a "photic sneeze reflex". This reflex, caused by an extra-sensitive visual cortex, triggers the tendency to sneeze when suddenly exposed to sunlight or other bright light.

In business, you sometimes encounter strong, unexpected reactions when dealing with people, both inside and outside your company.

Build a stronger business by recognizing that some of the people you deal with have reflexive responses you may not experience yourself.

Is Social Media Valuable for Entrepreneurs?

It may seem like a no-brainer: these days, businesses should use social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter as part of their marketing strategy. As reported in The Wall Street Journal, in 2009 social-media adoption by businesses with fewer than 100 employees doubled to 24% from 12%. If you're not addicted to social networking yourself, you're bound to know plenty of people who are.

But social media may not be as useful as we think. A survey of 500 small-business owners found that just 22% made a profit last year from promoting their firms this way. A lot of time and energy can go into maintaining the company's presence on social sites, and rewards in sales - if they come - can be slow to arrive. Indeed, using social media "could harm you if you end up inadvertently saying something stupid, offensive or even grammatically incorrect," says Larry Chiagouris, professor of marketing at Pace University's Lubin School of Business.

In order to see benefits from this kind of marketing, you have to be patient, dedicated, and consistent. Stephen Bailey, of John Fluevog Boots & Shoes Ltd., says his company saw a 40% increase in online sales in 2009, the first full year they consistently engaged in social media marketing. There are several free services available to help companies track Web traffic from social media sites, including Hootsuite, Google Analytics, CoTweet, and Lodgy.

For some businesses, social media makes sense. Like everything else, though, it's not a silver bullet. Build a better business by using a smart marketing mix.

Business Schools Tap Veterans' Potential

There's a growing effort among business schools to attract former military members into their MBA programs. Veterans are often prized for their leaderships skills and alternative perspective. In addition, "they've been responsible for lives, which brings a gravitas to classroom discussion," says Deirdre Leopold, director of admissions at Harvard Business School. Harvard, which relies on students' personal experiences to drive the school's case study method, reports that veterans comprise 3% of the class of 2011.

Even though business schools are seeking them out, veterans often have trouble paying MBA tuition, which can cost upwards of $150,000 for two years. As a result, schools have started offering large scholarships, often in partnership with the government. An increase in government funding through the Post 9/11 GI Bill, and the Yellow Ribbon Program, which gives a lump sum payment to each student beyond the GI Bill's offer, have also helped.

The same qualities that make veterans attractive to business schools have also caught the attention of corporate recruiters. "They automatically know how to work in a team and they have respect," says Stacy Blackman, an M.B.A. admissions consultant and president of Stacy Blackman Consulting in Los Angeles. Bill Brenton, director of the leverage finance group at Credit Suisse Group, says a recent internal study found that employees with military backgrounds tend to be very successful, often due to a sense of discipline and ability to build camaraderie.

Build a stronger business by utilizing people with transferable skills from non-traditional backgrounds.

Can Love Be a Science?

Is true love a science? Plenty of online dating sites say it is. Chemistry.com, which features a questionnaire developed by a biological anthropologist, is supposedly designed to predict a couple's compatibility based on traits of temperament and on brain chemistry. ScientificMatch.com, goes several steps further: they aim to use genetic testing to create that now-not-so-magical romantic chemistry (cheek swabbing kit, DNA processing, and a criminal and bankruptcy background check are all included in the $1,995.95 lifetime membership).

Both sites are an extension of the idea eHarmony.com originally developed, which suggests that certain areas of compatibility – like values and important experiences – are solid predictors of relationships success. "In the long haul, you want to be able to manage conflicts, celebrate positives and get through the day-to-day relationship. Our system is there to take care of that so you can now focus on who you find really attractive, that you feel really passionate about, says Gian Gonzaga, eHarmony's senior director of research and development.

Online dating is a $976 million annual industry in the U.S., according to estimates from the research firm Marketdata Enterprises. Sites like Chemistry.com and eHarmony are building brand identity when they target people who are looking for relationships instead of just dating. In turn, they are able to charge more per subscriber.

Creating a positive business relationship with your customers and partners also involves managing conflicts, celebrating wins, and making progress through day-to-day issues.

Build a stronger business by being aware of how you structure and maintain your business relationships and being open to constructive feedback.