Anyone who is a true animal lover will tell you that the loss of a pet can sting every bit as much as losing a human friend or family member.Unfortunately the sad truth is that most pets don’t have the same type of life span as a person. This means that losing a pet is often inevitable. For those who feel the loss of a pet, pet memorials can offer a sense of closure. It’s important to remember that a beloved pet is just as much a part of the family as any human being is. Honoring pets with pet memorials gives grieving family members the opportunity to come together and say goodbye.We have memorial services when we lose friends and family members, to have one for a pet is a normal part of the grieving process.Just because a pet was an animal does not reduce the significance that they had in your life. You can form a loving bond with a pet that can be very painful when it comes to an end.As pets get older there may come a time when an especially difficult decision must be made. When a beloved pet is suffering due to age and injury it is in the best interest of the animal to consider euthanasia. Although the thought of losing a pet may seem like it is too much to take, keeping a pet around that is suffering isn’t fair to the animal.When the time comes, euthanasia is a way for you to allow your pet to rest in peace and escape the suffering that age can bring. You can choose to take your pet to a local vet, or many vet offices will even come to your home to perform this merciful and compassionate service for you. Although the pain may be overwhelming at first, you can take comfort in knowing that you have done what is right for your pet. Your pet is no longer suffering, and can finally rest in peace.Once your pet has passed away it’s possible to still feel close to them when you choose pet cremation. Cremating your pet allows you to keep their remains in a manner which is legal and safe. Burying your pet has health issues and there are often laws in place that prevent you from doing so. Instead of burial you can choose to cremate your pet and keep their remains, and memory close to you. There are many types of urns for pet ashes that can be purchased allowing you to keep the ashes of your pet nearby. Memorial pet urns are a way to remember your pet and give them an honored place in your home.You can place a pet cremation urn on your mantle, or in another place of significance, allowing you and your family to remember how much your pet meant to you.Loss is a part of life. All of us lose loved ones and friends over time, and the loss of a pet can be just as painful. Why not honor your pet by choosing pet cremation? Your pet was a part of your life, for many people a pet could have been a companion for many years. You owe it to your pet to make certain that the end their lives with dignity and respect.When the time comes, and your pet is no longer healthy enough to function normally, you may have a difficult choice to make. You may have to choose euthanasia. Know that while this choice may be painful, it is the right choice to make. Even after yourpet has passed away you and your family can still feel close to him by placing his remains in one of the many pet memorial urns that are available. With your pet’s ashes nearby you and your family will be reminded not of the pain of losing him, but of the joy that he brought to your lives.Your pet probably spent most of his life in loyal service to you and your family. He probably wanted nothing more than to please and protect his human masters. By having a memorial service for him, and choosing pet cremation, you can honor him in the way that he deserves.
Starting A Photography Business: A Structured Approach For Success
Starting a photography business seems easy to begin with. All one needs is a good camera, an understanding of photography techniques, a love for photography itself, and the enthusiasm to turn a passionate hobby into a business.Unfortunately, it really isn’t as simple as that!The moment a talented amateur photographer makes the decision to become a professional, to earn money from their photographs, he or she ceases to be a photographer and instead becomes a marketer and seller of photography.The distinction between photographer and businessperson is crucial and understanding of this is essential if the would-be professional has a desire to be successful at selling their photographic work.Put simply, photographers do not make money taking photographs. They make money selling photographs.Sadly, the ease of entry into the photography business is so simple that many photographers find themselves asking the question, “how do I start a photography business” after they’ve already discovered that the reality is not as simple as they thought it would be after all!For those who are new to the photography business, or considering making the jump from being an amateur to professional photographer, there is a structured approach that could save some agony further down the line. This systematic methodology is called “The Six Pillars Of Success” and can apply to almost any small business.The six pillars are:
Mindset
Positioning
Marketing
SEO
Sales
Client relationships
MindsetBeing in business is not for the faint-hearted or thin-skinned. Because of this, it’s essential to maintain a positive mindset and keep your business goals firmly in sight. Commitment is a big factor here, too, and it’s important to be 100% committed to your success no matter the current circumstances. This also means investing in your continuing business education, and having a forward-thinking mentality that’s focused on your future growth.PositioningKnowing where to position oneself in the marketplace is something that will set the aspiring professional photographer apart from the competition. Identifying a photographic genre as a specialty, together with the demographic and personality of the ideal target client are a great start here. A pricing model also helps to determine which of those ideal clients will be willing to invest in the photography services and products on offer.MarketingIn its most simple form, marketing is the process of earning, and competing for, your ideal clients’ attention. Effective marketing helps to educate your photography prospects about who you are, your values and beliefs, how you conduct business, and how the client can most benefit from the experience of working with you.SEOSearch engine optimization (SEO) is critical to the success of any business in this day and age. A photographer might be the most personable and friendly person in the world and produce the most incredible photography their clients could possibly imagine, but that won’t matter one bit if no one can find them online. Even with the most amazing-looking photography website, it’s essential to ensure that the search engines have a good idea of what the website is actually about.SalesNo one wants to come across as the stereotypical used-car salesman, and if the client senses the photographer might be uncomfortable with his or her own prices or at all nervous about asking for the sale, they will instinctively become much more resistant to the sales process, making the sales job much harder. The answer is to learn how to sell from an ethical standpoint, and with the client’s needs firmly at heart.Client RelationshipsThis is where most professional photographers really trip up! They attract the right clients, create beautiful work for them, do a great job of selling it, and then never talk to the client again! This is a huge mistake, and can mean the photographer is stuck in a never-ending quest for new clients. The solution is to stay in touch with your family of valued clients. It’s easy to send them an occasional card in the mail, an email newsletter, or even call them on the telephone just to see how they’re doing.An Upward Spiral To SuccessAs you reach the last of the six pillars, you’ll see that a happy family of clients naturally causes you to be happier as a businessperson, which helps create an even stronger positive attitude.You also get to know your clients in a lot more depth, which then helps you when it comes to positioning yourself and your business in the marketplace.The process of marketing becomes much simpler and a lot less costly, since you’ll see a lot more benefit from word of mouth marketing.The SEO for your photography website is also made much simpler because your blog articles, for example, further help the search engines to see you as a local authority.The sales process becomes easier to manage because you’ve now created a good reputation within the community.Finally, your family of happy clients will love you more as your photography business becomes more established.
How To Pay Off Your Mortgage In 5 Years
My wife and I were “home buyers” for at least 7 years on our current residence. Notice that I said home “buyers,” and not home “owners.” There is a common misconception that when you take out a mortgage, you are immediately a home “owner”
Assuming that you have a 30 year mortgage, the reality is that you are simply in the process of buying the home over a 30 year period. The bank, is the true owner of the property. If you don’t believe me, try missing a few mortgage payments, and see what happens.
3 months ago, we paid off our 30 year mortgage (in 7 years, or 23 years early). Now we are true home “owners.” In this article, I’m going to show you step by step how we were able to accomplish this. Using our existing income, and without incurring any additional debt.
Equity
Let’s talk about “Equity.” Equity, or appreciation, is the difference between what your home is worth and what you owe to the bank. So if you owe $100,000 and your house is worth $300,000, then you have $200,000 of Equity in your home.
We had roughly $250,000 of Equity on our house. We owed the bank $115,000 and our house was worth $367,000.
This $250,000 is dormant. Meaning, it looks good, but it wasn’t doing anything for us.
Home-Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)
So the first thing that we did was we ‘tapped’ into this equity. We went to the bank and took out an Home Equity Line of Credit for $50,000.
What is an equity line of credit? Also called a HELOC, an home equity line of credit is a liquid line that you are able to draw funds from at any time for any purpose. It’s like a gigantic credit card.
Although the HELOC had a limit for $50,000, the amount that we owed on it was $0 at the time that we took it out. This is because, similar to a credit card, you don’t owe anything until you actually use it.
Use HELOC to Pay Down Mortgage
Immediately after we got the HELOC, we withdrew $20,000 and applied it to our Mortgage (additional principal payment).
So at this point, we have $20,000 due on the HELOC, but our mortgage has been paid down by $20,000 (from $115,000 to $95,000).
Use HELOC as “new” Checking Account
Before I go on, let me mention that after we used the $20,000 to pay down our mortgage, we still had the same $115,000 of debt ($20,000 on HELOC and $95,000 on Mortgage).
So to payoff the HELOC, we just used it as our new checking account. When we got paid, we took 100% of our paychecks and applied it to the HELOC.
Now you may be wondering, “with all of our money going to the HELOC, how did we pay our bills?” Remember the HELOC is a “liquid” line. So at the end of each month, we made 1 withdrawal from the HELOC to pay our bills (including our mortgage).
100% of Cash Flow
For us, our monthly paychecks totaled roughly $6,000. Our bills, including our mortgage, and all of our living expenses (gas, groceries, etc.) totaled approximately $3,500. So by applying 100% of our monthly checks to the HELOC, and then using the HELOC to pay our bills, we were able to use 100% of our monthly cash flow to pay the $20,000 HELOC off.
So with and estimated $2,500 of cash flow ($6,000 minus $3,500) the $20,000 was paid off in 8 months.
Repeat The Process
We repeated this process until the remaining $95,000 was paid off (approximately 2 years).
What Do You Need?
1. Cash Flow – You must have positive cash flow in your household budget
2. Credit Score – A decent credit score (650 or above)
3. Equity – Positive equity in your home.
What You Should Know
VERY IMPORTANT: The HELOC should be used to paydown your mortgage. It should not be used to fund a vacation, buy a car, or a boat.
ALSO IMPORTANT: The HELOC is not a Home Equity Loan (HEL). A Home Equity Loan is a 2nd mortgage, and it is treated the same.