| Introduction |
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How This Book Is Organized |
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Part I: Beginning at the Beginning |
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Part II: Managing Your Money |
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Part III: Avoiding Problems |
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Part IV: Making It Work: Moving Ahead |
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3 | (1) |
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3 | (1) |
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3 | (1) |
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| Part I: Beginning at the Beginning |
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Chapter 1: What You Need to Know about Home-Based Business |
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Home-Based Business Defined |
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The Basics of Home-Based Business |
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What kind of business will it be? |
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11 | (1) |
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11 | (1) |
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12 | (2) |
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The Good News and the Bad |
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Reasons to start a home-based business |
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The pitfalls of home-based businesses |
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Understanding when you're ready to make the move |
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Chapter 2: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, What's the Best Business of All? |
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Starting Something from Scratch |
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Doing what you have been doing in a job |
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24 | (1) |
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Doing something new and different |
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25 | (1) |
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26 | (15) |
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28 | (6) |
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Direct-selling opportunities |
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34 | (4) |
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38 | (3) |
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Identifying Which Option Is Best for You |
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Finding Your Niche by Specializing |
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42 | (3) |
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Chapter 3: Hot Opportunities Now and for the Future |
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1. The Maturing Population |
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46 | (1) |
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2. Great Migration South and to Smaller Places |
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48 | (1) |
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3. Universal Connectivity: the Electronic Environment |
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49 | (1) |
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4. Economic Globalization |
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5. Increasing Numbers of Self-Employed |
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52 | (1) |
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53 | (1) |
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7. Rising Physical and Property Security Needs |
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54 | (1) |
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8. Education for Youth and Adults |
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55 | (1) |
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9. Health Care: Up in Demand and Cost |
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56 | (3) |
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10. Luxuries as Necessities |
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59 | (2) |
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Where You Can Learn about More Home Businesses |
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61 | (4) |
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Chapter 4: Marketing 101: Getting Customers |
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Identifying Your Best Customers |
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65 | (2) |
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Tapping Into Your Customers' Needs |
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67 | (4) |
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68 | (2) |
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70 | (1) |
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Marketing: Different Roads to Meeting Your Goals |
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71 | (12) |
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73 | (1) |
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74 | (2) |
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76 | (3) |
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79 | (1) |
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80 | (1) |
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Developing a Marketing Plan - Now! |
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83 | (4) |
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84 | (1) |
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Part 2: Marketing objectives |
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84 | (1) |
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Part 3: Situation analysis |
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84 | (1) |
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Part 4: Marketing strategies |
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85 | (1) |
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85 | (2) |
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Chapter 5: Making the Web Work for You |
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87 | (18) |
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87 | (3) |
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Sites that specialize in putting buyers and sellers together |
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88 | (1) |
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89 | (1) |
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Keys to keeping clients and building your business with them |
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90 | (1) |
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Getting Listed in Directories |
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90 | (3) |
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Online business directories |
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91 | (1) |
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91 | (1) |
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Going local: SmartPage listings and search-engine local listings |
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92 | (1) |
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Networking the Internet Way |
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93 | (3) |
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93 | (1) |
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94 | (1) |
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Online etiquette for making winning relationships |
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94 | (2) |
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Using Your Web Site to Attract Customers and Clients |
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96 | (3) |
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What it takes to get traffic |
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96 | (2) |
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Making it easy for visitors to become customers |
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98 | (1) |
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Building and Maintaining Your Web Site |
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99 | (8) |
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Hire someone to create and maintain your Web site |
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99 | (1) |
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Create a Web site yourself |
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100 | (1) |
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Skip the Web site and create an e-commerce site |
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Regardless of who creates it, make your site good |
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102 | (3) |
| Part II: Managing Your Money |
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Chapter 6: Making the Transition to Working for Yourself |
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107 | (24) |
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Transitioning into Your Home-Based Business |
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108 | (12) |
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Five steps to take before leaving your job |
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109 | (2) |
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Overview of starting a home-based business |
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111 | (9) |
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Six Ways to Get the Cash Flowing |
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120 | (3) |
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Beginning part-time with your new business |
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120 | (1) |
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Working part-time at your old job |
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120 | (1) |
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Turning your employer into your first client |
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121 | (1) |
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Taking business with you (ethically!) |
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121 | (1) |
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Financing your business with startup funds |
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121 | (2) |
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Piggybacking with your spouse or significant other |
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123 | (1) |
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Sixteen Sources of Startup Funds |
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123 | (3) |
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Putting Together a Business Plan |
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126 | (2) |
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128 | (3) |
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Chapter 7: Keeping Track of Your Money |
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131 | (26) |
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131 | (2) |
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Setting Up a Business Account |
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133 | (1) |
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Accepting Credit Card Sales |
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134 | (4) |
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Choosing the Best Bookkeeping System for Your Business |
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138 | (6) |
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Check registers and bank statements |
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139 | (1) |
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140 | (3) |
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143 | (1) |
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Finding Happiness in Positive Cash Flow |
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144 | (7) |
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145 | (2) |
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Finding seven ways to kick-start your cash flow |
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147 | (1) |
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Understanding collections |
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148 | (3) |
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151 | (6) |
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Discovering different kinds of credit |
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151 | (2) |
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Getting the loan you want |
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153 | (1) |
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Fixing your had credit history |
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154 | (3) |
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Chapter 8: The Price Is Right: Deciding How Much to Charge |
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157 | (18) |
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Figuring Out What Your Prices Must Cover |
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158 | (5) |
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160 | (1) |
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160 | (1) |
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161 | (1) |
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162 | (1) |
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Sizing Up Your Potential Customers and What They Will Pay |
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163 | (1) |
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Researching Your Competition |
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164 | (2) |
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Pricing Strategies That Deliver Sales |
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166 | (9) |
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Creating value for your clients |
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166 | (1) |
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Setting your prices: five approaches |
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167 | (3) |
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170 | (3) |
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Deciding whether to discount |
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173 | (2) |
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Chapter 9: Getting Health Insurance and Planning for Your Retirement |
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175 | (16) |
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Providing Your Own Benefits |
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176 | (1) |
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Choosing Your Health Care Coverage |
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177 | (9) |
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The spectrum of health coverage |
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178 | (1) |
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Fee-for-service and indemnity health care plans |
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179 | (1) |
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180 | (4) |
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Other health care coverage |
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184 | (2) |
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Considering the Need for Other Benefits |
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186 | (5) |
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186 | (1) |
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187 | (1) |
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Retirement and savings plans |
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187 | (1) |
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188 | (1) |
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189 | (2) |
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Chapter 10: Getting a Grip on Taxes and Deductions |
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191 | (22) |
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Understanding Which Taxes to Pay - and When to Pay Them |
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192 | (13) |
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193 | (5) |
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198 | (1) |
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How much do you have to pay? |
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199 | (2) |
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When is an independent contractor not an independent contractor? |
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201 | (4) |
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Taking a Look at the Home-Office Deduction |
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205 | (2) |
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Reviewing Other Important Tax Deductions |
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207 | (1) |
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Discovering Sometimes-Overlooked Ways to Save On Your Taxes |
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208 | (2) |
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Uncovering the Ins and Outs of Sales Tax |
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210 | (3) |
| Part III: Avoiding Problems |
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213 | (48) |
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Chapter 11: Legal Do's and Don'ts |
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215 | (20) |
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Understanding the Forms (Legal Structures) of Businesses |
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216 | (6) |
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217 | (1) |
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218 | (2) |
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Limited liability company |
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220 | (1) |
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220 | (2) |
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222 | (3) |
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Trademarks, Copyrights, and Patents |
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225 | (3) |
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225 | (1) |
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226 | (1) |
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227 | (1) |
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Zoning, Licensing, and Permits |
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228 | (4) |
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229 | (2) |
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231 | (1) |
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232 | (3) |
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Chapter 12: Using Outside Resources and Experts |
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235 | (16) |
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Establishing Trade Accounts |
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236 | (1) |
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237 | (3) |
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Finding Good Lawyers, Accountants, and Other Professionals |
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240 | (9) |
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241 | (1) |
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242 | (2) |
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244 | (2) |
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246 | (2) |
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Insurance agents and brokers |
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248 | (1) |
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249 | (2) |
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Chapter 13: Eluding Scams, Rip-Offs, and Other Headaches |
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251 | (10) |
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252 | (5) |
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253 | (1) |
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254 | (1) |
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255 | (1) |
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Direct-selling, network marketing, multi-level marketing |
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256 | (1) |
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257 | (1) |
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258 | (1) |
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258 | (3) |
| Part IV: Making It Work: It Moving Ahead |
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261 | (48) |
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Chapter 14: Staying on Track with a Serious Business Attitude |
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263 | (18) |
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It All Begins with a Serious Business Attitude |
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264 | (4) |
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It's what's inside that counts |
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264 | (2) |
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What's outside counts, too |
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266 | (2) |
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Separating Your Work from Your Personal Life |
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268 | (2) |
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Avoiding Interruptions and Distractions |
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270 | (4) |
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Dealing with interruptions |
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270 | (1) |
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Dealing with distractions |
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271 | (1) |
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272 | (2) |
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274 | (2) |
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An Organized Home Office Is a Happy Home Office |
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276 | (5) |
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276 | (2) |
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278 | (1) |
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What's a priority and what's not? |
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279 | (2) |
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Chapter 15: Coexisting with Kids, Relatives, Neighbors, and Pets |
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281 | (14) |
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What to Expect from Your Kids |
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282 | (3) |
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What to Expect from Relatives, Friends, and Neighbors |
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285 | (1) |
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What to Expect When Working with Pets |
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286 | (1) |
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Workaholics, Unite! (It's Time to Get a Life!) |
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287 | (2) |
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Teaming Up with a Spouse or Other Loved One |
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289 | (6) |
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290 | (1) |
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Figuring out how to team up |
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291 | (2) |
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Building a healthy, long-term relationship |
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293 | (2) |
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Chapter 16: Don't Just Stand There, Grow |
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295 | (14) |
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296 | (1) |
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Identifying the Upside and Downside of Growth |
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297 | (5) |
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Understanding why you may want to grow |
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298 | (1) |
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Recognizing the many different ways to grow |
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299 | (1) |
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300 | (2) |
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302 | (2) |
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Cashing Out and Other Exit Strategies |
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304 | (7) |
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Putting a value on your business |
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306 | (1) |
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306 | (3) |
| Part V: The Part of Tens |
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309 | (30) |
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Chapter 17: Ten Tips to Succeed in Your Home-Based Business |
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311 | (8) |
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312 | (1) |
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Treat Your Business Like a Business |
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312 | (1) |
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313 | (1) |
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313 | (1) |
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314 | (1) |
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Avoid Unnecessary Expenses |
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314 | (1) |
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315 | (1) |
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315 | (1) |
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Build a Solid Customer Base |
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316 | (1) |
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316 | (3) |
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Chapter 18: Ten Things to Avoid |
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319 | (6) |
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Don't Turn Your Bedroom into Your Office |
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319 | (1) |
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Don't Use Your Office as a Family Entertainment Center |
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320 | (1) |
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Don't Work Morning, Noon, and Night |
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320 | (1) |
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Don't Allow Paperwork and Office Equipment to Take Over Your Home |
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321 | (1) |
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Don't Let Housework or Hobbies Distract You from Getting Your Work Done |
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321 | (1) |
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Don't Fill Your Cabinets and Refrigerator with Junk Food |
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322 | (1) |
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Don't Expect Business to Come to You |
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322 | (1) |
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Don't Expect to Be an Overnight Success |
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323 | (1) |
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Don't Give In When Someone Tries to Occupy Your Precious Working Time |
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323 | (1) |
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Don't Expect to Work Effectively with Children Underfoot |
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324 | (1) |
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Chapter 19: Ten Myths about Working from Home |
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325 | (8) |
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You Have to Be a Salesperson to Be Successful |
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325 | (1) |
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You Can't Work with Kids at Home |
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326 | (1) |
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327 | (1) |
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327 | (1) |
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Home-Based Businesses Aren't Real Businesses |
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328 | (1) |
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Home-Based Businesses Are Cheap |
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328 | (1) |
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329 | (1) |
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If You're at Home, You Must Not Be Working |
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329 | (1) |
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You Can Write Off Everything |
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330 | (1) |
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You Can Run around in Your Pajamas All Day Long |
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331 | (2) |
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Chapter 20: Ten Things to Do if Times Get Tough |
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333 | (6) |
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333 | (1) |
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334 | (1) |
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Keep in Touch with Your Customers |
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335 | (1) |
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Push Your Clients to Pay Their Bills |
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335 | (1) |
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336 | (1) |
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Offer a Special Promotion |
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336 | (1) |
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337 | (1) |
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337 | (1) |
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338 | (1) |
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338 | (1) |
| Index |
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Other versions by this Author