How to Avoid Holiday Stress and Have a Happy & Relaxing Day this Year!
06 May 2011 Leave a Comment
The only way to have a nice & relaxing Christmas this year (short of hiring a maid), is to prepare well ahead of time.
Use this helpful list, to ensure you have a merry & jolly holiday (this list will also work for other holidays – New Years, Thanks Giving, Easter etc…).
1) Finish gift purchases 3 weeks prior to the holiday (that way you don’t need to be running around, & can avoid the holiday rush – those that weren’t prepared). If you haven’t already shopped, you should do the remainder of your shopping online – the shops are already crowded!
2) Get all of your frozen foods 3 weeks prior to the holidays.
Get all of your fresh foods 2 days (some fruit (such as strawberries that don’t keep) are only able to be purchased 1 day before) prior to the holiday.
If you do need to buy produce, or meat the day before – know what you need to buy, get up early, and go as soon as the shop opens. Go to a food place, that is not in a group of shops, but is by itself – people will be out shopping for clothes, & gifts – you don’t want to be caught up in this.
3) Get the tree up & decorated 3 weeks prior to the Christmas holiday (if it’s a fake one – and for relaxation purposes – get a fake one). If you have kids, get them to help you & make it a “family” occasion. Choose a date – e.g. 3rd December – and put the tree up on this date every year – that way, you create a new “special day”, and you don’t stress about it. If it is a real tree, you won’t be able to get this until the week before Christmas (at the earliest) – you should get this as close as possible to Xmas – otherwise you will end up with very dry & flammable timber (which is not good as it is a fire hazard).
4) Wrap the gifts 2 weeks prior to the holiday. Make sure you place them well under the tree, and tell the little ones they are “off bounds”. If the little ones are too tempted, place them in a cupboard (wrapped), and then place them under the tree when the children have gone to bed on Christmas Eve.
5) Allocate a “party room”, and get it ready the day before the holiday. Hang balloons & streamers up, get placemats on the table, lay the cutlery out etc. Short of placing the food on the table, get as much ready the day before. If possible, close the room off & make it “out of bounds” once ready.
6) Prepare all of the food you can the day before – put the drinks in the fridge, make trifle & put it back in the fridge, put the cranberry jelly in a bowl (and… back in the fridge).
Even food that needs cooking can be prepared – for example – get the right number of potatoes out, & wash them (so all you need to do is cook them).
Look at the food you have bought, think “what can I do today, that I don’t have to do tomorrow”?
If you are having a cold ham – slice it the day before, and place it back in the fridge.
A good idea for this day, is to hire a fridge – (this should be done 3 weeks in advance) – that way you can ensure you have plenty of room.
7) Wake up early on the day of the holiday – before the children (if possible). Place the meat in the oven to start cooking (this is only true if it is a big bird – such as a turkey). Look at the instructions for all of your food (before the day of the holiday), and know how long they are going to take to cook – don’t forget to allow for preparation.
So if you are going to eat at midday, and your chicken takes two hours – give 1/2 hour for preparation, and start getting the bird ready at 9:30 – if you have lots of meat – write a list, so you know what you need to be doing and when (once again – write the list at least the day before, if not 2 days before the holiday).
Wake the kids up, & enjoy your holiday.
Sure… it’s a lot of hard work, preparing for the Christmas holiday (and indeed any), but if you do just that – PREPARE, you will find that you have a hard, but relaxing holiday – which you, and your kids will appreciate.
Merry Xmas,
A Cleaning Company That Works
03 May 2011 Leave a Comment
With so much to do, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Now that scientists are discovering all the health dangers associated with stress, it seems that stress itself is becoming a major stressor. Let’s face it; sometimes you just need a break. And while there are many important tasks that we must do ourselves, many tasks just need to get done; not necessarily by us, but by someone we trust. Cleaning your house can be like that: the difficulty of cleaning lies not in making the important decisions, but in the intensive labor it requires. If you are like most people, investing all that time in cleaning your house is an unnecessary burden on your already busy life. It is unnecessary, because hiring a professional cleaning company like Merry Maids to do it for you is cheap and easy!
Life is characterized by time-consuming tasks that often stretch our resources to the limit. They may be important, and maintaining a clean home certainly is, but often your interests would be better served by investing your time and energies elsewhere, and letting someone you trust take care of the dirty work. When it comes to giving your house a deep, complete cleaning, you do not have to take up the task yourself, putting all of life’s deeper concerns on the back burner. Save yourself the trouble and let the professionals work their magic while you enjoy yourself, or simply take care of business. Above and beyond all cleaning companies, Merry Maids is up to the task.
Not only do cleaning companies like Merry Maids allow you to budget your time cheaply and effectively, but they can fit into your financial budget as well. Enhancing your day-in day-out routine with a monthly cleaning is affordable and refreshing, and a weekly or bi-weekly cleaning will keep your home sparkling fresh all the time. Friends will wonder how you are able to simultaneously juggle all the responsibilities of life and such keep a clean, inviting home…especially if you have children. It is okay, you don’t have to tell them about the cleaning company; although they could probably benefit from your secret as well!
Of course, the stress relief you will enjoy can only be as great as the peace of mind that your decision to hire a cleaning company brings you. That is why Merry Maids works so hard to provide the best quality service. Unlike many other cleaning companies, Merry Maids carefully screens all applicants, even if they already have a record of sterling service. And once they have hired the best, they give them ongoing training to ensure that they remain that way. That is why virtually anywhere in the country you always see so many Merry Maids vans heading to and from job sites: people trust Merry Maids to get the job done, and to do it well. They have been the leading cleaning company for over 25 years.
Stress may be inevitable, but the stress caused by house cleaning is not. You don’t have to feel overwhelmed if you just allow yourself to feel relieved. It’s as easy as calling the best of all cleaning companies for a free consultation regarding your own needs and situation. Get it done and get it done well. Give Merry Maids a call and get on to more important things!
Merry Maids Franchise Review
02 May 2011 Leave a Comment
Merry Maids is home cleaning and maintenance company that began its journey in 1979 in Omaha, Nebraska. The company has demonstrated the home owners a dependable way of leaving the burden of home cleaning to get free time for other important works. Popularity of Merry Maids has helped the company to grow as a Pan American service company as well the one operating internationally. The company has its presence in the UK, Denmark, Hong Kong and Japan through franchisees.
Merry Maids services are efficient and affordable to a large number of homeowners who hate to see dirty homes, but have no time to clean. The company has concentrated its activities more in home cleaning segment. Dusting, vacuum cleaning, scrubbing and washing sound simple, but not as simple for the amount of labor and time required. If you have to do it all on a routine basis, you will have to sacrifice much of your activities scheduled for weekly off days and holidays. It is an experience to walk into the homes after Merry Maids has done the cleaning service, whether for sparkling bathrooms or the glittering washboard, sink and tiles in the kitchen without stubborn stains, also don’t miss seeing the clean floor edges and the corners.
Franchise Locations And Territorial Divisions
The Company has gone into tie up with ServiceMaster Quality Service Network. This network has other service companies operating on the franchise system for expanded market coverage. Merry Maids is offering franchisee business nationwide to cover a large number of areas that are still not represented. Of course, the company is always enthusiastic about expansion in the international markets.
Consideration of prospective customer base in every location is important to assess the scope of business. They have 3 types of market territories. Full-sized exclusive territories have a minimum number of 10,000 households. The medium size territories go for a minimum of 5,000 homes and small size territories are those having 5,000 or fewer number of homes.
Merry Maids’ Support To The Franchisees
The Company has successfully worked its way to create a brand image. Merry Maids is now a dependable and sought after name for the home cleaning job. For business promotion, the company has been exercising particular care to maintain a very strong public relation. The ad supports come from ads in national media like TV and radio to generate demand and enquiries. The company also releases ads on the internet.
The franchisees get direct support from the company through toll-free phone, meetings, newsletters and operational evaluation programs.
Merry Maids offers initial training to the franchisee at the headquarters for 8 days. Also, they provide on the spot training at franchise locations whenever necessary. They work out a lot of innovative ways to execute an effective job within the shortest possible time.
The Investment
It is a primarily a low investment business calling for total investment of $24, 750 to $59, 450 depending upon the size of a territory. Merry Maids offer a 5 year renewable contract with a franchise fees in the range of $21,000 – $31,000. They charge 5 to 7% royalty fees.
The Triple A Way to Spark Your Company’s Profits
29 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
Winning small and home based businesses today must continually shake things up to stay in the game. Whether it’s adding new marketing twists on existing products and services or anticipating customer wants with compatible new items you can add to your product mix, hatching new ideas and concepts is vital to a profitable company.
AAA
Here is what I call the “Triple A” way to plant seeds of idea generation, innovation and creativity: Anticipate, Ask, and Add.
Anticipate: Is there something your customers want and don’t realize they need? Something compatible with your business that you can provide. Take time to study trends and new business ideas from around the world. When a product, idea or strategy intrigues and inspires you, ask yourself, “How can this be an opportunity for me?” You can often easily borrow and tweak ideas from other industries and regions with a little thought and successfully apply them to your own micro small or home business. Doing this on a regular basis will keep you light years ahead of your competitors.
Are you passionate about a particular cause? Consider the following.
A Dutch designer created a unique fashion label, called 50/50 with cast offs from Salvation Army thrift stores. Profits are shared equally between the company and the Salvation Army. The label is now sold in Holland’s most popular department store and doing well. Social Entrepreneurship is a fast emerging trend where companies appeal to the social consciences of consumers by conducting their businesses in accord with certain standards (i.e Sweatshop Free, Environmentally Safe, etc.) or by partnering with a charity such as 50/50 has done.
Attorney Alayna Kassan and her partner, Cynthia W. Dressel met in 1999, after each had successfully fought Hodgkins Disease, a form of Lymphoma Cancer. Anxious to give back to the community that helped them in their time of need, they launched Presents for Purpose (http://presentsforpurpose.com)which offers creative, unique and unusual gift items with a portion of the proceeds going to a the partner charity of the purchaser’s choice.
Is there a way to tie your products to your favorite cause, do some good and make some money at the same time?
Anticipate worldwide, national, and regional trends.
Capitalizing on a regional trend 17 years ago with one of it’s own products, Tyson Foods, the Arkansas-based poultry giant, noticed it was selling more chicken wings in Buffalo, NY than anywhere else in the country. Sports bars were buying them as an inexpensive appetizer. In a brilliant move, Tyson borrowed the idea of “Buffalo Wings” and rolled out a nationwide promotion, creating a huge market for a previously unmarketable product.
If you are selling multiple products or have more than one service, you know which ones sell the best, but what do you know about what your customers are buying? Is there a product or service that may not be a top seller, but is selling well to one particular group (i.e. Seniors,Baby Boomers, GenX, Women over or under a certain age, men, etc.) or in a specific region? Is there a niche you may be missing? Like Tyson, become a trend spotter with your own customer base. Analyze all of your products or services in light of your customer’s profiles and look for trends and common traits. You may find a new way of marketing a lesser performing product or service. If you don’t know who is buying your products or services, you can easily invite your customers to give you some basic information on order forms, etc.
Ask: Ask for information, such as surveys to get customer feedback. Surveys are inexpensive and can be done by post card, phone or email. Why do your customers select you over competitors? It is not always obvious. What concerns do they have about your products or services? Armed with this information you can adjust your marketing appropriately.
Merry Maids, the well known house cleaning franchise initially focused it’s marketing on how well it cleaned homes. When they discovered customers were more concerned about letting strangers into their homes, Merry Maids tightened its hiring practices and changed its advertising to tout peace of mind as well as a clean home. Revenues increased 32% from 1998 to 2003.
Ask your customers for ideas that can help improve your products or services.
BMW’s Virtual Innovation Agency (VIA) canvasses people worldwide for suggestions. It received 4,000 ideas in the first week. Go to BMW (http://bmw.com), click on innovation (under the “BMW Group” menu), to make your own contribution to BMW’s idea bank.
Like BMW, consider adding a customer idea bank to your website and offer a prize for the best ideas that you end up using or create a secret club for those offering the most useful ideas. Hold a customer appreciation night and create a fun idea generating game for your business.
The Walt Disney Company holds its own “Gong Show,” three times a year, at which any employee can pitch a concept or movie plot. Executives hit a giant gong if it considers an idea a dud.
Asking your customers for ideas will give you a great deal of information about what your customers want, you’ll have fun and maybe even get a fantastic and profitable idea or two.
Add: Customers want and buy value. Take the information gleaned from anticipating and asking and review your customers’ most pressing needs and wants. In short, Add value. One way to add value is to brainstorm ways to save customers time and money. Make your customers lives simpler and easier with your existing products or by adding compatible new ones.
A small credit union in Kentucky added value when it realized customers were annoyed by long lines. With no space for additional tellers, it mailed members suggestions on how to avoid long waits. In addition, taking a page from the Disney playbook where waiting in long lines is made as enjoyable as possible, this creative credit union installed TVs near lines to make customers feel that they were using their time productively. Result: Complaints practically disappeared and countless members did not take their business elsewhere. (Richard Hamilton has written a inspiring series of books called Disney Magic on the Disney business model and how you can apply it’s strategies and ideas to your own micro small or home business).
Consider consumers’ need for simplicity, order and more quality time – a trend that gets stronger by the day in a fast paced world where multitasking is does not even begin to solve the time crunch.
Take a look at how this cool ‘Lifestyle Management’ company from the UK has used the simplicity trend to add value to traditional domestic services. Urban Angels helps customers juggle the 9-5 with home and family commitments, bringing balance back to their lives efficiently and affordably. US based Real Simple Magazine profits from this trend by adding value to its 1.5 million affluent readers (median age 40, median household income $90,000) with tips and tricks on which products to buy to make their busy lives easier.
By Anticipating customer wants and needs through keen observation and study of consumer trends and new business ideas, Asking your customers for feedback and ideas, you can gain plenty of creative inspiration to generate moneymaking ideas to boost your profits. Finally, use your new ideas to Add value for your customers.
Make generating ideas a regular practice
Micro small and home business owners continually mention lack of time as a major barrier to idea generation, creativity and innovation, yet your business cannot afford to be without a steady stream of new ideas. Here are a few simple suggestions to make idea generation a part of your regular routine without taking a lot of time.
Set idea goals: One highly successful micro business I know sets a goal of coming up with 5 new ideas that might help his business every week no matter how offbeat they may seem at the time. Every 2 weeks or so, he reviews the ideas and brainstorms – developing the best ideas into concrete action.
Keep an Idea Journal: Create an idea journal and keep it handy at all times. Whenever you hear, read or see something that intrigues you, write it down immediately in your idea journal. Reserve an hour once a week, once a month or whatever time period works best for you to review your journal and brainstorm. Develop the best ideas into action plans.
Mind Map your Best Ideas: Mind mapping is a graphical brainstorming technique based on the science of what is known about how we think and is an excellent and relatively quick method for developing new ideas. Mind Mapping can either be done by hand or with various software programs on the market. Simply search the term “mind mapping” and you will find plenty of resources.
A Funny Maid of Honor Speech
25 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
Maid of honor speeches can sometimes be hard to make when one doesn’t have any idea what to say. Should it be sentimental? Should it be humorous? Or should it be emotional? Well, take note that this is a wedding, one happy occasion where people are supposed to be merry and laughing. So, a humorous speech is undeniably the best option.
Making a funny maid of honor speech can be quite challenging, especially if you are not really a funny woman. Nevertheless, the thing to keep in mind is that you really do not have to be a comedian; a few funny stories are all that is needed.
Likewise, every best friends have funny stories to share. It could be stories from your childhood days or something that happened during one of those wacky nights out. Incidentally, you also have to know what is fitting since you don’t want to upset anybody.
Moreover, a funny maid of honor speech is a great way to cool the atmosphere and help the guests to have fun themselves. And besides, the best man speeches are always projected to be funny, so why not the maid of honor’s speech?
On the whole, your speech should still be sincere and warm, but they also don’t have to be dull. If you can possibly gather a few amusing stories to give then it is certainly a great idea. Finally, if humor isn’t really your forte then you could always take on someone to make your speech in your behalf.
The Martha Syndrome
22 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
“Martha, Martha”, He said. How many times have we Stress Junkies been a Martha?
To set the scene, and for those who may not know the story, Martha and Mary were sisters. They had a brother named Lazarus. Now Martha and Mary have a house in Bethany near Jerusalem, and their brother has invited some friends over for dinner. One of the friends is an important guy, a real man of the hour back then – his name is Jesus. He comes from a small town, his father was just a carpenter, his mother got pregnant before she was married, but this man has made a name for himself. Anyone who’s anyone wants to talk to him, listen to him, touch him, or be touched by him. If Today in Hollywood was on TV back then, he’d have the whole show every night!
So Martha and Mary are having company…I mean to say, a PARTY. Because Jesus always travels with his twelve closest friends, so that makes sixteen for dinner. Plus, Martha and Mary just HAVE TO invite some of their friends and neighbors just so everyone will see who they rub elbows with.
So much to do, so much to do! Big party to plan, prep and cook for. In those days, you couldn’t just order out or call the caterers; you had to do it all. The term potluck supper wasn’t even coined yet! Water didn’t come into the house, bread wasn’t sold at the market. In fact, the grain had to be ground for the flour, the water had to be carried from the well, and the oven ran on wood and grasses that the women gathered. As for housekeeping, there were no companies like Merry Maid or Molly Maid. There was just Martha Maid and Mary Maid.
Now for those of you who don’t know Jesus personally, imagine the likes of Brad Pitt, Mother Teresa, Ronald Regan and Billy Graham ALL coming to your house at the same time – and still you haven’t even scratched the surface of this man Jesus.
To Stress Junkies like us, we know the routine for Martha. As soon as she learned that Jesus was coming, she went into high gear planning the menu, scrubbing, mopping, dusting, tidying. Of course, there are invitations to send, shopping to do, food to prepare…the list seemingly endless. And why not, she’s the older sister, the practical one, the responsible one. It’s what she does.
The big day arrives, and we can picture the house…it’s clean, fresh and orderly with sunlight streaming through the windows. There’s bowls of snack food, fruit and flowers out and about, cool drinks and the smell of delicious foods coming from the kitchen. Guests begin to arrive and who’s there to greet them? Little sister, Mary – the one who’s chosen to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen. The one who most likely sits among the guests at all the parties. Sure, she did a little prep work this morning…at her sister Martha’s insistence. But now, the party has begun, and she’s choosing the “one thing”, the “good thing” as Jesus later puts it.
Martha’s in the kitchen. She slaves away over hot pots in a hot room. She sets the table, brings out trays of food, refills glasses…Mary sits at the feet of the guest of honor, listening, laughing. She’s enjoying the time. Martha, well, she finally loses it. She complains to Jesus that Mary should come and help her.
Jesus responds, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things…” – Luke 10:41 NKJ
So she is:
1. Worried (careful – in the KJ)
2. Troubled (bothered – NASB, upset – NIV)
3. About MANY things
Picture this, you’ve been killing yourself for days, everyone is in YOUR house, eating YOUR food, and drinking YOUR wine. This party is all about Jesus, and here he is, he’s putting YOU on the carpet for making sure everything is perfect? And in front of EVERYONE – his friends, your friends, your sister! WOW!
And get this part, more than likely Jesus is not limiting his observation to just this day and time. He says “many things”. He’s knows Martha has a bigger problem. One that leaves her helplessly devoted to cooking, cleaning, serving, worrying, hurrying, and troubled. Martha, my dear friends, was a Stress Junkie! Martha could very well be the very first recorded Stress Junkie, proving that we are not the product of a fast society. We are a product of ourselves, our personality, our decisions; for if Martha, who lived two thousand years ago, was Type A, then there’s no blaming society for our problem.
We all know the symptoms. I mean, when was the last time that you sat and enjoyed a party at your house? Was there EVER a time? When was the last time you had a party or even guests for dinner that you didn’t pull out ALL your cookbooks to find something “special” to make? Ever? About that housekeeping, do you really think people are checking the corners, the baseboards, and inside the cabinets for dirt when they’re at your house? I know what you’re thinking…no, they don’t check. And the reason they don’t check is because they KNOW when they come to my house, it’s clean. Believe me, guests may not notice what I do to prepare, but sure as hell, they’d notice if I DIDN’T do something.
I believe that was Martha’s dilemma as well. She really really wanted to hang out with Jesus and the guests like her sister. In Martha’s mind, if Mary had helped her, then maybe she’d have had the time to sit down and relax. Maybe so…but based on Jesus’ take on her situation, probably wouldn’t matter. Mary’s help would just free Martha’s time to go handle some other little detail.
So, what do we do with Martha? What do we do with ourselves? Should we be more like Mary? Can we be? There’s no doubt that if you’re reading this, you’re the practical sister. You’re the one who’s easily distracted by many things that in your mind, HAVE to get done. Everyday tasks, household chores, work, kids, school, husband, church, PTA, soccer games, birthday parties, and so on and so on and so on…These things have to get done, right? And if not by you, then…frankly, by whom?
The answer is simpler said, than achieved. Remember when you were a kid and you wanted to learn how to ride without training wheels? What skill did you need to master? You also need it to roller skate, ice skate, walk a tight rope, actually, you need it just to stand up. It’s called BALANCE. We Stress Junkies need to learn how to strike a balance between what needs to get done, and what HAS to be done. We need to take a few minutes out of each day to just stand still. That’s right STAND STILL and pause. We need to take a moment or two out of every day to reflect on what’s really important. That’s all Jesus was saying to Martha. He wasn’t bashing her for serving them, he was advising her to set priorities and take the needed time out to enjoy “one good thing”, before her time was past.
Stress Junkies are notorious for always looking for what’s next, rather than what’s happening right now. Stop and smell the roses they say, and why not? Why not stop, smell the roses, and a writer friend so eloquently put it…while you’re there, deadhead the spent blooms, pull a few weeds, and add some fertilizer. Strike a balance! Or at least for starters, admit one’s needed and start there.
The Lingerie Guide to the Universe
21 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
Lingerie does for a woman’s body what seasoning does for food. Just as the spices and herbs enhances the flavor of food, corsets, bustier, gowns, sexy bras and thongs enhances the visual effects of a woman’s body. I don’t know what primitive man first discovered adding herbs and spices to food, but, God bless him. Don’t get me wrong… I believe food can be quite tasty without spices; however, it is even better with them. Same for lingerie.
Lingerie accentuates the shape of a woman. Women are beautiful on their own, but lingerie can give that extra kick that makes them bubble with flavors never before imagined.
As I thought about that, I realized I had just made a connection between lingerie and food. How odd, what a strange connection when you think about it. Is there any real connection between lingerie and food? What about everything else in the universe? I think lingerie is linked with the entire universe, and I am out to prove it. Let’s take a look at food first.
From Lingerie to Food:
1) Lingerie
loose T-shirt made of cotton, polyester, nylon or diaphanous chiffon that can be worn like a Babydoll.
Polyester
[Synthesis / Alcoholic transesterification] ethylene glycol (doubly alcohol-terminated). Multifunctional monomers (i.e., glycerol) result in cross-linking
Glycerin
Glycerin is used in glycerin soap, in cosmetics and creams, in foods, in chemistry, and in glycerin mist.
Hence we come to food
2) Lingerie
French language, for women’s undergarments. These garments are eroticised in Western culture.
Eroticism
Paraphilia
Paraphilia
[Other paraphilias] sitophilia: sexual arousal from food.
And here we are at food again.
3) Lingerie
Merry widow
Merry widow -backed hook-and-eye flange, and the whole garment was lined with nylon voile. Nine long spiral wires were cased in black
Nylon
[Historical uses] conspiracy theorists surmise that cannabis sativa was made illegal because the fibres from the hemp plant, used for fabrics
Hemp
hemp (Cannabis sativa”) as a source of oil, food, fibre, etc. Yep, back to food again.
There you go, at least three ways lingerie is linked to food. What about other things?
Well, why not start with some of the obvious ones like sex:
Lingerie to Sex:
1) Lingerie
derived from the French language, for women’s undergarments. These garments are heavily eroticised in Western culture.
Undergarment
[History / Present day] at least in advertising. Sex became the main selling point, bringing to fruition a trend that had been building since at least the flapper era
Sex- see, I told you this one was obvious. Want a more obscure one?
2) Lingerie
French maid
French maid
They are a form of ladies’ Fantasywear that depending on design, details can be classified as lingerie
Fantasywear
clothing, usually including lingerie, that people wear in the boudoir for living out Sexual Fantasies.
Sex- Not so obvious that time.
3) Lingerie
Robe
Robe
Worn after bathing or other activities where the wearer is nude to keep warm and/or preserve modesty in times of no immediate need to fully dress.
Modesty
friend or family of the same sex
Sex
Ok, another easy one, love.
Lingerie to love:
1) Lingerie
French language, for women’s undergarments. These garments are heavily eroticised in Western culture.
Eroticism
is an aesthetic focused on sexual desire, especially the feelings of anticipation of sexual activity.
Lust
[See also] Virtues: Love, Romantic love, List of ethics topics
Love – See how easy that was?
2) Lingerie
French language, for women’s undergarments. These garments are heavily eroticised in Western culture.
Eroticism
Human sexuality
Human sexuality
[Topics in human sexuality] love
Love- Still too easy, lets see if we can make this link a little more challenging.
3) Lingerie
Robe
Robe
a garment made of towel like material and is typically worn at home after a bath or other activities where the wearer is wanting to cover up.
Towel
[Pop culture trivia / Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy] the towel can even be used in melée combat. You can use it to hide from the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal
Races from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy ( this also links lingerie back to the title of this article and Hitchikers guide to the galaxy for which the title was modeled after.)
[Fuolornis Fire Dragon] They often accidentally adored things to bits and hurt the ones they loved because of their rocket-booster breath and park-fence teeth. (That reminds me. I wonder what my ex is up to these days.)
Love
We did love, why not passion.
From Lingerie to Passion:
1)Lingerie
Robe
Robe
A gown worn as part of the religious dress of a cleric, chorister, monk, batizand, etc.
Choir
[Historical overview of choral music / Baroque music] passions and other music. He is also famous for his vast output in chorales, essentially stylistically harmonised
Chorale
passions and other works. These harmonisations are so well known that Bach’s name is virtually synonymous with the chorale in
Passion.
2) Lingerie
Corset by bone
Corset
[See also] Body modification
Body modification
teeth, and/or tongues, including amputation, burning, flagellation, piercing, skinning, and wheeling.
Flagellation
[Association with religion / Slavery] Flagellation of Christ, an episode in Jesus’ physical degradation leading to the Crucifixion. (See Passion) ( I’ll probably get letters on that reference)
Passion
3) Lingerie
Babydoll
Babydoll
it is a common garment for those who indulge in sexualized play-acting around ideas of infantilism.
Infantilism
[The psychology of infantilism / Psychological perspectives on infantilism] infantilism is usually regarded as a type of sexual roleplaying and is often viewed as a variation of BDSM.
BDSM
[Various practices / Switching] BDSM may encompass practices such as erotic spanking, flagellation, such as flogging, paddling or whipping
Flagellation
[Association with religion / Slavery] Flagellation of Christ, an episode in Jesus’ physical degradation leading to the Crucifixion. (See Passion)( Just to make sure I get those letters, and possibly death threats, rolling in.)
Passion.
Since I mentioned Jesus Christ in the last reference lets see how lingerie and the church are linked.
From Lingerie to Church:
1) Lingerie
Chemise
Chemise
[Compare] after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, a revolt by the guerilla Protestant “Camisards”
Edict of Nantes
(1598) and ordered the destruction of Huguenotchurches, as well as the closing of Protestant schools
Church- That’s kind of a negative relationship, lets see if we can find a positive one.
2) Lingerie
Robe
Robe
A gown worn as part of the religious dress of a cleric, chorister, monk, batizand, etc., in various
Choir
Terminology: A vocal ensemble which sings in a church, or sings exclusively sacred music, is called a
Church – Yes that’s much better.
3) Lingerie
Garter
Garter (clothing)
Order of the Garter, which traces its history to the Middle English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Middle English
[Literary and Linguistic Cultures] Middle English was one of the three languages current in England. Though never the language of the church, which was always Latin
Church
I have no intention of picking on religion, shall we move on? Let’s try something people do in church, like getting married.
Lingerie to Marriage:
1) Lingerie
Garter
Garter (clothing)
and colorful garters were an object of display. In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, “cross braced” garters are an object of some derision.
Twelfth Night (play)
Olivia asks him to marry her. The play ends in a declaration of marriage between the Duke and Viola, and Olivia and Sebastian
Marriage – Bet you didn’t see that one coming.
2) Lingerie
Garter
Garter (clothing)
Groom’s privilege to remove the garter and toss it to the male guests. The symbolism to deflowering is unambiguous.
Virgin
especially in regards to religious views of retaining one’s virginity before marriage. The term maiden
Marriage
3) Lingerie
Knickers
Knickers
1846 the New York Knickerbockers played the first game of “base ball” organized under those rules, in Hoboken, New Jersey, and were trounced 23 – 1
Hoboken, New Jersey
[Demographics / Post World War II] There are 19,418 households out of which 11.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 23.8% are married couples living together
Marriage
Too easy so far? Well, I own a lingerie and biker clothing store. Many have wondered what the relationship is, so, shall we try that?
From Lingerie to Motorcycle:
1) Lingerie
Corset by bone
Corset
Corsets are typically constructed of a flexible material (like cloth or leather) stiffened with boning
Leather
[Forms of leather / Leather from other animals] Leather is used to make items which need to be strong but flexible, such as motorcycle gloves.
Motorcycle
2) Lingerie
Chemise
Chemise
is a simple garment worn next to the skin to protect clothing from sweat and body oils. Chemise is the French term. Italians called it a “camicia”.
French language
[History / Modern issues] There is some debate in today’s France about the preservation of the French language and the influence of English (see franglais)
Franglais
old motorcyclist that I loved (play on “mieux vaut tard que jamais” — better late than never)
Motorcycle
3) Lingerie
Chemise
Chemise
is a simple garment worn next to the skin to protect clothing from sweat and body oils. Chemise is the French term. Italians called it a “camicia”.
French language
[Geographic distribution / Modern issues] Also, there are some French speakers in Lebanon, Cambodia, Egypt, India (Pondicherry), Italy (Aosta Valley)
Cambodia
[Transportation / Civil war and genocide] The locals normally use automobiles, motorbikes and buses. Velotaxis are an additional option often used by visitors.
Motorcycle
4) Lingerie
Bedjacket
Bedjacket
bedjacket is a light jacket, usually a peignoir, worn to bed while sleeping.
Jacket
jacket is a light coat.
Coat
The coat as an article of clothing for humans
Coat (clothing)
[Types of coats / Modern coats and jackets] Motorcycle jacket, a leather jacket, usually black, worn by motorcycle riders
Motorcycle
5) Lingerie
Unitard
Unitard
In erotic or costume use, they are usually referred to as catsuits
Catsuit
Unlike a unitard, its use rarely involves sports, and it may be made of leather, rubber, PVC, or velour
Leather
[Forms of leather / Leather from other animals] Kangaroo leather is used to make items which need to be strong but flexible, such as motorcycle gloves, jackets, mask, and skull caps.
Motorcycle
Sorry about the two additional references, they are my passions. My shop is located in Augusta Ga. What is the link?
Lingerie to Augusta Georgia:
1) Lingerie
Chemise
Chemise
[The history of the chemise] women’s shifts did not fall out of fashion until the early 20th century, when they were generally replaced by brassieres, panties, girdles, and
Undergarment
[Underwearing / Present day] The animated cartoon character Homer Simpson is often depicted sitting on his couch in his briefs drinking.
Homer Simpson
[Overview] Dooooh” from the films of Laurel and Hardy.
Laurel and Hardy
[Oliver Hardy] (January 18, 1892 – August 7, 1957) was born Norvell Hardy in Harlem, Georgia near Augusta, Georgia, in the United States of America.
Augusta, Georgia
(bit of a stretch on that one, lets try it in reverse)
1) Augusta, Georgia
[Famous Augustans] Laurence Fishburne, actor
Laurence Fishburne
as well as a recurring role as “Cowboy Curtis” alongside Pee Wee Herman (Paul Reubens) in the CBS children’s television show.
Paul Reubens
[Arrest II] as he stated that he was a collector of “erotic artwork” and he had a sizable collection of vintage erotica.
Erotica
[See also] lingerie (erotic underwear)
Lingerie
That one was a little more difficult. Shall we try something really ambiguous. Say, a Mountain?
From Lingerie to Mountain:
1) Lingerie
Chemise
Chemise
is a simple garment worn next to the skin to protect clothing from sweat and body oils. Chemise is the French term. Italians called it a “camicia”.
French language
[Geographic distribution / Modern issues] Vanuatu
Vanuatu
[Geography] – are also claimed by the French overseas department of New Caledonia. Most of the islands are mountainous and of volcanic origin.
Mountain
2) Lingerie
French maid
French maid
They are a form of ladies’ Fantasywear that depending on design details can be classified as lingerie
Fantasywear
or French Maid or Fraulein outfits ensembles, or by the use of materials such as PVC, Satin or Rubber
Satin
and plain weaves are the 3 basic types of weaving by which the majority of woven products are formed.
Plain
Plains may be more suitable for farming than plateaus or mountains.
Mountain
3) Lingerie
Corsage by elastic
Corsage
bouquet as a fashion accessory attached (usually) to dress
Bouquet
A group of television channels owned by the same company, e.g. British Sky Broadcasting or Turner Broadcasting
Television station
Because some regions have had difficulty picking up over-the-air signals (particularly in mountainous areas), direct-to-home cable or satellite stations provided service.
Mountain
Mountain not big enough? How would we link lingerie to the world?
From Lingerie to World:
1) Lingerie
Camisole
Camisole
camisole is a woman’s undergarment which covers the top part of the body. It is sleeveless and tight fitting in contrast to a loose-fitting
Undergarment
[Related topics / Present day] BVD
BVD
BVD arguably was, and remains, the best known initial trademark in the world
World
2) Lingerie
Stockings
Stocking
but now of knitted wool, silk, cotton or nylon (see Hosiery). The word stock used to refer to the bottom “
Cotton
native to the tropical and subtropical regions of both the Old World and the New World.
New World
The continents were new to the Europeans, who thought of the world as consisting only of Europe, Asia
World
3) Lingerie
Chemise
Chemise
[The history of the chemise] women’s shifts did not fall out of fashion until the early 20th century, when they were generally replaced by brassieres, panties, girdles, and
Undergarment
Undergarments can also have religious significance, as in the special temple garment worn by followers of the
Religion
[Compare with / Related philosophical stances] – essentially an extremely cautious means of building a supportable, evidenced understanding of our world
World
Let’s not stop with this little planet, how about the solar system?
From Lingerie to Solar system:
1) Lingerie
Camisole
Camisole
A Camisole can be worn over a brassiere or without one. Some camisoles come with a built-in underwire bra which eliminates the need for a bra
Brassiere
[Push Up Bras] Some more innovative push-up bras use silicone inserts or water sacks to imitate the fullness of a natural breasts
Silicone
[Chemical terminology] like a ketone group with Si in place of C (the same terminology is used for compounds such as silane, which is an analogue of methane)
Methane
[Methane not on Earth] Methane has been detected or is believed to exist in several locations of the solar system. It is believed to have been created by abiotic processes
Solar system
2) Lingerie
loose T-shirt made of cotton, polyester, nylon or diaphanous chiffon that can be worn like a Babydoll.
Polyester
[Applications] Holograms
Holography
Holograms are common in science-fiction, most notably Star Trek, Star Wars, and Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf
[Invented words / Nova 5] Red Dwarf left the Solar System was apparently the “dollarpound”, divided into one hundred “pennycents”.
Solar system
3) Lingerie
Corset by bone
Corset
garment worn to mold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or orthopaedic purposes
Aesthetics
[Aesthetics in the visual arts] perceived mass, subliminal structure, linear dynamics, tension and repose, pattern, contrast, perspective
Pattern
The planets of our solar system are caught in an incredibly ancient pattern by the gravity of the
Sun
Solar system
Keep Going? Galaxy would be next.
From Lingerie to Galaxy:
1) Lingerie
Corset by bone
Corset
a woman’s corset was usually worn over a garment called a chemise or shift, a sleeveless low-necked gown made of washable material
Shift
derived meanings of change, such as red shift, Great vowel shift, paradigm shift
Redshift
[Introduction] The term redshift is also used for the observation that light emitted by distant galaxies is shifted to longer wavelengths
Galaxy
2) Lingerie
French language, for women’s undergarments. These garments are heavily eroticised in Western culture.
Eroticism
Sexual fantasy
Sexual fantasy
of Christian martyrs, many of whom resort to self-mutilation to preserve their virginity or chastity
Virgin
in many Neopagan traditions. The constellation Virgo represents a wide selection of sacred virgins.
Virgo
[Notable deep sky objects] to 10° west of Vindemiatrix (e Vir), this constellation is especially rich in galaxies.
Galaxy
3) Lingerie
Unitard
Unitard
unitard is a skin-tight one-piece garment with long legs and sometimes long sleeves. It differs from a
One-piece garment
sari
Sari
[The traditional philosophy / Styles] (the body as the world) unites with the ‘sharira-mandala’ ( the whole universe).
Universe
[Expansion and age, and the Big Bang theory] A fundamental aspect of the Big Bang can be seen today in the observation that the farther away from us galaxies are.
Galaxy
Finally, that gets us to the Universe.
From Lingerie to Universe:
1)Lingerie
Petticoat
Petticoat
skirt, dress or sari. The petticoat is a separate garment hanging from the waist.
Sari
[The traditional philosophy / Styles] (the body as the world) unites with the ‘sharira-mandala’ ( the whole universe).
Universe
2) Lingerie
Chemise
Chemise
[The history of the chemise] women’s shifts did not fall out of fashion until the early 20th century, when they were generally replaced by brassieres, panties, girdles, and
Undergarment
Undergarments can also have religious significance, as in the special temple garment worn by followers of the
Religion
[The nature and content of religion / Questions that religions address] Creation beliefs, which seek to explain the origin of the universe, the Earth, life, and humanity
Universe
3) Lingerie
French maid
French maid
They are a form of ladies’ Fantasywear that depending on design details can be classified as lingerie
Fantasywear
or French Maid or Fraulein outfits ensembles, or by the use of materials such as PVC, Satin, etc.
Satin
technique that forms a minimum number of interlacings in a fabric. If fabric is formed with a satin weave using filament fibers such as silk….
Filament
In astronomy, it is used to refer to any thread-like structure in the astronomical universe
Universe
There you go, lingerie is weaved into the very fabric of the universe. I knew it all along. Those that have used lingerie probably know it, too. I wonder if lingerie is the very meaning of life….?
Note: Here are a few more links that deserve mentioning.
Lingerie to Couple:
Lingerie
Babydoll
Babydoll
it is a common garment for those who indulge in sexualized play-acting around ideas of infantilism.
Infantilism
[The psychology of infantilism / Psychological perspectives on infantilism] infantilism is usually regarded as a type of sexual roleplaying and is often viewed as a variation of BDSM. In this variation
BDSM
[See also / Switching] Swinging
Swinging
[History] It has consistently found that swingers have better pair-bonds than monogamous couples. The most recent and most thorough study
Couple
Lingerie to Fidelity:
Lingerie
derived from the French language, for women’s undergarments. These garments are heavily eroticised in Western culture.
Undergarment
[History / Middle Ages and Renaissance] urban legend that Crusaders worried about the fidelity of their wives forced them to wear chastity belts.
Fidelity
From Lingerie to Monogamy:
Lingerie
Garter
Garter (clothing)
which traces its history to the Middle English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
[Plot synopsis / The Meeting with the Green Knight] Arthur refuses to blame Gawain and decrees that all his knights should henceforth wear a green sash in recognition of Gawain’s courage and honour
Honour
[Honour, sex, and violence] virginity, or at least to preservation of exclusive monogamy.
Monogamy
The Indonesian Maids
19 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
I fly quite allot! Well at least once a month and more than enough! On this particular occasion I was heading to Singapore after two months in Doha, Qatar and the flight surprisingly turned out to be extremely entertaining indeed. The show of which I became an active participant helped to pass the time and I arrived in Singapore on the quickest flight that I had ever known – the journey just flew past!
First a spiel about the plane!
As the new and much acclaimed Airbus and Boeing aircraft roll off the shelves to be snapped up by International airlines, soon to be passengers have been given images of ‘comfort and style’ as they cross the skies. This has sadly not occurred (as all the adverts showed people drinking champagne in business class) and aircraft travel remains an uncomfortable experience for economy class passengers who are treated like cows at an earlier than expected morning milking session. The design and emphasis of the new planes seems to have revolved around the “how to fit 10 elephants in a mini” and fuel efficiency and maximising profits having taken over completely. I have heard rumours on the grapevine that McDonalds place great emphasis on the design of their restaurant seating than do aircraft manufacturers; maybe Airbus and Boeing should take a leaf out of their book or MacDonald’s should set up its own airline.
As I stepped onboard one of the new planes in Doha airport I already knew what to expect and was thus prepared mentally and physically (as far as one can be in these circumstances) for the seven hour journey from Doha, Qatar to Changi Airport in Singapore. I was ready to have my spine pushed inwards to my stomach and for my neck to be squashed and massaged by some weird obtrusion in the chair that precludes the resting of the head comfortably. I was ready to sit in one position for the whole journey as being 5 foot eleven inches I find my legs jammed once the seat in front shifts gear to the “comfortable” position. Not that I am tall but I have come to the conclusion that these new planes have been designed either for serpents or very small people!
Enough complaining and to The Experience!
I did not expect the unexpected on this flight. I had prepared myself by locking my emotions and thoughts into an iron safe with multiple locks for six hours, I had drawn the steel shutters down so that nothing would invade my privacy space – not one mishap, irritating passenger, uncomfortable seat or long queue at the toilet would upset me in the slightest.
I had though erred before even boarding the flight. At check-in I had missed out the crucial request for a window or aisle seat and as I looked at my very central and rather squashed 24F a little bit of emotion escaped the prison cell it had been banished to.
Yikes!
I sat down heavily in a right black mood; cursing the fact that even this new plane did not offer individual movies and I kept my eye on the empty seats around – with the view to performing athletic contortions by jumping out of my seat, swinging from the luggage bins to plop rapidly into one should it not be filled upon departure!
All pens though slowly but surely became occupied with little people!
Why do I mention ‘little’ people? Well, simply put and with no disrespect intended for they were little, in fact the average height of all could not have been more than five foot and in my books that is small. As I kept my beady eye on the empty seats the other passengers were filling them up and nearly 90% of the planes passenger list consisted of Indonesian girls.
I assumed for the most part that they had all been working for a year or two as maids in Doha, Qatar or in surrounding areas for wealthy Arab families. This is something that occurs all over Asia with hundreds of thousands of maids leaving home countries like the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, etc to work in wealthier countries such as Hong Kong and Singapore and further afield in places like Dubai and Doha in Qatar. It would seem that the ones filling up the seats that I so dearly wanted had completed their tours of duty and were returning home to their families and a new life therein or for a holiday back home before returning to servitude next year!
One very small girl sat delicately in her seemingly oversized chair next to me and promptly snored herself to sleep. That was a positive sign, should I feel the need to attend the toilet I could suck myself from my prison without bashing the seat in front with my knees or head or both and I would be able to get past her without too much bother. On the seat to my right another little girl with a cheeky smile plonked herself into position and with the same smile proceeded to wiggle around like an Airbus representative might to prove to all that the seats were perfect and very comfortable indeed despite passengers complaints. And behind, in front and as far as the eye could see were maids and more maids and I was the odd-one-out!
I was still angry! Angry at myself for not having obtained a window seat! Angry at Airbus for producing such ridiculously small seats and angry at the maids for having chosen that day to fly. Just angry at everything really! I also wandered if they could fit two maids to one seat but felt that nobody else except I would go for the idea!
As the plane took off, I went through as series of motions to read my book, read a magazine and to sleep. But nothing worked and so I suffered onwards and through the meal that took amazing contortions to digest as each swallow caused a stab of pain to flow down from my curved neck to my stomach where the spine was waging war. As I was wriggling desperately to cut a piece of chicken without knocking the face of the maid sitting next to me, life changed and I forgot all about the seats and airbus and my anger vanished.
Don’t tell my wife this please!
As I fought my chicken the girl on my left took my dessert off my tray and proceeded to eat it! I looked on in complete shock at what I felt was grand-larceny or theft or something to that order but she just sat there eating my dessert without a care in the world. I didn’t feel like my chicken anymore and just sat there, wandering if I should say something when all of a sudden a bowl of Emirates fruit came and plonked itself on my tray! And then a dessert!! I was a very confused passenger but in-light of a complete lack of understanding I proceeded to eat the fruit and the dessert, I just didn’t know what else to do. I certainly did not want to open up a line of dialogue
After the meal had been cleared away I tried to get some sleep but the head of the girl on my right slipped dramatically and ended up on my shoulder. It wasn’t heavy so I let it go in favour of causing a fuss by waking her up. And it was okay because before long the girl to my left balanced everything out by falling asleep on my spare appendage. I sat their immovable apart from being able to wriggle my big toes and wandered if the sky was about to fall-in.
Some of the girls in the seats behind, to the distant sides or in front must have noticed this blatant abuse of my body parts but instead of waking the girls up and moving them away so that I could have three seats to myself they found it quite hysterical. Like Chinese whispers, yet spoken quite loudly (and in Bahasa but the jist of the whisperings appeared quite unmistakable) the word spread around the plane faster than the speed of sound – if that’s possible. As I sat there in my cage, a seeming horde of ‘viewers to the show’ clambered onto seats laughing and jostling as they “rabbitted” away and pointing at me with cameras a flashin’. I was only saved when the pilot complained of instability due to mass internal movement. He put the seat belt sign on and the stewardesses buzzed around in controlled panic as they moved the masses back to their seats.
My two girls though passed through this activity in oblivion, either my shoulders were superbly comfortable or they were very tired I knew not.
After two hours I had one girl fast asleep in my lap whilst the other was resting on my arm. Had I let go her head would have fallen smack onto the other girls and well I could not let that happen so continued in my airbus support role!
After two hours they both woke up. I initially thought that they would be embarrassed upon finding out what had just passed. But they woke up, shook their heads then smiled as if to say ‘nice shoulders’ and proceeded to wake the rest of the plane up with their chatter and noise. They poked the girls in the seats in front, threw ‘things’ behind and so at three o’clock in the morning (Doha Time) the lights came on, the shutters went up and for all and intents and purposes we could have been landing shortly except for the fact that Singapore was still two thousand miles away and we were smack bang above the middle of the Indian Ocean.
Hair brushes were passed from one end of the plane to the other; I would not have been surprised to learn that the pilot had a turn at smoothing his locks, before returning the hairbrush miraculously to its owner. Crumbs fell like snow over my body as biscuits and nibbles were passed around and the noise was incredible. No stewardess showed up, I think they were in hiding.
I was still part of the show!
As hair brushes, mirrors and lipsticks passed me by, as biscuits traversed the plane and the chatter rose to deafening levels they all took turns at asking me questions. The first one of “are you married” was followed in quick succession by “how old are you” and despite the fact that I informed them of my lovely wife back home and that I was getting on in years they seemed un-phased! In fact they all took turns at being photographed with me as the centrepiece, all took turns at offering me anything from coca cola to phone numbers and all delighted in teasing each other!
We landed in Singapore a very noisy and merry bunch indeed. I scraped myself out of by bucket seat, wiggled my shoulder gently to see if they moved after-all and thanked my hostesses sincerely for making the flight such a pleasure. This last took quite awhile as there were at least thirty or more who wished to shake my hand, kiss my cheek or at the very least just say goodbye.
Once safely inside the terminal building I marched off to get my bags as they transferred to the Jakarta flight. I did not keep any of the phone numbers, email or postal addresses given to me, I did not keep any of the photographs given to me from their pasts and I certainly scrubbed my face of any offending lipstick residues – I took home only the memory of an excellent flight and a silent thank you I give to all for turning what could have been a tortuous flight into a pleasurable journey!
The seats are still terrible though!
Is a Cleaning and Maintenance Franchise for You?
16 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
There is a slate of incredible franchise opportunities in the market today and one of the most exciting businesses prospects involves owning a cleaning franchise. The most important factor to keep in mind is that cleaning franchises offer all the profitable advantages of owning a franchise business in addition to benefits exclusive to the cleaning industry.
Work from Home with a Cleaning Franchise
There are several benefits for entrepreneurs interested in operating a cleaning franchise. The chance to earn a home-based income is one of the most attractive aspects of this franchise opportunity. For many people, working from home sounds too good to be true. However, investing in a franchise business is the most sensible and lucrative ways to build a home-based company.
For example, when you become part of a franchise, you have the advantage of a well-established brand name. Merry Maids, a cleaning franchise that has been in business for 25 years, has the highest name awareness in its industry. Rather than starting a home-cleaning business on your own, why not purchase a Merry Maids cleaning franchise? Once you consider the name awareness, training and third party support, the modest capital investment just makes sense.
Furthermore, there are many carpet cleaning franchises that allow franchisees to earn a home-based income. For instance, the ServiceMaster Clean franchise business offers this kind of flexibility with a low-cost investment. This company has been in the franchising business for over 50 years and they offer financing assistance to franchisees. Additionally, if you are would like to participate in a unique marketing opportunity, you may be interested in ChemDry Carpet Cleaning. This particular carpet cleaning franchise partners with Home Depot, which allows franchisees to set up displays in its stores.
Most importantly, services like carpet cleaning will always be in demand. In fact, recent reports show that infants and young children frequently encounter high amounts of lead from dust in the floors of their homes. For reasons like these, families are willing to hire carpet cleaning professionals to make sure that their floors are clean – and safe. Ultimately, when you become part of a great franchise business, you have an edge over your competition. The floor cleaning industry is booming and the sky really is the limit for this franchise opportunity.
Even more appealing, when you own a franchise of any kind, whether home-based or on location, you have the chance to be your own boss. This means choosing a franchise business based on the amount of time you would like to invest and the money you would like to earn.
Cleaning Franchises Offer Training and Support
Even though you have plenty of experience cleaning your own home, you will undoubtedly have questions about how to manage your house cleaning franchise. Perhaps you have shampooed your own carpets plenty of times. Still, you would most likely seek professional training before launching a carpet cleaning franchise. Moreover, even seemingly simple cleaning services like pet waste disposal and junk removal can become complicated when you consider the business aspects. That is where franchise businesses can be an especially wise investment. After all, your success contributes to their success.
It should come as no surprise that most every franchise business provides training, ongoing support and even financing. This kind of assistance can only be found when working with experienced franchises rather than building a business alone.
For example, most franchise businesses will help you implement a marketing plan, choose the best location for your store (if applicable) and other intricacies involved with their respective industries. In addition, many of these companies take training a step further by helping you recruit clients and even employees.
One example of this is the Coverall Cleaning Company franchise. As a leader in the commercial cleaning industry, Coverall Cleaning Company will help you obtain a customer base. Furthermore, you receive assistance with billing and collection services. Additionally, dry cleaning franchise businesses like Lapel’s Dry Cleaning will help you negotiate with garment care specialists, which will allow you to focus on the details of operating a retail store. However, if you choose to run a plant in addition to your store, you receive all the necessary training to help you run a successful, environmentally friendly plant.
How Cleaning Franchises are Especially Profitable
The number of two-income families continues to increase, which means that fewer families have someone available to assume full time roles as homemakers and caregivers. As you may know from your own personal experiences or from someone you love, there is little time left once a person returns home from a full day of work.
Plus, not many people are willing to spend the entire weekend cleaning their homes or businesses. After all, so much hard work should afford them some leisure time! As you may have already determined, families are happy to hire cleaning professionals. As more and more professionals enter the workforce, their time becomes increasingly valuable. Most importantly house cleaning, carpet cleaning, pool sanitizing, garage organizing and junk removal services are sought after more and more. Thus, these services are more valuable than ever.
Furthermore, people realize that purchasing the services offered by a cleaning franchise can actually improve the health of their families. In today’s world, people are acutely aware that their living environments have a direct affect on health. When you decide to take advantage of this incredible franchise opportunity, you tap into a growing market where people are willing to hire franchise businesses like 1-800 Water Damage, DUCTZ Duct Cleaning and The Duct Genie. After all, chemical pollutants and allergens in the air are not just nuisances anymore. People see them as a threat to the health and well being of their families. As the proud owner of a cleaning franchise, you have the opportunity to provide cleaner, healthier homes and businesses. Most of all, you enjoy the fruits of a profitable business franchise.
Now is a great time to own a cleaning franchise and become part of a very lucrative and growing industry. One of the most important things to remember is to take the time to research all the options available to aspiring entrepreneurs like you. There is a variety of different cleaning franchises that can make your dreams of become a successful business owner a reality.
Fancy Robin Hood Costumes
13 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
If you want to embody a romantic medieval figure this Halloween than a fancy robin hood costume might be a very appropriate choice for this holiday season. Robin Hood is the legendary character who supposedly lived in the Sherwood Forest of middle age England, with the ambition of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor taken upon himself and his loyal merry men gang.
In those turbid times he not only brought a shine of justice to his fellow people, but he also followed his heart by conquering belle Maid Marian’s heart, a noble woman who did not follow the etiquette and formal rules of the age as well. For many people they represent the fight and struggle to justice and liberty, values we cherish so much today!
So turning into the prince or princess of the thieves is a wonderful idea because it will conquer hearts left and right when partying in such a unique dress! Whether you want to be the Prince Of The Thieves or a Robin Hoodess, Maid Marian or Friar Tuck, it’s very easy and with heart stealing “repercussions”.
With such a costume the upcoming trick or treat season will be a certain success for you! You can choose your favorite costume out of a variety which use best quality textile and true garment finishing. They come in a large variety of sizes so finding the right one for you will be smooth and easy. The quality, cut and trimmings will be noticed, felt and admired, ensuring you a grand entrance wherever you’ll party.