After the declaration of war in September 1939 house construction went through a period of decreasing activity. But it did not drop to its minimal level until February 1942 when National Security Regulations posed severe restrictions.

Private building ceased in many areas and was limited in others. However, under the War Housing Program, state and commonwealth authorities did continue with essential housing, such as that needed for munitions workers and their families.

Clear indication of the degree of change is seen in the official statistics. More than 40000 new homes were built throughout Australia in the financial year 1938-39, but in 1942-1943 there were fewer than 4000.’

In the editorial of the Australian Home Beautiful for January 1942, we read of conditions up to that time. Building restrictions, at the moment of writing, limit expenditure on new domestic buildings to £3000 and on renovations to £250; but conditions grow harder week by week. In spite of this, a great deal of new and interesting building is being carried on over a widespread area and this will continue as long as materials are available.

War in Europe and North Africa was distant enough for Australia to seem relatively secure. With the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, and their inexorable advance in our direction, any remaining complacency evaporated.

A. V. Jennings, the well-known construction company founded in 1932, continued building houses on its construction within 25 miles (40 km) of the Melbourne GPO as well as restrictions on the transfer of land brought development of the estate to a halt.

As early as May 1941 wartime conditions had begun to cause shortages of building materials and dwindling sales. In that month A.V. Jennings advertised seventeen villa sites and seven business sites, all lots to include, electricity, gas, sewerage, roads, paths and crossings.’

Of the 121 residential blocks, fifty-nine houses had been completed by the beginning of 1942. They were typical of the well-built, double-brick houses constructed by Jennings over the previous decade. Beauview Estate was in a very attractive elevated area with panoramic views and a mere six-and-a-half miles (10.50 km) from the city.

In 1942, with home building now at a standstill, A.V. Jennings averted complete disaster with the sale of all unsold blocks on the estate to the large Melbourne estate agency T.M. Burke. As a company Jennings actually gathered strength through the challenges offered by wartime government construction contracts, so that when it returned to housing on a large scale in the mid-1950s it was able to regain and extend its early reputation in the domestic field.

Brick houses of the type built by A.V Jennings between 1932 and 1942 were basically conservative in their design when compared with the few examples of International Modern built at the same time. Some of the forms or details suggested the continuing popularity of `Spanish Mission’ or `Old English’, but generally, there was a tendency toward a common sense functionalism with easily maintained surfaces, modern kitchens, hot-water services reticulated to five or six points, internal toilets and many other features taken for granted by generations.

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A mailing is often the most practical way to reach many prospects. Sending letters also is a simple way to campaign. There is no need to recruit, train, manage and motivate a large workforce. A handful of people can run the entire operation. And you will find you will get a lot more volunteers to fold and stuff envelopes than to cold-call potential contributors. That’s not to say all one must do is write a letter, post or e-mail it, and wait for the returns.

What makes mail solicitations difficult is that they are one-sided. No allowance exists for a campaign member to personally motivate prospects. The most enthusiastic letter simply cannot match the give-and-take between a skilled fundraiser and an open-minded potential supporter. Lacking aggressive salesmanship, only minimum gifts can be expected, no matter how well written the solicitation letter and enclosures may be.

Here’s another angle to think about. Assume that I’m a small-donation prospect with some interest in your cause. There’s a good chance that I’ll donate generously to your appeal if you knock on my door or phone because your enthusiasm and presentation will be hard to resist. And how many other organisations will solicit me in these ways? Very few. But send me a solicitation letter and you place your request in the midst of enormous competition for my same gift dollar. And because it’s a letter, I have little problem withstanding its impersonal nature. If your organisation is not among my very favorites, you won’t receive a contribution of any consequence.

You see, although I think highly of your charity, I have a table piled high with fundraising letters, from the best known national charities to all sorts of noteworthy sporting and local groups. I am saturated with mail appeals. After sorting through them and making my top-ranked selections, I find my charitable budget is about depleted. But I still care about your cause, so here’s five bucks to show you my heart’s in the right place.

With these factors as a downside, letter solicitations produce highly profitable income derived from small-gifts for organizations that plan and carry out meticulous programs. However, first-class mailing programs get extremely involved, both creatively and from a marketing standpoint. There are six elements to understand before considering a direct mail campaign:

1. Mail solicitation is an ongoing component of annual giving programs. In capital campaigning, letter writing is a tool for wrapping up an appeal and giving thanks.

2. Ongoing mail appeals focus equally on retaining and upgrading present contributors while discovering and cultivating new prospects to make up for donors lost to attrition and to enlarge the group of donors. Present givers won’t always be an available source of funding.

3. Donors via mail don’t come free. Depending on the package, to obtain a new contributor, you can spend from $1.30 to $1.60 (or more) for each initial dollar raised from that person.

4. Mail programs are long-term propositions and instant financial rewards are a rarity.

5. Be clear who you designate as a donor and who you label a prospect. Donors are people currently contributing to your charity. Someone who gave you a gift two years ago or a person who once contributed a painting to your auction are prospects, not donors. Get used to thinking of three distinct groups: current donors, past donor prospects, and new prospects.

6. Some prospects have more interest in and knowledge about your organisation than others. Cultivated potential donors are first approached because they represent the highest rate of return. For instance, a past donor prospect is a better bet to send you a new donation than someone who once came to a special event that you held. The person who came to the special event is more likely to fund you than someone who never heard of your group.

In planning a full scale mail campaign, don’t lose sight of the fundamental fundraising requirements. Make sure your project has compelling goals, high visibility, specific, attractive, and timely needs.

Additionally, make sure your group has start-up funds on hand for what can become a relatively large investment to get the program rolling. For example, depending on the scale of your operation, you might want to engage a letter shop or mail house to provide the many functions necessary to get your direct mail package to recipients. This is an expensive proposition.

Or you might opt to subscribe to an online software provider to help drive your mail program. Since the highest percentage of return comes from current contributors, they are the first group to target. If a goal is reachable by only contacting these people, expenses will be minimal and your problems will be solved. If that’s not realistic, additional prospects who might fund your project would need to be reached. That’s fine so long as you realize that their percentage of return will be far less than supporters.

For instance, you send a letter to current donors and perhaps {30|40|50} percent of them respond with {donations|gifts}. A letter sent to brand-new {potential donors|prospects} typically yields responses of around 0.5 percent to 2 percent. Until you’ve won over a new potential {donor|giver}, don’t expect relatively large {donations|contributions}. A return of 5 percent to 12 percent can be expected from present donors.

If your group, school or {sports club|club} is looking for fundraising ideas and easy fundraisers, have a look at Goldstar Gifts and Stationery’s easy to manage ideas for fundraising.

Unless you are thinking about keeping your old car and giving it to someone else, you will eventually need to sell it. There’s many ways to sell your vehicle, but first let’s consider the preparation of your vehicle prior to advertising or trading.

Presentation is the key factor
The first thing one should consider when selling an old vehicle is how you can sell it for more money. The technique, which most people seem to overlook, is to simply make it look absolutely fantastic!

This does not mean just washing and vacuuming it, although that’s a very good start. It is the overall preparation and detailing that counts. This is a well-known secret of most used car dealers.

You would be surprised to see the condition of some of the vehicles they purchase, but after a few hours in the detailing shop you wouldn’t think it was the same vehicle! The best advice to anyone selling his or her car, is to have a professional car detail carried out. This will cost you around the $200 mark and it will be money well invested.

It will, in effect, save you hours of hard work trying to do it yourself with nowhere near the same result. This alone will add hundreds of dollars to your vehicle, particularly when selling online.

I know of people who have had their car detailed and fallen back in love with their car deciding not to go ahead with the sale.

Once the detailing has been completed you should make sure any small flaws are fixed. It is also important that you have the service books and any relative mechanical history at the ready, as this is now becoming a critical factor when buying or selling a used vehicle. If a service is due or near due, make sure you have it done prior to selling. This will give a prospective customer an appreciation of how well you have kept your car.

What is your car worth?
Before you start selling your vehicle, either privately or to a dealer, you must know its market value. There is nothing worse than advertising your vehicle with a highly inflated price.

One way to find out the approximate price of your vehicle is by studying the used car section of your local newspapers, which will give you a reasonable guide. Another way is to look in dealership yards to see what price similar vehicles are being sold for, but you must remember these vehicles have profit margins built into them to cover the dealer’s operating costs and over-stock.

Alternatively, the internet can provide a wealth of information on vehicle valuations. This is only web-based information and is generalised, so it does not give you accurate pricing on your own vehicle because of the specific condition and accessories fitted.

Web sites where you can gather this type of guidance are the individual dealership web sites and vehicle pricing-guide sites such as www.redbook.com.au and www.glassguide.com.au

This data is purely to assist you in making a qualified and rational decision when buying or selling your vehicle. Remember, these sites are to be used only as a guideline, they are not entirely accurate as they do not take into consideration the individual buying or selling trends within the different states.

There are always variations to the rules about pricing, so you should follow your intuition when setting a price and be sure to leave room for negotiating in your asking price. Your starting price should be higher than the price for which you really want to sell your vehicle.

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Often featured in the press as the seat of government of the European Union (EU), Brussels is much more than a city of bureaucrats. It is a meeting point all the diverse cultures in Europe, and exudes a unique multicultural energy.

Brussels is not only the home of the European Union. The Belgian capital is a diverse and attractive city in its own right, a town rich in history and full of places to see. Designated the cultural capital of Europe in 2000, Brussels is no mere town of boring bureaucrats. It has its own tale to tell.

A fortress in the middle of a river.
The name Brussels (Bruocsella) is first written about in 966. It means “chapel in a swamp”, and likely refers to its location on the Senne River. The settlement itself had probably been founded between three and four hundred years previously. The earliest fortification on Brussels Island dates back to around the end of the tenth century.

Central Brussels.
The story of Grand Place (in French, or Grote Markt in Dutch), the town square located at the centre of Brussels, leads us on a journey through the city’s history. Grand Place was created as a market and business square, but soon attracted the trade guilds and city administrators.

They built magnificent guildhalls and government buildings as evidence of their power and affluence, Brussels became one of Europe’s most important trading and banking centres during the High Middle Ages and would remain so until 1695, when French cannons bombarded the city for three days, levelling Grand Place and reducing much of the city to rocks and ashes. It was rebuilt quickly, and the guildhalls that currently stand on Grand Place bear witness to the city’s renewal.

Grand Place remains a favourite gathering place for residents and tourists alike. Many of its countless restaurants, cafes and hotels are open around the clock.

Brussels city hall.
The Hotel de Ville (Brussels city hall), completed in 1450, is an architectural masterpiece even among the grandiose guildhalls and structures around it. Its facade was one of the few structures to survive the French bombardment of 1695. With its 96-metre-tall tower topped by a golden statue of St. Michael and the dragon, the Hotel de Ville is Brussels’ most recognisable landmark, visible from every part of the historic old town.

A different kind of city emblem.
Most visitors to Brussels consider the statue called Manneken Pis (literally, “the boy peeing”) at the corner of the Rue de l’Etuve and Rue des Grands Charmes to be the symbol of Brussels. Just who the little boy in this work by sculptor Heironimus Dusquesnoy is supposed to be is an unsolved mystery. In any case, the brazen lad is certainly one of the city’s main visitor attractions. Meanwhile, his female counterpart, the Jeanneken Pis, can be viewed at the end of a cul-de-sac called Impasse de la Fidelite near La Grand Place. The habitants of [the city~Brussels} have always been in favour of equal rights, and if that meant commissioning a statue of a similarly naughty little girl, so be it. The statue was dedicated in 1987.

The giant molecule.
The 102-metre-high Atomium is another symbol of Brussels. It began its existence as an exhibition hall built for the 1958 Worlds Fair. It represents a crystalline iron molecule, magnified 165 thousand million times. The tubes connecting the nine atomic particles are actually conduits containing escalators and walkways.

Due to its use of futuristic materials and non-traditional design, it has long been considered both an architectural icon and an impressive piece of grand monumental sculpture.

Within, the Atomium still houses the occasional exhibition on topics related to nuclear technology, aeronautics, astronomy and meteorology. Inside the uppermost sphere is a restaurant that affords a beautiful view of the entire city, weather permitting.

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Some investors have a different view on stockmarket falls. They see the low stock prices as an opportunity to buy a bargain.

During times of economic volatility, it is our natural instinct to guard our assets and distance ourselves from risk. While this reaction is unsurprising, it can also mean losing out on profit opportunities created during crazy periods.

Warren Buffet, one of the world’s wealthiest professional investors, believes market slumps from another viewpoint, saying “Look at market fluctuations as your friend rather than your foe; profit from folly rather than participate in it.”

Generally when we see a lower price for something we want we rush in for a good deal, however it can be quite the opposite with stocks. Why is it that we treat shares that have dropped in price with fear? Share prices of a listed firm can drop for a multitude of factors.

Lately we have seen the stock prices of a number of strong companies with sound balance sheets be negatively affected due to a rush to sell as a result of the economic crisis.

Despite the uncertain trading environment, professional investors are constantly checking the market for investment opportunities. Many fund managers are searching to find shares in sound companies with strong balance sheets and returns. For example Australian companies such as household names like David Jones have delivered strong profits after tax and dividends in 2008. However during 2008, David Jones’ share price fell by more than 30%.

Identifying opportunities
Not all firms will be affected by the world economic crisis similarly. Some industries are more prone to the business cycle than others.

Providers of basic goods and services continue on almost unchanged, for example we all need to eat – so food producers aren’t as affected as much as tourism, motor vehicle sales or luxury goods.

Australia’s population growth is at a 20 year high and growing at 1.7% per annum. Australia’s growing population provides increasing demand for goods and services as people need food, housing, cars, and other staples. Unlike many overseas countries, Australia benefits from two key factors: a high population growth rate and a high demand for housing.

Population growth is nearly twice that of the US while Germany has negative population growth. In America there is an over-supply of housing while Australia suffers from a lack of supply. The combination of limited housing and a rising population will create growing demand for housing which will support further building and provide opportunities for the building industry.

The value of companies
Many people view businesses with falling share prices with fear, but we need to take a look under the hood of these companies to determine why. Have they borrowed heavily?

What industry are they in? Are they competitive against their peers? Only by answering these questions, can we know if their share price has fallen for valid reasons or if the company is indeed on sale.

When investing, many professional investors seek companies with high and maintainable returns, strong balance sheets and substantial cash flow. These companies are more likely to outlast the volatility storm and may give you a greater return when the market moves into the next phase of recovery and
beyond.

Before you consider changing your strategy, you should seek financial advice. Having a financial planner and a long-term financial plan can give you confidence to manage the effects of market cycles. With the right advice you can ensure your investments are structured to your risk profile and time horizon, giving you the certainty of knowing you’re doing what’s right for you. This article brought to you by a Brisbane business consultant who offers sales training and a web site design brisbane. Distribution by seo packages. BS1004

You have found a business for sale, you have bought it, so what now? With all the pieces of your new business just about in place, there is a crucial Issue to discuss, You. The most important ingredient in small business is the owner, and the most important ingredient in the owner is their attitude to both the business, and their customers.

Your attitude will to a great degree govern your success in business. Some people when they leave their jobs to start up their own business, unravel and get lazy. This is probably due to the fact they are no longer intimidated by the boss into doing the right thing. Self discipline can be a real problem with some people, they just can’t motivate themselves without some degree of external pressure. This, I believe is the biggest problem you will face.

You should watch for the warning signs, opening late, closing early, having long lunches, never getting jobs finished on time or at all, not returning calls, letting accounting paperwork lag behind, taking days off because you couldn’t be bothered working and so on. It is so easy to slip into bad habits, so be aware.

Try and remain accustomed to at least working the same hours as you were in your employed job and set yourself targets. Targets and goals will impose pressure on you to perform.

The next attitude problem comes from lack of determination.

Some small business owners fall to pieces every time there is problem or a crisis. This style of attitude will also assist you to go out of business very quickly.

You must never give up, for your own sake you must push on because you will strike plenty of problems and go through several serious crisis’s before things settle down, this is common to all new businesses.

The best thing to do is work through the problem in a calm and systematic way. Whilst you may feel at the time “this is the end” and “I’ve had enough”, this is a normal reaction that will pass. It often helps to join business groups and talk to other business owners about common problems.

You then must solve the problem and keep going. I’m sure attitude and determination has a lot to do with the 90% of businesses that fail. It’s ridiculous to think that a business goes down the drain because the owner had a poor attitude or “had a wobbly”, but it does happen. Make sure you’re not one of them.

The last issue to discuss is your attitude to customers. Keep this in mind, regardless of whether you like the particular person, all customers contribute to your profitability and success so treat them with respect and courtesy. It’s amazing how quickly customers will desert you if they feel you are rude to them. No customers – no money — no business! Always remain courteous, helpful and above all friendly, never allow personal or business problems to raise their heads in front of customers.The future of your business is in your hands.

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One of the best things about Google Adwords is you can test and measure your advertising messages quickly and for little cost.  Why not invest 10% of your print budget in Adwords testing and reduce the risk of an ad bombing?

With print advertising you write the copy, select the graphics elements get it typeset, send it off to the publishers and several weeks later you wait for the phone to ring. It’s very hit and miss.

The trouble with PR and advertising professionals is they have a very similar mindset. They’ve been over-educated and often can’t relate to their target markets. This is often called the curse of knowledge.

Here’s a thought … why not use Google Adwords to test headlines and then use the best performing headlines in your print and direct mail campaigns?

You could also use this technique test headlines for media releases.

The theory is that Google Adwords is a perfect market for testing. What you think is a great headline may not be so in the marketplace.

By testing different headlines, and only headlines, for you will have valid data to base advertising decisions on.

Once you have the best headline sorted out, then you can test body copy. Admittedly you only have 2 lines of text to play with, but those two lines could be the lead sentence or paragraph for your print or mail campaigns.

Does this make sense?  Comments and Stumbles please.

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While times are tough, online advertising spend has increased “Online advertising is surpassing $1.7 billion for the 2008 calendar year, representing an increase of $364.25 million or 27% year-on-year growth according to figures released today by IAB”. Clickfind is the first Australian business directory to help fellow Australians out in a time of need by offering free online advertising accounts to promote their business online for a limited time.

Clickfind is helping out by completely removing its already low monthly fee and allowing any Australian business who is experiencing hardship to advertise online for 3 months at no cost at all. Contrary to other business directories, a clickfind listing also allows advertising of products and services online.

To sign up just email free-2009@clickfind.com.au and we’ll send you further instructions via email, if you make a donation to the Victoria Bush Fire appeal http://www.redcross.org.au/default.asp let us know and we’ll provide a 12 months listing. This promotion is valid for 2 months.

Most awnings work as exterior awnings, protecting windows, entries and floorspace from the elements and providing privacy. In residential buildings, awnings are usually found in backyards for entertaining guests, covering parking spaces, and on windows along the side of the home. Awnings are also installed on the exterior face of the buildings, above either doors or windows, or on top of areas along footpaths. You will also often find awnings installed outside restaurants to increase the usage floor space in poor weather.

Awnings installed in the backyard protect people from the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays on hot sunny days. They also provide protection from rain, hail, and other elements during bad weather. Awnings are also mounted over open balconies and patios to offer relief from the elements. Awning can also be used as temporary or permanent car parking shades in open areas to protect the interior of the cars from fading.

Small sized lightweight exterior awnings are usually made from aluminum or hollow galvanized iron sectional frames and tough fabric or canvas roofs. More recently awnings have been made from high-tech polycarbonate materials. These polycarbonates can be tinted to keep out UV light but allow in light. They are also very tough and shock resistant.

Larger awnings can have roofs made of aluminum slats. They are designed to be durable, strong, and have the ability to withstand winds and storms. They are an ideal choice for those who wish to cover a relatively large area and prefer a heavy-duty structure. However, the disadvantage to awnings with metal slat roofs is that it can get noisy as a drumbeat during rain and storms. Also, aluminum awnings offer only limited sizes for selection and are usually difficult to customize.

Awnings made from cloth and canvas, on the other hand, are available in countless colors and designs. They can be easily customized to the required size and shape, so consumers can always find one that matches the exterior of the home. These types of awnings are cheaper than awnings with metal slat roofs. They are also relatively less resilient to adverse weather conditions and the color of the material will gradually fade over time due to the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Also, awnings made from vinyl, canvas, or cloth require more maintenance and have to be regularly cleaned to avoid permanent stains and mold growth.

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If you are looking for a business for sale, visit business2sell.com.au

This web site is for buyers, sellers and business brokers. Categories include food, retail, automotive, transport and every other imaginable category. There’s businesses for sale there at all levels of investment.

With the uncertain economic climate it make sense to investigate owning your own business.

Although running your own business can be very hard work, your future is very much in your hands. With the risks involved often go the rewards.

According to the ABS, in 2006 there were over 1.12 million small business in Australia employing a total of over 2.5 million people.

Small business is an attractive option for those who want to leave the corporate grind and build an asset that they can pass on to generations.

Business2Sell.com.au is 100% free website for business brokers. Brokers can join the service and add unlimited businesses.

If you are and owner selling your business, a 3 month listing is just $45. Note that at the moment business2sell.com.au are running a special offer. If you get a listing with business2sell for three months, they will run your listing for unlimited time or until it is sold.

As a buyer, you can search by location, business type and keyword. You can also search by price range.

So if you are looking to buy a business, sell a business or if you are a business broker, visit business2sell.com.au today.

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