It’s been said that Vector Marketing will recruit just about anyone and that their model uses their representatives to milk their close friends and relatives as the customer base. The idea is that upon seeing your high school/early college aged friend or relative struggle through a presentation as their very first job, you’ll end up pitying them and purchase some Cutco knives, if not a whole set. In my experience, this wasn’t the case at all. The key sales I made weren’t with close friends and relatives at all. The sample kit I received is used regularly by my mom to this day so the product is strong despite all the scrutiny.

Another point of the Vector Marketing model that people have taken issue with is the security deposit new representatives had to pay to get their sample set of knives used during presentations. This security deposit has since been removed but when I worked for Vector Marketing, it was still in place. This deposit came at no surprise and was made evident during the whole recruiting process. Though I did think that the cost of the deposit should have been taken out of our first paycheck at the time, the cost really was negligible and my family got an awesome set of Cutco knives at a great price.

Of course there was pressure to sell. This is a sales and marketing position and if you don’t have the drive to succeed, you aren’t going to. The district managers were paid to drive sales and inspire us to do the best we possibly could. Some people are better at this type of job than most, and in the end, Vector Marketing wasn’t for me but I can say that Vector Marketing isn’t more a scam than any other job I’ve worked at.

Through recent natural events, floods have become such a prevalent topic for home owners whether they live in high-risk areas or not. While most disasters are tough to predict, bracing for such an event can go a long way into mitigating the damage of your property from water damage.

Flood sensors can help alert different water levels in your property for immediate attention. They can be easily placed in main rooms, basements, kitchen, bathrooms and laundry rooms where appliances using a water line reside.

Additionally, property owners are facing the common problem of water leakage due to faulty systems. Ask anyone who has experienced a water leakage problem in their home or business and they will tell you that the first warning signs are crucial. In the event that an appliance overflows, these flood sensors will alert residents to the source of the problem. Serving as a watchdog in high-risk areas in your property, determining the source of the problem can help you race against time to minimize risk in your property.

The Sonin Water Alarm detects leaks and sounds an alarm during the first signs of a leakage. Its low battery setting also alerts users to change the battery over time. Different settings are available to monitor different rooms throughout a house or business for potential leaks.

The FS1 1/4-NPT FloodStop System for water heaters can alert property owners of a leaky water heater. This device shuts down the water supply to the heater and sounds an alarm. This FloodStop system is powered by an AC adaptor or batteries and is compatible with home automation or auto dialer systems.  There are also FloodStop systems for dishwasher or toilets that connect to the water supply line. This system works as a valve and forces the closure of the line until problem is attended to and the system is reset. The FloodStop FS 3/8 C automatically shuts off water supply to the unit whether it is caused by a leak, broken part, overflow or a ruptured supply line. Property owners can consolidate their alarms through a relay output that can be connected to alarm panels throughout the home.

Additional things you can do to prepare for a possible flood is to make sure your rain gutters are free from debris or any buildup that accumulates over time.

A great tip for families who live in high-risk areas is to practice drills and decide on a meeting place (preferably higher ground) in the event of an emergency. Groups should be assigned so members can be accountable for other members and an emergency grab bag should be easy and accessible in the event that your property becomes uninhabitable.

Lastly, property owners should review their insurance policy in the event of a flood. Many insurance plans in America do not include floods as part of their coverage. There is no doubt that flood damage can be costly, can ruin your property and take years to repair. Becoming proactive in protecting your investment can greatly minimize the risk of catastrophic damage. For similar home security equipment and alarm systems, Home Security Store has everything you need to protect your home or business.

If you are in the market for sliding doors, Barn Door Hardware offers the very best in stainless steel and sophisticated door hinges and locks sure to help keep them working in for years to come.  As the self professed experts when it comes to hardware devices, Barn Door Hardware has unique vintage, antique and modern locks and rails for your home or business. Folks lining up to buy sliding door hardware can select from over 15 different manufacturers such as Richards-Wilcox, MWE, Henderson, Pemko and Coburn Hardware.

Nothing is worse than shortly after installing a sliding door system to see it fall apart or derailed. Similar to a zipper getting stuck in different your garment, sliding doors can be one of the most frustrating devices if you’ve ever experienced it malfunctioning. Installing a solid system the first time can eliminate headaches for the lifespan of your home or property.

Often times the cost can be a strong selling point for buyers, but quality should not be sacrificed. Barn Door Hardware offers great deals that will last for years to come. When it comes to aesthetics, there are numerous locks made out of aluminum carbon steel and stainless steel sliding door hardware to perfectly complement glass, wood or steel doors.

Another major benefit of utilizing a sliding door is the benefit of having extra space. Standard-sized doors occupy as much as 16 square feet just for clearance purposes. Installing sliding doors can make for a simple home improvement project and the benefits of extra space will be great for storage or other equipments. Sliding doors not only save you space but they make for a great addition in your home or property!

The aircraft carrier HMS Invincible, which was Britain’s flagship vessel in the Falklands war, has been put up for sale as scrap metal on an auction website similar to eBay.

But after being decommissioned in 2005 after 32 years of service, the government is hoping to raise money by selling the shell of the vessel. Many of these old Carries are either stripped for the metal or sold to Museums.

Experts believe that the 10,000 tons of mild steel will be worth more than £2 million. For that low of a price, it is more than likely a Museum will step forward and have it towed to a permanent port.

The aircraft carrier has been put on edisposals.com where it is currently listed as ‘In Stock’.

No bids have been received, but Leavesley International – who scrapped HMS Intrepid in 2008 – have indicated that they are interested.

HORNE Tax Planning Memphis is a full service business advisory and accounting firm that is made up of a team with many different specializations, including expertise in fields such as financial institutions, franchise, construction and health care. With services that include assurance, accounting, business valuation, tax, fraud, forensic and litigation services, disaster relief management, government outsourcing and compliance, business outsourcing and accounting, business advisory, wealth advisory and more, HORNE CPA Memphis, TN is one of the largest and most rapidly expanding accounting and business advisory firms in the region and the country.

The American Society of Women Accountants Educational Foundation honored HORNE LLP for their commitment to life/work balance by awarding HORNE the prestigious Balance Award. The award was presented to HORNE on Tuesday, October 20, 2009, at the American Society of Women Accountants (ASWA)/American Woman’s Society of CPAs (AWSCPA) Joint National Conference in Las Vegas.

HORNE won the National Balance Award in the regional sized accounting firm category. The Balance Award recognizes companies that demonstrate sensitivity to women within the accounting industry; that provide leadership and mentoring opportunities for women; that are involved and show concern for the financial issues facing their communities; and those that implement policies, initiatives and programs that promote work/life balance.

“The ASWA Educational Foundation is thrilled to honor this prestigious group of honorees this year,” said Mary Burns, CPA, Foundation Chair. “Even in tough economic times, these awards pay tribute to companies and individuals that are championing work/life balance, leadership and financial literacy in our profession.”

This national recognition rewards “best in market” companies whose commitment to work/life balance have placed them in the enviable position of earning the prestigious Foundation Award.

“We are honored to receive this national award in recognition of the environment we work to create for our team members,” said Executive Partner Hugh Parker, Ph.D., CPA Mississippi. “We intentionally strive to obtain life/work balance for all our team members.”

Last year, YC launched around 40 companies, some of which have taken off while others are poised to break out in 2010. With the recent 2010 Demo Day complete, we take a look at current YC companies that are poised to break out this year:

Launched in August of 2009 and dubbed the “eBay for free stuff” by TechCrunch, Listia has revolutionized the way people give and get free stuff online. Craigslist leads to unwanted email spam, no customer support and online scams, while Listia removes all the headaches and makes giving and getting free stuff fun again.

Listia makes it easy to give away the things you no longer want and get free stuff you need in return. The more stuff you give away, the more stuff you get. And by the way, the entire site is free, much like Craigslist. When you give stuff away, you get credits; the more credits you get, the more stuff you can get using an auction system like eBay. Listia does a good job on standing out and offers advantages over Craigslist, Freecycle or eBay.

This site is very addictive and has become a passion for many of it’s users as they have found ways to clean out their closet while managing to get a free iPhone or Xbox in return. To date, Listia has given away a Pool Table, Plama TVs, and even an iPad.

So far Listia.com has raised a healthy round of funding, become a top 10,000 US website (Alexa Rankings) and continues to see strong growth.

Much like Digg, The Sixty One is a website the allows users to vote on their favorite music from unknown artist, and if it gets enough votes, it ends up on the home page. There are also a few game mechanics involved that make this site addictive and fun.

This company launched at the Spring YC Demo Day of 2009, almost 12 months ago.  No public information has been provided as to how much money Sixty One has raised, but since they have launched, traffic has been on a steady rise and currently is a top 10,000 website in the US according to Alexa rankings. Sixty One has been going through some growing pains with the redesign and revolt from the recent redesign of the website, but we believe they will have a breakout year because of their direct and addictive approach.

Hey Zap is an exciting idea that has been a hit from the beginning with websites across the web. You can instantly and easily add flash games to your website that can be interactive for your users to increase pageviews, sales and loyalty within your website community. Once the game is added, you can even sell upgrades or give discounts way with the flash games themselves. These games may even catch on to where they will be shared across social platforms.

So far HeyZap has raised $650,000 and was part of the Spring 2009 YC Demo Day. Their rate of growth is starting to accelerate quickly and should become a break-out very soon.

You may not know it, but the Bump App that is so popular for the iPhone, that has surpassed 10 million downloads, was actually a YC startup in August 2009. The idea was simple, bump two iPhones together and exchange personal information instantly. You might be thinking that this company has already “broken out” with over 10 million downloads, but the fact is, they still need to make money, and they still need some fresh ideas to continue growing.

The Bump API is allowing developers and other apps to use their technology to create their own uses for Bump. This is going to allow for rapid expansion and more revenue opportunities. Bump raised $3 million from the likes of Sequoia Capital last year and is still seeing thousands of downloads for the the original app everyday.

Looks for these YC companies to not only have strong years, but continue strong growth for years to come. Each of these companies have strong concepts and room for massive growth as this is only the beginning. Which companies do you think will become the next big thing?

When you’re working in a rapidly changing industry where mastering innovative methods will make or break your business, it’s important to get the proper training. Canadian Management Centre (CMC) and their global affiliates (Management Centre Europe and American Management Association) were recently named one of the 2010 Global Top 20 Leadership Training Companies by website and industry portal TrainingIndustry.com.

CMC and their global affiliates lead the world in management development training and provide the most comprehensive and effective leadership workshops available. Their commitment to expansive growth and development in the area of business leadership in their respective regions certainly merits this recognition.

Selection to the Top 20 list was based on a few of the company’s key factors. Some of these include their influence on the training industry, extent of their programming, innovation in training and delivery method, the company’s growth and potential, the strength of their clientele, geographic reach in their region and their reputation and experience.

Canadian Management Centre’s inclusion on this distinguished list speaks to many of their strengths. Their programs are inclusive of many different fields – everything from human resources training to business training. Consider CMC and their global affiliates when you’re looking to update your skills and leadership methods and maximize the efficiency of your company.

And that’s what led Vector Marketing sales representative Robert Santangelo of Massapequa, New York, to rap about the benefits of owning Cutco Cutlery over the beat of 50 Cent’s hit “Out of Control”. Santangelo is a student at Molloy College in Rockville Center, New York and an up and coming rapper in the process of being signed to a record label. The song, dubbed “The Cutco Rap”, also features a cameo from five other Vector Marketing representatives dancing in their video uploaded to YouTube. With lines advocating Cutco Cutlery as, “the world’s finest cutlery”, it’s clear that these representatives really believe in the product and the opportunity that they’re getting through Vector Marketing and want the world to understand that in any way possible.

So what is the cost of owning a Private Jet and Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport for a year?

First of all, a Bugatti Veyron retails for $2,128,230 right out of the door. You can’t lease it, or rent it, you can only buy it. They make less than 100 per year and there is typically a waiting list. If you were to fork over the initial costs to buy a Bugatti, you would have to maintain it as well. Here are just a few of the yearly costs:

• Routine Service at Authorized Bugatti Dealership, about $20,000
• Reaching top speeds of 253 MHP, you’ll need new tires, $35,000 set of four. At top speeds, you’ll burn out tires in 12 minutes.
• After 4th tire change, rims must be stress tested for cracks on a track. Costs: $60,000

Include auto insurance, fuel costs (8 MPG), car detailing service, and other miscellaneous fees, and you have a grand total of $300,000/year for a Bugatti.

A midsize private jet, meantime, can cost $2,200 to $2,700 an hour – including catering, fuel, pilots and maintenance. Some jet-management companies put the expense of all the operations at $200,000 a year or less. (Of course, those per-hour trip costs don’t include the purchase price nor depreciation.)

At an average costs of $2,500 per hour, you could travel approximately 120 hours for $300,000 in a private jet and fly between NY and LA 17 times.

It seems to me your money goes much further in a private jet, while a Bugatti is a cash drain that only Billionaires can afford. Which do you think is more expensive?