Dodo Loves Marketing

Dress

Wear what you’d wear on the job if you were hired. If you’re unsure, it’s better to overdress than underdress. But make sure you feel comfortable—if you feel strange,you look strange.

Grooming

It’s not just for dogs and cats and horses anymore. It’s important for humans too:

• Fix your hair so it stays out of your eyes. Compulsive adults will be thinking of how to shove it out of the way for you.
• Don’t wear a lot of cologne, perfume, or aftershave. (Hint: If they smell you before they see you, it’s too much.)
• Try not to smell like tobacco, gasoline, or a wet dog.
• Get the cat hair off your sweater.
• Remove the Milk Duds debris from your teeth.
• Avoid makeup that looks like it was applied while you were riding on a motorcycle. This is especially important for girls.
• Use a breath mint. ..more
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True confession: I’ve hated every job I’ve ever had . . . for the first month. The first days in a new job are miserable; I forget everyone’s name, and when I do remember, I get them mixed up—”My name’s not Ralph—it’s Rebecca!” I become so self- conscious that I not only forget everything I’ve just been taught but everything I’ve ever been taught: multiplication tables, how to tie shoes, and the whole concept of opening the door before I attempt to leave the room.

But the condition is only temporary. After the first month I become normal again (relatively speaking) and start to enjoy the job.

Most employers understand that your first few weeks may be rough, and they generally cut you some slack. But there comes a time when you had better do your job right; if you want to keep it, you’ll have to deliver. ..more

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For many people, buying a car is their first big-time investment. But for most of these investors, it’s also their first leap into debt’s bottomless pit. Can you actually buy a good car without going into debt? How can you keep from losing your shirt to an unscrupulous seller? I’ll show you how to pay cash for a great, reliable, used car—and why doing it any other way is just plain silly.

The New Car Myth

When most people dream of owning a car, they think of a new car. They’re shiny, they’re reliable, they’re great fun to show off to your friends. And best of all, they have that intoxicating new-car smell. ..more

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The first and totally obvious way to save up your money is to put it in the bank. Duh. You know that. But you may not know exactly how banks work, the various accounts they offer, and why it’s important to shop around for your banking needs.

Banks and savings and loans are good at coming up with fancy names for their accounts; names like “Advantage Plus Mega-Money Super Savings Certificate Account.” But most of their accounts fit into one of four basic categories:

1. Basic savings accounts (sometimes called passbook accounts) have little or no minimum balance and pay minimum interest. Advantages: You can withdraw your money whenever you want (no minimum deposit period), and you earn more interest than if you hid the money in that secret place near your bed (shh!). Disadvantage: You don’t earn much interest. ..more

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You have been aware of the situation for some time now. Bits and pieces of overheard conversations, some rather telling comments from your boss, cryptic glances from some employees. Putting it all together, it seems to add up to one thing: One or more of the people who report to you are going behind your back, taking ideas, complaints, whatever, directly to your boss while bypassing you.

But though you are aware of what is happening, you don’t know why it is. “And that’s something I’m going to have to find out,” you tell yourself. “I’m getting it from both sides—and I have to find a way to put an end to it.” Now you wonder, just what is the best approach to take in a situation of this kind? ..more

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Assembling a cash flow statement: chronicling the past. To help you get started in putting together your own cash flow statement, this section describes the cash flow statement of a hypothetical architectural firm, ABC Architectural Services.

The cash flow statement is for the four months just ended (For the purpose of the exercise, we assume that we’re now at April 30.)

A few notes about this company:

It employed seven people in January and received two new architectural design contracts in January for $25,000 each. These jobs should each take five months to complete and are payable as completed. ..more

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