Candace Webb reports:

"Whether you are renting to your sister, [your] best friend or a complete stranger, miscommunication can destroy even the strongest landlord-tenant relationship. The best way to prevent this is to agree from the outset that everything must be in writing so there is no misunderstanding. A good way to approach tenants at the beginning is to remind them that requiring letters of permission for various things not only protects you but also protects them from any misunderstanding you might have about their actions. Let them know they need to put the request in writing to you and that you will respond in writing. Allowing the communication to be handled through email will be helpful to everyone involved. It is [quick and easy] and can be printed off for filing if needed...Basically, a permission or authorization letter should be requested for anything that is outside the lease or normal day-to-day living in your rental unit. Painting the walls should require written permission. And if you give permission, be sure to include whether they must return the walls to the original color when they vacate the premises...Other things that typically should require written permission include changing the [I]nternet or cable provider to include a dish or other physical changes, any structural changes to the building, additions of sheds or carports, expensive repairs or getting pets. The problem with some [I]nternet providers is that the company comes out and installs a satellite dish on the building or property, but when the tenant moves out, the company never comes back to get it. Landlords are frequently stuck dealing with unwanted dishes. If you decide to allow your tenant to use such services in your rental unit, be sure to state in the letter of permission that they must remove the dish upon vacating the premises. Most [I]nternet companies will also require a written statement from you that you give them permission to place their equipment on your property. Read their guidelines carefully to be sure the tenant is responsible for any equipment and that you the property owner will not be held liable for any damages to it. Use the same terminology when it comes to installing sheds, carports or other things on the property. The tenant must remove it when vacating, or you will have the right to keep it after a certain amount of time. Check with your state laws to determine what time frame applies and whether you can charge storage fees for it. Authorization letters are sometimes requested for intangible tenant needs as well. Things like running a business out of your residential unit or having a guest stay longer than the lease allows are common reasons for letter requests. If you choose to allow such things, be sure to include in the letter tha[t] the tenant must comply with all city, county and state rules for home-based businesses. Naming the state, county and city in the letter will avoid any claim of misunderstanding later. As you might already know, subletting is an animal all its own. It frequently happens without the landlord knowing. If your tenant is honest enough to request permission, tell him to put it in writing and include the dates requested, the reason for the sublet and the person who will be living in the unit. When you write the letter of permission, clearly address who is responsible if the subletting tenant does not pay rent or damages the property while renting from your tenant.
Requiring requests in writing and providing letters of permission is a good business practice. They give you evidence if you ever have to go to court to collect damages from a tenant. Outline details in the letter and have the tenant sign and return to you, either by email or [by] the United States Postal Service so you have proof that the tenant knew the stipulations you put on the permission. Be sure to include dates, the property address, the tenant's full name, the request details and your permission with any stipulations."

Dana Sparks reports:

"Contracts are written for your protection. A clearly worded contract can prevent misunderstandings on both parts, spell out what you will and will not be responsible for, and serves as a promise from your customer that you are going to be paid for your services. Writing a [lawn care] service agreement won't take you much time, but might save you a great deal of trouble should problems arise...Include the basics. Make sure the contract has a space for the name of your business, your name, the customer's name and address and the date. Make sure that your business license and bonding information are posted clearly on the contract. Include the date the service is scheduled to begin and how frequently you will work on the lawn. If it won't always be you completing the work, clearly state in the contract who might be working on the lawn...Talk about money. Your contract should state how much the customer will be paying per servicing and what will happen if they fail to pay...Make a provision for what happens if you fail to fulfill your end of the contract...Outline services you will provide. If you're going to mow, trim, weed and dispose of yard waste, spell it out in the contract. If there is an exclusion, make it clear as well. For example, if the property owner keeps dogs in the yard, let him know if picking up feces is or is not your responsibility. If you'll provide services such as dog waste removal for an extra fee, the contract should clearly outline the amount of the fee...Highlight issues that may be ambiguous. The contract should state which party is responsible for repairing such items as irrigation systems and fencing should those be damaged. Agreement should be reached regarding the use of chemicals on the lawn and who is responsible for paying for and applying them...A contract is the simplest way to address issues before they become misunderstandings. Spell everything out in plain English and take your time to go over the contract with your customers before either of you sign[s] the agreement."

Tallulah Philange reports:

"Racing cars is a very expensive pastime. Money demands include the car itself, parts, gas, assistants, a trailer and fees to enter races. Sponsorships help defray these costs. A business or group sponsors a racer, providing monetary support. In return, the racer gives the organization publicity and extras, such as personal appearances. Most reputable sponsors want to see a return on their investment, so it is of paramount importance to write a detailed race car sponsorship proposal. Be sure to target each proposal to the specific potential sponsor. Generic sponsorship proposals have little chance of convincing would-be benefactors...Research the sponsor you are targeting. Learn about the business field to approximate how much revenue the sponsor brings in -- you want to be reasonably sure the organization can afford what you are asking. Target local businesses first because it is unlikely that unknown racers can score major sponsors at first. Gather the history of your racing career or racing team. Write down all important facts, such as the biographies of the racers and the team's success rate. Make a list of every racing expense you incurred over the past season and tally the entries. This figure represents what a sponsor would cover in an ideal situation, although you will likely need more than one sponsorship to cover the total. Write down every possible attribute you can give to a sponsor. These may include publicity on your car or trailer, promising to wear the sponsor's logo at press events and offers to attend public events as the sponsor's representative. You also may be able to offer experiences, such as hosting the company at the race track. Take pictures of you, your team and your car. Include [both] posed shots around the car, so the sponsor gets to know your face, and shots of races. Consider positioning trophies around the car in some of the shots -- this is a subtle reminder that you are a successful racer...Type an introductory letter, addressing it to the person in charge of the organization. Explain up front that you are seeking sponsorship for your racing team and that the organization will find the proposal attached. Thank the letter reader for his or her time and include all of your contact information. Organize the proposal in sections. First, provide a history of you and your racing team. Work from the outlines you prepared to include all of the important details. Limit the history to no more than two typed pages. This provides a thorough overview but does not overshadow the point of the sponsorship proposal: to get funding. Explain the expenses you incur as a race car driver in the second section. You do not need to include every cost. Instead, provide a general overview...Make your direct pitch. Ask the sponsor for a specific amount of money. Unless you are approaching a major sponsor, do not ask for your total racing costs -- potential sponsors are likely to balk and deny your proposal when faced with large sums. Use your market research data to request a feasible amount. Write what the sponsor will get in return, working from the list you have prepared. Sell yourself, but do not offer things you cannot deliver...Use a word processing program or design software to intersperse the digital photographs you took throughout the letter. Limit the photos to no more than one or two per page for the best aesthetic. Print out the letter and mail it or hand-deliver it to the potential sponsor...Include contact information on the introductory letter and proposal. Use a phone line that you are primarily responsible for answering, such as your cell phone, so calls are not missed. Treat the race car sponsorship proposal as a business transaction. Do not plead. Approach the deal as a win-win for both sides."

Robert Vaux reports:

"Adventure novels can cover a wide range of era and subject...Their common bond is an epic scope, an emphasis on exciting action, and a desire to transport the reader to a faraway time or place. Countless adventure novels have been written over the years, but many of them succumb to poor writing, hackneyed plots and the thousand tiny cuts of stereotyped cliches. If you're going to write an adventure novel, it pays to write one as well as you possibly can. Define your plot and characters. An adventure novel needs a hero for the audience to follow--someone competent and strong, but possessing a few human foibles to make him or her relatable. He requires a foe to fight (someone evil, but also possessing human qualities to render him accessible), assistants or sidekicks to aid him, obstacles to overcome, and an overarching purpose or quest of monumental import to achieve. Outline your plot, identifying how it begins, what events take place during the hero's journey, and how (or whether) he obtains his ultimate goal in the finale. The events of the adventure story need to be interconnected and build steadily toward a rousing conclusion. They require internal logic (i.e., there needs to be a reason why they happened) and must flow into each other with a sense of natural rhythm. Furthermore, characters need to undergo a change as well: an 'arc' that shows their growth and experience throughout the action (beyond just finding the treasure or saving the girl). Eliminate cliches in your plot. Elements which have been seen a thousand times before or which derive naturally from a well-known source should be avoided. Work on bringing new twists to your situations: challenges that haven't...appeared in previous novels, new ways of getting out of old situations, character traits that defy the norm. Write your adventure novel based on your original structure. You need to establish the principle characters early on, define their relative position in the plot (hero, villain, etc.), set up what they stand to gain or lose and describe the events which lead them to the finale. The climax needs to be your showstopper: the 'money shot' in movie terms where everything stands to be won or lost. Previous events should build up to that, and you may wish to include a brief denouement afterward to tie up any loose plot threads. Maintain a brisk tone throughout your novel. Adventure stories thrive on excitement: high[-]speed chases, last-second escapes, desperate plans born of feverish inspiration, and larger-than-life stakes should the hero fail. Although the pace will ebb and flow and there may be some downtime between the hero's activities, make sure you don't get bogged down in excessive detail or ponderous dialogue. Revise and edit your novel to improve the text. Very few pieces of writing are perfect on the first draft, and a polishing process will help your novel become as good as it can be. You may wish to let a friend or trusted colleague edit it as well: someone familiar with literary structure and who can provide honest, constructive criticism."

Chris Daniels reports:

"As a lab technician, you perform the day-to-day procedures that keep research and medical labs running. Expertise in scientific techniques is the key requirement for being a lab tech. In addition, your resume for technician positions needs to highlight your ability to aid in lab management and communicate well with the other scientists you will be working with. Aim to keep your resume to a single page, focusing on the experience most relevant to the position at hand...Include your name and contact information clearly at the top of your resume to make it easy to get in contact with you. Include your e-mail, phone number and mailing address. Use a personal or school e-mail, but not an e-mail at your current employer. Similarly, use your personal or mobile phone number rather than a work phone number, and, if you are not available at all hours to take a phone call, indicate the hours that you will be able to discuss the positions you have applied for...Lead with a concise statement of the position you are applying for, the number of years of experience you have in laboratory work and the methods you have the most expertise in. If particular methods are mentioned in the job posting, be sure to emphasize those that you can do without help or with minimal training. A principal investigator, senior scientist or lab manager may be screening dozens of resumes and will only give you a few seconds to make the case that she should read further...Follow your strong lead statement with a summary of your lab technician experience. List the institution, principal investigator, name of the position and dates of employment for each position. Include as bullet points methods you performed and brief explanations for each project...Include a short section on further relevant skills and methods you have that are relevant to the position at hand. Place non-laboratory experience here to demonstrate your experience in management, communication and organization. Include methods that are relevant to the [position] that are not highlighted in your Professional Experience section...Conclude with an Education section listing the degrees you have earned or are expecting to earn. Include the college or university, location, degree and the date the degree was conferred or is expected. List honors, awards, theses and other recognitions in bullet points below each degree listing...Adjust the order of your experience to reflect which accomplishments are most relevant to the position you are applying for, with the most relevant coming first...Be wary of including lab methods that you only have minimal experience in to list more methods. For instance, if you've only performed the method once or twice in a course lab a few years ago, it probably does not merit a place on your resume."

Tiffany Silverberg reports:

"Homeless shelters are important institutions in a community. They provide food, shelter and education to the community's least fortunate members. They also give other children and adults a venue to get involved with the needy, with whom they would otherwise not interact. Homeless shelters are, by nature and law, non-profit organizations and often rely on donations and grants to survive. Grants can help your group sustain and improve the work you are doing in your community. Meet with your board of directors and staff to determine your organization's greatest needs. Many organizations...fund capital improvements. Other[s] cover staff or supply costs. Make a detailed budget of your homeless shelter's specific needs. Also put together or print your organizational budget, which will outline your income and expenses. Research local statistics about your community. Highlight the needs and numbers of the homeless in your community in your application and cover letter. Outline how your group will meet the needs of these people. Print or pick up applications from organizations that fund homeless shelters. Consider local foundations that may be interested in your work. Fill out the application with all the necessary details and documents regarding your organization, and send it in before the deadline."

Thomas Metcalf reports:

"The decision to open an animal shelter is one that cannot be taken lightly. While your love of companion animals is probably the motivating factor, you must consider all of the business ramifications before taking the first step. The best way to do this is to research your ideas thoroughly and write your business plan. Begin with a mission statement and include your explanation for need, how you will operate the shelter, your marketing plan and a financial projection...Base your decision to open a shelter on the demand for adoptable pets in your area...See if there are other rescue groups in your area and determine if your community can support another. You must find an accessible location and decide on convenient operating hours. If a good location is not available, consider starting your shelter with foster caretakers, who care for the pets until adoption. Even if you do not start with a physical shelter, you might wish to have a storefront to showcase your animals...Your first decision is whether to have dogs and cats or just one species. If you rescue dogs, you must decide whether to accept all breeds or only certain breeds. If you decide to operate a no-kill shelter, as most shelter owners do, you must decide how many animals you can accept. When you plan your shelter, think about your space requirements. You need room to separate dogs and cats. You will need a utility room for caring for animals and washing bedding, towels and pets. You will also need a quarantine room for sick animals...While you should have no trouble obtaining animals for adoption, you must plan how you will get them to adopting families. Collaborate with your local animal control officers, pet stores and veterinarians. Think of events such as Best Friends 'Strut Your Mutt' or other community events where you can showcase your adoptable pets. Make arrangements with pet stores to hold adoption events. Connect with scout troops and other community organizations who donate time to help you spread the news about your new shelter...Caring for animals is expensive, which is why many rescue groups start small and work from home with the help of several foster caretakers. You will have legal expenses, including licensing required by your city and state and application fees for your non-profit 501(c)3 incorporation. If you have a physical facility you will have rent, utilities and maintenance bills. The animals will need food, veterinary care and training to make them more adoptable. Most rescue groups depend heavily on volunteers, but you will have to pay the veterinarian and a trainer if you use one...Explore how you can obtain funds from grants and donations. Talk to local pet stores about discounts or donations of food and other supplies. In addition to money from donations, you can obtain revenue from adoption fees. Estimating the cash flow coming from adoptions may be tricky, because it depends on how long it will take to find their forever homes. You should gather enough information...to prepare a three-year financial projection."

Hogan Injury reports:

"Don’t hail the cab while standing in the street. Never go off the sidewalk to...motion to a taxi driver, even if you’ll end up waiting a few more minutes for the next taxi. It’s especially dangerous since you’re concentrating on getting the taxi driver’s attention and not focusing on approaching cars...Even if you’re in a rush, never pressure the taxi driver to drive faster. Putting pressure on the driver will cause them to get nervous, and they won’t be able to focus on their driving properly. If the driver is driving recklessly, make sure to call them out and tell them to slow down. A little patience goes a long way to staying safe...Never get out in the middle of the street or where cars are rushing by. Wait until you arrive at an area where you can get out and walk to your destination safely. Don’t get out in the street while the driver is stuck at a red light...If you’re in an accident that involves a taxi driver, make sure to stay at the scene until the police arrive. Don’t forget to take down the taxi driver’s license plate number, as well as the taxi company and car number. Finally, contact a car accident lawyer immediately so that you can get the compensation you deserve."

Maggie Worth reports:

"Suppliers (often called vendors) are individuals or companies that supply raw materials, finished products or services to another company or business. To maintain effective purchasing procedures, procurement officers and business owners must periodically review their list of active suppliers to make sure the company is getting the right price and the right service. The information contained in a supplier performance review may be used as a standard of measure to evaluate new potential vendors or may be used as a business case to change suppliers. A review may also be shared with a vendor for the purposes of improving performance or as a recommendation to the supplier’s other potential clients. Identify the supplier by name, company address and phone number. This may be listed as a header or may simply be contained in the first paragraph. If the company has more than one office or department, be sure to identify the specific department that supplies your company. Also provide information on your account manager or other contact within the organization. If there is more than one contact, list all important contacts as well as their functions. Explain the relationship between your companies. List the products or services the vendor sells to your company. State when the relationship began. List pricing for regularly purchased items and services. Explain all guarantees and state billing terms. Quantify the vendor's importance to your purchasing department in terms of how much you buy from it versus other companies. State how much you spend with the vendor on an annual basis and, for products, state how many units of product you purchase every year. For continuing relationships, you may compare the purchase volume for this period with the purchase volume for prior periods. Evaluate the supplier’s performance. Include information on delivery time, delivery quality, issue management, responsiveness of supplier staff, terms, warranties and price. Compare the vendor’s actual performance against its promised performance. Also, compare actual performance for your vendor versus industry standard performance (if you can find this [information).] If you are evaluating a supplier for the first time, and the supplier replaced a previous vendor, evaluate the new supplier against the old one. State your opinion, backed by the facts included above, about whether to continue the relationship or find a new supplier. Include pros and cons of each course of action...Cite specific examples of good or poor service whenever possible. Always date your document and sign it so that you (or future employees) will know when the evaluation occurred and who did it. Use specific, provable data wherever possible. 'Company X is cheaper than Company C' is less informative than 'Company X charges 10 percent less than Company C for a four-pronged widget.'...Never consider personal rewards (like gifts, event tickets or meals) when evaluating a vendor’s performance."

Linda Richard reports:

"Web design combines Internet knowledge, technology and art to create attractive websites, advertisements and brochures. Artistic design ability is difficult to convey in words, but it's important to write an individual cover letter to go with each resume you send. Your cover letter should use words that companies scan or search looking for Web designers, webmasters and Web developers. Write cover letters as a Web designer with the same flair you use for designing a website...Review the position available and the requirements for the job. Analyze your expertise and consider how your qualifications fit the position, making notes before you start writing. Design your letter with the date and your personal information in a prominent location...Research the name and position of an individual who handles employment applications for the company by calling the office, checking the company website or [checking] the company's social media account. Inquire about any specific information needed for applying for the position. Address your cover letter to the individual with the correct title for his position with the company...Grab the attention of the reader with a strong opening statement. Work in the title of the position in the event the employer has several information-technology positions open. Start with words about the position available or explain where you saw the job opening information and make the statement specific to the advertisement...Enhance your resume and create interest in yourself with the second paragraph of your cover letter. Explain how your experience and education applies to the company and the job with detailed statements such as: 'My certification from XYZ school included courses in the programming languages you use.' Refer to websites you’ve designed with links to the sites or to specific pages that are representative of your work. Mention the resume so the reader won’t forget that you’ve attached more information...Request an interview appointment and give your email address, telephone number and mailing address in the cover letter in the event someone separates the cover letter from the resume. Offer to bring a portfolio or USB drive with samples of your work to an interview. Complete your letter with a salutation such as 'Sincerely' or 'Very truly yours' and your name, with space for you to sign it in black ink...Print a copy of your cover letter to check for spacing, errors and general appearance. Make corrections, print your final copy and sign your name...Include a completed application for the position if it’s a requirement. Some employers request a signed application for legal reasons, even if you provide a detailed resume. Impress at the interview with a page designed for the potential employer. Include copyright information and your email address in the bottom corner. Mention any new technology you’ve worked with so the employer can see that you’re keeping up with languages and software. Follow up in a week or so with a telephone call to express your continued interest and availability...Keep any design elements you use on the cover letter clean and simple. Bright colors and splashy graphics may show your design ability, but a conservative employer may see this as poor judgment. Ask an editor to review your cover letter if spelling and grammar aren’t your best assets. Language is an important part of Web design. Watch for specific questions or requests in a job listing and be sure to comply. 'Smashing Magazine' warns that employers include these requests to see who follows directions."