Your Questions About Internet Marketing Association

Jere answers:

I’m a songwriter from Albuquerque, NM who also has a home recording studio. I have been on a campaign to try to associate myself with local musicians and singers for about a year now and in the beginning, it always seems like a huge task but, the reality is that local musicians actually want to know who you are and if you just make yourself visible to them, they will actually find you. The first thing you need to do is set yourself up at myspace.com. I was unaware until just last year that myspace was initially created for people in the music industry. My first two days on myspace and I was all of a sudden friends with several local bands, singers, music promoters, radio stations and recording studios. I had also made contacts with many national promoters, a few record labels, and several big name groups and singers. So, myspace is a MUST DO if you are in the music industry. Next idea is to find out where are the one or two best places to buy music equipment in your local area? In Albuquerque, that is Grandma’s Music & Sound and Guitar Center. These local music equipment dealers usually provide a way for musicians and singers to connect with each other through a free bulletin board or newsletter. Get yourself posted there. Go to Yahoo Groups and see if there is a local musicians Group for your city there and join it. If not, start one it’s free and it will help you find musician’s who are looking to connect. If there is a local FREE music scene or add sheet newspaper that you can pick up at convenient stores, super markets, or other places locally, like the Alibi (our local entertainment sheet) take out a small ad in this paper just to let people know who you are. If this free local paper publishes articles about the local music scene, talk to them about writing some articles for them about what you know best like recording or promoting yourself in the music business. Write the articles to genuinely help the reader. Don’t sell yourself. Usually at the end of the article they will allow you to write a small description of who you are and how to contact you. Take advantage of that. People who read and like your articles and find than helpful will remember you and will very often want to contact you personally. Try to find the time to write and continually improve a collection of articles that will be helpful to musicians in your local area. Find our about TAXI.com, CD Baby, how Amazon.com will promote Indie artist CDs and helps Indie artists, find out about all the Performance Rights Organizations (BMI, ASCAP, SESAC – as a studio you can join all of them – they can help you connect), join the Songwriter’s Guild of America (SGA) and the International Songwriter’s Association (ISA) and take advantage of their newsletters. In short, become an EXPERT on the music industry and write articles that will help local musicians understand it better because it’s a total mystery to them and they will want to know you if you can help them understand it better. You might consider using MEETUP.com and organize a local group that is serious about being successful in the music industry. Maybe more than one group. Meet at your studio so, they can see first hand that you can help them. Local songwriter’s for instance love to meet and critique each other and get their music heard. You might sponsor a local songwriter’s showcase where they can come and play their songs and/or a local battle of the bands or even tie into or help promote Ernie Balls Battle of the Bands (search for it at Google). You might consider giving away FREE recording time through local music dealers to promote your studio. If you want to connect with musicians, you need to learn to think like them and to be as helpful as you can to them. For instance, find a local group that is playing cover music and is REALLY REALLY good. Go hear them play. Buy a drink for the band leader and suggest that they consider recording and promoting their own Christmas Music Album. Tell them you will help them promote it at CD Baby, Amazon.com, local music stores (in Albuquerque, Hastings sells Indie CDs of local artists off the shelf). Tell them you will record them for FREE for the promoter’s share of the proceeds of all music sales. I guarantee you if they sell anything they will be back to get you to record them again and this time they will be willing to pay the cost of recording. Link them up with local songwriters and get them to do an original album and promote that for them too. It’s easier than ever before for Indie artists to get into the music business today than ever before in history because of the Internet. Best way to promote your studio, is to help them promote their careers as inexpensively as possible but, always share in the proceeds of future sales. One successful group, will pay all the overhead on your studio and from that point on you are home free. Good luck to you!

Jere answers:

I’m not sure if you are asking “How to find a job?” or “What are the requirements to work in Canada?”.

I would start by reading the Citizenship and Immigration Canada web-site *carefully*. Read the requirements for permanent residency, work permits, and the requirements for Canadian companies to offer employment to foreign workers.

For starters, it is illegal to work or look for work in Canada unless you are a citizen, permanent resident, or have a work permit. In order to apply for a work permit or permanent residency you must obtain a valid job offer from a Canadian company (obviously while outside of Canada) and that company must have permission from CIC to hire foreign workers. Permission is in the form of an LMO (labour market opinion) report which shows a shortage of Canadians qualified for that profession.

Next, you must have at least one year’s work experience in your profession and most Canadian companies will want to see a lot more work experience than that — otherwise it isn’t worth going through the process. So, you need to get work in your home country as an engineer. You will also need atleast six month living expenses ($13,000 or so) to apply.

If you are have experience and are looking for work…

1. Remember that few Canadian companies can hire you. It is pointless looking on Canadian job sites or contacting random companies unless the job specifically says ‘Foreign workers’. Companies which have permission will be looking out of the country.

2. Target specific industries. Look at those which are likely to have a shortage of workers in Canada. Read Canadian the financial newpapers/web-sites, look at HRSDC reports, industry specific web-sites, provincial labour web-sites, etc. The oil and gas industry in Alberta would be an obvious choice for a civil engineer as would any companies involved in large scale civil projects.

3. Try to think where Canadian companies might look for people. In most cases, they will be looking first in the United States, then Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.

4. Look at industry specific associations — both in Canada and in those countries they would likely be looking in. They can be by industry, by geographical location, or various certification agencies (such as provincial professional engineering societies). Join web-sites, blogs, discussion groups, etc. Attend trade shows.

5. Look at online consulting work. Slightly harder for a civil engineer, but getting experience on say documentation, research, copy editing, etc. Might be a way. If you can’t … Consider writing papers, helping public/open source projects.

6. Look at (unpaid) volunteer work in Canada, continuing education courses, or at least consider visiting the country.

7. If you have the money, consider taking a master’s degree in Canada. If you get a master’s there, you may apply for a two year open work permit and if you obtain at least one year’s work experience within the two years, you may apply for permanent residency under the experience class program.

Jere answers:

Not sure if this is what you are seeking yet let’s consider the facts why we receive a longterm residual income working from home.

82% Of America’s Children Have NO Dental Plan

Over 90% Have No Vision Care Plan

AFed OfTeachers Association 2006 “Poor vision going un-checked has become the #1 Learning Disorder in elementary school children.”

More Details Below ~Startup to Finish $49 per Year with 2 Websites, 24/7 support and services need by all.

No Collections or Products to Buy

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jere answers:

Hi, get a health license per your state requirements. You can check online – type food license and you will get the license for Minnesota. You may have to take some health and food preparation classes too.

Also for starting a small business, go to the internet and type small business minnesota, see what pops up. You can ask the Small business association for guidance. They are a bunch of veterans who can assist you.

For capital, it is not going to be easy. Banks don’t come forward for new startup businesses. You can do one of two things. Borrow money for capital from your relatives and friends. Write them a notarized note that you will pay them back on a set date (say 2 years). Or you can put your home as collateral (if u have a home) and the bank will give you Equity money as loan (which is repayable in 15 or 30 yrs).

A food and health license or permit is a must as you don’t want the state to shut you down. Health classes, sanitary preparation of food, right way to package and maintain right temperature while cooking and storage are all important.

Get books from the library on food preparation, bottling, etc. Check for local vendors who will have plastic or glass bottles. You can print labels at home in color using a home printer or find a good local printer to do it. Find labels that are AVERY brand with 4 inches wide x 2 inches high.

I do designing of labels so if you want help I can do it for a small fee. Contact me for this. Also if you found my information useful please write me by clicking on my name.

If you have anyother questions, I’d be glad to answer them for you to the best of my knowledge.

Jere answers:

Contact trade associations, embassies or for free information on buyers and importers of water filters, send product details and a request by email to sell@epog.org