5 Practical Tips for All-Season Energy Savings

Replacing windows and doors is the fourth most common home-remodeling project and experts say it can dramatically reduce utility bills. Yet when it comes to choosing more energy-efficient options, consumers might be overwhelmed by the whirlwind of technology, terminology and options on the market today. 

Homeowners need to be armed with accurate information in order to make the best choices about the many available options. That's especially true as energy costs continue to climb. The Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program estimates that the savings from replacing single-pane with Energy Star-qualified windows ranges from $125 to $340 a year for a typical home.

Since this is the time of year when many homeowners embark on remodeling projects, here are five basic tips for selecting the most energy efficient windows and doors for your home. 

* Use Low-E glass. Select windows with Low-E glass, which controls the amount of heat transferred through the window and prevents heat loss in the winter. Jeld-Wen, a window and door manufacturer, now offers Low-E glass as a standard for its wood and clad wood windows and as an upgrade option for its vinyl windows.

* Update technology. Replace older single-pane windows with dual-pane units, which insulate the home from both cold and hot weather. Using both Low-E glass and insulating glass units will reduce home energy costs.

* Consider how they're made. Choose doors with energy-efficient cores, sills and frames that provide a barrier to energy exchange. Dual-pane, Low-E glass helps ensure that they will be weathertight and energy efficient. For example, studies show that over time, steel doors made with polystyrene maintain energy ratings better than doors made with polyurethane.

* Understand the standards. Efficiency ratings are based on U-factor, which is the amount of heat flow through a product. The lower the U-factor, the more efficient the product. Efficiency also is measured by Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC), which indicates the ability to block heat generated by sunlight. The lower the SHGC, the better. Finally, experts evaluate Visible Light Transmission, which is the percentage of sunlight that is able to penetrate a window or door. Higher percentages mean more light will enter through the glass.

* Focus on efficiency, not bells and whistles. Manufacturers achieve efficiency in different ways. No matter what technology is employed, one of the easiest ways to identify the most energy-efficient products is to simply look for the Energy Star label.

3 Essential Boundaries for Mom Entrepreneurs and Their Husbands

In the beginning, I thought it was going to be a breeze when my husband, Terry, joined me working full-time in my business.  If anyone could do it, we could!  We already had a healthy relationship built on trust and respect.  We communicated well.  We both strongly believed in what we were doing.  We understood the need to help each other with the children, keeping the house, and with the business.  We planned to allow for fluctuations in income to keep stresses over money to a minimum.  Yet I still wasn’t prepared.

For anyone considering working with your spouse, here are 3 Essential Boundaries for Entrepreneurial Couples to help to ease your transition:

1. Clarify expectations for work/home.  

Nothing can prepare you for the blurring of boundaries and turf that occur as you transition into working together.  When you join together with your spouse, most likely, both of you have experienced success throughout your careers, and have developed your own working style.  Suddenly you have a whole new dynamic in your relationship with your spouse you must learn to work through.  I always knew that we had different gifts and talents:  Terry is very techie and he loves to write, and I am a people person who is an administrative whiz.  Even though I should have probably seen it coming, I was still surprised at the difference in our work styles.  I multi-task all day long, and he prefers to work on one project at a time.  Just like being newlyweds all over again, we had to put some effort into getting to know each other on a whole new level to be able to work well together.

Beth Butler, creator of the Boca Beth Program has some helpful tips for clarifying expectations with your spouse.  “I make us lunch each day and we try to talk about BOCA BETH items that are pressing.  It's our time to reconnect - he works from home for the wine company he represents and I work from home sharing my passion for second language learning with young children.  A funny mix, but it works!  We talk about what each of us has planned the next day so there are no surprises - and I use that time to ask for his help.  I can't expect him to guess what I need so I have learned to be very specific.”

2. Schedule time for love.

Most entrepreneurial couples complain they have less time together than before.  It is possible to work beside your spouse in the same office all day long and barely speak on a personal level.  How difficult is it to turn off your cell phone and talk a walk with your love?  It is imperative to make it a point to schedule time for your relationship so that the business does not overtake it.  Terry and I plan ahead to sneak away for lunch or to take a break at Starbucks.  We have found if we don’t take the time to schedule in these lunch or coffee dates, then they are less likely to happen as we work to meet deadlines or get a project done.  We haven’t yet been able to master scheduling “regular dates”, but its next on our list of priorities in order to help keep our close relationship.

3. Schedule time for yourself.  

It can be a shock when you suddenly have so much time with your spouse.  In your previous life, they left at 7 AM and came home at 6 PM, and then you discussed your day during dinner.  Now you spend most (if not all) of the day with them, and during dinner, there is nothing new to discuss.  Where is the time for you?  Karyn Fagan, Founder of Team Women, tells “We both have hobbies that we love outside of the house so we have that important away time.” 

Terry and I certainly have a long way to go as an Entrepreneurial Couple, but we have made it through our entrepreneurial “honeymoon” period.  Each day, we work together to reach our goals and dreams.  We understand when we help each other we will reach our dreams sooner, so we help each wherever its needed!

“Why Business Credit Is A MUST For Every Business Owner!”

As an entrepreneur, you’re hardwired to enjoy a greater level of risk than the average person. But do you enjoy the thrill of business and investing so much that you’re willing to risk: 

-Being hounded by creditors?

-Declaring bankruptcy?

-Being denied a mortgage?

-Paying more than your fair share of interest on your loans?

-Losing your house?

If you answered “no” to one or more of these questions, this may be the most important report you’ve read in a long time.

Because, if you’re like most entrepreneurs, investors, and business owners I’ve met over the past 28 years, you’re in danger of facing all of these horrific problems.

And it’s all because of your business.

You see, entrepreneurs typically make one or more financially devastating mistakes when financing the launch, operation and/or growth of their businesses. In most cases, they don’t realize that they’re making a mistake. 

And to tell the truth, even when they do realize they’re making a mistake … they lull themselves into thinking that the consequences will be a minor annoyance. 

Until, one day, they can’t qualify for a mortgage. Or they can’t get the to-die-for financing offered on the new car they’re buying. Or they’re hounded by creditors and eventually have to declare bankruptcy.

And it is all because they use their personal finances to fund the launch or expansion of their business. They then use personal credit cards to pay for business expenses. If you are in business or thinking about starting a business, business credit is a must. 

Let me explain, most business owner have no idea that they can establish business credit and even fewer know how to how to establish business credit. If owners would take the time necessary to educate themselves about establishing credit they would no longer have to use their personal funds for start up capital or working capital. 

They would also be able to use business credit cards which don’t report to their personal credit reports, therefore, not lowering the personal credit scores.

The most important goal of business credit though is to obtain unsecured business lines of credit, which can be done once the business credit profile is set up properly. Once a business obtains unsecured business lines of credit, they then have the working capital they need to start a business or expand their business. The business owner has check book control to use the business lines of credit as they wish. And best of all, the business lines of credit don’t report to the business owner’s personal credit report.

If you have set up your business profile correctly there are a number of banks that will lend to brand new start up business. That is right, brand new start up business with no track record whatsoever. The banks will extend unsecured business lines of credit so they can have the start up capital they need to finance the business of their dreams. 

Make no mistake about it; business credit is a MUST for every business owner. Don’t put your personal assets at risk finance or fund your business!