A green business is involved in manufacturing products or providing services that are environmentally friendly. All business operations in such organizations are committed to follow eco-friendly principles so that the environment is not adversely affected. They aim to gain profit without compromising environmental concerns. To motivate entrepreneurs to start new businesses that are environmental friendly, green business grants are provided by many government and non-government organizations. These grants can vary from a few hundred dollars to millions of dollars, depending on the business project and the organization granting it. Any business, big or small, which is based on an eco-friendly model, can apply for a green business grant.

Federal Grants for Green Businesses
Grants for Green Businesses U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Grant The EPA or Environmental Protection Agency of the United Sates awards grants to small businesses which are based on the ‘go-green’ concept. These grants are awarded annually in the form of a two-year contract. Entrepreneurs with green business ideas submit their proposals to the agency, which then selects proposals that are eligible for grants. For a business to qualify for this grant, three criteria must be fulfilled. First, the business must be science and technology based. Second, it must be based in the U.S. and third, it must have less than 500 employees. Under the EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, new businesses are awarded grants in two phases. In the first phase, businesses are given $70,000 for six months for research purposes. Once the research work is complete, businesses submit a new proposal to the EPA. In the second phase, EPA gives $225,000 to grant holders for two years.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Grant

Under the U.S. Department of Agriculture Small Business Innovation Research program, small businesses with eco-friendly ideas, in the field of agriculture, are awarded grants in two phases. Businesses in the research phase receive grants up to $80,000 while the ones in the second phase receive grants up to $350,000 depending on the size of the project.

U.S. Department of Energy Grant

Entrepreneurs with green business ideas for energy use, energy production, environment management or nuclear nonproliferation, can qualify for grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Grants are again awarded in two phases. Phase I grant is for feasibility study and Phase II grant is for research and development. The grant holder receives $100,000 for nine months in the first phase and the same amount over a two-year period in the second phase.

State and Local Green Business Grants
State and Local Grants

Small green businesses can also apply for grants that are awarded under the state government and local programs. Every state has its own set standards for businesses to qualify under these programs. The information regarding programs running in each state can be obtained from state government websites and business portals.

Community Conservation Enterprises Grant
Community Conservation Enterprises Grant

Community Conservation Enterprises or CCE currently awards grants to small green businesses that are initiated in Central America and Mexico. These grants range from $500 to $2000. The CCE supports business which help in improving quality of life of local people by providing products or services that protect the environment and use natural resources religiously.

Other Green Business Grant Sources
Other Green Business Grants

Many corporations and non-governmental institutions offer grants to businesses that want to take a step forward to protect the environment. For example, CBS, a media giant in the United States, offers grants to green business projects. Another company, Retensa, also motivates entrepreneurs to enter into green businesses, by awarding many grants from time to time. Some public utility companies also help people who wish to start eco-friendly businesses or expand an already existing green business.

Why Green Business Grants Matter
Everyone knows how fast natural resources of our planet are depleting. The negative impact of various industries in the world is a big cause of concern. To make businesses realize this fact, and motivate them to take measures to work towards a cleaner and greener environment, green business grants are awarded. This initiative not only benefits the business owner but also mankind and our planet.

Investing your money wisely is as important as making money. Wrong investment choices can erode your wealth considerably and this affects your total net worth and financial targets set for yourself. With smart financial planning, you can surpass your targets by a great margin. However, for practically implementing these financial plans, you need to take professional guidance from your investment adviser. Though there are many options as far as where to invest money in 2011 is concerned, you can choose two or three investment options to avoid over-diversification of your investments. Here are the best places to invest money…

Investing in Real Estate
Real Estate

Real estate investments pay off greatly in the long run. You may have met many people who made significant part of their total fortune through the route of real estate. Investments in emerging locations and cities can give good returns in the years to come. Along with the reputation of the developer, also look for industrialization, infrastructure and business in the location where you wish to buy a property.

Mutual Funds for Beginners
Mutual Funds If you are looking for the best places to invest money in 2011 and beyond, then mutual fund investments can be a good option. Mutual funds with high ratings and consistent returns can be the best choice for you. While selecting a fund, you should get all the details from the fund manager and make sure that your investments are safe. Large cap diversified funds are the best ways to invest money

for beginners. If you are a cautious investor, then you should stay away from mid cap and small cap funds which are far more risky than the large cap ones.

Investing in Stocks
Stocks

Direct stocks can also be an investment option which you can consider after sufficient exposure to the markets. Stock selection involves analysis of company’s business model, management of the company, past performance, valuations of the company’s stock by considering the company’s net earnings, market capitalization of the company, etc. Investments in stocks can either be long term or short term depending on the risk appetite of the investor. Generally, long term investments are suggested for people who are beginners in stock investing.

Fixed Deposits for Safe Returns
Fixed Deposits

Fixed deposits of banks and financial institutions can be extremely advantageous for investors who are looking for risk free investments. Fixed deposits will pay you good interest on your deposited money and this mode of investment is totally free from market risks. This is why many people opt for the long term fixed deposits. Apart from government run banks, there are some non banking financial institutions which raise money through the route of fixed deposits.

Investing in Gold
Gold

Investments in gold are safe due to the constantly increasing demand. You can buy gold in the electronic form and sell it conveniently whenever you really need the money. Gold has beaten several investment options in terms of safety of investment and returns generated in a year.

Bonds as an Investment Option
Bonds

Bond investments are profitable as companies issuing bonds are liable to pay fixed returns every year to the bond holders. This return is received by the bond holders irrespective of the company making profits in its business or not. In fact, bonds are long term loan advanced to corporations to expand their business. Bonds of government and well established companies are ideal for investment purposes.

According to me, these are the best places to invest money considering the nature of the economy. Since economic conditions keep changing, it would be advisable to stay updated regarding these changes and make investment decisions accordingly. So, with a hope that you will create wealth with right decisions, I would like to sign off here. Good luck!

What Is Radio Commercial Airtime?
Radio is immediate. ~ Wink Martindale There is one thing about the radio that we can’t change and that is it being an immediate medium. In between all the radio programs that are aired, we listen to commercials. These commercials are ways through which the radio agencies make maximum money. The time a company gets to go live and sell itself, is known as airtime. This commercial airtime is what gets the radio companies maximum of their funds. However, there is a downward trend in radio advertising today. There are many reasons that lead to organizations opting for other mediums of advertising, some of which are listed below. These disadvantages of radio advertising

are problems faced by companies if they choose to advertise with radio as a medium. Yes, there are some advantages of using this medium as well. For example, it’s cheaper than the other mediums but then again, the effectiveness is not guaranteed at all.

Disadvantages of Radio Advertising Compared to Other Mediums

Main Disadvantages of Radio Advertising
Mentioned below are reasons why radio advertising is not given much importance today. However, we still find companies that advertise through radio. This is because either they can’t afford the other mediums, because they can afford all the mediums and because their advertising strategies demand them to do so. In some poor countries, the availability of a radio is more than that of a television. At such times, it becomes necessary to advertise through radio itself.

No Visuals

The human mind can remember what it sees better than what it can hear. What you hear, in quick, succession isn’t registered in your brain properly. Whatever little is registered, it cannot be recollected completely later. This way, chances are that you’ll hardly ever remember an advertisement completely on the radio. Even if you do remember it, it’ll be very difficult for you to understand what it implies as you can’t see the object it talks about. Being human, we usually believe only what we see.

No Affordability Radio advertising is not affordable in the short run. For you to register your advertisement in the minds of your customers, it’ll take you at least a couple of advertisements and repeated broadcasting over a few days. This means, if you advertise only once, chances are you’ll hardly make any profits. Also, the number of customers you get, might be less than what you need to cover up costs of advertising on radio

and reach equilibrium even.

No Rationality

The reason why radio advertising is considered irrational by many companies is because there is no guarantee of someone hearing it. For example, your advertisement is going to be aired after Song B. Currently, assuming there are 10 people listening to song A. As Song B starts, they realize they don’t like it and they switch to another station. You lose out on 5 of your potential customers right there. Most listeners don’t listen to the advertisements at all. The moment one song is over, they switch to a station that is playing something.

No Durability

If you read an advertisement in the newspaper or on a brochure or on a pamphlet even, that is delivered right at your doorstep, what do you do? If you find it interesting, you cut the piece of advertisement and keep it with you. Can you do this to a radio advertisement? No! This is why radio is called immediate. Once you have heard what you’ve heard, you have no option but to remember it or hope to hear it again sometime and that sometime can be anytime.

No Priority

Also, listening to the radio is done mostly in the car when you’re driving. This reduces the amount of attention you can give it anyway. Also, there are particular slots when there is maximum traffic. If you want good business, it’s important you advertise in these slots only. Now this increases your costs and also the competition. While reading a newspaper or while watching TV, a person is doing just that. However, while listening to the radio, it’s mostly something else at hand that is more important.

These are the disadvantages of radio advertising as they exist in the corporate world today. Every organization is looking for profit maximization and at such a time, radio is a medium that can’t really guarantee benefits.

Should You Still Use Radio Advertising?
Radio advertising ideas

can be experimented with but the end product won’t outdo all the disadvantages mentioned above. Like I’ve said before, some companies have no option but to resort to this form of advertising as their strategies demand so. For the rest, think twice before putting in the money.

What Is a Balloon Mortgage?
Balloon Mortgages: A Quick Overview Conventionally a balloon mortgage

loan is defined as a loan which is repaid in installments for a said amount of time, following which by the way of balloon mortgage payment, the entire loan’s debt balance is repaid. The first installments, reduce the balance a little bit and the balloon payment, takes off the entire debt. It is said that the most prominent characteristic of this kind of loan is that it does not amortize, that is the debt on the shoulders of the borrower is not cleared off in successive and equal payments, which is known as amortization. Instead a series of payments followed by one gigantic clear off, of the debt is used.

Disbursement of the Loan

Principal amount: 100x

Installment #1: 10x

Installment #2: 10x

Installment #3: 10x

Installment #4: 10x

Balloon Payment: 60x

Note that there are two types of balloon mortgages. Firstly, there are some normal mortgages which have balloon payment clause within them and on the other hand, there are some balloon mortgages which are designed to work in accordance with mechanism mentioned above. There are however, some advantages and disadvantages of balloon mortgages.

Advantages of Balloon Mortgages
Advantages of Balloon Mortgages

The following are some of the key advantages of using the balloon mortgages. Take a look.

The first advantage of using a balloon mortgage is that the liability which the borrower owes gets paid off pretty quickly.
The second advantage is that there is no hard and fast rule regarding the balloon payment which can be made at any date. This is applicable for common mortgages which have a balloon payment clause in their agreement.
The third advantage of such a mortgage is that the total interest that you pay in the entire transaction is relatively low.
It is also quite easy to refinance a balloon mortgage loan with another mortgage, secured loan or even a home equity loan.
Several of the balloon mortgage loans, which expire by the end of 7-10 years are expanded to become common or regular 15 or 30 year mortgage.
There are several more advantages of balloon loans, such as the houses of such loans are quite easy to sell off at highly competitive and lower rates. Apart from that, these loans also cost much less and a clean and healthy credit report means you have got yourself an excellent interest rate. This loan can come in really handy if you are buying one property and selling off another or you are expecting huge bulk income in short time period. Speedy and bulk repayment is the motto of this loan. Apart from all these merits, there’s a cherry on top. Once you have repaid the loan with the balloon payment and if the real estate prices rise even a bit, then you are left with a real estate and its equity, worth a small fortune.

Disadvantages of Balloon Mortgages
Disadvantages of Balloon Mortgages

There are also some disadvantages of this loan. In fact the short-term feature of this loan leads to quite some risks and problems:

The first and the most prominent disadvantage of a balloon mortgage is that these loans tend to have very small time period of repayment. As a result it becomes difficult for people to cope up with the balloon payment installments.
The second disadvantage of the loan is that in cases, where the mortgagee/borrower is unable to pay off the loan or sell of the property, or refinance it, then he is left with no choice but to face foreclosure.
Thirdly, the chance of defaulting a loan and facing bankruptcy is also possible, which makes the loan a bit of a risky one.
The worse scenario that can happen is if the borrower pays off the loan or refinances the loan (if he opts to do so), and then the real estate rates fall, then he suffers a substantial loss and is left with an almost worthless real estate.
If a borrower chooses to convert to a normal mortgage, then he has to face the prospect of facing a much steeper interest rates.
This one is often viewed to be an advantage but in reality it is a disadvantage in a guise. The balloon mortgage often tends to have a much smaller down payment and well, in simple terms it means that the total principal amount of the loan is quite high. In such a case, the total amount owned is much larger than, in comparison to a normal mortgage.
Now the obvious drawback that exists, in case of default or foreclosure, is that the credit report of the borrower gets affected. Apart from that due to the short time-span, these loan tends to act as double-edged sword with the ‘cons’ side having much a sharper edge.

Weighing the Pros and Cons
The advantages and disadvantages are almost equal in number and also in terms of their severity. Hence, in such a case, it is recommended that you assess the drawbacks and advantages according to your own financial situation. It will give you a much a better and broader picture of the situation.

When Did YouTube Get Started?
The first YouTube video was uploaded on 23rd April, 2005 and featured Jawed Karim, one of the founders of the site, at the San Diego zoo and since then the site has come a long way. Before the advent of YouTube in 2005, people easily sent text through email and even photographs and images as email attachments but sharing videos on the Internet was something that no one could think of. But thanks to Steve Chen, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim, the three men behind the creation of YouTube, video sharing became fun and easier than ever before. All you need to do is visit the site, search for your favorite video and then just sit back and enjoy! What’s more, you can even create your own profile by registering with the site for free and then log in and upload your own videos. The videos on the site are Flash videos and to view them, you need to have the Adobe Flash Player plug-in installed in your browser.

Before we get on to find out how YouTube makes money, let’s try to understand a little about the business dynamics of YouTube, which includes the cost of hosting and distributing so many videos. If we consider the expenses of any website, the first thing that comes to our mind is sourcing the content. However, most of the content on YouTube is free as the videos are uploaded by people who are members of the site. However, there are other charges that include hosting charges, uploading charges, charges for transcoding and most importantly, charges for distributing. The estimated price that YouTube pays per month for bandwidth is around 30 million U.S. dollars, which is a pretty big amount!

How does YouTube Earn Money

?

Google’s Acquisition of YouTube
In November 2006, Google bought YouTube for a whopping $1.65 billion and now the site functions as a subsidiary of the Internet giant. The fact that Google Inc. showed interest in acquiring YouTube means that YouTube was indeed a money spinning venture that made huge profits. So, where does all this money come from and what makes YouTube such a successful business venture financially? Read on to know.

Revenue from Advertising

How Does YouTube Earn Money From Advertising?
This is by far the biggest source of revenue for any site and YouTube is no exception. If you type something in the search box and click enter, you are directed to a page that displays the search results that match the words you had typed in. If you look at the right side of this page, you’ll find that there are a number of links of websites featured under a section named ‘Google Ads’. These are nothing but Google AdSense advertisements and every time someone clicks on these links, YouTube earns revenue.

Another way to earn money through advertisements is to place ad clips before or after a video. This is termed as premier advertising and is rare in YouTube. Even though millions of videos are viewed by people who visit the site, you can see that hardly any of the videos have ads in them. Only 3-4% of the total videos on the site have ads in them while the rest do not.

The estimated revenue earned can be arrived at by a simple calculation: if the amount gained from advertising is greater than the cost of hosting, per video, then the site definitely stands to gain huge revenues. Now, advertisements are again not all the same and fall under two major categories. Advertisement clips that are a part of the video and play either before the video clip or at the end of it, come under the category of macro-advertising. On the other hand, micro-advertising includes Google ads that are not a part of the video but appear on the web page. In YouTube, you would rarely find macro-advertising but mostly you would find Google ads. No matter what the type of ads, the revenue of a site is directly proportional to the percentage of content that carries an ad with it. And taking into consideration the huge popularity of YouTube and the millions of users the site attracts, it does manage to make huge profits in spite of the humble web advertising rates for micro-advertising.

Revenue From Bidding Keywords

Keyword Bidding and Other Revenue Sources
If you know the basics of search engine optimization, you must be aware of what keywords are. They are words or a group of words that most people search for. Now, if you begin typing something in Google’s search box, you’d see that there are a few suggestions that appear. In the same way, you find suggestions appearing below the search box in YouTube as well. The phrases that appear are termed as keywords. Now, say the name of the video you have uploaded on the site is “How to Jump Around the House” and you wish more and more people to come and “see” you jumping around. So, what is the best thing to do? Well, if you can make your title appear as a suggestion the moment someone types ‘how to’, then the chance that people would land up on your page increases manifold, isn’t it? For this, all you need to do is bid for keywords. The more the number of people who bid for their video titles (or a part of it) to appear in the list of suggested keywords, the more the revenue earned by YouTube!

In addition to this, YouTube has launched a service in the U.S. whereby people who subscribe can watch movies online on a rental basis. Also, agreements with various entertainment houses allowing them to showcase their films and shows on the site, contribute to the revenue earned.