Many businesses are looking at Africa, where the internet infrstructure is improving slowly.  Internet penetration is also improving although mainly through the use of smart phones rather than high speed broadband connections.  Use of credit cards are relatively low though and there are many countries with relatively unstable governments although it has to be said there is a vast improvement from a decade ago.

One country that often gets overlooked is actually powering ahead in the fields of E-commerce and internet businesses and that’s Turkey.  In a country with a huge proportion of younger people, Turkey has 36 million internet users and 88% of teh population have mobile phones.  There are also high levels of people with credit and debit cards too which adds up to a very high potential internet markets.

Actually there are thousands of Turkish based internet businesses which are thriving.  Many games companies are extremely successful in targeting the domestic market and are well placed to branch out to new Eastern markets from this base.  Remember although Turkey has 36 million internet users the penetration rate is only 45% – that is the number who have access to the web – there’s a lot more potential to come.  In Europe the penetration rates are over 80% so you can see the difference.  There are obviously some difficulties for Western online businesses to exploit this market.  The language problems are the obvious one and you will often need to use a Turkish based proxy to access specific sites and advertising opportunities on popular Turkish websites.

But these slight drawbacks are only slight barriers to entry into one of the most exciting internet business opportunities in the world at the moment.  Think could your business do well on the Internet selling to a high flying Turkish economy?

There is a big problem with this, that the security of your site is dependent on how secure other web sites are.  If all you customers are using the same passwords across the net, then the security is only as high as the least secure one.  So if your password on the local football forum is the same as your online banking and Paypal account then you’re putting yourself at great risk.

Of course we all kind of know this but remembering loads of complicated passwords is just too difficult.  We’d only end up writing down them if they got too many or complicated to remember.  Companies like Paypal are now taking the next steps to drive us away fromt his potential weakness.  They want to move from passwords and start using technology like embedded fingerprint scanners using smartphones.

It’s important as the rise of online shopping and transactions keeps on growing. Paypal itself processed more than $145 billion in transactions – that’s a huge potential fraud risk with traditional passwords.

There is no clear winner yet in the authentication space, biometrics though is one of the front runners.  Firms are looking whether they can analyse the way people use their phones as a potential authentication mechanism.  Perhaps entering the password won’t be enough in the future you’ll have to enter it in a specific way.

There are other security concerns for most of these online companies in other areas too.  The very open aspect of the internet and it’s primary transport protocol – HTTP is a big security risk too.   Although security additions have been applied to this clear text protocol to provide some security for many this is still insufficient.  You only have to look at the number of people using private secure proxies to know that people are concerned.  A business man I know from Warsaw, will only connect to his Bank using a secure Polish proxy.  He uses this from hotels and Wifi spots across the globe, he simply won’t connect if this is not available.

These are the challenges that companies face today.  The internet may offer huge potential and massive opportunities but it also brings new risks and difficulties particularly to the big brands who have a reputation to protect.

I have friends who look up and order meals from their local takeaway using the internet.  They look for plumbers, electricians and painters all online – that’s local traders being found by local people purely from the web.  You might think that putting an ad in the local shops is enough, but unless you get some sort of website up and running you will certainly lose some prospective customers.

The real beauty is that making some sort of web presence is actually not very expensive.  In fact with a little research most people can produce something passable themselves. Remember it’s really not important for a local tradesman to have any sort of fancy, expensive website.  Just having some basic information on you, what you do and what it will cost is all most people are interested in.

For most people setting up a website should be standard practice for starting a new business.  Obviously for some business sectors it’s more important than others, but I don’t think there’s a company in existence that wouldn’t get some sort of benefit.  But don’t let it stop there, if you’re a tradesman check out how people sell their services in other countries.  It’s always worth looking at somewhere ultra-competitive like the US.  You can even watch US TV and press adverts to see how they promote their services.  If you get locked out of any channels or websites due to location – check this post out http://www.theninjaproxy.org/tv/a-fake-uk-ip-address/. 

So to be utterly serious, if you have a business you must have some sort of website.  If you really can’t get organised on that front, then sign up to Facebook and set up a page or two for your business, it doesn’t take long and you can update the site very easily.

It’s hardly surprising, most of us have moved a large proportion of their lives online.  We pay our bills, go shopping, watch films and a host of other things online.  How many of us now will browse for Christmas gifts online as opposed to strolling down  the high street?   Whatever business we are in, you can almost be guaranteed that a significant proportion of our market can be reached online.  Make sure you have a basic facebook page up for your business, if possible set up a Twitter account and capture your customers email details whenever you can.   This allows you to engage and update with your market, my electrician friend posts tips on his Facebook page and Tweets special offers and advice.

However  there is a downside to moving so much of our life online that of privacy and our personal information.  The nature of the internet is that it is built up from hardware all over the world and thus your information passes through all these points.  The majority of web based traffic is sent in clear text and is readable with anyone who has access to the data.   For instance sitting in your ISP are logs with detailed information of just about everything you do online.   More and more people whether they are running businesses or not are increasingly seeking to secure their online life.  

The method to do this varies but apart from common sense using secure connection channels is a method commonly used.  Using a proxy or VPN service can be used to encrypt your internet connection and ensure that your data is not readable online.  It’s also especially useful for accessing sites which are limited by location.  Many people use proxies for example to access BBC Iplayer or UK TV abroad, or accessing Hulu from outside the US.  This is because it also protects your identity by obscuring your IP address too.

This is wishful thinking, like Marxism in this respect. Yes, corporates have moved beyond boarders to acess markets and cheap labor, but they are still mostly concentrated in culture and board room to one particular nation. Few multi-nationals are truly international – being run and owned by people from all over the world. Corporates often play on national identity such as BP – British Petroleum.

And if you look at just one example you can see how culture and nationalist values trump globalization. The example is the small island of Koh Phangan in Thailand. It is an island with exploding tourism like Ibiza in the 1980s. Koh Phangan is the home of the Full Moon Party. It is also the location for such high-end resorts as Anantara Rasananda and Santhiya.

The island is about to get its own airport. The infrastrucutre of Koh Phangan has greatly improved over the last 4 years. And yet there is not one global corporate car hire place on the island. As yet, Hertz and all the others just do not appear on the island. Bringing the standardization and IT savy of a big corporate would encourage customer faith and the business would quicly take off. Instead car rental in Koh Phangan consists of a few small operators each with a few jeeps and larger 4×4 vehicles for rent.

Clearly the corporates are held in check by national laws that restrict foreign ownership in Thailand and a general culture where the small trader is preferred. In truth Koh Phangan is booming, but along its own lines. It’s fate is not being entirely decided by coporate policy. The people seem to be excercising their sovereignty as well as independence.

If anything it looks like both sovereign states and multi-national companies will increasing find themselves exposed to the caprice of the financial markets that are becoming increasingly unstable and impossible to control.

The reason I’m writing this article is to get you to take a look at how you envisage your health to be and then to look at ways you can improve it without making any major alterations in your current lifestyle. You might be pleasantly surprised to find that some of the things you can do are really very simple and in the case of this particular exercise, almost effortless!

Visualize the Best You Can Be

The first step to gaining a healthier perspective is to have an image in your mind of how you want to be. This health image (see: health-image.com for more details) should be that of you looking and feeling great, free of illness or debilitating conditions and having lots of energy and enthusiasm for life. You do that by literally using your imagination to create a picture in your mind of how you really want to look.

Don’t worry if you think your desired aspect is way different from reality. This is an exercise in imagination, not actualization. To get the best results, you should find a place where you will not be disturbed for 30 minutes or so and can relax deeply in a comfortable resting position. A couch, reclining chair or even a bed is perfect Take several deep breaths and allow your mind to clear of all intrusive thoughts.

Make it Real

Then start to form the imagined picture of your self in your mind. Take your time and make it the best you can. Once you have formed the perfect picture of your self in your mind, embellish it with movement and experience how it feels to step into that body and move around. Really feel it.

Then repeat this exercise as often as you can. At least one a day is good. The more often you practice this exercise, the more effectively the scenario will be rooted into your subconscious mind, from which it will be acted out for real in your physical body. As long as you realize that the mind is the central control system for your physical body, you’ll plainly see that you can cause your own wellness through right thinking and that will gradually and eventually become your true reality.

Get your web site translated, update your online ordering system and payment processors and you can make an initial foray into a foreign market without any huge expenses.  It’s of course vital to do your market research before you even take these steps.  Check out local media, investigate the competition – start with looking online by using proxies to access their domestic restricted sites.  This is essential as many business directories are only accessible when you are located in that country – using proxies like these, http://www.proxyusa.com/ makes them accessible.  Research like this also helps you consider cultural differences which are often a huge barrier to some businesses.

For many companies building a relationship with a local business can be a smart move.  Someone who is established in a related business can be an ideal partner to help gain a foothold and help you learn the ropes.  Often a partner can significantly reduce the costs of entering a new market and speed the process up too.

Although there are many good reasons to expand a successful business abroad, don’t underestimate the costs involved. Taking these initial steps can give you a good idea of the costs involved but there’s always likely to be hidden costs in any major expansion.  It’s important to allow some contingency in your budget to allow for these hidden surprises.

One of my employees recently returned from learning to dive on Tao Island in Thailand. He told us he stayed on a beach called Taa Sak. It sounded like a very peaceful and quiet beach in an idyllic setting of coconut palms and mountain scenery. He had a deep suntan and a very bored looked on his face.

Rather than dismiss his holiday with just a few words of polite discourse, I encouraged my employee to tell us in the office about his holiday. I also asked him to tell us some details about how much it cost. This was politic on my part. I find discussing the bottom line helps to focus the minds of my employees. At first many of the people in the office were transported by the stories of spotting whale sharks and trigger fish diving; by the rich coconut laced food and by the all night parties on Sairee Beach; but, when they discovered how much money they needed to go to Thailand and do these things they soon started to value their jobs again I’m sure.

It is always good to be friendly as an office manager. It is essential to have a basic understanding of human psychology to make sure everyone is happy and doing their job to the best of their ability rather than dreaming of soaking up the sun on Taa Sak in Koh Tao.

I went home to see my parents and an old friend suggested I took a holiday in Thailand. The idea immediately took root and within a week I was on a plane to Thailand with no idea where I wanted to go, or what I wanted to do.

I hated Bangkok. The confined room, the noise and pollution reminded me of my last job. I ended up taking an overnight bus down to Khao Lak. I loved the area immediately. It had great beaches and just enough nightlife to stop boredom setting in.

The main jobs available for foreigners at the time were for dive instructors. I did my Open Water but realized it wasn’t for me. However, when the dive school heard that I had been an office supervisor before and that I could do accounts they offered me a job in Bang La On. It was just 5 minutes walk from the beach, and it was easily the best office job I’ve ever had. I chatted with customers and in my spare time I learnt Thai. It was very unstressful. When I finished at 4pm I would head down to the beach for a sunset swim before dinner.

I did that office job for a year, and it remains my favorite (if worst paid) job I’ve done.

This can partly be achieved by better insulation. This is not, however, always an easy thing to do because many modern business facilities are built from steel and light weight walls that are made in the factory and assembled on site.

A good solution is to better regulate the heating and cooling in different parts of the facility. It has to be decided which parts need what type of heating and cooling. Many areas are infrequently visited and need minimal heating and cooling. Another factor is timing. It is essential to have the heating or cooling equipment set points and on/off times to coincide with the comings and goings of the work force.

If the facility keeps the same working hours every day of the week then a good 5+2 programmable thermostat such as Lux Products TX500E can do the job fine.This model comes with swing control to stop short cycling, a temporary hold button and, most importantly for a facility, a keyboard lock out. This stops unauthorized personnel from changing the settings.

By using a programmable thermostats such as the Lux Products TX500E Smart Temp big savings can be made on heating and cooling bills. In some geographical locations the savings can amount to 30% of the total bill for the year. That means that installing programmable thermostats soon pay for themselves and then start bringing down annual running costs. That is something as a manager or a proprietor of a business that should be taken seriously in these tough economic times.