Strategic planning is a coordinated and systematic process to develop a plan for the overall direction of an organization and the allocation of resources to optimize future potential. Many businesses start with just an idea and a desire to succeed. Sometimes it works; more often, it doesn’t. According to the US Small Business Administration (SBA), the main reasons businesses fail are lack of a solid plan and lack of adequate capital. These two reasons are related, especially in tough economic times. After all, if you don’t invest in a good plan for your business, why would you expect anyone else to invest in your business?

Strategic and business planning is not just a box to check off your to-do list. Strategic planning is the foundation of everything: your business identity, your marketing and sales, your operations, your management approach, and your financing. However, apologies abound for not doing so. Even well-established companies need to stand out from their competitors to grow and improve their margins.

Regardless of the size of your business or how long you’ve been in business, if you’re willing to invest, you may be someone who could outperform the competition and change the nature of our economy through new processes, products or services.

Planning is much more than just a team-building exercise, but one of the benefits of using the inclusive planning process described below is the creation of a strong and cohesive management team. The feedback from my Strategic Planning Workshop is that the process brings out the different management perspectives and structures them into a unified strategy.

My six-step process for building a workable strategic plan is the foundation of my Strategic Planning Workshop.

Eastern Participants – Develop a common understanding of the planning process and the frameworks that provide information about your business. This step defines the general framework for the process and explores alternatives to more fully develop different aspects of the process. Planning team members should come from the functional units of the company (finance, marketing, operations), so they may have different perspectives depending on their area of ​​expertise. The owners’ endgame is an important driver of strategy.

Review your current mission, goals/objectives – Establish the starting point and examine alternatives that can add value to your current plan. Whether your current goals and objectives are loosely defined or well defined, they define your business and how it is run. If you’re not sure where you are, you’ll have a hard time pinpointing your address. I use a three-question, customer-focused exercise to define your current business, and then look at the next 12 months.

When you define your business from a customer perspective, you can make a difference in your success. Growth comes from focusing on customers and consistently delivering value to them. Although strategic plans generally cover longer time frames, a solid plan for the next year is important to have confidence in a three- to five-year plan.

Prepare your situational analysis – Identify market segments, competitors, capabilities, core competencies and opportunities. Instead of trying to tackle big, broad markets, define your niche, and preferably define it for your competitive advantage. To position yourself against your competitors, understand who they are and what their market strategy is.

When you consider your capabilities, you need to do an honest Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis. All of your core competencies should be strengths, but does each one add value? Are they unique and sustainable? How important is each competency to your customers? Finally, identify and evaluate your perceived opportunities. Preparing a situational analysis can be an intense activity, especially if you find that you are not well aligned with your customers. If you’re not well aligned, you’re left with the options of finding new customers, developing new products or services that meet customer needs, or becoming a statistic. Over the past two years, we’ve seen some notable examples of companies failing to respond to changing customer needs and wants or changing government regulations.

Formulate your strategy – Brainstorming; develop the industry scenario; full strategic reviews; formulate strategies, mission statement, goals and objectives. “First comes the thought; then the organization of that thought into ideas and plans; then the transformation of those plans into reality.” – Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich.

This is where you differentiate yourself and find ways to beat the competition. Some companies have done poorly in the down economy, but others have grown and prospered because they had a strategy that was responsive to change. Small businesses have an advantage over their larger rivals because they can move faster to respond to change and implement new ideas. This step definitely requires some thought, but the rewards can be substantial. Remember that many of today’s great companies were founded during a recession. Other small companies proved they had value and were acquired by a larger company.

Prepare your implementation plan – Define action plans, schedules and budgets. Action without a strategy is wrong. A strategy without action is a waste. What specifically needs to be done to achieve your goals and objectives? Who should do it and what other resources will they need? When do you have to do it? Actions should be broken down into measurable steps according to a timeline and assigned to specific people. How are you going to finance your plan? Your implementation plan is your basic reality check. If the schedule is unrealistic or you do not have the necessary people, resources or funds; What adjustments can you make to achieve your goals?

Prepare for monitoring – Establish metrics and a monitoring schedule. Once you have established what needs to be done, you need to define how you are going to measure progress towards meeting your goals and objectives and how often. Monitoring should be frequent enough that corrective action can be taken before critical dates are missed. Monthly progress reviews and quarterly strategy reviews may or may not be enough. Setting minimum, target, and broad goals can also be helpful. Remember that the plan is not set in stone. If your reviews show that something isn’t working, change it.

I generally recommend using the SCORE business plan outline that was developed for start-ups but can be easily adapted for established businesses. The questions answered during the planning process feed directly into the sections of the business plan: Description of the business: what do you do? Products/Services – What do you sell? Marketing Plan – how are you going to sell it? Operational plan: how will you carry out the daily operation? Management plan: how will your business be managed and by whom? and the Financial Plan – how will you finance the business?

As you go through the steps of developing your strategy and preparing your plan, it is important to keep the endgame in mind. Although no one can guarantee the success of your business, good planning builds a solid foundation for your business and minimizes risk to you.

Shopping for my own children is easier than shopping for my nieces and nephews. I seem to know what my kids like (maybe it’s the constant begging). But when I’m doing Christmas shopping for other kids, the game gets harder because I’m not sure what they’d like or what would be appropriate for kids their age.

An obvious solution is to ask their parents. That works fine, but if you don’t want parents to know ahead of time, where can you go for age-appropriate research information?

I found that two websites provide this type of data quite well. One is Amazon, though my favorite is one called Omaha-based Fat Brain Toys. The website is fatbraintoys.com. They have a retail store, but they also have this awesome website that gives great descriptions and reviews of the coolest, most unique toys you’ll ever find on a Walmart shelf, and they have these cool charts that show you what age of kid is really playing with the toy in question. Thus, a toy that the manufacturer thinks an 8-year-old would love is actually preferred by 5- and 6-year-olds. How would I know that without your help?

We have found this information invaluable in our Christmas shopping and I suggest you take a look if you are having difficulty finding the perfect gift. For once this year I don’t have to beg for a list from anyone, I can buy a genuine surprise item and know it will be one of a kind and loved by the kids I’m buying for.

What body type are you? (Men only)

1. Your ability to gain/lose weight sounds more like

HAS). I can’t gain weight easily, in the form of fat or muscle.

B). I can gain muscle easily and gain very little fat

vs). I gain fat easily, may have some muscle tone, but it’s hard for me to get “shaggy”

2. My bone structure is

HAS). Small

B). medium to large

vs). Large

3. I gain muscle

HAS). Slowly, I look like a long distance runner.

B). Easily, it’s easy for me to tear apart

vs). easily, but I rarely see myself torn

4. My body looks more like

HAS). Short torso, long limbs, narrow chest and shoulders, long lean muscles

B). Large chest, long torso, solid lean muscles

vs). Short neck, wide stature, round face, smooth appearance.

5. As a child I went

HAS). Slim

B). Average

vs). Chubby

6. In the sun I tend to

HAS). burns easily

B). tan well

vs). Burn then tan

7. If I go a whole week without exercising, I will.

HAS). Stay the same, or maybe lose a pound or two

B). stay the same

vs). weight gain

8. If I diet for a week without exercising, I will.

HAS). Lose weight

B). Lose a few pounds, but look the same

vs). still the same

9. I am mostly like

HAS). A runner

B). a bodybuilder

vs). A soccer player

10. My fat/muscle ratio is

HAS). Low fat / low muscle

B). Low fat / high muscle

vs). High fat / high muscle

Answers:

mostly A – ectomorph

If you fall into this category, you are likely to be a thin, tall, and frail person who cannot gain weight easily. Since this site is about bodybuilding, I am sure this is not the style you are looking for. However, not all hope is lost. People who are ectomorphs need to add more calories to their diets. Be careful not to add calories in one or two large meals, because your body can’t use all of them as fuel to add muscle. It’s a better idea to spread these calories over 5-7 meals a day. Also be careful about the types of food you are eating. It’s easy for people with a high metabolism to go out and eat fast food all the time, because it doesn’t affect their weight. But, when you’re trying to gain muscle, eating high-quality food counts just as much as when you’re trying to lose weight. You can have fat intake of up to 30% of your diet, but try to get most of it from quality fats like fish and vegetable oils. When it comes to exercise, ectomorphs should limit their cardio activities and focus more on lifting weights. When lifting, you should aim for lower reps using heavy weights. Resting between sets is important, as is resting between workouts so your muscles have time to grow. The best exercises to do are heavy compound movements like deadlifts, squats, bench presses, and pulldowns. The main focus should be on putting on mass and worrying about definition a bit later.

mostly B – Mesomorph

If you fall into this category, consider yourself lucky. This is the ideal body type for bodybuilding. It is not extremely difficult for you to gain or lose weight, and you can pack on muscle quickly. People in this category should aim for 4-6 healthy, well-balanced meals per day. Your fat intake should be around 20% of your daily calories, and you should aim to consume 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body mass. Remember, just because you’re blessed with the ideal body type doesn’t mean you can slack off eating extra dessert and skipping workouts. As you age and these habits take hold, you will begin to notice problem areas on your body and health issues. When you are in the gym, you should strength train 2-3 times a week and do aerobic activities either daily or every other day. Since everyone is different, you need to prioritize your workouts in the best possible way for your own personal benefit.

mostly C – endomorph

If you are an endomorph, you are probably rather round or soft looking. You can have muscles but you have very little tone. To achieve the bodybuilding look you want, it is extremely important to focus on both healthy eating and exercise. You will probably have to cut calories from your daily diet. Start by eating smaller portions, more often throughout the day (every 2-3 hours), about 4-6 meals a day. Eating your last meal 3-4 hours before bed is an easy way to cut calories and speed up weight loss. Be sure to eat plenty of lean protein and fiber-rich foods, such as beans, whole grains, brown rice, fruits, and vegetables. When it comes to exercise, you should get at least 30 minutes of cardio activity 5-6 days a week and strength training two to three times a week. Make sure to rest at least 2 days between your strength training workouts. You can focus on major muscle group exercises like deadlifts and squats, and you’ll also want to incorporate isolation exercises for more tone.

Bodybuilding Resources @ bodybuilding information [http://www.inforesearcher.com/body-building.php]

Writing articles for syndication is a great way to attract people to your website. When building links, two things will happen:

1. Search engines will rank your page higher than one with fewer links to it

2. People will be able to find you more easily.

Although your web stats may only make it seem like 3 or 4 people are visiting your site each month from any of these sources, imagine the long-term impact and compare that to an AdSense or similar campaign where you might pay $0.30-$3.00 to bring a highly focused visitor to your site.

For example, if you write one article per month, by the end of month six you will have more than 60 people visiting your site each day.

In dollars and cents, instead of PAYING $100-200, you are GETTING free traffic that you know is interested in you and your business, because they just read your article.

Now you are the expert, they want to know more!

Fortunately, there are dozens of free sites that will allow you to post articles and some of them will also distribute them so that others can spread their knowledge through newsletters and other sources (which will increase the impact of your article).

While writing an article may seem like an easy thing to do, you have to remember that it’s also easy for someone else to do. To make your article more popular, pay attention to the following:

Be unique: Write about something that not everyone already has, or write it differently, with a new twist. For example, there are dozens of articles that just list a few shipping sites and that’s it. This article lists as many as possible AND helps put article marketing into context by providing tips and expectations.

Optimize text naturally: You want your article to appear at the top of a list when someone searches for it, and in search engines. To do this, make sure your keywords are included in the article, but not too blatantly. It is very important that your article is well read by humans.

Write short, quick one-thought paragraphs: In school you were taught that a paragraph should be 4-5 sentences long and should include an introduction and a conclusion. That’s accurate, but it’s not always best when writing on the internet. Instead, make your text readable to someone just scanning it. You want that person to quickly find the new and important information that you are offering.

If you like to write articles for free (and find that people like to read them), you might consider submitting some of them to local magazines or newspapers. Even some online web magazines pay for content. It may not be a lot of money, but you will get more exposure and a lot more traffic.

So who can write articles?

Everyone can!

Garden store owners can write about the correct way to prune roses.

Lawyers can write about public speaking techniques

doctors can write about the first signs of various diseases

Marketing company executives you can write about article marketing and other ways to help small business owners

Mechanics you can write about how to fix common car problems like a wiper blade

tutors you can write articles on memorizing the order of the planets or mnemonic devices to help in algebra or other subjects

Everyone has something interesting that they are experts at. If you need help finding yours, write to me and I will help you.

Here is a list of some popular sites to help you in your article marketing efforts:

One of the best sources is Ezine @articles. Their website is http://www.ezinearticles.com

Other great sites include the following:

Home

http://www.internetbasedmoms.com/

[http://www.marketing-seek.com/articles/submit.shtml]

http://clearviewpublications.com

http://www.ideamarketers.com

http://www.goarticles.com

http://www.freelancewriting.com

http://www.empresarialknowledge.com

Homepage

[http://www.ebooksnbytes.com/articles/submit.shtml]

http://www.thealigned.com

http://www.mujeres-digitales.com/submitarticle.htm

http://www.equipodeconnection.com/submit.html

http://www.makingprofits.com

[http://www.boconline.com/sub-art.shtml]

http://www.addme.com

http://www.articlesubmit.com

http://www.theezine.net

[http://virtual-professionals.com/articles.shtml]

http://www.web-source.net/articlesub.htm

[http://www.tigrafix.com/articles/submission.htm]

http://ebusinesshelpsite.com/

http://www.businesstoolchest.com/articles/submit.shtml

http://www.writerswrite.com

Accueil

http://school-china.netfirms.com/

http://www.toupin.com

Home

http://www.business-opportunity.biz/addarticle.php

http://www.selling-it.com/Add_article.htm

http://www.homebiztools.com

http://www.palabrasdemarketing.com

http://www.amrithallan.com

http://www.workoninternet.com

http://www.executivecoachingstudio.com

http://www.home-based-business-opportunities.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/article_announce

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/articles_archive

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/Free_eContent/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/freezinecontent/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/netwrite-publish-announce/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/netwrite-publish-announce/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Free-Reprint-Articles

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/free-content

Home

http://amazines.com/

[http://www.mbnet.com/article_add_form.asp]

http://www.family-content.com

[http://www.clickforcontent.com]

http://sbinformation.about.com/library/blsubmission.htm

[http://www.optimizemag.com/mediakit/contribute.jhtml]

http://www.site-reference.com

http://www.isnare.com

[http://www.trade-show-tips.com/interactive]

http://www.click-partners.com

http://www.traffic-advisor.com

http://www.ezinesearch.com/

[http://www.marketing-seek.com/articles/submit.shtml]

[http://www.ebooksnbytes.com/articles/submit.shtml]

http://ezinearticles.20fr.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/freeezinearticles/

http://www.articleproject.com/

Does your belly fat bother you?

That bulge in your belly can make you look out of shape. Not only this, it is also the root cause of so many health problems and disorders. However, getting rid of it is not that easy.

Losing weight is a big problem for most people. But a good weight loss supplement can make your job easier and can make you lose weight incredibly fast. Now, I’m not talking about drugs like ephedrine, etc.,

something as natural as slim tea can be a perfect example of such a weight loss supplement.

Green tea is a great natural aid to lose weight. Not surprisingly, the Chinese have been drinking tea for centuries. In fact, it is an important part of their culture and it is no wonder that the Chinese are the thinnest people in the world.

What makes tea such a great weight loss aid?

Green tea is a great source of compounds and antioxidants called polyphenols and catechins. They help remove toxins from your body. This is great for your metabolism. Therefore, said tea can increase your metabolism and make it possible for your body to burn fat at a much faster rate.

But this is not all!

Drinking a cup of this type of tea after a meal rich in carbohydrates and simple sugars can prevent insulin secretion. This is quite important since insulin is the hormone directly responsible for storing fat in your body.

No wonder this tea can help you get a flat stomach in no time!

Now, there are many brands of slimming teas in the market and choosing one can be really difficult. Not only this, some of them can taste horrible!

The best slim that can ensure really fast weight loss is a mix of three high-grade varieties like Sencha, Pu-erh, and Wuyi Cliff Oolong.

Such tea not only makes you lose weight quickly and quickly, but can also be great for your immune system. It can also improve your complexion and cure problems like acne. Another benefit is that it can also aid in digestion.

Yet another benefit is that it can help reduce stress levels. This can be a great way to lift your spirits,

Last but not least, such tea can taste great!

So if you want to get a flat stomach, check out the best slimming tea that has become a huge hit all over the world.

I’ll start with the more difficult of the two trails, the Mastic Trail, named for a particular type of tree used to make ship masts. It’s on Frank Sound Road, just south of QE II Botanic Park, but on the opposite side of the road. It’s probably a 30 minute drive to George Town and the West End.

This is a true hiking trail so be sure to wear proper walking shoes if you plan to go far. It is not necessary to walk the entire path; you can get a good idea of ​​what the island looked like before it was reshaped by humans in just a mile or so of walking. Unfortunately, it’s not a circular route, so you have to retrace your steps if you just want to try it out.

If you walk the entire trail, from Frank Sound Road in the south to Further Road in the north, you will see a mangrove swamp forest, a rocky area full of crevices from which trees and mushroom-like plants sprout, a dry forest tropical forest area that it still has remnants of pioneer William Watler’s fruit orchards and, finally, a subtropical grassland: the savannah.

William Watler was the settler who built the original road over a hundred years ago to bring his produce to market, and although it has now been replaced by the Frank Sound Road, his achievement is still quite impressive. It’s a wilder country than you’d expect for such a small island, and the underlying iron coast is as hard as… well, iron. Leveling it must have taken years.

The Mastic Trail winds its way through National Trust-owned land and they provide guides to help you identify what you’re seeing. Unless you’re an expert on semi-tropical flora and fauna, it’s probably worth going with a guide. Otherwise, the only thing you will probably observe for sure is that there are many trees.

The Woodland Trail, on the other hand, is inside the Grand Cayman National Trust Botanic Park and that makes it less scary to head out on your own. You also have the benefit of markers in the trees and pools (to let you know what you’re seeing), rest stops along the way, and a level, groomed path so you’re ‘walking’, not walking. The ponds along the way are inhabited by turtles but, despite the name of one of the ponds, Crocodile Hole, there are no crocodiles. Crocodiles, or Caymans, were exterminated centuries ago.

Halfway down the trail is the Blue Iguana Breeding Center, where you can see iguanas of all sizes and ages, from toddlers to teenagers. The adults are in the park, which may or may not be a comforting thought. They are scary creatures, but the good news is that they are harmless. However, as with all wildlife, it is not a good idea to feed them.

In the Park it was the only place where we saw the Green Cayman Parrot, the national bird of the Cayman Islands. Unfortunately, like many living national symbols around the world, he has been pushed to the margins of life in his own home.

Two other areas to consider for hiking are the Nature Preserve at Malportas Pond on the Northside, near the north end of the Mastic Trail, and Barkers National Park, at the tip of the West End. Both have walking trails and both are fairly quiet most of the time, with few visitors straying far from the comforts of their resorts.

Well, according to all the news sources, that’s the perception of many and that’s because we’ve all been spoiled by the home mortgage qualifying relaxation since 2004. But we’re really back to basics.

The requirements for real estate mortgages are now back to where they were before 2003. Anyone applying for a loan had to meet the following criteria:

• Income (verified) that borrowers earned enough money to cover not only the mortgage, but also other expenses such as utilities, groceries, parenting, cars, insurance, etc.

• Declared income: are you kidding me? Bankers never trusted this data, verification was always required. Under the previous guidelines, a borrower could indicate the amount required to obtain the loan. As far as I know, state revenue is gone. If you can get a “reported income” home loan, be prepared to pay higher interest rates and provide larger down payments.

• 2 years tax returns and W2 to validate income

• Good credit

• Cash for down payment, prepayment and closing costs – again bank statements or other financial statements as proof.

• Front-end ratings had to be between 28-30%, back-end ratings 36-38% (and if everything else was great, we could sometimes get approvals with a back-end rating of 40%). %).

• front end ratio – amount of income to cover mortgage payment and any escrow accounts – PITI – principal, interest, taxes, insurance, and homeowners owed.
• background ratio – amount of income needed to cover the mortgage and any recurring expenses such as credit cards, alimony, car payments. Make sure the borrower had enough money each month to pay for basic needs.

• Minimum 5% down payments, 20% to eliminate PMI (private mortgage insurance) required by lenders for less than 20% down.

100% financing and in some cases 105% financing never heard of the incredibly low interest rates we are still experiencing.

In short, we are now back to basics and this is good for all of us: sellers, buyers and bankers. There’s a difference between stretching your income a bit and buying a house beyond your means, especially with an adjustable-rate mortgage. We should all be thankful for the due diligence now required to purchase a home mortgage.

Frustrated that your board members lack enthusiasm for the cause and don’t raise money?

Whether you’re the CEO or a board member, your nonprofit needs you to drive that board. It’s time to develop the board. Goal…

What if certain extenuating circumstances suggest that a direct approach to the board of directors is not a good idea at this time? Try advisory tips.

Advisory councils are a great way to top up the juices on a nonprofit organization’s leadership and advancement experience. Here are some reasons why:

• Recruit people who do not (yet) qualify to be members of the board of directors.
• It expands the opportunities to attract new talent, perspective and participation to the organization, people who feel honored by the appointment and want to contribute.
• Attract additional leadership to the organization without threatening current board members, i.e. you don’t have to force them to invite one to leave in order to invite another to join. And, if there’s a problem on the board, you can get around it by choosing to fight that battle another day.
• Involve leaders who want to serve but don’t want to take the fiscal responsibility (only the board of directors) for the nonprofit.
• It appeals to potential members who are often overly committed but still want to participate, so they like the typical board’s limited number of meetings per year.
• Helps focus members, thereby increasing the odds of success, through “single purpose” advice. If your council exists to “give or take,” members who accept an appointment have already committed to financial participation.
• It offers an opportunity to increase diversity among influencers in the organization.
• Act as a farm team to develop leadership for the board of directors and other organizational opportunities.
• Represents the organization or one of its departments, combining the professional experience or interests of the board members in the best way.

There are more reasons advisory boards can be your leadership or advancement cure-all. Add your own experiences to the list.

Perhaps your nonprofit organization reserves the authority to add councils and/or members to the board of directors. This may be appropriate, depending on your organization’s history and needs. But you may want to speed up the creation of advisory councils and the recruitment/appointment of members by developing a short advisory council plan and then requesting that the board pass a resolution authorizing the CEO to develop advisory councils and recruit more members. forward, as required by the organization. You can also use the template as a job description to orient new council members.

Here is an example of what an advisory board plan might entail:

Assignment: Advise the General Manager on matters related to leadership in the organization and the community.

Advice: Experience, insight, strategic thinking, innovative ideas, networking, trend analysis, encouragement, vision casting, leadership, advocacy, mentorship, support, community opportunities, and contributions.

Membership: Members will be appointed for their leadership, experience, wisdom and contacts, which they can use to build the effectiveness and reputation of the organization. They must be people of good character whose lives and works, by association, will be a credit to others and to the organization. The members will be appointed by the Director General.

Terms: Members will serve without terms (or may develop terms) as long as the executive director and council member deem the service to be mutually beneficial.

Members must attend meetings faithfully and agree to financially support the organization on an annual or project basis.

Meetings: Councils will generally meet four times a year at meetings called by the CEO. Special meetings may be called from time to time.

Authority: Councils serve in an advisory capacity with the consent of the Board of Directors. The recommendations of the advisory council will have no legal or binding authority on the organization, but will likely influence the course of the organization’s development.

One last thought to make a cardinal rule of thumb: The worst thing you can do is appoint deputy advisory council members and then not use them (talk, convene, listen, engage, etc.). Putting people on a board that is going nowhere is a waste of time and disrespectful to their talent. Fool them once and you won’t fool them twice.

Advisory boards are a wonderfully flexible and potentially high-impact tool. Cleverly employed by a CEO or board, advisory councils can act as a chlorine shock to the organization’s leadership group. They can help clear things up so you can once again see where you are going and how you are going to get there.

The best way to learn any subject is to experience it firsthand. No amount of cheat sheets, checklists, advice from friends, or new ideas can replace the wisdom that comes with years of experience.

The good news is that it is possible to gain some insight from those who have been there before. Our science is built on the shoulders of giants, and our games are the same way.

The following are tips that every fantasy football professional learns through experience.

1. Understand what kind of league you’re in.

League type is a factor in a player’s value. Brandin Cooks is a prime example; Cooks was a great pick in the dynasty leagues last year, but he was nothing more than a sleeper option in the redesign leagues until this year. After gaining some experience, he projects himself as a potential stud.

2. Know your league’s roster rules.

Sure, it would have been great to have Marshawn Lynch, DeMarco Murray and LeSean McCoy as their top three picks, but if the starting lineup can only include two running backs, a lot of points will be wasted while another position suffers. A professional always has a complete roster plan in mind.

3. Varied selections based on the scoring system.

Having a great quarterback is nice, but most leagues reduce your scoring ability by reducing the number of points earned from passing stats. Aaron Rodgers is worth a top draft pick with six points per TD and one point per 20 passing yards. Four for TD and one point for 30? Not that much.

The most common example is PPR (Points Per Reception). Wide receivers gain value and running back ratings shuffle. Matt Forte is a mid to low end RB1 in traditional scoring, but in a league that uses PPR, he is a stud. One point per catch adds 100 points to his total in 2014 alone.

4. Draft safer picks early.

Not all “safe” players can play the season, but it is possible to reduce the risk. Every player available early is a great player. Aside from last year, choosing Adrian Peterson over Darren “Glass Man” McFadden was a no-brainer for any pro. Early picks are the cornerstone of a team, and picking an injury or legal risk in the first round is unnecessary.

5. Draft up after starters and alternates are established.

Grabbing a halfway decent starter as a second or third backup wide receiver might sound great, but it’s a terrible idea. Players can and will drop during the season. More importantly, players can and will appear in any given year. Arian Foster the year he broke out, Kelvin Benjamin last year, and Alfred Blue and Davante Adams this year are prime examples of “sleepers” — players who surprised most owners and posted high-level fantasy scores. The league champion will likely have a starter or two that no one expected, and unless a league uses 20-man rosters, replacement-level players to cover bye weeks and injuries will be readily available.

6. Never pick a kicker or defenseman early.

Every rule has exceptions, but think about the advice above. Acquiring a top-tier kicker or defense requires a pick somewhere in rounds eight through ten, a good range to pick top-tier sleepers. Kickers vary greatly from year to year, with many professional fantasy players using a different defense each week to chase down easy matchups. A “broadcast defense” can outplay even the best defenses. That doesn’t mean drafting the Seahawks isn’t worth it, it’s just more worth waiting for a superior defense.

These are just the beginning. Entire novels can be written about fantasy football, and any and all rules can be broken from time to time. The key is to remember this word: value. The best fantasy football owners find ways to generate additional value and acquire better players at a lower cost.

Follow these tips, play like a pro and win your league if you can. Good luck!

The island of Jersey, the Channel Islands, has a more formal name, as it is actually officially called “Bailiwick of Jersey”. As part of the Channel Islands, it also belongs to what the UK calls the “Common Travel Area”. Furthermore, the island is a British crown dependency, and is currently directly under the control of the monarchy. With a population of around 93,000 citizens, it is very close to France.

There are two official languages ​​in Jersey, English and French. It is one of several islands within the Channel Islands, most of which are uninhabited except for Guernsey. It is somewhat smaller in total population and size, with Jersey coming in at about 45 square miles. Its history is due directly to its strategic location between the nations of England and France.

The island shows evidence of Stone Age settlement, along with later Iron Age human population clusters. Interestingly, there does not appear to have been much effort on the part of the Romans of the time to attempt to colonize Jersey. Apart from a few very small Roman temples in certain places on the island, he was largely left alone.

Throughout history, Jersey finally became permanently English when William I became King of England in 1066. Naturally, he brought the Duchy of Normandy to the English side. It was to this duchy that Jersey had hitherto belonged. Historically, the island fell to German forces for nearly five years during World War II.

Today, this dependent island of the British crown, which is part of the United Kingdom, although not technically an official member, offers a geographically interesting area for residents and tourists alike. Jersey is also attempting to solidify its own distinctive national identity, as evidenced by some sympathy among residents for an eventual break with England.

The Channel Islands, the classification of islands of which Jersey is a member, are diverse and primarily made up, in terms of population, of Jersey and Guernsey. The region is a favorite with tourists and tourists, mainly due to the easy blending of English and French cultures. They are not to be missed, especially when traveling in the UK and England.