Looking for a vacation idea that’s off the beaten path? Combine your love of travel with your impulse to give to a good cause. The options for “voluntourism” trips range all over the map, from teaching English to Vietnamese orphans to feeding animals at a Costa Rican wildlife refuge. You’ll pay for your airfare, food and lodging, but your costs may be tax-deductible.

• •• • • ••• • •• • •• • •• sends more than 2,000 volunteers each year to 17 countries (including the U.S.) to do everything from providing child care to building community facilities. You’ll pay $1,800 for a two-week stint in India; two weeks in Italy will cost $3,195. The fee covers food, lodging, in-country transportation, and emergency medical and evacuation insurance. Airfare is extra.

You can work side by side with research scientists in the fi eld with the • • ••• • • •• • ••• • •••• •• . The group organizes volunteer expeditions in 40 countries. On one popular 12-day trip to Polokwane, South Africa, volunteers gather information to help protect

endangered animals. Costs start at $2,775 per person, plus airfare.

• • ••• • •• •• • • • sends about 300 to 500 volunteers a year to more than 35 countries. Projects include volunteering in orphanages, teaching English and working on reforestation efforts. Volunteers typically live with host families. Fees range from $1,985 for one week to $6,345 for 12 weeks, plus airfare.

Even Carnival, the giant cruise line, is getting into the act. It recently announced a new cruise brand called • • •• • • that will offer “impact travel” vacations to developing countries such as the Dominican Republic starting in 2016. Prices start at $1,540 per week.

Roughing it (or not): Depending on the sponsoring organization, you may stay in a dormitory, guest house or hotel. Some programs might be outside your comfort zone, so ask questions to make sure a trip is right for you.

“Living conditions can be rustic, in-cluding shared lodging spaces, basic food and not a lot of hot water for showers,” says Elisa Sabatini, of • •• ••• •• •• • ••• • • •, which sends about 800 volunteers a year to Bolivia, Costa Rica, Mexico,

Sri Lanka and other countries.If you’d prefer to combine volunteering

with a luxury vacation, for-profi t tour companies such as • • • • • •• • •• • ••• • • • will customize vacations for individuals and groups that include opportunities for a few days of service. Typical costs are about $10,000 per person for two weeks, plus airfare. Volunteers stay in luxury hotels that combine high-end amenities with environmentally friendly practices.

Take a tax deduction: Your service-program fees, airfare, visa and related expenses may be tax-deductible if you sign up with a tax-exempt charitable organization. Also, the IRS requires you to work, on average, eight hours per day, fi ve days out of seven, to claim the deduction. If you tack a couple of extra days onto your trip to sightsee, you will not be able to deduct the airfare. However, you will still be able to get a tax break for the program fee, meals and supplies directly related to your time spent volunteering.

When you combine federal and state income tax savings, a typical volunteer who itemizes deductions could save one-third of the cost of the service program.

SUCCESSYour guide to managing money, work and the business of life

You may be contacted by a company informing you that you have unclaimed property held by state authorities. The company may tell you the property is available to you for a fee, such as 10 per-cent or more of the value. However, there is no reason to pay a fee to any entity without searching on your own fi rst, which you can do easily and at no cost.

According to the National Associa-tion of Unclaimed Property Administra-tion (NAUPA), assets worth more than $35 billion are held by various states and can be claimed by rightful owners. These assets are typically derived from sources such as savings and checking accounts, common stocks, uncashed dividends, refunds, payroll checks, trust distribu-tions, travelers’ checks, uncashed money orders, life-insurance proceeds, annuities, security deposits, certifi cates of deposit or safe deposit proceeds.

State laws require that, under specifi c circumstances, fi nancial institutions and other organizations turn over unclaimed assets to the state. For example, if you have a savings account that has become dormant (as defi ned by state law), the

fi nancial institution must turn the asset over to the state after a public notice is issued.

Every state maintains a free access database that identifi es the owner of the asset. If you go to the NAUPA website (• • • •• • • •• •• • • •• •• ), you can access the database. Another free website is • •• • •• • • • • • ••• • • , which contains information for multiple states. I recom-mend that you try different spellings of your and your relatives’ names, in case of record-keeping errors. You will have to provide proof that the assets belong to you. The process is not complex. There is no statute of limitations for claiming assets held by a state.

If you have been the benefi ciary of an estate, access the database of the state of the decedent and enter the name of the individual who bequeathed you as-sets. The executor of the state may not have been aware of all the assets of the decedent, and some assets may have been turned over to the state.

For example, a relative of mine died, and members of my family, including me, were benefi ciaries. Probate was fi led, but my relative owned some certifi cates of deposit without naming a benefi ciary. The executor was not aware of that asset, and accordingly did not distribute the proceeds. Subsequently, the asset was turned over to the state of Florida. A few years after the estate was settled, I accessed Florida’s database, entered the name of my relative and determined that there was property turned over to Florida (the value of the CDs). My relatives and I turned over the required information to the state — namely, a copy of the will — the names and addresses of all the benefi ciaries, with signatures. Within 30 days we received the proceeds.

If you believe that you may have lost track of savings bonds you own, visit the Department of Treasury website • •• • • • •• • ••• • ••• • • and use the feature “Treasury Hunt.” It will inform you whether you are the owner of a savings bond that has stopped earning inter-est but has not been cashed. The site provides information on Series E and Series EE bonds issued in 1974 or later. There is no advantage in holding bonds that are no longer earning interest. If you had bonds that were lost or stolen, you can submit Form PDF 1048, available from the TreasuryDirect website.

Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questions and comments at elliotraph@gmail.com.

How to recover unclaimed

estate assets

Assets worth more than $35 billion are held by various states and can be claimed by rightful owners.

By Beth Brophy

1. UtahPopulation: 2.9 millionNew jobs, 2015: 50,100 2016: 46,900Construction work will be going strong to keep up with demand for multifamily housing and office space.

2. WashingtonPopulation: 7.1 millionNew jobs, 2015: 107,700 2016: 101,900Despite layoffs at two of the state's largest employers, Boeing and Microsoft, the business outlook for both is positive.

3. IdahoPopulation: 1.6 millionNew jobs, 2015: 22,300 2016: 24,400Construction is going full steam, and employment in the tech sector is growing fast.

4. NevadaPopulation: 2.8 millionNew jobs, 2015: 38,600 2016: 56,100Carmaker Tesla’s planned $5-billion battery plant spells potentially thousands of new jobs.

5. FloridaPopulation: 19.9 millionNew jobs, 2015: 253,600 2016: 274,700Construction, tourism, health care, technologyand transportation will buoy the economy.

States with thefastest job growthThese states are likely to see the fastest employment gains projected through 2016, all topping the national average.

Fast job growth: The next 5 states

6. Oregon

7. Arizona

8. Georgia

9. California

10. South Carolina108

97

6

5

4

3

1

2

SOURCE: Kiplinger Washington Editors

Elliot RaphaelsonThe Savings Game

Do some good and have fun on a ‘voluntourism’ trip

Vacations that give back

Earthwatch volunteers in the Bahamas.

BRIAN J. CANTWELL/TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

SUCCESS

Your teenager is pulling down a paycheck this summer, and the money is rolling in — and out for gasoline, car insurance, fast food and maybe the cell phone bill. What to do?

Try the vaunted b-word ... as in budget-ing.

While budgeting is hard for many par-ents, it might actually be easier for teens. There are fewer spending categories to monitor and smaller sums of money to account for from a summer job, allow-ances and other sources.

Still, surveys show that relatively few kids monitor their spending and stick to a budget. That’s not surprising, given their age, and I suspect many are probably modeling the behavior of their parents.

But with a little bit of adult supervi-sion, kids can learn some valuable lessons on how to gain control over their spend-ing impulses.

For starters, don’t use the b-word, said Kansas City fi nancial planner Barbara McMahon of Innovest Financial Partners.

She dislikes the “negative connota-tions” to budgeting. It’s like telling a 16-year-old to eat his Brussels sprouts and spinach because they’re good for him. Instead, McMahon suggests focus-ing on a “spending plan.” Here are some suggestions on how to start one.

Record expenses: Keep a journal for one or two months of everything you buy, down to the penny. That means track-ing not only gas in the tank but also the iced coffees and vending machine chips. Everything.

At the same time, record in a separate column the amount of money you’re bringing in from a paycheck (after taxes and other payroll deductions, of course), an allowance, birthday gift money and such.

Once you have numbers to work with, McMahon recommends sorting the information into at least three main categories — required expenses, discre-tionary expenses and future expenses. Car insurance or gas could fall into re-quired expenses, which take top priority. McMahon said she’s worked with some teens who’ve told her that tithing to their church is a required expense and they budgeted accordingly.

Additional categories could cover giv-ing to charity and socking money into a savings or investment account.

Decide what’s important: Do you re-ally need the polo shirt, the fi tted baseball cap or the video game? Or are those wants?

Set goals: Kids need something con-crete to work toward. Whether it’s a car, college or soccer shoes, teens will be more motivated to watch their pennies if there’s a reward at the end of the process. Remind your kids that saving for a rainy day is alive and well.

Be fl exible: Allowing some discretion-ary spending — even an occasional $5 latte — can do wonders for a teen’s frame of mind, said McMahon. Just account for the luxury in the budget, so it doesn’t become a “budget leak,” she said.

Be creative: Especially for teens living at home, never overlook the barter sys-tem, said McMahon. For example, trade lawn work or preparing a family dinner for gas money.

Thanks to the proliferation of budgeting websites and smartphone apps, such as Mint.com and BudgetTracker.com, it is much easier now for kids to track where their money goes.

Whatever the approach, the bottom line is the same: When expenses increase, either make more money or spend less.

While it may seem nightmarish at times, letting your teens manage their money is all part of learning good fi nan-cial behavior. And the big payoff may come down the road.

Questions, comments, column ideas? Send an e-mail to srosen@kcstar.com.

Learning to budget can curb teens’ impulses

Teens will be more motivated to watch their pennies if there’s a reward at the end of the process.

By Kimberly Lankford

First there was Microsoft Paint, the lone digital option for the coloring-obsessed.

Then came a fl ood of beautiful drawing and coloring apps that required too much skill for the average person (me).

Now the coloring gods have blessed us with Colorfy, an iOS app that rocketed to No. 2 among free apps within three days of its debut.

So why are tech-addicted adults suddenly fl ocking to an app that digitizes a beloved children’s activity?

It could be because the designs — more than 30 of them — vary in intricacy and diffi culty. They feature mostly fl oral scenes or mandalas — geometric, intricate and often symmetric designs that come from Hindu and Buddhist art traditions. It takes some attention and focus to complete a design, but it’s still easy enough for someone who’s never heard of color theory, let alone studied it.

Another thought is that the app might actually deliver on its “color therapy” claim. Coloring is gaining popularity as an activity for stress release, and a 2005 study in Art Therapy magazine found

that coloring mandalas draws people into a meditationlike state. That seems logical when you consider Buddhist monks sometimes spend days patiently creating sand mandalas, as they recently did for the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday.

The app successfully translates the simple pleasure of coloring to a handheld screen, but sometimes has glitches when it comes to sharing. The app often displays a “Paint the drawing before sharing” error message, even when the painting is complete.

In the past few years, a number of physical coloring books aimed at adults have hit the shelves, including the 128-page “Color Therapy: An Anti-Stress Coloring Book” that came out in May.

Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, said color is a powerful force that can affect moods and help people express themselves.

“Many of us grew up with coloring books, so a coloring app returns us to a time when our lives were less complicated and we had time to free our minds and play,” Pressman said in an email to Blue Sky. The app makes it convenient to express creativity anywhere, she said.

While kids’ coloring exercises have large fi elds that welcome crayons and fat-tip markers, Colorfy’s segments are often tiny, which opens up opportunities to mimic shading.

But that also means clumsy, big-fi ngered adults will have to rely heavily on the pinch-to-zoom feature to get in close to the smallest gaps.

Colorfy launched on the App Store on July 6 and hit popular product curation site Product Hunt two days later. It has since racked up more than 11,800 ratings at an overall average of fi ve stars.

Steve RosenKids & Money

option to convert to a permanent policy.Most term policies offer you that

option for a certain number of years after you buy. The permanent policy’s premiums will be based on your health when you originally bought the insurance and the age when you convert.

You can use term insurance for long-term needs “as long as it gives you the option to convert to something that’s worth having,” says Glenn Daily, a fee-only life insurance adviser in New York City. “Without that option, term insurance would be a riskier choice.”

It’s important to know the type of permanent policy to which you can convert. For the least-expensive way to provide coverage for more than 30 years, consider • •• • ••• • • • •• • •• • •• • •••••• ••• • • •• • • • •• • ••• • . “It’s essentially like term insurance that lasts forever,” says Byron Udell, CEO of AccuQuote.com. Annual premiums for this type of policy are about half as much as they are for the

same level of coverage with whole life, but they build up very little cash value.

A healthy 40-year-old man would pay about $630 per year for a 30-year, $500,000 term policy or $2,850 per year for a no-lapse UL policy, says Udell. A 50-year-old could pay $1,590 per year for a 30-year term policy or $4,200 per year for a no-lapse UL policy (women pay less). If you have a term policy that lasts until you’re in your seventies, conversion would be worthwhile only if you developed a medical condition and couldn’t qualify for a new policy but needed coverage. If you are relatively healthy, compare the cost and coverage for a new policy and for the conversion policy.

Find out how long you have to convert the policy; some insurers allow conversion only in the fi rst 10 or 15 years, even if the term is longer, or only to a certain age, such as 65, says Bob Bland of LifeQuotes.com.

Should you convert term life insurance

to a permanent policy?

Shades of childhoodBy Amina Elahi

Most people can buy a term policy for the length of time they need life insurance and add (or reduce) coverage as their needs change. But you may not have that option if you develop a medical condition. Whenever you buy term insurance, make sure the policy has the

“Many of us grew up with coloring books,

so a coloring app returns us to a time when our lives

were less complicated and we had time to free

our minds and play.”— Laurie Pressman,

Pantone Color Institute

A new app successfully

translates the simple pleasure

of coloring to a handheld

screenCOLORFY

Imagine calling, texting and surfing the Web for a few dollars a month — or even free. The catch? You must rely primarily on Wi-Fi hotspots instead of a cellular network.

• •• • • • • • • • and • • •• •• • •• ••• •• • • both offer a basic package that costs nothing. • • • • • ••• •• ••• •• • • charges $5 a month for Wi-Fi-only mobile service. Cablevision and Google recently debuted similar plans. • •• • • • • • • charges $9.95 a month for Cablevision customers, $29.95 for all others. • • • • •• •• •• •• •• • ••• •, available by requesting an invitation, costs $20 a month. Price depends on the connectivity and services you choose. All except Freewheel include, or let you add,

at an additional cost, traditional cellular service as a backup for those times when you’re not in a Wi-Fi zone. You’ll be bumped to Sprint’s network, or, with some plans, to T-Mobile’s.

Those add-ons are where the savings start to diminish. Opting for more gigabytes or higher data speeds can boost the price of a plan to $40 a month or more. Plus, in most cases you have to buy one of the company’s designated smartphones.

Before you switch carriers, assess your proximity to Wi-Fi on a regular basis and the backup carrier’s coverage in your area. Each service is customizable in a different way, so dig for perks that work for you. Project Fi gives refunds for unused data (and, soon, so will Republic). FreedomPop lets you bring your own

phone from a select list. For Ryan Savara, who enrolled in Republic’s $25-per-month plan, affordability is key. The Central Michigan University student is usually connected to campus Wi-Fi, but he relies on Republic’s cellular service to fill in the gaps. “For unlimited everything, it’s a deal,” he says.

SUCCESS

Terry SavageThe Savage Truth

College savings plans — known as 529 plans for the section of the tax code that created them — have become the best and most popular way to save money for a child’s or grandchild’s education. All the money in the account grows tax-free if it is used to pay for college education expenses. And it can be used for any school in any state.

All 50 states have set up their own plans, if for no other reason than doing so allowed state treasurers to pick and choose which financial firms get to manage assets in the plans. As a result, some plans have higher expenses and/or worse performance than others. Some plans are sold by investment advisors, with added fees and expenses built in, while other, less expensive versions are sold directly via websites.

Here are five key things you should know about 529 plans:

1. You can invest in any state’s 529 plan. You’ll probably want to do some research to determine the best performing, least expensive plan. And your own state may offer a limited break on your state income taxes as an incentive to invest in its plan.

2. The money can be used for expenses at any qualified college or university in any state. With these 529 investment plans (unlike prepaid tuition plans) there is no special benefit or restriction on where your child can go to school.

3. The money in the plan can be used by any child in the immediate family. If one child gets a scholarship or decides not to attend college, another child in the family can use the money. In fact, a parent could open a 529 account before a child is born, presumably for the parent’s additional education. Then the account could be passed on to the child.

4. There are no income or asset restrictions on contributions — and no deduction for contributions to a 529 plan. Most 529 plans let you set up an account with a few hundred dollars and make automatic contributions. But you can contribute up to five years of the allowable annual gift tax exclusion amount (currently $14,000). Each state plan has a limit on the maximum allowable investment in the plan, but you are unlikely to reach that limit!

Many wealthy grandparents use these plans to move money outside their taxable estate, with each grandparent making the full five-year contribution of 70,000 ($14,000 x 5 years) to set up a plan for each grandchild. And the money can be taken back, if needed, by paying taxes on the earnings and a 10 percent penalty.

5. Money in a 529 plan has a smaller impact on financial aid than other college savings. Withdrawals are not counted as income in the financial aid formulas, and assets inside the plan are assessed at only 5.64 percent of their value in determining the aid award — compared to a 20 percent assessment on other assets owned by a student.

To compare 529 college savings plans, you can go to SavingforCollege.com — a website that tracks both costs and performance of each state’s plan, along with other information. Also, Morningstar.com offers reports and ratings on 529 plans through its premium service. Sign up for a free trial subscription to access the information.

There is probably no investment more important than the one you make for your child’s education. It will pay to take the time to research your options, and set up a regular plan of investing.

Terry Savage is a registered investment adviser and the author of four best-selling books, including “The Savage Truth on Money.” Terry responds to questions on her blog at TerrySavage.com.

5 things to know about 529 college

savings plans

There is probably no in-vestment more important than the one you make for your child’s education.

By Miriam Cross

From the beginning, we’ve stayed very true to what we do — give great blowouts. Many investors have said, “We have this captive audience. That’s a huge opportunity to sell a lot of other things.” I’ve always resisted that — and I think it resonates.

Our clients know they’re not going to be pitched to or bombarded by our stylists to buy products. It’s hard to be really great at a lot of things. I have never entertained the idea of adding on services — but I have seen all of our competitors do that. Let them.

From an outside perspective, the barriers to entry appear very low: Hire stylists, build a space, and you have a blow-dry bar. But we have spent a lot of time and money to make the experience great, which includes everything from the spacing of our chairs to the lighting and the iPhone chargers at each station. We could put up to 10 more chairs in most salons, but we don’t, because the space is built in a special way, so it feels

like you are sitting at a bar.We have a robust training program,

which I’ve refined over the years. Before stylists even make it to their hair audition, they meet with our human resources department to make sure they’re a good personality fit. Not every stylist wants to wash her client’s hair or be part of our family mentality. But that’s part of what makes up our culture.

At Drybar, every client’s happiness is a group effort. I think that keeps us ahead of our competitors more than anything. The best way to get a customer to come

back is to give her the best possible experience. If she’s not happy with her hair, instead of getting defensive, the stylist will get another one to help fix it.

Bartenders — our cashiers — are instructed to ask, “How was your experience?” at every checkout. We train them to watch body language and facial expressions for those women who won’t admit that they’re not happy. We want to make sure that someone’s experience was perfect, not just OK. Most places won’t ask that question because they’re afraid of the answer, but for us, the worst thing that can happen is for a client to leave unhappy.

And for those who are unhappy, we respond — whether on Facebook, Twitter, or Yelp. It really amazes me how many businesses take a defensive stance. I take that feedback as a gift and a way to improve the business, which is an ongoing challenge. But an important one, because at the end of the day, Drybar’s success is based on how we make women feel.

— As told to Liz Welch

STAYING TRUE TO HER VISION

“I have never entertained the idea of adding on

services — but I have seen all of our competitors

do that. Let them.” — Alli Webb

Free cell-phone plans, for real

BARBARA DAVIDSON/TRIBUNE NEWSPAPERS

Alli Webb started Drybar in a recession. She bet that women would cut back on many hair services, but would still splurge on a blowout, which makes them feel good and hides the need for a cut and color.

Alli Webb’s mobile hair-styling business led to an idea for a salon that offers only wash and blow-dry services. Since it opened in 2010, Drybar has become so successful — with 42 salons nationwide and counting — that the copycats

are proliferating. Webb explains how she stays ahead of the pack.

MIPAN/FOTOLIA

By Miriam Cross

By Seth RandYoung Entrepreneur Council

When you recognize that your company needs a web developer to create a compel-ling website, the first step is finding a team capable of achieving your goals. While some might want a website just to provide information, others use it to attract new customers.

As the owner of an Internet market-ing company that works with web design, I’ve found that the following questions are good to ask potential web design com-panies before deciding if you should hire them.

1. What are examples of sites you’ve designed, built and maintained? As with any hiring process, it’s wise to look at the candidate’s portfolio. Find out what types of content management systems and software the candidate is familiar with. While many web design companies have impressive examples in their portfolios, you don’t know how long those took to develop, what elements they personally did or how much they cost, so ask questions in addition to reviewing the work.

2. Will you help me select plugins and third-party systems, including hosting providers? You want to make sure that the firm is knowledgeable and capable of selecting the right web hosting provider and other systems. When it comes to e-commerce websites, this can include SSL

Call it the latest chapter of the Great Leap Forward. The Chinese government is in the midst of a new round of efforts to reboot its decelerating economy, including cutting interest rates, boosting spending on infrastructure and opening up the Shanghai stock exchange to overseas investors. Investors have responded enthusiastically. Over the past year, the Hong Kong and Shanghai markets soared 34 percent and 146 percent, respectively. • •••• • • • ••• • •• • •• • • ••• •• • • • •• ••• • • • • • has participated in the rally more than most China funds. The fund, which invests mostly in Hong Kong-listed shares, benefited from holdings in industrial stocks, such as rail maker CRRC Corp. Exposure to small and midsize firms helped as well. Among Hong Kong-traded stocks, smaller companies are generally more attractive than larger ones, says manager Christina Chung. “And these companies can grow at similar or better growth rates than large-cap companies.” That said, three-fourths of the fund’s assets are in big outfits, says Morningstar. Among the fund’s well-known holdings at last report were China Mobile and Bank of China. The fund’s Class D shares don’t levy sales charges. And though yearly fees of 1.77 percent are high, they’re average for China mutual funds. If China Equity intrigues you, use it to spice up your portfolio; it shouldn’t represent more than 5 percent or so of your stock investments.

What to ask potential website

developers

A CHINA FUND THAT FAVORS HONG KONG

certificates for credit card security, as well as a range of additional services to help the shopping and checkout process. Most clients are not aware of the variety avail-able within the world of web hosting. The programming language, the quality of the processor and the amounts of RAM and space used are all direct contributors to the loading time of your site.

3. What portion of your work is done in-house and what portion is out-sourced? Size shouldn’t be the biggest factor in choosing a professional in the service industry. Sometimes the best busi-nesses have a relatively small footprint but are a perfect match for your needs and tastes. In some cases, firms that are too big can lose the personal touch.

You’ll also want to know if there’s a dedi-cated account manager, project manager or both. If the potential web design firm is local, consider meeting them in person. If they’re not, find out if they can meet virtually so that you can review designs together and they can train you to update your website.

We find that most web design com-panies have a local presence but still outsource the work, whether locally or internationally. Be aware of this in case you want to work with in-house designers and developers.

4. How will we communicate? Do they exclusively communicate via email, or are they easy to reach by phone or schedule meetings with? It’s important to know if there’s a dedicated person taking the lead or if you’ll talk to a different person each time. Also, find out if you’ll be speaking directly to a designer or programmer.

In terms of sharing documents, im-ages and other attachments, we find that email is our preferred method, but phone support is also crucial (which is why we provide it to our own clients).

5. What are the costs, and how are they calculated? Even though you’re still shopping for the right vendor, learn cost estimates and whether they’re based on production hours or other metrics. You should also learn how and when payments

are accepted, including any long-term fees after project completion. For those costs, make sure you understand who owns the intellectual property, including the site and all its components.

6. What happens if I change scope mid-project? We’ve all seen construction projects that changed after the contractor had broken ground. Sometimes blueprints need to be adjusted due to changes in busi-ness needs or to keep up with competitors. It’s important to know what will happen if you start requesting changes to your over-all scope or after giving approvals.

We’ve found that projects without a de-fined scope of work or that have multiple decision-makers frequently see mid-project changes. If possible, clearly state in advance what sort of approvals will be needed if there’s a change.

Seth Rand is the founder and CEO of Rand Internet Marketing. The Young Entrepre-neur Council (YEC) is an invitation-only organization comprised of young entrepre-neurs worldwide.

DIGICLACK/FOTOLIA

SUCCESS