philjansen.com » Small Business Tips

Small Business Owners: Should You Use the Services of a Professional Cleaning Company?

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:16:36 +0000

Are you a small business owner, particularly one who runs a retail store or an office-like setting where your clients need to come into your building? If so, what do you think about the appearance of your business? Better yet, what do you think that your customers think about it? How your business looks, on the inside and out, can actually have a huge impact on the success of it. For that reason, there are actually many small business owners who make the decision to use the services of a professional cleaning company, but should you?

When it comes to determining whether or not you should use the services of a professional cleaning company, there are a number of important factors that should first be examined. For instance, you may want to examine your current employees? How many employees do you have working for you? Since you are a small business owner, there is a good chance that your number is less than fifty. Fifty employees really aren?t that many to have, especially when you have a lot of work that needs to be done. If you could find other tasks for your employees to do, other than cleaning your business, you may want to think about hiring the services of a professional cleaning company.

Another point that needs to be examined is the type of cleaning that needs to be done, as well as how often. Using the services of a professional cleaning company on a daily basis is usually not possible and it would often be too costly anyways. For that reason, you and some of your employees may need to keep up with semi regular cleaning tasks, like at least keeping the bathrooms presentable or keeping the break room clean. Other tasks, the like the mopping of floors, the cleaning of blinds, or the washing of windows can be done by a professional cleaning company. Many times, these tasks only need to be completed a couple of time a month, or once a week at the most.

As outlined above, using the services of a professional cleaning company can get expensive, especially overtime. That is why it is important that you first examine your ability to afford a professional cleaning company. As a reminder, you do not have to have your small business establishment cleaned daily or even weekly for that matter. There are many cleaning services that will come in and do a job for you at a moments notice. To combat the cost of hiring a professional cleaning company to help you keep your small business presentable, you may want to think about first calling around to get price estimates or more information about local companies.

What is nice about doing business with a professional cleaning company is that many professional cleaning companies are actually run by small business owners, just like you. This may give you more comfort in spending a little bit of extra money. It is sometimes hard to explain, but once you become a small business owner yourself, you often try and help out other small businesses whenever possible, especially since you know how difficult it can sometimes be to survive. In fact, the fact that you may end up helping out another small business owner may actually give you that extra push needed to make sure your business is always clean and presentable.

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Small Business Owners: How to Make Your Specialty Store Profitable

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:32:22 +0000

Are you a small business owner who runs a retail store, but not just any retail store, one that is considered a specialty store? A specialty store, as you likely already know is a store that focuses on a particularly type of product or at least a particular niche. For instance, a store that only sells plus size clothing for women can be considered a specialty store.

Specialty stores, as you likely already know since you started one, are a great way to make money. The only thing is that it can sometimes be difficult to do, as you often end up with competition from larger companies, often in the form of one stop department stores; department store that carry everything. Yes, it can sometimes be difficult for you to make a profit, but that doesn?t mean that it can?t be done. In fact, outlined below are a few ways that you may be able to increase your profits.

One of the many ways that you can go about increasing your profits, as a specialty store owner is by making sure that the public knows that your business exists. Alto often, many specialty store owners do not take the time to effectively market or advertise their businesses. Depending on the type of specialty store that you run, there is a good chance that you may be able to develop a fairly large customer base, but those customers must first know that you and your business exist. To do that, you may want to think about buying advertising space on one of your local television stations or radio stations. The least that you will want to do is distribute flyers around your local community, either as newspaper inserts or on community bulletin boards.

Another way that you can go about increasing your business profits, when running a small, specialty store, is by expanding your business. You don?t necessarily have to move to a new location, open up a new store, or increase the number of products that you sell in your store. You can also expand your business by also opening up an online store. There are actually many specialty store owners who are turning to the internet to help increase their profits. Yes, a large number of consumers still like to shop locally, but many also prefer shopping online, especially when they are looking for something in particular or something that is hard to find. Having an online store, in addition to a storefront location, will only increase your chances of making a profit. In fact, the cost of a running an online store is actually quite minimal, especially when compared to running a storefront one.

Another one of the many ways that you can go about increasing your business profits, when running a specialty store, is by limiting the amount of money that you end up spending. As a retail store owner, you may want to make sure that your store is fully stocked with merchandise. Although this a good approach to take, you need to proceed with caution. If you are just getting started, you may not necessarily know how successful your business will be. For that reason, you may want to start out small when ordering your merchandise. Yes, you may be required to buy from your supplier in bulk, but you will want to be cautious with buying too much merchandise at one time. Should your specialty store not work out and you need to close your business, you may end up losing money by being stuck with merchandise that you can?t sell for a profit.

The above mentioned tips are just a few of the many what you may want to think about implementing to make your specialty store a profitable one. Perhaps, the most important tip, the one that deserves the most thought, is the opening of an online store. It is not uncommon for small specialty store owners to find that their online sales actually end up paying for their storefront locations.

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Should You Relocate Your Small Business?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:48:08 +0000

Are you a small business owner who runs your own retail store? If you are, how is your business currently going? If it isn?t going too well or as well as you had originally hoped, you may be wondering whether you should just throw in the towel and give up. Yes, this is something that you can do, if you want, but there may be other alternatives; alternatives that could allow you to keep your small business open. One of those alternatives involves relocating your small business.

When it comes to relocating a small business, there are many small business owners who think that it is a good idea and others who think that it will only end up being a waste of time and money. If you aren?t yet sure what type of perspective you have, you may at least want to further examine relocating your business to another building or even another city or town, especially if your only other options is to close your business doors down.

As you likely already know, there a number of pros and cons to relocating a small business. One of those cons is the difficulty. If you run a retail store, even just a small specialty retail store, there is a good chance that you have quite a large selection of merchandise; merchandise that needs to be carefully moved, as well as other office supplies and store fixtures. It can be a big hassle to move a retail store from one location to another. Although it can be considered a hassle, it is also important to mention that it can be done, with a lot of patience and hard work.

Another con or downside to relocating a small business is the uncertainty. There are some small businesses that just aren?t right for making money. Some business owners don?t want to realize this though, so they continue to believe that they always have the chance of make money. Even if you take the time to find the perfect building for your retail store, as well as examine the local economy, and your competition, you are still not given any guarantees. Of course, that is something that you knew when you originally decided to start your small business; therefore, a lack on guarantees may not actually be a large problem for you, although it should always be kept in the back of your mind.

Although there are a number of cons or downsides to relocating a small business, there are also a number of pros or plus sides to doing so as well. One of those pros is a fresh start. When relocating a small business, many small business owners carefully take the time to choose which building they would like to relocate to, as well as what city or town they would like to relocate to, if looking to ?really,? relocate. This carefully thought out decision can actually increase your business?s chance of seeing success. A fresh start, but one that is carefully examined, may be just what your small business needs to revitalize itself.

Before you decide whether or not you would like to relocate your small business, it is important that you speak to your current landlord or your financial lender. As for speaking with your current landlord, you may be legally bound by a commercial lease. As for speaking with your financial lender, you may need to borrow some money to relocate your small business.

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Pros and Cons of Starting a Business

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:03:54 +0000

Are you interested in starting your own small business? If you are, you may already have your mind made up. If you are still toying with the idea of starting your own small business, you may be wondering whether or not your dream is one that should stay a dream or one that could actually become a profitable reality.

To get a good idea as to whether or not you should start a small business, you may want to examine the pros and cons of doing so. These pros and cons may help make it easier for you to decide whether or not a small business is right for you. A few of the most important small business pros and cons are touched on below.

Perhaps, the biggest pro or plus side to starting your own small business is the fact that you will be achieving a dream of yours. There are many individuals who have a dream to start their own business, but many rarely end up doing so. One of the reasons for that is fear. Many are afraid of failure. Yes, you and your small business venture may fail, but many say the ride was worth taking, no matter how good or bad the outcome turned out to be.

Another pro or plus side to starting your own small business is type of businesses that you could start. For instance, did you know that you could open up your craft store, run a payroll processing company, start a dog grooming salon, or start your own hair salon? When it comes to starting your own small business, you will find that the possibilities are literally endless.

In connection with the types of businesses that you can start, did you also know that those businesses can be run in different ways? For instance, if you are interested in opening up a dog grooming salon or even a hair salon, did you know that you could rent your own commercial building space or even run the business out of your home for a while? Also, depending on the type of business you run, you may even be able to have an online store. In fact, it is not uncommon for many small business owners, who sell products, to have storefront retail stores, as well as online retail stores. Once again, the possibilities are basically endless.

Although there a number of pros or plus sides to starting your own small business, you will also find that there a number of downsides or cons to doing so as well. One of those downsides is the fact that there are not really any guarantees. Sometimes even the best small business plans fail. There a lot of factors that go into determining whether or not a business can be a profitable one, like the ability to reach the targeted market, startup costs, monthly expenses, and location. While there are steps that you can take to help improve your chances of success, there are still no guarantees.

Another one of the cons or downsides to starting a small business is the startup money needed. Yes, there are some businesses that have smaller startup costs than others, but almost all small businesses do have startup costs. The good news though is that if you don?t have the required funds, you may be able to obtain financing for your small business project. The only thing is that you need to have good credit to do so. So, if your credit currently isn?t in good standing, you may want to think about working on it now. The sooner you get your credit repaired, if it needs to be, the sooner, you can start opening up your small business.

The above mentioned pros and cons are just a few of the many associated with trying to start your own small business. In all honesty, you may want to think about creating your own pros and cons list. If the pros outweigh the cons, starting your own small business may be something that you should look into doing.

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Small Businesses: Tips for Competing with Larger Businesses

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:19:40 +0000

Are you a small business owner? If you are, you will likely face a large amount of competition from others; others who may be larger than you and others who may have more resources at hand than you do. Although it may seem as if you are at a disadvantage because your business is a small business, it doesn?t have to be that way. There are a number of different ways that you can make sure that your business is able to successfully compete with your competition, even your competition that may include large, national companies.

When it comes to competing with your larger competitors, it is important that you remember exactly what you are, a small business. This automatically makes you unique right away. Each year, a large number of small business owners end up closing their doors. While this may not sound promising to you, it should give you a little bit of hope. There are actually a large number of consumers who like doing business with small businesses, just like you. In fact, some prefer to do business with them. The less competition you have from other small businesses, the greater your chances are of staying profitable and in business are.

While you may not necessarily be able to control the competition that you do and do not have, one thing that you can control is your business?s public perception. For instance, if you were to run a pet supply store or a clothing store, there are a number of other businesses where your customers could go to buy the same products at, like a large department store. To prevent that from happening, you want to give your customers a reason to come to your store, as well as reason to keep on coming back. The first step is to make sure that your establishment is well-kept and always clean. You will want to pickup your sales floor, if your business has one, each and every day, dust, mop the floors, and keep all of your entranceways cleans. To many consumers, nothing is more unappealing that a dirty business.

In addition to making sure that your establishment is well-kept and always clean, you need to examine the type of service that you and your employees provide your customers with. Most small businesses are known for their personal feel. When it comes to doing business with a small business, there are customers who want to feel like they are known by name, even if they aren?t actually, or feel like they can stop and talk with you and your employees about nothing in particular, like the weather, just because. This is what will essentially set your business apart and make it easier to compete with larger businesses. Unfortunately, many of today?s larger corporations have more of a focus on ?don?t waste company time or money,? than they do the customers. Making sure that all of your customers receive the best service available, as well as thank you every time, is the best way to compete and win against your larger competitors.

The above mentioned ways are just a few of the many ways that you can make sure that your small business is running just as strong as the competition. Even if you run an online business, instead of storefront one, a personalized, friendly service is an important component of being successful. For additional methods that may help your business stay afloat, you may want to think about turning to your customers for suggestions. A simple suggestion box may give you insight into your customers, as well as their wants and their needs.

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Small Business Retailers: Ways That You Can ?Wow,? Your Customers

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:35:26 +0000

Are you a small business owner who runs your own retail store? Whether your retail store is like a small convenience store or a specialty store, like one that sells collectible figurines or plus size clothing, you will likely have some type of competition. There is a good chance that most of your competition will come from businesses, like full size department stores; ones that are larger in size and have more financial resources at their fingertips. Although it may seem like your competition has the advantage, it doesn?t have to be that way. There are a number of different ways that you go about ?wowing,? each and every one of your clients that walks through your door, to the point where they will be a returning shopper.

When it comes to ?wowing,? your customers, the ?wowing,? process isn?t actually as hard as you may believe it to be. For instance, the first step is to make sure that your store is completely clean and free of debris. If you have shopping carts, you will want to make sure that your customers can push a shopping cart down each of your isles, without running into merchandise or boxes on the floor. You will also want to make sure that your store shelves are organized in a nice, professional matter. The last thing that a consumer wants to do is shop at a retail store that leaves them feeling unclean or dirty. You want your customers to walk into your store and say ?wow.?

Another way that you can go about ?wowing,? your costumers is by just being nice to them. Yep, it really is as simple as it sounds. In today?s society, where everyone is in a rush to get things done, we often forget to be kind and polite to others. The best way to ?wow,? your customers is to treat them with kindness. You will want to make sure that all of your employees greet your customers as soon as they walk into the door, ask them if they need any help finding anything, and thank for them for their business after being checked out. Just being kind and compassionate to your customers is a great way to ?wow,? them and bring them back for more kindness, especially since that kindness is now missing from many big box retailers.

Another simple way that you can go about ?wowing,? your customers, is by offering them free discounts or savings. You may want to think about making coupons that can be handed out to all of your customers, preferably those who end up spending a certain amount of money, like fifty dollars or more. Moneysaving coupons are actually used by many shoppers, but most have to actually go searching for them, as most retailers don?t hand them out free of charge. Giving your customers moneysaving coupons is a great way to give your business a good public perception and it also tends to up your chances of returning customers.

The above mentioned approaches are just a few of the many that you may want to take when looking to ?wow,? your customers. In all honesty, what you need to do is look at it from the prospective of a customer. If you were to walk into your store, what would you want it to be like and how would you like to be treated?

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Small Business Owners: Should You Hire a Professional Tax Preparer?

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:51:12 +0000

Are you a small business owner who is getting ready to get your taxes prepared for this year? If you are, you may be wondering whether or not you should use the services of a professional tax preparer. When it comes to determining whether or not you should use the services of a professional tax preparer, you may want to think about the pros and cons of doing so.

When it comes to hiring the services of a professional tax preparer, one of the many pros or plus sides to having your small business taxes done professionally are the results. Most professional tax prepares have the required amount of tax preparation training and many also have years of experience with preparing taxes. This experience is what often guarantees that you will get better, accurate results.

Another one of the many pros or plus sides to having a professional tax preparer do your small business taxes for you is because of the deductions that they may be able to get you. As it was previously mentioned, many professional tax preparers have up-to-date tax training. This up-to-date tax training often means that they are educated on any new small business deductions that you may be able to qualify for, as well as old deductions. This is nice because most small business owners, like you, who do their own taxes, actually end up missing out on multiple opportunities to save money on their taxes.

Your liabilities, when hiring a professional tax preparer to do your small business taxes for you, is another one of the many pros or plus sides to seeking assistance. Even if you have some tax preparation experience, there is a good chance that you would end up taking your time, then go back and recheck your forms and then recheck them again. This is due to the fact that those who file their own taxes are often held liable for any mistakes that are made. The same is not always said when a professional tax preparer is used. Most professional tax preparers do not make mistakes, but if they do make one, you shouldn?t end up being held responsible or liable for that mistake.

Although there are a large number of pros or plus sides to doing business with a professional tax preparer, there are also a number of cons or downsides to doing so as well. Perhaps, the biggest one is the costs. It is no secret that it can get fairly expensive to hire the services of a professional tax preparer. In most cases, the amount of money that you are charged will all depend on the complicity of your tax forms. The harder they are to do, the more money you are likely to be charged. Of course, it is important to remember all of the above mentioned pros to hiring a professional tax preparer. Many time those benefits, alone, are worth the cost.

The decision as to whether or not you want to hire a professional tax preparer to do your small business taxes for you is yours to make, but, as outlined above, there are a number of benefits to doing so. If you are interested in trying to do your own taxes, but you later find it too complicated to do so, you may want to think about seeking professional assistance, as it is never to late to do so.

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Small Business Owners: Interview Questions That You Should Ask Your Applicants

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:06:58 +0000

Are you a small business owner? If you are, how is your business currently going? When first starting a small business, there are many small business owners who decide to start out small. This often involves being the only employee or just hiring family members. Limiting the number of employees that you start off with is a great way to limit your business expenses, but there may come a time when you need to hire additional help. If and when that time comes, do you know what you should do? If not, you will want to continue reading on.

Whether you run an online store, a storefront retail store, or an office-like business, you will need all job applicants to either submit their resumes or fill out a job application. In all honesty, it might be easier to have them do both. You can easily make your own job applications or you can purchase standard job applications from many office supplies stores, either on or offline. Once you have a collection of resumes and job applications, you may then want to think about going through those papers to find applicants that you would like to schedule a job interview with.

When it comes to finding the perfect employee or employees for your small business, the interview process plays an important role. It is during an interview where you are able to learn as much as you can about a job applicant, particularly if he or she is right for you and your small business. The best way that is this is done is by asking the right questions. Just a few of the many that questions that you will want to think about asking your job applicants are outlined below.

As a small business owner, you already know that you need to compete with larger businesses, ones that may have more money and resources than you do. The way that you can do this is with good customer service. Although it is important that you know this, your employees need to know this as well. You will want to ask your applicants if they know the difference between a large business and a small business, as well as what sets a small business apart from a large one. Also, ask them if they know why some customers prefer doing business with small businesses, like yours. If you cannot get the answers that you were looking for, it may be best to move on to the next applicant right away.

Since customer service is what often sets small businesses, like yours, apart from large corporations, you need to make sure that you hire employees who have good customer service skills. During a job interview, you will want to ask all of your applicants about their people skills. Do they think that they have good people skills? Do they find it easy to strike up conversations with customers or those who they don?t personally know? You will want to hire an employee or employees who are easily able to communicate with customers, on a wide variety of different topics, including business topics and silly topics like the weather.

To ensure that you are getting an honest answer from your applicants, particularly concerning their customer service skills, you may want to think about testing the waters a little bit. For instance, if you run a retail store, ask your job applicants what they would stay to a customer after they checked them out. If you get a response like ?I don?t know,? the applicant you are interviewing may not be the perfect match for you and your business. As you already know, the perfect response would be ?Thank you for your business and have a nice day.?

The above mentioned questions are just a few of the many that you may want to ask any job applicants that you bring in for an interview. After the first couple of interviews, interviewing potential candidates will come to you naturally, as if it were like a walk in the park.

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Marketing Your Small, Locally Owned and Operated Business

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:22:44 +0000

Are you a small business owner, but one who owns a business that has a physical address, instead of an online one? If you are, you can actually be considered the owner of a locally owned and operated business. One of the many benefits to being a small business owner who runs a locally owned and operated business is that you are often well liked by the locals, as your business helps their economy. Unfortunately, being well liked by some locals isn?t enough to keep your business afloat and profitable. That is why you also need to rely on marketing.

When many of us think of marketing, we often associate marketing with online businesses. What you need to remember is that even storefront businesses need to be marketed, especially if they are selling something, like a product or a service. If you are running your own storefront business, no matter what you are selling, it is important that your customers first know that you exist. This cannot be done without marketing, which is also commonly referred to as advertising. Just a few of the many ways that you can go about advertising or marketing your locally owned and operated small business are outlined below.

Perhaps, one of the best ways to go about marketing your locally owned and operated small business is by using the television. It is no secret that many individuals enjoy watching television. If you have a few local channels, you may be able to get your advertisements aired on those stations. Of course, you need to know that television advertising can be fairly expensive, but most business owners find that it does work. If you are looking for a similar marketing approach, but one that is a little bit more affordable, you may want to think about trying radio advertisements.

One marketing approach that many do not always associate with marketing, but should involves the phone book. If you run a locally owned and operated small business, you should have your business listed in the phone book. First, you will want to make sure that your business is listed in the yellow pages or the business directory section, as well as the white pages. You may also want to think about taking out an advertisement in the yellow pages. This advertisement doesn?t have to be a full page ad or even a half a page one. Many times, phone book users examine all of advertisements, especially the colored ones or the ones with pictures before flipping through the actual business listings.

Although you may not necessarily think about it at the time, you should use the internet to help market your small, locally owned and operated business. There are many business owners who tend to think that this approach is ironic, due to the fact that they don?t run an online business, but it could actually help to bring you a lot of business. When it comes to turning to the internet, you don?t necessarily have to open up an online store, if you are selling something, like a product or service, but you may want to create an informational website about you and your small business. For instance, if you operate a tax preparation service, you could online your training and your experience, the rates that you charge, and where your business is located. It may even be a good idea to get customer testimonials from past clients; clients who were pleased with your work.

The above mentioned marketing approaches are just a few of the many ways that you can go about marketing your small locally owned and operated business. Despite what you and many others believe, there are actually just as many, if not more, ways to market a storefront business than there are to market an online business. For additional marketing approaches that you may want to try using, you may want to think about taking a small business marketing course or investing in a number of small business marketing resource guides, like books.

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How to Save Money When Advertising Your Small Business

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:38:30 +0000

Are you looking to market your business to the general public, preferably your targeted market? Your targeted market should be the individuals who are most likely to need what your business has to offer. For instance, if you run a professional resume writing business, you will want to target those who are currently unemployed or those who are looking for jobs. As important as advertising is, it can sometimes get time consuming and costly. The costly part is what often causes many small business owners to cringe. The good news is that there are a number of different ways that you can go about advertising your small business without having to spend more money than you need to.

One of the best advertising methods that people fail to realize the importance of is word of mouth. In today?s society, many consumers like giving a company feedback or ratings, literally or figuratively. That is why many consumers tell their friends when they find a nice new store; one that is worth visiting, or a store that they had a bad experience at. You should never underestimate the power of the customers that you already have. Not only will keeping your current customers happy increase the chances of them coming back again, it also ups the chances of them recommending your business to those that they know.

Another easy and relatively cheap way that you can go about advertising your small business to your targeted market is by carefully choosing where you choose to advertise your business. In keeping with the above mentioned example of running a professional resume writing businesses, you may want to think about distributing flyers or business cards to local coffee shops or college campuses. The same can be done for other types of businesses. For instance, if you run a dog grooming salon, you can advertise your business in local pet supply stores, vet offices, and such. Of course, you will need to get permission from other businesses before placing your business cards or flyers on their properties, but you may find that most are willing to assist you. In fact, you may even want to think about doing a flyer or business card swap.

In addition to handing out traditional business cards or flyers, you may also want to think about giving away free coupons. There are many consumers who like free stuff, even if it is only a few coupons. When a customer has a money saving coupon, they are more likely to buy what you are selling, whether it is a product or a service. If you are trying to target a specific group of individuals, like your targeted market, you may want to carefully choose how you distribute your coupons and how much in savings you give away. If you are just trying to generate as many sales as possible or create a ?buzz,? you may want to think about contacting one of your local newspapers to put coupons inside their paper.

As it was previously mentioned, there are many consumers who love free stuff, even if it is just coupons. You are advised to take advantage of this well-known fact. For instance, you may want to think about holding a contest or a drawing for your customers. For instance, if you run a pet supply store, you may want to think about creating a pet gift basket, like one that may include food, treats, or grooming supplies. You will want to allow each of your customers, the ones who make a purchase, to enter into your contest. If the prize is nice enough, you may that some customers buy something just to get entered into the contest. Hosting a contest is a great way to generate sales and business ?buzz.?

The above mentioned approaches are just a few of the many low-cost, affordable ways that you can go about advertising your business to the general public or even just to your targeted market. The decision as to whether or not you want to use any of the above mentioned methods is yours to make, but they are at least worth looking into.

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