Has anyone worked for Rapid Text? Any info would be great

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I was wondering if anyone uses Swift Text Expander or any other cheaper Expanders (if there are any). I am going to start doing some IC work besides my full-time job. I am going to be paid hourly but I would like an expander just because I am so used to using it now I would be lost without it. I currently use what is built into my work system now and do not any experience with others. I am only going to do this extra work minimally so didn't know if it would be worth investing in a more expensive expander or if I could get by with a cheaper one. Any info/ideas would be appreciated. Thanks in advance for any info.

Follow these tips on invoicing and collection procedures so you can get what you deserve--your payment.
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Admit it: What entrepreneur hasn't felt like screaming obscenities at a late-paying client?

Who can blame you? In the otherwise nirvana-like world of the homebased business owner, getting paid is probably the biggest hassle of going solo. In the corporate world, whether you complete a project or not, you know you're going to get a check next payday, just like clockwork.

But when you run your own business, completing a project and getting paid for it are two completely different entities. Thirty days, 60 days, even 90 days go by after you submitted your invoice, and still no check. Demonic possession sets in as the weeks roll by.

"It's more of a problem today than it was 10 or 15 years ago," says Bennie Thayer, president and chief executive officer of the National Association for the Self-Employed. "We're becoming a nation of late payers as heavy debts force businesses to pay some bills one month while others are held over to the next."

So how can you speed up the payment process? Here are some strategies that successful entrepreneurs have been using for years to get paid on time:

Sign a contract. This may seem obvious, but it's critical if you want to set payment terms upfront. Too many small-business owners rely on verbal agreements when taking on work, and that's especially true for nascent homebased business owners, who are so happy to get the work that they don't want to jeopardize things by being too "demanding" of their new clients. That's a big mistake. Get a contract, and make sure it outlines the project and includes a provision of when you'll be paid. If the agreed-upon date passes, call your client and diplomatically point out that the due date for payment has come and gone. Then ask for an overnight delivery of the check if possible.

Shorten your billing cycles. While most vendors take 30- to 60-plus days to pay up, there's no reason why you can't add a line into your invoice that reads "Payment due within 14 or 21 days," including the specific date. That way, you have reason to call your contact at the client's office sooner rather than later to check on a payment. Once a client hears you say the check is late, that's usually enough to warrant a call to accounting and the likely processing of your check.

Rethink your invoices. Are your invoices too generic, too safe? While all invoices should include the client contact's name, the order number and the date the bill is due, don't stop there. Add a 5- or 10-percent penalty for late payments. Check and see if the client has a "favored vendors" list and then see if you can get on it. When you do, add your vendor number to the bill. And always list the project that you worked on�some clients simply need their memory jogged.

Get money upfront. As a writer, I've had good luck getting up to half the project fee paid upfront. Asking for an advance may seem "uncorporate" at first to some clients, but you're operating in a different world than your client. Positioning the request as a good faith gesture is a strong strategy. Chances are, you'll get it if you ask.

Join a union. Remember, there's always strength in numbers. So even a solo graphic artist or food caterer needn't go into the payment battles alone. Hundreds of unions exist that can help you track down deadbeat clients and get paid. Clients may snicker at a lone business owner, but they don't like facing down unions. Check your local chamber of commerce or log onto the SBA's website for more details.

Hire a bill collector. This is a real last resort. Once you hire a bill collector, the chances are remote that you'll ever work with the client in question again. Then again, if you're payment is seriously late (90 days or more), why would you want to? Collection agencies will garner anywhere from 10 to 50 percent of the payment fee, but at least you won't go home empty-handed. Bonus: The Better Business Bureau tracks late payments through collection agencies and documents them. So your diligence may keep others away from a deadbeat client.

Small claims court. Okay-a last, LAST resort. For $25, you can take your deadbeat client to small claims court. Payments in question are usually less than $15,000 (check out this site for the limit of what you can sue for in your state), but you don't need a lawyer, the hearings aren't that complicated, and you'll have justice on your side. Check your Yellow Pages under "local government" for help.

Remember, getting paid is how you pay the rent. It's your money, not the clients, and you've got a right to it. Don't be afraid to fight aggressively for what's yours.

You have to be disciplined to make yourself work when baby is napping instead of maybe watching TV or doing housework, etc.

I might also go the route of having a teen come into your home, or either trying a mother's morning out program at a local church/daycare. I've been home since my youngest was born and he has never been in all-day daycare, but I did have him in a mother's morning out program 15 hours a week at a local church. It didn't help a lot with my work schedule because I had an older son in school and was a room mom and tutored other kids, but that might be an option. The only problem with the mother's morning out program is they are around other kids and tend to pick up every germ. I finally took my DS out of the program because he stayed sick. You were supposed to keep them off if they had green nasal discharge and I did, but no one else did. Every time I got him well after 2 to 3 days back he would be sick again. Other than that it was very good for him because he would not have had a chance to be around kids his age otherwise.

Once again

, it seems that you could ask all 10,000 strong we are supposed to be and probably get 10,000 different answers to what MQ pays/does not pay for, BECAUSE, there just is no consistency across the board and different management give different answers to all of these questions.

Just like the DQS manual, there SHOULD be a one for all/all for one manual with rules, etc set in stone

..just not the multiple language instructions like we see in any manual these days....enough of that going through my brain right now

one of your My Documents files in your PC just plain VANISH? I had a spelling reference file I'd built over many months just plain disappear, except for just a couple of lines. It's so WEIRD! I've done a search of the hard drive, checked the Recycle Bin, etc. But it's nowhere to be found. I hadn't backed it up because it was still a relatively new file for me, and there was more I wanted to add to it first.

So my question is this: Is there a way to retrieve or restore an apparently "lost" file?

IT V Pro is an expander program that works with almost all word-based programs running on any Windows platform.

You can import abbreviation files from other programs (such as AutoCorrect) and it also comes with 55 built-in glossaries to help get you started.

The most popular features of IT V Pro include the Importer, the Compilation feature, the Includes feature and Continuations.

The Importer takes abbreviation lists from other sources, such as AutoCorrect, and imports them into IT so you can continue using them without having to start creating a new list from scratch.

The Compilation feature is used to create personalized glossaries by scanning saved documents on your computer and pulling out the most frequently used phrases and words to instantly compile a customized glossary in seconds.

And the Continuations feature is a feature that brings up what you are likely to type next in your sentence. So for example, if you were to type "The patient", IT will then suggest what you are likely to type next based on what you've typed in the past.

For more information on IT, please see the link below for a short product presentation.

Instant Text V Pro can import your dictionary files so you can continue using the abbreviations that you are used to.

IT works with all Windows-based word-processing programs so you can continue using IT even if you switch jobs or computers, etc.

Instant Text V Pro will work with MS Word and WordPerfect. You can import your WordPerfect list into Instant Text so you can continue using your current abbreviations. IT also comes with 55 built-in glossaries to help get you started.

IT is virtually limitless so you never have to worry about over-loading it. You can have one large glossary (abbreviation list) or you can have several small customized glossaries which you can use all at the same time using the Includes feature.

You can expand a word, phrase, paragraph, a full page or more and you can also expand templates of your reports. You expand in Instant Text using keystrokes. You can choose from a long list of Expander keys, including the spacebar. You can also click to expand but it is faster to use the expander keys so you don�t have to take your hands off the keyboard.

Instant Text V Pro is an Expander program that works with Meditech. You can import your abbreviation lists from other programs into Instant Text so you can continue using the abbreviations that you are familiar with.

With Instant Text, you do not need to buy the program twice. The license agreement is based on a per-user basis, rather than a per-machine basis so you can install it on more than one computer as long as you are the only one using it.

You would not need to set up your expansions twice either. The Instant Text glossaries are simply text files that can be copied onto your other computer. You can also import any abbreviation lists you have created in other programs, such as AutoCorrect, into Instant Text so you can continue using the expansions that you are used to.