A three-strand braid is a very common way to braid, perhaps most associated with a classic schoolgirl hair braid. You can use this technique to make a strong braided rope. Braided ropes are appropriate for use in high-friction situations. You can use more or less any type of rope material for this method, including synthetic rope, natural rope and plastic cords. It just has to be flexible enough that you can work with it. If the ends of your strands are frayed, fuse them before you begin. With a synthetic rope you can fuse the end by holding it over a candle so that it melts a little and fuses together. You can tie twine (dental floss works well) around the end portion of the strand to bind it together. This practice is known as "whipping." You can also use tape to secure the ends of the strands, and prevent fraying. Use a knot or some tape to securely bind the ends of your three strands. Electrical tape and gaffer tape are good choices, depending on how thick the strands you are using are. Once you have bound the strands together at the left-hand side, stretch out the rest of the rope towards the right-hand end. The three strands should be lying next to each other and not overlapping to get your starting position. You may find it helpful to label the three strands A, B, and C. You could also color-code the strands, or use different colors if you want to make a pattern. Start by crossing strand A over the central strand B. The order of strands will now be B, A, C. Next cross the other outside strand across the newly central strand, C over A. Now the order will be B, C, A. This is one basic repetition of the braiding pattern for a three-strand braid. Continue repeating this pattern of crossing one outside strand over the central strand, and then crossing the other outside strand over the new central strand. In this example you would now cross B over C, so that B is the central strand. Then you would cross A over B so that A is the central strand. You can continue this pattern until you reach the end of the length of rope. Once you have reached the end of the rope, you can secure the braid by binding the strands together. You can do this by taping the ends together with electrical tape or gaffer, or by tying a strong knot at the end.

Summary: Start with the rope of your choice. Bind the three ends together. Pass the outside strands across the central one. Repeat the outside to in pattern. Tie off the rope.

No matter what business you are getting into, you should always start by developing a detailed business plan. It will describe the nature of your business, the products / services you will offer, your budget, marketing plan, and target customer base, and project your business' growth for several years to come. It is the guidebook for your business' development, and your "sales pitch" to potential investors or financial contributors. See How to Write a Business Plan for a good primer on the process of creating this important document. Starting a legitimate business is not as simple as doing a little advertising and collecting money from customers. To create a business that can succeed and grow, you need to understand the process of legally starting a business, collecting and paying taxes, obtaining insurance and any permitting, licensing, or certification requirements, and becoming an employer (should you eventually hire help). You may want to save on taxes by having customers pay cash "under the table" and not reporting the income, but this gives your business an air of illegitimacy (as well it should) for your customers. You are better off paying the taxes and appearing (and being) legitimate. How to Open a Small Business offers some nice information on the legal requirements of establishing a business. The U.S. Small Business Administration website is also a great resource; see, for instance, https://www.sba.gov/content/follow-these-steps-starting-business. You'll need the community to support your small business in order for it to succeed, of course. Engaging with and supporting the community with your business can help to create a mutually-beneficial relationship. Volunteer some of your time and expertise. Be a supporting sponsor at community events (with the requisite public recognition, of course). Use your advertising and branding to develop a sense of stability and permanence for your business, even in a field that changes as rapidly as computers. No matter the nature of your small business, you need to be visible, you need to be reliable, and you need to provide a personalized experience that builds customer loyalty.

Summary: Start with a business plan. Protect yourself and your business. Become a part of the community.

You'll notice certain differences between your first pregnancy and your second pregnancy which might raise many queries in your mind. At the time of your first pregnancy, your baby's head becomes engaged in your pelvis more quickly when compared to your second pregnancy. In the case of second pregnancies, the head might not become engaged until your labor starts. Second labors tend to proceed more quickly and last for a shorter amount of time when compared to the first. This is because the cervix muscles are thicker and take more time to dilate when you are in your first labor, but in the subsequent delivery the cervix dilates faster. In a second labor, the vaginal muscles and the muscles of the pelvic floor are already stretched by the previous birth and have become laxer. This helps to make your second baby arrive more quickly and to make the advanced labor stages less difficult for you. If you have had an episiotomy or tear during your first delivery and are still traumatized by the experience, the best tip to escape it during your second baby is to get into an upright posture and push while you are in the labor's second stage. When you take an upright posture, you are actually using Newton's simple scientific theory of gravity, the force which pulls your baby out into this world without any cuts or tears on your body! However, this is not a fool-proof way of avoiding episiotomy. Some women still needs an episiotomy despite taking these measures.

Summary: Understand that your pelvis might not get engaged immediately during your second labor. Be prepared for your second labor to be potentially faster than your first. Get into a position that will reduce your chances of getting an episiotomy.

Use the research that other organizations have done before you to help give you an edge. If you are looking for a special event sponsorship for a walk or running event, look at other runs in your area and look at who the sponsors were. This could be a good place to start. If your event is athletic in nature, consider Nike, Adidas, Livestrong, and other sports-related organizations as possibilities. If you're holding a music event or concert, consider local radio stations, music publications, and other ventures that have similar interests. If you're holding a food event, consider Gourmet magazine, the Food Network, and other big food conglomerates. Aim high. A big list of potential sponsors is great, but you don't want to simply ask every person and company that you know to be a sponsor. Your list needs to be a list of actual potential sponsors, meaning people or companies that you think will actually consider your sponsorship request. Include companies that have been sponsors for you in the past, companies that have sponsored other ideas similar to yours and people or companies that you have a personal connection with that would be able to be a sponsor. Having background information on the potential sponsor will go a long way in helping you gain a sponsorship. Look for reasons why it would benefit the potential sponsor to sponsor you. If you learn the demographics, business model, and the goals of your potential sponsors, you can start developing some sense of the way you might pitch the sponsorship. For this reason, more localized businesses are often a safer bet than larger corporations like Nike. While Nike's certainly got the coin to throw around, they're also probably getting several hundred sponsorship requests in a given week. The local radio station or sporting goods store? Probably much less. And if your customer base overlaps, that's potential earned income for them. Consider leveraging potential sponsors against one another. If one sporting goods store from the West side of town has already pledged at a certain level, mention that to the sporting goods store on the East side of town. They'll get the hint.
Summary: Look for companies that sponsor other events or activities similar to yours. Create a list of potential sponsors. Research every company or person on your list. Anticipate the needs of each potential sponsor.