INPUT ARTICLE: Article: The actual growth rate in a company is simply the increase in sales over a given period of time. Divide the sales figure from your starting point by your most recent sales figure. The actual growth rate should be calculated based on the same time period used to calculate the sustainable growth rate. Your actual growth rate will vary by month, quarter, or whatever period you use to report financial results. Because actual growth rate is just the percentage change in your sales, it changes frequently. When calculating the actual growth rate, take care that your sales figures represent the same amount of time each. If you compare your sales from the 4th quarter of the year to the 1st month of the year, your growth rate will appear much larger than it actually is. Ensure your are comparing apples to apples, or more specifically, weeks to weeks, months to months, quarters to quarters, years to years, and so on. Your business may be growing faster, slower, or just at the sustainable growth rate. While rapid growth might seem like a positive indicator, a growth rate that exceeds the sustainable growth rate means the business doesn't have enough cash on hand to meet business needs at the rate the business is growing. If your calculated sustainable growth rate is higher than your return on equity, this may mean your business isn't performing as well as it could. As an example, imagine a construction company that builds houses. To start the company the owner invests $100,000, and he also borrows $100,000 from a bank to start the business. After a year of sales the business owner calculates his actual and sustainable growth rates, and notices his actual growth rate is much higher than his sustainable growth rate. As he has increases his sales, he needs additional funds to finance the costs of labor and materials to build additional houses in order to earn revenue. While these increase in sales may be good for business, the business owner won't be able to finance all of these costs without getting additional money from somewhere. By knowing the differences in growth rates, the owner can plan ahead for where he will secure additional funding, or whether he should slow company growth. While a high actual growth rate isn't by default a negative, it does mean the business will need to finance increases in operations by either issuing new stock, taking on new debt, reducing dividends, or increasing profit margins. Most new business owners prefer not to borrow more debt or issue more equity in the beginning years, and may need to slow growth to the sustainable growth rate. A lower actual growth rate than the calculated sustainable growth rate may serve as evidence that your business isn't performing up to snuff. Use what you learned about your sustainable and actual growth rate to adjust your business plan. If you want to maintain a growth rate that is higher than your sustainable growth rate, you will need to pay for the growth in costs somehow, before you can reap the increased income. Consider borrowing, issuing additional equity, investing personal funds, or reducing dividends. If you don't want to take any of these actions, slow your company growth to the sustainable growth rate so you will not need additional funds to finance your costs. If your actual growth rate is below your sustainable growth rate, you may have more assets on hand than you need to get the job done. If you aren't planning on increasing your production, you may consider paying back some debt or issuing a dividend to stockholders. Remember that growth rates are calculations based on past performance, and cannot perfectly predict the future. Your actual and sustainable growth rates will probably never perfectly match, and you should use the rates as a tool to guide business decision making, not a metric to paralyze your decision making or stunt your business. The sustainable growth rate gains more and more meaning as time passes and your business becomes more reliable - in the first year, your actual and sustainable growth rates may fluctuate drastically, which is expected.

SUMMARY: Calculate your actual growth rate. Compare your actual and sustainable growth rate. Adjust your business. Maintain perspective.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: People do it for fun, or because the collected item might become valuable. You can make it as narrow or as broad a field as you like. There are three basic categories to choose from: Free. This category often includes sentimental objects like postcards, or fun ones like bottle caps. Inexpensive. This category may include baseball cards or figurines. Expensive. This third category tends to be for expert collectors with items like art pieces, or antiques. Whether you are collecting coins, dolls, or fossils being a serious collector can be expensive. Single coins can sell from a few dollars to $3,000. A doll can be found at a flea market or antique store for very little, or it could be a L'Oiseleur which runs the price tag of $6.25 million. There are a variety of different kinds of collections. Stamps. Old coins. A coin collection could be early American pennies, foreign coins, Roman coins are only a few ideas. Books. Anything from modern books of poetry to limited first edition. Fossils. Learn where it is best to find the item, how best to care for it. For coins, books like The Everything Coin Collecting Book is a useful place to start. Most collections have websites where collectors, enthusiasts and sellers have their wares. Go to the library! Librarians can help you research your collection and find resources. Items like dolls, coins, baseball cards and figurines can be found in hobby shops, flea markets, garage sales, antique stores and sometimes even your own attic. When it comes to caring for your collection, make sure you are doing so properly. This is particularly important if you are creating a collection with the hopes that it will increase in value. Depending on its contents many countries may have restrictions on buying certain items. A UNESCO resolution places restrictions on the movement of antiquities, including coins. The U.S. and other countries have certain restrictions on firearms. For example, don't collect football cards if you find football boring. This is about your interests.

SUMMARY: Consider why you want to start a collection. Decide on a budget. Choose your collection. Research your item. Understand the legality of your collection. Enjoy doing it!

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You can add turmeric to your lipstick to change the hue or add turmeric to lip balm to create some yellow tinted lip balm. Try mixing a pinch of turmeric with a brown or red lipstick. Adding the yellow turmeric will lighten the shade slightly. You can use a toothpick to mix the lipstick with turmeric in a small, clean lip balm pot if you want to create a custom shade to use over and over again. If you just want to create enough lipstick to wear one time, then you can mix a very small amount of the lipstick with a sprinkle of turmeric in the palm of your hand. If you want to make your own lipstick, then you can use turmeric as one of your pigments. If you want to adjust the shade of your eyeshadow to give it a yellow tint, then adding turmeric can be a good option. Try adding a sprinkle of turmeric to your eyeshadow, or apply turmeric after you have already applied the eyeshadow. If adding turmeric directly to your eyeshadow, sprinkle a small amount on top of the eyeshadow. Start with just a pinch and add more as needed. Then, use your eyeshadow brush to blend the turmeric in. If you want to apply the turmeric over your eyeshadow, then apply your eyeshadow and then use an eyeshadow brush to apply a small amount of turmeric over it. You can also use turmeric to make your own eyeshadow by mixing it with a base such as cornstarch. You can also add turmeric to your bronzer, if desired. Try sprinkling a bit of turmeric onto the top of your bronzer in its case and then use a fluffy brush to blend the turmeric in. Then, apply your bronzer as usual. If you do not want to add turmeric to your bronzer, then you can also apply the turmeric directly to your face after you finish applying the bronzer. Just get a small dusting of turmeric on your fluffy brush and apply it over the areas where you applied the bronzer.

SUMMARY:
Mix turmeric in with your lipstick or lip balm. Add turmeric to eyeshadow. Blend turmeric into bronzer.