Home lmprovement, Self lmprovement

Business experts advise small business owners that writing a regular online column can be a great way to build rapport with your customers. But an innovative blog penned by Hipp Modern Builders Supply, Mountain View, Ar., goes way beyond the usual how-to advice on home improvement projects.

Named "Hipp's Help" (www.hippshelp.com), the two-year-old site is the brainchild of owner Terry Hipp and his son, Gentry Hipp, who manages both the store and its Internet offerings.

The site features a prominent link to Hipp's online Do it Best store, including a discount code. But it initially attracts customer with less commercial motives.

"We know that people are always trying to better themselves and improve the way of life they live," writes Gentry. "If we can help one person improve the way they live, then we feel like that we have accomplished our goals for our site."

Although readers can read about the standard home improvement projects-how to build a wooden arbor, how to pave a driveway, how to build an outdoor shower-they can also learn how to create a website, how to make money online, and how to write a resume.

"Our main purpose is to just throw our micro bursts of thoughts out to you," reads the blog, "along with sharing some of our content and specials from our parent site."

The site's motto is "How to Do Just About Anything." Recent posts offer everything from how to create a video game, tips on baking cookies, a discussion of foster care and international adoption, lots of parenting advice, how to make money on penny stocks, how to naturally get rid of eczema, and a practical, seven-step guide on how to stop vomiting.

After offering the observation that "in most cases other than food poisoning, vomiting may be unnecessary," the blog offers helpful advice on how to control the unpleasant side-effects of an irritated stomach.

Believing that "we are all put on this earth to help each other and to see that we all live a full life," Gentry writes that he hopes the blog "will help everyone that reads it. My wish to everyone out there is that you live a full and happy life!"

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