Q: As the founder, it’s up to you to set the tone for the team. It doesn’t matter if you’re the on-field coach or if you delegate that role to someone else—make sure that the team reflects the encouraging and supportive leadership style that you ought to provide. If you’re coaching a baseball team for younger kids, for example, then your leadership focus may be on teaching essential baseball skills and promoting teamwork in a fun atmosphere. It’s your ultimate responsibility to make sure that your team knows and follows the rules. No matter if you have a team of kids or adults, emphasize the importance of fairness and good sportsmanship.  Make it clear that rule-breaking won’t be tolerated. Set up a clearly-defined procedure of progressive discipline for anyone caught breaking the rules. Go over your team and league rules and spell out the consequences. For instance, it may be a league rule that arguing with an umpire, referee, or game official results in an automatic ejection and 1-game suspension. Unless you’ve fully opened your wallet to bankroll the team, you’ll likely have to rely at least in part on fundraising efforts. Don’t treat fundraising like a chore that the players have to deal with. Instead, play a leading role yourself and make it part of your team-building efforts.  If your team is fundraising by selling coupon books for the local sandwich shop, get out there and sell along with the players! Don’t emphasize which players have raised more and which have raised less. Instead, focus on the amount raised by the entire team and encourage them to support each other in raising more. Starting and running a sports team is a lot of work, but it should be enjoyable work. Don’t let the inevitable hassles and unexpected problems make you forget why you got involved in the first place. It can be even harder to have fun if your team loses a lot, but look for moments of fun and joy in the midst of losing. Also make sure to praise players when they give good efforts and display good teamwork and sportsmanship.
A: Take a positive leadership role that benefits your players. Learn and adhere to league rules and requirements. Lead fundraising activities to support your team. Remember to have fun!

Q: There will be lots to do to get your property ready to house free-roaming animals. Start with nitty-gritty tasks like leveling uneven terrain, clearing stray brush, draining ponds and marshes, and installing fences to mark your property line and keep the animals contained. From there, you can move on to landscaping and other aesthetic details to get the grounds looking just the way you want them. Proceed with a simple, intuitive layout in mind. Configure your property in a long line and have visitors work their way from one end to the other, or situate the pens in a loop so they end up back where they started. While plotting the layout of your petting zoo, don't forget to take all your related spatial needs into consideration. At the very least, you'll need stalls and outdoor pens, a dedicated feeding area, restrooms, and one or two office buildings. Think up an intelligent way to arrange these facilities that allows both you and your visitors to get where you're going with ease.  If space permits, you could include other buildings like a separate storage room or gift shop. Once you're ready to break ground, hand off your plans to a team of specialty contractors to get construction underway. Now that the main structures are in place, think of any other elements you'd like to include to enhance the look of your property. You might have plaques made to provide a little information about each animal, or put up custom signposts to guide visitors in the right direction. The right atmosphere can make your petting zoo that much more inviting and memorable.  Place benches, picnic tables, or similar seating at regular intervals so tired visitors will have somewhere to sit and rest. Designate one or two especially scenic areas as backdrops where people can have their pictures made with the animals. No petting zoo is complete without the main attraction—the animals. Some of the most popular attractions at petting zoos include llamas, sheep, ponies, deer, and rabbits. To give your visitors a wide variety of species to interact with, be sure to lease lots of different animals, both big and small.  It's vital that you go through a reputable, licensed dealer when stocking your pens. In this case, you're looking for a Class A or Class B AWA license, which says that the vendor has permission to buy, sell, and trade live animals under federal law.  You'll have quite a bit of freedom when it comes to the types of animals you put on display, as long as they meet the conditions of your exhibitor's license and don't pose a threat to the safety of your customers or any of the other animals. For traveling petting zoos, some means of transporting your animals from place to place will be a must. Invest in an extra large trailer with partitions, good ventilation, and plenty of space for comfort. Have a few smaller mobile units on hand for moving larger animals like horses and, as well as groups of like species. Decorate your convoy of vehicles with banners and decals bearing the name of the petting zoo to advertise while you're on the go to and from various events.
A: Develop your land. Build the necessary facilities. Add other unique touches for presentation. Acquire an assortment of animals. Take your show on the road.

Q: Most magazines will post guidelines for what they want from photographers on their website or somewhere in the magazine. For instance, they may want a particular file size or format, or they may want you to style them in a particular way. It will also tell you how they prefer for you to submit and how much they pay. If you can't find submission guidelines, you can still submit to the magazine by finding an email or physical address. Generally, you can find this information on their website. When looking through staff members' emails, look for the photo editor or art director, and direct your query to that person, if the magazine is big enough to have such a person. Get an idea of what kind of photos they want, so you know what to submit. Make sure they are good quality and fit the style and subject matter of the magazine. If you don't have any that fit their style, choose another magazine, or try a photo shoot to capture what they want. The letter should explain who you are and what you want (to have your photos printed or to receive future assignments or both). You can do so in print or online but follow any guidelines the magazine offers. If you submit in print, be sure to include both printed images and a CD with high-resolution images, so they are ready to go if the magazine wants them.  You should also include a thumbnail page, a caption sheet, and a picture of yourself. You can also send a sample of your work so you are placed on their mailing list. You show a collection of your photos, and they may contact you when they have assignments. Keep your letter professional and to the point. For instance, you could write something like: "Dear Ms. (name), My name is Jo Jones, and I am a freelance photographer. I have been a fan of your magazine for over 10 years. I love the work you do, which is why I am submitting a portfolio of photographs to be considered for publication in your magazine. I feel like my style is in line with your current aesthetics. I hope that one of these photos fits your current needs, but if you don't find one to your liking, please keep me in mind for future projects. Regards, Jo Jones" Once you've sent an initial query letter, contact the magazine again within a month to make sure your name pops up when assignments come up. You want to keep up with the magazine, but don't bombard them. If you send them a new set of photos everyday, they may get annoyed and reject your work. If they make an offer, review the details and accept or reject the offer. If you're new to the scene, remember the offer could be fairly low for someone first starting out. If a magazine rejects you, don't send an angry reply. Thank them for their time. You may have better work in the future that they do like, and you want them to be receptive to it.
A:
Look for submission guidelines. Peruse the site or the magazine. Pick five or six photos to send. Submit your selection with a query letter. Stay fresh in their minds. Review and accept the magazine's offer. Don't burn your bridges.