What Managing a Small Business Entails

Author: Peter Gitundu

Source: ezinearticles.com



Being in stable employment is quite satisfying if you are assured of an income at the end of every month. Being employed could mean that you have a boss over your head, or you have employed yourself, probably though some business venture. Whichever way, a good performance gives you the guarantee that you will have some money coming in at the end of the month.Managing a small business is no easy task. One can build or break it within no time after its establishment. When you think of putting up an enterprise, no matter how small, the secret is to see to it that you invest in brilliant ideas that will survive the hardest of times. Patience and determination will also be required of you.Remember that Rome was not built in a day. Becoming a CEO in your own venture requires that you dedicate time to attend seminars and forums that will enlighten you some more. This will give you the opportunity to learn a lot about management as well as customer relations. It also gives you a feeling that you are not alone in trying to overcome the challenges that are bound to come by.The type of small business that will benefit you most will largely depend on your choice of category as well as your interest in that area. Small ventures can be classified into convenience stores, hairdressers, restaurants, small-scale manufacturing as well as tradesmen. Some other ventures are located at home and are referred to as micro enterprises and they too are good enough for a beginner.

Peter Gitundu Creates Interesting And Thought Provoking Content on Small Business. For More Information, Read More Of His Articles Here SMALL BUSINESS INVESTING. If You Enjoyed This Article, Make Sure You Read My Recent Post On FINANCING SMALL BUSINESS.

Money Matters-Small Business, It's Either Chaos or Control, Which do You Choose?

Author: Jim Hart

Source: download



Success... all you need is one sound idea and a plan for its achievement. Let's take a closer look at planning and how it ties together with organization and control. Having a business plan, even a simple one, is the most critical element of the startup of a small business of any kind. Planning helps you look more closely at the legal, financial, management, marketing and selling issues confronting you. It answers the fundamental questions of what product or service will you offer and how are you going to market and sell it. Developing a plan is an important indicator of your ability to operate a small business. It takes careful thought, discipline, time and energy to think through your business idea.Doing so will help you understand and control each step of each action you take as you assemble your business for operation. A typewritten plan represents your understanding of your business and your market and helps organize and control the project. You have two possible states of attitude and operation: Either control or chaos. Let me give an example; can you make a better quality burger at home than a fast food burger? Of course you can! But, the fast food industry sells billions of burgers and you probably don't sell any right? You can make a better burger but they sell billions of inferior burgerswhy? Because the fast food industry has a "plan" to make hamburgers with "controls" to systematically produce hamburgers of consistent quality and characteristics which are delivered to the public again and again. That is, they have a "highly controlled" production and selling system. The key to any business success is planning, systemization and control. That is the success behind franchisesa proven system of operation.Can you imagine how much harder you will work if your business is started and operated by chaos? Would you buy a franchise that sold chaos? Even the smallest business, a cake-making business for example, needs systems and controls. Which raises another point: Many franchises start off as a small business, which is purposely systematized so the business can be sold as franchises. The angle being that it is better to have 10% of what 100 people can do then 100% of what you can do. This fact alone is worth taking the time to plan your business from the beginning to "systematize" every element of operation when it is starting up or a very small enterprise. Systematize it from the ground up! If you already have a business, think "systems".If you are thinking about starting a small business, contact your Secretary of State and ask for a small business start up kit, they are free and offer guidance to planning and ensuring legal operation with local, state and federal agencies. You can also contact the Small business Administration at SBA Answer Desk 6302 Fairview Road, Suite 300 Charlotte, North Carolina 28210 or by phone 1-800-U-ASK-SBA (1-800-827-5722) Or Online: www.sba.gov. The SBA has a ton of free publications on every area of business planning to help you succeed as well as contact information to Small Business Development Corporations (SBDC's) And Small Business Investment Centers (SBIC's).Copyright 2006 James W. Hart, IV All Rights reservedJames W. Hart, IV, a consumer advocate and CEO of Smart Books Publishing, has been involved in the field of residential and commercial real estate mortgage financing since 1987. Hart, previously licensed to engage in the sale of real estate in the state of Ohio, has been directly involved in the origination of residential and commercial mortgage financing and has worked with residential and commercial mortgage lenders, large commercial mortgage banking firms and life insurance companies for financing. Hart is an honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. Army, graduate of the University of Toledo and graduate of the Cleveland Institute of electronics. He is a member of the National Panel of Consumer Arbitrators and the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc. During 1992/93 Mr. Hart appeared on a number of radio and TV stations throughout the U.S. including WJR-AM, WWWE-AM, WHUR-FM, WRC-AM, WLW-AM, WTVN-AM, WSPD-AM, KDKA-AM, KBGS-AM and CNBC-TV and many others Smart Books Publishing http://www.smart67.com

Help Desk Software For Small Businesses

Author: Fred Jones -

Source: articledashboard.com



When profits go down, the first area in which a small business may want to save money is its help desk. This type of frugality has its costs, however, in the form of long call backlogs, angry customers, and eventually even lower profits. A better option would be to improve the efficiency of the help desk in order to ensure even better service at a lower cost. One of the best ways to accomplish this task is by purchasing help desk software to streamline operations. There are a variety of help desk software packages on the market. Among the most popular are Support Wizard, Parature, and FootPrints. Help desk software can assist the small business owner in comprehensive, adaptable problem resolution including generating and tracking tickets, responding to requests, and automating communications using outlets such as through calls or email. Help desk software is particularly useful for small businesses in which key personnel often travel, because it can allow access to the help desk over the Internet.In case you think it's too expensive, consider the costs to the customer of a software-less help desk:o Time wasted deciding where to go for help.o Time wasted on hold for customer support personnel. o Time wasted reading through dense product manuals.o Time wasted through poor procedures and practices.Ultimately time wasted for the customer will result in dissatisfied customers and poor business performance. Direct costs to your business may include:o Lower employee productivity when staff is called away to assist.o Duplicated support efforts.Nevertheless, be prudent when considering the purchase of help desk software, because not all packages are appropriate for small businesses. Some packages include hidden charges such as frequent updates, so it would be a good idea to find out what updates are expected and how frequent they occur. Nevertheless, think carefully before going to the other extreme and using free help desk software available on the Internet - these packages usually have serious limitations and are appropriate only for very small operations. Nevertheless, small businesses should choose software with a relatively small number of features. Keep it simple because it's unlikely a small business will need every feature of a complex product, so why pay for it?

Use Effective Communication For Your Small Business

Author: Todd Hicks

Source: ezinearticles.com



Are you someone who is employed for a small business or owns one? Have you already considered starting or becoming employed for a corporation that is not too large? People who work for an organization, especially a small one that involves regular customer contact, must possess strong communication skills to create customer satisfaction and increase their odds for job retention and advancement. Business owners must have strong communication skills to please customers and employees. There has to be an excellent flow of communication among the customers, employees and managers for a business to succeed. By reading this article, you will learn how to communicate effectively to improve your small business.One aspect that involves employing strong business communication skills is effectively interacting with everyone. You must be able to start a conversation with others, especially your customers, at any given time. If you see a customer who appears to need help, do not be shy and stay out of the way. Just think of the customer as your friend and enthusiastically say, "Hi! Is there anything I can help you with?"Demonstrate you are someone who will remain available to help a customer while knowing how to back off. For example, if your customer says he does not need help now or she is just looking around, you can reply, "I understand. I will be nearby if you need assistance." Do not monitor customers too closely.Body language and eye contact are two of the most important components of effective communication. The way you express yourself with your body and eyes tells others the emotions you feel and how serious or unserious you are about something. To earn trust and put the person you are talking with at ease, sit or stand up straight without your arms crossed and frequently gaze into the other person's eyes with warmth. Do not try to get too physically close to a customer, fellow worker, employee or boss. If you are sitting at a table with someone in close quarters, do not lean over the table.Display your ability to lighten up when the occasion is not serious. Smile. Tell a joke. Laugh at a harmless joke.A good way for a small business to practice strong communication is to always provide an adequate supply of available help. Businesses such as retail stores should always keep most of their checkout lanes or counters filled to provide convenience and let customers know they are serious about making their shopping experience very pleasant.It is a must to have strong writing skills to make a good impression on customers and prospects. To convey that you provide quality products and that you are serious about your business, double-check your web site and every publication you create for accuracy and professionalism.Respond with timeliness. Always reply to every inquiry and complaint from customers quickly.Work at being a quick thinker. You can make a good impression on customers if you can always think of solutions to any problems they might have very quickly.Be a good listener. Listen closely to what the other person has to say.Show your understanding, concern and empathy to customers. If a customer has a particular problem you are not authorized to handle, you can say, "I'm not personally allowed to handle this matter. Please let me talk to the manager for a second to see how we can help you."In addition to having effective customer communication skills, everyone who works for a business must effectively communicate internally. The workers and bosses must get along with one another. All problems and concerns must be communicated and addressed civilly. Everyone must be on the same page for important matters.Follow these steps to use effective communication for your small business!

Todd Hicks owns Skill Development Institute, an enterprise that provides a keyboard typing lesson and academic study guide. To become a great typist or student, visit Skill Development Institute. http://sdinst.blogspot.com

Small Business - Keep Going

Author: Ove Nordkvist

Source: download



You've a burning desire, you're loaded with motivation, your attitude is to kill for, You've the tools to realize your small business ideas. Marvelous. Now you only need one more thing. You'll need to set your mind in a "never give up" mode.It's a crucial fact, you and your small business, will face serious setbacks and tough to get by obstacles. Doesn't matter if everything starts smoothly or work great right now. Sooner or later you'll experience rough days.You must prepare yourself for this and you need to learn how to tackle these situations with enthusiasm. You'll have to learn how to land at your feet. Get back on the bike right after you've fell off.When the time comes the following thoughts might come in handy.When you feel like you never want to see your business again, give yourself some breathing space. Take scheduled breaks, do something completely different.When you're all steamed up and frustrated, Take a few deep cleansing breath. Tell yourself to relax. Think about a funny story.Get the good habit of daily exercise. There is nothing more stress relieving than a hard body exercise.You must allow yourself to have other activities. Turn your attention to a hobby that takes your mind off the business for a while. When you re approach your task, you'll see it with new eyes.Look in the mirror and say it out loud, you look at a real winner. First class material like that, don't ever give up. Your success is probably just around the next corner. Let your winners mind run free for a while, when you harness it again, it will be reloaded with power.Have a look into the future, you're just one step away from achieving your big goal. Of course you want to take that step. Imagine what a waste it would be to quit, just before you would be able to reap the rewards.It would be such a shame to have done all the hard work, only to not take the last necessary step. The next action you take might just be the one which make the snowball rolling. Keep going.Get hold of some motivational books and tapes, it's an efficient and cheap way to stay at course.All successful small business owners, have been able to overcome all the humps and bumps along the road towards a successful business. Think about that when you feel like it's time to quit. If they were able to do it, so are you.You can't give up, it's not in your bag of options. Keep educate yourself in your area of business. The more you learn the more you increase your velocity towards your goal.Ove Nordkvist is the owner of the web site http://www.small-biz-ideas.net Take advantage of free business education material, and informative and motivational articles, as well as tools and resources. Click here http://www.small-biz-ideas.net/small-business-ideas-think-positive.html to learn how to think positive, can take your business to the next level.

Small Business Ideas - Learn How To Take The Right Decisions

Author: ove nordkvist

Source: articledashboard.com



A major reason why people fail with their small business ideas is the lack of ability to take the right decisions.People don't reach their business goals because they don't posses the strength to take their own decisions. They let other people interfere and get influenced by negative opinions. Unfortunately many small business entrepreneurs let their friends and family make important decisions. How about that? Has it happen to you sometimes? Well, it is a fact that it happen to many small business owners all the time, and it's one of the reasons why so many people fail to reach their ultimate business goals.However, of course you should still listen to good and genuine advices from successful people. Especially from those who are in the same business area as you are. Evaluate all information you can get, and then YOU make the decision.To be able to make calculated decisions, is a skill you must have or develop, if you want to create a viable small business of your own.Learn how to make appropriate and well considered decisions, this will lead you onto a successful small business path. And be ware, if people without the right knowledge influence your decision making or if you make poor decisions by yourself, your business will suffer.You can develop your decision making skills by use this step by step technique :- Define the purpose of your decision. What are your desired result?- How are you going to achieve that result?- Make a list of available choices. create ideas for different solutions.- Evaluate your different alternatives. list positive and negative reactions from each solution.- Determine the best solution to get the desired result.- Create a plan, take action.- Look at the outcome, did you achieve your desired result? put it in your experience bank.Studies show that successful people from all over the glob, doesn't matter what area of business. share the ability to reach decisions. They don't allow anybody to interfere or get in the way of their goals.Summary : To get your small business ideas up and running. To be able to create the lifestyle you desire. To become the person you want to be. YOU must be able to make your very own decisions. You're the boss of your own future.

Start and Run Your Own Small Business - 12 Essential Principles to Help You Succeed

Author: Craig Jones

Source: download



The dream of many is to start and run their own business. That is both an exciting adventure and a treacherous road. In 2005 there were over 670,000 new firms with employees and over 540,000 that closed their doors. Those are the cold hard facts. To improve your chances of success, you need help. Here are 12 Essential Principles to help you succeed. These are not detailed instructions, but 'principles' that I have learned in the years that I have owned a small business. The principles will work for any business but they are geared toward the small brick--and--mortar business. For more detailed information, see my info at the end of this article.Think for YourselfIt's your business and the buck stops with you. You must be independent and make your own decisions. It's fine to get advice from those who are more experienced or more knowledgeable than you. But at some point, you must bite the bullet, learn to make your own decisions, and live with the consequences.There will always be people who give you their opinion of what you should do. Consider the source, smile, be polite, and listen to what they have to say. But make your own decision based on the information that you have.People will criticize you, even if you are successful. It goes with the territory. You can't let it bother you. If you can't take the heat, do something else. There are armchair quarterbacks and then there are professionals who earn the big bucks. Be a professional -- you can't please everyone and you shouldn't try.You Will Make Mistakes - Learn from them and growYou are not infallible and you will sometimes make a bad decision. It happens to everyone -- just don't do it too often. Learn from your mistakes. Study, get more information, look at things from a different perspective.If possible, don't make important decisions when you have an excessive amount of stress. Step back, think, take a walk, relax in a Jacuzzi bath, sloooooowww downnnn. When your head is clear, come back to the problem and make your best decision.Money still doesn't grow on trees - Use it wiselyMost small businesses do not make much money at first. But whether you do or not, you must still use your money wisely. You must learn the difference between a good value and something that is cheap. For instance, Ink Jet printers are cheap but laser printers are a good value. If you don't need color printing, buy a laser printer. Your initial cost is higher, but the cost of supplies is much less expensive and you will save money in the long run.Comparison shop for the things you use in your business. Don't just take the first quote you get. And just because you've been buying from a certain place your whole life doesn't mean that's where you get the best value. Check around. Talk with other small business owners. Check local stores, check your local wholesale club or discount chain, and check the Internet (don't forget about shipping costs!). This will take a bit of your time at first but will save you money in the long run.The Internet is your friend. If you know where to look, you can find good and useful information that can save you time and money.Beware of credit cards. They can be your friend, but normally, they are enemies in disguise. Having a credit card for your business is practically mandatory -- but be cautious. Don't run up the bill buying frivolous things that you can do without. The interest you pay will drain profits from your business. Use them wisely. Find a credit card with the best interest rate and use it only when necessary. Better yet, get a card that you have to pay the balance off each month.Advertising may be a necessary expense when you first start out. Advertising salesmen will tell you that the key to results with advertising is consistency. But that also means you have to spend a lot of money. I'm not convinced that the results of consistent advertising, is worth the amount of money you have to spend.With the advent of the Internet, there are inexpensive advertising and marketing tools you can use in your business. Get a web site. Check out articles and books on Internet Marketing and Guerilla Marketing. Of course your best advertising is satisfied customers - spend a lot of your efforts on that. It's much easier and less expensive to keep satisfied customers than it is to get new ones. You Don't Know EverythingAs much as you may know about your business' primary focus, there is so much more to running a business. Talk to other small business owners. Call the Small Business Administration. If you grow your business at all, you will need the services of an attorney and an accountant. They are expensive, but they will save you money in the long run.Again, the Internet is your friend - lots of good info about starting and running a small business there.You Can't Do EverythingAt some point you will have more to do than you can possibly do. You will have to hire an employee. Maybe more than one. Now it really gets complicated with workers comp, payroll taxes, vacation time, sick time, health plans, and everything else that goes along with having employees.You will be tempted to hire friends or family. That's good and bad. You absolutely have to weigh the pluses and minuses of that. You have a business to run. You are a professional. Your business needs to be efficient. You need to hire the best at what they do. And it's okay to hire people that are smarter than you.To me, honesty is a major plus when hiring someone. More so in some businesses. Unfortunately, honesty cannot easily be measured. That's where hiring a family member may be advantageous -- but not always. I was serious when I said that hiring employees is where it really gets complicated.You can try running help wanted ads yourself but you may also contact some employment offices and see what they can do for you. They can ask applicants questions that you, as an employer, can not ask.Once you have good employees, you have to let them do their jobs. Help them, train them, but don't micromanage. You have other things to do. You have to keep the birds--eye vision of your business. It can be a little scary here. You will lose a little control and you won't always know how to do everything. That's fine. Your business is starting to run itself.Set Yourself Apart from the CompetitionIf you have no competition when you start your business, count yourself blessed. At some point you will. In fact, if you are very successful, you will have a lot of competition wanting a slice of your pie. You just have to be better, in some way, than the competition. Having the lowest price is not always the answer, though you do want to be competitive on price. Having quality products and services and friendly and knowledgeable salespeople is a big plus. In some way, always go the extra mile. This will set you apart. Under promise and over deliver. Exceed your customer's expectations. Let them know how much you appreciate them.Don't Get SidetrackedFocus on what your business is good at. As you succeed and grow, you may see other opportunities for expansion of some kind. It may be an expansion of size, locations, products, or services. You must be careful not to stretch you and your resources too thin. If possible, approach these expansion opportunities in small steps. Instead of taking on a whole new product line or area of services, try just a little bit and see how it goes.Go with what got you here. That's where most of your time and money needs to be. Look for ways to continually improve what you are currently doing.Be Flexible - The times they are a changingAt first, this principle seems to be at odds with the previous principle. But it is really just a different phase of business. You are fortunate if your business is the type that just doesn't change much over time. But because of this tsunami called the Internet, most businesses involve a fair amount of change, and you must change too, or close your doors.It may be that your products or services are becoming obsolete. As a business owner, with vision, you should see the handwriting on the wall. The speed of their obsolescence will determine your course of action. You may need to explore related product lines or service areas. You may need to find a completely new product or service. You may need to combine both of those approaches.Renew your VisionAt some point you may lose interest in your business. You may even want to quit. But you can't quit now because its way past complicated. You don't know what to do, so you do nothing. Or you keep the same old routine going but you have no desire, no passion. That's called burnout. I wish there were three easy steps I could give you to permanently eradicate burnout, but there's not. If you are seriously burned out and really don't care about your business, you may sell it if you can. If you can't sell it, you may just have to close it. If you can't afford to close it, if it's still earning you a good living, you are just going to have to tough it out. Sorry. No easy answers. It's your monster - you feed it.You can try taking some time off and doing something you really enjoy. That may help. You are fortunate if your business pretty much runs itself and just needs someone there to manage it. You can try doing something else for a change while someone else, that you trust, manages your business. Step away from it if you can. But keep in mind, no one cares about your business as much as you (or at least as much as you used to care about it). You may get someone to manage your business while you are away, but they are still an employee working for a paycheck. No one else will treat your business the way that you do. Be careful.Go Without Food, Ride the bus, but Pay Your TaxesI'm dead serious about this. You have to pay your taxes. And you have to pay them on time. If you don't, it will cost you dearly. The penalties and interest you have to pay on back taxes will devour the profit you make in your business. The IRS doesn't care if you had a bad year. They figure if you can't pay your taxes, you shouldn't be in business. They will sell off your assets and get their money. They will put a lien on your house, your bank account, your dog, and your first born. This is serious. Keep them off your back and pay your taxes on time.Money - the Stumbling Block of Mere MortalsWith persistence, and some fortuitousness, you may start making more money than you ever have before. Maybe more money than you can sensibly use. It's what you have been working for. Enjoy it -- for about five minutes. This is a dangerous place to be. You are at a crossroads. It is here that ordinary mortals fall. When you are making a lot more money, you relax. You let down your guard. You forget the tough times when you didn't have enough money for a loaf of bread. This is when you need to remember the tough times. This momentary glimpse of prosperity may not last long. You need to prepare for the lean years in case your money trucks run out of gas. Put some money aside. Make necessary improvements in your business, but don't get carried away just because you have the money. There is a difference between a 'necessary improvement' and something that would just be nice to have.Don't over-hire. There's no point in hiring new employees to do new tasks if you can spread the needed work among the ones you have. Be careful here though. Good employees don't mind doing a little more as long as they are not overburdened. In fact, many people would prefer a little variety in the work day.It's okay to reward yourself a little bit with your new-found prosperity. You have worked hard. But don't overdo it -- be sensible and tread carefully. You still can't walk on water so don't get the big head.Having a prosperous business empowers you to make it even better. Do it wisely and the prosperity will last longer. But always keep in mind that the prosperity will not last forever. Make your business stronger while you can so that when the lean times hit, you are able to withstand it.Walk on a Higher Plane Follow the Golden Rule. If you don't do this, you won't be in business long. This is imperative. It should be the cornerstone of your business. Always do the right thing. Treat people right. Treat them the way that you would like to be treated. Don't ever try to trick or deceive people, even if it costs you money. If you can't make a living honestly, then no other business principle can help you.Be an eagle, not a chicken. Eagles soar, chickens cluck around in the dirt. Choose to live and work on a higher plane than most. Choose to be above average. Most people just do their job. You should over--deliver. Do more than is expected. Excel.You are a professional. Act like it. Treat people with respect. When you talk to people, there's no need to curse. Cursing is not professional. Be an eagle -- soar above the others.You are surrounded by mediocrity. People expect it. Do the unexpected. Go the extra mile. Over--deliver. Set a higher standard. Stand above the crowd. Soar.Craig Jones has been a small business owner since 1991 and a Realtor since early 2005. Check out his newest web site called http://www.The-Best-Websites-Guide.com. You will find there a collection of some of the most useful websites around. We list the top websites in over 15 categories that are jam packed with information that can save you time and money. We don't overwhelm you with too many choices in each category -- we only give you the cream of the crop.

Small Business Credit Card Company

Author: Sherri Myers

Source: ezinearticles.com



Right now finding a good small business credit card company is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. To be honest with the credit card industry crumbling around us, settling on a small business credit card company is like taking a gamble.Bad news is all around for Credit card companies, here are some of the latest credit headlines.J.P. Morgan Chase Acquires Wamu.Advanta closes its doors on small business credit card holders. Advanta really put a hurt on small businesses as they lowered credit limits to the amount of the balance card holders carried. This credit lowering action by Advanta caused the lowering of credit scores of previous small business card holders. Small businesses were forced to try to find other solutions.HSBC The fifth largest bank in the world- Begin raking its customers over the coals with shady business practices and obtaining well over 80,000 in consumer complaints online.Card companies have been revoking earned airline miles, raising interest rates, and hitting consumers with unscrupulous charges to no avail lately.Visa and Mastercard seamed to have the market cornered for quite some time being accepted in more places, as they used to advertise. However, American Express and Discover card have had less consumer complaints against them - so far.It is obvious to me that the companies that our gouging card rates and charges are not worried about customer loyalty These Companies are either banking on having the market cornered (J.P.Morgan Chase) or clawing at the edges on their way down (HSBC Bank).It is quite evident that most Americans will seek out other sources of credit and it seams possible that those alternatives just may be the long time underdogs American Express and Discover. The game is not over yet. So it is still a roll of the dice to try to determine which small business credit card company deserves your patronage.

For more information For More information on Small Business Credit Cards visit Credit Card Money.

Sherri Myers

Small Business Health Insurance Plan - Do You Offer One?

Author: Elizabeth Newberry

Source: download



The world is full of business-minded individuals, whether their goals are to lead a multi-million dollar company into the future, or simply start their own small business to provide services that are in demand and services they enjoy performing. However, not many businesses can make it without a couple of employees, and not many people are not going to work for a business, big or small, that doesn't offer some kind of health insurance plan. That's why so many small businesses fail; they can't attract and keep the number of employees necessary to run their businesses because they don't offer them benefits such as health insurance plans.Small business owners should consider group health insurance plans for their employees, even though no employer - whether a small or large company - is required to offer health insurance plans to its employers.A group health insurance plan offers a single policy to a group of people, such as employees, and sometimes even to the dependents of the employees. Even though employers aren't required to offer health insurance plans to their employees, insurance companies are often required to provide group health insurance plans to small businesses; if, of course, it is requested.However, the rates of the small business health insurance plan are determined differently than the rates of individual health insurance plans. The insurance company usually looks at the group - the employees - as a whole, and factors such as age and sex are used to determine the cost of the small business health insurance plan. Other factors, such as whether or not the small business health insurance plan is offered to part-time employees along with full-time employees, can also help determine the cost. Many companies don't offer health insurance plans to part-time employees, particularly for this reason.If you want your small business to succeed, offering perks such as health insurance plans will do nothing but help - and offering those perks is possible!Affordable Car InsuranceHome owners InsuranceAffordable Health Insurance

Bookkeeping From Home - Work At Home Doing Bookkeeping For Small Businesses

Author: Elaine Currie

Source: articledashboard.com



Bookkeeping BasicsBookkeeping as a full time career or part time job is a perfect way for people to earn money working at home. You can take up a bookkeeping career from home without having to buy any expensive equipment or worry about planning consents or increased insurance for your premises. Bookkeeping is not hard to do, anyone with the ability to do simple arithmetic will be able to learn to be a bookkeeper. If you are tidy and methodical and enjoy bringing order to chaos, a career as a bookkeeper could be ideal for you. If you are prepared to study, you can obtain a bookkeeping qualification studying from home or taking a part time course at a local college.Many people who have no formal bookkeeping training do bookkeeping work from home quite successfully. Indeed, many small business owners who are sole traders do their own bookkeeping at home for their annual tax returns. To do bookkeeping for a small business, it is necessary to know and be able to apply the various rules of taxation etc. and keeping a clear accurate record of all income and expenses of the business. Doing basic bookkeeping for others as your own small home based business can be financially rewarding but, if you are ambitious and want a well-paid career from home as a freelance bookkeeper, you should first study to gain a bookkeeping qualification.Bookkeeping Law And TaxEvery business, large and small, is required by law to keep books of accounts. This involves the recording of all financial transactions of a business. This can be done manually using ledgers, or by entering the figures into spreadsheets on a computer or by using dedicated bookkeeping software.As well as the legal requirement for a business to keep books, the bookkeeping records are needed by the business owners for them to know exactly how profitable the business is and if there are areas that need financial adjustments. A vital element of bookkeeping is ensuring that the correct amount of tax is paid at the appropriate time in order to avoid financial penalties.Bookkeeping In A Shoe BoxThere are millions of small business owners (sole traders in particular) who rely on manual bookkeeping. For a large number of these traders, bookkeeping means saving invoices, estimates, receipts, utility bills and odd scraps of paper in a shoe box. When tax time comes around, the shoe box is handed over to a bookkeeper who will (as if by a miracle) transform the mess into a neat record of the business's financial dealings. Many small business owners prefer to wokr at their business instead of spending time preparing their own accounting records to go with their collection of receipts.If a small business owner hands the shoe box straight to an accountant, the basic bookkeeping tasks will be charged at the accountant's hourly rate. For this reason a good bookkeeper, who will charge a more modest hourly rate, will always be in demand to write up the books and collate the paperwork (even by owners of limited companies who need the services of a qualified accountant to file their annual accounts).Bookkeeping SoftwareMany businesses (even quite small concerns) use bookkeeping software to keep their books because the software is inexpensive and easy to use. The use of bookkeeping software does not replace the need for a bookkeeper, it merely makes the bookkeeper's job easier: The software cannot do the job of a human brain. Bookkeeping software needs human intervention to work properly, a software program won't know for itself things like what items can legitimately be offset against tax.Bookkeeper As A CareerPeople of any age and background can become bookkeepers and work from home as freelancers. Many are mothers wanting a well-paid career running a bookkeeping business from home whilst bringing up their family. Some are seniors who want to keep active or need extra income to supplement their pensions. For young persons looking for a good career, a bookkeeping professional qualification can be the first step to becoming a qualified accountant and this opens doors to all sorts of well-paid career opportunities.Bookkeeping ClassesBookkeeping classes are available at most local colleges or you can choose to follow a distance learning program. Taking a bookkeeping course online is a very convenient way to study alongside other commitments. Taking a bookkeeping course on the Internet is a highly flexible way of obtaining a professional qualification while working at an existing job or looking after children at home. You can study during any hours that suit you and, provided you meet the deadlines, you can complete the assignments when you like.Bookkeeping CertificationIn the USA information regarding certification can be obtained through the American Institute Of Professional Bookkeepers and in the UK through the Institute Of Certified Bookkeepers.

Government Grants For Small Businesses - What You Need to Know About Business Government Grants

Author: Tom Ebbert

Source: ezinearticles.com



Government grants for small businesses are paid out like clockwork every year to those that take the time to apply for them. Large corporations and Fortune 500 companies take advantage of them year after year. Why not grab your piece of the pie and get your share of this vast, generous resource set up by the government?And with the new stimulus package signed by President Obama, the government is promising to hand out more money than ever, so now is the time to start learning about government grants for small businesses.If you are a U.S citizen, you can apply for a government grant for just about anything imaginable. What were going to talk about here today though, is government grants for small businesses.Many people do not know this, but there are no government grants for small business available from the federal government. However, the grant your looking to apply for is likely available right in your home state. There are numerous state agencies in each individual state that offer grants for small businesses, whether it is to start a brand new company, or provide financial assistance to an established business.The federal government does however offer small business loans through the SBA. They have some very attractive loan packages for starting or expanding businesses, so it is worth reviewing.Either way, if you haven't applied yet for any of the government grants for small businesses, you and your business could be losing out on lots of potential money the government is willingly giving away to other businesses. You can apply for multiple government business grants all at the same time, so be thorough in your research when determining which government grants you qualify for.

Writing government grants is a road not easily navigated alone.

To learn more about government grants for small businesses and how to get started writing your own government grants, go to: http://www.squidoo.com/-government-grants-for-small-businesses

Some Small Business Finance Options

Author: Peter Gitundu

Source: articlesbase.com



Financing a baby business is mostly done through applying for loans, which are readily accessible if one has the appropriate documents. Sufficient affairs see to it that an action grows, expands and is abiding as continued as it possibly can. Knowing what your business is account is aswell key in free just how abundant affairs it can fetch. Grants are aswell addition antecedent of accounts for baby enterprises, but they are not as reliable. If you opt for the accommodation option, there are tips that are basic during the action of application. Knowledge, as it is said, is power. Before abutting bartering lenders, one could accede added options of accepting finance, which includes claimed accumulation or borrowing from accompany and relatives. If this advantage fails again one can access clandestine as able-bodied as accessible financiers. The loans can be activated for online, but one can aswell go in being to the lenders and present his case. Having all abstracts in abode puts you at a college anticipation of accepting financed. Added than the loans, there are added means of accepting accounts and they cover charter financing, which mostly applies to business equipment. Instead of paying banknote and affairs the items, one artlessly hires the accessories on a arrangement for a accustomed aeon of time. Venture basic is addition source, which is best declared as the firms which armamentarium proposals presented to them by enterprises. The limitation is that, they alone accounts just a few ventures. The added advantage is to go public, or in added words to advertise banal or debt to the accepted public. This is about not actual accepted with baby enterprises because the action is awful circuitous and demanding.

Peter Gitundu Creates Interesting And Thought Provoking Content on Small Business. For More Information, Read More Of His Articles Here SMALL BUSINESS FINANCEIf You Enjoyed This Article, Make Sure You SUBSCRIBE TO MY RSS FEED! To Receive My Most Recent Posts & Updates.

I Hate Cold Calling, But, Will It Really Help My Small Business?

Author: Brandt Stohr

Source: download



I hate cold-calling. In fact, there are a lot of horrible pains I would suffer before cold-calling someone. And I think that many small business owners feel the way I do.It's true that there are a number of means of small business marketing - direct mail, personal letters, advertising, networking, public relations, internet marketing - and alas, cold calling is one of them. When it comes to small business marketing - any business activity, really - at some point you just have to buckle down and do what you gotta' do if you want to succeed. But is cold-calling one of those small business marketing activities that small business owners simply have to suffer through in order to succeed in business?Some experts say, loudly and with vigor: "Yes!" Others say, "Absolutely not."The truth about the value of cold-calling as part of your small business marketing strategy is that it's somewhere in between, and it depends on your particular business. If, for example, you retail small-dollar items through a catalog and on the Internet, cold-calling your potential customers probably isn't cost-effective: if each customer might spend $10 with you, spending 20 minutes or more on the phone with that prospect doesn't make sense. If, on the other hand, you're a manufacturer of small-dollar items that you sell to retailers who may spend $1,000 or more buying your products in bulk, then picking up the phone and making a call may well be worth your while.If you decide to make cold-calling a part of your small business marketing strategy, there are a few things you can do to maximize the chances that your cold call will turn into a new client:Cold-calling small business marketing tip #1: Take initiative. When you ask the potential client at the other end of the line "When would be a good time to meet?" you open the door for them to say "Never!" Instead, ask "How would next Tuesday at 11:00 work for you to meet?"Cold-calling small business marketing tip #2: Approach the call with the idea that your goal is to help your prospective customer. Resist the urge to make the call about you - what you do, what you want. Instead, make the call about the prospect at the other end of the line. Ask the prospect about his needs and wants. Then suggest that you can help - and if he meets you next Tuesday at 11:00 you'll tell him how.Cold-calling small business marketing tip #3: Get to the point. The prospect at the other end of the line is going to feel, right off the bat, that you're wasting her time. So, by all means, be brief. Be clear and concise. Avoid saying "um."Cold-calling small business marketing tip #4: Ask questions. This tip reflects back to small business marketing tip #2, making the call about the prospect, not about you. Asking questions also helps steer you to the right information and will help you tailor your sales pitch - for you to deliver at the appointment.Cold-calling small business marketing tip #5: Save the sales pitch. Effective cold-calling isn't about selling your product or service. It's about getting an appointment so that you can sell your product or service in person.As with any small business marketing strategy, the best way to figure out if it works is to try it. Make enough cold calls so that you can accurately measure their effectiveness. Then compare that measurement to your other small business marketing tools.Brandt Stohr, The Small Business Marketing Genius has brought startup one man operations to billion dollar corporations by using creative marketing techniques rather then investors and capital. Brandt Stohr has been helped hundreds of entrepreneurs to get their small businesses exploding with sales without the use of expensive traditional marketing techniques. For more information and a free report on the ten deadly mistakes most small businesses are still making visit Brandt Stohr's site at http://www.smallbusinessmktng.com or http://www.brandtstohr.com

4 Reasons Why Small Businesses Succeed (or Fail)

Author: Bob Normand

Source: download



The American system of business management is admired and emulated around the world. The American system is characteristic of two positive traits in the American psyche: (1) enthusiasm for making things better for the future and (2) openness and willingness to change in order to achieve that end.

No society in the world is more prolific at creating new businesses than the United States capitalistic system. Often, however, as small businesses owners and managers, we are so busy starting new ventures and fighting daily fires that we don't take the time to learn basic, successful management principles. These principles have been tested and proven by our larger companies over years of trial and error. They are readily available as a resource to the small business owner.

Many entrepreneurs are technical experts in the product or service they offer. The entrepreneur, however, often starts a business without any formal training or experience in the best management practices and principles. By "management" here we mean the business of successfully managing the non-technical side of the business, the "back room" activities. It is the "business of running the business". As a result of inadequate or inattentive management, many small businesses fail in the early years. They fail not because of a weakness in their product or service concept, but because the business was not properly organized or managed.

Once a small business has emerged from the start-up phase, or grown to a certain level, management techniques must change or the business will inevitably run into trouble. Although situations vary widely, for many small businesses management crises start in the range of $1-3 million in annual sales or 5-15 employees. When management issue becomes critical, the owner or manager of a small business must evolve or change from a manager of things to a manager of people and from a technical expert to a strategic thinker.

Change is never easy, particularly for talented entrepreneurs who have ingrained habits developed over time. But failure to grow as a manager is a major, perhaps the major reason why a business will falter, stagnate or even collapse under its own weight.

But what have successful business owners developed have is missing in troubled businesses?

First of all, owners of successful businesses have developed personal characteristics that they were not necessarily born with and that reflect in their business organization:

Invariably they have a positive attitude towards their business and life in general.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain

They are committed to their effort.

"The only place you'll find success before work is in the dictionary."
May B. Smith

They are patient.

"Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage." Victor Kiam

They are persistent.

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." Thomas Edison

Secondly, the owners of successful businesses have developed a business blueprint called a Strategic Business Plan that clearly describes their business concept, their mission and their philosophy of business. In this document, they have set personal and corporate goals and set out specific time lines and strategies to achieve them.

Thirdly, successful business owners think of their employees as "associates", a favorite descriptor used by Sam Walton and a more meaningful idea of a management/employee relationship. Successful owners view their associates as their most valuable asset and resource. Associates are gathered into an Organizational Structure that functions as a well-oiled machine. This structure, including all its policies and procedures, encourages associates to perform to their utmost capabilities and gives them the freedom to achieve, rewarding those who excel in proportion to their contributions and disciplining those who deviate from acceptable behavior. Positions, tasks, duties and responsibilities are defined and communicated routinely and performance is measured regularly. Training, job enrichment programs and incentive compensation plans are designed to encourage each associate to excel.

Fourth and last, the owners of successful businesses have developed Operational Support Systems. These may be financial or non-financial, manual or automated. The objective of these systems is to support and make efficient all the activities of the organization. Well structured, they also relieve management of many day to day routine activities, giving owners more time to be strategic thinkers. The information provided by these tracking systems provide critical information on sales, cash flow and other financial performance data so that senior management can take timely action as change occurs. Red flags appear early, before problems become unmanageable.

IN SUMMARY, THE FOUR KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ARE: (1) Owners have developed habits and traits that are Positive, Committed, Patient and Persistent. (2) A living Strategic Business Plan is in place. (3) An Organizational Structure has been developed that encourages people to be their best and allows them to do so. (4) Operational Support Systems are used that track performance and relieve senior management of daily detail yet supply them with critical data to manage the business.

Let's go a littler deeper into what is meant by a Strategic Business Plan.

Successful businesses operate within a planned framework. A Strategic Business Plan is written for a minimum of three years or two years beyond the current budget year. The plan describes the company's mission, analyzes corporate and marketing strengths, evaluates weaknesses and how they will be overcome. It identifies target markets and pricing strategies and describes strategic alliances that exist or will be pursued. The plan describes positions on any other issues seen as critical to the long term health or viability of the business.

"Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail"
Effie Jones

Now let's look a little deeper at what we mean by Organizational Structure.

The basic building blocks of organizational structure for a business are:

An Organizational Chart, Job Descriptions, Task and Duty Lists, a Job Performance Evaluation System, an Employee Handbook, a Policies & Procedures Manual and an Incentive Compensation System.

When all of these organizational components are in place and being utilized routinely, the organization will have structure and purpose. Employees will feel they know where the company is going and what their role is in helping it get there. They will know the boundaries of what is expected as acceptable behavior and they will be aware that outstanding performance will be rewarded.

Now let's look a little deeper at what we mean by Operating Support Systems.

Usually the most involved system for a small business is the Accounting System. This may be a relatively simple system such as QuickBooks or Peachtree. These systems are pre-designed and user-friendly and are particularly good for non-manufacturing businesses that simply buy and resell items. Also, they manage customers, vendors, accounts receivable and accounts payable very well. Finally, they have the capability of generating excellent managerial and financial reports, virtually in a minute or two.

No matter what the type of business, some type of accounting software package is needed that can capture daily transactions in a real-time environment and be easily operated by in-house personnel. In today's fast paced business world, relying on an accountant to provide periodic statements of company performance several weeks or even months after the fact is not an acceptable strategy.

Other systems small businesses should have in place (typically these are automated Excel-based systems):

Cash Management, Annual/Monthly Budget with Variance Report, Labor Burden Tracking System, Job or Product Pricing System, Incentive Plan Distribution System, Break-Even Calculator and a Weekly Sales Reporter.

Even if you have none of these developed, the task is not as daunting as it may seem at first. Plug-in systems are available from a number of sources at modest cost and include backup training and support (one such source can be found at www.isbminc.com).

A business that has these four critical components in place stands a much higher probability of success than businesses that are not so equipped.

Institute for Small Business Management, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Robert A. Normand is Executive Director of the Institute for Small Business Management (http://www.isbminc.com) and author of "Entreprenewal!, The Six Step Recovery Program for Small Business" (http://www.entreprenewal.com). Mr. Normand has served as principal management consultant for more than 100 businesses ranging from $500,000 to $50,000,000 in annual sales and has owned and operated several small businesses of his own in diverse industries. Mr. Normand's small business philosophy is premised on the belief that small business management skills can be developed by busy entrepreneurs using readily available information, tools and procedures not found in business schools or formal degree programs. He can be reached by telephone at 941-330-0889 or by mail at 3751 Almeria Avenue, Suite A4, Sarasota, Florida 34239.

Why E-Commerce is Important For Small Business

Author: Derek Rogers

Source: ezinearticles.com



For the sake of the economy and the individuals involved, huge numbers of new small businesses are forming in hopes of making a positive impact to the community. In order to make that positive impact, you need to make sure that your small business is up-to-date and following the latest trends. When it comes to small businesses, current trends refer directly to e-commerce. Here are four major reasons why implementing e-commerce should be one of the top priorities in building any small business.



Internet is so Mainstream these Days



Just about every household in the US has at least a computer, laptop, or mobile device that can access the Internet and people worldwide are getting into it as well. With the introduction to social networking sites and online shopping, the Internet became a part of their daily lives conveniently getting work done.



Most Modern Businesses are Doing It



As a result of all the popularity the Internet has cultivated, it is a no-brainer for existing small businesses to jump on the electronic bandwagon and start doing transactions online. Most modern businesses do it primarily for convenience and also for security.



You need to get into it as well, not only because they are doing it, but also to stay competitive with any other small businesses offering similar products and services. E-commerce competition involves the innovative use of website design and creative development to give customers and visitors a seamless experience. It also adds brand awareness exposing your site to people that most frequently go online.



Reduces Workload



Ever since computers were introduced, processing of data has become faster and more accurate than ever before. Now E-commerce helps connect businesses and consumers closer than ever before. A lot of the tedious tasks such as calling for transactions and utilising e-mail are reduced here because the e-commerce systems handle the processing for you. The only work that is required is actually getting the e-commerce site up. This process is only done once so there is a lot of relief after the e-commerce site is finished. After that, it is all about getting the right people to use the system which should be easy and maintaining it to ensure the entire business is functional.



Necessary Step in Making the Small Business Grow Further



Once you already have an e-commerce site, the only direction you can go from here is upward. You will find more transactions to be done because of the ease in getting things done online and that very success can motivate you or any webmaster to improve the e-commerce experience and fill in any weaknesses discovered. Small businesses can grow into larger businesses in the same way as e-commerce sites becoming much larger and more feature rich.



E-commerce sites are an absolute necessity for any small business no matter what is being dealt. After efforts in marketing the e-commerce site, profits are sure to be made and further development can be planned from there. As long as there is maintenance involved, the e-commerce site should help the small business in every possible way.

Derek Rogers is a freelance writer who represents a number of UK businesses. For the very best in professional Ecommerce Services he recommends Winchester-based Studio Republic.

Do Small Business Grants Even Exist?

Author: Rhonda Winn

Source: download



The abstraction of accepting a baby business grant, for abounding baby business
owners, is great. After all, clashing a loan, grants are funds that don't
accept to be repaid. Abounding of us accept heard assorted sources proclaiming to
accept the abstruse to accepting baby business grants and they may very
able-bodied accept a accepted advertisement of grantors (organizations or
individuals that accolade funds to others for a specific purpose). But if
you don't apperceive the absolute accord about baby business grants you may be
crumbling your time and your money.

The abstraction of accepting a baby business grant, for abounding baby business
owners, is great. After all, clashing a loan, grants are funds that don't
accept to be repaid. Abounding of us accept heard assorted sources proclaiming to
accept the abstruse to accepting baby business grants and they may very
able-bodied accept a accepted advertisement of grantors (organizations or
individuals that accolade funds to others for a specific purpose). But if
you don't apperceive the absolute accord about baby business grants you may be
crumbling your time and your money.

The attraction of these alleged baby business grants is understandable.
Baby business owners are consistently searching for agency to abbreviate their
banking accident so why not try to get a grant? But there is a lot of
advertising out there, abnormally via the Internet. This could leave grant
seekers scrambling and disillusioned. But the actuality is grants do exist.
The advertising comes in if humans alpha overextension the allegory that there is
this catchall armamentarium for any business buyer searching to access some extra
money. That is just not the case. It's not as simple as bushing out an
appliance and you get a analysis in the mail. You could get angry down.
Your business may not accommodated the criteria. Or worse, you ability accept had
adversity even award a grantor.

First, let's yield a attending at what blazon of grants are available. In
general, a admission covers the costs for plan or food for a given
aeon of time such as a admission renewable for two years. And they are
about meant to armamentarium acts or casework that advance social
conditions, education, association or aid religious or cultural functions
in specific areas.

1. Grants to individuals usually for analysis or education.

2. Grants to for-profit businesses. These are not as abundant as
non-profit organizations or non-profit businesses so about all
for-profit business grants appear from government agencies. Analysis out
your bounded agencies for added details.

There are actually billions of dollars of admission money awarded each
year. The humans awarded this money accept done a ample bulk of
accomplishments work. Abounding of the humans who seek out grants, or "grant
seekers", accept able admission writers to analysis and address grant
proposals. Admission seekers accept to analysis companies and agencies aboriginal to
acquisition out what they accept to action that fits the grantor's specifications.

It's important to apprehend that abounding grants that are accessible cannot be
awarded to baby businesses because in abounding cases, a baby business is
operating for a profit. Foundations cannot accord grants to for-profit
businesses because they get a appropriate tax absolution that renders this
illegal. Knowing that little actuality will accord you astute expectations
if gluttonous out admission funds.

Common Grantors



U. S. government through a array of agencies

Corporations

Foundations

Charities



Grant Seekers Awarded Funds



Non-profit businesses or organizations

Schools

Churches


Businesses that accommodated the specific belief of the grantor in commendations to location, ownership, services, or employees.

Your affairs of accepting grants for your business dramatically
access if you accept a non-profit organization. A accepted misconception
is that non-profit organizations don't accomplish money but this is not the
case at all it just agency that you accomplish alone to pay wages,
vendors, and acquirement necessities. At the end of the year you should
breach even. So if you accept an abstraction that could advance the lives of
others through amusing works than you could possibly acquisition a admission to
advice you ability your goal.

If you accept a baby business and charge advice accepting started again be
able for the challenges ahead. Award grants may not be simple but
they are out there. Checking with bounded government agencies is the best
abode to start. There are bounded baby grants in some cities that are
accessible if you either accomplish your business in assertive areas or your
business will account accurate areas.

Whichever blazon of business you operate, be active in your seek and
accomplish abiding you accept apprehend the grantor's claim carefully. With
abundant effort, you can accept money for your business and abate your own
claimed accident of starting a business.

Copyright 2005-2006 Rhonda Winn - All Rights Reserved. Rhonda Winn offers chargeless baby business assets and business plan templates at her web website http://smallbizstartupkit.com Visit today to assurance up for a baby business e-course and accept three chargeless baby business e-books instantly.

Take Low Cost Finance Through Commercial Small Business Loan

Author: CelesteParker

Source: articledashboard.com



People, who do business on small scale, often are at the mercy of lenders in availing much required finance. Lenders see offering loan to these business persons as risky. This is because small scale businesses are generally labeled as unstable. These people can take resort in commercial small business loan that is designed to provide hassle free funds at better terms and conditions. Small scale business operators can utilize commercial small business loan for starting or expending business, buying equipments, purchasing raw material, adding new technology or even clearing debts and improving credibility.



Like any other loan, commercial small business loan is provided under secured and unsecured options. To take secured commercial small business loan, business persons are required to place any of their business property like plant, machinery or equipment as collateral with the lender. Once the loan is fully secured, commercial small business loan seekers are in commanding position in deciding over the loan deal. Lenders may consider revising downward the interest rate which matters the most for small scale businesses.



Secured commercial small business loan has this added advantage for the borrowers that they can avail desired loan amount depending upon value of the collateral, though usually lenders do not provide greater loan to small businesses. Interest rate on commercial small business loan is normally higher because of the risk involved, but again if the lender is satisfied with collateral and credentials of the business person, the loan comes at lower interest rate in its secured form.



Commercial small business loan is equally available in its unsecured form to business people who do not wish to offer collateral for various reasons including fear of its repossession. Such borrowers should have sound repayment capacity and good credit score. On FICO scale of 300 to 850, credit score of 720 and above is considered as safe for loan offer. This enables in getting better terms and conditions. In case of bad credit which is indicated by score of 580 or below, the loan is still available but at harder conditions.



While searching for commercial small business loan, prefer applying online. There are number of lenders who have showcased their loan products online and when you file a simple application you get numerous loan packages with different interest rates and terms-conditions. Settle for the loan package that suits your budget. Online lenders charge no fee on application processing or providing information and therefore cost of availing loan gets reduced.



Commercial small business loan enables business persons meet necessary financial requirement. Available in both secured and unsecured options, the loan, if taken after lot of thought, goes long way in prospering of business. Ensure that monthly installments are cleared in time so that any debt burden is avoided.

Small Business Advice - Dos and Don'ts for Small Business

Author: Joshua Feinberg

Source: download



Small business admonition from humans who accept been there, done that is invaluable. Here is some baby business admonition we accept aggregate over the years:

Do not advance in adorned jotter or card or envelopes. You are abundant bigger off just acrimonious up a acceptable box of linen band cardboard and analogous envelopes at the appointment accumulation store. This is a able another to spending a lot of money.

Another bit of baby business admonition is to acquirement a blush laser printer. They are actual bargain these days. This way you can abstain top bartering press fees and you can book out business actual in whatever abundance you need.

Create a simple web site. Accomplish abiding your email abode matches your aggregation Web website domain. In added words, www.companyname.com, emailaddress@companyname.com. This is actual acute baby business admonition because it promotes branding.

Work from a home office. There is no charge to hire bartering appointment space.

Don't absorb a lot of time account IT-related or customer computer magazines. Your time needs to be spent marketing. This is a section of baby business admonition that will save you bags of ashen time.

Do not await on timed, absolute use audience software products. If you're traveling to plan with Microsoft products, again acquirement an Action Pack cable for about $300 a year.

One of the a lot of admired $.25 of baby business admonition is do not try to body your own applications. Buy an accounting and time and announcement arrangement like Quickbooks or Peachtree. For acquaintance administration use ACT or some added agnate program.

Send files via email in Acrobat format. This protects the certificate from analytical and avoids software affinity problems.

The amount one banking accompanying section of baby business admonition is to abstain acceding acclaim to ancient audience and or on artefact sales. You are in business to accomplish money not accommodate money.

Make abiding your invoicing and announcement practices are able-bodied organized. You charge to aggregate your money on time to pay your own bills.

Don't go bargain if it comes to your phone. Your buzz is your image. A actual advantageous section of business admonition is to get a committed business band so that if you acknowledgment your business buzz you don't just say, "hello.

The Bottom Band on Baby Business Advice

There are abounding means you can advance your capability and save money. Some of the best baby business admonition comes from humans who accept already fabricated mistakes. Learn from their acquaint and accede anniversary bit of baby business admonition you get actual carefully.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Baby Biz Tech Talk. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in columnist ability box appropriate for absorb compliance}

Joshua Feinberg can advice you abound your computer consulting business, the RIGHT way! Sign-up now for your chargeless audio training affairs that appearance field-tested, accurate Computer Consultants Business Tools.

How Not To Be A Small Business Failure Statistic

Author: Eve

Source: articledashboard.com



There were about 146,000 business startups a year, and an average of 12,000 business bankruptcies per year from 1994 to 2004 in Canada. A 2004 Statistics Canada study on small business failure rates "Key Small Business Statistics - January 2005: How Long Do Small Businesses Survive?" found that the first few years were critical. While almost three quarters of small business startups survive the first year, less than one third of micro companies (less than five employees) were in business after five years.



These statistics by themselves may be of little value to you directly. We know how many small businesses survive and for how long, but it's far more important to know why some survive and others do not. There are a lot of studies on small business failure. Searching "reasons for small business failure" with quotations on Google will give you almost 700 results (about 38 million without!). "Why small businesses fail" will give you almost a thousand.



The 1997 study by Statistics Canada "Failing Concerns: Business Bankruptcies in Canada found major internal factors of small business failure was management deficiency, financial management problems and poor marketing.



The Small Business Administration study "Financial Difficulties of Small Businesses and Reasons for Their Failure" in 1998 found several causes of small business bankruptcy: outside business conditions (38.5%), financing (28%), inside business conditions (27.1%), taxes (20%), disputes (18.8%), personal calamities and other (32.9%).



There is a wealth of information on this subject, but what are the common factors? There are four basic areas:



External factors



External factors include new competition, your major client moving out of town, poor weather if you're a seasonal business, or economic downturns. They're often largely out of our control, and may be unique to your particular company, but there are often ways to mitigate them. For example, if you have a seasonal business, such as a landscaping company (at least up here in the cold north it's seasonal) you could buy a bobcat to provide income during your off-season with snow removal. The bottom line is, have a contingency plan for external factors that could have a negative impact on your small business success.



Lack of management

Big companies have the luxury of being able to hire several people to get all the jobs done that need to be done, but chances are you're going to have to do it all yourself, at least for awhile. That means you're not only going to have to develop your product or service, you're also going to have to make financial, accounting, legal, marketing, human resources, and purchasing decisions.



You may do some of these tasks very well, but it's unlikely that you do all these tasks well, and even if you do, you might want to contact a lawyer and an accountant at the very least. And, research, research, and research some more, and when you're done researching, find an expert or two bounce ideas off and give you solid advice.



Lack of planning

Small businesses often fail because of lack of planning. Let me make a bold statement: the single-most vital part of your business success is your business plan. Why? Simply put, your business plan specifically and concretely lists your goals for the next few years. It spells out, step by step, how you're going to meet those goals, and gives you something to measure your performance against at the end of your business year. Finally, a complete business plan helps you get financing and includes a marketing plan.

I have one more thing to say about business plans. It does very little good to write a business plan, put it in a drawer and never look at it again. That same 1997 Statistics Canada study we talked about earlier found that successful small business owners refer to and revise their business plans often.



Lack of marketing

Most small businesses seem to think it takes a lot of money to market their product or service effectively. That's simply not true. There are many ways to market inexpensively. You could use direct mail marketing which is as cheap as a stamp, or email marketing, which costs nothing. The point is, you need to get your product or service "out there" somehow. You may have the best product or service out there, something completely unique from anything else, but what good does that do if nobody knows about it?

So there you have it—my thoughts on the main reasons why small businesses fail, and how you can avoid becoming a small business failure statistic by developing a contingency plan, consulting with experts, and developing and using a business and marketing plan.

If you are thinking of starting a small business, trust me, I'm not trying to discourage you. I sincerely believe being in business for yourself may possibly be the most rewarding career there is, but a little knowledge can go a long way towards arming you against small business failure.

Are You Setting Up a New Small Business? How to Do Your Business Plan

Author: Kaye Dennan

Source: ezinearticles.com



Have you ever done a business plan before? It really isn't that difficult to find the information, but it can be time consuming especially when you are keen to get your business up and running.



But wouldn't you rather put in the time before setting up your business and know that you have the right information to start with. It will help you stay focused, know your good points and your not so good points, and allow you to address issues that need improving before you actually start operating.



WHAT IS YOUR PROPOSED BUSINESS GOING TO BE DOING?



Now is when you need to thinking about why you are starting your small business.



Is it because you have always had a mad desire to run your own business, because you have a burning need to prove to everyone how good you are at selling, fed up with being bossed around by a so-called manager who knows less than you do, or do you really want to seriously commit your whole being to running a successful business?



That is what you need to be thinking about at this stage?



HOW WELL DO YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR PROPOSED SMALL BUSINESS?



For example, if you want to have a cafe, do you understand all the health and food regulations that will apply to what you are setting up?



Do you realise that there will be strict council regulations to abide by? What is your view of the menu you want to have - is it just what you prefer to eat and are there thousands of customers out there who will want to eat the same thing?



If you prefer to drink strong coffee, do you believe that all your customers should have the same served to them?



Many questins need to be answered before you start your small business.



HAVE YOU HAD A SERIOUS CHAT WITH YOUR ACCOUNTANT?



Before you set too many wheels in motion you need to have a chat to your accountant and see if you will have the funds for starting a new business.



I know of one lady who got so excited about buying her dream cafe. I, as a business broker representing the seller, asked her if she had the finance. Her answer was, "Yes, my husband just borrowed against the house to buy a semi-trailer so I should be able to get a loan." Alarm bells rang with me straight away because I knew where they lived and I thought 'semi trailers are not cheap so there is probably not enough equity left in the house to borrow more money' and that was exactly the situation.



Before going too far into the idea of setting up your business you need to know:



- If you have the funds available



- If it is going to earn enough for your needs



- If you do not have funds available are you going to be able to borrow any



- What entity you will use to buy the business



By addressing these questions at the beginning you won't get into trouble early in the piece. Financing a business is a big issue and needs to be very carefully thought out.



A business plan will help you analyse many areas of a new small business and you will be able to solve many of these situations before they arise and affect your new business.



By doing a business plan for your small business before you start spending money you will be well on the road to success. Your planning will be so much clearer and you will have more understanding of your stock, staff, markeing and finance. Many skills make up the success of a small business and having a business plan at the outset will help you start on the right footing.



Copyright (c) 2009 Kaye Dennan

Kaye Dennan has owned small businesses for over 25 years and has always attended to their marketing, and has attended many marketing courses. For more information on Small Business Marketing go to http://ebooksnowonline.com/small-business/marketing/ or read our blog at http://blog.ebooksnowonline.com/?cat=67

Small Business Goals, Realize Your Ideas By Taking The Right Decisions

Author: Ove Nordkvist

Source: download



A above acumen why humans abort with their baby business account is the abridgement of adeptness to yield the adapted decisions.

People don't adeptness their business goals because they don't posses the backbone to yield their own decisions. They let added humans baffle and get afflicted by abrogating opinions.

Unfortunately abounding baby business entrepreneurs let their accompany and ancestors accomplish important decisions. How about that? Has it appear to you sometimes? Well, it is a actuality that it appear to abounding baby business owners all the time, and it's one of the affidavit why so abounding humans abort to adeptness their ultimate business goals.

However, of advance you should still accept to acceptable and 18-carat advices from acknowledged people. Especially from those who are in the aforementioned business breadth as you are. Evaluate all advice you can get, and again YOU accomplish the decision.

To be able to accomplish affected decisions, is a accomplishment you accept to accept or develop, if you wish to actualize a applicable baby business of your own.

Learn how to accomplish adapted and able-bodied advised decisions, this will advance you assimilate a acknowledged baby business path. And be ware, if humans after the adapted adeptness access your accommodation authoritative or if you accomplish poor decisions by yourself, your business will suffer.

You can advance your accommodation authoritative abilities by use this footfall by footfall address :

- Define the purpose of your decision. What are your adapted result?

- How are you traveling to accomplish that result?

- Accomplish a account of accessible choices. actualize account for altered solutions.

- Evaluate your altered alternatives. account absolute and abrogating reactions from anniversary solution.

- Determine the best band-aid to get the adapted result.

- Actualize a plan, yield action.

- Look at the outcome, did you accomplish your adapted result? put it in your acquaintance bank.

Studies appearance that acknowledged humans from all over the glob, doesn't amount what breadth of business. allotment the adeptness to adeptness decisions. They don't acquiesce anybody to baffle or get in the way of their goals.

Summary : To get your baby business account up and running. To be able to actualize the affairs you desire.
To become the being you wish to be. YOU accept to be able to accomplish your actual own decisions. You're the bang-up of your own future.

Ove Nordkvist is an accomplished baby business entrepreneur. He advice humans to alpha up or clarify their baby business. His web website http://www.small-biz-ideas.net is a basic goldmine. You'll acquisition chargeless courses, chargeless tools, business ideas, motivational and advisory articles.

Visit http://www.small-biz-ideas.net/small-business-ideas-wall.html to apprentice how to breach down the bank amid you and your baby business ideas!