Posts Tagged ‘Writen’

Tracking Expenses In A Mobile Business

April 1st, 2012 admin

Writen by Robert Berman

Keeping track of expenses in any business can be a very frustrating exercise and even more exasperating for a business that is on wheels and moves to numerous locations throughout a state and/or country.

Food concession operators face this challenge each and ever day.

Small expenses such as gas, a refill of propane, a container of cooking oil or something as simple as a new mop can, over a period of a year add up to hundreds of receipts and even more important thousands of dollars.

The use of business credit cards or any low interest rate cards does not solve the problem, as credit card statements do not delineate expenses sufficiently for tax purposes.

To help solve the challenge of ensuring that all expenses are properly accounted for requires a two pronged approach.

1. The first and most important is a commitment by all those incurring the expenses to follow the procedure that is set in place to handle the receipts. It is very easy to apply the procrastinators’ concept of “I will do it later”. If you apply this attitude, the system will not work. There must be diligence and a commitment by all those involved to ensure that the system will work.

2. The second is the system.

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Smart Auto Attendants With Interactive Voice Response System

February 20th, 2012 admin

Writen by John Kinskey

If you are owner of a small business and have lost many potential customers simply because your phone system did not sound sophisticated enough, or there always was a busy tone while they were trying to reach you, then it is time you adopted a phone system featuring an auto attendant with Interactive Voice Response System. Although such kind of sophisticated system sounds expensive, it is not so provided that you get it through a hosted PBX service provider. A hosted pbx system contains all the features of a modern phone system, but at a far less expense owing to the virtual nature of the phone system. You can get such a phone system through a dedicated phone or Internet connection.

The auto attendant system will serve as an interface between you and your callers. It will play a customized greeting message for individual callers and present them with a menu containing options through which one can get connected to the required extension. The Interactive Voice Response System will follow the caller’s voice commands and present the right menu options. If required the callers can even choose to use touch tone keys for selecting the options.

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Client Attraction Should Be Your First Priority Unless You Want To Go Broke

February 19th, 2012 admin

Writen by Fabienne Fredrickson

Let’s face it, most people put marketing on the back burner, something they get to only once they’ve put out all the fires that need to be put out, once they answer each and every e-mail in their inbox, once they’ve sent every client what they promised to send. Yes, it’s really important to do all of these things; however, you’ve got to realize that if you don’t MAKE the time for your Client Attraction (i.e., Marketing), then you’re simply not going to attract all the clients you need. Make sense?

The good news is, it doesn’t have to be difficult. Over the years of coaching thousands of self-employed professionals to attract more clients, I’ve created a few systems to keep you on track and make Client Attraction a priority. What we’ve got to do is have you clear the decks and get rid of the “leaks” in your day.

How much time per day should you really allocate for marketing? I recommend my clients spend up to 4 hours of marketing PER DAY the first 6 months to a year in business, or whenever they need a new boost of clients.

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Starting Is The Hardest Part

February 19th, 2012 admin

Writen by Marsha Maung

You can’t imagine how many people ask me how I did it. To turn my back onto convention, to turn a deaf ear on the people who wants what is best for me, to snub my nose at people who thinks I am making one of the biggest mistakes in my life?etc. Hey, this is what I do best, so, I am really good at this. Granted, not everyone is as good at defying convention (and logic) as me, so, I’ll keep that in mind. :-)

I can’t explain how it happened and I cannot pin point when it was that I decided to quit my job and work from home, but it happened because I wanted to be with my kids (Then, it was a lone Joshua but the resolve to have another child while working from home only went on to cement my decision).

I receive at least 10 to 15 emails EVERY SINGLE DAY from people telling me how much they wanted to do what I am doing right now ? they ask me how I did it, what was required, how was it in the beginning, how to deal with loved ones, how much money they would need to reserve to start their own business, what kind of business they should start and how to spot a scam, etc.

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23 Things I Know Now That I Wish I Had Known When I Started My Petrelated Business

February 18th, 2012 admin

Writen by Peggie Arvidson-Dailey

1. I’m in charge of my time
This is truly eye-opening for most entrepreneurs. It’s about changing your mindset from working ‘in’ your business to working on it. And to establishing your non-negotiable terms for your working hours ? no one else will do it for you. It’s easy to believe that you have to work all the time in order to be successful, but don’t buy into that. Create a business that works with your life.

2. I set the hours
Any business or service that I purchase has set hours. As a consumer I can take them or leave them. But most often, ifs a company I’m eager to work with I’ll work within their parameters. You’re a business owner that customers love to work with ? so set your business hours and stick to them. If you don’t want to answer the phone during dinner ? don’t. Let your clients know your hours and then don’t work during non-working hours.

3. I can take time off.
Not only can I take time off ? it’s imperative to the well-being and long-term success of not only my business, but all my personal relationships as well.

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Reverse Merger Have They Taken The Reverse Out Of Reverse Merger

February 16th, 2012 admin

Writen by Joseph Quinones

Are the promoters and consultants destroying the market for Reverse Merger? First lets take a look at reverse merger. In a Reverse Merger, an operating private company merges with a public company that has little or no assets, nor know liabilities (the “shell”).

In some rare instances, the shell may have some amount of cash remaining for investment in the new enterprise. The public corporation is called a “shell” since all that exists of the original company is its corporate shell structure and shareholders.

The private company owners obtain the majority of the shell corporation stock (usually 90-95%) through a new issue of stock for the private enterprise or assets.

The public corporation will normally change its name to the private company’s name and elect a new board of directors which will appoint the officers.

The public corporation will usually have a base of shareholder sufficient to to meet the 300 shareholder requirement for eventual admission to quotation on the NASDAQ Small-Cap Market, Or some other market.

Now to the problem or the devil is in the details: The private company goes out perform the proper due diligence on a “shell” after finding it to be clean, and with no adverse past history to disqualify it, goes ahead completes the purchase.

After paying an astronomical price, say in the neighborhood of $500,000.00- to 700,000.00 for a Bulletin Board shell they get 90-95% of the stock.

Not only is the price extravagant, he will also take the reverse out of Reverse Merger, by insisting on a stipulation that you won’t do a reverse split and reduce the number of shares outstanding.

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Doing Business With Friends Five Tips For Preserving The Friendship And Your Sanity

February 15th, 2012 admin

Writen by Ann Zuccardy

My colleague, Jane, recently lamented to me an all too familiar story about mixing business and friendship. Jane subcontracted copywriting work out her friend, Joan. Jane’s copywriting business was blossoming (partly in response to her most recent brilliant article marketing campaign) and giving the work to Joan seemed like a win-win for both of them.

As expected, Joan delivered a glorious first draft. The only problem was halfway through the discussed project, Joan suddenly disappeared!

It turned out that Joan was becoming overwhelmed with juggling her own work and the freelance work. The freelance work sunk to the bottom of her priority list because, hey, Jane was her friend and she wouldn’t mind. However, as the days turned into weeks, Joan became embarrassed and began hiding from Jane’s e-mail messages and calls. Now both friends were in a pickle!

Jane would have preferred Joan tell her up front that she couldn’t meet the agreed upon terms. She didn’t get angry with her friend, but it made her wonder how wise it is to involve your close friends in professional endeavors.

One the other side of the fence is the business person who agrees to do something for a friend for a reduced price or free.

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Racing The Competition

February 14th, 2012 admin

Writen by Bette Daoust, Ph.D.

What is the Big Race all about when it comes to creating relationships?

The big race is simply the ability to win the deal on a consistent basis. You will need to perfect your message, be able to state it clearly and precisely, and follow up relentlessly. Without all these factors, you are losing ground to the competition. You need to stay ahead at all times by keeping an eye on what your competitors are doing well, and not so well. This is also your opportunity to capitalize on the competition’s weaknesses and keep up with their strengths. It is not that you have to beat them at their best, but it is important that you at least stay even on that front. What you must do, however, to stay ahead is to do much better at what they do not do well.

In other words, when running the big race, make sure you have a more interesting story, find out what the competitor is saying and capitalize on their weaknesses and stay on top of their strengths. The race is a win or lose competition, the scales are tipped one way or the other by a consistent strategy, and a strategy that emphasizes you but does not bash the competition.

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The Explosive Benefits Of A Natural Market

February 14th, 2012 admin

Writen by Allyn Cutts

Last year a local gentleman opened a Mexican restaurant in our area. The unique aspect of the restaurant is that not only is the Mexican food authentic, but the employees are Hispanic as well. When you walk through the doors, you feel as though you’ve stepped into another culture.

Six months later, this same gentleman opened up another restaurant on the other side of town. What was the secret to his immediate and amazing success? …he found a natural market. No one can simulate a natural market. Outsiders go to get the cultural flavor as well as the good food, insiders go to enjoy the “homey” experience.

What Defines a Natural Market?

The most obvious natural markets are cultural, but include a host of other characteristics that you may be familiar with as well. What about homeschooling parents? Who could communicate more clearly, or provide more relevant products than another homeschool parent?

A natural market is simply the part of a market that you have something in common with. It will automatically make you connect with your customers on a personal level, making your marketing strategies more effective.

Why Explore Natural Markets?

You can make immediate and lasting connections with your potential natural market.

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Small Business Would You Still Need An Accountant If You Didnt Need A Tax Return

February 13th, 2012 admin

Writen by Kelvyn Peters

After over thirty years advising small business it still comes as a surprise to see the number of small business owners who are only interested in their financial results when it is time to do their tax return.

Many still think that their accountant is there to ‘cook the books’ at tax time!

It is not surprising that almost invariably the business owners who approach their accounting in this way are those whose business is not doing well.

Three out of five businesses fail within the first three years owing to a lack of proper business planning and record keeping and many of them are those proprietors who adopt this ‘once a year’ method of accounting. That’s why they never improve.

Today’s accountant is more than just a ‘bean counter’. The new breed has developed expertise in many areas such as marketing, management, industrial relations law and computers. Indeed, the ‘number crunching’ that was such a large part of the accountant’s life has been largely taken over by computers. There is now no excuse for not receiving meaningful reports when they do actually mean something and not three months after the end of the period.

Making business decisions has always been difficult. Small business owners without the resources of large firms have always needed to stretch beyond the limit of their expertise in making many decisions.

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Health Care Facilities A Profitable Niche For Your Cleaning Business

February 11th, 2012 admin

Writen by Steve Hanson

A growing area that offers plenty of opportunity and potential profit for building service contractors is cleaning health care facilities. Besides hospitals, there are nursing homes, doctor’s offices, clinics, hospices, and dental offices that all need cleaning. With the aging baby boomer population, the number of medical facilities will continue to increase in the next few years. Most hospitals employ in-house cleaning crews, but there is a growing trend towards outsourcing cleaning services. Even if a hospital or medical facility has their own in-house cleaning crew, they will sometimes hire a cleaning service for offices, public areas or specialty cleaning (carpets, floors, windows). This presents an opportunity for janitorial cleaning companies who are willing to invest some time and effort into learning the ins and outs of cleaning medical facilities.

Begin by realizing that cleaning in the medical world is regulated and you must follow specific rules and guidelines. In many instances, you will need to document your cleaning procedures. There will be extra training required for your employees and you must provide close supervision to assure that everything is cleaned correctly. You may have to invest in more equipment, chemicals, and supplies to meet the requirements of a particular facility.

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The List Of Reasons Why Anybody Should Care About Your Business

February 11th, 2012 admin

Writen by Takuya Hikichi

I love making lists because

* The content sticks and you bookmark the page

* They save your time and summarize what you need to know

* They remind, motivate, encourage and persuade you to take action

* They most importantly demonstrate what I know and why you should care?

Why Should Anybody Care About Your Business?

Your customers or prospects DO NOT care about your business if?

1. You over promise and under deliver

2. You use “bait and switch” tactic

3. You show your greedy intention

4. You focus on yourself instead of their problem

5. You answer to their questions without thinking

6. You make them feel you left out important information

7. You disappoint them but don’t acknowledge the fact

8. You wing it (whatever “it” may be)

9. You inconvenience them

10. You neglect to clean up the restroom

11. You dump transfer calls directly onto voicemail

12. You treat your work as a job instead of career

13. You talk down

14. You use only one method to promote your business

15. You use profanity

16. You are late

17. You are not accessible

18. You are slow to respond

19. You don’t update your business blog or website

20. You don’t send thank you cards

21. You don’t innovate

22. You don’t ask for their names

23. You don’t give employee power to solve customers service issues

24.

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