Internet Productivity--Lofty Goal or Oxymoron?

Summary:
How To Develop A Goal And Productivity System That Keeps You On Course, Helps You Alternate Your View Between The Big Picture And The Micro-tasks And Adapt To The Unforeseen And The Unexpected

Internet Meetings and Small Business

Summary:
The ability to conduct meetings over the Internet opens up many new opportunities for the small businessman or woman. The ability to market products and services worldwide have never been better.

Insider Secrets about Corporations: Or, Why Should I Incorporate?

Summary:
The vast majority of people who operate small business or home-based businesses worldwide are sole proprietors or mom-and-pop shop-type partners.  Yet leading authorities on small business estimate that at least 90% of all small business and home business entrepreneurs would benefit from incorporating and using using a corporation as an essential component of their overall business structure.  For generations, the wealthy have learned and benefitted from the insider secrets of using corporations to maximize and accelerate wealthbuilding. You can incorporate yourself, and even if you decide to leave the details to an attorney, it is better to do so armed with this insider information so that you can evaluate the "expert" advice you are given.

How Your Small Business Can Benefit from Custom Screen Printed T-Shirts

Summary:
America is the land of opportunity and with that the land of small businesses.  The U.S. has made it easy for just about anyone to work up the courage and capital and start up their own business.  Having realized that you can do it, one arrives at the paradox that so can everyone else.  How do you make your small business stand out and rise above the competition?  One way is to use custom screen printed t-shirts as a way of looking more professional and as advertising.

How to Maximize the Benefits of a Networking Event?

Summary:
Everyone needs to network: entrepreneurs, small business owners, job seekers!  But does everyone maximize the benefits of networking?

How to Make a Living as a Ski Bum

Summary:
Find out how to be self-employed, ski every day and conduct business from the chair lifts.  It may sound too good to be true… but I did it!

How to Effectively Brand Your Small Business

Summary:
Branding a small business is a must if you want to succeed in a competitive world. The importance of branding a business disregarding its size is based on not only real benefits, products and services that your business possesses, but also an image concept that all businesses should keep in mind.

How do I Value my Small Business?

Summary:
A guide to finding the value of your small business

How Come A Small Business Goes Over Better

Summary:
Ever wonder why a small business seems to go over better find out why that might be the case.

Hiring A New Assistant?

Summary:
Are you considering hiring a new administrative or executive assistant?  Maybe you should think twice.

Health and Safety-It Makes Good Cents

Summary:
For every 1 dollar spent 3 dollars can be saved. Health and safety programs not only make the workplace safer but also save money for the business.

Getting noticed on the Internet - Digital Marketing for Small Business

Summary:
In the online world it is very important for small and new businesses to market their sites for the much required growth and expansion. This article deals exactly with this issue and throws light on the ways by which small businesses can effectively market themselves via digital means.

Don't Ignore Legal Obligations of The CAN-SPAM Act

Summary:
Stay informed to avoid problems by unwittingly sending unsolicited spam to your customers.

Does Your Small Business Need A Web Site? (Part 1)

Summary:
You are a small business owner. You use the internet both in your business and personally. Obviously you know there are many, many web sites out there. More then likely, you've even made purchases through someone else's web site. Perhaps it is apparent that you could be doing the same thing with your own business. Certainly, extra e-commerce sales could only help your bottom line. But does your business really need a web site?


In deciding that, consider what a web site rea...

Do You Want To Receive More Affiliate Checks?

Summary:
Affiliate Marketing is by far, one of the easiest ways to make money online. It is a revenue sharing business relationship between the affiliate who agrees to promote the products or services, and the merchant who offers them.

Creating Cash Flow with Old Inventory

Summary:
Too much inventory ties up critical cash for your business.  The key is to find the right price to move your merchandise. Slow moving items take up space and cash that could be used for more profitable items.

Cash Flow Planning for Solo Professionals

Summary:
Lack of cash flow planning is the reason why many businesses fail.  In fact, many PROFITABLE businesses fail because of cash flow issues.  Without adequate cash flow, you can’t pay your bills and you can’t make plans for your business.






Article Body:
You’ve heard it a million times – cash flow can make or break a business.  Lack of cash flow planning is the reason why many businesses fail.  In fact, many PROFITABLE businesses fail because of cash flow issues.  Without adequate cash flow, you can’t pay your bills and you can’t make plans for your business.

So… what is cash flow planning?  Cash flow planning is projecting your future cash inflows from sales, services, and loans, and comparing them to your future cash flow needs (suppliers, salaries/wages, loan payments, taxes, etc.).  The difference between the two is your net cash flow.

Why is cash flow planning so important?  Cash flow planning can help you identify problems down the road, and fix them before they occur.  Cash flow planning can also help you make decisions such as should I attend that conference I’ve wanted to attend, should I buy the new computer I’ve been wanting, or do I need to work extra hard this month to avoid a cash flow deficiency next month?

The first step in planning your cash flow is knowing where you spend your money!  Solo entrepreneurs need to have a good grip on both their personal and business spending, as most solo entrepreneurs rely on their business income to meet personal finance goals (i.e., pay the bills!).  So, you should track both your personal and your business spending, although I recommend that you keep them separate (that’s a topic all by itself).

What’s the best way to track your spending?  You can use pen & paper, spreadsheets or a software program.  The best method for you is the method that you will actually use on a regular basis.

You should project your spending for at least the next 12 months so that you include annual and other periodic expenses.  If you are experiencing a cash flow crisis, you should track & project your cash flow on a weekly basis, instead of monthly.

If you are an existing business, you can project your cash flow for the next year by reviewing your expenses for last year.  If you are a new business, you will need to estimate your start up costs in addition to regular operating expenses.

Start up costs include inventory, legal expenses, advertising, licenses & permits, supplies, and many more costs that you may not have thought of.  To research startup costs you should contact your local Small Business Development Center, contact a SCORE counselor, join groups of similar business owners, and read as many books or articles you can find on the subject.

To improve your cash flow, you should:

1. Complete the first 3 steps.  You have to understand cash flow planning, track your cash flow, and project your future spending needs before you can improve your cash flow.

2. Create best and worst case scenarios and create appropriate responses to both scenarios.  For example, if your best case scenario is to increase sales by 50%, how will you use the profits?  Will you put the profits back into the company by investing in new equipment, training, etc.?  If your worst case scenario is a drop in sales by 50%, how will you continue to cover your monthly expenses?  By planning for the best and worst case scenarios, you’ll be ready for any situation.

3. When estimating your future income, realize that some people will pay late, and account for that fact in your projection.

4. Charge what you’re worth.  Many businesses, especially service professionals, under-charge when they are first starting out.  This is a great way to go out of business.  Make sure you are charging what you’re worth, and remember you’re in business to make money, not to give your expertise away for free.

5. Watch your business spending.  Focus on the value the item brings to your business, and avoid lavish spending (i.e., do you really need the fastest, newest computer available?).

6. Don’t hire until necessary.  Consider using virtual assistants or temporary employees before hiring permanent employees.

7. Give incentives for early payment for products and services.  On the flip side, chase down invoices the minute they’re late.  Charge interest or late fees to encourage timely payments.

8. Update your cash flow regularly.  Your cash flow plan will change frequently as your business grows.  You may want to update your cash flow plan weekly when you first get started, then switch to monthly once you’ve got a good handle on your cash flow.

Remember - whether you are a new or growing business, your cash flow projection can make the difference between success and failure.

Blend Your Strengths with Small Business Needs

Summary:
If you are looking to start a small business of your own, there is a proven process that is necessary to start off with.  Many creative people have great business ideas, but their approach to planning is ineffective and eventually flops.  First and foremost, you have to find a market that is a good size. Now what does this mean exactly?






Article Body:
If you are looking to start a small business of your own, there is a proven process that is necessary to start off with.  Many creative people have great business ideas, but their approach to planning is ineffective and eventually flops.  First and foremost, you have to find a market that is a good size. Now what does this mean exactly? Finding a niche market that is a reasonable size entails pinpointing one that is big enough to make a profit but small enough for the resources of a small business and one that does not compete with large corporations.

Two main mistakes that entrepreneurs make in finding small markets are targeting a market that is too broad and targeting a niche that is already heavily exploited.  What you decide to sell must connect product to target audience or you will not be successful.

To start off with, choose your own unique area of expertise. What are you good at? What do you have experience in? Use your education, your skills and the people you know who could help you transform your idea into reality.  If you have many areas of interest and are not sure which one would be the most profitable, a little more research will be needed.  Consider how it will be possible to convert your education and skills into money-making opportunities.  Research your surrounding marketplace to see what is needed in your area.

Now if you are trying to find small markets online, be forewarned that this can be tedious and time-consuming.  You will first have to think of a list of possible target audiences, then take your first idea and research an exhaustive list of keywords and keyword phrases that people in that target audience are using for information on their desired product. Next, one must research all keywords and phrases for  relevancy and then study which keywords on your list might lead to other niches that will need future researching. Then, you need to compare all your keywords to web pages to evaluate the present competition.  You will use all your information to narrow down your list to keywords and phrases that have the most online traffic and those that are the least exploited. If your small market does not appear to be profitable, you must start the entire research process over.  If you do find one that seems to be a money maker, you then must focus on finding ideas to profit from.

Are You Thinking Too Small and Dooming Your Small Business To Failure?

Summary:
One problem that many small business owners run into is simply thinking too small. I often have readers writing to me asking for helping getting their business ideas off the ground. I also often hear from folks who have run their small businesses into the ground. There are five key areas where you can think too small -- and doom your business to failure.


One problem that many small business owners run into is simply thinking too small. I often have readers writing to me asking for helping getting their business ideas off the ground. I also often hear from folks who have run their small businesses into the ground. There are five key areas where you can think too small -- and doom your business to failure.

Niche Too Small

Is your niche too small? Finding a small market to target with your business is key to success, but sometimes people narrow their niche too much. While doggy dental products could be a wonderful niche (as almost any dog owner can attest) you could even narrow your focus down to a certain type of dog (such as lap dogs) but going for one specific breed would be taking it too far.

Target Market Too Small

Is your target market too small? If you are looking only at one community or small geographic region then you may well doom your product to failure. It is far too easy to saturate a small market and it is far too easy for any marketing mistakes to end your campaign before it gets off the ground. In today's economy with the availability of global marketing you need to think big when you are planning your target market.

Budget Too Small

Is your budget too small? You don't need a million dollar advertising budget but you should have some seed money to get your business and its marketing campaign off the ground. It is possible to build a business from nothing but it is also a lot more difficult and you might find yourself making some mistakes that cost you a lot more down the road than putting a little money up front.

Schedule Too Small

Is your schedule too small? Do you have enough time to devote to your business?  Starting, running, and growing a business takes time. Some people get swept up in the planning and dreaming stages and never really start their business. Other people start before they have completely planned everything out and quickly get mired down by unexpected difficulties. While others do everything right in the planning and startup but once the business is running they get overwhelmed by day-to-day business and never think aobut ways to improve and grow their business.

Mind Too Small

Is your mind too small? You need to open up your mind's eye to continually seek new opportunities to find new customers, to find new potential partners, to find new ideas for products, and to find new opportunities for marketing. Flexibility and adaptability are key to surival in today's business climate and you always need to have new ideas cooking to grow and expand your market and your business. This means raising your head up out of the trenches once in a while. Yes, you might need to dodge the occasional missile lobbed your way but this is the only way to see those opportunities heading your way.

If you do your best to avoid these five not-so-small mistakes then you will be on your way to small business success.

Are You Ready to Outsource Your Bookkeeping?

Summary:
If you are a small business owner, isn't it time to stop trying to do it all yourself? Think about outsourcing this important job and free up your time to do what you do best- run your business.






Do you run your own small business and try to do it all yourself? Why?  Shouldn’t you spend your time doing what you do best- whether it is selling and marketing, customer service or making decisions on how to grow your business?

An entrepreneur tries to juggle many balls each day, but sooner or later one of them is going to be dropped.  A smart business owner will realize that he/she can’t do everything because there are only 24 hours in a day.  Unless you are extremely organized and enjoy working with numbers, then maybe you need to outsource this job.  Too many business owners spend their time doing what they are not very good at simply because they don’t know how to go about finding someone to do that job for them.

Where do you start?  Ask your accountant for referrals.  Obviously you don’t need a full-time person to do your books, so your best bet is to look for someone who wants to moonlight at a part-time job.  There are also bookkeepers with their own small business who are looking for clients.  If you don’t have any other employees, this situation will work best for you because you can pay them as a subcontractor instead of an employee on payroll. However, you will need to give them a Form 1099 at year end for tax purposes. But, since they are accounting experts, they can help you with that task too.

You should interview your prospective bookkeeper just as you would if you were hiring him/her as an employee.  Ask for a resume and references, and check them out.  Since this person will be handling your confidential records, you want someone who is trustworthy.

Depending on your location, you should expect to pay between $15 and $50 an hour for a bookkeeper. Don’t necessarily hire the one who offers the lowest rate- remember you get what you pay for.  The more experienced person will cost you more, but will provide valuable input and suggestions to streamline your business that will wind up saving you money in the long run.

Since this person will be working closely with you in your business, you should feel comfortable with him or her.  If you have any reservations about this person, go on to the next candidate.

While the selection process may take a while, it will be worth it later.  Take your time to find the perfect bookkeeper, and in a few months you’ll wonder how you ever managed to run your business before you hired one.