31st July
2011
Copyright 2005 David Coffman
When someone mentions business planning we have been conditioned
to think about writing a business plan. There are hundreds of
books and articles, tons of software, an army of consultants,
and a multitude government programs to help you write a business
plan. There are virtually no resources to help you set up what
today's business environment really demands ' a continuous,
ongoing planning system.
A commonly accepted theory is that for a business to survive ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business
30th July
2011
As savvy stock market investors know, chasing after the one "hot
stock" with the possibility of bringing instant riches is not a
wise idea. You know the old saying, "Don't put your eggs in one
basket". This type of thinking carries a high risk. If your
stock goes up and you are smart enough to sell, then you've made
money. However, if your stock falls, you just don't know when
(or if) it will ever make a comeback.
With this idea of chasing after the "hot stock of the day", you
might as well buy ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business
29th July
2011
Education
29th July
2011
Copyright 2005 Empower Business Solutions
How many hours do you work a week? When was the last time you
took an uninterrupted holiday? Do your staff have a better job
than you? Now ask yourself, Do I Own a Business or a Job- with
Overheads? Are you happy about the answers to these questions?
If not, read on.
In Empower Business Solutions experience, too many owners, after
investing their time and money, have not got a fair return from
their business. Sure they are making ends meet (well some ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business
28th July
2011
A recent report, titled "The War for Talent" stated that over
the next 20 years, employee talent will be what differentiates
successful companies from those going bust. The late 90's gave
us a glimpse of the talent war, but was nothing compared to
what's ahead. Here are five ways to bulletproof your company
before the battle begins.
Practice What You Preach
Recent studies of America's largest companies show that a strong
reputation for moral and ethical conduct performed better
financially in ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business
27th July
2011
Community relations is one of those marketing strategies that
isn't talked about much, even though I venture to say
practically everyone ends up doing it at one time or another.
Basically, community relations is when you and your business
become involved in your community. For instance:
* Your business donates money to nonprofit organizations. * You
or your employees volunteer at a fundraising event. * You or
your employees volunteer for a nonprofit organization. * You or
your employees join a ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business
27th July
2011
Education
26th July
2011
The way that we use language reflects cultural preferences for
some types of communicative behaviour while discouraging others.
Culture will affect, for example, the extent to which we speak
loudly and animatedly or quietly, whether we use lots of 'I'
statements, whether we choose very explicit language or whether
we are indirect. Intercultural, or cross-cultural, pragmatics is
the contrastive or comparative study of such communicative norms
aiming to reach a better understanding of the ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business
25th July
2011
Marketing Your Business Online As a business you can't afford to
ignore the Internet Age; in 2002 there was an estimated 605
million people online around the entire globe, today this is
estimated at over a billion users worldwide.
By using the Internet to market your business an entire world of
potential customers are opened up for you, rather than just your
local town, city, or country.
Some Facts:
' According to Forrester Research Inc approximately £2.5 billion
worth of goods and services ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business
24th July
2011
/p>
Most entrepreneurs get paranoid over the idea of starting a
business. With so many federal, state, and, local laws governing
any business, it becomes crucial to make an informed decision
about the venture. Here are a few steps worth considering before
your business takes off in full swing
Most of us get paranoid over the idea of starting a business.
With so many federal, state, and, local laws governing any
business, it becomes crucial to make an informed decision about
the venture. ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business
22nd July
2011
Case study: Harley Davidson
Is there any another company in the world that works harder to
build genuine relationships with their customers than the
Harley-Davidson Motor Company? Harley-Davidson is an outstanding
example of a company that has created loyalty through a pattern
of steadfast interactions with its customers. How easy is it for
your customers to interact with you? Could you reinvent the
customer experience in ways that would strengthen the sense of
affiliation that the customer ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business
21st July
2011
In our Accounting class we had a good teacher. Among the many
things he taught us, I can still remember clearly how his voice
resonated against the class room walls when he talked about
depreciation and real estate.
He said that all physical assets including building, machinery,
furniture, is subject to waste and decay. All physical assets
(of course except land) have to be depreciated. Even if you talk
about money, in time due to inflation and other factors its
value will decrease. A $100 ten ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business
19th July
2011
Bootstrapping a business startup does not necessarily mean that
you are unable to find traditional sources of capital. It may
mean that you are clever, or that you know a bargain when you
see it, or that you are the type of person who derives a certain
satisfaction from crafting something using your own hands and
vision, from scratch. If this is the way you feel, a franchise
is probably not for you. A venture capitalist, if you could even
find a member of that rare species when you are just ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business
17th July
2011
/p>
Growing your business
Starting a business can be difficult ' making it grow can be a
problem.
In the first year you will be getting on with the business of
business. Keeping your head down, controlling cash, meeting
targets, winning and keeping customers with brilliant customer
service.
In the second year, you'll hopefully want to come up for air and
take stock of the situation. You may well want to re-visit your
business plan, assess your trading progress, customer base and
consider the ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business
15th July
2011
1. Failure to have an exit strategy.I'm amazed when most people
get started in business for the wrong reasons. Maybe because
they want to make money or they want to be their own boss.
Or maybe they lost their job or their boss fired them,and they
have been working for their company for the last 15years and
they think they know as much about the business as the boss at
the company.
At times, their parents passed away and they kind of take over
the family business.Or they could not find a job and ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business
13th July
2011
Many different daily tasks require a strategic process to be
formulated or habitually developed, and then implemented. This
can be as simple as at what time you get up and the process you
take in getting ready for the day. For example you may wake at
6:00 am, shower and dress at 6:15, drink a cup of coffee and
grab a bite to eat at 6:45 and be out of the door by 7:00. This
is what is known as routine strategy. This is a process that
flows with the normal, every day motions that we make in ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business
11th July
2011
State laws have been relaxed to make it easier for small
business to raise start-up and growth financing from the public.
Many investors view this as an opportunity to 'get in on the
ground floor' of an emerging business and to 'hit it big' as the
small businesses grow into large ones.
Statistically, most small businesses fail within the first few
years. Small business investments are among the most risky that
investors can make. This guide suggests factors to consider for
determining whether ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business
10th July
2011
Small- and medium-sized businesses are increasingly outsourcing
new positions to workers overseas, to the consternation of labor
unions everywhere. Once considered a measure used only by large
companies, outsourcing has now become a cost-effective option
for smaller firms as well.
'If you contract an Indian firm to design your website or
develop software or staff your back office work, you will be
operating at a sixth of the cost'. This is almost a well know
fact among the large size companies ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business
9th July
2011
/p>
So you want to be a Player?
The real movers and shakers of America are always looking to
move up the ladder of success. They also have a particular
penchant for desiring to display their success through their
purchasing power. You may have noted that some of the
powerhouses of your city buy fancy cars, a flashy Rolex or two,
and build the biggest, most expansive mansions money can buy.
Upon asking such individuals why they purchase such luxurious
items, you might be surprised by their ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business
8th July
2011
Marketing
7th July
2011
A business plan just may be the most important document for any
business, both a newly created startup business and an existing
and growing business.
A business plan is vital to getting a newly created startup up
and running and anyone considering investing money in such a
company will need to see and verify the information contained in
the business plan.
== What Is Included In Your Business Plan? ==
A business plan is also important as the existing business grows
and expands such as if the ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business
7th July
2011
Technology
6th July
2011
Annual Strategic Planning is as important as financial and tax
planning. Without a plan you will achieve results but will they
be the results you want?
Businesses tend to avoid doing their annual business plan
thinking that it is an arduous task that does not accomplish
much. Formulating your annual plan is, however, critical to your
business success and if done correctly should be quick, easy and
generate bottom line results.
Rather than creating a business plan that achieves no ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business
3rd July
2011
Think the best way to get more customers is to have the lowest
prices in town? Think again. Think the best way to create a
successful business is to try to appeal to everyone? Wrong again.
The only good thing about having the lowest prices and trying to
appeal to everyone is that you'll fail quickly and be out of
your misery.
This is a really hard concept for many business owners to come
to grips with. Small business owners can really struggle with
pricing. There are tons of different ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business
2nd July
2011
Celebrate Successes
In our last article I spoke about failure and what you can learn
from it. This edition will be the opposite side of the same coin
' success. Just as it is important to analyze your failures and
learn from them so it is also important that you celebrate your
successes and repeat them.
Every year we strive to do be better and be more successful at
what we do. Often, however, we only remember successes that are
so large that they hit us right in the face, when they are so
large ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business
1st July
2011
You are probably asking yourself what could be good about
failing. Failing means ' well ' that you failed, that you didn't
achieve the results you wanted and that things didn't turn out
as you hoped. What could be good about that?
The advantage is that you now know one way not to do something.
And this is as useful as knowing one way of how to do something.
As Thomas Edison said, 'Just because something doesn't do what
you planned it to do in the first place doesn't mean it's
useless.... ...Read the rest of this entry »
Business