Are You Using the Right Form of Energy?

by: Al Hanzal

As we near the end of summer, here is a question I have for you, “Are you using the right form of energy to grow your business?” Are you having trouble growing your small business as fast as you want? Are you making all the right moves and still the business just inches forward? Read this article and see if you are using the right form of energy to grow your small business?    Head Energy My consulting experiences have taught me there are two types of business energy. I call the first type “head energy”. This is the energy that comes from wanting to do better or more with your small business. • You want more profits. • You want more customers. • You want better marketing.    Head energy is very powerful. It can inspire. It can achieve dreams. It can drive you forward. Head energy also has limitations. Head energy promises fulfillment in the future. Before the future arrives you must sustain yourself along the way. If you fail to sustain the head energy, your hopes and aspirations tumble down. They become “the good idea that was never achieved!”    Gut Energy I call the second type of small business energy “gut energy”. This energy involves your current business worries; your current business mistakes; the business issues that need fixing right now. • What is decreasing your profits now? • What is preventing you from having more customers now? • What are your current marketing mistakes?    I call this gut energy because it sits right in your gut, churning away. This is extremely powerful energy because it is so immediate. It is right now! It calls for immediate attention. Fix the situation now!    Gut energy is not as glamorous as head energy. It is always more fun to dream about your future than to do the hard work of fixing your current mistakes. But when you want to see immediate improvements in your business, turn to your gut energy.    9 Common Small Business Mistakes Here I list the 9 most common small business mistakes. Ask yourself if you are making mistakes in any of these areas. If so, you have the opportunity to find powerful energy to move your business forward.    1. Lack of cash flow 2. Poor planning 3. Forgetting your customer 4. Selling versus marketing 5. Lacking needed expertise 6. Misunderstanding credit 7. Becoming an advertising victim 8. Poor customer shopping experiences 9. Making yourself the center of your business    If you find yourself wondering how you can use your mistakes to grow your business, you may want to request my free report, 9 Mistakes That Can Kill Your Small Business. In the report, I provide more details about each of these business mistakes and ways to fix them. You can achieve powerful results in fixing your business mistakes. The report will help you find ways to use this energy to grow your business faster.    To obtain this free report, 9 Mistakes That Can Kill Your Small Business, click here, Free Report, a preaddressed email will be pop up, press the send button. The report will be sent to you via email with the report attached.    Conclusion Head energy is a necessary part of every small business operation. It provides the vision you need for the future. For quick and immediate improvements, do not over look the gut energy you will find in fixing your current business mistakes. Your gut energy will offer a wonderful opportunity for growing your business in a fast and easy way.    About the author: Using simple, low costs strategies, Al Hanzal has helped small business owners improve their profits.  Need Extra Money At Home ? Visit Make Money At Home And Online Business Tips. Or Affiliate Revenue Tips.  Need Million Free Traffic to your webs ? Please visit Search Engine Optimization Tips  Circulated by Article Emporium

Alternative Venture Finance: Federal Grants and Loans

by: Dave Lavinsky

While most companies seeking venture capital initially think about angel investors and venture capitalists, a large alternative source of financing is federal grants and loans. The two largest federal grant programs are run by the Small Business Administration (SBA), and by Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs).    An SBA loan, regardless of whether it is a direct loan from the SBA, or, as is more common, a bank loan guaranteed by the SBA, is essentially a bank loan. The benefit of it versus a traditional bank loan is the rate. SBA rates are typically much less than traditional business loan rates.    In most cases, in a guaranteed SBA bank loan, the SBA guarantees 90 percent of the loan will be repaid to the bank. As such, banks are at much less risk than in most other loans, and are a bit more flexible with regards to who they offer these loans. However, the SBA usually requires the founders of the company to personally guarantee the loans, which makes them risky should the venture collapse.    Alternatively, Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs) are privately organized corporations that are licensed and regulated by the SBA. Small or emerging businesses which qualify for assistance from the SBIC program can receive equity capital and/or long-term loans from these companies. Essentially, these companies provide their own capital, which is supplemented by federal funds, to the companies they fund.    Interestingly, U.S. taxpayers benefits from the SBIC program as tax revenues generated from successful SBIC investments have more than covered the cost of the program. Likewise the program has created hundreds of thousands of jobs.    In summary, SBA and SBIC financing are viable alternatives to financing from angel investors and venture capitalists and should be considered in the capital raising process. Similarly to angel and VC financing, companies seeking SBA and SBIC financing need a strong management team and value proposition, and a highly professional and compelling business plan in order to raise the capital they need.    About the author: GT Business Plans has developed over 200 business plans for clients that have collectively raised over $750 million in financing, launched numerous new product and service lines and gained competitive advantage and market share. GT Business Plans is the sister site of GT Venture Capital Need Extra Money At Home ? Visit Make Money At Home And Online Business Tips. Or Affiliate Revenue Tips.  Need Million Free Traffic to your webs ? Please visit Search Engine Optimization Tips  Circulated by Article Emporium

After the latest advice concerning small business insurance rates.

by: Tom Brown

After the latest advice concerning small business insurance rates. Often when you are looking for superior advice about small business insurance rates, you'll find it difficult separating value packed information from misguided small business insurance rates submissions and proposals so it's prudent to know how to qualify the information you are often given.    Now we'd like to give you a few tips which we advise you to use when you are trying to find information about small business insurance rates. Bear in mind the guidance we put forward is only relevant to internet information about small business insurance rates. We don't offer any assistance or guidance if you are receiving information offline.    A great tip to pursue when offered information or advice on a small business insurance rates page would be to confirm the sites ownership. This may show you the people behind the site small business insurance rates credibility The quickest way to work out who owns the small business insurance rates site is to find the 'about' page.    All highly regarded sites providing information about small business insurance rates, will almost certainly provide an 'about' or 'contact' page which will list the owner's details. The fine points should tell some indication concerning the owner's requisite knowledge. You can then make a judgement about the vendor's insight and appreciation, to provide advice to you regarding small business insurance rates.    About the author: Tom Brown is the webmaster at secretspecialnews.info Need Extra Money At Home ? Visit Make Money At Home And Online Business Tips. Or Affiliate Revenue Tips.  Need Million Free Traffic to your webs ? Please visit Search Engine Optimization Tips  Circulated by Article Emporium

Advertising vs. PR in Your Small Business Marketing Strategy

by: J D Moore

A great small business marketing strategy includes a mix of tactics. Advertising and PR are two very important tools that all small business owners need to be using regularly. Many small businesses I talk to do one of the other, but don't commit to doing both. Each has its strengths and weaknesses and are complimentary to each other.   Small Business Advertising Strengths: -The biggest advantage with small business advertising is your complete control over the message. You get to focus on whatever you want, write the text, and choose the visuals. You ensure that your marketing message is delivered.   -You control placement. You choose the exact timing and media in which your advertising is placed. This is a huge advantage because naturally you are going to choose to place your ads where your target market is most likely to see them.   -You can repeat your messages over and over again. Effective small business marketing incorporates a high degree of repetition and consistency. Advertising can and should be run on regular schedules.   -With advertising, you (and your budget) control your marketing saturation. You can run the same ad across different publications serving the same market, run matching Internet advertising, put an ad on the radio, do cable TV, do outdoor advertising, etc. Ideally you need to be reaching your target market at least 4 different ways for them to respond.   Advertising Weaknesses -Advertising generally costs money. Most small businesses don't have a huge budget for marketing. Sometimes being creative can help defray costs. Sometimes you can trade for advertising space. You may be able to do co-op advertising.   -Small business advertising needs to be very targeted to be effective. Sometimes the only choices you have in your community are mass-market like newspapers. You still need to advertise, but some of your marketing dollars will be spent to advertise to people who don't want or need what you're selling.   -Most small business advertising stinks. I hate to say it, but it's true. Many do-it-yourself advertisers don't understand that there are advertising fundamentals that work. A good ad will always out-pull a bad one.    Here's my plug: If you can't invest the time and money to learn how advertising REALLY works, get yourself a small business marketing coach to help you build more effective campaigns. It will be money well invested. PR Strengths: -It's FREE! OK, you might incur a very small charge if you hire someone to write and distribute a press release for you, but this is minimal. I think the reason why most small businesses don't do PR is that they don't know how it's done. Again, get some coaching, or pay someone to do it for you.   -Press is trusted more than advertising. If you read a review that says that a new restaurant is the best thing in town, there's some credibility there. We tend to assume that a person who is writing an article is an expert, and that they are an uninterested third party.   -You can distribute PR globally. As long as what you are doing is actually interesting globally, you can distribute your press releases globally. This isn't necessarily as targeted as your advertising needs to be, but you're not paying for editorial. By the way, never pay for editorial, and don't advertise with media that promises to give you editorial as long as you advertise. This is unethical and transparent - and the credibility of the media will always be in question.   PR Weaknesses: -You have no control over what the press is actually going to write or say about you. They may spell your name wrong, they may get some details wrong, they may choose to focus on something you don't want to highlight. In general this isn't a big issue, as long as they are saying good things about you.   -PR tends to be single exposure. Unless circumstances are really unusual, the press is not going to run the same story over and over again. I have been involved with an exception to that. I was doing something that corresponded with a current event and the press came to me again and again over 4 weeks for TV interviews. This was pure timing. It's difficult to engineer press like that without seeming mercenary.   -There is no guarantee that you're even going to get coverage. I was called to do a TV interview once and rushed into the city to meet the reporter and photographer. On my way in ,the reporter called me on my cell phone to tell me they were pulling the story because there was breaking news that they had to go cover.    Depending on what's going on you may get tons of press or none at all. You see that small business advertising and PR are different things. You need them both, and you need to work at both of them consistently. They are two important tools in your small business marketing toolbox.   About the author: J D Moore - Marketing Comet Does your small business marketing stink? Let's fix it! http://marketingcomet.typepad.com  Need Extra Money At Home ? Visit Make Money At Home And Online Business Tips. Or Affiliate Revenue Tips.  Need Million Free Traffic to your webs ? Please visit Search Engine Optimization Tips  Circulated by Article Emporium

Accounting Methods – Cash and Accrual

by: Richard A. Chapo

When starting a business, you have to determine the method you are going to use for accounting and paying taxes. The two choices are the cash method and the accrual method.    Cash Method If you are looking for simplicity, the cash method is probably your best accounting choice. Generally, income and deductions can be claimed when payment is actually received or made. This is best shown with an example.    I open a small business and have to order business cards and stationary. I receive the products and pay the invoice on November 18, 2005. Under the cash method, I can deduct the cost on my 2005 tax return.    Some businesses are restricted from using the cash method. C corporations may only use the cash method if they have less than $5 million in gross revenues for a particular year. Professional Service Corporations can use the cash method without limit, while farming corporations can due so if gross revenues are less than $25 million. Tax shelters are prohibited from using the cash method.    Accrual Method The Accrual Method of accounting is a bit more complex. Under this method, the focus in on the date the expense is incurred, not paid. Although this may seem a small difference, it can play havoc with your books and piece of mind.    Using our previous example, assume I order business cards and stationary on the December 18, 2005. I receive the products on December 30th, but don’t pay the invoice until January 20, 2006. When can the expense be claimed? It depends on when economic performance occurred.    Generally, economic performance occurs when goods or services are provided to you. In the above example, economic performance would arguably occur when the business cards and stationary were delivered with the invoice on December 30th. Thus, I would be able to deduct the expense for the 2005 tax year.    In Closing As you can see, the cash method is the easier of the two accounting methods. To determine the best method for your business, speak with a tax professional.    About the author: Richard Chapo is with Business Tax Recovery - Stop overpaying small business taxes. Read more business tax articles.  Need Extra Money At Home ? Visit Make Money At Home And Online Business Tips. Or Affiliate Revenue Tips.  Need Million Free Traffic to your webs ? Please visit Search Engine Optimization Tips  Circulated by Article Emporium

A $40 Million Dollar Little Known Referral Strategy

by: David Frey

Would you like to know how a car wash chain with only 12 locations has cleaned over 33,373,975 cars and has an annual revenue of over $40 Million (that is not a misprint) using little to no paid advertising?    Well, sit forward because I'm about to tell you. The company name is "Car Spa" and here's how I discovered their brutally effective referral strategy. I often go to Taco Bell to have lunch and read a book. I noticed a little flyer next to their cash register.    A few days later I stopped in with my family to get a frozen yogurt and right next to the cash register was the same flyer. The next day, I took my family to our favorite buffet restaurant and low and behold, there was a stack of Car Spa flyers.I then started asking the people at these locations what the deal was with the Car Spa flyer that they had next to their cash register and they all said that some old guy comes around every week and replinishes their stack.   I asked them, "Do you have some type of reciprocal arrangement with Car Spa?" They all said, "No...they asked if they could put their flyers there as a gift to our guests and we said sure."    Here's a copy of the referral flyer that Car Spa uses to drive traffic.  http://www.marketingbestpractices.com/temp/car_spa.pdf   Pretty simple. Notice the 48 hour guarantee. They're All Over the Place! Before you knew it, I started noticing their little discount flyers ALL OVER THE PLACE. The copy center I use had a stack of Car Spa flyers. The barber I use had a stack of Car Spa flyers. The oil and lube place I use had a stack of Car Spa flyers. The local handicraft shop my wife goes to had a stack of Car Spa flyers. My son's dentist had a stack of Car Spa flyers in his office. My local chiropractor friend had a stack of Car Spa flyers in his office. An apartment complex office I visited had a stack of Car Spa flyers.   Everywhere I went, I saw a stack of Car Spa flyers. It was amazing. The have these little "referral lead generation magnets" all over the place.   So I Finally Visited Car Spa And it wasn't any surprise that they were so busy that it took about 15 minutes of waiting just to get my car into their car wash.I then went inside their office to wait for my car and noticed that they did NOT have one flyer from another business inside their office.They were able to get all those other businesses in the area to send them referrals without having to do one reciprocal referral arrangement. And they did it simply by asking the business owners. That's all.   Car Spa probably gets 100 times the amount of referrals of any other business in the area as a direct result of this simple referral tactic.   If you have a brick and mortar business, what's stopping you from doing the same thing? All it takes is a couple of hours a day and a handful or referral flyers to pass out. About the author: David Frey is the author of the best-selling manual, "The Small Business Marketing Bible" and Senior Editor of the highly-acclaimed, "Small Business Marketing Best Practices Newsletter." To get your free lifetime subscription simply visit http://MarketingBestPractices.com  Need Extra Money At Home ? Visit Make Money At Home And Online Business Tips. Or Affiliate Revenue Tips.  Need Million Free Traffic to your webs ? Please visit Search Engine Optimization Tips  Circulated by Article Emporium

20 Small Business Tips, For Success

by: Dave Ryan

These are just some general tips to keep in mind as you design/operate your small business:    1. Take the time out to explore and understand whether or not you are compatible with running our own business. Some people are just plain happier and better off financially on the other end of the paycheck.   2.Get your personal finances in order. Before you jump into the entrepreneurship world, get your own money matters squared away.    3. Pick your niche. Many small business owners succeed in businesses that are hardly unique or innovative. Take stock of your skills, interests, and employment history to select the business that is best suited for you.    4. Benefit from your business plan. The exercise of creating a business plan is what pays the dividends. Answer the tough questions now before the meter starts running.    5. Do not think you need bankers and investors at the outset of your business. The vast majority of small businesses are bootstrapped.    6. Acquire the proper background. In the early months and years of your business, you will have to acquire many skills. Gain the background you need to oversee all facets of your business well, but determine what tasks you should outsource or hire employees.    7. Remember that nothing happens until a sale is made – How many good products go nowhere because they do not reach the shelves? Sales drive your business. You will need a good marketing plan to sell your product or service.    8. You have to see a customer to know one. N o matter how busy you are, spend at least 25% of your time with customers. You cannot make the proper business decision without understanding their viewpoint.    9. Solve your customers’ problems. The best way to satisfy your customers is not by selling them products but by giving solutions to their problems. There is a big difference.    10.Quality takes minutes to lose but years to regain. Quality is not a destination, it is a never ending journey. After you have strayed from quality’s path, your journey maybe sidetracked forever.    11. Put profitability first, rewards seconds. In small businesses, profitability must come first. Find out how to measure your cash flow and understand key financial ratios.    12. Hire supporters. If you intend to create a growing business, your number one duty is to assemble a great team of employees.    13. Do not do it alone. Find such help from small business peers, a mentor, even trade associations. They can help take some of the trial and error of beginning your business.    14. Vendors are partners too! Treat your vendors like customers and watch your partnership grow.    15. Make use of benefits. Understand how to provide insurance and other benefits for your employees and cut your tax bill at the same time.    16. Ignore regulatory issues at your peril. Federal, state, and local governments require licenses, registrations, and permits. Obey them or face losing your business.    17. Know the tax laws. Invest in understanding tax issues that affect your small business.    18. It’s the people! Whatever happens to a small business happens at the hands of the people who work for it. The evolution of the business is a result of their efforts.    19. Fast, good, cheap. Pick any two. Serious trouble awaits those who attempt to be all three in the market place. Stick with what you do best.    20. Develop a passion for learning. As your business grows, you need to change and grow along with it. One common denominator can be found in all successful business owners and that is a passion for learning.    About the author: For more great business, marketing and mind power ideas to develope your business visit the Higher-Profits Blog at www.higher-profits.com Need Extra Money At Home ? Visit Make Money At Home And Online Business Tips. Or Affiliate Revenue Tips.  Need Million Free Traffic to your webs ? Please visit Search Engine Optimization Tips  Circulated by Article Emporium

9 things you must do to maximize your chances of obtaining a small business loan

by: Neil Best

To get approval for your small business loan application, you must be able to meet the lending criteria set down. Some organisations are more risk averse than others, and will therefore have more stringent criteria.    To vastly increase your chances of a successful funding application, you will need to present the following information:    1. The reason for the loan. The lender will be looking for something that fits within the normal range and expertise of your business. The amount may cover a number of items, so you will need to cover each.    2. The amount required, and the repayment term of the small business loan you want. (e.g. $10,000 term 5 years, payable quarterly).    3. Details of how you will repay the amount borrowed. For example, “From the increase in profits of reduced running costs of the Whizzbang Go4It”    4. Details of security you will be able to offer to the lender. This will act as reassurance for the lender. If you’re not prepared to put up some aspect of security, then why should they?    5. You will need to include your business plan which will serve to answer essential questions relating to management capabilities, information about the market you operate in. What kind of business you are in etc.    6. 3 Years financial statements. You will need to present quality financial information from your accounting software, preferably signed off by your accountant or tax advisor.    7. Latest Set of Management accounts. Again produced from your accounting software.    8. Accounts receivables (debtors) and payables (creditors) ageing reports.    9. Principals financial statements. – Particularly required if some form of security is necessary.    If you are a new company, the emphasis is going to be on your business plan , and the security (also called collateral) you or your business can provide against the loan.    You must take the time to practice presenting your case to the bank or lender to iron out any glitches. Practice on your colleagues and family (you never know, they might be so impressed, they'll invest or lend!). It may help to role play the lender and come up with as many pointy questions as possible. The more time you take the better your chances will be. (But remember, don’t fall into the analysis paralysis trap!)    Good luck!    About the author: Neil Best is an accountant with over 15 years experience in business finance. This article and other useful business finance information such as making effective business plans and sourcing and applying for business grants can be found at http://www.smallbusinessfinancetips.com/small-business-loans.html Need Extra Money At Home ? Visit Make Money At Home And Online Business Tips. Or Affiliate Revenue Tips.  Need Million Free Traffic to your webs ? Please visit Search Engine Optimization Tips  Circulated by Article Emporium

7 Things to Consider Before Buying Small Business Accounting Software

by: William Siebler

The world of small business accounting software can be a minefield for any business owner. However choosing the right package is one of the most critical business decisions you will make. Here are the seven things you must consider before making a purchase that will help you achieve your businesses goals.    1. Scalability Businesses change over time so it's critical that the small business accounting software you choose can change too. Some things that often change are the number of products and services offered and the number of employees. When you choose your package try and imaging the business in 5 years or 10 years time and how different it will be. Use this information to guide your purchase decision. It may well be better to pay a little more now for the software knowing that it can be easily upgraded when needed with minimum disruption and cost to your business.    2. Support It is important that any software has great support for when something goes wrong (and it always does). Most major companies offer support but you also need to think about support in your local area. It's often much easier to have someone locally come in and do things you need done with your software than have someone trying to help you over the phone. Make some enquiries with other businesses about the package they use and who helps them.    3. Accountant Interface It's most unlikely you will handle every aspect of your businesses accounting. Your accountant is an important factor in making the right decision. What software are they used to working with and what do they prefer? Can you easily supply them data and reports from your package without the need for any extra work (which you'll have to pay for). Don't be afraid to ask their opinion as they live and breathe this stuff.    4. Best Value For Money Once you have selected the right package for your business you may as well get the best value. Shop around as the price can vary greatly and the product is exactly the same. Online merchants such as Amazon may offer better pricing because of the sheer volume of products they sell. However price is only one part of the equation so if their is great merchant locally with support or installation assistance this may be far more valuable.    5. Major Brands There are two major players in the small business accounting software market. They are QuickBooks and Peachtree. Microsoft is expected to enter the market soon. I recommend choosing a major brand so that you can get regular updates and you know the company will be around as long as your business needs them.    6. Ease of Use Ease of use is a personal thing but it is worth trying the software before you buy it if you can. Remember to get the person who will be the main user to test the software as well. Also consider how well the package can interact with other software you use. This is an advantage the Microsoft package may have when it's available.    7. Features Needed I touched on this earlier when talking about thinking ahead as to where you business will be in 5 or 10 years time. Most accounting software packages come in several different versions. If you don't need certain features now and can't see a need for them in the future then don't buy them. The major differences are usually - number of users allowed, inventory management capability and number of reports available.    To sum up think ahead when planning your purchase of small business accounting software. You will make a much smarter business decision that will save you plenty of trouble and money in the future.    About the author: Please visit us for more information and a feature by feature comparison of: Small Business Accounting Software Need Extra Money At Home ? Visit Make Money At Home And Online Business Tips. Or Affiliate Revenue Tips.  Need Million Free Traffic to your webs ? Please visit Search Engine Optimization Tips  Circulated by Article Emporium

3 Essential Tools for Starting and Maintaining a Small Business

by: Ryan Hough

We believe that there are 3 factors that drive the success of small businesses. 1) Acquiring start-up capital 2) Finding customers 3) Accounting for, budgeting and controlling sales and expenses    The following resources will help your small business achieve these success factors.    Acquiring Start-Up Capital An adequate supply of capital is essential as many profitable businesses fail because they don’t have enough cash to pay their employees and suppliers. But what is an adequate supply of capital? The only way to tell is by doing a significant amount of research on your potential market and formally documenting this in a business plan. I’m sure you know that a business plan is a very important document that is crucial to convincing your banker to lend you money.    There are two ways to obtain a business plan. 1) Do it yourself by amending a business plan template, or 2) Hire a professional to do it for you.    Obviously obtain 1) will be a great deal cheaper. Our research led to a website that has over 60 high quality and free business plan templates. We also found a directory that you can use to easily find a business plan writer in your city – where ever you live in the world.    Finding Customers Finding customers is a difficult and expensive task for service business owners such as accountants, lawyers and plumbers. We believe that a cost effective marketing strategy for service business owners is to simply give all their personal contacts a few business cards.    Our research led to a few websites that have pre-designed business card templates. We felt that the diversity and quality of these designs was outstanding. In addition, we found that you can obtain a significant saving by finding a printing service on the Internet. We found that you could get 2,000 full color business cards for as little as US $150.    Accounting For, Budgeting and Controlling Revenue and Expenses Accurate accounting is very important for small business owners. It’s essential that you have timely access to information that could make or break your business. If stocks are running low – you need to know about it. If a large proportion of your debtors haven’t paid – you need to know about it. If you do not react to these situations quickly you may have a situation where you don’t have enough money to pay your employees – or worse still someone is stealing cash out the till.    Our research led to a website that compares and reviews top accounting software for small businesses. The cheapest software cost US $89.99 and the most expensive software cost US $1,499. It was interesting to note that the top 3 ranked websites were not the most expensive and cost between US $250 - US $300.    Hopefully you now have an idea of some of the tools that you can use to grow and maintain your small business. If you would like to benefit from our research please visit our website. We do not charge for this research and offer the content freely on our website.    About the author: http://www.best-quality-small-business-resources.com/ Ryan Hough is the webmaster of best quality small business resources.com, who's aim is to help you save time and money by finding reviews and case studies that will enable you to choose the best resources at the right price. Need Extra Money At Home ? Visit Make Money At Home And Online Business Tips. Or Affiliate Revenue Tips.  Need Million Free Traffic to your webs ? Please visit Search Engine Optimization Tips  Circulated by Article Emporium