Archive for December, 2009
Finding out which small business management software solution is right for your business can be a long road. The majority of companies that offer this will tell you that their product is the best on the market in order for you to sign up to their service. Whilst it can be very useful to take a look at marketing material for small business management software owners of businesses should know what features to look out for. Here are a few questions which will help owners and managers of small businesses to ascertain if a small business management software solution they are interested in is right for them:
• How many employees can be added to the application? If you are looking at software that will only allow for 10 or 20 employees there is little room for expansion. Instead look towards software that can handle up to 50 employees.
• Is the application web based? Small business management software that is web based has so many advantages over other types of software. It means that owners, managers and even employees can log on from anywhere with an internet connection and check information relating to the business or even carry out their role from another location.
• Do the features on the small business management software solution do everything your business needs them to? For example if you need a quoting and invoicing tool it has to have these as standard, similarly a business needs software with integrated calendars, document storage, project planning tools and reporting features to name but a few. Without these features a small business might need to pay for other applications, which is a waste of funds.
• Is the small business management software solution easy to use? If a new software package is difficult to use and navigate around it can spell big problems for a business. Not only will it take a disproportionate amount of time to train employees on how to use it, it may also be too clumsy to use effectively. It is surprising just how many businesses sign up for software that is incredibly hard to use and requires several hours worth of training per employee. To get the most from small business management software it should take around an hour for employees to get to grips with and from there they can build upon their knowledge.
• Can the software grow with your business? Whilst most businesses start off small there are a large number that do not stay small. With this in mind you need software that can handle a growing customer contacts database and will allow you to add employees as you hire them.
• Does the software offer you a free, no obligation trial? This is essential before you spend money signing up to any software application.
If the small business management software that you are interested in ticks all of these boxes you should think about taking up the trail offer. Then you can see what a difference it could make to your business.
One of the easiest – and in fact one of the oldest ways of making extra money – is by collecting old newspapers and selling them to a recycling plant in your locale.
Believe it or not, you can develop a very respectable income collecting and selling paper to the recycling centers. It certainly does not take any education, specialized training or experience; it’s as simple as saving your old newspapers and turning them in to a central collection depot.
Some ‘paper recyclers’ are making more than $100,000 a year in this business. If other people are doing it, then there’s no reason you can’t do it! About the only equipment you’ll need is a pickup truck or trailer that you can pull along be hind your personal car. We even found one ‘old timer’ who was collecting paper in this era with a pushcart! While interviewing him, we found that he was deliberately choosing not to expand, although he very definitely could have.
The prices being paid for paper these days by the recycling centers will astound you (and remember that the quotations we give here may have escalated sharply since our research). For instance, old news papers are commanding $50 per ton and more; used cardboard, $75 a ton; and high grade office paper as much as $120 per ton. This kind of money for used paper that you can generally pick up for free can move you onto Easy Street in a hurry. Everything, of course, depends on how well organized you are, and how hard you work at building your business.
Make no mistake about it; we live in a paper world. Americans use 200 million tons of paper each year – for everything from daily newspapers to books and cardboard boxes. After quick use, we throw away at least 100 million tons of this paper, almost all of which could be recycled. This means that there’s about 8 billion dollars worth of paper out there that can be collected and recycled each year. So if you are looking to start a business with real profit potential, what are you waiting for?
Just look around your own home, in the garage or basement, for instance. What do you do with the old newspapers after you’ve read them? How about all the mail you get each week? Chances are this waste paper just piles up in some corner of the garage or basement until one of the kids asks if he can haul it off for the school or ‘Cub Scout’ paper drive. Or maybe your wife and kids get ambitious some weekend, clean out the garage and haul it all off to the collection truck at one of the local shopping centers. (We said maybe!)
It’s true that selling stacks of newspapers you’ve accumulated during the past couple of months or so won’t make you rich. In fact, it’s doubtful your own accumulation of paper will add up to a ton a year and that certainly won’t amount to much in extra income. But think about the tonnage involved in the stacks of old newspapers you could collect from your relatives, friends and neighbours. You could easily collect a l00-pound sack of old newspapers from the people in your neighbourhood each week – and that’s your immediate neighbourhood.
And then think about the total extra income you would have when you have hauled all this paper down to the recycling depot. If you’re serious, and get yourself properly prepared, you can easily make $300 or more every weekend, and it won’t involve all your time. Some planning and effort on your part are the prime requisites.
This business takes organization, some energy on your part, and at least in the beginning, your time. But if you put forth the effort as we have outlined, there’s no reason you shouldn’t easily realize a very comfortable income with your own Recycling Business.
Those who want to stay successful in business understand the need to stay updated and constantly push themselves in new directions. Every year there are new books on business and marketing published. Some of these offer great new perspectives, while others are just rehashes of older classics.
Sometimes older books can be just as valuable as new books. Just think of classics such as Dale Carnegie or Napoleon Hill. These books are timeless in that the advice they offer is about human interaction and human nature, which hasn’t changed much for the last 10,000 years when we discount changes in technology. This year there are 5 books which are must reads for any serious business man or women:
1. Good to Great
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make The Leap and Others Don’t by Jim Collins is an impressive book on corporate culture, that is based on rigorous research of over 1400 companies and what made them successful or not. It includes learning from top CEO’s of American businesses and other notable people from the business world. The learning taken from this book, through theory and examples, is that above technology and other external factors, a strong, disciplined corporate culture is the key to success.
2. Positioning:
The Battle for Your Mind: A marketing classic form 1981, which shook the world with its direct approach to sales and marketing. Now available in a new edition, this book describes why it is so important to position your brand in the consumers mind and how to do it.
3. The Tipping Point:
How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell, discusses how events become trends and go onto global phenomena. A very eye opening book for all who want to get the word out. This book is particularly fascinating to read, considering the exponential growth in web 2.0 and social groups online. Gladwell argues that trends are created, not just random. It is about knowing exactly who to tell exactly what to.
4. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:
Another true classic from Stephen Coldwell deals with everything from raising your children to becoming successful in business, by incorporating 7 habits of success into your life. A bestseller for many years, this book is still as relevant now as it was when it was first published.
5. The World Is Flat 3.0:
A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century: Thomas Friedman could be called a futurist, that is he makes predictions of what is to come. In this book though he focuses more on what wonders have already happened and makes us reflect upon their significance. In that respect, he actually teaches understanding of the present to prepare for the future. The title of the book is a reference to globalization and breaking down political, economic and cultural barriers. A truly inspiring read on how we went from leaflet printing to spread the news of the world to online social groups that transcend borders, age and cultures. If we are to understand the future of globalization this is a great starting point.
It doesn’t always require a massive amount of cash to start a new business. In fact, 25 percent of business owners need no dollar amount to start up and just over 32 percent of new business owners needed less than $5,000 to start or acquire their business.
Businesses such as housekeeping, gardening, internet retail sales, consulting services, daycare, handyman, or similar service industries may require little or no money to start-up yet have potential to grow into very prosperous companies. For example, Molly Maid Housecleaning Service is a multi-million dollar company with services expanding across the country. Molly Maid was started by cleaning just one home.
A new business is something like a spider. It has a core (the body); the primary starting point, then it grows legs. The legs are extensions of the core. Each leg represents another important part of the body. For instance, a gardening service starts by simply mowing grass. The legs may grow to include fertilizing, falling trees, landscaping or decorative brickwork. As new legs grow, so does the business. Starting with just the core is an inexpensive way to start-up a business and test its potential.
Taking loans to start a business is risky. Bank or SBA (Small Business Association) loans generally require collateral which sometimes means mortgaging your home. If the business fails, your home is gone.
Personal loans can cause control issues and stress between lender and recipient. When a person invests their hard earned cash into “your” business, whether they state so upfront or not, eventually they will want to have a say-so in the operation of the business. While financial partnerships can be one method of reducing personal business start-up expense, partnerships rarely work out.
Credit cards are by far the worst and most risky way to finance your business start-up and/or operation. Credit cards generally have the highest interest accumulation of any type of loan and take the longest to pay off. If the business fails, the credit card debt may remain for years many years to follow.
The amount you’ll need to finance your business start-up clearly depends on the type of business you’re interested in starting. Once you’ve decided on the business you would like to start, write out your business plan and research the industry to see if 1) there is a need for this type of business, 2) you will not be flooding the market, 3) there are potential profits. Then determine if you have enough available funds to finance your start-up and operation. Since most new businesses take 1-2 years to show any profit, don’t forget to include personal expenses while your new business is operating.
Businesses opening without a huge financial debt show a much greater chance for success. If you have a business idea, you need to keep it in proportion to the amount of money you have to pursue it. Instead of building a $400,000 franchise store, you might need to look at buying a $15,000 coffee cart that you can drive around to local events. There’s always a way to work out your idea without exceeding your means.
Learn more about starting a business at http://www.booksbydenbow.weebly.com/business-books.html
The Internet and online business especially are becoming more and more popular by the day in todays world simply because people are starting to see the true benefits of the web, consumers are starting to trust the web more, and more importantly, the start up costs for a online business are next to nothing compared to the offline world of business start ups.
The only set back most people run into when wanting to start one of their own online business is How and Where to get started.
I did a search under the keyword term “home based business” and the search results returned 575,000,000 results for that keyword alone.
That’s a pretty intimidating number for someone wanting to start their own home based business on the web wouldn’t you say?
These were the same obstacles I was up against when I first ventured into the online world of business.
But I didn’t let that stop me and I hope that won’t stop you either from wanting to start your own online business.
So, I saved you the hassle and put together 3 of the quickest ways for ANYONE(that’s You) to start their own online business with next to no investment required and can get started in less than 24 hours.
Are you ready? I hope so.
Business Model #1. Affiliate Programs.
Affiliate Programs are simply programs set up by the business owner for others to sign up for and promote for the business owner for a agreed upon commission(usually between 10 – 75%).
The great thing about Affiliate marketing is it doesn’t cost you a single penny to get started, you don’t have to worry about refunds or customer service that come with owning your own product.
All you have to worry about is generating the traffic to your affiliate link and collecting your commission cheques.
This is the quickest way to get started online… Period!
Here’s a few Affiliate Directories to give you a start:
Associate Programs – http://www.associateprograms.com
Refer It – http://www.refer-it.com
Business Model #2. Resell Rights.
Resell Rights are simply products that have already been created and are available to anybody who is willing to pay for the Resell Rights to market them.
The upside to this is you get Ready-To-Go websites with PROVEN sales letters that convert. The best part of all is… you get to keep 100% of the $Profits$.
The draw back is you can’t claim those products as your own. The original creator of the product maintains full rights. You just get to keep all the profits.
Not such a bad trade off wouldn’t you say?
Business Model #3. Private Label Resell Rights.
Private Label Resell Rights are simply products that are ready to be branded with your name to it.
What I mean by that is you get full rights to the product or products and are able to claim them as your own even though you didn’t create them yourself.
This is the fastest way for anyone to start a online business who really doesn’t have any experience or knowledge on how to create their own products.
The other really cool thing about Private Label Resell Rights products is they come with Ready-To-Go websites which then again saves you time and money in having to create them yourself.
Well there you have it, 3 Quick Ways To Start Your Own Online Business In Less Than 24 Hours.
The easiest way to locate any of the above via the search engines is by entering something like this into there search engine web form:
affiliate programs + “what your niche is”
(Note: make sure you use the quotations around what niche you want to target. Very Important!)
This will save you time and target your search much better, where as if you were to just enter ‘affiliate programs’ into the search engine web form you would get a gazillion results, leaving you frustrated.
Now, the only thing left for you to do Right NOW is make a decision on what you would really enjoy doing as a business online.
Once you’ve figured that out the only thing left for you to do is put together a… Plan For $Profit$.