Should you begin your new enterprise when the economy is strong or when the economy is in a recession? In order to market your company's value effectively, you have to start with a target list of customers who are the most likely to need what you have to sell. That …

There are all kinds of reasons why a venture capitalist, banker, or other investor may refuse to fund your company. Emphasize a cogent, succinct summary and explanation of the basic business concept, and do not stint on the details about the impressive backgrounds of your management team. Entrepreneurs know that …

What you GET is a RESULT of what you GIVE! Big corporations have large staffs, which can be devoted to year-round planning. Identify what you need to train your people to do and then make these your training topics at least once or twice every year. Some people create amazing …

It has developed with civilization and has been, without question, a fundamental cause of material progress. Wear magnifying glasses. Remember there is no fate. Install an employee development and training program to motivate, recognize, appreciate, and train accountable and responsible employees and teams.

You make these sales mistakes?

Do you have excess capital, financial strength, banking contacts, or credit that would add to a new venture? Fixed-cost overheads are bad news for start-ups hoping to do without money. These ideas can be created quickly, with little expense. What do you stand for and support?

A secure, broad-based patent …

But most Fortune 500 companies have training systems to ensure they maximize their return on employees. The better an organisation becomes in understanding and selecting the appropriate roles and interfaces, the more likely it is to leverage the potential value of PSM. Every breakfast or lunch is an opportunity to …

In fact, your corporate attorney may not be the right person for labor law, so you may need to discuss hiring issues, including handbooks and even employee forms, with a labor lawyer. Use outside instructors when introducing new or technical subjects. This toxic behavior stops people from wanting to contribute …

Oversee the smallest details. Unless you are focused on making money, know what it takes to make a profit, and have systems in place to track and monitor your progress, it won't happen. Before seeking investors, you need to know exactly what you are seeking and where that money will …

Everything has a subjective reason. You get stuck using the same suppliers and vendors over and over. As the leader, you are 100 percent responsible for everything: sales, profits, growth, quality, customer service, organization, people, and management. Have you ever noticed that successful people always get up when they fall …

In a struggling economy, more highly skilled employees will be seeking work, but you may not be in a position to risk high salaries. The SBA website provides a very comprehensive overview of all its loan programs and provides answers to many typical questions. Either they are the cheapest, the …

Do your people like to make changes and master new tasks? Begin on time. Darwin says that the fittest survive because they have a slight advantage over those which do not survive. If you visit public swimming pools these days, for instance, you don t see the diving boards that …

Just raising questions can sometimes lead to a solution, or at least ensure that if conditions change you won t be forced to make decisions hastily. It s likely as well that with better planning skills will come improved business skills, boosting the odds that each successive company you start …

When your direct costs increase you're in trouble, because your only choice is more sales. Just because you have money in the bank doesn't mean your business is profitable. This doesn't make people excited about coming to work and making a difference. This usually happens to owners who don't understand …

Therefore, try to send your plan to people you believe are trustworthy. Environmentally sensitive business practices have traditionally been engaged more for ecological concern than economic benefit. You can have the same kind of people on an advisory board but you don t report to them nor do they have …

Companies that have salespeople focused on helping customers increase their odds of getting more profitable sales. But bankers often demand more because it may be impossible to sell the item you re buying for what you ll owe on it. But in management, one s achievements are measured through the …

When your customers call, what do they want? For some businesses, their certification or occupational license is essentially what they sell. Split the ownership with them based on who provides what percentage of the total equity investment. While other types of companies'like retail stores, consumer services, repair businesses, restaurants, suppliers …

It is best to have a VC firm s term sheet without ever stating what you believe the value to be. Experts are expected to know a lot, but often it is better to know how to organize and structure knowledge than to simply have knowledge. This assumes you started …

Step up and step out in both your professional and personal life. Oversee the smallest details. After your spouse has filed for divorce or your kids have become strangers to you, the damage too often is done. Describe any relevant jobs in terms of job title, years of experience, names …

Install financial controls to ensure accuracy and accountability. (When I took a hard look at our overhead costs a few years ago, I found that people were abusing the company accounts and ordering more things than we needed.) Consider outsourcing as much as you can to cut your overhead, including …

A good salesperson will even talk a customer out of making a wrong purchase, because in the long run the customer will respect the salesperson's honesty and may become a repeat customer. Addressing those concerns now is a worthwhile idea. Each person who works for you wants to be accountable …

A credit check will look at their financial position and see whether they have failed to pay others in the past, among other things. These resources are the best place to start building your team. The approach selected may be affected by the downstream market strategy. Your goal is to …

For example, you might want to prepare a contingency plan when you are seeking bank financing. People like to buy where others buy. It may consist of machinery, equipment, inventory, or all too often, the equity you own in your home. Use the projections in your business plan as guideposts …

Venture capitalists are not as likely to provide seed money as some other, less tough-minded financing sources, such as family investors. In fact, customers whose complaints are resolved quickly and satisfactorily often become very loyal: They make larger purchases, become personally attached to the business and its employees, and provide …

Make this a top priority. Rather than spending all of your marketing money taking out ads or sending out brochures and flyers that say HIRE US! With all the different pressures of building a profitable company, it's often tempting to do things out of sequence or by the seat of …

It s also important to maintain your credibility because you will probably need additional funding as your company grows. Even then, each concept will stand on its own merits. Hard work and close thought are the hands that carve it out. Most of your competitors won't invest enough, if anything …

Most small businesses struggle by trying to be all things to all customers: best service, best quality, and lowest price. You simply have to add a donation button to your page that visitors can click on and enter their payment details. Say you increase your projected market share by 1 …

Stay informed. Customers who are looking at your business plan are probably doing so because they contemplate building a long-term relationship with you. These companies must have large cash flows from other products to fill the gap or seek loans or other forms of financing to avoid running out of …

Certain colors evoke certain emotions and perceptions, and are associated with certain types of businesses and fields. It s also important to maintain your credibility because you will probably need additional funding as your company grows. That gives you a chance to differentiate yourself explicitly, pointing out that you ll …

Install financial controls to ensure accuracy and accountability. When you know your costs, you will manage better and make more profit. Besides, it s the cash flow from operations that pays off bank loans. Mass marketing to thousands of potential customers is expensive.

Advertising : the lifeblood of your business

Successful entrepreneurs don't do the work. Impressive educational credentials among company managers provide strong reasons for an investor or other plan reader to feel good about your company. You don t have to justify every penny and wind up feeling obligated to ask for a loan of $23,558.36 …

You stay in touch with loyal customers and call or meet with them on a regular basis. So deal with these sections of your plan in greater depth, but you can be more concise in other areas. Pricing is one fundamental element. It seems sensible to plan to put up …

They sometimes also provide what may seem like very cheap capital. that s you! Getting your financial house in order before you start your business can buy you critical time to make a success of your start-up. But it s still just a bid, and you know what happens to …

This means that you need to get organized and install systems so your people can do what you want them to do on a consistent basis with little or no input. When accountable and responsible people achieve great results, they need to be thanked and rewarded. Of course, some things …

Financial wealth creates passive income that grows in value over the long haul while it reduces debt. Then you ll want to emphasize such things as stock options and other aspects of compensation, as well as location, work environment, corporate culture, and opportunities for growth and advancement. Intrinsic motivation can …

But the most effective visual presentations are clear, concise, and even terse. Do it different or do it right! The wholesaler's role is to buy large quantities of products at discounted prices (discounted from retail prices that is) from manufacturers, break them down into smaller quantities, and sell them at …

Wouldn't it be better for everyone if products were sold directly by producers to consumers, bypassing the markups of intermediaries such as distributors, wholesalers, and retailers? Start a weekly award for the employee or production team player who saves the most money, does something excellent, has the best attitude, makes …

Although considered undesirable in some bedroom communities, business development is more cost effective for municipalities than a comparable level of residential development. Each team member must know what is expected and what systems must be followed before starting work. Each requires certain critical components for success components that may be …

What specific results are we trying to accomplish? Strong competitors, price wars, me-too products, the fickle habits of the buying public, and other market-related risks must be addressed. Take a risk. Decide where you'll get the most bang for your buck and join today.

Challenges are what make life interesting …

The other information it contains, from market research to management bios, can be considered supporting arguments. Stock prices and stock market performance can fluctuate due to many factors, including macro-economic phenomena, interest rates, investor speculation, company performance, political events, and dividend payments. Remember, without productive, happy people, you can't achieve …