Small Business Information


Hard Money Lenders -- No Money Down The Easy Way


Would it help you as a real estate investor to be able to"Close For Cash in Days," even if you're tapped outfinancially?Hard money lenders are perhaps the best way to get 100%financing with easy qualifying, money for fix- up, and fastclosings.So what can hard money lenders do for you? Hard moneylenders make relatively short term (12-24 month) loans toreal estate investors for the purposes of acquiring theproperty and rehabbing the property.

The Hidden Treasure in Your Business


I started working with another new client last week. He has been in business for about a year and a half.

6 of 1, Half Dozen of the Other


Motivational author and speaker Jim Rohn says that for a business to succeed it takes about ahalf dozen things. Of all the millions of things you do, it's really that half dozen that count.

Small Business Success Tip: Learn Something New Everyday


Your grandfather probably told you to "learn something new everyday". Your grandfather was giving you advice that works for your small business as well as your own education.

Is It Recess Yet?! Confessions of a Self Employed Workaholic


I have a confession to make. My name is Caroline and I'm a workaholic.

The Care and Feeding of Your Small Business


While I was hard at work last week, an everyday drama was playing out in a hospital room in the next town. My niece was working on presenting me with a new great nephew.

Tell Me a Story: A Simple But Powerful Tool to Build Your Business


Everyone loves a good story. Whether it's the story of your vacation to an exotic place, the story of how you met your spouse, or the story of your small business, people get drawn in and feel involved.

Beating the Small Business Cash Flow Blues


Small business owners can relieve a lot of their own cash flow problems, according to Caroline Jordan, small business advisor and author. "Small business owners have more control over their cash flow than they realize.

A Key to Success: Be Consistent


Over the years I heard the best way to learn something is toto teach it. Well, this week's topic, practicing consistentbehavior, is definitely something I need to learn and practicemore effectively.

Yeah, It IS Lonely At the Top


Sometimes when you run a business you feel as lonely as the Maytag repairman. Loneliness and isolation are very common problems for business owners.

Proper Care and Feeding of the Business Owner


That sizzling sound you're hearing may be a symptom of a major hidden cause of businesses closing their doors. It's called burnout.

Patient Records - Your Responsibilities


As a practise gets larger & larger the associated problems that you inherit increase with that growth. The Practise Manager finds it increasingly difficult to tend to his duties and look after the administration of the Practise.

Virtual Assistant - Questions Answered


What is a Virtual Assistant?A Virtual Assistant is a person or persons with whom businesses and individuals outsource administrative and technical tasks. Virtual Assistants work from their home office.

How to Start an Office Support Service


Office support services can range from basic data entry to a fully-staffed office handling all the details of a client's business.An office support service company can start very small, offering only a limited selection of services and expanding as you gain the capacity to do so.

The Perfect Mission Statement


One way to determine your companies mission statement is based on a general overview of the company. Some important questions are asked like: Why does the company exist and what kind of business is it in? Is there a particular market or niche that it will concentrate upon? How will the company be distinctive in its business methods? Once these questions are answered, the focus moves to the accomplishment of these broadly expressed objectives.

Mission Statements: More Important Than You Thought


If an organization lacks a mission statement, it is worthwhile to at least try to draft one. Even if it does not yield an acceptable final draft, the exercise will be rewarding for the hard work which must go into figuring out the company's direction and putative purpose.

Increase Sales in Your Home Business With These 10 Simple Ideas


Every home business has the same problem of how to increase sales without a hugely expensive marketing campaign. By utilising the following simple ideas you will be able to do just that.

Drivng Home the Point - An Outsourcing Story in China


A few years ago, I visited Beijing for the first time. At Beijing airport, I got into a taxi and paid 450 yuan (about US$54) to get to the city.

Taking Stock


Back when I owned an inventory-based business, one of my better customers had a clever barb in his repertoire. If we were out of anything he needed in his order, he would say "You know, this would be a great place to open a supply house.

Gold Medal Delegation


When the recent Games of the XXVIII Olympiad came to a close in Athens, two events stood out in my mind as perfect examples of the importance of time management:1. Teenage swimmer Michael Phelps, America's most-celebrated Olympic athlete, matched Mark Spitz's record of four individual gold medals with a stirring comeback in the 100m butterfly.

Where To Get Money For a Franchise Idea


How often have you thumbed through a business opportunity magazine, noticed a franchise opportunity advertisement, and felt you'd really like to get in on that..

Does Your Business Need a Toll-Free 800 Number?


Should your business have a toll free number for customers to make sales, service and billing inquirers? The industry began in the early 1970's and today most customers expect you to have it. Providing a toll free line can bring in a number of benefits to your business.

Multiple Clients Create Your Independent Business


Would you rather have one good client paying you fivethousand dollars per month or ten smaller clients payingyou five hundred dollars each per month? Here are two good reasons for choosing multiple clients over just one client.1.

A Look at Incorporating a Business in Florida


As you may know, there are many ways to incorporate a business in Florida. While companies exist to do the legwork and paperwork for you, the most direct way is to contact the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporation's website itself.

Not Listening Can Hurt Your Small Business


Most small business owners seek advisors who can help them improve their businesses. They want advice from those who have the experience and really know what they're talking about.

Start a Technical Writing Service


Technical writing services are employed to explain the details of a topic in a way that is easily understood by the readers. In todays information age, technical writing jobs are increasingly common.

How to Start a Paper Shredding Business


Paper Shredding Business Opportunities are blossoming up everywhere because in recent years, privacy concerns and new policies have forced companies all over the country to invest in paper shredding services. Large corporations and small are in need of shredding services.

How To Write A Business Plan


Writing a business plan is a fundamental step to ensuring your business has every chance of succeeding. Common statistics state that 9 out of 10 businesses fail on the first 5 years of operation, and of the remaining 10%, 90% fail in the following 5 years.

A Business Tail: Veterinarian Foams at Mouth, Chases Tail, Learns New Tricks--Case Study


Many self employed professionals find themselves overwhelmed, frustrated, and confused when it comes to running their businesses. The deep skills they have in their professional field do little to prepare them for the dog-eat-dog world of running a business.

Collaborative Negotiating: A Win-Win Strategy


COLLABORATIVE NEGOTIATING:Collaborative negotiating is a win-win strategy that can focus the resources of the people involved in the process towards strengthening results, productivity, quality, creativity, and innovation in problem-solving. To use the collaborative approach to negotiating you will have to agree on the aim of negotiations.

Look Like Sizzle, Be The Steak


You've heard marketing and advertising gurus quip, "Sell the sizzle, not the steak." Advertising initiatives best reach their target audience with benefits and the "wow" effect, not the value or features of their product or service.

Employee Monitoring - Business Risks For Employers And How To Avoid Them


E-mail and Internet use are integral parts of the typical worker's daily routine. Because of its speed and overall convenience, e-mail has replaced the interoffice memorandum as the preferred method of communication.

20 Great Ways to Market Your Business Locally


Whether your target audience is in your neighborhood or across the world, you can use your local resources to get the word out about your business. Your local community is easily accessible and provides dozens of opportunities for building a buzz about your product or service.

How the Crab Effect Obstructs Growth and How to Conquer It


Some of the greatest words of wisdom for any man or woman seeking change or growth are, "Surround yourself with people who will support and believe in you."Creating any kind of significant change requires determination, focus, energy, a game plan, and more than anything else, desire and a positive attitude.

Creating a Paperless Office


When working from home, it is usual to find that you have your office in an area that is not very big, such as a box room or even in the corner of the kitchen. When your business really takes off, you will begin to discover that your work area starts to get swamped by paperwork and that you are running out of storage space.

Pressure Washing and Hospital Accounts


Most pressure washing companies never look into some of the best niche markets. One, which you may not have thought about is Hospitals and if you run a pressure washing company it can mean good steady income.

Doing Business With Friends: Five Tips for Preserving the Friendship... and Your Sanity!


My colleague, Jane, recently lamented to me an all too familiar story about mixing business and friendship. Jane subcontracted copywriting work out her friend, Joan.

Reverse Merger: Have They Taken the Reverse out of Reverse Merger?


Are the promoters and consultants destroying the market for Reverse Merger? First lets take a look at reverse merger. In a Reverse Merger, an operating private company merges with a public company that has little or no assets, nor know liabilities (the "shell").

Motorizing for Profit - The Craftsmen Have Left the Building


In the summer, I can't drive two blocks without seeing the activity of the construction industry. Road contractors, house builders and landscapers are everywhere.

5 Tips for Hiring a GREAT Bookkeeper


Bookkeeping?the "dreaded" word is something we all have to worry about. Business owners rarely go into business to deal with the financial aspects of running a business.


More Resources


Collect that Debt - Your Business Depends on it
The efficiency of debt collection is the difference between a business that will succeed and a business that closes up.If you do not have control of your debt collection then you will eventually fail.
Why You Need A Virtual Assistant
How much is your time really worth? Is it worth £50 an hour or £100 an hour? YOUR time is most valuable because it is your responsibility to generate new revenue for your business. Doing small and often trivial admin chores yourself does not really add value to your business and the sensible solution is to delegate those less profitable tasks by hiring someone more than capable of carrying them out, but who's hourly rate is somewhat less than your real financial worth.
How to Create an Information Plan
What is in an information plan?Before you even meet with a potential customer, you should have an action plan in place. The action plan should consist of 5 areas.
How to Bond a Business Relationship
When should you create a foundation in order to solidify a business relationship?Before you bond any business relationship, you need to make sure that this is a relationship that you both want to have. No relationship is a one way street; the relationship must work in both directions.
Electronic Franchise Disclosure and E-Signature Future for Investors
It has been discussed allowing Franchising companies to electronically disclose franchise documents to the public and prospective franchisees. If the Federal Trade Commission wants to make UFOC information available electronically through email to catch up with the newest technologies then it will get complaints and make up another rule saying no unsolicited UFOC maybe sent through email.
11 Things Small Business Owners Can Learn From Rudy Giuliani
1. Leadership Is Learned - While many people appear to have an innate ability to lead, most learn from their life and business experiences, then put these lessons into practice.
11 Things Small Business Owners Can Learn From Tiger
1. There Are No "gimmes" - They count two-foot putts on the PGA Tour.
How to Write a Credit Policy for Your Business
The book, "Become the Squeaky Wheel," by New Hampshire author Michelle Dunn, says the different ways people use and extend credit makes or breaks your credit policy and bottom line, which could result in less or more sales and money for your business."Business owners all have different types of businesses but can all extend credit," explains Michelle Dunn.
Virtual Assistance for Healthcare Professionals
Administrative and clerical tasks are the bane of every industry. No matter how small or large your business is, you will eventually find yourself with stacks of paperwork that need your attention and phone calls that need to be made.
How To Start A Blind Cleaning Business Quickly And Easily
Starting the blind cleaning business is one of the best marketable business ideas you could latch on to. If you give the requisite amount of time and dedication, there will be no cap on your earnings.
Pressure Washer Concrete Cleaning Equipment
Cleaning concrete is tough and there is an easy way and a hard way. There is one thing you need to understand when you are pressure washer cleaning concrete; the concrete cannot always be made to look brand new again after it has been stained.
Entrepreneurs Go Virtual!
With the massive explosion of start-ups and home businesses developing, you'll be hard pressed to not know of someone going down the entrepreneurial route. Nowadays you can set-up shop and start trading in a matter of days, and the preferred choice for the neo entrepreneur is a service called Virtual Offices.
6 Ways Small Businesses Can Survive In A Crazy Economy
Contrary to popular belief, small businesses can survive a crazy economy by taking some proactive steps.Provide spectacular customer service -- every time.
Do You Love Food? - Then Maybe Opening a Restaurant is Not Such a Crazy Idea
The restaurant industry in the United States employs an estimated 12.2 million people, making it the nation's largest employer outside of government agencies.
Becoming Recession Proof
A lot of business owners I've spoken with lately have commented how their business is slow because of "the recession." If you are one of these people, you might want to reconsider your position.
North County San Diego Small Business
North County San Diego has had some significant growth, and it appears to be a wonderful place to run a business. It has a strong middle class upward bias and plenty of opportunity and employment.
Franchise Territories are Generally Delineated On a Map; Why?
If you own a mobile service or home based franchise your exclusive territory will be delineated on a map in the attachment of your franchise agreement. You will be assigned generally a single city, county or region and another franchisee or team member of the same system will not compete with your although may be right around the corner.
Keeping your Business Alive
As long as you eat and breathe you will stay alive. But is that really living? In a crisis that may be enough.
Lack of Vigilance Can Harm the Bottom Line
The easiest way to lift profits is to cut the fat out of costs.Cost cutting and profit increases can amount to much the same thing if handled correctly.
13 Steps to Protect Yourself from Your Bank
The success of your business is critically dependent on how well you negotiate and manage your financial partners. Banks, investors, credit cards and financial services companies work for you.

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Related Articles


Yeah, It IS Lonely At the Top
Sometimes when you run a business you feel as lonely as the Maytag repairman. Loneliness and isolation are very common problems for business owners.
7 Reasons To Take Control Of Your Small Business' Checking Needs
Business checks are available in many styles and varieties. They offer many benefits to your small business, some you may not have thought of.
Starting a Small Business: Balancing Risk and Reward
In a perfect world, starting a small business would be risk free, but just as with everything else; the degree of risk determines the value of the reward.According to the National Commission on Entrepreneurship, at any given time, 6% to 9% of the United States adult population is involved in planning for a new business.
Doing Business With Friends: Five Tips for Preserving the Friendship... and Your Sanity!
My colleague, Jane, recently lamented to me an all too familiar story about mixing business and friendship. Jane subcontracted copywriting work out her friend, Joan.
City Wide Garage Sales: Hidden Riches!
Most of us remember going to at least one garage sale in our lives. It may have been called a yard sale, garage sale or flea market.
Debt Collection Techniques
Here are some sound debt collection techniques that can be followed by businesses to mitigate the bad debt crisis:Sending a pre-collection letter. Hiring a collection agency.
Competition Relations in Auto Detailing
There is significant competition in auto detailing and car washing. Even more between types of cleaning businesses, as each company attempts to expand into other services which are the mainstay of similar business models.
Top 10 Lessons for Small Business Success - As learned From My Twin 3 Year Olds
Small business success is very similar to learning to walk, talk and spell. The basics have to be understood before moving on to the next step.
The Skills Gap: It Pays to Use Experts
By outsourcing to skilled professionals you'll be able to grow your business without adding overhead.Here are some of the costs associated with growing a business through acquiring staff:* recruitment* payroll and tax obligations* national insurance* employers liability* benefits (pension, car, medical, dental)* holiday pay / sick pay / maternity pay / water cooler pay!* office space* equipment or general office supplies* legal responsibilities that include employee policies on working hours, sexual harassment, sick time, leave of absence, holidays, benefits, performance reviews, grievances, terminations* training* managementDo not underestimate the time and money involved in recruiting and retaining staff.
Measuring Your Way to Success
Are you a motivational speaker who consistently gets rave reviews yet your ratio of speaking to return rate is not where you would like it to be? Perhaps you are a trainer whose delivery is complimented time and again, and yet you are only being asked by 10 to 20% of the clients you see for a repeat performance?Are you starting to think that there is something wrong with your message or delivery despite the rave reviews? Maybe you were wondering if your fee is too steep. That may be a valid concern when organizations are faced with discretionary spending, but the rule of thumb is that you are only charging too much if more than 1 in 5 people complain about it.
Small Business Server Business Tips
Top 3 Ways to Maximize Your Small Business Server Consulting ProfitsOver the past 7 years, Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS) has gained traction as a widely-respected Small Business Server networking suite.As a result, many small business computer consultants, systems integrators, and value-added resellers have jumped on-board the Microsoft Small Business Server bandwagon.
Pressure Washing at Golf Courses
There are many potential niches for pressure washing companies that often go unchecked. Some are quite lucrative and are worth investigation if you own a pressure washing business.
Speed Kills on the Web!
I only have to point to the 555 plus failed .com companies (according to Web Mergers) as the poster children of the "speed at any cost" business mantra that clearly doesn't work.
Who Does Over Disclosure Really Hurt In Franchising?
Costs of over regulation and over disclosure end up hurting the very consumer that the regulatory bodies are trying to protect. Over disclosure and over regulation is in itself the worst evil of civilization, as it stifles free enterprise, innovation and free markets.
How to Prevent Home Business Burnout
As a home business proprietor, you may already realize why avoiding "home business burnout" is so important. Even if you have only been working your home business venture for a relatively brief time, you may have already been aware of the need to maintain your energy levels and reduce your stress levels while you were involved in your other employment.
Small Business 101: Deadly Ignorance
American small business is again in transition. Many employees, now working from home, are no longer tied to a geographic office and the woes of commuting.
Business Valuation is Critical
What is Business Valuation?The term business valuation is the method by which the business worth is determined. This usually happens when the business is for sale, when the business is looking for extra funding from the banks, when the business is considering taking on extra investors, or where the business is looking at merging with another organisation.
How to Become Successful in the Field of Financial Consultants
Financial Consultants are one of the fastest growing industries today. More and more people are requiring the services of a finance consultant to get out of debt, and/or prepare for educational and retirement expenses.
Business Development Is Not An Event
Cash flow. To stay in business, you've got to keep a steady stream moving through your company.
Freelance Tips: How to Cope with Spring Fever When Theres Work to Be Done
We all know how glorious those first warm days of spring feel. The trees are blooming, the birds are singing.