“Starting a Home Business”…”Work from Home”…“Be a Work at Home Mom”…”Make Millions Working From Home” I CAN’T TAKE IT ANY MORE!!!!!
So why does everyone want to work from home?? I’ll tell you why, because working 9 to 5 SUCKS!!
Hey don’t listen to me, here are the stats: According to The MicroEnterprise Journal “In the last 25 years, self-employment has grown by almost 300%, fueled by waning employee loyalty and growing worker dissatisfaction.” And the US Census Bureau reports that “90% percent of all U.S. businesses employ between ZERO and FOUR workers, making this the fastest growing segment of the business community.” See I told you!
Everywhere you look on the Internet we’re bombarded with sites peddling “work at home” opportunities. The stats prove it, we’re all looking to get out of the 9 to 5 rat race. The biggest problem is that MOST of the so called “work-at-home” related websites are so bogged down with clutter, fluff and double talk that you’d have to be a friggin robot to find and process the information you need in order to understand what the heck to do.
So where can an Idiot like me get the information I need contained in a simple, concise format that’s easy to understand and follow? Well nowhere really. That’s why I wrote this article and condensed the whole process down into 5 Summarized Steps, so that maybe other Idiot’s like me will have a fighting chance in hell to get out of the “Rat Race”.
Idiot Step 1:
SELECTING a business – simple enough right…wrong. Questions to ask yourself: What do I like to do? What will make money? What is available? Can I make Money?
These are tough questions. These days, most people are scouring ways to make money on the Internet. If considering a TV or Internet program, do as much independent research as possible on the program you’re interested in and find something that fits your personality so that you will excel no matter what.
Whatever you do use common sense and don't allow desperation to influence your decisions.
Start-Up Nation - www.startupnation.com offers SOUND advice and has tons of RELIABLE resources for selecting a home business.
Idiot Step 2:
PLANNING your business. You will have to have some “form” of a business plan before you get started with a home business. Even if you are the only one that will ever read it, you should definitely put a plan together on paper.
An informal business plan should contain a start-up budget (money you need to get to the point of doing business) and an operating budget (money you need on a weekly basis just to keep doing business).
Be certain to include all overhead expenses and be sure to include a budget for advertising. Also you should note any significant milestones you hope to achieve and list your financial goals in a time-line fashion.
Idiot Step 3:
FUNDING your home business. Every business has start-up costs and your new home-based business will be no different. As the old saying goes “You need money to make money”. So where do you get the money you need to start?
The simplest way for home business owners to get the money they need is from the principal owner’s own pockets…that means YOU! Like myself, many work at home entrepreneurs simply use their own savings to fund their businesses, using money from personal resources such as…
· Savings
· Personal Investments
· Credit Card Advance
· Sale of Assets
· Second Mortgage Loan
…are all ways to finance a small business start-up using your own funds.
The alternative to funding it yourself is to apply for a small business loan. The biggest issue there is that unless you have sufficient collateral, or any related experience in your field of business, you may not qualify for this type of loan.
The Small Business Administration - www.sba.gov has a TON of information and resources for start-up businesses. It contains valuable info on locating financing and it contains several links to other business resources, planning tools and calculators.
Idiot Step 4:
STARTING your home business. Once you’ve chosen your great new home business, and have got your starting cash in reserve, it’s time to get you up and running. But before you do, you will have to do some preliminary work just to get to the point where you can actually start operating.
Two-thirds of all small business are solo operations. Therefore, when you’re a “one-man band”, you must wear different hats and assume several roles as the “head” of various departments.
You’re the CEO, sales manager, director of marketing, director of finance, the shipping clerk, receptionist, the janitor…you get the drift Fonzi?
Because of your heavy load, you need quality office equipment, supplies, software and business services to keep you, I mean your “departments”, running smoothly and at peak efficiency.
Choose the right office equipment and machines that will keep you operating at peek efficiency.
Idiot Step 5:
MARKETING your home business. Now that you’ve got your business funded and operational you will need to implement a marketing and advertising campaign so that you can start attracting customers and finally start making some money.
This isn’t “Field of Dreams”. If you build it, that doesn’t mean they will come.
In order to draw customers to your business, you MUST do some form of repeated advertising, and you should definitely have a plan in place so that you can budget it into your overall Business Plan when you first start.
A good place to start is by reading Jay Conrad Levinson’s series of Guerilla Marketing books. This is standard reading for any small business entrepreneur. You can learn some very useful and basic techniques that will help you form a great and inexpensive plan.
Everything contained here was condensed to fit into a short article format. Obviously there’s a bit more to it. But if this Idiot' can do it, so can you.
Just don't be intimidated. Start off really, really small, maybe just part-time to start. Take one step at a time. But whatever you do, just get off your keister and get started!
“U can do it…just dive into it”
Duh Idiot’s Home Biz Start-Up Guide™
© 2005 A Covert Operations, Ltd
www.starting-a-home-business.org
Duh Idiot’s Guide to Starting a Home Business
Work at Home: Be your own Boss!! A Comprehensive Guide on How to Start a Nursing Agency Business
How To Start A Nursing Agency Business Guide Books are flooding the internet. Most of these manuals are extracts from articles found on the world wide web. Because individuals seeking to start their own nursing agency buy information guides that do not have all the contents and key tools for success, a good number of these agencies either fail within their first year of business or simply never get to launch their new business.Thats many business man today want to build their own nursing agency.
Entrepreneurs have made lucrative business in nursing agency, nursing registry, homecare business, medical recruiter recruiting, or as independent nurse contractor in their own field.The time is now for entrepreneurs to start a nursing agency,nursing registry business, operate a homecare business, or as a medical recruiter or just become an independent healthcare contractor. By being an independent healthcare contractor, you are bypassing the agency and are self employed. Healthcare facilities are the clients. Homecare are regulated by all levels of goverment from local to fedeal level. Homecare levels of regulations depends on the category of service provided to clients. Homecare services ranges from providing just companions or the more medically needed clients such as terminally ill clients. Homecare services can be in the form of social service, non-medical, and medical services.
Nurses now a days wake up and take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity. Are you tired of having no input in your career, little money in the bank, lack of respect for your profession and little compensation for the long hours and years of dedication? Starting a nursing agency business or becoming an Independent RN Contractor is a great way to renew your interest and rejuvenate your nursing career. An Independent contractor can contract his or her nursing services directly with a healthcare facility or with a patient and continue bedside practice.
You don't have to be a nurse or a doctor to start your own Nursing Agency. All you need is our packages and the desire to be self employed. This is the only industry where there will always be a shortage. 2007 Professional Edition of "How To Start A Nursing Agency" covers all 50 states and is jam packed with new additional products and services, making it the most comprehensive guide offered on the internet today! And NEW Searchable Database of over 22,000 Hospitals and Nursing Homes.
Step-By-Step Guide To Start Earning Money From Affiliate Programs And Home Based Business
Affiliate programs and home based business are, without a doubt, the fastest way to make money in the World Wide Web. There are countless affiliate programs on the Internet today, and each of them would more than welcome the addition of your name.
The principle behind affiliate programs is quite simple. You will only have to pre-sell the products of an affiliate merchant. For every sale that can be traced through your referral, you stand to earn a generous commission that ranges from 20% to 95%, depending on the scheme adopted by the affiliate merchant. There is no quota to be met. There is no minimum number of sales that you have to reach. You are not even restricted to join a single affiliate program, as you could enroll in as many affiliate programs as you wish.
Making money through affiliate programs is as easy as 1-2-3. Here are ten proven steps that would help you jumpstart this very lucrative income stream.
1. Start your own website. Even if you are involved in an affiliate program, it's very important that you develop your own site with a clear and solid theme. Build a web site with a clear, concise theme that is supported by tons of articles and information on your topic.
2. Find an affiliate program. Everything has to start from here. Integrate related affiliate programs into your site. Your website should be related to your chosen affiliate program. If you decide to make a website that sells jewelry, there is no way you can be successful if you join an affiliate program of a bookstore. It is tempting to join every available affiliate program that sounds lucrative, but in this case, more is not always the best option. It is best to join at least one or two affiliate programs that fir you sites audience and represent the product or services that you sell.
3. Make Your Site Interesting. Your website should not be full of blatant ad and uncontrollable pop-ups. It's important to that your site is a not just page full of links and advertisements to the company you are affiliated with. You should maintain a unique and well-organized content throughout your website. You should have at least 20 pages of original content and keep building your site from there.
4. Build A Good Reputation. You should build credibility to encourage visitors to respect and trust your recommendations. A helpful way to build credibility is to provide useful information and articles to your visitors. This will give the impression that you know what you are talking about and that you are trustworthy.
5. Promote High Quality Products. Again, quality is better than quantity when it comes to your site. Don’t ruin your reputation by referring less-than-satisfactory products and services. Don’t waste your time on junk.
6. Promote Yourself. Encourage potential customers by creating or joining user group forums, e-mail groups, and discussion boards. This way, you are able to target, interest specific groups immediately. Actively participate in the discussions without being too aggressive in promoting yourself. Remember to include your contact information and website in your signature.
7. Create Your Own Mailing List. Customers can also be referrals. Build a mailing list that will keep them updated for new products and services. This will help you in establishing a connection with your customers. This way, you can gain their trust.
8. Maximize Affiliate Income Through Referrals. Referrals are an exponential form of marketing where your profits as an affiliate can be can increase. The more traffic you bring to the site, the more you can maximize profits.
9. Maintain Your Website. Your website is your portal in making money through affiliate programs. Ensure a pleasurable visit for each visitor by maintaining a clean layout and updating the site contents. It is best to add fresh content every now and then to keep the site interesting and up to date.
10. Optimize Your Site For Search Engines. Use available free tools that help in search engine optimization. A favorable ranking for the right key words can mean a consistent, steady flow of targeted traffic for your site.
Simple guide to start your Home Based Business
Assuming that you have set your goals towards setting up your own home based business, it is time that you got properly geared and determined to go out there and achieve what you wanted to achieve. A lot of “work at home” business opportunities are available to choose from and choose one according to your skills and experience.
Welcome to the excitement and amazing sense of fulfillment that you are going to experience while watching your home based business grow. The freedom of working you own hours, set your own social calendar, control your finances and the everlasting sense of fulfillment. The positive attitude and the sense of motivation that you may need to get set and go can be found here. Follow these simple steps and you can off to a flying start.
- Make sure you have a separate section in the house to work from. Whichever the corner, the territory should be defined. This can go a long way in planning your work at home business better.
- Make sure the office is well equipped with success bringing formulae – planners, calendars, computer and communication equipment. Organize the office area as per your sense of ambience, so that you can find what you need, when you need it.
- Start planning your home based business – the times you want to work, the days you want to work, marketing plans, financial goals, future planning for growth etc.
- Most home based businesses fail because of too much action and too little planning. Becoming absorbed in work is fine, but which work is priority and which is not is an essential part of planning. It is always advisable to plan two steps ahead and work backwards. Once the plan is in place, stick to it and get going.
- Promoting your home based business is as important as working on it. Connect with other people, old colleagues, friends, family and any other groups of people at clubs and communities. Share your passion and talk to them with enthusiasm. Keep your probable customers informed of what you do and of any new developments.
- Keep up a professional image and keep your business separate. Open a different bank account and have different phone and fax numbers for your work at home business. Always be polite and friendly and make sure people feel comfortable transacting business with you.
-Automate your home based business as much as possible. Since you are alone and do not have time and resources for everything, efficiency becomes the determining factor for success. As your home based business grows and workload gets heavier, automation will keep you in good stead. Automation from beginning will help to keep your work at home business organized.
These small but important tips will keep your home based business organized and moving in the correct direction.
Business Selling Guide (Detail)
Business selling process can be very easy with this useful guide wich will guide you through the business selling process. You can find out what to prepare and what to expect. The following information is basic steps of business selling process for business for sale for seller. BusiMarket.com does not guarantee or indorse the accuracy of information.
1. Determining the fair market value of the business
The business value really depends on the type, the age, and the location of the business. For more accurate information, We highly recommends discussing values and amounts with your business broker, attorney, or loan officer. If you already know what your asking price going to be, you can move on to next step.
2. Preparing all books and records for prospective buyers
Things to include in your business books / records:
last 3 years of busines income tax return
up-to-date Profit & Loss Statement / Balance Sheet
a copy of the Original Lease & Sublease Agreement
an up-to-date equipment list.
3. Putting your business on the market
. The following are options for putting your business on the market:
Input your business on Business Multiple Listing Service Sites like BusiMarket.com - Business For Sale or Companies like us
Advertise in a local newspaper
Hire a real estate broker or agent.
4. Dealing with Potential Buyers
Evaluate the Buyer:
Is the buyer financially secure?
How much business experience does the buyer have?
Is the buyer serious about buying your business?
5. Recieving an offer
The buyer writes an written offer and presents it to the seller. If there is a real esate agent involved, then the agent will deliver the written offer to the seller.
6. Negociation - Price, Terms, and Condition
The seller and the buyer negociate the price, terms, and conditions.
7. Accepting an offer
At the end of the negociation process the buyer and seller must sign and date every page of the Purchase and Sale Agreement.
8. Provide all necessary books and records for the buyer
Usually within 1-2 business days after mutual agreement.
9. Work with the buyer to remove all contingencies of the contract.
10. Signing the closing statement (1-3 days before the closing date)
After the buyer removes all contingencies on the Purchase and Sale Agreement, both the buyer and the seller make an appointment with the Closing/Escrow agent to sign the closing statement - usually 1-3 days before the closing date.
The buyer should call the escrow agent and find out the total amount of money that needs to be prepared (usually casher's check or money order) for the remainder of the down payment.
On the signing day, the buyer pays the money to the escrow agent and sign the closing statement
The escrow agent collects the money from the buyer, and the bank that the buyer financed, and pays the toal amount to the seller (down payment + loan amount - closing cost).
11. The Night Before the Closing Date
Both the buyer and seller meet at the business site after the business hour and
Review the Equipment List that is provided at the time of the acceptance of the Purchase and Sale Agreement
Get paid for Inventories and Supplies - write down all the items on a piece of paper with the wholesale price of each items. The buyer and seller sign on the grand total and the seller receives the total amount from the buyer.
Seller gives the business key to the buyer.
12. The closing date
Congratulations, You've Sold Your Business!!!
Business Financing Guide (Simple)
This business financing guide shows the items that you will need to prepare if you are planning to get loan from financial institution when you buy business for sale. Getting financing can be easier with knowledge about the financing and with complete preparation of documents and statements in process of buying business for sale.
Step 1. Find a Business for sale at BusiMarket.com site for businesses for sale and commercial property for sale on the market. As soon as a property is found, make any necessary contacts to sellers.
Step 2. Get Purchase and Sale AgreementGet the sale agreement from Brokers, attorneys, or Escrow companies.
Step 3. Find a LenderFind a Loan Officer that will take care of your financing needs.
Step 4. Prepare Required Documents - Purchase and Sale Agreement for the Business or Commercial Property,
- Personal Financial Statement provided by the lender,
- Income tax returns from both buyer and seller from the last three years
- an up-to-date income statement,
- Resume from the buyer,
- Lease Agreement(if applies),
- Assignment for Lease (if applies),
Step 5. Finally, wait for the loan approval (usually takes 2-4 weeks)
Since the financing process can be different on type of business, location, and buyer's situation. The information above is for information only and BusiMarket.com does not guarantee accuracy of information.
Best Web Hosting - Business Guide
Kingsrealm Consulting Group has announced the release of their annual best-of-the-best web hosting providers - a business guide for small and mid-size companies. This free report outlines the top choices for a wide range of categories including low cost, high powered, and customer support.
Say’s Kingsrealm CEO “We have found over the years that choosing a hosting provider can be a minefield of uncertainty for most companies. Even the best made plans for web hosting can go bad and leave a company scrambling for a quick solution to a hosting nightmare. This annual report serves as a guide to help companies who need to find a hosting provider make that decision a good one.”
The guide is broken down into useful categories tailored to every business. Whether your web hosting needs are traditional or extraordinary there is a selection that will provide you the maximum power and flexibility for your needs at far lower cost than you might have imagined.
Having vetted and time tested these companies on over 500 projects we have kept the best and scrapped the rest so you don’t need to deal with the junk. We have created a truly useful resource to keep your business safe and productive.
The report “The best Hosting Providers – A Business Guide” is available from the company as a free .pdf download.
Download the report: The Best Hosting Providers - A Business Report
About Kingsrealm
Kingsrealm Consulting Group is a full service interactive agency, offering a broad spectrum of Online PR, Social Media, Digital Marketing and Systems Engineering services custom tailored to grow your business and boost your bottom line.
Business Broker Guide- How to choose a reliable Business Broker
Business brokers or business transfer agents are helpful in selling your business at higher prices. A business broker provides buyers as well as sellers for different businesses. You can easily sell or buy a running business with the help of best business brokers. Business broker works like a real estate agent.
Business brokers find buyers for you to make an effective business sale. Hiring business brokers is the better option to gain more offers and profit. You can even get maximum prices for your small business. Business broker can be a person as well as a firm that enables you to sell various businesses that includes Internet businesses as well as website.
Business brokers provide accurate value of the business. They advertise your business for sale and handle all initial discussions with the buyers and also help the sellers to sell their business at good prices. They attract buyers in different ways. They advertise for your business on their websites and manage space in business newspapers and magazines.
Business brokers are very much confident with their work. They work on the behalf of sellers and sometimes suggest them about how to get more profit from business assets. Buyers can also get benefits of business brokers by telling their requirements. They only charge some commission for every transaction. Usually they get charge commission from both buyers as well as sellers.
While thinking about business brokers, very first question that comes in mind, how to choose a right business broker?
There are not specific qualifications of business brokers but the person or firm, that you’re going to hire for your business transactions, should be reliable, knowledgeable, experienced, planned and friendly with you. You should call two or more business brokers for interview and then choose the best among them. You should check whether the broker has great knowledge about the business or not. Just check out their brokerage skill. Always choose a reputable brokerage firm for your business activities.
Business brokers should know how to maintain good buyer-seller relationship. Broker works as a bridge between buyers and sellers. You should check their working ability as well as their common sense. The person who can devote time for your business is the best business broker.
International Business Brokers Association is the leading association of business brokers.
Business Buying Guide - Detail
First, You have to determining your investment. Usually minimum down payment made by the buyer is 30% of the purchase price. For example, if the business purchase price is $100,000 and loan amount is $70,000 (70%), then the buyer's down payment needs to be $30,000 (30%). Other possible expenses are inventories, supplies, escrow fee, license and permit fees, franchise transfer fee (if applies), etc.
And then you have to set criteria of desired business. Which includes location of business, type of business, price range of business, desired income of business.
After you decide your investment amount and criteria of business, you will need to find a right business that fit your needs. You can search business through online business listing service site like www.BusiMarket.com Business For Sale, local newspapers, or through local business brokers or real estate agents.
If you find a business that you want to purchase, you will need to evaluate the business through current owner's income information and your projected income for short term and long term.
And then you need to make decision to purchase business or not. If the business is right for you, you need to write a very descriptive and detailed contract (Purchase and Sale Agreement).
When you are writing an offer, you have to make sure the contract includes the followings: Your offering price, Initial deposit amount, financing terms, closing date. Other terms and conditions that can be added to the contract is buyer's loan approval, lease and lease approval from landlord, buyer to obtain all necessary licenses and permits, franchisor's approval of ownership transfer, the buyer's Satisfaction of books and records, closing cost allocation, buyer training session, business equipment and fixtures in good working condition, inventories and supplies amount, seller's agreement not to compete, etc.
After you finish writing an offer, you need to present your offer to seller. Negotiate the price, terms, and conditions and settle with final price and terms and condition.
Now you will need to allocate the purchase price of business that you are buying. After you done purchase price allocation, you will need to apply for loan, license and permits.
and then you will need to obtain a lease or sublease. You will need to make sure you obtain the lease or get an approval of lease assignment before close of escrow no matter what happened.
And then on or the day before the closing date, you will need to review the equipment list that is provided at the time of the acceptance of the Purchase and Sale agreement and buy inventories and supplies. And then you can do the closing on the closing date.
A Beginner’s Guide To Starting A Vending Business
If you are looking for a source of income that allows you to have flexible hours and be your own boss, a vending business opportunity might be right for you. How does one get started with a vending business opportunity? Here are a few practical tips.
Unless you are using your vending business opportunity to sell very small ticket items (such as fifteen cents each or less) you will most likely need some type of seller’s license or permit for doing business. It would be wise to inquire about this and find out about any time and cost involved before getting started with your vending business opportunity.
There are different ways to go about pursuing your vending business opportunity. Some people feel most comfortable starting out with one or two small machines, such as gumball machines, and placing them in strategic locations. Others prefer to kick off their vending business opportunity by looking for bigger machines that have previously been used and are being resold. When embarking on your vending business opportunity, sometimes you can find used machines in the classified section of your local newspaper.
When you are looking to begin or expand your vending business opportunity, another idea is to look for vending routes. Many times, you can also find these advertised in your local paper. This means that someone else is looking to sell their established vending business opportunity, and you could buy the entire thing and begin it without having to start from the ground up. For some, this may be an excellent way to get into their vending business opportunity of choice. However, others may prefer to start a bit smaller and build a vending business opportunity up by themselves at a slower pace.
Since deciding which machines to buy first can be a challenge, it is a good idea to plan out your vending business opportunity on paper before making any purchases. Write down which machines you are considering for your vending business opportunity, as well as how much the trinkets or candy they use will cost. Then figure out how many sales you would need to make a profit that is worth your while. Seeing these details on paper will help enable you to make the wisest decisions for your potential vending business opportunity.
When it comes to a vending business opportunity, the place where you put your machines is of extreme importance! Location can be the one factor that causes a vending business opportunity to fail or succeed. If you find a good location and begin to make a satisfactory profit, it is a worthwhile idea to expand your vending business opportunity by putting more machines in the same area. There are a few reasons why this would be a smart move for your vending business opportunity. First, putting all the machines in the same general area will save your vending business opportunity time and money, since you only need to make one stop to replenish each of the machines. Second, if you are sure that you have picked a profitable area, adding more machines will likely only increase the amount of money that your vending business opportunity generates.
A vending business opportunity does take a certain amount of time and work, especially in the beginning. However, it can be a very profitable and rewarding experience to pursue your own vending business opportunity, if care is taken to build it wisely.
A Mental Guide For Home Business Success
The accomplishments of our work from home ventures are not based on products or marketing plans. The opportunities for creating our home business achievements are completely dependent upon us. The “mental fortitude” applied to the development of our online company will determine success or failure. During the journey, the challenges that cross our path will be confidence, persistence, endurance, setbacks and change. They will come and we must be ready.
Where is our confidence level?
The best way to measure confidence is through our attitude toward challenges. Do we say “I think I can do it” or “I know I can do it”? Before developing a home based business, we must convince ourselves that success will happen. Self-talk will give a good indication of our readiness. Analyze our thought processes on a daily basis. We must build the foundation for success from the beginning of our internet venture. Don’t say “I think!” say “I will!” And believe it!
How is our persistence?
When developing the opportunity to make money online, we will meet a variety of obstacles. These barriers are similar to the challenges in our personal lives. Do we look at these obstacles as learning experiences or do we wish they would go away? Do we have the stubbornness to go eyeball to eyeball with the situation or do we want to quit? This saying is old but true: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”. The success of our home business relies on the ability to face difficulty and stand firm. Bend but don’t break!
Do we have endurance?
The opportunity for home business success rises in direct proportion to our endurance. What happens when we do not get results? What occurs when our efforts go unrewarded? What develops when everything appears hopeless? How long do we hang in there? Consider this saying: “You are not finished when you lose! You are finished when you quit!” The road to internet business success relies on our ability to keep going when all of the signals say stop. Don’t quit! Tomorrow may be the day that our home business success arrives!
Are setbacks good?
Setbacks are opportunities to try again. When we face the uncertainties, disappointments and frustrations of creating a work from home business, what happens? Should we quit the journey or look for another road towards internet success? Developing mental toughness is like developing physical endurance. We must work through the pain and suffering to achieve the goal. The way that we respond to these barriers determines mental strength. Setbacks are learning opportunities for creating our online venture. We have gained information and experience to arrive at this point. These obstacles create the circumstances for adjusting our approach and trying again.
Are we willing to change?
Creating a home business is like developing personal success. It requires a commitment to change. How difficult is it to invest our money, time and effort and the result is nothing? When online accomplishments do not materialize, what should we do? Are we ready to revisit square one and restructure the game plan? Our willingness to face adversity and make adjustments is essential. If we want to create an internet business, change must be part of the design. Setbacks can bring us closer to making money online through these opportunities to adapt.
Before beginning the journey toward home business success we must be mentally ready for the adventure. We will face every one of these challenges while developing a work from home enterprise. Our ability to overcome these obstacles will provide a better opportunity for making money on the internet.
“Men do not fail, they stop trying.”
Business Computer Rentals Guide
In any endeavor, businesses must watch the bottom line. The acquisition of new technology is no exception. Computer rentals are an ideal solution for businesses wanting to use current technology while staying on budget.
When can you make use of computer rentals? Anytime and anywhere. Consider:
• Conferences and tradeshows. In a busy exhibition hall, you need to stand out, but it hardly makes sense to purchase an LCD projector or plasma screen and a brand new, super-fast laptop. With computer rentals, and rentals of other equipment, you can get new equipment to create a dazzling audio-visual display without putting a huge dent in your hardware budget.
• Travel – Whether you are headed to the aforementioned tradeshow or going to a client meeting, computer rentals can save you the hassles of traveling with equipment. National vendors will deliver anywhere you need to go, so you can travel light. Or, if you have only a desktop in your office, take advantage of computer rentals to get a laptop for your next business trip. You can stay in touch and be productive while you travel.
• Training – If your company provides training to customers or is planning some internal training, computer rentals can give you all the hardware you need to set up a complete classroom. With the right vendor, you can even rent servers and printers to set up a mini-network dedicated to training.
When planning your computer rentals, be sure to consider the following points:
• If your project ends early, will you be penalized for returning equipment early? What about project overruns? Can you keep your equipment beyond the original end date of your rental agreement? Flexibility is incredibly important in computer rentals. Research vendors to find one with flexible rental options.
• What kind of inventory does the vendor have? Will you be getting new equipment from top manufacturers? Does the vendor have sufficient inventory to meet your needs?
• Can you change your equipment when new models come on the market? This option pertains mainly to long-term rentals, but you should ask your vendor before signing your rental agreement. After all, one of the benefits of computer rentals is access to the newest technology.
• The data on your rented computers also needs to be dealt with. Does the vendor wipe the machines clean after you return them? Also consider whether you need to rent a CD or DVD burner or hard drive to copy your data from your rented machine.
• Technical support is critical. Find out what’s involved in tech support for your computer rentals - phone, e-mail, on-site? What is the vendor’s response time? Does the vendor offer testimonials or references about their service?
Computer rentals from a reputable vendor are a cost-effective solution for any size of business. Do your research and you’re sure to find the equipment you need at a price you can afford. Take a quick run through with your computer rental expert to make sure you get the most out of the time you are spending with your audience.
Business Intelligence guide
Business intelligence can be defined as a set of business processes designed to garner and analyze business information. It is a vast category of application of programs that includes providing access to data to help an entrepreneur in his business decisions, task of query and reporting, online analytical processing (OLAP), statistical analysis, forecasting and data mining.
Big and small companies collect information to assess the business environment i.e. to acquire a sustainable competitive advantage in the business environment and also cover the areas of marketing research, industry research and competitive analysis. Every business intelligence system has a particular purpose (be it short term or a long term purpose) based on a vision statement or organizational goal.
Business intelligence involves different strategies. The BI task can be handled with the aid of application software. Application software is broadly categorized under class of computer software that enables a computer to function in accordance with what the user desires. The application software is different from the system software that integrates different capabilities of the computer but these are not directly applied to the benefit of the user. The application software is designed to help people be prudent in taking decisions by imparting them accurate, current and requisite information. This is precisely the reason that business intelligence is also referred to as ‘decision-support system’ or DSS.
While framing and implementing a business intelligence program there are several crucial points to be borne in mind.
a) The goal or the purpose of the program, in simple terms the goal of the organization that the program will address should be considered. There should be a rough idea of how can the program will lead to better results.
b) Secondly the expense of adopting a new business intelligence program should be estimated. Along with this the risk involved in the business intelligence program should also be calculated and so planning should be done accordingly.
c) A person should also know that who all will be direct and indirect beneficiaries and who will pay for the initiative. Also see what will be the quantitative and qualitative benefits and about employees, shareholders, distribution channels etc.
d) The information so gathered must be tracked into well-defined metrics. A person should be sure of the kind of metrics adopted, its standardization and its performance.
e) A person should establish a procedure to reach the ideal way of measuring the requisite metrics. In this you must also acknowledge what methods to be adopted and the pace at which the organization will collect the data. Make sure that you know about existing industry standards if any and the best way to do the measurements.
f) The business intelligence program should be carefully governed to ensure completion of the desired targets. You may have to make several adjustments or modifications in the program from time to time. The business intelligence program should also be tested for accuracy, reliability and validity. One should also know that how the business intelligence initiative entails a variation in results and how much change was a chance product.
Business Entities – A Quick Guide
Business entities comes in so many types that business owners can easily get confused. Here’s a quick guide that will hopefully shed a little light on business entities for you.
Business Entities
"C" Corporation: A corporation whose shares are held by shareholders. The entity stands apart from the shareholders for legal and tax purposes. The shares of the corporation may be “taken public” and traded on stock markets. Google is an example of a publicly traded “C” corporation.
Foreign Corporation: A corporation doing business in a jurisdiction beyond where it was formed. Microsoft is a Washington corporation. When it does business in New York, it is considered a “foreign corporation.”
General Partnership: A business effort involving two or more people, known as partners. Each partner is liable for all partnership debts and obligations regardless participation and contribution amounts. Put another way, a general partnership provides no protection against lawsuits.
Holding Company: Part of a double incorporation strategy. The sole purpose of a holding company is to own or control other companies. Said other companies typically are exposed to significant liability threats. For instance, many insurance companies use holding companies to suck off profits and limit lawsuit risks.
Joint Venture: A cooperative business effort between two or more parties. It is usually limited to a single business purpose and involves a sharing of responsibilities and revenues. For instance, a database programmer and web site designer might enter a joint venture to provide e-commerce solutions to businesses.
“LLC” - Limited Liability Company: A creation of state law in which one or more individuals form an entity providing the liability protection of a corporation, but the tax benefits of a partnership.
Limited Partnership: A partnership in which the business is managed by a general partner with limited partners supplying capital investment. The limited partners are prohibited from actively participating in the management of the partnership. In exchange, the limited partners liability is limited to the amount of their investment. In pursuing this business entity, the general partner is almost always a corporation.
Partnership by Estoppel: A partnership created by operation of law when two or more people pursue a business goal and hold themselves out to the public as such. This business entity is prevalent as it is the automatic designation for two people doing business who fail to take any steps to designate a business entity. In this entity, each partner is completely exposed to liability risks.
"S" Corporation: Similar to a “C” corporation, this entity provides solid asset protection for shareholders from business liabilities and debts. The primary difference is the entity can be taxed as a pass through entity and is limited to 75 shareholders.
Sole Proprietorship: A business owned and controlled by one person. The designation provides no protection from business liabilities. It is taxed on the person’s personal tax returns on schedule “C”.
Each of the above entities provides certain advantages to a business owner. If you consider the particulars of your efforts, you should be able to get an idea of which one is best for you.