Sir Post A Lot

How To Choose WHAT Employee Benefits You Should Have

2009-11-10T21:36:00.002-05:00

The most difficult part about employee benefits isn't finding which institution to run the benefits plans, but more likely figuring out just what types of employee benefits to eeven offer. Not all companies are the same, but most companies do want to have some benefits to give their employees something that makes them want to stay. I don't care how much you love your job, if Company A pays you slightly more, but doesn't offer benefits for your family, Company B that does is probably a better opion for taking care of your personal needs.

Small businesses are in a bit of a predicament most of the time in that they don't believe they can even afford to offer any benefits. While benefits aren't always cost-effective, they too an find something to offer many times while not shopping for them like it is Black Friday.

Here is a good article ont he Basics of Benefits that gives some good ideas on how to decide, what to do, and how to do it when it comes to offering employee benefits.

SMall Business and Financing With Credit Cards

2009-11-10T15:36:00.002-05:00

We all know that small businesses aren't always stacked with operating cash. Supplies, parts, listings in web directories, and things you just run out of need to be bought quickly, and something needs to be in place to make sure that you can get it. With SBA loans becoming more stringent, and less of hem being available it is no shock that many small businesses have to rely on credit cards for their fast capital.

According to Inc.com a recent survey said that nearly 60% of small business owners have use credit cards as a source of capital in the last year. So how do you go about using them, and still stay out of trouble? While you can imagine that using them are much like at the personal level there might be more options for a business owener. Take a look at the Play Your Credit Cards Right article that discusses it.

5 Rules For Selling To the Rich

2009-11-05T20:54:00.002-05:00

In sales the whale is the dream client for anyone. A whale is the biggest being in the sea, and for sales pros they are the biggest and best clients. Many people have absolutely no idea how to interact, or even sell to the rich. Why? Well most of them aren't exceedingly rich, or successful, so they don't know how to relate, or what a very successful person has to deal with on a day to day basis. So figuring out some proper actions just to make yourself look like you know what you are doing is a big deal. I'm not talking about having a bunch of modern furniture in a big time office, but how you set up and conduct yourself when you meet with them.

Here are 5 basic rules to selling to the rich that you shoould know, and follow like your sale depends on it. It really does depend on it.

The Big Business of Halloween

2009-11-01T00:32:00.002-04:00

Ever think to yourself when you pass one of those costume mega stores: "How the heck do they make any money if they are always open?" The funny thing, is if you are a bit like me, I actually don't really even pay attention to these stores except around Halloween so I didn't realize tha many of the mega-Halloween stores aren't actually open all year. Many have in recent years taken to opening a store on a 2-3 month lease. Starting in September, virtually disappearing a few days after Halloween.

These stores have figured out how to use the season to the most profitable, while keeping the costs of running the business a minimalistic approach by jsut being there when people actually need what they are selling.

Joe Purifico, CEO and co-owner of Halloween Adventure, a Philadelphia-based chain of 150 seasonal costume superstores and 15 permanent shops explains how it all works for him.

Not only is it a good Q&A about that aspect of Halloween, he explains why Halloween costumes have become such a big business as well. Many clubs have giveaways for best costume as a business gifts to draw in business. Adults tend to spend up to 3 times what their kids do on their costumes to go to parties.

If you look at the bottom of his Q&A there are some big numbers on all the Tricks and Treats of Halloween. Most notably the 2008 total of $5.77 billion spent on Halloween that includes costumes, candy, and Witch's Brew (booze).

Business Without the Brick and Mortar: Mobilizing Business

2009-10-24T20:35:00.003-04:00

We live in an age where technology has advanced enough that many businesses can be run with out even haing a premises. Why have a phone system, secretary, and an office when a mobile phone itself can do most of that work for much less money?

Some just don't have the technical side to pull this off. Most of our parents were raised in a world with out the benefits of the computers we have now. They had trouble jsut setting the clock on the VCR (remeber those things?), and forget aabout setting up a DVR, or TiVO to record 2 programs at once while you watch something else. They just don't "get it" when it comes to tech.

Some do, but aren't eager to move on. Take Doug Sohn for instance, in the article discussing the gadgets to go mobile for business. He still work 50 hours a week in his shop, when he could cut that time down dramtically with the use of our new age tech.

The article lists 13 devices to help you and your business get mobile. From phones, to auto accessories, to software. Not only saving you time, but all the while making your business more productive. What are you waiting for?

13 year-old Business Mogul

2009-10-20T20:10:00.002-04:00

So you think it is hard to make a million dollars? If you asked 13-year old Maddie Bradshaw how hard it is she would probably just laugh. It's kids stuff.

Maddie Bradshaw had an idea to decorate he Jr. High locker. She took a plain bottlecap, sketched a black and white abstract portrait of Albert Einstein inside it, and put a magnet on the back. Simple enough eh? Her friends all wanted some too so she started making them for all of them. She decided that making them into jewelry would be a great idea too.

Then one day she decided to see if a local toy store wa sinterested in sellign the caps. They took 50, and 2 hours later they were sold out. They called her and asked if they could sell them at their other stores throughout Texas and the middle school mogul was born.

Now, Bradshaw's designs can be found in hundreds of stores throughout the United States, Canada, and the Bahamas. Snap Caps can be worn on necklaces, in hairpins, or as bracelets. "All my designs are interchangeable," says Bradshaw, whose company now sells 50,000 necklaces and caps every month.

Just a great story, and it all came from a tiny little idea to decorate her own locker. Jsut so simple and does something that eludes most of us giving us dark eye circles as we stay awake allnight searching for our Snap Cap explosion. Love stories like this.

Free Beer with every haircut

2009-10-13T00:00:00.001-04:00

Talk about an awesome promotion. A free beer with every haircut certainly beats anyone trying to help you get hooked up with natural fat burner doesn't it?

Of course the barbver is obviously on to something. The free beer does wonders for the amount of money he has to pay his stylists. They can make you look as bad as possible and you won't even care! You are gonna be drunk! Seriously though take a look at this promo:

http://www.inc.com/ss/free-beer-with-every-haircut

Employer Vs. Employee Health Care Debate

2009-10-03T05:12:00.002-04:00

Health Care is arguably the biggest current issue in America right now. It is certainly dominating the headlines in regards to current policy. The debate for universal health care, and socialized medicine is for anothe rtime though. Most people rarely look at helath care from the perspective of employer vs. employee and the responsibilities of each side, or more importantly the deamnds that each side put on the other.

Tha tsi why I always am interested when I see a sort of health care debate pop up in anarticle fromt his persepective. An employee and an HR exec sparring over the cost of health care coverage.

It is an interesting read from both sides of the aisle. Detailing some of the major concrerns of an average employee, and then the compnay line about the cost that they endure. The example is taken in a case where they actually switch coverages at the compnay and the employee feels that they were slighted, which I'm sure is very common in today's environment. Causing patients to seek deals on things like new weight loss pills instead of going to the doctor for the same problems.

Best Lemonade Stand Winners 2009

2009-09-25T22:35:00.002-04:00

This is one of my favorite contests for business that I see every year. It is done by Inc.com and is held for kids to enter their Lemonade Stands, and their unique ideas for how they ran their stands.

Every year they take submissions from hundreds of kids a crossed the country about their stories on how they run their stands. They have several categories which include such things as "Best Story" which is typically for those that go above and beyond to give to a charity.

You can see a video of a couple winners here as well as a more in depth story about the contest overall with all the winners. None of the Lemonade stands had a product bad enough to be an appetite suppressant I am guessing...lol

Top 50 Entrepreneurial Schools

2009-09-25T22:28:00.002-04:00

Going to business school should be easy to do. You shoudl be able to slip it in between another job since you have to be a smart business mind don't you to know that you don't wnat to be putting yourself in a ton of debt while you study business right? If you wnat to open a business you have even more incentive to keep the money coming in while you learn some fundamentals that will help you succeed without having a huge loan to pay off. I'd rather lose weight taking weight loss pills than by stressing abuout expenses I should have.

Of course that isn't alway an option, but what is an option is to find a great school that fits your needs as an entrepreneur. Remember that a big name doesn't really matter when you are learnign the tricks of the trade here. Why? Well YOU own the business. Who do you need to impress with an Ivey League degree? Nobody. You need information, not credentials from a college to give you a leg up in the small business world.

Here are the top 50 Business Colleges and Schools. Broken down into several categories based on availability for you to go, ranks in programs, etc.

Print Advertising and Getting Bargains

2009-09-18T15:06:00.003-04:00

It should come as no surprise to anyone that print media is struggling. Newspapers are coming off last year's historic revenue declines of over 14%, while magazines are down almost 8%. So what does this mean for you? Well...of the bat it means that advertising with such mediums is going to come at a discount due to their lack of income. Is it really all that beneficioal to advertise using these mediums anymore, however? All advertising is good advertising, and unless you think the newspaper is completely irrelevant in today's world you have at least some incentive to look at it as a for of advertising.

While the sales numbers are down, I can assure you that if you are advertising the right products to the peaople that do read the newspaper you are going to be just fine. People do still get, AND read the paper regardless of how much they also read online. It's just habitual, and many like to read it while they eat, use the restroom ;), and while they travel. It's not going away anytime soon. No Chicken Little here.

Obviously you want to knwo how to get better deals while you advertise your According to does apidexin work? ads in magazines and newspapers though. Let's look at an article by advertising writer Carol Tice called Print Ads: A Bargain for Buyers for some more help.

Be a "Control Freak" If You Want Your Business to Succeed

2009-09-12T05:16:00.002-04:00

While the author of this article calls it a little bit controversial in his views, and I agree in some instances, the advice is rather solid in my opinion.

Using a variation n the President Clinton campaign slogan of "It's the economy stupid", he says "It's NOT the Economy Stupid". What he means by this is that small business owners were probably making big mistakes well before the downturn, and that sis more likely the reason the are feeling it so hard now.

There are the business owners that live their business, ones that live it, but know how to disconnect, and then the ones that think the business can run itself while trusting others to do it for them no matter what it is. The ones that let go of a lot of control are the ones being addressed in the article.

The author tries to explain the importance of your employees not having the type of control you have if you are their boss. It also talks about how being known as a control freak is what you WANT as a business owner. HE subscribes to the philosophy that "nice guys never win" in regards to running your business and that "There is no "I" in team should" be "There is no $ in team - just mediocrity and excuses".

HE lists 5 points that you need to act on immediately. From paid for performance, to micro-management. Especially in a place where maybe you are employing people who sell. Be it a line of lamb motor, insurance, or anything, performance should be rewarded, and lack of it penalized. No free ride. It isn't like there aren't dozens of other people you could hire right now right?

Business Marketing and Communication by "Brand Obama"

2009-09-03T21:18:00.002-04:00

The general consensus by most is that President Obama ran one of, if not the most spectacular presidential campaign in modern history. His use of the media, and the internet gave him a huge leg up on his competition. With that in mind there have been several attempts at replicating just what made him so successful in this endeavor, as well as his transparency as the president.

The article Lessons From "Brand Obama" tries to pinpoint some of the more useful strategies used by the president in your own businesses.

While I always contend that most of marketing is rather common sense, it isn't to everyone. It still helps those to see ideas that may help them come up with some of their own strategies as well. The old become the ceramic tile expert for those writing articles about ceramic tile is mentioned, but the ongoing communication with the media, as well as those interested in your business through transparency may be helpful as well.

Managing the Small Business Life Cycle

2009-08-23T22:31:00.002-04:00

There are so many aspects and cycles to running a small business that you may feel like you need to hit a drug rehab center by the time you have figured it all out. Every step along the way has different needs from the start up all the way to selling your business.

Looking around at the cycles of creating, running, and selling a small business I was interested in finding a one-stop place to help people read and understand what the most logical way is to go about each stage of a business. The Small Business Planner on the sba.gov website is actually quite a bit better than I had expected.

The planner has in depth information about formation plans such as writing a business plan, finding financing, and even talks a bit about naming and registering your business. If you are already running a business the planner goes into detail on many aspects of operations that may be helpful as well. Managing employees, legal concerns, getting insurance, and forecasting sales.

5 Questions to Ask Your Web Developer

2009-08-20T21:17:00.002-04:00

Most people that run a business know their business, and probably all other aspects of business generally. Obviously you can't be an expert in everything. If you make humidifier filters for instance, how likely are you going to know anything about developing a website? Probably not very.

If you want to make sure your site works for your business you need to make sure that the site can do what you want. You also want to make sure that making changes aren't going to be a major ahssle either. Take a loook at 5 questions to ask your web developer.

Traits of the Entrepreneur

2009-08-20T20:39:00.002-04:00

What does it take to become a successful entrepreneur? What traits do you need to have to actually be successful? While there is no "default" list to say whether you will, or won't succeed in your business venture be it the world's best diet pills, or the invention of the better dog pooper scooper, there are some traits that are common in those that are.

A new entrepreneurship study conducted by Ace Hardware reveals that many small business owners think that, when it comes to the secret of their success, hard work trumps a background in business or finance.

The assessment tool, with is completed by over 300,000 people each year, also assigns a high value to responses about whether a potential business founder considers themselves a self-starter and whether they have experience in or knowledge of the industry they're entering.

America's Weirdest Businesses

2009-08-06T23:15:00.002-04:00

While most seem relatively harmless, one seems rather creepy. The first business listed as the Weirdest Business is called Afterlife Telegrams of New Athens, Illinois. This is a service for contacting the dead. Terminally ill patients memorize messages and deliver them when opportunity permits. Talk about ridiculous. I suppose I'm just mad that I didn't think of it first and had the stones to actually con people this way. Oh well, at least I won't have to feel that gut wrenching guilt every time I walk into the room of a terminally ill patient and try to keep a straight face as I give them a "message to carry to the other side". Unreal.

There are 30 odd business listed on the Weird List. Some don't seem all that odd, or interesting to me at all, but I guess they needed to fill some space, or something. While nobody has any sort of crazy drive-thru blackhead treatments on the list, there is a dump listed that is a drive-thru strip joint. That drive home could get a little mess...ehem...

Want Some Respect From Your Employees?

2009-07-26T23:31:00.002-04:00

It is rare that employees show any love to their almighty employer. At least they don't behind their backs. It is also not very common that they deserve the respect either. With the economy the way it is, and many employers beig able to find highly qualified employees at lower costs than the ones they already have, many employees are probably not real excited about their prospects and need to dip into their stash of anti-wrinkle cream to keep from growing old at a chatostrophic rate.

IT is time to take some action and not forget about the basics in these economic conditions. The stress may be high, but slacking off and hiding in a corner doesn't help your business, or anyone else.

Here are 5 Tips to gain respect from your team and boost your bottom line. Like I said...employees are pretty scared right now, and if you value them you may want to take a look.

Top 106 Best Franchises

2009-07-15T10:11:00.002-04:00

Starting a franchise has a lot of benefits. Most notably the trustworthy name that comes with most of them. On top of that they have the greater benefit of already having done a lot of the ground work for the running of the business. Many have great support, and have franchise specific systems in place that makes your research for software, licenses, and everything else as easy as getting your new owner packet. It definitely gives you a how to lose fat approach to researching a start up.

While there are many advantages to running your own, unknown business, those advantages can be outweighed by the advantages fof just opening a franchise that is already established. OF course the advantages of having your own brand, and in essence no 2nd big brother (#1 being the IRS) to look over your shoulder is certainly preferrable to many business owners.

Franchises are not all created equal, however. Finding the right franchise is of the utmost importance if you are looking to go this route. What better way to find that right fit then by looking at those considered to be the best? This list of the 106 Best Franchises will give you agood idea of which ones are most successful, as well as some of the trends. They are broken up by industry as well so have at it.

Google Chrome Operating System Good For Small Business?

2009-07-15T09:31:00.002-04:00

Until I read this article I wasn't even aware that Google Chrome was an operating system. I havecertainly heard of, and actually used, the Google Chrome web browser while it is in Beta stage, but they ahve expanded their brand to an OS.

Upon arriving in the second half of 2010, Chrome OS will initially be targeted at netbooks, and is expected to introduce several innovations. Case in point: Unlike previous operating systems, whose origins all predate the web, Chrome, which is completely free to all and runs on top of a Linux kernel, is putting online functionality first. Google’s argument is essentially that the web isn’t simply part of how we interface with computers today, but rather the nexus of the entire experience. As such, users will be able to quickly boot their desktop or notebook systems, go online and seamlessly integrate with an array of cloud computing applications.

So...the debates and the anti-microsoft crowds have a little bit more ammo now it appears. Another free OS that they can compare to not only Windows, but maybe even Linnux, which hardly any of us have the knowledge to use without having to find cross country moving companies to get someone to teach you :).

These applications, accessible via any web browser and capable of providing access to similar functions as traditional word processing, spreadsheet and database packages, have several advantages over typical software suites. For one, they’re accessible nearly anywhere. So long as you have a web browser handy, you can call up all your data on demand, making it possible to bring the office everywhere you go.

Google is one step closer to owning the world it appears. We thought Microsoft had our number, but Google has come from search engine to corporate superpower. The debate may go from who has th best PC packages to who has the most control over our computing experience. While I like many things Google does, the more aspects of my PC world they begin to dominate the more concerned I get about it.

Be a Good Negotiator

2009-06-28T18:54:00.002-04:00

Being able to talk your way into a better deal always has its benefits. What tips can you use to help you get a better deal, or talk you way into a cheaper pair of Naot shoes?

Well...Norm Brodsky, of Inc.com discusses the tricks of the trade in winning a negotiation. #1 thing to do in a negotiation, just like it is the #1 rule of sales is to listen.

Most people don't listen to each other. It may seem like that isn't the case to most people, but it is completely true. In fact most people want t TALK as much as possible instead of letting their opponent ramble on and proceed to show you all of their cards. Read more in depth about this here.

Employer Health Care Costs Nearly Doubled Since 2000

2009-06-28T17:54:00.003-04:00

With all the talk about the new health care plan possibilities from the government, we still ahven't really helped anyone with health care costs in general. Even those that have insurance are feeling the pain.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today released a report about the rising cost of health care. Among its conclusions: "Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums have nearly doubled since 2000."

The increase in health care costs increased almost triple the rate of wage growth. Something that has been rather stagnant just form my limited observations over the last decade. Jobs I had 10 years ago are paying exactly the same todaty as they were back then. Flatlined.

They cost employers' $12,680 for the average family plan -- nearly the same as a minimum wage salary for one year, according to the HHS. Kind of hard to balance the books on your lcd monitor with that type of cost increase.

The HHS report stated that family deductibles increased 30 percent in two years for average preferred provider (PPO) plans; for families covered by "small firms" the increase was 64 percent, from $1,439 to $2,367.

"It doesn't matter if you have insurance or not," states HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, "when Americans go to the hospital or the doctor's office, they are paying more and getting less."

Save Your Tech Marketing Money

2009-06-13T10:51:00.002-04:00

Following the theme of my last cheap publicity tips article, and saving money in your small business let's talk a little bit about how to stretch your actual technology dollar with equipment, services, and tools.

Take a look at some of the tech essentials for small business, and see what is available for much less cost than you would ahve thought.

I'm a tech geek myself, and know how easy it is to blow your budget up by just going after the "best" tech when you have a pile of cash set aside to furnish your office. While it may be a good idea to get cheap diet pills since they are virtually all the same, we may feel that if we aren't going after what are considered the "best" tech toys, we might be hurting our business performance. That, and we just can't say no to cool stuff a lot of times.

Problem is, that we simply can't afford the "best" when we are starting out, and we shouldn't be lookign for the best anyways unless it is absolutely crucial to business.

Computers are a perfect example. I see so many people go out and buy muscle machines for the office when they can get by with a cheap $500 desktop that will do everythiing they need it for. Remember that unless you are using it to do some insane graphical work, is there really any need to have a top of the line graphics card in a sdata entry computer? Of course not. You don't need something that can play the most advanced graphical video games in the office do you? Nope. Besides if you have a better video game computer at work than you do at home you probalby are going to be wasting time at work screwing around.

Expenses you can control to some degree. Tech is certainly one of those aspects you can control. IF it does what you need and probalby more for $500, then in a business sense there is absolutely no reason to spend $1500 for it. None if it doesn't have some need in the future, but you really need to think about that before buying it. Odds are it doesn't and $1000 more unspent could be worth so much more when the unexpected comes up.

Cheap Publicity Tips

2009-06-13T10:28:00.002-04:00

Advertising is expensive. Publicity doesn't have to be.

With the vast amount of media resources available to us in today's technolgy environment there are many ways to reduce marketing and advertising costs. It doesn't take a lot of money to do some really great marketing concepts,b ut it does take a little bit of creativity.

This article talks of several inexpensive ways to get noticed by paying little more than time, and a bit of smooth talking.

Several of the ideas are quite easy to do, and a lot of what it requires is your ability to network. From becoming a source quote in an article to starting your own free TV show, the possibilities are endless. Imagine discussing a new diet pill in the local paper when you in fact sell diet pills yourself. Maybe you can even get some recognition for your own business in this way.

While they do mention becoming source material for articles, and generally talk of "becoming a star" by creating your own television show for free, there is something I have toyed with and found very successful myself that I never see mentioned. Using the local media more than just aquote source.

While in a large city it isn't as easy to get yourself to become a local celebrity, in a smaller city where you run your business it is quite possible to become the expert for whatever it is you are trying to sell.

Suppose you develop a website that offers coupon codes for various online stores. While this is generally a valuable service, the search engines are overrun with such websites. You obviously have a lot of competition trying to win over the world wide web, but you likely have NO competition locally. In fact, you do have zero competition when it comes to businesses in your locality.

So what am I getting at? First of all, the local newspaper is your best friend. Local reporters have little to othing to write about most of the time other than local crime. Every now and then they publish something informative, or a feel good story, but if you haven't noticed local businesses get profiled fairly often, and reporters love to do these types of articles.

Taking advantage of this love for the local businessman, you can get featured in an article syourself. You just have to have a good "story", or provide a good service for the community. In this case the economy is terrible. Offering ways for people to save money on purchases, or even meals is an incredibly useful service for citizens.

Don't forget about local businesses as well though. Not everyone likes to shop online. They will go online to print out a coupon for a local restaurant though. So in reality you are getting people to go to businesses they may have never even heard of by having them come to your site. Local businesses.

If you liv ein a small town you know that most of them hav every little if any real local support online, or are even allt hat good at marketing. You be the middleman and the press man. You drive them business by setting up deals with the local businesses, and you get them FREE advertising as you only charge based on either an affiliate program, or by some sort of coupon clip rate. You might even be able to charge for premium positioning.

Also, if you ahve any web design knowledge you can even open the door for yourself to start building websites for the businesses youa re helping. It may not be the world wide web takeover you dream of, but you certainly aren't going to ahve any competition, and you certainly aren't going to go broke if you do this right. Costs are minimal. Rewards are great, and you become a trusted partner for many local businesses.

Jsut an extra quip about going local I have used, although this does cost money. Depending on what you sell, the local sports radio, and other talk stations are brilliant for advertising this sort of thing. Theya re even amazing simply for any affiliate program you run, and radio fees are very affordable. Dominate your world, before you dominate the whole wide world and you may find you are doing better than you ever expected.

Business Plan SMuisness Plan: Attracting Venture Capitalists

2009-06-10T11:02:00.002-04:00

It is a common idea that having a great business plan will indeed be the major factor in procuring venture capitalist funds. A recent studt from the University of Maryland's business school says otherwise.

In the real world they suggest that venture capitalists look much more at their relationship with the business owner than any sort of business plan to start writing checks. We aren't saying that you should try to wne and dine them with Vegas vacations, but that you need to ge tut there and meet people. The #1 rule of business anyways.

Jon Chait, partner at Dace Ventures in Waltham, Massachusetts, agrees with those observations. "We discourage a lot of effort on business plans for early-stage companies, because their plans evolve at least 50 percent from their initial goal in the course of a year," he says. Obtaining a warm introduction is important not because investors do not read unsolicited plans—in fact, Chait reads dozens of them—but because it shows entrepreneurs' ability to build partnerships. "It's part of the skill set," he says. "By blindly submitting something, you're not taking the opportunity to show off that strength."

Although a formal business plan is not of much use to venture capitalists, the same is not necessarily true of other sources of capital. Azi Gera, one of the University of Maryland study's authors, stresses that a well-written business plan remains critical for funding such as bank or government loans. "VCs can evaluate the soft processes of an entrepreneur better through other means," he says. "A banker doesn't have that ability."