FranchiseTalk:

* Check that existing business continuity contingency plans address long-term absenteeism rates. In particular, check to see if core business activities can be sustained over several weeks with only a minimal workforce available.

* Identify your company’s essential functions, which might include accounting, payroll, and information technology, and the individuals who perform them. The absence of these individuals could seriously impair business continuity. Cross-train employees to perform essential functions to ensure resiliency.

* Plan for interruptions of essential government services like sanitation, water, power, and transportation, or disruptions to the food supply. For example, employees may need back-up plans for car pools in case mass transit is interrupted.

* Determine which outside activities are critical to maintain operations and develop alternatives in case they cannot function normally. For example, what transportation systems are needed to provide essential materials? Does the business operate on ‘just in time’ inventory or is there typically some in reserve?

* Update sick leave and family and medical leave policies and communicate with employees about the importance of staying away from the workplace if they become ill.

* Establish or expand policies and tools that enable employees to work from home with appropriate security and network access to applications.

* Collaborate with insurers, health plans, and major healthcare facilities to share your pandemic contingency plans and to learn about their capabilities and plans.

* Maintain a healthy work environment. Ensure adequate air circulation. Post tips on how to stop the spread of germs at work. Promote hand and respiratory hygiene. Ensure wide and easy availability of alcohol-based hand sanitizer products.

Tell your employees about the threat of pandemic flu and the steps the company is taking to prepare for it. Establish an emergency communications plan and revise periodically. The plan should include key contacts (with back-ups), a chain of communications (including suppliers and customers), and the processes for communicating pandemic status and actions to employees, vendors, suppliers, and customers inside and outside the worksite in a consistent and timely way.

Related posts:

1. 401(K)S Offer Unique Benefits In Small Businesses U.S. News & World Report: Running a small business...
2. Top Ways To Prepare For Retirement U.S. Department of Labor: Know Your Retirement Needs -...
3. Small Businesses Catching On To Benefits Of A 401(K) 5 tax-specific benefits that make the 401(k) a smart choice...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Entrepreneur.com:

Everything is cheaper
Let’s face it: There is great value right now in this and in world markets. This is the right time for fantastic deals in virtually every category, from land and equipment to commercial office space, personnel and labor.

As asset prices have been knocked down, there is no better time to get into the real estate or financial markets, or even heavy equipment and construction. Some people have waited years to find value in these markets–and now that time has come.

You can hire more and better-qualified people
In an era when even Microsoft is laying off, you can find great resources at affordable rates. Thinking about getting your high-tech startup off the ground? There are plenty of engineers waiting to be hired.

Thinking about forming a professional services firm? There are many accountants and attorneys looking for their next opportunity.

People are looking to change suppliers
From a cost perspective, everything is on the table for most companies. Even if your prices are higher, if you can come in with greater value, you have a good chance at winning new business. You also have the advantage of being the new kid on the block when it comes to pitching your products and services. Many companies are desperate to find new partnerships with new companies that have a different, better or more innovative way of delivering those products and services.

Ownership equals tax incentives
Business ownership offers a variety of tax benefits that aren’t available to employees. While taxes should never be the sole reason to go into business for yourself, it should be one reason to add to you “benefits of business ownership” list.

Family and friends don’t want to (or can’t) invest more money into the stock or real estate markets
That means they may be willing to finance a portion of your new venture, or the expansion of an enterprise that has proven itself over time. The main benefit is that they know you and have a relationship with you–and if you have a solid business plan that delivers real numbers, your chances of raising the capital you need increase exponentially.

More reasons here.

Related posts:

1. How To Start A Virtual Assistant Business MSNBC: Lyn Toomey, a veteran virtual assistant and founder...
2. Should You Start A Biz In A Recession? About.com: Starting a business in good economic times is...
3. Laid Off? Start A Biz Kiplinger.com: Going solo Franchises, however, are but a part...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Americans for Tax Reform:

On Monday, the Obama Administration announced a series of government-focused solutions for America’s small business sector. Unfortunately, none of them involve long-term ideas to incentivize small businesses to be created or hire more employees.

Below are ten ideas President Obama could get started on right away to help America’s struggling small business sector…

1. Remove the looming tax hike on most small business profits. Since small businesses pay their income taxes on their owners’ tax returns, increasing personal income tax rates is a tax hike on small business profits. In fact, at least $2 out of every $3 in small business profits is earned in households making at least $200,000 per year. So the Pelosi-Reid-Obama plan to raise the top two tax rates is a direct tax hike on the lion’s share of small business profits. It’s like a Sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of small business owners

2. Cut the top marginal tax rate. Since most small business profits are taxed in the top two brackets, these tax brackets should be cut, not raised. A good principal should be that nobody should have to pay more than 25% of their income in taxes. Any rates higher than this should be cut down to 25%. This would be an immediate cut for small businesses, and would remove the current rate structure’s bias against future small business profits. Firms with fewer than 100 employees account for over one-third of employment in America. Cutting this tax rate will put more people to work

3. Cut the self-employment tax rate. Small businesses organized as sole proprietorships or general partnerships must pay two layers of tax—the income tax, and a “self-employment tax” (which is equivalent to the employer plus the employee “shares” of the FICA tax). As a result of the interaction of these two parallel tax structures, growing small businesses often face higher marginal income tax rates than established small businesses. This is unfair, and imposes ridiculously-high marginal tax rates on modest business profits. The self-employment tax should be cut in half to a flat rate of 7.65% (1.45% after the Social Security wage base is exceeded), the same rate faced by the employee’s “share” of FICA

4. Allow full business expensing. Small businesses are already allowed to expense business purchases today, but only up to $250,000 in assets purchased (there are also other limitations). Any asset purchases not eligible for expensing must be slowly-deducted, or depreciated, over many years. For small business owners, a tax cut delayed is a tax cut denied. The cap on small business expensing should be lifted, and all other limitations removed. This will incentivize small businesses to invest more in growing their firms

5. Uncap small business contributions to retirement plans. It’s no secret that America is facing a retirement savings crisis. The looming threat of Social Security’s bankruptcy conspires with a halved stock market and a low savings rate to foil our retirement safety. One easy solution to help turn things around would be to uncap the amount that small businesses could contribute to owner and employee retirement plans. Anything contributed should be deductible against both income and self-employment tax. There should be no contribution limits at all. Now more than ever, America needs to hyper-charge retirement savings

Read full article.

Related posts:

1. 401(K)S Offer Unique Benefits In Small Businesses U.S. News & World Report: Running a small business...
2. What Obama’s Proposed Tax Cuts Mean for Small Businesses BusinessWeek: Here’s a welcome report for entrepreneurs this new...
3. Small Businesses Catching On To Benefits Of A 401(K) 5 tax-specific benefits that make the 401(k) a smart choice...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

New York Daily News:

No tax question is too tough for New York’s top accountants, and Your Money is putting them to work for you — for free.

The annual Daily News Tax Hotline is returning this week to assist filers. An all-star team of certified public accountants will be on hand tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., to take your calls and reply to your blog posts and e-mails.

To get help, call (212) 210-2044, visit nydailynews.com/money or write to tax@nydailynews.com.

The Daily News is partnering again on the Tax Hotline with the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants, whose members have helped thousands of Daily News readers over the years.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for consumers to obtain free tax advice from top tax professionals,” said Sharon Sabba Fierstein, president of the society. “Our members have expertise in federal and state tax issues to respond to questions on any level.”

Your Money Editor Scott Wenger added: “In a tough economy, every legitimate deduction is crucial. Many readers don’t realize they may qualify for a refund.”

Related posts:

1. Home Based Business Ideas Ethiopian: 1. Translator. In a multi-ethnic society such as...
2. Busting The “Free Money” Myth Kerry Miller is a New York-based staff writer for...
3. Small Businesses To Get Free Access To Public Sector Contracts 7thSpace Interactive: A free trial starts today to provide...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Virtual Entrepreneur:

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama on Feb. 16, 2009. It is massive, not only in dollar amount ($787 billion), but also in length (781 pages, single-spaced).
The legislation represents about $1 billion of tax and appropriation benefits per page.

Here are 10 of the surprising, little known opportunities for businesses buried within this massive legislation:

1. Extension of bonus depreciation. The federal stimulus package extends last year’s 50-percent write-off of the cost of depreciable property for capital expenditures. Wisconsin businesses can extend this temporary benefit for capital expenditure incurred in 2009.

2. New Market Tax Credits. Available New Markets Tax Credits are increased to $5 billion for 2009 and 2010. Wisconsin developers, who have the opportunity to receive allocations for qualified projects, will enjoy an economic boost to projects during the current challenging economy.

3. Creation of renewable energy grants. In recognition of the recent constriction in the market for production and investment tax credits, Congress is allowing for-profit taxpayers that place in service a wide variety of renewable energy facilities to receive a grant from the Treasury Department in lieu of claiming a production or investment tax credit for those facilities. The grant will be equal to a percentage of the taxpayer’s basis in depreciable tangible personal and real property (not including buildings) that is used as an integral part of the facility. This grant opportunity should serve to provide a significant financial boost to qualified renewable energy projects in Wisconsin.

4. Creation of credit for investment in advanced energy property. Congress authorized $2.3 billion in tax credits for certain advanced energy property. The credit will be equal to 30 percent of a taxpayer’s basis in certain depreciable tangible personal or real property (excluding buildings) related to any project that re-equips, expands or establishes a manufacturing facility for the production related to various identified renewable energy resources. This represents an exciting opportunity for Wisconsin suppliers of component parts for renewable energy products.

5. Increase in the amount of energy conservation bonds from $2.4 billion to $3.2 billion. This increase in a financing source should serve to mitigate the current restrictive lending practices that apply to qualified energy projects.

More here.

Related posts:

1. Small Businesses Find A New Source For Funding MarketWatch: Unable to get loans at banks, more small-business...
2. The Senate Stimulus Package Has Even More Benefits For Small Business Owners It’s far from being a done deal yet. But...
3. Final Agreement Reached On The Economic Stimulus Package It has taken a very long time to happen,...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

MarketWatch:

Unable to get loans at banks, more small-business owners are turning to credit unions.

Most credit unions didn’t get in on the subprime-loan market, so they’re not smarting from multibillion-dollar losses like many banks. Many also have extra cash because deposits increased in 2008 as more investors abandoned the stock market and sought greater certainty in savings accounts. So credit unions are more able — and willing — than most of their banking counterparts to dole out money to small businesses.

Wisconsin Credit Union LeagueMatt Rosenthal, vice president of business services of Summit Credit Union, right, with Josh Duggan, president of Chem-Dry of Madison. Mr. Duggan received two business loans from Summit Credit Union.

About 27% of the 8,147 credit unions in the U.S. offer business loans, according to the Credit Union National Association, a trade group based in Washington, D.C. The amount of business loans was up 18% last year to almost $33 billion from nearly $28 billion in 2007. The average loan size is about $215,000.

“In this really bad environment, we’re doing more and more loans,” says Mike Schenk, senior economist at the Credit Union National Association.

Many credit unions say they would lend out even more money if they could. But a 1998 federal law caps the amount of business loans credit unions can have at 12.25% of assets. The banking industry opposes any changes to the legislation, but credit unions hope to convince Congress to introduce legislation to lift the cap. Last year, a bill was introduced to raise the lid to 20%, but it didn’t garner enough votes. Full post.

Related posts:

1. Bailout Money Heading To Small Businesses The Wall Street Journal: Small businesses finally are getting...
2. Funding Your Web Work Dream Web Worker Daily: So, you’re ready to do it:...
3. Key Things You Must Know About Low Rate Business Loans Todd Schuyler Free Home Business: The prime motive of...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Buffalo News:

For four decades, Hal Leader owned and ran Printing Prep, steering it through one industry change after another.

Even in retirement, the founder remains ebullient about the digital printing and graphic company’s latest innovations, like images applied to a set of blinds or a tablecloth.

When he was preparing to retire, Leader wanted to ensure the Buffalo company would survive without him.

The question was, who would buy it?

The answer, it turned out, was all around him. He decided to sell Printing Prep to his company’s 30 employees, through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, or ESOP.

“It’s the way it should be, quite honestly,” said Leader, who is 69.

Under an ESOP structure like Printing Prep adopted, employees buy shares of stock in the company from the owner. Many of the employees buy the shares with bank loans, which then must be paid back. An outside expert annually evaluates the value of the shares. Employees who leave or retire sell back their shares to the company for redistribution.

Since the company’s performance affects the shares’ value, the employees have a stake in those results. Ideally, the ownership strategy also removes the uncertainty that can occur when a business is sold to an outside interest.

Read full article.

Photo: Sharon Cantillon / Buffalo News.

Related posts:

1. How To Welcome Your New Employees Small Business: 1. Have a induction policy for welcoming...
2. When Can You Legally Fire Employees? AllBusiness: When you can legally fire employees isn’t an...
3. Managing Your Employees’ Hours And Wages Paying wages and managing the hours your employees work...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Kiplinger.com:

Going solo
Franchises, however, are but a part of the small- business universe. Some 52% of small businesses are home-based; some 21 million have no employees beyond the founding entrepreneur. Such businesses range from eBay sellers and dog walkers to tutors, real estate agents and consultants, including government contractors. While employer firms tend to move in lock step with the economy, one-person enterprises tend to move in the opposite direction.

Says economist Brian Headd, of the Small Business Administration: “Non-employer firms have the highest growth when the labor market struggles and the lowest growth when the labor market is doing well.”

Because loans are a small part of such start-ups, he sees no reason why “the data won’t follow similar patterns” in the current recession.

Indeed, retired small businessman Martin Lehman, who counsels would-be entrepreneurs at Score, an SBA affiliate, says business has increased. He’s seeing a lot of people teaching children at home or trying to open a studio to help people with exercise or personal training.

Getting a loan
For budding magnates who need to shake the money tree to get started, the stimulus package could help. The bill sent $730 million SBA’s way, some of which will be used to temporarily eliminate or reduce fees on SBA loans. And the SBA will now guarantee 90% of small-business loans made by banks, up from 75%. The legislation should also boost micro loans of up to $35,000 for firms with fewer than ten employees, provide refinancing opportunities for loans on land or machinery, and provide 100% SBA guarantees on bridge loans of up to $35,000 to help firms having trouble paying non-SBA loans.

In this economy, friends and family, by far the most common sources of start-up funding, may not be as easy a touch as they might have been a few years ago. Likewise, lenders who take a flier on a friend or a brother-in-law should consider such loans more gift than investment. Still, for those willing, Prosper and Virgin Money can help structure and administer such loans, so that your business arrangements have less chance of wrecking your Sunday dinners.

Other resources… continue reading.

Related posts:

1. Best Small Businesses To Start U.S. News & World Report: America’s economic future is...
2. Should You Start A Biz In A Recession? About.com: Starting a business in good economic times is...
3. Investing Retirement Savings To Start A Biz American Entrepreneurship: Tips from Brett Wilder: Everything possible should...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Great Dad:

The Internet has opened doors to many work-from-home occupations. Here is a list of the most popular web-based businesses, requiring very basic academic qualifications:

1. Data Entry
This job involves information processing. Qualifications required include familiarity with a word processing software, a spreadsheet software, and some typing speed. The more software applications you know, the better your chances of getting work.

2. Research
Companies need information to continue to grow. Several companies rely on information gained from research on the Web. A skilled web surfer can easily find sources and databases for information that companies need. You could start your own Internet Research Service to offer information and know-how.

3. Paid Survey Program
These are mainly market research surveys meant to gather data on various products and services. What is required from you is merely your opinion or feelings on a company’s products or services. This information is very valuable for companies as it helps them improve their products or services and stay ahead of the competition. They are therefore willing to pay you for the information.

Related posts:

1. Home Based Business Ideas Ethiopian: 1. Translator. In a multi-ethnic society such as...
2. Business Ideas For Students And Graduates Bizcommunity.com: New product researcher Staff: One to start. Fee:...
3. Where To Work When Running Your Home Based Biz Best Syndication: You’ve decided that you want to run...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Springwise:

Lucky Seven makes custom caps that bear the logos of fictional companies featured in cult films and television shows. Founder Jay Jay Burridge is a self-proclaimed seventies kid, who spent much of his childhood wearing a Star Wars cap. Burridge, who is an artist by trade, founded the London-based company as a hobby, and turned it into a successful online business.

Lucky Seven’s caps are all made to order. On the company’s website, customers are invited to design their own caps by choosing either a mesh or army style cap, a colour combination from an extensive palate, style of captain’s laurels, and the preferred fictional company’s crest. Want to declare your loyalty to the promise and opportunity of Blade Runner’s Off World Colonies? Done. Prefer people to think you shot J.R. because of your Ewing Oil cap? No problem. Every order is shipped in a Lucky Seven hat box, and caps are priced at GBP 30.

No related posts.

IXL Home Biz:

If the following points describe you, you could probably use a bad credit business loan through a business cash advance.

1. You Own a Merchant Business
A business cash advance can benefit a merchant business owner in so many ways. Working capital is one of the key ingredients of a successful business. Business cash advances can be used in one or more of the many ways that can eventually improve your business. Business cash advances are perfect for purchasing inventory, expanding businesses, or simply keeping a business on its feet.

2. Your Credit Score Isn’t Great
A business cash advance is probably one of the best options for a business owner whose credit is not the best, mainly because approval is not based on the applicant’s credit score. Since the repayment of a business cash advance is deducted as a small percentage from the business’ credit card sales, the applicant’s credit history is almost irrelevant. Business cash advance lenders rely on the business rather than the lender to get their money back.

3. You Have Little to No Collateral
There is no collateral required to receive a business cash advance. That means you can get the money you need without having the stress of worrying about your property. A business cash advance keeps your personal life and your business life separate. Therefore, your family won’t have to suffer because you’ve lost your house due to inability to repay a loan. A business cash advance also takes the stress of having to remember to make monthly loan payments off of the borrower, and is a virtually stress-free process from beginning to end.

4. You’ve Tried Other Options to No Avail
If you are one of the many business owners who have attempted to receive financing for their businesses only to be turned down time and time again for one reason or another, a business cash advance lender should be your next and final stop. After so many “No’s” it’s time to hear a “Yes” and get the money that your business has always deserved.

Related posts:

1. Applying For The Best Business Credit Card For Your Small Business Virtual Entrepreneur: Like most small business owners, I have...
2. Tight Credit Becomes Problem For Small-Business Owners USAToday: As lawmakers debate the proposed financial bailout bill,...
3. The Reasons Successful Small Business Owners And Investors In Atlanta, GA Assure They Have Proper Business Lines Of Credit Emailwire: The reality is that if small investors and...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Small Business:

1. Have a induction policy for welcoming and training new employees. Don’t just leave it to whoever is available. Human resources should cover the HR side of the induction with a trainer (if you have one) or a senior manager or supervisor covering the more hands on part of the job. Either way the following is a minimum of what is required.

2. Give your employee a warm welcome. Don’t just point them to the area they work and let them get on with it. Nothing makes a new employee feel comfortable more than a warm welcome.

3. Give them a brief description about your role as a supervisor. Knowing who’s in charge and what you expect from them will make them more comfortable with you as the boss.

4. Give your new employee a welcome tour of the whole department or, if the site isn’t too big, the whole site. Make sure they know how to get to the bathroom, emergency exits, cafeteria etc.

5. Give them a brief summary about the company, its history as well as its mission and objectives.

6. If possible demonstrate your company’s products and/or services, paying particular attention to the products relating to the area in which the employee will work. This will make them more secure and confident with the work that they are going to be doing.

7. Explain to your new employee how the company works particularly if the company has any unusual working practices or a different structure than the norm. Again, this will help familiarize them with the company. Continue reading.

Related posts:

1. Turning Employees Into Biz Owners Buffalo News: For four decades, Hal Leader owned and...
2. When Can You Legally Fire Employees? AllBusiness: When you can legally fire employees isn’t an...
3. Managing Your Employees’ Hours And Wages Paying wages and managing the hours your employees work...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

ITworld.com:

*Send out an e-mail newsletter. Even if you have a small bricks-and-mortar business, you should be collecting the e-mail address of every customer who walks through your door.

That way you can send them a regular newsletter with special offers, special events, coupons, and more.

“Your newsletter will keep your best customers coming back again and again,” says Tribby. “You can send your newsletter with cheap software like Get Response, which for only $17 per month Early to Rise uses to send e-mail to more than 440,000 subscribers. Or you can set up a new account with free e-mail services like Yahoo or Gmail to send messages to your list of customers.”

* Try your hand at online public relations. If you have a new product coming out, you should announce the news online. Write an informative press release with plenty of “contact” info that leads back to your own website or business. But because not too many people will be interested in reading only about your business, be sure to link your “news” with a hot topic of the day. It could be something that’s been in the news or that is controversial in your industry. Then submit it to online press release sites like PRWeb.com or Free-press-release.com.

For example, Tribby reports that she had the good fortune to interview Newt Gingrich in March 2007. Immediately after the interview, ETR posted a press release to several online press distribution services. It also uploaded comments about the interview to news-aggregating services, blogs, and political forums (with a back-link to the release posted in its Investors Daily Edge archive).

“Within the weeks following the initial interview, website visits and traffic ranking more than doubled and conversion also showed a spike,” says Tribby. “Three months later, the release was still being picked up by the media and through syndication… and the Investors Daily Edge website was enjoying residual traffic and back-links from this effort.”

* Hold teleconferences (a.k.a. teleseminars). Anybody can pick up a telephone and start talking. And that’s the key to using teleconferences to promote your business. It works like this: You find an expert in your industry to interview over the phone, you arrange a number for your customers to call in to hear the interview either for free or a modest fee, you offer another product to your customers during the call, and you record the call (which you can sell later).

“Essentially, you could have hundreds, or even thousands, of your customers listening in to your marketing message for minimal cost,” says Tribby. “My own company does teleconferences that cost less than $1 per attendee to produce. We actually had one that brought in $330,000.”

* Participate in joint ventures. Leverage your relationships with other, likeminded businesses in your niche or in related industries through joint ventures. Each JV is different, but it basically involves working together to promote each other’s products, with each side taking a split of the profit. It’s a great way to accelerate the growth of a business without spending much money.

“When joint venturing, look for strong partners, businesses that have skills or resources you lack,” advises Tribby. “Make sure each side’s contribution is equal and decided in advance. Make agreements simple, but put them in writing. The idea is to create joint ventures that are easy to maintain, financially lucrative, and long-lasting.

“Agora Inc., the ‘parent’ company of Early to Rise, grew its business from $1 million to $60 million primarily through joint ventures,” she adds. “It partnered with outside investment writers to publish financial newsletters and grow each publication’s subscriber list.”

* Use pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Services like Google AdWords offer a great low-cost way to advertise online. The best part is that your ads are targeted to Web surfers who are looking for products or services just like yours. You can even target your ads to specific geographic areas—perfect for bricks-and-mortar businesses.

In PPC advertising you pay only when someone clicks on your ad on the results page of Google. And your ads, which are three lines with a headline and your URL, show up only when someone is searching for keywords you have designated for your ad. You bid on these keywords, which should be terms that you think your target market is searching for. Because you bid and control how much you spend, you can limit your investment to as much or as little as you’d like.

“The key to success with PPC is testing,” notes Tribby. “You have to change your headlines, copy, and offer until you find the combination that brings in sales.”

Related posts:

1. Growing Your Business With Joint Ventures Internet Based Moms: Are you ready to grow your...
2. Online Home Biz Marketing: Five Newer Marketing Tactics PowerHomeBiz.com: Video Marketing – Video marketing is a powerful...
3. Free Ways To Market Your Small Business Site Search Engine Watch: “Free” is a word that perks...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

BusinessWeek:

1. Keep Selling. Purchasing agents are reporting sharp drops in weekly sales calls across many industries, Rauseo says. That means less competition for your products or services. “It’s easier to get a commission-only sales force going today” with so many individuals looking for jobs, he says. “Give your salespeople the tools they need and have them redouble their efforts.”

2. Evaluate Marketing Effectiveness. Don’t cut your advertising and marketing budgets, but put tight controls in place that allow you to gauge the response and adjust your expenditures on a weekly basis, Rauseo recommends. If something’s not working, make changes sooner rather than later.

3. Anticipate Opportunities. In whatever form it takes, there will likely be a large influx of government money this year as part of President Obama’s economic stimulus plan. “With that much money flooding into the economy, of course there’s going to be an effect,” Rauseo says. “Prepare a strategy for tapping into it and you can take advantage of it.”

4. Create a Rapid Response Team. Set up a recession-busting committee that can anticipate the effects of the downturn and react quickly. “If there’s an item on your menu that no one’s buying, get rid of it. If you’ve got trucks returning from runs empty, schedule a third stop where they can pick up goods and eliminate empty miles,” Rauseo says.

5. Get Creative. Brainstorm innovative solutions to your business problems. “We had a client making hinges for the auto industry and they were going down the tubes. Now they’re making hinges for caskets and they’re recovering,” Rauseo says. “Stop panicking and get on with business.”

More tips here.

Related posts:

1. How To Turn Around A Struggling Business Bob Evans Farms Inc. is a publicly held restaurant...
2. Good Questions For Marketing Strategies Here are some really good questions to ask yourself from...
3. 10 Things To Remember About Effective Advertising Chris Cardell is one of the UK’s leading experts...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Press Release 365:

For a limited time, Axioi, Inc. will provide coaching at no cost to new members of one of the world’s most successful work-at-home training programs. By enrolling through a special URL, new members of the Maverick Money Makers Club will automatically be eligible for one month of free personal coaching.

There are typically three common truths to starting a work-at-home home business: 1) It is possible to get started without a coach, but it is a lot easier and often faster to succeed with one. 2) Coaching for a start-up company can be anywhere from five to twenty thousand dollars; often more. 3) Every vendor will upsell, upsell, upsell.

This joint venture provides personal one-on-one coaching at no cost for one month with no expectation that coaching will continue beyond the gifted time.

Says Isak Griffiths, owner of Axioi: “Mack [Michaels] and I both really want to see people create amazing lives for themselves. There is nothing like having the time and the money to be able to care of your family, give back to the community, and enjoy being with your friends. We want to give people every opportunity to make this happen.”

This is a limited opportunity, however. More info here.

Related posts:

1. Things That Makes Your Work At Home Internet Business Unsuccessful American Chronicle: Today many people use Internet to make...
2. Work From Home: 10 Hours A Week Online Can Get You $5,000 A Month Or More! PRLog.Org: No matter what type of business product or...
3. Where To Work When Running Your Home Based Biz Best Syndication: You’ve decided that you want to run...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Financial Post:

If you’re in the midst of divorce, meditation, a healthy diet, plenty of exercise and laughter could help your business - and you - survive. That’s because the better shape you’re in, the greater the likelihood you’ll be able to tend to the business.

Not only does the divorce of a business’s owners often unleash uncertainty in the minds of everyone from employees to customers and suppliers - putting the business at risk- but it’s also a very difficult time for the owners themselves, which can result in them neglecting the business’s needs. The fact is, the best time to ensure a husband/wife-owned company will survive a divorce is during business’s honeymoon period, or at least during its good times.

The problem is most happily married couples cannot even begin to imagine what going through a divorce is like. So to ensure their business’s survival and minimize the upheaval divorce can cause, the first step is for the spouses to take a good, hard look at all that could go wrong- when all is going right and they’re thinking rationally.

“I often suggest to couples that they lay down on the table worst-case scenarios,” says Ruby Wong, a partner at Toronto-based law firm Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, who specializes in corporate and commercial matters.

Read on…

Related posts:

1. Tips To Survive A Cash Flow Crisis MarketWatch: 1. Triage payments Make a list of all...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Virtual Entrepreneur:

How gloomy are entrepreneurs?

Check out the latest results of a survey of 805 small-business owners by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying group. In the last 420 months that the NFIB has taken that monthly pulse of small-business owners–on everything from profits and inventories to hiring and capital spending–last December marked the second-worst in terms of overall optimism. (The most pessimistic month was recorded during another recession–back in 1980.)

Few think the pain will subside anytime soon. There comes a point, though, when it’s time to stop worrying and get down to the business of, well, staying in business.

While every small company has its own specific challenges, there are plenty that span all industries. We canvassed the entrepreneurial landscape looking for common problems–and tapped top business minds for their cures (or at least palliatives).

How can I plan when I can’t project?… read on.

Related posts:

1. Survival Tips For Entrepreneurs smSmallBiz: Slash Expenses Streamlining your business can help you...
2. How Will Entrepreneurs Fare In A Recession? U.S. News & World Report: When something gets riskier,...
3. Million Dollar Entrepreneurs Spends One Day Teaching Small Business Owners How To Capitalize On Declining Economy & Make Millions During Recession PR Web: David Neagle, known as the Master of...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Startup Costs: $50,000 - $100,000 About
Franchises Available? No
Online Operation? Yes

Entrepreneur.com:

Business Overview
The increasing trend toward conducting business enterprises from a home office continues to grow at a record pace in North America. Due to this fact an entirely new business requirement has surfaced. What do you do if your business is homebased, yet you require short-term meeting facilities? There’s one simple solution to the question if you’re an enterprising entrepreneur: you start a boardroom office facility that can be rented and utilized by homebased business entrepreneurs, employees and traveling businesspeople. The best way to reach your target market–which, of course, is homebased business owners–is to join local business associations in your community and start promoting your boardroom rental service. Almost every city and community across North America now has a Homebased Business Owners Association or Chamber of Commerce. Most of these associations host networking meetings, and these networking meetings are fantastic forums to meet other business owners and introduce them to your new boardroom service. Likewise, you’ll want to get the message out to corporate and business travelers that may also require this type of service while conducting business in your area.

The Market… read on.

Related posts:

1. How To Turn Your Home Business Idea Into A Home Business Business Opportunities And Ideas: Having racked your brains for...
2. How To Get A Fresh Business Idea Off The Ground YoungEntrepreneur.com: Identify your Unique Selling Proposition Once you know...
3. Ways To Find Your Next Business Idea Wall Street Journal Blogs: 1. Tap your own experiences....

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Entrepreneur.com:

Are you looking for the fast track to starting your business? You want to make sure you hit all the high points but don’t get bogged down in too many fine points that lead you nowhere, right? Then read this guide, and get your business running in less than a month.

Week 1

Day 1: Start with a viable idea.
Start thinking about whether your core idea makes a viable business.
How do you know? Well, honestly, you don’t always. It does help to take a step back from the idea, try to be honest and objective with yourself, and ask these questions:

1. Does anybody need (or want) what we’re going to be selling? How bad is the need, or how much do they want it? Think about it in commonsense terms. Vigorous market research will come later.

2. Will they pay for it? While they say people will beat a path to your door for a better mousetrap, that’s not always true. Think about it in your case.

3. Are they paying for something else, now, already? Can we go from that to honestly believing they’ll pay for what you’re going to offer?

4. How will you focus? Do you have a strategy, or are you planning to do everything for everybody?

The answers to these questions may seem obvious, but the point of this exercise is to give yourself a reality check. Essentially, you’re asking whether there’s a market for your product or service. If you’re laying out a lot of money, and especially if that’s somebody else’s money (like investors), it’s worth it to do the background research. Full article.

Related posts:

1. The Top Small Business Startup Success Secrets Carolina Newswire: Achieving small business success is yours for...
2. Startup No-No’s StartupNation: 1. Writing a business plan before a life...
3. How To Turn Your Home Business Idea Into A Home Business Business Opportunities And Ideas: Having racked your brains for...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

FastUpFront:

1. The number of small businesses is expected to grow. With the unemployment rate climbing and job security being challenged across the board, many will try their luck with small and personal businesses. A large percentage of this population will consist of Gen Y and Babyboomers.

2. Flexibility and innovation reign supreme. To survive the tough economic conditions, small businesses will need to increase their productivity, efficiency and customer value. This will compel many businesses to be creative in the way they operate and in the products and services they offer.

3. A year of bootstrapping and belt tightening. With consumer confidence at the lowest it has been in years, and many industries effected by sluggish consumer spending, small businesses will need to focus on improving their cash flow, reducing costs, and holding on to their customers.

4. Less legitimate funding for small businesses. 2009 promises to be a hard year for small businesses in need of financing. The banks as well as all sorts of commercial and private lenders are pulling in the reigns when it comes to offering money to entrepreneurs and small companies. Simultaneously, expect an increase in predatory lending schemes and their “barely legal” equivalents, such as payday cash loans.

5. Mobile technology provides necessary tools. Mobile technology will continue to offer small businesses the ability to boost productivity, efficiency, and market outreach in order to maintain a competitive edge and hold on to customers. Expect the continued growth and usage of navigation systems, location-based services, smart phones, netbooks (small notebooks primarily used for Internet access), and a whole slew of mobile applications.

More trends here.

Related posts:

1. 2009 Top Small Business Trends Small Business Labs: 1. The Recession Drives Small Business...
2. 12 Global Small Business Trends To Watch In 2008 MarketingProfs: 1. Embrace the world Small businesses will embrace...
3. Small Business - How To Reach Your Customers Via Mobile Phone Andrew Grant: One of the greatest benefits that comes...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.