How To Integrate Yourself In Someone Elses Business

Writen by Bette Daoust, Ph.D.

When do you need to get more involved with the day to day activities of your business partner?

The best business relationship you can have is one where the client does not know whether you are a contractor or whether you are an employee. Working alongside the client, you are the one that offers solutions to problems. These relationships take time to develop, but if your expertise helps make them a profit, then they will be more open to having you "on staff". In order to place yourself in this type of position, you need to possess an expertise that the client does not have. You also have to make sure that you have a working knowledge of their processes and procedures. You are not there to make policy decisions but to push them in the right direction when your technical expertise is required. I know a company in the aeronautics industry that works so closely with one of its clients that they help them design their airplanes and give them advice on where they can save money and improve on their processes.

This company is so ingrained in the other organization that upper management takes them for granted. The main problem they are facing is getting in front of the decision makers so that they can do more business. This is not a bad problem to have, but you still have to maintain your identity. Companies that work this well together have gone past the dating game and are now well matched and have a solid long term relationship. This does not mean that you want to work for one company; it simply means that you need to get close enough to your client that you know how you can be of value and let them know where they can make improvements.

Getting involved with other businesses is the best way to cement a relationship and to ensure longevity with the projects. It will also eliminate the threat of competition as they are an unknown and you know the trade secrets on an intimate basis. You need to bond the relationship to make sure you stay in the client's mind.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people's attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the "Networking Queen". Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit http://www.BlueprintBooks.com

Merchandise To Stay Alive

Writen by Ian Crossley

Whatever anyone thinks, this motivational, self help, spiritual business, in its early stages is not very lucrative. You have to do your apprenticeship and get some credibility, and during this time there is not a lot of money flowing in.

When you have done your apprenticeship and you feel ready to move on, there are many opportunities to creating money at any talks that you give. The most obvious thing of course, if you have not got a published book, is to self publish something of your own. You must make sure that you do a professional job, 20 pages of photocopied text, stapled together, will not say very much about you, and will do more harm than good. Find yourself a friendly printer and put some real effort into your presentation. There are some very good budget ways to present your publication and make it look attractive to your clientele. Most books that are not recommended by someone, are actually sold on the presentation of the cover.

If you have given a good talk most people would like a momento of the evening. I always OK it with the promoters that it will be in order to sell my merchandise at the talk. If they agree you can be a bit flexible on your fee. You need to cover all budgets, and I actually sell, small items, such as fridge magnets and mousemats, right up to fleecy hooded sweatshirts, and T Shirts with my logo on them. An evening with 200 in the audience can actually end up with merchandise sales in excess of $1500.00 AUD. As most items are loaded at least 50% it becomes a nice little bonus to add to your fee. It is possible to take a much larger profit per item, but I feel it is better to sell as much as possible, after all they are actually buying your advert.

Another way to add to your income is to run your own seminars. This is not as difficult as it sounds. It is best to start with small numbers, say 100 people. Give your self plenty of time to organise it, because if you have not got access to credit card payment facilities, you will have to organise cheques.

In these early days, unless you are willing to take a gamble, I would not rely solely on people paying at the door. Obviously once you have sold some tickets you are comitted and then you can tell people that they can pay on the door, once you have covered your expenses. Depending on the venue, it is always a good idea to try and get your audience to hang around after the talk, this gives you a chance to get some individual clients and also lets people know that you are available. I personally provide coffee and biscuits free of charge, after each seminar. The coffee and tea are obviously in close proximity to the merchandise.

I hope this has given you some ideas and will assist you in promoting your business.

Croz is a motivational speaker and personal mentor. His specialist subject is De-Stress programmes His website is http://www.croz.com.au and the company that produce all his merchandise is http://www.oztz.com.au Croz can help you with ideas if you contact him via his website on the Contact Us page

Gold Medal Delegation

Writen by David Handler

When the recent Games of the XXVIII Olympiad came to a close in Athens, two events stood out in my mind as perfect examples of the importance of time management:

1. Teenage swimmer Michael Phelps, America's most-celebrated Olympic athlete, matched Mark Spitz's record of four individual gold medals with a stirring comeback in the 100m butterfly. Phelps pulled off an incredible feat in the final 50 meters, making up a half-body length to nip teammate and world-record holder Ian Crocker by four-hundredths of a second.

2. In the men's 100m track and field final, the United States took first, third and fourth. The time separating Justin Gatlin's gold medal performance from teammate Shawn Crawford's fourth place finish was again four-hundredths of a second. That means after running more than the length of a football field, four men crossed the finish line separated by less time than you can start and stop a stopwatch.

Fortunately, most small business owners don't have to overcome such narrow time margins to achieve success in their endeavors. The key for you is to get the most out of your entire working day. Once you identify your Genius Time – those high-impact activities that lead to your peak performance and bring the biggest return to your franchise business – your Olympic challenge becomes disciplining yourself to focus on it regularly. To do this, you must become a gold medalist at delegation.

Success Handler Action: After you finish reading this e-newsletter, spend some time thinking about things you do in your small business that could be given to others with a few minutes of instruction. These are "Delegation Tasks" that may require you to go over the "how to" with a person the first few times, yet could easily transition to someone else's responsibility on a regular and ongoing basis. Here are some questions to help you get started:

~ What things did you do today that someone else could have handled?

~ Where are you spending time that your instincts tell you someone else should be doing?

~ Why do the 'smaller' things keep getting in the way of accomplishing your 'bigger' goals?

~ When you are away for awhile, which employees 'get things done'?

~ Who in your small business best accepts new challenges?

Eliminating Delegation Tasks does not necessarily require increasing your payroll. It can be as simple as choosing a few of the less-important things you do frequently (our clients often mention answering the phone, making bank deposits, copying and filing), and transferring them to an existing employee.

The second step to maximizing your Genius Time is to identify your "I Wish Tasks." These are the two or three things you wish someone else would do, and they may take an hour or more of guidance on your part to get this person up to speed (invoicing and writing thank you notes are two examples that come up during our coaching sessions). When you think about how much money your time is worth per hour, it probably makes sense to off-load these to someone else.

Success Handler Action: If you don't have people on staff to handle Delegation and I Wish Tasks, it won't cost a fortune to have someone take them over for you. Here are five places to look for the right person to give you four or five hours each week at less than $10 per hour:

1. Friends and neighbors who left the workforce to become stay-at-home parents

2. Family members who could use some extra money

3. Full-time college students looking to create work experience for their resumé

4. Seniors who retired from successful business careers

5. The best volunteers in your local elementary school's parent-teacher organization

Olympians train for years for the chance to have their moments of glory. Whether legends like Jesse Owens or those who finish out of medal contention and fade from the spotlight, each takes on the enormous challenge of the Olympic motto – Swifter, Higher, Stronger.

Developing your Genius Time won't occur overnight. You'll find yourself drifting off course and allowing Delegation and I Wish Tasks to interrupt your productivity. The goal – your gold medal – is to commit to changing how you approach your role in your small business. Delegate those things that aren't of Olympic importance, and spend your time focusing on the areas that give you the best shot at celebrating victory.

Copyright © 2004 by Success Handler, LLC. All rights reserved.

The Coach, David Handler, is the founder of Success Handler, (http://www.successhandler.com), and specializes in helping small business leaders find clarity and take action. He understands the challenges of running a business, because he's been there – as a small business owner, franchisee, franchisor, corporate leader and trainer. Much like sports coaches, his coaching will show you how to compete on a level playing field in your industry.

Awning Cleaning Business Case Study Entrepreneurship 101

Writen by Lance Winslow

It is most fascinating to study how entrepreneurs spot opportunity in the market place. "My name is Lance Winslow and I am a serial entrepreneur, I admit I am addicted and need help." ..."Hello Lance." Let me explain how I formed one of my companies which became a franchise system in itself and became a module under the umbrella company I had formed many years the prior. I at first saw it as another business to fit into our growing niche of cleaning businesses. It was to be called the Awning Wash Guys. This is an interesting case study in how businesses form and how companies seek, find and exploit opportunity in the market place. Here is the story:

Many years back I got a call last from my franchisees in Denver, who had been doing very good after signing up all the John Elway Car Dealerships for car washing. My franchisee was a Car Wash Guys Franchisee specializing in car washing for car dealers at the time:

http://www.carwashguys.com/dealershipdiv.shtml

He told me that Auto Nation bought out the 46 Dealership Chain in the Denver Area and they continued our services and have actually added tons of new dealerships in other franchise areas for us to wash. Every car gets washed 2 Xs per week at $1.25-1.50 each. Some of these dealerships have almost 1000 cars on the lots. Needless to say with this big account this franchisee became our quickest success story that year.

Then they were approached by Brian Stillmock, who just happened to be one of two of the leading awning washing companies and experts in that field. As luck would have it, he wanted to sell his business. But he loved his company and would only sell it to a professional out fit, because his customers had a ten + year following. Our Denver franchisees had the $90,000.00 to buy the business due to great sales, and the fact that I also hired them at $2,000.00 per new franchise to train the new team members. They asked if they could buy the Awning Wash Guys Business, I said yes but I wanted to see the books, and warned them about cash flow in a only billed customers type business.

Most franchise agreements have clauses, which are quite specific as to what types of businesses franchisees are allowed to participate in. We sat down and made a plan and cash flow strategy, and I knew if things didn't work out I would have to financially bail them out otherwise they might also go out of business due to cash flow with their Car Wash Guys franchise. Brian the seller agreed to stay on board with me as a co-founder. His books were immaculate and scary. Never seen such well-documented books; great business and incredible revenues almost $160-200 per hour; gross.

So we built a web site and offered it as a co-brand to new and existing franchisees of car wash guys, with the understanding that it was a totally separate business and they would need to pay Brian for proper training and buy his patented equipment. Before that Brian was a BIZ OP and sold about 24 units and did not understand franchising. I did, having just co-authored Franchising 101 and joined the Board of Directors for the AAFD-American Association of franchisees and Dealers. We decided that once we formed the WashGuy.com franchise all 24 Biz Ops including an operator and manufacturer of awnings in Canada would join our network and we would agree to never sell those territories as long as those prior Biz Op buyers were in businesses that had previously bought from Brian. Brian also had manufacturers who he networked with doing 50+ million in sales per year, who referred jobs to him and some of his BiZ Ops people. So what the heck. We join forces and go after a totally untapped market.

It worked.

I regret that that business is a higher generator per hour than washing and detailing cars in an industry, which is dominated by 1000s of independents and price competitive. A little bit of an ego breaker it was for me, but the numbers did not lie, and if a door is open that wide I will damn well run through it; especially with Brian's network of manufacturers, repairers and our team to back us up 110%. We knew if this thing grew too big too quick that Brian and I could split our time and hire another Biz Op out of Florida called Awning Rejuvenation Systems to help with training, marketing and product distribution. Brian holds 4 patents on Awning Cleaning devises and I know franchising very well. And our first prototype was our Denver franchisees that were sticklers for quality and consistency.

Brian also had several tri-state contracts he had been unable to service, TGIF and Block Buster Video that would be in regions we could service without other franchisees until things were finalized as far as a franchise was concerned. This site contains mega data about what we do. Instantly we became the best assembled awning wash team on the Planet. This one was obvious and simply fell right in my lap and it took me less than three hours to decide to go for it. We did and it works. I would like to have 1 franchisee in every one of the 240 DMAs in the next ten years. The day we started we were the number one Awning Washing Franchise in the World; albeit the only one. I like that scenario, as an entrepreneur it has a nice ring to it indeed; I can certainly use that.

If I enter an Industry, I want to be the leader in 18-36 months. If I can't I will collect all the data I can, read everything I can find and hire franchisees to do data searching. I read 160 magazines in every industry and collect articles and categorize them so when I am ready I will attack with the power of knowledge, this is what we did here. Richard Branson has 150 Brands, so 22 is a good start for a 35 year old who wanted to wash everything in the world and clean this place up. While Branson is flying around the World in a Hot Air Balloon, we are kind of had the fancy of washing the World below to better his view of things

This gives you a real live example of how co-brands are formed and how markets are won. It gives an entrepreneur a little insight as to how the real world works. Often enough if you listen to the college business professors, government brain dead regulators and lawyers giving you advice you would swear that building a business is something totally different indeed. As an entrepreneur you need to change the way you think and attack markets and how you seek, find and exploit markets. I hope this little story will help you see that point. Good Luck and continued success, think on it.

Lance Winslow

Aircraft Washing Service Operations Manual

Writen by Lance Winslow

Anyone who is serious about washing aircraft as a full time profession should be prepared to write a manual, which will insure proper procedures are followed during the washing process. Each crew team leader and manager should be well versed and trained in washing each type of aircraft. Many surfaces of individual aircraft vary and within those specific aircraft there will be many types of surfaces. For instance de-ice boots, fabric, aluminum, Plexiglas, fiberglass, composite and even steel and wood.

It is imperative and paramount that if you own an aircraft washing or detailing business that you have proper manuals in place for your teams of cleaners. Below please find an Outline to an aircraft-cleaning manual. You will need to modify this slightly for your aircraft cleaning business, but it is a good place to start. Go ahead and print this article and then cross off those items you will most likely not be cleaning and add in those items which are not found on the outline. Once you have completed this step then you can write up several paragraphs on each numbered and lettered item. This will become the rough draft of your aircraft cleaning operations manual. After you have completed type it up and add in some aircraft graphics and you have yourself a first class aircraft washing service operations manual with proper protocols and procedures to wash nearly any aircraft or aircraft service.

I. AVIATION

A. Aircraft (Exterior)

1. 1-1 Government (Military)

2. Jets

3. Small Planes

a. Soaping

b. Emphenage

c. Static Port

d. Pitot Tube

e. Avionics

f. Leaking

g. Ceconite

h. Aluminum

i. Fabric

k. Composite and Fiberglass

l. Plexiglass Cleaning

B. Airlines, Charter Aircraft

1. Use Internal Procedures

2. Safety

3. 1-1 Guidelines

4. Etc.

Lance Winslow

Getting Grant Funding For Your Nonprofit Organization

Writen by Berwyn Kemp

Do you need grant funding for your nonprofit organization? If you do you are most certainly not alone in your needs. This combined with the fact that because of regular government budget cuts there's not as many federal dollars available as there once was. And because of our current economic recession foundation dollars are down as well. What you now have are some serious concerns facing your nonprofit organization.

On the other hand there is still a vast source of funding out there for your organization. But, even more so today than ever, in order for you to get your share of the treasure that's out for you. You must approach the matter of grant getting in an organized and systematic manner.

And you must make the process of obtaining grants a regular and ongoing activity for your organization. Here are some guidelines to help you get the grant funds you seek:

* Carefully assess your funding needs by asking yourself a number of very important questions, such as: How much funding do you need? How will this funding be used? Who will benefit from this funding? And, how will this funding be used? Having clear answers to these kinds of questions are a key part of any request for funding, and will help you determine the kinds of grantors you should be approaching.

* Make a list of your target grantors specific to your needs. You can do this by going to the main branch of your public library. Where you should find some kind of grant research center with a wealth of grant funding directories you can use.

* If you live in a very small community and your library doesn't have a grant research center. You should contact The Foundation Center, 79 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10003, (212)620-4230 where you'll find a wealth of grant directories too, that you can purchase directly from them. Be sure to request a copy of their current catalog when you contact them.

* Contact each grantor on your list for a copy of their current funding guidelines, and proposal requirements. While all grant directories do list grantors basic funding requirements and rules. You should still always contact them before you apply. Since what's listed could be actually much different from what they currently do, and your time is too valuable to waste it.

* Prepare a clear concise attractive development proposal of between 8 to 12 pages. While many large nonprofit organization tailor make a proposal for each program or project they're marketing to get specific grantor, this can be a very time consuming process if your organization is small or mid-sized, without the staff and support that many large agencies have. Thus it's better to prepare a standard proposal covering your capital, program, and operating needs. Then target it with a well-prepared submission cover letter.

* Even in those cases where a grantor does have specific proposal requirements. You'll find still that most of what you've already prepared can be incorporate into your custom proposal quite easily. Allowing you to prepare custom proposals in those situations where it's needed. This is especially true when seeking federal funding, where your proposal must be targeted to the requirements of the federal grantor.

* Keep in mind the fact that the easiest kinds of grant to obtain are grants for capital needs items. And grants for unique, exciting, and innovative programs and projects. Whereas the hardest items to get grant for are operating cost items. So you should use grantors primarily for capital and program funding objectives. And secure private gifts from individuals to raise most of your operating cost funds.

* Set aside a block of time each week, even if it's only three or four hours. During which time you or a designated staff member will devote to the three key areas of effective grant solicitation. Namely, researching funding sources, preparing, and submitting proposals. Doing this will keep you up to date on who's doing what, improve proposal preparation skills, and keep those grants coming in regularly.

Yes, you can get the grant funds you need to effectively operate your nonprofit organization. And help all those people who need the help that you provide them. But you must go about getting the grants you need in an organized systematic fashion. And refuse to take "no" for an answer, because the cost of doing otherwise is much too great for so very many.

Berwyn J. Kemp is a fundraising consultant who helps nonprofit organizations obtain funding. For full details on his funding products, or to read more of his re-printable articles you can visit: http://www.berwynkemp55.tripod.com

Business Support Systems Your Family Is Key

Writen by Joshua Feinberg

Business support systems are critical to your business success. The most important business support system is your family. The spousal relationship is particularly key to your ability to launch and operate a successful business.

If your spouse or significant other is against your business, then you are missing a huge portion of the business support system you need to sustain yourself. Running a small business is a family affair. Whether your family thinks they are involved or not, they are. They truly are the largest source of support your business will get.

Impact of Negativity

If your family is negative about your business then this influence will almost wipe out any other business support systems you have in place. It's going to be tough for the next couple of months while you get your business off the ground. A strong, positive, encouraging business support system will sustain you through the lows and temper you through the highs.

Negativity, on the other hand, will kill your business faster than anything else. If you are hearing all day that you're no good, you're business is crappy, you're ruining your life, blah blah blah blah, you will go down a black hole with the rest of the business support systems you so carefully put in place.

The Bottom Line on Business Support Systems

You need to have positive business support systems and the main source of this support is your family. If your family is not going to be supportive then the circumstances are not optimal for your launch. Despite all the other business support systems you may have in place, your family trumps them all. Think seriously about where your family rates in your business support system and then decide if now is really the right time to start your business.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Small Business Computer Consulting .com. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg has helped thousands of small business computer consulting firms get more steady, high-paying clients. Now you can too. Sign-up now for your free access a one-hour audio training program featuring field-tested, proven Small Business Computer Consulting Secrets.

Prowealthsolutions Does It Work

Writen by Lisa Reynoso

If you are into Internet Marketing, you have probably run across a page advertising Pro Wealth Solutions--probably more than once. It makes some big promises--like that you can earn up to $1092 a month without referring a single person. You may be wondering, Is this company worth my time?

As someone who spent money to join, I'm going to give you my two cents worth. I'll tell what, in my opinion, are the good and bad points, so that you can make an informed decision. You see, you need to decide if it's worth the investment of about $70 to sign up and $35 a month thereafter. Granted, you can sign up for free, but to earn anything, you have to join. So I'm going to share my experience so you can decide if it's worth it for you.

First, they promise that you can earn up to $1092 a month without referring a single person. That means paying your membership fee of $35 a month, which is automatically deducted from your credit card (so you don't even have to think about it) and you get a check for up to $1092 a month. Sounds good. But there is a problem. In order to get that $1092 a month, you need to have 1,092 people under you in a 3x6 forced matrix. To get those people "without referring a single person", you must wait for spillovers to come from your uplines (which will happen, theoretically, because a matrix only allows 3 people on a level before it spills over to the next one). You will be paid $1 a month for each person that spills over to underneath you.

When I signed up, I did it with the idea of getting the money without referring anyone--after all, that is what they said would happen. I didn't know how to advertise and didn't have the resources to experiment. I figured that maybe I'd make a few dollars the first month, and that after a month or two I'd start getting at least the $35 a month I was investing, and that eventually I would get the $1092. Unfortunately, after three weeks I had in my matrix a grand total of 0. That's right. 0.

What made it deceptive is that they have this powerline that is constantly building. I signed up for free and then watched the powerline grow. In about 48 hours I had over 1,100 paid members in my powerline--so I figured that meant I would get $1092 in a month or two. It wasn't until after I signed up that I realized that the statement that "The members you see below you in your Powerline do not necessarily reflect the members you will see in your Matrix" was truer than I had realized. As of the writing of this article, I have over 13,000 members (paid members, not pre-enrollees) and 0 in my matrix.

Interestingly enough, my upline in another business I recently got involved in tried ProWealthSolutions. Because he had a list to send to, he was able to get a few sign ups, but he has not had any spillover, either. Others have had spillover, but I think it depends on who you sign up under and where you are in the matrix.

If you are someone who has the money to invest and can afford to experiment, then ProWealthSolutions might work for you. Each person that you refer gets you $25, plus $1 a month. And there are other benefits once you get involved. If, like me, you're considering it because of that $1092 a month, I would caution you strongly to look elsewhere. You probably won't get it--at least, not anytime soon--unless you just happen to be directly under someone who is very actively promoting the business. If not, you're going to be spending money and getting next to nothing for it.

The official ad for the program is worded very carefully--but beware of other people who have written their own ads for it. Their choice of words may be deceptive at best. And the pay plan information once you pre-enroll is very confusing. So be very careful.

So is ProWealthSolutions for you? Maybe, but there are better programs out there that won't cost near as much and will teach you a whole lot more. Do your research before you join, and you will be more likely to come out ahead.

Lisa Reynoso is a housewife and mother-to-be that has begun the odyssey of starting her own home based Internet business. You can read about her adventures in the home business field in her blog--click here to read it.

This Thing Called Business

Writen by Eric Gurr

The explosion of information has led to an explosion of confusion. Confusion as it relates to business is a dangerous thing.

Let's put it out there in plain English.

Business is the creation, selling and delivery of a product or service for a profit.

That's it. Nothing more and nothing less. It doesn't matter if you're running a home based business a small business or IBM, lose focus of the real definition of business and you're going to have problems.

If you're planning on starting a small business or if you're struggling with the business you run today, or if you want to grow your existing business you need to keep this definition at the front of your mind. Everything you do should be based on that one simple sentence. If not, you're not doing business.

So how does this translate in to every day business?

Small business is hard work, tough decisions and a relentless pursuit of the bottom line. When we let our small business become something other than real business, we're inviting failure.

That doesn't mean we become Machiavelli, but we must stick to the truth in front of us, and make decisions based on the facts. We use our brains to resolve problems and when that resolution is telling us we need a change, we make the change. Too often we get caught up in the trap of what's fair. Employee A is often fifteen minutes late, he can be contentious with other employees and is a know it all. He also generates three times the what he costs and is our most profitable employee. Employee B is on time, easy to work with, and a really nice guy. But he doesn't generate any profit for the business and costs the bottom line. Who gets fired? If you said Employee A, or Employee B, both are wrong. In most cases neither gets fired. You rightly keep employee A because he's making the company big money, but employee B keeps his job because it wouldn't be fair to fire him and keep employee A.

Everyone's happy because you're a nice guy. All the employees are content because they think you're a nice guy. What a happy bunch you'll be standing in the unemployment line together. In the company big enough for a human resources department, the HR manager has said we're running an ethical ship and we just need to spend more time developing employee B in to a productive employee. He's just not properly motivated.

Hogwash. It's not our job to find out what color parachute employee B wants. We've given him employment and told him what we expect. The fact that he didn't deliver dictates clearly he didn't keep his end of the bargain. Giving him a second chance with clearer instructions may be warranted, and there's nothing wrong with it. Giving him a pass to be unproductive costs every employee in the company, and costs the owner.

I said business is tough, and it is. An even tougher problem is firing a customer. In small business this can be the most excruciating decision you can make. But sometimes it's necessary. A customer that brings in 30% of your revenue can demand a lot of your time, attention and other resources. You'll have to accommodate. A customer that brings in .05% of your revenue and haggles over the price, pays late, and consumes an inordinate amount of time is not worth your time and doesn't help increase the bottom line. If you've run a small business for more than a year or two you've probably run in to this situation. Every time the phone rings you cringe hoping it's not this customer. But you keep doing business with him hoping for the big hit. But here's the rub, even if you get that big hit, history has shown you it won't be profitable. The customer will eat up your resources and profits at a higher rate.

Another trap that requires discipline and hard choices is dealing with your vendors. I think this is one are that consistently costs businesses money. A bad vendor is accommodated because it's easy, the sales person is really nice, or we don't have the time to find another more qualified vendor. The flip side is the vendor who performs consistently and fairly but the small business owner or manager wrings every cent out of his profits resulting in bad service to himself.

When dealing with vendors the golden rule applies. Treat them as partners who are helping you to grow your business. When the relationship is not helping your bottom line, start to look somewhere else. Vendor relationships should be the easiest part of your business. You can take emotion out of it. Just treat the vendor fairly, pay them promptly, and expect excellent service. When you don't get that, find another one.

Let's summarize. To greatly increase our chances of success in our small business what do we need to do?

Filter every decision through the profit lens. If it's not helping to grow the business, why bother?

Be fair with employees but never reward, or accommodate someone who is costing you money.

Give your sales people the tools they need, give them time to build a client base, and then reward them, or let them go.

Treat your vendors as partners, right up to the point they begin to cost you more money than they make you.

Think long-term. Saving money by cutting costs does not in the long run make you money. No one ever got rich by saving money, you have to earn money first.

Shoulder the burden. You're success in small business is no different than your success in big business. The more stress you can handle, and the better you handle it, the more money you'll make.

Think! The field mouse thinks eating that cheese is a great idea, right up until the point the metal bar comes snapping down on him. Use your head, consider the options and make the decisions that will lead to the long-term growth of your business.

Do business, don't do fads, gimmicks, short cuts or other various nonsense derived by so-called experts intent on increasing their profits before yours.

Eric Gurr is the president and CEO of Intralink. A Cincinnati Ohio based technology/management consulting business since 1994. He is also a contributing editor at http://www.smbresource.com To contact Mr. Gurr via e-mail; egurr@intralinkinc.com

Starting A Concrete Cleaning Pressure Washer Business

Writen by Lance Winslow

Concrete cleaning can be a lucrative business to start. Here are some tips which will help you do it right.

First and foremost there is one thing you need to understand when you are cleaning concrete and that is that concrete cannot always be restored to its virgin state after it has been stained. You can always get stains lighter or bleached but completely removing it is very difficult. So when talking to a customer explain this to them otherwise they will be asking for a job that just can't be done unless the entire concrete slab is ripped up and re-poured. Now with that in mind let's talk about equipment that is needed for this type of work. Remember safety is always important when working with a pressure washer. Some times there are chemicals involved in cleaning some stains. Thus, you should always use some type of eye protection. Also, when you are using chemicals you need to wear jeans to protect your legs.

Chemicals made for concrete are very strong and should not be toyed with. Would a person rather work with dry feet or wet? It is recommended that you get rubber waders or some type of rubber boot. They will keep your feet from getting wet and keep them from getting burned by the 250 degree water. Orange cones are also important to have for this job. These help make people visually aware that you are there if you are in a high traffic area or where there are a lot of contract workers at say a newly constructed house that needs the concrete cleaned. This makes everyone around you safe and you are helping prevent accidents. Of course you are going to need a Hydro-Twister for this job. You can technically do the job with a wand but it will take a lot more time and water, not to mention you can cause streaking if you are not using even strokes across the slab of concrete. Most of the new car wash trucks come with them now but if you don't have one and or you need a second unit and go to buy one be sure to get the larger of the two. There my be only a 5 inch difference in surface coverage but it is well worth it when you are trying to save time without cutting corners.

Remember this business is all about time relevant to money. You want to be making at least a $1 a minute when doing concrete work at a minimum and aim for $100 to $200 per hour. If you are not achieving this income level then you work too slowly or you did not bid correctly on the accounts you are taking. You need to have a work order form. This form should have an area for time it took to do the job, how many people were on the job, gas to get to the site and mileage to get to the site. If you need a sheet like this the trainers (Jason & Rand) in Scottsdale will be more then happy to fax you one. Call them at 1-602-432-1308.

For your wand you need to use a green tip for steam and a yellow or 15-degree tip for breaking up dirt from an area or pushing the dirty water from an area. You need to have an extra one hundred feet of pressure hose with you on the truck. This extra hose needs to be available when you are at a job site where there are many contract workers and space is limited. More then two hundred feet of hose will be required to get to places like the back yards of houses. You will also need two hundred feet of garden hose. More often than not you will have a job that requires more than 200 gallons of water or multiple jobs on a single day that will use more than 200 gallons of water. You have to remember that hard water is not really all that important when doing concrete. Soft water is good for doing vehicles to help prevent hard water spots but is not necessary for concrete. Plus, it is not worth the time to refill your water tank just do concrete. If you have a regular concrete cleaning customer you may just want to tell them you will use their water and you will decrease their bill by about fifty dollars a month to help cover their water bill.

You need a push broom or hand brooms to help move lose dirt before starting the job. On larger jobs you may want to consider a blower, the type that are used for lawns. This will help move more dirt faster. You need a floor squeegee for helping push water out if you are in a garage or other area where water should not stand very long. The half-moon shaped floor squeegee works best. Plus it helps identify an area that you may need to go over again or chemically treat to get the stain out. A flat-ended shovel is important to have if you have concrete that has spilled on the flat slab already or small rocks that have accumulated on the concrete. If you spray the concrete when these little rocks are still on there and you hit them just right; they may catch a nearby window and cause damage. You could break up the excess concrete with the pressure wand but once again this is wasting time and money that you could be making at your next job. A very important item to have is some type of cover plate. This plate will be placed in front of doorways or floorboards when you are using the wands to get around the edges of the concrete. A lot of the competition does not make this additional effort when doing a job. This is what makes us the best because we care about the work that we do.

The truck should be set up so that you can use a garden hose and external water supply should we need one for concrete or other types of jobs. The trucks should come with quick releases between the tank and the intake tube to the pressure washer. There should also be a valve that is turned so the water is running from the black tank that now holds the external water that comes in. There needs to be a connection for a water hose that is on top of the black small tank. The inside of the tank can be fitted with a floater in it so water will not run over when you are not depressing the trigger and letting out water. When cleaning concrete always use 3000+ PSI and 250+ degree water. These two elements are key to cleaning concrete effectively and correctly. Now let's talk about chemicals for a minute.

To clean rust there is a product made by Simonize (that can be ordered from Howard at AAA Pressure Washers)

http://www.aaapws.com

that is called Concrete Cleaner and Etch. This chemical is an acid and can be very dangerous. To apply this chemical you can spray it with a metal hand held spray canister. If you use a sprayer that has plastic parts to it, the sprayer won't last more then a one or two times before the parts melt and it is useless. The chemical should be mixed 50-50 with water. If you are using it on colored concrete try a test patch first because this stuff bleaches and lightens so it might make it lighter than the original concrete. For removing oil or grease stains Simonize SC-260 can be used. It is a granule type chemical that looks like kitty litter. To apply it you need to wet down the area to be treated first then spread a thin layer of it over the spot. Take a brush and agitate it to work it in. Let it set about fifteen to twenty minutes before removing it. Make sure you are very through in removing the granules. This next chemical should be used for emergencies if at all possible. This stuff is very thick and should be applied with a roller brush that is an adhesive type roller. Let it set for fifteen to twenty minutes and then remove it being very careful not to get it on you or any of the other chemicals for that matter. To develop the most efficient use of time at a concrete job site one person should be sweeping up loose debris from the work area while the other is setting up the equipment. Be sure all the corners are swept well because this is the area where most lose dirt seems to end up. Remember that when you hydro twist an area that you are simply lifting the dirt and stains.

You need to go back over the areas afterwards to move the dirt away from the concrete. After you have used the hydro twister on the area you then need to cover all siding up with your cover plate or what ever guard you find works best and proceed to hand wand any trouble spots and the outer edges of the concrete. Finally, when working where a lot of contractors are working be sure to be polite and try to work around them. You never know who they have contacts with. They may refer you to some one else. Concrete is a great "filler" account if it happens to be raining. You can always do concrete in any type of weather and it pays very well for what you to do for the job. So remember, concrete work is always good to have.

For ideas on marketing it might be a good idea to go to;

http://www.concretewashguys.com

Lance Winslow

Fascinating World Of Selling Spy Merchandise

Writen by Randy Wilson

Things have changed since the cold war. Spy Merchandise, gadgets and detective devices are now prevalent on the open market. With the decrease in cost and the improvements in technology, everyone can access the tools of spying. Now is the time to invest in a spy merchandise business.

Technology has decreased the size of everything from cars to cameras. Watches now have cameras in them. Minicams or miniature cameras are hooked up to thousands of computers and homes. Security and spy gadgetry are so common place that you may not even know you are on camera.

Retailers have hopped on to the spy merchandise business and people are securing their homes and cars in new and advanced ways. Personal body alarms give peace of mind to walkers and joggers. Stun guns and other personal security type items are sold by the hundreds everyday.

The Internet has opened new venues of communications with the minicams and small video recorders. Listening devices and bugging equipment can be found readily and somewhat inexpensively. Spyshops and surveillance suppliers all over the country are feeling the new demand.

This trend does not seem to know an end. Where once some spy merchandise was available only to licensed private detectives or law officials, the market has been opened up to the public more and more. If you are looking for a new business opportunity, sale of spy merchandise may be the right move for you.

Investing in a spyshop will require some permits and possibly licensing depending on your location. If you plan to sell these types of items on the internet, you may have to register federally, especially if you are going to be selling anything that can be considered a weapon, for example stun guns.

With the changes in the government and national security since September 11th, it is worth your while to make sure that you fully investigate the laws surrounding the sale of these products. Sales will sometimes have to be registered, and your clientele may have to be screened for certain items. Generally, most things sold in this industry will not require stringent checks. However, it is better to be safe than sorry.

If you are setting up an actual location or retail store, make sure you have good displays and keep your own security tight. Know your spy merchandise and know the industry. Being able to guide new clients to the right item will be important. Many people looking for personal security, who are not comfortable with handguns, will come to you for information. Being able to properly educate them on the tools of trade will be the difference between a happy customer and a disaster waiting to happen.

It is also a good idea to get a feeling for the latest in home security. A great deal of clients will want to know their options and what they need. Remember, in this field, you will be the expert.

Establishing a good relationship with the local law enforcement is also a good idea. Being able to supply law enforcement with their spy merchandise needs will ensure customers and will also add credibility to your business.

There is also the Internet to be considered. Selling of most spy merchandise online is perfectly legal and an acceptable practice. An online store will allow you to furnish advice and products to a much wider customer base and could also increase your local sales.

Make sure you are properly advertising. Whether it is for an actual retail store or an online store your advertising must be catchy. Education in advertising is not a must, but you will have to get the word out.

Learning the market and learning about spy merchandise may be the biggest part of this opportunity, but it will also be the most fun. Listening devices and minicams will sell like hotcakes, even to a novice. Make sure you have a spy cam at the front door!

© Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved.

Randy has dozens of home based business articles at Businesses you can Run from Home such as Unusual Business Opportunities.

Can Your Business Run Without You

Writen by Denise O'Berry

What would happen if you decided to take an extended vacation? Would you still have the same business results when you returned?

I met a business owner recently who told me an interesting story. His business was 15 years old and he had approximately 50 employees. A couple of years ago, he decided to take a vacation to Europe for a month. After all, his business had turned a profit every month for 13 years. He deserved it.

Off he went to enjoy the fruits of his many years of labor. He had a grand time knowing all was well back home. But on his return, he discovered all was not well. For the first time in 13 years his company lost money while he was gone.

How could that be? He had 50 employees to keep things going while he was gone. Why did he lose money?

The sad truth is that even though he had many employees to accomplish the work of his business, he was such an integral part of everything that got done that the business couldn't run without him.

Think about it. Can your business run without you?

Whether you're currently a business of one or 100, now is not too soon to make sure it will. Identify the steps you can take to help your business be successful whether you're sitting in your office or relaxing several thousand miles away.

Denise O'Berry helps small business owners identify and execute the steps to grow their business. Visit http://www.smallbiz-bootcamp.com for small business building tools.

Pressure Washing Business And Post Fire Cleanups

Writen by Lance Winslow

Many have not experienced a fire up close. One year about 15 years ago I almost lost my house as did our neighbors to a wild fire. It moved so fast and the sky so black, with cinders everywhere and soot like a nuclear fallout horror movie. Luckily our neighborhood was spared except for a couple of homes. The fire fighters did a good job that day, others living further down the path of the fire and lower in the canyons did not fair so well, a few people even lost their lives. From that day on, I take fires seriously and you should too.

In my company we are capable of cleaning the undercarriages of fire vehicles in weed free areas and cleaning of aircraft, which spray fire retardants. When you are up close to such equipment you get an idea of how tough the battle of fighting fires really is. We are well aware of who will be doing the firefighting this fire season and the dollars that will be spent. Those fighting from the air are the Air force Auxillary; Air National Guard Stations with C-117, C-130, C-141. The Forestry Service can deploy up to 450 aircraft. Tanker planes drop slurry chemicals on fires, even using C-5 Galaxy. Helicopters deployed carry chemicals and evacuate injured and at risk personnel, Small spotter aircraft direct drops. The chemicals used must be cleaned off to prevent corrosion of aluminum parts and to protect viability for pilots.

The mutual assistance programs developed an interagency task force to work simultaneously. Local City, County, Seasonal, Prison Labor, Casual Firefighters, volunteers, National Guards men, Army, etc. And after a fire, there is ash and debris all over the cars, the ground, and buildings. If you are in the pressure washing business there is plenty of work after a fire, too much. You would be wise during a fire to get your equipment ready for the cleanup, which will follow. Our company has even been ready post fire to do free services at parks, playgrounds, schools and churches and are ready to deploy for paid services of pressure washing anything, anytime, anywhere and anyplace who calls.

Think about this if you own a pressure washer business, as you can help your community with free services and make lots of money cleaning up businesses and fire equipment. And don't forget your pressure washing rig can also work as a mini fire truck if you see a burning cinder which lands near you and threatens to start yet another fire. Some cinders can fly miles before landing and causing another small fire.

Lance Winslow

Limited Liability Company Perfect Setup For Small Businesses

Writen by Susan Jan

A Limited Liability Company or LLC is a legal entity that limits the liability of its owners. LLC is more suitable for small businesses with a limited number of partners. Limited Liability Company is neither a corporation nor a partnership, but combines the benefits of both. The liability of a businessperson is limited to his investment in the LLC. This means that he cannot be held personally liable for company debts unless he has stood a personal guarantee.

There are a number of tax advantages that a limited liability company can benefit from. The tax benefits of an LLC business are mostly gained through 'pass-through' taxation. In this system the profits from the business are taxed only once and owners need not pay both corporate and personal income tax on their earnings through the LLC business.

Other advantages of a limited liability company are that it requires much less paperwork and administration than incorporations. There are minimal requirements for reporting to state and other regulatory bodies, and there is no requirement for board of directors meetings or annual general meetings. All these factors make a limited liability company an attractive business option for many small and medium sized businesses.

Forming a limited liability company is not difficult. You must decide on the name, business and location. The main paper to be filed is the 'Articles of Organization' along with the stipulated fees. The papers should then be submitted to the office of the Secretary of State in the state where the LLC is to be registered.

It is essential for each LLC to have a 'Registered Agent' with a street address in the state where it is registered. The office of the Secretary of State in your state will provide advice and assistance to register a Limited Liability Company. Professional services are available to complete the entire process within a couple of days for a reasonable charge. All states in the USA permit the registration of a business as a limited liability company.

Filing with the state authorities can incorporate Limited Liability Company. The general procedure is that of incorporating a corporation. The advantages of a LLC over a corporation are that there is no need to get the consent of shareholders, no need to issue shares and no need for a board of directors. Since Limited Liability Companies are run by the owners, they have their own operating agreement. Once these are decided, filing with the state authorities can incorporate the LLC. Thus the choice of business structure and the incorporation of it are important. Hence, it is advisable to get counsel from a lawyer before incorporating a Limited Liability Company.

If you are thinking of setting up a LLC visit easy-llc-formation.info. Susan also enjoys writing at Health and Fitness.

Business Credit Information A Description Of The Major Agencies Of Business Credit Information

Writen by David Gass

There are a number of sources of business credit information in the United States and like personal credit agencies they keep track of businesses and companies and provide this business credit information to banks, financial institutions and other businesses upon request for a fee. Some of them include: Dun and Bradstreet, Kroll, Experian Business, BusinessCredit USA, Equifax Business and ClientChecker.

Dun and Bradstreet is perhaps the best known source of business credit information in the world. There are over 70 million companies registered with Dun and Bradstreet in the United States and they issue a number of reports on business include the DUNS Rating which is based on the financial records of the company and the Paydex Score which keeps track of the payment record of the business. Dun and Bradstreet collects business credit information from businesses, suppliers, customers and financial institutions and shares this information with registered businesses.

Equifax and Experian are two well known personal credit reporting agencies who have developed their business credit information gathering systems in the past number of years. This experience at the personal finance level has given them volumes of data which they use to build business credit information. Experian Business has over 14 million registered businesses in its data base and issues a business credit information rating called Intelliscore which is based on payments records only. Equifax Business gathers information from a number of public and private sources and produces a series of business credit information reports and scores from this data.

Kroll is a relatively new player in the business credit information market but offers added value service by verifying every piece of information that they receive from suppliers, businesses and financial institutions. Some experts believe that Kroll offers the most accurate business credit information of all the reporting agencies in this business.

BusinessCreditUSA is a lower profile business credit information operation that provides a cheaper service than any of the other business credit information reporting agencies but it also checks all of its information before posting its data on its system. It collects information just from the individual businesses and their owners. ClientChecker is a business credit information reporting agency that is dedicated solely to small business. It rates businesses using a PayQuo Score which is based on the payment experience of the business but it is very useful for suppliers who want to know the creditworthiness and ability to pay of their prospective customers.

With all of these options and more in the marketplace it is relatively easy to get business credit information on almost every business operating in the United States. Just remember that this information may not always be fully accurate or up to date.

David Gass is President of Business Credit Services, Inc. His company publishes a weekly e-newsletter on Starting and Growing a Small Business at http://www.smallbusinessconsulting.com. You can sign up for their free newsletter by visiting http://www.smallbusinessconsulting.com.

Washing For The Railroads

Writen by Lance Winslow

Do you own a mobile truck washing business or perhaps a pressure washing or power cleaning company and you are looking for more things to clean to improve your income and grow your company? If so have you looked into cleaning railcars for the railroad? Railcars must be kept clean for image reasons and also for safety issues.

Likewise locomotives need to be cleaned for safety reasons, fire hazards and for brand identification and image of the company. Our company has previously cleaned the Kentucky Derby Train and railcars for CSX railway and we have also cleaned many of the CSX customers railcars as well.

Washing for the railroad can be a very good business, but there are a few things you need to know before you start such as environmental requirements, liability insurance and new laws to protect from international terrorism.

The most important thing to know when washing for the railroad is that you must collect the waste wash water and be careful in removing it from the property or use an on-site dump area. Cleaning railcars is hard work but the money is pretty good and as long as you follow all the rules there will be steady stream of railcars to wash each and every day. Please consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Small Business Basics

Writen by Mansi Aggarwal

Most large-scale business houses that today stand as giant corporate were once started as small business concerns. Small businesses have always been a key to present successfully running high profile industries. While most of us desire to run a big industry some day very few are actually daring enough to give it a try. Starting a small business is not a cup of tea for all. People who aspire for definite life style and confirmed earnings usually are not ready to take chances for small businesses. As the term business always carries with it a sense of risk and uncertainty. It's the endeavor of small business owner that makes the trade work and reap good return. Anyone who wants to give a try to any type of small business must be ready to work around the clock and also invest a considerable amount of his money in his business. There is always a chance of loosing all expenditure done towards the small trade if the person does not work hard enough or does not take correct decisions at a right time.

The risk involved in undertaking any small business is as high as risking one's career to a make or break situation. But sometimes a person acts very diligently and almost foresees any possible upcoming problems. In such cases the entrepreneur can prepare himself to face any adverse situation and come out safely form difficult times. Aiming towards the best and preparing for the worst might well be a perfect formula for running a successful small-scale business concern.

At a time when almost the entire market is captured by huge corporates it is very difficult for a small business to find a place in such competitive world. Large corporates with their great resources and public appeal create a tough competition for small-scale trade centers. But with a bit of innovativeness and skill even small enterprises can find a comfortable zone for themselves. Adhering to genuine business policies and providing utmost personal customer satisfaction to each business associate could lead a small business house to the top running high profile company in world.

For a business to be successful the exact motive behind the trade must be first cautiously analyzed. The goal of any business either big or small must work towards fulfilling some needs of the people. Someone starting a small trade must first analyze the market trends carefully and make sure that there was a place for such a business to exist. One must also consider his personal potential before starting the business. A vigilant scrutiny of one's capabilities to handle the pressures of business along with the personal financial strength enables him to decide whether he may go for that business or not.

Individuals who like to enjoy life easily and with a fixed routine without taking any tensions are better choosing service as their mode of occupation. Some times when a person is not sure enough about his capabilities to handle all types of demands in the business he might also consider having a partner for the trade.

Mansi aggarwal writes about. small business Learn more at http://www.asmallbusinessbegins.com

Build Credibility With Expertise

Writen by Lawrence Groves

As an Investment Representative you've worked hard to build trust with your pension clients. Now, you can solidify that long term relationship with your expertise on one of the greatest fears of small business retirement plan sponsors.

Next to an audit, nothing frightens retirement plan sponsors more than a notification letter from the Dept of Labor regarding inadequacies in their responses on the Form 5500 or 5500-EZ filing. Inadequacies that, if not corrected within 30 days of the date of the letter, would subject the plan sponsor to substantial fines and penalties, not only from the Dept of Labor but from the IRS as well.

Following is a listing of the most common filing errors that will generate a letter from the Dept of Labor.

1. The Form 5500 Must Be Properly Signed And Dated

Make sure that you have the proper signatures by the Employer and Plan Administrator and dates on the Form 5500, Form 5500-EZ, and any attached schedules that require a signature (Schedules B: Actuary; P: Trustee; and Schedule SSA; Plan Administrator).

2. The Form 5550 Must Have The Proper EIN And Plan Number (PN)

It is critical that the Employer Identification Number EIN) used to identify the "plan sponsor" be the same year to year when completing line 2b of the Form 5500 or Form 5500EZ.

3. The Form 5500 Filing May Not Be For A Period Greater Than 12 Months

Be certain the time period entered in Part I of the Form 5500 is not greater than twelve months. If the plan is not reporting on a calendar year basis, then input the twelve-month fiscal year period in the spaces provided.

4. Use A Proper Business Code When Completing Line 2d Of The Form 5500

On Form 5500, Line 2d, be certain to enter a valid business code that best describes the nature of the plan sponsor's business. The only business codes that are valid for use in answering Line 2d are listed in the Form 5500 filing instructions section marked "Codes for Principal Business Activity".

5 Use The Correct Plan Characteristics Codes On Line 8 Of The Form 5500.

On Form 5500, Line 8, you must check box A to indicate if the plan is providing pension benefits. You must enter the Plan Characteristics Codes in the space provided beneath box A. These codes describe the type of pension benefits provided and other features of the plan. A list and description of the Plan Characteristics Codes is in Section 6 of the Instructions for Form 5500.

6. Properly Identify The Funding And Benefit Arrangements On Line 9 Of The Form 5500

Indicate all the proper Funding and Benefit Arrangements on Form 5500, Lines 9a and 9b. The "Funding Arrangement" is the method used for the receipt, holding, investment, and transmittal of plan assets prior to the time the plan actually provides benefits. The "Benefit Arrangement" is the method by which the plan provides benefits to participants. The responses on Lines 9a and 9b are cross-referenced against information on Schedules H, I, and/or A as appropriate. Be careful to attach the appropriate financial or insurance schedule (H, I, A) that corresponds to the Benefit and Funding Arrangements you indicate.

7. File All The Required Schedules And Attachments With Your Form 5500

Make sure you are filing all the required schedules and attachments with your Form 5500. If you check a box indicating that a schedule is attached, the schedule must be submitted with your Form 5500.

8. Schedule R And Distributions

You must prepare Schedule R only if there are any distributions or rollovers from the plan. You must enter both the EIN of the distribution payer and the EIN of the pension plan. Part 3 is only for money purchase plans that have made single sum distributions.

9. File The Appropriate Financial Information Schedule (H or I) With Your Form 5500.

Make sure you file the proper Financial Information Schedule with your Form 5500. The Schedule H is for "large plan" filers generally plans with 100 or more participants at the beginning of the plan year). The Schedule I is for "small plan" filers generally plans with fewer than 100 participants at the beginning of the plan year).

10. Complete the Participant Benefit Information on the Schedule SSA

Make sure that you list all of the terminated participants with their vested balances from the prior year that still have not been paid. Starting with the 2004 filing year, sponsors are required to list participants, previously outstanding, who have been subsequently paid.

When your client calls, anxious of a possible Dept of Labor fine, you can build long term credibility by taking charge of seeing the correction is made by the preparer. Better still, review or have an expert review, the Form 5500 before the client sends the forms into the Dept of Labor and save your client receiving any letter at all. Calendar year plans Form 5500 EZ and Form 5500 with related schedules are due by July 31, each year.

Lawrence Groves is the Director of the small business retirement administration services for the Retirement Group with the Solo 401k administration program at http://www.solo-k.com and the special 401(k) "Free for Three" ™ administration program.

Lawrence comes to his clients with over 25 years as an experienced expert in plan design, administration, and compliance. Lawrence works closely with for profit, non-profit, and government agencies on 401(k), 403(b), 457, Profit Sharing, and Puerto Rican 165(e) small business plans.

Lawrence can be reached at Lawrence@solo-k.com or 727.844.7000

Mobile Car Wash Business Customers And Fleet Clientele Discussed

Writen by Lance Winslow

If you own a mobile car wash business, no doubt you have tapped into the washing of vehicles that office complexes. But have you considered washing fleets of vehicles? For instance have you consider washing for large Rent-A-Car corporations? If you haven't and you wish to expand your customer base and fleet clientele it would be wise to do so.

Now then, let's discuss a large corporation that handles Rent-A-Cars and study their history. It is important to study their history of large companies before you go in and make the sales call because you will want to have the power of information behind you. Let's take a look at doing business with Avis Rent-A-Car. You see, Avis Rent-A-Car has been around since 1946 started by Warren Avis.

Avis had been bought and sold and spun off a half a dozen times but always keeping the brand name out where travelers could remember it. It was sold in 1954 to a wealthy Bostonian who kept building it up and then he sold it to an investment banking firm in 1962 who made up the slogan 'We try harder', a technique still taught in business schools across the country.

In 1965 the investment firm sold it to ITT for 54 million and they in turn sold it in 1977 to Norton Simon, who was bought in 1983 by Esmark after Norton Simon signed a marketing agreement to buy and rent only GM cars. Esmark was glad to have Avis as part of its Norton Simon acquisition, but Esmark was then acquired by Beatrice and now Beatrice owned them. They were at this point still buying all GM cars.

GM was very pleased. Beatrice was then sold to the investment firm of Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts and Company and Beatrice sold its Avis division to Wesray Capital Corp. They had separated out Avis Europe, which was then its own entity and was traded on the London Stock Exchange. GM fearful of losing its juicy customer, which was worth now over 260 million in 1986 dollars, GM decided to buy up Avis stock and become a minority shareholder.

The Avis Company then was purchased by its employees in an ESOP for 750 million. HFS Inc. then purchased Avis to go with its holdings of resorts, hotels and other businesses. In May of 2001, Cendant Corp bought all of Avis for 937 million and still owns it this month. Cendant has over 50,000 employees nationwide. They still have some ownership from GM and still buy their cars. Most of Avis cars are Buick's, Pontiacs and Cadillac's. GM discontinued Oldsmobile and previously they had lots of those. Now most of these type cars are either sold or waiting to be sold. Avis is expanding into Used Car Sales lots. They have started a prototype in NJ:

http://www.avisnj.com/more_info.html if you would like to see their progress

If you own a mobile car washing company you may wish to contact them to see if you can do all their washing. Their used cars come with 30 day bumper to bumper and 12,000 Avis backed warranties. Also they offer 12 month leases on new or used cars. The new cars would be similar to the Enterprise Lease Deal and the used car lease is basically a 12 month rental or a rental car run out; a new twist on an old theme. If it works we expect other car rental agencies to try that too.

Avis has 931 agency outlets, 213 at airports and 445 at off airport lots in the USA. Worldwide about 3,120; their fleet hovers around 200,000 cars plus or minus. Their HQ is now in Parsippany NJ. Their CEO was once with Budget Group and Continental Airlines. Their President was also from another competitor. Avis has 275 licensees, which should be our primary targets for service. Many do their own cars, but others can never seem to get them all done. Many other locations need a mobile car washing service urgently due to lack of all the labor to wash the cars and the volume of course that they rent. To find an Avis nearest you go the this web site:

http://www.avis.com/AvisWeb/profile/AvisHome

Then type in zip codes. Hint - leave off the last two digits of the zip code to find all the rental offices in your area. The reason I recommend Rent-A-Car companies to expand your clientele of your mobile car wash business is because for some three decades our company was in the business of mobile car washing before my retirement and we always felt it easy to sign up Rent-A-Cars to increase our company's monthly income. I hope you will consider this in expanding your company in 2006.

Lance Winslow

It Specialists Are Nonprofits A Viable Market

Writen by Joshua Feinberg

Yes, non-profits are viable. But there are certainly more financially rewarding sectors for IT specialists. Let's first take a look at the pros of non-profits.

o It's easy to reach non-profits because they belong to trade groups and you can get your hands on the publicly available directories.

o You can get a lot of tremendous emotional satisfaction and gratification knowing you're helping a particular cause.

The two biggest downsides of non-profit:

o Thin profit margins
o Bidding wars

Bid situations reduce your firm to a commodity. Additionally, when you bid against someone else's specs, your competitor may be shortcutting. Thus lowering the bid price and keeping you from quoting a more realistic solution.

Non Profits and Government Bids Are Tricky for IT Specialists

For most IT specialists, selling to private sector small businesses is going to be a lot easier than trying to navigate the waters of non-profit and government bids. The unfortunate part is, in most cases, non-profits and government agencies are legally bound to take the quoted price.

The Downside of Bidding Wars for IT Specialists

When you're getting into a bidding situation, you really don't have the luxury of the trust, personality, and credibility factors helping you all that much. It really usually boils down to who can post the bond, who can follow the rules, and who can get the bid in on time.

Then, on top of everything else, bidding requires you to do a ton of non-billable upfront work that you can normally bill for in the private sector. This non-billable work consists of researching, developing configurations, and bringing it all together. And the reality is this: getting the contract may be a real long shot.

Bidding Wisely

If you are going to try a competitive bid, don't bet your whole company on it. Make sure that your bid chasing time is no more than 20% of your business development efforts. Unless your company is 100% focused on selling to non-profits or government agencies, you're usually better off concentrating on the traditional private sector small businesses.

If a government agency is looking to outsource support services, and it's a well thought out request for proposal (RFP), it becomes a more interesting proposition. If the agency however is just looking to buy hardware and some one-shot deal installation services, you're going to run into a lot of profitability challenges.

The Bottom Line on Non Profits for IT Specialists

Non-profit and government are still better niche options for IT specialists than just going down the retail path. But non-profit and government are anywhere near as attractive as the sweet spot of small business computer consulting.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg has helped thousands of computer consultants around the World get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too get more steady, high-paying clients. Sign-up now for Joshua's free Computer Consultants Secrets audio training.

Small Business Failure Nuts

Writen by Robert A. Kelly

Pardon my enthusiasm, but a large part of your small business' success is somewhere else. Namely, out among the company's important external audiences.

How they perceive you, and what they believe about you and your business, directly affect your chances of success. And that's because those perceptions usually lead to predictable behaviors, good or bad. So they're pretty important!

Now, here comes the public relations professional who tests the opinion waters, then decides whether, on your behalf, s/he needs to create, change or reinforce that opinion about you and your company. This is important because it will affect the message content you prepare aimed at those perceptions.

Next, s/he'll attempt to reach, persuade and move-to-actions- YOU-desire those very people whose behaviors affect your operation the most. And we're talking about actions like neutralizing a rumor, clarifying incorrect perceptions of your service quality, or reinforcing awareness of your organization's contributions to the local and regional community.

Now, of course, you and your PR counsel agreed up front, at the beginning of the program, on the behavioral changes you would like to see occur. So, it's a simple task to review together just how successfully the public relations effort on behalf of your small business is, or is not going.

As you may suspect, I do not give up easily when it comes to how public relations can help a small business succeed.

So, who does what to get us to this point?

First, you list those two or three groups of people, i.e., key external audiences, like your prime prospects, or certain segments of area residents, or influential community leaders, and others if appropriate to your product and service offerings.

You need a basis from which to evaluate opinions about you and your small business. So you need to take the time to interact with members of these key audiences to find out how they perceive you, especially any areas of potential trouble. This is the information gathering phase of the program.

Only then can you and your PR person decide just what opinions need to be recreated, or changed, or simply reinforced. This becomes the PR objective to be achieved in a realistic, mutually agreed upon time frame.

Now, we prepare messages most likely to persuade both those harboring misconceptions, or no perceptions at all about you, and bring them around to your way of thinking.

Remember that bad perceptions can lead to bad behaviors and, fortunately, vice versa!

At this point, you need to select the communications tactics - "beasts of burden," I call them - that will carry your carefully crafted messages to the eyes and ears of each target audience. In other words, how will you reach these important people?

You and your PR counsel have a wide choice of tactics. Everything from personal meetings with members of each target audience, your periodic speeches, emails, newspaper and radio interviews to promotional events, awards ceremonies, news releases, and many others.

As time passes, you must continue to speak with members of your target audiences watching and listening carefully for signs of awareness of your business and its role in the marketplace and in the community. Stay alert as well for a growing receptiveness to your messages by prospective customers.

These are indications that reflect local feelings about your organization. As your public relations counsel will tell you, progress in this regard will be directly proportionate to how much effort and attention you personally give to the outreach program.

The good news is that when public relations modifies behaviors among groups of people important to your organization, the effort may be pronounced successful when those altered behaviors help you reach your managerial objectives.

Which is why the title of this article remains, "Small Business Failure? Nuts!"

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net.

Robert A. Kelly © 2005.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations.

Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com; bobkelly@TNI.net

A Small Business Consultant Can Help In Many Ways But One Thing He Cant Provide

Writen by Kelvyn Peters

A consultant must remember that the business belongs to the client. There is always a danger that the consultant will take a dominant position to the detriment of both of them.

Let me tell you a story of when this was forgotten…

It's not often a small business consultant will admit to a failure in a small business but my first adventure into small business consulting was a failure. I closed the business within two years.

In 1980 I had planned to offer Mom-and-Pop sized businesses cheap but effective small business help. I saw many who badly needed something to pull their businesses out of the doldrums. But consultants were asking minimum fees of $3,000 which they could not afford.

My thinking was that if I computerized and systemized my services I could offer a low-cost service which would rejuvenated their enterprises. They, of course, would be so thrilled that they would retain my firm to do their general tax and accounting work.

Like the curate's egg I was partly right. Kelvyn Peters CPA and Associates still retain clients from that era who still think I'm wonderful (but expensive). My small success blinded me for a while to where my plan was doomed to fail.

The first trap was that the 'oomph' for the business had to be supplied by the client. It did no matter how passionate and excited I was in improving a sick business if the client had no excitement. The punch and the drive to run a business have to come from the owner. The consultant can only steer that drive in the right direction.

The second pitfall was in not realizing that small businesses are sometimes run by 'small' people. Nice people; generous and kind people who you'd be glad to have as friends…but people with low horizons who are comfortable where they are. They know they should be concerned about their business. Everybody tells them so.

But in their hearts they are not.

When these people engaged my services it was because they felt they had to. The bank or a creditor had advised it. Sometimes a well-meaning son or daughter had said, "Pop you've gotta get some help! You're killing yourself here!"

However, what had to be done made them so uncomfortable that they just did not do anything and fell by the wayside. (probably blaming the consultant).

If they retained our services they became high-maintenance clients phoning us (no e-mails then) before they made almost every new decision. Sending out a mailbox drop? Please design and produce it for me. A monthly newsletter? Could you do it for me because you are so good at it.

This normally would have been great except in this case they could not pay for the service and felt it should be included in the initial fee. We lost heaps of money providing these extra services without charge.

My staff said I was too good-hearted. I do not agree. Here were people really needed our service and they couldn't pay for it. How could we let them sink alone.

We could not continue and had to close the service…and the world continued. 'Mom-and-Pop' businesses still need help but now we know how to interact with them so that neither of us is burned.

The third problem is one I discovered only yesterday from a book called Success Engineering by Phil Gosling.

In the book he tells of clients who on the face of it believe in what he tells them. They seem eager to follow his suggestions. and seem eager to do what he tells them. They attempt to do every thing he suggests, but things just don't work for them. They work for everyone else but not for them. I experienced the same thing.

I felt that they were psychologically sabotaging themselves because of their fear of the unknown. Phil has a completely different explanation which he explains in his book.

So now our number one criteria for accepting a new client is that they should have the passion and persistence to see it through. An ailing business shows signs of improvement week by week but sometimes it will be two years before vigilance can be relaxed. Those two years are too hard to deal with for some people. They would rather surrender.

Previously, I have said that to me accounting wasn't boring or dull. I am passionate about being an accountant. I have an excitement about helping people because I can make a difference to their lives.

If my experience and knowledge is added to the excitement and drive of a business owner we, together, can really make things happen. Dreams really will come true.

Keep the dream alive.

About The Author
Kelvyn Peters is one of Australia's longest-serving Tax Agents. He was registered in 1962 and became a CPA in 1964.

Kelvyn served on many charitable boards including St Aubyns Hospital, Alzheimer's Association and Older Peoples Advocacy Service. As a young man he won the Outstanding Jaycee Award three times. He is a compassionate, generous man who loves people. That's why he is so skilled at helping people in trouble.

Kelvyn Peters was Mayor of Kingaroy Shire Council from 1982 to 1987 and campaigned as the 'Young Man of Action". ver 20 years later he still regards himself as a 'Young Man of Action'. He is a director of Restaurant Catering Qld Inc the peak employer representative in Queensland, and has advised the hospitality industry for many years.

His specialty is moving in to rescue a sick business. Kelvyn has spent over 20 years experimenting and researching methods to help small business in ways that are affordable. He has perfected it with local clients now he are going global and he is only an email away.

http://www.profitstrategies4business.com

Factoring Invoices Financing For Small Businesses

Writen by Marco Terry

Peter owns a successful business that is growing quickly. Like many businesses, Peter's company has good commercial and government clients that buy regularly from him. And since Peter is really good at his business, his clients have been purchasing more and more products from him. His business appears solid.

But some cracks are starting to appear in the foundation. He's been close to missing payroll twice. He's delaying supplier payments. Even worse, he chose not to bid for a major government contract because he couldn't afford to. That's true – he couldn't afford to bid for new business. He was afraid of having to add more employees and buy more materials.

How can that be?

Like most business owners, Peter extends terms to his clients. They usually pay him in 30 to 45 days. But, since Peter runs a small business, his suppliers demand that he pay them in 10 days. Plus employees need to be paid every two weeks.

In summary. Peter has clients that want to pay in 45 days and suppliers/employees that want to be paid in 10. Since the company does not have a lot of money in the bank, the math doesn't work.

Is there a solution? Yes, Peter should consider factoring his invoices to fix his cash flow. Factoring will provide him with the necessary cash to pay suppliers and employees, while eliminating the 30 to 45 day wait to get paid.

Invoice factoring works as follows:

1. You deliver the product or service and invoice your client

2. You send a copy of the invoice to the factoring company for financing

3. The factoring company advances you up to 90% of the invoice. You get immediate funds

4. Once your client pays the invoice, the transaction is settled

With factoring, Peter will be able to meet his current obligations. His company will also have enough cash on hand (or liquidity) to bid on new job proposals, allowing him to grow the business and take it to the next level.

Commercial Capital LLC

Looking for a factoring company? We can provide you with a factoring financing quote. Please Marco Terry at (866) 730 1922 for a free quote or go to our commercial finance website for more information.

Dont Treat Declined Credit Card Orders As Deadbeat Customers Its Costing You

Writen by Chris De La Rosa

What do you do when you check your daily transactions report and you notice a declined order? While recently on the phone with a good friend that markets on the Internet he mentioned that he's never thought anything on the subject. "If their card was declined during processing, there's nothing we can do about that" was his take on things. We may be friends, but I don't share that attitude.

There could be several reasons why an order was declined, one of which could be a glitch in your processing system. Oh-No! Not our system, we have the most high-tech system possibly available…don't we all wish. Why not give the customer a second chance to make the purchase? All it takes is about 1 minute to send them an email to try and figure out what the problem was and that 2 minutes could result in a sale.

Here is an example of a template we use to send out such an email if we received a declined order.

Email Example:

Subject : Recent Order Problems

Hello ,

While reviewing our recent transactions, it came to our attention that your attempt to order PRODUCT XYZ123 using your credit card was not successful. We apologize for any inconvenience our online order form may have caused.

The most common cause of a failed credit card purchase attempt, is that the credit card numbers were not entered correctly. When entering your card number, make sure you do so, like this, to avoid errors: 1234567812345678

If you attempt to enter spaces 1234 5678 or dashes 1234-5678 between the card numbers, your purchase will be declined.

, in the event that you would like to return to the order form and purchase PRODUCT XYZ123 you are more than welcome to do so, using the following link : Place Link Here

Since you encountered problems the first time you may want to clear the cache in your computer or try using another browser.

If you prefer, I can process your order manually within our secure area. To do so I will need to know:

Full Name

Phone Number

Address

Credit Card Number

Expiry Date.

You can reach our customer support line by calling [Phone Number Here], one of our staff members would be very happy to assist you.

If you encounter any further problems, or have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact me by responding to this message.

Best Regards

[Signature here]

P.S. Did you know that you could also place an order with us using a check or money order? Please let me know if this option interests you.

End Email.

Now all you do is save this as a stationary file within your email program and all you have to do is enter the email address of the potential customer you're contacting as well as other items to personalize the email. It's as simple as that.

Lets give customers a second chance.

Best Regards

Chris De La Rosa

Chris De La Rosa is a work from home dad who manages Genuinejobs.com You can also read my daily entries at my blog, A work from home dad's story.

The More You Give The More You Get

Writen by Bette Daoust, Ph.D.

Why give freebies?

We have all seen freebies at trade shows and we have all probably seen the person that goes from booth to booth collecting as much of it as possible. There is always someone that only goes to get the free stuff, but then again there are also people that go there to learn about new products or services. These people may be genuinely interested in what you have to say. Even if they are, there must be an element of what is in it for them (we call them WIFM - pronounced Whiffem – What Is In It For Me).Perhaps the type of freebie you offer should be in the form of a free consultation for a limited time, say one-half hour. Or you may want to give out special premiums to potential new clients. The problem is that you need to weed through the potential business and those that just want something for nothing.

Instead of giving away freebies at the trade show desk, you could give attendees a business card that can be used to redeem their freebie. This will drive the customer traffic back to where you would like them to be. For example, a car dealership I did some work for always went to every trade show in the area. They had great give-away items but found that not many people came back to the dealership for a test drive leading to an eventual purchase. To rectify the problem, they gave a business card with the event name, the gift to be given and an explanation that in order to claim the gift, you needed to go to their store and do a test drive. By the way, the gift, was a nice set of steak knives in a butchers block. The result was that 20% of the people attending the show actually went to the dealership and did a test drive and out of that they sold 25 cars; a much better return for their freebies!

Freebies do not need to be expensive steak knives sets; they can simply be pens with your name on it. Whatever you choose, make sure it is something that can be used and not thrown away. Do not pick a silly cheap toy that will break after one or two uses. Gift certificates may work better than freebies.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people's attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the "Networking Queen". Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit http://www.BlueprintBooks.com

Managing Your Small Business

Writen by Joe Love

Most small businesses fail within the first three years because of a lack of management on the part of the owner. Most people who start a business love the excitement of the start-up phase but don't understand that you must have a plan and provide direction for the business.

The success of any business depends on people. You can't build and grow a business without people. You have to take the time to hire good people and help them set goals. You have to be able to manage, motivate, and lead employees, which is something most business owners don't know how to do. Employees today are more educated, experienced, and knowledgeable than ever before and they won't work for a business that has a hardball style of management.

One of the first important keys to building a successful business is to put in a system that is flexibile. You cannot keep people pigeonholed in organizational boxes. Your business will succeed or fail based on how you manipulate and sometimes circumvent cut-and-dried rules and regulations. The success of your business will depend on how flexible you are in managing people.

If you're flexible, your management system won't be a system. Rules and regulations won't be set in stone. They'll be guidelines. You need this freedom to provide excellent customer service. For example, if you've promised to ship a customer's order the same day but the new order system won't let you ship it until tomorrow, you circumvent the system and ship it today.

There are two types of employees, those who care and those who don't. Break the rules for those who care. For example, if your employee policy calls for two week paid vacation and one of your good employees has a family emergency, you give him or her the time they need and not charge it to their vacation time.

On the other hand it is important to be inflexible when it comes to ethics and principles. And especially on things such as expense controls, quality, working hours, and substance abuse.

Today's employees are complex, frustrating, unpredictable, and potentially rewarding in a big way. They are your number one asset in today's highly competitive business world. A flexible management style and flexible employees, then, are strengths that can help your business grow and prosper.

The best framework is only as good as the people that oversee it which is why to be successful you must have good people. You must constantly search for the best people. But once you have good people it's important that you're patient. Even the best people don't become superstars overnight. They require time to develop, mature, and learn.

When you're looking for a good employee, you can get a good indication of how he or she will perform based on how he or she performed in the past. Trust yesterday's actions, not today's words. And always look for those people who embrace change. Resistance in the ranks of top management impedes growth and destroys opportunity.

Once you have assembled a team for you business make sure they are compatible. They must agree on the company's goals and that a cohesive team is worth working for. Your employees must be able to work in a group and leverage their skills by working with others. Always look for team spirit.

If your business is growing slowly, find and develop superstars from within your business. If you're growing rapidly, find them outside. And always pay your best people extraordinarily well and help them solve their problems.

As the business owner it is your responsibility to provide the vision, mission, and goals for the business. Your vision needs to be broad and say where the company will be in five or ten years. And not just in sales of product, but in distribution, markets, manufacturing capability, and anything else you think will ensure your company's survival and growth. Put your vision in writing for your employees. They deserve to know where they're headed.

The mission for your business is what gives direction to your vision. It's a plan of action that has to be understood and implemented by the entire team. That is why you need to involve every person in your business to help develop the mission. Involvement paves the way for commitment.

A good mission provides focus, defines direction, differentiates you from the competition, and communicates your niche. Put the mission on the walls of your business, in manuals, and memos. Then set company, department, and performance goals that will achieve your company's mission.

Empowerment by itself isn't enough, you must establish a culture that encourages accountability, allows for mistakes, and welcomes change. But you need the right employees for this culture to work. Empowerment won't turn inferior employees into superior ones, but it can turn good ones into great ones. Besides, you'll find that the best people like empowerment because it allows them to contribute to their fullest.

Empowerment starts with your own heart. If you don't truly feel that employees can or should be empowered, they won't be. Begin by letting people help make decisions, set goals, define roles, and assist in setting missions and strategies. People need to be given a voice before they'll accept the responsibility of empowerment.

Employees also need to understand the business. They must share your vision, responsibilities, and even your financial statements. And consider sharing equity. You may have heard the old story that people don't want the reins if they don't know the horse.

Most business owners have problem focusing. Many of them waste time focusing on jobs that someone else in the business can do better. Many businesses offer too many products and services. They often try to provide the fastest delivery and the best quality at the lowest prices. Just as the owner can't be all things to the business, the business can't be all things to the marketplace.

To manage your business successfully you must learn to give your undivided attention to tasks, meetings, and conversations. You must make good choices for yourself and for your company and limit activities to those you can and have time to achieve. You must be able to prioritize long and short-term projects and learn to say no. You must understand that concentration is a cultural issue. If you can't focus neither will your employees.

It is important to understand that it doesn't matter what you think or believe. What matters is what your employees perceive you think or believe. If they perceive you don't care about their problems, then they won't care about yours. If they perceive that quality is not important to you, it won't be important to them. If they perceive you believe customers are trouble, they'll treat them poorly.

Anytime you communicate with your employees, prepare your words carefully. Always hear your words from their perspective.

Business owners cannot escape the 80-20 rule which shows how hard it is to avoid putting in so much time for meager results. This rule states that 80 percent of your profits come from 20 percent of your customers. 80 percent of your output comes from 20 percent of your employees. 80 percent of your people problems come from 20 percent of the people. 80 percent of the sales come from 20 percent of the sales force. 80 percent of the headaches come from 20 percent of the responsibilities. And 80 percent of the your success comes from 20 percent of your efforts.

The 80-20 rule both helps and reveals problem areas. On the one hand, you know to take good care of your top 20 percent of your customers or employees. On the other hand, it means you must work to improve the productivity of the rest of the work force. Or cater to the other 80 percent of customers more efficiently.

There is never just one reason for success or failure. If your business is a success, it's because you've hired right, focused, made a good product, provided excellent service, and planned well.

Plan, prioritize, and pay attention to detail. Hold people accountable. Refuse to be satisfied. Everything matters, big things, little things, and in-between things. Knowing this, "rule of many reasons" is the key to managing your business successfully.

Copyright©2005 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and achieve total success. He is the founder and CEO of JLM & Associates, a consulting and training organization, specializing in personal and business development. Through his seminars and lectures, Joe Love addresses thousands of men and women each year, including the executives and staffs of many of America's largest corporations, on the subjects of leadership, self-esteem, goals, achievement, and success psychology.

Reach Joe at: joe@jlmandassociates.com

Read more articles and newsletters at: http://www.jlmandassociates.com