Focusing your Small Business Dollars</h1> <article> <h1>Focusing your Small Business Dollars</h1> <p>Jessica Bradford — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:00:55 GMT</p> <p>You’ve achieved the dream of a lifetime. You’ve set up shop, handed out business cards, launched the advertising campaign and spread the word to all and sundry. Now its time to focus your efforts on a critical component of conducting business – having sufficient dollars to run your operations effectively and keeping your business afloat.<br /><br />These days, there are a number of ways savvy small-business owners can cut operating costs and boost bottom lines. Those who are "in the know" now realize what many mainstream companies already know – tapping into the small-business market translates into BIG business. To that end, numerous established merchants and chains are delivering below cost products and services and promoting discount offers and incentives that are guaranteed to lure businesses and their customers. There are myriad of benefits for all to reap, many of which are essential to the operation and development of small businesses.<br /><br />One example is the FedEx-Network Solutions discount program that helps small business save on shipping and production costs. The program is free to various alliance customers, including Network Solutions customers. This program includes discounts of up to 12% on FedEx Ground® shipping costs with delivery in 1 to 5 business days and up to 21% on FedEx Priority Overnight® shipments. Additional discounts are also available on the most popular FedEx® services such as international shipping and services at FedEx Office Print & Ship Centers<br /><br />SM. Check with some of the companies and associations you work with on a daily basis, such as American Express Open, local chambers, and any other club or federation you and/or your business are a part of. Chances are, they have an alliance with FedEx and will be able to greatly reduce your shipping and printing expenses.<br /><br />Another type of program that is used by a very popular electronics retailer, awards points for every dollar spent. In this program, membership is free and after accumulating 250 points, you’ll receive a $5 reward certificate redeemable at the mortar and brick or online retail location. Not to be outdone, a popular office supply store gives 10% in rewards on vital computer supplies such as ink, toner, case and paper. Members receive quarterly rewards as long as they’ve earned at least $10 and reward balances are rolled over each quarter per calendar year.<br /><br />Opportunities such as these are fantastic for wooing prospective clients or entertaining existing ones. They also help small-business owners manage and grow their enterprise and help catapult in a league comparable to the big boys.<br /><br />If a company you’re interested in purchasing from, does not advertise discounts and cost-savings programs, don’t hesitate to ask. It’s also important to remember to do your thorough research and calculate all potential costs and savings before making a decision or signing a binding contract. And, don’t hesitate to contact your local Chamber of Commerce and local business organizations to find out about special offers and incentives that are available.<br /></p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Recession-Proofing Your Income</h1> <p>Steve Strauss — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:52:16 GMT</p> <p>Employers have been cutting workers from their payrolls for six months straight, according to the Labor Department, and economists don’t expect the job market to improve any time soon. With all this talk about a recession, it’s hard to feel any kind of job security lately. However, starting an online business can be a quick and affordable way to make additional money and, it provides a safe back-up plan if you fear your job might be in jeopardy.<br /><br /><b>Do what you love. </b> Having trouble coming up with a business idea? Starting a small business is not only a great strategy for recession-proofing your income, it’s also an opportunity to make a living doing something you truly love. Start by thinking of all of the things you enjoy doing in your spare time, and then see if you can come up with a way to make them profitable. For example, if you’re constantly knitting clothing for your friends and family, why not offer your products to the masses? Or, if you’ve been collecting baseball cards since you were a kid, you could create a database for people to buy, sell and trade them. The possibilities are endless!<br /><br /><b>Make your home your home-base.</b> Setting up a small business in your home is one of the easiest and most cost effective ways to build a start-up - especially during a recession. In fact, the 2005 US Census says that small businesses have generated 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs annually in the United States during the last decade. <br /><br />By working out of your home you can avoid the not insignificant costs of a brick-and-mortar storefront , especially as rent and utilities. And, by working from home you’ll eliminate all commuting costs, which is especially important with the rapid increases of gas prices this year (over $4 a gallon!).<br /><br /><b>Go global without going anywhere. </b> When looking at the various types of home-based small businesses, online businesses are not only the most affordable, they also have the highest impact. Over the last several years there has been an increasing trend for businesses, large and small, to get online. <br /><br />You need to be where your competition is. <br /><br />With an online storefront you can sell <i>anywhere</i>. Even if your state is in a recession, it's important to keep in mind that other places around the world are not, and you can easily reach those global markets with a good Search Engine Optimization (SEO) campaign. Drop-shipping, a supply technique in which the retailer transfers customer orders to wholesalers who then ship the goods directly to the customer, completely eliminates all storage costs and keeps your home office clutter-free.<br /><br /><b>Take time to make time.</b> One of the many benefits to having an at-home online business is that you can work around your own schedule. Whether you’re choosing to start a business for extra income to supplement your day job, or if you’ve recently left or lost your full-time job and are choosing to venture out on your own—an online business provides you with the flexibility to work at your own pace and, around your own schedule. <br /><br />So not only does an at-home online business afford you the opportunity to create actual additional income, rather than the debt and loans that starting a traditional storefront business would require, but t also allows you to make your own schedule.<br /><br /><b>Look every bit as big as the competition.</b> Even if you’re working alone from a laptop on your sofa, an online storefront allows you the opportunity to appear as established and professional as the "big boys". With strategic Web design and online marketing, the Web works for you and can even the playing field between retailers of all sizes.<br /><br /><b>Don’t be afraid to ask for help.</b> While establishing your small business, you should look for an online services partner like Network Solutions that offers around-the-clock customer service and a wide array of design, marketing and e-commerce tools that can help make your Web site stand out.<br /><br />Steven Strauss, President of the Strauss Group, Inc.<br /><br />Steven Strauss is the country’s leading small business expert. An internationally recognized lawyer, columnist, and speaker, Steve is also an author of 15 books. His highly syndicated business column, <i>Ask an Expert</i>, appears weekly at USATODAY.com. He is also a columnist for Microsoft, and AT&T who calls him “America’s Small Business Expert.” He has been featured on CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg Television, <i>The O’Reilly Factor</i>, and the BBC. He has been a regular guest on MSNBC’s small business show, <i>Your Business</i>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:x-small;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri;"></span></span></p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Writing a Business Plan</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:14 GMT</p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">And the Necessary Sections of the Business Plan <br /><br />A business plan is a devise used to develop or define business initiatives. It is often compared to a blueprint or road map. Planning a business and mapping out its course can prevent serious mistakes and uncover fatal defects. Errors made on paper are less devastating and, in most cases, can be easily corrected. Errors made during the actual operation of the business, however, can prove detrimental to its future existence. <br /><br />A business plan outlines where a company currently stands, where it anticipates to be in the future and how it intends to get there. The plan details who is or who will be controlling all decisions made within the organization. It describes the product/service being offered. It provides background information on the industry, a description of the market in terms of size and growth, a profile of the target consumer, an analysis of existing competition, methods for distributing products, defined pricing strategies, and all promotional vehicles intended to be employed. The business plan also provides details on the company's selected suppliers of materials, the production process, licenses and permits required, capital asset requirements, proprietary information, facility specifications, and details regarding research & development. <br /><br />One of the most important areas of a business plan is the financial projections. The financial projections forecast the potential profitability and capital requirements of the proposed enterprise. Well developed business plans include a three year forecast of the income statement, balance sheet, cash-flow statement, break-even analysis, sensitivity analysis, and ratio analysis. <br /><br />A business plan is not a magical tool ensuring success. Moreover, the act of creating a business plan does not create financial stability for its author. A business plan, on the other hand, is a tool used to help determine the feasibility of a new venture, to determine the visibility of an expansion for an existing business, or to determine whether a newly developed initiative will provide profitable results. <br /><br />The remaining topics to be addressed under this topic include the following: <br /><br />PART A. Three Types of Business Plans <br /><br />PART B. Sections of a Business Plan <br /><br /><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;">PART A. - THREE TYPES OF BUSINESS PLANS</b>: <br /><br />The three (3) types of business plans include a Full Business Plan, a Brief Business Plan and an Operational Business Plan. <br /><br />The Full Business Plan is prepared by entrepreneurs or organizations requiring large amounts of financing. In addition, aspiring entrepreneurs usually develop a full business plan to add credibility to themselves and to their proposed venture. Furthermore, these entrepreneurs usually have little business experience and therefore must prove to investors that they have "schooled" themselves in the activities of the industry and are aware of what they are getting into. <br /><br />Depending upon the complexity of the proposed business, a Full Business Plan can range between forty and eighty pages in length. The format provided under the "Writing a Winning Business Plan" section outlines how to develop a Full Business Plan. <br /><br />A Brief Business Plan is much shorter; generally between twenty and thirty pages in length. It summaries all major functional areas of a business. It is usually created by an existing business who requires an increase in their operating loan or require a loan for a planned expansion. Furthermore, since a banker usually has a basic knowledge of the existing business (from prior visits or loan applications), fewer details are required and focus tends to be placed on the company's past ability to repay loans or other debt. A Brief Business Plan can also be used to stimulate an investor's interest and/or to monitor their reaction to the existing/proposed product or service. <br /><br />An Operational Business Plan is used by existing businesses to forecast their upcoming year's revenues, expenses, cash inflows & outflows, break-even point, sensitivity analysis etc. This type of business plan is often developed on an annual basis to keep key employees focused on the organization's goals, objectives, and strategies. Furthermore, an Operational Business Plan generally is prepared for internal purposes only - it's not used as a tool to apply for bank loans or acquire capital from investors. <br /><br /><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;">PART B. - SECTIONS OF A BUSINESS PLAN</b> <br /><br />All business plans have a basic format or structure. Below outlines and briefly describes each component of a business plan. <br /><br />THE TITLE PAGE <br /><br />The title page of a business plan depicts the company's name and address. The name and contact number of the owner/CEO is also provided in a standard title page. Additionally, some business plan writers include a confidentiality and proprietary statement along with a disclaimer of securities. As you may suspect, the title page is one page in length. <br /><br />THE TABLE OF CONTENTS <br /><br />The table of contents outlines a chronological listing of all sections and subsections of your business plan. Page numbering is used to reduce the reader's search for specific information. Most business plan writers place the table of contents on one or two pages; three pages are too many. <br /><br />THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY <br /><br />The executive summary highlights the most crucial aspects of each major business plan section. Its purpose is to entice readers (investors) so that they continue to read the entire plan. The length of an executive summary usually ranges between two and five pages. <br /><br />THE MISSION & STRATEGY STATEMENTS <br /><br />Your mission statement details where your business is currently and where it intends to be in the future. The strategy statement usually outlines the tactics you intend to employ in order to achieve your company's missions, objectives and goals. The average length of this section generally ranges from one to four pages. <br /><br />MANAGEMENT & STAFFING SECTION <br /><br />This section of the business plan details your company's planned or existing management team, outside supporters, strategic alliances and staffing requirements. The Management & Staffing section must prove to investors that you have developed or intend to develop, a Team that will produce the results outlined throughout your business plan. <br /><br />THE OPERATIONS OF YOUR COMPANY <br /><br />The operations section of the business plan will provide basic information on the company's current situation and/or background information for existing businesses. Other topics addressed under this section include direct material requirements, the production process, facility specifications, permits & licenses, research & development initiatives, capital asset requirement, milestones, and external influences just to name a few. <br /><br />THE MARKETING & PROMOTIONS SECTION <br /><br />The Marketing and Promotions section of your business plan provides background information on the industry, a description of the market in terms of size and growth, a profile of your target market, an analysis of your competition, distribution channels, your pricing strategies, and the promotional vehicles you intend to employ. The marketing & promotions section of the business plan is one of the most important sections and therefore, great consideration should be given to its structure and level of detail. <br /><br />THE FINANCIAL PLAN <br /><br />The Financial plan is possibly the most scrutinized section of any business plan. It usually consists of three parts, namely 1) an introduction, 2) the forecasted financial statements, and 3) notes to the forecasted financial statements. <br /><br />The introduction tells the reader what he/she is expected to find under the financial plan. The forecasted financial statements consist of projections over a three year period of the following items; forecasted income statement, balance sheet, cash-flow statement, break-even analysis, sensitivity analysis, and ratio analysis. The Notes to the Financial Statements summarize or explain the "assumptions" made by the entrepreneur when creating the forecasted financial statements. <br /><br />THE APPENDICES <br /><br />The appendix provides information and/or documents that support any claim made throughout the body of the business plan. Letters of intent from suppliers & customers, supporting charts & diagrams, resumes, patent or trademark documents, quotations, financial budgets, floor plans, facility layouts, and demographic charts are common examples of items appearing in an appendix of a business plan. <br /><br />There are some strict guidelines to follow when structuring your business plan. The title page always appears as the first page of the business plan. The table of contents will then follow. The executive summary must follow the table of contents. Appearing after the executive summary will be your mission and strategy statements. <br /><br />The sequence of the next three sections is left up to the entrepreneur. Moreover, placement of Management & Staffing section, the Marketing & Promotion section, and the Operation's section usually depends on the flow of the business plan. The Financial Plan will be the next section to appear. Finally, the Appendices will ALWAYS appear as the final section of your business plan. </span></p> <p>Author: <b class="author">Karl Johnston</b></p> <p> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=">Source: <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"><a href="http://www.articlecity.com/articles/business_and_finance/article_8899.shtml">http://www.articlecity.com/articles/business_and_finance/article_8899.shtml</a></span></p> </article> <article> <h1>Financial Modeling: Murder by Numbers</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:22 GMT</p> <p class="articletext2">To borrow a line from the Police, it might seem as easy as your a-b-c's, but there's a lot that goes into effective financial modeling. <br /> <br /> For my entire career, financial modeling has always been central to the analysis I've relied upon to evaluate a business' health or justify an investment in its growth. <br /> <br /> There are several important steps to follow in developing a financial model which will serve your objectives as an entrepreneur, whether you're trying to manage what you have or raise capital for what you could. This is particularly true for newer enterprises, as the discipline associated with identifying and thinking through the key business drivers is invaluable to the early planning process.<br /> <br /> <b>1. Figure out what you're trying to accomplish. </b><br /> <br /> As an entrepreneur, you have a number of competing objectives. Depending on how established you are, you may have a business to run on a day-to-day basis, and it's hard to find the time to plan, build and manage against a set of financial models. <br /> <br /> You may be tempted to build a simple income statement-type spreadsheet that lays out revenue assumptions and backs out costs. <br /> <br /> But effective financial models can and should be used for so much more. Using them, you can look six to sixty months down the road to plan for organic growth, evaluate opportunities to enter new markets or take on new sources of capital, or anticipate liquidity problems. <br /> <br /> I highly recommend taking the time to build a model which will generate a consolidated set of financial statements that will provide a more comprehensive picture of your business. And the sooner you identify the range of scenarios, the easier it is to plan and build your model to accommodate them.<br /> <br /> <b>2. Plan, and then plan some more</b><br /> <br /> A rule of thumb in traditional software design and development is that for more complex projects your engineering team may spend half of the overall project timeline in planning and design. In my view, that's overdoing it for financial modeling, but not by much. Key planning considerations include:<br /> <br /> Breaking down the key business drivers and assumptions, and how they are all related (more on this below) <br /> <br /> Determining the level of detail / drill-down capabilities <br /> <br /> Building a simple map of how your supporting sheets will roll up to your consolidated financial statements <br /> <br /> Determining what type of sensitivity analysis you want to model and present <br /> <br /> <b>3. Identify the key business drivers and assumptions </b><br /> <br /> Particularly if you're looking to raise capital, breaking down and modeling your key assumptions and drivers is the most important aspect of building your projections, and one of the most important elements in presenting your business. <br /> <br /> It will reflect your understanding of your market(s), growth opportunities and drivers, operating requirements, and what it takes to pull it all together. It is also an opportunity to demonstrate that your aspirations are firmly grounded in the reality of reasonable expectations about time to market, delays, cost overruns, etc.<br /> <br /> So if you're modeling a new product roll-out, it's not sufficient to say you'll sell X Widgets each month for $Y per and multiply the two numbers. Instead, you need to model out what drives unit sales, what are the elements of pricing (including discounting, up sells, bundling, etc.), how each of these elements might change over time, and then pull it all together. <br /> <br /> As you gain more information and market experience, or if you simply want to run some scenario analysis, you'll be able to tweak each of these variables and watch it flow through the analysis. <br /> <br /> This holds true for almost every revenue and cost driver - wherever possible, use formulas to do the work on clearly identified sets of assumptions that can be easily updated without needing to reformat the sheets manually.<br /> <br /> <b>4. Do the Sanity Check</b><br /> <br /> Far too often, reasonable assumptions accumulate to generate unreasonable outcomes, particularly when the financial model is extremely sensitive to changes in key variables or if compounding effects occur in the revenue streams. <br /> <br /> For example, in modeling an e-commerce business line recently, seemingly minor changes in the conversion rate of site visitors to paid subscription accounts (from, say, 0.75% to 1%) had a dramatic effect on the cumulative revenue stream over the 36 month forecast period. <br /> <br /> So it's essential that the model pass the smell test. If the compounded growth rates are not credible, it is frequently a reflection on your judgment as an entrepreneur, and it can negatively affect your access to capital. <br /> <br /> Putting dampers on your model, such as by decreasing growth rates once you achieve a certain market penetration, or simply adjusting your assumptions downward at various stages can help present more reasonable outcomes.<br /> <br /> <b>5. Put together a range of scenarios</b><br /> <br /> You'll want to generate downside and upside scenarios to complement your base case view of the business. Again, this requires judgment to put the pieces together and determine which scenarios make sense and which ones are a perfect recipe for disaster by showing a complete business collapse or a path to unlimited growth.<br /> <br /> <b>6. Take a step back and figure out what it all means </b><br /> <br /> Frequently, someone will present a set of numbers who hasn't taken the time to figure out what they really say or how they stack up to comparable companies. <br /> <br /> Understand and communicate, in plain language, what your margins are, where your forecast business is most sensitive to breakout opportunities or potential setbacks, and what your overall level of comfort is with the forecast.<br /> <br /> Of course, the sad fact of model building is that no matter how careful you've been to lay everything out, you're going to be, well, dead wrong. It's simply not possible, particularly in a newer (or even pre-revenue) business, to predict what's going to happen with any level of precision. <br /> <br /> But the process of building out the model will not only test, and then shore up, your understanding of your business, it will give you a sound foundation to measure your results, analyze them relative to your expectations, refine them, and continually improve your ability to plan for your business' growth.</p> <p class="articletext2"><b>About The Author--</b>John Siegler is a co-founder and CFO of Practice Technologies, Inc., creator of RealDealDocs. RealDealDocs gives you access to legal documents drafted by top US Lawyers. Search over 10 million documents and clauses for Free at <a href="http://www.realdealdocs.com/">www.RealDealDocs.com</a>.</p> <p class="articletext">Article Source: <a href="http://www.articlesisland.com/profile/john-siegler-3192.html">Articles island - Free article submission and free reprint articles</a></p> </article> <article> <h1>Your Home Business Budget Foundation</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:22 GMT</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 12.75pt; mso-outline-level: 2; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Arial;">Starting your own home business is a very tricky proposition. Starting your own enterprise is exciting, but it is also inherently full of risk. Enter discipline. Unless you get yourself going on the right foot, then the chances of achieving success are very small. <br /><br />Conversely, as long as you have the right foundation, and keep working on that foundation, success is almost an automatic thing. It is vital that you run your home business on a strict budget, if you aspire for long term success. Strictly budget your time and your money.<br /><br />As little as one hour a day, everyday, is enough to make your personal business get better everyday and grow steadily to keep your confidence up. Avoid distractions. <br /><br />One of the most important parts of running your business is operating on a budget of money and time. Every ad and every supply and tool you buy must earn the value put into it. This is a golden rule that can make you successful as you are going to be at any business.<br /><br />Many men and women, mostly unsuccessful ones, prefer going with the flow rather than with actually setting goals and budgets. For the most part, this attitude is a mistake. Unless you have an incredible memory and unnatural clear sightedness, planning for both the present and the future is a prerequisite to success.<br /><br />No matter how you define that elusive concept. Remember, no sloppy ad, supply or equipment buys. Check everything out scrupulously before putting your hard earned funds into it. Always shop for better prices and quality with every purchase you make. <br /><br />Because this article is about home businesses, we will begin by defining success as the growth and eventual profitability of your particular business. By growth we mean that the business will expand, hopefully outgrowing your home and eventually participating in the corporate arena or whichever one you feel comfortable to work in. <br /><br />By profitability, we mean that the business will become a cash generating machine, so much so that you attain financial freedom, and never have to work a single day again for someone else, if you do not feel like it. You will be your own woman or man. <br /><br />This article argues that in order to achieve growth and profitability, discipline is needed, and plans must be made and acted upon. I cannot harp on and emphasize this enough to you.<br /><br /><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Crafting your budget</strong><br /><br />One of the most important plans you must conceptualize is that of your budget. Many businesses, even if they have great ideas and wonderful products, still fail for lack of proper planning and efficient allocation of resources. Do not let this happen to you. Only a home business on a strict budget can ever be truly successful.<br /><br />First, make it a habit to write down, both what you earn and what you spend, on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis. A common stenographer notebook will be perfect for this. Make a different page for every expense. Every expense and every sale must be recorded so you know where you are everyday.This is the least that you can do.<br /><br />Look over what you have written down and you will easily see the areas that can be improved upon, especially in the expense column. It is astonishing how many expenses we never notice until we get them down in paper. As the business grows larger, accounting knowledge might be needed. If you have neither the time nor the inclination to acquire the knowledge yourself, find someone who does. <br /><br />Second, analyze the figures and determine the areas where you can control costs, and where you should add capital. Every business has areas that generate above average returns, as well as areas that under perform. As much as possible, redirect your resources to the projects and ideas that give you the most return. You will quickly start to learn this from experience.<br /><br />Many years of experience have frequently given me the positive experience of having the lowest cost item or ad working for me best.<br /><br />The great secret here is to, are you ready? Shop around for the best buy and do not let your emotions run wild on you when you read or hear presentations that have wild claims or will not give you the whole detail story until you pay them first. Hah! Never do it. Give me the details or forget about it. You do not need to take unnecessary risks. <br /><br />Lastly, stick to your budget. Never forget this. A plan not acted upon is essentially useless, and a budget not followed is as useful as a page of doodles. Once you have written down and finalized your budget, do not make any departures from it unless absolutely necessary. Always have a solid reason for doing so.<br /><br />Be disciplined. It is the only way you will get anywhere. By running your home business on a focused budget, you are securing your future at a small expense to the present and a nice profit in the future. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 12.75pt; mso-outline-level: 2; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Arial;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1.5pt 0in 7.5pt 7.5pt; line-height: 12.75pt;"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Arial;">About The Author--</span></strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Arial;"> James M. Lowe writes original articles about <a href="http://mysolutionspot.com/%20http://www.contenttomarket.com/ArticleWriters/">home business opportunities</a>. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1.5pt 0in 7.5pt 7.5pt; line-height: 12.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Arial;">Article Source: <a href="http://www.articlesisland.com/profile/james-m.-lowe-1028.html"><strong>Articles island - Free article submission and free reprint articles</strong></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 12.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></p> </article> <article> <h1>Payroll Services Offer Affordable Accounting Experts for Small Businesses</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:20 GMT</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;">The smart business owner strives to spend his or her time working on business rather than in the office handling daily operations such as payroll.<br /><br />A payroll service can help any size company but especially a small business or medium one because this is a job that can be outsourced to experienced, qualified professionals, saving you precious time to work on revenue producing activities.<br /><br />You can choose to spend less time consumed with these in-office tasks and more time concentrating on your customers for real revenue and growth.<br /><br />Hiring a payroll services company is not just hiring someone to do all of the calculations for you. Yes, accuracy is very necessary in calculations such as ...<br /><br />* Checks and Direct Deposit<br />* Remittal of federal and state tax withholdings<br />* Remittal of federal and state unemployment taxes<br />* Tax Liability<br />* Time and Attendance<br />* Deductions<br />* Preparation of state unemployment forms<br />* State and federal tax reconciliations<br />* Preparation of W-2's, W-3's, 1099's and 1096's<br />* Notification of all tax payments and filings due to local, state and federal authorities<br /><br />But when you are considering a task which is so critical to the smooth operation of your business, you will also want to consider the experience of the payroll solutions firms.<br /><br />Their attention to detail, response time to your questions, and excellent service are important factors when considering outsourcing. In hiring a firm, you are paying someone to help make your workload lighter. You certainly want to spend your money with accountants who will answer your calls promptly, who will understand your industry, and keep your accounts efficient and up-to-date.<br /><br /><b>Online Convenience ...</b><br /><br />An efficient payroll service can address your business' specific needs quickly and conveniently through the use of technology. Accountants with direct online access to her clients' reports eliminate time lost waiting for the client to send reports.<br /><br />The Internet allows clients and their employees access to their payroll from anywhere in the world.<br /><br /><b>Small Business, No Problem ...</b><br /><br />Another consideration is if they offer an online accounting product that can be utilized by big and small business alike. This is especially important to consider for potential growth of your company and of your payroll demands.<br /><br />A simple tool for a small business owner is one that allows him to enter the employees' hours online and submit to the service for checks to be printed and delivered.<br /><br />Using the services' easily adapted online product, larger companies can choose online options to:<br /><br />1. enter time and attendance<br />2. add and terminate employees<br />3. change deduction information<br />4. cut manual checks<br />5. calculate gross-to-net wages<br />6. print, email, or export reports by any date range.<br /><br />With a great online product, a payroll service can allow employees to go online and view check stubs, history, or request changes.<br /><br />Your accountant specialist should offer<br /><br />* personalized service with advanced technologies<br />* personal care for your specific needs<br />* availability to answer your questions<br />* prompt information about all of your account's activities.<br /><br />With these services you can be free to pursue money making opportunities for your company growth and remain knowledgeable about your payroll. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><b><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;">About The Author--</span></b><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;"> (</span>astratton) <span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;">Servicing businesses nationwide, and based in <a href="http://www.payrollrx.com/">New Orleans, payroll service</a> from Payroll Rx, is specialized for medium to small business payroll. On time, easy to understand and personalized for you. They have a plan for every size business and every payroll need for companies nationwide. <a href="http://www.payrollrx.com/">http://www.payrollrx.com/</a> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;">Article Source: <a href="http://www.articlesisland.com/profile/astratton-1195.html"><b>Articles island - Free article submission and free reprint articles</b></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"> </span></p> </article> <article> <h1>How To Use A Business Credit Card</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:20 GMT</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Many business owners, especially small business owners and sole proprietors, use their personal credit cards to make purchases for their business needs. There is nothing illegal about this and if one keeps meticulous records, it can be a way to conduct business purchase via credit card use. However, there are a couple of drawbacks to using personal credit cards for business. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">One of the most important drawbacks is record keeping. Generally speaking, most business expenses are tax deductible and, depending on the amount one spends on these expenses, the deductions can be hefty. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">By using a business credit card to make your purchases, you can easily keep those expenditures separate from personal expenditures. This can be a great help when tax time rolls around and the business owner has to identify what is personal and what is business. The amount of time that this can save is worth the use of a business card alone. As well, it can greatly reduce mistakes and omissions. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Another good reason to use a business credit card is that it allows the business to establish its own credit history. This can be especially useful for those businesses that are not incorporated. By establishing its own credit history, a business can often find it easier to approach lenders when additional credit is needed. Showing lenders that you have worked hard to get credit for the business and that you have been reliable in paying the credit debt off will go a long way in assuring lenders that your business is a good candidate for additional credit. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Business credit cards can also be useful because of the various perks and programs that they sometimes offer. Personal credit cards also carry several programs but these are most often designed for vacations or consumer type discounts. Business cards, on the other hand, will often promote discounts that are specifically designed to help business owners. These programs can often save the owner a lot of money during the course of a year. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Lastly, you can designate the people or departments that are allowed to use the card. This can save you from having to do this yourself. Again, the savings in time can be worth the effort it takes to get a new business card all by itself. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">You can begin researching companies that offer business cards online. As with all types of credit cards, there will be variances between the companies and you will want to make sure that you deal with the company that offers what you need. You will also want to check the interest rates that are being offered and apply for the ones that are the lowest. One tip is companies that offer the most promotions often offer the higher interest rates as well. Be sure you check on that before applying. This can be especially important if you do not plan to use the various perks and promotions throughout the year. You don't want to pay for something that you won't use very much. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"> </span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">About The Author </span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Peter Kenny is a writer for The Thrifty Scot, please visit us at http://www.thriftyscot.co.uk/Credit-Cards/ and http://www.thriftyscot.com/home-equity/ Visit http://www.thriftyscot.com </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Article Source: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=206277&ca=Finances</span></p> </article> </main></body></html>