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  • Casual Articles - 4 Reasons Why Small Businesses Succeed (or Fail)

    Employment Opportunities
    Employment opportunity is a depended factor on generation and development. Proportionally, it increases and decreases as per market demand, production increase and companies growth. Fortunately, all these are in a positive direction to generate the huge job opportunities in different sectors. All the job types are relative to each others. So an increment of one side forces to increase other types of jobs immediately. For an example, the increment of engineering jobs increases the management, administrative and human resource management jobs automatically.Each education educates you directly or indirectly for an employment status. Study of arts, science, commerce, engineering, medical, defense, management etc. are worthy for knowledge and making yourself skilled person so that you can serve for an organization. That makes the human potential in you. Then an employer can fit you in a job as per their need.IT jobs are booming because of the applying technology in every step of life. The workload is increased because of the implementing the technological methods. The workload only can be managed em
    n. Well structured, they also relieve management of many day to day routine activities, giving owners more time to be strategic thinkers. The information provided by these tracking systems provide critical information on sales, cash flow and other financial performance data so that senior management can take timely action as change occurs. Red flags appear early, before problems become unmanageable.

    IN SUMMARY, THE FOUR KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ARE: (1) Owners have developed habits and traits that are Positive, Committed, Patient and Persistent. (2) A living Strategic Business Plan is in place. (3) An Organizational Structure has been developed that encourages people to be their best and allows them to do so. (4) Operational Support Systems are used that track performance and relieve senior management of daily detail yet supply them with critical data to manage the business.

    Let’s go a littler deeper into what is meant by a Strategic Business Plan.

    Successful businesses operate within a planned framework. A Strategic Business Plan is written for a minimum of three years or two years beyond the current budget year. The plan describes the company’s mission

    Benefits of S Corporations
    The owners of any business, irrespective of the size, can benefit from incorporating. With the Tax Reform Act of 1986, the S Corporation became a highly desirable entity for corporate tax purposes. An S Corporation is a special tax designation granted by the IRS to corporations. Many small business owners and entrepreneurs prefer S corporation because it combines many of the advantages of a sole proprietorship, partnership and the corporate forms of business structure. One person can form an S corporation, but is restricted to no more than 75 shareholders. The corporation must be formed in the United States and all shareholders must be individuals. The advantages of S corporations include limited personal liability, pass-through of losses, no corporate taxes and no shareholder FICA tax on net income.When S corporation is elected, the income, losses and other elements of tax treatment, flow directly to the shareholders. S corporation generally provides employee benefits and deferred compensation plans. The stock of S corporations is freely transferable. Free exchangeability of interest means that share
    The American system of business management is admired and emulated around the world. The American system is characteristic of two positive traits in the American psyche: (1) enthusiasm for making things better for the future and (2) openness and willingness to change in order to achieve that end.

    No society in the world is more prolific at creating new businesses than the United States capitalistic system. Often, however, as small businesses owners and managers, we are so busy starting new ventures and fighting daily fires that we don’t take the time to learn basic, successful management principles. These principles have been tested and proven by our larger companies over years of trial and error. They are readily available as a resource to the small business owner.

    Many entrepreneurs are technical experts in the product or service they offer. The entrepreneur, however, often starts a business without any formal training or experience in the best management practices and principles. By “management” here we mean the business of successfully managing the non-technical side of the business, the “back room” activities. It is the “business of running the business”. As a result of inadequate or inattentive management, many small businesses fail in the early years. They fail not because of a weakness in their product or service concept, but because the business was not properly organized or managed.

    Once a small business has emerged from the start-up phase, or grown to a certain level, management techniques must change or the business will inevitably run into trouble. Although situations vary widely, for many small businesses management crises start in the range of $1-3 million in annual sales or 5-15 employees. When management issue becomes critical, the owner or manager of a small business must evolve or change from a manager of things to a manager of people and from a technical expert to a strategic thinker.

    Change is never easy, particularly for talented entrepreneurs who have ingrained habits developed over time. But failure to grow as a manager is a major, perhaps the major reason why a business will falter, stagnate or even collapse under its own weight.

    But what have successful business owners developed have is missing in troubled businesses?

    First of all, owners of successful businesses have developed personal characteristics that they were not necessarily born with and that reflect in their business organization:

    • Invariably they have a positive attitude towards their business and life in general.

    “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain

    • They are committed to their effort.

    “The only place you’ll find success before work is in the dictionary.” May B. Smith

    • They are patient.

    “Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage." Victor Kiam

    • They are persistent.

    “Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Thomas Edison

    Secondly, the owners of successful businesses have developed a business blueprint called a Strategic Business Plan that clearly describes their business concept, their mission and their philosophy of business. In this document, they have set personal and corporate goals and set out specific time lines and strategies to achieve them.

    Thirdly, successful business owners think of their employees as “associates”, a favorite descriptor used by Sam Walton and a more meaningful idea of a management/employee relationship. Successful owners view their associates as their most valuable asset and resource. Associates are gathered into an Organizational Structure that functions as a well-oiled machine. This structure, including all its policies and procedures, encourages associates to perform to their utmost capabilities and gives them the freedom to achieve, rewarding those who excel in proportion to their contributions and disciplining those who deviate from acceptable behavior. Positions, tasks, duties and responsibilities are defined and communicated routinely and performance is measured regularly. Training, job enrichment programs and incentive compensation plans are designed to encourage each associate to excel.

    Fourth and last, the owners of successful businesses have developed Operational Support Systems. These may be financial or non-financial, manual or automated. The objective of these systems is to support and make efficient all the activities of the organization. Well structured, they also relieve management of many day to day routine activities, giving owners more time to be strategic thinkers. The information provided by these tracking systems provide critical information on sales, cash flow and other financial performance data so that senior management can take timely action as change occurs. Red flags appear early, before problems become unmanageable.

    IN SUMMARY, THE FOUR KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ARE: (1) Owners have developed habits and traits that are Positive, Committed, Patient and Persistent. (2) A living Strategic Business Plan is in place. (3) An Organizational Structure has been developed that encourages people to be their best and allows them to do so. (4) Operational Support Systems are used that track performance and relieve senior management of daily detail yet supply them with critical data to manage the business.

    Let’s go a littler deeper into what is meant by a Strategic Business Plan.

    Successful businesses operate within a planned framework. A Strategic Business Plan is written for a minimum of three years or two years beyond the current budget year. The plan describes the company’s mission

    History of ISO 9000
    ISO 9000 grew out of BS 5750, a standard published by the British Standards Institution (BSI) in 1979. Initially, it was used only in manufacturing industries. ISO 9000 is now employed across a variety of other types of businesses. It is a set of international standards of quality management systems. ISO 9000 has been accepted by more than 100 countries as their national quality assurance standard by the end of 1997.The history of ISO 9000 dates back to Mil-Q-9858a, the first quality standard for military procurement established in 1959 by the US. By 1962, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) developed its quality system requirements for suppliers. In 1965, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) accepted the AQAP (allied quality assurance procedures) specifications for the procurement of equipments.During the 1970s, BSI published BS 9000 (the first UK standard for quality assurance) and BS 5179 (guidelines for quality assurance) norms. In 1979, it created BS 5750, a series of standards for use by manufacturing companies. They were enforced through assessments and audits. In 1
    equate or inattentive management, many small businesses fail in the early years. They fail not because of a weakness in their product or service concept, but because the business was not properly organized or managed.

    Once a small business has emerged from the start-up phase, or grown to a certain level, management techniques must change or the business will inevitably run into trouble. Although situations vary widely, for many small businesses management crises start in the range of $1-3 million in annual sales or 5-15 employees. When management issue becomes critical, the owner or manager of a small business must evolve or change from a manager of things to a manager of people and from a technical expert to a strategic thinker.

    Change is never easy, particularly for talented entrepreneurs who have ingrained habits developed over time. But failure to grow as a manager is a major, perhaps the major reason why a business will falter, stagnate or even collapse under its own weight.

    But what have successful business owners developed have is missing in troubled businesses?

    First of all, owners of successful businesses have developed personal characteristics that they were not necessarily born with and that reflect in their business organization:

    • Invariably they have a positive attitude towards their business and life in general.

    “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain

    • They are committed to their effort.

    “The only place you’ll find success before work is in the dictionary.” May B. Smith

    • They are patient.

    “Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage." Victor Kiam

    • They are persistent.

    “Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Thomas Edison

    Secondly, the owners of successful businesses have developed a business blueprint called a Strategic Business Plan that clearly describes their business concept, their mission and their philosophy of business. In this document, they have set personal and corporate goals and set out specific time lines and strategies to achieve them.

    Thirdly, successful business owners think of their employees as “associates”, a favorite descriptor used by Sam Walton and a more meaningful idea of a management/employee relationship. Successful owners view their associates as their most valuable asset and resource. Associates are gathered into an Organizational Structure that functions as a well-oiled machine. This structure, including all its policies and procedures, encourages associates to perform to their utmost capabilities and gives them the freedom to achieve, rewarding those who excel in proportion to their contributions and disciplining those who deviate from acceptable behavior. Positions, tasks, duties and responsibilities are defined and communicated routinely and performance is measured regularly. Training, job enrichment programs and incentive compensation plans are designed to encourage each associate to excel.

    Fourth and last, the owners of successful businesses have developed Operational Support Systems. These may be financial or non-financial, manual or automated. The objective of these systems is to support and make efficient all the activities of the organization. Well structured, they also relieve management of many day to day routine activities, giving owners more time to be strategic thinkers. The information provided by these tracking systems provide critical information on sales, cash flow and other financial performance data so that senior management can take timely action as change occurs. Red flags appear early, before problems become unmanageable.

    IN SUMMARY, THE FOUR KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ARE: (1) Owners have developed habits and traits that are Positive, Committed, Patient and Persistent. (2) A living Strategic Business Plan is in place. (3) An Organizational Structure has been developed that encourages people to be their best and allows them to do so. (4) Operational Support Systems are used that track performance and relieve senior management of daily detail yet supply them with critical data to manage the business.

    Let’s go a littler deeper into what is meant by a Strategic Business Plan.

    Successful businesses operate within a planned framework. A Strategic Business Plan is written for a minimum of three years or two years beyond the current budget year. The plan describes the company’s mission

    Leading Change; It's 24-7
    Change has been occurring since before the beginning of man, so it is a fair bet that it will not stop soon. Whether organisations like it or not, they will change.External influences change the constraints an organisation has, the expectations their stakeholders place upon them and change the values and capabilities of their people. What separates organisations from one another is how they deal with change.Some react to change along a conservative line, waiting until the last moment to adapt to change. They resist change at every turn, believing in the intrinsic value of "tradition". They tend to be backward looking, remembering the "good old days" and ignoring the here and now.They do gain some advantage in being able to learn from others mistakes and successes. Unfortunately for them, if they face competition change may come too late to survive.If they have a monopoly then it is time to pity their poor customers for having to suffer products and services befitting the era of their parents or grandparents. If they are a government entity then pity the poor country as it loses co
    not necessarily born with and that reflect in their business organization:

    • Invariably they have a positive attitude towards their business and life in general.

    “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain

    • They are committed to their effort.

    “The only place you’ll find success before work is in the dictionary.” May B. Smith

    • They are patient.

    “Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage." Victor Kiam

    • They are persistent.

    “Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Thomas Edison

    Secondly, the owners of successful businesses have developed a business blueprint called a Strategic Business Plan that clearly describes their business concept, their mission and their philosophy of business. In this document, they have set personal and corporate goals and set out specific time lines and strategies to achieve them.

    Thirdly, successful business owners think of their employees as “associates”, a favorite descriptor used by Sam Walton and a more meaningful idea of a management/employee relationship. Successful owners view their associates as their most valuable asset and resource. Associates are gathered into an Organizational Structure that functions as a well-oiled machine. This structure, including all its policies and procedures, encourages associates to perform to their utmost capabilities and gives them the freedom to achieve, rewarding those who excel in proportion to their contributions and disciplining those who deviate from acceptable behavior. Positions, tasks, duties and responsibilities are defined and communicated routinely and performance is measured regularly. Training, job enrichment programs and incentive compensation plans are designed to encourage each associate to excel.

    Fourth and last, the owners of successful businesses have developed Operational Support Systems. These may be financial or non-financial, manual or automated. The objective of these systems is to support and make efficient all the activities of the organization. Well structured, they also relieve management of many day to day routine activities, giving owners more time to be strategic thinkers. The information provided by these tracking systems provide critical information on sales, cash flow and other financial performance data so that senior management can take timely action as change occurs. Red flags appear early, before problems become unmanageable.

    IN SUMMARY, THE FOUR KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ARE: (1) Owners have developed habits and traits that are Positive, Committed, Patient and Persistent. (2) A living Strategic Business Plan is in place. (3) An Organizational Structure has been developed that encourages people to be their best and allows them to do so. (4) Operational Support Systems are used that track performance and relieve senior management of daily detail yet supply them with critical data to manage the business.

    Let’s go a littler deeper into what is meant by a Strategic Business Plan.

    Successful businesses operate within a planned framework. A Strategic Business Plan is written for a minimum of three years or two years beyond the current budget year. The plan describes the company’s mission

    Data Driven Decisions
    Data driven decision-making seems to be a hot topic in healthcare today. Actually, it is a process that manufacturers have used a long time. The Toyota Quality process is built upon data; it is one reason they are the leading maker of quality auto products. Using this concept in healthcare will lead to improved outcomes both for patients and providers. It does take a focused effort to use such an approach.Let me first illustrate two situations where providers either chose to ignore evidence or had not collected evidence and were making errors because of this. In the report of research on alcohol and primary care physician interaction, titled “How Primary Care Physicians Talk to Patients About Alcohol,” it was noted that 29 patients told their physicians that they were either abusing alcohol or thought they were addicted to alcohol. In only one case did the physician follow through with a discussion about the behavior of the patient and make a recommendation about changing habits. Clearly the physicians were ignoring evidence of behavior with serious consequences. From a Columbia University stu
    ic time lines and strategies to achieve them.

    Thirdly, successful business owners think of their employees as “associates”, a favorite descriptor used by Sam Walton and a more meaningful idea of a management/employee relationship. Successful owners view their associates as their most valuable asset and resource. Associates are gathered into an Organizational Structure that functions as a well-oiled machine. This structure, including all its policies and procedures, encourages associates to perform to their utmost capabilities and gives them the freedom to achieve, rewarding those who excel in proportion to their contributions and disciplining those who deviate from acceptable behavior. Positions, tasks, duties and responsibilities are defined and communicated routinely and performance is measured regularly. Training, job enrichment programs and incentive compensation plans are designed to encourage each associate to excel.

    Fourth and last, the owners of successful businesses have developed Operational Support Systems. These may be financial or non-financial, manual or automated. The objective of these systems is to support and make efficient all the activities of the organization. Well structured, they also relieve management of many day to day routine activities, giving owners more time to be strategic thinkers. The information provided by these tracking systems provide critical information on sales, cash flow and other financial performance data so that senior management can take timely action as change occurs. Red flags appear early, before problems become unmanageable.

    IN SUMMARY, THE FOUR KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ARE: (1) Owners have developed habits and traits that are Positive, Committed, Patient and Persistent. (2) A living Strategic Business Plan is in place. (3) An Organizational Structure has been developed that encourages people to be their best and allows them to do so. (4) Operational Support Systems are used that track performance and relieve senior management of daily detail yet supply them with critical data to manage the business.

    Let’s go a littler deeper into what is meant by a Strategic Business Plan.

    Successful businesses operate within a planned framework. A Strategic Business Plan is written for a minimum of three years or two years beyond the current budget year. The plan describes the company’s mission

    What Great Companies Want
    The primary objectives of all Great Companies are as follows:• Make Money -> Create value for shareholders, grow earnings and profits• Act Responsibly -> Be a good corporate citizen, improve the lives of consumers• Minimize Risk -> Legal Risk, Financial Risk, Marketplace RiskTherefore, what Great Companies look for in the people they hire is that they have the skills and capabilities to…1. Make money for the company2. Act responsibly3. Minimize riskYour primary task in applying for a job is to convince companies that you have what it takes to do what's shown above. Every company has a set of skills and capabilities they are looking for in their management employees. Although all are slightly different, I would offer the following list that covers 90% of them all. You should spend some time reviewing this list as it should be used in developing your resume and interview outline.Skills & Capabilities all Great Companies Look ForLeadership – You direct, motivate and even inspire others to do things they could not or would not do without yo
    n. Well structured, they also relieve management of many day to day routine activities, giving owners more time to be strategic thinkers. The information provided by these tracking systems provide critical information on sales, cash flow and other financial performance data so that senior management can take timely action as change occurs. Red flags appear early, before problems become unmanageable.

    IN SUMMARY, THE FOUR KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ARE: (1) Owners have developed habits and traits that are Positive, Committed, Patient and Persistent. (2) A living Strategic Business Plan is in place. (3) An Organizational Structure has been developed that encourages people to be their best and allows them to do so. (4) Operational Support Systems are used that track performance and relieve senior management of daily detail yet supply them with critical data to manage the business.

    Let’s go a littler deeper into what is meant by a Strategic Business Plan.

    Successful businesses operate within a planned framework. A Strategic Business Plan is written for a minimum of three years or two years beyond the current budget year. The plan describes the company’s mission, analyzes corporate and marketing strengths, evaluates weaknesses and how they will be overcome. It identifies target markets and pricing strategies and describes strategic alliances that exist or will be pursued. The plan describes positions on any other issues seen as critical to the long term health or viability of the business.

    “Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail” Effie Jones

    Now let’s look a little deeper at what we mean by Organizational Structure.

    The basic building blocks of organizational structure for a business are:

    • An Organizational Chart, Job Descriptions, Task and Duty Lists, a Job Performance Evaluation System, an Employee Handbook, a Policies & Procedures Manual and an Incentive Compensation System.

    When all of these organizational components are in place and being utilized routinely, the organization will have structure and purpose. Employees will feel they know where the company is going and what their role is in helping it get there. They will know the boundaries of what is expected as acceptable behavior and they will be aware that outstanding performance will be rewarded.

    Now let’s look a little deeper at what we mean by Operating Support Systems.

    Usually the most involved system for a small business is the Accounting System. This may be a relatively simple system such as QuickBooks® or Peachtree®. These systems are pre-designed and user-friendly and are particularly good for non-manufacturing businesses that simply buy and resell items. Also, they manage customers, vendors, accounts receivable and accounts payable very well. Finally, they have the capability of generating excellent managerial and financial reports, virtually in a minute or two.

    No matter what the type of business, some type of accounting software package is needed that can capture daily transactions in a real-time environment and be easily operated by in-house personnel. In today’s fast paced business world, relying on an accountant to provide periodic statements of company performance several weeks or even months after the fact is not an acceptable strategy.

    Other systems small businesses should have in place (typically these are automated Excel®-based systems):

    • Cash Management, Annual/Monthly Budget with Variance Report, Labor Burden Tracking System, Job or Product Pricing System, Incentive Plan Distribution System, Break-Even Calculator and a Weekly Sales Reporter.

    Even if you have none of these developed, the task is not as daunting as it may seem at first. Plug-in systems are available from a number of sources at modest cost and include backup training and support (one such source can be found at www.isbminc.com).

    A business that has these four critical components in place stands a much higher probability of success than businesses that are not so equipped.

    © Institute for Small Business Management, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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