Casual Articles - Business

Oasis in a Cash Flow Desert - Four Resources That Increase Small Business Capital Streams
For small business owners, an enthusiastic vision for smooth, steady growth can become nothing more than a mirage once company cash flow problems begin to heat up. Most will struggle with the timing of payment from clients or customers at some point, all while attempting to pay their own bills in a timely fashion. With all of the best laid plans for rapid flowing cash streams evaporating down to just a gurgle in the ditch, the potential risk of joining the ninety-percent of businesses that fail within their first three years of operation becomes a very sobering possibility.s business to a new department in a very large local corporation for whom Fred had worked for many years. In fact, Fred had brought Sam onto several past projects for this client. However, when Sam was approached by a local job-shopping temporary employment agency about the same gig, Sam agreed to allow the agency to submit him for the job.

Sam didn't tell Fred that he was violating their non-compete agr

Leveraging Promotional Software Techniques
In recent consulting work for a number of large corporations, I conducted an experiment using software to distinguish the level and value of my services to the companies I worked with on a number of assignments. The objective was to test the response, continued use, and perceived value of the services provided to my customers. As part of each assignment, the companies requested that I provide procedural information to document my positions in a way that would orient their own personnel, or subsequent contractors to the resources, information, and procedures used to accomplish v

That's right are you making enough mistakes in your business? Some of you are probably annoyed at my question; others are thinking "Geez, Rose! If I made any more mistakes I'd have to run screaming back to a day job!"

If you went to school in the public school system in America, you were culturally trained to avoid and hide mistakes, after all; your teachers and professors didn't give you a great grade for your efforts unless those efforts produced great results. So, too, if you were an employee in corporate America you were rewarded for chasing perfection and penalized for making mistakes.

But now you're self-employed.

And it's a necessity that you rethink the whole issue of mistakes. One of the most important mental shifts we all need to make as self-employed business owners is from hiding and avoiding our mistakes to embracing them! And to making lots of little ones frequently! (It's those big mistakes that happen "once in a while" that will kill your business not the little mistakes you make daily.)

Here's an example of one of those business-killing mistakes:

Sam had been doing subcontracting work for Fred off and on over the past 5 years. Initially, Sam had a full workload for his business between the work he got directly from clients himself and the work that Fred hired him to do. Sam had a non-compete agreement with Fred. Essentially Sam agreed not to solicit work directly from any of Fred's clients for at least a year after having worked for Fred, but things are tough out here in the real world this year.

Sam knew, from Fred, that Fred was actively marketing his business to a new department in a very large local corporation for whom Fred had worked for many years. In fact, Fred had brought Sam onto several past projects for this client. However, when Sam was approached by a local job-shopping temporary employment agency about the same gig, Sam agreed to allow the agency to submit him for the job.

Sam didn't tell Fred that he was violating their non-compete agre

50 Creative Places To Advertise Your Business For Free
Have you grown tired of trying to figure out creative places to advertise your business? What about plain and simple creative ideas? Let me share with you fifty creative ideas. I hope this list gets your creative juices flowing.1. Take a small zip close baggy (snack sizes work well) and include the following in it:Your Business Card, Business Opt Mini Flier a Piece of Candy such as hard candy or a lollipop, mini flier of current host specials, discount coupon (optional) etc.Hand these out to the bank tellers, retail cashiers, at your kids sport even

for your efforts unless those efforts produced great results. So, too, if you were an employee in corporate America you were rewarded for chasing perfection and penalized for making mistakes.

But now you're self-employed.

Here's an example of one of those business-killing mistakes:

Sam didn't tell Fred that he was violating their non-compete agr

Interns / Internships: Are You Making the Most of Your Intern
KEEPING INTEREST HIGH: Supervision is key to the success of the program. Interns like direction, but don’t like to feel they are being constantly checked on. Even this small amount of direction, however, can take a great deal of time. It is important to be willing to set aside this time to give the intern direction. One method that seems to work calls for a briefing at the beginning of each day and a “where-do-we-stand?" briefing at its end. Throughout the day, the manager is on hand to answer any questions that might come up -- remember this is a learning experience! There shoul

ing and avoiding our mistakes to embracing them! And to making lots of little ones frequently! (It's those big mistakes that happen "once in a while" that will kill your business not the little mistakes you make daily.)

Here's an example of one of those business-killing mistakes:

Sam didn't tell Fred that he was violating their non-compete agr

Tips for Avoiding Work At Home Scams
If you have ever done a search on “work at home”, I’m sure you ran into some of these work at home scams and didn’t know it. Most of the people that are looking for work at home web pages couldn’t even spot a work at home scam. This is most like due to the fact that they really want to work from home and the claims of some scams make them think it’s real.There are many ways to spot these scams. I’m going to be giving you tips on how to spot work at home scams.Tip one- Most of the scams ask for a self addressed envelope and a $1. This right here is nice scam. I’ll te

orkload for his business between the work he got directly from clients himself and the work that Fred hired him to do. Sam had a non-compete agreement with Fred. Essentially Sam agreed not to solicit work directly from any of Fred's clients for at least a year after having worked for Fred, but things are tough out here in the real world this year.

Sam didn't tell Fred that he was violating their non-compete agr

Ten Tips for Creating a Winning Proposal - Part 2
Part 1 of this series described five critical components for creating a winning proposal. In some instances, these components are all a prospective client needs to make a determination and award the job. Be sure to carefully review the request for proposal to determine the amount of information you need to include in your proposal. Remember, each proposal is unique.Here are five more tips to keep in mind when preparing a winning proposal.Tip #6 – Properly Estimate Job CostsSelecting the right price for the proposed work is a delicate balancing a

s business to a new department in a very large local corporation for whom Fred had worked for many years. In fact, Fred had brought Sam onto several past projects for this client. However, when Sam was approached by a local job-shopping temporary employment agency about the same gig, Sam agreed to allow the agency to submit him for the job.

Sam didn't tell Fred that he was violating their non-compete agreement. Sam interviewed for the job and got it. Then he told Fred.

This was a big mistake (to say nothing of the violation of several of my Client-Savvy Proficiencies for Successful Solopreneurs!) You can bet that Sam has just eliminated any further work coming into his business via Fred.

Here are some examples of embraceable, little mistakes:

Emailed my first status report to my client and assumed she received it. She hadn't received it, which I discovered in the next on-site project meeting. After that I both emailed and faxed her my weekly status reports.

Bought an indicia from the Postal Office with the intent to save money in my direct mail campaigns through reduced postage costs. Didn't check it out enough to learn that the PO won't return undeliverable items when they are stamped with an indicia. Sent out several mailings to a bad mailing list that I couldn't update because I didn't know how many of the addresses were defunct. When I learned how this really worked, I switched to using first-class postage for my mailings. Now my mailing lists are cleaned and updated after each mailing...saving me more money than I saved with the indicia.

Started a new health program than included walking a couple of times each day. I checked my schedule, phone messages, and email messages before I went out for each walk, and carried my cell phone with me during the walk. But I hadn't started the habit of checking my phone for messages upon re-entry to my office. I missed a call from a lovely prospective client and didn't return it for 3 hours. Not a great way to be

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Don't Forget Where You Came from - Why the Past is Important in Implementing Business Change

Much of the literature and advice on implementing business change focuses on knowing where you are going and making sure that you understand and communicate a consistent vision of the future. Indeed, I have looked at the importance of this in an earlier article in this series. This article, however, looks at the past and its often under-estimated importance in implementing change.

Successful Call Center Performance Management System

If you are looking for a closed-loop system to increase performance, deliver better customer service and sales then this is a great article on successful call center performance management.

Direct Mail Advertising and Thursday Advertising Rush

We have all been amazed at the inserts in the Newspaper that arrive on Thursdays from all sorts of retailers, so many pretty and colorful ads. One can only think thank God for recycling and some tree had to give its life for this bizarre American Shopping Marketing Ritual. Indeed we all throw most of this in the trashcans.

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