David’s smart. He’s got a memory like a steel trap. And he’s ambitious. He wants to start a small mechanic shop with the inheritance his dad left him, and he’s been very busy trying to get it started. But he’s also young and in a bit of a hurry. The way he sees it, he doesn’t need a business plan and anytime he’s asked about it he just taps his head and says, “I don’t need one. I’ve got it all up here.” Besides, he likes freedom. He’s a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of guy. He doesn’t want to be tied to what some piece of paper says.

His mother-in-law, Ellen just shakes her head. She’s owned a bookkeeping service for the last twenty years, which she started because she wanted to be able to stay home when her kids were small. But David thinks, of course she’d see it that way. She’s a bean counter and everyone knows how they are about details. Besides, he’s already let her talk him into incorporating his business. The way he saw it, he didn’t need to waste his money on it, but it was done. No way was he going to waste any more money on getting a business plan.

A few weeks later, David opened his shop for business. What a day that was. He’d been too excited to sleep the night before, and it ended up being an awfully long day because he didn’t have any customers. Not a single one. He’d spent the day cleaning the shop and organizing his tools and sometimes just staring at the phone, trying to will it to ring. Oh well, he thought, what can I expect? The shop’s brand new and nobody knows about it. Someone will call tomorrow. By the end of the week, with no calls except from friends and family (who he was beginning to suspect his mother-in-law had told to call), he was starting to worry. He was also starting to run out of cash.

He barely scraped together the cash for his lease at the end of the sixth month. He didn’t think owning a business would be this expensive. Besides, he’d figured he’d have lots of customers by now, but the truth of it was he didn’t have enough to keep him busy for even half a day. David decided he’d better go see his banker. It shouldn’t be too be much of a problem to get the money, he figured. He had a good credit rating.

When the usual “how are you, I’m fine” was over, David got right down to business. He didn’t need much money. He figured $10,000 should do it. “Sounds good,” Shaun said when he was done talking. “Let’s take a look at your business plan.” And when he said, “Oh I don’t have one. I’ve got it all up here,” she smiled and said, “We need to have one before we can proceed with a loan. Come back and see me when you do.”

As much as he hated to do it, he knew he had to borrow some money from someone. When none of his friends could help him beyond a few hundred dollars, he approached his mother-in-law. “Well,” she said, “I can do that for you, but I have one condition. I want to give me half an hour of your time to listen to why I think you need a business plan.” David agreed. He was getting desperate. Here’s what she said:

• Almost half of small business startups fail in the first year.

• The main reasons they fail is because they lack management, lack planning, have insufficient financing and lack marketing.

• You can address all those reasons with a business plan:
  • Business plans help with lack of management with financial analysis, guide your decision-making, and outlining specific goals.

  • Business plans help with lack of planning by outlini
    Personnel Motivation - The Key to Business Success
    For any company, no matter its size, your employees are the key to business success. If you treat your employees fairly and with respect, they will enjoy coming into work, take pride in working for your company and be far more likely to provide good customer service.A happy employee is an employee who won't “pull a sickie” because they don't feel like coming into work. They will feel part of your company, feel trusted and will feel a responsibility towards you.Of course, every employer has rules and guidelines to abide by, regarding the rights of their employees. But there are a few little extras you can do that can make a huge difference, to make your employees happy, impr
    ness plan and anytime he’s asked about it he just taps his head and says, “I don’t need one. I’ve got it all up here.” Besides, he likes freedom. He’s a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of guy. He doesn’t want to be tied to what some piece of paper says.

    His mother-in-law, Ellen just shakes her head. She’s owned a bookkeeping service for the last twenty years, which she started because she wanted to be able to stay home when her kids were small. But David thinks, of course she’d see it that way. She’s a bean counter and everyone knows how they are about details. Besides, he’s already let her talk him into incorporating his business. The way he saw it, he didn’t need to waste his money on it, but it was done. No way was he going to waste any more money on getting a business plan.

    A few weeks later, David opened his shop for business. What a day that was. He’d been too excited to sleep the night before, and it ended up being an awfully long day because he didn’t have any customers. Not a single one. He’d spent the day cleaning the shop and organizing his tools and sometimes just staring at the phone, trying to will it to ring. Oh well, he thought, what can I expect? The shop’s brand new and nobody knows about it. Someone will call tomorrow. By the end of the week, with no calls except from friends and family (who he was beginning to suspect his mother-in-law had told to call), he was starting to worry. He was also starting to run out of cash.

    He barely scraped together the cash for his lease at the end of the sixth month. He didn’t think owning a business would be this expensive. Besides, he’d figured he’d have lots of customers by now, but the truth of it was he didn’t have enough to keep him busy for even half a day. David decided he’d better go see his banker. It shouldn’t be too be much of a problem to get the money, he figured. He had a good credit rating.

    When the usual “how are you, I’m fine” was over, David got right down to business. He didn’t need much money. He figured $10,000 should do it. “Sounds good,” Shaun said when he was done talking. “Let’s take a look at your business plan.” And when he said, “Oh I don’t have one. I’ve got it all up here,” she smiled and said, “We need to have one before we can proceed with a loan. Come back and see me when you do.”

    As much as he hated to do it, he knew he had to borrow some money from someone. When none of his friends could help him beyond a few hundred dollars, he approached his mother-in-law. “Well,” she said, “I can do that for you, but I have one condition. I want to give me half an hour of your time to listen to why I think you need a business plan.” David agreed. He was getting desperate. Here’s what she said:

    • Almost half of small business startups fail in the first year.

    • The main reasons they fail is because they lack management, lack planning, have insufficient financing and lack marketing.

    • You can address all those reasons with a business plan:
      • Business plans help with lack of management with financial analysis, guide your decision-making, and outlining specific goals.

      • Business plans help with lack of planning by outlin
        How to Improve Your Work Situation
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        few weeks later, David opened his shop for business. What a day that was. He’d been too excited to sleep the night before, and it ended up being an awfully long day because he didn’t have any customers. Not a single one. He’d spent the day cleaning the shop and organizing his tools and sometimes just staring at the phone, trying to will it to ring. Oh well, he thought, what can I expect? The shop’s brand new and nobody knows about it. Someone will call tomorrow. By the end of the week, with no calls except from friends and family (who he was beginning to suspect his mother-in-law had told to call), he was starting to worry. He was also starting to run out of cash.

        He barely scraped together the cash for his lease at the end of the sixth month. He didn’t think owning a business would be this expensive. Besides, he’d figured he’d have lots of customers by now, but the truth of it was he didn’t have enough to keep him busy for even half a day. David decided he’d better go see his banker. It shouldn’t be too be much of a problem to get the money, he figured. He had a good credit rating.

        When the usual “how are you, I’m fine” was over, David got right down to business. He didn’t need much money. He figured $10,000 should do it. “Sounds good,” Shaun said when he was done talking. “Let’s take a look at your business plan.” And when he said, “Oh I don’t have one. I’ve got it all up here,” she smiled and said, “We need to have one before we can proceed with a loan. Come back and see me when you do.”

        As much as he hated to do it, he knew he had to borrow some money from someone. When none of his friends could help him beyond a few hundred dollars, he approached his mother-in-law. “Well,” she said, “I can do that for you, but I have one condition. I want to give me half an hour of your time to listen to why I think you need a business plan.” David agreed. He was getting desperate. Here’s what she said:

        • Almost half of small business startups fail in the first year.

        • The main reasons they fail is because they lack management, lack planning, have insufficient financing and lack marketing.

        • You can address all those reasons with a business plan:
          • Business plans help with lack of management with financial analysis, guide your decision-making, and outlining specific goals.

          • Business plans help with lack of planning by outlin
            How to Sell High Tech Solutions
            Many companies are looking to improve upon the speed, security, and accessibility of business technologies, especially satellite and broadband connections to the internet. While customers are becoming more savvy, many don’t speak ‘tech-ese,’ and they still are baffled by terms such as routers, IPSEC, T-1s, WIFI, and broadband. While these buyers may have a genuine interest and need for the products they investigate, more often than not their sales experience ends up a frustrating and confusing one.Don't Talk Tech!Salespeople are often caught in the hype for their own products. It’s easy to lose touch with a client’s perspective with this approach. The other major blunder
            s expensive. Besides, he’d figured he’d have lots of customers by now, but the truth of it was he didn’t have enough to keep him busy for even half a day. David decided he’d better go see his banker. It shouldn’t be too be much of a problem to get the money, he figured. He had a good credit rating.

            When the usual “how are you, I’m fine” was over, David got right down to business. He didn’t need much money. He figured $10,000 should do it. “Sounds good,” Shaun said when he was done talking. “Let’s take a look at your business plan.” And when he said, “Oh I don’t have one. I’ve got it all up here,” she smiled and said, “We need to have one before we can proceed with a loan. Come back and see me when you do.”

            As much as he hated to do it, he knew he had to borrow some money from someone. When none of his friends could help him beyond a few hundred dollars, he approached his mother-in-law. “Well,” she said, “I can do that for you, but I have one condition. I want to give me half an hour of your time to listen to why I think you need a business plan.” David agreed. He was getting desperate. Here’s what she said:

            • Almost half of small business startups fail in the first year.

            • The main reasons they fail is because they lack management, lack planning, have insufficient financing and lack marketing.

            • You can address all those reasons with a business plan:
              • Business plans help with lack of management with financial analysis, guide your decision-making, and outlining specific goals.

              • Business plans help with lack of planning by outlin
                Resumes or Application Forms: Which is Better?
                When hiring, do you rely on resumes alone or do you also require job candidates to fill out a comprehensive ‘Application for Employment’ form? Relying on resumes alone is definitely a big mistake. Here’s why:1. Studies show that up to 60% of resumes contain significant misrepresentations concerning qualifications, skills, education, and work history.2. A well-written resume is a sales device. It seeks to sell you on the idea that you should grant a particular candidate an interview. Interviewing is time consuming and you want to interview only the best candidates. Because some candidates have professional resume writers prepare their resumes, using resumes alone might undul
                e. When none of his friends could help him beyond a few hundred dollars, he approached his mother-in-law. “Well,” she said, “I can do that for you, but I have one condition. I want to give me half an hour of your time to listen to why I think you need a business plan.” David agreed. He was getting desperate. Here’s what she said:
                • Almost half of small business startups fail in the first year.

                • The main reasons they fail is because they lack management, lack planning, have insufficient financing and lack marketing.

                • You can address all those reasons with a business plan:
                  • Business plans help with lack of management with financial analysis, guide your decision-making, and outlining specific goals.

                  • Business plans help with lack of planning by outlining the means to meet specific goals.

                  • Business plans help with insufficient financing because financial institutions and private investors won’t lend you any money without one.

                  • Complete business plans include a marketing plan addressing lack of marketing.

                • There are other reasons for writing a business plan:
                  • Business plans help you monitor your progress.

                  • Business plans give you something to compare your end of period results with.

                  • Business plans help identify weak areas where you can improve.

                  • Business plans help you avoid making the same mistake over and over again.

                  • Business plans help keep you on track.

                  • A good business plan includes a feasibility study, so you should know before you start whether your business can succeed.

                  • Many self-help books proclaim goals are more easily met if they’re written so business plans help you identify and reach your goals.

                  David was convinced. He accepted his mother-in-law’s offer to help him write his business plan. After it was done, he went back to the bank and got his loan.

                  So, how is David’s business doing? I’m not going to tell you anything today beyond that he’s still in business, but I will tell you more, I promise. We’re going to use David’s business as a case study with more articles about him every month. Stay tuned for more stories about David’s business and find out how he’s doing.