4 Reasons Why You Need A Business Plan

The simple truth is that no business is too small to benefit from a business plan and it is never too soon, or to late, to plan your business future.

The Typical Approach to Capital Formation is Often the Wrong Approach

This article deals with the most common mistakes made by entrepreneurs when developing a capital formation strategy.

My Philosophy on Valuations

This article describes the best way to manage the valuation process.

Relocating in Northern Ireland

If Northern Ireland was once seen as the dead end of the universe, the region is now turning itself into a sought-after location for investors keen to tap into a skilled workforce without the high costs associated with mainland UK locations

Contingency Plans - Can You Handle Curve Balls?

Contingency plans are absolutely critical for first year business success. Your ability to weather the ups and downs of your business will depend heavily on the thought and time you put into your contingency plan.

Delaware Ranked #1 in the United States

Each year the United States Chamber of Commerce announces which States have the best and worst legal system. For the fifth year in a row, Delaware has received the top honors, being named the State with the fairest legal system. Additionally, a survey of U.S. businesses ranked Delaware as the State doing the best job of creating a fair and reasonable legal environment. As many of the top businesses in the United States, and a growing number of small and medium sized businesses, have chosen Delaware as the place to incorporate, that ranking should not come as a big surprise.

Business Market Research and Planning: What Size and Composition is your Market?

Many businesses have difficulty defining their market by size and composition and so their marketing and sales planning is ineffective. By analysing what you know about your customers, finding what industry bodies know about your market and making intelligent guesses, you can plan how to target your marketing and sales effort to get the best return and satisfy the most customers.

Restaurant Business Planning

Like any eager chef or businessperson with a nose for great food, you’re surely excited to get working on your restaurant, and to satisfy palates all over town. Of course, there will be bills to pay, papers to sign, a few accountants needed to keep everything in order – and, oh yes, the business plan.

Understanding The True Cost Of Corporate Office Space

How do I assess my true office accommodation costs? We have been asked by a number of clients to help them identify the true cost of an office or location. Here is a guide to the factors you should consider to assess total accommodation costs.

Great CEOs Knife the Competion - With Killer Strategy

Have you just been promoted CEO/Director or General Manager? Congratulations and welcome to the world of strategizing! Now you can doze early, wake late, play golf, cancel meetings and go to Bahamas. On company time! But I bet you're nervous. While your old job focuses on specialized tasks, your new position frees your mind to explore the business' macro perspective. You'll be steering the ship from the captain's chair. Creating a vision will be your mandate. And strategizing will take about 110% of your working hours. Does that much freedom cause abnormal wetting of the pants? If so, resign. If not... read on. You got a lot of strategizing to do.

Self-Serve Checkouts Force Retailers To Rethink Merchandising

The use of self-serve checkouts continues to grow at an astronomical rate. Last year consumer spending at self-serve checkouts was up 35% over 2004. However this widely accepted process is having a major negative impact on impulse sales.

Tips on How to Really Fully Customize Your Own Silicone Wristband: A MUST Read Before Ordering

How do we really customize these rubber wristbands? These rubber wristbands are easy to customize and order. We don't call them highly customizable for nothing. What you do is you first contact the manufacturer and tell them what design you would like to put on your bracelets. You tell them what message, color, process, design, and logo or image (if there is any) that you would like to be placed on your rubber wristbands.

Be Sure To Use Industry Metrics in Your Business Plan

If you are a writing a strategic marketing plan for your new business, you have to make some assumptions. For those assumptions to have some credibility, you should be aware of industry metrics. Unless the business you are starting is truly the first of its kind on the planet, you should be able to find some metrics.

Business Financial Planning

Finance in relation to business is concerned with the task of providing funds needed by the enterprise in terms that are most favorable in the light of its objectives. The finance function of a business is concerned with procurement of funds and its effective utilization in business. It covers financial planning, forecasting of cash receipts and disbursements, realizing of funds, using and allocation of funds and financial control. Financial planning helps in defining financial goals, setting objectives and developing a plan to achieve them. Planning is not master-minding the future, and any attempt to do so is foolishness. Human beings can neither predict nor control the future. For this reason, management has to clarify their objectives and determine what actions must be taken, when, by whom, and at what cost to achieve the cherished goals. Financial planning is the process of evaluating different investing and financing opportunities available to a firm and selecting the best one from the available options.

Failing to Plan Your Business Properly Can Be the Death Sentence to Your Business

A great business plan can only get your business so far, but having the business capital to go along with that business plan can bring your business to new heights. It can also go the other way as a great plan is the first step to obtaining the capital you are seeking for your business.