I love entrepreneurs especially when they are self made!

Entrepreneurs are fabulous people, they reek of passion and clarity, and they are usually visionary and can easily see the big picture. Entrepreneurs also enjoy the company of like minded people; they like great people around them and most find it difficult to suffer fools.

Entrepreneurs are born optimists, they are confident, generally willing to help others and adopt a double win attitude.

From my perspective there are only two reasons for not being in business for yourself.

1. “When Power and Greed take over.”

2. “When the fun of being in business finally stops.”

This website is based on my real life experiences; there have been many turning points in my business career. The purpose of this blog is to assist you in determining your turning point and hopefully I can give you the inspiration and sanity to continue on your life dreams and goals, even when the chips are down. If I can help one single person avoid the stupid mistakes I made this blog has been worth while.

Never give up despite the setbacks, keep moving forward.

“tough times don’t last, tough people do.”

Did you know that most small businesses fail within the first 12 months? Well this news is not new; most people starting out these days probably do understand that.
However I suggest also most people actually choose to ignore that fact.

The greatest book I have ever read that clearly spells this out is called “The E Myth” by Michael Gerber.
He points out the majority of people who start businesses are “Technician’s” and usually choose to work “in” the business rather than “on” the business.
This was the case for me when I started and when I read this great advice by Michael I still shudder with embarrassment.
My original business was the importation of HIFI equipment and this was and still is a world full of hobbyist’s who know very little about the running of a business.
The reality is though, schools give little or no business training and how can any budding entrepreneur be expected to know all about bookkeeping and accounting? Advertising and marketing? How to employ and train staff? Etc.

If you take a good look at it and what business really demands it can be daunting, however if you are anything like me it is exciting and there is no way I would let these things put me off.

In my opinion there are compelling reasons to go and work for you rather than work for a boss. In these days of recession there is no such thing as job security as one just has to take a look at the job agencies and the enquiries they are getting. There is also the television media each night bleating out the bad news at 6pm.

If your desire is to own your own business and control your own destiny then do not let anything or anyone discourage you. Just be aware of the pitfalls and problems that may arise but tackle them with enthusiasm and vigor. Never give up.

One major piece of advice I would like to pass on if you are just starting out:
“Do not go into business with a friend.” This advice has been dished out for years; it no doubt will be dished out for many more years to come as well.
However there has never been a more accurate statement. If I had heeded this advice when I started out things could have been a lot different in my career.
If you can fund your business rather than rely on a partnership contribution I suggest you do so. It can be done; there are many ways of raising capital even in tough times.

If you do not wish to heed this advice and you do choose to take on a partner then make absolutely certain you do the following:
If you are both going to work “in” or “on” the business, have a written agreement on each of your responsibilities and role’s within the company.

Make certain this agreement is well constructed and kept at the forefront. If so it should save you a lot of heartache and pain in the future.
My monumental error was not insisting on an agreement like this when I took on a partner and I live to regret it to this day.
It eventually cost me the very business I started from scratch and in hindsight could have been avoided by establishing a simple agreement and employing a trustworthy accounting firm. My accountants had conflicts of interest that I should not have ignored.

“Greed and Power Destroys Business”

Steve Hilliar 2009

The purpose of business is to generate maximum returns for its owners and shareholders. So therefore should the business pursue all activities that enhance profitability and increase the value of the business for the owners and / or shareholders?

I also believe that a business should behave ethically in achieving the above purpose. It is not right just to operate within the letter of the law. Businesses should also try and serve their local community and help its employees lead better lives. They should examine every decision they make based on profitability, long term business value and social responsibility.

By having real policies in place that take care of your employees and the local community it might be argued that long term this will enhance your business brand and over time lead to higher profitability.

By constantly training members of staff and wherever possible promoting from within the organisation will lead to employees that feel empowered to work harder and make better decisions. Having regards to the true well being of your employees will lead to a healthier and therefore happier workforce.

By reducing waste and promoting recycling at every opportunity, overheads will be reduced and in the longer term lead to better shareholder value. It is staggering how much resources including energy are wasted by larger companies. Having a regular energy audit and investing long term to reduce demand can only serve to make the business more efficient.

Many businesses try to serve their community by supporting local charities and sponsoring local people to better their lives. There are many ways to do this including education, sports and the environment. In the short term there will be very few perceivable benefits in terms of profitability but these actions will serve to enhance the business brand and increase profitability over the longer term.

Greed is no longer good and focusing purely on profits is unacceptable to your existing and potential customers. By embracing business ethics and social responsibility the business can benefit from increased goodwill.

About the Author:
Naz Daud – CityLocal Franchise
Business Franchise Opportunity
Business Directory & Franchises

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Business Ethics And Purpose

Do want to be known as “The Expert” or “The Guru”? Do you want to advance your career and income? If you answered yes to both of these questions then you need to become a ?Top Performer? in your profession. Whether you are now a Manager, Executive, Consultant, Sales or Service Specialist, then Management skills will be one of the keys to your success. Experience and knowledge in your area of specialty may make you an above average performer, but to be a ?Top Performer? start implementing the following 11 Management skills and action items today.

Top performers are successful by being honest, respecting a clients intelligence and focusing all their energies on how to make a difference in a clients life. After reviewing the following ?Top Performer? Management skills and action items, you will know how to be more effective, efficient, and successful.

Strategies for building a strong successful organization.

1. Define both long term and short term measurable goals. Concentrate your efforts on the short term goals. This can be measurable goals either weekly or monthly. The long term goals will come.

2. Fuel your internal motivation by setting clear and concrete goals and objectives. Example, customers to contact, revenue, gross margin, issue response time, etc.

3. Measure everything. Anything with a response that will measure your effectiveness. Develop a scorecard system that tracks your target goal versus what you actually achieved.

4. When your customers perceive your offering or service as being in short supply, they view it as more valuable. Market for 20% more volume that you can manage.

5. Discontinue 50% of your offerings to increase overall sales. To many offerings cause customer confusion and lost sales. Analyze your offerings and discontinue your unprofitable or low margin offerings.

6. Focus promotions on new customers not current customers. Your current customers already know what value you bring to the table.

7. Promote a list of unique features that compliment a competitive solution or show unique value. Your offering will then stand out from the others.

8. Keep it simple and relevant. Eliminate irrelevant information from offering brochures, marketing, and presentations.

9. Empower healthy competition between departments, divisions, and regions. Reward success.

10. Hire competitive people. Competition is healthy and will improve everyone?s performance.

11. Selling success follows six fundamentals:

Passion (for your company, offering, service, and yourself)
Organization (take notes and have all your information at your fingertips)
Planning (develop and execute a step by step plan for each opportunity)
Persistence (never give up)
People Skills (develop excellent written and verbal communication skills)
Offering Knowledge (know everything about your offerings and the competitors offerings).

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There are many different reasons business fail and much of it is debatable but there are some common mistakes that are detrimental in business failure.

Some of the reason many business fail are due to the following reasons:

• Overexpansion.

Many companies over expand too soon. They look at the books and see 3 months of good sales and profit and think right let’s get more staff. Then another 6 months down the line the profits have not followed suit which leaves you in a difficult situation. You need to stick with realistic goals and allow yourself to grow as needs dictate. And old saying ‘don’t not run before you can walk’ is relevant. You need to look at the statistics and watch for trends. If sales and profits looks good now it’s doesn’t necessarily mean it will look good tomorrow.

• Overspending and lack of reserve funds.

Overspending can have detrimental affects. You should only spend on what is necessary. Be realistic, just because you have good cash flow at the minute doesn’t mean you will have in the future. Ask yourself is purchasing this item really necessary, will it make a real difference or not. Look at all the costs of the business and if some are not necessary then drop them. Having money in the bank is important to carry you through market downtrends and seasonal slowness. You should always be prepared for fluctuations in business. You should always put money away in boom times to prepare for the slow times.

• Poor management

Poor management is one of the main reasons business fail. If you haven’t got happy customers and happy stuff your business is almost curtain to fail. Poor customer service, poor accounting and overall employee incompetence can all combine to collapse a business. You need to ensure your employees realise the importance of good customer service. Establish protocols for how tasks should be accomplished and ensure they are carried out. Many companies these days have a relaxed attitude and don’t place to much importance on carrying out basic good management practice. Having meetings regularly with all staff will help your business run smoothly. If no meetings take place then resentment can set in. Everyone needs to air their opinions and explain how their job could be done more efficiently.

• Poorly treated Staff

Labour is the biggest expense for most small business so it makes sense to ensure your company employs the right amount of people and treat them correctly. Companies that invest highly in their staff by offering training and advancement will find it easier to keep their staff. Ensure you pay your staff every month on time as not to do so would be breaching your contract with them. Invest in your staff; they are your biggest asset. If they feel they cannot advance in your business they will not stay long. Listening to your staff is important. If employees are leaving you need to be asking why. Treat your staff how you would expect to be treated and you will gain respect from them and get the best of out them.

• Poor or no business plan

Having a good business plan is your key to success. A well-thought-out business plan forces you to think about the future and the challenges you’ll face. As long as your forecasts are realistic and you have done plenty of market research you should be ok. Ensure your plan has a budget and stick to it.

• Dishonesty and Greed

Being dishonest will catch up with you eventually. Remember your ethics, try to treat your customers and staff as you would be expected to be treated. Don’t charge the earth for customers just because they look like they can afford it, this is exploitation and will come back and bite you on the bum. Greed is another aspect that kills businesses. You feel like you’re on a roll and feel invincible so you over charge people and promise them the earth. When you can’t deliver you will lose customers and eventually your reputation. Always be honest and ethical and you will reap the rewards.

There are other reasons business fail and I have only touched base on some. As long as you work hard, do plenty of research, treat staff and customers with respect, keep a tight control over your accounts and leave your ego at home you should be alright. Oh and most importantly use common sense. You would be surprised at how many business owners are egotistic, arrogant with no personnel skills and very little common sense, these business are bound to fail eventually.

About the Author:
Carolyn is the webmaster of Angel Startups, specialists startup funding, business grants and Business Advice.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Why Businesses Fail

In this web-oriented say and age, the phrase “global business” is bandied about in marketing materials, advertising and around the water cooler. Although it sounds both a huge and massive undertaking to have a “global business”, all it really means is that your services or products are not bound by the geographic location of your business. Sound a little less ominous? No? Here are a few tips to see if your company can turned into a global business.

Sell Your Services Via Web

Can you sell your services via the web or can your business be located in multiple countries? If you offer online services like web marketing, advertising, PR or writing services, chances are that you aren’t required to meet your clients face to face to conduct business. Many companies in these categories have a clientele base that is located in multiple countries and time zones. They are global businesses because they can sell their services or products on a global level without having to leave their home base location to build a profit.

Shipping Costs

If you are a product-based company that requires you to ship to your clients, than you need to consider the costs involved if you open your client base to a global level. There are multiple global shipping companies that can offer bulk-rate costs to reduce your overhead costs. By employing a CRM system, you will have the ability to track all of your clients’ information, their orders, the order status, marketing and delivery costs to improve your profit margin.

Registrants?

Perhaps your business is centered on acquiring registrants, affiliates or advertisers who pay a fee to be listed on or affiliated with your site. This type of company can easily be a global business. There are no shipping fees or brick-and-mortar offices to maintain. Employees can be located globally as can clients. A CRM system will assist in tracking account statuses, payroll and costs, but there is no other overhead for this type of company, so going global really is a matter of simplicity.

FinditLocal411 is a community resource for Southwest Michigan and Northern Indiana businesses. We are committed community members looking to help build the businesses and families around us. Get seen on FinditLocal411 (http://www.finditlocal411.com/) – the ultimate one-stop resource for all things local, including local business reviews and coupons, classifieds, events, and deals! If you’re looking to get noticed in the Michiana area, we can help.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Frank_I._Locust

These are scheduled to be complete by November of this year and hopefully will be sold by early 2010.

421 Lake Rd Takapuna Auckland New Zealand

The location is near the beach in Takapuna New Zealand. From start to finish the project took about 11 months and the property sold about two months after completion.

Sanders Ave, Takapuna, New Zealand