Archive for Business

What to Consider When Buying a Small Business Phone System

5888566343 61905c7009 m What to Consider When Buying a Small Business Phone System

We are living in 2010, practically everyone is using the internet, can we agree on this? Great! Now that we have covered that lets look into Internet and Small Businesses and Website Design for Small Businesses shall we?

A recent study shows interesting statistics on small businesses and the internet, to be exact small businesses with or without websites.

The study reveals that 49% of small businesses currently have a website. Now that is all fine and dandy but if we look a little bit more in depth we can see very interesting statistics:

The percentage of businesses that have a website by their annual sales size:

]]>

45% of companies that make $100k-$499k a year have a website.
49% of companies that make $500k-$999k a year have a website.
69% of companies that make $1.0 Million-$2.49 Million a year have a website.
67% of companies that make $2.5 Million-$4.49 Million a year have a website.
73% of companies that make $5.0 Million-$10.0 Million a year have a website.

So what can we learn from this? The more money a company makes, the more prone they are to have a website? Or looking at it from a different angle we can see that if you want to make big money with your business you are most likely in need of website design for your small business.

Having a website for your small business will help gain you new business from the Internet, and lets be honest, most people will be searching for your type of product or service on the internet. Why? Because it is just way easier then flipping through the yellowpages or any other form of finding products and services.

Finding successful website design for small businesses isn’t very difficult and isn’t expensive at all these days. You don’t really need to know anything about the internet or building a website to make this happen, you just need to find the right company or resource that can build you a quality website for an affordable price and let them do all the technical stuff.

If your small business isn’t on the internet today then you are losing money every passing day, think about that.

Watch the video related to small business

leapyear.tv Released – Leap Year episode 2. Jack, Bryn (Alexis Boozer), Olivia, Derek and Aaron face uncertainty about their future as Gemini Corp CEO, Andy Corvell (Craig Bierko) calls an all-hands meeting. With lay-offs looming, tensions rise and the group wonders, if they do get fired – what’s next? Presented by Hiscox Small Business Insurance. Subscribe! http Written by Yuri and Vlad Baranovsky Directed by Yuri Baranovsky Starring Yuri Baranovsky, Alexis Boozer, Wilson Cleveland, Daniela DiIorio, Kim Fitzgerald, Mark Gantt, Drew Lanning, Rachel Risen, Dustin Toshiyuki with Julie Warner, and Craig Bierko as ‘Andy Corvell’ Special appearances by Guy Kawasaki, Gary Vaynerchuk, Adam Ostrow, Scott Belsky, Pete Cashmore, David Karp, Michael Lazaerow, Adam Rich and Josh Williams. Special thanks to The Young Entrepreneur Council youngentrepreneurcouncil.com — MORE LEAP YEAR Subscribe! www.youtube.com Download the music on iTunes! itunes.apple.com Facebook! www.facebook.com Get the show on iTunes! itunes.apple.com Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com Tumblr with us www.leapyear-tv.tumblr.com Join the Linkedin fan group! http Stalk us on Gowalla www.gowalla.com Download the Android mobile app market.android.com Get a Quote for small business insurance! www.hiscoxusa.com

Loans To Small Business: Who Is Actually Giving Loans For Small Business?

5889046814 4ca7064a88 m Loans To Small Business: Who Is Actually Giving Loans For Small Business?

We are living in 2010, practically everyone is using the internet, can we agree on this? Great! Now that we have covered that lets look into Internet and Small Businesses and Website Design for Small Businesses shall we?

A recent study shows interesting statistics on small businesses and the internet, to be exact small businesses with or without websites.

The study reveals that 49% of small businesses currently have a website. Now that is all fine and dandy but if we look a little bit more in depth we can see very interesting statistics:

The percentage of businesses that have a website by their annual sales size:

]]>

45% of companies that make $100k-$499k a year have a website.
49% of companies that make $500k-$999k a year have a website.
69% of companies that make $1.0 Million-$2.49 Million a year have a website.
67% of companies that make $2.5 Million-$4.49 Million a year have a website.
73% of companies that make $5.0 Million-$10.0 Million a year have a website.

So what can we learn from this? The more money a company makes, the more prone they are to have a website? Or looking at it from a different angle we can see that if you want to make big money with your business you are most likely in need of website design for your small business.

Having a website for your small business will help gain you new business from the Internet, and lets be honest, most people will be searching for your type of product or service on the internet. Why? Because it is just way easier then flipping through the yellowpages or any other form of finding products and services.

Finding successful website design for small businesses isn’t very difficult and isn’t expensive at all these days. You don’t really need to know anything about the internet or building a website to make this happen, you just need to find the right company or resource that can build you a quality website for an affordable price and let them do all the technical stuff.

If your small business isn’t on the internet today then you are losing money every passing day, think about that.

Watch the video related to small business

Ch??ng trình h?c ti?ng Anh c?a VOA: Special English Education Report – Women / Prison Entrepreneurs. Xin hãy vào www.youtube.com ?? xem các bài k? ti?p. This is the VOA Special English Education Report. Getting a job can be especially difficult for someone with a prison record. So a prison training program in the American Northwest prepares women to start their own businesses. The program is called Lifelong Information for Entrepreneurs, or LIFE. The training combines business and social skills. The women learn how to manage their time, set goals and settle conflicts peacefully. Saresa Whitley is serving five years for assault at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, a women’s prison in Oregon. She has a job waiting for her when she is released in January. But she also plans to start a small business with the knowledge gained from the months of class. She says she has learned a lot about how to write a business plan, how to communicate effectively, and how to listen. Another inmate, Cynthia Thompson, is serving time for stealing someone’s identity. She says preparing inmates to become “successful, accountable people” will be good for the communities they re-enter. MercyCorps Northwest started the training program four years ago. MercyCorps is an international development organization. Doug Cooper is assistant director of MercyCorps Northwest. He says, “We were looking for ways that we could apply our expertise around economic development and small business management to <b>…</b>

Cheap Auto Insurance Online – Inexpensive Insurance For Your Car

4849098454 26fc6dea0c m Cheap Auto Insurance Online   Inexpensive Insurance For Your Car

Most of us put in a lot of effort in order to protect and prolong the lives of our assets like home, car and other vehicles, and most of all, health and life. While insurance is a very prominent part of this process, people often back out from this crucial step, often due to the need on their part to shell out a huge amount of money. Majority of insurance plans are very expensive, whether it is motor insurance, life insurance, health insurance, or any other form of asset insurance. One major factor involved with insurance plans is the huge expenditure involved, and the additional hassle of the extensive paperwork is where most people think they have had enough of it all, thus deciding to stay away from insurance plans. Well, cheap insurance plans have changed this scenario!

Cheap insurance has brought in a whole new revolution, no one can be truly relaxed and tension free without insuring their assets. For example, if you own a car that is still uninsured, then you will always be worried about its safety, and would not be liable to any compensation or claim if it gets stolen or damage. Why take a risk of this sort when you have cheap insurance plans to fall back on? Cheap insurance plans can keep your assets covered against theft or damage, while saving you a lot of valuable dollars at the same time.

Similarly, you can avail several benefits by ensuring your health and well being with the help of cheap insurance plans. Have you not heard of the famous adage, ‘Health is Wealth’? Taking a suitable health insurance cover for your entire family would be one of the most advisable and sensible thing to do. After all, many reputed insurance providers offer totally legal and cheap insurance schemes nowadays, so it should not be a problem for you to find the most suitable one for you and your family members. Inform and advise your loved ones about these cheap insurance plans as well. A sound and well planned health insurance plan would always have its benefits when the need comes for a medical emergency. Most hospitals and surgeons give immediate attention to a patient who has a proper health insurance cover, and cheap insurance plans assure offer all these benefits to you in an economic and pocket friendly way.

Cheap insurance plans provided by trustworthy companies never have any hidden clauses or additional fees, and are very easy to apply for. Just browse online to find a good insurance company offering a cheap insurance plan of your choice. You can choose to meet the insurance company directly, or even download the form online, which will even save more time and is more convenient. The process of applying for these cheap insurance plans does not take any paperwork or long checks on your background, which make them even more appealing.

Watch the video related to cheap insurance

This is our new Pet insurance TV advert. Cover your dog from £8 per month and cat from £6 per month, plus £1000 worth of pet food to be won every week(offer expires 31.03.09). Visit our website: www.directline.com or call our UK based call centres on 0845 246 8696.

Easiest Car Insurance Free Quotes | Your Free Guide about Car Insurance

6044224554 093bbf91e1 m Easiest Car Insurance Free Quotes | Your Free Guide about Car Insurance

We will all over time need insurance, when you learn to drive you have to have insurance, when you go to work you are insured under your employers workmen’s compensation, when you buy your first home you must have insurance on it. While sometimes you may have no choice about the type of insurance that you need, other times you will have to choose your own insurance, learning to choose the right types of insurance depending on the needs you have, is important and a skill you will use over and over again throughout your life.

Knowing how to choose the right insurance starts with understand what insurance does and how much insurance you really need. This will vary depending on your circumstances and what your budget it. For instance if you have a car that is not worth a lot of money, there is no sense in putting coverage on it, however you will still need liability and medical to cover any damages that may arise if you have an accident.

The Same is true for your other belongings, if you do not own a house you may not need home insurance but you may wish to insure your belongings especially if you have a lot of expensive electronics. This insurance is called renters insurance and it protects you even if you are not ready to buy a house.

Other insurance you may wish to consider is insurance on your recreational vehicles, life insurance, health insurance and if you work for yourself you may wish to get business insurance as well. All these types of insurance vary depending on your circumstances, such as age, health and the possessions you want to insure and as always your budget. While you may not be able to buy all of them it is important to get the ones that are most applicable to your life, as well as those that may be required such as home insurance if you are buying a home and car insurance.

]]>

It is important to take some time to read about the insurances you are getting ready to buy, you should at least know the differences between liability, collision, comprehensive, as well as when you need them for your car. This is true for all insurances, you can make costly devastating mistakes but not understanding insurance terms such as those that tell you the type of insurance you are buying.

Life insurance is a good example of that, since there is a huge range of prices for the different types of insurance, but how they cover you and how much they pay out ranges just as widely. Does your policy stay the same or can your insurance company change it, does it have a cash value? These are all questions that you will need to know the answer for if you are going to buy life insurance.

There are plenty of resources on the Internet that will give you the basic information you will need, to be able to make choices for your insurance needs. In fact many of the free quote sites that offer you quotes for your insurance needs can give you all the basic information you will need to make informed choices about your insurance. You will also find that many of the insurance company sites will explain all of their policies in full at their websites as well.

You can also go to talk to your agent once you have chosen one, they can answer any questions you have and help you to decide the insurance you should have. If you choose to use one of the quote sites you will have agents in your area contact you with your quotes, before you decide on your insurance be sure to take the time to carefully review the quotes and take care of any research you need to do before you make your final decision.

Once you have an agent or two, they will help you to make your final decisions and take care of all the paperwork. You will have the satisfaction of knowing you took your time and made an informed decision no matter what type of insurance you are trying to buy. One of the best places to start your search for information and for the quotes you will need to complete the process is at Insurance Quotes, we offer a wide range of information about all of your insurance needs and have a free quote form that will allow you to compare your insurance quotes before you buy.

Watch the video related to insurance

leapyear-hiscox.tv Pete Cashmore, Founder and CEO of Mashable (http offers advice to startup entrepreneurs who are making the leap and shares some of his own startup experiences. Presented by Hiscox Small Business Insurance. Subscribe! www.youtube.com Written by Yuri and Vlad Baranovsky Directed by Yuri Baranovsky Starring Yuri Baranovsky, Alexis Boozer, Wilson Cleveland, Daniela DiIorio, Kim Fitzgerald, Mark Gantt, Drew Lanning, Rachel Risen, Dustin Toshiyuki with Julie Warner, and Craig Bierko as ‘Andy Corvell’ Special appearances by Guy Kawasaki, Gary Vaynerchuk, Adam Ostrow, Scott Belsky, Pete Cashmore, David Karp, Michael Lazaerow, Adam Rich and Josh Williams. — MORE LEAP YEAR: Subscribe! www.youtube.com Facebook! www.facebook.com Get the show on iTunes! itunes.apple.com Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com Tumblr with us www.leapyear-tv.tumblr.com Join the Linkedin fan group! http Stalk us on Gowalla www.gowalla.com Download the Android mobile app market.android.com Get a Quote for small business insurance! www.hiscoxusa.com

Electrician Business Plan

5782630292 870a8b64f4 m Electrician Business Plan

 

When obtaining a business loan for a pawn shop or related pawn brokering business, it is imperative that you have a properly structured business plan that will assist you in showcasing how you intend to operate your pawn shop, how the business will operate, how you intend to market the business, the anticipated financial results of your company, and how you intend to repay your debt obligations. This sample loan business plan will provide you with the framework that you need in order to acquire a business loan for starting or expanding this type of business.

 

 

 

When obtaining a business loan for a pawn shop, it is imperative that your business plan has a clear and concise executive summary that provides an outline of what are seeking to accomplish, how much capital you are seeking to raise, the management biography of the business owner, and an overview of the anticipated profit and loss statements of the business. Here is an example of how the title paragraph should be written:

 

Pawn Shop, Inc. (“the Company”) is seeking a business loan of $100,000 in order to launch the operations of a pawn brokering business that will be based in San Francisco California. The Company was founded in (Insert Year). The business was founded by Mr. John Doe.

 

 

In the next segment of the business loan and business planning document, you should showcase the products and services that you will be providing to the general public. For instance:

 

The Pawn Shop will provide general pawn brokering services to the general public, which includes providing small collateral loans to individuals based on the value of the property that they bring into the Company’s store. The business will specialize in making loans that are specific to jewelry.

 

 

Now it is time to discuss the anticipated terms of the business plan that you are seeking. An example paragraph of how this is stated:

 

At this time, Mr. Doe is seeking a conventional business loan in the amount of $100,000. The interest rate, loan terms, and loan covenants are to be determined during negotiation. However, this business plan assumes that the business will receive a seven year business loan with a seven percent interest rate due on the outstanding principal balance.

 

Now that the summary of the business has been provided, it is time to provide a brief overview of the owner of the business. An example paragraph summing up the owner is as follows:

 

Mr. Doe is a highly experienced business person that has years of experience regarding the direct ownership and management of business. He will be able to effectively bring the operations of the Pawn Shop to profitability while ensuring that the business loan’s payments and its covenants are met at all times.

 

The most important thing to your lender when applying for a business loan is how you intend to repay the bank. In this section of the business plan, you should provide an overview of the finance’s of the business discussing the anticipated revenues, expenses, and profits/losses. You can also discuss the applicable collateral within the business plan that will be used to secure your business financing.

 

 

One of the most important aspects of your business plan is how you intend to expand the business over a three to five year period. Banks and finance companies always want to see that the business will experience a moderate to strong level of growth. This is especially true in business lending because as your business grows the cash flow that secures your business loan will decrease proportionality against your monthly credit obligations. An example of how this is stated is as follows:

 

The Pawn Shop will continue to expand through organic means including increasing the Company’s advertising budget via the reinvestment into the after tax cash flows of the business. Additionally, if the business is highly successful then the Company may seek to establish additional locations after the third year of operations.

 

 

 

 

In this section of the business plan you should focus on how the proceeds of the business loan will be used. An example of this would be as follows:

 

Pawn Shop Store Establishment – $50,000
Inventory – $10,000
Working capital – $40,000

]]>

 

In this section of the business plan you should discuss the percentage ownership of the business among the owners of the business. For example:

 

Mr. Doe will own 100% of the pawn shop.

 

 

When applying for business financing, the bank will also want to know who serves as the board of directors. For small businesses, usually the owner serves as the director of the business. An example of how this is worded:

 

Mr. Doe will be the sole director of Pawn Shop, Inc.

 

 

Any bank or financing company is also going to want to know what you intend to do with the business over a set period of time. Many business owners will develop and expand a business with the intent to sell the company to a third party at a later time. When drafting this part of the business plan you should focus on what you intentions are in regards to potentially selling the business. This is often worded as:

 

Mr. Doe would most likely sell the Pawn Shop to a third party for a significant earnings multiple. Pawn Shops usually sell for approximately one to three times earnings given the financial strength of the business. In this event, the business would be sold by a business broker and the business loan sought in this plan would be repaid according to the covenants of the business loan agreement.

 

 

When developing a business plan that is appropriate for obtaining a business loan or other business credit facility you need to clearly showcase the services or products that you will be offering to the general public. An example of how this section is worded goes as follows:

 

The Pawn Shop will specialize in making small collateral loans to individuals that will last two weeks. On each item brought in by the customer, the Company will grant a loan equal to 10% to 20% of the saleable value of the item. The customer, should they return to receive their item back, will be required to pay back the loan amount plus a fee equal to 20% of the loan amount. On every item accepted for pawn brokering by the Company, the business will follow all applicable state laws regarding the acceptance and handling of merchandise. Additionally, the business will generate secondary revenues among people that do not return for their merchandise. In this event, the Pawn Shop will resell the item to the general public or to a used goods wholesaler.

 

 

 

It is important to let your financial institution know that you are well apprised of the financial situation of the general economy when you are applying for a business loan. This is especially true in today’s environment where lending has become more difficult and will remain more difficult in the foreseeable future. Specifically, you should gear this section of the business plan analysis towards the industry that you are operating within. For example:

 

The current economy has remained difficult over the past few years. However, Pawn Shops typically operate with a strong state of economy stability as these lenders are often used as a last resort among borrowers that are in need of quick loans or do not have the ability to sell the merchandise that they can use as collateral. As such, the business should be able to remain profitable and cash flow positive in any economic environment.

 

 

In addition to providing your business loan officer with an understanding of the general economy, it is important that you showcase that you have an equal understanding of the industry in which you are operating within. As such, you will need to provide you business loan institution of a brief overview of your industry and any potential changes that may affect the way that your company does business. An example of how an industry overview is as follows:

 

The Pawn Shop industry, despite the current economy climate, has remained strong despite the fact the general economy has suffered. Within the United States, there are 20,000 businesses that operate in a pawn brokering capacity. On a yearly basis, these businesses generate revenues of $6 billion and provide jobs to more than 100,000 people. The total payrolls paid by the pawn shop industry has exceeded $1.4 billion on an annualized basis over the past five years.

 

At this time, there is currently no pending legislation or changes to the economy that are expected to change the nature of how the Pawn Shop Industry conducts business.

 

 

In this section of the business loan application and business plan analysis, you should focus on the demographics of your localized market (or national market if applicable). This section should discuss how many people live in your area, the anticipated number of people that would require the use of pawn shops, the median household income of people living in the area, poverty line statistics, and any applicable laws that would apply to your operation of a pawn shop.

 

 

Many people that are developing new businesses or expanding existing businesses often feel that their business does not have any competition or limited competition at best. However, this is almost never the case. Unless you have re-invented the wheel – you will have competition. When applying for a business loan, you should clearly showcase your competition in your business plan. This is especially important to your banker as they will be able to gauge your ability to be successful in your targeted market. Many business loan underwriters will aggressively confirm that competitive nature of your local market and your local industry.

 

When drafting this section of the plan you should heavily discuss the competitive advantages that you intend to have over your competition.

 

 

In addition to all of the above information that we have covered, your business loan officer is also going to want to know how you intend to market your business to the general public. Most people do not quite understand how to effectively market their business outside of prominent signage or flyer distribution. When applying for a business loan (again in this difficult lending climate), your banker is going to want to see that you have a clear methodology of how you intend to market your services or products to the general public. In this section of the business plan – we will overview how to showcase your services/products to the general public.

 

 

The Pawn Shop will place prominent signage on the facility to draw a significant amount of foot traffic.
The business will maintain listings in the Yellow Books.
The Pawn Shop will also maintain an internet website that showcases the Company’s operations, hours of operation, and relevant contact information.

 

Additionally, you will be required to further drill down (in your business plan) how you intend to implement your strategies when you launch or expand your business’s operations. In this section of the business loan and business plan documents, you should amplify the bullet points from the section above. For instance:

 

The Pawn Shop intends to use a number of strategies that will create instant traffic and customer flow to the Company’s location. These strategies include not only using prominent facility and road signage, but also distributing flyers to people that fall intot he Company’s targeted demographics. The business will also regularly take out advertisements in localized newspapers that showcase the Company’s hours of operations, pawn shop and pawn brokering services, and specials that are occurring within the store on a regular basis.

 

The business will also maintain a highly informative website that showcases the Pawn Shop’s services, its hours of operation, collateral and lending information, licensure information, and other relevant information in regards to the Company’s services. This website will be listed on major search engines such as Google as many people now use the internet to locate local businesses.

 

 

Beyond any other part of your business loan application or business plan, the financials section of these documents are what matters most when applying for a business loan or any other type of credit facility. Ultimately, this section of the business plan showcases not only what your anticipated profitability will be, but also how you intend to repay the funds that you have borrowed through your business financing facility. An example of how this section is structure is as follows:

 

 

Pawn Shop, Inc. will have an average annual growth rate of 10% per year.
Mr. Doe will acquire $100,000 through a business loan in order to launch the operations of the business.

 

 

Now it is time to showcase how you intend to repay your loan, generate a profit, and increase the book value of your business over a three to five year period. BusinessPlansForLoan.com has developed an easy to use financial model that you can use when drafting out the financial model for your business plan and business loan application. Through your business loan application, you will be required to have the following:

 

Profit and Loss Statement for your Pawn Shop
Cash Flow Analysis for the Pawn Shop
Balance Sheet for the Pawn Shop
Business Loan Amortization Tables

Watch the video related to business plan

Business plan layout and writing into 8 easy to remember sections by business plan and fund raising expert Andrew Millet, chartered accountant, principle of Wisteria, a small business advisory and accounting firm based in Edgware, North London, UK. www.wisteria.co.uk