SEO Agency Leigh-on-Sea Southend

WSS Media have been providing cost efficient expert full service digital marketing solutions since 2004. We have a team of passionate creative’s, web developers and internet marketers who have worked for some of the biggest advertising agencies in the UK. If we were asked to explain ourselves in one sentence it would be that we are a cutting edge innovative full service marketing agency that are competitive and driven by a winning mentality.

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Innovation through Creativity: Jumpstarting Your Mind

“Every child is an artist; the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.” - Pablo Picasso Inspiration and creativity drive your entrepreneur spirit. Without original ideas and strategies, businesses lose their unique identities. However, it can be difficult to keep the creative fire stoked on a daily basis. The last thing you want is for your inspiration to grow stagnant. So how do you ensure you’re continually moving forward with new perspectives and fresh ideas? Be Playful It’s nearly impossible to create on demand. Consider a writer staring at an empty page, paralyzed by writer’s block. It is a frustrating, helpless feeling when the creative muse has left the building. However, rather than try to somehow work your way through that block, you should focus on your playful side. Often, writers will give themselves playful activities or word games to break out of crippling writer’s block. Encouraging that playful spirit is essential to honing your creativity and developing strategies to avoid a stale frame of mind. Consider these activities: Team sports can be great for physical activity, social contact, and encouraging focus. Great ideas can hit you when you’re fielding a fly ball or nailing a jump shot. Exploring your hobbies can open up your creativity. Whether you enjoy painting, woodworking, or hiking the trails, unstructured ventures allow you to lose yourself. You are seeking activities that let your mind flow easily. Keep paper and drawing materials on hand. By drawing (however badly), you are encouraging your creative flow. Don’t always rely on written notes. Sometimes, when you try to immediately translate an idea into words, you actually inhibit your inspiration. Make your thinking visible through doodles, sketches, and drafts. Don’t be afraid of embarrassing yourself. Creativity can arrive in many ways. Some people readily “act out” their ideas. Some people hit a roadblock and are able to sing their way through their issues. It might sound silly, but these methods encourage you to take a new approach through spontaneous action. Consider it improv for your inner creative genius. Sometimes you have to be willing to go beyond embarrassment to achieve. Take a cue from children. They get it. Give a four-year-old a cardboard box, and that box quickly becomes a car or spaceship to explore the universe. Give a child a treehouse, and you’ve got a pioneer or pirate on your hands. For business owners to kick-start creativity, they need to consciously decide to bring playful activities into their daily lives.

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Site Portable Accommodation

Site portable accommodation generally refers to any type of portable buildings whether they are offices, toilets to steel storage units. There are many different reasons why portable buildings are used, and one of the mains reasons for their use is there versatility. They are very quick and easy to install and can be used at almost any location depending on the road network. Portable cabins are generally used for temporary accommodation, however due to their robust and efficient design they are sometimes used for very long periods of time spanning many years and become part of the locality where they are erected. They are very commonly used on building sites where they can be seen typically stacked one on top of another to form an efficient space saving office block, where space is at a premium. These types of buildings are more commonly called modular or jackleg cabins and are available in wide range of styles and finishes to suit the customers requirements. Some types of site accommodation can be very impressive and buildings such as offices and classrooms can involve much larger installations with a huge floor space and facilities such as canteens and toilets incorporated into them. Site portable accommodation can include the following installations; · Offices · Toilets · Marketing suites · Storage units · Showers and changing rooms · Nurseries and classrooms · Surgeries and clinics · Welfare units The office environment in portable buildings has undergone a huge change in the past few years, with spacious open plan office areas, and open plan offices are often designed alongside other facilities as part of the same refurbished building complex. Marketing suites can look particularly impressive, and are perfect for developers and house builders who like to impress their clients. Welfare facilities are very important to many companies and their clients, and providing good high quality canteens with temporary buildings and portable cabins can prove to be essential to many companies.

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Retirement Planning Advice for People in Their 50’s

The 50’s are considered one of the most challenging decades in a man’s life. In these years, an individual is at the peak of his/her capacity to earn and can afford to pay off their debts. The figure of 50 is also significant as it is a reminder of the depleting years of a constant income for an individual. Retirement comes to the forefront making it imperative to consider strategic retirement planning advice. In the section below, let us understand the things an individual need to consider in his/her 50’s for an effective saving and retirement planning. 1. It is important for an individual to look for opportunities that involve part time work after the retirement period. This helps to provide an added avenue for an income along with keeping an individual occupied rather that feeling redundant. A feeling of redundancy or aimlessness is common after retirement when there are no deadlines to meet or the daily rigors of work life. 2. If there are some savings left after investments in retirement funds, then they could be used for debt repayment. This helps in clearing the debts by the time a person retires otherwise these accumulated debts may carry forward and deplete an individual’s retirement fund. 3. Every individual in their 50’s should treat saving for a retirement fund as a priority. A person may have various obligations such as expenses, children’s education, parent’s health, loans and taxes to pay. However as the retirement nears, the number of income generating years shrink which makes it important for to focus on the retirement savings. 4. An adequate amount of insurance is compulsory if a person had dependants such s minor children. The retirement planning advice involves making provisions for dealing with any untoward incident in the future. 5. One of the things to consider while in 50’s is instilling financial independence in children. If the children are out of school, they need to earn a living and not risk the financial future of their parents nearing retirement. 6. It is important to take care of the health and have regular physical examinations in order to detect any medical conditions. A growing age puts an individual at the risk of various medical conditions that need to be detected early and treated.

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Could You and Your Business Benefit from a Business Coach or a Consultant?

The surprising answer is "probably". Most individuals don't realize that a certified business coach or business consultant can add enormously to their home based or more traditional type business. Many individuals think a business coach or consultant will come into their business and tell them things that they don't want to hear.

Nothing can be further from the truth. A business coach or consultant will try to use the resources/personnel already present in a business, and will implement strategies that will enhance the interaction and productivity of all concerned.

A business coach or consultant will "steer" the business into a clearer focus, better productivity, better management, and more powerful interactions. Business coaches and consultants can assist any and all types of businesses. Business owners who want faster results for their businesses, are committed to excellence in business, who want to develop their reputations, or who are experiencing problems within their current businesses are all prime candidates for business coaching and consultation.

Here is a small checklist of benefits that may occur with the use of a business coach or consultant:

1. Increase in Clarity: Your business will draw clearer distinctions regarding present conditions and situations and have a clearer picture of the future.

2. Increase in Focused Direction: The possibilities become clearer and the paths to each goal become more distinct.

3. Increase in Time: More time is expended productively, while eliminating the time wasting activities.

4. Increase in Follow Through: Completeness and timeliness of projects increases.

5. Increase in Commitment: A more thorough investment of all personnel in processes and goals.

6. Increase in Effective Communications: A more effective manner of communications is employed, for both clients and employees and the business owner.

7. Increase in Cooperation: Once all members of a business feel as if they are "understood" and valued, cooperation increases significantly.

8. Increase in Awareness of Existing Situations: Many situations may be exacerbated by expansion or additions, but can exist without awareness by the business owner for quite some time.

9. Increase in Stress Free Environments: Both the business owner and employees may indeed be much happier and stress free after a coaching or consultation session. Issues are cleared up and therefore the burdens are left behind, easing the stress.

10. Increase in Retention: The retention of both employees and clients may significantly increase.

Many business owners don't recognize the need for a business coach or consultant until they run into problems, either with the expansion of a business, or with the addition of employees. Any expansion or addition of employees adds to the business chores, and shifts the focus and duties of employees. This is when problems more than likely become apparent, although these problems already probably existed to some degree before the expansion or addition.

An actual example follows:

Katherine R. had significant success with her marketing business right from the start. The business was popular with clients, and employees were added routinely over the years. In the beginning, the base clientele was small business owners, however, as time went on, mid-sized to larger businesses were added, and more employees were added. The new clientele, however, were "different" from the older clientele, and the "older" employees had more difficulty dealing with the new clientele. The new clientele were less friendly overall (they were much busier), and the older employees were not used to this new style of behavior and interaction.

A business coach/consultant was called in, and using his suggestions, i.e. role playing with the older employees, incentives and scripts, and other basic "reworking" of employee duties and interaction, the problems were solved.

Care does need to be given in the choice of a business coach/consultant, and the business owner should check into references, credentials, and the personality of the coach themselves. In order for success to occur, a business owner and all employees must feel trust when dealing with the coach/consultant, and therefore the choice of individual must be both careful and personal.

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How To Join The 5% Of Internet Business Real Money Making Pro's Regardless Of The Products You Sell

On the Internet business world today, you've probably heard that only an estimated 5% of netpreneurs, webmasters, or affiliates, are making any real money. If you're not one of them, then read on and learn how you can make it too.
So, who are the real money makers? What they're doing that you're not, or doing it differently?
Is it because they're selling a high in-demand product from their own websites? Or, only referring prospects to an affiliate merchant partner? Is it because they're selling to a tight niche or to a broader market segment? And if so, would the difference strive in different marketing campaigns?
Whatever be your answers, they are either all wrong or all right, depending on the nature of your business, the product or service itself, the marketing methods, and the lead generation. The variables could be infinite within each context.
Whatever be the reasons, two things stands out as common denominators among internet money makers. One, solid knowledge base about doing business on the net; the other, the business, marketing, and traffic generations used to support their success.
That's true, regardless of the product or service they're selling, either as webmasters or affiliates, and whether it's to a niche or a broad market.
The successful netprenuer's, either selling products of their own or as affiliates, have (a) a website that really sells, (b) set up an automated search engine traffic generating system (c) designing and automating multiple marketing campaigns according to the nature of their business, products, or markets; and (d) set up a database automation system for customer service, and to follow up on their prospects to explode their back end sales
If you're not getting the anticipated desired results with your internet business, that doesn't mean you can't be one of the elite--you just need to arm yourself with the right knowledge and tools that will allow you to strive and compete successfully.
The flexibility and freedom of an online business may seem very appealing, but for most, reality isn't nearly so rosy. Even so, people still dream about quitting their jobs and heading on to making a living with an internet business of their own. That is because of one word: possibilities.
We've all thought the same thing. However, along with the hazards and potential for failure, comes a very real and distinct light at the end of the tunnel. What if you could be part of that 5% who are making a great living? Isn't it worth a shot? Yes!
So, with a 5% success rate, how do you improve your chances? Doing as the big hitters do. First ...

• Learning the Pro's insiders secrets to setup your internet business; and
• How-to marketing online-offline your business, products or services.
• Becoming familiar with the nature of your business, products.
• Defining your market, global or local, and how to reach it.
• Identifying your products benefits and your unique selling proposition.
• Learning basic and advance copy-writing techniques.
• Building, optimizing, and re-submitting content focused web(site) pages
• Automating a link exchange campaigns, to drive target traffic.
• Automating your prospect and customer follow-up for back end sales.
• Setting up a relationship and database marketing automation system for multiple-simultaneous marketing campaigns.

You're probably thinking that business and marketing automation is easier said than done. This is true, but with the right guidance from an expert, you can make automation work for you.
In fact, it may be easier to implement than you think. If you can get help on how to set up and automate your business, you will greatly enhance your chances for success; and, in most cases, regardless of the nature of your business, or the product you are selling.
There are many online firms specializing in helping Internet Business people automate their businesses and streamline themselves for success. They give the kind of advice suggesting the most adequate tools and resources to set up and manage your business to market and sell your products or services.
The entire process can be painless, and quicker than you ever thought possible. Plus, when you're finished, your business will be easier to run and far more profitable.
If you're seeking to join the 5% that are really making it on the Web, you must come up with an automated, comprehensive and scalable, business management and marketing automation system appropriate to your business, products, or markets, to generate a continuous flow of warm, willing, and ready to buy motivated prospects.
Only then, you'll have the foundation to become successful on the Web, independently of the product or service you're selling, or the markets you're selling too; because, every product is marketable and sellable in today's global markets and global economy.
That is, if you're set up to right to position yourself to join the successful internet money makers.
Copyright 2004 Internet Business Automation

Dr. Charles Longsworth, Ph.D., a consultant on marketing automation systems that works, and publisher of “Automation Gazette” his official voice since 2000. For free consultation visit and fill-in the Contact Form at http://www.internet-business-automation.com/intermapro Subscribe at http://www.internet-business-automation.com/agsubscribe 6 gifts when you join.

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Finding Your Home Business Niche

When some folks begin to think about a business of their own, they know in that very moment what kind they are going to start. Then, there are the rest of us...

Knowing that we want to have a business of our own is not enough. Many of us have struggled with the important question of what type of enterprise we would like to start.

Franchises offer a simple pre-packaged money making idea, but the cost of a franchise often makes it a prohibitive option to most folks who contemplate going out on their own.

For those who do not have a million dollars to buy a McDonalds franchise, we must look to other ideas for our own business.

There are literally hundreds of lucrative home business ideas for you to choose from, which will suit every type of personality and all levels of financing. From selling information on the Internet as a infopreneur, to growing delicious gourmet mushrooms for sale to restaurants and catering companies; there is a pile of money to be made by filling a need, for these and a host of other necessary services.

Of course, actually liking what you do, will have a lot to do with the success of your new venture, so be sure to pick a home business that you'll enjoy running and that will keep you motivated.

For example, if you're a math whiz, an accounting or income tax service might be the ideal home business for you to start. Perhaps writing is your forte and you'd like to start your own home based copywriting service or advertising agency. Each of these businesses can be run successfully--and profitably from the comfort of your own home.

Academia might not be your cup of tea, but maybe you are good with your hands --- having a creative genius where crafts are concerned. Craft items are red-hot sellers at swap meets, country fairs and world wide over the Internet, and they can provide you with solid profits. If crafts don't interest you, then why not start a laundry service with pick-up and delivery, or a shopping service for shut-in's--even a companion service or granny sitter or a doctor shuttle service; any of which, could be much in demand, in and around your neighborhood or community.

When brainstorming new ideas for your future home business, keep in mind the soul of any successful endeavor is providing a product or service that others will actually purchase in quantities. Satisfy the needs of your target market, and your target market will keep you and your home based business healthy, happy and profitable.

Below are some suggestions for home business ideas that might help you decide on a suitable venture in which to invest.

Multi-level-marketing (mlm), floral/plant service for offices and hospitals, pooper-scooper service, dog walking service, answering service, vending machine service, gift basket service, homemade soap maker, mobile windshield repair service, mobile tire repair service, income tax specialist, researcher, freelance writer, business card and letterhead designer, courier, shut-in/shuttle service, landscaping service, tree trimming service, wood crafter, carpenter, crafts and crafting supplies, pool cleaning service, plants/nursery starts, growing herbs, growing mushrooms, garage sale and swap meet vendor, proofreader, private investigator, typing service, interior decorator/designer, website design, wedding consultant, hot lunch/snack vendor at local courthouses, pet sitting service, pet grooming service, Internet entrepreneur, paralegal, gourmet catering service, new media production, mobile cosmetic technician, mobile nail technician, mobile hair stylist, aerobics instructor, personal fitness trainer, advertising consultant, companion service, small printing service.

Ideas, ideas; hopefully the above ideas will give you some fresh ideas of your own to mull over. A spring board if you will, on which to dive into your own chosen home business.

When you work from home, any business you start has the potential to explode into a perpetual gold mine! It just depends on how much your home business is in demand around your community or on the Internet. Your home business might start slow and steady, regularly picking up clients as you become more established. On the other hand, your chosen home business may take off like wildfire, quickly becoming too hot for you to handle by yourself (well done!). This is the time to enlist the help of willing family members to help you out in your time of need, which will make your business into a friendly, family concern. This will also help family members better understand your business and get a grasp on the mechanics of profit.

Good luck in all your decisions and have fun with your home business, which ever one you choose, and don't forget to enjoy your newfound freedom!

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Could You Be Setting Your Business Plan Up For Failure?

David E. Gumpert, author of Burn Your Business Plan, often tells the story about how he and his partner failed to raise money after sending their business plan around to venture capitalists and meeting with several others to make presentations. Disappointed by the fruits of their labor, they considered giving up on their venture in 1995. Fortunately, on the advice of their board of advisors, they chose to divert their time from massaging the business plan to making sales. The financing, they were told, would come later.

Turns out, they sold enough to stay afloat through 1996. In 1997, sales failed to grow as quickly as they expected, so they decided to seek financing again. This time, they expected positive results would be easier to obtain, after all they were fairly well established now. The board, however, told them to get out there and promote their business and make more sales.

If At First You Don't Succeed...

Gumpert and his partner instead decided to dust off their old business plan, spend many hours rewriting and updating the plan, and to set out once again to seek financing. And, once again they were turned down. How could this be? In the late 90's, it seemed like every new Internet-related venture in the world was obtaining financing. In fact, according to the MoneyTree Survey, sponsored by Price Waterhouse Coopers, Venture Economics, and the National Venture Capital Association, the amount of venture capital - $7.7 billion in 1995 -- had grown to $16.4 billion by 1997.

Nonetheless, the failed financing left Gumpert and his partner with two stark choices at this stage: Find ways to grow the business without financing or call it quits. They took the first choice. They also engaged public-relations professionals, and succeeded in getting several of their most successful corporate clients written up in business and industry trade publications - with their agency mentioned as the key force behind their clients' success. This publicity got the agency's phones ringing with new prospects, several of which converted into additional sales.

As the business grew, they remained on guard about monitoring their expenses and aggressively collecting receivables. By 1999, they were operating profitably at $2 million in annual revenues, with nearly 20 employees. Also, the amount of venture capital being invested nationally had soared to an astounding $55.5 billion. But, Gumpert and his partner paid little attention to this; their interest in outside financing had dropped significantly. (By 2000, Venture capital availability peaked at $85.5 billion.)

The Power Of Publicity

As Gumpert and his partner carried their success into 1998 and 1999, their promotional efforts eventually attracted the attention of a publicly held company that was seeking the expertise they offered in developing and managing online content. In December 1999 this company acquired Gumpert's company, NetMarquee. To Gumpert's surprise, the acquirer never asked to see their business plan; it only wanted to see their financial projections under several different scenarios.

In recounting his financing experience, Gumpert makes two points: First, even during good times, the venture capital route is closed to the vast majority of businesses that seek it out. While it might have seemed back then that nearly every business that asked was receiving venture capital, the reality is most carefully crafted business plans are rejected out of hand by venture capitalists. Second, you'll be surprised what you can accomplish without the financing you think you so desperately need to stave off failure.

The truth is that it's unlikely a business plan by itself will bring funding in the door, unless it is part of an overall marketing strategy.

Four Tools To Help Market Your Business Plan To Investors

The famous motivational speaker Jim Rohn says there are three steps to successful communications: "Have something good to say, say it well, and say it often." These three steps form the foundation of the Business Plan Secrets Revealed manual. They are essential to marketing your business plan with the intent of attracting investors and selling your business plan to them. Here are four tools to help you "say it often" so you can attract investors and sell your business plan to them.

One, a concise, well written twenty-five page business memorandum or "business plan" that builds a case to separate your venture from your competition. You don't need a two-inch thick business plan. Plans this long often lack aim; instead of building a case that leads investors to decide whether the business is the right investment for them, they "fire away" in hopes that some of the shots will take effect.

Two, an effective elevator pitch--a 60-second, to-the-point verbal pitch for your business--that communicates to your customers and investors what you do in an exciting and engaging way. The ability to separate your business from your competitors and get an investor's interest in the short time it takes to ride up an elevator is critical.

Three, an investor relation Web page to build credibility and help investors quickly get the information they need, when they need it. Of all the communications media available, the Web is particularly important. It's fast and available 24/7. With it, you can capture leads and automatically keep in touch with those who are interested in your business.

Finally, press releases to help you get your word out. A press release is the basic tool for gaining the attention of the media. The public's desire for interesting, relevant news remains strong, as does the importance of carefully selecting relevant target audiences. You are dealing with much more skepticism on the part of the public now than there has been in the past, which makes the evidence and objectivity in your press release paramount.

The process of raising money and attracting investors isn't easy. If it were, every business idea would get funded. You have to use all the tools that are available to you, and start looking at this process as a marketing process backed by hard, verifiable evidence. You just don't know when the plums--investors, on the tree will become ripe--ready to invest. But, you do know that if you do everything you can to take care of the tree--water it, fertilize it, and so on--it will ultimately bear fruit--raise money for your business.

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Are You Ready to Start a Home Based Jewelry Business?

Owning or operating a small jewelry business - no matter
what type of jewelry or where it is - can be a challenge, but it
really takes a special kind of person to operate a home
based jewelry business. Most people who run their own
home business probably have asked themselves at some
point, "What do I want from my business? What do I want
from my life?"

I asked myself these same questions seven years ago. At
that time my daughter was entering kindergarten and my
son was in preschool. I was spending three hours a day in
my car commuting to a job, and during the short days of late
fall and early winter, I didn't see the light of day at home until
the weekend. More importantly, I was losing three precious
hours a day that I could be spending being creative and
being with my family.

Although there are many answers to the question above, the
clear-cut choice for me was the need to spend more time at
home on what I truly love to do and being with my family. By
being honest with myself, I was able to make the
courageous leap from being employed by someone else to
starting my own jewelry business.

You might think that a home based jewelry business is the
ideal situation, but working at home can - and will - be
challenging. You may find yourself working longer hours
due to the fact that the survival of the business is totally your
responsibility. Because your studio is in your home, you and
your family may feel an intrusion of the business upon your
personal life, especially if you have clients come to your
house.

Before embarking in a home based jewelry business, you
must first honestly, critically answer the following three
questions:

1. Are you disciplined enough to set and meet work
schedules?

2. Can you make a transition from home to business during
the work hours you set for yourself, and from business to
home during off hours?

3. Can you deal with the isolation of working from home?

Discipline plays a large part in answering the first two
questions. At times there will be distractions at home. For
example, you may become more aware of dishes that need
to be cleaned, laundry that needs to be washed, the lawn
that should be cut, or even the weeds that have to be pulled.
This is where you must set your work schedule each day,
and stick firmly to it.

At the end of your work schedule, you should keep your
focus on your home life once you call it quits for the day or
you may find yourself burning out quickly. It's extremely
difficult not to run to the office to pick up a phone call, play a
message on the answering machine, or read a fax that just
came over, but with a bit of practice you will soon realize that
the work you put down at 5 p.m. will still be there for you in
the morning at 9 a.m.

In answering the third question, you no longer work for a
company where co-workers and staff are available for
support. Nor do you have an endless stream of company
supplies and materials at your disposal.

This is where setting yourself up with a network of
confidants can be helpful. Surround yourself with people
that are reliable, knowledgeable and possibly veterans of
the craft. Join your local or state guild of craftsman. Get to
know the other artists in your community. When you attend
fairs or shows, get to know some of the other artists. Find a
friendly forum on the internet where you can bounce ideas
off other members or trouble shoot a problem. You already
found one site with great resources!

Other sources may be your local Chamber of Commerce,
and manufacturers and suppliers of small business
technologies and products. The Chamber can provide
networking opportunities for you with other business
members of your community, some of whom may be in a
similar situation that you now find yourself.

Once you have committed to running a home based jewelry
business, it should be treated as a separate entity from the
rest of your house. Whether you are using a garage, a
basement, or a spare room as your studio space, you
should maintain a professional environment in your work
area. Rooms such as the bedroom or kitchen, in my
opinion, are not suitable for a professional set up because
they do not afford your business privacy and separate space
from the rest of the house.

If you are going to take this seriously, then you will need a
more permanent solution, a situation where you can leave
your wares out without being disturbed by family or curious
pets. In addition, your business should have its own phone
line, mailing address and bank account. This makes tax
time much less complicated and it will appear to the IRS
that you are a REAL business versus a hobby.

Many home based business owners are honestly unaware
of Federal, State and Local regulations. A good place to start
is by consulting with your CPA or local tax authorities for
specific recommendations appropriate to your individual
situation. Finding out this information is important when
considering what type of business you will run from your
home.

Zoning regulations may not allow you to run certain types of
businesses from a residential home - for example, the
manufacturing of certain goods or using equipment like a
torch or kiln.

You should also respect your neighbors and the type of
neighborhood you live in. By having a home based jewelry
business, there will more than likely be an increase of traffic
in your immediate neighborhood from your clients,
suppliers and any mail services you use. Keep in mind that
you must register your business with the proper authorities.

Owning and operating a home based jewelry business is a
lot of hard work, but it can also be very gratifying, especially
when you realize that the things you're looking for in life are
being made possible by your dedication to this idea.

One of the most positive advantages I have found by running
a home business is being able to say, "Yes, I can do it." In
addition, not only do I see my children off to school in the
morning, but I'm there for them at the end of their day.

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Business Plan Financial Projections: Stop Worrying About Being Right...

Business plan financial projections seem daunting because
they are so uncertain. This very uncertainty, however, is
what makes preparing them easy because you can't possibly be
right. You can't predict the future. None of us can. All you
can be is competent in the way you prepare your business plan
projections.

Before you finalize your business plan this year, consider
these six caveats to preparing your business plan financial
projections:

1. Don't offer pull-out-of-the-air, "conservative"
guesstimates about getting some percentage of the overall
market demand or year-over-year growth.

It is a mistake to assume that business investors will
appreciate your being conservative with your business plan
financial projections in the early years of your business.
Don't think for a Wall Street minute that presenting
"conservative" business plan financial projections indicates
"realism" to prospective business investors. Business investors
invest for one reason: to earn a return on their money. How
long the money is invested influences the amount of the return
earned. Let's say a business investor wants to triple an
investment. Well, if that investment triples in 3 years, the
return is 44%. If it triples in five years, the return is
25%. Adding just two years to the investment period nearly
halves the return! Now do you see why time is so important
to a business investor? Here are a few other examples: let's
say a business investor wants to:

Make 5 times an investment in 3 years = 71% return

Make 5 times an investment in 5 years = 38% return

Make 7 times an investment in 3 years = 91% return

Make 7 times an investment in 5 years = 48% return

Make 10 times an investment in 3 years = 115% return

Make 10 times an investment in 5 years = 59% return

So, while you may find it attractive to figure out how to
make "just a living" until the business venture proves
itself, you now understand why business investors want sales
and earnings to grow absolutely as fast as possible, without
being deceived, in your business plan financial projections.
On the whole, business investors are risk averse only to the
extent that they don't want to lose their money or tie it up
in a low return investment. Typically when you make the claim
that your business plan financial projections are "conservative",
it usually just means that you have no idea how and why you'll
achieve a certain level of sales within a certain time frame.
Interesting, these kinds of estimates, provided that you've
done some good thinking about market segments and overall
demand, often turn out to be too low. Remember, it's just as
bad to underestimate your sales, as it is to overestimate
them.

2. Avoid calculating costs as a straight percentage of
revenues.

Sure it's easier to do things this way, especially with
Excel and other business plan financial projection software.
Costs are real, however. You need to know what they are very
specifically. If you've done your homework in developing
your business plan, then you should already have this information,
or at least the basis of it. Just estimate and calculate your
costs on a product-by-product basis.

With these warnings in mind, use the following steps to
develop your business plan financial projections:

Think about what percentage of the overall market share your
competitors already own. Assume that they will continue
their present trends in growth. (Note: some competitors may
already be trending down and losing market share.) Temper
your market share estimates with some discussion of how your
entry into the market will affect these trends. Then,
estimate the percent of total, potential demand that remains
available to you.

Now, based on the limitations of your operations plans,
calculate how much of this remaining available demand you
can achieve. This is a very simple calculation. Start with
your overall productive unit capacity and factor it by the
expected yield of sellable product, then multiply these unit
sales by their respective selling prices and voila, you have
the revenue numbers for your business plan financial projections.

Let's take an example.

Your research indicates that 2 out of every 10 females age
23 to 55 will under go some type of non-invasive cosmetic
treatment in your area. Your research also shows that this
number is expected to grow 20% each year over the next 5
years. There are 40,000 females in your target market. You
identified four competitors in your target market. These
four competitors currently handle on average 6 procedures a
day. You plan to start a non-invasive cosmetic treatment
center that uses the most advanced technology and is thus
capable of performing an average of 7 procedures a day.
Using this data you calculate the following statistics
about your market and market potential:

Total market 40,000 females x 20% = 8,000 procedures per
year

4 competitors x 6 procedures x 250 days = 6,000 procedures
per year

Available procedures: 8,000 less 6,000 = 2,000 per year

Your productive capacity: 7 procedures a day x 250 days =
1,750 or 21.875% of the total market. The average selling
price for a procedure is $400. Thus, the revenue for the first
year in your business plan financial projection would be 1,750
procedures times $400 or $700,000.

Now, let's say you're were projecting 2,200 procedures per
year. This would mean that you would have to alter your
operating plan to be able to perform 2,200 procedures. You
would also have to demonstrate how you would capture an
additional 200 procedures from your competitors.
Granted this is an over simplified example, but it should
give you a feel for how this process works.

Regarding price, in most cases you should have a clear idea
of how to price your product or service. There are usually
other, similar products or services out on the market.
Unless your competitive advantage is a cost reduction and/or
unless price is a critical basis of competition, just
estimate the value of your improvement and add it on to the
average price currently offered in the marketplace. In order
to make this estimate, you'll have to be talking to
potential users. Find out what they pay now. Find out how
they feel about the current price. Ask them if they'd be
willing to pay more and how much more. If you ask enough
people, you'll get a general idea.

3. Never determine price on the basis of a margin you think
is attractive.

The market will pay you only for the value you deliver,
which is determined by the consumer paying the final price.
It's easy to make the mistake of thinking that a 20%, 40% or
even a 60% margin is great. Never considering that if the
product or service you're offering provides a real
advantage. If you do this, you may be grossly
underestimating the price you can get in the marketplace and
underestimating your business plan financial projections.
Consumers don't think in terms of margins. They could care
less about what you ought, "reasonably", to get for your
product. That's why you must find out the most that they'll
pay. This is the value of your product or service. Come up
with some reasonable basis for determining this real value.
Keep in mind the obvious: If the consumer's value on the
final product or service is less than your cost plus a
reasonable profit to keep your business growing, you're in
trouble. Your business model will not be sustainable and your
business plan financial projections useless.

Now calculate the costs of manufacturing and distributing
your product. These costs flow directly from your revenues
estimates and operations plan. How much will it cost to
purchase what equipment and materials, hire what personnel,
engage in what selling efforts, pay what accountants and
lawyers, rent what kind of space and so forth, to achieve
the revenues you're showing in your business plan financial
projections. You must be very specific. Project your costs
over time. Keep them tied to the units you need to sell to
achieve the revenues in your business plan financial
projections.

Obviously, costs and revenues work hand in hand.

4. Keep your fixed cost low.

Keep in mind that none of these revenues and the cost
estimates are going to be perfectly accurate, which means
the amount of profit or cash available to pay "fixed" cost
isn't going to be accurate either. As a result, you can lose
your shirt trying to pay for equipment, a receptionist, or
other activities that don't contribute to the sole objective
of making sales. Wherever possible, rent space, rent time on
equipment, answer your own phones, etc. To the extent that
you keep costs variable in your business plan financial
projections, you can cut back when sales are slower than
expected. It's the worst situation to have a big,
well-furnished office with an expensive secretary who
needs the job, when the money isn't coming in. High fixed
costs in your business plan financial projections also send
the wrong message to investors that you know more about the
"form" of doing business than about actually making money.

Nov pull all your numbers together to prepare the financial
statements that summarize your business plan financial
projections. You need three basic statements: cash flow
analysis, income statements, and balance sheets. All of
these come directly from the above calculations. Your cash
flow analysis indicates when and what amounts of capital
infusion you'll need to start and sustain your business plan.
Make your income and balance sheet projections on the
assumption that you'll get the capital. For the first year
or two of your business plan financial projections, present
each of these statements on at least a quarterly basis.
Monthly is best. I suggest doing a 24- or 36-month projection
depending on your growth plans and changes in the industry that
you foresee. Follow these monthly or quarterly projections with
annual projections till you cover a span of 5 years.

Finally, run through some "what-if" scenarios or sensitivity
analysis. Though you business plan financial projections should
be based on your best, and best-supported estimates of costs
and revenues, you know you can't be 100% right. That's why it's
important to identify those elements or assumptions of your
business plan financial projections that you feel are most
uncertain. Write out the nature of the uncertainty and the range
you think the estimates will fluctuate up or down. Then change
the estimates accordingly and re-run all your statements.
Pay close attention to how your business plan financial
projections, especially cash flows, change when you change
each assumption. This will help you determine how much
"cushion" you have available and, if business isn't going
according to plan, at what point cash will become an issue.

5. Do not simply assume that costs and revenues may be
"off", up or down, by some percentage.

Again, I know that Excel makes it easy to do this. For all
the same reasoning as above, stay focused on the assumptions
and details that make up your business plan financial projections.
It's the details you need to examine for their sensitivity and
their impact on the bottom line. You only need to alter those
specific items that you're most uncertain about. If it's revenues
that you're worried about, is it the price, the volume, or
both that concerns you most? How big a swing in the estimate
are you worried about, in what direction and why? If it's
your cost projections that are keeping you awake at night,
which cost elements and why? Things like rents and labor
costs can be determined fairly accurately. But maybe you're
unsure about materials or labor availability or how
efficiently you can produce your products or provide your
services. Maybe you'll have to pay extra to ensure their
availability. This kind of thinking forms the basis for running
"what-if" or sensitivity analysis on your business plan financial
projections.

6.Do not include every possible business
plan financial projection scenario in your business plan.

Both you and your investors need to know what aspects of the
business plan financial projections are most uncertain,
represent the most risk, in what direction, why, and how
they affect the bottom line. Having hundreds of alternative
scenarios to sort through is like a man with two watches
showing two different times... he never knows what time it is.
Lots of alternative business plan financial projections also
indicate that you're not too sure about anything. This is an
impossible way to communicate with business investors, manage
your business, or make important decisions. It's much more
effective to identify the risky areas of your plan, tell why
and how they impact the bottom line and what actions you
plan to take if they occur. This helps you and your business
investors stay focused on the high impact areas and to think
clearly about whether other factors should be considered as
well. It also lends more credibility to your talents and
increases the likelihood of your plan's success.

Finish this discussion with a summary of the critical
aspects of your plan and related contingency plans. If
you've followed all these steps, then you can figure out
what you'll do if your actual performance turns out to be
different than your business plan financial projections.
Remember, you're purpose is to demonstrate to business investors
that you're competent; worrying about protecting their investment
and running a business, not just flying by the seat of your pants.

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10 Critical Facts to Put On the Cover of Your Business Plan...

In most business plans, no matter how striking the idea, the covers are
critically important. The majority of investors may flip to the executive
summary, if they get past the cover, when deciding whether or not they
are interested. Exactly like the front page of a daily newspaper, a business
plan cover puts the important highlights of the proposal upfront for
potential investors to read.

The success of an entire business plan campaign may stand or fall on what
is said on the cover of the business plan. In his book, the Venture Capital
Handbook, David Gladstone wrote that of the one-hundred proposals a
week an investor receives, maybe ten are read.

So, providing critical information on your cover is about the most
important thing for sparking the interest of prospective investors. In fact,
your cover page competes with hundreds of other documents, worksheets,
phone calls, articles, and other information for the attention of prospective investors. And, based on Gladstone's figures, it competes in time,
because, seen for a few seconds, it is heeded, or passed up, and seldom
returned to by readers.

Here are the ten critical pieces of information to include on the cover page of
your business plan.

1. Headline: Start your cover page with an appropriate headline that will interrupt and engage your prospective investors. Use the headline to tell them something news worthy about your venture.
2. Company: Be sure the name of your company is on the cover, but the name of your company is not the headline or the most important trigger to an investor. If your company is a start-up company, your name will likely have no meaning to investors.
3. Contact: Indicate the name of the person you want prospective investors to contact about the proposal. Be sure to include a phone number and email address at which they can be reached. One thing about the email address, make sure it is professional; avoid cute addresses.
4. Type of business: In ten words or less state the industry you are in and the stage of your business, such as 'start-up" or first round financing, development stage or second round financing, and so on.
5. Business summary: A brief paragraph describing what your business does or proposes to do. Summarize the material events in the development of your business (including any material mergers or acquisitions) during the past five years, or for whatever lesser period you've been in existence. Describe the industry in which you sell or expect to sell your products or services and any related trends within that industry. Describe that part of the industry and the geographic area in which your business competes or will compete.
6. Management: Simply list the top two or three key people with a two-sentence description of their backgrounds, what they will be doing for the company and unique skills and experiences each adds to the company.
7. Product/service and competition: Very briefly describe your products or services and how you'll produce or render them. If you plan to offer a new product(s), tell its present stage of development, including whether or not you have a working prototype(s). Indicate what it will take in terms of money, resources, and approvals to completely develop the product. Disclose if you are dependent upon one or a limited number of suppliers for essential raw materials, energy or other items. Describe any major existing supply contracts.
8. Funds requested and collateral: State exactly how much money you are raising and a description of the form you are requesting it in (debt or equity). Also tell what you are offering as security to investors, if anything.
9. Financial data

• Provide a summary schedule outlining how you'll use the proceeds you raise. Keep it at a high level; you'll have the details in the plan itself.
• A columnar summary of key historical financial figures like sales, net income, assets, liabilities and net worth. What you ultimately list here will also depend on the type of financing you are seeking (debt or equity).
• A columnar schedule of key projected financial figures for three or five years out similar to those listed in your history.

Exit: Briefly tell how investors will get a return on their investment. For example, you might plan to go public in five years, buy back their initial investment at four times in four years, or perhaps sell the business to a financial or a strategic buyer.

If you're struggling with how to fit all this information onto your cover page, go here to see an example of a cover page layout: http://www.business-plan-secrets-revealed.com/business-plan-cover-page.html

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the importance of a healthy transaction

Many people see sales as an exercise in Confrontation. If you've ever bought a high ticket item like a car, then you know what I'm talking about. You want to get a cheap price, and the seller wants to the make as much money as possible. For the most part, the Difficulties in buying and selling are not centered around the price, they're centered around the transaction itself. should not be affected by the price, smart karenadengan a transaction can change all of that expensive to cheap but still high quality.Consider somebody who is selling widgets at a booth. Say the booth is at a home show. For every widget he sells, he'll make a profit of a dollar. Naturally, the more widgets he sells, the more money he takes. If he had his druthers, he'd sell a widget to everybody that passed him by. This is precisely what he tries to do.He comes up with a huge pitch, designed to lure in as many people as possible. He claims this widget can do anything, so more people will want it. Because he is so good a persuasion, or sales, a lot of people are convinced they want this widget. They get it home, still feeling happy that they've bought this widget.But a few days and weeks pass, and they find they really do not have much use for this widget. After a while, they wonder why they bought the thing. Soon their friends start asking them why they bought it. They do not know. They say they were conned into buying it. The salesperson was really pushy. They bought it just to be polite.Pretty soon this widget seller has developed a reputation as a pushy salesperson. He has to travel to a new city every couple months, Quickly Because he wears out his welcome. Such is the life of a traveling salesman widget.Now consider another widget salesman. He does not promise the moon. He just says what the widget does. His reputation is more important to him than anything. Instead of trying to sell his widget to every single person that walks by, he qualifies his customers. He ACKs them questions to the make sure they can get a real use out of the widget. Plenty of people like the widget, think it looks cool, but the widget salesman is clear that they really will not get much use out of it, unless they really do need it.So a lot fewer people buy his widgets. But the ones that do, really use it. And enjoy it. And tell all their friends. Pretty soon people that really need this widget are beating down this poor widget salesman's door trying to buy his product.Before long, he's got a huge mail order business, and he does not have to do any more traveling to sell his widgets. He can relax at home, while his business runs itself. He out-sources all the people he needs to handle his orders.The first widget salesman was worried about not selling anything, and thus created a life of hardship. The second widget salesman was convinced of the quality of his product, and in the interest of his reputation, only wanted to put it in the hands of people who really needed it. As a result, he lives and easy life with easy money.

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11 MONSTROUS Small Business Marketing Mistakes and How To Avoid Them

Increase your profit potential by identifying - and avoiding - these 11 marketing mistakes.

MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 1: Sinking a Fortune Into an Unproven Product

Is your business idea built on market research or a hunch?

Entrepreneurs often fall in love with their products or services before they determine if there's a real market, and they throw fistfuls of money into the venture. If you, your spouse, your uncle, and your neighbor think you've got a winning idea, that's simply not enough qualified input to run to the bank and drain your savings account!

Avoid this mistake by:

• Conducting your detective work (research).
• Testing your business idea with the real marketplace.

MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 2: Believing That "If You Build It, They Will Come"

Do you think you have a product or service that will practically sell itself?

Trust me - you don't.

There is a misconception among small business owners that, with the right product or service, your customers will simply "find" you when you open your doors for business. Whether you have a physical storefront on a corner lot in the busiest part of downtown, or a graphically pleasing online storefront offering easy access to your hot products and services, your customers will not find you if you do not market to them.

The day you open for business is the day you put on your "marketer's hat" and never take it off. You must consistently move product, or schedule service time.

To stay in business you must profit.

To profit you must sell.

To sell you must market.

The good news is that, with a marketing strategy, you take the control out of your potential customers' hands and put it into your own. If you have a product that will "practically sell itself," then your marketing job will be easy. Just remember that the job must still be done.

Avoid this mistake by:

• Defining your niche market and USP (Unique Selling Proposition) that differentiates you from your competition.
• Developing a marketing action plan and strategy to reach your niche market with your USP message.

MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 3: Trying to Reinvent the Wheel

Marketing is an age-old practice with some very basic principles. Yet, I'm sure you've read many marketing information products that stress the importance of being innovative and creative with your marketing efforts. It's easy to get caught up in the innovation process and forget that the REAL focus should be on results.

Avoid this mistake by:

• Emulating success instead of trying to create something completely new. Please note that I am not saying, "copy" what others are doing. Look at the basic structure of a tactic, campaign, advertisement, or event and use the same formula as a basis for developing your own tactics.
• Realizing great marketing ideas are used over and over again with just the right twist to make them fit a specific business. Focus on results, and choose imitation over innovation to create your own twist on a proven, winning technique.

MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 4: Over-Preparing and Doing Nothing

The fear of failure can be powerful. So powerful that we do everything we can think of to prevent it. Yet, there is a point at which we are so busy preparing, organizing, and researching to prevent failure that we never get around to the actual marketing of the business. Here are two things to remember:

1. Activity is not productivity.
2. In order to sell a million of something, you have to sell the first ONE.

Avoid this mistake by:

• Doing something! If you believe in your business and have done your detective work, it's time to dive into the marketing pool. Start small, track results and build from there.
• Not being afraid to make a mistake. Mistakes are the entry to success. At the very least, a failed promotion means you have SUCCESSFULLY determined what promotion does not work. And, to learn what does NOT work is a valuable tool in getting you closer to discovering what WILL work.

So, go ahead. Fail a little. It will make your eventual successes even sweeter.

MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 5: Boredom

When I was working for an ad agency many years ago, I had one client that was running an extremely successful ad campaign. After about six months, I received a phone call from the client. He wanted to develop an entirely new campaign. When I asked, "why?" he simply said, "I'm bored with the one we have."

What?

That client may have had the money to spend on a new campaign due to "boredom" but you and I usually don't. Yet, I've often seen my small business clients switch promotions for the same reason. This is detrimental to your business!

"Losing money" is a reason.

"Boredom" is not.

Avoid this mistake by:

• Remembering that, what is old to you, is new to an untapped target market. If you have a promotion that is consistently getting you results, stick with it until results show you its time for change.
• Testing new promotions without abandoning the current one. Then track results. Never swap a current promotion with a new one that hasn't been tested.

MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 6: Relying on Networking to Generate Sales Leads

Joining the Chamber of Commerce and schmoozing at association meetings can put you in contact with vendors and possible joint venture partners, and will be invaluable exposure for you as a community supporter - but it will rarely generate substantial sales leads.

Everyone else who attends these "meet and greet" assemblies is there to do the same thing you are. You may be able to make some valuable contacts for future ventures and promotions, but one-on-one networking is time-consuming and results are unpredictable.

Avoid this mistake by:

• Treating networking opportunities the same as any other marketing tactic. Track results by determining your costs and measuring your payback.

MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 7: Doing What Your Competitors Do

It's important to be aware of what your competitors are offering, but do not let it dictate the strategy you use for your own business.

If your competitor wants to be the low price leader, let him. Don't try to become the "lower price" leader. Chances are this will lead you to financial problems because it will thrust you into an ugly price war.

If your competitor wants to tout low prices, then you focus on value. Bargain hunters don't necessarily want the lowest price. They want the best VALUE. Make what you have to offer something of value.

Avoid this mistake by:

• Finding an unmet need or want of your target market, and fill it to differentiate your products and services from your competitors.
• Giving customers a reason to choose you over your competitors. Define your USP, and identify your niche market.

MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 8: Not Targeting a Specific Market

If you believe your market is "everybody," you will struggle to attract people who will buy from you. The value of target (niche) marketing is one of the toughest sells I make to my clients. They understand the logic of it, but the "fear of losing a potential customer" gets the best of them.

Avoid this mistake by:

• Viewing the practice of niche marketing as inclusive, not exclusive.

Think of your business as part of a person's support group. It's logical to say, "Everybody needs a support group so my business should attract everyone." But, will it? People - your customers - want to go to a support business that understands their specific concerns, needs, and wants. Make sure you ARE that business by targeting a niche market.

MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 9: Targeting a Market You Can't Reach or One That Can't Afford You

Targeting a niche market is the smartest way to market. Yet, targeting a market that is too specific will limit your ability to succeed long term. For example, a market that might be too specific would be: female pilots under the age of 35 who fly ONLY New York to London flights. That's a pretty narrow market to sustain your business in the long term unless you can capture the ENTIRE market with a product or service that has a high profit point and customers need to use or replace it often.

In that same vein, a market that is begging for the service or product you have but cannot afford it will also be a business impossible to sustain. Never compete for someone's rent money. Your target market must have the means to buy your products and services.

Avoid this mistake by:

• Creating your customer profile to identify characteristics of your potential buyers,
• Identifying a niche market,
• Examining the long term potential for new and repeat sales.

MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 10: Focusing On Acquiring New Customers Instead of Promoting to Current or Previous Customers

When you first start a business you have little choice but to focus on gaining new customers. The cost of finding those new customers can be expensive, which is one reason it is so important to really target a specific niche. However, once you've made just one sale, you're ready to start looking at other marketing options.

Wouldn't you like to:

... slash your marketing costs by half or more?

... reach proven buyers for your service or products?

That little goldmine of proven buyers available to you "on the cheap" is already yours in the form of current and previous customers.

Any respected marketing guru, past or present, online or offline, will tell you that the biggest asset your company has is your customer base.

Avoid this mistake by:

• Realizing that, when a sale is finalized, it is the beginning of your relationship with that customer, not the end.
• Offering additional products or services to current customers. If you don't have your own to offer them, then develop a referral, joint venture or product bundling program so you can reap profits from your already-interested (and buying) customers.

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Stop Wasting Your Money On Home Business Opportunities That Don't Work

Add caption

"Stop Wasting Your Money On Home Business Opportunities That Don't Work and Get Your Own Stinkin' Niche That Can Make You Money, Even If You've Tried Everything Before!"

I'll show you step-by-step how to stop wasting your money on work at home business opportunities and how to "Get Your Own Stinkin' Niche" - no matter how hard you've tried before..

Dear Friend,

Of course, you want your own home based business that will crank in profits 24 hours a day and build your bank account with heaping mounds of cash. But you've tried so many MLMs, partner sites, membership sites, etc, you don't know who or what to believe anymore.

You just want to stop throwing your hard earned money away on junk sites more than anything else, and you should!

That's where I come in. My name is Patrick Mahoney and I'm an online entrepreneur who has created many successful "niche" businesses, and I'm going to show you how I created them.

See if this sounds familiar?

You've made the choice to start your own home based business, and everywhere you turn you're presented with work at home "biz-ops" that all sound like a turnkey solution to your problems.

After giving up some of your hard earned cash and investing in a few of these opportunities, you spend more of your precious time promoting, advertising, and spending even more money you really can't afford to spend trying to make these "biz-ops" work for you like they have for (the reported) others..

After wasting much of your time and money, you decide that kicking this dead horse anymore is just going to eat more of your time and money, so you move on..

Biz-ops come and biz-ops go, and you're still looking for those online "riches" everybody claims to be there.

I feel your pain! I really do... I was in the very same situation a few years back, and I too went 'round and 'round in circles trying everything that was presented to me. And like you, I too got feed up with all of the trash I was being feed.

So what did I do to change all of that and start making money?

I created "my own" niche business, and walked away from the money making schemes once and for all!

Yes, that's all it took!

And it can work for you too..

I know, because it has worked for thousands of people just like you. However, I don't expect you to believe me until you see even more proof.

So, here's what I'm going to do for you right now.

I'm going to present you with just one of my own "niche" businesses that continues to make me money everyday of the week. But, before I present this business to you, I want you to know, it is un-like any "online business" you've been presented with before. I absolutely guarantee it..

You see, a "true" niche business is going to be something other than a "how to make money on the web" sales page...

It's going to be so far out there for most, you might even think it can't be true...

But, I'm presenting this to you so you'll finally see through all of the online BS! So you'll start focusing on "your own true niche business" and start learning how to put that extra cash into your pockets once and for all.

At this moment, I want you to visit the following website, and have a look around. Don't just open and close your browser window, really look at this "trashy" website, because in my first year alone I made over $28,000 from just this one website.

Go here now: [http://www.3d-perfection.com/]

Not what you expected is it?...

This is one of the best examples I can give you of what a "true" niche business is.

You see, one of my hobbies just happens to be railroading. I'll bet you never thought there was money in railroading, at least not the hobby end of it anyway..

But there was and is, and I took advantage of my hobby, and you can take advantage of your hobbies too.

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10 Steps for Simplifying Business Plan Financial Statements

For most business owners and entrepreneurs, preparing, and communicating the financial statement section of a business plan is like trying to give driving directions to someone who doesn't speak the same language.

"Numbers" is the language most investors speak. But, it is also the language that many business owners and entrepreneurs don't speak or understand.

So how do you bridge this gap?

1) Understand there is a difference between "crunching" or preparing the financial statements and presenting them.

Preparing business plan financial statements often requires expert knowledge of double-entry accounting, taxes, merger and acquisition accounting, and finance. Skills most business owners or entrepreneurs don't have, except for perhaps the most seasoned or those with accounting backgrounds. Presenting the numbers, however, only requires that you understand how what you plan to do translates into cash; and, what the potential financial risks for the business are, and how you'll minimize them. If you cannot demonstrate that you understand these, then why would an investor ever give you money?

2) Get help early on.

Okay so you don't have any money to hire a CPA or an accountant, and they just won't do it for nothing. Reach out to your local college. Find the head of the accounting department or an accounting professor. Then, see how your project might be used to help the class learn about accounting, starting a business, or building financial models. The point is; you need someone who understands how to build projected financial statements based on your specific plans for the business. It is also important to find someone who can help you understand your financial statements.

3) Know the kind of investor you are seeking.

This is the same as a writer taking the time to know the audience before writing a book. For example, a banker puts more weight on the business' liquidity, collateral, and ability to convert assets into cash quickly if the business runs into trouble and a loan is called. The emphasis on these financial measures is different for a venture capitalist whose interest is more on how quickly your business can grow, the potential future cash flow it can generate, and the potential for cashing out at an amount much higher than the initial investment.

4) Present only the numbers and measures most important to your type or types of investors in the body of your business plan.

Save the more detailed financial statements for the appendix and due diligence stage. Of course you need detailed financial statements and projections to support your business plan, but don't think you need to share them with potential investors upfront. Investors are more interested in seeing if a few key numbers and financial measures make sense and that they support your strategies before they waste time digging through your supporting data. If they are interested in moving forward with you, believe me, they will dig into your financial statements.

5) Use graphs and tables wisely to present financial information.

Graphs are great for presenting trends and comparisons. Keep them simple and uncluttered. Be sure headings, labels, axis tabs, and so on are clear and legible. Nothing is better than a great graph or table to convey a message clearly and quickly. But remember, a bad graph or table can create much damage and confusion too.

6) Check you numbers.

Like typos, a wrong number can shatter your credibility instantly. It can cause your potential investors to lose confidence in your ability, or to question your understanding of the business. Be sure the numbers in your plan agree to the correct model or version of your financial plan. Verify the numbers in your business plan agree to all supporting documents.

7) Always include a statement of the sources and uses of cash.

If you have teenagers, I'm sure you always ask them where they're going to spend the money you're about to give them, before you hand the money over to them. The Statement of Sources and Uses does the same for investors. It tells potential investors how you plan to use their money. The statement accounts for all the money coming into the deal, whether it is bank debt, seller notes, personal cash, cash proceeds from the sale of stock, and so on. It then explains how you intend to use this money, whether it is to buy an existing business, buy certain assets, payoff existing debt, or payoff certain start-up liabilities, fees, and expenses.

8) Include all three fundamental financial statements: income statement, balance sheet and cash flow.

Don't just provide potential investors with an income statement, it doesn't give them the complete story. Also, be sure that all financial statements conform to Generally Accepted Accounting Principals or GAAP. Include at least three years of actual historical financial information, if available, and five years of projected financial statements. Although no one expects you to be able to predict the future with absolute certainty, projections do provide insight into your thought process, assumptions, and understanding of the business and its markets.

9) Maintain a good financial model capable of running sensitivity analyses to show how your projected results will change as your assumptions change.

This allows you and your investors to identify which assumptions are most critical to your future performance. Each critical assumption needs evidence to support it. Also, include in your model benchmark comparisons to other companies in your industry. Compare things like revenues per employee, gross margin per employee, gross margin as a percentage of revenues, and various expense and balance sheet ratios.

10) Use footnotes and descriptions to explain how key numbers were derived or the specific assumptions behind them.

As much as possible, keep these short and to the point. Don't get carried away footnoting every number. Footnote only key numbers or unusual items.

At the end of the day, more business deals are not consummated because investors don't feel like they can trust the numbers for one reason or another. Spend the time, effort and money to communicate your financial statements clearly and convincingly. It can be the key to making your deal a reality.

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purchase decision factors

get people interested in the items we sell can be expected buyers interested in our products. As a B2B merchants, the most important thing for you is to pick up customers who can buy your stuff and for it other than make the best deals, you also need to understand how people make decisions-buying. Although the quality of the product and the reputation of sellers' many things yet another factor influencing purchasing decisions. The following article Explaining the factors in detail.Purchasing decisions based on emotionsExperts believe that most of the customers are making buying decisions based on emotion rather than logic. Implement Several studies to understand the emotional aspects of the purchase decision and most buyers research concludes that emphasizes comparative features that are important to them when buying wholesale products but most of them use it only as a justification for having bought the product based on an emotional response.People make conscious purchasing decisions and come up with a justification, they do not even realize. Mixed lot of inspiration, a story, a combination of good ideas and a little sprinkling technique leads to an emotional buying decision. It is important for marketers to understand all of this so you can create an emotional bond between your wholesale deals. This is important because customers so they decided to choose certain options, they do not turn to other options. Logical reason that there are only justifying their emotional buying decision.Purchasing decisions based on information (Teaching)B2B Trade, marketing and purchasing different compared to retailers and end consumers that purchase involves different techniques as well. Being a B2B marketer, when you give new insights to your customers about a specific bid, it means you make a wish on it more exciting for them and lead to more sales. Giving your customers the clarity as to empower them with the knowledge to come up with more reasons for preferring certain wholesale product over nthers.Before making a purchase decision, customers can gather information from a number of sources including social media, company website, company representatives, fellow B2B merchants and others who are not directly associated with the company. Always providing a great collection of information to your customers because it can cause a lot later.

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