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Owning a small business is the dream of many working individuals. Being your own boss and selling or promoting services that are of interest to you can be very rewarding. When starting your own small business, there are many things to consider. It is important to take the proper steps to plan your business.The first, and probably most important thing is determining what you are promoting or selling. Will you be providing services or selling merchandise? Once you have the answer to that question, you can begin the other steps to opening the business.Location is key. If you will be running the business out of your home, you are a step ahead of the game. You won’t have to seek out a location and deal with a rent or lease agreement. However, you will need to put in extra effort when it comes to advertising. At home businesses are usually not located near other businesses. You will have to advertise in local papers, phone books and mail-outs. This will help draw customers. If you will be leasing a building, you will still need to advertise your services.Now that you have the idea and a location, you have to consider your staffing needs. If you are planning to run the business by yourself or with family members, you are once again ahead. Otherwise, it may be in your best interest to hire a staffing agency. The agency can provide you with qualified employees to fill various positions within your company.The key to success is proper planning. If you do not take the time to plan each step, you will not get off to a good start. Starting a small business takes a lot of time, money and planning. Make sure to consider each step before making any final decisions. With a sturdy plan in place, you will be well on your way to owning a successful small business.

Author: Kenji Sakamoto
Source: articlesbase.com

Would you like to get more information on starting up a small business? Visit us online at Small Business Articles You can find the quality articles from over 200000 articles.

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Raleigh, NC and Atlanta, GA August, 2003 -โ€” The Alliance of Professionals & Consultants, Inc., a professional services company, recently formed a strategic alliance with Michael Craige, by signing him as an APC Franchisee. Michael Craige will be managing an APC office in Atlanta, Georgia as the Business Development Manager.

Within the IT community, Mr. Craige has become a trusted partner and a key decision maker in helping clients to be more successful through the high quality, value, and expertise he provides.

โ€œWe are honored that APC, Inc., a responsive IT professional services company, recognized Michael Craige as a franchisee of APC,โ€ mentions Mr. Craige. He continues, โ€œAs an APC franchise supplier, I plan on playing a key role in APC by providing top technology professionals to their customers.โ€

Mr. Craige has over 14 years experience within the IT industry and specifically 6 years providing excellent customer service within the staffing industry to large IT clients nationwide. APC welcomes Michael Craige as a strategic franchise partner.

APC expects to expand their presence nationwide within the next year by providing franchising opportunities. For more information regarding the APC Atlanta offices or its franchising opportunities, please contact Melanie at 919-510-9696 or visit http://www.apc-services.com/P_franchise.asp.

About APC

Alliance of Professionals & Consultants Inc. is a responsive professional services and staffing company. Incorporated in 1993 in North Carolina, APC is a Native American owned company with over 400 professionals engaged nationwide. APC has been recognized for our success through the years by Forbes and INC magazines, Triangle Business Journal, News & Observer, Deloitte and Touche, and KPMG.

APC strives to become a Strategic Partner with our clients, distinguished by a Results Orientation, Problem Ownership, Leadership, Team Player attitude, and State-of-the-Art skills.

We have a select team of employees and subcontractor professionals from which to draw to meet our client’s needs. Our professionals are selected on the basis of their exceptional skills and commitment to ethical beliefs. Our strength is the significant depth of skills and breadth of experience we bring to our clients.

APC is aware that not every business need requires an expert. We are committed to providing the most cost effective solution to business problems. With our professionals, our clients can be assured that the appropriate level of expertise will be available when it is needed.

We are “Professionals serving Professionals”ยฎ.

About MC

MICHAEL CRAIGE, a privately held Georgia Corporation, markets and sells computer hardware and software products and offer business IT solutions that create value for its clients. They are an expert IT solution provider, mobile computing and “technologySELLER” for businesses, government agencies and educational institutions.

Additional information about MICHAEL CRAIGE can be obtained by visiting our web site at http://www.craigepc.com, E-mail to info@craigepc.com, or by calling (678) 385-5988.

Author: Anonymous
Source: free-articles

Popularity: 1% [?]

While there are some accouterment franchises accessible in the market, franchising is not as accepted in the accouterment business as it is in added industries. Below are some of the advantages and disadvantages of become a franchisor as against to starting up your own absolute company.

Advantages

1) Benefit from the years of acquaintance and the systems that your franchisor has developed. You should accept absolute training and advancing abutment from the arch office.

2) The arch appointment should handle commercial and business for you and you can appropriately feel assured that they accept methods that should plan well.

3) Name Recognition. Clients will already be accustomed with your authorization business name and brand. If it is a acceptable cast again barter should accept assurance in you, even afore ambidextrous with you for the aboriginal time. You can advance your own cast but it takes time. A solid cast makes it easier to win barter and may acquiesce you to allegation a little added due to barter acquainted that you action bigger superior than added caterers in the market.

Disadvantages

1) Startup costs are about college with a franchise. You may accept added big-ticket set up costs due to the requirements and top standards of the franchisor and you will accept to alpha paying fees for the appropriate to be a franchisee.

2) While it is abundant to get abutment from the franchisor this advice is generally not bargain and advancing authorization fees can absolutely eat into your profits.

3) As a franchisee you may be bound into big-ticket obligations with the franchisor, such as accepting to buy accouterment business accessories and added food off them or through their associates.

4) Lack of abandon to accomplish your own decisions. A authorization can be an simple advantage for a new administrator in the aboriginal canicule of their business activity but in the abiding abounding businessmen acquisition that a authorization can bind their adeptness to abound their businesses, accumulation and apparatus their own systems.

5) As a franchisee you will accept to accessible your annal to analysis by the arch office.

6) Franchises don’t consistently attending out for the best interests of their alone branches. Allowing too abounding branches to accessible in one breadth is one archetype of franchisors cutting their franchisees in the back.

7) Lack of an avenue strategy. Abounding entrepreneurs acquisition that their authorization acceding is actual difficult to get out of already they accept active it. Accomplish abiding that you apprehend your acceding carefully, argue with a advocate and accomplish abiding that you accept avenue options accessible that will not amount you an arm and a leg.

For those that already accept acquaintance in the accommodation industry and are accommodating to yield the time to apprentice business administration and business again demography the absolute alley is apparently the best advantage for starting up a accouterment firm. Rather than relying on a authorization for a reputation, alone owners can aswell advance able brands. Spending startup basic on developing your own cast is absolutely a bigger use for it than spending it on leasing a cast acceptance to anyone else.

Author: Robert Sutherland
Source: ezinearticles.com

For more information on how to set up a catering business visit -

http://www.startacateringcompany.com

Popularity: 1% [?]

Sports Hero!

Saving professional athletes money makes Steve Piascik a hero, to his clients.

March 31, 2003

Richmond, VA

ERAs, RBIs, and HRAs, are not stats Steve Piascik and his team are concerned with during baseball season.

Instead, Piascik’s team of accountants and financial planners are focusing on numbers like EBITA, 401ks, and AGI as part of the full range of accounting and financial planning services it provides to professional athletes, including many professional baseball players.

Piascik is president of Piascik & Associates, P.C. (P&A), a team of certified public accountants and certified financial planners located in Richmond, VA. While veteran Yankee pitcher Roger Clemens works on his pitching arm, P&A team member,

Kim Nemr, CPA is hard at work developing a deferred compensation plan for one of the firm’s professional sports clients.

Piascik started P&A in 2001 after leaving KPMG, LLP where he was a Senior Tax Manager in their Richmond, Virginia office. Piascik had also spent several years providing financial services to clients of Proformance, Inc., an agent firm for professional athletes. When Piascik opened his own practice he wanted to continue this unique niche and, Proformance was eager to begin referring their clients to him because of their longโ€”standing relationship. Since then, Piascik has built a cl ent base of over 30 professional athletes, the majority of whom are professional baseball players.

โ€œOne of the challenges professional athletes have is high income and high tax expense,โ€ said Piascik. โ€œOur goal is to help them minimize their tax burden and help them make long-term financial decisions.โ€

Piascik and his team also take care of many logistical issues unique to their professional athlete clients, or as they refer to them โ€œmembersโ€. An example of this is that most players spend a great deal of time on the road, and their state of residence can affect their tax bracket. According to Piascik, the state of Florida has some significant tax advantages. Therefore, being a Florida resident (where most professional baseball players spend at least three months in spring training) has distinct advantages. P&A can assist athletes with the details of establishing residency.

In contrast to residency issues, some athletes have tax consequences due to their non-resident status, said Piascik. He sites the example of four professional baseball players who were faced with paying over $1 million in federal taxes on bonuses paid for services rendered outside the United States. Other CPA firms had misfiled the athlete’s federal tax returns for these services by non-residents of the United States. Based upon their in-depth knowledge of specialized tax issues regarding professional athletes and international tax law, P&A was able to recover over $1.5 million of federal taxes and interest paid by the four athletes for services not rendered within the United States, said Piascik.

Piascik has established clear expectations that are at the heart of P&A’s core values: 1) deliver more than the client expects; and, 2) work hard to reach your goals. These values resonate with his clients.

โ€œSteve and his team have a very hands-on approach,โ€ said Jennifer Rickman, client manager for Proformance, Inc. โ€œTheir attention to detail helps our professional athlete clients who often have complex financial matters. P&A are quick with ideas, but patient with suggestions. Steve is very involved and is always prompt getting back to you.โ€

This spring, while the major leaguers are warming up their bats, Steve Piascik and his team are focusing on saving their professional athlete clients tax expenses, and on providing financial strategies to ensure for the players’ and their families’ futures.

Steven M. Piascik’s Resume:

Steven M. Piascik, CPA, MT

Born: 1968, Gardner, Massachusetts

Position: President โ€” Piascik & Associates, P.C.

Education: Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania. Master of Taxation from Virginia Commonwealth University

Associations: AICPA

VSCPA

Career Path: Joyner, Kirkham, Keel, & Robertson, P.C. – Accountant

Henry R. Hortenstine, III CPA, P.C. – Accountant

KPMG LLP โ€” Senior Tax Manager

Piascik & Associates, P.C. โ€” President โ€” Since 2001

Family: Wife: Randi and Children: Matthew & Madison

Hobbies: Boating, watching and participating in sports, and any outdoor event.

Piascik & Associates, P.C. Headquarters: 4470 Cox Rd., Suite 110, Glen Allen, Virginia 23060 804.527.1815 804.527.1816 fax www.piascik.com

Author: Anonymous
Source: free-articles

Popularity: 1% [?]

Marketing a artefact or abstraction requires acceptable akin of abilities that will accomplish it acknowledged in big date and eventually advice you to accomplish added sales and profits. It is capital to strategize your absolute business move of business such that there will be admirable affairs of authoritative it successful. There are some able accomplish on how to bazaar a artefact or artefact abstraction that accept listed.

Your motive of breeding a new abstraction for business a artefact or abstraction for fuelling the business growth, either to authorize a new business or to enlarge absolute business will actualize added excitement. It is capital to present the abstraction to investors to accomplish added allotment and the aforementioned abstraction accept to be showcased to barter in an able address to accomplish added bulk of sales. Some of the basic factors such as ambition market, price, packaging, advance and administration should be advised for accepting huge success. The aloft factors will advice businesses and individuals to bazaar abstraction or artefact to advance its allowances and features.

The aboriginal footfall is to analysis assorted industries that accept abutting affiliation with artefact or abstraction that has to be marketed. Identifying trends in accepted bazaar book should aswell be agitated out. Trying to amount out challenges, trends and competitors will advice you to get acceptable acumen about the situation. You should aswell administer for copyright, apparent or brand wherever applicable. Legal considerations should aswell be fabricated in bearings that demands it. The achievability of accepting investments from investors will access acerb if all the aloft measures are in abode back investors will yield annual of all the aloft parameters.

A account that comprises all costs fabricated and yet to be fabricated should be affected in an busy manner. Cover all money that is getting invested by you in business artefact or idea, this includes any allotment or money that has been borrowed. Aswell cover assorted added costs such as startup costs, sales force amount and added inputs such as packaging, advance and administration costs.

Figure out your ambition bazaar and authorize a contour that provides complete advice about the factors that should be advised while business a artefact or idea. The contour should accommodate assorted factors about ambition bazaar such as age, conjugal status, arcade places, educational level, places area they get information, their locations, places area they attending for rental or added accommodation, and abounding added features.

Decide area to bear your account or products. If your business artefact has been produced, you can accommodate with food and appraise the achievability of sales and see whether the ambition sales of food and your apprehension go duke on hand. If the abstraction or bazaar is still on allotment process, it is capital to angle on assorted investors.

Make a presentation that includes advice such as products, industry and ambition market. You should aswell be including assorted banking considerations that accept been affected in the account process. Highlight how abundant money you are assured from investors for bearing of profits.

Thus the aloft accomplish on how to bazaar a artefact or artefact abstraction will be of acceptable use in alluring able funds and catechumen the artefact or abstraction into an able business that will be aimed at specific bazaar sectors and regions for bearing for accepted or added than accepted sales.

Author: Jack Wylde
Source: articlesbase.com

If you are interested in more information, the Author shares the Autoradioblende site. This article was written by the business marketer from powernetshop.at with his Autoradio site, he shares you the tips you learned in this article. The company has a large product collection on Auto accessories in the Internet

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Does Your Life Include a RIPE Plan?โ€”Planning Tips for Retirement, Investing, Protection, and Estate Planning โ€” Part 4 (Estate) by: Janet L. Hall

As a little girl, I grew up in Palm Beach County, FL, not in the rich, elite section, but in the very small town of Palm Springs. I recall very clearly taking drives along Ocean Blvd. into the town of Palm Beach while relatives and friends pointed out, ooded and aahed the various estates and mansions. And so I grew up believing an estate was something ONLY the rich owned. It wasn’t until recently, four years ago to be exact, that someone started talking to me about estate planning, pointing out to me why and how they were implementing their plan. I looked a this person and said, very innocently, โ€œI know you own two houses, but you don’t own a mansion! Why would you need to do such a thing?โ€ My eyes and my mind were awakened to something I would NEVER have thought of looking into until that day.

Maybe you have thought the same as I did, Estate Planning is for the rich and famous. NOT TRUE! Everyone needs to do estate planning, because let me tell you something, the state in which you live, the federal government, and the IRS have plans already in place for how to distribute and tax your stuff! I’m talking about your property, possessions, and even your children. (For those that live outside the US, please check with your local government and attorney for their plans for your stuff!)

By you not taking the time to plan for what happens to your stuff, your family and heirs only gain more suffering and heartache after you’re gone. You need to take control of your stuff NOW! Do you know the repercussions your family and heirs might have to endure if you haven’t planned? The anguish, inconvenience, and possible financial burdens they might have to face because you didn’t plan?

Yes, Estate Planning takes time and effort. It can be emotional and trying. BUT you will be able to leave this world (or if you become incapacitated) knowing you did the best for your family and heirs. That they will be able to celebrate your life or mourn your departure without the legal and financial hassles if you have planned.

Can you imagine the state deciding who should care for your children?

Can you imagine your family trying to scrap together money to keep the place they’ve called home? Can you imagine your business being sold off, leaving your family without income?

One aspect of Estate Planning is to allow you to take advantage of gift and trust laws so that you may be able to pass on more of your assets tax-free to your family and heirs. You aren’t cheating the government; you’re cheating your loved ones if you don’t plan!

Another aspect of Estate Planning is to give control to someone you trust if you should become incapacitated.

As of this year, 2000, the Estate tax-exemption level is currently $675,000; however, this is said to be increasing yearly.

Why do Estate Planning?

~~ To distribute your assets ~~ To eliminate or reduce federal estate tax ~~ To avoid unnecessary high costs in legal fees and taxes to your heirs

~~ To pass on tax-free the maximum allowed assets (these figures seem to be changing yearly) ~~ To make sure things get handled the way YOU want them to be handled

What is taxable?

Many of the items that are taxable can include: Life Insurance, IRA and other Retirement benefits, Investments, Bank Accounts, Personal Property, Collectibles, your business, your home, and other real estate.

What do I need?

Some of the things you will want to look into are: ~~ Durable Powers of Attorney โ€” this document transfers authority to another TRUSTED person to manage your finances.

~~ Health Care Powers of Attorney โ€” this document gives someone legal authority to act on your behalf with regard to your health care.

~~ Living Will โ€” this document will provide instructions as to the type of medical treatment that you prefer. ~~ Will โ€” a document in which you can name an executor to oversee the settlement of your estate, outline what and how you want your assets and property distributed, and name a guardian to care for your children. However, after much research, I urge you to look into a REVOCABLE LIVING TRUST with Power of Attorney. Unlike having a will or no will, you skip probate, it’s more flexible, you have maximum control, and you maintain privacy.

Estate Planning can cover, but not limited to, wills, trusts, insurance, estate taxes, gifts, gift taxes, and income.

You will need to form a team of reliable, dependable, and competent people in the following areas: ~~ Estate Planning Attorney ~~ Life Insurance Underwriter ~~ CPA

~~ Development Officer

~~ Financial Planner

~~ Captain-This is YOU. You are the Captain of the team; it’s what YOU want to be done, your wishes. Your team is there to help you make the best choices for your life and your families.

TIP: Your parent’s plan may affect your plan! If you don’t know what they have planned, then discussing this with them might be the most difficult thing you’ll have to do in estate planning. Many older parents downright refuse to talk to their children about such matters. Talking of such things can conjure up in their minds that you’re after their money, that it’s none of your business, you’ll find out when we’re gone. Speak to them calmly and clearly and let them know what YOU are trying to do, that you are taking control of YOUR finances, that you are getting all your ducks in a row and how THEIR ducks might affect yours. Share your plan with them and show them what you are trying to accomplish. Hopefully if they have a plan, they will share with you, and if they don” have a plan, maybe they will learn something from you and get one of their own.

RELOCATION TIP: Property transfer laws differ from state to state. Review your estate plan when you move or retire to a different location.

Birth, death, marriage, divorce, inheritance, purchase or sale of assets are many reasons you should review your plan when you have these or other lifestyle changes. If you don’t have any changes, a review of every three to five years is advisable.

Smiles, not Piles,

The Organizing Wizard, Janet L. Hall, is a Professional Organizer, Speaker, and Author. She is the owner of OverHall Consulting, and Organizing By Phone. Subscribe to her FREE organizing newsletter at http://www.overhall.com/newsletter.htm or visit her web site at http://www.overhall.com

Copyright ยฉ 2000 by OverHall Consulting P.O. Box 263, Port Republic, MD 20676 All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce, copy, or distribute so long as article is kept intact, this copyright notice and full information about contacting the author is attached.

Author: Janet Hall
Source: free-articles

Popularity: 1% [?]

Most people in business realize that their businesses evolve and they often find their old customers do not fit their new business model. They find that these old customers take more time to service and therefore are less desirable from a profit standpoint. Even considering all the loyalty of the past these long-time customers are often slighted by expanding businesses, but why?
Well recently in a conversation with an Internet Entrepreneur he said he had an old customer, the best ever in fact. The customer still represented over 3.5% of his total volume. But the entrepreneur said this customer is over here, drawing a red dot on the far left hand margin of a legal pad and the rest of the customers 99% of them in fact are over here and then drawing another red dot near the right side margin to illustrate the point.
The Entrepreneur said that he had to design his business for the 99% and focus on them and sheetcan the most loyal customer of all. He explained that today he had spent hours burning time to help the one individual old time customer. Well I said consider that if the one customer is 3.5% percent of the business then it is not one customer but actually 3.5 customers and could become 4.5 customers very easily.
Indeed it is easy to look over these older loyal customers, yet if you consider that if you refined the business model that maybe you might be able to find 99 more of these types of customers and then you would have 4.5 times as much business. To often Internet Entrepreneurs forget this and rather than fulfilling a niche completely they are onto the next thing and lose those most loyal customers. We all know this to be a mistake because un-loyal customers are three times more likely to switch at a drop of the hat. Consider this in 2006.
Lance Winslow – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Author: Lance Winslow
Source: download

Popularity: 1% [?]

In any business our customers are one of our most important assets. Unfortunately there are days when not all customers want to be friendly or pleasant. On days like this, try these effective tips to help you handle those difficult customers.

Don’t take it personally – remember when a customer complains they are unhappy with the product or your company – not you.

Remember you are good at your job – remind yourself of the skills you have and why you are working there. Don’t allow customers to make you feel inadequate.

Write down their complaint or concern – show the customer you are listening by recording their problem and if you are on the phone, tell the customer you are writing down all the details.

Ask a supervisor to join you and be part of the transaction – if the customer is becoming more difficult, invite a supervisor to join you and the customer will notice you are treating them as important by seeking additional help.

Debrief the situation with someone else when the customer leaves – sometimes you may need to talk to someone about your difficult customer to debrief and get rid of any negative thoughts and emotions you may have – this is a very important step.

Learn stress management techniques – this may help you stay calm if a customer raises their voice or becomes emotional. By learning to breath deeply, focus on the positives and also ensure your body doesn’t carry stress you will be able to handle these difficult customers easily.

Recognise and accept you will work with customers who have bad days – understand when you are working with the public some people take their bad days out on you – it is not personal.

Consider what you could do differently next time – if the customer is complaining about a company system or process, take some time to review this and determine if this might need to be changed. Think about the way you handled the customer and note anything you would do differently next time.

Neen is a Global Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps people to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice, sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more at http://neenjames.com/

Author: Neen James
Source: articleage.com

Popularity: 1% [?]