How to get the most out of your IT support services provider

Outsourcing your IT support services makes sense for a lot of reasons, but unless you explore your options and optimise your relationship you could lose out.

Using an IT support services provider is a great way to access expertise without having to invest in employing staff yourself.

Done well, IT support services can really take a lot of pain away from your business. But done wrong, it can actually add to your stress.

Go onto the website off most companies offering IT support services and you will see that, in general, they make the same promises in terms of technical know-how and service, predominantly disaster recovery, hardware installation and support, software expertise, remote monitoring etc. The things you need, and…. well, expect.

So how do you choose a company and then make sure it actually makes life easier for you?

Firstly, discuss your needs with them and see how forthcoming they are about setting SLAs in place and how happy they are to accommodate your individual needs. Will you get one point of contact? What happens if this point of contact isn’t available?

Secondly, investigate what level of support you need. If you don’t have an IT department you will be relying on your provider to essentially be your IT team so your relationship will need to be close, communicative and efficient. How will this work? Will all your employees be able to contact them to raise a problem if they need to? Can they guarantee a response time? Can they come onsite regularly to build relations with your team? Will they be proactive in monitoring performance and troubleshooting problems, or will they just sit around and wait for you to contact them?

If you do have some IT staff, what problems will they need to escalate and will your provider be able to cope with this in the time and manner you expect?

Make it clear that failing to meet SLAs will have consequences for them.

Having a contract with SLAs in place with your IT support services provider can guarantee that instead of spending time chasing support tickets, fielding questions from unhappy staff and generally worrying about when problems will be fixed, you can get on with your work while someone solves the problems for you.

Failing To Plan Your Business Financing Can Be A Death

Failing To Plan Your Business Financing Can Be A Death Sentence For Your Business

Most businesses start out thinking the first thing they need is a great business plan. The popular myth is that potential lenders will place great stock in your business plan as a major consideration for approving the financing you need.

While a well written business plan will assist you when you are seeking financing, it is far down on the lenders list behind things such as your business management teams experience, your past business successes and your lending character . Having a plan for accessing the business capital you need to execute your business plan is what is required to bring your business success. Not having a viable business financing plan is the direct cause of why 90% of all new businesses fail.

Your lending character means the lender sees you having the ability and stability to repay the loan. They also ask how far they believe you can take the business to maximize the potential earnings and therefore their chances of getting repaid.

The first thing a lender is going to look at is how did you structure the business and were you responsible and knowledgeable in that. Are you Incorporated or an LLC? If not you are declined for a business loan and everything becomes based solely on you as an individual. Did you do your EIN, State, business licenses and bank filings correctly? If not, you are declined because lenders require attention to detail.

A simple business credit report check by a lender will quickly show whether or not you are even in the ballpark for getting approved for financing. If the lender finds that you havent bothered to insure that your business has active reports with all three major business credit reporting agencies, then of course you are immediately declined.

Next, the lender will look at the character of your business credit reports. What do they say about your business? What kind of payment histories have you had with debts that are easy to get such as vendor trade lines, small business credit cards, equipment leases, etc? If your business has no credit history or very minimal history then no lender will even consider your business for a larger loan when you have no track record of paying smaller debts.

If you pass these simple tests, now a lender will get to the heart of you business loan application and it is only at this point that you even get the opportunity to present your funding request. Unfortunately as high as 90% of all business loan applications never get to this point, because most business owners never take the time to complete the initial steps.

So you have made it this far, The next question you need to ask is what is a lender going to want to see? Debt service! Here is where the lender finally looks at your business plan (or at least the financial pat of it) to determine if your business can debt service the loan. To make this determination a lender will test the reality of your numbers. Basically this means do your numbers add up and do they make sense.

If you dont know anything about accounting you had better get help. When a lender looks at your projected financial statement and finds simple accounting errors, then in most cases you will again be declined. They dont want to lend money to someone who cannot produce a simple proof and loss statement; or someone that cant balance a balance sheet. There is a lot of help out there, get some.

Next, a lender will look at the market niche section of your business plan. While most business owners think that this is the place that sets them apart from the competition, it actually is the part where lenders will compare you to your competition. Here is where lenders must see that you have done you market research. Can the revenue claims that you are making in your financial projections be backed up by the actual market demographics for your specific business industry, location, customer base, etc.? It essentially comes down to the need for your product or service.

All of this can seem overwhelming and in truth it can be. It is the reason that 97% of all business loan applications get declined. The overriding reason is that business owners are not taught this in school and typically only gain this knowledge through years of brutal experience that normally includes having one or two failed businesses under their belts.

This will give you plenty of information to get you started on putting together a business funding request. In my next article I will cover some of the other aspects of your business plan. For a full version of an excellent business funding guide do a search on Google, Yahoo, or MSN for “Business Funding Workbook”.

Factoring and Purchase Order Financing in Canada

There was a time when obtaining business financing in Canada was very hard. But this is changing as small business financing companies are moving into an area previously dominated by large banking institutions.

As most business owners know, qualifying for a business loan or a line of credit is very hard. Bank lending criteria is so strict that few companies ever manage to get any financing. But that is changing.

If you own a company that sells goods or services to other businesses (or the government), then there are two financing options that are available to you. They are invoice factoring and purchase order financing.

Are your clients taking up to 60 days to pay their invoices? Consider invoice factoring.

Selling to mid size and large companies is great, as they can provide you with reliable and steady business. However, their payment terms are always challenging. They usually demand the right to pay in up to 60 days. In the meantime, you must cover paying rent, salaries and suppliers. This can easily be fixed by factoring financing. Factoring can eliminate the 60-day wait and get your invoice paid in 2 days. The process is simple, you sell your invoices to a factoring company, who pays you up front for them (less a small fee). You get your money up front, while the factoring company waits to get paid.

Need money to pay your suppliers? Consider purchase order financing.

If you sell products as a reseller or wholesaler, then your biggest challenge is getting the financing to pay your suppliers. In this case, purchase order financing may be the right solution for you. Purchase order funding provides you with the necessary funds to cover your supplier expenses, allowing you to fulfill the order and deliver to your clients. The transaction is then settled when your client pays their invoice and the collateral is the purchase order from your client.

Conclusion

Both factoring and purchase order funding are easy to obtain and can be set up in days. The biggest requirement is that you own a profitable company and that you do business with reputable clients.

Facing Your Daily Stresses And Anxieties In The Business World

Facing Your Daily Stresses And Anxieties In The Business World

Everybody deals with anxieties and stresses in the business world. As a result, here is a list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their daily stresses and anxieties at their job andor in the business world.

Sometimes, we get stressed when everything happens all at once. When this happens, a person should take a deep breathe and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their mind off of the problem. A person could take a walk, listen to some music, read the newspaper or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things.

When facing a current or upcoming task at your job or business that overwhelms you with a lot of anxiety, divide the task into a series of smaller steps and then complete each of the smaller tasks one at a time. Completing these smaller tasks will make the stress more manageable and increases your chances of success.

Another technique that is very helpful is to have a small notebook of positive statements that make us feel good. Whenever you come across an affirmation that makes you feel good, write it down in a small notebook that you can carry around with you in your pocket. Whenever you take a break from your business task, open up your small notebook and read those statements.

In dealing with your anxieties at your job, learn to take it one day at a time. While the consequences of a particular fear may seem real, there are usually other factors that can not be anticipated and can affect the results of any situation. Get all of the facts of the situation and use them to your advantage.

As a Layman, I know that our anxieties and stresses can be difficult to manage at our place of work and in the business world. The more control you have over your stresses and anxieties, the better off you will be in the long run at your job and other business endeavors.

Facelift Your Website

How many times have you refreshed the graphics or content of your website? Twice? Once? Not at all?
Many businesses are still hosting first-generation sites that went up at the turn of the millennium. Likewise, the majority of these sites are passé by today’s “make-it-useful” standards. Sometimes embarrassingly so.
Internet-savvy businesses will refresh the content on their websites regularly. Think about the impression a site that’s a year out of date will have on visitors.
It takes a little dated information for visitors to conclude they’ve hit a dead end . Plus, when a big-deal client clicks on your “urgent” invitation to attend an upcoming seminar, only to find that the event came and went a year ago he will feel annoyed and foolish. And you’ll be toast.
So consider this a noisy wakeup call. It’s the 21st century. Is your website still looking like it’s 1999?
Site Specific Suggestions
Business sites obviously run a gamut. But for the purposes of site facelifts, differences boil down to how frequently you must make changes. Consulting services may update sites only quarterly or even annually. Ecommerce sites or research companies may require updates by the hour.
Whatever your needs, you can now find appropriate and affordable off-the-shelf software and third-party service providers to do the job. You can, for instance, put a fresh “skin” on your old site without disrupting any functionality.
Here are 11 ideas culled from web marketers and developers that can modernise your site without excessive costs.
1. Reduce the Number of Site Pages
Focus on redesigning only the core 10 to 15 pages, suggests Matt Greer, chief executive at Zeeo Interactive, a Web design services company. You can then archive any remaining popular or highly trafficked pages into Adobe PDF or Microsoft Word documents that are suitable for download.
2. Make the Site a Marketing Tool
If you’re not yet capturing data basics, such as which sites and search engines visitors are clicking from or which pages get most visitors, get started now.
Use pre-packaged software or a web services provider to capture detailed information about site visitors. “The first question to ask is: ‘When visitors come to your site, what do you want them to do?’ ” says Erin Duckhorn, spokesperson for Crucial Technology, an online memory upgrade provider. Once you have answers, you can define the tracking metrics and develop the content, navigation and structure that will quickly satisfy your targeted visitors.
3. Set up an E-mail Program
Create an incentive for visitors to register or give you their email addresses.. Once you have addresses, send out useful emailings. But make sure who have explicit permission to do so – and don’t cause more harm than good by bombarding them.
4. Create an Online Reward for Prized Customers
Treat your best customers with perks or discounts. “You can give them their own area of the site without any special technology,” says Wally Bock, a web consultant. You can also, of course, email special offers.
5. Speed Loading Time
Fancy graphics and animations are obstacles in the path of getting to information. Make sure your visitors can easily find what they’re after.
6. Give Visitors Greater, Self-directed Control
In the past two years, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has reworked fairmonthotels.com [link] to expand online booking capabilities. Now, guests who make online room reservations can book dinner or spa services at the same time. The site has also added a “Fairmont Planner” that matches individual resort properties to guest profiles or needs, as well as a “virtual concierge” that offers more details about services.
7. Invest in a Content Management System
Stop relying on static HTML. Instead, invest in a reliable CMS (Content Management System) which lets you update your own website content without getting a developer involved. If you update content a lot, this will pay for itself quickly.
8. Ensure Visibility on Search Engines
The old home page of BreastCancer.org [link], a non-profit informational group based in Pennsylvania was dominated by a giant image of the organisation’s logo, an illustrated character called Polly, which prevented search engines from finding the site. “The makeover moved a smaller Polly to the upper right corner of the home page and used text and text links to guide the not particularly Web-savvy users of this site toward the essential information they came looking for,” says Ilise Benun.
9. Align the Site to the Organisation
You mighty’ve reinvented your business a half-dozen times over the past few years. How appropriate is your site now? What about secondary channels or pages? “Many businesses grow their sites in piecemeal fashion,” notes Kevin McLaughlin at Publici, a public relations firm. “As new sections are added over time, the same messages or positioning is not always reflected in the copy throughout the company’s entire website.” Make sure your site’s messaging is always in tune with offline marketing.
11. Add Testimonials or Success Stories
“Very few sites do this and there’s no question that they add major credibility for buyers,” says Philippa Gamse, a web strategy consultant. Ask long-time customers for quotes or permission to post their case histories and their satisfaction with your services.
Any of these ideas will help update your online presence. But the real advice is simply not to get lazy. Pay attention to your website whenever you shift direction or significantly grow the business. All marketing and messaging must be seamless consistent, uniform, multimedia and multi-channel.

Export And Sell Your Products To Mexico By The Truckload

Export And Sell Your Products To Mexico By The Truckload

Selling products to Mexico is easier than ever. Mexico is the #1 importer of US products in the world. There is a need for all types of products including food, beverages, electronics, cars, tools, candy, toys, clothing, everything.

Mexicans are so eager to buy that they come to the USA looking for products instead of waiting around for someone to call them and sell them something. They visit US trade shows, organizations and many companies. I constantly have someone in San Diego visiting from Mexico to speak with me on how they can find products of all kinds to export.

Whos looking for products? Mainly wholesale distributors and retailers. They are looking for products to sell in retail stores or to other distributors in Mexico, most of the time they will buy truckloads of product and export them to Mexico themselves, handling the shipping, imports and tariffs.

Why do they do this? Why are they so eager to buy US products? Simple, they dont have Mexican made products they can sell and they want to be the first to carry a new American product. They know if they are the first to market with a new product they can make a lot of money very fast. After that they just restock their customers shelves.

The big question Im asked by my consulting clients is: how do I get started exporting to Mexico?

To export to Mexico you can be passive or active. You can go after the business or wait until they come looking for you, and believe me, if you have a good product, eventually they will.

—Passive Approach—

The passive approach to getting business is to make sure Mexican businesspeople can find you. Here are a few tactics on how to reach exporters:

-You have to make sure your products are in US trade shows. You dont have to go yourself, maybe a customer sells at trade shows or you hire a broker that goes to trade shows.

-Make sure all your products and sales materials have an international phone number (not just a USA toll free number) as well as an email address. This includes your website, product labels, business cards and brochures.

-Have the right information ready. Make sure you already know what your international price will be. Its usually much lower than your US price, especially if they will pay the export fees and transportation. You also need all the product specifications like weight, dimensions, case count or pallet count.

—Active Approach—

If you are serious about selling to Mexico and would like to do it NOW you have to be more active. You cant just wait for people to find you because it can take months or even years if you dont have any promotions in the marketplace.

The first thing you have to do is learn more about your target market. How much are people paying in Mexico for your product or a similar product? How much are they paying to import and transport those products? What are the profit margins for the distributors and retailers? Where could you sell your products? How many stores are there in Mexico?

Once you learn more about your target market and you develop your price strategy its time to find customers. Visit Mexican trade shows, look for US distributors already selling in Mexico and find brokers.

After you educate yourself a bit more on the Mexican marketplace you also need to determine what kind of support your new found customers will need in Mexico. Do you have a product that sells itself or do you need store promotion, POS (Point of Sale) material, sales commissions, or some other support.

Many times my customers tell me I just want to sell my product in the USA and someone can export it, sell it, merchandise it and distribute it. Well, this is possible. Ive helped companies sell products like mayonnaise, water, margarine and other products that sell themselves in this fashion. But if your product is not a first necessity product or name brand, chances are youll either have to do some promotion or give a very good price to distributors and importers.

Essentials for a successful home business

What do I think is necessary to successfully run a home based business?
1) A normal common business sense, determination to succeed and investment money
2) A product, service or program to sell.
3) Your own website
4) Advertising possibilities
5) Leads
6) In case of your own selling website there will be a need of an autoresponder
7) Customer Support Good administration
A normal common business sense, determination to succeed and investment money
Nowadays there are people willing to start a business online without having the sense what running a business is all about.
A business is something you plan and doesnt come free by only registering your company. Once registering is done you cant sit back and wait till money is coming in. Off course ads and other sources can tell us that money is coming in when you have signed up for something but it doesnt work that way. A business owner has to face a lot of bad things opposed to the good things a business can bring. To cope with all these influences you need to stand strong and have a determination to reach your goals.
Then there is another factor that you can make money free without doing anything. Doing business is hard work and is surely not limited to a 9 to 5 job.

When a normal business day is over, then there are other tasks to perform to carry out your business as usual. I mention administration, networking, taking care of your customers and other work that keeps your business going. A common working week for a business owner can easily take up more than 60 hours and is not limited from Monday till Friday.
Every business has to invest in order to succeed. Yes, there are many resources on the internet that you can use for free but for a good result you need to invest to secure your turnover on a later stage.

A business cant be build by having a separate room and a computer alone. Off course if you have these things already then you have made a start but it is necessary to invest time, effort and money to succeed.

Equipments necessary for starting a business in the production of

Equipments necessary for starting a business in the production of labels

The labels cover a large range of products for which they are destined, and this determines the existence of several types of label creation according to the type of printing used.

From the point of view of the printing type used, the labels are of two types: self-adhesive labels which, when packing the products , are taken from the roll, where is used printing on the flexographic machine and the non-self-adhesive labels where the offset printing equipments are used.

For creating the labels using the flexographic printing, first of all, you must acquire a technological line of flexographic plates fabrication , the most indicated being a computer to plate system which transposes the files processed by pre-press directly on the photopolymer plate.

The flexographic printing machine is also necessary, printing the labels with a number of at least 6 groups of colour, and with the optimal maximum printing format chosen in such a manner that, according to the estimations made initially, it ensures a maximum productivity. The flexographic printing machine must have attached upon elimination all the components which allow the achievement of all the necessary finishing: UV varnishing, die-cutting, metallic foil stamping.

For the labels achieved with sheetfed printing, first of all it is necessary to include in the investment plan the sheetfed printing press with at least 6 groups of color and with the maximum print format dimensioned according to the estimates resulted from the market study made before the investment begins.

As for any other sheetfed printing , a guillotine is also necessary, with the maximum opening in accordance with the format of the printing machine, the range of formats which can be cut at this type of equipment must be as large as possible, to be able to reach minimum formats which are as little as possible. It is very important that guillotine be programmable as regards the formats of label which it can cut, because there is increased productivity.

If in the last group, the printing machine cannot ensure the UV varnishing, it is very important to have an UV varnishing equipment at least separately. We can either choose special equipment for this, or an adaptation formed from a classic sheetfed printing machine which lacks the humidification and an UV drying equipment which is placed at the machine elimination.

Also regarding the labels achieved with a sheetfed printing, a metallic foil stamping equipment which can be automatic, semiautomatic or manual according to the dimensions chosen for the business, will be also necessary . For the processing of labels which dont have a rectangular form, a tunnel puncher whose maximum dimension of processing must be chosen according to the target market that we refer to.

Entrepreneurship and Cash Gifting: Are You an Entrepreneur in Your

Entrepreneurship and Cash Gifting: Are You an Entrepreneur in Your Heart?

In order to succeed at cash gifting – or any other type of serious program – you need to have or be willing to develop the traits of an entrepreneur. You must already be at least considering the notion – you’re here reading this article right now. A lot of people want to begin reaping the immense benefits of cash gifting, but are a bit hesitant to initiate the process. You see, cash gifting – even though it is one of the most simplistic concepts to promote – still requires regular and effective promotion to keep the wheels in motion.

Some people are very attracted to the concept of cash gifting and want to become a part of a program. They procrastinate because they are fearful of smooth-talking, money-flashing con artists who will promise them the moon and then never deliver. They are right to afraid. There are dishonest and incapable people in all realms of business, unfortunately. So, when you join a gifting program, you need to prepare yourself first by doing thorough research about the program and how it is operated. You need to hook up with a dedicated mentor who truly cares about your capacity to make the program work. You need to learn how to avoid all of the hype that the cons will throw at you when trying to get you sign up.

Another big problem – even if your sponsor really wants to see you succeed – is that they just do not understand the fine art of mentoring. Just because someone has had some luck in a given cash gifting program doesn’t mean that he or she can lead you to prosperity. You have to associate yourself with pros who have been to the place where you are, know how to rise above it, and have loads of resources, experience and knowledge to get you where you want to go. You need a mentor to help you learn the ropes of Internet marketing and supply you with the tool kits to allow you to do so. Many people are disheartened when they sign up for a cash gifting program and then are left “hung out to dry” by their sponsors. You have to protect yourself.

A smart entrepreneur knows that you don’t have to go it alone. There really is power in numbers. When you become part of a like-minded group of individuals who share your passion for developing success, you greatly increase your odds of achieving your goals. That’s what it’s all about! Whether you want to save up money for a new home, send your kids to a good school, travel the world or just live “large”, you have to be dedicated. You have to approach your program from the viewpoint of a diligent professional.

A successful entrepreneur has the mental focus of a laser. Entrepreneurs understand that there is a lot of competition, but most of it can be easily outshined by employing proven techniques of success. If you are ready to enter the entrepreneurial realm of cash gifting, be sure to set your mind for achievement, associate yourself with a solid mentor and be prepared to put in the effort to see it through. That’s how people live their dreams with cash gifting programs!

Entity Structuring

Entity structuring is the use of limited partnerships, limited liabilities, and corporations. These can help you accomplish three things:
1.Bullet-proofing your assets so that the bad guys are worse of if they try and take them away from you.
2.Slashing your taxes so that they are within single digits.
3.Protecting your privacy and building lasting wealth.

Let me explain how this works with the following example:

A case study: My friend Patrick grew up with the family business. His family sold expensive boats. His business grew. He was a financially intelligent man so he wanted to add a stream of income. Therefore, he decided to start a Marina, a land storage facility, a parts shop and a show room. I wanted to make sure he was properly protected and that he had bullet-proofed his assets. However, he was too busy making money to focus on it at that time. This was his fatal flaw. One day, I got that dreaded call from Patrick. The sheriff deputy was there to shut down his businesses: the Marina, the parts shop, the storage facility, and the show room. His business was locked down with pad locks in a matter of hours. Within six months, he lost all of his personal assets and filed both personal and corporate bankruptcy. The tragedy here is beyond his loses but the fact that this situation was completely avoidable. You can prevent this from happening to your business by using two power tools:
1. Limited Partnerships: separate legal entities. They separate your personal assets from business investments.
2. Limited Liability: similar to Limited Partnerships as they form a wall between you and the creditors and predators.

These two power tools include a built-in charging order that does not apply to your typical S or C corporations. A charging order basically states that the bad guys can not go after your assets. They will be able to go after income but not after you employ the following strategy. We can set up a separate management company for you. Then, you can shift your money from your LLC or LP into your separate management company. The last step in your protection is called imputing income, and it finalizes the prevention of lawsuits. The IRS can step in and tax these bad guys for the money they are suing for (even when they are unable to collect this money.) This ensures the fact that suing you will not be worth the effort.

In summary: They can not touch your assets because you have protected them. They can not receive the income because you have shifted it out. They are left with heavy taxes imposed by the IRS. Therefore, the likelihood of you being sued is next to nothing.