5 Tips on Building a Sound Business Plan

1.

Write a business plan with a complete financial and marketing plan.
2.

Your marketing strategy should be built around your strengths, your competitor's weaknesses and your customers' desires.
3.

Test the reality of your business—know why it will work and how you will make it work. Think your business through step by step.
4.

Allow at least two hours every week for thinking and planning. Do not allow anything to interfere with this time. You run the business. Don't let it run you.
5.

Establish an annual operating plan. Review it and update it monthly with appropriate employees.

Reducing Lighting Costs

As more of us look for ways we can reduce our energy consumption, both individually and within our businesses, indoor lighting is becoming a major issue. For small businesses, the following tips can be easily implemented with quick results:

• Explore your options. New fluorescents are available that are brighter, consume less power, and last longer. Using adapters, you can mount them on existing fluorescent infrastructure.

• Don't go overboard. Many businesses have lighting systems installed that produce more light than needed. There are simple lighting guidelines that measure the needed light for different work environments. You can also have your space evaluated by a lighting technician.

• Harness the power of the sun. It might be worthwhile buying solar panels and feeding energy back to the grid. Doing so can provide tax breaks and allow you to market your efforts to make your business "green."


source: www.businessweek.com

Starting a business? Tips for a successful launch Sharon Epperson shares smart ideas for nurturing your new business

Starting your own business can be daunting, but if you have an idea of the obstacles you could face you’ll be well ahead of the game. Lots of folks think they have a great idea for a business — selling customized gift packages of your signature-recipe brownies, creating a fundraising consulting firm for nonprofits, or opening a health and wellness store catering to new moms. You think you’ve come up with a terrific enterprise, one that you’re really passionate about, but do you really know what it takes to launch this business?

CNBC’s personal finance correspondent Sharon Epperson, author of “The Big Payoff,” poses the questions you need to ask yourself — and some tips on how to find the answers.

What do you need to know before you start a business?
What you need to know is not always apparent until you start developing your business. You’ll likely make many mistakes and learn from them. But to make that learning experience less painful, follow these steps before you start your business.
Build your cash reserve
Unless you already have substantial savings or have recently received a windfall, you’ll probably need to start saving money for your business for a few years before you launch it. Plan to put any extra money that you get from a raise, bonus or stock options into a special fund for your business. The amount of money you’ll need will likely vary depending on the type of business and the location. Dawn Casale, owner of One Girl Cookies in Brooklyn, says her advice to budding entrepreneurs is always: “Save double what you think you’ll need because it goes so quickly.”

Know your credit score
Pay off as many bills as you can, save money, and get a copy of your credit report to understand what it says about you. “Know, protect and correct your credit score,” says Nell Merlino, president and CEO of Count Me In, which provides micro-loans for women entrepreneurs. (Count Me In and OPEN by American Express provide money, mentoring and marketing opportunities for entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses to a million dollars or more.)

source:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id

Financial strategy

Financial strategy aimed at the use of financial resources to support business strategy, both long term and short term. This strategy includes the financial capital acquisition strategy, capital allocation, diveden allocation and management of working capital.
The acquisition of capital usually involves consideration the reasonable cost of capital, the proportion of short-term debt and long-term, the desired balance between internal and external funding, risks and limitations of ownership and the level and form of a lease that must be used. Microsoft to develop the company do shares with a sales price of 21 dollars and 28 dollars closed in 1986. Microsoft’s stock price reached the peak price of 119 dollars in 1999.

Capital allocation priorities include the consideration to the allocation of capital projects, the basic selection of the end of the project and the allocation of capital is allowed without the approval of operational managers managers higher. Microsoft does not share dividend from 18 September 1987 until 16 January 2003. Capital that are used for a project to develop the Microsoft Office launched in 1989 and Windows 3.0, which is issued in 1990. In 1993 the Windows NT 3:01 and in 1995 launched Windows 95 equipped with Internet Explorer and MSN (Microsoft Network). In 1996 the Windows CE.1.0. and in 1997 launched the Internet Explorer 4.0. and in 1998 raised a Windows 98. Windows XP, released in 2001.

The allocation of dividends and management of working capital include consideration of the division of the profit should be distributed as dividends, dividend stability, the form of dividends other than cash, cash flow needs, the minimum cash balance and the maximum credit policy, credit policy billing, the provisions and procedures of payment. Berkshire Hathaway more pressure on the company’s net wealth rather than allocate greater dividends in the division, such as AOL Time Garnet, Exxon Mobil and Toyota.

Toyota Motor Company on 31 March 2007 net profit to total 23.95 trillion yen, an increase of 13.8% compared to the previous fiscal year. Contribution of positive operating income of 720.0 billion yen from 330.0 billion consists yen from marketing efforts, 290.0 yen from the positive effects of exchange rate changes in foreign currency and 100 billion yen from cost reduction efforts. Toyota Motor Company to share half profit as cash dividends for the six months worth of 70 yen per share, up 15% compared to the past period, so the total dividend paid a full year is 120 yen shares. President of Toyota Motor Company, Katsuaki Watanabe, said: “The result is the ratio of dividends distributed increased from 21.3% to 23.4%, continually trying to get to our target of 30%.”

Start businness from accident

Various ways to start a business. One way to start a business is through an event, such as that done by Ruth Handler, Barbie Toys inventor. This is a toy doll children the most successful in the world. Barbie comes from the name of the daughter Ruth Handler, which is Barbara Millicent Roberts. Business dolls started when this day. Handler see the children playing with paper dolls. Then the day. Handler thinks dolls make a more permanent and realistic. Mrs. Handler is the wife of one of the founders of Mattel. In modern management, Barbie dolls that can survive long this is strange. According to Ian Ritchie from the Oxford Group consultant who has worked with the toy company Hasbro children, find the key lessons from the business toys children. Leaving children’s toys to market as quickly as possible is very important. The time required from an idea to stockholders in the shelves of shops toys children can be a difference between success and failure. In the world of marketing dolls election time must be really appropriate. To achieve success dolls must follow the trend movies, books, stories, or the latest television series.
Barbie is a product that is universal and is usually standard. There are also a number of costumes are diverse. More than 100 new costumes are added each year. This is because, Barbie is a woman Renaisansi, a successful career woman, a member of rock band Serious players and football world cup for women.
Success is when deciding the next male friends from Barbie, namely Ken. Ken creation is indeed not accidental, but in fact produce the brand’s expansion outside of the normal. Ken introduced in 1961, which hides in the background, the possibility he was pleased to see Barbie achieve success in various aspects of their lives. Introduction Ken has been laying the foundation for all network expansion to maintain the Barbie brand remains the center of attention.
Barbie is a friend Midge, which established 1963, and younger women, Barbie, Skipper, namely in 1964, followed by 1968, Christie, a friend of color. In 1988, Barbie has a confident, and Teresa is a Hispanic friend. People are Regina, as a friend of Asia was launched in 1992. Younger women is the smallest Barbie Kelly and Becky, who sat in a wheelchair, introduced in 1997. Barbie now has 15,000 combined with the change shirts, eyes, color, but not to change his feet.
Similarly Elton John, created the song “Candle In The Wind II” in the event of passing Lady Diana. The success, because in one month sold 32 million pieces. Even in 1997, keeping VCD containing the Candle In The Wid II, as the Best Product of the year 1997

Conducting business with a pleated profit

To benefit many more done by empowering the income and expenses. Because the formula is the income benefits reduced cost. The first step is done with income menggenjot do with aggressive marketing. Revenue is the multiplication of the price with the volume of sales. Various marketing strategies used to increase the volume of sales, from the cost leadership strategy in a holistic strategy to differentiation. Not enough with that strategy, plus more focus, focus on the leadership of both costs and focus extensively on differentiation. Cost leadership strategy in a holistic weight advantages compared to competitors and price differentiation strategies on the benefits of the product, personnel, services, channels and the image compared to competitors.Meanwhile, to reduce costs by making efficiency soundly in all lines. Sometimes even lines on the development of human resources, facilities such as education, training, health benefits and trimmed out. But thus trimming the cost of the development of human resources that the company is dropping, because the effect on the company’s overall revenue. This caused the fall of the business to employees.There are other ways to increase profits, which folded as the Ali bin Abi Talib. “O noble woman, whether you have something that can be eaten by your husband?” Question Ali to his wife, Fatimah . “By Allah I do not have something a bit, however, this money Dirham 6 from the results of wage twist hair. Money will I buy food for Hasan and Husayn “Fatimah responsibility. “O noble woman who, given money to me is Dirham 6″ said Ali. Fatima give Dirham 6 money to Ali bin Abi Talib. After the money is received, Ali outside the house with the intention to buy food for both his sons. Suddenly in the middle of the road he met a man that said “Who would lend to Allah, The Controlling Dzat and surely Allah will fulfill his promise.” Ali eventually approach the person with the money Dirham 6 under a bit of home to buy food for their children. After the money was given Ali, he went home.When Fatima knows her husband to return home without bringing any food, he continued to cry. See his wife crying, Ali directly asked “O noble woman, what you crying?”. “O son of Messenger of Allah uncle, I see you bring home with no food” Fatimah responsibility. “O noble woman, I have Dirham 6 currency debt was to God” said Ali. “If you do, that I agree” said Fatimah.Then Ali bin Abi Talib out trying to place the Messenger of Allah, suddenly in the middle of the road he met a Bedouin who are guided camel. Ali then approached the Bedouin, the Bedouin said “Hasan’s Father, buy this camel.” “I do not have the money to buy your camel and fully that you” said Ali. Bedouin: “I sell a camel is paid by then.” Ali: “If so, how much of this camel you selling?”. Bedouin: “I sell it with the price of Dirham 100.” Ali: “OK, I bought this camel, but only after the payment later if I get the money.”After the Ali bin Abi Talib lead a camel the new purchasing. But not so much by Ali to face a Bedouin others, who asked him “Hasan’s Father, whether you want to sell your camel?”. Ali: “True, I want to sell this camel.” Bedouin: “How much does it cost?”. Ali: “The price of camel is Dirham300.” Bedouin: “OK, I buy your camel with the price.”After the Bedouin to approve the price, he immediately pay Dirham 300 in cash to Ali. After receiving the payment, Ali control of the she-camel to the Bedouin was. Then he returned to his home. Fatimah know when her husband came, he with the smile of love saying, as practices that do every time he welcomed the advent of her husband. Fatimah then asked him “Father of Hasan, what you take today?”. “O daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, I have to buy an animal with a camel with the payment later, Dirham 100. Then I sell the camel with the price of Dirham 300 in cash “replied Ali. “I agree only on what you do, provided that bring death and improvement” said Fatimah.After chatting with Fatimah is enough, he went out again to the right Messenger. At the time he entered the door of the mosque Prophet with a smile and see when Ali is near, he said, “Father Moore, whether you talked to me that, or I give the news to you?”. “You just give the news to me,” replied Ali. The Messenger of Allah said, “Father Moore, whether you already understand, is actually a Bedouin camel to sell it, and both the Bedouin who buy?”. Ali: “Allah and His Messenger know better.” Messenger: “Lucky once you are lucky … … … … … …. Lucky … … … O Ali, you have trust with 6 Dirham God, Allah give you Dirham 300 as a substitute for every Dirham get Dirham 50. The Bedouin are the first Gabriel, while the second is Israfil. ” According to the history of other states that the first person to sell the camel is Gabriel, while the second is Michael.


sumber: www.msuyanto.com