Driving Your Business

Businesses are living entities in motion. No matter how slight or subtle, there is always movement - no matter if the movement is beneficial or not! A business owner could think of the business as the vehicle that will carry the owners and shareholders to success regardless of how success may be defined. Like any other vehicle, the business vehicle requires a driver to steer and to keep the business on the road to success. In a small business that someone behind the wheel is typically the Owner. In larger businesses, the driver will be the President, CEO, Managing Director, or one of similar title. But no matter the business size, the driver is the leader and the leader is the driver. Again, no matter the business size, the "driver" must depend on the following three business elements and components in order to steer and to lead the business properly. A clean and unobstructed Windshield in order to see clearly where the business is going. A Dashboard that provides the driver with necessary data and information on demand to assure the business continues on the move. A clean and unobstructed Rear View Mirror to show where the business has been and what may be approaching the business from behind. Obvious you say? Of course! Who would want to drive a business vehicle without these components? Sadly enough, most small business owners "drive" their business day-to-day without the full benefit of all three components. Sadder yet is that those same small business owners and operators don't need to do without. Let's take a look at the same three components from a business operations perspective. The clean and unobstructed Windshield represents the Forward-Looking Plans and Direction of the business. What the business leader sees out the Windshield is what the business leader Wants to Happen. It is the Vision (not Mission) of the business. The Mission of the business was established long ago, and it is not likely to change. On the other hand, the Vision of the business may change over time. Vision defines where the business wants to go and how the business wants to be perceived at a targeted time in the near future compared to where the business is now and how the business is perceived now. The essential elements and components of a clean and unobstructed Windshield include: Marketing and Sales Plans that include Goals for Revenue, Profitability, and Operational Needs such as equipment and additional staff as well as Strategies and Objectives to achieve the Goals. A Financial Operating Plan that forecasts Sales by Revenue Stream, Costs and Expenses by category, and Margin expectations. (Think of the Financial Operating Plan as a "fully loaded" Budget with all the extras.) The fully functional Dashboard provides the Immediate and Current Status of the business. manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato The Dashboard informs the driver (leader) of the present and immediate status of all the major elements of the business. Immediate for some data could be the previous day's results. Some information, like Cash-on-hand, available Cash, Accounts Receivable due, and Accounts Payable owed must be available immediately. Cash is the fuel of business, so the driver must always know how much fuel is in the tank? Timely Information is the most powerful tool available to business leaders. The sooner the business leader knows, the sooner the business leader can act. The essential building blocks of the Dashboard include: Cash Management Plans that project Cash In, Cash Out, and average balances on hand. Cash Management Plans that project when payments are due and project when favorable payments policies (early pay discounts) are available. In other words, full and immediate control and awareness of Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Scheduled Expenses, and Line of Credit Status. Measurements of Actual Revenues, Costs, and Expenses compared to the Financial Operating Plan. In other words, where is the business today compared to the plan? The clean and unobstructed Rear View Mirror is the historical data and information. It is the "What has gone before". Past Performance data and information are essential tools to the business for many reasons including awareness of past successes and past shortcomings. Additionally, past performance results are the basis for Income Tax and other business taxes. The essential building blocks of the Rear View Mirror include: Accurate (Audited) Financial Statements and Reports including the Balance Sheet and Income Statement. Project or Job Completion Reports that compare actual cost and expenses incurred to the Estimate or Quote. Tax Reports including Federal, State, and Local Income Taxes, Sales Taxes, Property Taxes, and other business taxes. [These reports are prepared by the tax accounting firm or other outside agencies. While necessary reports, typically they cannot be presented soon enough to allow business leaders to make timely decisions.] As stated previously, far too many businesses (mostly small businesses) depend solely or primarily on the Rear View Mirror components. They must not and they need not. Decades ago the Drive to Success was easier in many ways. There was less traffic (competitors) and there was plenty of available fuel (profitable sales opportunities) for all. Today the Drive to Success is not so easy. The traffic is bumper-to-bumper as competitors (qualified or not) are abundant. Profitable sales opportunities are few. However, today many businesses are not just surviving, but thriving. Why? Because they have plans and they know where they are according to plan on a timely basis so they can act sooner. In other words, the leaders of these successful businesses have a Clean Windshield, a functional Dashboard as well as a Rear View Mirror.

Business Model Basics

Firstly, this article is not intended to be an exhaustive resource on the subject, nor is it aimed at corporate businesses whose business models can be very complex and take years to put in place. The idea here is that I will introduce the basic idea of business modelling to those unacquainted with the process, so that they can look at their business and consider their business model (if it even exists) and possibly review things a little to get back into shape. So what do you understand by the word 'model' apart from fashion and plastic aeroplanes, a model comprises of a structure of components, that when put together, make the total picture, (so actually the plane metaphor might not be so far out). When we apply the word 'model' to your business, we are in this case looking at the various components of the business that will add value to your customers, hence creating the demand for your products and services in the marketplace. Some of what you will cover as a business model may be found in your initial business plan (if you ever had one) but a business model is not the same as a business plan. A business model represents the DNA of your business. It is the blueprint of what will make your business work and deliver the returns you want, I assume here that most people are in business to make a good lifestyle for themselves, which will come from the profits derived from their ventures into the world of business. So the basics of your business model will look at what is your business doing? A definitive question and deceptively simple, but many companies don't actually have this locked down. What is your business doing? Is one question and there will be an answer to that most people will readily be able to answer, but the next question, far more powerful, is what do you WANT your business to be doing? Now you are in Business Model territory, as you are defining what you WANT to do and how our business will work in the most effective way to get there. So now you have the starting point for your business model, next you need to figure out the process of how your business will make as much money for the least expenditure of resources in terms of your time, effort, travel, purchases, financial input, as possible. A bad business model is typified in small business, (and even large businesses to some degree) by the business owner effectively running around like a headless chicken, and the staff doing the same, trying to keep customers happy, then looking at their bank balance and realising forlornly, this isn't working!! And this can be ultimately placed at the door of a faulty business model. So now you have a laser beam vision of what you WANT to do, you need to look at the basic dynamics of your business: How you will turn your available time and resources into a good return on your investment. manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato manausdefato A really good place to start is with your pricing, pricing is probably one of the biggest areas that people get wrong. When you set your prices too low, and your effort and resources to get those products and services to market are too high, you have got it wrong. Setting the wrong price means your business is not going to be scalable, i.e. you cannot grow and make any real money as you have no cash left over in the business. So pricing is a good area to start putting together your business model. Pricing can be a complex area, but the two things that affect it most are, firstly, what your customers are willing to pay? And secondly, how much you need to charge to make your business profitable. So now we have an idea of what we want to charge, we now need to look at how we will add value through our products and services, in the most efficient manner so we take as much of that money we charge for ourselves, obviously allowing putting some money back into the business to create a cash reserve. Time is the next consideration, very importantly, how much does your time and that of your staff cost? Actually work out how much that time is worth in terms of a cash value. Work out how much travel you are doing, (or if just starting out, how much you think you will be doing), to service your business? A good business model will be one where your business has scalability built in, this simply means that the business CAN grow, beyond simply yours and your staff's available time, so you are not at a ceiling point and you can grow, (if that is what you want). Even if you run a business and decide you are happy with it being small and keeping it that way, you will almost certainly want to have comfort in the use of your time, so that you are not running around with no time left and not enough reward. The next area is buying. What are you spending money on and how much are you paying relative to how much you are making? A good business model will be one where you have aggressively (in the nicest way) sought the best prices so you can make a good profit, allowing for delivery charges etc. Look at this area and make sure it works, that is modelling, simulating the scenarios so you can see it all working. The last area I will ask you to consider, is what you are personally taking out of the business? Many business owners are taking a little too much from their businesses and that can extend to the salaries and benefits extended to their staff. I am all in favour of having a highly dedicated workforce, and this should rightly be rewarded, but control is so important here as getting it wrong can be difficult to reverse once it is allowed to get out of control. Your business model MUST be able to sustain the money you are taking out of the business, as mentioned, the idea should be that the business grows a surplus of cash, so that you are well placed for any opportunities that may require funding, or for overcoming any short term adversity. In summary then, your business model is the DNA of how you WANT your business to work for you. It is the simulation of how it will work and an overview of how you will maximise your return for your time, effort and financial investment. A simple business model can usually fit on the back of a postcard, it summarises the main cornerstones of your success formula, most importantly, you CAN change your model along the way. Very few get it 100% right first time every time, and it's actually fun working on what will ultimately make you successful and hopefully give you a very good lifestyle. Let me know how it goes for you. Phil Ashforth is a UK based Marketing Consultant, working with businesses both nationally and internationally on a wide range of marketing issues and driving many marketing projects forward for both corporate and SME companies. A qualified marketer with the CIM Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing, Phil has 20 years of frontline marketing experience so he is a valuable member of many teams working to develop marketing strategies, often in partnership with directors of companies.

Why Most Bloggers

Two bloggers, Martins and Smith were walking on the road and the following dialogue ensued: Martins: Smith, how do you consider blogging? Smith: Well, I think blogging is a big business Martins: Blogging, a big business? How? Smith: Because it is run like any other business Martins: Don't you think other businesses are different from blogging? Smith: How do you mean? Martins: Other businesses are operated by real businessmen while blogging is operated by bloggers Smith: Oh! I see! But what makes a business? hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper hyderabadvaper

where to buy a mattress on black friday

Black Friday Sale!! The Futon Shop Weblog

Black Friday is over for an additional year. Our dedication to being By no means Knowingly Undersold signifies that we match our competitor's prices all 12 months round, even during a sale. This means that we now have nice value affords accessible across tons of of electrical merchandise, from tablets and laptops to televisions and fridge freezers.

Nearly each mattress retailer massive and small can have Black Friday sales, and we seemed over previews and previous year's offers to deliver you a peek at developments. We may also be curating and evaluating mattresses on sale to make shopping just a little simpler. As these sales are available we'll be including them to this evaluate. Some brands will offer p.c or dollar discounts off common prices. Others that do not want to discount costs instantly offer rebates or free-with-buy affords, reminiscent of free boxsprings or pillows.

black friday mattress gross sales nike - ting from the longest purchasing season last yr to the shortest shopping season this yr has prompted appreciable jockeying by conventional and on-line retailers over the timing and scope of their promotional choices. Extra stores plan to open on Thanksgiving Day than ever before; some Black Friday deals are being offered earlier. Retailers could g.

Have a look at details not reductions. Give attention to what's contained in the mattress and how you're feeling about it, not the discount you are getting. Look at foam densities, coil sort/rely, fabrics, certifications and different features depending on mattress type. You may get a better idea of the value by dissecting the specs. This consumer has arrived from Qype, a company acquired by Yelp in 2012. We have now integrated the 2 sites to carry you one nice local experience.

Rejuvenite Talalay Latex Our extra inexpensive Rejuvenite toppers are Latex International latex that comes standard with a fabric zipper cowl. Rejuvenite toppers can be found in 3-inch only and as 19, 21, 24, and 28 ILD. The zip cowl is constructed with very comfortable unquilted material on prime and skid-proof fabric at the backside (model could differ from picture). Made in USA by Latex Worldwide. Oeko-Tek 100 Certified.