Thursday, December 4, 2008

6 Bookkeeping Tips For Starting Your Own Business

Starting your own business can be a very rewarding experience. You will enjoy freedom and flexibility you never imagined. You will also work harder than you ever have before but it feels completely different when you are working for yourself. Here are some tips to help you get off on the right foot with your record keeping.

1. Keep Receipts For All Transactions From The First Day Onword. If you pay for everything with a check, debit card, or credit card this may not seem necessary. As a tax accountant I can assure you that it is. The IRS will disallow deductions if you do not have receipts to accompany your bank and credit card records.

2. Avoid Cash. I can tell you the easiest way to get into hot water with the IRS is to pay for things with cash and then not have a receipt. For many of us we are in a habit of using cash from the time we were kids. For your own business though, you need to avoid cash.

3. Deposit All Your Income. It is very tempting to withhold cash from your business receipts but I advise you do not. Instead be aggressive with your expenses. If you are in an industry where cash deals are common the IRS will look for evidence of cash deposits in your checking account. If they are absent you will have a lot of questions to answer.

4. Use QuickBooks. Inuit owns 80% of the small business accounting software market and for good reason. Their software is easy to learn and easy to use. Within a few hours after installing you can be producing your own professional financial statements. It is the software I use for my own accounting/tax business and also what I use to produce client Financial Statements and Payroll Reports.

5. Report Employee Earnings Timely. There are several services on the market that will be glad to do your Payroll Reports and process your employee checks. Shop around and get the best deal. This market has become more competitive which means there are some good deals out there for you. For example, if you are in a high risk industry you can get a reduced WCF rate with a company like ADP. With the amount you save in disability insurance for your employees your Payroll Tax preparation expense is essentially free.

6. Use A Business Credit Card. Using a business credit card has many benefits. You can usually find one with no annual fee, 0% introductory interest rate and even cash rewards. But for the purpose of this article one of the primary benefits is for your record keeping. At the end of the year you will receive a summary of all your expenses by category. Give this to your accountant along with your other records at tax time. This will make your accountant 's job easier which should lower his/her fees.

There are many other items to consider when starting your own business and I recommend you speak to an accountant as soon as possible. If you already have someone preparing your tax returns then you can start with them. Make sure they are familiar with hiring your spouse and children, medical reimbursement plans, business plans and entity structuring. Do not stay with an accountant who is not familiar with these because you cannot afford to.

Bookkeeping Business Tips

Financial forecasting reminds me of the weather - you make your forecast at a moment in time based upon the information currently available. You draw a conclusion and state your financial forecast. But then, the information changes, now it 's raining, and you're caught without your umbrella!

Financial forecasting, unlike the weather, isn't a science but it 's not pure guess work either. It is a combination of:
- knowing your business;
- understanding your marketplace;
- setting goals; and
- using common sense.

As a business coach, I know that every small business needs to make reliable financial projections at one time or another. Forecasting is critical during the following stages of a company 's life span:
- when seeking financing
- gauging the profitability of a new product or service
- determining the impact of staff expansion or cutback
- assessing other business decisions

The many components of forecasting boil down to the following five bookkeeping business tips that for years I've shared with business coaching clients:

Bookkeeping Business Tip #1: Review Actual Year-To-Date Results

Start by looking at where you've been. If you use an accounting program like QuickBooks you can print out a Profit & Loss statement showing year-to-date results. Check the statement for all financial transactions that occurred up to the date of the report. Reconcile the report to your bank statements. (If you don't use an accounting program or bookkeeping service, then take the difference of the total year-to-date cash receipts and total expenditures. This should equal your profit or loss.) Examine each line item to make sure that it makes sense - is your year-to-date revenue figure where you anticipated, or has it fallen short? Are expenses higher than expected?

Bookkeeping Business Tip #2: Establish Goals and Incorporate into Your Forecast

What do you wish to accomplish by year 's end? Do you want to introduce a new product or service, increase revenue on existing products or services, decrease spending, hire a new employee, outsource a bookkeeping service, or launch a marketing campaign that will position the company for the beginning of next year?

Write out your objectives and then choose three to five which are the most important to accomplish by the end of the year. Determine the needed steps to achieve the objectives. Which Profit & Loss line items will be impacted? Adjust your forecast accordingly. For example, your goal may be to increase revenue 10% by year 's end or to launch a marketing campaign now so its benefits will be felt in the first quarter of 2009.

Bookkeeping Business Tip #3: Forecast Variable Costs

Variable costs are costs that change in step with revenue change. For example, you are selling more widgets; therefore, your labor costs and materials costs will increase in relation to the revenue increase.

Using the concept that Forecast = Projections + Predictions, combined with the knowledge that variable costs change in step with revenues, forecast each month 's variable costs. Forecast each line item separately. Look for opportunities to reduce costs, and be aware of likely future influences on each cost.

Bookkeeping Business Tip #4: Forecast Fixed Expenses

Fixed costs are relatively stable costs that recur every month. Examples of fixed costs are rent, telephone and bookkeeping service fees. Forecast the month 's fixed expenses by using the same concept used to forecast variable costs (Forecast = Projections + Predictions) and the knowledge that fixed expenses tend to be relatively stable and do not change in step with revenues. Again, forecast each line item separately, looking for opportunities to reduce costs, while keeping in mind any likely future influences.

Bookkeeping Business Tip #5: Forecast Net Profit

The final step is to evaluate your forecast for net profit. Is the profit forecast is reasonable and acceptable? If not, re-evaluate each line item including revenues and make appropriate adjustments. Also, anticipate non-operating income and expense items, and include them in your forecast.

Your financial projections may not be perfect at first, but we didn't learn to walk without falling down. As a business coach I've seen others get a few bumps along the way. But I guarantee that if you follow these bookkeeping business tips, set your financial projections on paper and revisit them frequently, you will achieve your goals faster.

Time To Stop Taxing Yourself

That is right folks; tax season is almost upon us. It is time to start organizing your paperwork again. How much time will you spend gathering your accounts receivables, accounts payables, receipts, mileage reports, W-2s and 1099s? And that is only the beginning. More of your time will be spent to meet with your bookkeeper, and then your accountant, each of them reminding you of what information you forgot to get to them, and each of them letting you know what they still need from you. Just how much time will you spend on a topic you really dont want to think about?

Imagine how much time you could save if you were paperless. Imagine if you could take care of everything by e-mail, without fussing with a bookkeeping program. Imagine if there was a virtual accounting office that would take the aggravation out of your bookkeeping and make preparing your tax return as easy as writing a check. What could be better than an accounting office that you never have to visit?

Better yet, how about a virtual accounting office where you access to your books anytime you want? How many times do you get a call from a customer wanting to know his balance and you have to wait to give him an answer until your bookkeeper can look that information up for you?

With a virtual accounting office your books are available to you 24/7. With a secure login you, your bookkeeper or accountant can pull up company records wherever there is Internet access. In real time, you have access to your books and are able to answer that customer 's question about his balance when he calls.

Want to know how much you have paid a vendor this year but dont want to wait to ask your bookkeeper for that report?

With a virtual accounting office you could run a report to give you that information anytime you wanted. A virtual accounting office can give you instant access to your accounting information, including your taxes, profit/loss reports, balance sheets and bank statements, all from the comfort of your own office, home, or anywhere in the world you may be.

Are you tired of printing paper checks you have to sign, stamp and then mail? Do you currently pay some bills through your online banking system, some bills with paper checks, some bills with credit cards, and some with automatic withdrawals, all the while never quite knowing your cash balance?

A virtual accounting office will save you time by locating all of your payables, all automatic withdrawals, and all deposits into one accounting system. You can pay your bills when you want, easily and directly through your online accounting program. You can also track any payment quickly and easily since you have only one place to look.

A paperless bookkeeping system though a virtual accounting office will streamline information into one accounting program. Now you will always know your available cash balance.

How much better would your business be if all your accounting needs were handled without the clutter of paper, through a Virtual Accounting Office, giving you more time to focus on your business? I would cut this sentence, repetitive. The last sentence is a strong close.

As a wise man once said, Dont sweat the small stuff. Let others do it for you. A paperless Virtual Accounting Office can do exactly that.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Quick Payday Loans - An Ideal Platform to Deal With Financial Discomfort

How do you cope with short term financial crisis? The best alternative is to opt for loans, especially those which are especially crafted to provide quick monetary relief. Quick payday loans too are designed for the same purpose. These loans are not that tough to derive and can be found with almost all the lenders. With the aid of the loans, you can overcome emergency issues like paying medical bills, telephone and electricity bills, loan installments, school fees of child, tour expenses and so on.

In order to avail the loans, there is no need to pledge any collateral or for that matter go for any credit check. This means that you can avail the loans despite having bad credit issues. Further, with no collateral to evaluate, the processing of the loan is fast and this results in its quick approval. What more, the amount is wired in to your bank account in less than 24 hours i.e. within the same day of application.

The loan provision allows you to borrow any amount in the range of £100-£1500 for a period of 2- 4 weeks. Once your payday arrives, you are required to payback the borrowed amount. However, to derive the loans, you need to have a suitable job and that your income should be fixed and regular. A valid checking account is also required for the transaction to take place and that you must be above 18 years. Only after, fulfilling these details, you will be sanctioned the amount.

Considering its short term duration and unsecured nature, these loans are approved against a marginally high rate of interest. This is why, while availing the loans you must go through the terms and conditions of the various lenders. In this regard, you can also take the help of online mechanism.

These loans are mostly offered by online lenders. To get hold of the loans, there is no paper work or documentation required. Instead, you have to fill up a simple online application form. Moreover, you get to access the loans without personally visiting the lender. On further, comparing and contrasting the rate quotes, you will be able to get access to the best low rate deal.

Quick payday loans are the best alternative available, which enables you to resolve short time financial crisis.

There are a number of ways to get a fast cash advance loan. One way is applying for a cash advance loan with a company that doesn't check your FICO. This expedites the process of obtaining a cash advance loan and will allow the cash advance loan company to respond in a short period of time.

More ways to apply for a cash advance loan include:

1) Applying on the Internet

2) Applying at your nearest brick and mortar company

Both of these options have their own advantages, and they will both set you up for a fast reply from the cash advance loan company. Especially online companies are advantageous because of the fact that they promise, in many instances a 24hr reply.

Every cash advance loan company aims to provide you a prompt reply to your application. Each company prides themselves on timely customer care because they know their borrowers must have expendable cash as soon as possible, and they want to solve the borrower's urgent need for immediate cash.

The only thing you have to do to get a cash advance loan these days is fill out an application and then send it to the company via online submission, or by postal delivery or fax if you've got a paper application. Many cash advance loan companies will urge you to fill out your application on the spot. If you agree, you'll know they have received the form and that they are processing it, then that's that -- you've just submitted your application and you're ready to get their response.

Always keep in mind that they don't have to approve you for the loan, so it's best to have a plan B. But, if you are granted the cash advance loan, you'll see it's a very simple and fast process.

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Inter Metro Fund.Com (IMF) Bukan SCAM

pengumuman buat member IMF (Inter-Metrofund.com) bahwa selama ini sampai dipostingnya artikel ini IMF (Inter-Metrofund.com) masih tetep membayarkan kewajiban pada membernya, jadi yang masih menjadi member IMF (Inter-Metrofund.com) bisa tenang, kenapa saya menulis artikel ini karena saya menjadi member IMF (Inter-Metrofund.com) sudah hampir 1 tahun lamanya dan pihak IMF (Inter-Metrofund.com) juga selalu membayar bonus – bonus yang saya peroleh, terus terang saya bukanlah salah satu dari pengurus dari IMF (Inter-Metrofund.com) tetapi saya menulis ini berdasarkan pengalaman pribadi saya.
Jadi yang sudah menjadi member IMF (Inter-Metrofund.com) mari kita bersama – sama mencapai sukses bersama IMF (Inter-Metrofund.com). dan mudah – mudahan IMF (Inter-Metrofund.com) selamanya tidak menjadi sebuah program scam, mari kita dukung IMF (Inter-Metrofund.com).

Friday, July 11, 2008

Domain Optimizing - Increase Domain Wealth

Many domainers easily give up on their domain wealth quest after a few months. This happens due to a low CTR (Click Through Rate) or domain keywords that pay pennies which even when totalled over a month makes little change. Many of us then start blaming the parking company domain page landers or try to lay the blame game on other factors.

Not that I never did, but then, when you take some time to contemplate the problem at hand, you realize that parking companies themselves have their own limitations to help monetize a site. They cannot offer you the ability to create complete websites full of content. Although these days many domain parking services are trying to introduce content packed parking page landers. However, in many cases, the parking company feed provider itself doesn't wish a parked page to have anything more than the actual advertisements.

We have to remember that these are parked pages, with the sole intention of grabbing the visitors attention and a quick end goal of a click through. These aren't websites which can hold a visitors interest for a longer time. Keeping this in mind, to win, we have to work within the limitations of a parked page customization options.

Today, many parked pages "ARE" indexed by search engines. So lets learn to quickly make the most of what we have in hand and try to improve CTR's and revenues.Here are a few vital domain parking tips that can help your parking page lander get the maximum click through by visitors.

1. Be sure to use the title tags.

Your title tag should urge a visitor to execute an action. Words like NOW, DISCOUNTS, HOT OFFERS, NEW, UNIQUE, SAVE etc are attention grabbing keywords that exhort people to action. Use your title tags to maximum benefit. Also, don't make it too long! Something like, "Save More On Auto Insurance Now!" is long enough.

2. Use meta description tags to add relevant keyword rich descriptions. Remember, every word counts because you have a few lines to make it attention grabbing. Don't write long meaningless descriptions. A description like " Explore Super Low Rates on Car Insurance. Choose from Proven Auto Insurance Rate Quotes. Save Bigger on Your Car Insurance Now." is pretty much what a person looking for cheaper car insurance wants to hear.

3. Your domain landing page colors "ARE" important. Take time to change colors and make your site easy on the eyes. Colors like blue add a touch of professionalism to a webpage. You honestly don't want your visitor looking for health insurance land on a page that is blazing red colors. However, you might use red color on a sports car site.. It's all about your keyword, your target audience and age demographics. When in doubt, always stick to the 16 web safe colors.

Keeping these points in mind is the first step to making your domains work for you. Wishing you all the luck in creating bigger domain wealth.

5 Tips to Choose a Domain Name For Your Internet Business

Individuals engaged in Internet businesses, often find it difficult to choose the right domain name. Just like the name of any business, the domain name has to be catchy, easy to remember for clients and has to pull the target audience by working well in search engines. The moment you choose any domain name for your online business, try to have feedback from friends and experts.

Every domain appears in a unique way on the Internet. Individuals need to have an understanding of different domain names before they select one. The domain name acts as a center of identification for an online business. People need to consider a few things to represent their businesses on the World Wide Web uniquely and professionally.

Tips:

1. Keep the domain name as the web site name: To name a web site after the domain name is crucial for any online business. Before customers think of any web site, they think of the same by its name. If the domain name is the Universal Resource Locator (URL), then people know how to reach it.
Take for instance, if someone is thinking to access thefreecountry.com. Here, the person need not think over what URL to enter the browser, as the web site name is none other than the URL itself. If you have just started any Internet business, stick to a cheaper means of getting a domain name for the web site followed by naming the web site.

2. Choose the size of your domain name: You may keep the domain name at any length up to 67 characters. Do not settle for any domain name, which is difficult to understand for you as well as the customers. Hence, keep the domain name short, so that it is easier to recall every time you enter it in the address bar on the Internet. Long domain names too work well for the Internet business, as they include keywords of your web site. However, they cost well in most search engines.

3. Choose from existing domain names: The most popular domain names are, for example xyz.com, xyz.org and xyz.net, which companies use internationally. You may choose from any of these existing domain names for your web site's identity. If you operate your Internet business on the local scale, then it is better to choose a domain name, which is country-specific.

4. Choose a brand/generic domain name: Choose a domain name that matches with the brand, as it is very important for any Internet business. Here, the domain name might be the name, which you use for advertising the product online, as people may enter this name into their browser, while they make a search. In addition, it is easier for them to remember.

5. Hyphenate the domain name: This process comes after choosing a domain name. Though it is not necessary, it depends on individual choices. If you hyphenate it, search engines might well distinguish the keywords you enter.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Online Solutions For Payroll Management

Most executives and business owners know that a successful business must be managed well. However, administrative duties such as salary management efforts keep managers from being more productive, and dedicate more time for revenue producing activities. Businesses can be relieved of the hassles and technicalities by contracting with a company that specializes in payroll management.

Many business owners spend large percentage of their time administering salary related issues. Large organizations at times hire coordinator or a team of individuals to deal with salary related issues. Many times, the overhead costs can be exorbitant for some companies. Other companies do not have the man power or payroll expertise to deal with payment related issues and to ensure you are in compliance with federal law. Many opt to contract with companies who will handle your salary related issues. The management and owners can focus on building the company. It will ensure that your business is in compliance and running smoothly.

Certain companies will administer your paymaster management needs for you and meet business compliance issues today and in the future, ensuring your organization succeeds in the competitive business environment. Most simply, the company gathers the salary information and transmits it via e-mail, internet or fax. Once the company receives your information, they can manage your checks and reports. For a fee, many payroll service organizations will manage disbursement of payroll checks, direct deposit stubs or payroll debit card. Payroll administration centers integrates payroll service processing and tax filing, HR information management, employee benefits, time and attendance reporting, web-based self-service and much more. Many can also manage and update time and attendance register, create employee manuals and management checklists. You can manage the details better and create best practices for human resource information system. A lot of companies can print your checks and reports, or return them to you for printing in your own office.

Many web based payroll companies allow you to enter salary data remotely through a personal computer. Via the web, you can check the paysheet statistics for accuracy and then send it for processing. All you would have to do is to log into the system. Most good web based systems are user friendly. You can enter salary and employee information and submit it for processing anywhere you can access the internet. This is especially great for those individuals who travel for business.

No one goes into business to experience the joy of tax filing. No business owner looks forward to wading through the mountains of paperwork related to salary and employee benefits. Certain companies can keep you in compliance. Many salary management companies can help you with tax paying and filing capabilities, which mean that your taxes are paid promptly. Most can help you with Federal, state, local and unemployment tax liabilities.

Since your company is unique you will want a payroll system that fits the way you do business. You should work with a company that can offer customized tailored solutions. There are companies that can tailor this system to suit you best.

Payroll Outsourcing Services

Managing your own payroll can be time consuming and complicated. Outsourcing your payroll will help your business to maximise outputs, minimise workloads on employees and enable you to concentrate more on your core business. Payroll outsourcing companies will provide an extensive range of services on a daily basis for both large and small companies across different types of industry.

Outsourcing companies will undertake the back office payroll work for all their clients and will provide routine consultation and legislative compliance.

The software provided by these companies will enable you to manage your employee's data more efficiently and securely and enable you to improve your management reporting.

The On-Line/Hosted Payroll System is managed and hosted by the outsourcing companies data centre, providing security, continuity and a high level of contingency for disaster recovery. This service is available for companies who wish to input and analyse data at their own office, whilst enabling you to still outsource the time consuming processes and printing. All that is needed to access the payroll system on-line is Internet access.

A fully managed payroll service will provide you dedicated payroll account manager. You can submit your data by fax or by e-mail. You will be promptly answered for your queries and will get financial summary reports on time and most importantly your employee's will be paid on time and accurately.

The Bureau Service allows you to maintain control of your payroll through an in-house team, but will enable you to relieve the payroll team of the laborious task of the processing and printing of the payroll output (including payslips).

Payroll outsourcing services will include data entry, payslip processing, summary reports, answers to employee queries, transmission of BACS files etc. Outsourcing your payroll service gives you specialist account management, instant analysis and management information and comprehensive data access.

Outsource your payroll and save money and time!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Starting a Home Based Business

Here are 5 simple reasons why you should start a home based business.

More time freedom: Everyone wants more freedom that's including you. Don't you wish you could sleep in every day and wake up at the time you want? Don't you wish you could do whatever you want in your life without worrying about getting your project done at work? When you own your business, you decide how much work you want to get done, you decide what time you want to work, you decide how much money you want to make. You will have more time to spend with your precious children and family.

More income streams: As your home business grows, you will be able to add another 2 or even 5 income streams without sacrificing too much more of your time because running a home based business usually does not require 8 hours work day or 60 hours work week. As more income streams you grow, your bank will grow at an exponential rate, and that's what I called financial freedom. You will still make a certain amount of money even if one of your businesses failed.

More financial freedom: Since you're not making money for people, instead, people are making money for you especially if you are involved with network marketing business. You make money based on your performance and you make money based on your business partners' performance which are your downline. You can retire sooner than you think if you are willing to take actions right now.

High mobility: Most of the home based businesses only require you to have a laptop, that's it. You can work everywhere, anywhere; you can work while you are traveling in Brazil, Denmark or visiting your other family members in Alaska as long as there's internet connection.

You learn as you grow your bank account: As a home business owner, you will be your own teacher, you learn from your mistakes and experiences. At the same time, you're educating yourself about building a real business while your business is making money for you. One stone, two shots, isn't it perfect?

If you choose the right business with real marketing training provided, you can learn how millionaires built their successful home based business. Millionaires will even give you the exact blueprint on how you can duplicate their successes. This is one of the benefits that you can't get from going to school or a regular 9-5 job. This is priceless.

Starting a home based business is most of the people's dream. In fact, it's the future business trend as more people realize the benefits that they can get from working at home.

If you don't already have a home based business, starting right now, you should be brainstorming ways that you can get your hands on this future "let's work at home" trend.

Extra Money From Home

Do you find the mortgage bill taking a toll on your finances? Are you fed up of going to your mailbox to find bills in there? If so, then you need a way to make money quick to erase all your financial problems. If you hate the office routine and regular white or blue collared jobs then here is a great way to make money at home without much of an effort.

Stay at home moms:
For a stay at home mom her career usually takes a backseat. With the range of amazing new home based businesses a mom can look after her family and earn stunning amounts of income every day, week, month or year! The best thing is that these easy money earning opportunities are simple to follow and easy to use.

Online retail store:
Imagine having access to your very own personal online retail store that had some lucrative ranges of products which enabled you to earn money at home? Today, there are many online businesses which allow you to make money quick on the Internet. In fact, not only will you be able to sell these products online and easily start making money but you can also market your online business and company successfully through many channels. In fact, the online retail store you have will do all the marketing work for you!

Products which truly sell!
There are many products which never fail to fetch easy money. Whether it is about an ebook or specific software or even a package, or a flash video which seasoned experienced online retailers would pay top dollar for or even a travel package which enables you to barter or sell in return for your favorite products - each of these products enable you to set up a home based business successfully. The great thing about these is that you can not only earn money at home but also realize a very profitable and sustainable business online. So if you want to be successful financially and yet not give up on the domestic front then these home based businesses are simply perfect for anyone!

Great for novices
Even if you have never thought of making money online or have never explored the Internet as a way to make money quick you can embark on a journey to a successful and thriving business opportunity. Today, even grandmothers and laypersons who have never understood Internet lingo has begun on successful home based businesses and making substantial income. Some persons make as much as a whopping 5000 dollars in a single day.

Training and counseling
There are websites and home based businesses which actually guide you and train you on how to effectively set up and market your very own online business for making money. With step by step guides and training videos as well as sessions anyone can begin to earn easy money in a very short span of time.

Big Ticket to Wealth offers novices the chance to start a successful, home based business that has the potential to earn huge incomes each month.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Management Tips That Really Work

Every manager should strive to learn something new every day. Here are my 5 top tips for being a good manager.

Don't Be Selfish

A good leader should not be selfish. He should demonstrate to his workers that he is willing to take one for the team. This will get him a lot of respect.

For instance, the team might be embarrassed at a town hall or other large meeting. Instead of pointing the finger at the person responsible, a good leader will take that one for the team.

This quality is also respected by senior managers higher up in the food chain.

Don't Be Two Faced

Do not "suck up" to senior management and then be like "buddies" with your team. You will eventually get caught out by this fine balancing act and it doesn't actually serve any useful purpose anyway.

Be who you are and don't apologise for it. Just smooth any rough edges but always be yourself. Workers hate nothing more than a two faced boss.

Be Proactive Rather Than Reactive

You may have heard this mantra before but it is definitely good advice and applies equally well at all levels of an organisation.

Don't wait for things to happen to you. Mitigate risks by planning ahead and trying to spot potential stumbling blocks.

If you do this then you will also be able to spot opportunities before others and be able to take advantage.

Be Decisive

Do not dither. Do not be indecisive. It is better to make a quick decision and follow through and be 80% successful than to dither and make a decision, regret it, change your mind, then change your mind again.

Make your decisions based on logic and not emotions then follow through unless a significant factor changes.

Don't Take It Personally

Never take anything personally. As a leader, you are supposed to be better than that. A good leader is calm and collected and think rationally. Think of the vulcans in Star Trek but with a little more individual personality!

A bad manager will react and have outbursts, he may even swear and publicly admonish his workers. The only way is down from such a situation.

4 Great Leadership Tips For the Effective Manager

Any good manager should always be trying to improve and develop himself. Check out these 4 great tips based on my own experiences of leading.

There is nothing worse than an incompetent manager. Wait a minute...there is! An incompetent manager who refuses to learn! Any good manager should be constantly on the lookout for ways to improve. So let's take a look at 4 tips that will help you to become a better leader.

Learn To Let Go

Too many new leaders struggle to get to grips with not having everything in their control like it used to be when they worked on their own. Back then they would be given a task and they could control every single aspect of it to make sure that a good job was done.

As a leader, you simply can't do that. If you attempt to "micro-manage" in this way then you will work some very long hours and burn out. You'll also have totally missed the point of being a leader and a manager.

Instead, you should trust your workers and when you give them tasks to do, make it clear what you expect. When they deliver as you wish, show your gratitude to them and be sure to think about long term rewards for continued success.

Be Ethical

A leader must be ethical. If you have previously bent the rules, here and there, then do not be tempted to do it as a leader. The damage done if or when you are exposed will be ten times worse than before.

As a leader, you must set a positive example and even if some rules appear to hinder rather than help, you must abide by them at all times.

If you start to bend the rules then your workers will see it and lose respect for you. What's more, they will also think that they too can get away with bending the rules. Soon you'll have a huge can of worms!

Don't Be Pushy

As a leader, your reputation is of paramount importance. Do not be pushy with people - don't berate your workers in public and don't become known for a fiery temper during meetings.

Do this and you will soon bury any alliances that you had and find yourself isolated.

Instead, you should become known for your cool exterior and your ability to take action based on logic, not emotions.

Persevere

Most people, when setting out to achieve a goal, will fall at the first obstacle and then give up. Real leaders will not give up. They will fall, get up, fall again and get up again.

Only by persevering and staying on the right path will you be able to achieve your own goals and those of your team.

Setting an example like this has another benefit - this quality is infectious and before you know it, your entire team will be showing these same qualities and achieving far more than other similar teams in your organization.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Writing Business Plan Basics For Successful Funding

The two most important reasons for writing a business plan will help you succeed. The first is so you can convince a lender or a potential investor your business is worthy of investing in or lending money to. The second is to develop a good marketing plan.

To get started, you'll want to conduct preliminary research. You'll discover: your competition, and how they're promoting and and marketing their products, services and business. You'll quickly find how much easier writing a business plan becomes when you've done this type of research. That said, here's a very quick way to start.

Use a Free Business Plan Template

You can download a free business plan template.(Be sure to go to the resource box and click the link to get yours.)

Review it and begin by doing some simple research.

Complete these basics and include them in your finished plan.

1. Describe your Business - What you do, what products you sell

2. How will you sell your Business,Products or Services- What's your marketing approach?

3. Competition- Who is your competition? How does your approach or business vary from theirs?

4. You Operating Procedures - Describe your approach to business

5. Insurance- Make sure you are covered for liability

6. Financial Information should include: A 3-Year Proforma (Projections of earnings and expenses), A Balance sheet, A List of Your Equipment, A Break-even Analysis

7. Your Resume

Remember why you're writing a business plan...Keep this close in mind as you compile your information and research data.

Are you writing a business plan to present to a banker?...Or will you use it to raise startup money from an investor. If so, you'll want to create a compelling reason for someone to invest in you, your ideas and your business.

Bear in mind, they will also be looking for how much of your own time and money you have invested prior to seeking them out.

A banker will be looking at how this business is going to generate enough cash flow to pay back the money you are seeking. You are writing a business plan to sell him on you and your ability to

sell your products or services and make a profit. An investor is looking at how much money he'll be able to make in return for his investment.

As you work with your financials, make sure you project sales and profits, so you can show your potential investment partners (the banker, private investors,etc.) your cash flow.

(Remember this: Cash flow and profits are two different things.) Cash flow pays your expenses...profits are what's left over after you've paid your bills. Your banker will be looking at cash flow, investors will be looking for profits.

Be Thorough...Be Convincing...

But be sure you put some of your own money into the picture. You should consider at least 10%, but an investment of 25% is better. Remember, you are asking someone else

to take a risk on you. Ask yourself, why should they take such a risk, when you haven't...Think about it. They will.

Writing a business plan should be one of the first tasks you take on when starting your business. If you look at it as a way to discover more about your chosen business, you'll see it as fun and exciting.

You may find some surprises along the way, including opportunities you never considered before, ways to market, or even new products. Using a business plan template can ease your task.

Mark Your Growth with Bookkeepers

The entire procedure of bookkeeping is not only limited to the maintenance of records and lodging data entries, it is in fact a way to estimate the economic growth of any business organization. Hence it would not be wrong to state the fact that the development of every business oriented organization is directly proportional to the efficiency of the bookkeeping department. And for this reason, it is completely obligatory for the companies to hire the bookkeepers who are not only well qualified but are also blessed with the attributes of efficiency and sincerity. As this task is extremely grueling yet significant for the progress of the firm, it is important for the accountants to show sincere commitment towards each and every aspect of their work. Therefore, if you are also looking for such competent accountants with quality performance level then the option of bookkeepers New York can provide you with a decent solution.

Bookkeepers New York is considered as one of the most efficient accounts with superb sense of dedication and sincerity toward their work. They completely understand the fact that the development of any company is basically dependent on the finance management and thus make all possible efforts to present a quality level of their services. Moreover, the bookkeepers from New York are always ready with intelligent ideas and other business strategies for introducing better business prospects for the company. Many small companies and recently established business firms can draw serious profits through the utilization of such added facilities and services. These professional make extensive use of accounting softwares and techniques, so that greater amount of work can be sorted in short durations. Those business firms, who take assistance from bookkeepers in New York, stay assured of getting remarkable services with perfect sense of timing.

In any business organization, the owner is supposed to handle all the primary objectives of the company and thus he cannot afford to spend huge amount of time in searching and recruiting the accountants. But this in turn does not mean that the accounting department can be overlooked due the busy schedule of the owner of the organization. Hence, a more simplified solution of bookkeepers in New York is widely available in the business world, so that the owners can simply transfer their burden of big financial projects to these accountants and generate better prospects of business development. Secondly, on economic basis also, this option is much more affordable. The accountants from such service providers charge reasonable amounts and the client also gets freedom from the expense of added allowances that are mandatory with the in -house accountants.

After considering all such benefits, it is quite easy to accept that the taking bookkeeping services from outsourcing firms such is undoubtedly more profitable. And thus the requirement of competent bookkeepers such as Bookkeepers in New York, become all the more important for meeting the challenges of the combative business society in the present scenario. Therefore, getting definite accounting services is basically the first step take in order to accomplish the highest standard of development.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Payday Loans for You

If you have spent time financially supporting yourself, one of the first things that you should be aware of is that life is unexpected. You never know when an emergency will pop up and you never know when you are going to get a curve ball thrown your way and one of the things that can stand between you and disaster is a payday loan. Payday loans essentially exist in order to take care of the gaps that can happen. When you are looking for solutions when it comes to money, a payday loan can be just the solution that you are looking for.

The process for getting a payday loan is very simple. To start off with, you will locate a payday loan lender; depending on the area you live in, you'll find different organizations everywhere that are willing to provide you with this valuable service. When you find a lender that you like, you will go in and fill out an application. Payday loan applications can take anywhere from a week to less than 24 hours. You'll find that the speed with which you receive the money is something that can tell you which payday loan lender is right for you.

After you get approved for your loan, you will find that many of these places will ask you to leave a check behind that has been post-dated to the day that your paycheck will come due. After that, you will receive the money and be able to take care of any emergency that has come up. You will hear many negative things about payday loans due to the fact that there is a high interest rate, but the truth is, the interest rate is something varies from institution to institution. When you are taking a look at the payday loans in your area, you should think about how much interest they charge, what you can deal with and what you can't.

When you are looking into payday loans, remember that you should always crunch the numbers, so to speak. Get out a calculator and figure out exactly how much you need to get by. What is the minimum amount of money you need to deal with the situation that is in front of you, and will your next paycheck cover it? Then pull up the figures that are offered by the various payday loan lenders in your area, or that you are considering. Depending on how dire the situation is, you might find that it is more important to take advantage of a next day loan even if it has a higher interest rate. You'll find that if you can put off the emergency for a little bit, you might want a payday loan that takes a slightly longer amount of time to go into effect.

The big question is will you be able to pay off the loan in due time. Think about your situation. When the time comes, whether that is a week or two weeks away, will you be able to pay off the loans that you have taken out? You'll find that in answering this question, you can learn a lot about whether payday loans are for you. Remember that when you are thinking about payday loans that you can go online to find them too. This can be an excellent solution due to the fact that by going online, you can research the rates offered by a wide assortment of vendors without needing to do a lot of driving or to call up a lot of people. You can check rates online, get good estimates and figure out what your choices are.

If you are in an emergency situation, or even if your life would be made a little bit easier by taking out a loan against money that you know you're going to earn, you'll find that payday loans have a lot to offer. This is an excellent way to make sure that your money continues to do what you want it to do, and in many cases, this is the best way to keep to your personal plan. Don't pass up this opportunity to keep your finances squarely in the black, and make sure that you take advantage of the options that are open to you.

Accounting Fraud

Accounting fraud habits seem to be popping up everywhere these days. Many small business owners feel that their companies are immune to accounting fraud for two basic reasons: they don't have many employees, and the ones who deal with money are usually close to the owners. But regardless of size, any business is vulnerable to fraudulent activities by employees. Dishonest people in large businesses can find numerous ways to misrepresent the financial condition of a company, including accounting for stock options, pension plans, derivatives and more. Just because small companies such as screen printing or embroidery shops don't face these technical accounting challenges doesn't mean there's no potential for accounting fraud. With this in mind, it's a good time to ask yourself, "What's protecting my business?"

Signs of Accounting Fraud

* Someone insists that he or she handle activities for which other departments are normally responsible. Including picking up the daily mail, acting as the sole responsible person with the company's financial contacts and working with police if items or money are found missing

* Someone continually works after hours, comes in frequently on weekends or insists on taking work home. Fraudulent activities are easier to accomplish when work is unobserved and unsupervised

* Someone refuses to follow recently established accounting guidelines. Owners should demand that guidelines be strictly followed and investigate financial and payroll records for up to several years in the past

* Someone works without direct supervision on all company's financial operations. When one trusted bookkeeper is responsible for records, payroll, receivables, deposits, payments and so on and you notice that at the end of the month or year the numbers don't match, this is the first place you should look at

* Someone refuses to take a vacation. This individual may be thought of as a highly dedicated and hard-working employee, but it could be that he or she simply doesn't want anyone to discover any fishy documents

Owners should always carefully monitor income and deposits, comparing sales receipts against actual amounts put into the bank. There are no sure-fire tips for accounting fraud. But by being on the lookout a small business can avert a potentially disastrous and embarrassing financial loss.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Easy Payday Loans - Get Cash Now

With easy payday loans, you can be rest assured that you do not have to go through the formalities of faxing any type of papers to get a fast cash advance. It is only in rare circumstances when the lenders ask you to submit such papers when they are unable to verify some facts. Otherwise, all you need to do to get no credit check payday loan is to open website of relevant company and fill up an online application form.

Immediate Approval From Lender

Lenders of these loans review your application immediately after receiving at their end. It takes hardly few minutes before you get response from the lending institute. The qualifying requirements for these loans are so easy that most of the applicants get approval at once. Usually, you can avail loans up to $1,000 without any trouble.

Any US citizen who has completed 18 years of age and earning more than one thousand dollars every month is eligible to avail this service. However, you have to prove that you are working with same employer for at least three months to assure lender about the stability of your job.

Your Next Pay Date Is Due Date For Repayment

Person availing easy payday loan can use these funds for managing whatever financial problem is creating troubles for you. You have to pay back this amount on your next pay date after receiving your pay check. You also have the facility of using roll over option to extend repayment period if you find it difficult to pay even on your payday.

Cost of payday loan is also an important factor that you should take into account while applying for this kind of loan. Remember, that these loans carry a higher interest rate than any other type of loan. This is quiet understandable because these loans are unsecured loans and lenders have to think of high degree of risk associated with these loans. Usually, you pay around $15 to $30 for every hundred dollar you borrow.

After borrowing an easy payday loan you will find that repayment process is also very easy. Loan amount along with applicable interest charges is transferred back automatically to the lender's account in a hassle free manner

Monday, February 25, 2008

Unlimited Success Growth with Bookkeepers

Establishing a business and running it successful are two different sides of a coin. Running a business has always been tricky, risky, complicating and a grueling job. Every business firm is a house to numerous departments dealing with several expectations. We all know that development and advancement is growing with an unmatchable pace. And to sync with this, you definitely need something more than just the basics. Here the introduction of bookkeeping outsourcing makes valid sense. Many firms which approach bookkeeping service providers gain considerable popularity due to the excellent management of all the tasks and time. It is different from the traditional method applied for bookkeeping records. One such service provider is bookkeepers NY whose capability has been proved by the improved performance of their clients.

Accounting or bookkeeping is a crucial department of any business organization as it is responsible for estimating the capability of a company that whether it is a profit making business or a loss-making venture. Therefore, it is naturally employs only expert accountants. Bookkeepers of NY have increased their rate of efficiency with the use softwares that are specifically programmed to manage all details related to accounts and bookkeeping. These softwares are used to store data along with the easy convenience of sharing and transferring the data. There are numerous softwares present in the market of bookkeeping to help all small, medium and large business houses to lodge their routine financial transactions. And this is not all; they even save on your time and energy as they help you in more accurate performance with an easy way of making entries in those of cash payments, banks, sales reports and other reports.

The wide category of accountancy or bookkeeping holds numerous other factors that demand equal attention. A professional who is employed to manage the accounts, must have thorough basic knowledge regarding the varied entries that are required to be jotted down in the account books. However, accounting is widely known to be time consuming, tedious and a job that demands sincere concentration. Professionals who are associated with bookkeepers NY excel in all such aspects to give a more simplified performance. All the messy long calculations and deals become a matter of few seconds with the assistance of professional bookkeepers of New York. They manage everything from entering transactions in journal and ledger to creating final financial reports. So any businessman who is seeking for well qualified and expert bookkeeping service providers can reach to a conclusion now.

Bookkeepers NY are substantially a reliable source for getting your job done. They avail you with all possible chances of earning huge profits and a good reputation. The company also works in association of other outsourcing firms that offer management services for bookkeeping data. Even the very technically sound reports that need PDF formation and bar charts can be created with the guidance of Bookkeepers. So, now all you need to do is search out for an efficient firm whose services can satisfy all your requirements with an accelerated walk on the path of progress.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Credit Card Debt Management Helps You Say Goodbye To Creditors

Credit cards and loans have become an integral part of our lives and more and more people are giving in to the temptation of 'buy now pay later' schemes. However, the only people who seem to be happy with the scenario are the credit card companies. An individual who has piled up a large sum of money in the form of loans can be in a sticky situation if for some reason or the other he is unable to repay his credit card debts. Managing your finances to repay your debt can be a real balancing act and people often fall flat while trying to perfect this act. The only feasible option seems to be to take further loans to repay the existing ones and soon the individual is dragged into this vicious circle. A more apt solution in this case would be to opt for credit card debt management services form a reliable and reputable company that has helped many other debtors to come out of their debts easily.

A company offering credit card debt management services is your best option to get a friend, philosopher and guide who can get you out of a messy situation. When creditors and collectors start harassing you and your family for the repayment of various credit loans, it can be a living nightmare. Avoid such unpleasant situations by applying for credit card debt management services that not only help you repay all your debts but also provide guidance to manage your finances in a better manner. The financial experts involved with providing you expert guidance on handling your credit card debts, will firstly analyze your financial situation and ability to pay back the debts. Accordingly, they negotiate on your behalf with the creditors to reduce or freeze the interest and charges on your debts.

Once your multiple debts have been consolidated under a single, affordable payment, then the credit card debt management advice helps you get rid of your debts easily. You now simply have to pay a fixed, monthly installment that goes towards all your debts at a go and you actually see your principal debt amount reducing rather than just the interest. Also, credit card debt management lets you have a greater amount of expendable income at the end of each month that you can contribute towards your family responsibility and expenses.

Once you opt for credit card debt management you can get the required moral and financial support that is crucial to any debtor at times like this. You may also secure a loan at a much lower rate of interest that will help you pay back the loan on all your credit cards at one go. Whatever may be the option you select, ensure that you are seeking guidance and help from a reputed and reliable debt management company. The yellow pages, the internet or past clients of the company are your best referrals. Opt for credit card debt management services and lead a secure, comfortable, debt free existence from then on.

From Boring Accountant to Dynamic Accounting

The accountant is widely considered to be a human computer without a personality. They often the target of vicious jokes in publications, e-mails and discussions. Accounting students at colleges are for the most part considered a "nerdy class". Many people consider a career in accounting, for the financial rewards, not the career in itself.

The rigorous studying and training could have something to do with this "boring" perception. But also the conservative clubs and societies that accountants are compelled to belong to. A host of laws governing the profession removes the accountant at times, from reality.

After the collusion in fraud at Enron, World Com and other corporate failures, the word "crook", also comes to mind. So the accountant might be sought after for his number crunching and tax skills. But in the minds of most people, businesses and the man on the street, alike, they are not respected.

Accounting degrees vary, but very few of them include proper communication skills in their courses. A common critique of accountants is that they cannot convey the highly technical accounting information to the laymen. The users of accounting information incur high fees to make critical decisions about their businesses and organizations.So they justified, if they demand proper interpretation of financial reports.

A stiff culture permeates many accounting firms, regimented by practice rules, accounting standards and even government ordinances. Accountants complain about "compliance" issues, but are oblivious to the fact that their inputs, at tax workshops, contributed to all these laws, which they claim to detest.

Some salient points need to be addressed beyond the funny nerdy images of accountants.
They are:
· Greed, very high fees for a simple report or short consultation.
· Lack of communication skills (common perception)
· Critical of fellow professionals
· Low quality work (for high fees)

With so many clients at some firms, accountants are pushing through poorly prepared financial reports. This also ties into the greed, raking in as much hours/fees as possible. No wonder, accountants are seen as the scum of the earth.

The Accounting Artist: An artist loves what he does, whether he gets paid or not. The accountant should view every report or assignment as a "work of art", that requires diligent time and attention. Or better still, he should see his assignment, as a creative process, fewer reports would be returned for correction or clarification.

By creating professional files for every client, and preparing "working papers" for every assignment, not- just- audits, the accountant will enjoy his assignments more. Building blocks and safeguards are also put in place, since every relevant detail, from the clients phone number to his banks statement are placed on file. Lead schedules connecting information to accounts are clearly referenced. After all the notes are concluded, a financial statement, cash flow forecast or business plan is produced. Just like a Picasso. Accountants should shy away from auditing/ working paper software. Retain the manual process. Painters don't use software. Other software tools such as spreadsheets, is imperative. But accountants rush through some reports, (using auditing software) after years of repeating the cycle; they get bored, and also become boring in the process.

Monday, February 11, 2008

10 Tips To Look Good At The Job Interview

Here are some tips to help you perform at your best during the actual job interview. I'm assuming here that you've done the necessary work to prepare for the interview (see my list of articles for information on preparing for the job interview).

  • Confirm the exact location and time of the interview. Make certain that you know the route and available parking facilities (if driving), or the necessary public transport facilities. Sounds pretty basic doesn't it? You would be totally amazed at the number of interviewees who turn up late or not at all.
  • Never restrict yourself on time. The interviewer may be running late from seeing other applicants, or he/she may want to take you on an impromptu tour of the facilities or get you to meet other members of the team (both positive signs of interest in you).
  • Make certain that you get the interviewers full name and title. If you don't pick it up at first then ask him or her to repeat it. Getting someones name or title wrong is a deadly insult - don't do it.
  • Refresh in your own mind the details of your present and past employers. Do this just prior to going into the interview.
  • Dress in appropriate clothing and pay particular attention to presentation and personal hygiene. Shine your shoes, get your suit pressed and - shower!.
  • If you get a choice, try to obtain a time when you are likely to be at your best. Some are morning and some afternoon people. No-one is both.
  • Never smoke before going into the interview. Going in stinking of tobacco smoke is a guaranteed turnoff
  • Sit up straight and don't slouch. Yes I know, this is all really basic and self-explanatory, but again many people do forget and slouching gives a really poor impression.
  • Look the interviewer in the eye. If there is more than one interviewer then maintain eye contact with the person you are currently dealing with.
  • Finally, Relax! Don't get all tensed up. Remember the job interview process is for both parties to get to know about each other. The company is interviewing because they need someone, it's unlikely that they are going to deliberately try to trip you up - and if they are then do you really want to join them?

The above is all pretty basic stuff, but many people forget about at least one of these tips. The best jobs are highly sought after, and you are likely to have some stiff competition, so follow these tips and give yourself a flying start.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Basic Accounting Primer

Accounting is the system a company uses to measure its financial performance. Some even call it a separate language you can use to communicate and understand all financial operations of any given business. Transactions are recorded and classified into categories such as sales, purchases, assets and liabilities. This helps a company determine past performance, present condition and future calculations. There are three kinds of financial statements that give a company an idea of its position:

Balance Sheet

A balance sheet is a snapshot of the resources of a company, or its liabilities and equities.

Income Statement

An income statement is actually the breakdown of a company's operating activities. It lists the firm's revenue and expenses and the difference between them to show the income or loss over a period. It covers only the proceeds from goods and services.

Cash Flow Statement

A cash flow statement shows information about the company's cash inflows and outflows over a period of time. Unlike the income statement, this report shows cash transactions only.

To help you with the different topics and terms here is a list of terms and their meanings:

  1. Ledger: A group of accounts.
  2. General Equation for Accounting: Assets equals Liabilities plus Owner's Equity.
  3. Assets: These are items owned by the business that have some value.
  4. Liabilities: The debts of the business i.e. what it owes.
  5. Owner's Equity: Net value of the business.
  6. Expenses: Running costs of the business.
  7. Credit: Amount logged on the right side of a T-account.
  8. Debit: Amount logged on the left side of a T-account.
  9. T-Account: A tool used to show the relationships between accounts and also to show debits and credits.

If you are looking for accounting software, there are many programs to choose from. QuickBooks is one of the most popular programs on the market today. It is easy to set up and understand by the average individual. It can be configured to be as complex or easy as you need it. If you are using a Mac, you may want to try Goldenseal Software. There is also Peachtree; however, it is better suited for mid to larger-sized companies. You can also save money by downloading programs such as Quicken.

There are good online reviews of Intuit's Quicken 2007 Deluxe and Quicken 2207 Premier. If you like Microsoft, you can try Microsoft Small Business Accounting 2007. For Windows operating systems, there is Money 2007 Deluxe, which falls just short of Quicken. This is a good choice if your bank only supports downloads in QFX format. It appears that Quicken is the leader in small business accounting software. If you use an older software program, you may want to see what's out there lately and try an upgrade, especially if your program is 3 years old or older. Developers stop supporting software after 3 years and you don't want to be left with a relic.

Understanding The Accounting Concept

People sometimes confuse between accounting and mathematics although they are both extremely different.

It is true that Accounting involves the use of mathematics, but, only the basics are needed such as additions and subtractions.

Accounting is defined as an information system that Identifies, Records and Communicate economic events to interested users.

The users of accounting may be internal users such as the managers of the company or external users such as tax authorities, investors and creditors.

In order to understand these functions, take a fast food restaurant as an example:

1-Identify : The restaurant has made a sale of $1,000 of hamburgers today, paid salaries of $300 and purchased tools for $400

2-Record : In order to prevent loss of data, previous data must be recorded. In accounting financial data are recorded in a book called a journal .There are 2 types of journals

a-special journals :Certain accounts has a special journal such as Sales journal or Cash receipts Journal

b-General journal :For accounts that do not have a special journal such as depreciation.

3-Communicate : The most important function of accounting is communication. In accounting communication is done through the financial statements which are :

a-Income statement

b-Statement of changes in owners equity

c-Cash flow statement

d-Balance sheet

Companies are required to prepare such statements and present them to the public, so that investors can make their wise investment based on the analysis of those statements.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

The Five Data Comparisons That Excel Charts Make

Charts allow you to visually compare data in five basic ways, which means that your first step in determining the appropriate chart type is often simply to consider what data comparison you want to make.

Identifying the data comparison you want to make

Suppose, for example, that you've collected detailed product sales revenue data for a golf equipment manufacturer. Using a chart, you might decide to look at this data in any of the ways summarized in the paragraphs that follow:

Part-to-whole Compares an individual data point value to the sum of a data series. Comparing sales of a particular golf club set to total sales, for example, is a part-to-whole comparison.

Whole-to-whole Compares individual data point values to each other or data series to each other. Comparing sales of a starter men's golf club set to a starter women's golf club set, for example, is a whole-to-whole comparison.

Time-series Compares data point values from different time periods to show how values change over time. Showing monthly sales over the last year, for example, is a time-series comparison.

Correlation Compares different data series to explore correlation between the data series. Comparing industry-wide sales to the average age of the population, for example, is a correlation comparison.

Geographic Compares data values using a geographic map. Comparing sales by country, for example, is a geographic comparison.

Picking the right chart for a given data comparison

Once you decide what data comparison you want to make, it's generally quite straightforward to identify the appropriate Excel chart types and sometimes even to identify appropriate chart sub-types. Here are some rules you can follow:

1. To make a part-to-whole comparison when working with just a single data series, you might choose a pie chart. (Pie charts plot only a single data series.) You might choose a doughnut chart or area chart if you're working with more than one data series.

2. To make a whole-to-whole comparison, you might choose a chart that uses horizontal data markers, such as a bar chart or one of the cylinder, cone, or pyramid chart sub-types that uses a vertical data category axis and data markers. You might also choose a doughnut chart or radar chart.

3. To make a time-series comparison, you would typically choose a chart that uses vertical data markers, such as a column chart, a line chart, or one of the cylinder, cone, or pyramid chart sub-types that uses a horizontal data category axis and data markers. You might also choose the stock chart if you're performing technical analysis of security prices. (Time-series charts typically use a horizontal data category axis because of the Western convention of using a horizontal axis to denote the passage of time.)

4. To make a correlation comparison, you might choose the XY (scatter) chart if you're working with two data series or the bubble chart if you're working with three data series. You might also choose the surface chart if you want to explore trends in two dimensions.

5. To make a geographic comparison, you would probably use Excel's Data Map tool (refer to the Excel online help) or, possibly, the surface chart.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Cheap Car Insurance

One of the inventions that has brought about a revolution in the lives of humans are cars. A wonderful machine, they have been on top of the wish list of people from time immemorial. Today, it must be said, people can buy cars relatively easily then was the case a few years earlier. Thanks to the mushrooming of several financial institutions and the enhanced salary that has made this possible. However, modern times has also seen the pace of life gaining great momentum. This has also lead to problems because in their eagerness to reach a destination early people often overlook traffic signals and collide their vehicles with others. This sort of unplanned expenditure can hit people, particularly those with average income very hard. It is to help all such people that car insurance was introduced. In fact, the rate at which such a service can be availed is so low that it would not be wrong to term car insurance as cheap car insurance.

It relieves people from a big worry and they can breathe easy as in cases when one's car faces some damage it is the insurance company that bears all the expense with the concerned person not requiring to pay a single penny. Needless, therefore, to say that what a relief it brings to people. Especially those who belong to the lower strata of society.

However, to gain from cheap car insurance it would be important for people to take care of a few things. First of all one must ensure that the policy comes to life as soon as it is signed. Then it is also important to make sure that the car is priced fairly. Not to forget the fact that no wrong information should, at any cost be provided to the insurance company as well as the fact that there is no default on monthly premiums.

Friday, January 4, 2008

11 STEPS TO CREATING THE PERFECT BUSINESS PLAN

For one thing, it should offer a thorough analysis of the need for the particular product or service you are planning to offer. It also needs to talk about how you are qualified to be making such an offering to the public.

A business plan should address your strategies in terms of production and marketing, how you will be organized, any legal aspects that you must address, and what your accounting methods will be. In short, a business plan should address the following questions:

* What do I want and what am I capable of doing?
* What are the most workable ways of achieving my goals?
* What can I expect from the future?

Keep in mind that there is not one specific format that you should use, or one best way to lay out your business plan. However, there are some steps you can take to make the process go a little more smoothly; we’ve listed what we think is the easiest method, below.

Step 1: Making the Commitment – be sure that you desire to work for yourself is truly greater than you desire to work for someone else.

Step 2: Analyze yourself – list your strengths and weaknesses. Determine how you can build off your strengths, and improve on your weaknesses. Remember, this can be a daunting task because you may have to own up to a few shortcomings you’re not prepared to recognize!

Step 3: Choose a Product or Service – this sounds silly, but just because you think you know what business you want to be in, it doesn’t mean your idea will be a profitable one. Take a look at the feasibility of your idea.

Step 4: Research Your Market – marketing research is crucial to the success of any business, large or small. The more you know about your potential market, the greater your chances of securing the customers you want, right out of the gate, and that means making a profit.

Step 5: Forecast Your Sales Revenue – after you take a look at the market your product is best suited for, estimate the percentage of that market that you think you will reasonably be able to take over. Take in to account the number of your competitors, their size, and the amount of market they already have. It is important to be realistic during this exercise.

Step 6: Choose a Location – is your new business going to be on the web? Or will you have a retail storefront? Will you consult out of your home office? Be careful to weight both your personal preferences and what makes the most sense for the ultimate success of your business. You might like the idea of working in your pajamas every day, but if your shingle needs to be seen by the public for maximum growth potential, a home office might not be your best option.

Step 7: Develop a Marketing Plan – here you will be forced to detail you plan to gain customers, and turn a profit. Discuss possible marketing channels, price points, advertising, and sales promotion.

Step 8: Develop an Organizational Plan – what skills and talents do your new business need to not only survive, but to grow as well? If you don’t have all these traits, how are you going to get them in the door? Will you hire freelancers? Are you hoping to bring on an employee right away? If these individuals, and their skill sets, are vital to your success, do not make a plan without them!

Step 9: Decide on Your Status – sole proprietor? Partnership? You need to decide how you’re going to approach this, and investigate the legal ramifications of each situation. As a sole proprietor, you’re in control, but you’re also solely responsible. In a partnership, you share the responsibility, but you also share the decision making and the profits. What works best for your budget AND your personality?

Step 10: Address Your Accounting – if you don’t know how much money is coming in and out of your business, you will never know if you are making a profit, or if you need to make changes. Keeping track of your numbers is one of the single most important things you can do for your business. Decide on whether you will do it in house, or outsource it to a professional; if you take care of it yourself, decide on what software you will use.

Step 11: Put it All into Numbers – this may or may not be necessary for you; it depends on what type of business you are starting. When you approach a financial institution for a small business loan, they will respond better if they see all of your plans in numbers; they are, after all, in the business of numbers.

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