Before you take out a second mortgage, use these rules to figure out the realistic costs of setting up a business.

Have a Solid Plan — Then Change It

Most business start-up stories say that you have to have a business plan. And you do. But that's not the beginning and end of figuring out your start-up costs.

Jeff Shuman, who directs entrepreneurial studies at Bentley College, says, "The conventional wisdom is that an entrepreneur sees an opportunity, comes up with a business plan to capitalise on it, determines the capital that needs to be raised, raises the capital and then applies it to building the business described in the business plan."

There's one major problem with that model, says Shuman. It all hinges on getting the business right the first time, and that doesn't often happen. "In reality, it's likely that some of your initial assumptions are pretty good and others aren't going to be worth the paper they're written on," he says.

Shuman and others say that figuring out your start-up costs means regularly reviewing your assumptions and changing your initial model. Writing a plan is good because it forces you to write down everything you are going to need to start your business.

But that initial plan is likely to change repeatedly as you learn new things and incorporate them into the plan.

Be Willing to Pull Back

It's tempting to add up everything you need for the full-fledged business you imagine, and decide it's what you need to start out.

But pulling back and looking for a smaller model can give you a way to get started while also saving money. Shuman uses the example of someone who calculates the total cost of starting a retail business in a local shopping centre.

"You could start that way and write a business plan based on that amount," he says. "But maybe you'd be better off renting a stand and testing what the demand is for your products at that location."

This consumer testing reduces your initial start-up costs. The result is that the initial cycle of your business is dedicated not so much to generating profits as to generating information. "With this, you can fund your business on a cycle-by-cycle basis," Shuman says. "When you go for the second cycle and for expanding your business, the numbers are now based not on focus groups or surveys but on real-world experience."

Calculate Prices and Time Correctly

Calculating your initial cash flow is part of figuring out your start-up costs. It's an area where businesses are sometimes less optimistic than they should be. "Small business owners may under-price their product or service, thinking they have to come in at the lowest price point to compete," says Barbara Bird, who chairs the business management program at an American university. "They don't necessarily need to do that."

Correctly Estimate Your Start-up Time

Yes, when beginning a business, time can be money. Let's say you're going to have fixed costs such as a monthly lease. If you have to make improvements to a space before you can actually open for business, those fixed costs are going to be additional start-up costs until you can actually open for business. I've watched many entrepreneurs draw up a timeline for their ventures and get tripped up on the safety and inspection requirements imposed by local agencies.

For that reason, I think one of the first places a prospective new business owner should go is to the local government planning or license department. Construction permits and inspections can push a prospective opening date back by months. If you fail to take into account the cost of this time, you could be short of working capital right at the start.

Be Realistic About the Cost of Money

Many (http://www.microsoft.com/india/smallbusiness/-small business) owners finance their ventures by running up big balances on their personal credit cards. Others tap the equity in their homes.

But self-financing isn't a practical option for larger ventures. Tom Emerson, who directs the (http://www.microsoft.com/india/smallbusiness/partners.mspx-entrepreneurship) centre at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, says start-ups should figure in the cost of capital when determining initial expenses and cash flow. "The cost is usually based on what the interest would be, were that cash invested in something with similar risk on the market" Emerson says. "It's usually a figure that is a few percentage points or more above the prime rate."

We all desire one thing from our job, whatever it is that we do. Whether we are work-at-home people, or educators and doctors, we are all hunting for some sort of business success. This is a natural consequence of investing our time and drive into something, whether we care about the emotional and psychological success or we are quite simply interested in the paycheck achievement, most of us are out there every week seeking our portion of commercial success. Long term Self employment business success is no different. Whether we join an affiliate program, an MLM plan, or have some other form of business, we are all seeking out that wonderful success that allows us to call ourselves web-based entrepreneurs.

Long term Self employment commercial success starts with our choice of home based opportunities. Whether we are out there searching for the next absolutely wonderful new idea or are trying to stay with the rules and programs introduced with classic style 40 years ago, we want our commercial business to flourish. Many people end up being so gung-ho about finding their own self employed business achievement that they have ten different endeavors going at once, hoping one or two of them will take off and send them into the world of pecuniary reward and personal fulfillment. This is entirely possible with a few crucial elements, the first of which involves selecting the right home based business.

Home based ventures evolve every day. You probably already understand this because you belong to enough mailing lists to commandeer quite a few accounts. Every day someone brings forth a brand new idea in the home based venture world that they slap the term “evolutionary” on to help rev up people's fervor and make them feel like they should join.  Today. If it is truly a great and evolutionary home based venture, it will exist beyond today, and it is okay to hold over your enrollment until you are absolutely secure it is something that you should participate in. On the other side, how are you ever supposed to be sure that you’re setting yourself a good offer if you can't possibly discover what it is that is so revolutionary. Those people who have sent the new home based venture to your email are hoping that you’ll need to know so seriously that you’ll get together, and then when you’re let down and recognize you’ve made yourself a nasty endeavor, they already have taken your hard earned money and are not overly concerned with your thoughts about their idea.

The business industry is taking on a whole new audience. For a lot of businesspeople, venture no longer means associate programs or Multi-level marketing plans, but real ventures that can be run from a real business location. This is good news for those who want to take in a real means of earnings from home by applying real work and real creativity. This is not to say that MLM and affiliate programs are not legitimate employment, rather, for all the real work, and the real effort, how many affiliate plans and other plan members do you actually know who are earning a reasonable income?  This is exactly what I mean. If there were friends all over your neighborhood garnering these incredible incomes in their associate plan or their MLM plan, then the rational alternative would be to mosey on over to the next door neighbor and ask how to get on board.

Long term Self employment success means acquiring a home based venture that enables us to be successful if we choose to put the work into it. When you've finished snickering, you might want to chew over purchasing a venture that is already in full operation, that can enable you to rearrange your priorities and your imagination in the fashion that you desire, and that won’t beg you for a dime before you know exactly what you’re getting into.

If you have your own web site and want to get the word out on your products or services, there are a few things to do in order to advertise the smart way.  No matter what size business or product that you are selling, you can draw lots of traffic to your site by advertising correctly.

Many web developers throw money around without doing the proper research and analysis on who their customers really are. Before you throw money around make sure that you have put plenty of thought and analysis into which ways are the best way to advertise your product.  Here are a few tips.

Make sure you know who your customers are. A lot of web developers place their advertisements on the wrong types of web sites, which bring them little if any traffic.  If you decide to use techniques such as email and popup advertisements, be forewarned that these types of advertising are considered nuisances to many customers.  Many advertisers make the common mistake of advertising in one big shot instead of growing a market and following trends.  So the next time you commit to an advertising campaign, make sure that you are advertising the smart way.

Numeric Data Entry services are completely planned to help businesses for big or small organizations. The data entry clerks will be entering data into Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel for absolute periods of time.

Numeric Data Entry service enables global organizations to produce high volume documents quickly and efficiently. While we have a lot of data to enter it is imperative to be expert to do it quickly. Using information from the earlier sections. Our Data Entry Numeric test dealings your talent to enter a range of numeric data using the ten-key pad. Data includes social security numbers, credit card account numbers, phone numbers and other numbers used in data entry. The test consists of groups of data, and your score is based on your average keystrokes per hour used to for correctness. This test is designed for data entry workers or clerks.

Some organizations likes Telecom billing, Medical billing, Examination results forms based data entry what ever its requirement. Data Entry Outsourcing accomplishes these efficiently through a perfect combination of advanced technologies and proven processes. Our oversize experience enables us to quickly set up and produce projects that require stylish editing or formatting. We use confirm, cost-effective methods and approaches that produce consistent and accurate results.

When adopting a lot of numbers of data business process outsourcing as a workable way to cut costs during services, concentrate on interior competencies and go with a fixed to a changeable price.

With requirement organization work as closely with using mature operational policies that ensure data privacy and services continuity. Outsourcing the Numeric Data Entry task necessary for your business needs to us gives you the chance to focus on extra core business activities. Particular features of our Numeric Data Entry service are likes high accuracy, high data security, Manual validation procedures, state-of the art technology, Flexibility, Duplicate check identification

With an excellent team of experienced data entry experts, Data Entry Outsourcing has successfully assisted a large number of clients in their Numeric Data Entry projects. Allowing Data Entry Outsourcing to manage your Numeric Data Entry tasks provides you excellent flexibility and power to react to original and existing business opportunities.

The most direct method of gathering data is the use of the 'input' element. A powerful feature of this element is that you can specify a format mask with the 'format' attribute. The input mask allows you to tell the browser the characters, which are acceptable for entry in the input field. For example the entry field can be formatted to accept a defined number of characters or can be limited to believe only alpha or numeric characters.

By combine proved operating methods and mistake-proof Quality Control systems with advanced technology, we deliver excellent services for your Numeric Data Entry needs. If you have to enter list of numbers a spreadsheet or other application, read them into you computers microphone and record them. Then play the recording back as you type.

Artificial trees are perfect for homes, restaurants, hotels, and offices because they need little to or no maintenance to keep them looking alive and beautiful. It is popular to add a natural touch to your space with an artificial tree or two. They look just like real, live trees and all you have to do is pick out the one you like and have it shipped, or take it home yourself. Once you get it all set up you can sit back and enjoy with no watering, trimming, or fertilizing necessary. You also don't have to worry about them growing too big for it there location.

Artificial trees have trunks that act as a central support and there is an external covering that makes them look realistic. The artificial trunk is attached to a plane base that provides support for the entire tree. Artificial trees come in an assortment of materials such as plastic, canvas, fiberglass, steel, and preserved palm. These trees can cost anywhere from Ј20 to Ј1,000 depending on the size, materials used, and quality.

There are other materials such as steel and fiberglass which tend to cost more but they are more durable. They are generally dug into the ground or put in a pot where they will stay healthy and vibrant looking for years to come. There are super durable artificial trees that are poly-blend plastic and can hold up to weather. The trunks of these trees are sometimes pressurized pine which gives the tree a more natural look, while keeping prices low.

Artificial trees can be potted into containers just as real tree are. You can do this by getting a plastic pot, then tape up the holes. Next mix the weights such as stone, brick, or rock then expand cement foam to cement tree in to the pot. Now you can place your tree anywhere indoor or outdoor.

Consumers are the life line of any successful business and you can learn a great deal of information from them. If you want to find out how good or bad your business is call the customers and ask them. They will give you straight answers and you can modify your approach if there are areas where you are failing to meet their needs.

They will appreciate the fact that you are interested in what they have to say, not just taking their money and then tossing them aside. Without really doing much of anything you have just made the bond between you and the customer stronger. Loyal customers will come back to make future purchases as well as refer others to you.

The fact that conducting customer phone surveys leads to retaining those relationships means that you aren’t going to have to work as hard in the future with marketing to have a successful business. It is harder to continually find new customers out there in the market so focus a great deal of your attention on those you already have. You want them to be repeat customers for life once they make an initial purchase from you.

Consumer trends never stay the same for very long so business owners are always trying to figure out what to offer them next. Some are leaders in this area and they control the biggest portion of the consumer market. Others simply follow along in their footsteps but they don’t reap the same volume of sales.

By talking to your customers on the phone you will be able to successfully forecast emerging trends. They will know better than any one else what direction they are moving in. With this information you can revamp your marketing strategies and offer them something new before your competition does.

You will find investing in a customer phone survey results in fewer customers that aren’t satisfied with what you have to offer. This will save your business a substantial amount of money. First, you won’t have to pay so much for customer service support because there won’t be as many issues. Second, those customers that are satisfied are less likely to return products and ask for a refund.

The data that is collected from customer phone surveys can help you determine if your business should expand. This could be to offer more of what you are already doing or to implement new products or services. Having such data available reduces the risk of jumping into such ventures and hoping the will be successful.

You will find phone surveys can be a very effective tool for your business. It doesn’t matter what types of goods or services you offer because consumers are going to dictate the success. Don’t let problems that you could have taken care of result in your business not being successful. It doesn’t take too much time or money to conduct phone surveys with your customers but the information is priceless.

Introduction - Our law firm has clients that come to us referencing some book they read about offshore banking or offshore corporations. We have read a lot of this material and though it was time to comment on it and the same for the offshore newsletters.

Offshore Guides and Books - The big problem is that the material written in these books is generally at least one year old, often longer than that. The laws have a habit of changing. Panama just changed the tourist visa laws for instance and now it will be out of date in numerous books. We have also read a lot of these books that have plain gross errors in addition to time related errors. The author is trying to sell books. Most of the guides cover 20 or 30 jurisdictions. It is a massive undertaking to get all the laws correct in each jurisdiction and most research other books and if the original author has an error then the errors carry through in all the books that used the erroneous one as a source text. Offshore Guides and Books are flawed by definition since they take so long to write, copyright, print, distribute and take to the marketplace in the form of inventory. Do not rely on the book. Remember the author of the book be he a lawyer or not is not going to represent you if trouble comes knocking on your door. You are still going to have to go out and find a lawyer to represent you. Be on guard with offshore books and guides.

Offshore Newsletters - We see these being offered all the time. Generally these are tied to the people holding offshore seminars on asset protection, retirement or real estate.

Often accountants, lawyers and other legitimate authorities author these newsletters. Problem is these authorities are not your lawyer or accountant and they will not represent you in the event of any problems following their advice. The other problem is these professionals are not in a straight up client relationship with you. They are working for the seminar company, not you. You are not their client. It is their job to see that you buy things from the company they work for. In the case of real estate the company is going to get a commission on anything you buy so it is not in their best interests to get you the best deal. The more you spend the more they make. The extra commissions they earn on your purchases can very well increase the cost you will pay for real estate. Generally speaking these so called experts have a conflict of interest between you the reader and the people they work for and their material is best taken with a large grain of salt. Remember the prices you see listed on their websites for real estate are going to be what we call "gringo Prices", inflated prices for the foreign purchaser.

We will provide any limousine service that you require at competitive and affordable rates.  007 Limousine Service drivers are on call to use their extensive knowledge of the Washington D.C. area to ensure that you have the best, most enjoyable limousine experience when you are in the nation’s capital and surrounding area.  007 Limousine Service provides point-to-point services from the moment you arrive in the Washington D.C. area, to the moment you are dropped off at your desired destination.

The Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area is a hotbed of activities that can cater to your cultural sense, political motivations, or sporting activities.  Whether you are into culture, religion, academics, the arts, or politics, 007 Limousine Service can ensure you experience the area in style with their luxurious limousines, limos, limo buses, limo vans, party limos, SUV limos, or town cars.  Whatever you want to do in the Washington area can be accomplished in the high end style you deserve, at one of the most competitive prices in the area.

If you are a history or culture lover, you will enjoy the world class museums and art venues that the Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virrginia area has to offer.  There is no better way to experience the ambience of this history mecca than through the experience of a town car, sedan, or stretch limousine to take you to any historical destination you desire.  Blend in with the history and culture of this area by enlisting a luxurious limousine or town car through 007 limousine services.  Attend live theater or musical performances at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and do so in style, with the convenience and elegance of a classic stretch limousine from 007 Limousine Service.

Wherever you go in the Virginia, Maryland, or Washington area, make sure that you book your ground transportation with 007limo.com.  When you are visiting a new area, the last thing you want to worry about is how to get to the places you want to go.  Our success is attributed to the fact that you, our customer, is our primary focus.  Our executive sedans, stretch limos, limo buses, airport buses, party bus, town cars, or limousines are suited to provide the elegant look and style that you deserve when you are visiting a new area.  Let 007 Limousine Service worry about how to get you there, while you sit back and arrive at your destination in the elegance, style and comfort you deserve.

If dining and nightlife is what drew you to this beautiful area of the country, you will find you have almost too many options for things to do.  Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia all enjoy a thriving dining culture and diverse nightlife.  Take advantage of any of our limousine services at 007limo.com to experience the Washington area nightlife in both luxury and style. Our downtown and stretch limousines will take you to each club or venue of your choice to ensure you experience these sights as a local would.  If you have a large group, be sure to take advantage of a limo bus, party bus, limo van, or SUV limo.  There is no group too large or too intimate that 007 Limousine Service can not accommodate.

E-Commerce Update for Entrepreneurs

Trends in Ecommerce are important as billions of electronic dollars build upon themselves year after year - making numerous budding entrepreneurs more money than they ever dreamt they would see! Companies like Facebook, said to be valued at fourteen billion dollars only four years in operation. And yes, that is billion - with a B.

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Other companies, like YouTube - might only fetch a mere billion dollars. While many companies still go the traditional route of selling products and services online, and doing quite well judging from the massive increases in online sales, other companies sell nothing at all! They simply invite people to come and share some E-time with their site and collect advertising revenue in the process. Sites like Facebook have people willingly putting their demographic info into computer systems that allow advertisers to target a specific group of people. Want only women age 25-34 who are single Moms and work? How tough is it to hit that exact group with television advertising? But with online databases where people sign up so they can post and share their pictures, stories and even videos, the advertisers know exactly who they are reaching!

There are a million and one ways to make money on the Internet. And more and more would be entrepreneurs are discovering this and cashing in! Take a look at some figures from the U.S. Department of Commerce:

While total commerce went up less than nine percent from 2004 to 2005, E-Commerce, or those little electronic dollars went flying around cyberspace at almost twice that rate, or just under seventeen percent! The most notable number in Business to Business was the manufacturing sector. Up only 9.9% year over year as a whole, E-Commerce manufacturing was up a whopping 27.1%!

But if you think that is something, take a look at the Business to Consumer Retail figure! As a whole retail eeked out a less than six and a half percent gain. But E-Commerce retail was up 22.2 percent! While total retail sales struggled compared to most other sectors, E-Commerce went through the roof!

These figures seem to make it clear that people have become quite content to shop online. But surely there is a preliminary report that would show us how we fare in 2007? Indeed there is, and the numbers continue to amaze:

We can again see that while the total retail sales may only be sloughing along at three to six percent as we compare current quarters to the year ago quarters (last two columns) we see that the E-Commerce retail figures continue well into the double digits, with most of the listed quarters reporting gains of more than twenty percent!

The United States, indeed the world is now embracing all forms of E-Commerce and there doesn't appear to be any indication of that trend reversing anytime soon. For people thinking about becoming an online Entrepreneur the challenges are certainly present. But one would be hard pressed to name a better time to face these challenges!

Want to know when this article is updated? (The third quarter E-Commerce report will be released on November 19th) Submit your email and we will let you know!

Email Address:

Information in this report was obtained from the United States Department of Commerce - Census Bureau. Some figures may be preliminary figures. The data is believed to be accurate but is not guaranteed. Readers are encouraged to visit the Department of Commerce - CB and read the reports in their entirety. Any projections made in this report are only an opinion.

http://www.datachoices.com/public/Ecommerce2007.html