Consider this a homework assignment for a would-be entrepreneur. How well you do determines whether your business succeeds or fails.

The assignment is a research project. You're going to research the validity of your business plan. I'm going to show you how to do adequate research before starting a business.

It can be difficult to gauge what "adequate" really means. Here's a checklist of some elements that any sufficient business research will contain:

• Market Research

It may be surprising, but many entrepreneurs start a business without really understanding the market they plan to serve. You must know the potential size of your market and, in turn, what sort of response your service or product will attract:

• Demographic Data

Don't try and sell something unless you know the buyers have money to spend. Know the numbers behind your market, including income levels, age breakdowns and if your target market is growing or shrinking. Sources of demographic information may include various governmental or taxing authorities and, on a more local level, voter rolls (invaluable if you want information on the ages of your market target).

• Customer feedback

An equally important element of market research is getting a personal sense of your customers. Ask what they genuinely value, no matter if it's a low price, customer support or a particular element of your product or service. If you're gearing up a new business or modifying an existing product, ask if your business can solve some sort of ongoing problem."It's really effective research to identify problems that aren't being solved," says Peter Meyer, author of "Creating and Dominating New Markets." "Do interviews on a regular basis and, if someone isn't a customer, ask them why not. What product could you offer to make them a customer or what problem could you solve to achieve the same goal?"

• Competition

A third element of market research is knowing who you're up against. Rest assured you will be competing with someone, so never assume that you're the only company to have spotted an opportunity.. On-site research is particularly helpful. Observe customer traffic patterns, noting ebbs and flows in both the number of customers and what they are buying. If it's a retail outlet, try shopping there yourself.

Other research options include visiting a competitor's website. If a competitor happens to be a public company, you can obtain every piece of literature that a publicly held firm must provide. Finally, while it's tempting to focus on a competitor's weak spots, pay close attention to what they do well. "Understand how they make their money," says David Gumpert, author of "How to Really Start Your Own Business." "Don't just look at what they screw up; find out how they're able to stay in business."

• Pricing

An ancillary element to market research is doing work to decide what you're going to charge customers.It's important to gain a feel for going rates to remain competitive. Pricing competitors' services and data from trade and professional associations is exceedingly helpful. But, says Meyer, pay attention to every element that contributes to your eventual prices or fees. "Price really is more of a marketing tool than it is a vehicle for cost recovery," he says. "People will pay more for a high value product or solution, so be sure to research your total value."

• Location

This is particularly critical for retail operations. Ask any prospective landlord if they have a foot traffic analysis on hand. First-hand observation is always a good option; examine walk-in traffic, parking spaces and other nearby businesses that may help or hinder your customer flow. Don't thoroughly dismiss the issue of location if you're not selling jewellery or clothes. A conveniently located office at a prestigious address can be a boon to a start-up consulting firm. Review any available buying data and trends for people who live in that area.

• Research Your Costs

Knowing your expenses is essential in estimating how much you'll need to bring in to stay in business. Research prospective costs thoroughly. Include everything from salaries to rent. For at least the first year or two, break down those costs in three-month increments. And, adds Gumpert, it actually helps to be a bit macabre when forecasting expenses: "Things are probably going to cost more than you expect, just like it's probably going to take longer to land your first client than you anticipate."

• What's Enough?

Although sufficient research is vital to the growth and success of any business, there is a point where enough becomes too much. Don't become so mired in research that you end up with too much information to make a decision. Watch to see how your research is borne out in reality. If, for instance, you're hitting your income goals or matching what you expected in walk-in traffic, your research is on the mark. And, adds Meyer, take note of repetition: "If you're asking questions and you keep getting the same answers over and over, you know you're in the right place."

J.O.G.S. Tucson Gem and Jewelry show is the largest and most popular independent jewelry trade shows in the Tucson, Arizona area.  Wholesale manufacturers, miners and international dealers gather at the Tucson Expo Center, the site of the J.O.G.S. show, every winter.

Buyer attendance at the J.O.G.S. show exceeds 27,000, composing over 4,000 jewelry firms.  The majority of these are registered business owners representing the retail jewelry industry of the United States.  The attendees of the J.O.G.S. show are owners of gift shops, private galleries, boutiques, department stores, and retail jewelry shops.  The buyers are able to buy jewelry right on the floor as it is delivered; this makes J.O.G.S. a cash and carry show.

For the 2008 show, there will be approximately 800 booths of exhibitors selling wholesale finished jewelry, cut stones, gems, beads, coral, turquoise, amber and much more.  The exhibitors are divided up by pavilions.

Must see at J.O.G.S.

A truly one of a kind Southwestern jewelry pavilion can only be found at the J.O.G.S. show.  It is composed of great Mexican and Native American designs of turquoise and coral set in silver.  Exhibiting are the top dealers, miners and manufacturers with the largest stock of jewelry from Albuquerque, Mexico and China.

The American Amber Association presents, at the J.O.G.S. show, the largest U.S. Amber pavilion.  The pavilion is composed of amber designers and amber manufacturers from all the Baltic countries famous for their amber source.  If you are an amber retailer or are just an amberholic, you will love this pavilion.  The J.O.G.S. show is your once in a year opportunity to buy these great designs at an excellent price.

The Art Gem Dйcor pavilion contain some of the most beautiful dйcor items crafted out of stones, gems, copper, wood, metal and other materials.  These are museum quality pieces created by some of the most talented artists in the world.  This is truly one of the most unique art collections you will ever see, it is like an art show inside the J.O.G.S. show.  Besides the exquisite art pieces, you can also find some great everyday interior design pieces.  Other J.O.G.S. pavilions include the many international pavilions which represent the rich jewelry heritage of Indonesia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Mexico and Nepal.

Products at the J.O.G.S. show

There are products at the J.O.G.S. show to suit just about any buyer.  The product range covers all price points, from high end one of a kind designs to everyday popular items available at wholesale prices.  Often buyers rely on the expertise of the wholesale sellers to pick out next season’s hottest selling lines.  Buyers can be seen purchasing large quantities at wholesale prices as well as occasional one of a kind purchases intended for personal and private collections.

Venue of the J.O.G.S. show

Each J.O.G.S. show is held in the state of the art Tucson Expo Center, one of Tucson’s largest professional convention centers.  The whole show takes place under one roof and on the same floor, ensuring that buyers visit every booth and no vendor gets left out.  Great promotion, a complimentary lunch buffet for the buyers, top security and a red carpet atmosphere has been responsible for the success of the J.O.G.S. show.

Whether you own a restaurant or a retail outlet, the right point of sale (POS) hardware and software can increase your bottom line. Here are five reasons why:

1. Return on Investment. While there are POS systems at many different price points, there are inexpensive software solutions that have great functionality, work with a wide variety of types of hardware, and can integrate with other business software. For example, if you are looking for pizza shop software, Point of Success is a low-priced restaurant POS software package that has a wide range of features. Similarly, Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (also known as Microsoft RMS) is a cost-effective solution for a clothing boutique.

2. Enhance Customer Service. If you're a restaurateur or a retailer, your relationships with your customers are paramount. POS equipment can ensure that your employees can spend more time interacting with customers and less time entering information into equipment. Restaurant POS software, for example, allows employees to enter and track orders, so mistakes are minimized and customers aren't kept waiting. Similarly, retail point of sale software can give your staff immediate access to availability, prices, and the location of inventory. This means that your customers can get a high level of service, increasing the likelihood of repeat business.

3. Increase Efficiency. If you can increase the efficiency of your restaurant or retail store, you'll soon see increased profits through a decrease in staffing costs, losses due to errors, and improved accountability. Microsoft POS, for example, allows your employees to quickly and efficiently check out customer purchases with built-in credit and debit card processing. It also enables you to do everything from tracking work hours with a time clock to tracking cashier tasks. This kind of transparency enables you to make informed decisions about policies and procedures, as well as to track problems back to their source.

4. Lower Training Costs. With point of sale software and hardware, you have a standardized training approach for your employees. By customizing the software to correspond to your menu items, for example, a trainee can quickly and easily enter orders. That same software can print preparation tickets or display orders on a kitchen monitor. With pizza shop software, you can easily train delivery drivers to pick up delivery dispatches and note their availability when they return from deliveries.

5. Improved Reporting. One of the primary benefits of point of sale software is its reporting capability. Better reporting gives you the information you need to do everything from making buying decisions to preparing your tax returns. Reporting capabilities vary from software package to software package, and the type of business you have will most likely dictate the type of software you need. For example, Microsoft POS and Microsoft RMS both allow you to manage and track inventory, generate purchase orders, track customer purchase histories, and track employee hours. Microsoft RMS offers even more reporting options, including customized reports, the ability to track backorders and layaways, and the capability to manage account receivables of customers.

The importance of point of sale equipment and software can't be overstated. It may seem like a significant investment, but it will more than pay for itself with increased sales, efficiency, and reporting.

Replica sunglasses are cheaper and they effectively serve the purposes of the sunglass buyers who purchase the eyewear as a stylish tool. Replica Oakley sunglasses are in high demand, actually the younger people prefer the Oakley sunglasses due to their design. Oakley offer a wide range of products and some of them are prescription eyewear, premium sunglasses, goggles etc. Replica Oakley sunglasses are within reach of the common people and this is the main case behind rising demand of them. The replica sunglasses are made with such craftsmanship and expertise that often it becomes difficult to distinguish between the original ones and the duplicates.

It has been also found that the dealers are selling the fake Oakley sunglasses as originals; this proves that it is very difficult to identify a replica Oakley sunglass. The Oakley replica sunglasses do not come with UV ray protection or proper warrantee; these sunglasses are ideal for the individuals who prefer to change sunglasses and want to use the sunglasses as stylish accessories. There are different websites that offer online Oakley sunglasses and the giveaway price is as low as just $ 10.A prudent purchaser must be aware of the fact that replacements of free service for these sunglasses are impossible.

There are sunglass lovers who do not care about whether a sunglass is original or replica, they just want to buy the new stylish eyewear. While buying a replica Oakley sunglass it must be considered that these sunglasses may not be polarized and also may not provide protection from the UV rays. For impressing friends with different pairs of trendy sunglasses, Oakley replicas are perfect. The Oakley replicas come with even similar logo, so it is possible to get the appreciation like an original Oakley sunglass just with a few bucks. The repair costs of the replica sunglasses are much cheaper than those of the genuine Oakley sunglasses.

Each and every model of the original Oakley sunglasses comes with exceptional Iridium and Plutonite lens coverage. The craftsmanship of the replica Oakley sunglass makers are praise worthy and they accurately copy the revolutionary technologies offered by Oakley. The duplicate Oakley sunglasses are also popularly known as Foakleys.The duplicate Oakley sunglasses are available at different city convenience stores and even from the roadside vendors. The price of the original Oakley sunglasses is much higher and the styles and the designs change considerably, so demand of the replica Oakley’s are quite high.

People suddenly by sunglasses before going to the weekend tours and outings, and search for sunglasses, and for short time use they finally settle with a cheap Oakley replica. There are plenty of online articles and journals that offer information about these replica sunglasses and it is best to read them to get proper insight about these replica sunglasses. There are online replica sunglass sellers that propose total money back in case of dissatisfaction with the Oakley replica sunglass. It is wise not to desire and warrantee or money back after purchasing an Oakley replica sunglass. For more information, visit their home page at http://www.sunglassesmall.com

Outsourcing of jobs to offshore companies has been a hot-button issue since the 1960s when the United States began losing automotive manufacturing jobs to Japan. In recent years, the outsourcing of technical jobs has revived the debate which became one of the top issues in the 2004 presidential campaign. However, actual facts and statistics about the effect of outsourcing on the American economy are hard to come by. Rhetoric, not facts, dominate the discussion of whether outsourcing has an effect on the economy.

There is a serious dichotomy between the beliefs of average Americans and those of economists and other experts. For example, a Zogby International Poll showed that 71% of Americans believe that outsourcing hurts the economy but when the Wall Street Journal asked the same question of economists, only 15% felt that outsourcing had a negative effect.

Opinions on outsourcing tend to be divided by economic status rather than political persuasion. For example, some Republicans in the House and Senate believe that outsourcing has a terrible effect on the economy and that legislation should be enacted to stop it. However, conservative think tanks like the Heritage Foundation and Republicans with ties to big business believe that the threat of outsourcing has been over exaggerated.

Liberals are also divided about outsourcing. The Democratic party has traditionally been the party of labor in the United States but it was a Democratic president, Bill Clinton, who shepherded the North American Free Trade Agreement through Congress, a treaty which most experts agree facilitated the current outsourcing trend.

For every argument for outsourcing, there is another argument against it. For example, the Heritage Foundation argues that despite outsourcing more Americans are employed than ever before and that jobs continue to be created to compensate for those lost overseas. Anti-outsourcing advocates point out that gross wages are dropping because the jobs that are being created are low-level service sector jobs, not high-tech jobs to replace the ones that are being lost.

The Heritage Foundation, citing the Organization for International Investment also argues that for every job outsourced, another is "insourced" to the United States from another country, often at a higher rate of pay than the job lost. Anti-outsourcing advocates say that those numbers can't be accurately verified.

What is clear is that until the federal government conducts accurate research into the effects of outsourcing on the United States economy, there will be no definitive answer one way or the other.

Anyone with a home office, computer or kids in need of school supplies is most likely familiar with a store called OfficeMax. The company was founded in April 1988 and the first OfficeMax store opened in Cleveland, Ohio in July of that same year. The superstore chain now has over 900 locations in the United States and Mexico with just about every kind of office supply item you’d ever need from electronics, furniture and software to post-its and pencils.

Over the years, OfficeMax has taken on business ventures with several well-established companies such as Hewlett-Packard. Their goal is to provide consumers with the highest rated state-of-the-art services and products.

In addition to their partnership with Hewlett-Packard, another undertaking OfficeMax took on was a business venture with the Earthlink internet provider service in 2001. The two companies decided to hook up and market a wide variety of internet services to focus on the small business customer. As a result of this enterprise, Earthlink became the preferred provider of internet services to OfficeMax’s customers. Web hosting, dial-up and broadband connectivity are some of the Internet services the two companies offer by what OfficeMax refers to as ‘an interactive store-within-a-store’. They have made it available at all of the OfficeMax locations and online through the Business Services area of OfficeMax.com.

OfficeMax's chairman and chief executive officer, Michael Feuer said basically, that they chose EarthLink because of it strong customer focus. OfficeMax was further impressed by Earthlink’s operation because they stand behind their customer service commitment and constantly offer new technology to help small business customers become more efficient and effective. Additionally, EarthLink agreed to and continues providing training to OfficeMax employees on concepts that are designed to provide both of their customer bases with awareness and accessibility to the latest internet services.

OfficeMax and Earthlink view their combined business venture a win/win opportunity for both the companies and their customers. Earthlink feels that through their agreement with OfficeMax, they will be achieving a solid, retail-level method for reaching millions of small business customers. Both corporations also have the opportunity to provide their customers with new services they can use for accessing the internet which will increase productivity for their businesses.

Whether you are a small business owner, home-based professional or regular, all-American family with office and computer supply needs in addition to internet services, you can depend on OfficeMax for quality products and services. Check them out at www.officemax.com.