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How to Understand, Start, and Run a Profitable Online Homebased Travel Business

Home Based Travel BusinessWhy this is such an excellent choice for a homebased business,Guest Posting and How To Get Started

Looking for a Home Based Business? Look no further.. or at least until you read this entire article. We think your perspective may be greatly broadened by why you learn here.

Are you searching for the Best Home Based Business ? Recent polls show that over 70% of us are seeking such an opportunity. But does something like this really exist?

Here’s the problem: if you asked ten different people what the “best” home business was, you would probably get ten different answers. The truth of the matter is it really comes down to finding the best one for YOU.

We are all coming from a unique background. Each of us first has different wants and needs, and a want or need will determine what is best. Then we all have different abilities, and yes.. your abilities DO match up to what might be the best for YOU. What’s best for a friend or neighbor and might work for them might be a total mismatch for you. This article will give you a good insigte and provide a direction on what is one of the most universally agreed upon as a “Best” business.

We all have different interests and personalities, interests , abilities, and personalities. We have different weaknesses and strenghts. We also come from all sorts of different circumstances. So it makes sense that not all of us are going to be interested in the same home based business opportunity.

If there was truly ONE business that was for everyone, can you imagine how competitive that field would be? It would be VERY hard for anyone to make any money!

You have probably seen advertisements all over the internet about THE #1 income making opportunity. Don’t get fooled by all the so called ways and opportunity to make easy money. There is no such thing.

That’s where this report comes in. This article is NOT a comprehensive list of reviews of the thousands of home based business ideas out there. It’s an article that tells you some parameters of a good home based business, then discusses the travel industry. We give you the pros and cons both of a job and being in business; we tell you the history of our industry, and then why it’s so good and the place to be right now as it rides two major trends: Travel and the Internet.

I have researched and tried (sometimes failing miserably) many of those businesses, both online and in the real world, BUT, I have found and chosen something that is a legitimate way to make a great income from home. That’s what this is about. It’s a great fit for me, but because you are NOT me and probably have a different personality (thank heaven!), it may not be for you.. and that’s ok. But if you see things as I do, and as is presented here…

The best home based business for ME is a HOME BASED TRAVEL BUSINESS. I know it will also be for many of you.

But other than the fact that I’m just a normal, ordinary guy with no special talents.. and in fact, I’m probably older than most readers at 69 and I started this just last year, this article is not about me. It only points out that about anyone can easily get involved in the home based travel business. This is about YOU and what YOU want from life and your “working hours”, whether you are a stay-at-home-mom, a retiree, or any other category.

So the question becomes, out of all the various choices: Why start a online travel business?

We are going to discuss first the “Why”, then a little about the various types, and then the “how”. This will take some time, so grab a beverage of your choice and read on. In fact, I suggest you print this out while the coffee is brewing so you can really digest it. Mark it up. Pencil in questions.. and let’s get going!

First and foremost, when choosing a home based business, it’s really important to ask yourself “Why” are you doing this, and are you prepared to take it seriously and treat it like a business? That means regular hours of commitment of time and a commitment of money as any and all businesses you own are going to require some degree of investment.

This is probably as good of a time as any to differentiate between a JOB and a Business. ..

A job, including a home based “job” is one where you are going to essentially be trading time for money, and the assumption is that you have an employer of some sort who is going to pay you either on a dollar value per hour spent, or some dollar value for certain production. That production could be sales production as it often is; it could be manufacturing production, or it could be service production.. so many envelopes stuffed; so many calls made, so many of about anything done. That person is going to pay you for that, but you know that person or company is only doing this because they are going to make a certain amount of money on you. You are essentially paid what the job is worth; what the employer could get a replacement for you for. Regardless of your skills, you are not being paid what YOU are worth, but what the job is worth. For accepting this, you get some degree of security knowing that if you do “the assignment” or “the job” you are going to receive a certain, predictable amount of money. You may even receive some benefits. But the “security” is a joke because everyone knows that there is very little security. First the employer must remain in business. He must have a market for whatever it is you are doing, and markets change. Next, your value is relative! Maybe that employer has a cousin who would like to do your job, or maybe someone comes along willing to do your job for less money. How secure are you? People tell me every day, “I don’t want the risks of a business.” Guess again everyone! You certainly have RISK as an employee as well!. And as to investment… well, many businesses have employee borne expenses, and even the IRS recognizes this. It’s just that there are SOME “out there” that don’t require any CASH investment, but don’t kid yourself.. you ARE making an investment, only it’s hidden in the fact you’re paying it in work and in the sense that you’re not being paid as much as you might if you absorbed certain expenses yourself.

In contrast, a BUSINESS, including a home based business, is one where you choose and control what ever it is your business makes or does. It could be virtually anything, and probably the best business is one where you control the product or service. Here on the internet, Information products are tops; these are followed by service products. Then comes those things you manufacture or make, and finally, there’s the category of items someone else controls but makes available to you for resale. Affiliate programs fall into this category. But you really need to be aware that if you are going to have a BUSINESS you are going to have business expenses, even a homebased business. These are the expenses of the office first, and then you may need to have some product or have been a user of some of the service so you truly KNOW what you have and can do business from a credible point. The product or service should be one of value that if you were the buyer, you’d consume it yourself at retail. Watch the line though… you don’t want to is get into a business where you are required to purchase X dollars amount of product every month, whether you can use this or not. That’s not a legitimate business.

Depending on your philosophy, you’ll probably agree that it is very important to choose a business that interests you. Pick one that you will enjoy doing, ideally something you are passionate about. Think about it, if you are going to start a business from home, it makes sense to choose something that you will enjoy. And if you enjoy it, then you’ll probably learn more quickly and have your heart more into it when the going is tough.

But we’d put just a few things ahead of this and put “enjoyment” as a luxury. Those things are market size and market growth. Where is your business product or service in terms of life cycle? Is your market expanding and you can ride a wave, or is it declining. And what is the market size and potential. Will there be a business available for you in 5 years? Ten?

Then lastly, we’d probably mention that the business should be ethical and compatible with what you believe. Many people who research businesses, particularly Internet businesses, know that the porn and gambling industry meets the criteria of growth and market size. You may be tempted to look in those areas, and if you are, kindly close this report or article and tear up you paper copy. This is not a part of the business world we want anything to do with. Money and income is just not that important to us.

After evaluating many, many, many businesses and participating in several since 1969, including an early successful involvement with Amway, then Free Life, and a couple others, including a few that just didn’t “go” for us, we became aware of the opportunities in the online travel business. This is a business model that has just evolved over the past few years, and is now in full momentum.

It is also important to be a part of trends. Fortunes are made by riding trends. Currently, travel is a trend to the tune of 6 trillion dollars a year! By 2010, that number is estimated to be 14 trillion dollars!

Think of all the baby boomers that will be retiring in the coming years. And what do people like to do when they retire? What would you like to do when you retire? If you’re like me, travel is probably very near the top of that list.

That is why the travel industry provides the perfect business for opportunity seekers. It is simply taking advantage of a trend that is just starting to gain momentum. When looked at as a home based business, it rides the second trend: the growth of the Internet as a business medium.

Let’s look at how and why this has evolved into a viable Internet Based Travel Business.

People “booking travel” for others has evolved possibly in three stages. We also should consider the two major market segments: Business travel and personal or leisure travel, and in the later category, we’d include as a very close association, travel and leisure and recreational activities and lodging. We are going to focus on personal leisure travel and recreational travel market.

STAGE 1: Probably dates back about 75-80 years when the primary mode was train and ocean liner. There were no condos, few motels, and little air travel. But there were many lodges and luxury hotels. We’ve all heard of the Biltmore and others. And there was some degree of business travel, but not to the extent we had a few years ago before travel (particularly sales meetings) became so expensive. Other than those vacations to places like Atlantic City, travel was really more in the hands of the more wealthy part of the population, and most of THOSE people just did not want to be bothered making their own arrangements, or even checking places out. A small cadre of “travel agents” was born, although they probably had many more duties along the line of concierge, personal assistant, etc. In large companies, specialists were brought on board to do those arrangements… and seek out bargains and discounts for their companies.

STAGE 2: Now we have more cars, the DC-3 and early airlines are starting to emerge. We have reliable telephones; we have some early forms of fax but the telegram was the primary means of communication on short notice as mail took longer, and people are becoming aware that they can earn money booking travel for others. Providing essentially two services: Knowledge of destinations and Administrative tasks such as actually buying the travel arrangements on behalf of a third party. That third party could be a business or an individual.

Natural business evolution follows and at first small partnerships were formed because now two people might have the knowledge and experience of two different travel destinations, but as a single entity (the travel agency) be able to offer clients more options. Then this single agency could bring more volume to a travel provider such as an airline, hotel, etc than a single person, and hence negotiate better discounts, or as more often was the case, better commissions as not all discounts got passed on. Everyone benefited.

Airline traffic was particularly challenging to book, and in the late parts of Stage 2, computers began to come more and more into play, although they were both expensive and highly specialized. The affordable home computer had not yet really evolved and there were limited travel networks. Travel agencies could afford these computer systems and gain access to the various vendors, which at that time were mainly airlines, and book travel conveniently and easily. This was about to change!

STAGE 3: Change took place almost over night. The airlines deregulated as one part, and competition evolved to a point where commissions were almost non existent to the agencies. The Internet and access to travel databases within the airlines and hospitality industry literally exploded into being, and now EVERYONE had at least almost nearly equal administrative access to the services and could bypass the agencies which started going out of business at an alarming rate. The one thing certain agencies DID retain was a cadre of people who HAD traveled and did have personal experience with various providers… resorts, cruise lines, etc. But as profits to the providers themselves started to decline, so did the availability of FAM trips, and there were fewer agencies.

But along with this evolved another trend! The population is growing and there’s more travelers available, particularly in the leisure market than ever. And many of these travelers just don’t have the time to really do the research, or even to truly shop for the best and lowest costs.

But individuals devoted to and loving to travel such as stay at home moms in travel find that they can provide the same services that the old large agencies did!

All they needed was a vendor willing to work with them, and at this time, new vendors started to emerge.

The emergence is primarily in the area of recreation and resorts as unlike the airlines which have cut back and in many cases have a SHORTAGE of seats and product, resorts (and cruise lines) have continued to build and expand where today, they have an excess or surplus of inventory except for very limited times of the year.

The question becomes: How do we fill these empty rooms? These empty staterooms? These empty golf courses? These unused campsites?

The answer is: Through You!

But you don’t know where they are, or how to negotiate the pricing.. but a newly evolved list of consolidators do! Currently there are three major consolidator groups doing business in the USA, and one stands out above the other two as it has more contacts, more experience, more inventory, and essentially a better pay plan offering the customer more options. What YOU have is a list of contacts or the knowledge and time to introduce the traveling public to these options. Because you are working with the suppliers of SURPLUS inventory who is willing to fill these vacancies at deeply discounted rates, you can pass these rates on, if only you knew how to get your hands on them.

Actually, about anyone can get their hands on any one location at any time at a discount, and many people have been doing that using services such as Orbitz, Travelocity, and others But these are very sharply targeted and focused, and deal much more with just hotels, car rentals, and to some extent, airline travel. One can pick up a major magazine or metro newspaper and find condos for rent from owners, at discounts. But again, this is very limited.

How Do You Get Started?

First, you learn about the 3 major consolidator firms offering travel, and if you just let the word out that you are looking for a homebasd travel agency or company, you’ll find that these people find you very quickly. Or you can do an Internet search using terms like that and find them. Most of the firms have a fairly similar makeup in that they are offering an entire travel package or membership for a fee. This entitles the purchaser to the inside track on deeply discounted travel services.

If they are essentially all the same, what do you look for? We focus in a legitimate business first on product, so we look for product value. We look for a company with flexibility and a product mix. Not all people want to travel internationally, so is there just a domestic package? What is offered that you or your customer can do when they get to a destination? Are there name resort and theme parks? Golfing? How about great meal discounts, as we all “eat out” when we travel? We know cruising is “big” but we know the cruise lines vary from very family oriented to “swinging singles”. Is there a good mix? How about time limitations on the travel package?

As a business, what kind of support tools are available? Training is a must, and is it real, and in real time, with real live people you can talk to and ask questions of? A solid, reliable web site is a must. Does the firm you are looking to join provide one? None will do a good site free, but is this a fair and reasonable cost?

Will you have access to a personal mentor? Can you become a certified, card carrying travel agent as well if you want?

These are but a few of the questions.

The “How Do You Get Started” in the homebased travel industry is best summarized by 3 words: “Do Your Homework”

Well, now that you know some of the history, let’s look at a couple more things, starting with some of the advantages of this, particularly in comparison to other options you may have selling nutritional products, informational products, skin care, diet products, or many others.

Aside from the money making potential in our industry, there are many other advantages.

It is easy to start. This facet never ceases to blow me away With the invention of the internet, businesses that have traditionally always been brick and mortar establishments are now available to all of us. The internet makes it easy for everyday people like you and me to start a small business online. We can reach people all over the world, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from the comfort of our own home. People can be checking out your business while you are sleeping, on vacation, or whatever. Phone services like Skype let us actually talk to people all over the world (one of us might be sacrificing some sleep due to time zone differences, but technically, it’s possible!)

Your business is relatively inexpensive to start, particularly compare to a more standard travel agency business.Because you no longer need a regular office, insurance, and employees, businesses. In fact, if you set up a legitimate IRS qualifying home office, many of the costs you have at your current home now become tax deductible (see your accountant, and if you don’t have one.. get one. Maybe you can even barter some travel services for HIS services).

Your potential clients include almost everyone. Who doesn’t like to travel or need a vacation? And if the economy slows, your business grows! Previous travelers who thought nothing of paying full price now start to look for discounts.

You can save a lot of money on your own travel. What’s the point of owning a business if you don’t get some fringe benefits? With a home based travel business, you become eligible for some incredible discounts. And because you are your own boss, you will have more free time to go on vacation and take advantage of these discounts.

Is there a downside to a home based travel business? Sure, there is in any business.

Travel is a very competitive industry. In order to have an edge, you have to differentiate yourself from the rest by branding yourself with a superior product. Those who read this article and find a specific interest and contact us as the author will be given some very specific knowledge on how to do this and succeed.

There are many creative ways to finance your business. Here are some common and creative ways to finance your new or existing business venture.

Family and Friends

1. Write a business proposal as if you were going to write one to obtain a loan from a banker. Discuss what the business does,Guest Posting the market demand for the product or service, how you intend to market your product or service, include financial projections: in what time frame do you anticipate the business will be making a profit. Include financial statements and tax returns.

2. State how much money you need, what the money will be used for and the terms of the loan such as the interest rate, how you intend to pay the loan back whether this be in a lump sum or in scheduled payments. You should also state whether the loan is secure, that in the event you are unable to pay the loan the lender will have a percentage of ownership in the business. In making your proposal more attractive to the lender you may consider having a promissory note or agreement stating the financial terms, scheduled payments and entitlement to the business in the event the note is not paid.

3. Don’t forget the tax benefits in using a promissory note, if for some reason you are unable to repay the loan in full, the lender will be entitled to a tax deduction known as “bad debt”. Warren Buffet who is now the second richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of 40Billion, raised $105,000 for his first business from 7 partners, two of which were his sister and aunt.

Equity in Exchange for Expertise

If you have a brilliant idea you maybe able to find others, who in exchange for there services are willing to accept some form of equity. This can be legal services, engineering services, or marketing services, the possibilities are endless. For example: many new start-ups require legal formation such as becoming a corporation. You can contact licensed attorneys in your area, who specialize in start-ups, many attorneys if the idea is one where the potential for future profits is great, will agree to postpone legal labor costs, and will request you only pay upfront costs, such as the filing fees. You can offer anywhere from 1-2%, for the postponement of legal fees and agree to pay the legal fees once funding has been obtained.

People are eager to be apart of the next big thing, in giving an attractive proposition with reasonable terms and conditions you can create winning business relationships allowing for your company to grow and become successful. Countless start-ups have utilized this financial strategy in launching their business. When Google was just an idea, Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin, had convinced their landlord to take stock in their company in exchange for free rent.

Commercial Loans

In applying for a commercial loan there will be many paper requirements, which generally include your business plan, financial statements, credit report, incorporating documents and tax returns. A commercial bank will evaluate your business on the basis of the 5C’s of credit:

1. Capital- how much of your own money do you have in the business

2. Character- your reputation in business, they will look at your credit score, credit history, such as making your payments on time, the amount owing to other creditors and if you have any judgments or liens.

3. Capacity- your business cash flow and the ability to repay the loan.

4. Collateral- assets you business owns such as equipment or real estate as security for the loan. Potential Guarantees that is someone else’s ability to repay the loan if you don’t.

5. Conditions- how do you intend to use the funds and for what purpose.

In applying for a commercial loan you want to investigate several lenders, as to what businesses they finance, compare interest rates and terms.

Small Business Administration Loans (SBA)

In the event you are unable to obtain a commercial loan you can apply for a SBA loan, as a requirement in applying for a SBA loan is you have to have sought out a loan from conventional lenders and were unable to obtain a loan at reasonable terms. The SBA guarantees 75% or up to $750,000 of the loan made by a private lender. As the business owner you must personally guarantee the loan and demonstrate your cash flows are sufficient to repay the loan.

Angel Investors and Venture Capital

Many start-ups have received Angel investment. Angel investors specialize in early stage financing. They are often more willing to invest in ideas where there is too much risk for a bank and not enough potential for a venture capital firm. They usually invest smaller amounts anywhere from $100,000 to 3Million and are willing to invest for the long haul- 5 years or more. Many times companies will start with an angel investment, in the event the company becomes a high net worth company and huge profits are easily foreseen a Venture capitalist is most likely to become involved.

Venture Capitalists specialize in high growth industries and rarely invest less than 5Million at a time, as they want the company to grow quickly, ideally having the company go public, so as to cash out in the shortest time possible usually 3-5 years. It can be extremely challenging obtaining venture capital, on average venture firms receive 1000′s of business plans yearly and are highly unlikely to invest in a business that was not referred to them by an acquaintance. It is estimated that only 1 in 600 business plans received from Silicon Valley venture firms even get consideration let alone funding.

In order to increase your chances of funding, it is recommended you join business associations and business organizations that have the involvement of venture capital firms, this way you can network and make valuable contacts. In the meantime, while you are networking and getting your name out there, continue to build and refine your product or service making it better each and everyday. Don’t be discouraged if your business plan is rejected, as this is very common and does not mean you do not have a great idea or business. Scott Cook, founder of Intuit with a 2Billion plus company which provides accounting software – Quicken and Quickbooks, was rejected by every venture firm in 1984, the venture firms said, most people don’t have a computer let a lone require computer accounting software, therefore not a large enough market exists for us to invest in it.

Home Equity Lines of Credit

If you own a home with a substantial amount of equity you many want to consider obtaining an equity line of credit as they offer some of the best interest rates available. It is important to consider all the risks carefully, as you need to make monthly payments and do not want to lose your family home to launch your new venture.

Business Plan Competitions

Business plan competitions are a great source in obtaining capital to start your new venture when you don’t have the connections to angel investors. Business plan competitions have become very popular in the last few years many universities and leading companies have business plan competitions. You submit your executive summary or business plan, and if selected usually pitch your business to a group of judges who will award funding to the best business ideas. Some competitions have restrictions where you have to be affiliated in someway.

When you want to start your own business, in this case a clothing retail store, it’s required that you must have the knowledge required to handle and maintain this kind of business. Experience is above all the most important part of it, including a strong will of facing many adversities and risks that comes along the way.

Setting up a clothing retail store is said to be the easiest line of business that anyone can think of. Mostly because the capital required to start a clothing retail store is quite minimal,Guest Posting and that selling them is quite easy because of its huge demand by its devoted community. Now this is a common misconception by many inexperienced businessmen or women that wants an easy way to profit. No businesses profit by just letting them cook under the sun. You’ll have to have that knack for businesses, that sort of inborn or inherited skill in handling a business. So simply starting your clothing retail business with no sort of goal or organization, your business will surely fall quickly.

When you want to start your own business, in this case a clothing retail store, it’s required that you must have the knowledge required to handle and maintain this kind of business. Experience is above all the most important part of it, including a strong will of facing many adversities and risks that comes along the way.

If you do have the experience and a headstrong will to face risks and adversities, then you’re pretty much on your way. Having experience in handling or once worked on a clothing retail store, you must probably know how to manage this business, but starting it is another thing.

Here are some guidelines before opening your own clothing retail business.

Type of Business

So you’ll be asking, is there more to it apart from setting up your own clothing retail business? Well my answer to that is, yes, there are other types of clothing retail business or any other kind of retail businesses other than setting up a business from scratch. There are retail businesses from franchises, business opportunities, and the very common existing independent businesses.

· Franchises

o Apart from their popular and well-known brand, buying a franchise provides some advantages that entrepreneur starting a business from scratch doesn’t have. Perhaps the most advantageous benefits that you can get from a franchise are a proven system of operation and training in how to use it.

o Another thing is that new franchisees can avoid a lot of the mistakes that inexperienced businessmen and women typically make. This is primarily because the franchisor has already perfected daily operations through trial and error.

· Existing independent businesses

o Buying an established business requires a greater capital than that of starting one from scratch, but buying a business allows you to have an advantage such as to realize profits faster and receive a quicker return on your initial investment.

o Another great advantage to this approach is that the business you’re considering spending a chunk of money on has a track record to review. Obtaining outside financing may be easy, and projections should be more accurate because of known historical trends.

o The business already has its financial and marketing plans in action. You are paying for it having an established location, inventory, customer base and trained staff.

But what good does it make when we want to start our own business, in this case a clothing retail business? The good thing about setting up your own business is that you can control the flow of your business. And, you are not restrained by the rules that franchisers give out to their franchisees. Another good thing about setting up your own business is that you can be unique if you wanted to, selling different kinds of clothing different from those of your competitors.

Most successful small businesses provide something attractive or advantageous by taking what’s already there and developing some innovative features. Have you developed an improved technique for delivering goods to the market? Drive-thru coffee and juice bars situated near freeway onramps offer added value for commuters. Or, perhaps you have an idea that will fill a market niche. A few entrepreneurs have started up successful ventures in ecotourism and other forms of adventure travel for those with money, social consciousness and a desire for educational value to be added to their leisure time.

Take some time and decide whether you wanted to run a franchise retail clothing business, an existing clothing retail store, or starting your own business from scratch. It’s important for you to straighten this out from the start before opening your business to the public.

For setting up a clothing retail store business, Seven Wholesale’s wholesale clothingcollection could assist you with the stock and inventory that you needed to ran your business a lot more smoothly and organized.

Location

Location is the most important thing for a retail business, especially a retail clothing business. You may have the best staff, the best set of clothing collections, and the best store decoration, but if customers don’t know that you’re there then there’s no point? You should choose a location that has a high traffic count. A new retail store isn’t going to have a following unless it’s a franchise with a well-known name, you’ll need all the help you can get.

The best retail location combines visibility, affordability and lease terms you can live with. You need to be where the action is, where the cross fires are happening, so deciding where to put your business is every bit as important as the business you decide to go into.

Take some time to make some observation on the place where you want your clothing retail store to stand. Here are some steps on choosing the right location for your clothing retail store.

The first step involves choosing the right city for you business. The first thing that you’ll do is to check the size of the city’s trading area, if it’s small enough for you then choose another city. After that, you should check out the population and population trends; this is to let you know about what’s in and what’s not in the world of fashion clothing. After that, look for Total purchasing power and who has it, so you can target those that can really be of great benefit for you business. You should also check the number and the size of competition in the area; too much competition will make it hard for you to earn profits. And after all that, you should also check the quality and the aggressiveness of competition, so you’ll know what you’re up against.

A business plan guide can be helpful in teaching you the components you need to include in your business plan. But you also need to avoid the seven fatal pitfalls that can sabotage your business plan and your new business.

A business plan guide is a great place to start when you are getting ready to write your first business plan. Perhaps you have found a book about writing business plans,Guest Posting or are following a template, but chances are, these materials will only focus on the steps necessary to create your business plan and will fail to point out the critical mistakes that most new business owners make. So let’s ignore the step-by-step tutorial for a moment and focus on the real world mistakes you need to avoid.

1. Don’t Put it Off.Yes, writing a business plan can be a monumental chore. It’s easy to procrastinate while you focus on the more exciting processes of your business. Many new business owners will wait until the day before their scheduled meeting with the bank — and then frantically try to write a plan overnight. You can imagine the results.

Don’t wait until you have more time. There will never be more time. You need to clear your calendar for a week and make your business plan a top priority. Or if that isn’t feasible, schedule a certain period of time each day to work specifically on planning. No doubt you have heard the old saying: “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”.

2. Don’t Confuse Profit With Cash Flow.Unless you have an accounting background, you are very likely to define the success of your business in terms of profits. A simple definition of Profit would be Sales minus Expenses equals Profit. But in the business world, profits do not equate to cash. Your profit formula does not take into account the amount of cash you have tied up in production costs for products that have not yet sold, or the customers who still owe you money for sales that have already been made. Your business can look quite “profitable” while your bank account is over-drawn.

Make sure your business plan includes a table that addresses cash flow. Ideally, you should detail the monthly cash flow for the first two years of the business and annually thereafter.3. Don’t Fall in Love With Your Idea. Too many business plans blabber on for pages about the “newness” and “uniqueness” of the idea. But the truth is, investors want to invest in people, not ideas. It is only the people who can execute the systems necessary to bring the idea to life.

Instead of waxing poetically about your business idea, focus your energy, and your reader’s eyes, on the ways you plan to implement this great business idea.

4. Don’t Succumb to Fear and Dread. If you have never written a business plan, the process may loom like Mount Everest. But, like most new challenges, writing a business plan isn’t as hard as you have imagined it to be. You aren’t writing a doctoral thesis or the next great novel. If you have invested in a business plan guide, use it. You can easily find helpful resources such as books, software programs and templates. Remember, you eat an elephant one bite at a time, so start chewing.

5. Don’t Over Sell. Skip the vague and meaningless business phrases such as “best ever”, “highest quality” and “unsurpassed customer service”. You will lose your reader’s interest and respect if you engage in hyperbole that isn’t supported by measurable facts. Remember that the objective of a plan is its results, which require tracking and follow up. Focus your goals on specific dates, management responsibilities, budgets, and measurable milestones. Think fewer words and more numbers.

6. Don’t Engage in One-Size-Fits-AllBusiness plans can have many different purposes and they should be written to reflect the specific purpose at hand. You may be using your plan to start a business, or just run a business better. Your purpose may be simply to sell an idea for a new business to one particular business partner. Your plan may be intended to secure a small business loan, or it may be needed to secure millions of dollars of venture capital. Each of these purposes would require different information, presented in different ways to meet the needs of different readers. Keep a picture of your intended reader firmly in your mind and your business plan will stay focused as well.

7. Take Off the Rose Colored GlassesOptimism is a wonderful resource. Without it, a business owner would find it difficult to summon the energy necessary to launch a new venture. However, this is not the time to engage in unbridled projections. If your company’s growth chart is based on an “industry average” of 15% annual growth, you should certainly be prepared to prove that assumption. When in doubt, be less optimistic.

Starting your own business requires a plan and perserverence. After the initial hardships, the payoffs of starting your own business are worth any initial difficulties.

In today’s economy,Guest Posting people are constantly struggling to keep their lives in balance, specifically their job. Everyday, thousands of people are laid off from their jobs, careers that they may have had for decades. It’s always in the back of employees’ minds: will I still have my job tomorrow? With this fear racking the brains of millions daily, the idea of entrepreneurship is always an inviting and relatively safe career option.

While starting your own business may be difficult, the pay offs can be well worth the hours of work. Before a person can dive into the world of entrepreneurship, there are several key components of a business that must be taken into consideration. When starting a business, most people start from square one. Many aspects of a company are often times not thought of when people contemplate starting their own business. These four elements are vital to getting your business started.

Business Idea: Before you start a business, you must to ask yourself this important question; is there a market for my product or idea? One of the worst things that can happen when starting a business is spending thousands of dollars, only to realize that there is no practical use or market for your company. Unless you have a truly revolutionary idea, it can be difficult to make money in a lacking or non-existent market. Also, keep in mind that your business may fail if you enter into a competitive market. For example, it would not be the brightest idea to try to launch an MP3 player that you have created. Unfortunately, your invention and business will probably be unsuccessful, considering Apple is always putting a new iPod on the market. So before you spend your life’s savings on a “brilliant” idea, make sure it’s a smart investment.
Budget: Starting a business can be a costly investment. Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of spending too much money without considering the consequences. The smartest financial idea when jump-starting a company is to make sure that you have 18 months of business and living expenses covered. Before you make your personal business a full-time commitment, realize that it will always cost money to run a business. There are many different expenses in a business. From advertisements to rent to paying your employees, it takes thousands of dollars just to get your business off the ground. If you dive into the world of entrepreneurship financially unprepared, chances are that you may find yourself in a deeper hole than you began in.
Customers: While you may think that you can spread the word about your company, your best form of advertisement isn’t a sign; it’s the people. Customers are a vital aspect of any business. They are able to tell their friends and family about your product or company. Customers are also advantageous to your company because they legitimize your product or idea, confirming that you have a potential market for your business. They can also provide your company with valuable feedback. In order to get your first customers, it is best to start with people whom you already know. Try sending a letter informing friends and family about your company and follow up with a phone call a week or two later. This will spread the word to potential customers who may also introduce your business to other potential customers. Customers are a vital aspect of a business. After all, they’re the ones who will be purchasing your product.
Answering Service: Hiring a telephone answering service to manage your inbound phone calls can make your business look bigger to customers and potential investors in your product. The last thing you want if you are just getting off the ground is to look like a small company and having your phones answered by voicemail or your answering machine will portray that image you are trying to avoid.