Small Business - Don't Neglect Planning

Small business owners frequently don't know, or fail to practice, what management in large companies knows is essential--PLANNING. Planning can make the difference between failure and success; between survival and going out of business. A small business with a plan, will outperform a similar, or bigger one, without a plan.

Planning Requires Discipline

In order to plan effectively you must be disciplined. It requires thoughtful analysis to plan, and regularly revisiting your assumptions, goals and strategies. The discipline of developing and implementing plans must also be combined with the discipline of monitoring, evaluating, modifying and maintaining your plan. Plans must be re-examined periodically to re-test their viability and validity. A regular schedule of planning updates must be developed and adhered to.

Planning Requires Participation

Planning is best when it is done as a TEAM. The old adage, "everyone knows more than anyone" applies here. Of course, in addition to gaining other perspectives in the planning process, the benefit of support is also important. People are much more committed to a plan that they helped develop, than to a plan developed without their participation, and "crammed down their throats."

Planning Requires Goals

What is the purpose of your plan? What are you trying to achieve? The plan is there to help you arrive at your destination-- like a roadmap. Ambitious goals require comprehensive plans. In the business world we speak of SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely (King, et.al.). A goal which is not specific will be difficult to communicate, monitor, and attain. Without measurements you will have no way to track progress. Unattainable goals are a waste of time and a set-up for failure. Realistic goals are not grounded in fantasy or illusion; rather, in fact and concreteness, with of a probability of attainment. Finally, timely goals are those which are synchronous with the window of opportunity, meet a need which is apparent, and include achievable milestones and deadlines.

Planning Requires Analysis

You're probably tired of hearing about the SWOT (Flagenbaum, et.al.) analysis, but it remains at the core of the strategic planning process. Each small business has some unique attributes. It is important to identify and build upon these Strengths, but also to recognize and minimize any Weaknesses. Likewise, Opportunities must be recognized to capitalize on them and Threats discovered so that strategies can be developed to mitigate or avoid them. The SWOT analysis is an excellent process to discover and record the realities of the internal and external environments. Armed with this information, plans can be created to address each area.

Planning Requires Data

Your planning assumptions should be grounded in data. Mere speculation will not suffice. Gather data and determine the most important data elements, for incorporation into the monitoring process. Estimates are fine if they have a historical, or benchmark, basis. Whether you're preparing a comprehensive business plan, a marketing plan, a sales plan, a relocation plan, an expansion plan, a retrenchment plan, a contingency plan, a competitive strategy, etc., you will need data and realistic forecasts. Some of this data may already be available to you in industry reports, government data (especially demographics), Chamber of Commerce or Business Association analyses, or even reports produced by the competition.

Planning Requires Creativity

Playing it safe when developing a plan is not enough. Plans need to be made with "stretch" goals that will significantly, perhaps dramatically, advance the enterprise. The most effective plans reframe reality. They look at problems from fresh perspectives and new angles. "Brainstorming" is a useful technique so that as many ideas as possible can be created and considered. (There are excellent references and Internet sites which will provide the groundrules.)

Plans Focus Energy, Resources, Attention, and Effort

Plans are useful to direct available resources and talent toward the solution of a problem, or attainment of a goal. With this focused attention and support, successful implementation of change becomes far more probable.

There is no Best Formula for Planning

Writing a plan is far superior to one carried around in your head. The act of writing seems to make it more real and concrete. Written plans tend to reflect more analysis and thought, and are easier to share with others. There are excellent planning software packages, great books on the subject, even workbooks. However, your business is unique, and as such you will need to only use any references as basic guidelines. Adapt your planning process to meet the exigencies of your situation and don't rely on "cookie cutter" solutions.

You may think you don't have the time, resources or energy to devote to developing a comprehensive strategic, business, marketing, financial or other important plan(s) for your business. However, even a plan scribbled on the back of a napkin, at a lunch, is better than no plan at all.

References:

Flagenbaum. Hart & Schendel, "Strategic Reference Point Theory," Strategic Management Journal, vol.17, (1996): 219-235

King, Oliver, Sloop & Vaverek, "Planning and Goal Setting for Improved Performance," Participant's Guide (Cincinnati, OH), Thompson Executive Press, 1995

Copyright © 2008, Dr. Ben A. Carlsen, MBA. All Rights Reserved Worldwide for all Media. You may reprint this article in your ezine, newsletter, newspaper, magazine, website, etc. as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, leave my name and bio box intact, and you follow all of the EzineArticles Terms of Service for Publishers.

The Top 12 Pallet Delivery Roads

Undaunted, let's step on the accelerator for a whirlwind trip around some of the world's greatest drives. Some of them scenic, some challenging and some pure curiosities. So many factors feed into this question that a definitive list of the best roads on the planet will always elude us.

1 - The Stelvio Pass, Italy Located in the Italian Alps, the Passo dello Stelvio - at 2,757 metres - is the highest paved mountain pass in the eastern Alps, and the second highest in the Alps as a whole. The original road was built in the 1820s by the Austro-Hungarian Empire to connect the former Austrian province of Lombardia with the rest of Austria. The route features no less than 60 hairpin turns that present a serious challenge to motorists - During a vintage vehicle event in the 1990s, even Stirling Moss went off the road here. The Stelvio Pass was named the greatest driving road in the world a few years ago by the BBC's popular motoring show, 'Top Gear'.

2 - The Grossglockner High Alpine Road, Austria Named after Austria's highest mountain, the Grossglockner High Alpine Road was constructed in 1935 to link Salzburg with the state of Carinthia. Thirty miles long, it features hairpin after hairpin as it snakes to some 2,500 metres above sea level. Not surprisingly, the scenery is utterly spectacular and well worth the obligatory toll. The road normally opens in early May, snowploughs allowing!

3 - The Yungas Road, Bolivia Linking the Amazon rainforest of Bolivia with the country's capital, La Paz, the Yungas Road is a 43-mile-long white-knuckle ride. Nicknamed 'El Camino de la Muerte' - 'Highway of Death' - the road was created in 1932 when it was carved into a cliff. Some 200 to 300 people are killed on this road each year - most of them lorry drivers - due to its narrowness, uneven surface and the tendency for the road to disappear in mist.

4 - Route 163, USA Boasting spectacular scenery, the 64-mile Route 163 was built in 1910 and straddles the border of the states of Arizona and Utah. This stretch of road was the setting for the iconic 'Marlboro Man' adverts of yesteryear. If you can withstand the rough terrain, the reward is undoubtedly Monument Valley, a region of the Colorado Plateau characterised by a cluster of vast and sandstone buttes, the largest of which towers at some 300 metres above the valley floor. As the backdrop to many famous movies, these features make this landscape instantly recognisable, including movies such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Easy Rider and Stagecoach.

5 - Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road, Canada Ice roads form a vital link to the mines of Canada's Northwest Territories, with convoys of trucks taking essentials to the remote mining communities there. The Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road, open during February and March, is perhaps the most famous of these ice roads, with nine tenths of its 353 miles being across frozen lakes. Constructed in 1982, the road has a stringent speed limit of just 16 mph for fully laden trucks and 37mph for unladen vehicles. 6 - The Pan-American Highway, The Americas Beginning in Alaska and ending in southern Argentina, this road probably features the greatest variation of ecologies in the world, ranging from dense jungle to freezing mountain ranges. Almost 30,000 miles long, the Pan-American Highway, built in stages since 1928, is officially the world's longest road, although it is not complete. The Darien Gap - Between Panama and Columbia, a 54-mile section of swamp and rainforest - has not yet been breached.

7 - The Great Silk Road, Asia Maybe this is a bit of a cheat because the Great Silk Road is really one road at all, but rather a network of ancient trade routes across Asia. The 4000-mile route was originally established to supply silk, spices, jewels and other valuable commodities (including slaves) to their markets, with goods generally changing hands along the way so that no single trader had to brave the whole route - although Marco Polo famously managed it! The section through the stunning landscapes of the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco is definitely a highlight.

8 - Trans-Amazonian Highway, Brazil At 3,293 miles long, the Trans-Amazonian Highway - otherwise know as the less catchily titled BR-230 - is Brazil's third longest highway. The road has been the main artery through which the lifeblood of Brazil (the timber from its rainforest areas) has been extracted since it was built in 1972. Originally designed to be paved, spiralling costs precluded the extra expense and the result is clouds of dust in the summer and quagmires of mud in the winter.

9 - The Sani Pass, South Africa With unbelievably challenging terrain, the 5-mile-long Sani Pass is a dirt road that links Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa with Lesotho. If you have any doubts about the difficulty of crossing it, you only need to glance at the landscape, which is littered with vehicles that didn't make it. Snaking up to the 2,874-metre-high summit, the scenery is incredibly beautiful. If you attempt it from South Africa, the border control staff insist that you drive a 4x4, but the Lesotho authorities, however, will let you take your life in your hands behind the wheel of any old vehicle!

10 - The A82, Scotland Yes, there's a road from the UK in the top 12 - Scotland's 'Road to the Isles', also known as the A82. Travelling 99 miles, the road stretches from Invergarry to Uig on the west coast of Skye. An indescribably beautiful landscape awaits you, if you can brave the M1, M6 and M74 to get there!

11 - The Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road, United Arab Emirates

Stretching for almost 7.5 miles, the Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road in the UAE climbs nearly 1,300 metres, has 60 corners in just this short distance and boasts a super-smooth surface. UAE's highest peak which spans the border with Oman has the road cut into the Jebel Hafeet mountain. Bizarrely, nobody seems to know when the road was built or at what cost but the presence nearby of a huge palace which belonged to former President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan may be a clue to who paid the bill!

12 - Nevada State Route 375, USA Also known as the Extraterrestrial Highway, Nevada State Route 375 is one of the quietest roads in the US, connecting the ghost towns of Crystal Springs with Warm Springs. However, it passes close to Area 51, where a supposedly secret military testing ground is located, and there have been hundreds of claimed sightings of UFOs along the road. Built in 1932, the highway is 98 miles long and can be a pretty lonely ride for those brave enough to drive it.

Commercial Law - Breach of Contract - Repudiatory Breach - Non-Performance

The case of Westbrook Resources Ltd v Globe Metallurgical Inc [2007], concerned a claimant who was entitled to damages arising out of the defendant's repudiatory breach of contract. The defendant was a manufacturer and supplier of metals. The claimant was a trader in metals.

Following a number of lengthy negotiations the claimant and the defendant concluded a contract in January 2005. The contract was for the sale by the claimant to the defendant of approximately 30,000MT of manganese ore. The terms of that contract included as to size 'Screened over plus 1/2" screen at DLA'. It should be noted that 'DLA' was a reference to the United States' Defence Logistic Agency, a government agency which assembled huge quantities of manganese ore in stockpiles throughout the United States as part of strategic stockpiles of raw materials that might be required for military or national defence purposes.

Over time DLA elected to sell some manganese ore via a tender process. The claimant successfully bided for two stores of manganese ore at Anniston, Alabama and Large, Pennsylvania respectively.

The contract was not performed. According to the claimant, the contract was terminated by the claimant in May 2005 on account of the defendant's repudiatory breach which the claimant had subsequently accepted.

The breach in question was said to be the refusal of the defendant to pay for the first barge of materials the claimant had arranged under the contract. Subsequent to the claimant sending an ultimatum stating that the defendant had two options, namely to pay for the first barge or risk the claimant treating the contract at an end, both parties accepted that the contract was ended and sought to mitigate their losses.

The claimant then brought proceedings seeking damages for non-performance, whilst the defendant counterclaimed for damages flowing from the claimant's repudiatory breach of contract.

The court decided that on the facts, the defendant had indeed committed a repudiatory breach. They held that the claimant had accepted that breach and was therefore entitled to damages.

© RT COOPERS, 2007. This Briefing Note does not provide a comprehensive or complete statement of the law relating to the issues discussed nor does it constitute legal advice. It is intended only to highlight general issues. Specialist legal advice should always be sought in relation to particular circumstances.

11 Things Small Business Owners Can Learn From The "Miracle On Ice"

1. Know Where You're Going - Coach Herb Brooks had a strategic plan for assembling the American team. Take time to determine the direction you want to take your small business, then put in place the action steps and players to accomplish your goals.

2. Rise To The Occasion - 13 days earlier, Russia beat the Americans 10-3 in an exhibition, but when it counted the Americans claimed victory. Whenever you have the opportunity to take on an incredible challenge, believe you are qualified to accept it.

3. Finish The Job - After beating Russia, Team USA still had to play Finland two days later for the gold. Enjoy victories along the way, and stay focused on tomorrow.

4. Let Everyone Celebrate - Captain Mike Eruzione invited every player onto the gold medal platform...a break in Olympic tradition. Be sure to reward your entire team for your successes.

5. Avoid Overreacting - At least one Russian threw his silver medal into a Lake Placid dumpster. When something doesn't go as planned, pause, then get to work fixing it.

6. Never Give Up - The Americans trailed in six of their seven Olympic wins. As a small business owner, there will be tough times; always believe you will make it through them.

7. Rally Around A Cause - Team USA brought together an America that was dealing with difficult political issues around the world. Focus your team on the big picture, so everyday distractions don't interrupt the plan for achieving your goals.

8. Put Yourself On The Map - Lake Placid has a current population of 2,638...but it will always be remembered in sports lore. Create lasting moments, whether world famous or simply in the immediate vicinity of your small business.

9. Check Your Ego - Brooks said, "The players had big egos, but they didn't have ego problems." Be confident, while keeping in mind that to be a leader you need followers.

10. Develop Overachievers - The young Americans blended together to be the best team in the world. Inspire your team to seek heights they can't imagine are possible.

11. Be Memorable - Al Michaels' call of the game's final seconds is one of the greatest in sports broadcasting history. Aim high! Make your small business the best it can possibly be.

Copyright © 2005 by Success Handler, LLC. All rights reserved.

Opening a Daycare Center - Do Your Homework!

Maybe you've already decided that starting a daycare center is for you, or maybe you're simply considering the idea. As with all entrepreneurial ideas, it's best to do your homework and research them thoroughly before jumping in midstream.

Starting a daycare and making a success of it will require certain very specific strengths in your situation and character and that of anyone who helps you work it. Consider these essential traits:

-Do you like kids?

-Are you a people person?

-Can you start a daycare center and run it for a year without a profit?

-Do you have childcare experience?

-Are you a self-starter, responsible and reliable?

-Are you willing to put in long hours, at least at first?

-Can you lead well?

If your answers were positive, read on. Otherwise starting a daycare center may not be for you.

For starters, check out the licensing requirements in your state. Then go take a look at some successful daycare centers and try to talk to the owner or manager. Don't be afraid to tell them that you're thinking of starting a daycare facility and ask them for any tips on how to make a go of it.

While you're visiting the other daycare, notice their setup. How is the place laid out? What kind of furniture and supplies do they have? Ask them how hard it was for them to start a daycare center. Ask to see the contract they use. If they're reluctant, offer to buy them lunch! If they say they don't have time, offer to hand them the money you would have spent on the lunch. Usually, though, successful business people are happy to share tips.

Gather your information first. If you do a good job on this first, crucial step, you will be rewarded when you're ready to start a daycare.

Do You Want to Grow Your Business With a Christian Heart? 5 Laws to Change Your Business Perspective

1. You need to have something on the inside that is genuine / authentic.. it's your heart!
2. Making money is not a goal that gives you a healthy heart. Authentic giving and sharing is how you grow a healthy heart..

2 Tim 3: 1-5 &16... perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money...

3. Don't focus on selfishness and greed even when it's all around you. Adding to people's lives is like a healthy immune system. You always put the clients interest first - the disease of selfishness is all around you but you don't catch it.

Proverbs 30:7-9 Do we really pray that we don't want to be rich?

1 Peter 4:10 Use every gift given to me to serve one another as a good steward of every gift and most importantly the ultimate gift of grace that I received from God.

4. Cultivate awareness that you are a hive of creativity. Your hive is focused on creating opportunities to share yourself and your passions with your client / friend. This inspires you and everyone in your circle of influence.

This approach has been categorised as 'Soft Sell' (Internet) Marketing. It recognises a people to people relationship rather than $ to $ transaction; the difference between a ROI - Return on Investment - and a ROI - Return of Experience.

We're all connected in a global marketplace where we're exchanging information and knowledge. We're time poor and information rich. We need to rely on a global network of friends / colleagues to share dreams and increase self awareness. Just check out Facebook - there are communities that blur the line between friends and business partners.

5 Laws to set up a Business with a Christian Heart

1. The Law of Value

YOUR TRUE WORTH IS DETERMINED BY HOW MUCH MORE YOU GIVE IN VALUE THAN YOU TAKE IN PAYMENT.

Increasingly, people will do business with and refer business to those people they know, like and trust. Exceed people's expectations of 'it' and they'll pay you even more. 'it' includes a blur between you and the service you offer.

Whatever we're selling it is the experience of you, not the product itself that makes the difference. Business needs a heart and to be authentic. Exceeding people's expectations includes exceeding their expectation of you.

1 Kings 17:11-15 Elijah and the widow - she only had a handful of flour and a little oil in a jar of oil, but gave it all not knowing that she would receive anything in return.

Further, we are to serve like Jesus did... Humbly for the benefit of others and without regard to any gain that you might receive in return.

2. The Law of Compensation

YOUR INCOME IS DETERMINED BY HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU SERVE AND HOW WELL YOU SERVE THEM.

Giving more doesn't necessarily mean that the payment you receive will increase.

Your compensation is directly proportional to how many lives you touch.

Business is coming from the soul - spiritual service: If you've got something that others need then you have an ethical and moral obligation to sell your expertise - other people need you.

The same person and the same value can have the different outcomes:

eg a top violinist playing in a subway earning $30's for an afternoon busking compared to the $'000's he earns in a concert hall. It all depends on meeting people who need and appreciate what you have to offer in the right environment.

Your level of compensation is therefore under your control. If you want more success find a way to serve more like-minded people. It's that simple. It also means there are no limitations on what you can earn because you can always find more people to serve.

Authority / Attraction Marketing

Ineffective "pursuit marketing" strategies is replaced by a powerful service-oriented "attraction marketing" system that leverages teleseminars to:

o position you as an authority
o build a loyal community of people that actively seek out your products and services;
o establish qualified prospects - 'opt in' & 'opt out' opportunities
o help you create products and services quickly and inexpensively;
o have your marketing reach more people - faster, easier and with less time and effort
o To leverage our time.
o build the social / business relationship; building trust
o establish widespread brand exposure with the opportunity to sell YOU

Leveraging our Time

Goal is to move your business from 1 to 4:

1. one-on-one to secure business eg face to face service
2. one to... 'x' no. online leverages your time eg webinar
3. product... residual eg podcast, MP3 or 4
4. someone-else promotes your business eg license

Survive, save and serve

1. Survive - to meet your basic living needs.
2. Save - to go beyond your basic needs and expand your life.
3. And serve - to make a contribution to the world around you.

Focus on the third - Sermon on the mount - seeing the multitudes - and ultimately, Jesus served everyone going to the cross

3. The Law of Influence

YOUR INFLUENCE IS DETERMINED BY HOW ABUNDANTLY YOU PLACE OTHER PEOPLE'S INTERESTS FIRST.

You need to know how to develop a network - not necessarily your customers or clients. I mean a network of people who know you, like you and trust you. They might never buy a thing from you but they've always got you in the backs of their minds.

o They're people who are personally invested in seeing you succeed.
o They're your army of personal walking ambassadors

Stop keeping score. What people call a win-win' is really just disguised way of keeping track. That's not being a friend; that's being a creditor. Watch out for the other guy. Watch out for his interests. Watch his back. Forget about fifty-fifty. The only winning proposition is one hundred percent. Avoid being transaction focused - Instead be relation focused. Money, position, accomplishments do not create influence. Influence creates them.

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends

Paul says we are to hold each other in higher esteem in Philippians 2:3 in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

The apostle Paul thought less and less of himself as his faith grew:

o 10 years before his death, in 1 Cor 15: 9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
o 7 before his death, in Ephesians 3: 8 To me, who am less than the least of the saints....
o 3 years before his death, in Timothy 1: 15... Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

Jesus shows us the ultimate laying down of his feelings to do Gods whilst praying in the garden.

4. Law of Authenticity

THE MOST VALUABLE GIFT YOU HAVE TO OFFER IS YOURSELF

We're living in a 'blackberry' world where the line between social and business communities is becoming more blurred, when every CEO will have to become Internet and technology savvy or get left behind. The adoption of such community technology is becoming more mainstream.

We can observe the fragmentation of business functions by outsourcing and strategic alliances et al. Increasingly, it is a world that is about you, your heart, who you authentically are; not governed primarily by a single corporate culture.

Whatever you've experienced; your story can help you, if it tells you how to care; how to make people feel good about themselves.

Add value by adding yourself - You are the most valuable gift. Reaching any goal is 10% knowledge or skills and 90% is people skills:

o Liking people
o Caring about people
o Being a good listener
o The core though is WHO YOU ARE... It starts with you.
o No matter what you're selling what you're really offering is you. It's called authenticity.

The point is not what you do. Not what you accomplish but who you are. We must be authentic Christians - Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinks in his heart so is he. Most of us want a balanced life that we can control, that is safe and luke warm.

John 14:15 "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it"

If life is a river, then pursuing Christ requires swimming upstream. Swimming upstream isn't easy. Jesus said the road is narrow and few will actually find it and fewer still among the rich.

The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbour as yourself" Galatians 5:13-14 When we love we are free. True love makes you stand out. We need to ask: "Is this the most loving way to do life? Am I loving my neighbour and my God by living where I live, by..... There is another path, and alternative to the individualism, selfishness and materialism of the western world.

Characteristics of such people:

o Do not consider service a burden - work without having to prove devotion
o Givers not takers
o Think that others matter as much as they do

5. The Law of Receptivity

THE KEY TO EFFECTIVE GIVING IS TO STAY OPEN TO RECEIVING

When we have a business model that focuses on the client and being a part of their breakthroughs we can sometimes forget to place a value on the part we played in your client getting there.

It's not better to give than receive. It's crazy to try and give and not receive. Trying not to receive is not only foolish, it's arrogant. When someone gives you a gift, what gives you the right to refuse it - to deny their right to give? Denying people the right to be a part of your life / business.

Receiving is the natural result of giving. In fact, every giving can happen only because it is also a receiving.

As we give our life to God, we must receive God's grace. Jesus led a life receiving from others all the time; meals, a roof over his head, a boat, a tomb. Matt 10: 6-10 He tells his disciples to go out without anything - they had to be ready to receive.

Changing your business perspective to grow your business with a Christian heart takes a seismic shift in the way you think. The 5 Laws described go against the 'norm' of most 'worldly' business practices that only have a short term, selfish vision for their business. The success of these laws calls for a change in your heart. This follows the ongoing call God asks of us to go from Glory to Glory. I pray that you not only achieve prosperity from your business but that it is prosperity worthy of God's Kingdom.

by Peter Appleton, bee u coaching

Cart & Kiosk Business Ideas

Business often is an idea that is so promising when you contemplate about how you will invest your money and time in it. Two it is so easy to make a living from small businesses than big business ideas that require huge capital and attention. A kiosk is one of those small business ideas that require little capital and less labor. Most kiosks have been able to grow from a small kiosk status to a supermarket chain. In fact, most supermarkets are progenies of kiosks.

How to start up a kiosk; you need to have no trouble at all to start up a kiosk. All you need is to stock it up with the kind of products your target market needs and al will be well.

Identify a strategic location for your kiosk. The best places to set up one are within sprawling estates and strategically, in a densely populated area. This guarantees you customers no matter what time of the day.

The location of your kiosk should be very strategic. You need to set it up in the buildings so that even late night customers can always find you and get what they want.

Pile a stock so that everything they want is available easily. Arrange your stock well so that you will easily kiosk an item once on of them asks for it. Be courteous and polite. You will become the most loved and prosperous man around. Your kiosk will grow from a mere kiosk to a mini shot, a mini supermarket.

How to Start a Homemade Soap Business Very Fast

A soap business is one of the easiest micro-size businesses you can start. If you already like homemade soap and wonder how to start a soap business, here's the way to start. You can earn a serious part-time income with a soap business and you can even make sales without leaving home. You can quickly learn the tricks to get you started.

Why is a soap business easy to start? The process for making soap is a mystery to most people and there are several barriers that keep people from making soap. Barriers include where to get supplies, working with lye, getting soap recipes, and many others. Then how do you sell it and can you make money? These are all just barriers that are not that hard to get past. You just need some good information. Once you get the right information, you learn that nothing about making soap or selling it is very complicated. Another plus is the cost or investment to get started is very low. You can make and sell thousands of dollars of product with just a few pans and containers and your kitchen sink.

Your first task when starting a soap business is learning how to make great soap. This will take some reading and some practice. As you practice you're making a useful product to use and give as gifts. Don't even think of selling soap until you have the process perfected but it won't take long at all. Also be thinking of how you can make you soap unique. If you can find some special benefit for your product it's an easier sell. You can make your product unique.

Selling soap is easier than you might think. Thousands of folks want to learn how to start a soap business, but those barriers keep them out. Those are many of your customers. Just put your product where those people are and they will buy. One of the best places to sell soap is a craft show. Soap making is a classic craft and craft shoppers buy soap as an impulse purchase. You can sell hundreds of bars of soap in a weekend at the right location. Then the real trick is how you follow up with your soap customers. Once you have a customer, that person will buy again if given a chance. Learn to follow up with little catalogs and brochures and you can sell soap from home. Need some money? Put some catalogs in the mail.

A soap business is one of the easiest home-based businesses you can start. There are several barriers that keep the competition low. Get past those barriers and you can sell a lot of soap in a hurry.

Ways to Bring Your Network Marketing Business to a Higher Level

If you have decided that your home business is a network marketing one, at some point you will feel the desire to bring it to a higher level than it currently is.

If you are like me, you will probably feel the need to build up your business and take it to a higher plain if your checks have been average up to this point.

Most people get tired of average checks real fast. Obviously at this point you will need to ramp it up a bit. You may have already worked your so called 'warm market'
(people you know) for leads and have achieved a modest start for your business in that way. But you will at some point also
wish to begin attacking the 'cold market'(people that you do not know). This generally consists of buying a list of leads
from a lead broker and calling people at home or work. This may seem like a touph way to build your business but this is the way most network marketing millionaires
that I am aware of have done it. Or at least this a major component of their strategy.
I am talking about major players such as Tim Sales, Jeffrey Combs and Big Al, to name just a few.
Doing these calls may seem difficult but believe me they get much easier with time. If you don't believe me go to a place where
telephone sales take place (either telemarketing or charity requests) and you will see that it all becomes very routine and that
people have to make strict quotas to keep their jobs, such as two sales per hour, and usually do achieve these quotas and more.
So if you can do this for $9/hour while making someone else rich you can certainly do it for your own home business where the sky is the limit as far as your
earning potential is concerned. And when you stop to think about it, you can start a powerful organization or downline community with only about ten good people or so in your front line,
so it really makes sense to make some calls. You won't have to make these calls forever, either. Once you have your main legs you can simply help them get going and work with their respective warm lists.

Making lead calls seems touph to a lot of folks but the truth is you will probably need an additional set of skills to be one of the huge earners in
network marketing. Making pancakes requires more than just water. If you were cooking pancakes for your family would you just use whats is there or go pick up the ingredients to make a good Sunday breakfast?

It is worth acquiring the skills necessary to flourish in network marketing, if you have chosen this as your home business, because individuals who are successful
in this industry make as much and even more than top corporate executives. In fact there are more millionaires produced in network marketing than any other business in the United States, even more than in real estate!

Blogs, Chats and Forums - What's the Difference?

Establishing effective two-way communications with customers is one of the hardest things that any business can do. This is especially true of small companies that cannot afford to dedicate personnel to managing those communications. Blogs, chats, and forums can be some of the most effective ways of establishing communications from your web site, but they also have their own "dangers" that can cause them to backfire if not used.

So what are blogs, chats and forums? And what is the difference between them?

Blogs:

Blogs are one of the most useful ways of getting information out to customers. However, blogs are not limited to spreading information on just the current products or services. Effective blogs also give customers ideas of how they can use your products. Think about a paint company that is trying to market hundreds of different colors of paint. A blog might explain how a customer can choose the color that is right for them, or how to mix different colors to get the exact shade they need. Blog visitors often make comments (both positive and negative) about what you say.

One of the biggest dangers about hosting your own blog is if you do not have the time to make consistent updates to the articles in those blogs. It is almost better to have no blog at all then to have a blog where the last entry in it was three months ago. The second biggest danger of having your blog is monitoring the comments that others make on your blog. We will discuss more about this in a later article.

In short, a blog is a way for you to send out a message to your customers, and solicit their opinions on the topics that you yourself have chosen. It is also the most efficient method of establishing basic two-way communications with your clients.

Forums:

Forums are very similar to blogs in that you can disseminate information to customers, and in turn, they can provide their input. The major difference between a blog and a forum is that while the blog owner controls the discussions in a blog, nearly anyone can start a new topic in a forum. The dangers of forums are similar to those of a blog, but over time, forums can be a much more effective tool for communicating with customers and potential clients.

The hardest part of starting a forum is just that... starting the forum. As the forum creator, you need to be very active in starting new topics, eliciting the help of some of your customers in answering those same topics, and trying to establish a community of posters that will keep your forums active and dynamic.

Chats:

When you embed chat into your web site, you are providing a quick and convenient method for customers to contact you. There are many types of instant chat software available ranging from Skype, MS Messenger, Yahoo, et al. Chat normally takes place through typing messages back and forth in a shared dialog box; however, some companies are taking this to the next level by enabling instant voice and/or video chat.

While implementing chat is not that difficult, it can also be the most burdensome form of communications for a small company. The two largest problems that you can face with implementing chat are first, if a customer attempts to contact your business and nobody is available; and second, if you have too many people attempting to contact you at the same time.

The first problem is self-explanatory. A customer calls, and nobody answers. The second is almost counter intuitive. Too many customers call, and there are not enough people to intelligently handle all the communications. While getting too many calls is a very good indication that your company is growing, not being able to efficiently handle those calls can leave a very bad impression on these customers (or potential customers). These clients may then put your company into that dreaded classification of "Poor customer response".

Summary:

These three forms of two-way communication can all benefit your small business in establishing your place on the internet. However, they also have their own hidden dangers that could make them an albatross around your neck if poorly planned or implemented. It is best to consider carefully how you can manage these tools before you open them up to public scrutiny.

Why We Are Still Being Ripped-Off By The Oil Industry and Some Gas Saving Tips

In case you didn't know the oil industry has been a solid backer of Republicans for many years, giving 80-90 percent of its campaign contributions to GOP candidates, particularly during the two Bush terms. Many of us agree with John W. Dean former Counsel to President Richard Nixon that this administration is truly scary and, given the times we live in, frighteningly dangerous. Also you have to think about Dean's statement saying "Democrats really do care about people who most need help from government; Republicans care most about those who will only get richer because of government help. The government is truly broken." Think about it, were we dealing with this gas crisis when the Democrats were in office? It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out.

If you're wondering why gallon prices have soared past $3.00 per gallon nationwide, just check out the latest profit reports from the oil companies. They are now at record levels. Exxon earned 9.5 cents on every $1 of gasoline and oil sold, cashing in on skyrocketing prices at every stage of the process. They announced their profit in the first three months of 2007 was $8 billion. "The big money for Exxon Mobil," says oil trader John Kilduff of Fimat USA, "is being made by taking crude oil out of the ground and refining it into gasoline and selling it on the street corner." Consumer groups argue that oil companies are profiting unfairly from their own failure to invest in refineries, which is now driving up gas prices. Well, I don't know about you but this sounds like we are being robbed blind by the oil industry. Sure, the oil companies, and their PR and lobbying agency, the American Petroleum Institute, will give you all kinds of reason for higher gasoline prices at a time of falling crude prices but who's fooling who? Let's be smarter in 2008.

Here are some tips I'm willing to share with you to help you save money at the gas pump.
This comes from a man that's been working in petroleum for over thirty years.
Several gas pumps across the nation such as in California, people are paying up to $3.50 per gallon. Now is the time we need all the information available to help us in this gas crisis.
At Kinder Morgan Pipeline in San Jose, CA gas delivery truck drivers deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period through the pipeline. One day is diesel the next day is jet fuel, and gasoline, regular and premium grades. They have 34-storage tanks there with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons. Here are some suggestions from an Oil Industry Truck Driver with over thirty years experience...

"Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum
business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role. A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.
When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount.

Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT Fill up--most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom."
Hope this will help you get the most value for your money.

A Soap Business is Easy to Start

A soap business is easy and can quickly be profitable. Soap making is a fun hobby and many soap makers wonder if they could sell some of their soap. If you like doing the steps necessary to run a business, you may enjoy turning a hobby into a business.

You can start making soap to sell so easy and for nearly no investment. If you're a hobby soap maker, you already have the equipment you need. Just operating out of your kitchen sink, you can make thousands of bars of soap and generate some serious sales. As you learn and start selling more, you may wish to invest in a few special tools and molds. But the investment to start making soap is very small. There is just little financial risk.

But what about selling soap? There are dozens of ways that people sell handmade soap. You can start a shop. You can sell on consignment. You can sell wholesale to stores or spas. You could even start home parties. Or operate a mall kiosk. Any of these will work. But for a low cost way to move a large volume of soap, craft show sales is a great way to start.

To sell in craft shows, you must apply to a show in advance and then if accepted you show up at the appointed day. It's then up to you to build your complete display and provide everything required to sell your products. You basically construct a store in your assigned space. This requires more creativity than money. The best way to get ideas is to visit shows looking for how vendors display their products. Then come up with your own unique approach.

You may want to start with some small local shows and then try some larger shows as you gain experience. Now here's the real trick. If you will follow up with your show customers you can generate sales right from home. Your customers will continue to buy from you if you communicate with them using your little brochure and catalog. You can easily learn to put together these marketing materials. By building a customer list you can really build a business just starting with craft show sales.

There are few work at home ventures easier to start than a handmade soap business. Low investment and easy marketing make a soap business a natural for hobby soap makers.