Tag Archives: Business Model

Business Development, Business Strategy

Are You Stuck in the Day-To-Day Operations of Your Business?

Business Operations is the compilation of all the activities carried out inside a company that keep it running and generating revenue.

In standard business plans, the operations section is dedicated to helping business owners understand what systems, tools, people, and processes will be needed for the company business model to function.

A few examples of business operations:

  • Creating and maintaining key systems needed to run a business, including customer service, billing, communications, marketing, deliver, and backup
  • Creation of processes, tools, and players for key systems within the business
  • Management of systems that control access and login information
  • Establishing decision-making guidelines for team members
  • Creation and maintenance of your Standard Operating & Procedures (SOP) guide
  • Setting up effective backup systems to control company information
  • Creation and management of systems that process payments
  • Implementation of business tools and software to manage multiple systems
  • Managing the process of delivering products and services to customers

The operations area is a constant segment of your business and requires daily attention.

And this where most women business owners get stuck!

In the beginning stages of your business, it was just you. Just you making all the daily decisions and executing the many tasks that must be performed each day to accomplish goals and strengthen your business model.

As your business model proved successful, the endless task list began to increase exponentially. Business decisions and responsibilities increased. Quiet, creative, and productive time to focus on growing the business was more and more limited and many times downright non-existent.

As women in business, we must stay focused on those areas of business that ONLY we can do – everything else must be delegated to a team!

The Visionary and CEO role in the business at this level needs to stay focused on very high-level leverage tasks that will grow your business, such as:

  • Big Picture Vision
  • Marketing and Sales
  • Delivery of Services
  • Content Creation
  • Creating New Products
  • Partnerships
  • New Sources of Traffic

Everything else you need to get off your plate – much of this lies in the day-to-day operations of your business.

If your business has reached six figures, hold on to your seat belt because your company has taken on a life of its own.

And this is the point where you are most likely feeling that you’ve hit a ceiling and are even feeling a bit burned out. You may not see how you will be able to grow past the current challenges.

Bad news… good news…

You won’t be able to break that ceiling when you are the only one in charge of everything. The good news is that it does not have to stay that way.

A seasoned online business manager is the perfect second-in-command to pull you out of the day-to-day operations and marketing management of the business. You’ll have the time, energy, and focus you need to work on those high-level leverage tasks that will grow the business.

You can’t possibly expect to grow if you don’t position someone else in your business to be your “Mini-Me” – to take the day-to-day operations and management of business off your plate with the support of a team. Your business is now bigger than you are, and in order for it to continue to grow, you must have your operations running smoothly and cost effectively.

Isn’t it time that you are LIFTED out of the day-to-day activities so you can work ON your business instead of IN it?

About

Brenda Violette is Founder and CEO of Violette Business Services, a business management company that partners with entrepreneurial woman who have built a multiple six-figure online business and are stuck in their ability to create new revenue with them being the only one in charge of everything! They struggle and lose traction as they are buried in the “DOING” of the business.

Being a seasoned woman business owner herself, Brenda understands the struggles of other women trying to build a viable online business, balance work and a personal life, and contribute to the world through the business.

Brenda is an Online Business Consultant, Certified Online Business Manager, and most importantly, a diehard Integrator in every sense of the term.

To learn more about hiring an Online Business Manager to help you get to your first 7-figures visit http://www.BrendaViolette.com

 

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Brenda_Violette/19724

 

 

Business Development, Business Strategy

10 Steps on How to Develop a Business Properly

So you want to develop a business, huh? Well, you’re just in luck. This article will help you whether you are planning to start up new or have an existing business that you would like to expand. This is a step by step guide on how to start, improve, and expand a business while minimizing loss on your part. If you are starting new, please read this article carefully from the very beginning. For those, who already have an existing business and would like to improve or expand, the latter part of the article will be more useful.

Every business starts with an idea. You will find that throughout the article, I have emphasized the mental aspects of people rather than physical or financial aspects. Call me philosophical, but the mind is where everything happens. I have seen and experienced it time and time. When your mind is fully committed, there is literally nothing that you cannot do. Let’s begin.

Step 01: Find Your Passion

To start a business, you need to find out what it is that you are truly passionate about. “Why is that important”, you say? The answer is simple. You really do not want to get yourself stuck into a kind of work that you hate. There are plenty of planning and executing involved in a brand new business and if you are passionate about it, they would not feel like work at all compared to a kind of business you do not care for. After all, happiness is the end result of anything that we do in life. Why not choose a business that would make you happy while doing it?

“When your vacation becomes your vocation, you have succeeded in life”.

Step 02: How to Sell It

Now that you have found your passion, let us figure out how to use it to bill people who are in need of the kind of service you can provide. Even though yours is the most ridiculous passion ever, believe me, there are millions of people who would be glad to have your services. As a matter of fact the stranger and more unique your passion is, the more likely you are to succeed simply because that type of business doesn’t exist yet. That also doesn’t mean that if your passion is something common or usual, you shouldn’t do it. Even if it is something common, if you really love it, you will always find ways to do things differently than the others and that itself is the winner.

Let’s say that you are passionate about cars. You are more likely to succeed in an auto shop, auto parts shop, or a repair and modification shop. Sure, there are plenty of those out there, but if you love it, it is going to be one of a kind. Maybe your shop has a nice waiting area where your customers can have a seat and a free beverage when they come to drop off or pick up a car, or you may have free stickers complementary to having their breaks fixed. Once you’re in the business, you’ll figure that out.

Step 03: The Planning

Write down your unique ideas and prepare a presentation. Take some time to do it. You should not rush this part. If a new idea comes while you are in the middle of the planning stage, do not hesitate to change. Edit and modify until you are fully satisfied and you can see a clear mental picture of your business. I cannot emphasize how important this is. You have to be absolutely clear and certain. If there are parts that are hazy, leave for a while, do something else, and come back to the planning table again when your mind is clear. You will see later how we will reuse this step over and over again.

A thing to remember here is that I am not talking about the “Hows”. At this point, you’re not thinking how you will start the business. That will come later. Your focus at this stage is the “Whats”. If you start thinking about the “Hows”, you will ruin your plan because you will start to think about things such as “How do I get the capital”, “How am I going to find an ideal place” etc. The “Hows” will show up later when you are clear about the “Whats”.

Step 04: Visualize Your Success

Now that you have had the clear picture of your business, visualize how it would look and feel when it is fully operational and successful. You must be able to taste the success. This again is another important stage. Why-you ask? There will be obstacles on your way to success. This is the picture that will keep you going. It will also help keep your team motivated in the future should you need to inspire them in times of hardship. You, the leader, must have that picture of success handy at all times.

Step 05: The Needs

You are clear about what your business will be and you have a clear picture of success. By now, you are mentally ready, so let’s get physical. The physical needs of the business include 3 things: infrastructure, personnel, and finance.

Infrastructure: If your business is local such as an auto repair shop, you will need a space, an office, a storage area, and some furniture. If your business is virtual, you will need a website or other computer based applications. In any case, you have the clear picture (Step 03), so you can create a list of infrastructural needs.

Personnel: If it is a kind of business that you can do totally on your own, then you are it. If not, you are going to need assistance. Use Step 03, and find out how many people you will need and what their jobs and qualifications should be. You may also look among your friends, relatives and acquaintances that may have those qualifications and would be happy to help you in the beginning. Having a good friend or partner at this stage is very helpful. If you have a friend who shares almost the same vision as you, you have hit the jackpot. Things are a lot easier with a good friend beside.

Finance: This part is slightly uncomfortable for a lot of people. For this reason, a lot of great ideas never see the light of the day. Many would give up at this sector because they believe there is no money. If you feel that, please remember that the financial industry was built on great ideas. It is their purpose to invest. How else do you think the Empire State Building was built? One person didn’t put all his money into it. The idea was great and was simply backed by several financial institutions. The truth is there are numerous banks, lending agencies, and investors who are looking for a great idea to invest in.

However, ideally you, as the owner of the business, should have at least half the initial capital you need. If you are currently in a job, you can start saving up. If you already have the money, begin at once. If you do not have anything, use your Step 03 presentation to attract a wealthy relative, friend or an investor.

I have mentioned in the beginning of the article how important the mental aspects of the people are. I would like to elaborate on this a little bit more since finance is a huge issue. Fear is your only true enemy here. This is the only one thing that you have to overcome, and you have to face it no matter what. I will help you with a few tips on how to do it, but you have to walk this path.

First of all, it is okay to be afraid. It is a part of who we are. Just remember that “Courage is not the absence of fear. It is having fear and still doing the thing you are afraid of”. In other words, FACE IT. After all, “At the end of our lives, we only regret things we haven’t done or chances we haven’t taken”. What is the worst that could happen? We all die, and it is better to die quickly doing something we love than live a long boring life doing things that are safe and comfortable. Use Step 04 and have that taste of success, and get out there. Here are a few types of fear that you may have and how to overcome them:

Fear of Rejection: Yes, you will be rejected. Not a lot of people would understand what it is you are trying to do, so do not take it personally, and move on to the next. When you do your presentation, prepare your best and do it with passion. People invest in sincerity. I know I would. I would invest my own money if I saw a person who was genuinely passionate about a project even though I didn’t understand the business. Why? Because he would not give up on this until successful, so it pays to have your Step 01.

Fear of Loss: There is always a possibility of loss. After all, it is a new business and you do not know all the pits and falls. Trust in yourself that if you make a mistake and have a loss, you will also know how to get out of it. It is your idea, and you know best. Loss will happen when it happens, and you will know what to do then- no need to worry now.

Fear of Embarrassment: Yes, there are those who would always have something to say especially when you are having a hard time. You will be ridiculed and laughed at. However, wouldn’t that be sweeter when you come around triumphant? How could you win if you have never been defeated? Prepare to take the embarrassment and defeat, use Step 04 through these times, and come back a winner. People remember a hero- not an average person.

I hope the tips on fear would help you overcome it. Now that you have found the capital provider/s, there is one thing you should consider. Find an investor who is willing to wait for the business to properly run, which is ideally 6 to 8 months. There are investors, banks or lending agencies that would loan you the money but would want their interests or return of investment (ROI) almost immediately. This is short sighted. A wise investor knows that if the business isn’t fully operational and he starts to claim his money, neither will the business succeed nor will he get his money back. Therefore, choose someone who will wait. That way, the business is safe and the investor gets his full ROI.

Step 06: Start

Find your place, find your personnel, and go for it. Use your partner as a right hand man and divide jobs. One can find a place and buy the furniture and the other can do the hiring. Hire the best quality people you can. Keep in mind that the first set of employees will be your core team, and you must be comfortable working with them. Remember Step 03, so you will know how many people you need and what qualifications they must have.

Step 07: Employees

Make sure everyone knows clearly what they are doing. Create a fair employment policy where good jobs are rewarded. Also, make sure that employees that are not really up to the job are given chances and training before you let them go. It sometimes helps to pair up one good employee with another bad one so that the bad one can learn from the good. You may also create a profit sharing plan. This makes employees take care of your business as if it is their own.

Step 08: Market

Market your business and do it professionally. Once you have established your business, you must reach as many customers as possible. You may ask a professional photographer to take pictures of your facility, and ask a graphic designer to create brochures.

Online presence is also important. Create a good website. It is easy nowadays, but if you have the means, give it to an IT professional. See if you can create an app for smartphones for the services you provide. Offer promotions and discounts on your brochures and website.

Regularly meet your core team to discuss how to improve services or reach more customers. Have an open mind, take all their ideas and pick the ones that best suit you, and execute. These are several ways to market your business: Door to Door Marketing, Telemarketing, SEO, API (Create an app), Advertising.

On my next article, I will solely focus on Marketing Strategies.

Step 09: Expand

Expand your business. You already have one business model now, so all you have to do is copy and paste, so do not refuse a chance to expand. If it is a local business that serves only the local customers, open another branch or start franchising it to other cities. At this point, financing should not be a problem. Plenty of investors and financers will gladly give you the money. If it is an online business, expand your SEO or Customer Support team, and the whole world will be your market.

Step 10: Balance

Last but not least, create balance in everything you do. From the very first step to the last, balance is the key. The lesson on balance is huge, but I will discuss it briefly.

Too much of anything is bad. Do not work so hard that you lose your family, friends or health. After all, money is no good if you cannot share it with people you love, or if you have to spend most of your money in the hospitals. You have to keep the balance between your business and personal life. Also, no good idea can come out of you if you are overworked and tired all the times. When you feel stuck, get away for a while and come back later. You will find a solution.

There are ups and downs in life as well as in business. The lesson on balance also tells us that you should be cautious when you are succeeding and patient when you are failing. When you are succeeding, do not spend money unnecessarily on things you don’t need. Also, when you are failing, do not give up because success is just around the corner. It is the darkest before dawn, so “This too shall pass”.

You must also create a balance between you and your employees. You are their leader. If you are too hard on them, they will quit or even worse sabotage the business. If you are too soft, they will play more than work.

At the end, all businesses are about people. From your employees to your investors to your customers, balance all relationships. Share and enjoy your success.

Conclusion

I have gathered the information for this article from different life coaches, motivational speakers, and my own life experiences as a business developer. I hope it helps. Dream big and go for it.

You may contact me if you have questions or want to know more.

https://adnanelsonline.wixsite.com/adnan.

 

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Adnan_Monsur/2500732

 

 

 

 

Business Development, Business Strategy

The Engineering Business Plan and the Business Model

Separate from a Business Plan is the Business Model. The Business Model is nothing more then a description of the means and methods the firm will employ to earn revenues projected by the Business Plan. The Business Plan describes what the business wants to accomplish and what resources it will use to reach those objectives. The model represents the business as a system of a series of steps (actions) to generate revenue and make a profit. The model includes the components and functions of the business, as well as the revenues it will generate and the expenses it incurs.

The traditional Civil Engineering Business Model is as simple as the engineering company and the customers within a key market like Land Development. The engineering company provides the services that the customer needs and wants, and in return the client pays a fess for those services. Once the engineering company has paid all of its expenses including salaries, the company is left with its profit.

This model although simplistic works well if there is very little or no competition and there is plenty of demand for your services. But rarely is this the situation especially in a declining market. The model in most cases needs to be more robust. One needs to see the “bigger picture.” In order to support the Business Plan the Model needs to address the four main components of the business; Framework, Financial, Client, and the Offer.

Business Framework (Infrastructure):

  • Key Resources – What are the company’s capabilities necessary to make the Business Plan possible?
  • Key Activities – What company activities are necessary to implement the Business Plan?
  • Key Partners – What company partners are motivated to participate in the Business Plan?

Client (Current and Prospective Clients):

  • Segment(s) of Clients – What is (are) the targeted audience for the company’s products and services?
  • Communication and Distribution Channels (Marketing) – What are the means the company will utilize to reach the customer and offer them those products and services? What marketing campaigns will the company utilize to reach its targeted clients?
  • Client Relationship – What are the processes the company will establish to maintain its relationship with the clients?

Business Financial:

  • Revenue Streams – What are the company’s sources that will generate funds to support the Business Plan?
  • Cost Structure – What costs will result from engaging in the Business Plan? What will be the company’s expenses?

Value Proposition (The Offer):

  • What are the company’s products and services being offered to the market?

To sum up the Business Model – The business resources of technical staff and equipment complemented by business partners are able to offer a wide range of products and services with a particular billing rate to potential and existing clients, which are obtained through on-going marketing efforts of the company’s staff with an ultimate goal of presenting a proposal and an agreement between the client and the business to provide certain services and products for revenues.

There are multitude of schematics that are used to represent the Business Model, but they all include the four components; the Business Infrastructure, Financial Strategies, Clients, and the Offer or Proposition. In order to get to the end result, revenues, each of these four components of the Business Model must be operating at the best level of efficiency in order to obtain the most revenues. Failure in any step will either reduce the amount of revenue or completely run your business out of business.

It would be difficult to provide services or products to your clients if the resources necessary were inadequate. Imagine if your firm was contracted to provide a Technical Drainage Study for a 200 acre site, but you were not capable of analyzing a proposed open channel using any of the available commercial software. You then have to sub-contract this work out, hopefully to one of your partner companies, to assist you in this area of expertise. Otherwise, you will not be able to provide the service you were contacted to perform.

The same is true if your firm has all of the necessary engineering design expertise it requires and has also contracted with other sub-consultants to provide surveying services, but you have no marketing expertise. Although there are a number of needy clients in your local market, you have no way of contacting them nor do you even know how to identify your potential clients. The chain is broken because there is no way for you to contract with clients to provide the services you have available. Of course, we you have no clients you have no revenues, and when you have no revenues you have no business.

Even if you have an excellent infrastructure and business partners, and you have a huge pipeline of clients that you obtained through marketing, all will be for not if your proposals do not provide your clients with the necessary services they need at a fair price.

The Engineering Business Model a tool that assists the company to implement the Business Plan. A properly prepared Business Plan and a well designed Business Model will focus your company on the task at hand, which is to obtain contracts and clients and to produce profits. If you have not already done so, now is the time to either put together your first business plan or update an existing one. Once completed, the plan is a resource with a great deal of information. It will make you well of aware of competition, the market, and your company’s capabilities. Updating the plan regularly will keep you well informed on what is happening in your business.

Most engineers have excellent technical skills, but not necessarily the same level of expertise in management. It is responsibility of the engineer to develop these management skills through continuing education. This continuing education can be obtained through Community Colleges, Universities, Professional Training Programs, Professional Organizations, and online training courses. In most states these continuing education courses qualify for continuing education units (CEU) or Professional Development Hours (PDH).

 

In this article Joe Haun, discussed how the Business Model is an integral part of the engineering business [http://www.engineeringbusinesspubs.com/ebp_seminar_018.htm]. To learn more about the business of engineering, and how to quickly receive your engineering CEU’s and PDH’s through online training, visit: Engineering Continuing Education [http://www.engineeringbusinesspubs.com/ebp_seminar_004.htm].

 

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Joe_Haun/701991

 

 

 

 

 

 

Business Development, Business Strategy

All the Ws of a Business Plan

A business plan is a written description of the future of your business and more importantly, how you are going to get there. It is a document that explains what you are going to do to make your company profitable and how you are going to achieve this. It defines both your business model and your strategies to make this business model work and more importantly profitable.

Normally when a business idea arises, you know what resources and capabilities you have at the start of your business and where you want to go in a certain period, usually in 3 or 5 years. But what is the way to reach that goal? Where to start? How to arouse investor interest? Even, how to get your business off the ground? Everything seems so easy when you have the great money winning idea and concept. It is how you are going to achieve these dreams and get enough money to keep the business going for many years to come.

Writing a business plan is to build a map that will guide you to where you start making money with your initial business idea. At is very basic structure, your business plan is a mixture of strategies and plans. It involves financials, marketing, staffing and products. Think of it as the foundation to your new business.

WHAT are the reasons that I might need one?

• To look for investors.

• To apply for a loan.

• To establish the viability of your business idea.

• To make improvements to your current business.

• To expand your current business.

All of these types have different emphasises and a different structure.

WHAT is a business plan?

It is a tool or document that describes a business opportunity or idea, the work team, the operational and marketing execution strategies, the business risks and the economic viability of your business. A well written document guides you to turn an idea into a viable business.

It can also be defined in another context in that the business plan becomes a fundamental tool within the analysis of a new business opportunity, a diversification plan, an internationalisation project, the acquisition of a company or an external business unit, or even the launch of a new product or service within the current business.

To summarise, both for the development or launch of a startup and for the analysis of new business investments, the business plan becomes an indispensable tool. So even though you have an established business, you will still need a business plan as you expand and improve that business.

A business plan is never finished and should be reviewed from time to time at least annually but certainly when large changes to an existing company are anticipated. This implies that every plan must adapt effectively and efficiently to the changes, helping the project to continue.

WHAT is the point of a business plan?

Many entrepreneurs think they only need a business plan when they are seeking investment or when the bank asks for one. However the act of business planning, when completed correctly, enables the entrepreneur to carry out an extensive market study that will provide the information required to design the best possible business model that will be both profitable and efficient.

Additionally, the business plan will develop the strategic measures for all functional areas that will enable them achieve the objectives for the new business.

Once written, the business plan will serve as an internal tool to assess the management of the company and its deviations from the planned scenario. Proposing, if necessary, adaptations to the agreed business model in order to obtain updated information for the daily management of the company. This will include preparation of the required changes and processes to bring the business back on track.

So lets dive into the concepts behind business planning a bit more.

The WHY of The Business Plan

• Why do you want your business plan?

• Why are you writing the plan now?

 

The WHAT of the Business Plan

• What is the purpose of developing a specific plan?

• In what period do you consider it possible to carry out your projects?

• What is your business model?

• What is your Value Proposition?

• What are your products or services to be offered?

• What positioning do you plan to develop to compete?

• What are your measurements of success?

• What markets do you plan to penetrate?

• What market percentage do you estimate to obtain?

• What margins do you consider possible?

• What income do you consider you will receive?

• What are the costs of expansion?

• What are the costs of obtaining new customers?

• What do you want to do with your business?

• What strategies do you want to undertake – financial, marketing and planning

 

The WHERE of the Business Activity

• Where will your products be sold from? Shop, office, website, social media, road side, party planning,

• Where are you based? Locally, centrally, virtually etc.

• Where are your products produced?

• Where are your distribution channels?

• Where are they going to be sold?

• Where is your market?

• Where will your staff need to be based?

 

The WHEN of your business planning activities

• When will you need to start your new activities?

• When will they end?

• When will your investor need to invest?

• When will your investor get their money back?

• When will you have enough staff to carry out your new changes?

• When will your products and services be available?

• When will your products need to be updated and/or improved?

• When is the best time to attract new customers?

 

WHO do you present your plan to?

• Bank for loan purposes and they will take a charge over a property usually.

• Investor to join your company as a shareholder.

• Angle Investor to join as a shareholder but also be involved in the running of your company.

• Management team so they know what is expected of them.

• Suppliers who will be offering credit.

• Director level hires so that they are encouraged to join your company.

• Believe it or not the entrepreneur should also refer back on a regular basis.

 

As you can see there are a lot of Ws involved with a business plan – the biggest W is why should you write a business plan and the answer is – because it is such a great business tool.

 

Writing a winning business plan is a complicated procedure and best accomplished with an experienced business consultant. BizGuru.us can assist you with consultancy, strategies, business model canvas production and pitch decks.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Lee_Lister/15449

 

 

 

 

Business Development, Business Strategy, FAQ, Sales & Marketing, Start-ups

Business Fundamentals for Entrepreneurs

Having a great idea and the motivation to strike-out on your own is a good first step in pursing the feasibility of a business. However, it takes more than motivation and a great idea to get things started. This article will reveal some of the simplest considerations that most would-be business-owners overlook.

The very first thing that should not fall under consideration is venturing out on your own without the proper tools beyond the scope of a great idea. According to statistics provided by the Small Business Administration, over 90% of small businesses fail due to a lack of planning. How many times have you heard or witnessed individuals that sat up over a weekend and wrote a stellar business plan then headed out on Monday morning to seek funding or investors? ImpaBrantience is the second thing that needs management. So often “I am tired of working for someone else” is the premise for people to start a business. This frame of mind will almost ensure failure because this approach to business involves looking backwards at getting out of a bad situation.

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