Tag Archives: Successful Business Partnership

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

9 Things to Consider Before Forming a Business Partnership

Getting into a business partnership has its benefits. It allows all contributors to share the stakes in the business. Depending on the risk appetites of partners, a business can have a general or limited liability partnership. Limited partners are only there to provide funding to the business. They have no say in business operations, neither do they share the responsibility of any debt or other business obligations. General Partners operate the business and share its liabilities as well. Since limited liability partnerships require a lot of paperwork, people usually tend to form general partnerships in businesses.

Things to Consider Before Setting Up A Business Partnership

Business partnerships are a great way to share your profit and loss with someone you can trust. However, a poorly executed partnerships can turn out to be a disaster for the business. Here are some useful ways to protect your interests while forming a new business partnership:

1. Being Sure Of Why You Need any Partner

Before entering into a business partnership with someone, you need to ask yourself why you need a partner. If you are looking for just an investor, then a limited liability partnership should suffice. However, if you are trying to create a tax shield for your business, the general partnership would be a better choice.

Business partners should complement each other in terms of experience and skills. If you are a technology enthusiast, teaming up with a professional with extensive marketing experience can be quite beneficial.

2. Understanding Your Partner’s Current Financial Situation

Before asking someone to commit to your business, you need to understand their financial situation. When starting up a business, there may be some amount of initial capital required. If business partners have enough financial resources, they will not require funding from other resources. This will lower a firm’s debt and increase the owner’s equity.

3. Background Check

Even if you trust someone to be your business partner, there is no harm in performing a background check. Calling a couple of professional and personal references can give you a fair idea about their work ethics. Background checks help you avoid any future surprises when you start working with your business partner. If your business partner is used to sitting late and you are not, you can divide responsibilities accordingly.

It is a good idea to check if your partner has any prior experience in running a new business venture. This will tell you how they performed in their previous endeavors.

4. Have an Attorney Vet the Partnership Documents

Make sure you take legal opinion before signing any partnership agreements. It is one of the most useful ways to protect your rights and interests in a business partnership. It is important to have a good understanding of each clause, as a poorly written agreement can make you run into liability issues.

You should make sure to add or delete any relevant clause before entering into a partnership. This is because it is cumbersome to make amendments once the agreement has been signed.

5. The Partnership Should Be Solely Based On Business Terms

Business partnerships should not be based on personal relationships or preferences. There should be strong accountability measures put in place from the very first day to track performance. Responsibilities should be clearly defined and performing metrics should indicate every individual’s contribution towards the business.

Having a weak accountability and performance measurement system is one of the reasons why many partnerships fail. Rather than putting in their efforts, owners start blaming each other for the wrong decisions and resulting in company losses.

6. The Commitment Level of Your Business Partner

All partnerships start on friendly terms and with great enthusiasm. However, some people lose excitement along the way due to everyday slog. Therefore, you need to understand the commitment level of your partner before entering into a business partnership with them.

Your business partner(s) should be able to show the same level of commitment at every stage of the business. If they do not remain committed to the business, it will reflect in their work and can be detrimental to the business as well. The best way to maintain the commitment level of each business partner is to set desired expectations from every person from the very first day.

While entering into a partnership agreement, you need to have an idea about your partner’s added responsibilities. Responsibilities such as taking care of an elderly parent should be given due thought to set realistic expectations. This gives room for compassion and flexibility in your work ethics.

7. What Will Happen If a Partner Exits the Business

Just like any other contract, a business venture requires a prenup. This would outline what happens in case a partner wishes to exit the business. Some of the questions to answer in such a scenario include:

  • How will the exiting party receive compensation?
  • How will the division of resources take place among the remaining business partners?
  • Also, how will you divide the responsibilities?

8. Who Will Be In Charge Of Daily Operations

Even when there is a 50-50 partnership, someone needs to be in charge of daily operations. Positions including CEO and Director need to be allocated to appropriate individuals including the business partners from the beginning.

This helps in creating an organizational structure and further defining the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder. When each individual knows what is expected of him or her, they are more likely to perform better in their role.

9. You Share the Same Values and Vision

Entering into a business partnership with someone who shares the same values and vision makes the running of daily operations considerably easy. You can make important business decisions quickly and define long-term strategies. However, sometimes, even the most like-minded individuals can disagree on important decisions. In such cases, it is essential to keep in mind the long-term goals of the business.

 

Bottom Line

Business partnerships are a great way to share liabilities and increase funding when setting up a new business. To make a business partnership successful, it is important to find a partner that will help you make fruitful decisions for the business. Thus, pay attention to the above-mentioned integral aspects, as a weak partner(s) can prove detrimental for your new venture.

More detailed information and useful advice can be found at https://www.funded.com/

 

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Pierre_Jean-Claude/335283