Andy Hawkins

Starting a new business is an exciting time. With so much information available today, how is a person to know what will work for them? Everyone should know that having a plan is key to business success. Developing a plan is the part that scares, confuses and eludes many emerging business owners. We recommend that business owners treat their plan like a Prescription; Think of each step forward as a dose of medicine designed to give you a healthy business. Before you start a business there some key decisions that must be answered; 1. Who are my customers? 2. Where are my customers? 3. How will I attract my customers? 4. How will I delivery my product/service to my customers? 5. How will I manage my finances? 6. Can I afford this? Within each of these questions are the building blocks of a healthy business. To many, these questions seem out of order, or are not all inclusive of what is needed to start and maintain a healthy business. We could not disagree more as these questions are t...

The analogy between marketing and a business is similar to the relationship of body and food. Marketing is the heart of the business. Every business is different so each business has to offer marketing and development, which fits each unique business's need. There are many ways of developing and marketing for any business, but first let's find the true concept and definition of marketing. Marketing definition: "Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large". 1- Thinking advertising is marketing: The biggest mistake most of the business owners make is to think advertising and spending money is the only marketing way exist. This group only focuses on advertising, which when the desire result is not achieved at the end of the month, they complain of how much money they wasted away. Advertisement is merely one of many...

It's an interesting question, but not one that can be answered in any meaningful way without drilling down into the specifics of the business because in the real world, the valuation of a business has many variables including industry types, differing market sectors and individual levels of profit and risk that make any 'prophecy' of business asset valuation as reliable in outcome as taking a trifecta bet at a race track. This is particularly true in relation to a privately owned small business valuation whether the business is incorporated as a private company or operates as a sole trader. Apart from their annual Tax Return, privately owned businesses in Australia, are not obliged, to lodge financial reports with any statutory body or publish any details of their activities in the public domain. With publicly listed entities (companies listed on a stock market) there is more data for a business valuation company to analyse in the form of share prices, price to earnings ...

Building a successful business takes years of effort and attention. Having expended plenty of blood, sweat and tears over that time, business owners want to maximize their value when selling. Many of the qualities that make a business owner successful will benefit a business seller, too. However, not many owners have much experience in selling a business. It is a long, complex process. Here are some of the major issues business owners should consider before, during and after a sale to secure the best value for their hard work. Preparing For The Sale No matter what sort of business you own or how big it is, determine why you are selling and what your priorities are. Do you want to hold out for an all-cash sale, which may be harder to successfully negotiate, or are you willing to consider an installment sale or taking equity in the acquiring company? Do you have a minimum price determined by factors other than the business's value, such as your retirement plans? Do you want to pre...

Online business directories are very beneficial for small businesses. You just have to know how they work. An online business directory is a website submission service that allows your small business's website to be added to a specific category where it can be searched for by interested visitors. These searchable online directories allow their visitors to search for websites and businesses that they find interesting or that they want to learn more about. Listing your small business on an online directory increases your website's visibility on the web and helps to create inbound links to your business' website. Online directories make it easy for people to find what they are looking for. All they have to do is jump online, which means that people could find your business' website from their home, office or even while traveling. 2.) Want to know how online business directories work? The concept of online directories is actually a pretty simple one. Online directories a...