Will your Startup Succeed? Find out with the Investor Test

September 13, 2013

Will your startup succeed
Every new business owner launches his company with the hopes of making it into next Amazon.com.  But how many can tell whether it will even be a fraction of that successful. Knowing ahead of time whether your company will be a grand success or a big bust can save business owner lot of anxious moments in life.

While there is no crystal ball that can provide foolproof prediction concerning your company’s fate, there exists a fairly reliable predictor. It is called the Investor Test, and when properly applied, it can provide an excellent gauge that tells you whether your business model will ultimately succeed. The Investor Test can also provide valuable insight into how to address potential problems or challenges that are likely to arise in the course of launching and establishing your new business.

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Filed Under: Strategy Tagged With: ,

3 Reasons to Start Your Home Based Travel Agency

August 4, 2013

3 reasons to start home based travel agency
If you love traveling and have great organisational and personal skills, then working as a travel agent could be the perfect job for you. Even better, some of the most successful travel agents work independently from home. Working from home is a great way to operate in any industry, but the travel agency business is especially adept for people who love to work from the comfort of their own home. In case you need any more persuading, here are the three main reasons why you should start a home based travel agency.

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Filed Under: Strategy Tagged With: ,

The Arguments For and Against Early Exit Strategy

July 31, 2013

The arguments for and against early exit strategy
Most businesses are built so that they can eventually dole out rewards to their hard-working owners on exit. Whether the intention is to sell the company, offer it as an inheritance or wean it into a self-supporting profit-making machine, the ultimate goal for many business owners is to be free from day to day operations and get sufficient return on their investment of time, effort and money. That is why exit strategy is as important as building the business itself.

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Filed Under: Sellers, Strategy Tagged With:

How Small Businesses Benefit from Strategic Alliances

July 14, 2013

how small businesses benefit from strategic alliances
In a competitive, complex business world, there are few companies that have the capability to do everything alone. The skills and technology necessary for success in business today, many times, mandate that companies work with other companies that possess complementary skills for the mutual benefit of each. Regardless of the alliance partner or how the alliance is structured, strategic alliances can bring significant benefits to each partner, especially small businesses.

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Filed Under: Strategy Tagged With:

Improve Small Business Profit with Corporate Social Responsibility

June 2, 2013

Improve profit with corporate social responsibility

Many small business owners once dismissed Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a public relations stunt used by large corporations to look good in front of customers and governments. However, over last few years an increasing number of small businesses have started implementing CSR policies.

Why? The simple reason is because CSR can help to improve profits no matter what size of business you are running.

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Filed Under: Strategy Tagged With: , ,

A Better Way to Start Small Business – Consulting

June 1, 2013

A better way to start business - consulting
Ask anyone who works for a small business and he will tell you he wants to run his own business some day. Many of them have a great idea – or think they have one – and only if they ventured on their own they could become a successful business person. Some of them also think they can do better job of running the business they work for than their current owner.

While the thought of starting and owning your own business is certainly admirable anyone who has tried to do it will tell you that it is not as easy as it sounds. As Chief Everything Officer you will be working on many different fronts at the same time and under tremendous pressure. There is no guarantee that you will eventually succeed after spending so much time, money and effort. So, is there any hope for someone who has the passion to start his own business, but is not sure how to go about it? I think so. Let me explain how.

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Filed Under: Buyers, Strategy Tagged With: ,

Too Much, Too Fast – Lessons from JC Penney Failure for Small Business

April 13, 2013

Too much too fast - lessons from JC Penney failure - 2
By now, most in the business community have heard about the ouster of Ron Johnson as CEO of JC Penney after only 17 months on the job. This was a stunning reversal of fortune for Ron Johnson who was regarded as retail Guru based on his accomplishments in transforming Target to “Cheap Chick” retailer and hugely successful launch of Apple Stores. When he was hired at JC Penney he was viewed as a savior who would rescue JC Penney from the downfall it was experiencing for several years.

However, things have not turned out to be that way. In 17 months JC Penney has been in complete turmoil. Sales in 2012 declined 25% compared to prior year representing a staggering $4.3 Billion in lost sales. In 2012 it recorded loss of $1 Billion. No other company has seen such a precipitous loss of value in this short time. So, what went wrong and what lessons can small business owner learn from this?
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Filed Under: Management, Strategy Tagged With: ,

Blockbuster Failure!! How Can You Avoid Similar Fate

March 3, 2013

Blockbuster Failure! Hot to avoid similar fate
Blockbuster, the ubiquitous video rental chain of the bygone era, announced recently that they will close 300 stores in U.S. and lay off 3,000 employees. This is after they have already closed hundreds of stores over the years. The latest round of closing will leave them with only 500 stores, down from 9,100 at the peak of their business. This is one of the blockbuster failures in the American business history!  To be fair, they are not alone. Recent times have seen number of successful retail businesses wipe out from the landscape – Borders, Circuit City, the list goes on.

Blockbuster was one of the great success stories in how to build an empire by putting number of small rivals out of business throughout the country. Starting with a humble beginning they went on to consolidate the video rental industry to be the eight hundred pound gorilla. And yet, they were not immune to the law of natural business cycle when new competitors came along. There are important lessons to be learned from Blockbuster to ensure your small business does not meet the same fate.
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Filed Under: Management, Strategy Tagged With: ,

Top 10 Blog Articles from 2012

January 5, 2013


As we herald into 2013 I thought it would be worthwhile to revisit the stories we produced in 2012 and the response we received from the readers. Here are the top 10 articles, in no particular order that got the most attention, discussion, controversy and response.
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Filed Under: Employees, Finance, Management, Marketing, Operations, Sales, Strategy, Technology, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

The 10 Best and Worst States for Small Business

December 8, 2012

Thinking of starting a small business? Our infographic breaks down the best and worst states for business by real change in GDP, top level state income tax, and number of INC 5000 businesses. Whether you’re starting a web firm or a traditional brick and mortar business, this infographic provides highly-useful information with regard to the incorporation decision process. Local economic climates and state taxes can be a heavy burden on web startups and other small businesses. Making the right decision can save you thousands of dollars in the end; it did for us.

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Filed Under: Management, Strategy Tagged With: ,