Actual for You - Business

Eliminate Painful Meetings
I remember being interviewed by a writer for an article about effective meetings that was to appear in a national magazine. The writer began the interview by saying, “I don’t want any of the old standard tips; I want new tips.”I replied, “Well, people wouldn’t need new tips if they used the old tips.” This isn’t what the writer wanted to hear, nor is this what many of us want to hear, but this is the truth. If we used what we already know, we could avoid a lot of problems -- including unproductive meetings.Have you ever sat through a meeting only to realize that the real issues were being discussed outside the meeting? Have you ever attended a meeting and asked yourself what the point was?Many organizations experience what I like to call the “soap opera effect” -- you go to one meeting, then miss a few meetings, and then when you go to the next meeting, it is as if you never missed any meetings at all! Just like the afternoon soaps, you only have to check in once in a while to get caught up.If everyone was more upfront and honest, meetings could be a wonderful vehicle to accomplish our objectives and goals. It’s staggering to think of the time, productivity, and money lost due to unproductive meetings. It doesn’t have to be that way.Here are twelve simple, honest tips for running results-producing meetings in a fraction of the time your unproductive meetings take. If these tips seem like common sense, then ask yourself if people are actually using them. The more tips you use, the more effective your meetings will be.1. Only include the people who need to attend.If you are worried about insulting someone who is not included, ask them if they really want to be included. Most likely, people will be thankful that they don’t have to attend another meeting and can get the information they need thro

ntain your current margins while elevating your social status and learning about new frontiers.

The person(s) you bring will provide you with different perspectives as they are not jaded by virtue of experience in the industry. Their eyes will reveal the eyes of the consumers at-large. Take advantage of it!

2. Employees: Over the past 10 to 15 years, employers have steadily increased worker productivity through bonuses, incentive packages and commissions. I’ve always believed that the world should be on commission but that is just a fantasy of mine. The reality is that administrative duties demand salaried positions. However I believe that even in those positions, employees would like and appreciate the opportunity to bring something more to the company they work for and in turn be compensated. If you have no commission structure or bonus plans in your company, I strongly advise you to construct one and soon. If need be, create a “new” position and design it as one of commission only. This will give you an opportunity to see what type of applicants you attract and how well a commission structure can function. Everyone in your company should be rewarded for generating new business and provided an incentive for retaining valuable clients. That’s what you want! Thereto, this is another opportunity to diver

Developing Winners - Creating an Outstanding Foundation
There are four major skill sets that can create a valuable foundation for any career path. To date, they are typically treated as “add-ons” to a major development training, such as leadership or sales, or minor development that result in a “nice to have” four hour information seminar.By creating a paradigm shift in our focus and understanding that if we developed these areas in each individual, we would create an outstanding baseline in all sectors of the business. These applied skills can be applied in any position, providing a quantum leap in effectiveness of our employees, and add clarity to advancement decision making.These four Foundation Development processes are:Time ManagementStress ManagementEffective CommunicationGoal Getting Time Management The fact is that there are 7 days in a week, 24 hours in a day and 60 minutes in an hour. This will not change no matter how much we think we could use an extra hour or two “to get things done.” It becomes vital that we manage that time efficiently so that we can accomplish what needs to be done, instead of focusing on the latest crisis. Another measure of Time Management is handling information flow, that flow that seems never to stop or slow down.An individual who practices effective Time Management has the availability to take care of any issues before they erupt. Crisis Management becomes less of an issue in a strong Time Management environment.Stress Management Most people are exposed to stressful situations on any given day. That can’t be changed. What can be changed is how each individual chooses to deal with that stress. Unfortunately, an individual stressed often will “spread the wealth” creating a toxic environment and complications in their wake.By deve

and the world is yours…

In America today, our population flirts with a population of 300 million. There are over 150 nations represented in that 300 million. Whether by means of divorce or the exercise of choice, women are rapidly entering and advancing in the workplace. Senior citizens account for approximately 25 percent of the population, many of whom continue to work and be active and productive. Teenagers and young adults account for over 25 percent of our population and are continuing their education and enhancing their work skills. The Eurodollar has become a prominent form of currency. All throughout European countries, English is rapidly becoming the language of choice. The Internet is growing at exponential rates and proportions as it enters new homes and schools all across the world each day. Major Banks and corporations continue to merge as they not only strive to survive but do so by striving to grow. Barriers of gender, race and religion are being superseded by the desire and necessity to do business as we strive for social and economic change. The world is at an impasse of opportunity that must not be passed.

Everything I just highlighted in the previous paragraph is a good thing. In America, we are the land of opportunity. We are the home of the free; free enterprise and free trade. We want others to participate in our process of business and explore the opportunity to form, build and grow. The module of Capitalism is ours and one we should never forget nor forsake. It is indeed a positive that our population continues to grow. It’s a positive that women are more prevalent in the workplace as their voice and decisions are crucial to a well-balanced and productive society. In America, we celebrate our senior citizens living longer and healthier with the ability to remain productive. In America, we encourage our teenagers and young adults to continue their education and enhance their work skills. The Eurodollar initially designed to compete with the American Dollar has only reminded us that we can never rest on our rewards of the past. We must continue to be innovative and creative as we compete in an ever-growing marketplace.

In America, we welcome competition as it makes us better. Many banks and major corporations have received fruitful revenues as a result of merging, thus providing better products and services to the general population. In America, we want our consumers to have viable choices that enable them to make intelligent and informed decisions. The integrations of race, gender and religions has been an extraordinary positive and productive mechanism as we not only build companies; we build communities. In America, we welcome diversity as we pool the intellectual and cultural resources that proudly present themselves to us. This is the world that we fought for, united. This is the world we fight for, united. This is the world with unity; we will not only keep but grow. The world of free enterprise is our world, in America!

It’s always improper to encourage others to do something without offering proper encouragement. In tune with that, I offer you sample and generic suggestions to “globe your business.”

1. Expansion: In this global economy if you’re not seeking expansion; it’s not because you shouldn’t be. Every two to three year cycle should not only elicit an overall evaluation; it should be a question of growth. Such a question will accompany issues of how, when and where. If your business is doing well then you must explore the option of “reproducing” what is already working. That is to say, open another location.

Every 30 to 90 days you should have explored other locations including various cities, states and potentially other countries. Every city is a potential market and every market is an opportunity for growth and expansion. For every city you’re not exploring, assume that your competition is. If not you, have an employee or multiples take some time each month to investigate potential locations and markets. Research of information is the best commodity in the business of competition. You must not only keep up but you must stay ahead. As time is always of the essence and even more so in the world of business, you and your current employees may be consumed with duties and obligations. I suggest you begin an intern program with high school or college students. In many cases, they will work for free as they seek the chance to learn from those who are already doing what they desire to do in the future. You’ll create an opportunity to educate a young person, provide them work experience and learn about markets and trends you may not otherwise have explored. This is being innovative and productive.

Meanwhile, you’ll also be advertising your program for free, as schools and students will compete for the opportunity. This advertisement won’t be limited to just the Internships but expose your company to the community and the extensions thereof. Many senior citizens are desperate to exercise their minds and be desired as well as productive in their golden years. I recommend not eliminating them from this equation; however I would advise offering them some compensation package. No matter who you bring in or how often, the idea here is to continually be aggressive and still maintain your current margins while elevating your social status and learning about new frontiers.

Digital Signage Can Save Lives
There can hardly be a driver in America who hasn't been cruising down the highway when the regular programming on the radio is interrupted for a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. A brief warning that a test is about to occur is followed by a burst of tones that sounds like it's coming from a dial-up computer modem followed by a reminder that what was just aired was a test.Or, perhaps you live a tornado-prone section of the country like I do. If so, we probably share this similar experience. Absorbed in the work at hand, you hear a whine in the distance that at first startles you and then makes you look at a clock and a calendar to confirm it's 11 a.m. on the first Tuesday of the month --the time local government authorities test the city's emergency warning sirens. If it isn't, you know your next step is to grab a portable radio and flashlight and head for the basement.I'm not sure exactly when this loose network of government officials, broadcasters and local sirens coalesced into an organized system for alerting the public of an impending emergency - although it probably was the same time the USA entered into a protracted Cold War with the Soviet Union. However, I am certain the original planners of the system did not envision the existence of thousands of private TV channels and digital signage networks.Yet, that's exactly where technology has taken us today. The existence of these networks gives corporations, universities, colleges, secondary and even primary educators, government agencies, the military and other institutions the opportunity to inform people within the reach of their private TV and digital signage networks of an unfolding emergency situation.I would argue that in some situations the ability of these networks to deliver highly targeted messaging to a select audience makes them even more valuable

ant others to participate in our process of business and explore the opportunity to form, build and grow. The module of Capitalism is ours and one we should never forget nor forsake. It is indeed a positive that our population continues to grow. It’s a positive that women are more prevalent in the workplace as their voice and decisions are crucial to a well-balanced and productive society. In America, we celebrate our senior citizens living longer and healthier with the ability to remain productive. In America, we encourage our teenagers and young adults to continue their education and enhance their work skills. The Eurodollar initially designed to compete with the American Dollar has only reminded us that we can never rest on our rewards of the past. We must continue to be innovative and creative as we compete in an ever-growing marketplace.

It’s always improper to encourage others to do something without offering proper encouragement. In tune with that, I offer you sample and generic suggestions to “globe your business.”

S Corporation - A Federal Tax Hybrid Entity
As a legal entity, the S corporation has changed significantly since it was first created by Congress in 1958. Not least of the changes happened to its name: it once was known by its legalese name, “Subchapter S corporation,” but became the more upbeat S corporation after the Subchapter S Revision Act of 1982 was passed.The S corporation is favored by investors because it affords them the best of both worlds: S corporations offer many of the benefits normally attributed to partnership taxation in addition to the limited liability benefits normally enjoyed by limited liability corporations (LLC). It is foreseen that changes in the law will further fine-tune the S corporation, thereby maintaining its status as a preferred vehicle for conducting business.Although an S corporation resembles an LLC in operation and concept, you can quite easily distinguish between the two. The S corporation is a federal tax hybrid entity, whereas the LLC is a state tax hybrid entity. The S corporation is created by an act of the US Congress, whereas the limited liability company is created by legislation in the state. An LLC composed of two or more members work strictly on partnership taxation, whereas partnership tax law does not totally apply to the S corporation. This means that an S corporation cannot allocate income in exactly the same way that a partnership does. Any distributions on appreciated property are also considered taxable in an S corporation.You may then wonder why taxpayers would be induced to form an S corporation rather than organize a limited liability company, in view of the similarity of the tax principles. Under current tax laws, the unique partnership tax attributes are only given to an LLC if there are two or more taxpayers. For S corporations however, they only need one taxpayer to operate. Also, the S corporation offers un

we build communities. In America, we welcome diversity as we pool the intellectual and cultural resources that proudly present themselves to us. This is the world that we fought for, united. This is the world we fight for, united. This is the world with unity; we will not only keep but grow. The world of free enterprise is our world, in America!

It’s always improper to encourage others to do something without offering proper encouragement. In tune with that, I offer you sample and generic suggestions to “globe your business.”

End Business as Usual- Become a Critical Thinker
“But we’ve always done it this way.” “We’ve tried other things and they don’t work.” Sound familiar? This is the theme song of many companies and their managers. New and innovative methods shake the status quo and threaten comfortable patterns of thought. Looking at individual problems and processes in new ways is a start but to truly bring development and innovation to your business you have to look at everything in a new light—a critical light.Reflective skepticism is defined as approaching every element of a process as if you were starting from scratch. With no established protocol to follow you have to create from the ground up. A critical thinker looks at every system, every process, and every procedure as if they were being done for the first time. This creates an opportunity for innovation with every action you take. This opportunity for innovation is what will yield an atmosphere of constant improvement that makes you competitive in today’s dynamic and volatile market. It is not just adjusting your methods and practices to resolve problems as they arise; it’s heading off these roadblocks before they occur.Every assumption you make has its basis in conjecture and a “best guess” mentality. You are relying on past performance, market conditions, and outcomes. Do you really want to trust your company’s success on the past and ignore all the variables that may affect the future? The key is to identify and challenge these assumptions in the context of every new situation. Challenging the context of your decisions is vital to critical thinking. When you start looking at what may seem like routine procedures as separate and unique pathways to separate and unique outcomes you have defined context. Each context contains the possibility for improvement and better results and has its roots in innovation instead of time wor

to investigate potential locations and markets. Research of information is the best commodity in the business of competition. You must not only keep up but you must stay ahead. As time is always of the essence and even more so in the world of business, you and your current employees may be consumed with duties and obligations. I suggest you begin an intern program with high school or college students. In many cases, they will work for free as they seek the chance to learn from those who are already doing what they desire to do in the future. You’ll create an opportunity to educate a young person, provide them work experience and learn about markets and trends you may not otherwise have explored. This is being innovative and productive.

Covert Surveillance - Shoplifiting Prevention
Call them what you will: Loss Prevention, Assets Protection, Security, or Store Detectives. The larger your store, the more you need to protect your assets from shoplifting. Shoplifting costs businesses millions of dollars every year. Protection is important, but if your customers feel like they're being watched, they'll feel uncomfortable and shop elsewhere. While a visual deterrent will make dishonest shoppers think twice about stealing, if you're interested in catching thieves, your surveillance will need to be covert. While a great camera system and trained observers can be an excellent way to detect shoplifting, the expense of such a surveillance camera system can be cost prohibitive. So what is a business owner to do? You can have covert surveillance without an expensive camera system by hiring a store detective.To be effective, a store detective must blend in with your customers. The first step is to match the dress of your typical customers. It could be casual or formal, or somewhere in between. Another technique to blend in is to actually shop. Looking at and carrying merchandise is important. However, shoplifters know what to look for. Store detectives often carry underwear or socks and small electronic merchandise. So store detectives should avoid carrying these types of merchandise. The most reliable way to spot a shoplifter is to look at their eyes. Shoplifters don't want to be noticed, so they will look around to see who's watching. But it is important not to make eye contact, because a shoplifter will feel like he's been noticed.Once a detective notices a suspicious activity, a common reaction is to startle or jump. It's a common physical reaction, but it must be tempered in order to avoid detection. Another thing to avoid is tunnel vision. Inexperienced store detectives often lose sight of the bigge

ntain your current margins while elevating your social status and learning about new frontiers.

With each new and different face, you’ll receive new and exciting perceptions and ideas. No one knows everything about any one thing, let alone everything about everything. You should never rule anyone out because they appear different than what’s previously been successful for you and your company. With that, your employees will begin to learn from one another because of such diversity, enabling them to be better equipped as they venture into our unique and multicultural marketplace. These types of social skills can rarely be achieved through observation and must be cultivated through interaction on a daily basis. As you diversify your company’s employee base; you now have a new opportunity to continually educate and motivate your audience. You want your employees to want to come to work. You want your employees to bring positive energy and excitement as they walk in the door. This type of energy and excitement must be initiated from the top and that’s you.

As they see you as enlightened leader, so too will they seek enlightenment and progress a willingness to learn. In your company meetings, be receptive to the suggestions of your employees and encourage them to speak out and speak up. In 1945 as World War II was nearing an end, then President Harry S. Truman was faced with an imminent dilemma. The American economy was fragile and thousands of troops would be returning home without a job to turn towards. At this time, the President created tax benefits to encourage those present to start a new company or expand the ones they currently owned. Those benefits remain in tact and since have grown without government restraints. Small businesses account for over 52% of all employees in America. This is what you must remember to do, be innovative and creative and remember to create jobs and opportunities for our fellow citizens. In America, that’s who we are.

3. Marketing: No matter what any or all surveys may reveal; the greatest marketing tool of every company is you and your employees. The best commercials, billboards or paid advertisements will mean nothing if your employees don’t embrace and embody the promotion. As you bring in employees and with a commission structure in place; your company is always on stage. The public you’ve yet to see, the clients you’ve yet to secure and the extensions of consumers you’ve had are always watching and observing. It’s not just enough that they abide by the employee handbook rules; they must be an embodiment of your overall company concept. As they enter into new towns, frequent their grocery stores attended their weekly services and participate in school events; your employees are directly representing you. A common and accepted question amongst Americans is “Where do you work?” As you seek employees with character, you must too remember to build character; this is leadership.

While you can’t navigate their behavior nor should you want to; you still must involve these issues in group meetings and potentially invoke a character clause in their employee contract. A commission structure and bonus incentives will be reason enough to keep this dialog alive and robust. As you guide them through potential situations, you want them to bring up scenarios and potential clients that have an interest in your company. You must create a “spirit” of marketing in your company and its employees. Furthermore, as you do research in other towns seeking potential locations and opportunities; you will also be “in effect”, marketing who you are and what you do. This is called “generating a buzz”. Allow the idea of generating a buzz to keep you on edge, as your employees’ minds will always be working. Make your company, their company. As you market your company and its products, don’t be afraid to exhibit your employees along with it. Your employees are well-groomed and articulate.

Put their picture in the promotion, include their voice and enable them to host shows, volunteer work and promotions within the community. This will keep your company approachable and receptive to the public. Just because our nation is becoming large doesn’t mean that we have forsaken the warmth of human contact and the familiarity of recognizable faces and voices. Your clients will enjoy that your employees are the faces on television, on billboards and in the brochures they’ve received. They’ll enjoy that voice they heard is the one they’re speaking to. A company with thousands of employees can maintain the values of closeness and speak volumes in their respective cities and towns. So as you market your employees’ new ideas and suggestions, don’t forget to market your employees as well. And don’t forget to teach your employees how to market. Show your company off!

4. Niche ID: Being competitive in the marketplace means providing services and products that others already provide. That is to say, there is no need to re-invent the wheel. What others have proven to do that works, you can do as well. But in order to remain competitive and grow your business; you must separate yourself and your company. This is one of many reasons why you diversify your employee base, so you can continually be faced with new ideas from a varying audience. Many companies see

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There is growing concern among business owners that merchant account fees are too high. This concern becomes magnified every time Visa and MasterCard raise their interchange rates -- the rates Visa and MasterCard member issuing banks charge on credit card transactions, ultimately passed down to merchants. The article addresses the topic of ever-increasing credit card rates and whether Visa and MasterCard should cap their profit and limit it to a fixed percentage over the costs that they incur.

It is very important to have right office furniture, like computer desks, in the office. They not only help in the right seating arrangement and benefit of employees, but also create more space and lends a touch of professionalism.

Insiders guide to picking out the right QuickBooks product for your start-up or new computerized business.

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