Posts Tagged ‘Budget’

Small Business Money – Learn the Art of Ranking Your Bills

January 5th, 2010

Earning an income from your small business can be very gratifying. You actually start reaping the rewards because of your tireless efforts and persistence. Your small business money is what will determine the success or failure of your business. This means how you handle it will see you expand, struggle or shut down. It is vital that you re-invest it back into the business and save whatever you have left.

When you get your gross income at the end of the month it is vital to budget. Without a proper budget, you will not have a proper plan on how to distribute your money. Your budget should have a list of expenses and the income. It is necessary to rank your expenses. This way you know which ones urgently need to be taken care of, and the bills that can wait.

Debts like employees’ wages, rent, utility bills, and suppliers’ bills are usually at the top of the list. In addition depending on the time of year, operational licenses to keep the business going should also be dealt with first. When you have a plan for your small business money it is always easier to be ready for any unforeseen circumstances or emergencies. This way if the suppliers hike their prices on products, you are still able to access them. In addition you can always accommodate new ways to market your business. » Read more: Small Business Money – Learn the Art of Ranking Your Bills

Small Business Money

December 27th, 2009

Earning an income from your small business can be very gratifying. You actually start reaping the rewards because of your tireless efforts and persistence. Your small business money is what will determine the success or failure of your business. This means how you handle it will see you expand, struggle or shut down. It is vital that you re-invest it back into the business and save whatever you have left.

When you get your gross income at the end of the month it is vital to budget. Without a proper budget, you will not have a proper plan on how to distribute your money. Your budget should have a list of expenses and the income. It is necessary to rank your expenses. This way you know which ones urgently need to be taken care of, and the bills that can wait.

Debts like employees’ wages, rent, utility bills, and suppliers’ bills are usually at the top of the list. In addition depending on the time of year, operational licenses to keep the business going should also be dealt with first. When you have a plan for your small business money it is always easier to be ready for any unforeseen circumstances or emergencies. This way if the suppliers hike their prices on products, you are still able to access them. In addition you can always accommodate new ways to market your business.

When you have a budget, you can always plan to inject some money into a project that will market or advertise your business without putting a strain to your pocket. It is important to save as much of your profit as you can. This is going to go a long way especially when business is low.




By: Mercy Maranga

Marketing On A Shoestring Budget

December 16th, 2009

In order to sell your services or products it is crucial that your customers know that you exist, where they can find you, what you are offering, and why they should buy from you! “Becoming an effective marketer is simpler than you think,” says Louise Johnsson Zea, a small business marketing consultant at ACCION. “Even small business owners on a budget can increase their sales by utilizing a few low-cost marketing techniques. “ 1. Word of mouth. Ask your clients to mention your business to their friends, family, and anyone else they know! 2. Make your customers feel special. Include something very inexpensive with a purchase -everyone loves to get something for free. 3. Order business cards online for free at www. vistaprint. com (you have to pay $5. 95 for shipping and handling). These are perfect to give to customers and to hand out at networking events and meetings. 4. Host an annual event and invite your customers. You could organize a baseball game or a pot-luck picnic. 5. Keep a customer birthday list. On their birthday, send them a card and give them a discount enticing them to buy from your business. 6. Be kind to your customers. It is over five times more difficult to acquire a new customer than to keep an old one. If a customer suffered a bad experience pick up the phone and acknowledge what happened, and offer them a discount on their next purchase. 7. Hand out brochures and fliers. 8. If you have a small store – visit larger companies selling similar products and see how they market their products. 9. Advertise in the yellow pages or in local newspapers. 10. And last but not least, Network, network, network! Johnsson-Zea recommends that small business owners write down all their marketing ideas and strategies, share them with employees to get them excited and involved, and set aside some time weekly to adjust the marketing plan. In no time, you’ll see that by investing (a little) money and time in marketing, your profits will soar!