How To Create A Business Note That Is More Attractive To A Note Investor

You are selling your small business (business value under $1 million for this article).

You would like the buyer of your business to come in with an all-cash offer, or be

able to qualify for an SBA guaranteed loan. However, in many cases the owner of the

business ends up taking back the financing because the buyer is not able to make

an all-cash offer or does not qualify for an SBA guaranteed loan. So you create a

"business note" and you now become the "bank". At first that may seem okay, but

after a couple of years of receiving payments you may decide you want to get back

into business and you need the cash that is tied up in your business note on which

you are receiving payments. So now you want to sell your business note to raise

cash for your next business venture. What is it worth? That will depend a lot on how

you structured the note.

The objective of this article is to help you structure the

note so that it is more attractive to a prospective business note buyer.

Assumption: This article discusses the structure of a note that includes only the

business assets of a business. If a business also includes real estate that is being

sold at the same time as the business, that real estate should be sold in a

transaction that is financed separately from the business assets. This allows each to

be valued and financed in the most optimum manner. For example, it may be

possible to finance the real estate with a lower down payment, for a longer term,

with a lower interest rate, and without a personal guarantee.

The objective of a business note buyer or investor when buying future business note

payments is to minimize the risk of a default on the note. Therefore, they look for

specific things when evaluating the purchase of future payments from your business

note. Those include the following:

buyer's down payment

number of payments made on the note (also known as "seasoning")

buyer's credit history

personal guarantee of the buyer

total amount of payments being sold

cash flow of the business and past profitability

length of term of the note

payment amount

offsets

lien position of the note

amortization of the note

experience of the buyer with the type of business purchased

interest rate on the business note

documentation of the business sale

Unlike the purchase of a piece of real estate, the tangible assets of a small business

may not be adequate to cover the amount due on the business note if the buyer of

the business defaults. Therefore, the business note buyer is looking for ways to

lessen the likelihood of a default. If there is a default on the note, the business note

buyer will require that the business buyer follow through on their personal

guarantee which secures the business note.

A cash down payment of at least 33 percent should be made by the business buyer.

This down payment should not come from borrowed funds. The reason for requiring

such a large down payment is to make it less attractive for the buyer to "walk away"

from the business if they encounter problems. If they have a significant amount of

their own money invested in the business, they may think twice about walking away

from the business when things get tough.

If the down payment was less than 33 percent, then the business note buyer will

require that the difference be made up by additional payments on the business

note. The business note buyer wants to see that the new owner of the business has

at least a one-third equity investment in the business between the combination of

cash down payment and payments made on the business note while operating the

business.

Business note buyers want to see that at least two monthly payments have been

made on the note by the new owner of the business. For new owners of professional

practices such as doctors or dentists, a larger number of paid monthly payments

will be required. This serves a couple of purposes. It should show that the new

owner is generating cash flow from the business. It also allows the new owner to see

if the business is meeting their expectations. As part of the "due diligence"

performed by the business note buyer, they will interview the new owner to see if

any problems exist that might lead to future problems making payments on the

business note. They will want to know if the new owner was "mislead" by the seller

of the business.

The buyer of the business should have a credit score of at least 600. A higher score

is required by the business note buyer when the value of future business note

payments being purchased reaches a certain level. Any "clouds" on the business

buyer's credit history should not be current. These should have been resolved

before purchase of the business.

The business note must be personally guaranteed by the buyer. It cannot be

guaranteed by the company buying your business. Specifically, it cannot be

guaranteed by a person signing on behalf of the company. If there is a default, the

business note buyer will be coming after the personal assets of the individual(s)

making the personal guarantee. A personal financial statement for the buyer should

be obtained to verify that they have the necessary assets should it be necessary to

fulfill the personal guarantee.

The maximum amount a business note buyer will buy in a single transaction is

between $300,000 and $450,000. You can create a business note for more than this

maximum amount, but the business note buyer won't buy more than their

maximum at one time. This means when the period is completed for which

payments have been sold any remaining payments will once again come to you. At

this point you will have the option of selling future payments again, if you want to.

The cash flow of the business must be adequate to service the note and provide

additional cash for the new owner to live on. The cash flow should be at least 1.25

times the amount required to service the note. The business should have been in

the same location for at least 3 years (4 years for restaurants and bars), and it

should have been profitable over that time.

The term of the note should not be longer than 72 months with 36 to 60 months

being preferred. You can create a business note for longer than the recommended

period, but a business note buyer will only buy the number of payments with which

they are comfortable. The objective is to minimize the risk to the note buyer. The

longer the term, the greater the likelihood that something will go wrong. The note

buyer is looking to minimize their risk because the note is not fully secured by the

assets of the business.

A key item related to the term of the note is the term of the lease of the space in

which the business operates. In order to avoid a major disruption to the business

due to a problem renewing the lease, the term of the lease should be at least as

long as the term of the business note.

The business note must be in first lien position. The business note cannot be a

second position lien behind a bank loan. If there is a default, the second position

lien holder may have a difficult time recovering their investment.

The business note should be fully amortized over its term. There cannot be a

balloon at the end because there is probably no way to refinance the balloon at the

end of the note term. If a bank was not willing to finance the original transaction, it

is unlikely that they would be willing to finance the balloon at a later date.(Notes:

Some business note buyers may accept a balloon if it can be amortized within 24

months using the same monthly payment used to pay the note. Other business note

buyers may buy payments up to a few months before the end of the note term, but

leave the balloon for the business note holder.)

The business note buyer wants to see that the new owner of the business has prior

experience running the type of business being purchased. This is especially

important for the purchase of a "high-tech" business or a professional practice. The

assumption is that someone with experience in the type of business has a better

chance of succeeding than someone without prior experience.

One of the biggest factors contributing to the discount that the seller will have to

take when selling the future payments is the difference between interest rate on the

original business note, and the yield required on their investment by the business

note buyer when they buy the future note payments. Therefore, the interest rate on

the business note should be set as high as possible while still allowing a monthly

payment that can be covered by the cash flow of the business for the term of the

note.

The deal is not done until the paper work is done. There are stories where people

documented the sale of a business on a napkin or restaurant place mat. That will

not be adequate if you have any thought of selling your business note in the future.

There are four main documents that should be produced. It is recommended that a

lawyer be used to help properly prepare these documents. The documents are listed

below.

UCC-1

chattel security agreement or chattel mortgage

promissory note

purchase agreement

The UCC-1 documents that the seller is holding a "perfected" lien on the business.

This document is filed with county government and is part of the public record. If

there is a default, this document indicates that the business seller will be first (after

tax liens) to receive proceeds from the sale of any business assets.

The "chattel security agreement" is a list of the tangible assets of the business. This

will usually be the furniture, fixtures, and equipment that are the tangible assets of

the business. The intangible assets are things like a loyal customer base that can be

lost if the new ownership does not provide the service received from the previous

ownership. The chattel security agreement does not become part of the public

record, but is necessary to document what the tangible assets were at the time of

the business sale.

If any vehicles are part of the security for the business, the title of the vehicles

should indicate that you are the owner of the vehicles so that the new business

owner cannot sell these vehicles without your knowledge.

The promissory note documents the details of the sale like value of the note at the

time of sale, the term of the note, the monthly payment, the interest rate, and any

other special terms such as late payment fees.

The purchase agreement ties the whole transaction together. It may contain

information that is not specifically contained on the other documents such as

provisions to provide periodic financial statements to the seller which could then be

made available to a prospective note buyer for evaluation.

The promissory note or the purchase agreement should not contain any "offset"

statements which would allow the business buyer to deduct from payments made

on the note due to problems running the business or problems with equipment

purchased as part of the business. If the promissory note or purchase agreement

does contain "offsets", then the business note buyer will require at least 6 months

of seasoning to see if there have been any events that would activate the "offset"

provisions.

The following table summarizes the factors contributing to a business note that will

be more attractive to a prospective note investor.

Note Factor

Preferred Value for Note Factor

Buyer's Down Payment

At least 33% in cash that was not borrowed

Minimum Number of Payments Already Made (Seasoning)

2 monthly payments (more are preferred and more are required for professional

practices) by the new owner

Buyer's Credit History

Buyer must have a credit score of at least 600 with no recent "clouds" on credit

history

Personal Guarantee

Personal guarantee required (cannot be a person signing on behalf of corporation or

partnership)

Total Amount of Payments Being Sold

Maximum is $300,000 to $450,000 in a single transaction (note can be created for

more than this amount, but the maximum that can be sold at one time is $300,000

to $450,000)

Cash Flow of the Business

Cash flow should be at least 1.25 times the amount of the monthly payment on the

business note.

Length of Term of the Note

72 months maximum but 36 to 60 months is preferred (Note can be created for a

longer term but business note buyer won't buy the payments beyond a certain

point.)

Lien Position of the Note

First lien position only

Amortization of the Note

Note must be fully amortized within the note term

Experience of the Buyer

The buyer should have prior experience in the type of business being purchased.

Interest Rate

As high as possible such that cash flow can support the required payment for the

term of the note.

Documentation For Sale

UCC-1

Chattel Security Agreement

Promissory Note

Purchase Agreement

Real Estate

Real estate that is part of the business should be sold in a separate transaction from

the business assets

Of course, a business note can be structured other than recommended above,

especially if the seller does not anticipate selling future note payments. However, if

the seller has any thought that they might want to sell future note payments, then

the seller should follow the above recommendations as much as possible.

If you have an existing business note or are in the process of creating one as part of

the sale of a business, and you are thinking about selling some or all of your future

payments on that note, then we can help you determine what an investor would be

willing to pay for those payments. Please contact us today for a free, no obligation

quote on the sale of your future business note payments.

Afra AmirSanjari is the Principal for Peacock Capital. Peacock Capital specializes in solving the cash flow challenges of Small/Medium Businesses, Government Vendors and Individuals with innovative financial solutions by providing a network for securing operating capital.

http://www.peacockcapital.com

info@peacockcapital.com

Buying a Business

Start thinking about buying an established business if you want to avoid the immense risks involved in starting one. Not everyone wants to start a business from scratch, and buying a business with the infrastructure in place lets you focus on building it up, as opposed to getting a new business off the ground. This is not to say that it's easy to buy an existing business; it's a fairly complicated process throughout which you need to know exactly what you're doing.

First off, decide that you do want to buy before you begin your research. This way you will look at options more carefully. A particular business may not be exactly what you're looking for, but if you're sure that you do want to buy, then you won't brush it off immediately, without first considering how you might grow with it. Vested Business Broker's deals with a wide range of businesses and will surely help you make up your mind quickly.

Talk to the people in your life who are likely to be affected by the venture. Let them know the hours that you are likely to have to work and the risks involved. You might need their support if you initially go through a rough patch.

Using a Broker

It would be more prudent to use the services of a broker in buying your business. All the important groundwork in terms of research would already have been done. And, you can focus on finalizing the deal.

A broker will handle all those complicated negotiations which you may just find too much to handle. And, when things turn unpleasant you can leave it all to your broker.

Brokers are supposed to have systems in place to take care of deals. The sale is usually a time of some stress for both the buyer and the seller, so having someone to put everything together and take care of the paperwork is very helpful. You will appreciate a broker's services as it will allow you to concentrate on getting a worthwhile deal, and not have to worry about whether all the documents -and there are a lot of them- are in order.

Of course, your broker will charge you a substantial commission, but it will all be worthwhile if you get the deal you want. Vested Business Brokers can be counted on to take care of the nitty-gritty that ensures a successful deal.

Business Essentials

Once you figure out your particular area of interest, think about the size of the business that you want to buy, the location of prospective sellers etc. Know your financial resources so that you don't waste time looking at businesses that are beyond your reach, even if you have always fantasized about being a ship-builder.

Identify your strengths. Are you good at sales? Operations? Look out for a business that is in a position to benefit from your particular strengths.

Once you've identified a business that you want to buy, make contact with the seller but hire professionals i.e. accountants, attorneys, etc. to take care of different aspects of the purchase. Using Vested Business Brokers services would surely help you narrow down your search and identify all the expertise you might need to close the deal successfully.

Allow yourself a gut instinct about the seller and the business. Feel free to ask why they want to sell the business, and evaluate your decision based on their reasons. It might just reassure you that you should go ahead with the deal.

Company Valuation

There are many methods of valuing a company, and it is up to the seller to decide how to go about it. Make sure the price is a fair representation of how valuable the company is likely to be to you. It is obviously disadvantageous to you if a non-performing company that is heavy in assets is priced based on the net value of its assets.

The asking price is negotiable. Even in a situation where the seller is firm on her price, enquire as to the method of valuation and challenge it if you think it leaves you with an unfair deal. While negotiating, be prepared to challenge the seller with facts and statistics.

Find out what specific concerns the seller has about the deal, and address them. Be sensitive to the fact that selling a business can be an emotional process but at the same time make sure that you don't end up paying for its sentimental value. With Vested Business Brokers you can be sure to get yourself a fair valuation of the business of your choice.

Financing the Deal

To finance the deal, seller financing is probably the best option available to you. You won't get a bank loan without offering a 100% collateral. The Small Business Administration does offer some financing but only for deals that meet a strict set of criteria.

The good thing about seller financing is that it shows that the seller is being serious and honest about the deal, and is not trying to offload an ailing business onto you. It shows that he has enough faith in the business he is selling to share the risk involved in running it with you. There's no better way to be sure that a business is really worth buying. Seller financing also allows for far greater flexibility than any other kind of financing.

Most people who start looking for a business to buy never actually end up buying. If your first deal doesn't come through, don't let it deter you from looking for other businesses. Learn from the experience and use it to sharpen your skills so that the next time around, you know exactly what you want and how to go about getting it. Vested Business Brokers can offer you a range of financial options.

Services

Vested Business Brokers offers all services required in buying a business:

1. Initial Consultation - You will have a one-on-one via phone or in person with a broker in your area to discuss all of your questions and concerns regarding the business buying process. Our brokers are trained to help you with business concerns as well as personal concerns. We realize that this is not only a financial decision, but a lifestyle decision as well.

2. Buyer Profile - Once all of your concerns have been addressed and you have signed a buyer registration agreement, your Vested Business Broker will create a buyer profile by which he/she can search for the exact type of business you are looking for.

3. Viewing Listings - Once we have entered your criteria into our database, our computer will generate matches. Your Vested professional will then go with you to take a look at the listing and address any questions you may have.

4. Offer To Purchase - If one of these businesses fits what you are looking for and you have had a chance to think about making an offer (sometimes you may have to make several visits to the business to be certain), your broker will help you fill out an offer sheet. This sheet details the price and terms at which you would like to purchase the business. Here the experience of your broker will help you in making the best offer. In addition, Vested offers financial services that can help make a deal happen, even if you are short of funds.

5. Due Diligence - Once the offer has been accepted, the buyer conducts a period of research on the business. Basically, due diligence is the process by which you work with the seller to verify the financials of the business as well as a period in which you learn the inner workings of the business. This process typically takes two weeks. A buyer may want to bring in his/her attorney or CPA to help during this phase of the purchase. (We have many relationships with excellent professionals, if you need a referral). Your broker will be available to assist you in the due diligence process in every way.

6. Contract & Closing - Following a successful due diligence period in which all of your concerns have been addressed, a contract will be drawn up between yourself and the seller of the business. Typically this is done between your attorney and that of the seller. (Again, Vested has relationships with many attorneys if you need a referral). If the contract meets all contingencies you have set forth, it can be signed and a closing date set. At closing, the business will officially change hands and you will have completed the buying process. Keep in mind that our brokers are here for you every step of the way to ensure that you are making informed decisions.

The process doesn't end at closing. Vested has developed relationships with many business service providers to offer new business owners services that are vital to the success of their businesses.

At Vested Business Brokers we have enough experience in putting together successful deals. Our web page is http://www.vestedbb.com

We assist to buy a business, sell a business and to be a business broker. Get the deal you want with Vested Business Brokers.

50 Surefire Business Card Tips

Business cards are one of the most powerful and inexpensive marketing tools you can use. Here are 50 surefire tips to make the most out of your business cards:

Your business card must communicate more than just your contact information. Make sure that your card includes a tag line that explains what you or your company do.

Order them in large numbers. By ordering 1000 your cost per card will be significantly lower than if you ordered 500.

Even if you can produce your business cards at home using an inkjet printer, have your business cards professionally made by a printing company. Your business card will be the first impression your prospects receive of your business, so let them convey the best possible one.

Avoid using standard clip art as your business logo. A logo brings credibility and brand awareness, so before you invest in business cards have a logo professionally made for your business. Nowadays, there are online companies that can produce a professional logo for as little as $25, so there is no excuse for not having one made.



Put up a website and use the URL in your business cards. If you don't have a website, people will notice the absence of a web address in your business card and, depending on the business you are in, it may make you lose credibility.



Keep all the information in your business card current. If you changed address or phone number, don't scratch the old number and write down the new one by hand; get new business cards.



Keep your business card simple. Don't use too many fonts or try to cram too much information in it. Try to use a pleasant layout and make sure that your main message (your tagline or your unique selling proposition) doesn't get lost.



If you live in the US, limit your business card size to 3.5" x 2". Anything bigger will not fit in standard card holders and your card may end up in the trash. Business cards in Europe tend to be larger, but so are the wallets and card holders.



Make sure that your business card reflects your image. If you are an artist or a graphic designer, it is OK to use trendy colors and fonts. If you are an investment banker, a sober layout and colors such as blue or gray work better.




Your business card is an integral part of your brand or corporate identity strategy. It should follow the same graphics standards as the rest of your communications material (stationary, brochures, letterheads, etc.).



Find a way to make your business cards stand out. I've seen business cards with one of its corners cut in an angle, or with an interesting texture, all of which makes your business card stand out of the crowd. The best one I've seen is from an interior designer, who used a hologram to show a room before and after a redesign.



Make your business card easy to read: use high contrast between the background and the type. Light background with dark type works better.



After your logo, your name should be the largest piece of information on your card.



Make sure that all the information on your card is printed in a large enough typeface to be easily readable.



Run your business card copy through a spell checker and double-check your contact information.



Keep your business cards with you at all times. Keep a stack in your car, in your house, in your office, and in your wallet.



Leave your business cards in billboards at supermarkets, schools, stores, libraries, etc.



When giving away your card, give two or three at a time, so that your contacts can in turn distribute them to other people. This will not only help you distribute them faster, but will generate a beneficial "endorsing effect".



Include a business card with all your correspondence. People may throw away the letter, but will usually keep the business card.



Make your business card go the extra mile: use the back of the card to print more information: special offers, checklists, schedules, etc.



Throw in a business card in every product you ship.



Send a business card with any gift you send, instead of just a card with your name.



Scan your card and use it as an attachment to emails.



Use your business cards as name tags. Get a transparent plastic cover with a pin, and attach it to your lapel. Wearing it on your right side tends to make it more noticeable.



Use your business card as a name tag on your briefcase. Make sure that your company logo and tagline are visible. This way, your business card will turn into a "conversation piece" during plane rides, which may help you meet interesting people and good business contacts.



Use your business card as an ad: many publications offer "business card size" classified ads. If you design your business card properly, it can double up as an ad in those publications.



Don't give your business card too quickly. It may be perceived as pushy. Try to establish a conversation with your prospect first. For example, ask them what do they do. That will usually prompt them to give you their card. That is the perfect moment to give them yours.



Don't try to give your card in situations where many people are giving them to your prospect. Wait for a moment when you can capture your prospect's attention span.



Another tactic you can try when your prospect is overwhelmed and can't pay you enough attention is to send your card by mail. Pretend you ran out of business cards and ask for theirs. Then, mail them your card and take the opportunity to drop a follow up note.



If you have a mobile phone number or a direct phone number that is not listed in your business card, write it at the back of your card before handing it out, and tell your prospect that you are giving them your direct number. This will make your card more important, and less likely to be lost or thrown out.



Another way of increasing the chances that your prospect will keep your card is by printing valuable information on the back, for example important phone numbers (local police, hospitals, etc), a calendar, or a football schedule.



Offer to hand out cards of complementary (non-competitive) business people in exchange for them distributing yours. An example of non-competitive businesses is real estate brokers and mortgage brokers.



If somebody gives you their business card, you should give them yours in return.



Always give your business card face up.



Take a cue from Far East business people, who hand out business cards with both hands. It helps give the impression that your business card is something very important.



If you conduct business internationally, use the back of your card to print a translated version of your business card in your customers' language. Even if they have no problem reading English, it will be a classy touch and they will appreciate it.



If you sell different product brands and want to put their logos on your business card, print them in only one color. Using each logo's brand colors could make your business card look chaotic and busy.



Create a business card in magnet form. Magnets are widely used, to hold important papers on the refrigerator door at home and on file cabinets at work. They are always visible and always get read.



When receiving somebody else's business card, don't put it away immediately. Instead, keep it in your hand for a while you talk to your prospect, or place it neatly over the table, and try to develop a conversation based on the information on the card.



Use the back of the cards you receive to write down important facts about the persons who handed them to you. It will help you enormously when you follow up with them.



If you are in a profession where relationship selling is important, it may be a good idea to include your picture in your business card (i.e. real estate brokers).



Even if your business is a sole proprietorship, you can still use "account manager" as your title instead of "owner" or "president". If you do sales (and we all do) "account manager" is a perfectly appropriate title, and it will give the impression that you work for a larger company.



Use logos of organizations that you or your business belong to in your business cards. They are an easy way to provide instant credibility to your business. For example, if you operate a repair shop you can display the logo of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) or the Triple A (AAA). (Check with them first about the terms of use).



If you participate in affiliate programs online, you can still use business cards to promote your affiliate links. Use the name of the affiliate company as the company name, use 'partner' or 'associate' as your title, and the URL of the directory or web page where you have placed your affiliate links as your web address. Just because affiliate programs are online doesn't mean that you can't use off-line marketing methods to promote them.



If you need to give cards to different kinds of prospects (for example if you are a student looking for work), make business cards with just your name and contact information, and attach custom made self-adhesive labels at the back with information of interest to each specific prospect.



Include an information email address (for example: info@yourdomain.com) that is set in autoresponder mode, that automatically triggers an email message with full information about your product, service or company. This will increase the effectiveness of your business card since you will give your prospect much more information that you can fit in a card.



Take good care of your business cards. Keep them clean and crisp in a cardholder. Don't give away cards that are bent or damaged.



Try to get a cardholder with two pockets. That way, you can use one for your business cards and the other one for the business cards you receive.



Keep all the business cards you receive neatly organized in a rolodex. It will save you time and will provide you with a database of contacts with whom to build positive business relationships.



Collect all the business cards you can find, even if you don't need them. Together, they will act as an "idea file" that will provide you with valuable tips that you can use to design your business cards.

About The Author

Mario Sanchez publishes The Internet Digest (http://www.theinternetdigest.net) an online collection of tips and resources on Internet Marketing and Web Design. You can also visit his Business Card Tips page at: http://www.accordmarketing.com/businesscards/.

Find the Probability of Success for Any Online Home Based Business Opportunity

There are about three big opportunities per lifetime. Like baseball, if you miss all three, you are out. Do you remember the last online homebased business opportunity you missed? Did you miss Microsoft? Did you miss Yahoo? Did you miss Google?

Couda, shouda, wouda

Why did you miss out? Was it lack of knowledge? Was it indecision? If it was lack of knowledge, you can forgive yourself. You can not know what you do not know. There was nothing you could do about it. If it was indecision, there was something you could have done.

Oportunity is the fruit of Convergence. Peter Drucker defines opportunity this way:

"Opportunity in the market place is because of a process of convergence of forces that were previously not together."

The idea of forces coming together, converging, is stronger than the business itself. The essential forces Peter Drucker did not individually identify as converging will be enumerated and discussed in this article.

There are five essential forces that must be present for any successful online homebased business opportunity. This article will describe these five essential forces that must be in place for any online homebased business opportunity to be successful. These five essential forces apply to any online homebased business opportunity. They are universal, abstract, and independent of business type. They apply from academia to zymology.

A simple analytical method to evaluate these essential elements and arrive at a numerical figure of merit will be presented. The method is strong, impersonal, and reliable. You will arrive at a numerical rating for the relative strength for the Probability of Success (S) for any online homebased business opportunity you care to evaluate. Reducing the evaluation to a number between zero and 100 gives you a powerful, impartial method to evaluate or compare any online homebased business opportunity. This will remove emotion from the decision process.

Convergence of these five essential ingredients is absolutely essential for success. All five forces must be present simultaneously. In other words, they must all converge at the same point in time for the same business venture. They must all be in the right place at the right time to create a successful online homebased business opportunity.

These forces are the essence of all businesses, regardless of product. They are like the spokes in a wagon wheel. If one spoke is missing, the wheel breaks down. Each factor dramatically affects the success of any online homebased business opportunity.

Without the convergence of these five forces there is no online homebased business opportunity. If there is no convergence, there is nothing you can do to make the business a success. No amount of hard work and no amount of money will yield success.

Opportunity presents itself only when all these forces are in simultaneous alignment. One force is not considered more important than the others. The order in which they are presented is no indication of their relative values. They will be discussed in random order.

This method is not buried in concrete. Feel free to make your own assessments of relative importance. When you finally establish a value, stick with it. Be consistent so comparisons can be made between one online homebased business opportunity and another. For example, if you decide leadership has a maximum value of 2 or 5, stick with it on any online homebased business opportunity you wish to evaluate.

It will be convenient if the sum of the maximum values allowed always equals 100. In this case, Leadership has been arbitrarily assigned a maximum value of 2. All you need to do is decide if the leadership of your proposed online homebased business opportunity deserves a zero, 1, or 2.

1. Company (C ) (Maximum = 20)

Company Management (Maximum = 10)

Leadership (2)

Confidence or trust (2)

Experience (2)

Honesty (2)

Influence (2)

Company Financial Stability (Maximum = 10)

Assets (2)

Cash (2)

Credit Rating (2)

Visibility (2)

Technology (2)

Many start-up online homebased business opportunities do not have the financial assets to sustain their own growth. A viable online homebased business opportunity must have very deep pockets or be owned by a company with very deep pockets, preferably a parent company that has already gone through the growth cycle and has the funds to support the new growth.

2. ProDucts (D) (Maximum = 20)

Leading Edge Product Technology (Maximum = 5)

R&D

Proprietary (No other place to get it)

Competitive

Product Quality (Maximum = 5)

Quality, like Reliability, must be built into the design and process. It cannot be "tested" or "worked" into the products.

Product Fills a Recognizable Need (Maximum = 5)

There should be a clear need for your product or service. If there is no need, there is no demand, and there is no opportunity. There may be very little demand for 78 rpm vinyl records.

Consumable (Maximum = 5)

If the product is not consumable, there is no additional market after the initial sales and there is no opportunity.

Trends (R) (Maximum = 20)

Demographic Trends (Maximum = 10)

As individuals, we can not create a demographic trend. We can only recognize it and take advantage of it. The "Baby Boomers" are the largest market in history. Starting immediately after WWII, 76 million babies were born during the period between1945 to 1964. When the first of these babies were born, a powerful demand for baby products materialized. Companies like Johnson & Johnson and Gerber's made huge profits. As these babies started shaving, Gillette started making huge profits. As they learned to drive, the Ford Mustang was in demand. As these babies began to have babies, the Mini-Van became desirable. If your online homebased business opportunity is positioned in front of the Baby Boomers, assign Demographic Trends a maximum value.

Economic Trends (Maximum = 10)

Individuals do not create an economic trend. Individuals have no control over economic trends; however certain businesses are sensitive to economic trends. Real estate is sensitive to interest rates. In times of economic downtrends a low number would be assigned. Cosmetics, on the other hand, are virtually immune to economic downtrends and would be assigned a high number. People will give up eating to look good and feel good. If your online homebased business opportunity is immune to economic trends assign a high number.

Timing (T) (Maximum = 20)

You have no doubt heard the expression that in real estate the three most important factors are Location, Location, and Location. In an online homebased business opportunity, the mantra is Timing, Timing, and Timing.

If one force is more important than the others, perhaps timing is the most important element of success. Timing, like trends, is also beyond your control. Like trends, you can only recognize timing and take advantage of it. There is nothing you can do to improve timing. It is either there or it is not. If timing is present assign a high number based upon the following criteria.

A. Formulation Phase: (Maximum = 20)

This is the phase where research and development are just completed. Production and initial marketing efforts begin. This region is characterized by slow, deliberate growth. As an agricultural example, this is the time for planting. It is defined as the region of the growth curve where income from sales is less than $50 million per year.

This is the time to get into any business. It requires forethought and knowledge. It does not require speculation. It requires due diligence on your part to study the online homebased business opportunity and arrive at your estimate of the strength of the five essential force ingredients of a successful online business venture. If you identify that your online homebased business opportunity is in the formulation phase, assign timing a value of 20.

B. Critical Mass Point

he critical mass point is defined as sales of $50 million per year. This is the point which will determine " When". This is the point when your labors will begin to yield fruit at such a great rate you will be unable to contain them. From this point onward, the curve rises ever so steeply. This is the time to act quickly and decisively. If you are not on board at this time, your online homebased business opportunity will quickly leave you behind. If you identify that your online homebased business opportunity is at the critical point, assign timing a value of 20.

C. Momentum

Momentum is defined as sales greater than $50 million per year and increasing very rapidly. If you have exercised your desire, ability, and motivation, you have already become a participant before your online homebased business opportunity reaches momentum. You have exercised your choice and are now in position to enjoy the fruits of your labor. There is nothing you can do to stop the momentum which is now building beneath you. It is beyond your control. It is like a giant wave that carries you to the pinnacle of success. There may be some who grab onto an online homebased business opportunity as it speeds by them, but the exponential growth eventually decays exponentially as the wave crest rises higher and higher until the opportunity diminishes. For example, you could buy Microsoft stock now, but the big opportunity is already over and it will never come back again. If you find your online homebased business opportunity is just starting into momentum, assign timing a value closer to 20. If you find your online homebased business opportunity near the top of the curve, near stabilization (defined below), assign timing a number closer to one.

D. Stabilization

This is the area where the exponential growth has died out. Momentum has dissipated. Sales are good, but sales are not increasing exponentially. The business is mature, stable, and secure. The curve is relatively flat, and growth has slowed to a value similar to the development phase. The online homebased business opportunity has gone. It is passed. It is over. There is no online homebased business opportunity. If you find that your online homebased business opportunity is in stabilization, assign timing a value near zero and start looking for another online homebased business opportunity.

Compensation (K) (Maximum = 20)

Leverage (Maximum = 10)

If you trade time for money, you will never get ahead by investing one increment of your time for one increment of income. You will remain in the very treadmill you are trying to escape. You will get by, but you will never get ahead. If you want to get ahead, you must find a way to multiply your efforts. That is done by leveraging yourself. J. Paul Getty stated this clearly when he said:

"I had rather have one percent of a hundred people's efforts than 100% of my own efforts".

If you have no way to leverage yourself (e.g. fixed salary) assign leverage a number near zero. If you can leverage yourself, assign a number closer to 10.

Multiple ways to earn income (Maximum = 10)

Sales Profits (1)

When you can profit from your own sales efforts, assign a value of 1, otherwise zero.

Override (1)

If you receive override compensation on the efforts of others, assign a value of 1, otherwise zero.

Matching (5)

If you can receive matching compensation on the efforts of others, assign a full value of 5.

Residual (2)

If you can build your equity to the point that you have residual compensation from your previous efforts, assign a value of 2.

Perpetuity (1)

If your equity is yours to sell or will to your survivors, assign a value of 1, otherwise zero.

Define the Possibility for Success (P) as being totally dependent upon the sum of the five prime forces required for a successful business (above). Notice that it has nothing to do with you. The only thing you will do is evaluate each ingredient and assign it a strength value. This will depend upon the research you conduct to gain information about the five essentials for the particular online homebased business opportunity. Assign each one of the five ingredients a value from zero to 20 according to the instructions presented above. (Naturally, 20 is the ideal, strongest value.) You have determined all the values for C, D, R, T, and K.

Repeating, you have evaluated each force ingredient separately and arrived at your evaluation of its relative strength.

Add up all five of your separate evaluations.

P = C + D + R + T + K

For example, if all five ingredients are present in your online homebased business opportunity and each is individually evaluated as being 20, then:

P = 20 + 20 + 20 + 20 + 20

P = 100

Let us further define a Multiplier (M), as a figure of merit derived from your desire, motivation, and ability to succeed. Let M be limited to a number between zero and one with zero being the worst case and one being the best case. Note that this multiplier is entirely dependent upon you, not the online homebased business opportunity. Determine this multiplier number by self-evaluating your desire, ability, and motivation. Notice that the multiplier number does not depend on your time. Too many people say "I don't have the time." That means you are "too busy chopping wood to stop and sharpen the axe". Successful people do not have time---they make time. Ideally, you want to rate yourself as a "1", not a zero. But unto thine ownself be true.

Define Success (S) as:

S = M(P)

If you are a "one" and not a "zero", and all five ingredients of your online homebased business opportunity are present at their full value, there is no gamble since:

S = 1(100)

S = 100

Having completed your "due diligence", failure is no longer an option or possibility. The probability for success is 100 percent. Your success is assured. It is no longer a question of "If". It is simply a question of "When".

Get on board this online homebased business opportunity fast

Use this procedure one each online homebased business opportunity that you wish to evaluate and compare.

Jack Price gives a simple, powerful way to find out if any online homebased business opportunity has the chance to succeed. Jack is an engineer (ret), artist, and internet marketer. View Jack's artwork at [http://www.autoimmune.biz]

Your Business's Reputation: An Invisible (yet essential) Asset

If you were to ask your employees or your customers what they thought

of your business, what do you think they would say? Do you think they

would be as positive if they were asked the same question by a stranger

who happens to be a potential buyer of your business?

Not knowing the kind of reputation your business has can come back to

bite you when you decide to sell. Most people interested in buying a

small business (or even a large one) will do some investigating into the

reputation of your business. Of course they won't ask you - they'll ask

your employees, your vendors and suppliers, your customers, your

competitors, and local community.

Maintaining your business's reputation should be a priority for any

business owner, and not just because of the impact it can have on a

sale. Your business's image can attract or repel customers, too.

Here are some of the things that can negatively affect your business's

reputation, and some tips to improving a tarnished reputation when it

comes time to sell.

Relationships That Matter

Your customer is #1, right? Pleasing customers is a primary objective for

most businesses, whether the customer is a family seeking quality and

budget-friendly meals in your restaurant, or a large contractor who

purchases supplies from your manufacturing facility.

But the customer isn't the only important relationship in business. The

way you interact with your own vendors, your business location's

landlord, the local government, your utility companies, your competition,

and the bank is just as significant.

These business relationships are essential to developing a good

reputation. Do you pay your vendors on time? Do you pay your rent and

utilities on time? Are you in frequent rifts with local government or other

local businesses? How do you treat your competitors? Do you talk badly

about them?

Don't Try to Sweep Things under the Rug

Just because it didn't make the front pages of the local paper doesn't

mean an informed buyer can't find out about any lawsuits or customer

complaints levied against your business. For a small fee, the public can

find out a great deal about a business through a business background

check. Though a person won't be able to find out everything, he or she

can easily discover enough to change their mind about purchasing.

If scandal or damage to your business's reputation has prompted you to

sell, it will likely be reflected in your asking price, but that doesn't mean

you shouldn't be up front with an informed buyer who asks for this

information.

A truly motivated buyer may not be fazed by a few nicks and cuts to your

business's reputation, and in some cases, hearing your side of the story

can help to improve it. But when it comes to more serious issues, such

as a lawsuit or scandal that has noticeably affected your customer base,

it will show in your financials, so it's best to just come clean.

In some cases, it may be in your best interests to hire a publicist or

public relations firm to help manage the fallout of a scandal or lawsuit,

especially if you have time before the information gets to the public.

Crisis management is a key area of expertise for most publicists.

Treat Employees Well

Some industries are naturally more disposed to heavy turnover of

employees. Businesses that generally hire people who are looking for

part-time work, or are satisfied with minimum wage pay (such as

teenagers and college students) are going to see workers come and go.

Knowing that an employee isn't going to make a career working in your

convenience store doesn't mean you should disregard him or her, or

treat him or her any differently than long-term or "white collar"

employees.

People like to talk about their jobs - especially if they aren't happy. If

you've ever treated employees unfairly, people are going to hear about

it, and even this can damage your business's reputation.

Your business's reputation can be affected by more than just former

employee complaints. Senior staff members, who you trust to do the

business's accounting, handle invoices, and pay bills are going to know

what's happening financially. This goes back to the issue of vendor and

supplier relationships. If your vendor and supplier relationships are

poor, the staff members who deal with those people are going to know it,

and they could talk about it - even just with friends or family in the

community.

Treat your employees well and don't expect internal blemishes to

remain internal.

Word on the Street

Your customers are sort of your unpaid representatives in the field. If

they've had a great experience with your business, they'll probably tell a

few people. This referral system is called "viral marketing," and is one of

the most effective ways businesses gain new customers.

In contrast, a customer who has had a bad experience with your

business will probably tell a lot more people. This is human nature,

which is why it is imperative that your customer service be equipped to

handle complaints expertly.

You aren't going to be able to please everyone, and when you are

confronted with a customer who has been dissatisfied for some reason

(no matter how silly it may seem to you), treat them the way you'd want

your mother to be treated if she were in their place.

You can turn around a customer's negative experience by going out of

your way to "make it better." When people are treated like a V.I.P. in

regard to a complaint, they'll probably tell even more people. And, it

demonstrates how important your customers are to you. They'll

appreciate it, and you won't have to worry what the locals say if a

potential buyer holds a street survey (and they do).

Competitors aren't Enemies

Being part of an industry puts you in a network of business people just

like you. It's true, everyone is looking out for their own bottom line, but

camaraderie among competitors helps to strengthen an industry, which

benefits everyone involved.

Speaking badly about a competitor is not just in poor taste, but can be

against the law, too. Slander is a real offense recognized by the courts. If

you think it will help your restaurant to instigate a rumor about a

neighboring café's poor cleanliness, or if you purposely (and falsely)

mention a competitor's struggling financials to anyone who'll listen, you

could be liable for causing damage to another business's reputation

(and it doesn't do much for yours, either).

Laws affecting libel and slander are found in a state's business code

under Deceptive Trade Practices. Every state has a law on this, and

though penalties may differ from one state to the next, the context of the

law is basically the same: "disparaging the goods, services or business

of someone else by false or misleading representation," is prohibited.

Take advantage of the wealth of experience and business wisdom that

exists within your community or your industry. Burning bridges among

competitors can do nothing but harm to your business's reputation.

Repairing a Damaged Reputation

Like a person's reputation, a business's reputation develops over time.

And, just as you can't improve your own 'name' overnight, it takes a

considerable amount of time to repair a business's poor reputation.

Unfortunately, businesses with poor reputations do not often have the

luxury of time to fix things prior to a sale. If you're a business owner and

you haven't been paying bills on time, and haven't treated your

customers or your employees very well, you may have a hard time

selling the shop without some carefully planned renovations - to your

business's image.

There are plenty of things you can do to improve the look of your

business, but changing the minds of the vendors, suppliers, lease

owners, employees, and customers takes time and effort. This means

that when you come to the decision to sell, you can't realistically expect

to sell for a decent price within a few weeks. You must prepare to sell by

taking steps to improve fractured business relationships.

Give yourself a year to begin paying bills and invoices on time and

improve your customer and employee relations. Twelve months of effort

won't take your business's reputation to the absolute top, but it will leave

a positive impression with the people you work with (vendors, etc.).

You've poured time, money, and effort into your business. When it

comes time to sell, you want to be able to get enough out of the sale to

make your investment worthwhile. Keeping your business's reputation

in good standing is a must. If you've suffered a blemish here or there,

take the time necessary to repair damaged relationships and improve

your business's good name before you place it on the market.

Failing to do so could represent a significant difference between what

you wanted to sell your business for and what any knowledgeable buyer

will be willing to pay.

Karen Torbett is founder of Venture Point, LLC (http://www.VenturePointOnline.com). She spent almost a decade running someone else?s company before she achieved her goal of business ownership. Now, Karen helps entrepreneurs like her seeking to buy or sell a business on their own. Check out Karen?s informative blog at http://www.VenturePoint.WordPress.com and contact her at: Karen@venturepointonline.com.

Should You Write Your Own Business Plan?

If you are just starting a company and looking for funding, or looking for additional funding for growth, you will need to develop a traditional business plan. Creating a business plan is a business hurdle that entrepreneurs seem to dread. Do you do it yourself? Do you hire someone to do it? How do you get it done quickly, but without spending too much money on it? Will what you do yourself be adequate to get funding?

In this article I will discuss the pros and cons of do-it-yourself business planning versus having a business planning consultant do it for you or with you.

The Do It Yourself Business Plan

Particularly if you are seeking capital of less than $200,000, consider creating the plan yourself after taking a class or reading some books or getting some coaching for someone who has written successful business plans.

Consider taking a three-hour business planning class through SCORE or the local Small Business Development Center. Even if you decide afterwards not to write your own plan, you will have a much better idea of what you want out of the process and what to expect.

There are some good reasons for an entrepreneur to do the business plan:

First of all, because you can. If you've read sample business plans and find their accounting jargon intimidating, you are not alone. But as long as you can clearly get your message across and have other people such as you accountant look at the plan before it goes to lenders or others, you can do this work yourself.




It is in learning the business planning process that you develop analytical thinking skills necessary to run your business with an intimate understanding of your own business model. Going through the planning process is an invaluable business experience.




You need to know the plan inside and out and really understand the variables involved. You are the one who will be asked the tough questions by potential investors or lenders, such as "What will you do if only half your expected revenue comes in?" or "What will you do if you find out that direct mail is not working for you as your primary marketing tool?"

Outsourcing the Business Plan Process

Entrepreneurs are fire fighters. One of the most important jobs of an entrepreneur is to manage time, and do those things that you are best skilled to do. Many entrepreneurs decide to hire someone else to do their business plans, often because they have an urgent need for the funding and can't afford the learning curve to be able to develop a high-quality plan that will meet the needs of lenders or investors.

In addition, if your funding requirements are more than $500,000 my recommendation is to get some professional help with this project, even if you do some of it yourself.

Some reasons to consider hiring a consultant:

It will get done! Business planning is done much faster with someone who knows the process. Every entrepreneur has good intentions about getting plans completed, but months later they still haven't done all the work. Planning should be high priority work, but it is hard to get to when customer calls and employee problems require immediate attention. The sooner the plan is completed, the sooner funding can be attained. And the price of hiring the consultant will be small in comparison with the increases in growth and profitability of the business.




It will get done in a way financial professionals will respect. Business planning is done better by someone who knows how finance people look at plans and what they will and won't question. Once you've been through the business plan process many times, you know what it takes to get funding - what to emphasize and what to play down.




The consultant's objectivity will allow for non-emotionally-based projections and expectations for the business. A consultant will be much more objective in the process and question your assumptions, making it less likely that the business will have problems after the funding comes in.

No matter what, don't let a business planning consultant talk you into putting any information into your plan that you aren't comfortable with. If it doesn't look right to you, it probably isn't. It is your business, and you will be stuck with the plan long after you've paid the consultant's bill. Make sure it is the plan that you want, one that matches your goals and objectives, and captures the way you look at business and the spirit of your company.

If you do decide to hire a business planning consultant, here are some of the important questions to ask to make sure you get the greatest value from your investment:

How many business plans have you written for my type of business? How many of them were funded?




How much time will you need of mine during the planning process?




When will the plan be completed, and how many drafts should I expect to see and have the opportunity to comment on?




Will you be writing the plan yourself or do you have associates who do the work with you?




Will there be an opportunity for you to present the plan or for me to present the plan to my other advisors before the final draft is done?




How do you work in collaboration with my partners and advisors so their input is taken into consideration during the writing of the plan?




Do you do the market research and the financial spreadsheets, or are those things done separately (and charged for separately)?




Does your price include revisions or customization for certain types of funding (to include different information needed by investors versus lenders)?




Does your price include coaching to prepare me to talk with lenders or make financing presentations?




Will I have an electronic version as well as a hard copy version of the final plan (so I can make changes later if I need to)?

The Optimum Solution: A Blended Approach

At best, the planning process should not be at either end of the spectrum, but squarely in the middle. In my experience, plans that win funding come from a true collaboration between a skilled consultant/facilitator and the entrepreneur's team of employees and advisors.

A business planning consultant can act as a coach, first assessing the job to be done, and then recommending who is best to do it. The business plan should be a compilation of work between the vision and goals of the entrepreneur, the technical understanding and expertise of his or her accountant and other professionals, a consensus of employees or others, and the research and writing abilities of the business planning consultant. The consultant should meet with all parties involved, talk about what is needed for the plan, and use all the resources available to get the work done as quickly and cost effectively as possible. It is the consultant's responsibility in the process to take all the pieces and make the final plan into a readable, accessible document that will stand up to investor/lender scrutiny.

My final caveats:

Don't pay more than a few thousand dollars for a plan unless you are looking for capital of well over $1 million. I have heard more than a few horror stories by people who have hired university professors assuming they are the experts (they aren't) and paying tens of thousand of dollars for a poorly written or incomplete plan. Ask your banker for business planning consultant recommendations, or better yet, talk with someone who had a good experience having a business plan written for them. It is reasonable for a consultant to expect you to pay half of the fee up front and the other half at the completion of the plan. And you can't hold the consultant responsible if you don't get funding based on the plan - too much is based on your own credit and management skills.




Don't expect to get a finished plan that is a roadmap of everything you need to do to have a successful business. That isn't the purpose of the business planning process. A traditional business plan is intended only to document your strategies for the business very briefly - but well enough to get funding. If you are hoping for something that will tell you how to market or how many people you need to hire, you will have to start with a deep strategic planning process, and probably buy lots of consulting time to get you going.




Don't expect a great a business plan from a poor business model. If your costs are too high to make your business profitable, the business planning process will help you discover that. Then it will be up to you to make the hard decisions about changing your costs structure to make the business work. The business planning consultant is a skilled professional, not a miracle worker. A good business plan can help you highlight your strengths and minimize your weaknesses, but it cannot make an unworkable business model into a thriving business.

And one final thought: Don't go on to start a business or make changes in your current business if everything in the business planning process tells you it won't work. Things don't get better out in the real world if they don't work on paper. Deal with the weaknesses - get more training, consider product redevelopment, or have a home-based business to reduce costs until you can sustain the rent for an office. Businesses fail finally because they've run out of money. If your plan tells you that you can't make enough money to make the business work for the long run, pay attention to that reality.

About The Author

Jan B. King is the former President & CEO of Merritt Publishing, a top 50 woman-owned and run business in Los Angeles and the author of Business Plans to Game Plans: A Practical System for Turning Strategies into Action (John Wiley & Sons, 2004). She has helped hundreds of businesses with her book and her ebooks, The Do-It-Yourself Business Plan Workbook, and The Do-It-Yourself Game Plan Workbook. See www.janbking.com for more information.

jan@janbking.com

Business Plan Software Review: Ultimate Business Planner(tm)

One of the main reasons business owners and entrepreneurs use business plan software is to simplify building their financial models. Even with an explosion in business plan software packages on the market today, "doing the financial projections" is still often cited as the most difficult part of completing a business plan. Yet, software can still simplify financial forecasting.

The question is: Which software?

Ultimate Business Planner has been touted as a dynamic, interactive planning tool that takes the drudgery out of complex, time-consuming financial forecasting and business planning. It combines easy-to-use software functions with a step-by-step approach to create a business plan.

It is designed for those individuals or businesses in need of getting a business plan done fast. The Ultimate Business Planner prides itself on being the fastest and easiest way to write a winning business plan.

Atlas Business Solutions, Inc. (ABS), developer of the business planning technology in QuickBooks® Premier 2005 and the maker of Ultimate Business Planner, is a well-respected and established business software development company. Their products are top rated and are priced moderately.

So, let's check it out...

Step-by-step approach with five manageable sections

The Ultimate Business Planner breaks the business planning process into five manageable sections: Company, Income, Expenses, Interview and Plan.

The first four sections gather information to prepare and complete your financial forecast. Interactive dialogs with plain-English instructions, questions and fill-in the blanks capture information and build your company profile. Income and expense worksheets enable you to define income and expense categories and project monthly amounts with easy to use forecasting functions.

There are three methods you can use to enter your monthly income or expense data: manually or cell-by-cell, automatically - using a combination of the worksheet functions to project amounts for you based on your assumptions, or importing/copy paste - take data from your files if you are using QuickBooks Pro/Premier/Enterprise 2003 (or later) or simply copying and pasting data from an MS Excel worksheet.

The fifth section provides several tools to write a business plan including: a business plan outline to guide you step-by-step in writing your business plan, topic guides and example tabs that explain what you should include in each topic with examples of each, and a powerful, easy to use text editor for entering and editing your text.

Includes help functions, advice and how-to hints to

overcome most business plan obstacles

The package includes many help functions for advice and how-to hints to overcome the many obstacles to writing a successful business plan. For example, refer to the twenty-five industry-specific sample business plans for suggested wording, or to copy-and-paste select phrases or sections directly into your business plan to breakthrough writers block quickly. Or, there are many financial wizards available to calculate loan amounts, interest rates, monthly payments, depreciation, amortization and more.

Complete the sections and

Ultimate Business Planner does the rest

With Ultimate Business Plan, you are free to complete each section in the order you choose. Then, when the sections are complete the Ultimate Business Planner does the rest. It evaluates the financial viability of your business ideas or strategies quickly and easily; creates complete financial statement projections (for up to 36 months) to show to your bankers or other potential investors; and, produces a professional report in ever respect including graphs to highlight the potential of your business plan.

Change scenarios for

intelligent, informed decisions

Changing scenarios is easy with the Ultimate Business Planner. For example, to quickly see how hiring more employees or adding a new product affects your bottom line simply go to period and change the amount. The software will automatically update all the related financial statements, charts and tables. In short, the Ultimate Business Planner allows you to see how your bottom line is affected by unlimited business situations.

What's missing?

Three things I wish the Ultimate Business Planner would do. First, allow users the option to enter historical financial data (an important option if you are an established business). Second, either extend or allow users the option to extend the forecast period to five years (a common time horizon for venture capitalist and equity sponsors). Third, allow users to vary gross margin assumptions on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis (in version 3.0 material, labor and overhead assumptions remain fixed throughout the entire three-year forecast period).

But don't let these things hold you back from trying the Ultimate Business Planner. You can easily work around them and the time and ease of use in other areas more than offsets these shortcomings.

For example, to include historical financial data, you can export your projections to Excel and then add the needed history directly into MS Excel®. If you want a five-year projection, simply create a new file that begins with the ending balances forecasted in your original three-year plan and do the addition two-year projection in the new file. Then, you can merge the original three-year plan with the extended plan using MS Excel®. If you want to vary the gross margin assumptions over the forecast period, you can create separate product categories for the same product and vary the material, labor and overhead as a percentage of sales for each product category and related period.

Go to the demo...

All direct purchases of the Ultimate Business Planner from ABS are backed by their 90-day unconditional, money-back guarantee (excluding upgrades which are nonrefundable). To help you evaluate whether the Ultimate Business Planner is right for you, Business Plan Secrets Revealed has prepared a section-by-section demonstration that can be viewed at http://www.business-plan-secrets-revealed.com/business-plan-software.html

The Ultimate Business Planner is a pretty simple business planning software to use. It's a quick and useful business planner that produces a well-written and organized business plan. At $99.00, it's worth giving it a shot.

Mike Elia is a chief financial officer and an advisor to venture capitalists and leverage buyout specialists. His business plan ebook "Business Plan Secrets Revealed? shows how to make your business the most appealing investment choice to venture capitalists, bankers, and other business investors. For his free business plan guide click here.

How to Hire a Children's Entertainer

You are looking for someone to entertain children for a very special event (e.g Weddings, Parties etc) and making the right choice is very important. Do not focus on price, the cheapest is not always the best. Find out what they offer then judge whether it is good value for money.

* Look for Professionalism

Any good entertainer will look and behave in a professional manner. They will want their business to look smart and professional as well. If little or no effort has gone into their advert or website, how much effort do you think they put into their shows? Search for the adverts or websites that look professional and indeed check to see whether the performer is a full-time pro. You should also beware of agencies; they have numerous entertainers on their books and you may not be booking the person shown on their website. Also costs are often higher as the agent adds commission to the entertainer's fee.

* Knowing What Services to Book

Having found an entertainer that looks the part you need to dig a bit deeper to find out what types of services they provide and any party formats they may have. If you are looking for a 2 hour party, will the entertainer entertain all the children for the whole period (food break excepted)? This is very important, if the entertainer advertises games and the children are "out" as the game progresses, the child that is out is now free to cause all sorts of trouble! This type of game is not recommended and neither is face painting. If the entertainer has come on their own they can only paint one child at a time, so what do all the rest of the children do? You need to find an entertainer that engages the children for the duration of the party, keeps them involved and most of all has lots of fun with them. Prizes are a great way to grab children's attention and good entertainers will use these to good effect.

* What To Look For in Your Entertainer

Having established what the entertainer can offer, ask how they are qualified. Questions to ask:

Are you a member of any magic societies or organisations for professional entertainers?

Do you have public liability insurance?

Are you CRB (Criminal Record Bureau) police checked?

The CRB check is becoming more a standard amongst entertainers, although many will argue it is out of date the day after it is issued, an enhanced check will show all criminal convictions the person may have. There is no reason why an entertainer should not have a CRB certificate they can show unless they have something to hide.

* Discussing Your Requirements

A good entertainer will communicate in a professional, manner and always provide a written or email confirmation of the event, what is to be performed and the cost, this way all parties understand what will happen on the day. Try to imagine the way the party will go and is the entertainer providing a range of entertainment for the duration of the party? This is very important as the magician may perform a 1 hour magic show, which initially may sound fine, but 1 hour is a long time for the children to stay sat down however good the show! Children's magicians are actually starting to understand this and some are starting to offer discos, games and even balloon modelling to compliment the magic, which gives a whole host of activities for the children at the party which keeps their interest high.

Finally, how does enthusiastic does the entertainer sound? If they don't seem excited about the show when you speak to them, this may reflect in the quality of their work. I hope you found this article helpful and will hopefully ensure you choose the right Children's Entertainer and have a great day.

Mark Traversoni is a full-time Magician and Children's Entertainer operating in Warwickshire, The Midlands and surrounding areas in the UK.
Visit Mark's Official website: http://www.themagiczone.co.uk

Home Entertainment Center Furniture

A home entertainment center is a major piece of furniture and can hold many major electronic items, such as a television set, a VCR and/or DVD player, stereo components such as an AM/FM tuner, multi-disc compact disc changer, record player, and cable or satellite television receivers. The home entertainment center can be a welcome addition to your family room or home theater. The key point of your home entertainment center is of course the TV. Functionally, a home entertainment center is an organization tool. So Home entertainment centers serve the dual purpose of optimizing space utility and providing room for all electronic equipment to be kept together

Today's home entertainment systems are every bit as good in quality and sound as the movie theatres, plus they are getting better and even cheaper as technology continues to advance. In fact, with today's home entertainment centers, watching a DVD at home with your surround sound system is a very enjoyable experience. If your idea of relaxation or recreation is watching TV, listening to music, reading books, or browsing the net to your heart's content, then a perfect home entertainment center is an answer to match your lifestyle.

These are excellent contemporary furniture sets that will make your big screen shine and provide space for your home entertainment center accessories as well. Home entertainment center furniture such as seating, television stands and home theater equipment rack or cabinet are essential items in a home theater. It is very important to make sure that all of your home theater furniture matches the decor and design of your room

The bookcases and television cabinets can be configured into a wide variety of entertainment settings. TV entertainment cabinets, though a relatively new concept, are fast gaining popularity so much so that a TV cabinet is now the primary cabinet for any home entertainment center. The size of the cabinet you choose will depend upon the size of the TV. If you choose to buy a closed-door entertainment center, you can choose between glass doors or wooden doors for your cabinets. If your TV operates with a remote control it is better to opt for a glass door TV cabinet, otherwise the remote will not be effective. Then again, you must keep in mind that the design of the TV cabinet is such that heat should not collect because it can ruin the sensitive circuits on the microchips of the components.

These cabinets will help you proudly display your equipment, hide your cables and connectors, all in an attractive piece of furniture that complements your decor and matches your style. Home theater furniture will add a great deal of style and functionality to your home theater system. Make sure to allow sufficient dollars in your overall home theater budget in order to meet the needs for furniture. A well-designed, functional and beautiful entertainment center brings your television and other media equipment into its rightful place as an important part of your living space.

We are sure you will find just what you need for your home theater enjoyment, so choose your new home theater furniture here today in www.newfurniturecenter.com

M. Ali Shodiqin, ST. M.MT is environmental observer and proffesional in filed of industrial management and ecommerce

Wedding Entertainer - Interesting Ideas

A complete wedding ceremony should comprise of some entertainment besides the common band or simply a DJ. You can opt for a more unique wedding celebration that will definitely leave great impressions in the minds of your guests - having wedding entertainers. They should play the role of the host or the Master of Ceremonies (MC).

Wedding entertainers are great, especially for marriage with many guests. There is a great variety of entertainers to pick from. Here are the few examples. You can have hula dancers to blend with your beach wedding or a magician to create some magic to your marriage. To stimulate some sentimental touch, you can have quartets, pianists, harpists or pipers. Music entertainment for wedding is usually the classical and jazz music. But always ensure that the music blends along with your wedding.

Photos and video shows to reminisce the memories are quite common, while lawn games are one great entertainment for a lovely afternoon wedding. Or you may want some celebrity impersonator; perhaps inviting your favorite actor, famous athlete or a musician. If you find it uncomfortable you may seek help from your friends or family to host the wedding besides being the entertainer for the day. Including wedding entertainment during your wedding will certainly make your guests remember your special day.

It is better to pick up few entertainments, especially those that allow the involvement of your guests. Having dance instructors can help to get your relatives and friends to get into the dance floor. Or perhaps a hula dancing show can be followed by the fireworks entertainment. Another type of wedding entertainment is the conversation during the cocktail moments. You can have your loved ones to write down wishes on paper and drop them into a jar at the reception. Or any other possible ideas you might come up with.

Most of the wedding entertainers can be employed from specialized companies that offer entertainment for events, parties or weddings. Although these entertainers can lift up with celebration mood, the primary focus of the event should always be the bride and groom.

Stuart is writing for many websites, He enjoys writing on wide range of topics such as Corporate Entertainment and Wedding Bands. You may visit for more details.

How to Book Entertainment For a Corporate Event

There are many inexperienced corporate entertainers out there and booking the best ones for your corporate event can be a challenging experience. Booking a motivational speaker or comedian who has generic experiences and no real unique message to pass on can be de-motivational for your audience. Many bad motivational speakers use their achievements in the work place which they embellish to inspire others and that's it. Audiences can see through this and are usually unimpressed. To ensure that you find good entertainment follow some simple advice and avoid generic inexperienced entertainers that will more than likely have a negative effect on the audience than a positive one.

Planning early is necessary as the best corporate entertainers are often booked in advance. It is important to know the theme and type of entertainment you want as soon as possible as this will dictate the type of corporate entertainment you hire.

Once you have established the theme and focus of the event make a short list of the entertainers that will fulfill this. Briefing all the entertainers thoroughly is essential for them to tailor their material to suit the focus. Good corporate entertainers know how to match their material to the brief established. The brief should also include information about the audience which the entertainer is going to address. This could involve the company overview, the level of the participants in the company and any deficiencies which need particular attention. There is no point telling people things they already know.

Meet the entertainers in person is crucial. You will be able to establish in the meeting the level of professionalism of the entertainer, their attitude and whether this will fit in with the corporate culture as well as their likeability. Good entertainers are able to establish rapport immediately and make the audience like them. Likeability and attitude are important as it will determine how the audience will accept and connect with the entertainment.

Ask for references and level of experience. The corporate entertainer you choose should be a full time entertainer and should have performed at events like yours in the past. They will be able to supply you with a Demo of their work. Don't be afraid to also request a dry run through before the event to make sure that the presentation meets the purpose for which it was intended. At the dry run through you should be able to suggest and make changes to the material.

Remember that people usually have a short attention span and can easily get distracted or bored. An experienced entertainer knows how to keep the audience engaged and also wanting more. A good presentation usually lasts between half an hour and forty minutes. Any longer will certainly make the audience distracted. If the entertainer has a longer presentation then they should present it in multiple parts as to ensure that the audiences, interest are maintained.

Stage craft is extremely important in corporate entertainment, as everyone wants to feel that presentation is directed at them. Experienced entertainers know how to work the stage. They know how to walk in and to command attention and are experts at keeping the audience on point and the crowd under control.

So when booking the corporate entertainment for your next event, ensure that you hire the best entertainment possible by following some simple guidelines. Ask as many questions as possible and book the entertainer that will make your event a success.

Nariman Taweel is an accomplished Trainer and Entrepreneur. To view more articles on events and event planning visit http://www.nusuevents.com.au.

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Choosing The Right Birthday Party Entertainer for Children Aged 4 - 8 Years Old

Engaging a good professional entertainer for your child's birthday party is almost a sure-fire way of making the party an enjoyable and successful one. But what type of entertainer fits the bill?

The most important consideration is the age of your birthday child. If he/she is between 1- 3 years old, you may want to keep things simple. Children of this age are generally unpredictable and there is no cookie-cutter formula on choosing the right entertainer for children of this age. Children of this age tend to have shorter attention spans and varied temperaments.

On the other hand, kids aged 9 -12 consider themselves all grown up and usually scoff at what they consider "kiddy" forms of entertainment. But if your kid is between the ages of 4 - 8, then he/she is at an age where they are old enough to understand jokes and enjoy fun-filled interactive games or activities with lots of movement. This makes hiring an entertainer for kids in this age group easier and more worthwhile for all.

When it comes to hiring the entertainer, the many people think of hiring a clown. Clowns are bright, colourful and perform weird tricks that make people laugh right? Well, be careful before deciding to hire a clown for your kid. Coulrophobia or fear of clowns is not uncommon in some kids (and even grown-ups). To them the bright colours and weird clown makeup just add up to a really scary experience.

We recommend that instead of a clown, there are some other popular choices of entertainers to consider for your kid's birthday party.

Magicians

Magicians, specifically those specializing in children audiences, are common choices as kid's party entertainers. Good kids' magicians perform bright and colourful magic such as producing a huge bouquet of flowers from an empty vase or making colourful handkerchiefs appear and disappear in the blink of an eye.

Magic is a popular choice of entertainment for children because it gives the children a sense of wonder where they can suspend their disbelief. When a magician makes an object appear, disappear or float in front of their eyes, it lets them believe that such things are possible and that they may one day be able to do such things as well. It inspires creativity and wonder that is only lacking in today's modern world.

Children within the 4 - 8 year range are generally the most appreciative and participative audience. 1 - 3 year olds are too young to really comprehend magic while the 9 - 12 year olds are more interested to find out how a trick is done than enjoy the show. This is not to say that these kids will not enjoy a magic show, but rather the kid's magician will have to tailor his show accordingly to suit children from these age groups. If you looking for a magician, check his experience and ask how he intends to tailor his show to cater to your young audience.

Jugglers

Jugglers are fast becoming a popular entertainment choice at birthday parties. Their sublime juggling skills combined with entertaining routines make them a hit not just with the kids but the whole family.

Jugglers who perform at kid's parties are usually prepared to demonstrate different kinds of juggling skills. They may also juggle with different items such as balls, clubs, rings and more. Their props are usually brightly coloured to give them more visual appeal as there is nothing more eye-catching than seeing a juggler keep 3 or 4 different coloured balls in the air at the same time.

Some jugglers also involve the audience in their routines, making the show audience participative and fun for the whole family. It is also not uncommon to see jugglers who combine elements of magic into their show as well.

As with magic shows, juggling shows require the audience to appreciate the skill that the performer is exhibiting. Younger children may not fully understand or realise a juggler's skill while older kids may tend to get bored after a while seeing the same performer attempt to juggle different things. However a good performer will be able to make his/ her routines entertaining enough and engaging enough to suit most kids of different ages.

Puppeteers/ Ventriloquists

Puppets add an extra dimension of fun to any party. Kids love to see a funny looking puppet animal telling stories and cracking jokes. Puppets also make the entire show look bigger as it appears that there is a cast of performers rather than just one performer doing the show. This is one of the main reasons ventriloquist shows are a hit at parties.

The classic image of a ventriloquist is usually of a performer sitting on a stool with a wooden dummy on his or her lap, performing with that character throughout the show. However, many ventriloquists these days perform with brightly coloured foam or latex puppets instead and they usually have more than one puppet character in the show. This adds an element of variety to the show, which is crucial for keeping kids engaged. Some performers also add more interactivity to the show by getting the puppets to interact directly with the kids and crack impromptu jokes with them.

A ventriloquism puppet show is versatile enough to entertain almost all kids and even adults. Younger kids will be captivated by brightly coloured talking puppets while older kids will be able to appreciate the jokes and interact with the puppets. A ventriloquism puppet show is something that can be a fun for the whole family.

The good news is that these days you don't just have to settle for one or the other. There are professional birthday party entertainers who provide multi-dimensional performers. So the next time your kid has a party, consider looking for a magician who is also a ventriloquist or a ventriloquist who is also an expert juggler.

The choice is yours!

Shawn Chua AKA Captain Amazing is a professional birthday party host with Singapore Birthday Party entertainment provider Mighty Magic Factory. He is a Master Ventriloquist and award-winning magician. As Captain Amazing, Shawn heads a team of dynamic performers and has 6 years of live performing experience. Find out more about him at Singapore Birthday Party Company. Visit Singapore Birthday Party experts: Mighty Magic Factory Read his blog at Singapore Birthday Party Blog