How Small Business Can Win Government Contracts

Small business are really the foundation of any economy, but in recent times it has been at cross roads with the economic down turn which has reduced drastically the ability of regular clients to spend money on small business.

By RAYMUND FLANDEZ

More small businesses are looking to make the federal government a client, since it's a smart way to diversify sources of revenue when regular clients aren't biting. The U.S. government is the largest buyer of goods and services in the world, spending $500 billion last year. And that's not including the additional $787 billion in stimulus-bill related contracts. Last year, the federal government awarded small businesses $93.3 billion in prime contracts – although it missed a 23% goal mandated by Congress. (See related story, U.S. Misses Target for Small-Business Contracts.)

While dealing with red tape can be arduous, there are ways to make the process go more smoothly. Experts say your business has to be ready for this kind of work; sound accounting systems and experienced contract attorneys must be in place to make sure your business is protected and doesn't fail to meet the government's expectations. The challenge, still, is how to maneuver your way into the system and find a governmental need that your business can provide.

Here are three best ways to win a government contract.

Getty Images

1. Do your homework. Try to find out which local businesses are getting government contracts, what kind of work they're doing and which agencies are handing them out. You can do this at USASpending.gov or FBO.gov (a.k.a. FedBizzOpps.gov). The next step is to register your small business with the federal government at the Central Contractor Registration, or CCR.gov, says Lourdes Martin-Rosa, American Express Open adviser on government contracting. There you can sign up for the required Dun & Bradstreet number to get started. This way, different agencies can easily view you as a legitimate small-business contractor. In addition, get to know the appointed small-business specialists who are at every level of the federal government, Ms. Martin-Rosa says. They may be able to connect you with a good source directly. "Small businesses need to understand that there are tools and resources that are available to them," she says. "They just need to learn how to actively go in there and find the opportunity." Another good guide is from the Small Business Administration at www.sba.gov/fedcontractingtraining.

2. Work with others who have experience. It's a steep learning curve, so consider partnering with another business that has been doing federal contracting work for years or be one of its subcontractors. Lynn Sutton, managing principal of Kairos Consulting Worldwide LLC of Chicago, recently received her first government contract in September last year for $1.26 million with the Department of Defense. She couldn't have done it without teaming up with another local business, which had done some federal contracting work for two to three years prior and had informed Ms. Sutton about the opportunity, she says. The other business helped her management-consulting firm navigate the contracting process, and now shares the contract. "It was life-changing, a huge turning point for the company [as] companies on the private sector are really tightening their belts," she says. Her company recently got an extension of the contract, which now totals $2 million, to September 2010.

3. Use other resources to your advantage. If appropriate, get your small business certified in a category that may give you an edge, such as woman-owned, minority-owned, veteran-owned, or in a poor economic area called a HUBZone. Each agency is required to hand at least 23% of all federal contracts to these groups. "Help them make their small-business goals," says Babs Doherty, president and chief executive of Eagle Ray Inc. of Chantilly, Va. Her woman-owned management-consulting service company, which specializes in standards compliance and software testing, has been doing subcontracting work since 2002 and has become a primary contractor for the Coast Guard in the past few years. One good resource for women-business owners is GiveMe5.com, a program to educate 200,000 women on federal contracting opportunities and created by American Express Open and Women Impacting Public Policy.

Write to Raymund Flandez at raymund.flandez@wsj.com

How To Write A Successful Business Plan

How to write  a successful business plan is by following the principles of good business plan writing. There is a universally accepted format and components that make an acceptable business plan to investors.

The below article speaks to all those who are interested in  writing a business plan for the start up of their companies, read and take the principles to heart.

Thinking about starting a business ? Great. Have you got a Plan? That's Plan with a capital "P" for Business Plan . If you haven't written your plan yet, your business is still in the fantasy stages.

That isn't harsh; it's how it is in the real world. A company's business plan is what lenders such as banks and the

U.S. Small Business Administration use in deciding to lend you money. It's the main company document that your employees -- and you -- use to gauge your company's success and to make decisions about what you should do first, second, or not at all.

If you're starting a home-based business on a shoestring, some of these suggestions probably aren't necessary, but you still should create a plan that outlines your goals, expected costs, marketing plan and exit strategy. A business plan is your road map for how you expect to succeed and how you'll measure success.

Here is a quick nine-step guide to what you will need in your company's business plan:

1. An executive summary outlining goals and objectives. The executive summary introduces your business strategy and probably is the most important section you can't persuade a loan officer in the first two or three pages that you've got a viable business proposal, you're going to leave empty-handed. This summary is also important as a communication tool for employees and potential customers who need to understand -- and get behind -- your ideas.

2.

A brief account of how the company began. Clearly explain the origins behind the company's creation and how you or your business associate came up with the idea to start your business.

3. Your company's goals. Explain in a few paragraphs your for the company. How fast do you think it will grow? Who will be your primary customers?

4. Biographies of the management team. The management section should include the names and backgrounds of lead members of the management team and their respective responsibilities.

5. The service or product you plan to offer. A key aspect of this section will be a discussion of how your product or service differs from everything else on the market.

6. The market potential for your service or product. Remember that you've got to

convince lenders, employees and others that the market you're after is relatively large and growing. You'll need to do some research for this section. If it's a locally based business, you need to assess the demand for your offering within an xx-mile radius, based on what you determine is a 

reasonable distance from your business. If it's a Web-based business or a business that relies on both the Internet and local traffic for revenues, you'll need to evaluate demand on a local and/or a national basis. A research report from sites such as Forrester Research can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. But you may be able to get

some basic information simply by using the Web and its many search engines and directories.

7. A marketing strategy. How do you plan to tell the world you're open for business? Will you rely exclusively on word of mouth (not a good plan unless you've already got a

reputation)? Will you advertise in print, television or on the Web (or all three)? Will you use online services to get your company listed on search engines and advertised on other Web sites? You'll also need to include how much you plan to spend on marketing.

8. A three- to  five-year financial projection. This section should include a summary of your financial forecasts, with spreadsheets showing the formula you used to reach your projections. You'll need balance sheets, income statements and cash-flow projections for the entire forecast period. The summary in this section is also where you would tell prospective lenders how much money you'd like to borrow to cover your startup costs. The assumptions that you make in this section will make or break your company's success. If you're unsure about using this kind of financial modeling, find a professional or invest in financial management software . It's worth the money.

9. An exit strategy. All good business plans include a section that lays out the benchmarks you'll use in deciding to call it quits. The strategy could be based on a dollar figure, revenue growth, the market's reception to your idea, or a consensus among top officers.

C.E. Yandle is group manager of worldwide small-business Web marketing operations at Microsoft.

Visit the Small Business Technology

Business Plan Form Free Information

A business plan form is just a simplified template for creating a business plan quickly. Using a  business plan form you can produce a business plan on the fly.

Although you can write your own business plan, it is safer to use a business plan form template prepared by a specialist so that your business plan will impress your reviewers.

Reviewers are more likely to approve a business plan format that is  standardized. These forms are available for start up business men and women for producing business plans that are acceptable to investors.

Many companies are online providing business plan form templates for their members, which means that you have to register to be able to use the business plan form. All said, the services are very beneficial as they will guide you step by step till you produce a winning business plan.

Below is a list of some of the notable business plan form providers you can find online. Study them individually and take your pick, most of them offer much more than just a business plan form templates, read and see for yourself what you stand to gain buy picking any of them for your business plan form.

Business Plan Form

Business Plan Form

1) bizwiz.com - Quick Business Plan Form - The purpose of this form is to provide you with a simplified template to create a Quick Business Plan. Information submitted here is processed through a commercially secure server. Your browser should indicate this with a lock for encryption. Before submitting this Quick Business Plan, you should previously have submitted a Registration with CAPITALIST-DIRECT. After completing this Quick Business Plan, you will be able to UPLOAD an Executive Summary. Completing the Quick Business Plan will also include your plan in the CAPITALIST-DIRECT 1ST Business Day system and provide highlights through the appropriate Worthwhile Investment Tables. Access to these tables and Quick Business Plans is restricted to members of Capitalist Direct.

2) sba.gov - SBA Business Plan - SECTION I - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. Briefly describe the fundamental elements of your business. Describe what business you are in, why you are in it, and what you hope to accomplish. For example, describe your business in terms of where it has come from, where it is now, where you want it to go, and how you plan to get it there. This is a complete summary of your
business plan and should be referred to on occasion by you and your assigned Business Opportunity Specialist to get a quick overview of your plan. You should prepare the summary after you have completed all other major components, which follow.

3) allbusiness.com - Small Business Forms - AllBusiness.com is an online media and e-commerce company that operates one of the premier business sites on the Web. The site has received critical acclaim from The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Business 2.0, Fortune, and other publications. AllBusiness.com helps entrepreneurs, small and growing businesses, consultants and business professionals save time and money by addressing real-world business questions and presenting practical solutions. The site offers resources including how-to articles, business forms, contracts and agreements, expert advice, blogs, business news, business directory listings, product comparisons, business guides, a small business association and more. Small business owners can access AllBusiness.com's content and services through a number of channels, including the AllBusiness.com Web site; RSS feeds and email newsletters; and through its partnerships with leading Web properties.

4) growthink.com - Business Plan Form - Even if it is your first business plan, there is no need to panic. Follow the standard business plan form and soon you will have a document to impress your investors and vendors. The business plan form is a systematic assessment of the different aspects of the business. Divide the plan into three distinct parts: the business section, the financial data and the supporting documents. The first part details the business activity, the market conditions, the contesting claims, the management and personnel responsible for the running of the business and the funds necessary for launching and continuing the business operations. Give a complete description of the intended business activity, the size of the market you wish to serve and your expected market share. Define your business type: will you be a retail merchant, manufacturer, wholesaler or a service provider. Your business concern could be a sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation. Name the key management and personnel necessary and available for your chosen activity.

5) planware.com - Writing a Business Plan - The preparation of a written business plan is not the end-result of the planning process. The realization of that plan is the ultimate goal. However, the writing of the plan is an important intermediate stage - fail to plan can mean plan to fail. For an established business it demonstrates that careful consideration has been given to the business's development, and for a startup it shows that the entrepreneur has done his or her homework. Purpose of the Business Plan. A formal business plan is just as important for an established business, irrespective of its size, as it is for a startup. It serves four critical functions as follows: * Helps management or an entrepreneur to clarify, focus and research their business's or project's development and prospects. * Provides a considered and logical framework within which a business can develop and pursue business strategies over the next three to five years. * Serves as a basis for discussion with third parties such as shareholders, agencies, banks, investors etc. * Offers a benchmark against which actual performance can be measured and reviewed.

Business Plan Form - To learn more about this author, visit Business Plan 's Website.
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I sincerely hope you have found this information helpful in respect of finding a good business plan form for producing a winning business plan for your new business. You will agree with me that none of the above business plan form providers is run of the meal. I wish you all the best in your business.

Free New Business Ideas

One of the new business ideas it to  have your small business on the Internet. I am talking  about a web site. You have to make sure that you use the right keywords or phrases in the content so that you can be found through the search engines by people who are interested in what you are offering.

It is necessary therefore that you first locate what phrases or keywords those people are typing in the search engines. New business ideas require that you widen your scope or out reach for customers and the Internet offers you the best opportunity to do so without spending a dime on advertising.

The article below touches essentially on how to create your site with new business ideas that bring you more customers and profit using keywords or key phrases that your prospective customers are already looking for. Enjoy.

Small Business Trends
August 11, 2009
By Lisa Barone

I realized that I write a lot about keywords. Or at least I mention them a lot. For example, I’ll often advise using words “people naturally search for” or “terms important to your site” when talking about creating YouTube accounts or writing Web copy. However, picking keywords can be a bit tricky. And if you’re not going after the “right” ones, then it really doesn’t matter how well you do incorporating them into your site. Because you won’t be bringing attracting the right people.

And that’s what keywords are all about. It’s about picking the terms that people are looking for when trying to find companies just like yours. You want to rank for the terms and phrases that are most likely to convert. With that in mind, here are some tips for picking good keywords.

Use Your Brain

Your first step into keyword research should be to make a list of all the terms someone would use to find you. Rack your own brain before you go anywhere else. How would you search for what you do? What terms naturally come to mind? Don’t go for the big dollar terms like “flower” or “dog”. They’ll be very difficult to rank for and won’t covert very well anyway because they’re too generic. Think of both broad and targeted terms. Informational and buying-focused. Get a good mix. Then move one.

Use Tools

Once you have your initial list, trying using keyword research tools to help you narrow it down. Tools give you the chance to “test drive” certain terms before you invest in them. By entering a phrase into Google’s keyword tool, you’ll get valuable insight into the competition for that term, its monthly search traffic (local and global) and related terms that you perhaps hadn’t thought of. For example, though you’d never want to try and rank for [shoe], by entering it into a tool like Wordtracker, you may find promising long tail keywords like [athletic shoes], [converse shoes] or [wholesale shoes]. Make note of how many people are competing for these terms (the competition for advertising is a fairly good metric). This number will tell you how hard it will be to steal rankings for that term.

Below is a list of good keyword research tools to help you get started.

• Google AdWords Keyword Tool (free)
• SEO Book Keyword Research Tool (free)
• Wordtracker (paid)
• Trellian Keyword Discovery tool (paid)

(You may also want to try non conventional tools like Google Suggest, which does an excellent job helping you identify related terms.)

Use Your Site

You may also be able to uncover some hidden keyword gems by digging around your own site. For example, check what phrases users are typing into your site search, what queries they’re using to find you, where they’re abandoning. Use your analytics to collect information about how users are searching and then make changes to your site, as needed. Often, they’re telling you exactly what terms you should be ranking for, you just need to be paying attention to notice. If you’re that local shoe retailer and enough people type in a specific model of shoe, that may be a sign that you should be focusing on that brand more than you are.

Ask Around

Sometimes it’s hard to identify what terms a normal searcher would use to find our site because we’re not “normal” when it comes to our topic. You’re an expert in what you do. The person looking for you isn’t. So it makes sense that they’d use different types of terms to find you. Try asking friends, colleagues, family members or even past customers for help.

Who else can you ask for keyword help? Google! Ever perform a really broad search in Google [“flowers”, “pets”, “cars”, etc] and notice the Related Searches Google populates at the bottom of the page? They’re giving you valuable information about how users search, how terms are clumped together, and what phrases are most popular.

You can also “ask” your competitors by taking a sneak peak at their Meta Keyword tag. What terms are they going after that you forgot? Does their list help jog your memory about another area you can explore? Is it spying? Eh, maybe. But it’s all lying right there on the Internet.

Keyword research is the backbone of any business’ dip into search engine optimization. It’s about identifying the terms people are looking for to find your kind of business or service. Once you know your keywords, you want to find ways to naturally incorporate them into your Web site. Some common places may be in your Title tag, in the alt attributes use for images, anchor text, headings, page names, etc. Good luck!

I hope you enjoyed and gained something new from this article on new business ideas.

You Want To Know How To Make A Business Plan?

There is a universally accepted pattern for making business plans, so the general appearance of most business Plans have remained the same over the years. However, whether a business plan is acceptable or not depends on adding those known factors that make for a successful business plan.

Since most business plans are part of fund raising requirements for new businesses and because your business plan will be reviewed by those you seek fund from, it is best that you stick to the known conventional business plan and the normal decision making components of a good business plan, ,if not you may have your business plan not read through.

Correctly Write Your Executive Summary Section

The executive summary of your business plan carries the very first impression of your proposal and as such should be written very well. If it fails to capture the attention of your reviewers the reading of your business plan may be aborted. Let your summary be so powerful to clearly point to what your business plan is all about in not many words that deliver what you want to say without problem.


If you write a well thought out executive summary you are surely getting the reviewers on the side of your presentation by capturing their attention as you carefully show the reasons why they should invest in your company.

A well written summary gets a business plan easily understood. A well written analysis of the potentials of your target market, the amount of capital you are looking for to take advantage of the market, expected proceeds from sales projections and your repayment plan therefrom are all the hallmarks of an excellent executive summary.

Introduce Your Business

Here is where you give more details about your company: The registered name, business premises address and more description of the nature of your business. Remember that your reviewers are not going to waste their time trying to figure out what you are saying, so write simple and easy to understand statements of facts that need no thinking to understand. There is no point to speak a language your reviewers will not understand, if your company is technical, use ordinarily words that your reviewers will understand..

Clearly Analyze Your Market

This is where your reviewers will quickly appraise your knowledge of the market and business for which you are looking for funds. If you have done your homework, your analysis of the market will glow before them like a sun in splendor. Here you are just adding more shine to what you said at the executive summary. It is your marketing plan that you present here.


Funding, Your Source Of Expected Income And Your Financial Contribution

Your expected income from expected demand in your target market, a well researched market info that brings about clear competitive edge for your products or services against competitors, the marketing strategy and packaging and advertising and the policy of your company are what you put in this section. Also, you have to include your own monetary contribution in this section.


Finally, you present your reviewers with your management team - that is your organizational structure according to your type of company. If it is a limited company that you registered, your key staff resumes must be included for the perusal of your reviewers. Only people who have relevant qualifications should be presented as members of staff. With the above tips you now know how to make a business plan.


You will find more informaiton at Small Business Resources Free Information or How To Make A Business Plan to help you manage your business better

Small Business Resources Free Information

Small business resources come handy for facilitating the day to day running of your business, but not everyone has them or even knows about the available software that help to make life easier for a small business owner.

One aspect of small business many an entrepreneur find daunting is keeping the books up to date. Those who can afford it hire book keepers or an accountants to manage their expenses and income.

Some people just do it any way they can, in most cases making a mess of their account books, because you have no idea that there are some simple small business resources you can use to run your business.

If you are one of such people who have need for a digital aid for keeping your books up to day, here is one of the small business resources you will like to know about - All about it is below for your information free of charge.

Online Bookkeeping for Sole Proprietors

Product Reviews, Small business operations
August 12, 2009
By TJ McCue

Outright is a simple, online bookkeeping service.

Key in on the term “simple.” I’ve never seen an easier financial tool for a business owner. That’s not me gushing over this product, but stating the obvious. If you have a bookkeeper now, this tool lets you see daily progress instead of waiting for that in-person meeting at the end of every month or quarter.

Let me jump to the first page screenshot after you sign up. It doesn’t get any more clear and concise.

This short description from their home page sums up their focus and mission:

“Streamlining the work involved with owning a business, helping entrepreneurs pay the right taxes, record financial transactions, and keep their businesses on track and growing. Created after watching a number of small businesses, like ourselves, struggle to capture business deductions, often piecing together different solutions. Believing business owners spend too much time and effort on the least enjoyable part of running one’s own business, our goal is to make it simple, helping entrepreneurs track all of their income and expenses to get their taxes done accurately.”

The main benefit of Outright is that it asks you to keep track only of the income and expenses; it does the rest. Of course, lots of programs do that, but Outright has only those items asking for your attention in its streamlined dashboard. If you’re busy, and I know you are, then seeing only two choices on the screen (above) makes it a breeze to navigate and take care of an item.

There are only four tabs: Income, Expenses, Taxes, and Reports. I can quickly wrap my head around that and feel less intimidated than I do with other financial software packages.

I like that it integrates with a few other useful services, such as, Freshbooks for your invoices, Shoeboxed for your receipts, and oDesk for income payments. I’d love to see eLance and Guru added to the mix as I use those two more than oDesk. They also mention that they are building an import tool to bring in credit card statements, but that it is still in test mode.

On the Tax tab, Outright estimates how much tax I owe this quarter and even has a “Pay” button at the bottom. My immediate reaction is, “wow, I can pay my quarterly taxes from here.” What it does is enter that transaction into your Outright register as an expense. Useful and logical, but it left me a bit disappointed. They should probably have some sort of explanation pop up or beside that feature.

When you hover over the blue circle with the “i”, you get a breakdown of income, expense, and profit for that specific income item. Nice shortcut instead of having to wait for it in a report later.

If you are constantly scrambling to get your taxes done each quarter and at the end of the year, then Outright might be the simplified bookkeeping solution you need. If you find that you get overloaded looking at the dashboards of more robust, comprehensive financial software packages, then Outright might ease your headaches.

Who Should Use Outright?

According to the company’s FAQ, Outright is designed specifically for sole proprietors and single-member LLCs — those who file a Schedule C on their U.S. tax return. That rules out partnerships or large companies, which need a more robust solution anyway. There’s no reason why a small microbusiness with a few employees couldn’t use it for the basics, but without a payroll feature you’re limited in managing your company books. Payroll is on the future feature list, though. But if you’re a sole proprietor, or a new entrepreneur, or you run a small home-based business, Outright is a great place to start keeping your books.

Learn more about Outright.

This is just one of the small business resources we shall be bring your way in this blog. Come back often to check for more free information on other small business resources you can use to run your business successfully.

Starting Up Your Own Business Successfully

Starting up your own business requires some basic information to get it right. Essentially there are three legal standards for starting a business. You can register as a sole trader, team up with others as a partnership or incorporate a limited liability company.

The Limited Liability Company

A limited liability company is usually incorporated to run business as a PLC - public limited company or as a private limited company - Ltd.

The former is usually quoted in the stock exchange so that members of the public can buy its shares and so become co-owners. However, most people start up with sole trader type and then upgrade to limited liability - some have gone on to become publicly quoted companies - PLC.

A Soled Trader

A sole trader is the very basic level of business ownership and very different from both the Ltd and PLC types of limited liability companies. As a sole trader or partner you are held personally liable by law for any debts incurred by the company, and your personal assets is liable for offsetting them.

While a sole trader business may not continue at the death of its owner, limited companies carry on even after all the funding members have gone to the great beyond, resigned or been bankrupted.

Limited companies are required by law to pay corporation tax on their profits while their directors get taxed on their income just like the employees the company.

So it is wise to decide when starting up your own business which type of business registration suites your purposes and financial capacity. If you register a limited liability company your personal financial risk is equal to your investment in the company or any guarantees you may have made while raising funds for the business.

But if the company goes bankrupt due to your negligence as company director, you could be made liable for debts incurred by the company while at the same time being disqualified from become a director in any other company under the law.

The following are the steps you should follow in registering a limited liability company:

1. Decide nature of business
2. Decide name for the company
3. Appoint a lawyer to handle documentation and registration of your company.

Small Business Tool Online Social Media?

Etsy Founders Launch New Company: A Ping.fm for Business

August 11th, 2009 | by Ben Parr

Etsy is quietly one of the world’s most popular websites. Buying, selling, and talking about crafts and handmade items is apparently big business. Behind the scenes though, it’s been rocky. After drama over Etsy’s leadership in August 2008, two of its founders, Haim Schoppik and Chris Maguire, left the company along with a number of employees. Since then, we haven’t heard much. So what have they been up to?

Building a social media company, it seems. We were recently informed about a new project by Etsy’s Haim, Chris, and David (former Etsy product manager). That project is Postling, a “tool for small businesses to market, listen, and respond to their customers using social media.” So what exactly have the Etsy founders built?

Postling Does Its Job, But…

When we first arrived on Postling, one company immediately came to mind: Ping.fm (), the tool that lets you update all of your social media accounts all at once. Postling performs a similar function. The goal of the new social tool is to simplify social media for businesses by making it easy to post to not only a company blog, but to Twitter (), Flickr (), and a range of other social media websites.

Start Up Cost For New Businesses and Obama Health Care Cuts

Start up costs for new businesses these days of global recession is an issue that requires more thought than trite on misguided reform platitudes that will harm instead of help small business.

While Obama and his men are making effort to save money from all sorts of cost centers, especially health care you as the small business owner should not overlook the impact their decisions will have on your business in terms of health care cost in respect of your employees.

Start up cost for new businesses will even be more harmfully impacted by all these cost cutting policies that are robbing salt into the wound of recession. Who says that reform will benefit small business when start up cost for new businesses is almost none existent?

The below article is a clear expose on the effect the cuts will have on small business now and in the long term. Read and make up your mind...

A Reality Check For Whitehouse.gov/realitycheck

Two separate problems are inherent with www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck. One, it's pure Obama propaganda. Two, it's funded by you, the taxpayer.

In my American Issues Project column today, I take on the reality of the six narratives the President puts forward via his proxies in videos there. I'll share two "reality checks" here, but I hope you'll read the whole thing.

The topic of the day seems to be "death panels". President Obama and his representatives insist that utilitarian and actuarial arguments will have nothing to do with decisions. People are skeptical for very good reasons:

"The 'euthanasia' distortion on help for families" Related to the rationing concern, euthanasia is like unto it--rationing begets denial of care. Containing costs, when administrative costs are out of control (a problem with all bureaucracies), means denying high-cost items. Since the majority of health care costs come at the end of life, the bureaucracy is going to look at limiting end-of-life care. This is just common sense.

So, what that will mean is this: Grandma might have a two weeks left, but if parental nutrition (IV nutrition) was withheld, she would die in three days, instead. This results in enormous cost savings. It may also deprive the family of her last waking moments. It may deprive the family of time to say last good-byes, etc. These are intangibles. Life and death and the choices around them are incredibly personal. The government board who decides such things will, by cost-cutting necessity, insert themselves and be making moral (or immoral, depending on one's perspective) decisions. This is a valid concern.

There are five other myths over there including talking about current Medicare recipients, veterans benefits paying for care, rationing, keeping your own insurance, etc. The most snort-worthy is that government run health care is good for small business:

"Reform will benefit small business - not burden it" This statement is just laugh-out-loud worthy. The best treatment of this subject is by Patty Briguglio, small business owner. I urge you to read her whole article. Here's a snippet:

The president plans to use revenue from these higher taxes to pay for the $634 billion health care reform reserve fund. The administration's new health care mandate would require employers like me either to offer health insurance to our employees or to pay an unspecified percentage of our payroll toward the cost of a national plan. Right now, I give each of my employees an allowance toward health care -- essentially, they obtain the health insurance plan of their choice, and I reimburse them. In most cases, this allowance covers 100 percent of the cost of their insurance. Some of my employees worry that under the administration's new mandate, they would not be allowed to keep their current insurance plans.

So, the plan will tax small businesses, but give them a tax credit. Guess what happens when costs sky-rocket? That's right. Buh-bye to the tax credit. Furthermore, small business, already struggling with cash flow, decreased credit availability, a shrinking market and increased overhead proportional to profits, will have to pay more taxes? This is an economy killer and small business people know this. So does the administration.

Again, please go read the whole thing. As a taxpayer, you should be very concerned that the Obama administration is using the power of their pulpit to give bad information this way.

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I hope that the above article helped to prepare you for the battle ahead if you are an employer, and if you are planning on going into business it should make you know that getting start up costs for new businesses these days requires more work and a better business plan than ever before.

Small Business Information

Small business information is an important part of of what this blog is all about. We will endeavor to post all relevant information necessary for your proper understanding of how to go about setting up or running your business.

UC Merced Small Business Development Center has same objectives as we do here. The organization is a network of small business development centers.  We are poised to keep you informed of the developments there and what they have achieved in terms of helping small business in the United States.

Below is a release of successful accreditation of  UC Merced as a mark of honor on the good job they have been doing. Small business information for your business success. Read...

UC Merced Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Receives Association of Small Business Development Centers(ASBDC) Accreditation

Release Date: Immediate Release
Contact: Diane Howerton, Regional Director, dhowerton@ucmerced.edu

UC Merced Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Receives Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC) Accreditation

Fresno, CA: The UC Merced SBDC Network lead center in Central California representing 15 counties is poised to celebrate. They received notification from the Chair of the national ASBDC Accreditation Committee that the administration and staff have achieved an important milestone - recommendation to accredit by the visiting team and an affirmative vote at the ASBDC meeting in March 2009.

Diane Howerton, Regional State Director, UC Merced Small Business Development Center Network said, "This is a long, but extremely important process, and it is imperative for our funding and the Network's movement toward achieving a world-class delivery system for small business counseling and training needs." The Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC) accreditation standards are based upon the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for performance excellence. Diane said further that "the internal review that supported the report was an arduous but positive experience; one that will serve as a roadmap for continuous improvement of the SBDC Network."

UC Merced was awarded the SBA contract in 2003 to serve 15 counties in Central California: San Luis Obispo, San Benito, Sana Clara (south of Bernal Road), Monterey (east of the Salinas River), Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Kern, Mono and Inyo. The mission of the network is to promote the development and growth of small businesses by providing high quality business assistance throughout Central California thereby enhancing regional prosperity. This mission has resulted in consulting more than 9,672 clients, creating and/or retaining 2,912 jobs and has worked with business clients and entrepreneurs to generate $125,694,251in new capital investment.

The California SBDC Network is part of a national delivery system that assists more than 1.3 million business owners annually. The SBDC was established by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and operates throughout the U.S. with 63 regional Lead Centers overseeing operations in more than 1,100 SBDC service centers. Most states have one SBDC Lead Center operating under a university or college that administers the service centers in the region. California, due to its extensive geographical reach and expansive entrepreneurial spirit - has six regional Lead Centers of which the UC Merced is one.

This is talking about small business information.

How To Make A Business Plan

How to make a business plan follows a well beaten path, so the general appearance of most business Plans have remained the same over the years. However, whether a business plan works or not depends on the inclusion or not of certain ingredients necessary for its success.

Since most business plans are part of start up requirements for new business and since your business plan will be reviewed by people who will have opinion on your plan, it is better to stay with a conventional format and the normal decision-making components of a good business plan, if not your reviewers may see no reason to go ahead with the review.

Write Your Executive Summary Section Properly

Executive Summary section of your business plan is like the preamble or synopsis of your business plan and as such should be written very well. If it fails to capture the attention of your reviewers they will not be compelled to read through your plan. All words in your summary must be important ones that succinctly explain your overall plan in an abridged form, accurately describing the nature of your business.

If you present a well-written Executive Summary to your reviewers you have scored a good mark from the beginning of your presentation by capturing their attention as you carefully show the reasons your product or service is beneficial to the public.

A very good executive summary is how to make a business plan that gets approval. A well written analysis of the potentials of your target market, the amount of capital you are looking for to take advantage of the market, expected proceeds from sales projections and your repayment plan therefrom.

Introduce Your Business

This section is all bout providing more information about your company: The registered name, business premises address and more description of the nature of your business. Remember that your reviewers are not going to waste their time trying to figure out what you are saying, so write simple and easy to understand statements of facts that needs no thinking to understand. If your business is a technical type, come down to the level of your reviews in layman's language.

Clearly Analyze Your Market

This is where your reviews will quickly appraise your knowledge of the market and business for which your looking for funds. If your have done your homework, your analysis of the market will glow before them like a sun in splendor. Here you are just adding more meet to what you said at the executive summary. It is your marketing plan that you present here.


Funding, Your Source Of Expected Income And Your Financial Contribution

In this section you are presenting your expected income through the expected demand for your product or service for the proposed market, carefully selected market information in terms of pricing vs a vis competitors prices, your marketing strategies, packaging and your company sales policy.

Finally, you present your reviewers with you management team - organizational structure depending on your type of business. Whether your are a sole trader, a partnership or a limited liability company, you have to include the resumes of key staff or management members for the perusal of your reviewers. Here you must make sure that only people with relevant qualifications are presented as members of staff. This is how to make a business plan.

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