Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Network Marketing Entrepreneurs Wealth Tip - Trick Yourself Into a Network Marketing Success

Let's agree on something first and foremost: You want to be successful as an entrepreneur and network marketer. Obviously you wouldn't have even glanced at this article otherwise.

But maybe the problem is that, whatever your definition of it is, success seems to be alluding you?

What I want you to do right now is read the next line over again until it imprints in your mind:

There are actually only two REAL reasons that you have not had the succes you want in your network marketing business yet.

1. You are living in quiet desperation...
2. You simply don't have the correct training, information, or knowledge to utilize and succeed with...

There is no one who can truly help you with the first one. That's all up to you. The second one I can help you with and you can also help yourself.

At this point, would it be safe to say that if you DID have the right training, information, and knowledge - and the self motivation - to utilize right now that you WOULD be successful?

Of course you would! It is guaranteed.

There are people out there like me who have dedicated their entire lives to mastering the network marketing industry - including the mindset, marketing, and entrpreneurism that goes along with it.

And do you realize that if you can just find a mentor (I know it seems like an impossible task to do - especially on the internet where everyone seems to hide behind their computers these days), that you COULD and WOULD succeed!

Are you getting excited about that yet? About the fact that there is someone (more than one, actually) who not only will teach you everything you need to know to be successful, but they'll do it for FREE.

And that is the best thing about network marketing is that people help people. You actually can't succeed if you don't help others.

Okay, so I promised to tell you how to trick yourself into success in your network marketing business...This is actually how I personally 'tricked' myself to be successful, and you can copy exactly what I did to become successful too.

Here's how:

Back when I first started my Network Marketing business, it occurred to me that I had no clue how to market online. It also occurred to me that in order to make the REALLY big money, I would need to get my hands on what the top earner's knew- and that the only way to get that was to literally buy it.

Here's the problem, how was I going to trick myself into sitting through hours and hours of training classes? This was originally an issue for me because I seem to
have some impatient 'issues' and it just takes too much time to get the million dollar information from the courses. I wanted results RIGHT NOW.

So here's what I did to trick myself (pay attention now!) It's so easy. And it totally changed my life. This is really all I did and you can do the same:

I told myself, "Okay Eric, you know how some people get really excited and go rent a bunch of movies and watch them all weekend? They spend 2, 3, 4 hours or more watching movies. Well, here is what we are going to do: You are going to be just as excited to watch this million dollar information. And then, I promise you, that you will go be able to live a life of such passion and fun and adventure and service that it deserves to be made into a movie...You'll get to have a REAL life instead of simply watching other people's imaginary lives in movies.

This really inspired me and motivated me to make it BIG time!

And how did it happen? Well, through tricking myself.

I just learned to tell myself a different story about what training courses actually were. I compared them to the exciting release of a new movie.

You see, when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

I then remind myself, "There are many people out there who borrow thousands of dollars for college, graduate and get a job they hate until they get laid off, then go out and get another job they hate and start the cycle all over again."

Or, I can spend a little bit of money and a lot of "sweat equity" and learn from a multi-millionaire (not a broke college professor...no offense to any college professors)...and I can come out of that course with real knowledge that will give me a real shot at controlling my financial future, my time freedom, and my deeply - cherished bossless life of independence.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4395420

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Change in Working Capital

Running a business comes with its share of financial responsibilities. Accounting is all about keeping track of every dollar and every last penny. A business without good accounting professionals is bound to fail. Just like a car needs its own engine control unit for monitoring its functioning, a company needs its accounting department. There are various financial constructs and calculations, which are used in accounting to analyze the performance of a company. One of the most important ones is the net working capital of the company. It is closely related to the degree of liquidity that is available to a company for day-to-day operations. In the following lines, you will find an explanation of what is working capital and how to calculate change in working capital of any business.

What is Net Working Capital?


It is essential that the basic concept of what is net working capital be known, before we talk about how to calculate changes in it. It is one of the most basic concept in accounting when it comes to evaluating the financial condition of a company. As the name itself suggests, working capital is the cash available for the daily operations of the company.


The net working capital can be defined as the difference between total current assets of the company and its current liabilities. The current assets of the company include its inventory and accounts receivable, while the liabilities include the accounts payable. Securities and investments are also included in current assets, while current liabilities may also include debt, when calculating the net working capital. Thus the formula for calculating net working capital is:

Net Working Capital (WC) = Current Assets - Current Liabilities


When there is a change in working capital which may happen due to a number of reasons. Either there has been a spurt in the accounts receivable or there is a decrease in the number of liabilities. Analyzing the reason for change will require that you investigate the change in current assets and the amount of liabilities. If you want to look at cash flow, the operating working capital is a better choice as it only monitors the accounts receivable and accounts payable.

How to Calculate Change in Working Capital?

Now that I have explained how to calculate working capital, we can attack the question of how to calculate the change in working capital. I think the method for calculation will be clear after you have seen the above formula for working capital. The change in working capital formula is the same one.

To calculate working capital change in two successive years, you need to calculate the net or operating working capital for both years and simply subtract the second year's value from the first year's amount. For successive years, you must do the same change in working capital calculation.

The change in operating working capital will demonstrate the changes in cash flow, while the change is net working capital, will highlight the macroscopic changes in the fortunes of the company. For example, consider that the operating working capital for year 2009 of a certain company is $90,000, while the successive year sees, it rising to $120,000. Then the change in working capital cash flow will obviously be $30,000, which is good news for the company.

As you can see, calculating change in working capital is a simple exercise, if you have all the data needed for calculation. The total change in net working capital over a few years can reveal the progress made by the company in revenues, as more cash becomes available for its operations. A positive change in working capital of a company is an important indicator of its overall progress, while a negative change in working capital indicates a drop in sales. When comparing the balance sheets of successive years for a company, one needs to monitor this net working capital change. Hope, this article has cleared out all the doubts you might have regarding changing working capital calculation and its significance.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Property Management Fees Explained

Handing over your responsibilities as a landlord to a property management firm, can let you rest easy and devote your time to personal projects. Many of my acquaintances who have properties spread all over the country, find it impossible to personally spare time for managing the day-to-day affairs of a rental property. They find it easy to outsource the entire job to a property management business, which handles everything from looking for tenants to renewing their lease contracts, besides handling day-to-day responsibilities like maintenance. If you are mulling over handing over your rental estate to such a company, the property management fees explained in this article, will provide you with an insight into the overall costs involved.

Rental Property Management Fees Explained

Most firms will provide you with an itemized list of fees that will be charged for the job of managing your rental property. There are some companies that will handle everything from rent collection and tenant search to maintenance and some which will carry out only a part of the job. Depending on the services provided and the property management contract that you sign, the total property management fees will vary. Let us see what are the itemized costs, generally charged as a part of overall rental property management fees, in the following lines.


Advertising Cost
Be it residential property management fees or commercial property management fees, one of the service components is the advertising cost of your property, which may be borne by the management company. To get tenants, your property has to be advertised in newspapers and websites with real estate property listings. Many firms handle this job of advertising for your property and charge you with whatever costs are involved for the same. So expect this to be a part of the contract.

Basic Property Management Commission
Besides the advertising costs, once you hand over a property to a management company, it charges you with a fixed commission, which may be a percentage of the rent you are paid or just a fixed fee. This may range anywhere between 10% to 15% of the total rent you receive or a fixed fee ranging from $100 to $200.

Lease Up & Lease Renewal Fees
Besides advertising for new tenants, you will have to pay extra for lease agreement creation and renewal of the tenant agreement, that is entirely handled by the firm. This may be around $50 to $100 or more, which also includes a finder's fee, in case of new tenants.

Maintenance Charges
Other than the above main components, most firms also handle the day-to-day maintenance of the property. This may include anything from plumbing repair, to cleaning out the property on a daily basis, electric repair, heating system maintenance and other such varied chores. The fees charged for these jobs, will entirely depend on the maintenance tasks undertaken and costs involved. These will be included in your monthly billing. In case of a large property, maintenance costs can be a large part of the total property management fees charged. In case of small properties, these costs may not form such a large component.

The overall property management fees, will be a sum total of all the above itemized costs. Handing over the entire job to a professional management firm will let you free up your time. If you don't want to get ripped off, I suggest that you survey the property management fees quoted by every firm in your area in detail, before choosing one. This analysis will help you make sure that handling over your responsibilities to a property management firm doesn't eat up too much, into your profits.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Financial Planning Process Steps

Whenever we start a new venture, the first thing that we invariably do is planning. And when it comes to finance and business, needless to say, planning becomes an indispensable activity. So what is financial planning? Financial planning can be termed as a process in which financial needs are assessed first, objectives to achieve monetary goals are set (which include investments) and assets and resources are evaluated and ways to increase them are devised. Why is financial planning important? Of course! This is important! This activity not only allows the person to learn about planning his finances but also helps him understand the importance of cash flows and investments that come handy in the most unexpected situations. How is financial planning done? Yes, this is what this article is all about: the financial planning process steps! Keep reading.

Steps in Financial Planning


Financial planning is an integral part of financial management. This activity requires a lot of study and research, before one goes about drawing a plan and implementing it. Not to miss an important point on this subject, risk assessment is an integral part of any planning. So let's understand the key financial planning process steps. Below are the key steps to consider in your financial planning process.

Identifying Financial Needs
The primary responsibility in the financial planning is conducting a need analysis. An investor has a number of needs of which he needs to prioritize the important ones and plan accordingly. The important goals which are preset are, education of children, down payment of a house, health requirements, life insurance and retirement. Following these needs are the means to increase the wealth in terms of cash and property. Also a person needs to have concrete answers for the following questionnaire:

    What are your investment goals?
    How much money do you have for investments?
    Do you invest in stocks, bonds and mutual funds?
    Are your financial needs short term or are you headed for long term financial planning?
    What benefits are expected from your investments?

Gathering Financial Data
Now that you have identified the financial needs, the second step should be to consolidate your financial planning worksheet to understand your cash flow, investments and liabilities. This can consume a day to week's time depending on your needs. Take the help of a financial planner who would help you out with this marathon. The documents needed for this process would include:

    Assets, Liabilities, tax deductions and tax returns
    Balance sheets
    Income and expenditure statements
    Employee benefit plan booklets
    Retirement planning documents
    Wills and trusts
    Insurance policies
    Investment statements
    Brokerage house statements
    Bank statements

Besides, the planner will also require some more data like:

    What is your retirement age?
    What income is anticipated post retirement?
    How would you want your property to be distributed?
    What is the current economy state and where is it headed towards?
    How much inflation can occur in near future?

The planner will also make a risk tolerance assessment of your personal attitude (aggressive, moderate or conservative) towards financial affairs and at the end of the data gathering process, he is bound to get a hang of what is your current financial state and what it will be or can be in near future.

Developing the Financial Plan
Here starts the actual work of your financial planner who has to devise effective means of developing a fool proof financial planning process. Steps to develop the financial plan start with the following:

    Documenting your plan to fulfill protection, health and retirement. Also wealth creation and preservation requirements are included.
    Explaining to you about the pros and cons of every rationale included in the plan (keeping in mind the risk appetite of the investor: you).
    Understanding the tax laws and the financial operative framework of the system.

Presenting the Financial Plan

Once the financial plan is well documented, your financial planner will proofread it and present it to you. In the first round of presentation, you have to study the documentation thoroughly, with your spouse. Take your time, and if you have doubts, jot them down in a list and pass them on to your planner. He will give you clear answers for all the doubts raised and then once you have agreed, the planner will make an implementation checklist. So the next mode of the financial planning is implementing the well documented financial plan into action.

Implementing the Financial Plan
This is a pivotal phase of the financial planning process steps. And also this period takes longer time (approx. 4-6 months) than the previous stages of the financial planning. During this phase, intricate details like tax planning, retirement planning, insurance concerns and estate/property planning are discussed thoroughly. To get a clearance on certain issues, attorneys may be involved for guiding and helping out with certain queries. Quite possible, that at the end of the implementation, your financial plan may have more than 20 recommendations (of which some may be major and strategic). So, it depends on you and your planner as to how you want these recommendations to be incorporated. But yes, your financial plan is now ready!

Monitoring the Financial Plan
Once the plan is on roll, it does not mean that the financial planner is required no more. He has to be retained to provide you with periodic updates on portfolio reviews, insurance updates, investment options, tax planning sessions and changing market conditions. Besides, you need to keep your ears open to the planner's alerts on risks that can possibly crop up due to fluctuating economical conditions.

Hope this article on financial planning process steps was informative! So now, you might have understood the importance of financial planning and also you must have understood personal financial planning process steps! One could say, if the planning is complete, your job is halfway done! So, prepare your financial plans meticulously and reap the financial benefits. After all, every penny invested is every penny earned!

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Small Business Grants for Veterans

The Obama administration recently passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 which set aside 787 billion dollars to revitalize the ailing economy. Out of the 787 billion dollars 275 billion dollars have been earmarked as federal government grants. You can avail small business grants for veterans from this sum if you meet the strict eligibility criteria. Financial assistance received through government grants is the best way to fund a business as the money need not be repaid.

The government grants are mostly given to non profit organizations and institutes working towards the betterment of society. The government also provides financial aid to business dealing with renewable energy and energy efficiency solution providers. The Obama government has even set up a task force on veterans small business development to support veterans run and start their businesses.

Small Business Assistance for Veterans

If you are looking for small business grants for veterans then one of the things you could do is talk to the officer with the Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA has set up the Office of Veterans Business Development and you can check out the location of an office near you on the SBA website. The SBA is also the right place to check for small business grants for disabled veterans and small business grants for women.

Another resource for checking small business government grants for veterans is the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistant (CFDA) website. The website has free details of over two thousand federal assistance programs. The website also has a help desk number which you can call for assistance regarding government small business grants and loans.

The local chapter of the Chamber of Commerce is also a good start if you are looking for small business loans and grants for veterans. They have several funding opportunities and if you fit the eligibility criteria you could qualify for a grant and if not you could check their list of available loan opportunities. They have specific grants like small business grants for minorities and women which you could apply for.

If you have seen advertisements that offer small business financing for veterans for a small fee, stay away as most of the information they offer is available free on the government grants website. If you have identified the grant which best qualifies you from the CFDA website, you can use the CFDA number to apply for that particular grant on the governments grant website.

There are several new funding opportunities under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) which a veteran can take advantage of. The details for these new opportunities is made available by the administration on its government recovery website. The 275 billion dollars worth of grants are set to be made available over a period of ten years with most of them being given out in the first three years.

Another resource for small business loans for veterans are the non profit organizations (NPOs). There are many NPOs who work for the betterment of veterans and their families. The Internet is the best resource for finding an organization which will accommodate your needs. Try organizations like 'Rotary' as they have lot of community development programs under which they could provide financial help for veterans.

The US Department of Commerce has a Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) which is another place for you to check for small business grants for veterans from the minority community. It is advisable to invest some time in researching for grants as the financial reward is well worth the effort.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Money Management Skills for Kids

Parents wish to empower their children, so that the latter can take life head-on when the time comes. Providing them with the knowledge and the skills to deal with challenging situations responsibly is a crucial part of any upbringing process. Most schools and activity groups do not teach your child important management skills, as their interest in your child can never match up to yours. Learning the importance of money and having the ability to manage it, are skills that are acquired at a very young age. Teaching your child how to value money and to manage within the means, can help your child in a lot of ways in the years to come.

Money Management Tips for Kids


Allowance
Today, the teen years begin at 10, making it the new 13. Over exposure to the fast changing world has changed demands of the kids as well. With expensive demands as such as gadgets and other fancy items, making them earn it is an excellent way of making them value money. Giving your child a fixed allowance every month and paying them incentives for doing a few household chores, will help them understand that resources are always limited. Teach them to save up this money buy what they want. If the item is very expensive, then you chip in half the amount or so, if your child is able to save half for a certain period of time.

Monthly Budgets
Buying stationary is the biggest expense that kids have all through their academic year. Sit down with your child and make a budget for the things that he / she wants for the month. Books, games and other miscellaneous items, that are usually on your child's shopping list should be managed within a budget. Making such budgets will teach your child how to prioritize demands as well. Allocation of resources and comprehension of your own financial situation is brought out through the activity of making budgets. It is also a way of learning to let go of some demands, to satisfy a few others which are more important.

Expense Checkbook
Maintaining an expense checkbook is one of the most important money management skills for kids. It is extremely important that you teach your child how to maintain an account for the money, besides how to spend it. A record of expenses will give you child a guideline as to where and how the money is being spent. Knowing how much you have and how much is spent, helps you value the limited amount of money better. Of course, there will be times when your child will overspend and ask you for a little more money. Do not be too hard on your child. Allow a credit limit that your child will be able to pay back through his or her allowance.

Saving Plan
These are not saving plans for college or the next academic year, but say for an activity in the summer vacation. Budgeting will show your child how much part of the allowance is supposed to be spent, and how of it is supposed to be saved. You can make a few additions to this amount by giving your child monetary rewards if he / she performs well at school or helps out at home.

In a nutshell, money management skills for kids are about making the right choices, in order to reconcile the demands with limited resources. Besides money management, these tips will help your child to be more independent, understand the importance of prioritizing, self control, and being practical. Starting early will give you an edge over other parents, as younger minds are easier to mold.

Friday, December 23, 2011

How to Raise Money for a Business

Anyone looking to start a company or business venture of their own, needs to know how to raise money for a business. The capital is one of the first things that need to be taken into consideration when one is setting out on a business venture, and there are many different sources to obtain this capital. It is not necessary to stick to one particular source rigidly, even a combination of various different sources can be made use of.

Anyone who is wondering how to raise money for a restaurant, a small business, an advertising agency or any other small-scale venture should keep these methods in mind. Approaching the right people for the money is vitally important for the success of the business, and if this is not catered to properly, the business will be doomed from the very beginning.


Personal Savings

This is the most obvious source of money for starting a business. If you have saved up enough money over the years, go ahead and make use of it for your business. You will not be answerable to anyone, and you will not have to worry about repaying someone. If you choose this option, ensure that you are not using all your savings though. Many people neglect this option of how to raise money for a business because if they lose the money, they will have nothing left to live on.

Venture Capitalists
This is the next most obvious source for your potential business. Venture capitalists are professional agencies who put in money, or venture capital, into an upcoming business. What they get in return is either a share of the business, or a share of the profits, or pretty high interest rates. It may sound like exploitation, but this is one of the best ways to get money. Venture capitalists are always looking for new and innovative business ideas that are likely to succeed.

Angel Investors
These are a refined form of venture capitalists, but many people think they mean the same thing. Angel investors are less demanding than venture capitalists, and are with your business in the long run. Usually, they are someone who you would know personally, and they are simply looking for ways to get a higher return on their investment. How companies raise money depends a lot on the nature of the business, and the method of entrepreneurship adopted. Angel investors also help out the business by providing some guidance and mentoring.

Personal Borrowings
Here is a method on how to raise money for a business that should be avoided as far as possible. You can borrow money from someone you know, namely your friends, family or other people. The problem here is that once you mix business and personal relationships, things start to get a bit sour. This is a situation that needs to be handled with great tact and diplomacy, and not everyone can manage to do that. Still, this is a method that many people opt for.

Bank Loans

Another answer to how to raise money for a small business, is to approach a bank for a small business loan. With banks you will not be required to pay a very high interest rate, but you will need sufficient documentation about the business model of your business. Along with that, your credit history and financial stability will also be scrutinized, to see if you are worthy of getting the loan. Most people would love to get a bank loan, but are simply not eligible. This is especially true for someone who is wondering how to raise money to start a business without owning any fixed assets.

Advertising
Here is another answer, but one that requires a suitable amount of investment, and more than a fair share of patience. If you can handle the advertising of your upcoming company well, you can get more than enough money to sustain it in the long run. There are some websites that also let you advertise your business plan, and then suit you up with a matching investor. This is a slightly unreliable method for sure, but it works wonders if one can find the right match. People wondering how to raise money for a marketing campaign, can use the methods already mentioned above.

Other Options
Here are some other answers to the question 'How to raise money for a business'. One can approach some small business investment companies, some business development commissions, some life insurance companies or a money broker as well. The reliability of these other options will not be very high, and their demands may be exorbitant, but if you have run out of all other options, then this is something that you will need to resort to.

You should move as soon as possible in order to get as much capital and business financing as you can. There are a variety of sources available to you, and as long as you have a great and reliable business plan, you will be able to procure capital. It is not all that difficult to learn how to raise money for a business, but all you need, more than anything else, is the faith and belief in yourself.