2009 July | Five Day Job
Jul 31


We Buy Your Business

In today’s dynamic business environment you’re either Growing or Going…out of business that is! If you’re part of the latter contingent and have made the decision to get out of a business but are unable to transition your business internally or sell it as an intact entity, full or partial liquidation of assets may be an appropriate exit strategy. Asset liquidation can provide quick cash and assist in diversifying equity. However, before you terminate your lease, sell a key piece of equipment, or disconnect your utilities, make sure you have a well-thought-out plan.

Getting out of business successfully requires careful planning from start to finish. If you are looking at asset liquidation as a part of your exit strategy, consider incorporating the following recommendations into your plan to increase your chances for success.

1. Talk to your lawyer and accountant.

2. Establish the liquidation value of your assets; remember liquidation vs. retail value can differ substantially.

3. Identify the best venue and timetable to sell your assets.

4. Arrange the sale at the most appropriate location with an expert.

5. Use a non-recourse bill of sale.

Understanding and incorporating these steps into your exit plan will not only help you recover as much money as possible, they may also help you achieve the freedom needed to pursue new endeavors.

It is important to note that the recommendations discussed above are intended to serve as a general overview to assist with the asset liquidation process. It is not a substitute for case-specific advice that only your lawyer and/or accountant can provide. Also, depending on the situation and necessity of business divesture, the cooperation of creditors may need to be considered. Cover your bases and talk to the experts before liquidating any assets that may be in question.

Initiate the process by preparing a current inventory of your business assets. Include photographs, serial numbers and a brief description of the condition of each item if possible. A thorough inventory will save considerable time and expense as you navigate the sale process and can be invaluable if you are asked to provide documentation for creditors or the Internal Revenue Service.

Next, start preparing your assets for sale. To elicit the best offers, take care that you do not diminish the appeal of your most marketable items by lumping them in with outdated or worn-out equipment, furniture or inventory. In most cases the most lucrative value of these lesser items may be in the form of a tax deduction, so why not donate them to an appropriate charity?

Finally, don’t overlook your intangible assets. For example, is your lease assignable? Are the business licenses, permits, patents or trademarks that you hold in demand? Can they be transferred? Is there a market for your customer list, contract rights or accounts? You may need to check with your attorney or accountant to determine what information and agreements are transferable but once cleared these types of assets can also provide a substantial return.

We Buy Your Business (WBYB) provides cash offers for all assets in order to assist in the liquidation process. Please contact your WBYB representative for more information at www.WeBuyYourBusiness.com

Jul 31


Ludacris music video

Jul 31


Copyright 2008 IPS - Inter Press Service/Global Information Network

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb 6 2008

The year 2008 has already been grim for most Lebanese businesses: Struggles with the nation’s permanent protest movement, security problems, a brief war in a Palestinian refugee camp and sporadic bombings have brought the nation to its knees.

Most recently a bomb tore through the bustling Chevrolet area on the outskirts of Beirut on Jan. 25, killing Captain Wissam Eid from the Internal Security Forces.

As the political situation tips further in the direction of widespread insecurity, however, Lebanese businesses around the country are clinging to the motto, "the show must go on." Expansion seems to be the word on the street in Beirut, no matter what the uncertain future may hold.

ABC, a major department store and mall with seven outlets, two main flagship stores and a staff of more than 1,000 is currently revamping one of its main branches in Dbayeh.

"In March, we are also launching a new section extending over an entire floor of 8,000 square meters dedicated to children, dubbed Kidsville. It will also include a 500 square meter playground, an array of kids’ accessories and a coffee shop, La Mie Doree," said Robert Fadel, ABC’s general manager. A second big store in the Ashrafieh suburb of Beirut is adding an extension for a playground that will fill an expanse of 800 square meters.

The Johnny R. Saade group is also jumping on the expansion bandwagon. Its travel and tourism arm, Wild Discovery, will be setting up shop in Kaslik in northeast Lebanon in a few months.

"We decided to push forward with the opening of new branches in Lebanon despite the prevailing situation, following the simple strategy that one has to invest and position oneself in times of relative crisis to prepare for the inevitable economic and political recovery that can be foreseen," said Sandro Saade, one of company’s owners.

"This opening is also justified by a strategic objective to cover the northern Beirut area, where there is a demand for high-quality travel services."

The company’s real estate arm boasts a $30 million residential project sprawling over 18,000 square meters in one of Beirut’s posh suburbs. In addition, the group is developing a winery in Bekaa Valley, near the villages of Kefraya and Tell-Denoub, covering a 50-hectare swath of land. The project is estimated at $25 million and will employ 50 people, excluding seasonal workers.

"The Lebanon venture will also integrate two other complementary projects, namely a wine museum and a boutique hotel, or ‘h"tel de charme’" with 30 to 35 rooms, said Karim Saade, another company owner.

It is not just big names that are taking a leap of faith into the murky Lebanese waters.

Nehme Lebbos, founder of Iloubnan, a news portal for Lebanon, left his home country in 1991 and worked as an IT consultant for 12 years in France before coming back.

"I wanted to come back ever since I left. I started IIoubnan in March 2005 with the help of my wife, a French journalist," Lebbos said. "It is a Web magazine dovetailed with an e-commerce wing."

The young entrepreneur has poured all his savings into this venture, relying on a bank loan, as well. The company’s recent success has allowed for an increase in operations, with four journalists employed on a full-time basis and a network of 20 freelance journalists around the world.

A shared vision of Lebanon seems to cement together the diverse business figures. "Lebanon is our homeland and we believe in our country," Fadel said. On the other hand, Lebbos is conscious of the risks he might incur but is nonetheless determined to promote change in his home country.

Although most companies are investing in Lebanon, many have also looked to taking their business abroad. ABC will be opening in Jordan in March. "The company will bring to the Jordanian market a spirit of Lebanon, and aims at becoming a leading and trendy shopping destination," Fadel said.

Similarly, the Saade brothers are relying on an international network of agencies for their tourism activity as well as launching a new winery in neighboring Syria. The group is trying to counter the negative business environment by highlighting the quality of its services. And so Wild Discovery is investing in an in-house sales training program expected to enhance its team’s knowledge and technical skills.

For most entrepreneurs, the essential rationale linking their projects is endorsing Lebanon as a brand in the region. Lebbos believes that this cannot be done without the help of young Lebanese people. "They need to travel, study abroad, graduate and experience foreign countries," he said, and "then come back and invest in Lebanon."

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId

Jul 31

The need to make a lot of money helps to motivate many of us into starting a home based business. Not having to be a faceless person that is part of the grind of the daily rat race is another reason why it might pay to become a home entrepreneur. Before getting into the habit of making a living out of your home business venture it is of course necessary that you learn just what does it take to succeed in such a venture. Therefore, before starting a home based business you need to strategize in a way that ensures that you have a realistic chance of achieving your goal.

Don’t Fail To Plan Ahead

Most businesses, home based and otherwise, generally fail because the entrepreneurs failed to plan their activities in advance and so it is necessary that you learn how not to repeat those mistakes when starting a home based business. You need to understand how you too can succeed with your home business and the first question that you need a good answer to is ‘just why you want to start a home based business’.

Unless you know the reason behind why you should be starting a home based business you will not be able to build a strong foundation for the future and so you need to answer a few more questions to get things clarified. For example, are you starting a home based business to work the hours that suit you the best; or, is it to be your own boss and if so, why? Furthermore, is the home business your passport to increased earnings and finally, just how well prepared are you to start the business.

The most important issue that requires a solid answer before starting a home based business is how well prepared are you for your new business venture. This of course means that you must already be confident in your abilities to face and overcome the many challenges that you will need to face including having to handle multiple tasks at the same time. That in turn means being prepared to put up with the stresses and strains of starting a home based business; so, you must be in good physical and mental shape.

Next, you have to be sure that you are indeed well prepared and determined to put in as many hours as are required in order to succeed in your home business. What’s more, you should also have some outside support including from family members and from friends and you also need to be prepared to make sacrifices including accepting a lower standard of living till such time as your home business takes off and flourishes.

To succeed in your home business you need to possess experience as well as have the necessary skills and these are important issues that you need to address before starting a home based business. That in turn means ensuring that you already have the experience in your chosen business field and you also need to be a person that can take correct and effective decisions and in double quick time as well. You have to learn to absorb new things so that you can improve your existing skills and also learn new ones as you go along.

Before starting a home based business you must also be aware about your exact financial position so that before you get your home business going your pockets are stuffer with enough money to become a home business person. In addition, it is also necessary to have sufficient cash to operate your home business.

As long as you address these issues properly and earnestly starting a home based business can prove to be a fun experience and one that will help you get off on the right foot and then achieve your goals.

Jul 31

So you already have a design ready to be sent to that business card printing service. You had a whirlwind session with your graphic artist, and you are extra enthusiastic of how it will turn out. Hold on however. Before spending all that money in business card printing, you have to review every aspect of your business card before it gets produced 100 or 500 times over. Any mistake or design error that isn’t caught early enough can be detrimental to your business card. So reviewing them thoroughly assures you that you will be getting the best quality business card that you can produce. This is what separates a great business card from other poorer quality and cheap business cards.

To help you out in reviewing your business card design, you need a checklist. Below is the standard business card quality checklist that most professionals go through to review business cards. Go through it one by one, and see if your business card options and designs are up to current standards.

Paper Stocks – First, and foremost is the business card paper stock or more specifically its card stock. Not all business cards are printed in the same type of card stock. There are differences in the thickness, coatings and textures for each type of business card stock. To be sure that you have the best quality business cards, aim for the card stocks that offer protective coatings such as UV and moisture resistant card stocks. Some card stocks may also have a sheen or glossy effect that makes it look better. Just ask your business card printing service for your options regarding business card paper or card stocks.

Now, for the quality of your card stock, simple try to bend it a bit and see if the paper follows the fold immediately or not. If the paper stock is easily bendable, then you have lower quality paper stock and you may want to change it if you like. Also try to test if the paper stock easily absorbs water, and if it sheens or not. Lack of moisture resistance and light reflectivity is also a sign of a not so perfect business card.

Ink Quality – Next, we have the ink quality. The business card printer’s ink quality can depend on the printer itself. There are several types of this. It can be offset printing, digital inkjet or digital laser jet printing. Each has a different way of embedding inks into paper, and also they have different types of ink. To test the ink quality, simply run down a few drops of water in front of your design. If the ink “runs” and is easily water soluble, you have a mark of a bad quality ink, and printer. So check this on your sample printing when it comes.

Design Composition – Next on the items in our checklist is the design composition or layout. This refers to the positions of your design and content elements in your color business card. It can be the placement of pictures, the positions of certain text, their font styles and of course the overall theme. Basically, you need to check if all the design elements mesh together to form a coherent design. This design must match the image that you want to project, and it also has to match the prevailing design standards of the time. If you design looks outdated or messy, then it might not be up to snuff for the best business cards out there.

Content Thoroughness – Lastly, be sure to have all the content that you need printed in your business card. The content must be as thorough as it can possibly be. Be sure to have your name, job title, company name, address, contact numbers, website information (if applicable), company logo, tag line and sample service/product list all included in your content information. Be as inclusive as possible so that you can maximize all the information that you want to give in one business card delivery. If your business card content is not this thorough, you may find yourself wasting time physically writing in the missing information which can be difficult. So check the content before going to printing.

That should be a wrap for the checklist on business cards. By going through a review process using this checklist, you should be able to print business cards that are high quality, professional looking and very attractive to business contacts. You won’t be wasting your money in business card printing if you do so.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit Business Card Printing and Cheap Business Cards

Jul 30

Setting up a business is a huge responsibility on the shoulders of the entrepreneur. When starting a new business, there are many important decisions to make and many rules and procedures that must be addressed. It is a huge responsibility to start a new business. It involves high risk to start a new business. A black business owner is ready to take on the responsibility head-on and work patiently and dedicatedly to start a new business and take it to great heights.

It is the initial stage of setting up the black business that needs extra care. The black entrepreneurs are very conscious about their businesses and they put in their efforts into it. Setting up a new business requires experience and the black people are experienced enough to handle various situations with care.

Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, most being privately owned and formed in order to earn profit that will increase the wealth of its owners and grow the business itself. This will increase their profits and they will gain popularity. The black business owned by black people is gaining popularity in many cities of the United States.

The black people who own the black business are very determined and conscious about their businesses. They have the strong will of putting their 100 percent effort in the business so that it nourishes well and thrives against all shortcomings. This way they grow their black business and gain popularity.

To build a successful enterprise, it is very much important for the black entrepreneurs to enjoy their black business. The black entrepreneurs have a slight edge because they are the owners of their business which is actually their passion. This way they are motivated to work even more as they are doing the work which they like. With the monotony of forceful involvement in a field that means a little or nothing to you removed, you are bound to flourish doing what you enjoy the most.

Before actually starting their black business, they must write a guide in which they have the written down the plans of starting and running their business successfully. This plan will encourage loans, promote growth, and provide a map for the black business owners or for the black entrepreneurs to follow. They would not feel lost and they would have their ideas at any point of time.

It is very encouraging to see the black business growing at a robust rate. Viewing this fact, one can say that the black business owners are the people who are growing their black business at a very faster rate thus becoming the firms that are among the fastest growing segments of the US economy.

Jul 30

Naomi Klein debunks Bush’s offshore drilling plan on Fox Business News’ Happy Hour Program. July 17, 2008.

Jul 30

Music video from season 1, episode 5.

Jul 30

I am in the family business and my mom is clearly strained… We are blessed to have business hand over fist even in this recession but that is not my problem, or question… My question is how can a small business owner learn to lay back enjoy the fruits of their labor??? I mean she has owned this insurance agency for 30 yrs. and has nursed it from ONE policy to what it is today? But her health is declining as she is still trying to take payments, pictures of homes, etc. on what should be considered now at least a mid sized business?

Jul 29

I need to know if I can deduct the mortage payment on a business. Our business mortage is a commercial loan and only the business is on it. Or, is only the interest on the business deductable. If so, would it be in our best interest for the business to rent from us this year?

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