Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Popular Areas of Stress In Small Business And How To Avoid The Trap


Anyone who hasn’t been in business before tends to have a certain view of the small business person. There is a level of envy at ‘being their own boss,’ a degree of the notion they are rich and a certain amount of respect. For those in business they know there is a whole lot their ‘non-business’ friends aren’t getting- like the stress. Owning your own business can be loads of stress. Thankfully, there are ways that you can learn to manage it so you don’t have to succumb to it.
1.       Make Use Of Everything You Can
We are talking about using social network devices, talk to local networking agencies, get involved with small business branches and discuss different ideas. If you’re a person who tends to resist change; don’t. There are many new advances that can go a long way to helping you streamline your business. Technology has new computer programs and smart phones that will make your work much faster-take advantage of these opportunities.
2.       Seek Advisors
In the business world, it’s very easy to get caught up in the thought process that no one knows what you have to go through. No one knows what your business deals with and even more importantly- no one deals with the same things you do. This simply isn’t the case. There are many business people who will tell you that business is business is business. Start talking to others and see what they do.
3.       Keep Your Focus
It’s very easy to get caught up in the wide range of different business opportunities. You are best served if you create a plan with achievable goals and work toward these. Direction can help you keep your focus and in the end this will help you grow your business.
Remember when you are looking for advisors to not rule out the wide range of services that are available to businesses.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

What Are The Key Areas Of Debt Small Business Deal With



 

All businesses, including the largest corporations deal with debt on one level or another. When it comes to small businesses it can quickly turn from a few bills to an overwhelming situation. One of the key causes for this is lack of organization and lack of knowledge. Many people don’t even know where they may incur debt from if they haven’t been in business before.
Leases
Chances are your business will need a site to operate out of and this will cost money. Some people may consider purchasing a building but for business it is often better off to be able to move where the opportunities may take you.  This means you will have a monthly or yearly lease and usually you will have triple net fees in addition to this.
Loans
There are few businesses operating these days that don’t have some sort of loan out. It may be in the form of a simple bank note and not be ridiculously high. For other businesses there may be quite a few loans that have been taken out over the course of time. Each of these loans may have different and confusing interest rates and large penalties making it seem impossible to ever get out from under them.
Advertising
It is true that in most cases you’ll have to spend money to make money.  This statement was made with advertising in mind. If you want to make sure that you keep people coming in you’ll have to spend money to tell them what you have.
Inventory
Depending on your business you could have fees for inventory or fees for supplies. These can add up and are often on a credit line basis that carries an interest as well.
Contractors
Perhaps you need work done or you run a business that depends on contractors, either way this is an expense that can add up.
Credit Cards
The fastest way to get a loan is on plastic. There is a cost for this and it comes with high interest.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

What Are Important Steps To Keeping Taxes From Stressing Your Business Out


For most of us taxes are overwhelming. Consider taxes for a business and they can quickly turn into ridiculously difficult bits of paperwork that are not only hard to keep track of but tend to make anyone looking at them grow nervous and sweaty. Most small business owners will tell you one of their biggest areas of stress is their taxes. The good news is there are some ways you can learn to minimize the stress associated with taxes.
·         Keep up on your paperwork regularly. The more often you take the time to keep your books accurate the easier it will become. The more familiar you are with a task the less nerve racking it can be. This is true of all things and in particular taxes. Make sure to set some time aside every couple of weeks to insure you stay ahead of your taxes.
·         Don’t be afraid of the government. This means a few different things. The more fear is behind your taxes the less likely you are to do them and you’re even far less likely to do them correctly. If you have questions don’t be afraid to call your local or federal government.
·         Hire a great accountant. A good accountant can be worth their weight in gold. They will help you find exclusions and exemptions so you can keep as much of your money as possible. This will save you dollars in both the short and long run.
·         Hire a fantastic debt restructuring company. Getting the right professionals for the job may seem daunting when you first consider the costs but once working with them, you will see the massive benefits your business reaps from it. Having debt managed by professionals will not only allow you a chance to feel secure it will also allow you to focus on other areas of your business like bringing in new clients and expanding.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Mezzanine Financing Can Help Your Business With These Simple Steps


 
There is one core essential to every successful business and that is working capital. Working capital is a term used to describe cash or easily liquid-ready assets that is available to a business or entity for use. Without working capital a business can quickly become dead in the water.
What Are The Different Means To Get Working Capital
To ensure you have money in the bank for bills, inventory and payroll among other areas of accounts payable, you have a few areas to get working capital from.
·         Cash revenue
·         Investment dividends
·         Loans and financing
Where Does Mezzanine Financing Stand In The Capital Department
Commonly called ‘Mezz’ financing, the strategy is available for publically traded companies as well as businesses that are held privately. For the most part this type of financing offers both the features of equity (warrants/options) and debt (principal and interest payments). It is better ranked than previous debt but less than holders of equity as far as security goes.
Some of the common uses for Mezz financing are:
·         Buyouts of management
·         Recapitalizations
·         Acquisitions
·         Leveraged buy outs
·         expansions
Elements Of Mezzanine Financing
There are a few elements you’ll want to become familiar with when considering this kind of financing. The first is payment in kind interest (PIK). This means there will be an amount of stated interest that is added to the principal on a periodic basis. This is generally paid back in a lump sum or bullet installment at the end of the loan.  You will also want to familiarize yourself with cash interest. This is when Mezzanine financing looks most similar to traditional debt; you will have regular payments that include interest.  Finally, there is the ownership option. In this instance the lender receives the warrant or option to change to equity. For the most part in smaller companies this will be purchased back over time.