Climate Launchpad launched

Climate Launchpad, which is part of Climate-KIC Europe’s largest clean/sustech accelerator, is launching again.

Climate Launchpad

Sustainable Nation is running Climate Launchpad, the ideas competition of Climate-KIC again this year. Last year one of the finalists Orbas (internet of food, http://www.orbasconsulting.com/) got to the last 20 out of 80 finalist and 700 submissions. Not bad, but we like to win this year.

Tallinn, Estionia

Same set up this year, 3 finalist from Ireland will compete with finalist of 28 counties. The finals are in Tallinn, Estonia in October. Anyone with an idea in the climate/green/clean is welcome. The size of the problem/opportunity is 37 trillion.

Programme

The programme will consist of a number of orientation/preparation sessions across Ireland, between February and April followed by a two day workshop with an international trainer from Climate Launchpad in May.

The 2 day workshop delivers a new, very sharp methodology to get to a realistic proposition and a pitch (it bleeds). It is loosely based on “Disciplined Entrepreneurship, 24 steps to successful startup” by Bill Aulet. Happy to share the methodology with anyone interested.

Mentoring

The workshop is followed by 6 mentoring and coaching workshops and a pitching final. The 3 winner get to pitch at the international final in October in Tallinn.

Help

If you could spread the word, or make any introductions, I would be much obliged. More details you can find here http://sustainablenation.ie/.

The post Climate Launchpad launched appeared first on Small Business Can.

This post was originally published here - http://www.smallbusinesscan.com/87532-2/ on

10 Green Business Ideas for Eco-Minded Entrepreneurs

Are you considering to start your own business but are concerned about the impact it will have on the environment? Green businesses are ecofriendly, and they go beyond the regulations to show their commitment to sustainable development. You do not need any particularly brilliant new idea. What is more, most of the green businesses are alternatives of the standard businesses, but with a nature-conscious management and production processes. Check out the following green business ideas.

1. Green Business Ideas – Organic farming

While businesses are going green, so are their customers. Everyone nowadays is switching to healthier lifestyle choices, and this particularly concerns the food they consume. The effect of this is that organically grown vegetables and fruits are highly sought, and this trend is sure to continue in the future. The market for these products is very developed, so you will have no trouble finding buyers. What do you need to start this business? A piece of land and love for outdoor work.

2. Organic menu restaurant

If you do not want your hands to get dirty, but still wish to take your piece of the pie in the ongoing healthy-eating trend, why not be on the other side of the transaction? Open a restaurant that would serve only organic meals, made from organic ingredients that you would be buying from organic farmers.

3. Green construction

Become a green contractor. Green construction simply means construction with eco-friendly materials and incorporation of energy saving systems, such as solar heating.

4. Recycling pickup

Recycling is also very popular these days. But no matter how determined people are to recycle, there is always the problem of what to do with bulk trash, like computers and house appliances, once you no longer need them. If you want to start a recycling pickup service, take a page out of the book of Sydney’s rubbish removal services, for e-waste. It is a very lucrative business, yet in deficit.

5. Green developer

Develop applications that will help people help the earth. These can be simple guides to local green stores, or complex energy consumption calculators.

6. Green consulting

If you are familiar with green technologies and standards, you can easily become a consultant to other businesses on ecological issues. Help other people start a green business, or turn their current business into a more environmentally friendly one. This consulting can involve anything from efficient energy consumption to sustainable production. Get certified to gain more credibility among customers.

7. Upcycle

Furniture upcycling has quite a hipster vibe. Take any piece of old, unused furniture and repurpose it in an unusual and preferably unexpected way. All you need is some tools and a few original ideas. Once you clear your attic and basement of all the unused furniture, you will find that flea markets are a great place to find new ‘raw materials’.

8. Green blogs

If you like writing, and like to work from home, start a blog. But not just any kind of blog. Start a green blog that will promote green activities.

9. Bicycle business

Bicycles are the most eco-friendly means of transport there is. They emit no gas into the atmosphere and so do not pollute the air. Buying and reselling bicycles has become a huge part of the green revolution. Consider participating in it. You can also open a small local bicycle café where you will sell drinks, while you are repairing your customers’ bicycles. Take tourists to bicycle sightseeing tours of your town, or your neighbourhood.

10. Eco-cleaning

Start a cleaning services company which will use your own natural house cleaning products. Make more money by selling these products to households and other cleaning service companies.

What green business do you see yourself managing?

The post 10 Green Business Ideas for Eco-Minded Entrepreneurs appeared first on Small Business Can.

This post was originally published here - http://www.smallbusinesscan.com/10-green-business-ideas-for-eco-minded-entrepreneurs/ on

How to Value Your Business

The market can be a fickle thing, and whether you’re currently running a thriving business that you want to make some money on, or you’ve been having a few issues, it’s not necessarily always the right time to sell. Getting out quickly is one thing, when you finally make the decision to let your business go, but getting out at the right time is a much more sensible way to go, so it’s important that you regularly ask “how much is my business worth?” in order to ensure you’re ready to make a move when the time is right. Read on for some tips on how to value your business…

The benefits of being on top of your company value calculation

Any business is an investment, even if you started up with little or no initial capital, and it should be treated as such, ensuring you look to grow your investment’s value in the time that you have it. Being aware of the value of your business during your time in ownership will give you a clear idea whether what you’re doing to grow your investment is working. If an unexpected offer comes in, you run into health issues, or there’s another reason you’re looking to sell your business – perhaps you’ve found the perfect investment but you only have a small window to raise funds, knowing how to value a company and getting a quick and accurate business valuation can help you decide on your next course of action more easily. Similarly, valuing your business regularly, whether you use a professional company offering company valuation services, or use a company valuation calculator you can trust, will give you an idea of when the right time to sell is.

How to value your business

Whether you’re wondering what you’d get for your business as an idle possibility, or you’ve realised that perhaps you’d like to enjoy retirement or move onto other things, it’s essential that you know how to value a business. There is, however, not just the one ‘how to value a business calculator’. There are several methods of working a value out, and here, we briefly look at some of the most common business valuation methods that are used to come up with a figure.

Multiples of Earnings

Businesses with a well-established financial history sometimes use this method, working out a Price/Earnings ratio, based on the value of the business divided by its profits after tax. However, the ratio will differ depending on the industry your business trades in, and an IT firm for example, may command a higher ratio than one such as a high street estate agent.

Discounted Cash flow

Estimating the cash flow of a business over a certain period of time can also be used as a business valuation method. However, this is not the only value used. The final figure is worked out as the terminal value of the business after the period mentioned above, plus the cash flow is then discounted. This method is normally used for online businesses, and those with few assets but much potential.

Asset Valuation

If a business were to have a glut of tangible assets, such as properties or vehicles, then asset valuation may be used. The net realisable value of all of the properties or vehicles would be used as the valuation for the business.

Entry Cost

This is a fairly simple way to value a business, as it works on the premise of working out how much it would cost to set up a similar start up. Included within the costings would be gaining a customer base, developing services or products, training and recruitment and purchasing any assets required.

If you’re struggling with working out your business value, there are businesses that can help you calculate the value of your business, but do consider running these figures regularly, as keeping on top of your business’ value can give you a great way of working out the best time to sell.

The post How to Value Your Business appeared first on Small Business Can.

How To Retain Customers Using Real-Time Adaptive Marketing

Imagine for a moment what it would be like if your favorite brand (e.g. a clothing company, a local restaurant, an e-commerce store) started treating you like royalty:

they remember your name, your preferences, and
send you personalized offers and recommendations based on your previous purchases, visits to their store/site, surveys and feedback

Too good to be true? Not anymore, thanks to real-time adaptive marketing technology that brings a whole new level of personalization to the game of business.

The Roots Of Personalization through Adaptive Marketing

Personalization is not new, it’s been used by local shops, restaurants, tailors and barbers for decades. In the old days, business owners knew each and every one of their customers personally. This degree of intimacy allowed businesses to understand the real needs and wants of their customers and provide deeper levels of attention and, as a result, retain those customers for life.

It’s through this type of commitment to their customers that local restaurants, tailors and even bookstores would always have stock of their customers’ favorite merchandise and keep them coming back again and again.

Mass-consumption, however, turned customers into anonymous Excel figures and the old-school customer care was gone. What seemed like the lost art of salesmanship is now making its way back into the digital market under a different hat: personalization.

Imagine your favorite e-commerce store displaying a popup message the next time you land on their site:

“Hey, welcome back! You were looking at these sneakers last night. Why not buy them right now?”

Hey Jeff, your X-Men t-shirt is still waiting for you in the shopping cart! Complete the order today and get a 20% off.”

“Hey Lynda! Your gym membership will expire in 5 days. Check-in on Foursquare and get 20% off next month’s bill.”

Or, what about letting your favorite restaurant know you’ll be arriving in 30 minutes and by the time you get there the head waiter has already prepared a nice table for you? All of this being done using a simple app that syncs your intention to buy a service with the in-house logistics.

Wouldn’t it be great if brands started implementing this level or customization in their communications and bring the targeting to this amount of granulation? Wouldn’t you be impressed by such a service? Of course you would!

And the future is here. In the SF movie “Minority Report” there’s a scene where Tom Cruise walks into a shopping center and immediately after his retina scan, the billboards start to talk directly to him: “Hey, John Anderton! You could sure use a Guinness right about now.”

Anticipating customer intent and interacting with customers with super targeted ads has already been implemented by giants like Amazon who believes they can anticipate what you’re going to purchase and will ship items to a regional distribution center before you even placed the order.

Personalization… Today

Here is a typical example of personalized user experience: you browse through the newest items added on your favorite home décor e-store and suddenly the store displays a personalized message for you saying “Welcome back! Buy this lamp in the next 10 minutes and you get 10% off.” The coupon code would fit perfectly into the context and has great chances of conversion.

How would you feel? I know I know I’d be excited that my favorite store acknowledged my presence on their site and enticed me to buy using some sort of urgency trigger. That would be a really intense shopping experience.

Another example is Flipboard, an app that allows people to customize the way they discover and consume content. Amazon displays “similar” products to people, based on their purchase or browsing history and even on the items listed in their “Wishlist”.

The beauty of personalization is that it gives people the chance to create their own experiences and choose the type and format of the content they want to consume. No more cookie-cutter template emails and ad copy. Just imagine what personalization could do for your own business, knowing that every piece of content fits perfectly on your prospect, just like a custom-tailored suit can.

Interconnectedness In The Digital World

Today, 80% of internet users own a smartphone, which means they are almost always connected and are interacting with their favorite brands via multiple channels. These users have become no only tech savvy, but they also demand more attention, they expect to be acknowledged and treated well.

Why? Because they know they have options and that your competition is eagerly waiting to get their money. These always-connected users are even willing to share a lot of information if that’s what it takes to receive personalized offers and services.

An Infosys study of 5,000 consumers worldwide (including 1,000 in the UK) revealed that 78% of British respondents would buy from brands that made them more targeted, relevant offers.

This is where adaptive marketing and personalization help you align your marketing with real-time events (e.g. #CecilTheLion). Adopting real-time marketing techniques can help you take the pulse of what’s going on in the world and leverage big social movements by putting your own spin on the situation.

How To Create Your Omni-Channel Infrastructure

Consumers are coming back and forth among multiple devices, from smartphones to desktops and from laptops to tablets to TVs. They can interact with a business in a physical store, on a website or mobile app, through a catalog, or through social media.

Here are the 3 core steps to create an omni-channel user experience:

1) Have a seamless and consistent messaging across your print, digital, social and mobile marketing channels.

A print ad might supply a QR code to drive viewers to your website or Facebook page. Or, an e-commerce retailer should strive to preserve items in a cart across devices – if you add an item to your mobile shopping cart, it should still be in your shopping cart when you log in on your desktop computer.

A great example of a brand that has created an effective, seamless physical and digital user experience is Victoria’s Secret. Victoria’s Secret Angel Card program allows members to share & earn points by shopping in-store and online. Cardholders receive personalized e-mails with special offers and promotions, free gifts and birthday presents and access to exclusive shopping events. Members also receive extra rewards for syncing their social profiles and sharing the company’s news, effectively unifying omni-channel experiences.

2) Understand your audience’s path to engagement or purchase.

The ability to track your customers as they flow and make purchases through all the channels and capture all this data from online and offline sources allows you to find various touch points (physical store, desktop site, email list, social media, TV, mobile site, mobile app, catalog, customer service representative, etc.) on your customers’ journey. Tying multiple channels together helps you to understand which data points are most useful to you and segment your audience / budget accordingly.

Today’s marketing automation systems all have omni-channel marketing automation. Platforms like HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot, Act-on, or Silverpop help you manage your data, automate your marketing strategy and keep track of your data across multiple channels.

3) Capture attention once you’ve reached your audience.

That’s where relevance comes into play. Create customized content to intensify the power of your messaging on every channel. For example, you can send recommendations for complimentary products (a shirt to a pair of jeans).

Adding social features like sharing, ratings and reviews, and comments to your website allows customers to easily interact with your brand and seamlessly share their actions and opinions with their peers. Generating an actively engaged user community and nurturing user-generated content boosts SEO and increases referral traffic, time spent on site, and, ultimately, lifetime customer value.

Here is how Macy’s uses the omni-channel marketing system.

Shifting From Acquisition To Engagement

Check out this innovative ad campaign from a Swiss advertising agency. This is a really cool example of what’s possible with the new adaptive marketing techniques. The ad promotes a remote ski resort in the Alps and it was displayed in live video format in Zürich’s main railway station.

This way, urban commuters could connect in real time with the person making the invitation and receive a free train ticket (printed on the spot) if they decided to hop on the train that would leave in 15 minutes. Great urgency factor! The man from the ad even agrees to talk to people’s bosses to get them a free day to go on the trip.

The Swiss ad is just a glimpse of what marketing of the future looks like, in both creative angle and technology. This will definitely stir some waves among creatives and make ads more fun, spontaneous and minimize friction.

The key benefit of real-time marketing is that brands can use content marketing to create stories and experiences around products or services – pretty much like what museum have always been doing. Create installations where each piece of art would take the viewer to the next one and guiding them on a path of discovery.

This approach to marketing will mark the shift from the information age to the conceptual, experience age, where ads will become integrated experiences that build upon previous user interactions with the brand and get them involved into meaningful conversations and transactions.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, personalization comes with huge benefits for both customers and brands. This is the beginning of more targeted ad campaigns, improved customer service, more sales and higher rates of retention.

Customers are already starting to look for the royal treatment and are very diligent with their money. The better you can acknowledge your customers, show them appreciation, nurturing and letting them know that their voice is important to you, the easier it will be to stand apart from your competition.

Brands that will build omnichannel experiences for their users and optimize customer interactions across all devices will rise to the top. Adapting to change is the key factor for staying in business and this time change means creating unique customer experiences and personalized journeys throughout the entire sales funnel.

What are your thoughts on the future of real-time adaptive marketing? How do you see your business adopting it? What kind of content works best for moving your customers down the sales funnel?

We’d love to hear from you and see how you’re adapting to real-time personalization to enhance your customers’ experiences.

The post How To Retain Customers Using Real-Time Adaptive Marketing appeared first on Small Business Can.

This post was originally published here - http://www.smallbusinesscan.com/retain-customers-using-real-time-adaptive-marketing/ on

A Hangover Cure for Your January Finances

Christmas is a busy time for many small businesses. Paying wages early, an expensive Christmas party, and the increased chance of being paid late by your customers all mean you might find yourself in pain in the first few weeks of the New Year. And just as people make resolutions for themselves at the start of the year, many businesses get ready to hit the ground running in January. It’s not an ideal time, then, to be hit with a big tax bill. But this is exactly what happens to a huge number of businesses in the UK — whether it’s PAYE, VAT, or even corporation tax that’s due, a lot of different quarterly or annual bills can come up in January.

So what can business owners do to avoid a financial hangover caused by their January tax bill?

We’re not going to suggest raw eggs, hair of the dog, or a cold shower — but here’s a few ways you can shake it off and get your business’s New Year’s resolution back on track.

What are the implications if you don’t pay your tax bill?

It’s risky business to delay paying tax you owe. Last year, they ordered 3,000 businesses to shut down because of late tax bill payments. Of course, in some cases, businesses receive a slap on the wrist. This might tempt you to take your chances, but it’s really not worth the risk, and here’s why:

If HMRC take enforcement action because you haven’t paid your tax bill, it can cause your business serious problems. They might take you to court, pass your debt on to a debt-collection agency, or even close down your business. None of those options are good — and it doesn’t matter if you can’t or won’t pay.

So the best thing you can do is pay the bill as quickly as you can. If you don’t have enough working capital to do it, or paying the bill in full would leave you in a tight spot in terms of cashflow, short-term finance might be a good idea. If you’re really struggling, talk to HMRC!

Be honest with HMRC

It sounds obvious, but keeping the lines of communication open is really important in times like this. It’s no use running around trying to get the funds together to pay if HMRC don’t know — they could take enforcement action in the meantime. So make sure you’re honest and open with them, and they know that although you can’t pay now, you’re making plans to do so.

Bear in mind that if HMRC agree for you to delay payment or pay in installments, you’ll still have to pay interest and late fees. In other words, coming to an agreement with HMRC might save you from enforcement action, but will still leave you worse off than paying the bill in full before it’s due.

If you need any more convincing that it’s a bad idea to delay paying HMRC, bear in mind that many lenders will turn you down for finance if you have an outstanding tax bill, which limits your options even further. Overall, you need to be proactive and make a plan — with an overdue bill from HMRC, the absolute worst thing you can do is nothing.

What can you do about it?

If you don’t have the working capital to pay your tax bill outright, you might consider getting short-term finance to see you through the first few weeks of the New Year. At times like this, your accountant could prove very useful — talk to them to figure out an action plan, and see if there is any wiggle room on your balance sheet.

As we’ve seen, if at all possible the best thing you can do is pay the bill in full as soon as you can. If doing that leaves you without much working capital left over, think about what would happen in an emergency. And if there’s no way you can pay it, look at all your options — talk to HMRC, and think about approaching finance providers if you need to bridge the gap. Here are some of the options worth considering:

Overdraft alternatives

If you don’t need a huge amount to make up the difference, a cashflow facility similar to a bank overdraft makes sense. Lenders differ in exactly what they offer, but generally you’ll agree a maximum limit, borrow up to it whenever you need to, and only pay interest on what you use — useful for short-term hiccups like a big tax bill after Christmas!

Short term loans

Term loans aren’t as fashionable as peer-to-peer lending (or so-called ‘marketplace lending’) at the moment, but could be perfect for getting you through a few weeks or a few months of temporary difficulty. They’re suitable for a wide range of businesses, although you will need some kind of security or a robust trading history.

Invoice finance

If your firm trades on credit, January can be particularly bad for late-paid invoices from clients. With invoice finance you can get an advance of cash before your client has paid, so you don’t have to be left hanging. That means you can pay your bills on time, even if your customer isn’t doing the same!

Conclusion

Tax bills catch everyone by surprise — believe it or not, even accountancy firms can get a nasty surprise from HMRC in January. It’s always going to be hard to come up with a lump sum, particularly for the larger quarterly or bi-annual payments, so be prepared and have a plan. If it doesn’t work out perfectly, there’s a range of alternative finance that can help.

The post A Hangover Cure for Your January Finances appeared first on Small Business Can.

5 Business Apps Guaranteed to Increase Your Productivity in 2016

The age of the paperless office is well and truly upon us. One need only pay a visit to a shared workspace like WeWork or The Office Group in London, to witness the army of entrepreneurs and small businesses busily working from hot desks. Their offices simply consisting of; a tablet, a Smartphone, a MacBook Air, white ear phones, and an array of chargers.

For these tech entrepreneurs, their offices are virtual, and provided they can access the Internet they can operate from pretty much anywhere. Amongst the key enablers is the growing ubiquity of Software as a Service (SaaS) or cloud based solutions, that facilitate access to data stored remotely freeing the user from the need to work in one physical location. The days of desktops overflowing with icons, files and folders are also well gone, with many screens reduced to 4 colourful icons representing; Dropbox, Firefox, Skype and Spotify. These 4 links with the world are all that is needed to operate effectively.

Google is often a first port of call for many of these same users, as many use the Google suite to manage mail, calendaring and to share documents. However, while we are all familiar with the flexibility the Google application brings, there are a number of other less well known solutions that are increasing in popularity. These tools are very different in terms of how they help businesses, but share common traits, as they all benefit their users by enhancing productivity and efficiency via SaaS based solutions.

What are these tools and how can they help your business?

1/ Klipboard – Organize Field Employees & Eradicate Paper

Klipboard is a mobile field service platform for the management of field based employees, and the capture of data from a tablet. It is suitable for undertaking assessments, maintenance records, inspections, surveys or just about any process you can imagine. Gone are the days of relying on paper based methods, instead, Klipboard simplifies data collection, task scheduling, location mapping and messaging. The easy to use, consumer style app, enables employees to capture text, images, signatures or view documents, plus more – even when offline. No more printing, filing or lost paper forms!

Where: Klipboard.io

2/ Docusign – Send, Sign and Approve Documents

Docusign enables parties to electronically sign documents replacing the need to print out documents, to sign them and then to either scan, fax or post them. Again the solution is a simple one, however the benefits are significant in terms of efficiency and productivity gains especially for those who need to obtain lots of signed documents.

Where: Docusign

3/ eFax – Easy Faxing Anywhere

For most of us the days of waiting impatiently by fax machines are well and truly behind us. However, there are numerous professions (including the legal one) where faxes are still used on a daily basis. While this will undoubtedly change in the years to come, faxes remain an important communication tool for certain documents. What has changed however, is the reliance on physical fax machines has evaporated, and efaxes are widely used as viable alternatives where the fax is transmitted directly to your phone or computer.

Where: eFax

4/ Scanner Pro – A Scanner in Your Pocket

Scanner Pro allows you to turn your iPhone or iPad into a portable scanner. The simple app enables you to capture an image which is converted to a PDF, which can then be emailed, printed, uploaded or faxed from the app. The use cases are varied, and with its extremely competitive pricing it serves to yet again replace scanners, a hardware device that was commonplace in most offices up until fairly recently.

Where: iOS, Readdle

5/ Xpenditure – Claim Back Your Time

Xpenditure is a leading expense management solution that works on a very simple premise. Employees simply take a photo of their receipt (using the app), submit it, and the software does the rest. It reads the key data including; the date, merchant, currency, amount and spend category. The net result is that the finance team have real time access to expenses, enabling them to have full visibility on company expenses, while also enabling them to review, to process and to reimburse employees in real time. The entire process is transformed, and the days of multiple steps, involving a range of different parties, and envelopes stuffed with receipts are consigned to history. (Disclosure: the author works with Xpenditure)

Where: iOS, Android

In summary, a number of factors have combined to enable employees to work efficiently while on the road. Hardware has become more powerful, with increased battery life and lighter models (especially for laptops) enabling workers to be truly mobile. Wifi has also become much more ubiquitous, enabling employees to connect to applications more easily (alternatively they can tether from their mobile devices).

Business software has also matured, and a whole range of applications have been created which replace older more paper based processes. What is most attractive about these developments, is that for the most part the cost of these applications is much more competitive than existing solutions without even factoring in the significant efficiency gains, improved security and reduction in errors that these solutions bring.

This article originally appeared here

The post 5 Business Apps Guaranteed to Increase Your Productivity in 2016 appeared first on Small Business Can.

Shrewd Decisions To Manage Small Businesses Finances

As a small business owner, you must operate your company with limited resources. You have limits on your available cash, your equipment and limits on your staff’s time. If you don’t operate productively and manage your finances, your business may fail. Use these tips to reduce costs and to manage finances.

The benefits of cloud computing

Cloud computing allows you to store and manage data on remote servers. You can sharply reduce the need for paper files using this technology. By using remote servers, you can keep your data secure. You don’t have to worry about security breaches on servers in your office.

Businesses that use the cloud can operate more productively. Your staff can share documents, make changes and upload files by email. Cloud computing eliminates the need to fax or email documents.

Another great tool for productivity is an e signature for staffing companies. With an e signature solution, you can send a document and get a signature electronically. Once the document is signed, you can backup the document and send it over the cloud. This tool helps you turnaround paperwork quickly. Employee agreements and project contracts can be processed in less time.

Planning and monitoring your budget

Many entrepreneurs start selling their product or service without creating a budget. If you don’t take the time to plan your business operations, you may run short on cash or operate at a loss.

Think carefully about the costs you incur to make and deliver your product. Say, for example, that you manage a catering business. To serve your customers, you incur food costs, food preparation expenses and cost to deliver and serve the food. Invest the time to fully document the costs required to manage your business.

Using accounting software

Once you decide on a budget for your catering business, use accounting software to post all of your transactions. QuickBooks, for example, is an easy-to-use online accounting system. You can quickly learn how to post transactions and generate financial reports. A business owner can also input budget assumptions into QuickBooks.

At the end of each month, produce a set of financial reports, including a profit and loss statement for the month. Compare your budgeted sales and expenses to your actual results.

If actual costs are higher than you planned, think about making changes. Assume, for example, that your food costs were higher than budgeted. Consider ordering food from other vendors that can offer a lower price. Making these changes can help you keep your business on track.

Increasing productivity with mobile apps

Many business owners spend most of their time away from the office. The catering owner, for example, may be out marketing the business or meeting with clients. If you’re frequently out of the office, it’s important that you stay on top of your finances.

Consider using mobile apps to you manage your business. You can find apps to scan receipts and post them to your accounting records. You can also connect you mobile device to your cloud computing system. This technology lets you access and change any document without the need to be in the office.

Managing your small business can be time-consuming. Create a budget for your business and compare your budget to actual results. Use technology to keep your accounting records up to date. These strategies can help you grow your small business and generate a profit.

The post Shrewd Decisions To Manage Small Businesses Finances appeared first on Small Business Can.

Xceptional Execution – A Small Business Guide to Profitability

What if launching and leading an xceptional business was simpler than you’ve ever imagined? Not easier. Not less time consuming. Not less gut wrenching, but simpler. Guess what: It is.

What if I told you many successful entrepreneurs didn’t start with a compelling vision or indeed a workable business plan? Guess what: That’s true.

What if it was possible to dominate a market without any previous background in it? Well: It is.

Xceptional execution is about taking a relatively simple idea from brainstorm to breakout hit. Ground-breaking research conducted by Columbia University’s Amar Bhidé in 2000 titled “The Origin and Evolution of New Businesses” revealed that 88 percent of “breakthrough companies” were the result of xceptional execution of an ordinary idea, according to their owners. Only 12 percent were the result of new inventions.

In my latest book “DO! the pursuit of Xceptional Execution,” described by Tom Peters as the one he would love to have written; I interviewed nine CEO’s from some of the biggest break-through start-ups, e.g. Dwolla, Globant, Balsamiq, Blo Blo Dry Bars and Outfit 7. In it I delve into the DNA of the CEO’s of these start-ups, who I call the ‘Xceptionalists’, highlighting the thinking behind those who live and breathe the Xceptional Execution mind-set and approach to business and life.

So how does one achieve xceptional execution of an ordinary idea? And let’s not forget we are all in the ‘ordinary idea business.’

As highlighted in my research there are four pillars that underpin an xceptional execution culture.

Self awareness

Self Awareness – described by Stanford Business Advisory committee as the most important attribute a leader should develop; Xceptional leaders know who they are, their strengths and weaknesses, their dreams and their fears.

In a small business, the leader is the culture creator. Their presence either creates an empowering or disempowering working environment.

So the question that you the leader needs to ponder is – what are you projecting? And just to challenge you further – do you know?

Over the past 25 years as a consultant, one thing I know for sure – if I sought only the wisdom of the CEO or owner when assessing the prospects of a company, this would have been a grave error. In the majority of cases, the owner’s opinion was far removed from what I was getting from employees or the marketplace.

Numerous studies highlight the gaps between leaders’ perceptions of reality and insights on the ground: Some companies believe they are providing a good service, but customers don’t concur. A study by Avaya showed that 80 percent of companies believed they were providing a quality service, only 8 percent of customers agreed. The message is clear – take timeout to develop and understand yourself and also surround yourself with people who can assess your eyesight!

The critical ability to deliver the most powerful drug in business to both customer and employees – quality authentic Attention

The average attention span in 2012 was 8 seconds, which is down significantly from 2000 where it was 12 seconds, according to statistics published in the Associated Press. The average attention span of a goldfish is 9 seconds. Are you a goldfish because if you are – your business is suffering?

One of our Xceptionalists Tim Clark founder of Business Model You sums it up: “There’s a reason it’s called “paying” attention: it’s a substantial cost in terms of time and energy. But nothing fundamental has changed. Everyone is still amazed when you actually listen deeply to what they are saying, and respond to that rather than simply waiting them out so you can spew forth your own talking points.”

Are you paying attention? Have you detailed each contact point with the client, set standards for each and strive to exceed this every time.

The customer as a concept is dead so a focus on building friendships, not customer relationships will give you a better ROI. Customers leave unannounced – friends at worse tell you before they do.

The power of friendships helped Globant the Argentinian technology giant build their global business. When they committed to starting a company, their first exercise was to write down all their friends and contacts on a white board. Then, with a developed sales presentation and a $5000 start-up budget, they sat down with them in different parts of the world and ended up identifying many business opportunities. It was the start of an xceptional journey that has brought them from 4 owners to 3500 employees and a client list that feature Linkedin, Google, Electronic Arts etc.

Learning but not just as you know it!

Xceptional business people are lifelong sponges but not in the traditional way – they learn from everybody from the Janitor to the award winning thought leader. In their mind everybody is a potential teacher regardless of who they are.

Do!

And finally all Xceptionalists are Doer’s – they don’t just dream, they execute on their ideas. They learn, they pivot, they persevere and in the end find themselves at their chosen destination.

Very often they Do! even when knowledge stands in their way or so it appears! In my early days I worked as a feasibility consultant –charged with saying whether or not an idea had potential. Looking back I can recall easily finding enough reasons why many ideas shouldn’t get the green light.

And therein lays the challenge for owners/entrepreneurs who dare to dream – knowledge will always give you enough reasons not to act.

Regardless the true entrepreneur DOES!

Go on! Let’s DO! it.

Speaker Summit

On Feb 19^th we are holding the inaugural Speaker Summit for coaches/speakers/consultants in Croke Park, Dublin. Be inspired and informed by some of the best speakers in the world –for more info www.speakeracademy.ie

Also as a special offer to Small Business Can readers I am offering a signed copy of my book “DO! the pursuit of Xceptional Execution” delivered to your door for €12. (Just pay via Paypal to kevin@kevinkellyunlimited.com)

The post Xceptional Execution – A Small Business Guide to Profitability appeared first on Small Business Can.

If you are exporting to the UK ..

There is no rugby on the weekend of the 19th of February. That doesn’t mean we can’t go shoulder to shoulder with our exporting partners in Northern Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland.

Highlight
One of the highlights of the conference season is the annual British Irish Chamber of Commerce dinner and conference.Exporting or thinking of exporting?
If you are exporting, or thinking of exporting, this is the event to go to. Particularly with the upcoming Brexit referendum, which will bring its own challenges and opportunities.

The Conference
The structure of the conference is a mix of politics and business, discussing not just Irish and UK politics, the elections, Brexit and the EU, but also leadership, strategy and export.

Speakers
To give you a flavour of some of the contributors:

Tony Hanway of Virgin Media
Ann Heraty of CPL
Sarah O’Connor of Cool Beans
Barry Andrews of Goal
Tim Arnold of Hailo
Niamh Townsend of Dell
Conor O’Leary of Greencore
Ambassador Dominick Chilcott
Paul Drechsler of the Confederation of British Industry
John Fitzgerald of Trinity College
Ellvena Graham of ESB

Meet your potential clients
During the annual British Irish Chamber of Commerce conference there is an opportunity to meet your counter parts from Ireland and the UK. To accommodate these meetings, there will a separate meeting room where you can meet your potential buyers, speakers, experts, customers and partners. We will endeavour to facilitate those meetings.

Panel discussions with your peers
If you are not interested in the politics and if you want to talk to other small businesses from Ireland and UK on a collective basis, you can participate in a number of open panel discussions, where business people from Ireland and the UK share their business lessons and experiences. Topics that will be covered are culture, selling, social media, lessons from failure and lessons from success.

Book now

Tickets for the dinner and conference are € 195. Places are limited and you need to book before 25 January in order for us to try to arrange the meetings you want. We cannot guarantee that all meetings will happen on the day, but we will do our best to facilitate the introductions during and after the conference. Contact alison.cotter@britishirishchamber.com

The post If you are exporting to the UK .. appeared first on Small Business Can.

This post was originally published here - http://www.smallbusinesscan.com/if-you-are-exporting-to-uk/ on

News