As a business consultant I get the opportunity meet hundreds of professionals in every imaginable business each year. And time and experience have taught me one thing - there are a few 'Must Haves' for any modern business. My clients hire me to ensure their business does well so the first thing I do is provide them with a list of 'must haves'. Here it is for 2005... # 1 Computer and Information Security Whether for small business, huge...more
Hiring the first personal business assistant is an exciting time for new business owners. It means that the business is doing well enough that the business owner can no longer keep up effectively with the demands of the new business. Sales are exploding, and time becomes of the utmost importance. Scheduling of business chores and personal chores can become very demanding and complex. This is the time new business owners often find themselves...more
How would you like to be debt free in only a few years, including zero mortgage debts?! Sounds too good to be true? Well check out this easy debt elimination plan from www.nodebtever.com - the plan the Banks DON'T want you to know about! First off, you need to do a little groundwork. Those debts took some time to build, so getting rid of them involves a little concentration.Get your last half year's bank records together.Ignoring taxes, bills already paid etc, mark every entry that could in theory be reduced. It will help if you group like for like stuff together (a spreadsheet is good for this) for example, clothes, entertainment, groceries etc. What you are looking for is a way to shave 10% or more off each of these items. Make a list of ideas for each category. This is easier than it might sound - for example, in the 'Groceries' section, make a note to buy unbranded Supermarket generic products, rather than the big brand high cost versions. The amount you think you can save by doing this is your 'war chest' against debt. Once you have done this, prioritise the bills as follows:- divide the outstanding debt on each bill by the minimum amount you can pay off each month....more
Upper Saddle River, N.J. - January 10, 2005 - With the start of the year, a flurry of articles have appeared, talking about what we can expect in the way of business trends during 2005. One of the most alarming issues is the intention of many employees to seek new jobs now that the economy is starting to improve. A recent joint survey by Society...more
Upper Saddle River, N.J. - March 8, 2004 - Compensation Resources, Inc. released the results of a study they recently conducted of 642 companies covering the usage of Long-Term Incentives (LTI). Since 2001, the US business sector has been shaken by disclosures of mismanagement, poor corporate governance and outright criminal acts, all revolving...more
Upper Saddle River, N.J. - May 2004 - Compensation Resources, Inc. has released the results of its 2003-2004 College Graduate Salary Survey. The purpose of this study was to obtain compensation data and information on recruiting and hiring trends for recent and new college graduates. The survey sampled compensation data from 71 organizations, including 1,253 jobs.The results do not indicate any startling or unexpected results, and for the most part, they are consistent with other studies covering broader employee compensation trends. Among the most significant findings was that total cash compensation, which consists of salary and bonus/incentives, increased by a respectable 6.1%, even though salaries only increased by a modest 0.8%. This is consistent with the trend of increased use of variable pay elements by many organizations. Variable pay allows companies to offer competitive pay with upside potential, while controlling fixed overhead for payroll costs, and to some degree, lessening the impact of higher salaries on benefit costs (i.e., vacation and time off benefits, retirement, some insurances, etc.). Some additional highlights: Findings for 2004 indicate that the...more
Upper Saddle River, N.J. - September 2004 - Compensation Resources, Inc. has released the results of its 2004 Turnover Survey. The purpose of this study was to obtain turnover statistics and trends. Data was compiled from survey questions that were...more
Upper Saddle River, N.J. - December 2004 - Compensation Resources, Inc. has released the results of its 2004 Year-End Compensation Survey. The purpose of this study was to obtain compensation data used for trending and planning purposes at companies...more
Why real estate, or why property, some people ask when looking for an investment. Well, as far as I am concerned, real estate/property investment is, and always has been, the most powerful type of investment for building wealth. It has been said that...more
Happy NEW YEAR!!!!! I hope you rang in the New Year with your loved ones and I pray that you had a wonderful time doing it. As the New Year approaches, how do you plan to take your business to new heights? Will you cut out unproductive products,...more
It's early January as I sit down to research and write this newsletter. I launch my web browser, surf over to MSN.com, surprised to find the feature article displaying a picture of Santa Claus with the caption "It's not too late to have your presents...more
What does it mean to refinance? Why would someone want to refinance? There are many cases when a person would refinance. When we use the term refinance, we are typically referring to a loan such as a car or house loan. It may also be a business loan....more