Australian Design Unit » — Finances

Why you need a business plan

madeleineh — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:05:50 +0000

“A strong business plan is essentially the cornerstone of your business, and yet many entrepreneurs drag their feet when it comes to writing one— possibly because it involves a good deal of work and may bring back childhood memories of writing a tedious book report on summer vacation. But it’s critical that you not only organise your thoughts on how you intend to run your business but also formalise your plan in writing. Here’s why…” Read on

Colleen DeBaise The Wall Street Journal, Small Business

Planning your exit strategy

madeleineh — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:51:35 +0000

“Entrepreneurs have their exits as well as their entrances, and if they know what’s good for them, they plan as well for the one as for the other. Growing Business explores some of the issues you’ll need to consider before selling up.” Read on

John O’Hanlon GB Magazine

Is starting a business brave, smart, stupid or nuts?

madeleineh — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:18:27 +0000

“I have started nine businesses. I can tell you this from experience: If everyone who starts a business had to get a sign-off from the general population, no one would start a business… Getting advice about whether to start a particular business is tricky. Whom do you ask? I would ask business owners. They understand the risks, the opportunities, the potential problems and the things you need to watch out for. Perhaps you can learn from their mistakes.” Read on

Jay Goltz NYtimes.com

Track key performance indicators

madeleineh — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:44:26 +0000

“To adjust to market conditions quickly and do more of what’s working and less of what’s not working, you need to track and measure your activities and the results of those activities. As you engage in this process you’ll likely find corollaries between routine business activities and revenue growth. These corollaries are key performance indicators.” Read on

Paul Diamond Bizmore

Start-ups share space to shave costs in slump

madeleineh — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:18:32 +0000

“Sharing office space with other businesses isn’t new, but the tanking economy has prompted many small business owners to consider it as they look for any practical way to lower overhead costs. Some providers of co-working space are also offering reduced rates and even giving entrepreneurs opportunities to barter their services in return for paying no rent at all.” Read on

Raymund Flandez Small Business, The Wall Street Journal