tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-187004662024-02-08T12:30:39.211-07:00Dornoff ConsultingDornoff Consulting is designed to help businesses be more competitive in an ever changing marketplace. Dornoff Consulting provides business consulting services along with Community Development, Community Economic Development, Urban Planning, Transportation Planning, and Urban Design. Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.comBlogger511125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-31503721038513615232015-10-12T20:07:00.002-06:002015-10-12T20:07:27.101-06:00The Supply Chain<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:A_company%27s_supply_chain_%28en%29.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="English: An illustration of a company's supply..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="140" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/A_company%27s_supply_chain_%28en%29.png/350px-A_company%27s_supply_chain_%28en%29.png" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;">English: An illustration of a company's supply chain Deutsch: Darstellung der Lieferkette eines Unternehmens (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:A_company%27s_supply_chain_%28en%29.png" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In today's retail environment, it is more critical than ever that your supply chain functions properly to insure that your stores have the proper mix of merchandise available both in the store and available for delivery to your customer.<br />
<br />
However, even in the best of companies problems can occur in the supply chain whether there is one store or many. It is vital that the supply chain functions properly but problems do occur.<br />
<br />
Here are some examples of supply chain failures that I have observed recently:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Over the last few years a major chain has created a new format of stores that are smaller than their tradition store. However, the people who were in charge of the program have moved on leaving the small stores to be treated the same as large stores which means they are getting the same amount of merchandise as the large stores despite their lack of space both for merchandise and back stock. </li>
<li>Stores in one company are once a week receiving a large amount of seasonal product after the season has ended but not a random selection of items but a large amount of one item. In some cases the stores receive a seven or eight year supply of product. </li>
<li>In another store I scanned product to see how many weeks of a slow selling product a store has on stock and their inventory system calculated that there was a 4300 WEEK supply of the product on the shelf. No that is not a typo, the store was sent an 82 year supply of a product that will expire in less than a year. </li>
<li>Stores that are over stock on merchandise for a certain season but have many empty shelves in their everyday aisles. </li>
</ol>
<div>
While these are some extreme examples you could probably find these type of problems at almost any retail business. What is most distressing is the amount of money that this is costing stores and affecting their customer service. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here are some places to look when you evaluate the performance of your supply chain: </div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>How are the sales matching the amount of product being ordered. Are the buyers ramping up on seasonal merchandise while ignoring the important basic items that your customers are going to be looking for? In addition are the buyers purchasing the right mix of merchandise on a consistent basis? Even the best buyers have hits and misses when it comes to purchasing merchandise but if there is too many misses and not enough hits then there is a problem. </li>
<li>Are you receiving the product from your suppliers in a timely matter and if problems do occur how well do your suppliers take care of the problem or do they pass the buck? </li>
<li>Is the warehouse whether run by the company or by a 3PL logistics company dumping product into stores that should not be receiving it in order to make their operation look better? How well does the product being shipped out match with sales history and with the up coming promotions that are being run? </li>
<li>If your operations has multiple styles of stores does your supply chain calculate properly the proper amount of type and amount of merchandise that should be shipped to each store depending on their sales and size? </li>
<li>Are the stores that receive to much merchandise or the wrong products for their format taking care of the product in a timely matter either by shipping it to a store that needs the product or finding room in their own store to merchandise it or is it sitting on some backroom shelf until it becomes a clearance item? </li>
</ul>
<div>
These are just a few examples of things that should be looked at to solve supply chain issues. In today's connected marketplace customers are expecting more than ever to find the product they are looking for quickly and easily or they will go somewhere else so it is vitally important to insure your supply chain is function properly and the stores are being stocked with the right products. </div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
How well is your supply chain functioning? </div>
Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-42116944320159508972014-07-24T15:43:00.001-06:002014-07-24T15:44:10.142-06:00Fiat Changes Chrysler's Direction. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="zemanta-img">
<a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chrysler_New_Yorker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Chrysler New Yorker photographed in College Pa..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/Chrysler_New_Yorker.jpg/350px-Chrysler_New_Yorker.jpg" height="191" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;">Chrysler New Yorker photographed in College Park, Maryland, USA. Category:Chrysler New Yorker Fifth Avenue (Y-Body) Category:White Chrysler sedans (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chrysler_New_Yorker.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="zemanta-img">
<a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1st_Dodge_Intrepid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Dodge Intrepid photographed in College Park, M..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/1st_Dodge_Intrepid.jpg/350px-1st_Dodge_Intrepid.jpg" height="193" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;">Dodge Intrepid photographed in College Park, Maryland, USA. Category:Dodge Intrepid (first generation) Category:White Dodge sedans (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1st_Dodge_Intrepid.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="zemanta-img">
<a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1st_Chrysler_Concorde.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="1993-1997 Chrysler Concorde photographed in USA." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/1st_Chrysler_Concorde.jpg/350px-1st_Chrysler_Concorde.jpg" height="159" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;">1993-1997 Chrysler Concorde photographed in USA. (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1st_Chrysler_Concorde.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In previous postings I talked about your marketing niche and your place in the marketplace and how difficult it can be to change that niche or marketing group. Today I am going to look at one of the major players in the auto industry Chrysler whose parent company announced a couple of months ago what their product direction is going to be and see if they are making the right or wrong decision in the long run.<br />
<br />
Chrysler has been down a very rocky road over the last 35 years. After almost going bankrupt in the 1980's it came back with vengeance only to fall back into mediocrity again.<br />
<br />
It was then acquired by Daimler the owner of Mercedes which produced mixed results with some award winning products but misdirection elsewhere. Then came the disastrous sale to Cerberus which Mercedes sold ownership but had control over the products offered by Chrysler and finally the government bailout and sale to Fiat.<br />
<br />
Recently Fiat has announced how it intends to move forward with its Chrysler Division and re-image the nameplate that has suffered for several years. Fiat plans to change the marketing direction of the division to increase sales.<br />
<br />
For those not familiar with the brands, Chrysler was supposed to be the luxury brand, Plymouth the volume and lower end brand, and finally Dodge was originally the middle brand between Plymouth and Chrysler (there was a fourth brand Desoto that was slotted between Plymouth and Dodge before that brand was discontinued in 1960). Shortly after Chrysler was acquired by Daimler, the Plymouth brand was dropped then in 2009 Dodge trucks became the Ram brand. The Dodge Viper which was the performance superstar of the Chrysler lineup was to be the star of a new brand called SRT which were the sport trim levels on several Dodge cars but they have since been put back under the Dodge umbrella.<br />
<br />
The first major change will be that Chrysler brand will become the volume nameplate of the division. Car buffs are howling over the decision that turns what was once the luxury brand of Chrysler Division in the volume leader. However, any thoughts of Chrysler being a true luxury brand went out the window years ago and especially after the 90's when cars such as the Chrysler New Yorker was built on the same LH platform as the Dodge Intrepid with little to tell them apart other than the front grill of the car. It appeared that Chrysler was following the bad example of General Motors of the 80's and 90's instead of other companies who were more successful at creating unique luxury cars that stood apart from their more common brethren.<br />
<br />
At this point in time there is few car buyers out there that think of Chrysler as a luxury brand beyond some that do like the one shining star in the Chrysler lineup and that is the 300. Now Fiat does not intend to completely abandoned the luxury market, instead it is bring back Alfa Romeo to the United States to sell the upscale cars. Analyst are questing whether the Alfa Romeo brand will be able to take a bite out of the luxury car market from other better known brands.<br />
<br />
Next Fiat intends to make Dodge the performance brand which has been off and on for years. The new Challenger Hellcat is an example of the future of the division. The Dodge Caravan will be eliminated in favor of the Chrysler Town and Country. Once again there is little difference these days between the two vehicles as both are the work horses of the rental car fleets. As mentioned above the Dodge Viper is back and the Dodge lineup will see more performance oriented cars.<br />
<br />
Some of the most aggressive plans Fiat has involves the Jeep nameplate that Chrysler acquired more than 20 years ago and has been one of the bright spots for Chrysler. While the Patriot and Compass vehicles have not won over car enthusiasts or buyers, the new Jeep Cherokee seems to be a winner giving the every day drive what they are looking for in a vehicle but still offering its core enthusiast a model that makes them happy in the Trailhawk edition. Fiat also intends to take Jeeps unique niche globally by expanding its reach in Europe and Asia. They also intend to build a new large sport utility vehicle and reintroducing the Grand Wagoner name to go head to head in the larger SUV market.<br />
<br />
There is also smaller plans for the RAM division. The new ProMaster which is a full size front wheel drive cargo van has already arrived and plans are for a smaller cargo van called the ProMaster City to compete with the likes of the Ford Transit Connect. Beyond that their bread and butter pick up trucks that have taken a big bite out of General Motor's market share over the last few years will get updates and then new models over the next few years.<br />
<br />
It will be interesting to see how Fiat's plans will work out. As I have mentioned numerous times it can be extremely dangerous to radically change your core market too quickly as both Nordstrom and Wal-Mart found out a few years ago. However, in this case the Chrysler brands with the exception of Jeep the brands have been so marginalized over the last 35 years the change in direction will most likely not hurt Fiat in the long run. With that being said, what Fiat needs to do now is produce cars that excite the marketplace and bring buyers into the showrooms and that is going to be a tough sell.<br />
<br />
Just a note of disclosure: I worked for a division of Chrysler for 5 years and have previously been a shareholder of Ford.<br />
<div class="zemanta-related" style="clear: both; margin-top: 20px; overflow: hidden;">
<h4 class="zemanta-related-title">
Related articles</h4>
<ul class="zemanta-article-ul zemanta-article-ul-image" style="margin: 0; overflow: hidden; padding: 0;">
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://www.mlive.com/auto/index.ssf/2014/07/challenger_srt_hellcat_how_dod.html" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.zemanta.com/286825753_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://www.mlive.com/auto/index.ssf/2014/07/challenger_srt_hellcat_how_dod.html" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Challenger SRT Hellcat: How Dodge's most powerful muscle car ever was born</a></li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://www.inautonews.com/chrysler-to-ax-the-grand-caravan" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.zemanta.com/269350258_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://www.inautonews.com/chrysler-to-ax-the-grand-caravan" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Chrysler to ax the Grand Caravan</a></li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/05/06/fiat-chrysler-automobiles-lays-out-ambitious-plans/" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.zemanta.com/269123266_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/05/06/fiat-chrysler-automobiles-lays-out-ambitious-plans/" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">"Fiat Chrysler Automobiles" Lays Out Ambitious Plans</a></li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/05/05/chrysler-plan/8712291/" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.zemanta.com/268797257_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/05/05/chrysler-plan/8712291/" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Muscle cars? Jeeps? Chrysler readies big plans</a></li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://www.inautonews.com/fca-plan-chrysler-to-double-its-line-up-by-2018" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.zemanta.com/269350250_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://www.inautonews.com/fca-plan-chrysler-to-double-its-line-up-by-2018" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FCA plan: Chrysler to double its line-up by 2018</a></li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://guardianlv.com/2014/07/chrysler-group-llc-posting-sales-increases-despite-recalls/" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.zemanta.com/284893861_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://guardianlv.com/2014/07/chrysler-group-llc-posting-sales-increases-despite-recalls/" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Chrysler Group LLC Posting Sales Increases Despite Recalls</a></li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/kbrauer/2014/07/22/2015-dodge-challenger-srt-hellcat-top-10-amazing-facts-about-americas-most-powerful-car/" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.zemanta.com/286702281_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/kbrauer/2014/07/22/2015-dodge-challenger-srt-hellcat-top-10-amazing-facts-about-americas-most-powerful-car/" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat: Top 10 Amazing Facts about America's Most Powerful Car</a></li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-07-16/is-dodges-new-hellcat-a-screaming-deal" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.zemanta.com/285567879_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-07-16/is-dodges-new-hellcat-a-screaming-deal" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Is Dodge's New Hellcat a Screaming Deal?</a></li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/05/06/dodge-srt-dart-new-challenger-charger/" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.zemanta.com/269133732_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/05/06/dodge-srt-dart-new-challenger-charger/" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">SRT back to Dodge, Dart SRT, new Challenger, Charger and Caravan's death outlined in 5-yr plan</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-37585724295107180892010-09-14T08:30:00.005-06:002010-09-14T08:54:16.862-06:00Promote or Hire?<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Work-Management-Cycle.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float: right; clear: right;"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Work-Management-Cycle.gif" alt="Work Management Cycle" style="font-size: 0.8em; border: medium none;" width="250" height="240" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right; width: 250px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Work-Management-Cycle.gif">Wikipedia</a></span></span><br />I hope that you are finding these what if human resources scenarios helpful. Here is the next one that is very common today:<br /><br />You need a new person in management.<br /><br />The first candidate already works for your company. This person is extremely hard working, has the respect of the other employees and is considered a leader. People already come to him to find out how to do a project and look to him to solve the problems.<br /><br />The second person is straight out of college and just got a degree. However, this person does not have any real work experience. The only job this person has held is working for his father.<br /><br />In many big companies today, the second person would actually have a better chance at the job and would be offered a higher rate of pay that the first one. Many companies look to get people fresh out of school so they can be trained the company way.<br /><br />The problem of course is this second person has no work history. You cannot tell if this person will have a good work ethic. You cannot tell if this person is book smart but has no common since. In addition you will have to spend more money training the person.<br /><br />The problem with many large companies these days is that they will hire from outside the company and pay that person more than someone being promoted from within. That creates a cycle in many industries such as retail where people will leave company A to move to company B because they will be paid better than getting promoted by company A.<br /><br />In the long run you have a drain of talent and higher training cost because you are loosing good people that should be promoted and hiring unknowns from the outside world. Of course many people will look at this scenerio and go that makes no sense and it doesn't.<br /><br />Once again this is where smaller and small businesses have an advantage. You do not have the archaic hr systems that make this illogical situation common place. If you have someone in your business that shows the talent for the position then you should promote that person and give them the pay that encourages that person to stay long term.<br /><br />There will be times when you have no one qualified for the position, then you look to hire from outside. The most important aspect of this situation is to get the best person for the job. The person that will benefit your company and help take you to the next level.<br /> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=19d15c14-9e54-4a58-b0f8-4bd52fe91ba4" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-83638663886703002962010-09-13T12:38:00.003-06:002010-09-13T13:11:28.258-06:00LinkedIN and your business<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/60243770@N00/1457984966" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float: right; clear: right;"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1402/1457984966_d3504fbe29_m.jpg" alt="Too Many Social Networks" style="font-size: 0.8em; border: medium none;" width="126" height="240" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right; width: 126px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/60243770@N00/1457984966">M. Keefe</a> via Flickr</span></span><br />Over at the <a href="http://smallbiztechnology.com/archive/2010/09/5-ways-to-put-your-linkedin-pr.html">smallbiztechnology</a> blog they have great starter information for someone looking to build their business by getting involved in social networking and specifically <a href="http://www.linkedin.com">LinkedIn</a>.<br /><br />LinkedIn is a social networking site that focuses on business relations and is good way for small business owners to get their name out and make contacts that could increase your business.<br /><br />One thing to keep in mind when it comes to social networking is that there is paradox when it comes to them. If you are looking to help your business you need to study the network and find out the best places to sign up for and get involved.<br /><br />However, too many people end up spending too much time on the social networking sights and it comes at a cost to both personal and business. Therefore you need to walk a fine line between using the networking sight enough to bring attention to your business but not too much time that you are actually wasting time.<br /><br />One of the suggestions that the blog makes is to get involved in groups after thoroughly researching them. Groups are a good way to gain information but you must thoroughly research the groups so you are not wasting time on a group that is not going to benefit you. One possibility would be to join some groups and see what you get out of them.<br /><br />There is a lot to be gained by getting involved in social networking. However, you must make sure the time being spent is paying off for you in the long run and not just wasting time.<br /> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=dba93fa3-d07d-4f50-88f0-c6fc24ad9fc1" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-34864829610294568792010-09-08T09:49:00.004-06:002010-09-08T09:52:46.912-06:00Making Your Store More Appealing<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/57833357@N00/2867938090" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float: right; clear: right;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3133/2867938090_0fa50be301_m.jpg" alt="Gore-Lieberman Store, 222 Main Street North, C..." style="font-size: 0.8em; border: medium none;" width="240" height="167" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right; width: 240px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/57833357@N00/2867938090">lumierefl</a> via Flickr</span></span><br />Having a pleasing appearance to your store is very important to attract new customers and to keep existing ones. I have stated in the past that even a coat of paint on a regular basis will help make your store more appealing.<br /><br />Here is a article from a New York newspaper that has even more ideas on making your store look more appealing to increase your customer base:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100829/BUSINESS/8290361/For-retail-stores--decor-can-seal-the-sale">For retail stores, decor can seal the sale</a><br /> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=7699d3e9-223e-4c91-a497-911cd03083ef" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-64674538496548811512010-08-25T09:13:00.003-06:002010-08-25T10:00:00.568-06:00How are you laying off your employees?<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://www.daylife.com/image/095i3bPcKu0Ji?utm_source=zemanta&utm_medium=p&utm_content=095i3bPcKu0Ji&utm_campaign=z1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float: right; clear: right;"><img src="http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/095i3bPcKu0Ji/150x97.jpg" alt="NEW YORK - MARCH 25: (L to R) Former co-worker..." style="font-size: 0.8em; border: medium none;" width="150" height="97" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right; width: 150px;">Image by <a href="http://www.daylife.com/source/Getty_Images">Getty Images</a> via <a href="http://www.daylife.com">@daylife</a></span></span><br />Sadly during these economic times, small and big business owners alike must make the difficult decision to lay someone off. The smaller the company, the more difficult the decision can be. How you handle the situation says a lot about you and your company and could affect how people view you in the future.<br /><br />There is a right way and a wrong way to deal these situations. Too often businesses will try to avoid paying higher unemployment taxes by avoiding the layoff and using other less ethical means to get rid of employees. I am going to give you some sad examples and one good example of how to deal with the situation. The first couple of situations are just acts of poor management. The other examples are worst as the just tend to be down right unethical.<br /><br />Some of these examples happened to me personally and others are ones that I am aware of.<br /><br />The first example happened to me shortly after I was out of college. I was working for a company out of Charlotte, North Carolina that was allied with one of the major automobile manufacturers. The economy was in recession so layoffs were necessary. The main manager of the business was the son of the owner and his wife was the human resources manager. No conflicts of interest there but then again it was a smaller business.<br /><br />However, as I said the son did not have many leadership skills and was in the position because of his father. When the time came to lay off employees he did not have the guts to actually face the employees and tell them. Instead he made one the employees who was not being laid off and not in a real position of management to do the dirty work while he and his wife watch from a corner office. If you need to lay off an employee have the decency to do it yourself and do not make someone else do your dirty work.<br /><br />The other incident actually made headlines when a major retailer laid off a large number of employees a few years back. However, the company got plenty of bad publicity in the way they handled the situation. Instead of telling the employees directly that they were being laid off the company sent them all email notices that they not longer had jobs and were to leave the building immediately. At the same time police officers came into the building to escort them out. Not a good way to handle a lay off.<br /><br />While the first two examples is nothing but cowardliness and poor management, the rest of the examples are just outright unethical.<br /><br />At a Oregon photography store, a person is hired to be a manager when the company opens the new store. However, what this person does not know is that he is only being hired until the owners son's best friend can take over the store and run it. After about a month the person walks into the store to buy some stuff on the persons day off to see the friend in the store. The son's girlfriend sends him to the backroom while the employee is told he no longer has a job. To top it all off they are late getting the last check to them and refuse to return some important contact information.<br /><br />In another situation two locally owned security companies located in the inland northwest region of Washington & Idaho were merging. The company taking over the other promised to bring on a couple of long time employees of the other company which meant that they had to get rid of one of their employees. To avoid paying higher unemployment taxes the company spent several weeks trying to make this employee leave by making this employee feel as though the employee could not do the job. In the end they called the person and told him he was fired because of a customer complained that he followed company procedures on dealing with an alarm situation. It just happened the employees from the other company started that day.<br /><br />Finally there was a employee working for a retailer and he was transferred to another state with a written agreement that if this person stayed for one year the company would move him to another location. However, new management was brought in and when the company was about to close down the stores in that region, they fired the employee in an attempt not to pay for his move to another area.<br /><br />On the other hand I have to give credit to Gateway Computers. When they were suffering from the affects of the Y2K sales slump, they gave the employees the option of either being transferred to another division or getting and severance package. This way the employee had the choice of what they wanted to do.<br /><br />As I said many of these examples are down right unethical. There is a right way and a wrong way to handle these kinds of situations and the better you handle them, the better your surviving employees will feel about you and your company. The last thing you want your employees that are staying to see is you mistreat the employees you let go.<br /><div class="zemanta-related"><h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size: 1em; margin: 1em 0pt 0pt;">Related articles by Zemanta</h6><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://human-resources-management.suite101.com/article.cfm/managing-the-negative-effects-of-human-resource-downsizing">Managing the Negative Effects of Human Resource Downsizing</a> (human-resources-management.suite101.com)</li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://human-resources-management.suite101.com/article.cfm/methods-of-human-resource-downsizing">Methods of Human Resource Downsizing</a> (human-resources-management.suite101.com)</li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.billshrink.com/blog/5854/layoff-horror-stories/">You're Fired: 11 Horrific Layoff Stories</a> (billshrink.com)</li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201006/the-impact-layoffs-surviving-employees">The impact of layoffs on surviving employees</a> (psychologytoday.com)</li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://247wallst.com/2010/08/19/small-businesses-dominate-job-losses/">Small Businesses Dominate Job Losses</a> (247wallst.com)</li></ul></div> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=f4d4c2ee-66d8-4a3a-ac55-adc9a3b8da5f" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-76967442816163438012010-08-23T07:27:00.004-06:002010-08-23T07:53:33.855-06:00Are you too Dependent on Assessment Tests?<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27551984@N08/4640243339" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float: right; clear: right;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4034/4640243339_4e4a7e0c46_m.jpg" alt="145 - Crunching the Numbers" style="font-size: 0.8em; border: medium none;" width="240" height="159" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27551984@N08/4640243339">Holtsman</a> via Flickr</span></span><br />It seems that many company these days are doing assessment test to check the quality of not only candidates applying for jobs in the company but also to see how well a potential employee would be when being promoted. However, it appears that some companies are almost becoming too dependent on them and in some cases taking them as the be all, do all system for evaluating employees. The problem is, like anything assessment tests are not foolproof and if not taken in with other factors could cost the company in the long run.<br /><br />Let me give you an example I recently dealt with. Two people at a company have applied to be promoted.<br /><br />Person A is currently a department manager, has a desire to achieve, has good results, is the leader in sales in the store and works with other employees to improve their numbers. This person also has the respect of the staff and this person is one of the first people they come to in the management staff. Not only does this person have the respect of the fellow employees, everyone above this person through the district manager wants to see this person promoted.<br /><br />Person B on the other hand had to loose their department management position because they could not perform the duties of the job. In addition this person has show no initiative to improve themselves and has no respect among coworkers. In addition this person caused a $1200 loss to the company because of not paying attention to what they were doing. The only reason this person wants to promoted is to make more money. In addition store leadership does not consider this person to be reliable.<br /><br />Who would you promote in this situation?<br /><br />Well the assessment test shows that person B should be interviewed by the company for promotion and not person A. Because this is a big corporation that has the habit of running like a dinosaur at times, the company will interview person B but cannot go beyond the assessment tests and promote person A despite the fact they are the better candidate.<br /><br />Of course the ultimate result will be that there is a good chance that person A will ultimately leave the company by finding a better position with another company possibly a competitor. On the other hand if the company actually promotes person B just because of results from the assessment test, most likely that person will fail at the position and either way, the company loses.<br /><br />So while assessment tests may give you a look into an employee, you need to have a system sets up that lets you go beyond the results of an assessment test to insure that the right person gets promoted.<br /> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=90c89874-0d58-4a28-a2b1-67b566317873" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-62989592383403661062010-08-19T10:39:00.003-06:002010-08-19T10:44:12.525-06:00Who Needs Venture Capital?<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SJdowntown.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float: right; clear: right;"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/0b/SJdowntown.JPG/300px-SJdowntown.JPG" alt="A view of downtown San Jose, the self-proclaim..." style="font-size: 0.8em; border: medium none;" width="300" height="130" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right;">Image via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SJdowntown.JPG">Wikipedia</a></span></span><br />The New York Times Small Business Edition has a great article about Elizabeth Charnock who is running a start up company in the Silicon Valley area but is doing it without venture capital.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><a href="http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/17/bootstrapping-a-start-up-in-silicon-valley/?ref=smallbusiness">Bootstrapping a Start-Up in Silicon Valley</a><br /><br />There is some great lessons to be learned from this article.<br /> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=1247dd28-5758-4162-85c4-c56b5a824818" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-60834850280545164002010-08-18T18:26:00.003-06:002010-08-18T19:15:07.150-06:00Don't Battle over Price<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28473961@N02/4040805597" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float: right; clear: right;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2747/4040805597_8fdee20dae_m.jpg" alt="lowest prices" style="font-size: 0.8em; border: medium none;" width="240" height="180" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28473961@N02/4040805597">TheTruthAbout...</a> via Flickr</span></span><br />Thanks to the influx of discount store, it seems like everyone has reduced themselves to trying win customers over price. How many times do you see that someone has the lowest prices, guarantees the lowest price or will match any price.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.smallbusinessbranding.com">Small Business Branding</a> Blog points out that if you try to fight on price, then you reduce yourself to a commodity and as a small business you will loose against the big boys.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.smallbusinessbranding.com/2599/lowest-price-guaranteed-all-the-way-to-the-bottom/">Lowest Price Guaranteed – All The Way To The Bottom</a><br /><br />As the blog points out, instead of battling on price find ways to create value with your customers. Now there is always going to people who only look at price (but these are the same people who complain about a lack of service and the poor quality of products they buy). As a small business owner you want to concentrate on the customers that can see value in doing business with you.<br /><br />As a small business owner the biggest advantage you have is to provide better service and better services than someone could receive in a big box store. What kind of services you can provide your customers will depend on what type of business you are in.<br /><br />One way to find out what your customers would like to see is to ask them. They will be glad to tell you what additional services would make you stand apart. Also look at the business news and find out what the big retailers are dropping such as Layaway programs.<br /><br />Once again it comes down to finding your niche and making sure you are setting yourself apart from the competitors, not on price but on service and services.<br /> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=935ac97d-6aab-4718-ad35-1d885f8a8439" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-15461661525791811082010-08-16T10:31:00.004-06:002010-08-16T10:56:54.283-06:00Checks and Balances<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Credit-cards.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float: right; clear: right;"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Credit-cards.jpg/300px-Credit-cards.jpg" alt="Credit cards" style="font-size: 0.8em; border: medium none;" width="300" height="225" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Credit-cards.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span><br />If you are a single person operation, you don't have to worry about checks and balances when it comes to finances and your business, but once you hire employees you need to ensure that you have checks and balances as a firewall to an employee robbing you blind.<br /><br />A couple of weeks ago I talked about an employee that ended up steeling $10,000 from a company simply because they did not check peoples bags as they walked out the door.<br /><br />Many small business owners do not want employees to think that they are not trusted so they do not put in necessary checks and balances to protect themselves against theft. You need to create a balance between protecting your employees and creating an environment of trust.<br /><br />Here are some examples of creating checks and balances in your business.<br /><br />If your company has credit cards (I recommend debit cards), either assign a card to a specific person. If you only have one card to go around, have employees sign the card in and out and if something shows up on the bill that you have no receipt for, you will know who had the card at that time and talk to that person.<br /><br />Checks should require two signatures to be valid. Another alternative would be to put things such as utilities on EFT so there taken out of your account directly. This will require you to check the bill and make sure there is funds in the account to cover it, but then you are writing fewer checks and there is less chance that one will fall into the wrong hands.<br /><br />Bag checks are another easy way to deter theft. If your employees know that their bags will be check when leaving the store, they are less likely to put something in there that does not belong. You will need to check the rules in your jurisdiction to see what rules you will have to abide by to avoid costly litigation.<br /><br />Another big area that is becoming a concern is computer usage. Do you have employees spending more time surfing the web instead of performing important tasks? While this may not be direct theft the employee is still stealing from your business because you are paying them but they are doing personal things on the computer. Computer monitoring software could be a wise investment to insure your employees are doing what they should.<br /><br />These are just some basic ideas to protect your business. It is not an all inclusive list but hopefully it will give you some ideas to keep money from walking out the door.<br /><div class="zemanta-related"><h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size: 1em; margin: 1em 0pt 0pt;">Related articles by Zemanta</h6><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.brighthub.com/office/entrepreneurs/articles/54268.aspx">Dealing With Suspicions of Employee Theft</a> (brighthub.com)</li></ul></div> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=8fcd4590-68d1-481d-b137-0cb13c04ad75" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-28880618578787691242010-08-11T10:56:00.004-06:002010-08-11T11:23:33.398-06:00Budgeting<p class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Assorted_international_currencies.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float: right; clear: right;"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Assorted_international_currencies.jpg" alt="Assorted international currency notes." style="font-size: 0.8em; border: medium none;" width="250" height="166" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Assorted_international_currencies.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></p><br />Budgeting is one of the biggest challenges facing small businesses. Often times the person that starts a small business is good at whatever type of business they start but when it comes to the financial end of it they fail. This is why lack of capital and bookkeeping are two of the biggest reasons why a business will fail.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.allbusiness.com/">All Business Blog</a> has a great entry on <a href="http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/financial-performance/14902065-1.html">8 Budgeting tips for Small Business</a>.<br /><br />Since yesterday we talked about technology, one of the important things to remember is that budgeting should be easier than ever today with the software that is available in the marketplace. While items such as Quickbooks Pro is very popular Intuit the maker of Quickbooks also makes a version of the personal budget software called Quicken Home and Business that many small companies could use.<br /><br />The great thing about these software programs is that they are easy to learn and use. There is no excuse for not having some basic budgeting software on your computer.<br /><br />One area I will agree with is number 5 that says don't budget to the last penny. I feel you need to start with zero add in your revenues then subtract out your expenses. Not doing it to the last penny will leave some fidget room that could lead to problems in the long run.<br /><br />One thing I would add is to be conservative with your numbers. It is much better to be conservative with your budget that too optimistic. If you are conservative and do better that is good thing but if your too optimistic you could end up hurting yourself.<br /><br />Many transit agencies across the nation are figuring that out after budgeting for sales tax increases because numbers were good for many years running and were caught with their pants down when numbers tanked in the recession.<br /><br />The success of your business depends on how well you budget. Your success depends on your budget.<br /> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=d5bc6d34-67a6-4dfc-ac66-c54c5f0522f7" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-39232044334327498972010-08-10T18:23:00.004-06:002010-08-10T18:42:42.070-06:00What are your technolgy needs?<p class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/83542829@N00/2633815008" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float: right; clear: right;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3153/2633815008_02a381a30d_m.jpg" alt="Desk" style="font-size: 0.8em; border: medium none;" width="240" height="160" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/83542829@N00/2633815008">William Hook</a> via Flickr</span></p><br />The <a href="http://smallbiztechnology.com/">Small Business Technology</a> Blog has a link to a Wall Street Journal Blog entry about the technology needs of small businesses.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703309704575413563940231170.html?mod=WSJ_hps_sections_smallbusiness">Technology Basics for Business </a><br /><br />The article is actually an excerpt from the book by the Wall Street Journal about the technology needs of small businesses.<br /><br />It wasn't that long ago that small businesses did not have to worry about technology that much. For most a basic desktop computer and printer was pretty much all they needed. Today we live in a world surrounded by technology and to need to be more aware of what is happening in the technology field to stay ahead.<br /><br />That is not to say you need to run out get an iPhone, iPad, and every other next big thing to come along. What you need to do is stay aware of the technology and find what is going to improve your business and make your more productive.<br /><br />You also need to be aware of the latest software that is available for your business. As the article points out software services via the web are becoming a viable solution to actually buying "boxed" software which has been done since the first days of the PC.<br /><br />In the late 90's and early 2000's we saw dramatic changes in personal computers. In the last few years we have seen dramatic changes in about every other area when it comes to technology. Today it is harder than ever to stay ahead of the changes and find the right technology for our businesses.<br /><br /><br /> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=e6c9d2cb-5d12-4750-982f-dc95f3894b93" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-91904102345316887112010-08-09T10:26:00.004-06:002010-08-09T11:01:24.598-06:00Losses are Increasing from Theft...<p class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Credit-cards.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float: right; clear: right;"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Credit-cards.jpg/300px-Credit-cards.jpg" alt="Credit cards" style="font-size: 0.8em; border: medium none;" width="300" height="225" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Credit-cards.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></p><br />Losses from theft has been increasing recently due to the economy and other factors, so in the future I will dedicate some space to talk about what I am currently observing so that you as a business owner or company can be sure to be looking out for these and try to prevent them.<br /><br />A few entries ago I mentioned how you have to look out for that employee you would not expect theft from. Today I am going to tell you some of the what I am seeing going on in stores today that will cause you theft if you are not careful.<br /><br />One of the things that you always have to watch for is the decoy or distraction. This is a person that is designed to distract those looking for shoplifters or other thieves. The decoy will carry in the backpack and just walk around the store looking suspicious while someone else is actually going through and shoplifting.<br /><br />The other is the person designed to distract employees. This person will find an employee and try to distract them from the person doing the shoplifting. While this is been happening for years what is on the rise recently is the number of people using their daughters or sisters to be the distraction.<br /><br />The girl will dress up in tight jean shorts or something else design to provoke the male employee to be distracted and not pay attention. The sad part of this is some of the girls have been in the 12-15 year old bracket and dressed up very provocatively.<br /><br />The latest incident I saw the young woman who was in the aforementioned age bracket dressed in the jean shorts and showing lots of cleavage distracted the teenage male employee while the brother stole hundreds of dollars in game console games. They then headed to a waiting car being driven by the father who was running the ring.<br /><br />Parents are not just using their teenagers to steal for them. Another disturbing trend is parents sending their young children in to steal for them. Since kids are often ignored unless they are destroying something or in a toy department, the kids will be instructed to walk around the store and pick things up.<br /><br />A recent incident I observed was a 10 year old who went around picked up some clothes, changed in the fitting room then walked out to the car to the waiting parents.<br /><br />I wish I could say the above incidents where isolated events but I have seen reports and the incidents in many locations for myself.<br /><br />Of course you always have to be looking out for credit card fraud and stolen cards. Once case is people are going into stores buying lots of gift cards and clothes and trying to use a stolen credit card. When it comes up as needing authorization the people will tell the cashier an authorization number that will work and they go off. This means that people ringing customers up need to be more prepared than ever for these kinds of attempts.<br /><br />These days you need to be more aware that ever to ensure that your company doesn't take serious hits in theft.<br /> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=dae9abdd-acdf-4cab-8019-c81bfca6a738" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-79089825581050807462010-08-06T17:06:00.004-06:002010-08-06T17:19:15.470-06:00Have Trouble Saying No?<p class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8185675@N07/3574422578" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float: right; clear: right;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3409/3574422578_cb4520deca_m.jpg" alt="don't just say no" style="font-size: 0.8em; border: medium none;" width="240" height="168" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8185675@N07/3574422578">cheerfulmonk</a> via Flickr</span></p><br />Do you have problems with saying no?<br /><br />As a small business owner or even an employee if you wish to succeed it is often hard to say no. You feel that if you say no to anything you have the possibility of loosing a customer or not being eligible for the next promotion.<br /><br />However, not saying no may be doing more long term damage than the no would be. First of all you may be taking on too much and not doing the best possible job. Also, you could be carrying so much on your shoulders that some important things may fall by the wayside. You are also putting additional stress on you that could leave to long term health problems.<br /><br />I know from personal experience how hard it can be to say no.<br /><br />When I was working for other people I was afraid if I said no they would think I was not good enough to move ahead but I wasn't able to take on every task that came along. As a business owner I am afraid that if I say no it could mean one less important customer.<br /><br />The <a href="http://zenhabits.net">Zen Habits</a> blog has some simple ways to say no:<br /><br /><a href="http://zenhabits.net/say-no/">7 Simple Ways To Say “No”</a><br /><br />To perform at your best you need to learn how to say no at the right time.<br /><br /><br /> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=9efcd65a-fac5-4415-addb-dee27187a256" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-16225118045372187992010-08-04T16:25:00.004-06:002010-08-04T17:58:43.145-06:00Renting or Buying?<p class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Warszawa_Dom_pod_Or%C5%82ami_2009.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float: right; clear: right;"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Warszawa_Dom_pod_Or%C5%82ami_2009.jpg/300px-Warszawa_Dom_pod_Or%C5%82ami_2009.jpg" alt="Office building in Warsaw, Poland." style="font-size: 0.8em; border: medium none;" width="300" height="215" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Warszawa_Dom_pod_Or%C5%82ami_2009.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></p><br />The <a href="http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/should-i-rent-or-buy/?ref=smallbusiness">New York Times</a> has a blog done by a business owner that talks about the decision of whether to rent or buy a building.<br /><br />While buying worked for this particular person, each business owner must look at his own needs and decide what is the best option for you.<br /><br />Once thing you need to consider is expansion. If you own your own building and your business out grows the location, will you have move to a new location, or will you have the room to expand your business at the place you own.<br /><br />If you own the complex and need to move, you have the complications of not only moving the business but finding a new place to buy and selling your existing facility. On the other hand you may be able to expand your existing location but at what cost? what disruption your business? and will the current zoning laws allow for it?<br /><br />On the other hand if your renting you need to know what restrictions you have on using the building, what improvements or changes you can make, if you have a purchase option (often more expensive than buying direct), and what expenses you are responsible. I would also find out what other tenants think of the landlord and how they take care of the property.<br /><br />You will also want to do a cost benefit analysis of each option and see which one will work out for you in the long run. Like anything when it comes to running a business, it does not come easy and there is some difficult questions to answer before you make any move.<br /> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=8808df30-bf55-4e1e-8218-337075ce7660" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-58290612653066962010-08-02T12:57:00.005-06:002010-08-02T13:43:32.102-06:00Are you looking for Magic Pills?<p class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://www.daylife.com/image/005961Yaygaz1?utm_source=zemanta&utm_medium=p&utm_content=005961Yaygaz1&utm_campaign=z1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float: right; clear: right;"><img src="http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/005961Yaygaz1/150x100.jpg" alt="BEIT HANOUN, GAZA STRIP - SEPTEMBER 08: Medic..." style="font-size: 0.8em; border: medium none;" width="150" height="100" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right;">Image by <a href="http://www.daylife.com/source/Getty_Images">Getty Images</a> via <a href="http://www.daylife.com">@daylife</a></span></p><br />The Positivity blog has another great entry, this time for those people that seek those magic pills. Either it is a book, tip, or something else that is going to magically turn their life and business around.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.positivityblog.com/index.php/2010/07/27/four-healthy-reasons-to-stay-away-from-magic-pills-and-how-to-do-it/">Four Healthy Reasons to Stay Away from Magic Pills, and How to Do It</a><br /><br />Another example of magic pills is the get rich quick schemes. Everyone thinks they can find a magic pill and presto they will be rich. As anyone who has made will tell you it takes lots of time and smart money management.<br /><br /><br /> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=9e9ee43b-30ba-44af-bb60-5a17eaa2bf0f" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-59117727526092171392010-07-30T11:33:00.004-06:002010-07-30T11:47:16.081-06:00<p class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/97203713@N00/4813376713" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float: right; clear: right;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4813376713_2e36c64d45_m.jpg" alt="Evaluate Courses" style="font-size: 0.8em; border: medium none;" width="240" height="145" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/97203713@N00/4813376713">David T Jones</a> via Flickr</span></p><br />The <a href="http://www.garyharpst.com/_blog/The_Six_Disciplines_Blog">Six Disciples</a> has a great entry on change in 2010.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.garyharpst.com/_blog/The_Six_Disciplines_Blog/post/Seven_Steps_To_Effective_Change_in_2010/" title="Seven Steps To Effective Change in 2010"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>Seven Steps To Effective Change in 2010</a><br /><br />The year is now more than half over and its time to sit down and evaluate the year so far.<br /><br />What has gone right, what has gone wrong, what did you do that benefited the business, what could you have done better?<br /><br />The most important thing to do is be honest with yourself. Do not look through rose colored glasses or be extremely negative.<br /><br />Once you evaluate the first part of the year decide what you want to accomplish in the second half of the year and what you can do to make it happen. Take a look at the <a href="http://www.garyharpst.com/_blog/The_Six_Disciplines_Blog">Six Disciplines</a> blog and get some ideas to a better second half of 2010.<br /><br /><br /> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=48885ab9-ddc9-4b45-ad58-788c34e50269" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-86845662578941807522010-07-28T15:23:00.004-06:002010-07-28T15:34:13.360-06:00Employee Theft<p class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Man_being_arrested.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float: right; clear: right;"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Man_being_arrested.jpg/300px-Man_being_arrested.jpg" alt="Chicago Police Department officers arrest a man" style="font-size: 0.8em; border: medium none;" width="300" height="253" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Man_being_arrested.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></p><br />One of the things we don't like to think about but must is the possibility that one of our trusted employees is stealing from us. However, during tough economic times employees that may not have consider stealing in the pass may do so now.<br /><br />Recently I dealt with a case were an employee with a company for 17 years was caught stealing magazines, books and dvds. The person had been a good employee for many years but started stealing about 3 years ago.<br /><br />While a few dvds and magazines here and there don't seem like much they can add up. In fact this person caused annual loses of maybe ten or more thousand dollars.<br /><br />You need to protect yourself and your company. Now I am not saying you need to paranoid, but extra vigilance should always be taken to protect your company.<br /><br />The <a href="http://cncinsurance.blogspot.com/">Risk and Business Blog</a> has more on this subject.<br /><br /><a href="http://cncinsurance.blogspot.com/2010/07/beware-of-work-place-theft.html">Beware of work place theft</a><br /> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=34b5d6b9-7fb9-4570-b295-457939b4bde0" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-87492445481567734442010-07-26T12:33:00.003-06:002010-07-26T12:41:11.189-06:00Relaxing on Vacation<p class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24634678@N02/3728296417" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float: right; clear: right;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2521/3728296417_ced608910e_m.jpg" alt="relax time" style="font-size: 0.8em; border: medium none;" width="208" height="240" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24634678@N02/3728296417">Xavier Fargas</a> via Flickr</span></p><br />The <a href="http://www.positivityblog.com">Positivity Blog</a> had a great entry a few days ago about relaxing on vacation.<br /><a href="http://www.positivityblog.com/index.php/2010/06/15/the-short-and-simple-guide-to-a-relaxing-vacation/"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>The Short and Simple Guide to a Relaxing Vacation</a><br /><br />I know, as a small business owner vacations can seem like a daunting task with so much on your plate. However, you must take a vacation in order to recharge your batteries and have time away from the headaches of day to day operation of your business.<br /><br />One of the hardest times I have on vacation is relaxing. I normally put so much on the plate I come back as tired if not more tired than when I started out.<br /><br />However, on my last vacation I did not schedule anything. I did spend a few days in a hotel were I was not pressured to go out and do too many activities. It was nice have a nice relaxing vacation and I did feel revived when I came back.<br /><br />So got out and take some time off...<br /> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=28d4c063-62ad-426f-9ca7-51d62b0129e1" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-39633478390769239392010-07-19T10:39:00.005-06:002010-07-19T10:52:41.479-06:00Looking for a web designer?<p class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 310px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aluminium_MacBook.png"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/41/Aluminium_MacBook.png/300px-Aluminium_MacBook.png" alt="An Apple MacBook in an aluminium casing." style="border: medium none; display: block;" width="300" height="252" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aluminium_MacBook.png">Wikipedia</a></span></p><br />Are you looking for a web designer? Then the <a href="http://www.smallbusinessbranding.com/">Small Business Branding</a> blog has some questions that you will ask any web designer that you are looking to design your site.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.smallbusinessbranding.com/2547/10-critical-questions-to-ask-a-web-designer/">10 Critical Questions To Ask A Web Designer</a><br /><br />While the task of designing a website may be daunting for those that have not experience in it, you need to remember the KISS principle when it comes to web design: Keep It Simple Silly. Some web designers what to put all the coolest stuff onto your website but all it does is drive away traffic.<br /><br />While your website is under design, make sure to get feedback from your customers on what they think of the proposed design. If a sampling of your customers is negative, you need to go back to your web designer and find out ways to make it better for your customers.<br /><br />You do not have to become an expert in web design, but become familiar with what constitutes a good website so that you can ask good questions and insure that your designers do not go overboard with what they design.<br /> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=833da13c-5982-4ec5-89fb-bb03cddb8f34" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-73114640338606349972010-03-22T15:34:00.003-06:002010-03-22T16:31:14.174-06:00Inspiration<p class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 250px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/66727626@N00/328463699"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/134/328463699_f0d22c21b2_m.jpg" alt="Inspiration Point" style="border: medium none ; display: block;" width="240" height="160"></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/66727626@N00/328463699">James Marvin Phelps (mandj98)</a> via Flickr</span></p><br /><br />One of the more favorite blogs that I just love to read is the Zen Habits blog. The blog always has something on it that can inspire you. One of the more recent blog entries from the blog is about inspiration. <br /><br />What actions do you take to inspire you? One of the ways I found to stay inspired is have certain items around that inspire me. Above my desk is a picture of the new Ford F150 Raptor. That picture inspires me to try harder so that I can purchase one of those and go to Moab. <br /><br />Need some help with inspiration? Take a look at the <a href="http://zenhabits.net/2010/03/little-inspiration-guide/">Little Guide to Inspiration</a> on the <a href="http://www.zenhabits.net">Zen Habits</a> Blog. <br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/e31238fe-6f79-4cfc-84d2-18522390e2a3/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=e31238fe-6f79-4cfc-84d2-18522390e2a3" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-82614060915716748322010-03-04T09:22:00.003-07:002010-03-04T11:07:50.652-07:00Changing Public Perception<p class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 250px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/83649951@N00/3902175996"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2543/3902175996_5666f863a3_m.jpg" alt="Alva's Market" style="border: medium none ; display: block;" width="240" height="180"></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/83649951@N00/3902175996">bjmccray</a> via Flickr</span></p><br /><br />If you are going to be successful in the long run in your business you are going to need to change public perception. <br /><br />Now what public perception am I talking about? <br /><br />The perception that the small business is inferior to large businesses. People have the misperception that small businesses have high priced, are run down and are an indication that the place you are located is going down hill. <br /><br />Now in some cases this perception has been earned. There is plenty of examples of small businesses that have let their place run down and not took care of things. But then again I know of a major grocery store chain that sold several of their stores recently most of which are less than 5 years old and the new owners that are local are spending thousands of dollars in repairs for non-existent maintenance. <br /><br />It is ironic that many people complain every day about the lack of service and poor quality at some of the major chains but continue to purchase the same products for those stores because they are "cheaper". <br /><br />So how do you change this perception? <br /><br />First of all this is not a perception that is going to change overnight. It has taken years for the perception to become ingrained in peoples minds so don't expect it to change tomorrow. <br /><br />Second you need the power of word of mouth. If people experience that your business is clean, has friendly employees, and is taken care your customers will tell their friends about you. <br /><br />Third, if your area has a locally owned business organization such as <a href="http://www.localfirst.org">Local First Utah</a> that is a group of small businesses working together to promote locally owned business you need to join. If your area does not have this type of organization think about creating one. <br /><br />Not only will the organization is a way to market your business, but it is also an excellent opportunity to network with other small business owners to learn from their successes and mistakes. <br /><br />You need to change the perception about small businesses. <br /><br /><br /><div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/11bc8317-35b3-42f9-b787-127bf6d65e45/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=11bc8317-35b3-42f9-b787-127bf6d65e45" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-72319223475740268952009-12-10T10:58:00.002-07:002009-12-10T11:05:07.152-07:00The Vendor Balancing Act<p class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9610484@N05/1120930050"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1317/1120930050_23ac6623cc_m.jpg" alt="Surreal Retail Park" style="border: medium none ; display: block;"></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9610484@N05/1120930050">Ross2085</a> via Flickr</span></p><br />While most people think that one of their more difficult relations is with customers, in the long run they may find that their most difficult relationships will their vendors. In a perfect world the vendors would treat you like you are truly THEIR customers but in reality many vendors act as though it is the other way around. <br /><br />Of course some vendors are much better than others and it will take some experience to find out who the better vendors are. <br /><br />Then there comes the balancing that you will have to perform. If you find that a vendor is taking advantage of you, what do you do? In most cases you would assume that you drop the vendor and find someone that will treat you better. The problem arises when that vendor is the only source of an important product. <br /><br />Let’s use electronics as an example. Let’s say that you currently stock brand “A” electronics which is one of the more popular brands in the industry. However, “A” products does not allow you to return defective products to them causing you to eat the product. Now you will have to analyze if the amount of sales created by having product “A” in your stores is enough to justify you losing some money on returns. <br /><br />If the amount of sales justifies you keeping that product then you will want to plan for a certain amount of returns that you will have to mark off. Of course you can probably find a technical school that would love the donations of the defective product in order to let students experiment with them and thus giving you some goodwill. <br /><br />On the other hand if the amount of sales and the hassles created by them do not justify you taking the losses on their product then dump them and find another vendor. However, I would let the company know why you are going to drop them and see if they will do anything for you. <br /><br />In addition, vendors used to have reps that would come and visit local stores, building displays and building relationships with the companies that sold their products. However, these days’ vendors have been cut so severely that they may only visit major stores once a month or have cut out some altogether so the chances of them coming to your independent store may be slim and none. <br /><br />You will defiantly want to cultivate a relationship with any vendor that does take the time to come visit you. They are an excellent source of information and if they take the time to visit you then they are probably a vendor you will want to focus on. <br /><br />Also, depending on the products you sell; look for smaller vendors that may not have the name but will have the ability to service you better. <br /><br />Remember, you are the vendor’s customers so find vendors that treat you that way. <br /><br /><br /><div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/759a74dc-1881-40a1-9dc2-07987cb94a4c/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=759a74dc-1881-40a1-9dc2-07987cb94a4c" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-86202246688085015262009-11-23T22:21:00.001-07:002009-11-23T22:24:06.430-07:00Evalutating your Goal Setting<p class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 250px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30011527@N05/3876552794"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3507/3876552794_4127a9fc86_m.jpg" alt="Goals, Goals, Goals" style="border: medium none ; display: block;" height="160" width="240"></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30011527@N05/3876552794">lululemon athletica</a> via Flickr</span></p><br />How are you doing with setting goals? <br /><br /> Hopefully by now you have started writing your goals on a regular basis. At first your excited to do it but it is also hard to get in the habit of doing them on a daily basis until you get in a rhythm and start seeing some success with them. <br /><br /> After you have been setting goals on a regular basis for a couple of weeks, it is time to review your progress. See how many goals you are setting on a daily basis and evaluate how well you are performing. <br /><br /> If you find that you are accomplishing all your goals in a couple of hours and it feels like no effort at all, then you are not setting goals that are tough enough. After a short period of time you will have no sense of accomplishment because your goals are not set high enough to give you that “I did it” feeling. <br /><br /> On the other hand, if you reach the end of the day and most of your goals have not been checked off, then you may be setting your goals too high or trying to accomplish too much in a period of time. <br /><br /> While you want to set high goals, you also much remember that your goals need to be realistic. Your goals need to be reasonable or else frustration will set in and you will quickly abandon the goal setting process. <br /><br /> What it comes down to is that not only will you have to set your goals and write them down on a daily basis, but you must also evaluate your performance and make changes in order to perfect your system and get the most out of your goal setting. <br /><br /> Yes, goal setting does take effort but over time that effort will pay off. <br /><br /><br /><div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/dc09fb64-5e06-4b16-9f3a-74017af55341/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=dc09fb64-5e06-4b16-9f3a-74017af55341" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18700466.post-60680200044777635272009-11-06T10:52:00.002-07:002009-11-06T11:13:26.224-07:00Here is another video on how to start a small business which comes from Australia. The video is just under 7 minutes but gives some good information in that time.<br /><br /><br /><br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1qqgLv8wAbI&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1qqgLv8wAbI&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object><br /> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/34cabe0f-ed5f-444b-b81a-122fbc93fd91/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=34cabe0f-ed5f-444b-b81a-122fbc93fd91" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Dornoff Consultinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472209458812416550noreply@blogger.com0