BOLLYWOOD SURKHIYAN

Papa John’s Franchise Review

Papa John’s is a Pizza delivery chain of restaurants in the United States. It is named as one of the largest and fastest growing pizza companies in the world and is ranked high in customer satisfaction.

The concept of Papa John’s was visualized and initiated by John Schnatter who started his career in the same industry by delivering pizzas as a pizza driver. After graduation he had an opportunity to work in his father’s bar, but he wanted to serve his own pizza to his own customers. To accomplish this goal John sold his car.

In a very short time, Papa John’s has achieved huge success of being one of the largest pizza companies and getting high ranks in customer satisfaction. One reason for their success, as stated by their tag line “Better Ingredients, Better Pizza”, Papa John’s uses the finest of ingredients in its preparation and presentation. From water to protein enriched flour, meats, cheeses, vegetables and other ingredients Papa John’s focuses on fresh, clean and hygienic products. Each pizza is served with the required garlic sauce to dip and thin crust.

In case you are looking to partner with Papa John’s in the business of serving the high quality pizzas to your customers, and opting for a Papa John’s franchise you must have at least a rough idea about the initial franchise fees.

Franchise Cost:

• Minimum net worth for one unit is $250,000; 4 to 10 units are $1 million, and 11+ units require $2 million in net worth.

• Liquid assets consisting of cash and/or readily available financing should total at least $250,000 for any number of units.

• At least one partner, a successful business management background, and close proximity to the location chosen.

• Franchise fee is low at $25,000

• 5% ongoing royalty fee payable monthly.

• The estimated investment is between $160,000 and $395,000 with an average unit of 1200 to 1400 square feet in a strip center running about $220,000.

• Renewable every 10 years.

Pros

• Absentee Ownership – Actually encouraged if you don’t have QSR experience.

• Ranking – Recently named the #10 Global Franchise by Entrepreneur Magazine.

Cons

• Forced Marketing Budget – A franchisee must spend a minimum of 7% of the monthly net on marketing.

Papa John’s Franchise Information:

Business Established: 1985

Franchising Since: 1986

Franchise Fee: $25,000

Total Investment (US): $160,000 to $395,000

When looking to start any business it is important, particularly considering today’s market, that you look for specific ways to cut minimize or reduce overhead and risk. Any business is going to have risk, but it is important to have a full understanding of the amount of investment, startup cost and “ROI” (Return on Investment).

Did you know that 80% of ALL franchise endeavors fail in the first two to five years leaving large debts looming for years thereafter?

You can cut your risk by taking advantage of the new age of entrepreneurship. Opportunities have emerged in the online market that are creating millionaires every single day. Learn more about the exciting opportunities tied to a business model that begins profitable by visiting: http://whatsbetterthanafranchise.com.

How to Evaluate Bond Issues and Interest Rates

When simplified, the investment markets can be broken down into two types: equity and debt. Equity investments are purchases of stock in a company and represent a part ownership of the business. Stockholders may or may not receive annual dividends. Debt investments, on the other hand, represent a loan to the company with the corresponding return plus interest expected. A bond holder is entitled to regularly scheduled interest payments. Debt investments are considered a little more secure than stocks, but there is risk associated with any investment.

Debt investments are commonly known as bonds. Bonds can be issued by federal, state and local governments as well as by corporations. There are advantages and disadvantages with either. For example, if you invest in a federal bond issue, the interest income you receive on this investment is generally not taxable on the state and local levels. Similarly, state and local bond issue interest income is generally not taxed on the federal level. Corporate bond interest income is taxed everywhere.

It’s a good idea to get an interest rate education before investing in debt instruments. In the United States, the Federal Reserve Bank (or, the “Fed”) sets interest rates. They do this at a meeting held every six to eight weeks in which the national economy is evaluated. They then decide what to do with interest rates. This decision is based on many factors, but primarily the rate of inflation being experienced.

If inflation is on the rise, the Fed may raise interest rates. This makes the supply of money (in the form of loans) a little tighter and harder to come by, which, in turn, slows the inflation. If there is no or very little inflation, interest rates will probably remain as they are. If there is deflation, or a slowing economy, the Fed may attempt to stimulate it by lowering interest rates, allowing more people to borrow, hence stimulating the economy.

The reason you need to know about what’s happening to interest rates before you invest in bond issues is because the prices of bonds are directly related to the current available interest rates. In general, if the interest rates are rising, the price of the bonds is falling and vice versa. Of course this means next to nothing if you intend to hold the bond to maturity. This is notable only if you, like most bond investors, tend to hold it a shorter time, selling it before maturity. So if you sell a bond before maturity during a period of rising interest rates, the value of the bond may be less than it was when you purchased it.

The main features of a bond issue that you need to know are:

Coupon Rate – This is the interest rate that will be paid to you on this loan. You should also know when it is paid. Usually this is once or twice per year on specified dates.

Maturity Date – This is the date the loan becomes due and payable. On this date the company will pay back the principal you loaned to them.

Call Provisions – Some bonds come with a right of the borrower to pay back the loan proceeds early. Some are non-callable. Those that are callable are usually paid back at a higher price than you paid originally when the early option is exercised. Note that when a bond issue is callable and interest rates are falling, the company will often find it financially advisable to buy back your bond with the proceeds from a new bond issue at the new lower rates.

The biggest risk in bond investment is that the issuer will go out of business. This is why federal bonds are so popular; there is virtually no chance of the federal government going out of business! Federal treasury bonds are amongst the most secure investments you can make. Corporate bonds, however, are a different story. Any company can go out of business for any number of reasons. If you have an investment in a company’s bonds when this happens, your investment is almost worthless almost immediately. Bondholders DO have priority over stockholders, though, and will get paid first. Senior bondholders can even lay claim to physical assets upon liquidation of the company.

Bonds are a good fairly safe investment as long as you take these risk factors into effect. A good mix if corporate, federal and local government bonds is advisable. Even throwing some junk bonds with high interest rates could be profitable. Diversification lowers risk, even in the bond market.

What Exactly Is Passive Income?

Any income where the individual does not have to physically earn is called passive income. This of course is a very attractive way of earning an income and indeed those who are lucky enough to make a decent living this way are quite happy.

Ways To Generate Loads Of Passive Income-

There are currently some very popular and common ways to earn a passive income. Writing a new melody or song or even a jingle and then selling it as a commercial property will earn some very lucrative passive income. Opening a bank savings account, is another way which just by saving money can get the individual some interest residual income though it is not that much and fluctuates often at the whim and fancy of the banking systems.

Staring a multi level business is another way to generate passive income. There are some multi level companies that don’t require the standard work of recruiting and selling product but just to use their products. Becoming a financial product consultant is not only a good passive income source it is also a way to expand the client base.

For those with a little more money to spare, they can consider other type of investments which are likely to bring in the returns. Buying property and renting it out helps the individual to pay for the loan thus not requiring any immediate financial commitment.

There are a lot of innovative ways to make money of the internet engine. All it takes is a little time spent to look for the legitimate business tools. One of the more popular tools include the creation of one’s own information for e books and other sell on line tools that require perhaps language changes.

On the more risky way of getting passive income would be to invest in various stocks and bonds. However, the risks levels are quite high and often not worth the risks.

Residual Income-

After paying off all monthly commitments the money left over is known as residual income. This income can be of great help to an individual and is normally linked to the older more established income group. This is also the way the banking industry calculates the probability of giving out a loan commitment to their clients. This is an income that also continues to give well past the time frame of the first initial payment.

There are many ways to try and earn residual income. Writing for instance is one way of adventuring into this realm of gaining residual income.

If the writing material is good there would be a chance to sell the rights, and so it is with other avenues like writing a workable software program, composing a song, inventing a gadget and many more.

Becoming famous like perhaps as an actor or singer, where there are still payments coming in every time the work previously done is reused. When this is done for further entertainment modes, the said entertainer gets a residual income in the form of certain percentages form the original initial performance.

Earning residual income from real estate is perhaps one of the more popular styles of investment with this intention in mind. If done well this type of residual income in the most ideal and profitable.

Other much simpler ways of getting residual income would include starting a savings plan early on in age. Keeping to this diligently would help to ensure the comfortable retirement where residual income would be a great help.

The best types of residual income plans are normally where the individual had total autonomy over how, where and when the product is used. In being able to dictate the using methods the individual also has the end say over how the general promotion and other aspects of the invention goes.

Leveraged Income-

Possibility of having a continuous income in a long term scenario. Using the leverage income style, the individual ears more money with much less This is perhaps among the most beneficial ways of creating the effort simply because the profits made don’t only come as a direct result of one’s own efforts but also from the added sources of other people’s efforts.

Ideally most people work towards trying to earn this style of income both in the short term and long term scenario. In its most basic terms, leverage income allows the individual to concentrate on other endeavors once the initial stages of setting up and getting a particular project started. This said project is then left to generate income with no need for anymore particular daily involvements on the part of the investor or inventor.

Most people who are financially comfortable have ventured into this type of investment, with the intentions of generating some sort of leveraged income. Using a little time and effort to realize a project and then stepping back as the project eventually runs itself is indeed the perfect scenario. This leverage style of earning power gives the individual the option to retire early and enjoy the fruits of his or her labor without the hassle of having to oversee the foray or having to be physically involved.

Besides the various investment arms that can be used to generate leveraged income, starting up a network marketing company or business venture is also another one of the more popular ways of generating this style of income. This of course requires a little hard work in the beginning but once the business is established then there will no longer be a need to be as completely involved as in the initial stages.

Active Leveraged Income-

Active leveraged income works on more or less the same principals of the normal leverage income format with one significant distinction. In this style the individual will be required to be more hands on and have a higher percentage of involvement in the initial stage and at some stagnated stage throughout the foray.

Being able to provide a service or product that “keeps on giving” on a large scale would be of course quite ideal, thus making a study of such a product or service may bring about some rather interesting and viable options.

Some of the simple options of active leveraged income would include providing one’s services at workshop conferences and seminars. Also conducting training session for corporations is also beneficial as the material used would have already been designed as a basic format to be used over and over again with only a few adjustments being made every so often.

Designing good home study modules are also another very profitable way of garnering the leveraged income style of earning a comfortable living. This also requires an initial investment of time and effort which usually create the platform for continuous and profitable sources of income. Thus by doing so, it allows the individual to then be able to focus on other possible forays to further enhance the income base.

The more successful formulas used in the past just required the individual to focus on designing a product or service that would be continuously and consistently used and reused, thus creating the desired revenue that would eventually evolve into leveraged income.

There are basically three types of leveraged income styles. The active leverage style, the passive leverage style and the basic leverage style. All there style require some degree of initial work but if well designed and executed the long term hand on participation can be kept to a minimal level.

Internet Marketing-

Internet marketing is also referred to by several other terms such as digital marketing, web marketing, online marketing, search marketing, and e marketing. All these have the similar marketing style with only a few minor difference but all have the main intention of making money.

This style of marketing is considered to be fairly broad and lucrative. This style may include services like creative and technical assistance, designing, development, advertising and sales. The various possible services the internet marketing tool can provide include the interactive customer engagement, a search engine provider for marketing purposes, a platform for ads, and many other possible earning tools.

The use of the internet marketing tool can provide for the one to one approach which is not always possible in the “real” world scenario. This approach though fairly broad and with no particular direction can be reached through the use of key words which are entered by the user in order to garner the required information or service.

Designing marketing tools which are supposed to appeal to specific interest groups is also done through the internet marketing route. This style created the platform for the connections to be made between a typical segment group and the product touted.

Niche marketing done through the internet marketing tool has its merits. The success of the style is very successful indeed and is certainly popular with those people who have limited time and interest to browse the internet. Thus this service provided is very beneficial to them and wide used too.

The advantages of creating an internet marketing business has it many advantages, ranging from the possible huge incomes derived to the leisure pace one can dictate. However nothing of course comes without some level of effort put in to see the success desired and being the most common tool of business now, it is well worth the effort to look into.

The individual who chooses to provide residual incomes for themselves through the passive income style are people who are very focused and with a positive mindset. The strong positive mind set is almost a prerequisite in keeping the individual in track toward success.

Being hopeful is also another attribute that is needed for this kind of endeavor. Because this style of residual income does not have the pressure on having to answer to superiors for not achieving a certain amount of business the individual has got to have all the necessary positive attributes to be able to push themselves to the next level.

This is especially necessary when the energy levels are low and coupled with the fact that the perhaps there is a lack of visible achievements being evident.

There are many self driven people that have chosen to venture into this type of earning arrears. Most of them already have the drive and the goal of being a success firmly in place and all they require is to be able to identify the relevant endeavor which will provide for what they desire. They are always alert to any possible avenues that will allow them to create a healthy residual income scenario. Being always in the know will also ensure they are very aware of the possibilities available to them.

So hopefuly I have gave you a pretty good idea as to what passive income is all about, and how you can start thinking of how you can start earning passive income.

To your great success on your passive income journey

How to Buy Private Stock

I became interested in this when I saw it on the Internet. I am always looking for ways to make my money work for me. Bingo here was what I found to fill the bill. Making money and helping the small business grow. I believe I’ve found it and now you can too join in fun and excitement. You’ll Learn too and as you grow your nest will grow too.

Here’s your real opportunity to start small. You’ll be getting in on the ground floor where little things can become bigger than you might suspect or imagine. Private digital stocks of small companies is where they all start. Imagine all the big companies that started on a shoe string like computer software, computers or even a book store that started out of a garage. Chances are you maybe looking at something that’s unbelievable, but that all can change. Remember ideas become real with just a dream that materializes.

Good question comes up what effects the price of the stock? Good question and it depends on the why. Companies come and go and things maybe slowing due to new technology or a change in services rendered etc.. Leadership or manpower can effect it’s stock price too. Plus a lot of it has to do with rules and regulations on the stock due city, state or government rulings. Anything can make the stock price rise or fall. Also, it could be the time of the year or the economy in general.

Now, when should I buy more stocks or maybe sell some of my stocks? Well, that’s a question a lot of people ask. If you are selling because the stock is down and you want to save some gain fine. If you are selling to cut your loss again that maybe smart. The story goes then the next day the stock could soars… I should held on. The market is really hard to predict.

Buying is another thing. Stocks go up and down and the company may look promising so you jump in with both feet. You may add to you stock weekly or monthly which they call dollar cost averaging. I guess it all depends what your goal is with this stock. Spending on more shares is all up to you.

Bottom line now is why I like this https://moneyonlineinvestment.com/r/329284

Money Online Investment is free to join, low cost and exciting. You can get started for as low as three dollars per share. Shares you choose vary in price so it’s all up to you. I wish you great success in your stock investing.

Network Marketing and MLM: Are You Being Told The Truth? (3 Dirty Little Secrets About MLM)

What do you want from a network marketing company?

If you are like most people looking at home based business opportunities, you want an opportunity which offers you a really good chance at success, right?

Please put everything you have ever heard or read aside for a minute and consider the following 3 dirty little secret about MLM you have never heard or read:

Dirty Little Secret About MLM # 1:

This secret is about products and how long any network marketing company may last.

A company which has products that are solid performers with a good sales history, but that are not cutting edge can be good – you can be sure that you will be able to sell some of the products.

Conversely, you may find it harder to sell products which are widely sold and consumed by many different companies – and for the obvious reason – competition.

A new “buzz” product – one people can get excited about can fly out of your hands – at least in the beginning. It is possible that a new product will sell fast for a while – only to fade if it becomes apparent it isn’t performing as advertised. Nothing can destroy your business faster.

What can you do?

If you can find a company with a product that is relatively unknown in the market, but that is quickly growing in popularity – and that product has already caused many people to talk about it and write about it, you may have found a product “rave wave.”

A past example of “rave wave” would be liquid minerals during the 1990s.

My wife and I joined a company in 1996 which was relatively new and had a new product. After using the product with our family we quickly experienced real results. Nothing is better.

Once we had results with the product, we were easily able to find others to share the good news with – and that resulted in sponsoring 300 people in just over one year – and our group grew to 10,000 over the next few years.

Yes, we had tried to build a business with another MLM company that did not have a new and exciting product before we marketed the liquid minerals. We worked super hard with the first company for a year. Our income was $1,500 after 12 months. It was too slow and not much fun.

Should sharing a product be fun?

If the product is exciting and gets results, sharing it with others is exciting and fun. If the product (no matter how good it is) is not new and doesn’t get relatively exciting results, your business will not be fun – it will be WORK!

The end result of our second network marketing or MLM experience was earning over $1 million in 4.5 years – even though we stopped actively “working the business” after just 14 months.

What did we do?

Our children were young. We home schooled them. We did 4H. We took them on a 5 month vacation. We felt almost like “aliens” walking around in a society that was “living for the weekend” because we didn’t have to work…

Did the product sell for a long time?

We still use that product today, 17 years later… and we still get results with it. The opportunity to sell the product through network marketing faded because eventually, the product was everywhere. The company no longer exists. We got our last check a few months ago – it was $89. Our peak check during the third year was $24,561.

What is the dirty little secret here?

Many network marketing companies succeed fast because of a hot product, but don’t last because they fail to find new and exciting products as each product enters the mainstream of the market place and competition rises.

Does that mean network marketing is a bad idea for a home based business?

It is a bad idea if you expect a company to provide you an above average income for life. Yes, there are a few exceptions in the industry. Were we dissapointed when the excitement stopped and our group faded away? Yes, of course we were. We decided we would never “do” MLM again. That was 17 years ago.

In the time since, we built a large real estate company which peaked at 148 agents.

What happened? The boom that collapsed in 2008 put an end to our office. Suddenly, no one was buying real estate, but we still had to come up with $30,000 a month to pay the bills of the business. We “fed” the business hoping for the market to change – it didn’t change!

Hindsight is 20 / 20.

What did we learn? We learned that conventional business contains more risk and more down side than network marketing.

If you join a company that eventually fades away, you don’t have to spend a ton of money desperately pushing on a string. And of course, you don’t need much money to start a network marketing downline in the beginning either.

Sure, we made a lot of money with the real estate office – and lost a lot of money too! When our MLM business faded away, we still made money until the last check.

Yes, we still sell real estate – but the thrill has been gone for a long time… and so, we have reexamined our years in network marketing – they were the best years of our lives.

What about the people we got involved in MLM? Yes, we made relatively good money, but what about our downline?

You (and we) cannot control everything.

What about all the agents we had trained who could no longer make a living selling real estate? They found other work. Were they better off for having learned to sell real estate? We think so. Many are still selling real estate. Most are grateful for the education and for the relatively easy commissions they earned during the boom. They know the crash wasn’t our fault.

As for our old MLM downline – what happened to them?

80% of network marketing distributors never sponsor more than 2 people and they never get a check. However, our MLM group was the exception to that rule. I’ll tell you why in “Dirty little secret about MLM # 2.”

Dirty little secret about MLM # 2:

There is ONE feature about the compensation plan that matters above all else.

The network marketing industry promotes infinity pay features, cars, sign up bonuses and front load packages on which you’ll be paid big commissions. Forget all that stuff and forget the company you are looking at if it doesn’t offer the following features.

Why?

It is because the following features build stability in your group and pave the way for relatively easy (and fun) growth of your group.

Can a product user join for free?

If not, run! MLM “gurus” will tell you to promote “the opportunity” (the chance to make big money from home). That is putting the cart in front of the horse! The driving factor in any MLM is the PRODUCT – and the VAST majority of people who join you will (initially) be primarily (if not totally) interested in getting and using the product.

Are the products competitively priced?

As you can see from the paragraph above, if the price of the products is “out of school” you will be out of luck because no one will continue to buy a product that has a crazily high price tag.

Assuming the products are fairly priced and they work, you still need insurance against eventual competition.

That “insurance” is the mouth of your product using customers. Many of your product users will tell you, “I don’t want to do the business.” However, people love to tell others about the good things they find. Once they have a friend wanting the product, they WILL (in many cases) contact you to get help signing up their friend.

If the company you are looking at makes it easy for product users to sign up a friend – and the company will pay them for that, you will be building on a solid foundation.

If the company insists that product users become a representative to get paid, run! However, if the company has a system that allows a product user to overcome their monthly product cost by signing up a few friends – that is the basis of a winning combination.

Why? When a product user over comes the monthly cost of the product they are using, they are “bullet proof” because all competition is eliminated – they won’t ever find the product somewhere else for free… and some will be converted to business builders at the micro level and a few at the mega level.

The logic goes like this:

Product user: “If I can get my product for free by signing up a few product user friends, what could I do if I became a distributor and started treating this like a business?”

We had many people making $300, $600, $1,500 $6,000 and more a month who started out as pure product users. The key is to help product users like they matter (because they matter MOST).

The only thing better is if a product user gets a check (no matter how small) after signing up just one friend who orders – again, this is because 80% of networkers never ever get any check. Just getting any check (or electronic payment) is shocking for most people.

How did we sponsor 300 people and build a stable group?

In our former MLM experience, it was the above features which allowed us to sponsor 300 who became 10,000 people – the vast majority being product users or small builders. Out of 300 people sponsored, only a few were hard charging heavy hitters.

Dirty little secret about MLM # 3:

As you can see, the vast majority of our former group were product users – many who became micro builders, typically making $300 a month.

What is the 3rd dirty secret about this?

The network marketing industry guides you to go after existing network marketers. The problem is that many existing network marketers are victims of the “next shiny object” syndrome – they fly like a parrot to the next shiny bobble in networking.

Product users come from the general public.

They are NOT looking for a network marketing gig! They don’t know what you are talking about. On the other hand, 7 out of 10 people on the street (and online) want to know about a hot new product. We (you and I – the general public) are always interested in hot new products, aren’t we? Were you interested when the first iPhone came out? We were.

So it follows – building your network marketing business by gathering product users is the way to go. MLMers are NOT doing that – they take what they THINK is “the easy road” – they think they’ll sponsor “seasoned network marketers.”

It is a huge and often repeated mistake. Take the path of sponsoring network marketers and you’ll be in for a lot of rejection and you’ll have a hard time building stability.

Conclusions:

Life is about taking calculated risks. Business is about taking calculated risks without risking a lot of money to start. Don’t spend any money for a while on any company you join. Join for free and check it out. Ask people you know for their opinion. If everything feels good, take the next step and order the product. If you get results, consider “doing the business.”

The redeeming factor about network marketing is exactly that – no to low start up cost. Don’t bet the house. There is not another business model on the planet that offers so much upside for so low an investment – and offers very little down side risk.

Again, we were MAD that our network marketing company because it didn’t last – but neither did our real estate office last. The BIG difference? We KNOW the amount of money we earned net from MLM.

We also knew the pain and financial loss from conventional business when the real estate market shifted – it was not pretty. AND we didn’t get 3 years to play and do anything we wanted to do while we operated a conventional business!

What should you do next?

How to Run a Bakery

Running a bakery requires a lot of things all coming together at once.

I prefer the term, “The Daily Operational Requirements of a Bakery” rather than “how to run a bakery”.

The word “running”, is a term used in the sports field and though we as bakers do a lot of fast movements and it might seem to some that we are literally running from place to place. It is structured and designed to make as much use of our production time as is humanly possible.

Also running in a bakery business is one of the top reasons for professional accidents. The only time anyone should be running in a bakery business, is in the event of an emergency!

Now as far as the heading is concerned we are running a bakery but of course as I have explained my preferred term is the day to day operations of a bakery.

For some, it is also going to be a headache. It is certainly going to be a fun and rewarding experience to others. But it can also be your worst nightmare!

I am telling you this right up front…

…NOT to scare you into giving up your business venture, but to open your eyes, so you can see outside the box.

You have heard that statement many times i am sure. But, if you can think outside the box then many of the challenges will seem like an easy crossword puzzle. (Unless you hate crossword puzzles of course).

YOU!

YES you!

Whatever you do will be imprinted onto your business and whatever your employee does will also have a bearing upon “YOUR” business. It is therefore up to you to know as much about that business as is humanly possible.

What you don’t know can be purchased, such as managers, accountants and lawyers.

You will need to oversee every aspect or employ someone with whom you have complete trust and I do mean complete trust. This person will be spending YOUR money. They will be operating YOUR business. They may not be writing the checks, but they maybe designing the production flow and controlling your staff so that is where I say they are spending your money.

So, just what is involved with how to run a bakery?

Or as I have already said, arrange the daily operation of the bakery production.

One of the first operations is to cost your purchases and then cost the recipe’s you will use to acquire a sale price to pay all the expenses of your business.

Of course I am assuming here that you have already written your business plan and you have arranged an ingredient supplier, these are the steps to become a profitable bakery business.

The daily operations of the bakery are going to change every day. This is because production will change daily. After-all the chance of selling out every product every day is unrealistic – NOT impossible, but not likely.

We of course strive to produce just enough so that few pieces are left over. That way the product is at its freshest.

In the bakery we produce bread dough’s, and some of those bread dough’s require a bench time and some bread dough’s are what we call “No-Time” dough’s. So it is important that we arrange our time to work all these productions times into a standard operation for optimum use of every piece of equipment as well as utilizing our oven space appropriately.

Besides the bread dough’s we also make cakes and cookies, pies and other products that require different operational procedures. They also bake at different times and temperature.

Breads bake at a temperature of 400 to 450 degrees. But if you were to put a sugared top puff pastry product into that same oven, three things will occur.

1. The sugar will burn
2. The puff pastry will not cook correctly

3. The time, ingredients, labor and product are wasted!

Similarly, if you make meringues, the oven temperature will be 150 – 175 degrees so trying to bake a sponge

cake or bread at that temperature will be the same result of number three above.

In most bakeries, that is a small bakery with just a few employees will use a system called “baking down”.

Baking down is a way to run a bakery by baking all the highest temperature products first then the cake production then the cookie products and finally the meringues.

The products are then cooled, decorated, packaged and sold.

Zero to 60, How a Slight Fear of Broken Glass (Nelophobia) Led to a $60m Growth Opportunity

Nelophobia, the fear of broken glass, may have led to an idea that developed into a new business that went from zero to $60 million in just 3 years. We had a strong core business and a good idea. In 3 years we had a $60m business expansion without making an acquisition, without building a factory, with nearly zero capital investment, and a staff addition of… 3.

This series, Double-Digit Growth in a Slow Economy, discusses the methods that have successfully been used to drive growth when you aren’t able to count on a growing economy. We reference actual cases and companies that were transformed into growth engines beyond the natural buoyancy of economic growth. This installment discusses growth driven by entering new categories of goods as an extension of the overall growth strategy.

Growth through near adjacencies

Once you have strengthened your core business and can leverage those strengths, you will likely find the market is open to your expansion through near adjacencies. These are opportunities that directly leverage some or all of the elements of your core business. Leaping too far from the core business works for some, but it is more challenging, takes more resources, and most importantly it fails to leverage the strengths of the core business. Leveraging those strengths and resources is less of a distraction when the initiative is a near adjacency. Starting a.com business may be strategically important, but may not be a near adjacency. If it is strategically critical, you need to consider it a start up with its own independent resources. This may also help prevent building in too much of your current business model into what should be a truly new business. It is irresistible to use your current resources, but the differences in the business lead to distraction within your team and dilution of resources. For expansion that does not meet the definition of a near adjacency, establishing a start up is the preferred way to go. Once it is off the ground and has it’s own operational stability, you can consider strategic options to expand, integrate, spin off, etc. For this discussion it is important to define a near adjacency.

A near adjacency is an expansion opportunity that leverages a broad cross section of your core competencies. The more that can be leveraged, the easier to execute and build financial performance from your expansion initiatives. A near adjacency is often more financially accretive nah evident when looking at product margins alone. Because this expansion leverages so much of the current business’s strengths, the fall through to the EBITDA line is significant. If an expansion requires significant capital and staffing to manage it may not have the returns of an expansion that can fit within the envelope of the current business. Those that fit more neatly in the current structure are often lower risk for the same reason. Defining a near adjacency starts with defining the core competencies you can leverage. They have to be relevant competencies to your customers in order to create a value proposition for expansion.

Some potential competencies that are often leverage-able:

Key channel strengths and relationships
Sourcing and supply chain
Design
Engineering
IP or patents
Logistics and service efficiency
Relevant brands with equity in broad categories
Capacity – Physical space, processes, and people

A starting point is identifying strong channel relationships that can be leveraged or a strong product position that can be extended into a new geography. It is also helpful to have an objective scoring method to consider the benefits, investment, and risks associated with a category expansion.

Customer need is an important entry point

Expansion through near adjacencies may be opportunistic. It is important to listen closely to the customer’s issues. In more than one case, I have been asked to enter a new category of goods by the customer. They had a concern over their supply chain and saw our company as a strong supplier that could extend into something new. These opportunistic expansion opportunities are the most interesting since there is already an opportunity for interrupting the current supply arrangements. It is far easier to obtain an audience for your proposal when there is a need on the part of the customer. When it is not opportunistic, it is critical to create a value proposition that resonates with the customer or better yet, with the end user as well. The simplest is an advantage in the customer’s acquisition cost. Old-fashioned lower price is often too good to pass up. Do you have a cost advantage? If you do, it may work, but if you do not, it is likely all you will accomplish is reducing your competitor’s margin. They can respond to your offer of lower price. If that is the extent of your value proposition it is likely going to fail to secure new business for you or worse, end up providing a new business that has poor margins.

The expansion by near adjacency should lead to a stronger value proposition for the customer. It could be a group of benefits that individually need not be significant, but in total they are meaningful. Assuming you are selling to a channel partner like a distributor, dealer, or retailer the value proposition can be centered on driving their margins. If you are selling directly to a consumer or end user, the value proposition needs to offer an advantage to the user. In most cases we are better off not targeting acquisition cost as a means of entry unless we have a sustainable cost advantage in the goods.

Layering on improvements in the products that lead to better sales for your channel partners is an important opportunity to develop. Merchandising, packaging, simpler to install or service, a new design or features lead to a compelling case for the customer to switch. Hitting a multitude of benefits creates the most compelling position. A product that sells better than its predecessor is a great start. The customer has to believe they will have better business results taking on your new extension. If the incumbent has problems the bar is lower, but a package of clearly articulated benefits demonstrating how the customer’s business results are improved is the starting point. “New” isn’t enough. “New and improved”, you’re getting warmer.

Zero to sixty… Million

The company that had turned from a downslide to rapid growth with a 19% annual growth rate driven by gains in share, not an economic gift. We had achieved 100% of our largest customer’s shelf in our core category, 60% with our second largest, and 100% with our third. We were running out of growth runway. We had built a far more efficient organization that was designed for growth and performing so well, we were about to run out of share to gain.The Sales team was tasked to cultivate new accounts for our core products and expansion with smaller customers where we had growth opportunities. We quantified our available targets for growth with new and existing customers and it was quickly apparent we needed a new category of goods to offer. We began a project to look at categories we could expand in that would leverage our strong customer relationships, our supply chain, and facilities. I established a director of new category development to focus on developing new product categories to facilitate continued growth at a rate much greater than the growth of the economy. (Shout out to Pat Boehnen)

We needed a new category that we could leverage with our strongest “core” customers. They knew us best and we had credibility and competency in serving them. Our new category team created a solid list of opportunities and performed research around current suppliers, level of innovation, estimates of market size and used our scoring system to project which categories would offer the best opportunity. Nothing was a slam-dunk, but we initiated work on the top three areas to see if we could develop a new business. This is inherently long term compared to increasing sales of current products which are ready to ship, versus a set of goods that would take at least a year to develop if not longer. This emphasizes the point of having simultaneous effort to manage the company performance curve. We were growing at 19% and did not want to see growth slow to 5%. In the near term our sales team could fill the gap by selling our current goods more successfully to a broader customer list. We established more sales presence in our nearest international opportunity, Canada. It was the most serviceable area of geographical growth considering our presence. This continued our growth during the category development period until our new categories could start to bear fruit.

We needed a new category that offered a compelling advantage over the current suppliers, who by the way were likely years ahead in their own core category we sought to enter and beat them in. Yes, it is a tall order when you put it in those terms. You need an entry point. A stale category perhaps. A sleepy competitor. An innovation or technology you can bring to a category first. A cost advantage you can use to create a value for the customer. Better services that support your products. These are some of the forms of advantage you can bring over a competitor. As a start-up, you have to bring more benefit than just a tweak or two. If you cannot bring a significant advantage of your own, you need an invitation from the customer. They need to want a supplier change and see you as a company that has certain strengths. Perhaps the incumbent is struggling with fill rates, quality, or the most likely reason to stimulate change… they have initiated a price increase.

Our new category team was doing a nice job identifying opportunities and began to design products and programs to test with our supply chain as well as with key customers. In each of the three highest ranked opportunities there were challenges. The category you wish to enter need not be fast growing. Often times companies feel they need to chase the fast growing segment or geography in order to grow. It is nice of course, but you overlook current mature revenue that is there for the taking in larger categories. Not to mention that fast growing categories invite more new entrants. As the new entrant, we seek to grow much more by share gain, not through normal category growth rate. We would rather not duke it out as we get our bearings in the category with others entering at the same time.

US based companies with reasonably strong share positions often are lured into thinking international growth is key when they look at markets growing at faster rates than the US. We all chased BRIC countries a few years ago and found significant barriers. We look at growth rates and think that is where the growth is. US companies work in the largest economy on the planet. I think international growth is an important strategy, but if you have strength in the US, you can grow even when the market growth is at a slow rate. There is a lot more share to gain where you have assets and a solid understanding of the market than an overseas start-up. This emphasizes the opportunity offered by category expansion over other forms if you can leverage your presence. While our category development team was modest with a staff of 3 people, they were making good progress on the conceptual aspects of the initiative.

Neophobia? (I didn’t know what it was either)

We were part of a conglomerate and I was attending a meeting with our second largest customer where my peers also attended. Halfway through the meeting a senior VP from our customer looked across the room in my direction, but veered to my right to another business unit president and said, “you guys need to get into the shower door business.” That business made bath fixtures like bathtubs and shower units, so it made prefect sense. Unfortunately, they had been in it before and found it was a difficult category. Bulky, easy to damage, high return rates, too many combinations to stock which were slow moving, enough to push back almost before the words were spoken. Not to mention that business was working on a new innovation in their core bathing fixtures business that was taking up most of their resources. I quietly noted the idea rather than express an interest. After all, our business didn’t really have the right set up for shower doors. We sold decorative hardware. About 1/3 of the business was decorative bath hardware as I started to grasp for a reason to think we could meet the challenge. My first thoughts were those of a normal human being. What were all of the problems with this idea? Bulky packaging that would not work in our automated distribution facility was just the first of a long list. Managing through a manual pick and ship process was possible. Then Nelophobia set in. The possibility of shards of broken glass in our distribution centers… That we need to do something about, yes we could package the glass separately so it could be protected. Solving this problem for a purely self-serving reason led to a fantastic innovation and a $60 million dollar win for our company.

One thing leads to another

Protecting the glass was the key? Not entirely. Thinking of the product in a completely different way than the incumbent supplier was the key. Shower doors are packaged with an aluminum frame available in 4-5 colors, glass panels were available in 5-6 patterns, and hardware to install. They are not assembled, so why do the parts have to be in one package? Our customer carried 28 combinations in stock and inherently, not the right 28. Splitting the product into 2-3 selectable packages that allowed for mix-and-match merchandising would change the entire consumer experience. I quickly realized that we would have over 100 combinations in stock. It turned out to be 115. As far as manufacturing and sourcing, we could easily source the components if packaged separately by type. A glass pack sourced directly from a glass supplier and an aluminum frame pack from an aluminum extruder. Great news, I don’t need to capitalize a glass factory and an aluminum extrusion business. At the proper scale, perhaps a big capital outlay would make sense, but if available capacity exists, why not start and leverage someone else’s unused fixed overhead first? All of this was in my notes and the meeting was still going on. The concept was drafted in as little as 20 minutes after thinking about the reasons why I could not lead us into the shower door business and looking for a way around each problem. When the meeting adjourned, we had a smaller summary meeting with the group from our parent company. I said, “I think we can take on the lead on shower doors.” There was silence, initially. Oh my god, was this Jerry McGuire’s memo in real life? It made no sense and we were just getting our mojo back in our core business. Why on earth go into a business that the logical peer company wasn’t interested in?

We had an innovative idea. That’s why.

And, we had command of our core. I tried to cover it by explaining my notes on the subject. No time for PowerPoint… All I needed here was not to hear a veto. I didn’t need to hear enthusiasm, just not a barrier to develop the concept. One key influencer said, “Let them take a look at it.” Perfect, saved by one open mind that happened to be someone who had more insight to our strengths. The next day I sat with our category development team and reviewed the concept. This one had not even been on the radar. We needed to put a tad more thought into the opportunity and the challenges. One thing for sure, the category was ripe. The incumbent supplier was resting and not beloved, but neither was the category. No one was tending to this business as a part of their core. The major home centers gave it minimal space. Returns were amazingly high at 18%. Sales were flat. Inventory turns were very low. Of course, the retailer didn’t have the right combinations in stock. We had a good team for the task. They realized the value of the invitation. There was available share to gain even though the category wasn’t growing very fast. A part of the learning of this initiative is that the category need not be a growth category if it is incremental to your business and you have a good deal of share to gain. In this case we happened to make it a growth category by improving the consumer experience.

Within a matter of weeks we had become convinced this was a great opportunity and we had all of the makings of a strong entry. We had an invitation form a customer that sold maybe 30% of the industry. We had a competitor that was not investing. We had a category that needed a fresh approach, and we had a great innovation. We began formal development in multiple prongs, engineering the product, sourcing, and merchandising. We requested a formal review with the customer and a date was established. We only had a few months to prepare. Merchandising development was key. We could easily enough engineer the product and early signs in sourcing gave us confidence we could come close to our cost targets. However, if we could not present this in the retail aisle in a compelling way, it might not sell. Most of our efforts were to mock up and test the in-store presence. We set up a 24-foot display in our warehouse and began tinkering. What was the best way to get this across? Anything that differs from the norm is a risk. Consumers and channel partners can be slow to change.

Bring in the critics.

We started bringing in consumer groups to our mock store. The feedback was enormously helpful in refining the presentation and led to a 1-2-3 selection process. The consumer figured it out pretty quickly. We set our refined displays and had our first exposure with the decision makers from the customer. The feedback was good, but a little subdued. Reading the tealeaves I think it was apparent that this was more different than they expected. They weren’t prepared for a different model. Typically they were focused on a different price for goods that looked like a simple replacement of the existing. We weren’t attempting to be cheaper. We were attempting to be better. They could see merit, but… we were not a shower company. The incumbent… was part of a highly respected multi-billion dollar leader in the fashion bath industry globally. How do we reconcile this? We leveraged our peers. The branding was borrowed from our sister company, which had become the leading brand in faucets. We had a winner, but we had only played a pre-season scrimmage.

Based on the initial review of the concept, a full line review was scheduled. This would include the incumbent and would invite them to bring their best ideas to the review. Fortunately, they did not feel at risk and didn’t offer much of a challenge to our concept. What wasn’t known at the time is that the customer was mounting a strong push for value through price reduction. The fastest way to realize a price reduction is with your current suppliers. They can discount starting at 8:00 AM tomorrow or better yet, retroactively. Even if we were cheaper, it would take a year or more for us to get into all stores, which is the point you would realize a savings.

We weren’t cheaper.

We were better. Our tests indicated a strong increase in sales of 15% over the current products. That in a category offering almost no current growth. It would be a competitive advantage over other home centers. Our return rate projection was 50% lower than the current program because the parts were separately packed. The leading reason for return was miss-cutting the aluminum channel. If you do that on ours, you only try to return the “defective” aluminum channel… But, the incumbent was the only one in a position to provide better costs tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM and even if we had identical costs, the retailer would have to wait 12 months or more to realize it. It was a matter of goal alignment. We truly had a better value on the table, but we could not address the goal the customer had to achieve. We lost in the final outcome.

Now what? We are months in and we lost…

We had a great concept and it was a matter of time before something leaked and our great concept became the incumbent’s great concept. It happens. We loaded up the truck and moved to another customer. This time we had no invitation, but we did have a great concept and it was well developed through our research. The quality of the concept was evident immediately, but this was one of the least attractive categories in the fashion-bathing aisle. It was slow moving. Unlike trying to gauge the age of a tree by counting the rings, you don’t have to kill a shower door to know how long it has been there. Dust is the first indicator and there was plenty. It just wasn’t a target category for a big change, but maybe it should be. Maybe that is why the dust is there. We won a test market, 50 stores to try it out, hardly enough to get our supply chain working. We would have to subsidize it during the test. We needed about 10 times that number of stores to get leverage with suppliers. These weren’t necessarily the top 50 stores in the country mind you. It was a test that if we passed would definitely speak to the benefits of the program. The test was set and after some adjustment and work with the store associates we started to see the results we expected. We tweaked some things and added some price points. The program did exactly what it was designed to do. The consumer responded well and sales were up in the high teens as a result. Returns were far lass than half. The initial success and our lack of scale presented challenges to meet demand. You would think a small store count would make it easy, but in this case it was a challenge because we lacked scale with our supply chain. Challenges aside, we ironed out a very good program that was then installed in 200 stores, then to 1,000 stores, and then to 2,000 stores. The program went from zero to $60 million in 3 years. $60 million in new revenue for a business that was $220m in revenue at the time, quite a growth curve.

The lessons here are that to grow in adjacent categories or customers you have to find leverage-able strengths. These are much more important than a market that is growing. You grow through share gains for 3-4 years and that does not mean the market has to lift you. Of course in years 5+ growth will be slower, but you are working on the next growth program to continue fueling your engine. Going for a large, mature market with a new approach is an excellent way to grow your share.

Office Rental Is Profitable for Your Business

We all know that real estate rates are increasing tremendously with the development and advancement of society. Commercial property rates have always been higher than residential rates. In such a case buying an office can be a big investment especially if one has limited resources and a low budget. We all know that multinationals and large corporations have a huge commercial premise which looks quite professional and impressive. However, they have a huge turnover and can afford it conveniently. What about the small and developing companies? There are many companies in the market who are working to establish their places in the world of big industries. However, initially they have a shortage of resources and cannot invest in an office.

The best solution for this problem is office rental. Renting an office is quite convenient and affordable. It makes your business look more professional without having to invest a big amount. The saved resources can be used elsewhere which can prove to be more profitable for the business. Office space London provides you with an ample amount of space and can be easily sorted out by hiring a real estate agent. Real estate agents are middlemen who help you in searching for the right property suiting your needs and requirements. They have all the necessary market information which makes your property search much easier. They charge you some amount of commission for their services.

There are many people who run their businesses from home. But, normally these kinds of business do not succeed because they do not create an impression on their customers. If you do not have any idea about office rental and real estate you can conduct an online survey for more information. There are many websites which provide these kinds of services and help you find the right kind of office for yourself.

A developing business always expands some day or the other. In such cases a rented office proves to be much more convenient. You can always shift your business premises and move into a larger office. This is useful especially if the numbers of employees are going on increasing. Thus, it is very necessary that you plan out your resources well before investing anywhere. A monthly rental agreement is more suitable if you want to shift your office anytime in between. This will make your expansion procedure simpler and less hectic without blocking a large amount of your resources. If you are planning to purchase a property conduct a proper market survey before taking any step. It is best to invest in the locality whose real estate rates are most likely to increase in the future. This will be a profitable investment for you and you will get a good resell value if you want to sell the property and purchase a bigger property.

Renting an office also has advantages in case of taxes. A person who has rented an office is required to pay deducted amount of taxes according to the law. Thus, this was some important information on how to rent an office and the various advantages associated with it.

Best Company to Invest Your Money – Guidelines for Evaluating Stocks and Financial Strength

First of all, it’s never a good idea to put all of your money into a single investment. Always keep your portfolio as diverse as you possibly can. It is very common to ask questions such as “best company to invest your money”. It’s ideal to conduct research on a few companies or products at a time and invest regularly. Be sure and join an investment newsletter that offers the top picks by the experts who really have an innovative approach to the stock market.

A beginning investor should never begin with an individual stock. If you’re new and just starting with your portfolio, it is much riskier to buy an individual stock than it is to buy a low-cost mutual fund that includes a group of stocks.

Regardless of your experience level a lot of people recommend that “FAANG” is a way to go, or at least used as a starting point. These are the “Big 5” Facebook / Amazon Apple / Netflix / Google. These 5 tech giants have their hands in just about everything these days and still have the potential to disrupt the industries and economy that they don’t already.

Do some research on all of the industries these big 5 are involved in to help you make your decision on the best company to invest your money in. Consider competitors as well, such as Disney, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Baidu, etc… Baidu (BIDU) has a huge stronghold in China, and is slowly growing on a global level.

Is There a Best Company to Invest Your Money In?

Always consider factors like debt, price, and valuation when investing. Do research on a company’s background and current financial situation to find out if it’s in debt. The more debt a business is in, the more money it has to spend on payments and interests. Also, look into dividends, and the company’s history in paying them. Are the dividends being increased or not?

Don’t make the mistake in assuming that a stock is going to be a bargain just because the price is very low. You must understand why and how that price went down and if it is going to rebound. Volatility is to be expected on occasion as well, so don’t panic or be surprised over it.

Some classes or training can really go a long way – especially if you want to try and make a living with investing in the stock market. You won’t get rich overnight, but you will likely find success after a while if you learn about the common evaluation metrics, like price-to-earnings ratio, debt-to-equity ratios, dividend yields, etc.

One way to learn about the stock market and get some ideas on the best company to invest your money is to join Capitalist Exploits. The newsletter is provided by professional money managers who track trends and capital flows to establish where the true value lies.

Pros and Cons of the Green Investment Bank

The Green Investment Bank has been formed in order to fund renewable energy and low-carbon projects. The bank will raise equity for green investing in wind turbine farms, smart grids and other such renewable energy projects. The GIB is focusing on green technologies which are set to provide an increasing number of jobs and related businesses in the UK. The UK is behind its international rivals, and must take action fast. Could green investment banking be the answer to the UK’s needs?

Pro – The green technologies and services market is worth more than $3 trillion per annum. Currently the UK has only around a 5% share of this market. Germany and France have double the market share of the UK. Brazil has created half a million new jobs in green ethanol promotion, and nearly quarter of a million work in Germany in the green investing sector. Green investment banking will help the UK economy recover, and help the UK to move towards a low carbon economy, and meet its responsibilities to the Kyoto treaty.

Pro – Ultimately, if funded properly from the beginning, the GIB will pay for itself many times over. It is an amazing opportunity to raise the funds for projects that are desperately needed in order to tackle climate change.

Pro – There are way too many sources of green funding from the government, which do not coordinate between each other, such as the Carbon Trust, the Energy Technologies Institute and many more. The Green Investment Bank will solve this by consolidating projects and public funds.

Con – There are many unresolved issues with the Green Investment Bank, such as where the funding will come from. The government was going to give 1 billion pounds, with the private sector matching this, but this is now in doubt. Perhaps it will be funded by green bonds and ISAs, and by adding a tax to energy bills. This funding and structuring problem needs to be solved before the bank can function properly.

Con – Until the ideas for the GIB are brought into fruition, investors are not making any moves, but rather just waiting to see how things will work out. The bank has not been clear in what its exact objectives are. It could even become just one more public fund with capital that is under-deployed. The business model of the Green Investment Bank as it stands means that it will unlikely be able to deliver large-scale investments. The bank really needs to align itself with other providers of financial services, and then it will be able to give assistance to high-risk, high-gain green projects that are so far not proven.