Ideas Archives - Page 7 of 7 - BOLLYWOOD SURKHIYAN

Risk Management – Some Practical Ideas on How to Minimise Risk in a Business

Introduction

Risk is a given in any business and it can be damaging to a business and even threatens its survival. It is therefore essential to be aware of the various risks, to understand its potential impact on a business and to know how to manage it effectively. This article gives some practical guidelines on how to minimise risk. The discussion is done under the following headings:

Planning;
Relationships;
Hedging;
Discipline.

Planning

Detail planning goes a long way in reducing risk. Planning should include the following:

Feasibility studies. It is important to ascertain the viability of a new venture through a proper feasibility study.
Business planning. A business plan gives the detail of how, when and by whom the strategic goals will be achieved.
Cashflow projections. Too many businesses go under due to cashflow problems that could have been prevented. It is essential to plan for anticipated cash in- and outflows and the timings thereof.
Financial planning. Good financial planning covers many things including projected management accounts and the underlying ratios. Pre-emptive observation and correction of any potential profitability-, liquidity and solvency problems reduce the risk of running into financial troubles.
Project planning. Any substantial ad-hoc project in a company is normally handled more efficiently through proper project management. This includes mergers and acquisitions, new product launches and expansion into new territories.

Relationships

When companies evaluate risks they often forget about the human element. This is potentially one of the most fatal risk factors. Relationships should be nurtured. Specific relationships that are important include the following:

Suppliers. Good relationships with suppliers are just as important as with any other stakeholder in a business. It makes business sense to negotiate good credit terms with suppliers and to pay them as late as possible, but once an agreement is in place commitments need to be honoured.
Customers. Customers should always receive excellent service and be handled fairly and with respect. A large proportion of business normally emanates from existing clients. A specific bad practice is to try and make a quick buck out of a client through very high margins.
Employees. Companies often pay lip service as far as the importance of their employees are concerned. Confidentiality agreements and restraints of trade can reduce some risk of unhappy or dishonest personnel, but it can never be as effective as a team of loyal and motivated employees.
Financiers. Transparency and information is essential for investors and bankers. Nobody likes to be blindsided or to get unpleasant surprises. To deliver more than what is promised is also a good practice. In difficult times financing can mean survival.
Other Stakeholders. Relationships with all other stakeholders should also be kept in place. This can be the local government, governing bodies in the industry, service providers and others.

Hedging

The essence of hedging is to circumvent a potential negative effect in business through an action, product, etc. Hedging is typical in the financial domain, but by working cleverly it can also be achieved (to a certain extent) on an operational level. Some of the ways to hedge the operations of a business are given below:

Suppliers. To have back-up suppliers (especially for critical products, raw material and services) is a good practice. This keeps a company from being held ransom by an un-cooperative or out-of-stock supplier.
Products. Any company should continually add new products to its offering. To rely on only a few good products can be very risky.
Manufacturing. It is worthwhile to consider different manufacturing plants (if the size of the business justify it). The risk on the business due to factors such as natural disasters and labour disputes is thereby reduced.
Distribution. Back-up warehousing facilities and distribution channels are advisable.
Customers. We have seen successful companies that had serious problems when they lost their biggest customers. Customer risk can substantially be reduced through having many (and loyal) customers.
Geography. Political or economic instability in a country can be very dangerous for the businesses that operate there. Wherever possible it is advisable to spread the risk over many geographical areas.
Seasonality. Product- and service offerings that cater for various seasons have a very positive effect on cashflows and minimise the potential risks associated with it.
ICT. Very few companies can survive without proper information and communication technology. Back-up procedures and of-site facilities reduce the potential risk.
Financial. Financial risk management is very prevalent in large international businesses. If you sell your products in the international arena there are many products available to hedge the various risks. Risks that need to be catered for include currency, interest rate and commodity price risks.

Discipline

Discipline can reduce risks in all aspect of business. Discipline should apply to all aspects discussed above as well as to the following:

Expenditure. Expenses should be kept under control -especially in times of affluence.
Debt. Debt assists a business to grow. A business with too much debt is, however, very vulnerable for liquidation in adverse conditions.
Cashflow. A lack of sufficient cashflow is a potentially fatal business risk. Cashflows should be managed diligently.
Growth. Business growth requires additional working capital. Uncontrolled growth can lead to financial distress and even bankruptcy and should be avoided.

Summary

Risk in business is a reality. When these risks are successfully managed the rewards can be substantial. If not, a business can run into serious problems and even collapse. It is unnecessary (and stupid) to ignore risks. By adhering to a few basic principles these risks can be reduced drastically.

Starting a Cake Business – Ideas to Help You Put Up Your Small Business

If you have passion in decorating cakes and in baking, starting a cake business can be a wise idea and enjoy making money out of your hobby. Indeed, it can be enjoyable and profitable as well if you make money out of what you love doing. If you have the skills and creativity that you need in creating beautiful and delicious cakes, here are some tips and ideas that will help you put up your own business with what you already have.

– Make a business plan. Of course, you can’t just put up a business without having a plan. You have to have a business goal and strategies that will help you achieve them. You have to lay out who you want to sell your cakes to, what types of cakes you want to specialize, and how you will be able to compete your designs to those already existing in the market. With a good business plan, you will be able to answer and deal with the many questions that you will encounter in starting a cake business.

– Assess the cost you need in starting a cake business. Cost is one of the important factors that you need to consider in starting up your business. List down and prioritize what you need to have to put up your business. You may need to hire additional personnel, or get some equipment to make your baking and decorating fast, and consider your marketing costs as well.

– Find your specialty. In the many cake and pasty business already existing, it is important that you can compete with them and you can establish your own name in the business. Try to make your designs unique and find your place in the business.

– Don’t forget that beautiful designs should come with a delicious taste. In the cake and pastry industry, you have to get your client’s taste and impress them with your beautiful design.

– Make you marketing plan. In starting a cake business and in any business, you have to come up with a good marketing plan so you will know how to market your product and reach out to your customers. In these times that competition in stiff in business, you have to be creative in marketing your product. Take advantage of the internet in marketing your business. You can even set up an online cake shop and you make deliveries. Take advantage of marketing your products online. People these times go to the internet to find information so take advantage of internet marketing tools.

Don’t forget to improve your skills and products. It is important to find ways to improve your products. You can personalize, be more creative with your designs and make your customers happy. It is in these simple things that you get customer satisfaction and repeat purchases, so make sure you can offer quality products and services for your clients. If you are mindful of the contentment and joy you can give your clients, then you definitely can keep a good part of the market.

Top 10 Small Business Ideas for 2012

Starting a small business takes a lot of planning and the ability to execute your business plans. Though it doesn’t require a big capital for a small business however you cannot lose your capital as this will cause a serious trouble on the financial front at the same time your future expansion plans. If you have knowledge about how to run a business successfully, you won’t be able to take a wrong move that can affect your business plans. Before we go on further to the small business ideas, refer to the tips for running a small business.

• Can it sustain your everyday expenses and can it profit you.

• Can it raise enough funds to get it running for a long time and can become a profitable venture.

• Is it something that is needed everyday and does it has an appeal to sell on a steady basis?

• Is it something that you know how to do and can you do it well?

• Is it something that you like to do and doesn’t mind you at all doing it over and over again?

Now that we know our objective in putting up a small business let’s go forward and see what are the best idea for small business this 2012.

1. Online business – this may include article writing/blogging, virtual assistant, translator, copy writer or bookkeeper, data entry, etc. This is one of the ideal business ideas for beginners would be to take advantage of various online business opportunities. By doing online data entry and online paid survey jobs, you can earn money per hour for your work. The more accuracy and consistency you show in your job, the more work you will get.

2. Mobile apps development – almost all people nowadays possesses a mobile phone and included on the mobile phone is application that people always uses. Calendars, Alarm Clocks, notepads are some example of applications that are commonly downloaded. Whether this is a businessman, a politician, an artist or just an ordinary person has a lot or even tons of mobile application.

3. Make-up artist or hair salons – Providing either makeup artist services or hair salons is yet another interesting small business idea. Makeup artists are in great demand in the fashion and entertainment industry. If you have the required makeup skills and talent, you can start your own company and do the makeup of television and movie stars. By providing good service, you can get long-term contracts which will increase your revenues greatly. The great thing about hair salons is that they are a sure thing. No matter how dismal the economic climate, women will still scrape together the money to get their hair done, even if they have to let their nails go. So hair salons with talented stylists and well-priced services will still be real money makers.

4. Cleaning services (pool, yard, garage etc.) – A cleaning service is a good business proposition for a person who relishes the idea of cleaning apartments, homes and commercial establishments. Housekeeping is an art and people are typically deterred by the prospect of getting grease, tough stains and odors out of carpets, keeping their bathroom clean and eliminating odors from their refrigerator. Hence, a cleaning service can be a steady source of income assuming that there are no immediate competitors. Otherwise, one would have to spend money on advertising and this may eat into one’s profits. Cleaning services can operate round the clock since residential apartments are generally cleaned during the day while commercial buildings are cleaned after office-hours. Considering that cleaning services earn popularity and goodwill through word of mouth, a job that is well done will rarely go unnoticed.

5. Elder assistant or baby sitting – being a babysitter doesn’t require you to have a license, with more parents needing to work and offering a home based child care can be a great way of starting your own business while taking care of your own kids too. The growing numbers of senior baby boomers also provide growing business opportunities for senior care. In-home care and senior residences are the obvious ones, but don’t forget all the related opportunities such as driving, delivery, catering and cleaning services for seniors who want to stay in their homes. You can certainly develop your own business providing care for seniors.

6. Recycler – the best thing of being a recycler is that you’re not just earning your own money and you’re also helping the environment. Average homeowner doesn’t always know where or how to recycle the stuff they’ve got. A pickup truck are all you’d need to start buying or simply offering to remove scrap metal, old computers, electronics, ink cartridges and other recyclable materials.

7. Event management/party planner – Event management or party planning can also be a good option for a small business. Event planners have to organize a particular event by taking into consideration the suggestions given by their clients. This job requires creativity, patience and ability to get work done from people on time. It can help you be a successful event planner if have a good team of creative professional that can help you organize the event under you.

8. Online selling – whether this is a pre-loved or brand-new stuff you can still earn big bucks. This is being popularized by e-bay. There are still some people who have a whole lot of money and are willing to spend it on the name products that matter. Luxury handbags, scarves, and shoes for women are still selling well, for instance.

9. Social media consultants – With the ever rising of the social media era and the giant social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and You tube, businesses have been taking advantage of this to gain more exposure for their brands and products. With more than 800 million active users in Facebook alone, business promotion in this top social networking site is now a priority for business owners and marketers. If you have the social media marketing skills that can outsource likes and follows for your client’s business, then this business can help you earn cold cash on the Internet.

10. Pet related services such as pet sitter, pet cleaning and grooming services – Most Canadians and Americans loves pet especially dogs and feeding, caring for them and pampering their pooches a spending priority. Kennels, doggie daycare, dog treat bakeries and dog resorts are few of the things that you may want to venture in.

These are not necessarily ideas for businesses that anyone can start however you can get some idea on the list above. But in my opinion, these are business opportunities that are going to provide real chances to make money in 2012 and beyond. Business that is done right, in the right place and for the right people may be profitable enterprises for years to come. If you’ve been considering a sale in 2012, take your time and do it right. Plan ahead, research your market and stand out from the competition. Knowing the sales process is half the battle. With proper preparation, you can ensure a stress free transition and a financially successful exit from your business.

Best Small Business Tips and Ideas

Deciding to start a business can be one of the most exhilarating decisions you make in your life. We are living in a world wherever everyone wants to make extra money and add to his income. Most people have achieved this by acquiring great business ideas. When one starts up a company, he must be ready to meet competition. It is important to note that you would not need to become rich or popular to succeed in business but have to think smartly. But there are a lot of moving parts and many different elements to consider.

10 basic tips essential to start a business successfully.

Tip 1: Get inspired and Love your idea

Every business begins with an idea you may have imagined of opening your own business for years, or motivation may have hit you suddenly. Nevertheless of the source, the first step of starting your own business is coming up with a business idea. And as important as your idea, you must in love with the idea.

Tip 2: Do Your Research / learn everything about the business

You’ve recognized your big idea, now it’s time to balance it with the reality. Are you truly ready to start a business? Answer the questions below and see what you need to prepare yourself for business. For a small business succeed it must fulfill a need, solve a problem or offer something the market wants.

You can identify this need in many ways by doing research, focus groups, and even trial and error.

As you search the market, some of the questions can be:

• Is there a need for your anticipated services or products?

• Who needs it? (Target Costumers)

• Are there other companies offering similar services or products right now?

• How is the competition?

• Can or how will your business fit into the market?

Tip 3: Make a Business Plan

You need a business plan in order to make your business idea a reality. If you expect to seek monetary support from an investor or financial organization, a formal written business plan is a must.

Even if you don’t need monetary support, a simple business plan can give you precision about what you hope to accomplish and how you plan to do it.

In overall, your business plan should summary your business goals and the inspiration behind them, as well as your plan for realization of your goals in terms of marketing and funding.

Tip 4: Planning Finances

Opening a small business doesn’t have to involve a lot of money, but it will involve some investment.

There are a number of methods you can fund your small business:

• With Small business grants

• By Financing

• With Small business loans

• Or Angel investors

You can also attempt to get your business off the ground by bootstrapping, using as little capital as necessary to start your business.

Tip 5: Business Structure

Your small business can be an individual ownership, a partnership, a limited liability company (LLC) or a corporation. The business structure you might choose will impact in many factors from your business name, to liability, and how you file your taxes.

You can choose an initial business structure, and with time re-evaluate and change your structure as your business grows and needs to be changed.

Tip 6: The Business Name

The name you choose plays a role in almost every aspect of your business, so you want it to be a good one. Make sure you think through all of the possible consequences as you explore your options and select your business name.

Once you have selected a name, there is the need to check if it’s trademarked, currently in use and if stills free you will need to register it. A individual proprietor must register their business name with either their state or county clerk. Corporations, LLC, or limited corporations usually register their business name when the creation paperwork is filed.

These days you need to have a website, so please don’t forget to register your domain name once you have selected your business name. The best domains and more valuable online are the ones ending with .com.

Tip 7: Licenses and Permits

There are a range of small business licenses and permits that may apply to your situation, depending on the type of business you are starting and where you are placed. You will need to inquiry what licenses and permits apply to your business during the initial process.

Tip 8: The Business Location

Setting up your place to work is essential for the operation of your business, whether you will have a home office, a shared or private office space, or a retail location. You will need to reflect about your place, equipment, and overall setup, and make sure your business place works for the kind of business you will be doing.

Tip 9: Accounting System

One of the most essential systems for a small business is an accounting system. Your accounting system is essential in order to build and manage your budget, set your charges, conduct business with others, and file your taxes. You can set up your accounting system by your own, or hire an accountant to take away some of the work.

Tip 10: Promote Your Small Business

As soon your business is up and running, you need to start attracting customers. You’ll want to initiate with the essentials by writing a single selling offer and building a marketing plan. Explore as many small business marketing ideas as you can so you to choose how to promote your business most successfully. Completed these business start-up actions, you will have all of the most important small business bases protected, and be prepared for small business success.

15 Business Ideas to Generate Extra Income

If you want or need to start a side job because you still need to wait a little bit longer to start your own business, here are 15 suggestions for you.

1. Make money Blogging

If you enjoy writing, find a theme you’re passionate about and start a blog dedicated to covering that theme and anything else interesting you enjoy to talk about. All you need is a laptop, some time, and inspiration to consistently write. It can start as a hobby and turn into a business over time. Creating a blog is free, but if you want to look professional it can cost less than $ 12 per month.

2. Buying or selling on eBay

Thanks to internet there are more opportunities to make money than ever to buy and resell products for extra money. There are lots of people buy at a discount and resell them on eBay for profit.

3. Freelance writing

If you’re great with words, you might be capable to find some work as an online freelancer. A variety of publications need online content in the form of product, stories, service descriptions, and reports, and if you have the talent and ability, you could easily be the one to create them. Luckily, all you need is a computer and Internet connection to get started. You can start here freelancer.com

4. Social media expert

Now a day almost everyone uses Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, but did you know that many companies are willing to compensate people to support them managing their social media accounts and sometimes you can do it part-time from home. If this appeals you, to find social media jobs you can start by writing companies with a social media presence and visiting sites like Elance.com for opportunities.

5. Proofreading and editing

Do you have strong English skills and outstanding grammar? You may have chances to work as a proof-reader from home. Marketing for this can be hard; seek out those who might actually be able to use your services and advertise directly to them.

6. Virtual assistant

Many companies and individual professionals like having someone who can check and answer their email, organize task lists for them, someone who can update their calendars, and perform other administrative tasks, with minimal communication. The best of being a virtual assistant is that you can offer this service from home with a good Internet connection.

7. Website design

If you know a little bit about web design you can approach small businesses in your community, as they could use a very basic web presence to tell others about their business. These businesses usually don’t have a large budget for websites and create a great yet simple website is for you, get a bunch of clients from your local community, create sites for them, and maintains them for a small fee. You can easily get enough businesses to have a nice side business of your own with a low investment.

8. Affiliate marketing

Certain types of online businesses will pay you to promote their products and encourage sales. If you’re interested in learning more, check out affiliate marketing programs such as Click-bank, Commission Junction, and these websites are trustworthy and you can earn money by posting their products in your blog, website or Facebook. The secret of online business is all knowing targeting the right public and marketing efficiently. It can be overwhelming with all the information available online as more than 50% of the information is just a waste of time.

9. Become a business or life coach

If you are a good speaker and passionate about the business world and able to inspire and encourage others in a unique way, you could marketing your services as a business or even a life coach. Take your passion and expertise to the next level giving advice and suggest actionable steps people can take to progress their professional and private lives.

10. Start a resume writing service

If you’re excellent at writing remarkable resumes that in the end result in people getting the job, contemplate advertising those services. Most of your work will spin around writing, editing, designing, and proofreading, so you will only need few supplies outside of your computer and basic software to get started.

11. App Developer

Web app development is the creation of application programs that reside on remote servers and are delivered to the user’s device over the Internet. Now a day you can do apps with software’s you don’t really need to be a weirdo to do it, you can be an app developer for Facebook for instance and of course you can do it part-time and home based.

12. Business Consultant

If you are high organized and skilled being a good problem solver this job is for you. Companies bring Business Consultant to identify their problems, provide solutions and optimize companies. The only investments are your skills.

13. Data Entry Service

Many companies and online businesses require some type of manual information tracking, creating a vast amount of data entry work. Although there are many work-at-home scams related with data entry work, there are a lot of genuine chances available for genuine data entry businesses. If you are an excellent typist with an eye for detail, a data entry business is a great idea for you.

14. Freelance Writer

If you have the skill to write and inform people in a certain area, you can write small books or guides and sell them online, the biggest books platform is Amazon.com, where you can display your books for free and when they are sold, you will receive a percentage from the selling. Payments are made every month depending on your sales. Investment is only your time to write and imagination.

15. Internet Researcher

The Internet provides a vast amount of information. If you can quickly and efficiently navigate through that wealth of information, and essentially find a needle in a haystack, you can create a very successful business as an Internet researcher. Search for this kind of job online or about a company which is looking for this of service.

I give you only a glimpse what you could do, and these are just a few ideas, but many ideas were left behind.

First of all I advise you to think what you like to do as a hobby or in your free time, why don’t you make profit from what you are doing already?

You have the world as your disposal, but for a business to work out the first thing from all things is, it doesn’t matter what you intent to do, but you have to love it. If you love what you do it doesn’t feel like a job, you will be doing it with joy and this way you will be successful.

There are some side business opportunities that have grown more common in the past few years. And thanks to internet you have much more opportunities, ideas and help to develop your business.

Small Business Ideas: How to Plan a Small Business

Thinking of starting a small business? Planning and growing a small business may seem daunting, but it can be a lot of fun. However, it does require some careful thinking and planning.

You need to learn what it takes to start from scratch and succeed. Weigh all the pros and cons before making any decision.

You are the person most capable of planning, building, and running your business.

First, ask yourself questions, to discover what dream is driving you. Learn how that will be expressed in the business you envision.

* What kind of business do you wish to start?

* What kind of service or products will you be offering?

* What needs expressed by your market, do they fulfill?

* Who will buy these services and products from you?

* How do you plan to finance this project? Do you know where financing can be found?

* How will people learn about your service and products?

* Where will your business be located?

Planning and Decision-Making

Considerable planning, important financial decisions, as well as legal steps, go into setting up a small business.

Financial Planning is vital during the overall business planning process. It includes:

* Financial planning and funding sources

* Pricing

* Record keeping

* Managing costs and expenses

* Cash flow forecasts and monitoring

* Analyzing sales results

* Contingency plans and financial reserves, including long-range financial planning

Operational Planning examines everyday production processes and management issues. Day-to-day business activities are also included.

* Acquiring suppliers.

* Employee hiring.

* Evaluating and choosing production methods.

* Product handling and delivery, etc.

* Choosing reliable, secure suppliers, who can provide raw materials and other quality supplies.

* Decisions about inventory and where to store it.

A legal Framework means the considering and adhering to all legal requirements, surrounding the setting up of a small business. It helps you evaluate the following:

* Types of business ownership

* Business-related legal requirements regarding safety, health, employment legislation, etc.

* Tax liabilities, including income tax, government insurance contributions, and VAT, etc.

Insurance includes numerous measures you have to take to secure your business.

Marketing: How a venture and its products and services, appear to the world.

* Marketing is all about identifying the needs of consumers, and satisfying those needs in a profitable manner. It is essential to identify the level of demand for your services, within the market you have decided to target.

Website: You need to build a website that tells your audience about your business, or helps you sell online. It needs to reflect your vision and commitment to quality.

Networking: The type of people you ought to know, and how you can meet them, so as to make your business succeed.

* Networking is becoming increasingly important for small businesses and is a key part of the marketing process.

* Take an inventory of all your contacts and relationships, seeking out those who can help your business.

Self-Development: Examining your skill set, and what more is needed for managing a successful business.

* Looking closely at your talents and current skill set, to determine what you still have to learn.

* Seeking ways to shorten the learning curve, with assistance from a mentor, a partner, or skilled employees.

* Online or local courses can also be of great benefit.

Future and Exit: In order to promise long-term success, you need to have a vision of how to expand your business into the future. Above all, you need an exit plan. Nothing continues forever, and you need to prepare to take leave of your business in a structure, controlled manner when the times comes.

Conclusion

Owning a business can be very satisfying and is certainly the biggest learning experience of your life. Careful planning, an understanding of the type of business you’ve chosen, as well as the target market it is supposed to serve, will increase your chances of long-term success.

Floor Plans For Nightclubs – Great Business Ideas For Your Night Club

Nightclubs are well-known for their hot dance floors and cool bars. When deciding on nightclub floor plans, there are a lot of decisions to be made regarding the placement of specific locations within the nightclub itself. There are certain elements that must be included in those plans no matter what type of nightclub is being built.

Nightclubs Need a Bar Area

Nightclubs must have a bar area for patrons to enjoy. Plans for a new nightclub must include plenty of space for a bar and seating for the bar’s patrons. The bar should be in close proximity to the dance floor so that thirsty dancers won’t have far to go to enjoy refreshing alcoholic beverages. This needs to be taken into account when deciding on the placement of the bar in the plans.

Nightclubs Must Have a Dance Floor

Every nightclub must have a dance floor. The nightclub floor plans should include square footage for the dance floor area. This area needs to be large enough to accommodate dancers, dance contests, or any other event that could possibly take place inside the nightclub.

Nightclubs Need Smoking Areas

Many of today’s nightclubs do not allow smoking in certain areas such as on the dance floor. In that case, the floor plans should include a space for smokers to use. Some nightclubs have an outside porch or terrace for smokers while others designate a small space inside the club for smoking patrons.

Some Nightclubs Have Restaurants

Some nightclubs also have restaurants inside their doors. If that is the case, the nightclub floor plans will need to include space for a kitchen area as well as seating for the restaurant’s patrons. The plans will need to separate the spaces used for the restaurant, bar, and dance floor.

Nightclub Themes

The theme of the nightclub being built will also determine the type of plans needed. For instance, a nightclub with a Vegas theme in Las Vegas might need to have extra square footage in the plans to accommodate slot machines or poker tables. An exclusive nightclub may want to find floor plans that include private rooms for VIP guests or private parties.

Leasing or Building a New Club

Depending on whether the nightclub building is being built according to new plans or using an existing space, nightclub plans may have to be altered. If the nightclub is being housed in a new building, any plan may be followed and built to the correct specifications. If a nightclub is being housed in a leased space or in an existing building, the floor plans may have to be altered to suit the existing building.

Nightclub floor plans need to meet specific requirements depending upon the theme of the nightclub and the requirements its owner sets. Different plans will suggest varying locations for the placement of the bar, restaurant, dance floor, and smoking area. Plans will also vary based on square footage needs. There are a lot of choices when it comes to planning for a new nightclub.

Naming a Business – Ideas to Be Creative

Naming a business is more than just a title or description of your business, it is the initial representation of what you produce/supply/offer. So, with this in mind, you’ll want to name your business something memorable / catchy / funny / unusual.

What are your options when naming a business?

Your first and easiest option would be to pay a specialist branding company to come up with a name for you. This may or may not be the perfect name for your business, but I can tell you it will certainly be expensive!

Second option would be to throw some names around between friends and family and pick the one that seems to stand out the most. This is a very hit and miss option and you are relying on people who may not be the most objective.

The third option (and in my opinion the best) would be to do some serious targeted research on the internet and find out exactly what people on the internet search for. If people are searching for specific words/terms, then surely it would make sense to adopt those words when naming a business.

I use a free tool from Google called the ‘Keyword Selector Tool’. It allows you to put in your main keyword or phrase, and it will then generate a list of keywords that are directly related.

The best way to use the tool is to try and look for synonyms (similar words that mean the same) for your keyword. e.g. ‘Dog’/’Canine’.

Make a list of as many words as you can and put them into a text document. You can then add/mix/sort all the keywords until you come up with a great business name.

The keyword selector tool will also tell you how many times per month that word or phrase has been searched for (a great indicator of popularity). It’s obvious that the more times the keyword is searched for, the public must relate more to that keyword than others.

Now is the time to ask family and friends their opinion. Now the real research has been done and naming a business is not just a stab in the dark.

Once you have decided on a few names, then you need to go and see if they have already been taken. If not, get it registered as soon as possible and then get yourself a domain name. Even if you have no intention of using the internet for promotion just yet, don’t dismiss it out of hand, the way things are going, the internet will be an important part of many businesses in the future.

Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky – 6 Elements of a Successful Creative Team-Business Book

Generating ideas is easy. It’s executing them once they’re exposed that’s challenging. For six years, Scott Belsky, creative industry guru and entrepreneur, studied prolific creative professionals. He found that those most successful followed similar procedures; which seems counter-productive for creatives. He details his findings in his new book entitled, “Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming The Obstacles Between Vision & Reality.” Following is the sixth article in a series highlighting Belsky’s message. Here, the focus is building your creative team. Successful team leaders must strike a balance between flexibility and expectations, idea generation and execution and helpful disagreements and consensus.

Engage Initiators in Your Creative Pursuits. Effective managers measure a prospective employee’s ability to take initiative, rather than exclusively focusing on their experience. Productive teams are powered by people who pursue whatever interests them, even if sometimes prematurely. The best indicator of future initiative is past initiative. “Initiators ” attach themselves to an interest and then relentlessly advance it. When assembling creative teams, probe candidates for their true interests. Measure the extent to which the candidate has pursued those interests. Ask for specific examples and seek to understand lapses of time between interests and activity. Nothing will assist your ideas more than a team who possesses real initiative.

Cultivate Complementary Skill Sets. Some designers use the letter “T” as a model. The letter’s top, long, horizontal line represents an individual’s breadth of experience. The tall, vertical line represents a depth of experience in one particular area. Each team member should have both a general breadth of skills that supports collaboration and good chemistry, and a deep expertise in a single area, such as graphic design or business.

Provide Flexibility for Productivity. Realistically, ideas are made to happen in spurts. Rather than measuring work by time spent working, creative teams should embrace transparency; and strive to build trust between colleagues. Create rules and norms for the sake of efficiency, rather than as a result of mistrust. Some companies have implemented programs, including ROWE (Results Only Work Environment).A ROWE environment compensates employees based on their achievement of specified goals, vs. the number of hours worked. The ultimate goal is to empower employees to make their own decisions about when and where they work as long as mutually agreed upon goals are accomplished. People thrive when their judgment and autonomy are respected. ROWE and other attempts at hands-off management require establishment of concrete goals that are constantly revisited.

Foster an Immune System That Kills Ideas. A cohesive team develops new ideas and helps eliminate bad ones. Ongoing projects face risks when new ideas arise during the process. The ability to extinguish new ideas is critical to productivity and the capacity to scale existing projects. Team skeptics are always questioning ideas first rather than falling in love with them. They keep the group functioning and on track. Differentiate between skeptics and critics. Critics cling to their doubts and are often unwilling to abandon their convictions. Skeptics contrarily, are receptive to new ideas; they’re just initially wary and critical. The challenge is to balance idea generation and relentless focus. It requires allocating time for open idea exchange along with a healthy level of intolerance for idea generation during execution.

Fight Your Way to Breakthroughs. Conflict commonly occurs in any creative process. It’s a good sign and powerful opportunity to refine your ideas and methods. Successful creative team leaders value the friction that results when opinions vary among passionate creative minds. Despite the opportunities that conflict provides, we tend to shy away from it. Conflict is a by-product of different viewpoints, but don’t let it become a source of apathy. Imagine that a problem’s answer lies somewhere on a spectrum between A and B. The more arguing that takes place at both ends of the spectrum, the more likely it is that the complete terrain of adequate possibilities will be explored. The more individuals involved as the team brainstorms the solution, the better. As creative team leader, promote healthy debate between people with different levels of influence and experience. When you sense shortness or impatience, ask, ” How can we keep all options on the table?” or “Since we’re all trying to find the best solution, why are we getting impatient with each other?” Many successful creative teams share the tenet that they’re comfortable fighting out their disagreements and diverse point of view. But they always share conviction after the meeting. Your team is more likely to conceive breakthroughs if its chemistry is strong enough to capitalize on conflict.

Don’t Become Burdened by Consensus. The ultimate challenge in collaborative projects is understanding how to draw on the best input of all without settling on the lowest common denominator. Consensus can often lead to a lackluster outcome. When working with an extended team of stakeholders, listen to their stories, gather knowledge about all their viewpoints and identify the “extremes” that will differentiate the project. Hold these extremes sacred. Incorporating two extremely different viewpoints into a project might signal an “either/or” decision. But, consensus can often be achieved by taking an “and/and” approach. Teams should not strive for complete consensus at a project’s outset. Preserve the extremes and seek common ground on the rest, otherwise, risk mediocre creations. Choose a process that engages all, while preserving the extremes that make an idea extraordinary.

To build a high-performing creative team, look beyond technical skills. Develop a chemistry that will transform ideas into remarkable accomplishments. To learn more about Making Ideas Happen, visit http://the99percent.com/book.

Mobile Marketing Trends 2011: Simple Mobile Marketing Ideas for This Year and Onwards

With today’s advancements in technology and the growing popularity of smart devices, the mobile marketing trends of 2011 are more likely to focus on smart phones and the integration of online marketing with mobile SMS marketing strategies. Smartphone marketing is all about the promotion and advertisement of products or services via a platform that can efficiently convert mobile SMS into a high conversion marketing resource. Although this is a fairly new concept in the business sector, it already has a huge potential for success, thanks to its simplicity. Plus, it is very effective at delivering messages to a specific target audience.

Becoming more and more popular among business owners and marketers alike, mobile SMS marketing and promotion is an effective tool that any business can use in promoting their products and services, and increasing their brand awareness in the market. Although relatively new and untapped, smartphone marketing provides a very broad definition. However, it can be broken down into several categories, depending on the focus of the mobile promotion method. As of today, the focus of mobile marketing trends is mostly on SMS marketing.

SMS are relatively cost-effective and offer several benefits aside from directly promoting your products or services to your business’s specific market niche. Plus, when it comes to bulk messaging, marketers have a lot to gain. After all, with such a low-cost operation, they can instantly interact with larger audiences – possibly millions of them – all at once.

Mobile marketing trends are currently focusing on the emergence of low-cost smart phones in the market that will allow consumers to have a more diverse method of communication. Since messaging can be mixed with Internet browsing now, as well, marketers can now easily combine the power of SMS marketing with that of the Internet to create an even more powerful marketing method.

Plus, since monochromatic four-liner phones have become obsolete and replaced with wireless-ready smart phones with package applications, mobile marketing becomes even more interesting and challenging. The only thing marketers need to focus on now is to learn new ways of accessing this marketing source and take advantage of the relatively low competition associated therewith at the moment.

Using special applications and programs for smartphone marketing is one way to gain advantage among other marketeers in the field today. So, with the right tools, it is completely possible to tap into the largest resource of potential clients since targeting the right market niche is what mobile marketing is all about.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Ideas for 2011

With every new year, we all get a “fresh start.” This applies to both our personal interests and our professional pursuits. If you own or manage a business or have a serious hobby, now is the time to think about your online plans for 2011. A big part of your online strategy should focus on how to better Search Engine Optimize your website.

When it comes to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), there are two components: On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO.

On-Page SEO refers to your website’s overall design, navigation structure, internal linking structure, page titles and content, as well as the “behind the scenes” meta tags for Title, Description and Keywords.

Off-Page SEO refers to building links that reside on websites other than yours. The purpose of these types of links is to bring real people to your site from all around the Web, and as importantly to help the search engines find and index your website’s pages so they are available to be listed in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) – preferably on the first page – so real people who are using search engines to find information will see your listing(s) and click through to your website.

In order to properly Search Engine Optimize your website itself, i.e. On-Page SEO, you should: (a) design your website in a way which promotes simple and effective navigation from page to page so that a website visitor can easily access all of the information on your website; (b) produce and present unique content that adds value to your website visitors’ experience, and (c) ensure that each website page is properly set up “behind the scenes” by having the Title, Description and Keyword meta tags filled out completely and accurately.

In order to properly Search Engine Optimize your website around the Web, i.e. Off-Page SEO, you should produce and distribute unique content that adds value to real people visiting websites other than yours. Content distributed via article directories, video directories, blogs, forums, social networking websites, social bookmarking websites and news and information websites, contains links either within the text itself, or just outside of the text area, or both. Therefore, as you distribute your own unique content, you are building links back to your website. In other words, you are Search Engine Optimizing your website.

To put proper SEO into practice, you need to understand how to effectively design and structure your own website, as well as learn how to generate and distribute unique content around the Web. Content generation and distribution is not rocket science, but it does require a combination of training, natural skills and “insider knowledge” that not everyone has. Therefore, to maximize your SEO efforts, consider hiring an SEO professional. Before you hire an SEO professional, make sure you receive a free SEO consultation.

In conclusion, a couple great Search Engine Optimization ideas for 2011 are these: (a) your SEO strategy should focus on real people who are using the Web, and (b) carefully choose and invest in the services of a professional SEO consultant.