Building a business partnership can be an excellent idea; however, it is important that you make sure that you make business partnerships that work. Whether it is a short term venture or a long time commitment, it is important that you learn how to make it work. Here are a few great tips that will help you make sure that you start out right and keep up a partnership that will work well.
Tip #1 - Have a Mission and Vision that is Shared - Any business should have a mission and a vision, and if you are entering in a partnership and you want to make sure that it works, you will need to make sure that you both have a mission and vision that you come up with together and agree on. Discuss the mission and vision together and decide on a purpose for your partnership. Write down the mission and the vision for the partnership. It will help you as you go along and serve as a reference for all that goes on within the partnership.
Tip #2 - Discuss Expectations and Needs - People enter into partnerships for a variety of different reasons. Some want connections, others need expertise, and some want capital. However, it is important that you know the expectations of each other as well as their needs so you don't end up with a strained relationship. Decide on this before you sign a contract so you are aware of everything that your partner is expecting from your partnership.
Tip #3 - Use Your Partners Strengths - Within a partnership, it is going to work best if you identify the strengths of you and your partner and the use those strengths. There are obvious strengths that you will find and it is important that you don't overlook them. You want to make sure that you use strengths that will help you both become more successful. This will also help to motivate each of you as well.
Tip #4 - Understand Limitations - There are always going to be limitations on the part of each partner. You need to understand this and your partner needs to understand your limitations as well. When one partner has limitations, you need to identify and accept them before they become a problem. Also, these limitations can be supported by the other partner so that there are not gaps within the business.
Tip #5 - Set Goals - If you want to have a business partnership that really works, then you need to both set goals and strive for them. Have individual goals, but make sure that these goals will support the goals of the entire company. Make sure that you take a look at these goals together and then follow how well you actually achieve them.
Chris Simpson is dedicated to helping people find honest and legitimate work from home and home based business opportunities. Find legitimate work from home opportunities today at: http://www.HomeNetPro.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Simpson
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Visualise the Final Outcome For the Office Environment, by Adam Peters
Not many people accept this, but it is apparent that office furniture has as significant a place as home furniture. Just as the boom is the place to rest. The office is the place to work, and the environment does matter in both cases. In the office of the working environment the office desk and the seating arrangement will deter mined to a certain extent, the productivity level of the employee.
It is due to this reason that it is extremely essential to choose the right type of office furniture. Even more important is to select the right store that store this type of office furniture. This is important because the manufacturer, who understands the needs of the office environment is able to design furniture accordingly.
It is for this reason, that certain manufacturers have established a brand for themselves and earned the reputation of being the renowned manufacturers. The stores understand the requirements of the working environment and have furniture designed to suit the ergonomic conditions of employees. Although the cost of such furniture may be on the higher side it is better to go for these rather than choose cheap furniture. The whole exercise will be beneficial in the long term.
Therefore it is very important to have a consideration for all aspects relating the office environment, and then planning the furniture designs based on this requirement. For this exercise in need to know how much of the space you have and how would you like your workers to interact with each other. It also depends on the nature of work, and the required privacy for the same. Once this is ascertained you may also want to figure out what level of comfort you would like to provide your employees. You may also want to consider the comfort level of your clients when they come to visit your office.
On the other hand, you also have to understand what was the kind of budget that you would like to allocate for buying furniture and setting up the environment in your office. Once this is done you can also seek professional help to get the plan together. You can also identify designers and agencies that are engaged in the business of designing office furniture. Such agencies also provide consultancy services for the same. On the other hand, if he have the time and the energy. He can go through this exercise yourself.
The critical aspect of designing office furniture is to have a plan in mind. It is equally critical to work according to the plan. The best way is to visualize what the final office environment will look like and start working backwards. Once you start doing this it will become easier to break down the entire project into smaller parts and execute it accordingly.
When you're doing your market research for procuring single items on pieces of furniture, you should also check out various stores in your vicinity. This will give you an idea of the designs, and the relative prices for those pieces. You can then take a decision on what to procure.
This exercise should give you a good understanding of how to set up the office furniture to suit your requirement.
You can also use these tips to get some living room design ideas as well.
Adam Peters is the editor of different articles with reference to office furniture store for http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com - Read additional info on modern furniture or living room design ideas
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_Peters
It is due to this reason that it is extremely essential to choose the right type of office furniture. Even more important is to select the right store that store this type of office furniture. This is important because the manufacturer, who understands the needs of the office environment is able to design furniture accordingly.
It is for this reason, that certain manufacturers have established a brand for themselves and earned the reputation of being the renowned manufacturers. The stores understand the requirements of the working environment and have furniture designed to suit the ergonomic conditions of employees. Although the cost of such furniture may be on the higher side it is better to go for these rather than choose cheap furniture. The whole exercise will be beneficial in the long term.
Therefore it is very important to have a consideration for all aspects relating the office environment, and then planning the furniture designs based on this requirement. For this exercise in need to know how much of the space you have and how would you like your workers to interact with each other. It also depends on the nature of work, and the required privacy for the same. Once this is ascertained you may also want to figure out what level of comfort you would like to provide your employees. You may also want to consider the comfort level of your clients when they come to visit your office.
On the other hand, you also have to understand what was the kind of budget that you would like to allocate for buying furniture and setting up the environment in your office. Once this is done you can also seek professional help to get the plan together. You can also identify designers and agencies that are engaged in the business of designing office furniture. Such agencies also provide consultancy services for the same. On the other hand, if he have the time and the energy. He can go through this exercise yourself.
The critical aspect of designing office furniture is to have a plan in mind. It is equally critical to work according to the plan. The best way is to visualize what the final office environment will look like and start working backwards. Once you start doing this it will become easier to break down the entire project into smaller parts and execute it accordingly.
When you're doing your market research for procuring single items on pieces of furniture, you should also check out various stores in your vicinity. This will give you an idea of the designs, and the relative prices for those pieces. You can then take a decision on what to procure.
This exercise should give you a good understanding of how to set up the office furniture to suit your requirement.
You can also use these tips to get some living room design ideas as well.
Adam Peters is the editor of different articles with reference to office furniture store for http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com - Read additional info on modern furniture or living room design ideas
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_Peters
Emotional Cash Flow Killers - Avoiding Negative Emotions That Influence Business Success by Mark Evants
One of the main requirements of business is cash flow. It is the life blood of any business. Good intentions are great, but if you don't make any money the business will not exist for long. Therefore, learning to deal with negative emotions encountered in the business world is one of the best skills a leader can have.
Our emotions are a major factor in influencing business cash flow. How? If the person leading the business becomes heavily influenced by fear, intimidation, anxiety, or a multitude of other emotions, that leader can begin to make poor decisions. Poor decisions lead to a host of problems which eventually connect to the cash flow and productivity of the business.
Here are some of the most damaging emotions encountered by business leaders:
1 - Fear. Fear can cause a person to avoid dealing with the most important problems. Often, these most important problems hold the key to the business going forward and increasing productivity and cash flow. Fear wants to move the person away from finding the solution because of emotional pain that may be encountered in fixing the situation. The result: You sacrifice long term gain from solving the problem for the short term gain of avoiding the emotional pain of dealing with the situation.
2 - Discouragement. Discouragement can manifest in business setbacks from the state of the economy, decline of sales, losing key employees, etc. It is perhaps the most common emotion business leaders deal with. Discouragement tries to speak to the leader and declare the effort of leading the company is not worth it. You must confront this emotion by re-examining the vision for why you are doing what you do. Meditate on the reward which will come with the success of your leadership in the company.
3 - Anxiety. Anxiety has to do more with the stress related to dealing with all the problems. There seems to be seasons where anxiety is worse than other times. It is important you deal with the stress. Stress has a way of moving from the emotional to the physical part of the leader's life. Sometimes a break from the daily action is the best thing you can do for yourself. Stepping away from your daily schedule often brings a new perspective to find solutions to situations.
Effectively dealing with emotional difficulties enhances your ability to succeed. If you are dealing with an upsurge of negative emotions in your business leadership, why not take time today to evaluate what is going on? It may be the most productive thing you do this week. And, you may get the solution you have been looking for to take your business forward.
Mark Evants manages a profitable vending company of 2,200 machines in the mid west. For more extremely practical vending tips and articles on increasing cash flow and structuring your vending business visit:
http://www.vendingarticles.net - Tips and Articles for PROFITABLE Vending!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Evants
Our emotions are a major factor in influencing business cash flow. How? If the person leading the business becomes heavily influenced by fear, intimidation, anxiety, or a multitude of other emotions, that leader can begin to make poor decisions. Poor decisions lead to a host of problems which eventually connect to the cash flow and productivity of the business.
Here are some of the most damaging emotions encountered by business leaders:
1 - Fear. Fear can cause a person to avoid dealing with the most important problems. Often, these most important problems hold the key to the business going forward and increasing productivity and cash flow. Fear wants to move the person away from finding the solution because of emotional pain that may be encountered in fixing the situation. The result: You sacrifice long term gain from solving the problem for the short term gain of avoiding the emotional pain of dealing with the situation.
2 - Discouragement. Discouragement can manifest in business setbacks from the state of the economy, decline of sales, losing key employees, etc. It is perhaps the most common emotion business leaders deal with. Discouragement tries to speak to the leader and declare the effort of leading the company is not worth it. You must confront this emotion by re-examining the vision for why you are doing what you do. Meditate on the reward which will come with the success of your leadership in the company.
3 - Anxiety. Anxiety has to do more with the stress related to dealing with all the problems. There seems to be seasons where anxiety is worse than other times. It is important you deal with the stress. Stress has a way of moving from the emotional to the physical part of the leader's life. Sometimes a break from the daily action is the best thing you can do for yourself. Stepping away from your daily schedule often brings a new perspective to find solutions to situations.
Effectively dealing with emotional difficulties enhances your ability to succeed. If you are dealing with an upsurge of negative emotions in your business leadership, why not take time today to evaluate what is going on? It may be the most productive thing you do this week. And, you may get the solution you have been looking for to take your business forward.
Mark Evants manages a profitable vending company of 2,200 machines in the mid west. For more extremely practical vending tips and articles on increasing cash flow and structuring your vending business visit:
http://www.vendingarticles.net - Tips and Articles for PROFITABLE Vending!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Evants
Buy Biodegradable Shipping Supplies - Save the Environment by Louis Zhang
If you are interested in doing things that are positive for the environment, then there are many things that you can do to make a difference. In every area of your life, you can make choices that will reflect that you are an environmentally responsible as well as environmentally conscious person. If you are a business owner, or you are in charge of purchasing shipping supplies for a company, you should seriously consider biodegradable shipping supplies.
Biodegradable shipping and packaging supplies come in many shapes and forms. They include, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, packing slip envelopes, pallet caps, standard packaging options and custom packaging options. What is so wonderful is that they will eventually dissolve naturally and safely into the environment.
Styrofoam is used to pack and ship many, many products all over the world. Unfortunately, styrofoam that is not biodegradable will be present in the environment for a long time to come. However, you can purchase alternative packing materials that will biodegrade.
If you are concerned about the durability of biodegradable shipping supplies, do not be. These type of shipping supplies may be environmentally friendly by biodegrading, but that does not mean that they are of a lesser quality and/or construction than shipping supplies that are not biodegradable.
Simply looking on the Internet will yield the web addresses of many companies who sell enviro-friendly shipping supplies. Shop for the best price you can find for a quality biodegradable shipping product. You can also advertise to your customers that you use enviromental shipping boxes. In this day and age, everyone should appreciate the effort to do something beneficial for the environment. In fact, by showing you care about the environment, consumers may choose your products over those from a business who does not utilize biodegradable materials.
In a world where we have so much waste that does not biodegrade, biodegradable shipping supplies are a breath of fresh air. If you have a reason to purchase shipping supplies, why not purchase enviro-friendly boxes? Do something positive for the environment and for future generations to come. Louis Zhang, Shippingsuppliesinc dot com
To get a free guide on biodegradable shipping supplies such as eco friendly jewelry packaging, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, slip envelopes, mailers and more go to Shippingsuppliesinc dot com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Louis_Zhang
Biodegradable shipping and packaging supplies come in many shapes and forms. They include, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, packing slip envelopes, pallet caps, standard packaging options and custom packaging options. What is so wonderful is that they will eventually dissolve naturally and safely into the environment.
Styrofoam is used to pack and ship many, many products all over the world. Unfortunately, styrofoam that is not biodegradable will be present in the environment for a long time to come. However, you can purchase alternative packing materials that will biodegrade.
If you are concerned about the durability of biodegradable shipping supplies, do not be. These type of shipping supplies may be environmentally friendly by biodegrading, but that does not mean that they are of a lesser quality and/or construction than shipping supplies that are not biodegradable.
Simply looking on the Internet will yield the web addresses of many companies who sell enviro-friendly shipping supplies. Shop for the best price you can find for a quality biodegradable shipping product. You can also advertise to your customers that you use enviromental shipping boxes. In this day and age, everyone should appreciate the effort to do something beneficial for the environment. In fact, by showing you care about the environment, consumers may choose your products over those from a business who does not utilize biodegradable materials.
In a world where we have so much waste that does not biodegrade, biodegradable shipping supplies are a breath of fresh air. If you have a reason to purchase shipping supplies, why not purchase enviro-friendly boxes? Do something positive for the environment and for future generations to come. Louis Zhang, Shippingsuppliesinc dot com
To get a free guide on biodegradable shipping supplies such as eco friendly jewelry packaging, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, slip envelopes, mailers and more go to Shippingsuppliesinc dot com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Louis_Zhang
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
What Are You Waiting For?
You would have to be from another planet to not know that our economy is weak today. While some of my clients continue to prosper and are as busy today as they were last year at this time, others are under pressure on the top line and the bottom line. Whether you are prospering or under pressure, this is the time to take a critical look at your staff and take appropriate action.
I confess this article is a bit of a departure for me. Normally, I talk about leadership, coaching, engagement and other strategies to retain people and help them succeed, be more productive and contribute to the firm. However, today I am going the other way. Quite simply, there are some people in your organization who you may need to let go. This can be difficult-one reason being the current state of our economy. I sure don’t like to put people on the street in rough times. Another reason is that you may think you’ve failed as a manager, having been unable to lead and motivate this employee to give the quality of work you require. But we must do this for the health of the firm and for our credibility as managers.
There are three possible scenarios here:
(1) Business is bad and costs must be cut to maintain profitability.
(2) Business is not great, but not too bad. A little belt-tightening is called for, but overall the firm remains profitable and will weather the storm.
(3) Business continues to be strong and no changes to expenditures or staff are needed.
It is on scenarios (2) and (3) that I am focusing. In both of these situations, we know there are employees who have not been pulling their weight, who need to be fired. There may be several reasons why they’re still around. Some of those reasons may be valid, but most are just weak excuses. Now is the time to act. You owe it to the firm and to all the employees who are working hard. You want a high level of production and contribution from everyone. Settling for less costs you money. This drain on your bottom line must be addressed. Also, beyond the vitality of the firm is another reason you must take action: everyone is watching you.
They are watching to see if you will do anything. Your integrity is at stake. You have stood up and said that the work needs to be done a certain way, or that a certain level of production must be reached. Because you said it, people assume that you mean it. So, when an employee does not conform to this or adhere to the guidelines, the rest of the employees who do conform expect accountability. If you don’t act, you send the message that you don’t mean what you say. You lose credibility and become weak in the eyes of those you have to lead.
It’s tough to let someone go. I wish this weren’t the case, but it is. If you have a decent performance evaluation system, it can be somewhat less difficult. If you don’t have one, then you may have to do some extra work to justify your decision to yourself and the staff. But the work must be done. Our economy will continue to be weak for the near-term. You want your team to be as strong and efficient as possible always. Making the right decisions about who should be on the team is the best way to do that.
I confess this article is a bit of a departure for me. Normally, I talk about leadership, coaching, engagement and other strategies to retain people and help them succeed, be more productive and contribute to the firm. However, today I am going the other way. Quite simply, there are some people in your organization who you may need to let go. This can be difficult-one reason being the current state of our economy. I sure don’t like to put people on the street in rough times. Another reason is that you may think you’ve failed as a manager, having been unable to lead and motivate this employee to give the quality of work you require. But we must do this for the health of the firm and for our credibility as managers.
There are three possible scenarios here:
(1) Business is bad and costs must be cut to maintain profitability.
(2) Business is not great, but not too bad. A little belt-tightening is called for, but overall the firm remains profitable and will weather the storm.
(3) Business continues to be strong and no changes to expenditures or staff are needed.
It is on scenarios (2) and (3) that I am focusing. In both of these situations, we know there are employees who have not been pulling their weight, who need to be fired. There may be several reasons why they’re still around. Some of those reasons may be valid, but most are just weak excuses. Now is the time to act. You owe it to the firm and to all the employees who are working hard. You want a high level of production and contribution from everyone. Settling for less costs you money. This drain on your bottom line must be addressed. Also, beyond the vitality of the firm is another reason you must take action: everyone is watching you.
They are watching to see if you will do anything. Your integrity is at stake. You have stood up and said that the work needs to be done a certain way, or that a certain level of production must be reached. Because you said it, people assume that you mean it. So, when an employee does not conform to this or adhere to the guidelines, the rest of the employees who do conform expect accountability. If you don’t act, you send the message that you don’t mean what you say. You lose credibility and become weak in the eyes of those you have to lead.
It’s tough to let someone go. I wish this weren’t the case, but it is. If you have a decent performance evaluation system, it can be somewhat less difficult. If you don’t have one, then you may have to do some extra work to justify your decision to yourself and the staff. But the work must be done. Our economy will continue to be weak for the near-term. You want your team to be as strong and efficient as possible always. Making the right decisions about who should be on the team is the best way to do that.
| By Wally Adamchik |
Retail: Whole Foods Loses $18m in Uk Debut
The upmarket US supermarket chain Whole Foods is facing an uphill struggle to expand across the Atlantic after suffering losses of $18.4m (£9m) in a year at its six newly opened stores in Britain.
Whole Foods, which specializes in organic and healthy produce, last night revealed that it was reviewing its nascent British operations and will be cutting back on openings in its home market.
"We are disappointed in our results in the UK," chief executive John Mackey said. "We are carefully evaluating all aspects of our operations in the UK."
Whole Foods' global profits slumped 31% to $33.9m, sending its shares tumbling 15% in after-hours trading on the Nasdaq exchange. It blamed sluggish economic conditions for a slowing in sales growth in the US, where it will open only 15 stores over the next 12 months rather than the planned 30 or 40.
In Britain, the arrival of Whole Foods was billed last year as a potential boon to gourmets. Its London outlet is spread over three floors of a former Barkers department store in Kensington. But the company's results suggest that shoppers are yet to be won over.
Mackey said there had been some improvement in recent months with UK losses dropping to $16m on an annualized basis. "Our goal is to reduce our operating losses to $13m in fiscal year 2009, $7m in fiscal year 2010 and to approach break-even in 2011," he said, adding that Whole Foods had suffered similar initial losses when it entered Canada.
"We believe the long-term growth potential in the UK is much greater th an in Canada."
By Guardian Unlimited
Whole Foods, which specializes in organic and healthy produce, last night revealed that it was reviewing its nascent British operations and will be cutting back on openings in its home market.
"We are disappointed in our results in the UK," chief executive John Mackey said. "We are carefully evaluating all aspects of our operations in the UK."
Whole Foods' global profits slumped 31% to $33.9m, sending its shares tumbling 15% in after-hours trading on the Nasdaq exchange. It blamed sluggish economic conditions for a slowing in sales growth in the US, where it will open only 15 stores over the next 12 months rather than the planned 30 or 40.
In Britain, the arrival of Whole Foods was billed last year as a potential boon to gourmets. Its London outlet is spread over three floors of a former Barkers department store in Kensington. But the company's results suggest that shoppers are yet to be won over.
Mackey said there had been some improvement in recent months with UK losses dropping to $16m on an annualized basis. "Our goal is to reduce our operating losses to $13m in fiscal year 2009, $7m in fiscal year 2010 and to approach break-even in 2011," he said, adding that Whole Foods had suffered similar initial losses when it entered Canada.
"We believe the long-term growth potential in the UK is much greater th an in Canada."
By Guardian Unlimited
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