In the coming months, the healthcare debate, business
incentives and changes to the tax code will be at the forefront of
local and national debates. Though important, these are issues in which
the individual small business owner has minimal say. Instead of
focusing on these larger issues, entrepreneurs should focus their
efforts on enhancing small business productivity, prudence, and profit
as we move into 2010.

Productivity

In the last few years, many companies learned to do more with
less as cuts in spending and employment left many small businesses
demanding more out of their employees. In 2010, small business
productivity will remain vital as employees continue to carry a heavy
workload. For companies to succeed, they need to arm their employees
with the right small business productivity tools.

By identifying and implementing the right small business
solutions, entrepreneurs can get more out of their employees and save
money. Increased productivity among full-time employees can result in
more sales, the development of better products and services, faster
completion of tasks, and improved customer service.

Regardless of the industry, many companies will turn to small
business communication solutions that can improve productivity. For
example, a doctor’s office may select an Interactive Voice Response
system (IVR) to more efficiently handle and direct calls during and
after business hours. Companies with hourly employees, like field
service repair companies, may use location-based services to track
field technicians and redirect them based on cost drivers like fuel
consumption. Or, many companies may look to deploy BlackBerrys to their
staff to help them stay connected anytime, anywhere helping fuel better
small business productivity. Finding small business solutions that
improve productivity will greatly impact a bottom line.

Prudence

While the economic freefall has halted and the economy even had some
bright spots in 2009, most companies are not popping celebratory
champagne. And as much as we’d all like to see 2010 herald a recovery
of small business productivity, many economists and so-called
“financial experts” are predicting only a slightly stronger economy in
2010. Next year, prudence will be the name of the game when it comes to
small business solutions.

With a sharp eye on spending, small businesses will need to be
prudent in their decision making and ensure they are making the right
investments. Finding employees that have the right skill set, investing
in developing or marketing your best product, and selecting small
business solutions that will help your company grow will all demand
prudence.

But this careful decision making will not only focus on
spending, but on all aspects of small business productivity. Many
companies may reexamine their niche market or how they “have always
done things” to find new and better small business solutions. Just as
Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “…a little rebellion now and then is a
good thing,” a shake-up of how your small business operates may be in
order.

Profit

One consequence of the downturn is that many companies
unfortunately closed their doors. As a result, those who survived the
recession now have fewer competitors vying for customers. As the
economy stabilizes, banks begin to loan more money and businesses are
more comfortable with spending money, the small businesses that
positioned themselves correctly will have a stronger opportunity for
market penetration than they’ve likely seen in recent years. By making
prudent decisions and focusing on driving small business productivity,
companies will be well-positioned to profit in 2010 and beyond.

If the past 12 months have taught us anything, it’s that no
amount of economic forecasting is completely precise. But, let’s all
look forward to 2010 with a focus on small business productivity,
prudence, and profit, as well as the promise of what a new year will
bring to small businesses.

This story first appeared in Corp! magazine Dec. 3, 2009.

Any industrial company, or even a business needs to be cleaned. Some are doing it themselves; some are hiring cleaners and other are hiring services that comes and cleans after hours. But did you ever consider making use of a green industrial cleaning service?

Do you even know what a green industrial cleaning service is? There are many things about these cleaning services that you need to know about. Things that will show that using them is so much better than any other cleaning options. These are everything you need to know about the green industrial cleaning services.

What is eco-friendly industrial cleaning?

First things first. What is eco-friendly industrial cleaning? This is normally cleaning services that are cleaning industrial companies, and other businesses without using harsh chemicals that can be dangerous to the workers and customers.

They are just making use of products that are environmental- friendly and that are safe to use around people. No chemicals that can cause short and long-term health problems are being used. No matter the type of industrial company they are cleaning.

Why is this something that you need to consider?

Is this something that you need to consider for your business or company? And if this is such a good idea, why should you consider making use of environmentally-safe industrial cleaning instead of any other cleaning methods?

Firstly, you are doing your part for the environment. We are using so much chemicals that are harming our planet, that if you can prevent some damage, why not? And, your company, and business will still be sparkling clean and germ-free. Your customers will not stay away because of the harsh smells in the store, and your workers will not be sick all the time because of the fumes that they are inhaling all the time. Making this a win-win for everyone.

Things to consider when choosing a eco-friendly industrial cleaning service

When you are considering choosing a environmentally-safe industrial cleaning service, there are a couple of things that you will need to consider. What type of cleaning solutions do they use, if they are only using green products? What are clients saying about them online? And, are they experienced in cleaning your type of industry?

There are questions that you need to answer before you are just hiring anyone for green industrial cleaning. You should make sure that they can handle your type of business, and that they are really using environmentally friendly products.

Finding the best eco-friendly industrial cleaning service

There’s a couple of ways on how you can find the best green industrial cleaning services. You can start by searching online, to find some names and numbers of industrial maintenance companies. You can also talk to other businesses and industrial companies about the cleaners that they are using.

You should just make sure that they are delivering a high-quality service, have good ratings and recommendations and that they are reasonable with their fees that they are asking. And, you might want to research the products that they are using to make sure that it is really green and environmentally friendly. Don’t hire anyone without interviewing them first to make sure that they can handle your company or industrial company.

Green industrial cleaning. Something that has many benefits for the company and the environment. But, finding the right service can be hard and frustrating. The moment that you know everything there is to know about environmentally-safe industrial cleaning, you will see that this might be something to consider. Something that will ensure that you are going to have a clean business, and that it will be saver for everyone that is working there.

CR Asia is a leading industrial maintenance and shutdowns and turnarounds expert, providing a comprehensive range of services to the oil, gas, chemical, refining and power industries, including mechanical and plant maintenance services, mechanical engineering services, chemical cleaning and decontamination services, high-pressure water jetting, heat exchanger maintenance and cleaning services and more.

A poor economy with high unemployment has forced many people to come to the Internet looking for small Internet business ideas. Because there are so many ways you can make money online let’s narrow it down to 6 of the hottest ideas for starting and running your own small business online.

1. Local business marketing. Many local business owners are in need of someone to handle their Internet marketing for them. This presents a real small business opportunity for you.

Off-line businesses are willing to pay a little bit more for their marketing than an Internet business would be willing to do. Therefore you do not need as many customers to make more money as you might if you are doing Internet marketing strictly.

2. Auto blogging.  The goal here is to set up as many blogs as you possibly can and make just a little bit of money every day on each of them.

The only way to manage hundreds or even thousands of blogs is to set them up so that they pretty much run themselves. This is where the term auto blogging has come into play.

There is software that will help you automate your blogging efforts. As long as you continue to add some fresh content to your blog you can still rank high on the search engines and make money selling products on it.

3. Blog writing. As more people start blogs there is more need for blog writers.

You can make a full time income sitting at home writing blog content for other blog owners. This is a business and you can start with virtually no overhead and earn a six figure income very quickly from.

4. Network marketing. Today people are building worldwide MLM businesses that is earning them six figure incomes and beyond. Even people who have never made money in network marketing in the past are now finding success with their own small Internet business.

5. eBay. Many millionaires have been made buying and selling products on eBay. You can turn this into a hot business idea and approach it from various angles to do it.

6. Affiliate marketing. This works so well because you get paid to sell other people’s products. Affiliate merchants give you the marketing tools and websites to do it with as well. You can also make money by the click, and getting leads for advertisers.

These are six of the hottest small Internet business ideas people are making money with today. What’s even more exciting is many people are able to do more than one of these and develop multiple streams of income.

No matter what kind of home improvement project you’re considering, it’s a good idea to find out if there are ways you can enhance your home’s energy efficiency. A good home improvement project offers you the opportunity to add more beauty and value to your home, but it will be even more successful if you’re able to use that project to lower your energy bills and reduce your carbon footprint.

The bathroom is one of the most popular areas to start home improvement projects. When you’re ready to start making some changes in your bathroom, it’s the smaller decisions that can help you to increase the energy efficiency of your bathroom. If you’ll be replacing faucets, sinks and showerheads as a part of your home improvement project, you can save on water by going with low-flow options that still provide you with plenty of water pressure. Another option is to invest in a dual flush or low flow toilet that will help improve energy efficiency in the bathroom.

Kitchens are often the heart of the home and they are also a popular place for home renovation projects. It is possible to work on home improvement tasks that improve the function and aesthetic beauty of your kitchen while also working to make your home more energy efficient. Many kitchen home improvement tasks focus on replacing surface features, including floors, counters and cabinets. You can go with sustainable materials to help out the environment. Choosing the right appliances for the kitchen is the real way to save energy while taking on a kitchen home improvement project. Look for ENERGY STAR products that use less water and power, helping to cut down on your energy bills. These energy efficient appliances also come in great sizes and trendy styles so they’ll go along with your décor of choice in the kitchen.

While it may be more difficult to make living rooms, offices and bedrooms more energy efficient, there are still ways that you can work on energy efficiency when you take on these home improvement tasks. When you’re ready to remodel these areas, work to go with sustainable materials, such as hardwood flooring that is harvested in a sustainable way. Another option is to choose curtains that will help cut back on heat transfer, which will help keep energy bills down. Adding in some extra insulation while involved in home improvement tasks or adding in new ceiling fans can help reduce the cost of heating and cooling your home as well. Also, keeping in mind that materials pulled from the home can be recycled when you do a home renovation in living areas.

As you can see, you can find many ways to take on a home improvement project to improve your home’s aesthetic beauty, function, value and energy efficiency. As you plan out your next home improvement task, make sure you keep energy efficiency in mind. You’ll be taking great measures to help improve the environment while also finding ways to save money over time with a more energy efficient home.

I am fascinated by money – what it is, how it operates, how to attract it, save it, invest it, spend it, give it to others and create more of it.

In palmistry, women entrepreneurs’ hands reveal, in the hand’s simple, straightforward way, the STRUCTURE of money as well as what to do and what NOT to do to have a good relationship with money.

Look at the palm of your hand. The middle finger is divided into three zones. The upper zone represents women business owners’ ‘system’ of money, the middle zone represents the ‘management’ of money and the bottom zone represents the ‘roots’ of money.

The upper zone of the middle finger says that money has a system to it. This system may be abstract and invisible at first glance, but it has a system nonetheless.

The lower zone says that money has its roots in the Earth. If you think about it, EVERY TANGIBLE THING WE POSSESS COMES FROM THE EARTH. Your desk, your computer, your clothes, the food you eat, gold, diamonds, etc. – all this bounty comes from the Earth.

The middle zone is where the system of money and the material resources of money combine. Managed properly, women entrepreneurs put money in the bank. Thus, the middle zone of the middle finger is about managing money.

The System of Money (palmistry upper zone): Money is a precise measure of value – it either adds up or it doesn’t. Money deals in numbers that can be put on spreadsheets and on profit and loss statements. Money is orderly and therefore, it LOVES order. If women business owners want to attract more money, they need to have structures in place that organize the money that they attract. Structures such as balanced bank accounts, an accountant, a bookkeeper and a SYSTEM for their business. The more women entrepreneurs can create reliable, repeatable systems in their businesses, the more money they will have.

The Management of Money (palmistry middle zone): This is money in the bank – preferably in an account with your name on it! The precision of your money system directly impacts the flow of money in and out of your bank account. As a palmistry expert, I cannot stress this enough.

The Roots of Money (palmistry lower zone): Money is the systematic measuring of the value placed on goods and services. ALL goods and services come, originally, from the root of all roots – Mother Earth. ‘Money’ measures value – tangible and intangible. The ‘root’ of money is that which is valuable – things you can touch as well as things you can’t. Your inner value system can’t be held like a diamond in your hand – but it’s critical to your success in business. Your values MUST line up with your actions.

Here are some palmistry formulas that reveal the STRUCTURE of money:

NOTE:

Formula Key: Upper Finger Zone = System; Middle Finger Zone = Management; Bottom Finger Zone = Resources

Excellent System + Excellent Management + Excellent Resources (your inner values, knowledge, desire, passion, focus, additional money) = $$$$

Some System + Some Management + Some Resources = some $$

No System + No Resources + No Management = what money? 

Here’s another way to play with our formula: a good system plus solid values equals money in the bank.

For many women entrepreneurs that I coach, the SYSTEM seems to be the missing piece. Most women business owners are keenly aware of their bank account status because it’s a physical reality. But the necessary systems to honor their inner values often get left in the dust. Why? Because they’re not in our face every day, demanding our attention.

If you are going to
expect for an investment of capital it is quite potential that you will be
expected to have a business plan. If you are getting a business, in spite of
the work affected, a business plan can prepare you for the obstructions ahead
and assist ensure your success.

If you are going to
expect for an investment of capital it is quite potential that you will be
expected to have a business plan. If you are getting a business, in spite of
the work affected, a business plan can prepare you for the obstructions ahead
and assist ensure your success.

A business plan is
something that many small businesses fail to produce, nevertheless, many
business owners are inexorable that having a written business plan is matchless
of the keys to their present success. Making a business plan forces you to
excogitate possible obstructions to your business and devises you to find
answers that will help you to get the best.

To find investors or
acquire a bank loan, they will want to see that you have the experience or
resources to run the business. They will require to see your projected revenue
as well as your advised repayment plan already laid out. Bringing the time to
do this isn’t only significant for them, merely it gives you a measuring tool
to affirm if your business is arising properly. You are able to gage your
success on how close to the plan your business has actually executed. Possibly
you’ll do worse, or perhaps you’ll do better, either way it assists you
determine how well your business is getting on.

If you consume never
seen a business plan ahead you may be concerned that is is too hard a proposal
for you to manage on your own.

Although there are
services available where you can employ somebody to write a business plan for
you, depending upon your needs it may be wise to acquaint yourself with a
business plan’s layout. This will not only assist you to furnish the necessary
information, but may promote you to try your own hand at it.

There’s a free tool
online which will assist you in producing a business plan. Some of the topics
you will be compelled to explain are your Market, Customer, Marketing Plan,
Competition,  Research & Development
along with financial forecasts. You may consider employing someone to help you
with your financial sheets after making out the written part of the Business
Plan.

Your Business Plan
will suit your guide and silent business partner – showing where you need to
improve and assisting you stay one step ahead of your competitor. Construct it
a priority to have this crucial road map for your business.