Christian InTech Articles - Small Business

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6 Steps To Laying Out Your Competitive Strategy Why do so many companies languish and watch as their business turns into a zero profit zone, while others seem to thrive? When you look at your business, whether it’s a new venture or a company with a long history, can you answer the... Getting Listed in the Top Three Search Engines for Free The search engine wars are on again. In an effort to beat each other for the number one position, each of the big three search engines is changing its search engine model or changing its site. THE SCOOP In the number three position is... Grow Your B2B Small Business Without Marketing Summary: Want to grow your business-to-business small business without chasing after new clients? Expand with new value-added services that complement your existing offering. Find out how. If you have a business-to-business small business, some of... The Benefits of Starting A Home-Based Business The U.S economy continues to grow and corporations are enjoying large profits, but the majority of Americans still struggle with finances. This is one of the main reasons many people are looking into the benefits that a home-based business can... Visa & MasterCard Raise Credit Card Processing Rates Visa & MasterCard have raised interchange rates again effective April 2005, but before we explain the increase lets look at what comprises a discount rate as these credit card processing rate increases are not simple. The discount...         7 Stress Saving Strategies for Beating the Small Business Cash Flow Blues Small business owners can relieve a lot of their own cash flow problems, according to Caroline Jordan, small business advisor and author. "Small business owners have more control over their cash flow than they realize." says Jordan. To help you get a jumpstart on solving your own cash flow woes, Jordan offers a free, "Cash Flow Master checklist" that you can get by sending a blank email to TheJordanResult-110571@autocontactor.com. Jordan also suggests the following tips to help you understand why cash flow problems plague 66% of small businesses. 1. Avoid the dreaded "Fly by the Seat of Your Pants" accounting method.--Businesses need to systematically track income, expenses, accounts receivable, and accounts payable. If you only know how your business is doing once a year at tax time, you're bound to end up deeply mired in the Cash Flow Swamp. 2. Developing "Strength in Numbers"--Once you have your accounting system in place you need to learn what the numbers are telling you and how to use those numbers to manage and grow your business. 3. Keep tight control of credit--Business owners can get themselves in credit trouble two different ways; poor credit granting practices and shortsighted use of credit from banks, credit cards, and vendors. 4. Be sure your Receivables and Payables "play nice" together--The money owed to you by your customers should arrive in time for you to pay your vendors and your employees. When your customers take 60 days to pay and your vendors want to be paid in 30 days, you can quickly end up with a Cash Flow Crunch. 5. Make decisions based on Cash Flow not Profit--Many businesses that fail are profitable when the doors close. What those businesses don't have is CASH. When you pursue that big, juicy contract or think about hiring another employee, always ask yourself "What will this do to my cash flow?" 6. Don't forget your debt to society-- Some bills are easy to forget. Bills like sales tax, payroll taxes, and estimated taxes. Ignoring them doesn't make them go away. Planning ahead makes the bite easier to take and keeps your from suffering Tax Day sticker shock. Scrambling to find money for taxes causes major cash flow problems. 7. Don't spend your company's future on a speed boat--Everybody loves toys. Don't make the mistake of thinking all the profits of your business are "fun money". You've heard it many times from personal financial planners that you should have enough cash put aside for six months of expenses. This is true for your business, too. Sales ebb and flow. Expenses rise. Customers leave. Vehicles break down. Computers fry. The number one rule of small business is "Stuff Happens". Having a reserve of cash keeps your cash flow from tanking every time a new challenge appears. About the author: Caroline Jordan, MBA helps self employed professionals build successful businesses, attract clients they enjoy working with, improve cash flow, and develop additional sources of revenue. To find out how visit: http://www.TheJordanResult.com