Temporary Staffing Agency: How to Start

The temporary staffing industry continues to expand, with yearly double-digit growth being commonplace. Companies find it convenient and cost-effective to work with a temporary staffing agency to fulfill unforeseen demand, fill short-term vacancies, and assist with changing workloads due to restructuring or mergers. Additionally, employers are enticed by the idea of "test driving" new employees to minimize risk and ensure a good match for permanent positions.

Many a job seeker has reaped great rewards from temporary staffing. Skilled but yet-inexperienced workers are able to get a foot in the door at prestigious companies, where a weak resume would have made it very difficult to be considered. Similarly, "drifters" (those who tend to rapidly drift from job to job) may be plagued by an overly-long resume. Temporary staffing services can be ideal for drifters, as they have the opportunity to work on short-term projects and move on without the negative repercussions. Retirees and college students are also very common candidates. A retired nurse may find enjoyment and extra income from a temporary medical staffing firm. A computer science major can gain valuable experience working with a technical agency.

Only a small number of personnel is required to handle recruiting and clientele. Even the largest international firms tend to function with small, mostly-independent branch offices serving specific regions. This modular structure means it is quite possible for a one-office temporary staffing agency to compete effectively with established firms.

Overall, the triple-benefit to clients, associates, and entrepreneurs has contributed to the phenomenal growth of the temporary staffing industry. Because of these advantages, it will remain an integral part of the employment process through good times and bad.

Start Up Costs and Financing Sources:

$5,000 to $25,000

The startup and operating costs of a temporary staffing agency are much lower than many other businesses. The basic requirements are a small office with the typical supplies, a computer system with general accounting software and database software for organizing contracts, and the people skills to work with clientele and associates. It would not be impossible to start a temporary staffing agency on a shoestring budget of a few thousand dollars.

The largest business expense is payroll. It is common for associates to be paid by the agency before the agency is paid by the client. An account must be maintained with sufficient funds to cover payroll costs until bills are paid by the clients.

It is difficult - but not impossible - to get help from venture capitalists in covering part of the costs of setting up a temporary staffing agency. A well-researched, forward-looking business plan is essential.

Pricing Guidelines for Service:

Associates are paid by the hour, and the agency covers its costs by charging a premium to the amount billed to the client. The exact amount of the premium differs from case to case and can vary from 5% to 50% or more. Some associates are willing to work for less and some clients are willing to pay more, which when properly matched can result in very decent profits for the temporary staffing agency. The contract usually spells out a flat fee to be paid to the agency in the event that a client decides to permanently hire an associate.

Advertising and Marketing:

A competitive hurdle for small startups is that larger agencies already have established reputations and brand recognition. This is actually a minor obstacle because of the localized nature of the business. It is not necessary to wage a national marketing war to gain exposure for a new agency. An inexpensive and well-directed marketing campaign can quickly build a valuable reputation within the local operating region of the startup.

Essential Equipment:

An office (perhaps a home office) should be equipped with the standard office supplies and at least two telephone lines.

At least one computer system with accounting software and a database for keeping track of projects is mandatory. A printer is used for printing invoices and job listings, and a high-speed Internet connection connects the agency with online job search sites.

Many temporary staffing services have computers with tutorial software available to help associates to train their keyboarding and basic office software skills. These computers are also used to test the skills of applicants.

Income Potential:

Many billions of dollars are spent on temporary staffing services each year. A small, single-office agency can earn profits in the tens of thousands of dollars. The large, international firms rake in millions every year.

Target Market:

A temporary staffing agency is the middleman between two distinct markets: clients and associates.

It is usually not a difficult matter to reach hundreds of applicants with simple help wanted advertisements. More focus will probably be placed on connecting with client companies and convincing them that your services will help their businesses.

Certain industries seem more receptive to temporary staffing. Financial institutions and other office-centric companies are constantly seeking qualified office support staff. Factories frequently need labor for light industrial work, product assembly, and shipping and receiving tasks. Hospitals and clinics use temporary medical staffing to hire transcriptionists, certified nursing professionals, and other support staff. Increasingly, high-technology companies hire computer programmers, database specialists, and systems engineers on a temporary basis through agencies specializing in technical placements.

Tips for Success:

Develop a niche!

In larger markets, providers of temporary staffing services have found it useful to branch into niches such as temporary medical staffing, legal, financial, or technical fields. The focused nature of these agencies allows recruiters to build a pool of highly-educated, trained, and experienced associates who are able to provide the best service to clients within a particular industry.

A hospital executive would feel more comfortable contracting nurses from an agency dedicated to temporary medical staffing than from a one-stop-shop that also places welders, janitors, and filing clerks. This confidence also helps associates to command better wages than they might otherwise receive through a general-service temporary staffing agency.

Automate!

Much of the work of running a temporary staffing agency can be automated by computer software. Well-designed database software can ease the process of matching qualified associates with appropriate job openings. Accounting operations can be very heavily automated (but working closely with a good accountant is still advised). With these tools in place, just two major tasks remain: finding clients and finding associates.

Use your own services!

As the business grows, it will become necessary to add staff to handle the recruitment and marketing. That should never be difficult, since typically dozens or hundreds of qualified candidates are already in contact with the agency!

Training, Skills or Experience Needed:

Recruiters are at an advantage with a background in human resources, business management, and marketing. A degree is not essential for starting the business, but the knowledge gained through a business management program is immensely helpful. People skills are important, and can be learned through experience and self study. Numerous books have been published, specifically addressing temporary staffing as a business opportunity.

Find Some Sample Payroll Check Stubs on the Net for Easy Reference

Starting a business? For many people, the bravery to venture out on your own is the ultimate dream, you’re your own boss, you make your own time, and your dreams of making it big in the independent business lives on. But don’t forget there are many responsibilities. As the business grows so is the need for manpower. This means salaries to pay and records to make and keep. Maintaining a pleasant working condition is imperative, and nothing makes a disgruntled employee than a spotty payroll check stub. Everyone wants fair compensation and as the owner of the company or at least the accountant, you want to make sure that this followed to the T. Salaries may be given depending on the preference of the company or to the nature of the business. Some provide salary schemes as bi-monthly, monthly or quarterly (every week).

There are now many ways to pay the salary of the employees. Some prefer the old fashioned way of procuring checks while some want to electronically deposit the wages to the bank accounts, which is fast becoming the popular medium these days. This is called direct deposit, usually employees are provided direct deposit advices to inform them of the deposit made to their accounts which pertain to their salary and details behind them. This is what can be used as a payroll check stub. They are usually delivered a day before the salary day. So that the employees can get a hold of them on pay day and scrutinize them. Even if you use other method of compensating your employees, it is imperative that you provide them a payroll check stub to clarify everything that leads to their salaries.

Payroll check stubs are the slip of paper provided to the employee on salary day which details all the information about the salary the employee is about to receive. There they will see all the information they will need to know about their wages. Like for example, their rate, their hours worked, their salary rates, the deductions made like taxes, medicare, insurance, loans, social security and all the other deductions made. With a payroll check stub, every thing is cleared eliminating or minimizing the possibility of confusion and complaints.

For some people, making and recording payroll check stubs is an arduous and grueling task, especially if you don’t have an experience with it. But for every growing business this is a necessity. Take the time to learn it to keep your company blemish free and your record straight. You don’t want to have trouble with the government because of faulty records and flawed tax payments.

The good news is, the internet is a plethora of information which can provide you with sample payroll check stubs. You can analyze the sample paycheck stubs they provide and study it for the benefit of your business. The sample payroll check stubs can be downloaded and copied. With those sample payroll check stubs you can produce and design your own and make your business clear and concise with the records. These sample payroll check stubs will make life easier for you and your business. Providing yourself with a sample payroll check stub will enhance your knowledge about that process, there are also many sample payroll check stubs software available that can help you with your salary accounting. Invest in sample payroll check stubs and you will see the fruits of that action blossom for your business and you.

Write An Effective Job Proposal

I am simply amazed at the problems some of my colleagues are experiencing regarding writing job proposals for customers. So often I hear that there has been some sort of disagreement between client and service provider, something that can and should be avoided before a project is started. Here are four tips to help you write an effective job proposal letter.

Assume Nothing My junior high English teacher gave his students the real meaning of assume: if you assume something it makes an ass out of you and me: ass-u-me. Leave nothing to chance. When you speak with a client do not assume they understand much of what you have to offer. For instance, I sell website packages. I have learned to spell out everything that I will offer to my customers for a very specific price. If there are any "gray areas" I protect myself by telling customers that certain other expenses will be billed separately. Do not box yourself into a corner and do not pull surprises on your customers as they may think you are trying to cheat them. Keep the lines of communication wide open.

Get It In Writing Save all of your email correspondence with clients including emails you send and emails you receive. Sometimes what is not said verbally is articulated in writing. For example, I write much better than I speak, therefore I am more likely to put my ideas forth via "ink" or "type" than I am to verbalize them. In either case follow up your contact by placing everything in writing. You will need that paper trail in case something goes wrong e.g., a refusal to pay for services rendered.

Make Changes, If Necessary Sometimes projects change as the work goes forward. If it is a minor change, such as cropping a few extra photographs, you can probably "eat" the additional labor. However, if your project increases in size, let's say your clients now want a 12 page website instead of an 8 page site, they need to know that you need to be compensated for the extra work. Specify in your proposal letter that any changes to the project will incur additional charges; remind them of this "clause" should any major change be proposed. Your customer may decide not to go with the larger project after counting the additional costs.

Write a Contract I have done fairly well without contracts. Many of my customers know me quite well, therefore the proposal letter serves as a contract of sorts. I also require my customers to pay me 50% as an advancement; if they walk away from the contract upon completion of my work their website does not get uploaded to the internet. At the very least I have partial compensation for my hard work. Your experience or risk factors may be much different than mine; certainly use contracts if your customers are not well known to you or you do not have a previous business relationship.

In summation, every satisfied customer is a potential referral for new business. Keep those communication lines open and understood and you will garner additional projects because of your sound business practices.

Wholesale Drop Shipping Scams Revealed

If you want to acquire products to drop ship or wholesale, where do you look? There are all kinds of wholesale and drop ship list for sale on eBay. There's likely to be lots of decent companies right?

Not true, according to Chris Malta, the Product Sourcing Editor for eBay Radio:

When you see all these “Incredible” lists and books and packages of wholesaler suppliers and drop shippers for sale on eBay and the rest of the Internet, for anywhere from $5 to $50 or more, what you’re seeing 99% junk.

There are thousands of scammers, snake oil salesmen and con artists on the Internet who are just lying around waiting to AMBUSH you when you begin looking for REAL wholesale suppliers to do business with. Believe it or not, there is a whole niche industry built up on the Net around this kind of scamming! The folks who run these scams have all the moral fiber of a box of hair, and the only reason they even recognize the word ‘Scruples’ is from the TV ad for the party game.

You may have even fallen prey to one of these con artists, selling you their "insider" wholesale/drop ship list of suppliers. Me too. I've purchased so many lists that I can't even recollect how many. I don't know why, but I tend to find the "good" in people, and I was "sold" by these marketing schemes time and time again, even after being scammed by the latest one. Finally, after so many disappointments, I had HAD ENOUGH. I decided to get to the bottom of this appeal we all have with wholesale/drop ship companies, and find out if there really were any LEGITMATE drop shippers for purchasing “hot” consumer goods at great prices.

I literally contacted the administrator of every wholesale drop shipping website I could find. Posing as an investor, I managed to persuade the owners that I was seriously interested in purchasing their entire website and business. That way, once the cartoonish money bags flashed in their minds, they would grant me free access to their member's areas to examine what I would be "buying". Well, I was appalled with 99% of what I found. Many of the owners actually bragged about how many people purchased their useless subscriptions. I repeatedly found:

*outdated lists

*non-working links

*links leading to other sites that asked for more money

*no help section

*no real email support

*no refunds

I quickly realized that these so-called wholesale/drop ship lists were totally pointless. And the owners knew it, yet they were laughing all the way to the ATM machine! Needless to say, I didn't respond when they asked if I was still interested in purchasing their websites. Surprisingly, while sitting through all of the scam artist’s websites, I was able to locate a group of individuals that actually ran legitimate programs.

The owners were common folk like you and me that found a way to earn extra money working from home on their computers. Their membership areas were impressive, with an impressive amount of quality information on how to make $100-$200 per day on your computer doing very little work. I even chatted with a few of their customers in several online forums, and they confirmed that they were earning extra money using the information that the websites had provided them with. It was like I found a few diamonds in the rough. But don't take my word for it, you can drop by the over two dozen sites I found. See what you think.

They do charge a minimal fee for access to their program, which is to be expected for any legitimate enterprise that actually has people on staff who are dedicated to helping you get earning online. What a warm group of people! Anyway, if you do decide you are interested in any of the two dozen companies, I advise you to join poste-haste, as the owners have informed me that they are getting so many new members by word of mouth referrals, that they will be blocking off membership completely by month’s end. (By the way, you didn't get this news from me!) They don't have a large enough staff to welcome many more people, and they are driven to providing excellent service to each person. Well, my quest to find legitimate Dropship companies has come to an end. I have to mention I was thoroughly disappointed with most of what I found, and I strongly urge you not to take any chances doing business with any companies other than the twenty four I will share with you.

Whatever you do, I hope for you and everyone you love a healthy and prosperous year.

Take care and I wish you all the best.

How to Start a Carpet Cleaning Company

Opening a carpet cleaning business is a great way to earn money as your own boss. This is a relatively simple business to start, with low overhead, and little experience required. Start up costs can be minimal, if you shop around. Additionally, there is a steady market for quality work.

Most carpet cleaning equipment can be purchased for around two thousand dollars. If you already own a vehicle that will carry your equipment, then you are on your way. Researching shampoo machines and other equipment can be done easily on the Internet, as there are many web sites dedicated to carpet cleaning supplies.

Carpet cleaning equipment is getting revolutionized, much like other industries. Newer and more powerful shampooing machines are available online. There are also better shampoos and better drying systems that will leave the carpet cleaner longer. Customers will pay for quality, not for someone to have to come back two or three weeks later. You can even get machines that mount to a truck and are more powerful than the portable kind.

As with any small business, you will need to research licenses for your area for your carpet cleaning business. Check state and local governments to make sure you will not need permits or licenses. Some areas require that companies who do interior work be bonded as well. You will need to make sure you have all of your legal requirements met when you start your business.

Now you will need to choose which type of carpet cleaning services you are going to offer. Typically, households will not have their carpets cleaned more than three or four times a year, if that often. You will have to grow a large residential clientele list if this is the sole direction you wish to go.

Also there are the retail and commercial businesses that require cleaning more frequently. The equipment needed to clean both residential and commercial locations are not much different and most carpet cleaning services will routinely take care of both types of clients.

Advertising will be an expense worth spending some money on. Word of mouth can be counted on locally, but if you want to cover a wider area than your own neighborhood, you will need to invest in some advertising. Yellow pages business prints and local billboards will be a great place to start. Both of these options will let you be known to a great many people and will not be initially expensive.

Going to businesses with carpets and inquiring the manager about the carpet cleaning service he employs is also a good start. Remember not to undersell yourself. Always dress professionally on these occasions and conduct yourself in a professional manner. Most managers are continually looking for ways to decrease their expenses and if your services are less expensive than someone else's, you may indeed get the job.

While researching the web for supplies and equipment, do a little research on Internet advertising too. More and more people are looking local services and businesses up on the Internet and it is beneficial to be listed in local directories. There are also the yellow pages online, which is a useful resource to be listed in as well.

One thing about starting a carpet cleaning business that you will have to remember is that it is not a glamorous one. Anytime you clean something; you usually end up getting dirty. However, if you don't mind the dirt, you will see a career of fulfillment. Rooms will literally transform just by cleaning the carpet. That fact in it self is a selling point to gleam over.

Janitorial Cleaning Service: Getting Started

A janitorial cleaning service is one of the best businesses for a hardworking, blue collar person to start from scratch. Every business and every building needs to be cleaned once in a while - in some cases, many times each day. With the overhead involved with hiring employees to provide janitorial services, it is convenient for a company to outsource to a commercial janitorial service provider.

This is where you step in!

If you are reading this article, you are probably looking for advice on how to start a janitorial service. Hopefully the following information and advice will get you moving in the right direction.

Start Up Costs and Financing Sources:

$500 and up

It is possible to get started with almost no investment, but you will be in a much better position if you have a few hundred dollars of basic equipment available. Equipment for a full-scale commercial janitorial service may run many thousands of dollars.

Writing a sound business plan describing how to start a janitorial service in your area - including detailed market research and plans for future growth - may help you to secure some of your initial funding from venture capitalists or angel investors.

Pricing Guidelines for Service:

Base your time at $20 to $50 per hour (before taxes and expenses) and price your services according to the time you expect to spend on each task.

Itemize the exact services you intend to provide. Charging by the hour tends to make clients comfortable asking you to do more and more work for the same money. Be clear that you provide certain services for a certain price. By charging a flat fee, you will continually earn a better hourly rate as you improve and become more efficient.

Advertising and Marketing:

Get listed in the yellow pages under all of the main services you provide. This is more expensive than one general listing, but you can't expect all of your potential clients to look under "Janitorial Services" when they are really looking for "Window Cleaners".

Face-to-face selling can go either way. Some managers and store owners like the fortitude of this very direct way of marketing, but others find it very annoying - especially if they get a lot of people coming in and asking to wash the windows. Always obey "No Soliciting" signs.

Walk around town and identify businesses which look like they really need your help. Send a professional-looking brochure to the general manager.

Essential Equipment:

A janitorial cleaning service can start very small and build up as it grows more popular. It is sometimes possible to start out by using the equipment of the client companies, buying your own equipment with that revenue.

Get a unique uniform - and unique does not mean outrageous! A uniform looks much more professional than jeans, and it can provide a marketing service for you, as well. When people recognize your janitorial cleaning service working at the company down the street, it lends credibility to you when you approach them for a contract.

Much of the following equipment will become useful as your business expands:

Safety Equipment:

dust mask

safety goggles

heat resistant gloves

heat resistant apron

slip resistant, steel toe shoes

hard hat

General Supplies:

dust mop, brooms, and dust pans

vacuum cleaner

window squeegee and buckets

wet mop and bucket

scrub brushes

towels, lots of towels

window cleaning solution

degreaser solution

carpet cleaning solution

plunger

drain "snake"

basic tool set: hammer, screwdrivers, wrenches, etc.

tape measure

utility knife and plenty of blades

tool belt

ladder

50-foot water hose

pressure washer

chainsaw

weed whip

a cargo van to carry it all

Income Potential:

$15,000 to $60,000 per year, going solo.

There is a limit to the amount you can earn working alone. As you become more successful at negotiating with clients, you can eventually start hiring other people to do the work. The ultimate earning potential is unlimited.

Target Market:

One of the nicest parts about janitorial services is that you don't have to look for new customers week after week. After you secure a few accounts, you will have a fairly steady source of income that only changes infrequently.

Convenience stores, restaurants, grocery stores, strip malls, and office complexes are all great places to start looking.

Tips for Success:

Always be professional and courteous. Everyone encounters stressful and undesirable working conditions once in a while. It will carry you a long way if you can remain respectful and calm when dealing with these situations. Don't let your clients walk all over you, but don't let them walk out on you!

Janitorial services are very repetitive from day to day. Keep a mindset toward using your time more and more efficiently.

Go the extra mile. Do what you can to go above and beyond your clients' expectations. This translates to job security and a better reputation in the industry.

You should get your janitorial cleaning service bonded and insured. If you are not bonded and insured, your prospects for business are very limited.

Training, Skills or Experience Needed:

The best training is to have worked as a janitor for some time so you know what you're getting into. It is not easy work. Read a few books on how to start a janitorial service. No matter how much you already know, you are sure to find new information that will help you to be more successful.

Schooling is not usually necessary, but you can earn better money and find more contracts if you learn to maintain HVAC or other common equipment. There are independent classes available for this type of training.

Job Costing - Do You Know How?

What’s your job profitability? I meet with business owners every day that are unsure of their profitability at a company or job level. They “think” they are making money because they have a few dollars in their checking account. Having money in your checking account doesn’t mean you are profitable. It might mean you haven’t paid all the bills yet, so you have a little cash. Cash and profit are two different concepts. If you aren’t profitable, you won’t have longevity in your business.

It doesn’t matter the size of your business or the industry. Profitability is something you should be monitoring on a regular monthly basis. No business is too small or too large to do job costing. Such an excuse is your way of not holding yourself accountable to managing your business wisely. Failing to plan is a plan for failure.

So what do I mean by job costing? You should know how much you make and spend on each job. Expenditures should be tracked for those direct labor and material costs to each job. In addition, you should also be tracking overhead costs and allocating them to your various jobs as applicable. There is always going to be some overhead that is considered general overhead. Though often times too many dollars are thrown into general overhead, when they could easily be tracked to specific jobs. If you don’t know your exact income and expenses for each job and your overall business, then how can you know you are making a profit?

QuickBooks® has easy-to-use features that allow you to do job costing for time and materials. So don’t worry about having to track it all manually. Rely on tools to help you run your business more efficiently and effectively.

Are you curious how you are doing with job costing measurements? Here are some quick and easy questions to gauge your job costing performance:

1. Do I track each customer’s revenue information through a detailed invoice?

2. Do I have a way of breaking down my direct job materials cost by customer?

3. Do I associate all time spent to each job accurately with actual dollar amounts?

4. Do I have access to reports to monitor profitability on each job in a timely manner?

5. Do I have a way to trend the fluctuations in job profitability from job to job, month to month, etc?

If you answered “NO” to any of these, then it’s time for you to take an objective look at your financial goals. It’s time for you to implement a job costing mechanism to help you answer “YES” to these questions. How can you track your profitability and long-term growth plans if you don’t have detail at a job level?

Here are some quick and easy ways to utilize QuickBooks® effectively to help you with your job costing process:

1. Set up the QuickBooks® Item list so that you’ll have both an expense and an income aspect to each of the items. This will allow you to track your costs and your income; therefore, providing you profit by item.

2. Record your sales through the invoicing or sales receipt process. This will record the income aspects of the items.

3. As you purchase the product or service items, make sure that you utilize the Items tab so that it will record to the cost to the appropriate item. In addition, make sure to assign your customer/job information to each line item so that you’ll have the costs associated to the appropriate customer/job for job costing.

4. Utilize the time tracking mechanism in QuickBooks® so that you and your employees can track their time by item and customer/job. No dollar value is associated with this time until you actually pay the employees within QuickBooks®.

5. QuickBooks® has preformatted reports that you can access to have job costing information right at your fingertips. These are found under the Reporting menu and the Jobs/Time/Mileage option.

6. QuickBooks® has the ability to provide reports for any time period you select. This will allow you to have a variety of detail over the growth of your business and to produce trending reports. You can modify the report as needed to meet your needs.

One additional important aspect is that you have a good accounting professional on your team of resources. They will be able to help you understand what these reports are telling you in terms that you can use. Reports alone don’t provide value if you don’t understand them. So it is key that you understand the reporting information and how you can utilize that information to assist you in decision-making as you grow your business profitably.

It’s all about how you set-up your accounting/bookkeeping software package and how you use it! What justification can you give for not knowing job costs within your business? None! Challenge yourself today to become more adept at running a financially savvy business through job costing.

Pet Grooming Business

Do you like animals? Would you like to work for yourself? Pet grooming could be the career for you.

A grooming business is more than just washing dogs. It can include cleaning ears, trimming nails, brushing teeth, and shaving the animal’s coat in stylish ways. The animal can be a dog, cat, pig or other type of animal.

With an animal grooming business, the choice is yours. You can have the clients drop their animals at our house or you can start a mobile pet grooming business. The options are limitless.

Starting a pet grooming business does not require that you become certified. Research different dog grooming schools in your area, and choose one that fits your needs. Try to find one that offers pet grooming business management classes with the actual pet grooming classes.

Once you are trained, or while you are in training, you should start to create a pet grooming business plan. Since you will incur some start up costs for your training, licenses, insurance, and equipment, having a business plan can help you obtain a loan to get started.

It is estimated that the industry will grow over 10% in the next five years. This means that your grooming business will likely grow quickly as long as you are professional at all times. This also means that you will have to complete some office work daily as well. Owning an animal grooming business is not just animal grooming.

Pricing can be difficult to determine, but a few phone calls to local grooming salons, or individuals who perform grooming, will give you and idea regarding what services you should be providing and an estimation of the fees. You will need also to decide if you business will be just a dog grooming business or if you will groom other pets too.

Because your business is client oriented, you will need to build a clientele list. The best way to do this is to get your name into your community. You can place flyers at pet stores and veterinarian offices, and animal shelters. You can create a press release for local newspapers and radio stations. You can even offer your services to the local animal shelter. If they like your work, they will refer people to you.

To keep on top of animal grooming trends you should plan to attend local dog and cat shows, and go to pet grooming industry expos, and conventions. You should subscribe to industry magazines as well, and check the internet frequently. It is a font of knowledge and there are web sites, such as PetGroomer.com that are there to help people start their animal grooming business, obtain training, and calendars of events.

Since you are working for yourself, you have to rely on your ability to keep customers happy. This means always being available for set appointments, maintaining a clean work area, and being professional at all times. Even though you work from home, or out of a van, professionalism keeps your clients coming to you and not another pet grooming business.

There are many ways to get into this industry. You can purchase a franchise, which give you the credibility of an established name. You can purchase a local pet grooming business that is currently for sale. Of course, you can start your own grooming business.

You should check with your local government for any zoning, licensure, and insurance requirements for your business. This is very important and could be the difference of your grooming business succeeding or failing. A dog grooming business is still a business no mater how much fun you have doing it.

Boat Hull Cleaning Procedures for Owners and Detailers

For really tough boat hull cleaning you will need to break out the acid. Muratic acid is the best for this. You'll want to have a 50/50 mix of muratic acid of 6-8% concentrated (12% is the highest concentration you can legally buy over the counter), water and a good strong sprayer. You can purchase muratic acid at Wal*Mart, K-Mart, Pool Supply Stores, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Van Waters and Rogers Chemicals. Sears Craftsman makes a nice strong sprayer or try a local store for another brand of commercial pump-up sprayer.

Spray onto the boat directly after doing a presoak with a good strong blast of water. Let it sit for approximately 2 minutes. Just let the acid do its work breaking up and removing the algae. If it is still there try it again for longer and longer periods of time, but not more than 10-15 minuites. You'll be amazed how nice it looks even by the time you come back to rinse it off. Usually you can remove all this excess with a good strong brush after the acid shock treatment.

You may have to get with a smaller scrubbie into some areas around the drive system and other nooks and crannies underneath. If it's on a trailer and the bunks are on it, that's just the way it goes, you can't get around those - you can't move that boat on the trailer. On a hoist, you'll have full access to the boat.

Once you've scrubbed off one side of the boat, rinse, and repeat the procedure on the opposite side. Give it a very strong thorough rinse getting all the residual acid off the trailer as it can sometimes cause rust spots and corrode. Only use this muratic acid mix for boats that are extremely algae covered, heavy in barnacles, and other growth associated with long-term in-water moorage. Often times you can use Slimy grimy and hot water or Starbrite's buffered acid will work just fine for cleaning a mildly dirty boat bottom. For cleaning diesel soot found around the transom, aft deck ceiling and along the water line around exhausts, but not bottom paint, you can use Meguiar's #50 first, then proceed with compound Monster Agua-Blue 200, Maguire’s #44 or #49 if this doesn’t work.

If you are cleaning along the waterline and boat bottom that is not painted, you will want to reach for the bottle of On/Off by Maritime Products Company. You will remove all barnacles, moss growth and browning incredibly fast. Don’t get this stuff on your hands or on any bottom paint as it will streak the paint and will burn your hands. This is corrosive, but will not harm gel coat and neutralizes with water. Don’t get it on the trailer, it will streak and etch it. It is an oxcillic acid mix and is available at West Marine stores. If you are a contractor and doing this for a living the pricing usually goes from $3.00 to $4.50 a foot. Again, market conditions in your area may be a little more or a little less. You can adjust to fit those market conditions.

The Marina-Tec boat wash system is great. If you are contractor and have lots of work you may want to consider leasing a location to wash boat bottoms. GMBH & Co. has a hull-leaning machine that uses two brushes that rotate horizontally along the hull and two brushes that rotate vertically at the heel. It is an automated system and does not use toxic chemicals. It is similar to an automatic car wash only for boats in the water.

Do it right the first time, do it efficiently and think about it.

Pressure Washer Concrete Cleaning Equipment

Cleaning concrete is tough and there is an easy way and a hard way. There is one thing you need to understand when you are pressure washer cleaning concrete; the concrete cannot always be made to look brand new again after it has been stained. You can always get stains lighter or bleached but completely removing it is very difficult, sometimes you get lucky, but if you are looking for perfection, chances are you will be underwhelmed. So when talking to customers let them know up front and explain this to them otherwise they will be asking for a job that just can't be done unless the entire concrete slab is ripped up and re-poured.

Let’s talk about equipment that is needed for this type of work. Remember safety is always important when working with a pressure washer. Some times there are chemicals involved in cleaning some stains. Thus, you should always use some type of eye protection. Also, when you are using chemicals you need to wear jeans to protect your legs. Chemicals made for concrete are very strong and should not be toyed with. Would a person rather work with dry feet or wet? It is recommended that you get rubber waders or some type of rubber boot. They will keep your feet from getting wet and keep them from getting burned by the 250 degree water.

Orange cones are also important to have for this job. These help make people visually aware that you are there if you are in a high traffic area or where there are a lot of contract workers at say a newly constructed house that needs the concrete cleaned. This makes everyone around you safe and you are helping prevent accidents. Of course you are going to need a Hydro-Twister for this job. You can technically do the job with a wand but it will take a lot more time and water, not to mention you can cause streaking if you are not using even strokes across the slab of concrete. Most of the new hot water pressure washers have an option of a hydro twister type unit but if you don't have one and or you need a second unit we recommend that you go to buy one. When buying a hydro twister buy the larger of the two. There my be only a 5 inch difference in surface coverage but it is well worth it when you are trying to save time without cutting corners. Especially if you are cleaning concrete at a construction site or a large retail type box store, there is a lot of concrete and the faster you clean it the more money you will make. Think about it.

Your Baby's Ugly..and You've Got Bad Breath

I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that 98% of businesses are small businesses. That bodes well for the entrepreneurial spirit that has made our nation great. The bad news is that 80%, that’s right, four out of five new businesses will fail in their first five years.

After years of building my own companies and consulting growing businesses, I’ve come to the realization that too many business owners can’t see their business through an objective eye, which often leads to their demise. It takes an incredible amount of intense drive, determination and a strong ego to breathe life into a business and create products from scratch, but it’s also that same ego that won’t let a business owner be objective about what their business needs to succeed. The business is up and running at light-speed and management doesn’t have the time or willingness to stand back and take a real look at what they have created. They are too close to the problems to see them. Just like a proud parent, they have spent sweat and time creating this “baby,” and they refuse to believe that it might be less than perfect.

I call this the “business parent trap.” It is in this trap that business owners often create and introduce products that would not test out in the marketplace. There’s an attitude of “Hey, it’s gotta be great because I thought of it.”

I’ve found that there are usually two basic things wrong with a business: the product (the Baby) and the management (the Breath).

So how do you assess your business? Are your employees going to tell you that you’re headed in the wrong direction? Not likely. Occasionally a consultant will be brought in to review the company’s performance in a given area. Unfortunately, when management does bring in a consultant, they often are really looking for affirmation – not straight-forward constructive criticism. Sadly, some consultants are more than willing to “affirm for a fee.”

If you’re going to succeed, then someone needs to tell you if your baby’s ugly or you’ve got bad (corporate) breath. So here are some blunt yet truthful thoughts for your business, and perhaps you:

• GET OVER YOURSELF: Know yourself, trust yourself, believe in yourself...then Get Over Yourself. You’re really not the smartest person in the world. You built the business and know it better than anyone else, but no one else really cares how much you know.

• SPECTATOR SPORT: Conversation with you should not be a spectator sport for others. Remember that there’s a huge difference between listening and merely waiting for your turn to talk. You hired your employees and perhaps a consultant because you assumed they had brains, so let them use them. Ask questions and listen to answers.

• JUST ANOTHER PRODUCT: Realize that even though you think that your new product or service is the greatest thing since the flip-top beer can, the world just sees one more product and must be convinced. You created this product and you know every function of it, but customers do not buy functions, they buy only benefits. Whether your product is a high tech internet service or office furniture, you must show how it is uniquely beneficial to your customer. Functionality makes your products work, Benefits make them sell.

• PAPER WEIGHT: If you have the high tech inventive skills to create a product, chances are that you don’t have the skills to market and sell it. Many small business owners think that marketing and sales are the simplest part of their business, so it is almost an afterthought. There is only one reason that inferior products outsell better ones; and that is successful marketing. Think of your marketing plan as the complete story book that sells your product. If your story book is a best seller, then your product will be a best seller. Without the right story that will build sales and distribution, your wonderful product is just another paper weight head for a land fill.

• STAND BACK: Your competitors are not all stupid. Guess what? They think their babies are cute too, and they may tell better stories that make them look even better than yours. So stand back and look at yourself and your baby and try to look through the eyes of a disinterested party, because believe it or not, the world is a disinterested party.

Remember, there‘s an 80% chance that you will not be in business in 5 years. As busy as you are, and successful as you think you are, you must set your ego aside and realize that there are things beyond your control. Successful companies know that the secret to success doesn’t lie in knowing everything; it lies in knowing what you don’t know, and finding those who do.

I wish you good luck and great success.

Truck Wash Business Case Study

Often smart entrepreneurs look for out of the way businesses, things out of the mainstream but businesses, which have a good customer base and steady incomes. This is an extremely interesting story. I had always considered the mobile truck washing efforts to be very profitable and believed that fixed truck washes were a big waste of money. That was until one year when a new franchisee joined our team from Oklahoma City. I run a franchise company called the Car Wash Guys; www.carwashguys.com. Turns out the franchisee was formerly employed by Blue Beacon Truck Washes the largest chain of truck washes in the US. They do about $138,000,000 per year with 80 truck washes and the company is very closely held. Tim our franchisee was a truck manager for them and before buying into our franchise and started washing cars in OKC even though he knows truck washing best. He had a two-year non-compete with his old company, which we have honored in OKC. He has tons of experience and had indicated to me that the business is sound and we should really get into it. Later that year I sold a franchise to a person in WA State who owned car washes (5) and he made a deal with a truck stop on an Indian Reservation, he never started the plan, but the numbers we ran on the spreadsheet looked great and very profitable.

Even as a serial entrepreneur, I had never considered the fixed site truck wash business, as the mobile truck wash business seemed so much more efficient and so little over head; www.truckwashguy.com . So even with all this knowledge on the team we still did not enter that market. One of our competitors in the car washing industry bought up two truck washing chains for a total of fourteen truck washes and proclaimed it more profitable than his other car washes by 5 times as much money. They now own nearly 100 locations of truck and car washes nationwide. After looking into it some more a franchise buyer who owned Fuel MAN, an East coast Fuel Card for fleet owners approached us in South Carolina to use the Truck Wash Guys name and develop a truck wash mid state. At that point we decided to start working on the details. Then a franchisee in OH made a deal with a truck stop between Columbus OH and Pittsburgh, to operate a 24 hour truck wash and de-ice business. He thought how easy this is and now so we have made deal in WV at a truck wash as well. Our Ohio Franchisee at the time took on another partner in WV.

Still reluctant to fully dive into the subcategory of full service truck washes we found our Ohio Franchisee going full guns to put together a deal with Pilot Truck Stops. Pilot Truck Stop has the most Truck Stops on the Planet and sells 8% of all the diesel fuel in the United States. So we planned a pilot program at pilot. Our temporary set up is a trailer unit, which sits at the truck stops and washes made sense. We then worked on plans for a building to submit them to the Building dept. for approval, meanwhile the deals in OH and WV and SC were suddenly in the works. We figured if our deal with the truck stops worked well, the Truck Stops will get more traffic and fuel sales while we generate revenue and a percentage of the total take for the truck stop for the privilege of working there. We are so use to washing trucks and have on our team a gentleman who sells simonize truck wash and has been in the car washing and pressure washing equipment business for 20 years. By using the fuel man fuel cards as currency on the east coast and name recognition of Pilot we figured we could move into this industry and pick up the slack.

There is a shortage of truck washes across the country and also a shortage of oil change facilities for trucks. A franchisee could be trained by our truck wash prototypes and probably on the top performing franchisee in our mobile truck wash division; then quickly set up in their own markets. Pressure Washing companies which specialize in fleet truck washing should in fact consider this type of strategy for moving into the fixed site truck washing business.

If you study entrepreneurial companies you will in fact see that many companies fall into markets due to opportunities which present themselves, it is amazing the opportunities which exist out there and how fast companies can grow when they can handle the demand of those markets. Think on this.

How to Profit from a Concrete Roof Tile Business

Concrete Roof Tile Business:
During the 2004 summer season, storms plagued the United States. Damages from the Hurricanes in Florida alone sent resources in the southern states scrambling. The shortage of qualified roofing professionals and supplies were felt immediately. Roofers from all over the United States began hunting down supplies and heading south. There were also many people who saw a roofing business opportunity and invested in roof tile businesses.

Concrete roof tile has gone through some evolution over the years. Initially, the tiles were large, like sheets of corrugated roofing. The composition for the size did not hold up well, and lasted only about ten years. When the tiles were made smaller, it was found that the roof tiles held up twenty plus years and were tougher than the larger sheets.

Another benefit of concrete roof tile is the ability to stain them, giving them the aesthetic flexibility that consumers want. Their durability and ease of installation are both benefits. Concrete roofing tiles provide great protection from heavy rain, hot sun, and strength. You can also be assured there is little risk of your tiles blowing off in high winds. The tile's size and composition are resistant to breakage as well.

Concrete roofing tile can be produced with a small shop and small investment. This is an industry that is being used all over the world. Typical start up costs, not including land and buildings, can cost around one thousand dollars. Equipment can be purchased from hardware and concrete shops locally, or online. Supplies and mixes can be obtained the same way.

There are typically two types of concrete roofing tile, both of which will require some learned skill to produce effectively. The first type is the fiber reinforced concrete tile. As the name implies, tiles are reinforced with sisal or coir fibers. The second type of tile is made with no fibers at all. These are known as micro-concrete roofing tiles.

Quality control will be an important issue when producing roofing tiles. Micro-concrete roofing tiles will require a great deal of care and precision during the entire process of production or sub standard tiles will be produced. The standards for fiber-reinforced tiles can be produced with slightly less rigorous attention to detail, but you still want a good quality tile to make it to the roofer who buys them.

Equipment requirements are actually minimal, but should be selected carefully for quality. A tile vibrator machine, moulds, plastic sheets, batching boxes, a water curing tank, and a table to work on are about the essentials. Your supplies should include sand, water, and cement. The sand should be of the best quality, having a regular grain-size grading. Make sure that the grain size is not too silty, as this will provide sub standard tiles.

Once you learn the techniques of producing good quality tile, you will be able to market your tile to local roofers and hardware stores. Working on your sales pitch will be important, especially defining the benefits of concrete roofing tile. The benefits of concrete tile are easy to explain and should make for a great sales pitch to perspective clientele.

Concrete roof tile production can also lead to concrete roof tile repair. If you have roofing experience, you will be ahead of the game. Installing concrete roofing tile is no more difficult than most other roofing materials. Always have extra tiles on hand to be able to assist with repair jobs.

A concrete roof tile business is ideal for someone willing to make the educational investment. Most of the time involved will be in learning to produce good quality tile. Once you have established your techniques, you should have no trouble in selling your tiles on the roofing market!

Batting Cages Business - Making Profits With The Swing Of A Bat

There is a Batting Cages Business for those people who love baseball and/or softball. This business will make you a profit and will help raise the self-esteem of the children who come to your facility. Batting Cage complexes are popping up all over the world.

A Batting Cages Business requires conviction on the part of the business owner. There is just as much or more work for the person wanting to open the batting facility before the grand opening. Many things must be researched, and obtained.

The first thing you should do, is contact your local and state government to find out what requirements and regulations your Batting Cages Business will need to comply with and follow. You will probably need a business license, a sales tax license, insurance and possibly other inspections and licenses. However, by knowing this you will know that this is definitely the right business.

Once you have this information, you can decide if you really want to go to the next phase, the Batting Cages Business business plan. This will be a requirement for several reasons. You will need a business plan to get financing, decide on the services you will provide at your facility, make sure you have all required paperwork, and ensure that you have not forgotten anything. It will also help you price everything out to open, and help you set a budget for your business.

You can find many documents to help you prepare a Batting Cages Business business plan and financial statement at the Small business administration website. This web site should become your best friend. It can help answer questions regarding business, get you in touch with mentors to help you, help with financing, and make sure that you are on track during the start up process and the future.

Another option is to work with a business consultant to prepare your business plan. However, this can be expensive and may take just as long as you doing it yourself. The sample business plan on the Small Business Administration will help you do the exact same thing as a business consultant. Plus, by doing the footwork on your own, it will give you a sense of the monetary value your venture will entail, and will better help you establish the operating budget.

While creating your business plan, you should consider whether you want to purchase the Batting Cages Business franchise or build one on your own. You will want to research the pros and cons. The advantage of a franchise is that you purchase the name, support, training, and equipment. The only other thing you have to purchase is the location. You also get their marketing and expertise in the industry.

If you decide to build your Batting Cages Business from the ground up, you will be required to purchase the location, and all the equipment. It is not impossible, but you will have to get the name out into the public and build credibility. You will also probably have a time where you are learning about the business through trial and error, which can produce losses of income or customers, depending on how you set your prices.

It is usually a little more expensive to purchase the franchise at the beginning, but the advantages usually outweigh this problem. Depending on your location, it may actually be cheaper to buy a franchise. You need to consider all your options, and doing this while creating your Batting Cages Business business plan. It is also during this time that you will need to decide on a location for your business.

You have made your decision, have a promising location in mind, and you have your business plan completed. You will now need to get financing. You will need to create a proposal explaining the advantages of your Batting Cages Business venture and show your business plan. You can try to get financing through private individuals, banks, or the Small Business Administration. If you don’t get financing right away, don’t get discouraged. Look over your proposal and business plan, make changes if needed and keep trying. You will eventually get the funding you need.

Once you have financing you can purchase the location, and start building your Batting Cages Business facilities. However, this doesn’t mean that you are done. You need to constantly update your business plan, it should be considered a dynamic document. You will also need to subscribe to newsletters, and periodicals, check new books and web sites to keep on top of the industry.

Enjoy your venture and look at the smiling faces of the people coming to your facility to know it was all worth it.

Women and Small Business

In the book Women and Small Business author gives all the guidelines and tools need to start, operate and succeed in a business of their own. In the mentioned book she tried in the fist part to explain how has changed the role of women in the world along centuries. In the second part she researched all neccesary abbilities of women who like to start up their own business,make differences among women and men owners and gave advices to them.Additionaly, she made some very important questions which need answers for all prospective owners,as following:

What is my reason for starting a business? What type of business can I start? What skills, interests, and personal qualities will I bring to the business? What are my strengths and weaknesses as a business owner? What fears must I overcome?

In the third part she gave Case study based on MS Project which could be on a special use for their business ideas from the very beginning to their realisation in praxis.This information will help them form some opinions about the overall climate and how their idea might fare given current conditions. As they become more convinced of its potential, they can delve deeper into specifics that will ultimately become part of a formal business plan. Everything they discover will contribute to their idea's potential for success Dr Mirjana Radovic pointed that ideas are the currency of entrepreneurs and therefore they must play with many ideas and see which ones bring money and success. The reality is that some businesses may not be profitable enough to provide a living. Other business ideas simply aren't marketable in some trade area or there might be too much competition already. They may or may not have enough capital to get the business off the ground or to secure adequate business financing. So this book provides the tools with which to make decision whether or not to open own small business.

In the fourth part of the study she presented the latest results of researching related to women leaders and their position in the business world,i.e. how does people look at ( divided into sex,ages and level of education) women leaders and if they trust them.She compared results of one of the latest researching in the USA with the results in Serbia and Montenegro.Her scientific task was to make some conclusions and to point out some special characteristics of Balkan region .In the fifth part of the book she wrote about some limitation in achiving business success-Enterprenurial Phobia,Intuition and Managers desease among women.Finally,she gave some key points of her researching work and presented conclusion with the stress on the future position of women engagement in the business, where was long domination of men.