Writing A Business Plan What Makes A Good One

Writing a business plan can be a lot of hard work or it can be great fun. An effective plan can help your company to greatness. A poor one can lead you out of business. No plan is like asking to fail before you even start.

Not every business needs a 200 page bound business plan. However every business needs to have some idea of where they want to go and how they are going to get there. This article covers some key insights into writing a business plan that get your business to where you want to be.

The first stage of any plan is ANALYSIS. You need to take a very objective look at a number of factors that may impact your business. There are many factors to consider but the two major ones are competition and your operating environment.

Let’s look first at competition. Every business has competition, even if you think your product or service is unique. How is this? Well it’s quite simple really, people have choices to make. The most fundamental choice they make in most cases is whether to buy what you offer or but something else. For example I could buy a game console or I could buy groceries instead. Customers only have so much money available so you first task is to ask yourself what is my competition like and can I beat them? The more you understand your competition the more you can develop your business strategy of being different and outperforming them.

Now let’s look at operating environment. This understands what factors around your area of operation are likely to affect your business performance. For some companies this includes looking around the World in other cases it’s just your local neighborhood. You need to ask questions such as:

How is the economy going?
What is consumer confidence like?
Where is technology heading in my industry?

After answering all the questions you need to decide how these might negatively or positively influence your performance.

Now you know more about your competition and operating environment it’s time to set some OBJECTIVES. This is what you want to achieve in the period your business plan covers. It is said that good objectives are SMART. That is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and targeted. Here’s an example of a SMART objective for a hypothetical business.

“By the end of this year we will have increased sales of product X by 7.5% over the previous year.”

You can see how clear this objective is. It is much easier to achieve high performance with clear objectives.

Now you need to outline your STRATEGY. How are you going to reach you objective(s)? This is where your marketing plan often comes in as it helps describe the programs you will run to achieve your desired objective(s). To continue the example above our strategy may be to gain distribution for our product in one new major retail chain.

To make your strategy work you must then allocate appropriate RESOURCES. Certain things will need to be provided to reach your goal. This could be dollars, people, equipment, etc. Your plan must have included the resources you are allocating and why you believe this is adequate to get the result.

Every business plans also has some PROJECTIONS. This is your basic financials that you plan will deliver. Are you expecting a profit or loss? How much?

Lastly you need to allow for CONTINGENCIES. Things change all the time and your plan needs to consider these possibilities in advance. A good way to do this is to ask What if?

What if a new competitor enters our market?
What if a distributor delists our product?
What if interest rates rise?

Your analysis should give you some idea of likely contingencies. It saves a lot of stress if you have some documented ideas for dealing with them before they become a big problem.

Writing a business plan is never perfect, the plan is on paper and you’re operating in the real world. However a good plan can really guide you in the right direction. Take time to put real thought into preparing your plan an above all make sure you USE YOUR PLAN!

Provided by ArticleGOLD: Articles Directory - Article Directory

How to Buy Used Baby Clothes Online!

There are multitudes of ways to purchase used clothing for your baby. In this article I will cover only the online options available in the hopes that it will help you to maximize your spending money with the least amount of hassle, stress or risk. I hope to cover some of the key issues of buying used clothes online such as private sales versus online stores, the use of PayPal and other forms of payment, purchasing through ebay and non-ebay auctions or non-auctions alike, online classifieds and more all in the hopes that you will benefit from some of the things I've learned and avoid the mistakes that I as well as others have made.

First of all let's talk a bit about where to find used baby clothes online from private sellers. There are some areas on the web which allow you to post used clothing ads such as ebay and classified sites. Some classified or "for sale" sites are even specialized in either family or baby related items. Ebay, for those of us who are familiar but not necessarily all knowing about it, is a giant online auction with items being posted constantly in all possible fields and topics. Those selling can choose to list their items in an auction format in which the sky's the limit. Bids can start as low as one penny or they can choose to invite people to purchase the items out right by using a buy now feature in which they set a price for their items. As a general rule the buyer pays all shipping costs on top of the selling price and most payments are made through PayPal, which I will cover later.

Baby clothing on ebay tends to be mostly new with or without tags attached and is either sold in batches of items known as "lots" (grouped by gender and size) or individually as outfits. Since I am focusing on used baby items let's discuss those. Batches of baby clothing on ebay tend to get bid very high as there is a seemingly large number of people wanting to buy in this way and very few meeting the demand. I have found that items and batches of clothing of any note on ebay tend to sky rocket in price above what is reasonable for used clothing -- particularly if they toss in a few name brands such as Gap, Osh Kosh, Gymboree etc... and more often than not a bidding war ensues and you are inevitably outbid or worse you get caught up and spend more than you'd originally expected for items you haven't even seen and have no quality guarantee!

Auction and classified or selling sites other than ebay can be very chancy -- since ebay is established it has the ability to set down rules which keep most dishonest people out while the smaller sights haven't the same pull with those posting. Quite often these sites (this doesn't really apply to local purchasing) are riddled with people who are no longer allowed to post on ebay for one reason or another. I have had experiences myself in which items promised ended up being fewer than what I'd paid for and set a price based entirely on quantity! I can't tell you how upset that made me, and what was worse -- I was informed that three of the items had small stains when in truth about 50 fell into the stained category. So what had originally been a good deal turned out to be very disappointing!

There are of course no guarantees with a private seller, no return policy or customer service after the sale is closed and once the sale is complete you must find a new seller down the road when you need clothing again and you run the risks of stumbling across a swindle or a sour deal every time.

One rule to follow in all private sales is to use a traceable method of payment like PayPal. PayPal is a third party which will ensure payment and receipt of product from both parties. Do not use Western Union in any online transactions, or any other non traceable forms of payment! There is no guarantee you'll ever get the items you paid for when you use this method as it is meant to be untraceable!

So now let's discuss the second option of buying used baby clothes online -- the non private sellers or online used baby clothing stores. There are over 50 stores currently running online who specialize in selling used baby clothing. As with all things online there are stores which are shabbily run due to poor web design skills and such to no fault on the part of the store, they just don't have the skills to make the process simple and enjoyable for you. They have great items and competitive prices and if you don't mind a little extra effort when placing an order they do have more security than the average private seller -- especially since you know where they are going to be when you need them. There are a handful of sites which are a little better for service - for example you do not need to email them detailed descriptions of the items you'd like, mail them a money order or some such and then wait for them to receive it before they even send you the items these sites often have PayPal as an option and some even have shopping carts if a little confusing to use. There are an even smaller number of high service sights who offer credit card payment options, low shipping costs and things similar to those offered by online stores in general. Quite a few of all three levels of sites have quality guarantees for a week or so after you've received your order -- one even offers a full year quality guarantee! This ensures that the items you buy from them have been inspected thoroughly by people who have a more universal understanding of the words "in great condition" and it is in their best interest to satisfy as they ideally would like you to come back and tell others! Shopping with these stores can be fun and you can save tons while getting the quality you are looking for!

Should you choose the more dangerous route of shopping through private sellers with ebay and non ebay sites please take care and remember to never use a non traceable form of payment, don't be afraid to ask numerous questions -- if something seems off in their responses trust your gut -- there will always be another seller. Should you choose to explore the option of purchasing through an online used baby clothing store I wish you all the fun of shopping for baby clothes at bargain prices (doesn't that mean you can buy even more?!) with none of the hassle or risks associated with private sellers and the added benfit of quality guarantees! Happy Shopping! I will cover more on this issue in later posts.

Written by: Bikram

14K Gold Jewelry

Buying 14k gold jewelry can be fun as you give the gift of precious metals or give yourself a wonderful gift; a gift that lasts a lifetime! A high quality item is always a great gift to receive. Whether you choose 14k gold jewelry or 18k gold jewelry, you should know that purchasing any expensive item is making an investment in not only the person receiving the gift, (even a gift to yourself), but an investment in fine metals that will hold their value. Before making a costly purchase perhaps a little information on gold and what constitutes karats would be helpful in determining what karat content you would want to obtain.

Pure gold is soft, much too soft to substantially hold up to wear and tear or to hold a valuable and expensive stone in a setting. Because of the softness, it is usually mixed with other metals to form a substance that is more durable and hardy. This procedure is called alloying. To alloy is to mix metals together. When gold is alloyed with other materials or metals, the content in a particular object is then measured by karats. For example, 14k jewelry means that the gold content of the jewelry equals 14 parts to 10 parts of other materials. It is the same with 18k jewelry. A piece of jewelry certified as 18k, will have 18 parts gold to 6 parts of other metal contents. The standard karat content of most jewelry is 14k, 18k and 22k.

While alloying is done for durability, some fine jewelers alloy gold with other metals to reach a desired or specific color. Higher karat content items, such as a 18k jewelry will produce a more yellow color to the finish of the product. But, when a piece of gold is alloyed with nickel, silver, or platinum, the finish can be silver, or what is more commonly known as white gold. When a jeweler or designer wants to keep costs at a minimum, 14 carat is generally the least expensive cost. The lower the karat or pure gold content, the less expensive the product.

A piece of 14k gold jewelry or 18k gold jewelry should be clearly marked, letting the buyer know that they are buying a specific quality. The content should always be marked, along with another marking for a registered trademark and where the ring or necklace has been made. Marking a piece is not required by law, but is a courtesy marking, guaranteeing the buyer that they are buying specific content of metal. Always look for a 14k gold jewelry trademark or an 18k gold jewelry trademark when purchasing finer pieces, knowing that you are buying a item that is guaranteed to have substantial precious metal content.

There is also a process called gold plating. Plating is actually 10K gold that has been electroplated to another host metal. Plated jewelry can be beautiful, but durability is an issue, as the plating eventually wears off when the piece is worn considerably. There are jewelry pieces that are gold filled and overlaid as well. Any piece that has overlay or is filled should be marked with an abbreviated term to clarify the content of the item in question.

When buying jewelry, much of what is selected will be determined by personal preference. The higher the precious metal content, the more valuable the piece. A 22k or 24k gold ring will have a beautiful finish that has a unique yellow tone, and this piece will be worth quite a bit of money. But a ring with high karat content would need to be taken care of, and never worn for daily activities. Also, precious jewels mounted would be at risk. 18k gold jewelry and 14k gold jewelry are certainly the most popular choices because of these factors.

If you are in the market for a piece of jewelry, then speak with the jeweler about their recommendations for what you want the piece for. There are occasions when a 22k or 24k piece may be just what the buyer needs or wants. There is also more information on buying fine pieces online through the Internet, and interested parties can browse the information about metal content and its value online. Gold is a valuable and precious metal. God's Word, the Bible tells us that our faith is much more valuable than gold to God. "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:7)

Sony's Ultra-Slim Laptop Surfaces in Berlin Ian Paul, PC World

Sony was showing off its latest lightweight, ultra-slim laptop earlier this week at the IFA consumer electronics trade show in Berlin. The Sony Vaio X is being billed as the successor to Sony's 2004 Vaio X505--a forward thinking laptop that was thinner than the MacBook Air. Sony says nothing is set in stone as far as specs are concerned, according to Engadget, but here's what I was able to cobble together based on a variety of reports:

• Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Thickness: 0.5-inch
• Screen: 11.1-inch backlit LCD screen in either matte or glossy display
• Processor: Intel Atom (could change to CULV)
• Storage: 120 GB hard disk drive (HDD), according to Sony Insider
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Ports: 2 x USB; Ethernet; SD card reader; Memory Stick Duo slot; VGA output; headphone
• Battery: 31Wh battery that "will set the new standard for stamina."
• Body material: Carbon Fiber
• Operating System: likely Windows 7
• Cost: rumored to be under $2000, according to Slash Gear
• Availability: likely the week following the October 22 launch of Windows 7.

Since there's no official word about this laptop yet, the above specs should be treated as rumor until we have a finalized device from Sony. The look of the Vaio X is very nice, but Sony may end up delivering nothing more than an over-priced Atom-based laptop. Atom processors are typically found in low-powered netbooks, like Sony's Vaio W series, which sells in the $500 range. With Sony talking about a price tag under $2000 for the X series, this ultra-slim laptop may not come cheap.

A high price tag won't help against the competition either, since the X Series looks poised to compete against devices like the MacBook Air. Apple's ultra-slim laptop has two models that sell between $1500-1800; however, the Air sports a faster Intel Core 2 Duo processor as opposed to the X's current Atom CPU. If Sony really wants to compete against the Air it looks to me like they have two choices: price this device below $1000 or bump up the processor specs.

Take a look at this video from Netbook News to see the Sony Vaio X in action.

• See more like this:
• sony,
• mini laptop

• Recommend this story?
• 
  
• 
  
• 16Yes
  2No

"Sony's Ultra-Slim Laptop Surfaces in Berlin" Comments

Carbon fiber? You gotta be kidding. I rether have aluminum. And its actually under $2000? Let me guess...its probably going to be $1999.

Looks pretty though. But who is going to pay $1500 for a netbook?

And Sony is already having low Vaio sells as it is. I see less than 1000 of these selling. Come on Sony...its a PC that runs Windows and it has netbook specs...wy does it need to be carbon fiber?

Reply to this comment

WinTard says:

Fri Sep 04 07:58:33 PDT 2009

While I'm not disagreeing with you TechieXP, it is interesting to consider the underlying scientific reasons for using [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_fiber_reinforced_polymer"]Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers[/url] (CFRP)?

I believe carbon fiber is stronger and lighter than aluminum? Also has better plastic properties. Come to think of it, plastic is better than metal for a wide variety of reasons. Motherboards are made of plastic (glass-epoxy). CDs and DVDs are made of plastic. Screens are made of plastic. Sure you can cover them in glass, but it's still plastic inside. LCDs are made of plastic. The back-light diffuser lens is made of plastic. Plus a whole variety of useful things.

The only problem with CFRP is that it is much more expensive than aluminum.

quote][url="http://news.cnet.com/Here-comes-the-everyday-carbon-fiber-car/2100-1008_3-6114289.html?tag=nefd.top"]http://news.cnet.com...ml?tag=nefd.top[/url]

Five times stronger than steel and a heck of a lot lighter, carbon fiber is making its way into more cars than ever before. But since carbon fiber is stronger, tougher and lighter than steel and can increase fuel efficiency because of its lower weight, major manufacturers are finally getting in on trend. New aircraft designs helped drive demand as well. The Boeing 787 is 60 percent carbon fiber, and the much-anticipated Airbus A380 is 50 percent carbon fiber.

Large manufacturers, such as [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formosa_Plastics_Group"]Formosa Plastics[/url] (which owns chipmaker [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VIA_Technologies"]Via Technologies[/url]) are also getting into the market, he said.

The aerospace industry currently consumes about 41 percent of the carbon fiber made, but that will drop to 29 percent by 2009[/quote]

quote]Excerpt from: [url="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080517153301AAdvxm4"]What is stronger then steel and lighter then aluminum?[/url]

The stuff is extremely light, and once formed into the shape you want, almost impossible to break. Of course there are other alloys out there that have certain benefits; some magnesium alloys are stronger and lighter than aluminum, but not stronger than steel. Titanium is stronger than steel but heavier than aluminum, and extremely expensive. There are many variables to this question. Also hardness and strength are different.

hardness is the property of being rigid and resistant to pressure; not easily scratched

strength is power to resist force, or the power to resist strain or stress; durability.[/quote]

Both AL and CFRP have their places in manufacturing, but if strength and weight are concerns, CFRP wins hands down! Beauty? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...

PS: VIA stands for "Very Innovative Architecture".

~~~~~~~~~~

The secret of greatness is simple: do better work than any other man in your field - and keep on doing it.

~ Wilfred A. Peterson

There could not have been a better opening of the Fall/Winter 2009 Lakme Fashion Week than the spectacular ''Barbie All Doll'd Up'' show that rocked the ramp.It was a perfect combination of style and glamour as 50 years of Barbie was celebrated along with Lakme Fashion Week, the pioneers of the fashion weeks in India having completed a decade.Dress the Barbie contest attracted 75 entries from top designers in the country from which the 20 short listed creations were showcased on the ramp at the dazzling show.It was the winning dress by Nishka Lulla that Bollywood's glamorous star Katrina Kaif modeled as the show stopper of the day. Katrina Kaif will be the Indian celebrity on whose likeness a Barbie doll will be created by Mattel Toys India Pvt. Ltd.

Katrina Kaif was born on July 16th 1984. She is one of eight siblings who are all girls. Her mother is of Caucasian-British decent and her father who is originally from Kashmir, India is now also a Britain Native.Katrina Kaif was raised mostly in Hawaii and started modeling at the age of 14 in a jewelry campaign, which turned into…Katrina Kaif was born on July 16th 1984. She is one of eight siblings who are all girls. Her mother is of Caucasian-British decent and her father who is originally from Kashmir, India is now also a Britain Native.Katrina Kaif was raised mostly in Hawaii and started modeling at the age of 14 in a jewelry campaign, which turned into a career and her spending most of her time in London modeling for various companies.She was discovered by film maker Kaizad Gustad while she was modeling and she landed a role in the Bollywood film ‘Boom’, getting her first big break in the film industry.After arriving in India she was flooded with modeling contracts due to her innocent looking face, hour glass figure and gorgeous look. The offers came from companies like LG, Cola, Favicol and Lakme which is the commercial that got her noticed. Most of her early work was with photographer Atul Kasbekar.She wasn’t affected by moving from country to country and stated that no matter where you are from the bottom line is that everyone wants to be loved respected and cared for.Unlike other fellow outsiders of India Katrina Kaif had no problems getting a visa to stay there. After public criticized by boyfriend Salman Khan, she is currently perfecting her Hindi and despite being linguistically challenged at first with the native tongue, she was still offered roles in Bollywood films. Katrina Kaif also takes dance lessons furthering her assimilation into the Bollywood culture.