If you’re just starting out in your business, or are ready to get more professional, it’s time to look at how you brand your business. Branding includes everything from your website to your logo to the message you put out on social media sites. You want your branding to be consistent, appealing and professional. Here are five tips to get you started.
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Saturday, 25 October 2014
5 Tips For Branding Your Business
If you’re just starting out in your business, or are ready to get more professional, it’s time to look at how you brand your business. Branding includes everything from your website to your logo to the message you put out on social media sites. You want your branding to be consistent, appealing and professional. Here are five tips to get you started.
Tips on Maximizing your Potentials
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Millions of Americans are suffering from an overwhelming dose of apathy and underachievement. Particularly in a time when leading companies are aggressively seeking confident young adults to transform their conventional ideas into profitable innovation.
But the problem isn’t necessarily an undereducated workforce, global competitiveness, or lack of domestic resources; it’s that Americans lack the required amount of ambition to maximize their potential in life to experience financial euphoria. The most toxic behavior a person can adopt isn’t their inability to cope with failure, it’s their inability to cash in on the wealth of experiences they have, for a renewed sense of hope, purpose, and drive.
Maximizing your potential isn’t something that can be taught in a classroom, read out of a book, or even gathered by word of mouth. It comes from the development of resilience in the face of controversy and critique. Life will unapologetically test your resilience and faith to determine if you’re worthy for greatness. Unfortunately, 2/3 of the people who attempt to achieve greatness never reach the sacred threshold because of their inability to maximize their potential.
Here are 5 tips on maximizing your potential to achieve greatness.
Recognizing your potential
In order to determine how best to utilize your personal dose of potential, you must first recognize that you have it! The greatest legends weren’t born with an exceptional amount of ears, eyes, legs, feet, or hands. We all start out in life on the same track, and with the exception of a few bumps on the road, the highway for success is created with the same pavement.
In order to keep up with the greats, it requires that you first be willing to go along for the ride. By seeing yourself as a potential millionaire, billionaire, social innovator, or tech company guru, you must first believe that you have the potential to BE that person. It’s not just a cliché, you can and will evolve into the person or thing you aspire to become.
No one remembers 2nd place
Although Americans ceremoniously recognize 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, the only names engrained in stone are those that finish 1st. In order to truly maximize your potential and reach success, your body, mind, and way of living must become allergic to 2nd place. 3rd place shouldn’t even be an option. Maximizing your potential requires that you consider yourself 1st. Learn to discipline your mind and eliminate the old grade school adage that everyone is awarded a prize, because in life’s pursuit of greatness through potential, the only prize is 1st place.
Always expect more of yourself
Every morning is another opportunity to look at yourself in the mirror and ask life’s most urgent and persistent question, “How can I improve?” Many people fail to maximize their potential because they lack the independent assertiveness to challenge themselves daily by becoming their own motivating critic. While critique, even from others can serve you well, it’s important to evaluate self through the eyes of the beholder. Being born with potential can be considered a gift and a curse. And for those that don’t utilize their potential, unfortunately, they’ve waived their first-class bus ticket to greatness
Limited Partnership
Business partnerships can be either general or limited, and as far as tax codes are concerned, exist as long as profits, losses and costs of a business are shared. While general partnerships are more common, limited partnerships are a popular method of raising capital from passive investors who prefer to not be involved in day-to-day business operations. Limited partnerships (LPs) have two sets of partners, namely one or more general partners who have personal liability and one or more limited partners who are not liable for debts. Business owners who do not want the liability for the debts incurred by the corporation prefer this option. Limited partners usually do not play any role in the day-to-day management of the company.
Credits to www.businessdictionary.com
Credits to www.businessdictionary.com
Pros of Limited Partnerships:
- Generally, pass-through taxation is applicable to limited partnerships, meaning that the tax burden is passed on to the partners instead of the partnership itself. Thus, profit earnings are passed on to the partners in the form of wages, income, and profit payments and each partner pays tax that is proportionate to his individual share of profits.
A business can obtain much-needed investment capital by giving more passive investors the option of reducing their risks by becoming limited partners - Since there is no direct involvement of limited partners in the management of the business, general partners enjoy full autonomy and have the right to make important business decisions.
- In the case of a general partnership, all partners are responsible for the debts and other liabilities. The liability of a limited partner does not exceed his capital investment in the company.
Preparation Needed for Selling a Business
So you’ve decided it’s time to sell your business. You may want to retire, or you simply want to unload the company before the market turns against you. How do you go about finding someone to actually buy your business?
Determine Your Business’ Valuation
Before you can sell anything, you have to determine its market price. If your business is privately held, you can value the company based on annual revenue and earnings, combined with physical assets – such as real estate and equipment, and then deducting debt. Patents and existing partnerships should also figure into this total. If your company is already publicly traded, then its value has already been determined for you by its market capitalization, and you won’t be able to sell right away unless you are in possession of the majority of outstanding shares.
Either way, as a seller you should ask for a healthy premium over its current valuation, citing future earnings and growth potential. It’s not unusual for larger companies to pay over 50% of the current “market value” in an acquisition. If in doubt, hire a business broker or mergers and acquisitions professional to help you get the best deal for your company.
Prepare a Selling Memorandum
Before you reach out to any of these prospective buyers, you need to prepare a selling memorandum, or “business plan in reverse”. This is intended to clearly outline all the main details that buyers would request.
These would include, but are not limited to -
- Your company’s history, structure, products and operations
- Your business’s valuation and asking price
- Your industry peers and competitors
- Your employees and leadership structure
- Past financial statements
- Future guidance and projected revenue and income
- Potential problems within the company (this is very important, as any attempt to cover these up could be viewed as fraud)
The selling memorandum is an extremely sensitive piece of information, and you would be wise to have prospective buyers sign a non-disclosure agreement before reviewing it.
What to Consider Before Starting a Business
It can be a very compelling and driving force – you’ve got a great idea, a unique service, a fantastic line of recipes, or a can’t-miss product. But launching a business is not the next step…it’s the last step on the road to entrepreneurship. Your time, money, and future are on the line, so take some time to get your ducks in a row and look at the business with a rational eye.
Make a Business Plan
A business depends on a lot more than great products and services to be successful. Like a newborn child, it has its own life force that comes with certain needs and requirements in order for it to survive and thrive. Plan out the structure and processes of your business first. You will need a hierarchy of management, which may be very limited at first. You will need to keep financial records and file taxes. You will need to determine if you should form an “S” corporation, a “C” corporation, or a limited liability corporation (LLC), which could make a big difference in your profitability.Of course you will also need to find a location, design the customer interface (whether it is a store, a website, or a mailing list), price out everything you will need to get set up, and determine the size and scope of your business. You will need to define your demographic so that you can choose the right location and/or target your marketing properly. You will need to research city codes and know what licenses are required.
Making and serving your gourmet lasagna is a very small part of the whole operation, so before you get too far, make sure you are up for all of the other tasks involved and then get things in order.
Importance of Developing Leadership Skills
What makes a good leader? The answer varies widely depending on who you ask, with researchers disagreeing on the critical components that go into the most effective corporate chief. But there are traits they do agree on, including personality components and acquired skills. Some believe even the situation for leadership itself has a bearing on the effectiveness of the leader.
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Important Leadership Skills
- Commitment, resolve and perseverance – driving every aspect of the organization toward a singular unified purpose.
- Risk-taking – breaking conventions and developing new products and services to establish marketplace dominance (and possibly even create a unique market).
- Planning – though a leader typically doesn’t get too involved in the details, he or she must orchestrate a high-level plan that drives everyone toward the unified goal.
- Motivating – an effective leader must be able to encourage contributions from the entire organization, navigating the specific motivators of each individual or group to push the right buttons and inspire employees at every level to achieve not only their personal best but the best for the organization as a whole.
- Communication skills that rely on active listening – far more than just being able to speak and write persuasively, leadership communication skills incite others to work toward the stated goal in line with the path the leader has chosen.
- Possessing or obtaining the skills required to successfully achieve business goals – bringing a unique knowledge set to the table or acquiring it personally or through employees and other subordinates.
What Makes These Individual Skills So Important?
First, a distinction needs to be made: the difference between a leader and a manager. A leader is someone who does the right thing, whereas a manager does things right. Or to put it another way, management is an occupation, leadership is a callingThe Basics of Finance and How it Determines Success
Owning a business can be one of the most rewarding and satisfying ways of meeting financial goals and ensuring that a person’s future is secure and fulfilling. Today’s economy yields many opportunities to people with different skills and strengths. One of the most basic aspects of running a business that is often left by the wayside is that of financial management. Usually only an afterthought, it is the financial management of a company that determines success. The perfect product or service doesn’t mean anything if the money generated goes into the business only to be misused or unaccounted for. Spending the money earned wisely and knowing when to save or invest in growth should be of paramount concern for a business.
Everyone is aware of the fact that most businesses fail within their first year of operation. Often a major contributing factor that leads to failure is poor financial management. A review of the financial information for many failed businesses shows that the business would have actually been quite successful if the owners had just made sound financial decisions in all aspects of the business. It is always recommended to employ the help of a professional like a banking institution, financial planner or accountant. However, a business owner should understand, at the very least, the basic principles regardless of whether a professional is hired or not. This protects the business and the business owner from fraudulent activities. Keeping up to date with the finances and being aware of the principles involved will also beneficially affect other aspects of running a business.
For smaller businesses it may not be practical to hire a professional for all of the financial work, but there several software programs available that help to educate the owner on basic bookkeeping techniques.
A business owner should be familiar and comfortable with using the following:
- Day to day expense tracking – an owner needs to be able create and analyze reports that give an idea of the health of a business.
- Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable – An owner needs to be able to tell when payment is expected and prepare for any outgoing expenditures
Of equal importance is the ability to determine the current financial state of a business and whether expansion is possible or even necessary due to competition. Being able to identify future trends that can positively or negatively impact a business will go a long way toward helping a business develop staying power in ever shifting market places.
Regardless of the size of a business, the goals of the business and the owner should be kept firmly in mind. While smaller businesses may not immediately benefit or be able to afford an accountant that is an expense that should be worked into a budget as soon as possible. Accountants and even financial planners are able to keep a business on track. They can help to establish realistic long-term goals to increase the chances of success. With the help of a financial professional, cash flow problems can be spotted and tackled.
Tips for Food Start Ups
So you still want to start a food business, despite the obstacles? Here are four things to consider:
1. Amateurish packaging won't cut it.
This is where many artisan food makers fall down. You spend so much time getting your bacon-caramel sea salt truffles to taste great that you barely consider what it'll look like on a store shelf. "If you make the best chocolate bar ever, but you're packaging it in a little bag that falls over on the shelf and breaks every day, there is no way we'll put that in the store," says Alli Ball, assistant grocery buyer at Bi-Rite Market in San Francisco. "Packaging and labeling has to be attractive and interesting."
Emily Olson, cofounder of the specialty food subscription service Foodzie, agrees that "unprofessional" packaging is the downfall of many. "If it's in a plastic bag, you wonder, 'Is this safe enough to eat?'"
"The packaging helps you trust what you purchased," continues Olson. "You can't run a business just by delighting people with good food. It has to look good too. And since we ship, it has to arrive in good shape; the owner has to have put thought into how it will travel. If someone sends a sample to us that's broken, we know we can't buy it."
2. Fill a market gap.
It's easier to sell a unique product than one that's similar to many others. Sure, your grandma's macaroon recipe is the best ever! Problem is the customer, surveying a shelf of macaroon brands, doesn't know that.
"It's a pretty basic part of a business plan," says Caleb Zigas, executive director of San Francisco business incubator La Cocina, "to stand in a grocery store and evaluate competitor products. You can't be a successful entrepreneur if you can't identify a market for your product."
Olson thinks the baked-good space is particularly crowded: "I think it's mostly that those are easy to make in your home kitchen," she says. "You'd have to be unique and really special to stand out." But she has noticed a lack of terrific basic jams. "People get creative with them, which is good, there's room for creativity. But they put in too much sugar, too many ingredients. There's room out there for jams that are just one or two ingredients and that preserve wonderful fruit."
3. Develop retail pricing savvy.
It's easy to cringe with Ball when she describes small producers who tell her they've been selling jam at farmers' markets for $10 a jar, so they'd like her to pay $9. "I can't do that!" Ball says. "I will have to price the jam at $11 and no one's going to buy it."
"Whole Foods won't take a product unless they can mark it up 50 percent," Zigas says. The right strategy is to figure out what the retail price should be, then work backwards. A 5- to 7-percent margin of profit is about right, he says. That price, naturally, has to take into account every single aspect of production and delivery, including the cost of ingredients, and (this is important) paying yourself. "A lot of new businesspeople forget that," Zigas says.
Of course, you'll have to account for scale. If you start making more product, where will you source your ingredients? Do production? Will you hire help? What about delivering to stores?
4. Research ingredient requirements.
Buyers of artisan products expect them to have high-quality standards. "At a basic minimum, we sell nothing with artificial ingredients, artificial coloring, high-fructose corn syrup, or artificial preservatives," recites Ball in a practiced tone. "If your food has animal products in it, they cannot have hormones or antibiotics." The rules at Whole Foods are similar. Would-be artisans routinely come into Bi-Rite bearing foods made with random ingredients bought from Amazon, or small amounts of food coloring. It won't fly.
It's tough: You're expected to make food with quality ingredients while keeping prices down. That's why not everyone makes it. But some do. The experts we talked with all know plenty of people making a living from food—it can be done. It's just a lot harder than it looks.
Credits to www.chow.com
Procurement Manager (3-5yrs Experience)
Procurement Manager
Bradfield Consulting Limited
Our client is a fully registered private limited liability company with several subsidiaries, including a Guest House, Press and Bookshop, and Pharmaceuticals. Due to restructuring, our client is now looking to recruit a Procurement Manager to manage the overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of procurement for the facilities.
The aim of each subsidiary is to maintain and promote vigorous and sustainable growth based on delivering a high quality service to its clientele. The challenges are fresh, the atmosphere is high energy and the growth opportunities are endless. Are you versatile and cool under pressure? Does your “can do” attitude prevail over a fast-paced work environment? We are on the look out for you.
- Purpose Statements:Responsible for buying the best quality equipment, goods and services for the company at the most competitive rates.
Key Deliverables:
- Conducting research to ascertain the best products and suppliers in terms of best value, delivery schedules and quality.
- Working with suppliers to ensure that key processes are running efficiently and cost-effectively.
- Contract management and negotiation.
- Contract administration, quality assurance, modification of special terms, and contract closeout or termination.
- Evaluating bids and making recommendations based on commercial and technical factors.
- Developing an organisation's purchasing strategy.
- Understanding and keeping up with new trends and regulations in the business.
- Dealing with international suppliers.
- Forecasting levels of demand for services and products to meet the business needs and keeping a constant check on stock levels.
- Identifying potential suppliers, visiting existing suppliers, building and maintaining good relationships with them.
- Liaising between suppliers, manufacturers, relevant internal departments and customers.
- Keeping contract files and using them as reference for the future.
- Forecasting price trends and their impact on future activities.
- Giving presentations about market analysis and possible growth.
- Establish and enforce procedures to ensure proper recording and tracking of all items purchased by the organization.
- Producing reports and statistics using computer software.
- Ensuring suppliers are aware of business objectives.
- Attending meetings and trade conferences.
- Training and supervising the work of other members of staff.
- Work with all suppliers to ensure they comply with all environmental regulations.
- Develop cost saving structure for the organization.
- Any other duties as assigned by line manager.
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- Knowledge/Skills:
- Good spoken and written communication skills
- Excellent negotiating and networking skills
- Mathematical ability, to work with figures and budgets
- Good judgement and analytical ability
- An organised approach
- Accuracy and attention to detail
- Good business sense
- Leadership skills and the ability to work well as part of a team
- The ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
Minimum Qualification / Experience:
- Previous Inventory / Buying or Procurement experience is essential
- A relevant Bachelor's Degree from a recognised University
- At least four years of experience in procurement/sourcing/material planning with strong negotiation skills
Personality Traits:
- Ability to manage multiple tasks and establish effective work priorities
- Ability to work effectively in all environments
- Strong analytical and organizational skills
- Proactive and team work
- Demonstrated oral and written communication skills
Senior Project Manager 7years Experience
Senior Project Manager
NETCOM SYSTEMS LTD
The Company are contractors on electrical, mechanical and advanced system infrastructure engineering.
Responsibilities
- Planning and Defining Scope
- Activity Planning and Sequencing
- Resource Planning
- Developing Schedules
- Time Estimating
- Cost Estimating
- Developing a Budget
- Documentation
- Creating Charts and Schedules
- Risk Analysis
- Managing Risks and Issues
- Monitoring and Reporting Progress
- Team Leadership
- Strategic Influencing
- Business Partnering
- Working with Vendors
- Scalability, Interoperability and Portability Analysis
- Controlling Quality
- Benefits Realization
- Job description
- Business account manager
- Managing clients
- Managing project coordinators and supervisors
- Planning and creating work schedule
- Design working drawings
- Interfacing with M&E Consultants on Bill of Quantity and pricing
- ensuring site safety standard
- ability to manage numerous projects and report to the MD/CEO
- Generate reports on projects handled.
- Managing company's tools and equipments.
Qualification and Experience
- Minimum MBA/MSc
- 7-10 years Experience
Account Manager (10-15years Experience)
Account Manager
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Greengates Group
Our firm in the manufacturing industry requires the services of an Account Manager.
Responsibilities:
- Serves as the main contact between his or her company and individual clients.
- Develops and oversees customers' business accounts.
- Stay abreast of changes in markets and technologies to be able to analyse accounts and reinvigorate them, if necessary.
- Provide technical support to his or her clients, in addition to preparing advertising and public relations materials.
Qualification and Requirements:
- Must have an HND in any related courses.
- A minimum of 7-9 years of experience required.
- Professionally sound in Accounting, Financing and Management.
Company
Greengates Group
Job Level
Manager (Staff Supervisor/Head of Department)
Location
Lagos
Specialization
Job Type
Full-Time
Minimum Qualification
Preferred Years of Experience
Application Deadline
1 month from now
Finance/Accounts Officer 3yrs Experience
Finance/Accounts Officer
Confidential
The Finance Officer is a member of the finance, accounts audit and compliance Group of the organization with primary responsibility for financial reports preparation, operations and administrative support. The Finance Officer will maintain strong collaboration with the CEO in fulfilling timely and quality financial reporting and internal control improvement initiatives.
Specific Responsibilities and Experience.
- Recording accounts and financial transactions using relevant software.
- Preparing accurate financial reports and supporting schedules as required and timely monthly closeout.
- Prepare statutory accounts.
- Preparing and submission of projects pipelines and financial reports to the Principals for review.
- Working closely with project leads to maintain their budgets during the projects cycles.
- Maintaining relationships with the vendors / creditors and the organization’s bankers.
- Computing tax liabilities and preparation of tax returns, ensuring compliance with payment, reporting and other tax requirements.
- Developing, maintaining and analyzing budgets, preparing periodic reports that compare budgeted costs with actual costs.
- Disbursement of petty cash.
- Undertaking other duties consistent with the general scope of work as assigned by the management.
- Representing the organization in any other capacity that would be required from time to time.
Qualification:
- Degree qualified
- Experience in two or more accounting software, a plus
- Previous work experience in a digital media or mobile VAS company, a plus.
Summary
Company
Confidential
Job Level
Experienced (Non-Manager)
Location
Lagos
Specialization
Job Type
Full-Time
Minimum Qualification
Preferred Years of Experience
Application Deadline
1 month from now
By submitting your CVJob for Finance Manager (3years Experience)
Finance Manager
Workforce Management Centre
Workforce Management Centre (WFMC) is a solution based business consulting firm with focus on providing solutions to help our clients bridge the gap between Strategy Development, Talent Acquisition, Strategy Execution and Organizational Performance.
We offer the following solutions to help organizations achieve their goals and objectives:
Organizational Development, Performance Consulting, Executive Search & Selection, Learning & Development, Strategy & Systems Implementation
The Company is seeking individuals, who are interested and driven enough to take up the exciting challenge of writing a new history for the HR Consulting industry in Nigeria, to fill the vacant position that exist in the Head Office (Lagos).
Requirement
- Candidates applying for each role must possess at least 3 years experience, minimum of First degree in the appropriate / relevant discipline to the role.
- Additional qualification will be an added advantage
- Ideal candidate for each role must possess strong business acumen and must be result oriented.
- Very strong desire to make significant impact
Friday, 24 October 2014
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