Search
Recommended Sites
Related Links






   

Informative Articles

Comparing VoIP Providers For Small Business Solutions
It is no secret that communication is key to survival for small business. The advantage to small busineses of using a VoIP solution is that the market is very competitive. While there are relatively few companies from which to choose for normal...

ERM Not Just For the "Big Guys" Anymore, Small Business Rights Management, A Reality
Small Business Rights Management (SBRM) is a term which reflects the shift ERM (Enterprise Rights Management) technology has taken as awareness of industry compliance issues and protection of original works has evolved and become implicit...

How to Use a Customer Response Card to Build Your Small Business
We all do it. If we get good service or order a product we like, we order from the company again. However, if there is something we don't like or are dissatisfied with the service in any way, shape or form, we never bring it to the attention of...

Organizing Your Small Business
Copyright 2005 Mark Meshulam A fundamental challenge of small business can be summarized as "too many tasks, too few people." Unlike large enterprises which can have whole teams devoted to limited tasks - think "Task force for the...

Why Do You Want To Start A Small Business?
It is very important before you go on your own to weigh all the alternatives relating to starting a small business. Having a detailed concrete plan before you start is an absolute must. Here are some of the things the Concrete Plan...

 
3 Essential Tools for Starting and Maintaining a Small Business

We believe that there are 3 factors that drive the success of small businesses.

1) Acquiring start-up capital

2) Finding customers

3) Accounting for, budgeting and controlling sales and expenses

The following resources will help your small business achieve these success factors.

Acquiring Start-Up Capital

An adequate supply of capital is essential as many profitable businesses fail because they don't have enough cash to pay their employees and suppliers. But what is an adequate supply of capital? The only way to tell is by doing a significant amount of research on your potential market and formally documenting this in a business plan. I'm sure you know that a business plan is a very important document that is crucial to convincing your banker to lend you money.

There are two ways to obtain a business plan.


1) Do it yourself by amending a business plan template, or

2) Hire a professional to do it for you.


Obviously obtain 1) will be a great deal cheaper.

Our research led to a website that has over 60 high quality and free business plan templates. We also found a directory that you can use to easily find a business plan writer in your city – where ever you live in the world.

Finding Customers

Finding customers is a difficult and expensive task for service business owners such as accountants, lawyers and plumbers. We believe that a cost effective marketing strategy for service business owners is to simply give all their personal contacts a few business cards.

Our research led to a few websites that have pre-designed business card templates. We felt that the diversity and quality of these designs was outstanding. In addition, we found that you can obtain a significant saving by finding a printing service on the Internet. We found that you could get 2,000 full color business cards for as little as US $150.

Accounting For, Budgeting and Controlling Revenue and Expenses

Accurate accounting is very important for small business owners. It's essential that you have timely access to information that could make or break your business. If stocks are running low – you need to know about it. If a large proportion of your debtors haven't paid – you need to know about it. If you do not react to these situations quickly you may have a situation where you don't have enough money to pay your employees – or worse still someone is stealing cash out the till.

Our research led to a website that compares and reviews top accounting software for small businesses. The cheapest software cost US $89.99 and the most expensive software cost US $1,499. It was interesting to note that the top 3 ranked websites were not the most expensive and cost between US $250 - US $300.


Hopefully you now have an idea of some of the tools that you can use to grow and maintain your small business. If you would like to benefit from our research please visit our website. We do not charge for this research and offer the content freely on our website.

About the Author
Best Quality Small Business Resources

Ryan Hough is the webmaster of best quality small business resources.com, who's aim is to help you save time and money by finding reviews and case studies that will enable you to choose the best resources at the right price.

Sign up for PayPal and start accepting credit card payments instantly.