Saturday, February 20, 2010

Data Entry Job Works From Home in 21st Century Posted By : Harsh Mody

This clearly is the age of data entry jobs from home. It is very common for ordinary workers and even professionals leave their formal jobs to get the bus home, based employment. Because through this year may be, many people can testify that the job online, as are really working and really earn a decent income.



To include data entry jobs around you to see almost everything look. Signs in the street, all the chips and cars, license plates, you can easily enter data related to activities around the bag. Thus, there are people who actually work and can handle such a big need. And what is it? Now most of these jobs are offered and provided online.



Cost savings strategy activities



As you know, the enterprise and include data entry. However, due to cost reduction, many companies now are changing efforts to work from home use. Companies need to cut costs to remain efficient and effective at the same time. To save costs, they outsource this work is at home.



There's two main dynamic cost savings are realized by companies, as jobs data entry outsource part in employees' homes. First, few or no benefits for these employees can be offered online at home. In a legal manner and free enough problem reduces these costs. Second, costs such as computer operation and maintenance or they may be laid off as well for purchasing equipment. Because an Internet connection for home workers shoulder the cost of electricity to all operations will have to buy a computer or laptop.



Sector Development



For the past five years, we can note that the data entry at home as a field of employment status in the world is fast. A large amount of information has been processed. Professional data entry information for maintaining efficient processing, so there is always efficient and smooth handling and flow of basic information or important.



Many U.S. and European large companies now outsource to the needs of data entry for home workers to other countries where labor costs are much lower. Thus, companies are much lower total cost. Around the world, more people on the Internet their qualifications, regardless of education, recruitment, and geographic location.



Data entry jobs from home



This chore usually involves preparation of reports, labels, mailing letters and other important documents text. Many people consider the job is rather easy. However, this is definitely patience and strength requirements for work. The number of employees in line for Novices and professionals invited to join are.



Careers Online jobs at home climbing these. You take a job can be initiated by a very simple. As you gain experience, you're a high level or degree of freedom of decision and development of precision. This is heavy work for you online, which makes possible profile promotion can bring.

Harsh Modi is internet marketer and also writes articles on outsourcing projects,

data entry , data entry projects , iphone development etc.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Measure Project Productivity and It Will Go Up Posted By : Peter Lenn

Measure productivity and people will produce more. That’s called the Hawthorne Effect. And the impact is more than just psychological. A good, real time metric provides feedback so individuals and teams can better manage their time and improve their processes.



If you are a software or hardware project manager, you know that measuring productivity is a challenge.

• Seemingly equal tasks are not comparable in scope and value

• Individuals have vastly different capacities

• Estimates of work done and time to complete are inaccurate

• People distrust the accuracy and purpose of the measurements



Nevertheless, we and many others are finding it practical to use this Say/Do% as a metric for productivity:



Say/Do% = Number of Assignments that got done x 100

Original Number of Assignments



The beauty of this metric is that it is reasonably accurate, requires almost no administrative time, and doesn’t annoy people with micromanagement. Of course teams can boost their Say/Do% by padding their time estimates, but this hasn’t been a problem.



Tracking Say/Do% is easy. By way of example, I’ll assume you are holding weekly team meetings and using some software tool to list and track assignments, such as MS PROJECT, WORD, or EXCEL. You might simply have Post-Its on a white board.



At the start of each meeting, or just before the meeting, team members check off the assignments from last week that are done or are cancelled. It is then simple to count up the assignments from last week that are done and to compute the Say/Do%. During the meeting managers and team members can ask questions to be sure that assignments reported as done are truly done.



Here’s a tip. Track the Say/Do% for project teams, but not for individuals. This provides sufficient feedback to motivate and evaluate improvements, without exposing individuals to unnecessary and often counterproductive scrutiny.



Case History



The Process Engineering Manager at a large semiconductor company said, “We have just over 200 engineers responsible for continuous process improvement projects, new product introduction projects, and day to day break/fix emergencies. Prior to using a Say/Do% metric there was little correlation between what was assigned in a given week and what got done? Fighting fires trumped projects for attention. Two months after starting to use Say/Do%, the percentage of time spent on project work had doubled and their time allocations were completely aligned with our factory priorities.”



Expected Results



With weekly status reporting and Say/Do% tracking, teams climb the learning curve quickly. You can expect to see the ratio go up from a typical 50% to perhaps 80% or more—with increasing output and quality—in about four weeks. This often enables teams to stay on schedule or to recover earlier slippage. The weekly feedback on productivity will also help you catch problems and reinforce process improvements.

Peter Lenn is CEO of The Daniels Group, LLC. More information is available at www.ProjectProMeetings.com. For a quick overview of ways to improve project performance, watch these three short videos: Executive Briefing, why everyone Hates Project Meetings and ProjectPro Meetings Cut Time to Market.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

What Is Bookkeeping Anyway? Posted By : Bob Danes

Any person who's worked in an office environment at some point or another has had to communicate with the accounting department. They're the people who pay and send out the bills which keep the business running. They do much more than that, though. Sometimes referred to as "bean counters" they also keep their eye on profits, expenses and losses. Unless you're running a small business and acting as your own bookkeeper, you would have no way of knowing just how lucrative - or not - your business is without some form of accounting.



No matter what industry you're in, even if all you do is keep a checkbook, its nevertheless accounting. It's a part of even a child's life. Saving an allowance, spending it all at once - these are bookkeeping principles.



What are some other businesses where bookkeeping is crucial? Well, farmers have to respect careful bookkeeping procedures. Many of them run their farms year after year by taking loans to plant the crops. If it's a good year, a profitable one, then they can pay off their loan; if not, they might have to carry the loan over, and accrue additional interest charges.



Each company and each person needs to have some kind of accounting system in their lives. If not, the finances can get away from them, they do not know what they've spent, or whether they can expect a gain or a loss from the business. Staying on top of accounting, if it is for a multi-billion dollar business or for a individual checking is a vital action on a daily basis if you are smart. Not doing it can mean anything from a bounced check or posting a deficit to a company's shareholders. Both scenarios can be just as destructive.



Accounting is essentially information, and this information is published regularly in business as a profit and loss statement, or an earnings report.

Bob Danes has been writing for business for more than four years. He has recently become involved in appliances and has been writing articles regarding combo washer dryer and washer and dryer combo to a number of online publications.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Dispensa Matic Label Dispensers and Bottle Labeler Machines Posted By : rrichardd

Labeling Machines offers a scalable solution featuring diverse labeling module alternatives which are appropriate according to the requirements of different industries. With optional accessories, you be able to come across the finest customized solution for your labeling desires. Products with various sizes can thus be effortlessly labeled without negotiating accuracy, superiority and rapidity. Labelling machine facilitates to augment the production where high amount of productivity is essential with quality.



Labelling machine crack down all the problems that take place in manual labeling system such as:



1. Plenty of time consumption

2. Wastage of material is very much when done manually

3. More negative response of label

4. More number of labors is required.



Such problems ruin the image of company or goods.



Benefit of labelling machine:



High Quality Labeling Machines is able to be your dependable helper in labeling your goods. Labelling machines have a variety of advantages over manual labeling system such as:



1. Modular design

2. User-friendliness

3. High production rate

4. Long-lasting

5. Maintenance -free

6. A lesser amount of labor is required

7. Small amount of wastage or negative response



By means of most modern technology in modern labeling machinery, the variety of labeling elements and adaptors, there is for all time a way out to meet your requirements rightly.



Manufacturers create labels for several reasons to decorate the manufactured goods or packaging and as well to improve the finishing appearance of product. High class Label helps out to augment the supply and demand of product with excellent packaging. Labelling is extremely significant in worth product packaging to create a center of attention for more number of customers also to construct first-rate image of the company or brand name.



As there is a high demands for label, labeling machines are being included into the production process having high volume of packaged products. Other businesses that contain a method of inventory storage space and organization as well have need of to make use of extraordinary labeling machinery and tools.

Among all the types of labeling machine the most popular and well-liked is the automatic labeling machine. This machine is just made up of a Labeling Applicator, a conveyor to transfer the products, manage System and Product Handling systems.



Kind of labeling machinery utilized in different industries with diverse kind of purpose is:



1. Fully Automatic Labelling Machine

2. Semi Automatic Labelling Machine

3. Sticker Labelling Machine

4. Fully Automatic High Speed Sticker Labelling Machine

5. Self Adhesive Sticker Labelling Machine

6. Label Printing Machine

7. LabeI Applicator / Labeller

8. Vial Labelling Machine

9. Bottle Labelling Machine

10. Self Adhesive Vial & Bottle Labelling Machine

11. Automatic Bottle Labeler Machine

Richard Alone is a SEO copywriter for Label Dispenser, Automatic Label Machine and Bottle Labeler. He has written many articles in various topics like Label Dispensers, Bottle Labeler Machine and Bottle Labeler Videos. For more information visit: http://www.labeldispenser.com/

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Factoring Helps Small Business Grow Posted By : Kristin Gabriel

One recent poll asked entrepreneurs what they personally believe affects the success or failure of a startup company. The 549 founders came from all kinds of industries: computing, electronics, health care, aerospace and defense.



The top most critical success factors included learning from their mistakes and their successes, previous work experience, a good strong management team and good luck. 98 percent said prior work experience was a very important factor.



Some of the most common questions asked on the government's Small Business Administration (SBA) website are: How do I get a small business loan ... or grant? How do I get started in a business? How do I find an investor for my business? What type of interest rate, terms or fees does the SBA require on its Guarantee Loan program?



As small business entrepreneurs head into 2010, following are some real tried and true financial aids that can help any business grow.



You can start by not wasting money. By using good financial strategies, you can stick to the plan to help lower operating expenses. Review your expenses to make sure you are not paying double for anything. Just like public companies, review the year in quarters (Q1: January through March)and then set aside time each quarter to review your financials. You will most certainly find areas to cut back.



For example: Do you rent or lease a car or truck? Did you know that a company vehicle is best purchased because they can be depreciated on your company tax returns. Plus you'll get a higher return on your investment after the vehicle has been paid off, than leasing. However, think about leasing your computers, which is usually a tax deduction, so that you can always trade them in for newer technology when the time comes.



Now more popular than ever before, another financial business strategy is to begin factoring your outstanding invoices. When an invoice isn't paid for 60 to 90 days isn't doing your company any good today. However if you find a factoring company to factor one or more of your outstanding invoices, you can use the money wisely to invest in your business and grow faster. Many factors today do what is called "single invoice factoring" where they will spot one invoice at a time.



Accounts receivable factoring is particularly helpful if you need cash in a hurry because once a factor receives your application and reviews your invoices, you can receive payment within as little as 24 to 48 hours after they have pre-qualified the vendor that owes you the money. Remember your credit isn't checked, but the vendor that owers you the money will be pre-qualified by the factor.



Factoring companies, just like a bank or any commercial financial institution, charges a fee for its services. A factoring company will first examine your invoices and check the creditworthiness of your customers. You should be prepared to show the factor these following: 1) A current financial statement; 2) An accounts receivable aging report; 3) A certificate of incorporation or partnership; agreement; 4) Proof of insurance; and 5) Invoices and other business documents.



A factor will take charge of collecting your receivables, so they will want to make sure your customers pay their invoices on time. Once you have selected which invoices the factor will purchase, they will typically pay you an advance; for example, the factor might pay you 80 percent of the total amount of your invoices and then reimburse you the other 20 percent once your customers pays the invoices.



A factor will take anywhere from 3 percent to 7 percent or more of the total that they collect. Factors' fees vary depending on the size of your invoices, your customers' creditworthiness and the number of days (30/60/90) until the invoice is due.

Kristin Gabriel works with The Interface Financial Group (IFG), North America's largest alternative funding source for small business. The company provides short-term financial resources including factoring, serving clients in more than 30 industries in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. IFG offers expertise in invoice factoring, accounting, finance, law, banking and marketing.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Building Credit for Business through Business Credit Cards Posted By : Pamela Williams

Whether you are running a big business or have just started up with your own small business, building credit for your company is probably one of your main concerns. Business credit cards offer entrepreneurs the chance to establish a separate credit history for their business.



By establishing good business credit, a business owner is also building a strong foundation for the company. When the time for expansion comes, it will not be difficult to secure a loan approval from lenders and other business financing providers. In this article, let’s talk about how business credit cards can help you grow your business and build credit.



Enhance your credibility. Using business credit cards to make your payments builds up a more respectable image for your company. Having the name of your company printed on your business cards surely adds up to your reputation. Some business credit card issuers today offer the option to use checks through a business credit card account. That means, the entrepreneur can send checks to pay suppliers or vendors who do not accept credit card payments. This is a great feature that some business credit cards offer.



Ease of use. Business credit cards provide a convenient solution when emergency expenses arise. For example, if one of your equipment broke and has to be replaced, you do not have to stop your production just because you don’t have the cash on hand to fix or replace a broken device.



If you receive an exceptionally large order from one of your best customers, you don’t have to refuse because you lack the resources needed to produce such a large demand. A business credit card allows you to make purchases easily and pay them at a later time.



Convenient accounting and bookkeeping. Keeping financial records of the business is one of the most important steps in maintaining good credit. Your business credit card helps you keep track of all your business expenditures without having to do it manually. Most business credit cards come with a free online access where you can personally check your account, download your accounts summary and use it in your accounting.



Safer means of payment. Business credit cards are safer to carry around than cash. This is invaluable since most of the time businesses need to make large amounts of purchases and it’s not practical to carry a bulk of cash. In case the business credit card gets misplaced or lost, one can call the bank right away and freeze the account to prevent unauthorized transactions.



Incentives and rewards. Businesses can also take advantage of the incentives and rewards that business credit cards offer. Because entrepreneurs usually charge large expenses in their accounts, they can easily gather enough points to earn more rewards.



A separate business account. Even for home based business owners, having a business credit card is advised because it helps them separate their personal funds from their business finances. This is an indispensable feature especially as the business begins to expand and acquire more customers.

Pamela Williams is a Loan Consultant, Internet Marketer, Writer and owner of BusinessCreditCardSite.com, a finance company in Las Vegas, Nevada that provides support for businesses all across the US particularly with obtaining credit cards for business. Visit http://www.businesscreditcardsite.com

Thursday, November 5, 2009

7 Reasons Why Contractors Fail in Business Posted By : John Lenz

The truth of it is this: Contractors don’t fail for a lack of great construction skills, contractor’s fail for a lack of good business skills! Finding “Profit Leaks” is the place to start. Profit Leaks are monies that leak out of the business over the course of time, by not continuously measuring the procedures and the metrics of the business.



To follow is an overview of what I have found over the years regarding contractors.





I.The nature of the people who are contractors;



II.Requirements for successful contracting;



III.Conclusion:Typical shortcomings of our clients' operations – how to improve.





I. NATURE OF THE PEOPLE WHO OWN CONTRACTING BUSINESSES & HOW THEY CAN MAKE MORE PROFITS IF TAUGHT AND GIVEN THE TOOLS.



A. Contractors are usually skilled tradesman. Therefore the technical side of their trade is known very well but the business-side-of-the-business (understanding the financial aspect is usually fair at-best).



B. Proud of his work and his company. This can sometimes be a problem because he cant see the trees through the forest and can be very defensive of his business success (or) lack thereof. His trade is more important than understanding the profitability. (This is where a contractors must have an outside objective look at his business to see the trees through the forest).



C. Not interested in paperwork other than plans and blueprints. No trades person wants to become an accountant or financial analyst but just as their trade has required tools to get the job done right the financial have tool sets as well that simplify the job of making the correct financial decisions.



D. Doesn't really understand the cost of doing business. There are many hidden costs of doing business and if not know or taught how to calculate the contractor will always wonder were the money is going.



E. Hands-On Individual – would rather work than manage. There is nothing wrong with working but if they don't manage their business no-one else will. Monies will always just change hands.



F. Enjoys the “game” of taking chances. A roller-coaster comes to mind. Always up and down. Usually manages the business from his checkbook. If there is money in the account it's up. If there is little or no money in the checkbook it's down.



G. Wheeler-dealer.



H. Maintains a lot of detailed information in his head.If the contractor has a family the business will have trouble continuing in his absence. The business can be a “house of cards” because if you took the owner out if the business the business would be non-existent.



I. Constantly moving.If asked why the financial foundation and the policies and procedures for the superintendent don't exist...it's usually because they are working on that but just don't have enough time to finish it. The contractor and the deadline is always moving.



J. “Knows” the exact status of each job – often accurately, except for profitability. The most famous phrase is “I know I lost money on that job but made money on these two”. Profitability should always be the first item of expense there is no reason to do a job that cant make you a profit unless the business owner is tracking their break-even point and seeking super penetration.



K. Wants no part of the regimentation of systems - “shoebox bookkeeper” The contractor must want to change. There are many ways to extract more profitability from each job. If the owner want no part of the day-to-day systems they must at least be able to follow them if they appoint someone else to design them.





REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL CONTRACTING



NOTE: After reviewing A-M below...rather than saying “I do that” lets be honest with ourselves and answer truthfully “yes” or “no” to each of the numbered points below the requirements. None of the answers can be “sometimes” or “I am working on that”. If you answer “YES” you must be able to provide the written process or the written calculation(s).



A. Carefully select jobs to bid.

1.Worksheet to compare profit potential and resource requirements.(Y N)

2.Detailed job estimating sheet. (Y N)

3.Worksheet determining expected profit on a given job, must consider profit at various bid prices multiplied by the probability of getting the job at each of those prices. Similar to expected payoffs of a given poker hand with different number of players in the game.(Y N)



B. Thoroughly analyze each job selected before bidding it.

1.Worksheet for pre-bid analysis for the job itself.(Y N)



C. Exercise extreme care in estimating

1.“Seat-of-the-pants” or SWAG estimating used instead of of reliable mathematical methods. (Y N)

2.Is there a required Semi Detailed or Budget Estimates applied ie. Labor Fully Burdened rates (Y N)

3.Are you including sufficient allowances for indirect costs, or job burden,and overhead expenses, or fixed burden as a percentage of direct costs determined from detailed historical financial statements. (Y N)



D. Include a realistic markup for profit in bids.

1. Is your profit planned for as % markup or are you taking into account gross profit margins / contribution margins as a “Profit Factor” where M/(100 + M) where M is the percentage markup on total direct costs. (Y N)

2. Are the expenses of depreciation and amortization recognized (Y N) If recognized what fund are they applied to in your accounting ( )



E. Try to obtain at least some work through negotiation.

1. Is the responsibility for reporting information from the jobs placed with the field supervision on the job and are they charged with profit as a responsibility (Y N)

2. Do you have a cost variance in conjunction with a progress report that allows management to have the question of WHY answered. (Y N)

3. Close control of costs in the field is impossible without adequate supervision. Are these reports available(Y N)



F. Maintain effective cost reporting and control procedures

1. Profit is not cash. A job under consideration for bid may appear to be profitable, but since very few customers pay in advance, you cant take it with you without sufficient cash on hand to start work. What is your working capital? ( ). How did you arrive at that figure ( )

2. Do you maintain a cash budget, or cash flow projection, accurately and up to date (Y N). Don't forget retainage.



G. Maintain adequate cash to do the work

1. Do you understand how to use the financial statements to ask questions, make decisions and manage the business (Y N). If Yes then what is your businesses contribution margin? ( )



H. Hire and keep the best possible supervisors

1.If the foreman or the superintendant charged with profit responsibilities do you have an R.O.I. Figure that is used for incentives. (Y N)



I. Always strive to improve operations

1.When was the last date you had your business analyzed for improvement by an outside objective professional. This does not mean your tax accountant because the Accountant is the historian for the business, they take your data and prepare taxes from it.



CONCLUSION Typical shortcomings of our clients'operations – how to improve.:

Profits leaks in the business of a contractor can be stopped fairly quickly if the owner is able and willing to make more profits.



The typical shortcomings of clients in the contractor world that can easily see tremendous gain in profits by getting and using the required tools for the improvement of the following:



1.Lack of systematic approach in selecting jobs to bid.

2.Inadequate pre-bid analysis of the job itself.

3.“Seat-of-the-Pants” or SWAG estimating used instead of reliable methods.

4.Inadequate understanding of and planning for profit.

5.Inadequate actual cost reporting and control procedures.

6.Insufficient cash.

7.Poor understanding of principles of financial management.

If you thought this article was hekpful you'll want to grab 30 Free minutes of coaching absolutely free. You can apply for the consultation at http://www.guruofhardknox.com/free_consulting.html