Home
>
Small Business
>
A Small Business Must Have a Solid Foundation

A Small Business Must Have a Solid Foundation

We all know that a building has to have a strong foundation if it is to survive, so, too, a business.

There are many planks that support a business but there are four corner-posts that bear the most weight?

The four corner-posts are Marketing, Selling, Production and Financial Control. There are a multitude of other aspects which helps to make a business profitable. For example, customer service, adequate capital, and location.

But I can guarantee that if a firm is failing in any one of marketing, selling, production or financial control the business will fail.

And that's the chief difference between a small business and a big business. A big business has whole departments to oversee each of those functions and it has people who do nothing else but make decisions (manage).

You must carry out all four functions and manage at the same time.

Marketing

I have been counseling in small business for 30 years and still find people who do not know what marketing is.

At seminars I ask about their marketing and it almost certain one or more participants will say, "Well, we advertise in the local give-away newspaper". Advertising is not marketing. It's only a tool of marketing.

To use any marketing tool you must know who your target is and you must know what you're selling.

Your customer is not buying a drill. He is buying a hole! I do not know who first said this and it has been around for at least 40 years. It sounds simplistic and hackneyed but it is really a profound observation.

I don't think that girl is really buying a hole. She may be buying independence; the ability to hang pictures, put up curtain rods without having to rely on her male partner. The features and benefits which appeal to her will be different to those which influence a builder.

So if you are hazy on marketing you've got a lot of reading to do to get up to speed.

Selling

We all know what selling is?don't we? Well perhaps not, because most small businesses do it badly?or the owner does it but the staff has not been trained to do it.

"Do you want fries with that?" has been made famous by a well known take-away. We call that up-selling .It was a very successful tactic which increased sales of fries etc. but it is starting to lose its edge.

Several times on recent visits I have been asked whether I wanted fries when I already had fries, or did I want desserts when I already had them. That gives negative vibes. They are not really thinking of helping me. They are just trying to increase sales.

Production

This applies to both manufacturing and retail establishments. You have to 'produce' your product but you must do more than that. It must be produced at the location, at the quality, at the time and at the price that your customer wants.

A restaurant had their production down to a science but the waiting time between sitting and having the order taken was 45 minutes. I would have left long before. I am never that hungry. They are now out of business.

A kitchen renovator had a unique quality product and used an excellent installer. His price was very low compared to others in the area. They are now out if business.

You can produce low quality items at a low price and a high quality product at a high price, but you will lose your shirt if you try to sell low quality products at a high price or high quality items at a low price.

Financial Control

For some reason this is the area in which most small businesses fail.

One reason is that bookkeeping is a skill that can be easily learned (especially with all the accounting packages available). Accounting, however, is a discipline that requires 3 to 5 years of study and a lifetime of learning.

Yet the small business owner tries to do it all himself at the same time as all his other functions. Or he leaves it totally to his 'girl' who cannot do it either.

But the success for any task is reliant on the ability to measure every important aspect. In a restaurant we measure the value of wages against sales for the same period. Is your wages 45% of sales? That's too high. Let's work out how we can reduce it.

"We put 50% on our purchases to arrive at a price". That means your gross profit margin is 33% but your financials show that you are only achieving 29%. Let's do something about it.

A compromise for the small business owner is to have a professional accountant design an easily kept system that will produce the information required. Then your 'girl' can be trained how to operate the system.

Most Businesses Fail

Only about one in ten businesses do really well and makes some money for the owner. Your's won't be one of them unless you can get the four corner-posts right.

Author, Kelvyn Peters is one of Australia's longest serving Tax Agents. He was registered in 1962 and became a CPA in 1964.

Kelvyn served on many charitable boards including St Aubyns Hospital, Alzheimer's Association and Older Peoples Advocacy Service.

As a young man he won the Outstanding Jaycee Award three times. He's a compassionate, generous man who loves people. That's why he is so skilled at helping people in trouble.

Kelvyn Peters was Mayor of Kingaroy Shire Council from 1982 to 1987 and campaigned as the 'Young Man of Action'. Over 20 years later he still calls himself a 'Young Man of Action'.

He is a director of Restaurant Catering Qld Inc the peak employer body in Queensland, and has advised the hospitality industry for many years. His specialty is moving in to rescue a sick business. Kelvyn has spent over 20 years experimenting and researching methods to help small business.

He has perfected it with local clients. Now he is going global and he is only an email away.

http://www.profitstrategies4business.com

Mercedes Benz s500 rentals Salem ..

In The News:

The International Olympic Committee on Friday announced plans to use AI in various Olympic aspects, including athlete identification, training and judging.

Tech guru Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains an easy trick to avoid squinting while working or surfing the web by zooming in on your personal computer.

Streaming giant Roku has recently been targeted by a pair of cyberattacks, and the company confirmed over a half million Roku accounts were compromised.

The Land Aircraft Carrier combines an all-terrain, six-wheeled vehicle with a two-seat aircraft, which features electric vertical takeoff and landing.

The European Union has sent TikTok a "request for information" on the video sharing platform's newest app, TikTok Lite, under the Digital Services Act, with the aim to clean up social media.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

The FBI is warning the public about a recent phishing scam via text that claims its targets owe money in Pennsylvania for unpaid road toll charges.

Your Apple Music settings may be revealing to your contacts what you're listening to. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains the process to change those settings.

Learn how to secure social media accounts, implement legacy contacts, and create a digital estate plan to protect your online assets from 'ghost hackers' after your death.

A ported phone number scam is leading to more people having their identities stolen by sophisticated scammers. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson tells you what you need to know.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a vast marine debris vortex, is being tackled by The Ocean Cleanup’s innovative technologies. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson explains.

Discover easy solutions to tame autocorrect frustration on iOS and Android devices. Turn off, customize and add personal touches to your typing experience.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals the six top things to do right now before it’s too late: Tech and life choices that can keep your safer on and offline.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson shows you some simple steps to discreetly hide apps or an entire app page on your iPhone for decluttering or confidentiality.

The ambient light sensors on smartphones may be turned into cameras, according to researches at MIT. This could pose a threat to people's privacy.

The Autonomous Road Repair System from tech firm Robotiz3d uses artificial intelligence technology to locate potholes and promptly seal them.

Scammers have stooped to using artificial intelligence to scan obituary websites to create fake obituary websites to target the grieving.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

A Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing factory in Hungary is using humanoid robots to help with human staffing shortages on the factory floor.

Some video games act like unregulated banks, according to CFPB, which has begun monitoring the situation. The agency says children may be most at risk.

Ascender the robot is capable of climbing stairs with heights up to 8.7 inches, and it can give every corner of your home a deep cleaning.

Tax-return scams are on the rise, and one tax expert from a cybersecurity firm says filing your taxes on time is one way to avoid tax scams.

The innovative XPENG Robot Unicorn is inspired by the mythical unicorn, and you may forget the robot is not actually a living creature.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

The Federal Trade Commission, the federal agency to report scams to, is being impersonated as part of a new sophisticated phone scam.