Wednesday, February 27, 2013

5 Warning Signs that Your Business is Heading for Trouble

On the surface this sounds like a trivial question to ask. After all, when you own your business you are expected to take care of everything. Whether you do it by working FOR or ON your business should not be relevant. However, when you read the question carefully you realize that there is a subtle difference between the two. How you approach it can have long-term implications for you and your business.

So what is the difference between working FOR and working ON your business?

There are several characteristics that come to mind when you look at the two choices. You are approaching the business with an employee mindset when working FOR your business. You try to take care of everything yourself. It also implies that you are occupied with day-to-day duties of running the business without having time to think about long-term success of the business. You are fighting fires and trying to get through it every day.

People working ON the business, on the other hand, approach it with a very different mindset. They have long-term plan to take their business to the next level. They are approaching it with the entrepreneurial mindset. That means they do not get bogged down in day-to-day worries of running the business. Instead they will sacrifice short-term gains, if they have to, to position the business for long-term success. They invest in the future of the business rather than harvesting it for the short-term gain.

You can find examples of the people who worked ON their business and created some of the most successful companies of today. Michael Dell of Dell Computers started his business in the college dorm by building and selling computers to his friends and families. He could have continued running his “small business” and make decent money along the way. That’s not what he was after! He wanted to create the world’s biggest computer company and he did so by thinking long-term. Number of other examples comes to mind in which their founders approached their small business with a similar mindset. Bill Gates of Microsoft, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and so on. Now, compare this to your neighborhood store owner, who has been running it for the last 10 years and you will understand the difference between the two options.

Now, we are not saying there is anything particularly wrong with working FOR your business and running it in a day-to-day fashion. Which option is better depends on what you want to make out of the business. If your goal is to make a lasting impression on the world and build a great company for the foreseeable future you need to think about working ON your business. On the other hand, if you are happy with owning a small business and generating decent cash flow to sustain your family there is nothing wrong in working FOR your business. Just be mindful of what you are after and take corresponding actions.

In the next post we will show how what actions you need to take to build great, long-lasting company by working ON your business. - See more at: http://www.smallbizviewpoints.com/2011/10/27/are-you-working-for-or-on-your-business/#sthash.KjUe7maV.dpuf
On the surface this sounds like a trivial question to ask. After all, when you own your business you are expected to take care of everything. Whether you do it by working FOR or ON your business should not be relevant. However, when you read the question carefully you realize that there is a subtle difference between the two. How you approach it can have long-term implications for you and your business.

So what is the difference between working FOR and working ON your business?

There are several characteristics that come to mind when you look at the two choices. You are approaching the business with an employee mindset when working FOR your business. You try to take care of everything yourself. It also implies that you are occupied with day-to-day duties of running the business without having time to think about long-term success of the business. You are fighting fires and trying to get through it every day.

People working ON the business, on the other hand, approach it with a very different mindset. They have long-term plan to take their business to the next level. They are approaching it with the entrepreneurial mindset. That means they do not get bogged down in day-to-day worries of running the business. Instead they will sacrifice short-term gains, if they have to, to position the business for long-term success. They invest in the future of the business rather than harvesting it for the short-term gain.

You can find examples of the people who worked ON their business and created some of the most successful companies of today. Michael Dell of Dell Computers started his business in the college dorm by building and selling computers to his friends and families. He could have continued running his “small business” and make decent money along the way. That’s not what he was after! He wanted to create the world’s biggest computer company and he did so by thinking long-term. Number of other examples comes to mind in which their founders approached their small business with a similar mindset. Bill Gates of Microsoft, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and so on. Now, compare this to your neighborhood store owner, who has been running it for the last 10 years and you will understand the difference between the two options.

Now, we are not saying there is anything particularly wrong with working FOR your business and running it in a day-to-day fashion. Which option is better depends on what you want to make out of the business. If your goal is to make a lasting impression on the world and build a great company for the foreseeable future you need to think about working ON your business. On the other hand, if you are happy with owning a small business and generating decent cash flow to sustain your family there is nothing wrong in working FOR your business. Just be mindful of what you are after and take corresponding actions.

In the next post we will show how what actions you need to take to build great, long-lasting company by working ON your business. - See more at: http://www.smallbizviewpoints.com/2011/10/27/are-you-working-for-or-on-your-business/#sthash.KjUe7maV.dpuf
On the surface this sounds like a trivial question to ask. After all, when you own your business you are expected to take care of everything. Whether you do it by working FOR or ON your business should not be relevant. However, when you read the question carefully you realize that there is a subtle difference between the two. How you approach it can have long-term implications for you and your business.

So what is the difference between working FOR and working ON your business?

There are several characteristics that come to mind when you look at the two choices. You are approaching the business with an employee mindset when working FOR your business. You try to take care of everything yourself. It also implies that you are occupied with day-to-day duties of running the business without having time to think about long-term success of the business. You are fighting fires and trying to get through it every day.

People working ON the business, on the other hand, approach it with a very different mindset. They have long-term plan to take their business to the next level. They are approaching it with the entrepreneurial mindset. That means they do not get bogged down in day-to-day worries of running the business. Instead they will sacrifice short-term gains, if they have to, to position the business for long-term success. They invest in the future of the business rather than harvesting it for the short-term gain.

You can find examples of the people who worked ON their business and created some of the most successful companies of today. Michael Dell of Dell Computers started his business in the college dorm by building and selling computers to his friends and families. He could have continued running his “small business” and make decent money along the way. That’s not what he was after! He wanted to create the world’s biggest computer company and he did so by thinking long-term. Number of other examples comes to mind in which their founders approached their small business with a similar mindset. Bill Gates of Microsoft, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and so on. Now, compare this to your neighborhood store owner, who has been running it for the last 10 years and you will understand the difference between the two options.

Now, we are not saying there is anything particularly wrong with working FOR your business and running it in a day-to-day fashion. Which option is better depends on what you want to make out of the business. If your goal is to make a lasting impression on the world and build a great company for the foreseeable future you need to think about working ON your business. On the other hand, if you are happy with owning a small business and generating decent cash flow to sustain your family there is nothing wrong in working FOR your business. Just be mindful of what you are after and take corresponding actions.

In the next post we will show how what actions you need to take to build great, long-lasting company by working ON your business. - See more at: http://www.smallbizviewpoints.com/2011/10/27/are-you-working-for-or-on-your-business/#sthash.KjUe7maV.dpuf
On the surface this sounds like a trivial question to ask. After all, when you own your business you are expected to take care of everything. Whether you do it by working FOR or ON your business should not be relevant. However, when you read the question carefully you realize that there is a subtle difference between the two. How you approach it can have long-term implications for you and your business.

So what is the difference between working FOR and working ON your business?

There are several characteristics that come to mind when you look at the two choices. You are approaching the business with an employee mindset when working FOR your business. You try to take care of everything yourself. It also implies that you are occupied with day-to-day duties of running the business without having time to think about long-term success of the business. You are fighting fires and trying to get through it every day.

People working ON the business, on the other hand, approach it with a very different mindset. They have long-term plan to take their business to the next level. They are approaching it with the entrepreneurial mindset. That means they do not get bogged down in day-to-day worries of running the business. Instead they will sacrifice short-term gains, if they have to, to position the business for long-term success. They invest in the future of the business rather than harvesting it for the short-term gain.

You can find examples of the people who worked ON their business and created some of the most successful companies of today. Michael Dell of Dell Computers started his business in the college dorm by building and selling computers to his friends and families. He could have continued running his “small business” and make decent money along the way. That’s not what he was after! He wanted to create the world’s biggest computer company and he did so by thinking long-term. Number of other examples comes to mind in which their founders approached their small business with a similar mindset. Bill Gates of Microsoft, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and so on. Now, compare this to your neighborhood store owner, who has been running it for the last 10 years and you will understand the difference between the two options.

Now, we are not saying there is anything particularly wrong with working FOR your business and running it in a day-to-day fashion. Which option is better depends on what you want to make out of the business. If your goal is to make a lasting impression on the world and build a great company for the foreseeable future you need to think about working ON your business. On the other hand, if you are happy with owning a small business and generating decent cash flow to sustain your family there is nothing wrong in working FOR your business. Just be mindful of what you are after and take corresponding actions.

In the next post we will show how what actions you need to take to build great, long-lasting company by working ON your business. - See more at: http://www.smallbizviewpoints.com/2011/10/27/are-you-working-for-or-on-your-business/#sthash.KjUe7maV.dpuf
On the surface this sounds like a trivial question to ask. After all, when you own your business you are expected to take care of everything. Whether you do it by working FOR or ON your business should not be relevant. However, when you read the question carefully you realize that there is a subtle difference between the two. How you approach it can have long-term implications for you and your business.

So what is the difference between working FOR and working ON your business?

There are several characteristics that come to mind when you look at the two choices. You are approaching the business with an employee mindset when working FOR your business. You try to take care of everything yourself. It also implies that you are occupied with day-to-day duties of running the business without having time to think about long-term success of the business. You are fighting fires and trying to get through it every day.

People working ON the business, on the other hand, approach it with a very different mindset. They have long-term plan to take their business to the next level. They are approaching it with the entrepreneurial mindset. That means they do not get bogged down in day-to-day worries of running the business. Instead they will sacrifice short-term gains, if they have to, to position the business for long-term success. They invest in the future of the business rather than harvesting it for the short-term gain.

You can find examples of the people who worked ON their business and created some of the most successful companies of today. Michael Dell of Dell Computers started his business in the college dorm by building and selling computers to his friends and families. He could have continued running his “small business” and make decent money along the way. That’s not what he was after! He wanted to create the world’s biggest computer company and he did so by thinking long-term. Number of other examples comes to mind in which their founders approached their small business with a similar mindset. Bill Gates of Microsoft, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and so on. Now, compare this to your neighborhood store owner, who has been running it for the last 10 years and you will understand the difference between the two options.

Now, we are not saying there is anything particularly wrong with working FOR your business and running it in a day-to-day fashion. Which option is better depends on what you want to make out of the business. If your goal is to make a lasting impression on the world and build a great company for the foreseeable future you need to think about working ON your business. On the other hand, if you are happy with owning a small business and generating decent cash flow to sustain your family there is nothing wrong in working FOR your business. Just be mindful of what you are after and take corresponding actions.

In the next post we will show how what actions you need to take to build great, long-lasting company by working ON your business. - See more at: http://www.smallbizviewpoints.com/2011/10/27/are-you-working-for-or-on-your-business/#sthash.KjUe7maV.dpuf
I didn’t know we were in such a bad shape! How could this happen?” How many times have you heard this from a small business owner whose business is shutting down? For small business owners it is imperative to stay on top of the business like a hawk. Otherwise it is not surprising to wake up one day and find that you are not able to pay your employees or make interest payment to the bank.

We mentioned in earlier post that you have to be able to tell how your business is doing even when someone asks you in the middle of the night. We suggested that you identify key parameters for your business and look at daily, weekly and monthly reports.

We have been asked by number of small business owners if there are simple warning signs that can tell them if the business is headed for trouble – something akin to early warning system. In response, we have come up with 5 metrics that can tell you exactly that. By keeping a keen eye on these metrics you can detect potential problems well in advance and take appropriate actions to correct the path.

Here are those 5 metrics along with explanation of how to calculate them:

  1. Sales trends – This is an easy one. If your sales is declining for an extended period you are going to be in trouble sooner or later. You need to look at sales trends from two different angles. Compare sales on a sequential basis. For example compare this week’s sales versus last week’s and likewise. In addition, you should compare this period’s sales to the same period last year to l remove any seasonality in your business.
  2. Average Ticket per Customer – All POS systems have the ability to tell you this metric. Essentially, it tells you how much each customer is spending, on an average, per visit. It is calculated by dividing the total sales by number of visits by all customers in a given period. We recommend that you calculate this on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.
  3. Number of Repeat Customers – Repeat customers are the lifeblood of your business. The repeat customers are desirable because you don’t have to spend as much money on marketing to them. They will keep coming to your business as long as you continue to provide good product at reasonable value to them.
  4. Gross Margin – This metric is calculated by subtracting your cost of goods sold (COGS) from total sales. Cost of goods is how much you have to pay your vendors to purchase raw material or finished products that you sell. Declining gross margin could mean either you are paying more to your vendors or your customers are not paying as much for your product.
  5. Outstanding Receivables – outstanding receivables show the total amount of money you need to collect from your customers. This is the amount your customers owe you for the purchase they made from your business. You know something is not going right with your customers if the outstanding receivables continue to inch up.
It is important to note that these numbers by themselves do not mean much if you are looking at them for just one period. What you need to look at is the trend over a certain period to be able to tell if something is wrong.

In the next post we will show you what these metrics mean and what actions you can take to make sure your business does not end up in trouble. Till then if you know of other parameters you monitor for your business let us know in the comments below.
- See more at: http://www.smallbizviewpoints.com/2011/08/24/5-warning-signs-that-tell-you-if-your-business-is-headed-for-trouble/#sthash.Zd6FB8JK.dpuf


I didn’t know we were in such a bad shape! How could this happen?

How many times have you heard this from a small business owner whose business is shutting down? For small business owners it is imperative to stay on top of the business like a hawk. Otherwise it is not surprising to wake up one day and find that you are not able to pay your employees or make interest payment to the bank.

I mentioned in earlier post that you have to be able to tell how your business is doing even when someone asks you in the middle of the night. We suggested that you identify key parameters for your business and look at daily, weekly, monthly and annual reports.

I have been asked by number of small business owners if there are simple warning signs that can tell them if the business is headed for trouble – something akin to early warning system. In response, I have come up with 5 metrics that can tell you exactly that. By keeping a keen eye on these metrics you can detect potential problems well in advance and take appropriate actions to correct the path.

Here are those 5 metrics along with explanation of how to calculate them:

  1. Sales trends – This is an easy one. If your sales is declining for an extended period you are going to be in trouble sooner or later. You need to look at sales trends from two different angles. Compare sales on a sequential basis. For example compare this week’s sales versus last week’s and likewise. In addition, you should compare this period’s sales to the same period last year to remove any seasonality in your business.
  2. Average Ticket per Customer – You need a system which has the ability to tell you this metric. Essentially, it tells you how much each customer is spending, on an average, per transaction. It is calculated by dividing the total sales by number of transactions by all customers in a given period. I recommend that you calculate this on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.
  3. Number of Repeat Customers – Repeat customers are the lifeblood of your business. The repeat customers are desirable because you don’t have to spend as much money on marketing to them. They will keep coming to your business as long as you continue to provide good product at reasonable value to them.
  4. Gross Margin – This metric is calculated by subtracting your cost of goods sold (COGS) from total sales. Cost of goods is how much you have to pay your suppliers to purchase raw material or finished products that you sell. Declining gross margin could mean either you are paying more to your suppliers or your customers are not paying as much for your product.
  5. Outstanding Receivables – outstanding receivables show the total amount of money you need to collect from your customers. This is the amount your customers owe you for the purchase they made from your business. You know something is not going right with your customers if the outstanding receivables continue to inch up.
It is important to note that these numbers by themselves do not mean much if you are looking at them for just one period. What you need to look at is the trend over a certain period to be able to tell if something is wrong.

In the next post we will show you what these metrics mean and what actions you can take to make sure your business does not end up in trouble. Unl then if you know of other parameters you monitor for your business let us know in the comments below.

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