The business plan

OBJECTIVE: The business plan is the key ingredient for a successful business and is often ignored. This session shows you how to create an individualized business plan, and provides the tools to make it easy. What is a Business Plan? Why prepare a business plan? What to avoid in your business plan Business Plan Format Vision statement The people Business profile Economic assessment Eight Steps to a Great Business Plan Review sample plans Focus and refine concept Gather data Outline the specifics of your business Include experience Review language and projections Put your plan into a compelling form Enhance with graphics Does...

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9 Key Things Successful Business Partners Always Do

Are you going into business with the right person? What's more important to a new venture than a great business idea? Finding the right business partners. I've heard this again and again from successful entrepreneurs, and I've lost count of how many investors tell me that they put their money behind people--as much or more than ideas. Still, so many people go about this the other way around. It's especially sad to hear the stories of founding teams that had truly amazing ideas but who fell apart on a personal level. Take Zipcar, the rent-by-the-hour car service that was founded in 2000, went public in 2011, and was later acquired by Avis Budget Group for nearly $500 million. You won't find the names of its original founders, Robin Chase and Antje Danielson, anywhere on Zipcar's...

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Do you have the right knowledge about your business relations in order to create profitability for your company?

The precise factor creating a profitable business relationship is often buried in the detail. Today’s technology provides substantial business possibilities to those with the time and opportunity to delve deep into the mine of business data available. It is not only about storing information, and automating the different stages of the business process, but, first and foremost, it is about streamlining the management of your company’s credit customers. At Soliditet, we have built up an entire business sector devoted to providing our customers with help in exactly this area. We call it Soliditet Solutions. Here we have pooled a team of highly...

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Why is key person insurance important for your business?

Does your business include someone whose contribution is vital to the survival of your company? If yes, then key person insurance should be a part of your business continuity and succession plan—especially if you're a small business owner. If a key member of your team passes away or becomes disabled, your bottom line may suffer in the short-term, and over the long-term, you may have to find a replacement or even shut down your business. However, with the benefits payable from a key person life or disability insurance plan, you could: Recruit, hire and train a replacement Pay off debt and deal with creditors Alleviate lenders' concerns about your company's financial health Reassure customers, employees and investors that the business will continue operating What's more, if you and your...

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Plan to cut airline workers’ pensions passes regulatory hurdle

A proposal to cut retired workers’ pensions as part of an overall plan to plug a €750 million hole in Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme (IASS) has passed a key regulatory hurdle. The trustees of the IASS, the insolvent retirement fund operated jointly by Aer Lingus and Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), have told the airline that the Pensions Authority has approved proposals to tackle its €750 million deficit and end a four-year-long dispute. The proposals include a section 50 application, which will result in a reduction of the pensions paid to retired workers drawing income from the scheme. This...

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Government files supporting brief for Microsoft in US case

In a rare legal move, the Irish Government contributed a supporting legal brief in a significant US case, in which Microsoft is appealing a court order to hand over emails held on an Irish server. Amicus curiae or “friend of the court” standing allows a party to offer perspective and a position on a case in which it is not directly involved. It is extremely rare for a national government to become an amicus to an international case. In the amicus briefing, the Government argues: “Ireland has a genuine and legitimate interest in potential infringements by other states of its sovereign rights...

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Christmas retail sales hit record numbers, peak body says; average $2,500 each spent by those over 14

Australians spent in record numbers in the lead-up to Christmas, the peak retail body says, with those aged over 14 spending an average of $2,500 each in the six weeks leading to the event. The Australian Retailers Association said about $45 billion was spent in the period leading up to Christmas, a slight increase on last year. The association's chief executive, Russell Zimmerman, said Christmas was an important time for the retail sector. "A lot of retailers depend upon the Christmas and new year period sales," he said. "They often get around 60 per cent of their sales at this time of the year so it's an extremely important time...

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