Business Plan Essentials

The consultants at Corporate Business Solutions help business owners achieve success.  We utilize tried and tested methods to surpass growth goals in the small business arena. Often, a necessary step for small business owners is to revisit their business plan. A business plan is an essential roadmap for business success. This living document generally projects 3-5 years ahead and outlines the route a company intends to take to grow revenues.  Below are details that a strong business plans should include: 

• Executive Summary - Your executive summary is a snapshot of your business plan as a whole and touches on your company profile and goals. Read these tips about what to include. 
• Company Description- Your company description provides information on what you do, what differentiates your business from others, and the markets your business serves. 
• Market Analysis - Before launching your business, it is essential for you to research your business industry, market and competitors. 
• Organization & Management - Every business is structured differently. Find out the best organization and management structure for your business. 
• Service or Product Line- What do you sell? How does it benefit your customers? What is the product lifecycle? Get tips on how to tell the story about your product or service. 
• Marketing & Sales - How do you plan to market your business? What is your sales strategy? Read more about how to include this information in your plan. 
• Funding Request - If you are seeking funding for your business, find out about the necessary information you should include in your plan. 
• Financial Projections - If you need funding, providing financial projections to back up your request is critical. Find out what information you need to include in your financial projections for your small business. 
• Appendix - An appendix is optional, but a useful place to include information such as resumes, permits and leases. Find additional information you should include in your appendix. 
• How to Make Your Business Plan Stand Out - What makes your business unique? Determining this could help you stand out from the crowd and give you advantages over your competitors. 

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us today at 877-357-9366.

Top Business Trends for Successful Businesses

Corporate Business Solutions  helps business owners access the information that is often necessary for growth in small and medium – size businesses.  As we are already well into 2017, it is time to review the trends that are at the forefront of the business arena: 

1. Crowdfunding - To the surprise of many, globally crowdfunding is trending to surpass venture capital by the end of this year. Smart companies are using crowdfunding to not only raise capital, but to validate products before making substantial investments in product development. 

2. Sales And Content Marketing Become Fully Integrated- As customers and buyers continue to do more online research, top performing organizations continue to integrate sales and content marketing. The goal is to ensure that when customers search for risks, challenges, and implementation strategies associated with your solutions, they will find your content to address their questions.

3. Video Becomes Essential - According to a recent study, video is becoming a critical source of information for executives:

            • More than 80% said they are watching more online video today than they were a year ago.

            • Three-quarters (75%) of executives surveyed said they watch work-related videos on business-related websites at least weekly; more than half (52%) watch work-related videos on YouTube at least weekly.

            • Overall, 65% have visited a vendor’s website after watching a video.

4. New Collaboration Tools Require Rethinking Email - Collaborative tools like Slack are replacing email for internal communication. Started in 2013, Slack surpassed 4 million daily users in October 2016. Though this does not mean that companies will abandon email all together, it does change how you need to think of email.

5. Recurring Revenue - Companies continue to shift from single, up-front payments for products to recurring revenue for a service. Financial markets reward predictable, recurring revenue. Whether it be monthly or annual, smart companies recognize that recurring revenue with a high renewal rate demonstrates perceived customer value.

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us today at 877-357-9366.

Tips for Moving Your Office Location

The consultants at Corporate Business Solutions help business owners create and implement growth strategies, including the strategy behind moving to a new location. Regardless of the size or scope of your office move, it’s all about the time and detail that you put into the plan. Starting early on a moving plan is crucial to your success. If you have been tasked to work on a move project, you should first recognize that moving is just a process. Break it down into phases and map them onto a timeline. It’s imperative that the details are precisely timed for a smooth transition between sites with little or no downtime. 

Here are easy tips that may help you have a successful move:

1. Develop Checklists – Once the phases are identified, develop comprehensive checklists showing all the details to be tracked and confirmed. Make sure the checklist for each phase is coordinated with your schedule. Ask your team members to contribute to making the checklists comprehensive. Review the checklists frequently to confirm tasks are being completed as planned at each phase and add new items as they arise.
2. Engage Your IT Team Early – IT services are critical to productivity and keeping all systems and processes running smoothly, as well as providing the connection to your customers. Transitioning these services to a new site requires thorough planning. Make relocation of IT and telecom infrastructures a primary area of focus in your plan. Engage your IT team early and work closely with them to time transitions of business-critical systems.
3. Focus on the Plan – Many companies underestimate the time that you and other employees on the team are about to invest in planning and coordinating the office move. Remember, you may also have to balance your existing workload and commitments with moving responsibilities. Make sure your management understands the value in planning and the time commitment required.

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us today at 877-357-9366.

Employee Training in 2017

Corporate Business Solutions excels in perfecting the organizational aspects of business, including staffing, cost control systems and accounting.  We also create advanced training programs for staff members, which contributes to overall advancement in the workplace. 

Training employees is often a huge undertaking for many managers. However, you can do the following in advance of the employee training session to increase the likelihood that the training you do will actually transfer to the workplace.

• Make sure the need is a training and development opportunity. Do thorough needs and skills analysis to determine the real need for employee training and development. Make sure the opportunity you are pursuing or the problem you are solving is a training issue.

• Create a context for the employee training and development. Provide information for the employee about why the new skills, skill enhancement, or information is necessary. Make certain the employee understands the link between the training and his / her job.

• Provide training and development that is really relevant to the skill you want the employee to attain or the information he needs to expand his work horizons. You may need to design an employee training session internally if nothing from training providers exactly meets your needs. Or, seek out providers who are willing to customize their offerings to match your specific needs.

• Favor employee training and development that has measurable objectives and specified outcomes that will transfer back to the job. Design or obtain employee training that has clearly stated objectives with measurable outcomes. Ascertain that the content leads the employee to attain the skill or information promised in the objectives.

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us today at 877-357-9366.

Growing Business Trends in 2017

Corporate Business Solutions is knowledgeable of the information necessary for growth in small and medium – size businesses.  As we look into the New Year already upon us, we look to trends that will continue to grow in the business arena:

1. Options for non-technical professionals to become tech-savvy - Technology in your business is now more important than ever. In 2017, technology will be a necessary staple for every business if it expects to compete in today's market. CMS platforms like WordPress allow easy management of a website with minimal technical know-how for people to build their businesses online.

2. Tools to help with personal brand - Personal branding has helped some celebrities, like Oprah Winfrey and the Kardashians, create world-renowned brands. The internet opened up the playing field to make it much more even, so people that may have never been very successful have an opportunity at making it big. Many people are releasing similar products that the competition in the market continues to grow. Personal branding tools will start trending even more, helping businesses gain individuality and reduce the number of direct competitors. Look into personal branding tools to increase business in 2017.

3. Ability to train remote employees - A few years ago, remote employees were not common. Nowadays, tech companies and startups are doing most of their hires remotely. IBM led this trend and many other companies have followed suit. Since meetings can be done over Skype or other video conference platforms and customer service, social media and programming positions only require access to the computer and Internet.  Talented Millennials can be hired for positions no matter where they live.

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us today at 877-357-9366.

Tips to Stay Productive on a Slow Day

The consultants at Corporate Business Solutions help businesses succeed. When we partner with a business to help with advancement, we often review and revamp employee practices. By doing this, we’ve seen firsthand that many employees don’t utilize slow time as best as possible. 

There’s definitely plenty you can do to pass time on a slow day. However, if you constantly feel that you don't have enough work, talk to your supervisor about long-term tasks or projects that will make better use of your time. 

If your company is experiencing a lull in work, here are suggestions to help you move forward:

• Organize emails- Even if you file every message in your email archives, there are some messages you should save on your company’s shared drive or in your personal files for later use. Save anything involving hiring or HR matters, but also those that you’ve used to diffuse a challenging situation. Also save great feedback you’ve received on projects or comments from a key stakeholder discussing why he or she participates in or loves your product or your work.
• Grab the phone - When you have time, take the opportunity to schedule catch-up calls with your clients and stakeholders. Start with small talk, then ask for their thoughts on how things are going or on any ideas you’ve been bouncing around. You’ll build trust and a spirit of teamwork, and you’ll strengthen the relationship. 
• Help out - If other departments are experiencing a busy season, this may a great opportunity for you to learn about other parts of the organization. If no one needs your assistance, look for new projects. Your boss will be happy that you took the initiative and notice your interest in the organization as a whole.
• Read - If you just have a short time to fill, focus on your professional development. Read articles on leadership, networking, marketing—anything that you’d like to know more about. Get the latest on sector trends or browse the big blogs in your industry. 

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us today at 877-357-9366.

Tips for Sending Holiday Gifts to Clients

Corporate Business Solutions  is recognized for using expertise, experience and education to access the information that is often necessary for growth in small and medium – size businesses.  

During the holiday season, we know many small business owners are looking for tips for sending out company gifts.  Here are three easy tips that may help you this season:

1. Re-check your list - There’s nothing worse than forgetting someone at a firm who has been a crucial part of your client relationship, so it’s very important to double-check your gift list. Consider including every individual who has played an important role in your business, or send a business-wide gift that everyone in the office can enjoy.
2. Choose the type of gift - Determine whether you want to send a more standard gift, like a basket of cookies, or if you’re going to tailor your gifts to each client. If you decide to send the same gift to each client, avoid cliché gifts, like pens and notepads. Whether you send a standard or custom gift, including a handwritten note or holiday wish shows attention to detail and tells your client that you care about them.
3. Don’t overspend -You don’t have to break the bank on holiday gifts. There are many ways you can express your gratitude without spending a ton of money. In fact, very expensive gifts may backfire by making your client uncomfortable or making them feel pressured to send one in return. You want to stand out, but ultimately, gifts are just a gesture. To avoid overspending on personalized gifts, consider customizing your gifts based on the revenue gained or length of your relationship—it can help you budget proportionately to the income you receive from each client.

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us today at 877-357-9366.