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.