Category: Business Ideas

YoungEntrepreneur by Chris Simpson: “If you are in a situation where you need to come up with some cash in a hurry, what do you do? Here are some suggestions that can make money fast when you are in a crunch:
1. Hold a garage sale.
Make up a sign or place an ad in your local paper to let people know about your sale. Not only will you have a lot less clutter in your home once the sale is over, but you will have earned some money in the process.
2. Sell unwanted items on eBay.
Another place to dispose of unwanted items is by selling them on eBay. You will have a better chance of selling your things if you include an image on the site.
3. Put an ad on Craigslist.
Placing an ad on Craigslist is another way to sell your stuff for cash. Since Craigslist is divided by city, this is an easy way to target local buyers.
4. Deliver fast food.
Delivering pizzas or Chinese food may not be the most glamorous way to make money in a hurry, but you will get paid cash nightly. In addition, you have the opportunity to make money in tips.
4. Sign up at an employment agency.
If you are looking for work “right now,” consider doing some temporary work. You will get paid every week and it could be a stepping-stone for other, more lucrative work.
5. Sign up for online paid surveys.
Do a little digging to find online survey companies that pay in cash. Skip over the opportunities that only give you an entry in a sweepstakes.
6. Offer childcare services from your home.
If you are at home with your children anyway, you can bring in some money by offering to care for other people’s children as well.
7. Offer to do odd jobs.
If you are able to shovel snow, mow lawns, clean out garages or attics, you should be able to find someone in the neighborhood who needs these types of things done.
There are many ways you can make money fast when you need to. You might decide to sell something you own or use the skills you already have to reach this goal. “The important thing to remember when money gets tight is that you do have options, if you let yourself be creative.”
7 Ways To Make Money In A Hurry [YoungEntrepreneur]

Article Contributed by Mark G
A very rewarding endeavor could be buying a company that already exists. One of the primary reasons to buy an existing business is to avoid ‘start-up’ costs. The opening costs of beginning a new business venture can be astronomical, aswell as the costs of advertising, and all of this with no guarantee of making a profit on your investment. You will be able to see the track record of an existing business’ income and expenses. Giving you an idea of what you can expect.
There are quite a few legal things to take into account when buying a up and running business. Initially, you must make sure that you know exactly what you are buying. Have you decided to either acquire the entire business entity or simply buy its assets?
The assets you are planning to purchase, what are they? When making an asset purchase, it is of utmost importance to put in writing precisely what the assets are so once the transaction has
closed there aren’t any unforeseen issues. Make a list of the all the physically identifiable assets. For example a photocopier, list of customers, office furniture, etc.. You also should make the list of intangible assets, i.e. the email addresses, phone numbers of the current business. The inaccurate assessment of assets included in the purchase account for many of the business transaction claims that are raised.
Will a landlord agree to you taking over any lease agreements? For some companies the merit of the business includes an affordable lease agreement in a good location. If you are purchasing a business on leased premises, you will need to obtain the consent of the landlord prior to assuming the existing lease. This is almost always contained as a stipulation of the Agreement. When looking to lease office space, a landlord will require, at minimum, your credit history and information about your business experience.
What type of obligations do you have towards the Employees. You need to look and see if the business you are considering buying has a lot of full time or part time employees. If this occurs, you’ll be responsible as a subsequent employer for money owed to these employees, including wages, vacation pay, unemployment insurance premiums, and premiums from worker’s compensation. Your best choice when considering purchasing a business may be to hire all new employees. The reason is that there maybe a lot of obligations that may come with the existing employees. When buying a small business, some prefer to have a written agreement in which the vendor will terminate all employees before the closing of the deal.
What exactly are the Non-competition clauses? Many times buyers will hammer out an agreement with the seller, which limits the seller’s capability contend with them after settling in a similar business. If you decide to purchase a business, the last thing you want is the vendor opening a new shop just a few doors down from the original. If the seller is willing to incorporate a non-competitive stipulation at time closing, this possibility is eradicated.
Remember when considering non-competition covenants, they must not be overly restrictive, or you will not be able to enforce them. It could be a reasonable idea to limit another vendor from opening up a business that is similar to your own for 1 to 5 years following the closing of the deal, and due to these restrictions they must operate within a distance of 1 to 5 kilometers surrounding the present business location, depending on the type of business that is being
sold.
If the seller is unwilling to agree to such terms, it may be best to leave the deal for buying that business on the table and walk away. If you are thinking of buying a business that is already in existence, you need to find the time and effort to sit down with your local attorney. Over the long haul, it could possibly save you thousands of dollars and hours of time.
About the Author
Mark G is a writer and follower of developments in business sales market and broker industry. Visit his sites at canadian businesses for sale
and Quebec
businesses for sale.

Article contributed by Karen S. Sieczka
Want to encourage your staff to think outside the box? Provide the tools they need to get creative.
An Idea Library is a place where you and your staff can go to look for the seeds of a new idea. Much like a regular library, your idea library houses books, journals, and magazines, and offers comfy seating and a place for quiet reflection. What’s different ? It is on-site and available for use any time writer’s block strikes, a project gets stuck in development, or new concepts just don’t seem to be coming.
It’s easy to get started. Carve out a space where there are few distractions. Add some comfortable seating and a table. Keep some games, colored pencils, and lots of paper available here as well. Now start to scour book stores or your own local library for interesting magazines. Here’s the key: don’t look for anything related to your current industry. You want to stimulate new thinking with books, magazines, catalogs, and periodicals unrelated to your organization’s primary industry. Go for something totally different. This is where is new ideas come from.
Look for opposites of what you do and add those items. If you’re in sales, go toward fashion. If you’re scientific, have materials from the day care industry. Bring in annual reports from non-competitors. What are they doing? How can you apply their expertise to what you do?
Borders Bookstores used a display technique garnered from the retail clothing business to quell lagging book sales. It changed its book displays with covers facing out rather than the traditional spine out approach.
Often great ideas come from adapting ideas from another industry or product line and applying it to your organization. We tend to read the same things and do the same things as our competition so we need to find a way to open the creative floodgates. Want new and unusual ideas? Look to other industries for ideas.
Ask: how can we apply what other industries are doing to what we are doing?
About the Author
Karen S. Sieczka is a training consultant and founder of Growing Great Ideas.com. Her latest training program is Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing Creativity at Work. The program generates ideas, enthusiasm, and teamwork and can be customized to address particular organizational issues or challenges. This article was excerpted from the book, Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing Creativity at Work now available at LULU.com in download or print version.

Article contributed by Don Daszkowski
Why buy an established business rather than start from scratch? There are many advantages for the entrepreneur.
First of all, there is a savings in time, energy, and money when buying an existing business. The lengthy process of researching and creating business plans and models has already been done for you. Also, if there is financing needed for your purchase, it is not as difficult to obtain since a lenders are more likely to finance a business with a proven track record.
Also, most times, everything is included in the purchase, especially in turnkey or franchise businesses. It is very beneficial for you to inherit the infrastructure that has already been established by the previous owner(s). This not only includes the customers, but suppliers, employees, equipment, and systems as well. It is a good possibility that the previous owner(s) may offer some insight and assistance, therefore making the transition easier.
In addition, the cash flow most likely will start immediately, rather than in an unknown timeframe when starting a brand new business. Profitability is not in question as it would be in a startup. An existing business is probably producing a decent income and also has a solid client base established, therefore maximizing the chances of success by the new owner(s). There are many types of businesses such as restaurants, salons and retail establishments in which you can get a good idea of how well the business is doing in part by the traffic patterns. Speaking with the current owners as well as customers can also help you give you insight into the well-being of the business before you make your purchase.
Even though the business is already established, there is still room for innovation and creativity. It is beneficial of course for you to purchase a business in which you can bring something to the table as far as experience and expertise, whether it is from your own job experience or skills you’ve gained through a hobby. If you’ve never owned or managed a business before, it is especially important that you at least have some knowledge of the type of business that you are purchasing. For example, if you’ve been a stylist in a beauty salon for many years, it is likely that you will be successful taking over an established salon.
Finally, since the business already has a good foundation, you can focus much of your efforts on building and expanding the business. As you become more familiar with your customers’ needs and wants, you will have opportunities to add enhancements and improvements, therefore increasing your chances of higher profitability much sooner than you would in a startup business.

About the Author
Don Daszkowski is President and CEO of BusinessMart.com. BusinessMart.com has thousands of businesses for sale, franchises and small business articles. Don is also About.com’s Guide to Franchises. About.com is a New York Times Company.