Tap the Ultimate Source of Abundance: How to Put More of YOU into Your Business

Corporations ignore consumers’ real needs…Company leaders engage in questionable business practices…Business owners and employees do work they don’t enjoy simply to pay the bills…such is the state of today’s business world.

The key to bringing the world back to life will also bring you abundance in your business. The world needs people who are vibrantly alive and ready to build a new kind of business. We need businesses that express our missions as human beings and make a contribution to the planet – and thrive in the process.

You will create a magnetic attraction when your vision, your values, and your vocation are perfectly aligned. When planning a business, very few people take the time to look inside, to align their unique natural gifts, talents, and desires with the product or service their business provides.

Answering the following questions will help you attract abundance through your business. When you have done this, you will thrive in ways you cannot imagine.

1. Why do you do the work you do?

Most owners are in businesses because they saw an opportunity or because they have some professional experience they can conveniently sell. Their business is simply what they do and does not necessarily reflect their greatest talents or passions.

However, if you take the time to examine your gifts, your talents, and the particular message you have for the world, you will discover inspiring ways to earn money by sharing those talents. When your business expresses who you are, clients instinctively recognize that you are sincerely and personally committed to their happiness and success. No one can fake true concern.

2. With whom do you want to work?

Most business owners have customers or clients they dread dealing with, yet they continue to do business with them month after month. Whether you realize it or not, your customers know what you’re thinking about them.

Therefore, it is in everyone’s best interest for you to be proactive and “fire” clients who are not a good fit for your business. This will free you to focus on the people you care about. When you do business with people you like, they will naturally bring out your best work and inspire you to become better at what you do. Your better efforts will attract more perfect customers who will inspire you further. From there, your ability to thrive is unstoppable.

When the right prospective customer crosses your path and you can clearly and simply describe exactly what they are feeling, they are captivated. They feel understood and validated, and they will trust you to take care of their concerns.

3. What do you do for your clients?

Generally speaking, a customer’s primary concern is to find someone who can solve their problem and make their pain stop. Therefore, you need to see your business from your customer’s perspective.

For example, instead of saying, “We provide accurate, professional bookkeeping services,” say, “We make sure you have the precise financial information you need, when you need it.” Rather than making a statement of fact, such as, “We are attorneys who specialize in small businesses,” present your service through their eyes, as in, “We take the mystery out of protecting what you’ve worked so hard to build.” Make a list of the benefits your customers will receive as a result of working with you or buying your products. Make sure each one is stated in specific terms a client can identify with, and then market this to your customers.

4. How do you set yourself apart?

Becoming an expert in your field is the best long-term way to attract abundance. You don’t need to have all the answers to be an expert; in fact most experts rely on many other professionals in and out of their field. What makes you an expert is your will, your drive, your passion, your confidence, and your ability to create solutions for your customers’ needs.

Remember, people draw conclusions about things and about each other within a matter of seconds. You may have 20 seconds to convince a potential client or customer that you are the solution to his or her problem. After that, you become lost in a current of information overload. So set yourself apart from the crowd, and watch your business soar.

5. The Final Key To Building an Abundant Life: What Permission Do You Need To Give Yourself?

You already know deep down what you want to do. You have an idea what changes you need to make in your business. You know what’s not working.

You may be holding yourself back from taking the actions you know you need to take. Somewhere in your subconscious you may be following harmful “rules” you’ve made for yourself. You may believe you don’t deserve wild success. You may believe that work can’t be fun. You may believe that you owe it to those around you to maintain the status quo.

When you identify your restrictive beliefs, you can decide to let go of them. Be truthful with yourself. What permission do you need to give yourself to make all of your dreams a reality? Some examples may be: “Fire (or hire) those three people,” “Take only the jobs/assignments that I would enjoy,” or “Make more money than anyone I know.” Be specific.

The Sky is the Limit

You now have the tools to develop a business strategy that capitalizes on your unique abilities and interests. Since many people are unable to objectively observe themselves, if you have difficulty answering any of these questions, brainstorm ideas with a business partner or a business coach. This is important, because the sooner you incorporate these abilities into your business presentation, the more prosperity you are able to attract. You will know what you have to share with the world, and this knowledge is your single most powerful wealth-attraction tool.

Any of your competitors can read the same business books and articles you do, but none of them can duplicate your heart and soul. Find the right answers to these five questions and you can be certain your prospects will say, “I have GOT to work with you!”

"Reprinted from Create the Business Breakthrough You Want: Secrets and Strategies From the World's Greatest Mentors © 2004 Mission Publishing, a division of The Mission Marketing Mentors, Inc., www.missionpublishing.net [http://www.ezinearticles.com/submit/www.missionpublishing.net] or www.missionmarketingmentors.com."

Amanda Murphy is co-author of the new bestseller "Create the Business Breakthrough You Want: Secrets and Strategies From the World’s Greatest Mentors." To find out how Amanda can help you create the breakthrough you want, visit www.AmandaMurphy.com

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Home Based Business: Your Ultimate Tax Shelter

Starting and operating your own home based business is

the ultimate tax shelter.

Although this article has been written from a Canadian

income tax perspective, the principles should be

practical in other tax jurisdictions.

1. Non-Deductible Personal Living Expenses

All of us have expenses that we incur in everyday

living.

Either you rent an apartment or house or you own your

residence. Utilities, insurance, rent, mortgage

interest, property taxes, and maintenance and repairs

are typical costs of operating your home.

Likely, you have a vehicle which also consumes large

amounts of cash.

Add to this, dining out, entertainment, gifts,

alcoholic beverages, office supplies, telephone and

many other expenditures, and you have a significant

cash outflow.

In most cases, as an employee, retired person,

investor, student, or homemaker, few of these

expenses are tax-deductible to you.

This means that you must earn a considerable income,

pay your income taxes first, and then use what is

left to pay all your expenses.

Some employees may be able to write-off some of

their employment related expenses, if such are

required by their contract of employment. However,

even in this situation, the tax deductions are very

limited.

2. Your Own Home Based Business Means Tax Deductions

Now consider the situation where you decide to start

your own home based business.

Suddenly, many of your everyday expenses are now being

used for business purposes and are now tax-deductible.

If you use one quarter of your home exclusively for

business use, you will be able to deduct (or write-off)

one quarter of all related occupancy costs. These

expenses may include maintenance and repairs (that are

not capital in nature), rent, mortgage interest, house

or apartment insurance, power, heat, water, and

property taxes.

As well, your vehicle expenses used for business

purposes are another tax write-off. If you use your

car ninety percent for business purposes, you can

deduct ninety percent of your vehicle insurance, gas

and oil, maintenance and repairs, car washes, license

and registration, auto club, loan interest (within

certain limits), and other costs from your income.

You may also write-off one hundred percent of your

business related parking. Capital Cost Allownance

(C.C.A.) on your vehicle is also allowed for income tax

purposes; depreciation is the accounting term for this

tax deduction.

The Canadian government also allows as a deduction,

fifty percent of your business related entertainment

expenses.

Also tax-deductible are business related telephone

expenses, Internet access, office supplies, travel,

books, memberships, and a host of other expenditures.

3. Income Splitting with Your Home Based Business

If you have a high paying job, you will pay higher

taxes because the rates of tax increase as your income

does.

With your own business, you can pay reasonable wages to

your spouse and children. In this way, you can legally

divert income taxed at your higher rate to your family

members that are in a lower tax bracket.

This tax saving technique is called income splitting.

It is another good reason why your own home based

business is the ultimate tax shelter.

4. Even a Part-Time Home Based Business Works

Even if you have a full-time job, running a part-time

business can be advantageous.

Of course, you must actually run a real, moneymaking

business. Any attempts to write unprofitable hobbies

off will ultimately fail with the taxation authorities.

If you earned eight thousand dollars during the year

from your part-time business and were able to deduct

eight thousand dollars in car expenses, home office

expenses, entertainment costs, office supplies, and

other business related expenditures, you would have a

net business income of nil. You would pay no tax on

this additional income.

Don`t miss this important point! Although these tax

deductions are actual, legitimate business expenses,

these are expenditures you would probably have made

anyway, whether you had a business or not.

Thus, by rearranging your affairs to start and operate

a home based business, you have been able to convert

non-deductible personal expenditures into legally

deductible business expenses. You have successfully

sheltered your income from tax and have split your

income with family members in lower tax brackets.

Yes, indeed, your home based business has become

your ultimate tax shelter.

RESOURCE BOX:

J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., http://www.popeconsultinginc.com/ has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years.

For valuable Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Business Plan Software Review: Ultimate Business Planner(tm)

One of the main reasons business owners and entrepreneurs use business plan software is to simplify building their financial models. Even with an explosion in business plan software packages on the market today, "doing the financial projections" is still often cited as the most difficult part of completing a business plan. Yet, software can still simplify financial forecasting.

The question is: Which software?

Ultimate Business Planner has been touted as a dynamic, interactive planning tool that takes the drudgery out of complex, time-consuming financial forecasting and business planning. It combines easy-to-use software functions with a step-by-step approach to create a business plan.

It is designed for those individuals or businesses in need of getting a business plan done fast. The Ultimate Business Planner prides itself on being the fastest and easiest way to write a winning business plan.

Atlas Business Solutions, Inc. (ABS), developer of the business planning technology in QuickBooks® Premier 2005 and the maker of Ultimate Business Planner, is a well-respected and established business software development company. Their products are top rated and are priced moderately.

So, let's check it out...

Step-by-step approach with five manageable sections

The Ultimate Business Planner breaks the business planning process into five manageable sections: Company, Income, Expenses, Interview and Plan.

The first four sections gather information to prepare and complete your financial forecast. Interactive dialogs with plain-English instructions, questions and fill-in the blanks capture information and build your company profile. Income and expense worksheets enable you to define income and expense categories and project monthly amounts with easy to use forecasting functions.

There are three methods you can use to enter your monthly income or expense data: manually or cell-by-cell, automatically - using a combination of the worksheet functions to project amounts for you based on your assumptions, or importing/copy paste - take data from your files if you are using QuickBooks Pro/Premier/Enterprise 2003 (or later) or simply copying and pasting data from an MS Excel worksheet.

The fifth section provides several tools to write a business plan including: a business plan outline to guide you step-by-step in writing your business plan, topic guides and example tabs that explain what you should include in each topic with examples of each, and a powerful, easy to use text editor for entering and editing your text.

Includes help functions, advice and how-to hints to

overcome most business plan obstacles

The package includes many help functions for advice and how-to hints to overcome the many obstacles to writing a successful business plan. For example, refer to the twenty-five industry-specific sample business plans for suggested wording, or to copy-and-paste select phrases or sections directly into your business plan to breakthrough writers block quickly. Or, there are many financial wizards available to calculate loan amounts, interest rates, monthly payments, depreciation, amortization and more.

Complete the sections and

Ultimate Business Planner does the rest

With Ultimate Business Plan, you are free to complete each section in the order you choose. Then, when the sections are complete the Ultimate Business Planner does the rest. It evaluates the financial viability of your business ideas or strategies quickly and easily; creates complete financial statement projections (for up to 36 months) to show to your bankers or other potential investors; and, produces a professional report in ever respect including graphs to highlight the potential of your business plan.

Change scenarios for

intelligent, informed decisions

Changing scenarios is easy with the Ultimate Business Planner. For example, to quickly see how hiring more employees or adding a new product affects your bottom line simply go to period and change the amount. The software will automatically update all the related financial statements, charts and tables. In short, the Ultimate Business Planner allows you to see how your bottom line is affected by unlimited business situations.

What's missing?

Three things I wish the Ultimate Business Planner would do. First, allow users the option to enter historical financial data (an important option if you are an established business). Second, either extend or allow users the option to extend the forecast period to five years (a common time horizon for venture capitalist and equity sponsors). Third, allow users to vary gross margin assumptions on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis (in version 3.0 material, labor and overhead assumptions remain fixed throughout the entire three-year forecast period).

But don't let these things hold you back from trying the Ultimate Business Planner. You can easily work around them and the time and ease of use in other areas more than offsets these shortcomings.

For example, to include historical financial data, you can export your projections to Excel and then add the needed history directly into MS Excel®. If you want a five-year projection, simply create a new file that begins with the ending balances forecasted in your original three-year plan and do the addition two-year projection in the new file. Then, you can merge the original three-year plan with the extended plan using MS Excel®. If you want to vary the gross margin assumptions over the forecast period, you can create separate product categories for the same product and vary the material, labor and overhead as a percentage of sales for each product category and related period.

Go to the demo...

All direct purchases of the Ultimate Business Planner from ABS are backed by their 90-day unconditional, money-back guarantee (excluding upgrades which are nonrefundable). To help you evaluate whether the Ultimate Business Planner is right for you, Business Plan Secrets Revealed has prepared a section-by-section demonstration that can be viewed at http://www.business-plan-secrets-revealed.com/business-plan-software.html

The Ultimate Business Planner is a pretty simple business planning software to use. It's a quick and useful business planner that produces a well-written and organized business plan. At $99.00, it's worth giving it a shot.

Mike Elia is a chief financial officer and an advisor to venture capitalists and leverage buyout specialists. His business plan ebook "Business Plan Secrets Revealed? shows how to make your business the most appealing investment choice to venture capitalists, bankers, and other business investors. For his free business plan guide click here.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.