Business Store and Financial Management

Archive for 2011

As a business owner, you probably think of your business as your baby, something that must be taken care of properly, with everything just so, in order for it to grow. You agonize for an hour over which colour to use on your signs, you drive your employees batty moving displays or work stations around, trying to get everything just right. So why, when it comes to business electricity suppliers, do so many business owners complain about spending a half an hour to find the best supplier?

Be just as picky when it comes to your business electricity. There are only six major business electricity suppliers in the UK: British Gas, EON, EDP energy, npower, Scottish and Southern. It doesn’t take all that long to get quotes and check what tariffs they have available. If you honestly can’t spend the time, let one of the comparison websites do some of the leg work for you.

Remember, if your business is in the UK, there is a good chance you’ll be signing a contract with one of the business electricity suppliers. Since the contracts run for at least one year, you’ll want to be certain that you are happy with your supplier and the rates and services they offer. Research them all or get help with the research, the time is a very worthwhile investment in your baby.

We’ve all heard of the most common types of insurance: homowner’s, health, life, flood, etc. But did you know that there are quite a few incredibly strange types of insurance that are available to consumers? Check out the following bizarre and weird types of insurance that you can buy.

1. Alien abduction insurance

Mike St. Lawrence’s company, UFO Abduction & Casualty Insurance Company, has one specialty: alien abduction insurance. The business has sold tens of thousands of policies at only $25 a pop. This price tag includes lifetime coverage and promises up to $10 million to pay for psychiatric and/or medical care if you happen to be abducted by aliens and make it back to Earth. But that’s not all—Lawrence also sells insurance policies to unsuspecting people who are worries about their reincarnation status in their next life.

2. Fantasy football insurance

You love football. You have a fantasy football team in one of the many leagues online. Many of these leagues are paid—so what happens if one of your picks is injured mid-season? That’s where fantasy football insurance comes in. It’s offered by Fantasy Sports Insurance and promises to refund your league entrance fee if your star pick sits out a specific number of games.

3. Paternity insurance

If you tend to play the field, then there’s a chance that you will, at some point in your life, face a paternity suit. If you’re worried about this possibility, then don’t worry. You can get paternity insurance, which can help cover the costs of a paternity suit and child support if you are, in fact, found to be the baby’s daddy. We have a feeling that condoms would be cheaper, in the long run.

These are the three most bizarre types of insurance that are available to consumers. What other crazy and strange insurance types have you heard of?

Katrina Robinson is a freelance writer who covers a wide range of topics ranging from finances and online insurance quotes to lifestyle and diet.

Taking care of car insurance is one of those necessary chores involved with being an adult car owner. Most states require insurance, and even if yours doesn’t you’d be a fool not to have liability insurance at least. When comparing insurers, supplement online research with word-of-mouth stories from family or friends. Beyond that, here are 4 ways to keep the cost insuring your car at a minimum.

1. Bundle coverage. Whether it’s having multiple cars under one policy, or insuring both your car and house with the same insurer, many companies offer discounts to people who insure multiple things with them.

2. Improve your credit score. This gives you leverage when you get insurance quotes. If you’ve been insured with Company A since you had less stellar credit, get a quote with Company B, and it could be significantly lower now that your credit is awesome. If you still want to go with Company A, tell them about your new, improved credit score and the sweet deal that Company B offered you.

3. Ask for discounts. It sounds too simple, but many insurers offer discounts that they don’t advertise. Some offer discounts for those who don’t drive many miles in a year, and others offer discounts for those who have completed certain education levels. You probably won’t know about them unless you ask: “Hey, I was wondering if you have any discounts I might be eligible for. I just got my Master’s degree.”

4. Drive a more boring car. Trade that bright red pocket-rocket for a blue or tan car that your grandmother might drive, and you’d be amazed how much you can save. Face it: some cars are cop magnets and are more prone to be driven by testosterone-infused 18-year-olds. Those are the cars with the crippling insurance premiums. Find a used 4-door Camry and watch those premiums plummet.

There are some really terrible drivers out there. Just about every time you get into your car, you’re bound to see someone recklessly driving. But it gets even more unbelievable when the bad drivers you see are in their company’s vehicle—and it happens all the time. Following are the top three insane videos of really bad drivers doing what they do worst—driving while on the job.

1. FedEx Truck on Very Slippery Road (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylDN9KpkXYM)

Driving on icy roads is always dangerous and very nerve-wracking. But it’s even more dangerous for large vehicles such as tractor-trailers and eighteen-wheelers. And this fact is proven in this video. Watch as a camera catches a FedEx truck going way too fast on an incredibly slippery road—and causing a terrifying accident because of it.

2. Truck Runs Red Light (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtWA1kU46zk)

Warning: This video is graphic and may be disturbing to some. This stoplight camera caught a large truck as it ran a red light, obliterating someone riding a motorcycle and almost killing a police officer. This is just one more reason to always be cautious at stoplights, even if you have the green light—some people just don’t seem to know that red means stop!

3. Reckless Tow Truck After Blizzard (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeo-xyY8nt8)

Let’s be honest—it’s no secret that NYC is known for pretty aggressive, sometime reckless, drivers. But when you watch this video, you’re going to be shocked. This NYC tow truck gets absolutely reckless while trying to tow a vehicle following a blizzard, causing damage to at least one other car. And the commentary just makes it all the better and more hilarious.

As you can see, there are some pretty awful drivers out there, and their bad driving isn’t reserved solely for when they’re driving their own cars. These bad drivers are reckless even while driving their company car! One can only imagine how expensive these drivers’ auto insurance quotes got after these reckless incidents.

If you’re in the market for office space, then you may be overwhelmed. There are many things to consider, after all, and what if you miss something that turns out to be a big problem down the road? Here’s a checklist for you to keep on-hand to refer to when looking for your next office space:

• Are all costs associated with renting the office space included in the rent amount?
• Are cleaning services included in the rent amount?
• Is the location easily accessible to employees, clients/customers, and vendors?
• What would the commute be like for your employees?
• If applicable, are there taxi companies nearby for your clients/customers to utilize?
• Is there sufficient parking for employees, clients/customers, and vendors?
• Will the exterior and interior appearances send a positive, welcoming message to your clients/customers?
• If located in a high-rise, are there elevators, and are they in sufficient working condition?
• Is there room in the office to meet with clients/customers, or will you have to take advantage of a conference center or hotel meeting room?
• What kind of entertainment and dining options are nearby? Will you have to travel far to take important clients/customers out?
• What kind of reputation does the area have? Is it a positive reputation, or is it one that might drive customers away?
• What kind of neighbors would you have? Are there any neighbors that could have a negative impact on your business?
• Are your competitors located near to the office? If so, could this potentially cause a problem?

These are just a few things to get your checklist started. Be sure to tailor your office space checklist to include things that would apply to you and your company specifically. Once you have your checklist ready, you’re set to begin checking out various office spaces.

About the author:

Katrina Robinson is a freelance writer who covers a variety of topics ranging from home maintenance tools such as gutter guards to lifestyle tips and advice.

If you’re a frequent business traveler, you want to deal with companies that are reliable, companies that you can trust, and companies that you’re happy to give your business to. In particular, you most likely want to find an airline to deal with on a regular basis that you won’t despise dealing with. Following is our list of the top three airlines that business travelers should check out.

1. United Airlines

This airline’s business class passengers are able to take advantage of extremely comfortable ergonomic seats. Furthermore, travelers get a free kit of products for the skin to help make those long flights more bearable. If you’re traveling internationally, you may even have the chance to dine on local cuisine such as Japanese food for those on their way to Tokyo. If you’re a United cardholder, then you’ll earn miles every time you fly, which will equate to cheap tickets down the road.

2. Delta Airlines

One of the best things about flying with Delta is the free entertainment, which definitely comes in handy when you’re on a really long flight. You can access complimentary video games, live television, and movies with Delta’s easy-to-use touch-screen that’s located in front of every seat. What’s even more: Delta gives you ninety ways to earn miles. That means that you have even more ways to save on your airfare.

3. Virgin Atlantic

One of the most unique characteristics of Virgin airlines is that travelers decide when they want to eat—they’re not bound to a predetermined schedule. Everything on the airline’s Freedom Menu is prepared when you order it—and it’s served on fine china, if you can believe it. Elevate members can reap tons of benefits including earning points for every dollar spent on base airfare.

These are our top three airlines when it comes to business travel. Do you agree with our list, or do you think another airline should have made it?

Over the past decade or so, there has been a noticeable shift away from office cubicles and other closed workspaces. Instead, more and more businesses are leaning towards an open, more collaborative office workspace.

Chances are that no one’s too upset about saying goodbye to their cubicle. A 2010 study conducted by the International Facility Management Association showed that since 1994, the average cubicle size has shrunk from ninety square feet to a mere seventy-five square feet. That’s a twenty percent reduction. Why the shrinkage? It’s probably due to the increasing costs of commercial real estate—along with how the technology that fits inside that cubicle (computers, etc.) has also been shrinking over the years.

The ever-shrinking nature of the cubicle is just one reason why more offices are transitioning to an open office space design, void of walls. Other than more room to work in, the other benefits of an open workspace include improved communication between employees, improved and increased interaction, and higher productivity.

However, while it does seem as though open workspaces are trendier than the age-old cubicle farm, there is now and always will be a place for cubicles in business. Many businesses thrive when the staff members have their own individual space to work in, even if that space is a cubicle. Also, depending upon the nature of the company and the services or products offered, the noise issue that often accompanies open workspaces could be detrimental. Furthermore, cubicles can be very beneficial when it comes to having more space for shelves and manuals as well as experiencing less distractions.

As you can see, there are both pros and cons to the open office space. What other benefits (or cons) can you think of from transitioning from a cubicle layout to an open, collaborative office space design?

Author:

Katrina Robinson is a freelance writer who covers a wide variety of topics ranging from office furniture such as used cubicles to diet and nutrition.

It is nice thing to settle for less and when it comes to a company that can support you all out with the best dual fuel prices, it is best thing to know about British Gas. The British Gas is helping you in saving time, effort and money in looking for affordable solution for dual fuel. I know that there are many of us who are aware about the increasing prices of energy and electricity that most of us need every day. If you want to make sure that you are spending worth to your supplies and you are getting the right amount that you need, it is nice thing to know about British Gas.

There are different companies that are giving you appropriate supply for dual fuel but not all are helping you in getting affordable rates for it. Today, working with the best supplier known as British Gas can help you in getting outstanding deals for dual fuel solution and of course, you can find it at ease to save expenses at all.

The British Gas is popular in UK and most of business and home owners are working with the company because they find it affordable to spend money for dual fuel. You can check on their other products and services by just visiting their website on the web now.

If you have recently become a business owner, there are many things that you’ll learn along the way. You’ll figure out what types of marketing work best, you’ll figure out how to attract loyal customers, and you’ll discover that it’s a really good idea to separate your business finances from your personal finances. This latter goal can be achieved easily by applying for a separate business credit card. But why is it that you should have a separate business credit card? Check out the following reasons:

1. Taxes will be so much easier to deal with

The tax law states that businesses, no matter how small, must keep financial records. Yes, this could range from a pile of receipts to a sophisticated computer software. One of the easiest ways to help keep track of your business’s financial records is to make all business purchases on one credit card: your designated business credit card. Having a credit card specifically for business will also be helpful if you’re ever audited or if the IRS ever questions your tax return.

2. Keep better track of profitability

The only way that you’ll be able to see if your business is turning a profit is by keeping your finances separate. While your business may be receiving money, it could be making a small profit. By using a business credit card for all purchases and expenses, you’ll be able to keep track of how much of your income was spent on expenses, and from this, you’ll have a good idea of your business’s profitability.

3. Give investors a clearer picture

If your business finds itself in the need of investors, those potential investors will want to have a clear understanding of your company’s financial picture. One way to ensure that you clearly understand your financial standing and can then explain it to your possible investors is by keeping your business finances separate with a business credit card.

These are just three reasons that you should have a separate business card, regardless of your business’s size. What other reasons can you think of to share?

Different business company requires different needs. There are many companies that require technology and large space due to its daily activity. There are also some companies that require a huge place as their storage because they have to store a huge number of raw materials. But the business company that you own since years ago, require a huge number of office supplies due to the complete file and data that is held by you and maintained by your employees.

From time to time, the number of data that you collect is increasing. You need more space to store them, and you also need some binders to keep them in a good coordination. This is the reason why you have to find the store that offers you some complete binders in bulk collection. With a big number of binder collection you own, you wish that your employees will not have difficulties when they have to arrange and find some old files or data belong to your client.

In the marketplace, the office equipment stores usually provide a big number of collections. There are some online stores that provide cheap collection as well. Make sure you check the whole available store first and compare the price, just so you can make a good bargain and obtain some valuable goodies to support your office area.