WELCOME

Motivation, Discounts and Getting Fit

There are lots more…read on

Since I was about to contact The Administrators, Inc. about my health insurance coverage I thought I would check out some of the free and low-cost offerings too. I know that I’m sometimes guilty of ignoring information that is in my best interest.

For instance, did you know there are discounts and programs to help folks lose weight, stop smoking, sleep better, eat healthier, and stay calm? And that’s only the beginning.

There’s even a $25 reimbursement for my son’s new bike helmet. Amazing. Check out what your health insurance offers by calling The Administrators at (800) 634-4428.

Libby Beatty, Chair
MBA Board of Directors

INSURANCE

The Administrators, Inc., Midlantic Business Alliance’s endorsed insurance administrator, has supplied the following article.

Do You Eat Enough Fruit and Vegetables?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), not enough Americans are meeting the daily recommendation for number of servings.

Fruit and vegetables should be a cornerstone of every person's diet. In fact, the USDA recommends that at each meal half your plate should be fruits and vegetables. A diet full of fruits and vegetables is an important part in keeping you healthy and protecting you from some of the most common chronic conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension (high blood pressure).

Think it's too hard to make half of each meal fruit and vegetables? Not sure where to begin? Log on to www.ibxpress.com and click on the WebMD® tab at the top of the page. There you can use the Nutrition Lifestyle Improvement Plan to create meal plans, identify personal obstacles and ways to overcome them, and track your food and beverage intake.

IBC also offers members six free nutrition counseling visits with a registered dietitian or your physician. With the help of a registered dietitian or your doctor, you can assess your diet and set personal goals for better eating habits and weight management. Use the provider finder on www.ibxpress.com to find a registered dietitian in your area.

Source: IBC

BACK TO TOP

MARKETING

New Challenges, New Website

When a business grows, it changes to meet new challenges. One of those challenges might be redesigning the website. Here are some questions to help you determine if it’s time for these changes:

Does Your Site Help You Meet Your Goals?
Your site may look good but is it in line with what you hope to accomplish? Some designers are too involved with the actual look of the site. Try looking for a designer who understands your business objectives as well as the design.

How Are You Measuring the Site’s Success?
There are statistics that need to be considered before you judge whether or not your site is functioning at its best. Talk to the designer about tools that can track how many visitors you have, where they come from and what they look for on your site.

Does Your Site Turn Browsers into Buyers?
There are many reasons why browsers leave sites without buying. Some browsers are easily confused or over-stimulated by poorly arranged products and shopping categories, while others might think that the business is untrustworthy due to the site’s appearance. Whatever the case, your site should offer ease in shopping and incentives to buy.

Close Outs, Contests and Conditioning

Check out some new marketing techniques – here are a few to inspire your creativity:

Close Outs: Seasonal items, services and overstocks are poised to move with a “Spring Sales Event”, a “Winter Closeout” or a “Fall Renewal.” Words like overstock, clearance and liquidation help to convey that your business needs to move merchandise and is doing it at reduced costs.

Contest: A contest promoted on your website, receipts and e-mails gets customers involved. A logo contest, for instance, gets people thinking about your business and also lets you collect their creative ideas. Both sides are winners!

Conditioning: With a local health-conscious business as your partner, try a campaign that highlights healthy eating and promotes physical activity. This would also be a great time to highlight any aspect of your service or products that are health related.

BACK TO TOP

YOUR FINANCES

Get Paid Up Front

For many small businesses, collecting receivables can be time consuming and growth inhibiting. With the right pitch you just might have your clients/customers paying in advance, allowing you to pay bills on time and grow your business. Here are some tips for getting clients on a pre-pay plan:

Incentives: Getting a client to pre-pay is often a question of bargaining. Incentives ranging from discounts to priority shipping are often enough to make a deal. If those don’t work, find out what they want and go from there.

Appeal to Efficiency: Some business deals will actually benefit both parties by being paid in advance. If you have a client that is always placing orders that are delayed due to budgeting, try getting them to pre-pay monthly so you have the funds to fill their order when they need it.

Create Policy: It is often the case that small bills are the most time consuming to collect. To combat this nuisance, create a policy in which bills under a predetermined amount are paid up-front. Oftentimes, using the phrase “package” is more agreeable to the customer.

The Right Credit Counseling for Your Business

Credit counseling services can help you manage money, business debt and create a budget that works. There are many credit counseling services available. Some operate as non-profits but that doesn’t mean they are free or trustworthy. Steer clear of organizations that charge monthly fees, pressure you to make contributions or won’t send you free information without your credit card account number. The more reputable organizations will work with you face-to-face and can be found through credit unions, universities, military bases, financial institutions and the U.S. Cooperative Extension Service.

BACK TO TOP

FOR THE HOME-BASED BIZ

Time Management Tip

Because working from home allows you to create your own schedule, you need to balance freedom with productivity. Here are some tips to help you get the most from your creative schedule:

Determine Your Work Day: A typical business schedule lasts eight hours, but that doesn’t mean your schedule can’t be flexible. Try working in blocks with allotted breaks to help you rest and refocus.

Weekly Task Schedule: Do certain business tasks on certain days of the week. This will help you to manage and create a working balance between your creative and administrative hours.

Keep Track: There are many list and task-management programs on the web to help you keep track of how long activities take, so you can look back to see how to better manage your time.

Tips for Securing a Home-Business Loan

Securing a loan as a home-business owner has its own specific set of challenges because there is still a lingering stigma about working from home. Here’s what you need to know to overcome those hurdles:

Credibility: Impressive sales figures are often not enough to secure a home business loan, unless you own a home as collateral. Create a financing application that includes copies of signed letters of intent from customers to back up your projections and strengthen your application.

Documents: Beyond the requisite tax records and projections of a normal application, consider including a signed lease for your home-office space, a floor plan than illustrates the separation of home and office and any permits and certifications necessary to operate a home business.

Honesty: Many home business owners feel the need to make excuses for working from home. This reveals a general lack of confidence that bankers may take as a reflection on your business. Be honest and project your confidence and skill instead of your insecurities.

BACK TO TOP

HUMAN RESOURCES

How to Keep Workers’ Comp under Control

The cost of workers’ compensation continues to rise and put many small businesses in jeopardy. Although the premiums are mostly based on things businesses can’t control, there are aspects of your own business, like your payments and your employee history of workers’ compensation, which can keep your costs from rising:

Discuss Benefits of Safety: Employee safety discussions can become a point of contention, but it’s important to explain how the cost of claims affects the ability of the business to compensate its employees.

Higher Standards: Creating a safety program isn’t just about creating a plan, it is about implementing it. Rotating schedules require that employees change tasks which helps keep them actively engaged, reducing the amount of risk. Insurance underwriters take company safety programs into account which could decrease the impact of past occurrences. Visit osha.gov for ideas on safety initiatives.

Don’t Mis-categorize: Some businesses think they are clever by misrepresenting the actual tasks of their employees in an effort to reduce the employees’ workers’ comp rate. If you are audited by your insurance company, your policy may be dropped if the fraud is discovered. Finding another insurer will be very difficult.

BACK TO TOP

IT

Rethinking Telecommuting

Many employers cringe at the mention of telecommuting, but a majority of studies reveals that telecommuting has a high success rate that can boost employee productivity and save money. Increases in productivity are a result of fewer office distractions including inter-office banter that can consume nearly 20 percent of the work day. Another consequence of telecommuting is that the number of employee sick days dramatically decreases. The cost of equipment is negligible compared to the motivational increase of workers who see telecommuting as a perk saving them time and money. And despite popular misconceptions, telecommuters are easier to reach because they view their position as a privilege that they are eager to maintain.

iMeet: The New Player in Virtual Meeting Marketplace

Virtual meetings are becoming more commonplace in today’s virtual business realm. Preexisting platforms like Skype and WebEx are affordable and easy to use, but iMeet takes user-friendly to the next level. The interface screens are clean and sleek and can be customized to suit your tastes. Participants are represented by cubes that can be expanded to reveal member profiles which can include photos, bio and links. Meetings can be accessed from computers, phones and mobile devices and guests can participate via webcam or just by audio. There is room for up to 15 participants in each meeting room. Guests do not need to download any software. They simply visit the URL of the meeting or receive a free call from iMeet. Hosting a room is $69/month. Rooms are fully equipped to share videos, documents and other media. iMeet has a 30-day free trial so give it a try!

BACK TO TOP

NEW MEMBERS

When our member base increases there is more of everything: more creative networking, more benefits and more experienced, enthusiastic business owners. All move our members toward growth, success and the entrepreneurial spirit.

Click here to meet our newest small business partners.

BACK TO TOP

Unless specifically indicated, MBA does not intend mention of companies, products or services discussed in this publication to be construed to be endorsements. The information in this publication is offered as examples that may be useful to our small business readers. Please consult with an industry professional before implementing any of the tips or subscribing to any of the services described above.