Small Business Management

Business management refers to one’s ability to manage a business effectively and efficiently while retaining profitability. But what does that mean? Anyone can ‘manage’ a business, right?

But do we really know how to manage a business? And if we do, what does that entail? Do you just run around your company telling people what to do or run to the bank and make deposits at the end of the each week? Is that business management?

If that is all it takes to run a business, why isn’t everyone a business owner? If managing a business is so easy, why are there consultants? Simple answer: business management is more daunting a task than we may think.

I have always said that no matter how large or small a company is, it is an overwhelming task to manage the everyday issues. We could all use a little bit of help.

Traditional business management, which is what I have studied and is the methodology I use when discussing business issues with clients, takes into account all aspects of running a business, large or small.

Whether it is a million-dollar company or a billion-dollar company, all companies run the same.

Traditional business management is pretty much self-explanatory; it is managing business through traditional methods that have been used for many years.

Those traditional methods incorporate three aspects: sales and marketing strategies, efficient operation and productions methods, and finance and accounting (SG&A). I believe all business owners should have some understanding of these areas of business and try to manage them as best they can. Most large companies focus on these areas in that they have the resources to pay employees who specialize in these particular areas.

For example, consider some of the largest companies in the United States like Home Depot, Starbucks and Dell. These companies require precise and expert management of their business operations at all times while maintaining a positive financial position for investors. These businesses pay full-time employees to function in the company in particular capacities.

When we look at small businesses in the United States, we have to ask, “Do small businesses have the financial resources to pay for similar resources such as a chief financial officer, or a qualified VP of Sales”? Quick answer: no! Actually, no is the only answer.

When we look at larger companies and how they manage their sales and marketing efforts, we find that larger companies have the financial resources to hire employees on a full-time basis who are experts in sales and marketing.

We can say the same for the third aspect of traditional business management, operations and productions. Once again, large businesses have the revenue available to have full-time positions for a general manager, a production manager, and sometimes, a Vice-President of Operations.

Again, small businesses rarely have the opportunity to pay experts full-time salaries, which could cost a business thousands of dollars annually.

So, now we know that traditional business requires the expertise of individuals in particular areas, such as finance, marketing, sales, production, operations, and management.

As a small business owner, can you pay the full-time wages of each of these employees? Do you have to hire all these employees in order for you to spend less time in the office worrying about business issues?

I have seen many million-dollar companies and I have seen a few billion-dollar companies; the only difference is that one pays for expert full-time employees and the other doesn’t. Obviously, the larger companies have the money to pay for expert employees, and small businesses don’t.

So how does the small business owner learn the basics of business management without paying for an MBA or spending thousands of dollars in annual salaries for experts?

Recently traditional business management had to make room for a new aspect of business: technology.

Through the years traditional business management has had to marry its strategies with the proliferation of technology where every business owner from Starbuck’s to Jim’s Auto has had to incorporate technology into its everyday operations.

The problem is that business believed that technology was going to be the solution for every problem, but it wasn’t until recently that business management thinkers realized that technology will fail if it is not implemented properly. That is, traditional business management must seamlessly marry itself with technology.

So, now you have this traditional business model to think of, and you also have to think that the model has incorporated technology. You see, managing a business is not as easy as it sounds. When you look at this business model I know for sure that you have never looked at your business in this way before. Believe it or not, graduate schools teach this stuff and larger companies obviously have the money to pay someone to think of this stuff, but what about the small business owner?

Small business owners do not have the financial resources to pay for this thinking and consulting companies for some reason; do not necessarily speak to the small business owner. Why not? Most consulting companies are always looking to fry the “big fish”, the 1% of businesses in the United States that can afford the phenomenal fees they charge.

Larger consulting companies do not have the time or the desire to speak to small businesses, nor will they change their fees which range over 0.00 per hour.

One of the comments I hear often in small businesses is, “Great idea, I wish I could get my people to do that, but I can’t expect them to change their ways.” I say, “You’d better get them to change their ways or you could be out of a job”!

Oddly enough, small business owners are reluctant if not skeptical in getting help for their business. To this day, I have yet to figure that one out. Why don’t small business owners look for help?

I firmly believe that business is business regardless of the size of the company, the annual revenues, or the number of employees. Keep in mind that the largest businesses in the world were once small businesses and today they are worth a great deal of money. All businesses “managed” their way to the top, regardless of the industry.

I have seen numerous multi-million dollar businesses in every industry, to include contractors, restaurants, service companies, and manufacturing companies. And I have also worked for companies that are worth billions and billions of dollars. They all have one thing in common: They all run the same some just have more revenue than the other.

I have always said that no matter what you produce to sell, HOW you produce it is what is of paramount importance to the growth of your business.

Your business is not too small or too large for a review of its current business processes. I have not met a business owner, a president or CEO of a company who can tell me that their business is running so smoothly that they don’t need to change. That is simply not true.

The natural stirring of the U.S. economy is what causes the need for change in all businesses of all sizes and I guarantee that if you are not constantly rethinking your business strategies, your competition is.

Can you say that your business is flexible enough to manage your competition and stay ahead of the curve, or that your business can handle the daily economic fluctuations in the U.S.?

Ask yourself some of the following questions.

1.Have your total revenues gone up or down from last year?

2.Has your profitability gone up or down from last year?

3.Where is the next dollar coming from?

4.Are you tired of going to work?

5.Do you have adequate inventory levels?

6.How many employees report to you on a daily basis?

7.Do your employees actually do what you ask and expect of them?

8.Do you have a management team in place?

9.Is there business expenses you wish you didn’t have?

10.Does every employee in your company have a specific job function that justifies their labor burden?

11.Do you remember when owning your business was fun for you and your family?

12.Do you believe your company operates as smoothly and efficiently as it could?

13.Do you have a long-range plan?

14.Do your employees share your vision of the business?

15.Who do your employees go to when there is a problem?

16.If you actually met me, would you be able to tell me that your business doesn’t need to change, or that it is truly profitable?

If you are ready to move your business forward, get some help. Believe it not, the success of your business is important to this great Nation.

Debt Management Tips: Shows You Best Ways to be Out of Worries

The debt management tips provided by several financial experts have made it easier for people to handle their excessive debts without any problem. But before knowing it people used to suffer from the unnecessary debt burdens and the result of such sufferings was quite dangerous and pitiful. To bring people out of such worries these new tips and programs have been implemented so that borrowers can live life stress-free.

For getting the best tips on managing the excessive debts and to pay these off without panicking you can go for the financial experts. Such experts are being found in the loan market and also in the online lending sites. You can receive free of cost or priced suggestions from these consultants and can use these to get relief.

The mostly advised solution based on the condition of the borrower is the debt negotiation program. According to this program a debt negotiator will act as a mediator between you and your creditor and he will reduce the payable amount. As soon as the amount of the monthly installments gets reduced the repayment burden on you will lighten to a great extent. You will have to make the payment through the negotiator and so you should keep noticing his activities. For such purposes you should therefore, get the reliable agent only. This way getting rid of debts will be possible.

Another best step will be to take up the debts consolidation programs. It will help you in reducing your debts burden by merging the multiple debts in to one. In this program your rate of interest too will get decreased. So, when the amount to be paid off will reduce it will be easier for you to maintain a repayment without much problem. The role played by the debt management tips is thus worth praising.

However, if you control the unnecessary expenses and plan a proper budget of the total expenses then you will be able to make good savings. No extra debts will be there and no needless stress will be required to be taken.

Time Management Tips for Unmanageable and Disorganized People

How do you know if you are in dire need of time management tips for unmanageable and disorganized people? Ask yourself: Do I feel as though I’m constantly busy and harassed and yet I never seem to get anything done? Why is it I can never find free time to do the things I want? Is my time even really my own? If you answered “yes,” “I don’t know,” and “no” — in that order — then it’s probably time to read up on helpful time management books or articles. One of the highly recommended books is “Time Management for Unmanageable People” by Anne Mcgee-Cooper.

Here are some time management tips that may help you manage time and enjoy a balanced life.

Organize and prioritize. Make a checklist of things to do. Finish each project before moving on to the next one rather than jumping from task to task, as this is counterproductive.

Deal with the deadliest deadlines first and work your way down to the least pressing item. You’ve probably heard it before: Start with the most difficult and the rest will seem that much easier to tackle. This time management tip doesn’t work for everyone though.

If you fall under that category, try doing it the other way around. Some prefer finishing all of the easy tasks first and getting them out of the way in order to focus more on the big task. Getting the smaller things done and seeing all those check marks on your to-do list can be very gratifying and could even give you the motivation you need to work on the bigger job at hand.

Pick a schedule and stick to it. You wouldn’t shirk on a meeting with the boss, would you? So treat every task as though it were an important and indispensable appointment.

The development of the discipline needed to give each the proper time of day is essential as well. But have some leeway for interruptions, social obligations, and personal emergencies, and even more for the bigger priorities so that you are not thrown off course and you don’t start panicking about your ruined schedule when something unexpected suddenly comes up.

Learn these time management tips for unmanageable and disorganized people and rein in your unruly calendar. Manage your time wisely and watch the rest of your life fall perfectly into place.

Eenterprise: Netsuite Business Management Software Offers E-commerce Solutions

“With the continuing explosive growth of e-commerce, small- and medium-sized businesses that are able to reap actionable information from a rich online platform are uniquely positioned to compete in the online marketplace,” says Michael Emaus, President and CEO of eEnterprise (www.eEnterprise.com), a global integrator of NetSuite, the world’s leading on-demand, Web-based business management software. “Today, e-commerce demands sophistication, in terms of the online shopping experience, which products are presented to customers, and how sales are tracked.”

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, e-commerce sales rose to .2 billion during the first quarter of 2006, an increase of more than 25 percent over sales during the first quarter of 2005. Adjusted for seasonal variations, the first quarter 2006 growth of e-commerce over fourth quarter 2005 was more than double that of retail sales overall.

“Although online sales currently represent only about three percent of all retail sales, that number is sure to climb,” says Emaus. “It’s crucial that online retailers position themselves to take advantage of this trend. NetSuite business management software integrates a flexible e-commerce platform with the critical, real-time information e-tailers need to make sound decisions.”

With NetSuite, online retailers can easily increase sales by automating up-sell and cross-sell recommendations on the shopping cart page, as well as by allowing customers to purchase and use gift certificates and coupons online. “Because accounting is integrated into NetSuite’s e-commerce solution, a customer can shop with a gift certificate any number of times, until the balance is used,” says Emaus. “An e-tailer can even offer downloads for purchase, using NetSuite’s ability for password protection and license codes.”

Behind the scenes, NetSuite gives a business owner or marketing team real-time, actionable information that they can leverage to increase their exposure to potential customers. “Instead of simply seeing which paid keyword campaigns are driving traffic to the site, an online retailer can see which campaigns are generating the most sales revenue, and make adjustments as necessary,” says Emaus.

The same holds true for inventory management, since NetSuite allows just-in-time restocking by dynamically calculating reorders based on seasonal demand or historical sales data. “Successful e-tailers don’t have inventory sitting around, nor are they caught with an item out of stock,” says Emaus.

He continues, “NetSuite removes the limits imposed by a traditional Web architecture and provides the online retailer with a marketing powerhouse. Small- and medium-sized businesses simply don’t have the resources to support the in-house staff necessary to design and maintain the e-commerce solution that NetSuite provides. Best of all, NetSuite is a Web-based application that can ‘turn on’ fully supported global resources in about five minutes.”

With the growth of online sales clearly outpacing traditional retail sales, NetSuite helps small- and medium-sized businesses level the playing field.

Business Management and Presentation Skills

This article teach you how to benefit in the management of the business using your presentation skills.

Before the presentation:

Knowledge of the characteristics of the offeree the most important factors to the success of the presentation, they lead you to determine the style and language to be used, and will it be: Official or friendly. Professional, technical or slang. General information or specialized. Total or in detail

During the presentation:

• Be sure to follow listeners by your eyes fair and balanced.
• Noted the actions of the present and careful interpretation of physical expressions of the audience.
• Understanding of the situation and conditions of the audience: air, as food, stress after the working day, come from travel, and others.

Elements of the presentation:

• Introduction
• Content
• Conclusion

A-Introduction:

Designed to pave the audience and informing them about the elements of the subject.
A good Introduction made clear to the listeners the nature of the subject matter, showing them what to expect from the presentation, and the expectation of the speaker from them.

Elements of the introduction:

• Extended greetings to the audience
• Introduce yourself
• Substance of the presentation (the title)
• Time of the introduction

Content of the introduction:

• Reference to what should not be expected from the presentation
• Reference to training aids, material science, literature ,….. And other

characteristics of successful introduction:

successful Introduction must lead to:

• Attract the attention of listeners
• Break the barriers and melting the ice between the speaker and listeners
• Make listeners feel the importance of the presentation subject
• Make listeners feel of their need to information provided
• Reduction of excess expectations of listeners
• Suspense to engage listeners on presentation.

how to start an Introduction:

There are many models of good beginning, including:

• The issue of Introduction: will speak at the next hour….
• Communication with the audience: I know that the weather today is hot and you are exhausted from traveling.
• A short story related to the subject of the presentation.
• An interesting information
• an interesting question: : How much of you need a good solution for business management?
• Explain the problem and then begin to put alternatives to solutions.

B-Content:

Is the central part and most of the presentation, which aim to:

• Retain the attention of viewers.
• Help them to follow up the ideas raised.
• Directed towards findings the results.

characteristics of successful Content:

To achieve the goals:

• Is planning to build or structure of the subject the way in which to convince the audience.
• Divides the content to points (Headlines) primary and secondary clear and logical sequence.
• Be used to clarify the means of a simple and expressive.
• Use appropriate language structures to link the transition between the parts of the presentation.

Building structure of Content:

There are several methods for dividing the content of the presentation, including:

• The division of time: past, present and future.
• Factional division: finance, human resources, production.
• Comparative division: the old system, the proposed system.
• division of alternatives: the first alternative, the second alternative, the third alternative.
• Division of gradual (upward or downward:)one of the most important factor, followed by …
• Network division: individual, institution, society.

Wait for my next article Business Management and Presentation Skills part 2 about Management in Business.

6 Business Management Tips You Can Live With

1. Set goals.

The number one business management tool you can use to better your business is goals.  Long term goals, short term goals and mid range goals too.  In fact, when you started your business, you wrote a business plan right?  Did your business plan include your goals?

Business goals can include anything from how much you want to gross this year to how many hours you want to work.  In fact, it’s a common business management goal to work as few hours as possible and make a substantial income.  It’s one of the reasons many people start an online business in the first place.

So what are your goals?  As you write down your goals, take the time to make sure they meet the following criteria.  Are your goals measurable?  It isn’t enough to make a goal that you want to make more money or you want to work less.  How will you know when you’ve achieved your goal?  Quantify your goals so they’re measurable and you know when you’ve achieved success.

Make your goals timely.  What is your deadline for your goal?  If you don’t have a deadline for your goal, they’ll slip away and never get accomplished.  A deadline makes you accountable for your goals.  Along with timely is the ability to make your goals attainable.  There’s nothing worse than setting a goal that is so beyond your reach you end up feeling defeated.  Create your goals wisely, establish a plan to achieve them and you’ll create a pattern of success that will expand beyond your business and into your personal life too.

 2. Set your business up the right way.

By setting your business up, we’re talking about both as an entity, LLC, sole proprietor, s corp. etc.., as well as setting it up separate from your personal life.  Get a separate business account.  Obtain a business address and phone number.  Separate and set up your business as an individual entity. This not only protects you legally it covers you with the government and tax system.

Take the time to meet with an accountant to get a best practices system established for accounting, this means all of your payables, receivables and taxes.  If you take these measures in the beginning, you’ll make your business life easier both day to day and in the long run.

3. Automate what you can.

The wonder of doing business online is that there are so many features and tasks you can automate.  Invoicing can be automated, shipping and fulfillment can be automated.  Email marketing can be automated, tracking your web statistics, advertising and even content distribution can all be automated.  Automate everything you can to enable yourself more free time to spend on tasks that generate profits or simply to give you more free time to enjoy your life.

4. Outsource well.

 Speaking of saving yourself time.  Outsourcing is a fantastic tool to give your business a step up and to give you a little less stress.  Many self-employed business owners, work somewhere between 40 and 80 hours a week.  It can be a lot of stress to own a business and handle every single task and responsibility.  That is just one reason to consider outsourcing – save your sanity and spend more time focusing on you and your family.

There are a number of tasks you may be considering outsourcing.  They generally fall into a few categories:

• Administrative tasks.  These are often time consuming tasks that do not have a high hourly value, yet they need to be accomplished to make your business run effectively and efficiently.

• Professional tasks.  These tasks often fall under the realm of copywriting, scripting, managing an affiliate program, marketing tasks and the like.  They are important to your bottom line, however they can be effectively handled by an outside professional at a nominal hourly value.

• Technical tasks.  These are tasks that may take you some time to learn how to do.  They often fall under the realm of creating software, databases, special web languages, and so on.  These are time stealers simply because of the time it would take for you to learn how to do these particular tasks.  Their hourly value can be quite high.  The impact on your bottom line varies from task to task.  If you’re creating a new web element, it may contribute directly to profits.

Take a look at your job description. What can you outsource to make your business run more efficiently?

5.  Tell people what you want, not how to do it – create systems and accountability.

Delegating responsibilities is good business.  Here are a few ideas on how to work with others for maximum results.

• Establish a system of communication that works for both you and your employee.  Use the system to include what you want accomplished and by when. Use the rules for goal setting; make the task measurable, timely, and attainable.

• Communicate the task clearly.  Make sure that all deadlines, resources, and task responsibilities are thoroughly communicated.  Ask your employee questions to make sure task is understood.  Once you assign the task, let it go.  When you let go, you can focus on tasks required to grow your business and improve profits.

• Upon completion of the task provide feedback to your employee.  If constructive criticism is required, sandwich it between positive feedback for best results and to ensure a quality working relationship.
 
6.  Business plans and budgets.

It is a good business practice to have a business budget built right into your business plan. This is particularly important if you plan on seeking financing for your business.   Having an accurate and realistic budget will enable you to make educated spending decisions.

When creating a business budget your first step is often to determine your expenses.  Your expenses include operating costs, taxes, the costs of outsourcing, marketing, publicity and so on.  Make a list of all categories you anticipate having costs and all areas where you already know your expenses.

A budget is not a money diet, it is a spending plan and this is particularly important when it comes to your business.  You want to make sure you have enough money to pay your bills and grow your business.  Track your expenses and income and review your budget often.  If you find you’re spending more in one category, make the adjustments in your budget.

When it comes to owning and operating a business, a few good business management practices can go a long way.  Take the time to organize your life, outsource and automate what you can, establish processes to communicate your needs clearly, and structure your planning and spending in a way that makes sense for you.

Business Management Essays – Great Benefits Of Reading Them

At this juncture, you will have decided that you possess the skills necessary to be a great business manager. You may have read how you can lead large groups of employees. You may have found out that you will need to be great at getting people under you to do what needs to be done.If you have heard all of this and the job fits your personality, then you should be doing research on how you can be a business manager. When you are making plans for the career change, you will want to make sure that you know a lot about the field you are considering.

Some jobs look good but once you find out what they entail you will find they are not right for you. This is usually true in those coveted high paying careers. People usually get hung up on the prospect of making more money and they forget that they need to choose a career that is fun and interesting. If you dont want to make this mistake you will want to get a hold of at least one educational essay on your chosen careers in business management.

When looking for those essays that describe you career of business management, try to make sure it isnt by companies looking to hire new people because they tend to spin it towards thier business.Consider that if it sounds far too good, then throw the essay in the trash. Dont waste your time on pipe dreams, when what you need is the facts.

There may be a few great websites that will help you find information about working in those careers. You will want to try an essay about business management because the information will be unbiased.

Reading essays on careers on business management that has someone who may be bitter abut thier current position or even thier last one is just as bad as reading the one that is too much like an advertisement. If you look at the essay and it is unbiased you will know exactly what may happen in that kind of job.

Yes, you may see all the bad thing that could happen from the bitter person, but that only applies to the place he worked, making this essay totally useless.

Time Management Tips to Being Action Oriented

With an action-oriented, do-it-now attitude, supported by effective time management tips / disciplines, you get more out of your day.

When you complete the unpleasant or hard jobs first and act on the big tasks, little bites at a time, you trim anxiety and stress while gaining self esteem, self respect and self confidence.

After you exert this type of time management discipline long enough, you will establish a routine and make a new habit. Behavioral studies suggest that if you do something every day for 30 days, it becomes a habit.

Be action oriented for the next 30 days and you will master procrastination while helping you better manage your time.

Here are some effective time management action-oriented disciplines to apply each day.

Determine your most productive time of the day and dedicate it to “I” time. “I” time is for you to do whatever you have to do that will bring you closer to achieving your goals. It may be as simple as visualizing the accomplishment of your goals. The point is to dedicate the most productive time for the most important person in the world.

“My time” is one of the most important time management disciplines to becoming action oriented.

Once you have set your goals and have prioritized the actions take your annual goals and break them down into months, weeks and days. Do the same with each day’s activities. Break the large tasks down into small, manageable pieces. Try to accomplish some of these pieces each day. Before long you will have accomplished a large task.

Breaking down into smaller pieces is an effective time management discipline.

End each day by writing a prioritized to-do list for the next day. At the end of each week and month do the same for the next week and month. Get organized. Use a daily planner. You will be better organized if you write down everything.

Daily writing and prioritizing is an effective time management discipline.

Clear your mind of clutter. Solve problems while they are small. Whatever you do, do it once, to the best of your ability, and move on. Question all tasks to make sure they are worthwhile. Do the worst or hardest jobs first.

Staying focused and doing things once is an effective time management discipline.

Be decisive and remove time wasters from your activities. When evening comes and your next day’s to-do list is written, celebrate. Action that gets rewarded gets repeated. Do this for 30 days and you will be transformed into an action-oriented, do-it-now person.

Staying in control and removing time wasters is an effective time management discipline.

An action-oriented person is proactive. When you are proactive, you have initiative you can see a need, figure out how to best satisfy it, determine the appropriate time to take the right action, and proceed. When you are proactive, you lead. When you lead, you take control of yourself and get what you want out of life.

Being proactive with time is an effective time management discipline.

Use the visualization technique to help yourself become action oriented. When you set your goals picture something you want to have, be or do. Visualization is seeing the end result. It is a form of mental rehearsal. Through the use of imagination, what you see is what you will get.

Your vision of your goals must be clear. There is a difference between ‘dreaming about having something’ and ‘visualizing having it’. The power to believe makes the difference.

Visualizing implies a structured and disciplined view of what you are trying to accomplish. Through visualization you picture yourself in possession of your goal. You look at your goal from many different viewpoints. By examining your goal from all viewpoints you see the situation clearly and can act on aspects that will result in the greatest payback.

Visualization is an effective time management discipline.

The bottom line: these daily time management tips / disciplines will help keep you action oriented and give you the time of your life to live your dreams.

Business Management – What Are The Good Traits

To start a business and have it up and running successfully, you will need to think of some realistic business management plans. With these plans and your dream in mind, you will have to work through the initial difficult stages to build up good business management strategies and the ways to achieve them. Your business-management skills may be the crux between mediocrity and success.

The first and most important step in a good business management plan is to set clear specific goals and objectives. It is easier to achieve goals or objectives that are distinctive and focused. In addition, it will take lesser time but produce better results continually. As such, design your strategies to achieve your objectives. It makes good business sense to organize the “to-dos” for each day so that there is better focus on every task.

Another important business management trait is align your own personal goals and objectives with that of the company’s and give them full focus until each task has been completed. The more time you spent on perfecting a skill, the lesser will be the time taken to complete the task.

Another purpose of setting goals and objectives is to create a way to measure performance and track accomplishments. Such goals and objectives have to be challenging but achievable. You need to be creative and innovative in order to achieve the specific goals and strategic objectives set up in the business management plans.

At the same time, create your company’s mission and vision statements and find solutions on how to implement or accomplish them. Outline the performance targets and the ways to achieve them. This is to avoid going in different directions. Define the company’s passion and the methods to excel in it. Such business management strategies will strengthen the company’s competitiveness in the industry. In addition, setting up long-term goals will determine the company’s position in ten years’ time and mark out the path to achieve them.

Some entrepreneurs may confuse activity with productivity. Most of the entrepreneurs who succeeded have the ability to identify and categorize specific activities that are extremely crucial or create an extraordinary significance that will contribute towards the overall success of the business. More time will then be allocated to ensure that these are carried out thoroughly and effectively. A successful entrepreneur also has an in-build drive that motivates them to persevere and make things happen. This is one of the most important business management traits.

Another business management characteristic is to know how to respond to industry changes and market conditions. A successful entrepreneur will learn through other people’s knowledge and efforts especially those of their clients or competitors. Capitalize on these new ideas or concepts and your business may expand with lesser efforts contributed and within a shorter period of time.

Due to continuous changes, good business management is an ongoing process to constantly evaluate strategies and monitor performance to see if there are better ways to accomplish the goals and objectives or whether improvements and adjustments need to be made. This may even lead to changing the company’s mission or vision statements.

Business Management Principles

Copyright (c) 2008 www.markinglisblog.com

In order for a business to be successful it is essential that it must have a management system capable of ensuring the business can achieve its goals and objectives. The ISO 9000 series of standards relate to Quality Management Systems however as businesses will tend to have one system, formalizing the system to focus solely on quality will have no real benefits to your business. Therefore, it will be necessary to move away from a system focusing wholly on quality, to a system that focuses on all the characteristics of your business.

The main reason your business is in existence is to highlight the requirements and expectations of your customers and other persons concerned (employees, suppliers etc) to accomplish an advantage over you competitors. In addition to this, another objective must be to gain, sustain and develop your businesses performance and resources.

As a means to achieve improvements within your business you should ensure that your business employs the key principles that are fundamental to ISO 9001:2000, these are:

- Customer Focus;

- Involvement of People;

- Leadership;

- Process Approach;

- Factual Approach;

- System Approach;

- Continual Improvements;

- Mutually Beneficial Supplier Relationships.

Following the principles highlighted above ensures that your business focuses on what your customer actually requires and not what they think they require. In order for your business to move forward successfully it is essential that you run it in a methodical and well thought out manner that is highly perceptible. To achieve success from your business you must ensure that your business adopts a business management system which will ensure that continual improvement is constantly being driven by the management system. If your business is to develop and have a business management system that will allow growth and sustainability, you will have to ensure that you build a management system that is focused on your customers. To achieve this objective your business management system must contain systems and processes that are easily understood by the individuals within your business. It is also crucial that these systems can be managed easily and improvements made if they are necessary without any detrimental affect on the day to day operation of your business. The processes within your management system must be capable of being measured to ensure they are performing as required. It does also mean that when setting these key performance indicators, intelligent thought is given to the areas that you are measuring. It is worth remembering that individuals are likely to improve in areas in which they are being measured. Therefore it is critical that any process measuring is carried out in areas that will benefit the system and your business as a whole.