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Building In Financial Forecasts For Your Business Plan

Building In Financial Forecasts For Your Business Plan published on

To attract investors and build a line of credit you need to project business finances

Essentially, you must make educated guesses about how much money will be spent and how much will be taken in. Then you can use these estimates to calculate whether your business will be sufficiently profitable to sustain a bottom line. Usually a business will start off operating lean until you start building a customer base. If your projections show your business losing money initially, then you must consider raising prices or cutting costs while still in the planning stage. This can help you avoid sinking money into a business that cannot be profitable. On the other hand, if your business model shows profitability, then you can start to invest more and build your enterprise.

Business Plan

Understanding projected financial situation through estimates and calculations

Start off with a break-even analysis by estimating income and expenses over the first year. In theory you should be able to turn a profit by the end of the first year. If not, then you must reconsider the business model. After determining the business can turn a profit, then turn to a month-by-month projection of your business’s net profits for the first year. Keep in mind that some businesses will be more or less profitable during certain months due to seasonal turnover. Finally, determine a start-up cost estimate. There are few generic costs that are common to all business types, they include, research expenses, insurance, business license, incorporation costs, permit fees, equipment and supplies, advertising and promotion, borrowing costs, employee costs and technological expenses.  These costs should be included in your business plan to give a true picture of how much money you will need to get off the ground.

 

 

If you are a member of Spiegel & Utrera, P.A.’s General Counsel Club and have business related questions, call (800) 734-9900 or clubassist@amerilawyer.com for assistance. Remember, as a member of the  General Counsel Club, you receive unlimited legal, business, credit and tax advice all year long.

Spiegel & Utrera, P.A. is a corporate law firm with its main offices located in Miami, Florida with offices throughout the United States. As a law firm, we do more than just help you form your business entity. We stand ready to help with the maintenance of your legal business entity! We will assist you with Incorporation Service,TrademarksCopyrights, Estate Planning, Legal Counsel, Wills,Trusts, Agreements & Leases, Corporate & Company

Registration Requirements Before Charitable Solicitation

Registration Requirements Before Charitable Solicitation published on

Any non-profit that makes, or intends to make a charitable solicitation must register with the State

Charitable solicitations include statement in which appeals for charitable purpose, the name of the organization is used, or implies that the contribution will be applied to a charitable purpose. The registration requirement is triggered when your organization asks for a donation, not necessarily when the organization receives a donation. After receiving the donation additional requirements present themselves at the federal level. The IRS requires charitable organizations to file an Annual Report (Form 990 or Form 990 EZ). On this report you will have to answer questions about your organization’s fundraising activities and registrations.

Exemptions from Registration Requirements

Some non-profits are exempt from registration because they are already highly regulated by other agencies; for example, non-profit hospitals and education institutions. Religious organizations may be exempt in some cases because states don’t want to interfere with the free exercise of religion. Also, some non-profits may not receive enough donations to qualify for registration. Nevertheless, determining whether your non-profit is exempt can be difficult. If your non-profit receives contributions under $25,000 per year, then it is exempt in New York but not California. Therefore, if you plan on fundraising out of state, you will need to take a close examination of each state’s law.

If you are a member of Spiegel & Utrera, P.A.’s General Counsel Club and have business related questions, call (800) 734-9900 or clubassist@amerilawyer.com for assistance. Remember, as a member of the  General Counsel Club, you receive unlimited legal, business, credit and tax advice all year long.

Spiegel & Utrera, P.A. is a corporate law firm with its main offices located in Miami, Florida with offices throughout the United States. As a law firm, we do more than just help you form your business entity. We stand ready to help with the maintenance of your legal business entity! We will assist you with Incorporation Service, TrademarksCopyrights, Estate Planning, Legal Counsel, Wills,Trusts, Agreements & Leases, Corporate & Company

Funding Your Small Business: Consider Crowdfunding

Funding Your Small Business: Consider Crowdfunding published on

The recession of 2008-2009 made it increasingly difficult to obtain a small business loan. Most lenders want to see an existing financial record that reassures them you will be able to repay the loan. Remember that banks are lenders. They are not investors and they’re not interested in making equity investments in businesses. What is an entrepreneur to do? Most entrepreneurs start their small business with personal savings, credit cards, and personal loans from family and friends.

Crowdfunding

An alternative that is popular with entrepreneurs is Crowdfunding through websites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Crowdfunding essentially utilizes other backers to finance your product or business. To date, Kickstarter startups have raised over $2,500,000,000 and Indiegogo has funded over $800,000,000.

There are several reasons why crowdfunding may be the answer to financing your business. In an economy where e-commerce allows us to easily make online purchases with the click of the mouse, many consumers still crave more personal connections and are opting for small startups. Investors are always eager to be a part of a startup’s success. Additionally, entrepreneurs who can’t qualify for a bank loan or have decided the risks associated with obtaining a bank loan far outweigh the benefits can pursue crowdfunding without worrying about risks.

If you are a member of Spiegel & Utrera, P.A.’s General Counsel Club and have business related questions, call (800) 734-9900 or clubassist@amerilawyer.com for assistance. Remember, as a member of the  General Counsel Club, you receive unlimited legal, business, credit and tax advice all year long.

Spiegel & Utrera, P.A. is a corporate law firm with its main offices located in Miami, Florida with offices throughout the United States. As a law firm, we do more than just help you form your business entity. We stand ready to help with the maintenance of your legal business entity! We will assist you with Incorporation Service, TrademarksCopyrights, Estate Planning, Legal Counsel, Wills,Trusts, Agreements & Leases, Corporate & Company

The Independent Service Contractor

The Independent Service Contractor published on

Before any services are performed you must have a written contract
The independent contractor agreement should stipulate the rights and obligations of the service provider and recipient of the services. It must also be dated and signed by the appropriate parties. Independent contractors are self-employed persons who promote their services to the public. Generally, they will control when and how their work is done and provide their own equipment and supplies.

Independent Contractor

Misclassification of Workers
Intentionally misclassifying workers as independent contractors will cause stiff penalties. An employment audit can easily shut down even the most well-established business. Therefore, it is imperative to take all necessary steps to establish an independent contractor relationship. This means not only having an independent contractor agreement but also having the independent contractor establish a separate corporation. Having the independent contractor agreement between two corporations will strengthen the relationship and possibly help avoid penalties.

If you are a member of Spiegel & Utrera, P.A.’s General Counsel Club and have business related questions, call (800) 734-9900 or clubassist@amerilawyer.com for assistance. Remember, as a General Counsel Club member, you receive unlimited legal, business, credit and tax advice all year long.

Spiegel & Utrera, P.A. is a corporate law firm with its main offices located in Miami, Florida with offices throughout the United States. As a law firm, we do more than just help you form your business entity. We stand ready to help with the maintenance of your legal business entity! We will assist you with Incorporation Service, TrademarksCopyrights, Estate Planning, Legal Counsel, Wills,Trusts, Agreements & Leases, Corporate & Company

Big Business Strategy for Small Businesses

Big Business Strategy for Small Businesses published on

All small business owners aspire to grow their businesses into a big business. Big businesses utilize market segmentation to focus their sales efforts on a target crowd in order to improve profitability. Small businesses can learn immensely from this simple yet effective big business strategy.

business-strategy
Business Strategy

Ask yourself the following: Who are you trying to sell your goods or services to? Will the target customers encourage profitability? Who are you trying to avoid? Focus on your target customers and concentrate your efforts on securing that specific section of the market. The battle between Pepsi and Coca-Cola is a great example of market segmentation. Coca-Cola is extremely popular with the 30-and-over crowd and Pepsi used this knowledge to cater to a younger crowd by airing commercials in which younger celebrities endorse Pepsi products.

While Pepsi is not the soda heavyweight that Coca-Cola is, Pepsi has still managed to build a successful brand as result of refocusing its marketing efforts.

The critical lesson here is that many small business owners are afraid of eliminating part of their potential market, but focusing on your target customers will make room for a clear path to grow.

If you are a member of Spiegel & Utrera, P.A.’s General Counsel Club and have business related questions, call (800) 734-9900 or clubassist@amerilawyer.com for assistance. Remember, as a General Counsel Club member, you receive unlimited legal, business, credit and tax advice all year long.

Spiegel & Utrera, P.A. is a corporate law firm with its main offices located in Miami, Florida with offices throughout the United States. As a law firm, we do more than just help you form your business entity. We stand ready to help with the maintenance of your legal business entity! We will assist you with Incorporation Service, TrademarksCopyrights, Estate Planning, Legal Counsel, Wills,Trusts, Agreements & Leases, Corporate & Company