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Is It Necessary To Have a Business Plan?

Are you planning to start a new business? Or are you considering expanding your current business and require a bank loan or investment from outsiders?

If you are going to look for an investment of capital it is quite likely that you will be required to have a business plan. If you are starting a business, despite the work involved, a business plan can prepare you for the obstacles ahead and help ensure your success.

A business plan is something that many small businesses fail to create, however, many business owners are adamant that having a written business plan is one of the keys to their present success. Creating a business plan forces you to contemplate possible obstacles to your business and prepares you to find solutions that will help you to overcome them.

To find investors or get a bank loan, they will want to see that you have the experience or resources to run the business. They will want to see your projected income as well as your suggested repayment plan already laid out. Taking the time to do this is not only important for them, but it gives you a measuring tool to verify if your business is growing properly. You can gage your success on how close to the plan your business has actually performed. Perhaps you'll do worse, or perhaps you'll do better, either way it helps you determine how well your business is getting on.

If you have never seen a business plan before you may be concerned that is is too difficult a proposition for you to manage on your own.

While there are services available where you can hire someone to write a business plan for you, depending on your needs it may be wise to familiarize yourself with a business plan's layout. This will not only help you to provide the necessary information, but may encourage you to try your own hand at it.

There's a free tool at www.bdc.ca which will assist you in creating a business plan. Some of the topics you will be required to explain are your Market, Customer, Competition, Marketing Plan, Research & Development along with financial forecasts. You may consider hiring someone to help you with your financial sheets after completing the written part of the Business Plan.

Your Business Plan will become your guide and silent business partner - indicating where you need to improve and helping you stay one step ahead of your competition. Make it a priority to have this crucial road map for your business.

About the author:
Scott Morris's personal site on accounting business and business administration http://businessexcel.com
for more information, you can visit http://businessexcel.com



Shocking Facts about Updating Your PC Operating System

From "ignorance is bliss" to "surprise attack and disaster" - how many thousands of Internet users have experienced this frustration and grief?

This raises the obvious question: "Why haven't they prepared to avoid it?"

The startling fact is that there are many long term Internet users who have never even considered updating their Operating Systems and protective Safe-ware.

Perhaps the complexity of it all contributes to what might be described as User apathy - or indifference and a lack of enthusiasm toward the following:

* The news of yet another vulnerability or patch process.

* The potential damage to computer, personal information and reputation - i.e. the "It can't happen to me" attitude.

* Their own abilities - i.e. "I'm too old, too dumb, too whatever - to learn how to fix a computer without breaking something."

* Updating - i.e. "My computer came with an anti-virus program, so why does it need to be updated now?"

The sad fact is that the lack of confidence people have in their ability to build a defense often leads to a reluctance to even accept the reality of Cyber Threats.

Some of the lesser-experienced Internet users rationalize their lack of action with pessimism, even defeatism. Human nature often supports these excuses with defensive attitudes and mis-beliefs like:

* False sense of disaster support - "My nephew, neighbor, son or whoever, is a computer whizz. They'll be able to fix the problem if anything ever happens."

* Scepticism - "All this talk about viruses is just so the "news people" will have information for publishing, and so the software manufactureres can scare people into buying more of their products."

* Ignorance (of the extent of deception, skills and sophistication that the malicious hackers have attained).

* Disbelief (that personal computer might be infected and used by others to spread malicious viruses and worms). "My computer seems to be working ok - a little slow, maybe, but it is getting pretty old."

* Overwhemed (too many choices with firewalls, anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-spyware, Trojan removers). "Why do I need all of these and which ones should I use?" or "Do I really need to update my Operating System, my anti virus, spam, spyware stuff?"...I'll just never learn how to do all of this.

* Expense (How much will all this cost and is it really necessary?)

* Fatalism - "Hey, if it's going to happen, it will, and I'll just junk my computer and get another one. Mine's getting kind of old, anyway."

Here, then, are the Shocking facts about updating PC Operating Systems.

There are many unaware Internet users who have been online for years, but lack in these ares:

* They don't know what "Updating" really means.

* They have never responded to the popup message associated with the icon in the Task tray that announces new Windows Updates.

* They have never clicked on the Windows Update icon in the Program Start menu.

* They have never visited the Microsoft Windows Update web page at http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com.

* They have never updated their PC Operating Systems.

Even if they have been able to navigate to the Microsoft Update webpage, many just throw up their hands in despair at the overwhelming number of choices and unknowns, such as:

* Choosing what to update from the long list of options.

* Waiting for Windows to check the registry for available updates.

* Deciphering the Update descriptions (and instructions).

* Selecting or Removing the necessary options.

* Starting the download.

And oftentimes, many people have never even used the Windows Help information to find out how to update their computer Operating Systems.

How many self taught or untrained computer users are going to persevere through all of the hassle described above? Is it any wonder so many computers become infected? The criminal Hackers building their bot and zombie armies have nearly an open and undefended playing field; many are using it every day to steal money and identities.

So, what is the solution to this problem?

If individuals with computer "understanding" would help and assist others with less knowledge, there would probably be less of a problem.

Nearly everyone who has faithfully kept their PC Operating Systems and Safe-ware up to date surely has family members and friends who could benefit from an hour or so of basic instructions. This would make it much more difficult for the criminal Hackers to compromise another persons computer.

Hacker's would eventually be faced with a growing number of adequately protected computers, educated Users and hopefully would finally give-up trying!


About the author:
Supportcave.com offers new and enhanced spyware removal Software. Not only will these programs effectively check and clean your computer from Spyware, once installed they will also shield your computer from future Spyware intrusions.




Viral Marketing has Left the Building

Viral Marketing - as a forward-thinking "buzzword" - is missing. Gone are the days of catchy buzz-marketing that you could just let loose upon the world and watch take off. Now, with users getting more knowledgeable and opportunities getting slim, you need to take advantage of using your know-how as part of the reason Viral Marketing campaigns work.

Now, Viral Marketing is all about information, and the information has got to be good. One effect the Internet has had, is that it's teaching people how to be effective searchers, and savvy surfers. Just like coffee beans and oranges, information online has become a sort of commodity. One site may charge you for a piece of information that you could easily get elsewhere for free. This means that when it comes to your Viral Marketing campaign (or any marketing campaign) - the better the information you distribute to your users, subscribers, and website visitors, the better your chances for success.

Newsletters are a perfect example of informational marketing. You're giving something of value for nothing. That value could be hard-to-find knowledge, or it could be you - after all, individuality is something that can never be a commodity. Knowledge is power, and if it's free, well then it's free power and that's pretty darn cool. No matter what, You have to rely on what you have and what you know to move that Marketing Virus along!

Newsletters can be used as a Viral Marketing technique. Fill it up with great information - exceed expectations and deliver information that hooks onto a feeling like prestige or drive your hosts with something like a contest or giveaway. While the luxury of "online novelty" has worn thin and become very hard to find, you can still use certain traits of a good Viral Marketing campaign to move your message along. Generally, plain-text newsletters lack a significant amount of Charm, but if the information is truly stellar and you spell out a benefit to forwarding the email, it can work quite well. The main thing is to know who your target is. Is your target market largely impatient, no-nonsense business owners who want everything they look for immediately? Stick with plain text, cut the fluff, and give them what they want. Is your target market cross-stitching grannies who love cute little periwinkle bunny rabbits? What do you think would happen if you sent the granny newsletter to largely impatient, no-nonsense business owners? Now you're getting the idea ...

Viral Marketing has really taken a much different shape than what it used to consist of. It's much more "grassroots" now than it's ever been because delivery methods have changed and people have gotten accustomed to some of the standard formats. Always remember that it's your market that defines whether it's going to work or not. Know what they consider contagious, then your only task is to figure out a way to deliver it!

©2005 ViralMarketingTool.com

About the author:
David Badurina is President of http://www.ViralMarketingTool.comand the creator of VMT Viral Marketing Software. VMT is being used by more than 20,000 people in over 160 countries and is the premier Relationship-Building Viral Marketing Tool available online.

To sign up for The VMT-zine - A truly unconventional newsletter with equal parts humor, reality, and sound advice for your business, just visit: http://www.ViralMarketingTool.com/articles.html