| How To Know Your Business Will Be A Success |

Tips For A Successful Business

Many new businesses fail within their first two years. Either the person running them is not working hard enough at being an entrepreneur, or the business is just in the wrong market, or has too much competition around it. This can cause a lot of people to worry about starting a business because they do not know if it is going to be successful or not. So, how do you know if your business is going to be successful? How do you ensure that when the time comes to start a business as an entrepreneur, that the business will be successful and profitable for years to come?

The problem is that there really is no way to know. You can’t say for certain that your business will be successful because there are too many variables. The man who created the pet rock may not have thought his business would be successful but it made him millions. On that same note, many who thought their dot-com business would be successful found that the opposite was going to be true.

The first thing you need to look at is your passion for what you are doing. Do you love what you do? Do you want to succeed at it? If you are not ready to put in the long hours needed, then maybe you should look elsewhere for a business because you must love what you do in order to succeed.

What is the competition like in your area? There is a misconception that no competition means that there is a guaranteed chance of success. For example, if there is no air conditioning supplier competition where you are and you live in the Arctic, well that does not mean you are going to sell air conditioners. It means there is no market for it. You should have a bit of competition, but not too much and you should be able to offer your customers something different from other competitors.

How much money do you need to start your business? If you can start the business out of your home with minimal investment, then you will have a higher chance of success. The reason for this is that the less you pay initially, the less in debt you are and the less you have to make to earn a profit. However, if you have to borrow $500,000 to start your business, well even if your business is not making money, you have to make payments on your loan. That may cause you to fall behind in your payments, which will then cause your business to suffer. It is just not the best idea to borrow large amounts of money unless you know your business is going to be successful.

Sometimes you just have to take the risk and hope your business will be successful. That is what being an entrepreneur is all about, risk and adventure, but that does not mean you should just go into business without thinking about it first. Planning ahead can make things easier for you down the road.

First Published: EntrepreneurJourney.com Aug 8, 2010

Beta And Standard Deviation

Beta and Standard Deviation

Today I am going to discuss Beta and Standard Deviation in terms of mutual funds and stocks. Both are statistical terms, but they take a whole new meaning when you put them into investment perspective. I am discussing these in bulleted lists to make it simple and easy to understand.

Beta

• Beta is a statistical term that shows volatility with respect to the market or index as a whole.

• Beta does not measure a product’s unique volatility.

• Beta measures volatility based on the whole market.

• Higher beta means greater volatility.

• A product with beta 1 means it moves with the market. A product with beta 0 means it does not move with the market, e.g., cash.

• A product with beta more than 1 moves ahead of the market, and thus translates into greater volatility than the whole market or index.

• A product with beta less than 1 moves less than the market, and thus translates into lesser volatility than the whole market or index.

Standard Deviation

• Standard Deviation is a statistical term that shows volatility.

• It measures the range of performance.

• It shows how widely performances (or returns or values) are dispersed from the average.

• The greater the standard deviation , the greater the volatility.

• A volatile product is considered a high risk product.

First Published: June 27, 2008 ADawnJournal.com

Air Canada Departs Aeroplan – 3 Things You Must Know

Aeroplan and Air Canada

The Date – The first thing you need to know is June 30, 2020 is that date when Air Canada terminates its contract from Aimia, which is the parent company of Aeroplan. After this date you will not be able to use Aeroplan to earn or redeem Air Canada or any other Star Alliance members’ points.

Aeroplan Points – The second thing you need to know is that your Aeroplan points after June 30, 2020 remain intact. Aeroplan points or miles will remain the same and they are not going anywhere. However, what you are losing is access to Air Canada or Star Alliance flights. Why this is so important? That’s in #3.

Flight Redemptions – The third and most important thing is that after June 30, 2020 you will not be able to redeem Aeroplan for flight resumptions for Air Canada or any Star Alliance members. Star Alliance is the world’s largest alliance and it has partners such as Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss Air and many others—28 total. Because Air Canada is a part of this alliance, Aeroplan has access to any alliance members for flight redemptions, especially for business class flights. Once Air Canada departs Aeroplan, you will lose that privilege and will not be able to redeem points for flights. You will still be able to redeem Aeroplan for gifts and merchandise but you will not get value out of your points.

Let me give you an example. My business class flight for my upcoming trip from Toronto to Dhaka gave me 7 cents per point return. You will never get this type of return redeeming for non-flight categories. So the best use for Aeroplan would be to redeem them for business class flights before the termination.

But be careful redeeming for business class flights, as some of the Star Alliance members charge hefty fuel surcharges. I have a video discussing the details of everything I mentioned here:

| Aeroplan & Air Canada Departure | 3 Things You Must Know Now |

How to Find Investors for Your Business

How to Get Investors for Your Business

Sometimes when you are going to be an entrepreneur, you need to raise money for your business. If you are opening a store, need equipment, or have to buy a shop, then you need money and that is where investors come in. In order to get investors, you need to do a few things, which will show investors that you know what you want and you are willing to show them how you are going to achieve success. Here is a quick guide for how you can get investors for your business.

1. The first thing, and most important thing, to do is put together a business plan. A business plan is very important because it shows your investors how you are going to make money. They want to know how you will make money because if you do not know, then you probably will not make money. Your business plan needs to have items in it that includes a mission statement, a list of your management team, a market summary, a description of your business concept, who your competition is and what your objectives are for the company. In addition, you need to put in financial documents to show how you are going to make money, what you expect to make and what you want to do with the money that you get.
2. At this point, you should look at joining business networking groups so that you can begin to network with people who will either invest, or know who you can invest with. You want to create relationships with people because the better people know you, the more of a chance they will want to invest with you. In addition, you can look at investor groups as a way to gain cash, but you have to be very prepared with these types of groups.
3. Practice makes perfect, so prepare your talk by talking to the mirror. If you go to the meeting and you do not know what you are talking about, or you are very nervous, then investors may not be as keen to invest with you. They want confidence; they want people that are sure of themselves, so you need to really practice what you are talking about before talking to investors.
4. When you go to your meeting with your investors, act as if you already got the investment and dress for success. By doing this, you show you are confident, that you are a professional and that you are taking the fact that you are asking for money very seriously. You want to show them that they are taking a chance on you and you will not let them down. That is what something like dressing in a suit and tie can do for you.

Remember, you may not get the first investors you go with, but don’t give up. You just need to take your time and work until you get investors. Someone will believe in you and then you just have to ensure that you do not let them down.

First Published: EntrepreneurJourney.com Aug 2, 2010

Harry’s Razors – Are They Worth It?

Harry’s VS. Schick Hydro 5

Comparatively new company Harry’s is getting popular as its razors are drawing attention for its low price and quality. However, can these razors surpass some well-known brands such as Schick in quality?

I have been using the 5-blade razor Schick Hydro 5 for a while and wanted to give Harry’s a try. Harry’s offers a shaving program that lets you try its products for free. Canadians have to pay $6 shipping, though. The trial package comes with a shave gel, blade, and travel blade cover. You will have to cancel the next razor shipment early­—if you’re not interested—because the shave plan will automatically keep sending you new blades based on your choice.

Individual blades cost $2 US for up to 8 cartridges. If you buy 16 together, it will bring down the cost to $1.75 US each, which is slightly over $2 Canadian.

Schick Hydro 5 also has a 5-blade razor and each blade cartridge can cost $3 to $4 depending on where you buy them. But if you get them on sale, you can get lower prices and it can come very close the Harry’s blade cost.

I tested both, shaving one side of my face with Harry’s and the other side with Hydro 5. Both gave me a very close shave, but I felt that the Hydro 5 glides smoother than Harry’s on my face. And I had this feeling that Harry’s might cut my face while I was shaving.

Harry’s blades are definitely a quality product, but I will not the switch from my Hydro 5. Pricewise, you can save money with Harry’s, even after paying shipping and the Canadian dollar conversion if you are buying a lot. But if you buy Schick on sale, you can get it at much lower prices.

Watch my video for more details: | Harry's Razor | Can It Stand Up To Schick Hydro 5? |