What Business Location Is Right For You?

Selecting a Business Location

There are many different locations you can have for your business, and choosing the right one will go a long way in determining how successful your business will be. Your location has to suit you and your business, while at the same time not costing you too much. So, what type of location is going to be best for you? Here is a list of different business location types, and what they can offer you.

1. Retail: If you are selling retail products, then allowing customers to reach you is of paramount importance. You can have your retail location in a wide variety of places including a mall (enclosed or strip), shopping centre, shopping district or multi-use facilities. You can reach many customers this way without having to advertise, but the rent can be quite high.
2. Home: If you can, a home-based business location is the best. Not only do you not have to pay rent for the location, but also you can write off part of your rent/mortgage because you are using a portion of your home for your business. You can use a spare bedroom, garage, kitchen table, attic or anywhere that suits you in your home. The only problem is that the growth of your business is limited at times, and you will have to manage your home life with your business life.
3. Commercial: If retail is not enough, a commercial location may be the best. You get office space, parking and more in business parks and office buildings. You can be downtown, on the outskirts of town, or in a suburban area. One of the great things about a commercial space is it looks very professional with a place for a receptionist, offices for employees and more. The only downside is that it can be very expensive and that can cut into your bottom line when you are just starting out.
4. Mobile: Rather than have a fixed location, you can work directly out of your vehicle, going to your customers rather than having your customers come to you. You can write off part of your car payment and the gas, while not paying any rent for your business location. It is a great option if you are just starting out and can work in a mobile environment.
5. Industrial: If you have a business in an industrial sector, then having industrial space is very important. You typically will get large spaces, yards and more, which allows you to showcase what you are selling, or to serve as a distribution centre if that is what your business is in. The type of industry you are in will determine if you are in a light, medium, or heavy industrial area of the city.

Location, location, location is what they say about business and if you don’t choose the right location, you may not have a successful business. That is why you must do what you can to choose the right business location type.

First Published: EntrepreneurJourney.com Sep 6, 2010

This Visa Prepaid Card Has Zero Foreign Transactions Fees

Mogo Prepaid Card With $3 Foreign ATM Fee

Don’t let the word “prepaid” scare you away from the Mogo Platinum Prepaid Visa card. There are some features I found in this card that make it a perfect travel companion if you are looking to avoid a foreign transactions fee and reduce ATM fees when you need to take out cash.

Most Canadian credit cards charge 2.5 percent foreign fees when you buy something outside Canada or online where merchants are not located in Canada. The Mogo card has zero foreign transactions fees and $3 foreign ATM fees, which seem to be reasonable ATM fees compared to bank or credit cards.

You only load what you need to spend. This feature is a safe way to travel with a card having not too much availability on it, especially if you lose your card a due to pickpocket, theft, or robbery; you are risking very little amount and saving a lot of hassle.

Some other features this card has:

- No minimum balance

-Unlimited transactions

- Zero monthly fees

You can view more details on the Mogo.ca website. You can also watch my video on the Mogo card on YouTube and the link is right here:

New Mogo No Foreign Transactions Fee Platinum Prepaid Visa Card

Keep in mind that there are a few other credit cards on the Canadian market that offer zero foreign transactions fees as well. I also have a video on them and I provided the link in the description box of the above video.

Credit cards can help you save money and travel across the globe. You will find tips and tricks to achieve that on my YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/adawn

A Dawn Journal Is Going Through A Facelift

A Dawn Journal New Looks

A. Dawn Journal is going through a complete redesign. I have been working with my designer for a few days now. We have decided on three final designs. Once I pick one from those three, my designer will start working to give A Dawn Journal a new life.

This facelift is necessary to take A Dawn Journal to the next level. Once completed, it will be more user-friendly and will let you navigate easily. And, of course, it will look more professional.

The main purpose of this facelift is YOU. I would like to give you a pleasant browsing experience. Visiting A Dawn Journal should be effortless pleasure, not a technical pain. I would like to hear from you. Once the new site is up, you can make comments right under my post. Alternately, you can send an email. I hope you will like the new design, and A Dawn Journal will be a part of your daily routine.

First Published: ADawnJournal.com July 1, 2008

American Express Platinum: 3 Things You Will Love & Hate

Amex Platinum

The American Express Platinum credit card provides various perks and features. Today, I will talk about some you will like and some you won’t.

3 Things You Will Love

Lounge Access – provides unlimited lounge access through various lounge programs such as Plaza Premium Lounge, Priority Pass, Delta Sky Club, and Amex Centurion Lounge, etc. Some of these will even provide free access for additional company. By far this is one of the most sought-after perks for Amex Platinum.

Upgrades Elite Status for Hotel Loyalty Programs – The second thing you will love is the upgraded elite status you will be receiving without staying a night at some of the best hotel chains. In general, you would normally have to stay 20 or more nights to achieve it. Some of these hotels are Club Carlson, Hilton Honors, SPG or Marriott. Having elite status comes with various perks from these hotels.

Full Insurance Coverage – Another thing you will love is the free insurance coverage that comes with this card. This includes out of country medical insurance, trip cancellation insurance, trip interruption insurance, and many more. The good thing about these insurances is that the provider is a reputable one with a good track record, unlike some other credit cards where the providers make it difficult to receive insurance when you file claims.

Now, let’s look at some of the features you will not love.

Hefty Annual Fee – Paying $699 per year is a hefty fee and many times higher that most other premium credit cards in Canada, where the annual fee ranges from $99 to $165.

Poor Rewards Earning – Many of you will not like receiving only flat 1.25 points per dollar after paying the $699 annual fee. Even the American Express Gold credit card that only charges a $150 annual fee has accelerated categories where you earn 2 points per dollar.

Limited Transfer Partners – Points provide the best value when you transfer them to airline partners and Amex provides very limited partners to which you can transfer. Some of these partners are Aeroplan, Avios, SPG, Hilton Honors, etc.

Watch the above on YouTube:

Amex Platinum | 3 Things You Will Love & Hate |

| 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