Posted by tbViews on June 28, 2009
My mom and I both do a little bit of amateur dealing in antiques and collectibles, mainly as collectors selling off what we no longer want. But I can totally see the appeal of going into business part- or full-time as a jewelry, collectibles, or antiques dealer.
One thing that is extremely important before you go into business is knowing a lot about whatever you are going to be dealing in. There are many books on the market about antiques, furniture, jewelry, and various types of collectibles. It is imperative that you read, study, and memorize key points from these books before you go into business. You can check some out from the library, but don’t forget to keep the receipts for any that you buy, as they qualify as business expenses.
It’s important to know what you are looking for because the biggest way to get a good profit from buying and reselling these items is to buy them cheap when no one but you knows what they are. In order to do this, though, you’ll need to be able to recognize them on sight. For instance, if you buy and sell gold jewelry you’ll need to be able to recognize jeweler’s marks and styles, and you might want to consider carrying with you the equipment to test for gold, diamonds, and other valuable materials. Many dealers also carry their reference books with them in the car, so that they can verify the identification of an item if they aren’t sure or can’t do it from memory.
You’ll also need to do some research into the market, in order to be able to estimate what items are selling for when they are properly identified and offered to the right markets. Many reference books are also price guides, but you should also plan on doing some market research of your own, by keeping tabs on auctions, antique malls, and online sales. For instance, it is valuable to know the going price for gold if you are planning to sell gold jewelry for cash.
Technorati Tags: antiques dealer, market research, sell gold jewelry, sell gold jewelry for cash
Posted by busViews on June 25, 2009
So you want to start a restaurant. What do you need to make sure that you have on hand in order for the restaurant to operate efficiently?
Here’s a good list to get you started:
- Store. You can’t open a restaurant without a place for it.
- Staff. You can’t run a restaurant without people to cook and serve the food.
- Menu. You should probably know what you’re cooking if you’re opening a restaurant.
- Dishes and cooking utensils. You have to have the pots and pans and dishes for making and serving a meal.
- Appliances. Big stoves and appliances like that are a must for any kitchen.
- Food source. You need to get your food from somewhere. Where are you getting yours from?
- Method of accepting payment. Unless you’re a cash-only business, you should probably get the equipment necessary to accept credit cards.
- Method of tracking payments. You need some sort of computer-based accounting system to stay on top of the finances of your restaurant.
- Method of marketing. How are you going to let people know that you’re in business?
- Website. Every restaurant really needs a good website these days.
Those are the major things that you absolutely have to have to start a good restaurant. You’ll want other things as well, of course. For example, if you do deliveries then you’ll probably want a couple of good delivery maps. But the above things are the things that you just can’t start a restaurant without if you expect it to succeed.
Technorati Tags: delivery maps
Posted by bus44 on June 24, 2009
Don’t let your busy work schedule get in the way of properly rewarding an employee for exceeding expectations. Employee recognition programs arean important element to company success. If a staff member feels slighted or ignored, than his overall motivation level will plummet.
A huge mistake many supervisors make is assuming that their employees should not be recognized for achievements. After all, aren’t they just doing their jobs? Well, sure. Maybe they are “just doing their jobs” but the fact of the matter is, recognition is not only the right thing to do, it is also an important communication device that reinforces the roles employees play in the company. It tells them that all of this would not be possible if it wasn’t for them. Everybody wants to feel needed.
So, don’t you think it’s time to incorporate a reward incentive programs to motivate your employees even more? Let them know they are doing a great job and reward them with items, like brand merchandise, gift cards and even cash! (Who isn’t motivated by cold, hard cash?)
Don’t fall into that trap of believing your employees work to simply make you happy. Create an atmosphere where everyone feels needed, and always recognize a job well done.
Technorati Tags: brand merchandise, Employee recognition, reward incentive programs
Posted by busViews on June 23, 2009
Do you need new equipment for your business? Are you having trouble finding equipment that you can actually afford? If so then you might want to ask yourself if you’ve checked out any self storage locker auctions recently. These auctions can be one of the best places to get great used equipment at a really low cost.
You may not know this but if you abandon your items in a self storage unit then the company that owns the unit will eventually have the right to keep those items. This is in the contract that you sign when you get a storage locker. A lot of people don’t realize this because they wouldn’t ever abandon their items. However, a lot of people do indeed abandon their items in these places. When they do, the storage locker company usually puts these items up for sale in an auction.
Keep your eye out for announcements about these types of auctions. You will want to look specifically for announcements from business storage lockers since they are the ones most likely to have the equipment that you might be seeking. It’s kind of like shopping at a yard sale but it can be a lot more fun!
Technorati Tags: business storage, self storage
Posted by busViews on June 22, 2009
If you were to consult a business professional about a good name for your business, you would probably be given a lot of practical advice. You would be told to choose a business name that explicitly describes what your business does. You would be advised to choose a name that is easy to say and easy to remember. This is probably all good advice. But you know what? As a consumer, I prefer to shop at businesses that have wonderful, dreamy, impractical names.
I just seem to be drawn into stores that have dreamy, whimsical names. I want to buy my kids’ clothes from Kaiya Eve and 3 Pommes because their names are so alluring and fun. I feel like shopping at these places is a better experience than shopping at a store named something like, oh, Target. The name of the store sets a sort of fantasy tone for the shopping that makes me enjoy the buying process more. So, yes, there’s a lot of good advice out there about choosing a solid and practical name for your business. Just know that there are customers out there who may think that doing this is silly when you could choose a pretty name instead.
Technorati Tags: 3 pommes, kaiya eve
Posted by busViewr on June 19, 2009
As the fiscal year ends for the company I work for, some interesting decisions are going to need to be made. One of the biggest items is where our online operations are going to move to. Currently, we are employing colocation hosting as our main means of bringing the world our business related websites. And while we are extremely satisfied with the service our provider gives us, we know that the next fiscal year is going to require us to replace about 75% or our physical hosting boxes. This is not something that is looked upon with excitement by the powers that be.
Of course, living most of my work life in the IT department, I personally think it would be grand to get to provision all new equipment and ship them over to the colo facility. However, I doubt this is going to happen. What is more likely to transpire is that we’ll begin the process of converting our colocation hosting packages over to dedicated server hosting plans.
This is going to allow us to maintain the high quality data connections that we currently receive, but no longer be responsible for the outlay of capital for all new server boxes. In the long run, this is going to benefit our bottom line. Hmmm, maybe they’ll think about increasing my salary!
Technorati Tags: colocation hosting, dedicated server hosting
Posted by busViews on June 16, 2009
Most people think of a computer scanner as something to be used for capturing information and images. However, scanners can also be used for collaboration purposes.
Here are just a few of the ways that individuals and businesses might use scanners to collaborate with one another:
- Basic scan and share. Scanners often function as communication tools when people scan something and then email it to someone else in order for them to work on it.
- Scan information to be shared with a large group of people. Businesses that have networked scanning systems have it set up so that one person can scan a piece of information and then easily use the scanner to send that information to a bunch of other people.
- Keep track of all information for everyone to access. Scanners that come with document management software will keep a computerized record of everything that’s been scanned. This makes it easy for everyone with access to the scanner to find and use that information.
There are a lot of different types of devices that a business might use for collaborating with others. Scanners are often overlooked as one of those devices. However, they can be a great collaboration tool when used correctly in a business.
Technorati Tags: document management software, networked scanning systems
Posted by BViews on June 15, 2009
For the better part of ten years, I have been a volunteer in our Scout district, and for eight of those years I have been a leader. It has been a wonderful opportunity for me to serve in a mentorship role to the youth in the organization, and it has also helped me to grow as a person. I would have to say that I am a bit of a traditionalist, and I resist change. 
This was readily apparent this year when we received a district newsletter suggesting that we should try out some team management software to help stay in touch with the kids and parents in the program.I had really hoped that we would just stick to the old system of newsletters, but I seemed to be the only scout leader that had that idea. So in some sense, I guess I was just afraid of the change.
But after I was shown how the scouting software worked, I realized that it was really easy. In fact, I wondered why I was afraid in the first place – this was a good thing.Now, just a couple of months later, I cannot imagine how we were able to stay organized and have a good program for the kids under our old system. I guess we should have tried using the software earlier.
Technorati Tags: scout leader, scouting software, team management software
