How logistic and transportation companies can differentiate themselves and improve profitability

How Logistic And Transportation Companies Can Differentiate Themselves And Improve Profitability

In today’s competitive environment, Logistic Companies can no longer simply rely on door-to-door delivery and warehousing services in order to rise above the competition.  Today, the more successful logistic and transportation organizations are differentiating themselves by offering services following the delivery, such as in-home and in-store product assembly and display set-up.  And not only are these services adding value to the offerings these companies already provide, but they are also adding revenue to the bottom-line as they are able to build these charges, along with an added percentage, into their overall cost structure. 

The benefits of a partnership between a 3rd party logistics (3PL) or transportation organization and a provider of assembly and set-up services may be obvious, but the question then becomes how do you select such a company?  The answer to this question is not so clear.  Specific questions you need to ask include:

1.  Does the company provide services nationally and in Canada? 

2.  Does the company employ all it’s workers as W-2 employees?  This will result in a more committed and dedicated worker than utilizing independent contractors for employees.

3.  Does the company have staying power?  Have they been in business for 25 years or more, or are they simply a “Johnny-come-lately”?

4.  Does the company have existing relationships with major retailers and other organizations?  This also demonstrates stability and experience.

5.  Does the company employ numerous field managers located throughout the country?  This becomes important for accountability as well as local contacts. 

6.  Does the company employ individuals who have been extensively trained and have had complete background checks?

7.  Does the company provide detailed reporting of the services they provide, along with having digital photograph capability?

So there you have it.  In summary, today’s most successful logistic organizations are differentiating themselves by offering services following the delivery, such as in-home and in-store product assembly and display set-up.  Not only are these services adding value to the offerings these companies already provide, but they are also adding revenue to the bottom-line.  Don’t be left behind in today’s competitive logistic environment. Look for a company with whom you can partner with confidence.

If you would like to be introduced to an organization that can provide these services, check out:

http://www.natlmktg.com/home.htm

How to raise your business capital

How to Raise Your Business Capital

Contrary to most people think, gathering your startup capital is not that hard. You just have to have the right ideas that you are sure can make you rich. Not just that, be sure you have established a good reputation and credibility — the most important things to get your investor’s trust.

So what’s the first step? Build a proper prospectus! Include curriculum vitae of your education, training, experience, and accomplishments. Also include personal qualities that might be counted as an asset to your potential success.

It might also help to include a list of all the various loans you have had and to where you used those loans. Do not forget your history in paying them off.

Explain in detail the purpose of that money. Since it is for a new business, you will have to show your proposed business plan, your marketing research, and projected costs. Also put the anticipated income, with a summary for each, for at least the next three years.

It will be best to base your cost estimates high and your income projections in minimal returns. Businesses, especially those only starting up, have their ups and downs. Doing your financial estimates this way will help you go through these ups and downs.

Describe your proposed business in detail. Explain its uniqueness and how it differs from other competition. Also putting the possibilities of an expansion will help catch an attention.

State precisely in your prospectus what your investor will get in return for using their money. Define the percentage of interest that you are willing to pay him, and the period when you will pay. A good example is what happened with my friend. He lent his money to a farmer for agricultural purposes. In order to pay, this farmer gives my friend a partial of his crops every harvest time.

Attract your investor. Interest and persuade him to lend you his money by spelling out in details the benefits he will get for investing in your business. If possible, give him proofs from your marketing research.

Now that you have a proper prospectus, you now know how much money you want and how to use it, and how you intend to pay it, here are the ways to look for investors.

ADVERTISE. Nothing beats proper advertisements. Include in your ad how much money you want. State the nature of your business and the kind of return that you are promising on the investment.

DIRECT SELLING. This is really not selling but I like to call it that way. You directly «sell» your business proposal to people. Host a party and invite your friends over. Explain the business plan, the possible profit, and the needed startup capital. Give each of them your created prospectus. You can promise to make them your partner in exchange for their thousand dollars investment to your business. But of course, you must first know the rules for this partnership.

NETWORKING. Sounds like selling products, too, but I also like to use this term. Try talking to your lawyer, accountant, or banker. Show them your prospectus and ask for their advices. In addition, you might as well ask them if they knew someone who can be a possible investor to your business.

INVESTMENT COMPANIES. Don’t forget that there are investment companies that were put up for this cause. Try looking for them in your local area and try approaching them. Show them your prospectus and explain to them the details of your business plan.

BROKERS. There are Money Brokers that will take your prospectus and do your job in finding investors. There are good brokers and not so good brokers. So since money brokers require payment, you might want to check them out first before releasing any money to them.

These are just some ways to raise money for your business capital. But this is just one part of it — getting money from investors. There are other ways to raise money, including garage sales, loans, and selling out your stocks. Either ways, it’s your choice. Choose something that you think will be best for you and your business.

How to choose a liability insurance vendor for your business

How to Choose a Liability Insurance Vendor for Your Business

Liability insurance protects your company from financial damages if your company is sued by a third party. There are many types of liability insurance products and many businesses purchase more than one kind of liability insurance in order to ensure that they have the proper coverage. Different types of liability insurances cover different situations. Umbrella liability insurance policy may cover injuries on your property while professional liability, such as malpractice insurance, may cover a doctor that misdiagnoses a patient.

If a business does not have liability insurance, the business may lose critical assets in the event of a lawsuit or a guilty judgment. Additionally, the company could go bankrupt, depending on the damages that the company may have to pay in the event of a lawsuit. For this reason, choosing a liability insurance vendor is crucial. If you need help choosing a liability insurance vendor, click here.

In order to find the best liability insurance vendor, ask yourself the following questions:

Who or what needs the liability insurance? The business should have its own liability insurance, even if the business is a Limited Liability Company (LLC) which guarantees that the owners of the business will not lose their assets if there is a lawsuit against the company. However, LLC status does not safeguard the business itself. The company should also make an effort to protect high-profile, high-risk individuals.

What do we need to have covered? Does the business need coverage for Errors & Omissions? Does the business need any type of professional liability insurance? Does it need general liability? Umbrella liability? Workers compensation? Determine the risks that your business could face in order before choosing coverage.

Do we also need worker’s compensation? Many businesses are legally obligated to have worker’s compensation coverage. Check with your particular state’s Department of Labor to determine if your business is required to carry it.

What price am I able to pay for liability insurance? The cost of liability insurance varies by company, coverage, type of insurance, industry, size of the business and more. Make sure to get comparable quotes from at least three companies before deciding on one company to work with.

How large of a policy should I take out? The size of your policy may depend on the amount of money that your business brings in each year. Be sure to speak with representatives from your top vendor selections in order to determine exactly what kind of coverage you can expect from them and what the price for that coverage will be.

Does the vendor have a solid reputation? Always do a Better Business Bureau background check and a Google search for any complaints.

In order to ensure that you receive the best liability insurance policy and terms possible, make sure to do your research. Finding the right liability insurance company can mean the difference between thousands (or even millions) of dollars. If you want liability insurance vendors to compete for your business, click here. For additional information, you can visit our liability insurance wiki.

Landscaping in ohio for a reason

Landscaping in Ohio for a Reason

Today is one of those rare occasions I have to stay home and look after an activity which I would consider greater in magnitude than a month’s pay resulting from office labor. Coming up with a landscape design for my Ohio abode is comparatively more difficult than convincing a client that OpenOffice is far better than Microsoft Word. Despite having hired a company that offers landscaping services in Ohio, and is practically responsible for the beautiful features of each and every home and garden in Ohio, I still feel the pressure of having to conceptualize a custom landscape design that is like no other.
See, mom and dad are visiting me next month so I naturally want the house to be as appealing and comfortable for them since they’ll be staying with me for a month or two. My parents’ house in LA is enveloped in flora; mom personally toils her vast garden on a regular basis to ensure the preservation of her expensive Hydrangea, Lisianthus, peonies, all species of orchids, and healthy trees like the Dwarf Korean Lilacs, rows of caliper trees and a Japanese Maple. Indeed, there is no Central Ohio home & garden parallel to that of mom and dad’s which was built on the strong foundation of love.
My parents hardly take out of town trips for they already find their house suffice to be a vacation haven where they can spend hours reading, watching TV or a good movie, playing with their pooches, or gardening together before the barbecue. Even if landscaping in Oh pays well, I’ve sworn never to get into the job since I wouldn’t be able to use it as a gift for my parents anyway. Their knowledge of the green life would only make me feel inadequate to handle other people’s gardens.
Just this one time, I’m preparing the house particularly the garden, making sure it appeals to my parents since this is where they’ll be celebrating their golden anniversary party. This is my surprise gift for them as the demands of my job made me forget to arrange a wedding ceremony for them, to mark their 50 years of togetherness that is filled with love and respect. I told my parents I’ll just make it up to them one of these days, but they have no inkling that that day is drawing closer. Next month is going to be a blast as they’ll be dancing under the stars with friends, relatives and well-wishers to witness the momentous event.

Laser toners

Laser Toners

Laser Toners

Most of us are aware of the significance of the laser toners in a printer. More or less a laser toner is the key part in any laser printer. With invent of the laser printer, we can get high quality prints in a blink of an eye and that too in a very cost effective manner. The quality of the prints depends on the quality of the laser toner, as a laser toner is actually the ink for laser printers. The laser toner is an extremely fine synthetic powder packed into a cartridge. This cartridge is then inserted into your laser printer according to the manufacturer’s instructions. And this is where the role of a laser toner comes into picture.

Let us understand in short the role of a laser toner as soon as a page is inserted in the printer. There are a few steps in printing a page with the help of a laser toner:

• In the first step, printer receives an image to be printed from your computer.

• The lasers project the image onto an electromagnetic drum inside the laser printer.

• According to the image, the drum is charged positively and negatively, and at varying levels of charge.

• The drum in turn attracts ink from the toner in the cartridge according to the charges the colors are attracted to.

• The drum rolls the image onto a page of paper, the page goes through a heating device to melt or burn the color onto the page, and the page is ejected.

This is when laser toner is used in the laser printer. Most of the toners are designed to print a few thousand pages before needing to be replaced. Similarly, the drum also wears out from all the positive and negative charges it gives off, and needs to be replaced every 10,000 – 30,000 pages. Some printers are made with cartridge-and-drum replacement units in mind, while other printers are designed to separate the cartridge and drum. This way, when the cartridge runs out of toner, you don’t have to replace the longer lasting drum with it. This saves you money.

There is a huge ongoing debate on the use of compatible laser toners. They are widely used besides the printer companies regular warnings on the illegal aspects and the harms they can cause to the printer. However, besides such warnings, the compatible laser toners are now a days common forcing the companies to change their stance and to launch economically priced laser toners. Most manufacturers, and some third-party distributors, will give you money or discounts in exchange for your old laser toner cartridges. They in turn replace the guts of the cartridge, refill it with toner, and resell it at a big discount.