Business Incorporation

Hotel franchising not only covers the franchising of hotels, but is also a popular concept of franchising of motels, inns and other boarding and lodging options.

Hotel franchising involves a lot more technicalities, when compared to the technicalities involved in running a restaurant or fast food franchises.Running a hotel involves much more responsibilities, investments and work than running a restaurant or food outlet.It is because of hotel franchises that you find hotel chains in various parts of the world.

Carry out lots of research if you are considering getting yourself a hotel franchise.Be careful, thorough and attentive when you go through the franchising process with franchise agents.
Make sure you will be able to bear all the maintenance, setup and running costs of the hotel franchise as hotel franchising is an expensive affair.The franchisor you deal with has to be someone you can trust; so find out all you can about the person before entering into any agreement.

Before you become a franchisee, it would be better on your part to check on the franchisor’s hotel’s past and present reputation.To find out all about the support that the franchisor provides their franchises, make a visit to any of the franchisor’s existing franchise.

You can also learn more about the running of the hotel, based on the franchisor’s methods.This also helps you learn more about the hotel franchise’s policies and quality standards.

The hotel management should be able to give proof about the experienced way their other franchises are being taken care of.If you are considering hotel franchising, you have to make sure that you thoroughly understand the hotel industry and its market. This way you will understand what the franchisor wants from its franchises and work to fulfil them.

For great Chicago hotels, Chicago Vacation Rentals and great Article marketing services

Franchising Franchising, hotel

As corporate purse strings get increasingly tightened in this period of downturn, the need for organisations to perform IT asset management is becoming more of a priority.It is the IT manager whose role is to manage this process of auditing and tracking IT assets.I have dealt with many IT managers in the past, from a wide range of different organizations, and below is a brief summary of the methods they used to track IT assets.

Spreadsheets
fixed asset register] information in a giant spreadsheet.  The procedure goes along the following lines. At first the spreadsheet is created from an initial asset audit, recording all the hardware and software being used.The most commonly recorded information includes location, name of staff member using the item, purchase date, model and serial numbers and warranty details.The spreadsheet then needs to be manually updated whenever new purchases of hardware or software are made. As with many manual business functions, the spreadsheet’s downfall is that it doesn’t scale well at all.You can imagine how such a spreadsheet would grow to unmanageable proportions as an organization gets bigger.Organizations using the spreadsheet technique also tend not to be able to react effectively to changes in the state of IT assets, such as repairs, depreciation, licenses and getting rid of equipment.  It all depends on an extremely organised person making sure it is meticulously up to date.

RFID and Asset Barcoding
The tagging of assets with barcodes has become the norm in many organizations I have dealt with, wherein each piece of hardware is tagged with a scannable barcode which refers to an exact record in the asset register.  These barcodes can be scanned using barcode scanners during regular asset audits and for helpdesk support purposes. RFID, or Radio Frequency Identification, goes one step beyond traditional barcoding because they allow you to perform a hardware audit without physically scanning each asset. More importantly, RFID asset tracking allows greater flexibility for increasingly mobile equipment such as laptops and PDAs.

Fixed Asset Management Software
There are a good choice of semi-automated and customized asset management software solutions which take a lot of the pain out of the process. I have come across some companies who have created their own custom asset database using SQL and linking this to the intranet to allow multi-user administration. At the most sophisticated end of the scale is specialised “asset management software” (Google it and you’ll see the wide range of options!) covering the tracking, accounting and reporting of ALL fixed assets, not just IT assets, including property, machinery and vehicles.  There are also specially designed solutions to meet the growing plethora of asset accounting and tax regulations that companies need to meet - such as compliance with Sarbanes Oxley. The best thing about this kind of solution is that by combining the needs of IT, accounting, helpdesk support, and operations departments you also have a combined budget with which to procure a far more powerful asset management system.

If you have any other solutions your company uses for asset tracking, I’d be interested to read your comments.

Small Business Advice accounting, asset management, asset register, asset tracking, barcode tracking, fixed assets, it assets, RFID, sarbanes oxley, sox

Most company cars and vans, these days, are financed by either outright purchase or a leasing contract. There are pros and cons to each approach.

Buying Outright

The main advantage of outrignt purchase for businesses is that they own the vehicles. When the payments have been made on your car or van it belongs to you. This allows your company to sell the vehicles in order to retrieve some of the purchase costs and you may even offer the cars and vans to your employees.

One major disadvantage for many busienesses is the need to pay the full for the cars and vans. This can mean that you must bear some significant expense especially if your company operates a fleet of vehicles. Finding enough funds to purchase vehicles outright can cause businesses some unwanted cash flow problems.

Businesses must be prepared to cover additional expenses including maintenance, insurance and breakdown recovery.

Company Car Leasing

The key advantages of company car leasing to business are the benefits it brings to cash flow. Initial down payments on comapny car leasing deals is usually very low and the monthly payments are generally very affordable. This is why leasing is so popular with company accoutants. Knowing how much transports costs are from month to month makes budgeting and financial planning so much simpler.

Also, most reputable leasing companies will offer to include the cost of all maintenance in the leasing contract. They may even ofer to include broken windscreen cover and replacement tyres.

Although car insurance is not normally included in the lease contract it is often offered by the leasing company as an optional extra which, if accepted, is generally cheaper than it would be if purchased separately.

One of the key disadvantages of leasing is that the car or van never actually belongs to your business. Many businesses would actually see this as an advantage as it means they don’t have to concern themselves with vehicle disposal when the lease expires.

Another disadvantage is that the government considers a company car as benefit in kind which makes it taxable and that tax is derived from the driver. A higher rate of taxation now applies to company cars since recent changes to the UK tax laws. There is, however, a tax adavantage for your company as you can claim for the vehicle as a capital cost and offset this against your company profits.

Clearly there are many factors to bear in mind when a company is considering either to lease vans and cars or to purchase them outright. There is also a great deal of competition in the car leasing industry so it is well worth shopping around for the best deal. Many leasing companies provide additional incentives such as free breakdown cover and even flexible mileage plans. The best approach is to do your research, take advantage of the various online quotation systems and don’t grab the first car leasing deal that comes your way.

Small Business Advice car leasing, company car leasing, lease vans, vehicle leasing

Well… there are always people who think that the sales figures you hear people making on the internet is a load of “B.S.” Probably you’ve even thought this yourself.

So it’s always good when someone who is not a known “expert” is prepared to back up the figures.

Best of all, Frank Bauer was once an attendee in our audience. In fact, he’s been to our event “World Internet Summit” on 5 separate occasions.

And through nothing but the right information and his own ‘never give up’ attitude, he’s now living the life of his dreams on the internet. He was not paid for this story, nor asked to do it. Frank approached us with his success story in gratitude and we are proud to share with it with you.

Frank Bauer, Congratulations- the German-Aussie. You deserve every success that you’ve had because you saw the dream and dared to go after it.

It takes lots of guts to put yourself in front of a LIVE audience and let them watch your every move as you attempt to make money from scratch.

However, that’s exactly what UK marketer, Alan Forrest Smith did. Before 450 eager onlookers he took on what we call the “World Internet Challenge” - something no one anywhere in the world does. Alan had 4 days to make money from a standing start (during the course of our event), and show every step.

The attendees of World Internet Summit Australia in Sydney were the lucky onlookers.

Tom Hua and I congratulate Alan on a brilliant result - $53,958 in 4 days. Best part? He then gave the lot to charity!!!

This was the site he created in order to make this amount:

And if you want to know more about Alan, check out his site at:

Alan you showed the world what a great marketer you are.

Small Business Advice World Internet Summit, World Internet Summit blog

When it comes to providing work information on resumes, sadly, some applicants choose to fabricate information just to get hired. You can weed out unfavorable applicants with the help of criminal background checks? Conducting criminal background checks is the wisest step you can take before you fill a position. Pre-employment screenings are vital to a company's safety. Criminal Background checks will provide you with information that is not present on a resume.

In some cases, law requires that criminal background checks be conducted on all employess. In industries such as home care and healthcare providers, they are a requirement. Your company can be legally responsible for “negligent hiring” if you fail to check the candidate’s incompetence, general background and criminal record. Lawsuits could be avoided if background checks are conducted. Unfavorable employees could ruin your company's reputation. You can avoid this by conducting a criminal background check before hiring an applicant. Conducting criminal background checks could save you money in the end.
Due to other corporate scandals, many businesses have become more aware of the importance of background checks. Today, directors, corporate executives and officers go through criminal background checks before they get hired to guarantee business safety and protect the finances of the company.
Many job seekers are willing to falsify information just to get a job. Business owners should be aware of the fact that people are lying so that they can avoid hiring dishonest workers.
Background checks are an integral part of the hiring process. They will assist you in selecting the best candidate for the position. If you have doubts in the employee facts provided by candidates, check again by conducting a criminal background check.

Small Business Advice background checks, Business Hiring, Criminal background checks, employment screenings, hiring, pre-employment screenings

Coping with rising insurance premiums has become an increasingly serious issue for business both in the US and worldwide. The economic downturn of the past year or so in particular has brought this situation into sharp relief. Yet often overlooked is the fact that according to recent findings, as much as 70% of businesses are overinsuring their fixed assets!

The problem arises from a systemic lack of accurate and up to date information in the asset register, the database which keeps all the information on tangible assets. What ends up happening in this scenario is paying for insurance on fixed assets they don’t even own any longer. Another scenario is where the value of insured assets has depreciated to the extent where the insurance premiums could be lowered simply by calculating this asset depreciation.

This issue is compounded at the time of the insurance claim itself, when a lack of detailed information causes insurance companies to challenge or underpay on claims. This information includes detailed descriptions, serial numbers and proof of locations.Think of a similar parallel at home - if your house was burgled and you claimed on house insurance, imagine what the outcome would be if you failed to provide a reciept for your TV, computer and other items.

A lot of the time when an asset is replaced or thrown out, it is no longer seen as a problem by the financial people since its value on the company books has degraded to zero.What this means is that updating the asset database is not high on the to do list for many. The cost is merely put off, however, until such time as yo do need to make an insurance claim, at which point the lack of an up to date asset inventory will really cause you problems with your claim.

It probably wouldn’t come as much of a surprise to a lot of businesses to hear they dont have the best grasp of the state of their fixed assets. But I don’t feel many organizations know just how bad this is. Even less known is the extent of the savings that could be made from proper asset managment on insurance costs, and the gains in improving the success and outcomes of claims. A leading expert in fixed asset management software estimates that on average organizations are over-insuring by more than 20%. Surely that justifies some serious time and investment on making sure you have a decent asset tracking system in place.

Small Business Advice asset management, asset register, asset tracking, business insurance, business management, corporate insurance, fixed assets

It is extremely hard to get a job nowadays. With today’s economic downturn, everyday job seekers battle to get hired. Unfortunately, many applicants lie just so they can beat out their competition. Many employers believe false resumes and get bad results in the end. This is why it is essential for your company to take the necessary precautions before you hiring new employees. Conducting criminal background checks is the best solution for this problem. Pre-employment screenings will help to weed out any unfavorable candidates.

Companies can build a strong business with the help of criminal background checks. Decisions will be easier with the help of background checks. Background checks will help to expose any false information that has been provided by an applicant. Many candidates will enhance their resumes in order to make themselves look better. With a background check to reference, you can weed out any false information on an application.

Criminal background checks provide employers with several advantages; namely the fact that they can determine an employee’s credibility. One of the reasons why most companies do background checks is to know whether the candidates provide accurate salary information from previous employers. Some applicants lie so much that they lose their oppotunity at getting hired altogether. With information from past employers, you can determine how an employee will be as a worker. With the information provided by a background check, you can decide if you want this applicant to work for you. This information will aid you in deciding whether or not you want to bring them into your company.

The best time to conduct criminal background checks is before starting the hiring process. You should not waste your time on hiring someone who has lied on their application. This could put your company at risk. Prevention is the best way to keep a business safe at all times.

Small Business Advice background checks, Criminal background checks, employees, employment screenings, hiring, pre-employment screenings

In hiring the right employee for your company, it is very important to know that you are making the right decision. Conducting background checks will make the hiring process easier. You should make sure that your employees have the best interest of the business in mind at all times. That is why it is essential to conduct criminal background checks for your safety.
You may be putting your business at risk if you do not conduct criminal background checks on your employees. There are many ways for you to ensure that your applicant is who they say they are.
By checking an employees references, you can decide whether or not they will benefit your company. You can check an employee's past performance by obtaining information from their previous bosses. This is one way that you can determine if they are a reliable employee or if they had problems with their previous job. Credit checks can also be done as safety precaution before you hire someone for financial management seats. By checking past performance, you will be able to judge their capabilities.
Don't be fooled by what an applicant says; make sure you get the facts about their background. It is not worth it to hire an employee without screening them first. Conducting criminal background checks can also help you save time in getting rid of inauspicious candidates. If you condusct a background check on all employees, your company will be a safer place.
Criminal background checks are an easy step to take in order to keep your business safe. With the help of background checks, you can create an honest workplace. It is easy to obtain information about an applicant's background. So before you hire new employees, make use of these services and conduct criminal background checks. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Small Business Advice backgrouncd screenings, background checks, Criminal background checks, employment screenings, hiring, pre-employment screenings

Tips for couples that work together.
The web and new technologies have changed the way people work. Commuting to the office is now optional for many people and working at home is a viable alternative. However, working togther can lead to trouble.  Here are five tips to make sure that you don’t end up in the divorce courts.
1.    Clear division of labour, respect for each others roles.
Make sure you both know who is supposed to be doing what, communicate with each other so you have an idea of how labour intensive things are and how long they will take. This helps prevent one spouse becoming overloaded and resentful. Make sure that you both agree on training and coaching needs. Remember – you are not playing at shop! This is a business!

2.     ‘WORKABLE’ office space
This is important for everybody! You spend at least 8 hours a day in the work space – lavish a bit of TLC on it so your working days are easier and have less niggles. You don’t need to have a row because you are frustrated with the filing cabinet drawer not closing or because you have a headache from the lighting!

3.Have what consultants call an exit strategy
It’s likely you went into business together wanting to be able to earn enough money and retire early so you could enjoy life together … so what plans do you have in place now to do that? If you were looking at your business as an outsider, would you want to buy it? Do you have systems in place that an outsider could easily understand and work to keep your business as profitable as it is now? Is your customer database up to date? If not, start working on this now.

4.Prepare for the unexpected
What would happen if your spouse / business partner had an accident? Or worse? It pays to be prepared.  Know each others jobs well enough to take on their duties for at least a few days and make sure you have people you can trust to help out if something happens, the world is full of Virtual Assistants  with a huge range of skills these days, why not use one sometimes now to be prepared for the future? Also make sure you have financial security; wills, pensions, health insurance, income protection etc. We all want to think it will never happen to us but if it does a good financial advisor can stop additional stress and worry being piled onto you.

5.    Don’t forget to live now, go for lunch or on holiday together for fun sometimes, before you had the business (or the kids!) you had each other. If you want to enjoy that early retirement together invest time in your relationship now!

Small Business Advice tips for work at home couples

Hiring new employees is much easier with the help of criminal background checks. An employer must know as much information about their employees as possible. It is important to know that an employee will look out for the best interest of the business. If you hire someone who does not really care about the position they are taking, the business will end up suffering. Criminal background checks could keep dishonest employees away from your business. An employer should try to obtain as much information about their employees as possible. Criminal background checks are the best way to get the most information about a possible employee. With this information to help you make a decision, there will be less room for error.

Trust is one of the biggest aspects of creating a successful business. Keeping trustworthy employees is integral part of a successful business. Honest employees can help to build a strong business. These employers should certainly conduct a thorough criminal background check on all applicants to ensure the safety of both the employers and the employees. This will serve as their document and reference to ensure that they are hiring the right person for the job.

In general, employers should conduct criminal background checks on applicants to ensure the company’s safety and to avoid any risk that may arise. These checks should be a mandatory process in order to keep businesses running smoothly. If you hire someone without conducting a background check, you may be hiring a criminal. This could be negative for the business and cause them to lose money. Criminal background checks will help to avoid hiring the wrong employee.

Small Business Advice background checks, Criminal background checks, employment, employment screenings, hiring, new business, pre-employment screenings