Increasing Your Business Through Networking

Many people do not realize that they can increase their businesses by 25%, 50% and even 100% by simply liaising with other like-minded professionals as they.

Business networking groups are making waves as they are contributing to the success of businesses. They mostly take advantage of the world's best technique of growing business: word-of-mouth. The technique may seem rudimentary, but it appears to still have the center-stage when it comes to advertising.

The import of word-of-mouth program has been brought to the limelight by BNI, a business networking organization which has over 6,200 active chapters and 140,000 members in about 50 countries in the world. With regards to business referrals, BNI is widely recognized as the most successful organization in this domain. This success is based on principles that ensure that qualified referrals are made. Qualified referrals are serious in nature with the potential of positively impacting the business network. For this purpose BNI provides a structured system and a supportive environment for its members to give and receive business.

Indeed BNI founder, Dr. Ivan Misner strongly believes that "Givers Gain" and this philosophy is communicated to BNI members to encourage them to bring referrals to other members as "what goes around, comes around".

BNI employs an effective word-of-mouth method to help increase the business opportunities of members through worthy, beneficial relationships with business professionals. Over time, BNI has proven that successful businesses flourish through word-of-mouth strategy. It is another major advantage that new participants are guaranteed to gain in a business networking group of this nature.

If you are a business person or professional, you have the choice of increasing your business as much as you desire: all you may require is to get in touch with a BNI chapter closest to you and start participating in referral meetings. In Australia alone, members of BNI reported generating more than $A200 million from business referrals in the year 2011.

Referral meetings are regular meetings where participating members have the possibility of finding their dream referrals to boost their business. But while expecting to get referrals, members are also exhorted to come with their own referrals for the benefits of the other members: for more effective results members share their business cards, website address or brochures with one another. This way, the various members of the business networking chapter could be playing the role of sales representatives for one another; indeed if they met people they think will benefit from the service or products of a fellow member, they aptly recommend him.

BNI meetings are generally held weekly. In as much as personal presence of BNI members is ideal during these meetings, it is obvious that it will not always be possible. In that case members can plan for substitutes. Substitutes are simply people that you are confident enough that they can ably represent your business. They are also considered by BNI to be great sources of referrals.

Nobody and no business is either too small or too big to network with others. But to effectively do this and avoid disappointment it is advisable to go through established groups. However, it is worth noting that how well you will do in a business networking group will also depend on your capabilities and your drive.

Financial and time commitment is a very important factor to take into consideration when planning to join a business networking group like BNI. This determines the level of success you will get by virtue of your membership.

In a nutshell, we can say that participating in a business networking organization like BNI helps you gain the following:

Patience: the fact that it takes time to build relationships with members of the chapter and to get to understand their business helps you grow more patient about the realization of your ambitions. You could use time to your benefit.

commitment: at BNI you learn to stick to your desire until you see it materialized.

Learning new things: you are exposed to new knowledge, new businesses and therefore are presented with opportunities to probably make new choices.

Low cost advertising: you do not need to spend much money to organize advertisement or run public relations for your business. Your fellow networking members have become the voice for your business.

As the saying goes "no man is an island". To do well in your chosen field of endeavor, there is need to rub minds together with others. Networking with others has become the necessary requirement for sustainable success. And business networking offers the necessary impetus needed to take your business to the next level.

Stephen and Kerrie Butler operate the Business Sustainability Institute, they partner with small and medium size businesses to fix their problems and help realise their dreams.

Contents Insurance for Your Business

If you run a business one of your biggest concerns will be your business property.

Unfortunately many a small businessman has been awoken at night by intruders in his shop below or by the remote office premises alarm phoning his mobile at four in the morning.

As a business person your property will always be at risk. Fortunately business property contents insurance is available which will cover all risks to which an enterprise large or small, may be exposed. This insurance cover is available either to business property tenants or lease-holders or to owner occupiers who keep business contents at the premises.

One of the largest risks to business property is from theft and in particular the business property contents.

Thieves though rarely known to steal buildings but regularly attack commercial premises for the contents.

Consequently, a business contents insurance policy will be rated for theft on two major counts.

Primarily the location of the building where the contents are kept. If you run your business in a high risk theft area as defined by the insurance company statistics, then you pay a lot more to protect your business possessions.

Secondly the cost of covering your businesses tangible assets is determined by the value of the property kept at the business premises. If you keep stock or equipment that is considered a high risk for theft, then the premiums quoted will reflect this.

High risk stock items include goods which are easily portable and can be resold for cash, including audio, video and television equipment, cigarettes, cigars and tobacco, designer clothing, computers and digital equipment and software, computer games, drugs, pharmaceuticals and medicines, precious metals and jewellery, mobiles, telephones and radios, cameras, photographic equipment, power tools,DVDs, CDs, trophies, wines, alcohol and spirits. If your business premises contains any of these items you will need to calculate the total value of each when applying for cover.

All content insurance polices for commercial insurance will ask you to declare the replacement value of all the goods on the property. Usually the total value is divided into sums insured, in separate sections for business equipment like tables and chairs, computer equipment, electrical equipment, filing and data, business stock, high risk stock, machinery and all other property.

Many small business insurance policies provide provision for contents insurance for all types of buildings and businesses, however some for some risks the policy may be issued subject to conditional clauses.

Depending upon the location of the premises a business insurer may well impose tough restrictions as to the storage and security of the property and its contents. This may include approved alarms, CCTV, security patrols, window grills and bars, and certain types of locks, all of which will also help to keep the premium costs down as they attract large discounts if fitted.

Business contents insurance policies also contain provision for all material damage and loss caused by a long list of perils, including fire and flood. Some companies may put restrictions upon the policy if your business postcode is in a known flood risk area.

Contents insurance for small business is usually sold as a package offering all risks cover for a particular property type. Cover is widely available from numerous online insurance company offerings and price comparison sites. Typical small business contents insurance packages are available online for shops, office, pubs, hotels, restaurants, surgeries and most home based businesses.

Contents insurance packages for small business usually include a range of additional or optional covers which protect the contents from other risks. One such cover is Business interruption insurance which protects gross profits of the company if the stock or contents are destroyed. Another frequently available is Goods in transit cover which protects a businesses goods and contents away from the premises, in transit either to or from the place of work or delivery

Larger enterprises with multiple risk addresses and high value contents will need to seek the services of a business insurance broker who can advise on the appropriate covers required for the enterprise.

In such a case business contents insurance would be covered under what is known as a Combined Commercial insurance policy. These polices are available for all business types who do not fit a package policy and require contents insurance.

Alternative Sources of Business Growth Finance: There Is More Than One Way to Fund Growth

Talk to any business owner or read the business section of any newspaper and you're likely to come across stories of struggles to access sufficient finance to grow or maintain their business. But we are beginning to witness a change in how business owners access finance with many now actively seeking out alternative sources.

A survey carried out by the UK's Forum of Private Business found that 26% of businesses were hunting out alternative financial products, with 21% seeking them outside of the traditional main High Street lenders. In fact, in another survey undertaken by the Federation of Small Businesses, it was discovered that only 35% of respondents used a traditional overdraft facility in 2011.

So, if banks are continually reluctant to lend to all but the lowest risk businesses, how can the remainder of the UK's business population finance growth? Here are some of the increasingly popular alternative sources of finance to investigate.

Better Management of Working Capital

This may appear to be an odd source of finance but very often businesses are sitting on undiscovered cash reserves which can be used to finance growth. A report issued by Deloitte in 2011 revealed that the UK's largest businesses were sitting on £60 billion of unproductive working capital. Inefficiencies in how working capital (debtors, stock and creditors) is handled can unnecessarily tie up your cash. Cash can be unlocked and released back in to the system thereby allowing self-financed growth plans by taking a close look at credit procedures, how credit terms are granted and how outstanding payments are chased.

Ensuring that stock is kept at an optimum level via better inventory management is another area where cash can be released to support and finance growth. Take a good look at your inventory management process and identify areas where cash is trapped.

Good management of working capital is not just about better control of debtors and stock, it is also about maximising the terms given by creditors. Are you too eager to maintain a first class relationship with your suppliers by paying well before the due date? You can positively impact your cash position by taking full advantage of terms offered by your suppliers. Have you fully leveraged your position by seeking an extensive of terms from say 30 days to 45 days?

Being more efficient in how working capital is managed can release sufficient funds to self-finance growth plans.

Personal Resources

With traditional avenues of funding being more difficult to access business owners are now looking to their personal resources to fund growth. Whether it be drawing on cash savings, using personal credit cards or taking additional mortgages on residential properties, such sources are an instant solution. A survey by the Federation of Small Businesses found that 33% of respondents had utilised their savings to fund growth. As well as being more immediately accessible using personal resources is often a cheaper source of finance.

Family and Friends

Sometimes referred to as the three F's - family, friends and fools - this can appear to be a less stressful way of raising finance. In some ways it can but it can also be a journey fraught with danger. Tapping into their personal network business owners source finance by either seeking a loan and offering to pay an interest rate higher than that on offer on a High Street savings account, or offering a slice of equity in the business in return for investment.

Raising finance in this way can be relatively easy because the request and fulfilment is very much based on personal trust. Typically a Business Plan would be presented highlighting both the investment opportunity and the risks but at the end of the day success is down to the depth of the relationship and level of trust.

The danger in raising funds this way is that the nature of the relationship will change from that of a personal nature to a business transaction. Failure to regularly pay as per agreed terms, or even total failure to pay, can irreparably damage the relationship so tread with care.

Asset Finance

The Asset Finance industry is based on the concept of either preserving cash or speeding up access to it. Asset finance, which consists of invoice discounting, factoring and funding of asset purchases, has been available as a source of finance for many years, yet it's only now gaining more recognition. Figures released by the Asset Based Finance Association, a trade association representing the industry, show that to the third quarter of 2011 the amount financed by the Association's members increased by 9% compared to the same period in the previous year. Whilst the increase may not seem significant it is against the backdrop of a fall in traditional bank lending.

In a world where 'cash is king' asset financiers help preserve cash by financing the purchase of assets such as vehicles, machinery and equipment. Because the financier is looking to the underlying asset as security there is usually no requirement for additional collateral. According to the Asset Finance and Leasing Association one in three UK businesses that have external finance now utilise asset finance.

Asset financiers can help speed up the flow of cash within a business by allowing quicker access to cash tied up in the debtor book. An invoice discounting and factoring facility gives businesses the ability to immediately access up to 80% of an invoice instead of waiting for the agreed credit terms to run their course. Such finance facilities will speed up the velocity of cash within the business thereby allowing the business to fund a high rate of growth.

New players such as Market Invoice are entering the market to allow businesses to raise finance against selected invoices. Tapping into high net worth individuals and funds Market Invoice acts as an auction house with funders 'bidding' to advance against certain invoices.

Crowfunding and Peer-to-Peer

A relatively new phenomenon is the concept of raising finance by tapping into the power of the crowd. The historically low rates of interest payable on savings have led to depositors seeking out new ways to increase their returns. With business owners struggling to raise the funding they need it's only natural that a market would be created to bring these two parties together.

CrowdCube entered the market in 2010 to match private investors seeking to be Dragons with those businesses looking to raise capital. Once a business passes the initial review stage their proposal is posted on the site and potential investors indicate the level of investment they wish to make with the minimum amount being as low as £10.

Businesses looking for a more traditional loan should consider Funding Circle. Established in 2010 Funding Circle also matches individual investors looking for a better return with those businesses seeking additional finance. Businesses can apply for funding between £5,000 and £250,000 for a period of 1, 3 or 5 years. As a minimum the business has to have submitted two years Accounts with Companies House and be assessed in order to arrive at a risk rating which guides potential investors.

As the crowd sourcing concept matures we are likely to see more players enter this market to capitalise on the need for better investor returns and easier access to business finance.

There is More Than One Way to Fund Growth

Accessing finance to fund growth plans does not have to be difficult if you are prepared to seek out alternative providers. Funding growth is now no longer the exclusive preserve of the traditional High Street bank and it's now down to business owners to seek out the alternative routes.