Profit-Building Strategies for Business Owners articles from May 1992

Profit-Building Strategies for Business Owners archives from May 1992

How to check that pension funds are invested safely. (Business Money Management)
May 1, 1992... It's hard to read a newspaper or watch a news program without being reminded of problems in the insurance industry. The collapse of the junk-bond and commercial real-estate markets has undermined the assets of many insurance companies that...

Should you lease equipment or buy it outright? (Business Money Management)
May 1, 1992... Should you lease or buy the new equipment your business needs? Despite the importance of comparing total cost, a study of costs alone may not enable you to make the best decision. Also important are such factors as availability of capital,...

Know the right questions to ask when you're shopping for a franchise. (includes related articles) (Managing for Sucess)
May 1, 1992... Buying a franchise is an increasingly popular way out of today's common career dilemmas -- hitting a dead end in a big corporation or losing a job. Many corporate dropouts and victims of mergers, consolidations and retrenchment have joined...

What you should expect your business to do for you. (Managing for Sucess)
May 1, 1992... People start businesses for different reasons. Years of working and earning profits for someone else make many folks yearn to be in charge of their own destiny. Others move to fill a commercial niche that needs filling. Others, forced out of...

Working at home? Your neighbor may object. (Managing for Sucess)
May 1, 1992... Some home businesses arouse community opposition because they cause increased noise or traffic or offensive odors. A home office that's unobtrusive, however, seldom upsets the neighbors. Most cities and towns have zoning laws prohibiting...

Dealings between your corporation and "related taxpayers" - including yourself. (Tax-Saving Strategies)
May 1, 1992... Most expenses your corporation incurs in the ordinary conduct of its business can be deducted in full on its tax return. The requirements are easy to meet. The expenses must be "ordinary" and "necessary" and also "reasonable." You generally...

Successor corporation not liable for product defect of predecessor. (Legal Update)
May 1, 1992... A partnership that manufactured roll bending machines sold, a machine to another company in 1949. Then in 1950 one partner bought out the other, and continued to run the manufacturing business as a sole proprietor. In 1954, the remaining...

Brother takes too long to assert ownership in family venture. (Legal Update)
May 1, 1992... Donald was part owner of a small food brokerage company which his brother, Richard, eventually ran. Donald also developed a fortified skim milk product and entered into negotiations with an oil pipeline company through its subsidiary, Nutri...

What's the time limit for bringing a wrongful discharge suit? (Legal Update)
May 1, 1992... A worker at Sears' merchandise distribution center suffered a number of job-related injuries. Sears placed him on leave each time and reinstated him when he was able to work. Then he suffered another injury, went on medical leave, and filed...

Managing employees effectively is an art, not a matter of luck. (Employee Relations)
May 1, 1992... Luck usually has little to do with low absentee rates and other factors that indicate good employee morale. If an owner is well liked by his or her workers and goes out of the way to be helpful, they don't stay home unless they're seriously...

Change your management approach with young, inexperienced workers. (Employee Relations)
May 1, 1992... When you're used to a crew that knows its way around your workplace, it's natural to forget that inexperienced young workers come in with a blank slate. If working for you is a first job, give them special education at the outset to prevent...

An ounce of prevention will protect you under the new civil rights bill. (Employee Relations)
May 1, 1992... Most of the attention on the new civil rights law focuses on lawsuits and defending yourself and your company's behavior to a jury. That's closing the barn door after the horse has escaped. The best way to handle a discrimination lawsuit is...

Hints that an employee may be stealing from you. (Employee Relations)
May 1, 1992... Studies show that 20% to 25% of the workforce will cheat when the stakes are high and supervision is low. About 10% will cheat no matter what. So while you can reduce dishonest employee behavior by improving supervision and instituting...

Losses on the sale of your home: deductible only if you use home for business. (Personal Finance Checklist)
May 1, 1992... When you sell your home at a profit, you have the opportunity to defer your gain by buying another home that costs at least the same, if not more, within two years after the sale. But that tax break doesn't help when you sell your house at a...

Sublet strategy when you want to move before your lease is up. (Professional Counselor)
May 1, 1992... My corporation signed a seven-year lease two years ago, but business has now expanded and we are overcrowded in our present space. We could manage for another two years or so, but then we d have to move, since no other space is available in...

How to get started doing business overseas. (Sales and Marketing)
May 1, 1992... The upsurge in doing business in foreign lands has enhanced the climate for small companies to export American goods. Opportunities for the little guy to share in the global riches keep increasing if you have products with good export...

Should your retail salespeople be on commission? (Sales and Marketing)
May 1, 1992... The small retailer's edge is to give the kind of personal service that discounters and many large department stores don't, or can't, provide. Since success comes with building on your advantage, the service arm of your operation is key. But...

What salesperson shouldn't do when new buyer appears on the scene. (Sales and Marketing)
May 1, 1992... In dealing with business customers, good salespeople build a roster of clients they can deal with comfortably. This comes after they've compiled a reliable truck record in living up to promises, and the customer responds by giving repeat...