Don't spend any time thinking about the product, until you've discovered the market!Written by Noel Peebles
Make no mistake; there are literally thousands of potential tightly niched markets out there. Markets abound! Your first job is to find one, and discover what it is market wants. Then, and only then, do you consider what kind of products or services you might be able to supply to that market. Notice I said "wants" as opposed to their "needs." This may sound like a rather profound statement; but fastest way to a debtor's prison is to find a NEED and try to fill it. The market you want to find is one that really, definitely, badly wants things. Mothers want to know how they can nurture their children better, fishermen want to know how they can catch more (or bigger) fish etc. I mean it! If there's one thing I hope you really get from this article, this is it! There are different levels of need, starting with basics. We're talking about survival here. There is food, water, shelter, clothing and even paying taxes. These are things we need to have, or do, on a regular basis. Without fulfilling most of these needs, our very survival is threatened. We need to eat in order to survive, but we can still do so on food that tastes awful. People from third world countries often lack more than most basic food, but they can still continue to live on it. I've visited temples and monasteries in countries like Burma and Tibet, and seen monks eating their one small meal a day... same ghastly menu every day. These are places where food is not meant for enjoyment, but is needed for survival. There is a second level to these needs. We need tasty food. We need decent clothes, nice shelter etc. So are these things really needs? We need shelter, but do we need nice shelter? Do we really need tasty food and decent clothes. What we are talking about is "wants" as opposed to "needs." Think about it, things we need in order to survive, revolve around breathing oxygen, assimilating nutrients etc.
| | Choose The Right CPA For Your BusinessWritten by Maria Marsala
CPA's are more than just individuals who do your yearly taxes. They can advise you a long list of other services, which may include advice on your accounting system, financial, retirement, estate and tax planning. CPA's are part of a business owner's professional team along with a Banker and Lawyer.Ask for recommendations. Your local Chamber of Commerce will tell you names of CPAs who are members. When you attend any type of meeting, or meet other business owner's, ask for CPA recommendations. Use 60% rule. If you're a business owner, pick a CPA who has 60% of their business coming from business owner's -like you! They're more apt to keep up with laws regarding clients they deal with most often. If you're a corporation, make sure that person specializes in corporate accounting, including financial statements, audits, etc. Interview CPAs! Ask what type of services they do for their clients, how long they've been in business full time, and for referrals, etc. Don't forget to ask to see their license. Ask them about benefits of choosing them over another CPA. Rates Ask about their rates and what those rates include. If they have a rate chart, all better! Also, ask what their hourly rate is and what cost would be to answer questions during year. Ask Them About Record Keeping Ask what computer program they prefer you use for your record keeping and why they prefer that program. Many times, if you use program they suggest, it can save you some money because they can use your data files. Some even have programs they'll set up especially for you!
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