One of the primary concerns all small businesses have is saving money. When it’s time to trim the fat, most look for one giant expense to decrease or eliminate in order to stay within budget. More often than not, it doesn’t work that way.
Most budgeting experts will tell you that re-evaluating your overall expenses and cutting each by just a bit will actually gain you more ground than doing without something major that you really need. Here are a few ideas of areas to look at and costs to reduce that can have a major impact on your overall profits.
1) Internet Access – Every online business owner must have access to the Web. But consider this. The market is so flooded with ISPs that you have a lot of room to dicker. Start by searching the Internet under keywords like “cheap internet access” or “discount isp” to bring up lists of possibilities. Then, do one of two things.
(a) Try some of these independent ISPs. Smaller companies can have high quality service and support just like the “big boys”. One business owner I know recently switched from Prodigy ($21.95/mth) to a smaller ISP that only charges $12.50/mth with no contracts. She actually liked the new provider better and it costs her about half as much. [Savings of $113.40 per year.]
(b) Renegotiate with your existing ISP. Most larger ISPs know you have a choice of a thousand other companies. Because of this, they are normally more than willing to renegotiate your costs. Be honest. Tell them you are a small business owner and you need to cut expenses. Explain that you’ve been pleased with their service but will be forced to go with someone else if some sort of arrangement isn’t worked out. Another friend of mine did this and received 6 months free! Most will offer 2-3 months free and/or a discount with an annual agreement. NOTE: When you approach your ISP, be fully prepared to switch to someone else if your offer is rejected. [Savings of $105.80 per year with 3 months free and reduced, annual rate.]
2) Switch From A Merchant Account To A Payment Service – If you have a low volume of credit card transactions, it might benefit you to switch from a merchant account to some sort of payment service like Pay Pal or ClickBank. Statement fees, monthly fees, discount percentages and the like can all add up to big money.
While payment services normally have reduced fees, they do have higher “per transaction” costs so you’ll have to do some math to find out if this is a good idea for your business. Just take an “average” invoice amount from a sale and multiply it times 12 to get a base total to work with. Now, add in your 12 months worth of fees for statement, monthly access, discount percentage, per transaction cost, etc. This is your “example” total. Do the same with several payment services using their costs to see which one, over time, would be less expensive for you.
If you were paying a $15 statement fee, $20 monthly fee, 3% + $.35 per transaction and $25 monthly gateway fee, your annual expenses would be $742.20 for an average transaction of $50.00. Your annual fees for a payment service with 3.5%, $1.00 per transaction and a one-time $50.00 set up charge would only be $83.00 per year. [Savings of $659.20 per year.]
3) Re-evaluate Your Long Distance Costs – Competition is the small business owner’s friend! With hundreds of long distance companies out there, you can drastically reduce your charges instantly. Again – use the ‘Net to search for inexpensive long distance service. A business owner I know changed from a MCI “program” to one of those 10-10 companies and reduced her per minute charge from $ .07 to $ .05. Depending on the volume of calls you make, some programs offer rates as low as $ .03 per minute. [Estimated savings of $20-$30 per year for 1,000 minutes.]
From just these three little things, we’ve saved an estimated $802.60 per year. That’s enough to make anyone’s spreadsheet sing! Go through your list of costs and you will most likely find other expenses that can easily be reduced with a bit of research and a phone call or two.
The book Jimmy Stewart Bomber Pilot is written by Starr Smith. James Stewart, known as Jimmy is the protagonist for Starr Smith’s book. The author has informed the readers about Jimmy Stewart’s services during the World War II. Jimmy Stewart is regarded as the most influential army person who rose on grades in U.S Air Force Reserve after his career in acting. He studied architecture from the Princeton University, started off as an actor and later he worked in the army after the attack on Pearl Harbor. There were many celebrities who served in the World War II but Jimmy Stewart was unique among them.
Starr Smith has described the services of Jimmy Stewart with an insight as he had chronicle which is embedded with Jimmy Stewart. This is an excellent book for those who consider themselves fans of Jimmy Stewart. Those who think that they know all about Jimmy Stewart will consider this book as a picture in motion that is completely based on the life of Jimmy Stewart as it methodically takes reader through the journey of his life.
What is more interesting in this book is that it delivers a lot of information that amazes the audiences.
One of the facts is that Jimmy Stewart led 20 missions over Germany and Europe during World War II which he meticulously carried out one after another and yet again when his services were required he went on taking command of flight during the Vietnamese War. Such heroism and never dying charisma of his made him an exemplar for many and it would appear most surprising especially to those who only know him as an actor. His endeavors for his country and the respect that he received for his services are unparalleled which could be traced back by going through the book which systematically describes his progress in U.S. Air Force Reserve allowing him to stand upland and appear as a prodigy for his followers and lovers. The book describes Jimmy Stewart as a man of his word and action.
The book is an excellent narration of the life of a volunteer, actor and yet an important public figure that compels the readers to read the book with curiosity. Those who read this book would agree to this fact that this book allows readers to read something worth knowing about someone’s life rather than just knowing the person’s achievements. Readers could learn a lot from the life of Jimmy Stewart as the book presents his great qualities and contributions that he has made for his country from his services as a patriotic man serving.