Weston and Amber Berry are serving the youth of Egypt. They present a great example of how I envision the teamwork approach to serving God by serving others. They are part of the group that is called to "go" while many of the rest of us are called to "send." The truth of the matter is that it takes finances for people like the Berrys to go,  which is where we as business people and professionals come in. We can take that which God has entrusted to us and invest into the work that the Berrys and others are doing.

Click here for more information about Weston and Amber and their ministry in Egypt. If so inclined, you can donate online by clicking on the "Donate" button at the bottom of their page.

One of the most common occurrences at the Small Business Development Center is people inquiring about government grants for their businesses.  They have seen the ads on TV or the internet and have high hopes and expectations that the government is handing out tens of thousands of dollars (or more) to anyone wanting to start a business.  It’s bad to be the bearer of bad news, but you probably need to develop another plan for funding your business because government grants for starting a normal, for-profit business are virtually nonexistent.

One of the most commonly neglected items in small businesses is marketing.  Far too often, business owners mistakenly think all they have to do is open their doors and customers will beat a path to the establishment.  Unfortunately, it usually doesn’t work that way for most people.  As a result, marketing then becomes a critical part of the overall business strategy and one of the key elements of marketing is effective promotion of the business.  How can a small entity effectively get its message heard and stand out from the crowd when there is so much “noise” from national chains and big companies?

A business owner is in a dilemma. She is trying to decide if a new project for her business is a good idea. The venture will require $150,000 investment up front and will generate $50,000 per year in net cash flow (after expenses and taxes) for the next five years, after which the project ends with no salvage value and no further income. Should she jump on the opportunity or pass? Let’s look at some tools an entrepreneur can use to evaluate potential business projects to determine if they are worthwhile investments or uses of the company’s limited resources.

You’ve discovered a great business idea, done your research, determined success is probable, and developed a great plan to launch and guide the endeavor.  Now all you need is the money to turn your dream into reality.  Raising the necessary capital for a new venture can often be the most challenging aspect of getting a new business off the ground.  Unless you are one of the fortunate few who can self-fund the project, you must find other sources of money, the proverbial OPM (Other People’s Money).  In the financial arena, this funding will usually fall into one of two main categories – debt and equity.  Which one is better?  The answer, like so many others, is – it depends.

Ever wondered how many sales are required to cover your company’s monthly or
annual expenses?  What about calculating how much additional revenue would have
to be generated to justify a bigger building or an additional staff member? 
These questions and more can be answered with a very important management tool –
breakeven.  In addition to being very helpful in assessing a business’ current
situation, breakeven analysis can play an important role in evaluating future
business decisions.