Business Credit Cards are Essential

If you are running a business out of your home, then there are many details that you need to keep in mind. You should probably be reading up on as much information that you can get a hold of on having a business at home. One of the most essential pieces of running a business from home that you absolutely need to know from the start is to get a business credit card to use for everything related to your business.

Unfortunately, as a business consultant, I have talked with far too many business owners that come to me after failing at running a home based business. Why? Well, there are a wide range of reasons why people would fail at owning and running a home business, but the surprising number one reason I found for failure was poor management of finances. Far too many people do not invest into a business credit card when they first begin, and that is a very dangerous thing to do.

I thought that the importance of having a business credit card was obvious, but maybe it is not. A business credit card ultimately allows the home based business owner to have the freedom to keep their personal finances and their business finances separate. This is essential throughout the year and obviously when it comes to tax season as well. There is no reason why the finances of a home should be mixed up with the finances of a business. Keeping the two accounts as separate as possible is good in the long run.

There are many ways to apply for a business credit card, but you may want to talk with a business consultant before you make a choice on a card. There are many business credit card offers flying around and it makes it hard to know what is up and what is down when you are sorting through the offers without a good take on what to look for. So make a meeting with a business consultant or talk with a friend who is business savvy before making any decisions about a business credit card.

The bottom line for home based business owners is that they need to look for ways to separate their business even though it is done in the home. This will be impossible without the use of a business credit card. So apply for one today and see what a difference it will make to the organization and success of your business.

Remember that when you are looking to save money, count on your trusted business partner, Business Network Long Distance!

The Real Cost of Cellphones

The rage of social media --- texting, Facebook, on-line shopping, on-line banking and bill paying has cost employers millions of dollars in paid out wages to employees playing on the job. Profits are lost due to a decrease in productivity. In addition to paying current wages, employers have been forced to hire specialist to track employee quality and quantity of work, as well as, invest in Spyware to make sure that the time employees spend on-line is for business purposes.

            In analyzing how much employee cell phone usage cost an employer. An example of 10 employees who earn $15 an hour that check their cell phones for 3 minutes every other hour on an 8-hour shift. (3 minutes multiplied by 4 times a day= 12 minutes). Those 10 employees multiplied by 12 minutes daily= 120 minutes total then multiplied by 5 days a week= 600 minutes or 10 hours, which equals $150 dollars a week. Yearly the cumulative cost for those 10 employees checking and responding to email and Facebook for one year is a staggering $7,800 dollars in lost wages and 520 hours in lost productivity. Believe it or not the above example of an employee using only 12 minutes a day used for social media is extremely conservative.

            What do you think your employees are doing on their phones?  Don’t let that be a company expense.  Cell phones in the work place are a major distraction for employees, which create not only losses in payroll and productivity, but also create an unsafe work environment as well. Cell phones are hurting both large and small companies. In order to put money back into your company start by saving money on your business landlines by choosing Business Network Long Distance as an alternative long-distance provider. 

A Way to Contact Your Customers

How do you contact your customers?

Is Your Business Line Secure?

The wireless cell phone currently in your pocket or purse is considered to be private personal property.  However, the wireless system in which calls are made on that phone are not private information, according to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Cell phones have become a governmental instrument acquiring huge amounts of information via wireless connections.  Even more true is big businesses have been tapping and storing information, for their own private use, and have moved simultaneously to outsourcing from specialized companies.  The bottom line is that information on wireless cellular phones are prone to becoming public data. 

When choosing the right long distance company you want your business information to be kept safe and the price to be in the budget.   Business Network Long Distance understands the needs of a company and privacy details that are essential shouldn't be overlooked.  When important business transactions are being handled privacy issues can be avoided by procuring and maintaining a land line phone; keeping business dealings safe and secure. 

Flat Rates Take the Guesswork Out of Pricing

From taxi rides to long distance phone service, a shift towards flat-rate pricing models is becoming more noticeable these days as vendors focus on the value of their services. A growing number of consumer service providers are adopting a flat rate pricing structure because of its ability to attract customers.

More and more budget-conscious consumers are choosing flat rates because they prefer to know up front how much they will pay. This is useful in promotional communications when service providers want to emphasize the value proposition they’re offering for the price. You've probably seen the U.S. Post Office’s “if it fits, it ships” commercials that promote their flat rate priority mail. In other words, if it’s possible for you to stuff a refrigerator inside one of their flat rate boxes, they promise to ship it at the set price.

The shift in pricing trends is evident in Birmingham, Alabama, where taxicabs are offering taxi services at a set rate, quoted to customers prior to the ride. But not all cab drivers are embracing fixed pricing schemes. By contrast, the taxi drivers in Charleston, SC, don’t like the city’s mandated $5 flat rate for all downtown fares. The Post and Courier reports that cab drivers say the flat fares cover expenses, but leave little room for profit.

More than half of consumers prefer to pay a flat fee for financial planning services, according to a new survey recently issued by the Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association (LIMRA). The report reveals that 55 percent of consumers favor paying an advisor a flat fee to develop and implement a plan for retirement income.

Flat-rate pricing has already made inroads into long distance and wireless telephone service. Business Network Long Distance keeps its rates the same in order take the guess work out of long distance service for its residential customers. What makes flat rates even more compelling to Business Network Long Distance customers is how simple it is to figure out their phone bill.