In this time of great need, any option to sell is mostly something that a lot of people are looking for, just so as to be able to have ready cash that they can use on expenditures or in paying for outstanding debts. In many cases, it’s for the latter than the former. Lacking any other forms of ready cash or income, and in most cases, heavily burdened by debt, a lot of homeowners are currently backed up with financial dilemmas and are sadly made so desperate by the sheer number of debts they have incurred and compounded by piling expenses that they are left with one very basic, almost primitive thought for a way out: sell the house.

While it may really sound like the solution is just as bad as the problem, the truth is, done properly and with a lot of thought, selling the house you own and live in may actually allow you to not only earn enough to stave off debt collectors and lenders, it may even help you pay off your entire debt. On top of this, should the sale of the house be substantial, the homeowner who sold the house may even have surplus income which could be used in relatively less frugal purposes, since the trend today with finances is the removal of expenses that are deemed to be frivolities and just stick to frugality.

Now that we have established that there are significant benefits to selling your house, let us take a look at the particular costs that are involved in selling your house:

Standing home loan – It goes without saying that a homeowner who has taken out a mortgage or two on their home is in no position to sell the house for as long as they have not completely paid off the loan. Carefully plan out how you intend to complete the payment to your standing loan, since there are lenders that practice giving a penalty to early payers, as strange as that may be to some. Also consider that there may be some other fees and payments that need to be dealt with before your loan is completely settled, so it may be a good idea to get in writing every payment included in settling the loan, just so that there is no confusion or loose ends that are left.

Commission – Money that goes to the broker, known as the commission is often the largest expense in the entire process of selling a house, ranging anywhere from 5% to 7% of the selling price. Different real estate agencies will typically charge different rates, so it may be a good idea to ask around and see which particular real estate agencies can offer you a god deal, or that agency where you stand to get the most value for what they charge. Some real estate agencies will even allow a homeowner to market their own homes, although unless you have a natural gift for selling, the sales industry is hardly a place for amateurs.

Closing expense – Following the amount that goes into the commission of the broker who helped sell your house, another significant expenditure is the closing cost. Closing costs are typically made up of the title insurance expense, which is a huge amount in itself, pro-rated property taxes, which is rarely anywhere near the amount you expect it to be, document preparation fees, and, of course, legal fees for the services of a lawyer. Closing costs are rarely standard, so be sure to get a good estimate well ahead of the due date of closing.

Business plan development is considered a necessary evil by many entrepreneurs – it is the process of creating a document which will help them pitch to investors and lenders. However, funding aside, you will improve your chances of business success if you take business plan development seriously.

Planning Does Help

It is a simple “out” for entrepreneurs to throw their hands up, saying “If so much of business is about flying by the seat of my pants, reacting to opportunities and threats and they arise, and changing plans continuously, there is no reason to plan for my own purposes. Certainly, a plan will be required by funders, but that plan does not have to have any similarity to the tactics which are used in the end.”

However, planning does help, even if the plan needs adjustment down the road. A plan can zero in on alternative strategies which might work and throw out those which do not fit the company’s intended brand, customer markets, or competitive situation. Without a written plan, the company is in danger of trying out strategies which seem to make sense on the surface, but really lack a good fit with the company in the long-run.

Keeping the Team Consistent

Another major reason to plan is to keep all team members on the same track. Without a written guide setting out the mission and strategy to achieve that mission, different managers may develop their own ideas about the priorities of the company and end up working at cross purposes. To serve this purpose, the business plan must be shared between the managers at least. The managers must all work to pass on guidance to their staff based on the plan.

Setting a Reflective Tone

It is extremely easy for entrepreneurs and small business owners to be caught up in the action of running their businesses on a day-to-day basis and consider reflection on where the company has come from and is going to be a luxury. Being serious about business plan development from the outset sets reflection as a priority for the company, and a business launched on this foundation stands a better chance of continuing to use planning as a tool going forward. When taken in balance with action and awareness of the present situation, reflection and planning can serve the business well.”

The federal government does not often come in for much praise, but its work in helping the cash-strapped when it comes to borrowing money has been an extremely popular move.

While people normally went online just to surf the Net or send e-mail and chat, now they are increasingly seeking online payday loans, a reflection of the hard financial times in the country. As long as the recession continues, people will be out looking for quick money to tide them over in times of crisis.

Now, there is nothing to be embarrassed about in seeking online payday loans and millions of Americans have done it or are doing it. Just ask around which site to visit for the best rates and you will be astounded with the feedback from even close friends and family members. Their information on the subject is a clear indicator they have also gone to the Internet in order to get a short-term loan.

The attraction

With interest rates under control, the government has managed to make online payday loans attractive to the borrower. Strict regulation has also meant there is little room for lenders on the web to gyp you when it comes to interest rates and repayment plans.

True, there are some bad eggs out there but prudent research will help you sort out the bad from the good. The government is also closely monitoring sites to ensure they fulfill all security requirements to prevent any personal information being leaked out.

Washington fully realizes the importance of getting a quick loan to the common man and going online is the best and easiest way to arrange for the fast cash. The clampdown on interest rates followed an apparent realization on the part of the government that more and more people were looking for quick cash but were being throttled by lenders charging unrealistic rates.

Realizing citizens were facing hard times, the government decided to make the loan option more attractive with the interest rate curbs. It is a move that has gone down well with people in need of money in a hurry, which seems to be everyday.

If only 10% of businesses succeed – you want to make sure you’re one of them. This business plan layout will help you do that.

Most businesses fail because they run out of cash. Even highly profitable businesses can run into cashflow problems if they try to expand too fast for their level funding.

Your business plan strategy has to match your level of ambition to the level of funding you can reasonably expect to invest. If you can’t acquire sufficient investment, you have to reduce your ambition.

So, one of the most important outcomes of the business planning process is to decide on your ambition and work out the level of investment required and how you intend to fund it.

If you’re requesting a loan, the lender will expect your business plan to clearly show how you intend to spend the loan capital and that the business can generate sufficient cash to service the debt in terms of both interest and capital repayments.

If you’re aiming to attract equity finance, the investor will expect your business plan to indicate the expected return-on-investment as well as the likely exit strategy and timescale. This will then be compared to other opportunities they may have under consideration.

For it be fit for purpose, you have to write a business plan according to who will read it. Lenders and investors are busy people, so you need to provide the answers they require within the first 1 or 2 pages of the plan. They can then decide whether they’re interested enough to read further. So, the business plan outline should begin as follows:

1. Executive Summary

Now, whatever your level of ambition, the market has to be large enough to satisfy it, especially when you take into account the extent of the competition you’ll encounter. So, the business plan has to show an analysis of the market opportunity and how you intend to exploit it with your products and services. It also needs to show how you plan to market your brand and attract customers. This leads us to define the next 3 sections of your business plan:

2. Market Analysis
3. Products and Services
4. Marketing Plan

OK, you’ve explained your market, what you intend to supply to that market and how you intend to market your products or services.
Now you need to explain the infrastructure you’ll need in order to deliver the products or services and how you arrived at your present position. If a potential lender or investor doesn’t think your business is equipped with the right capability and experience, they won’t be inclined to invest. This leads us to define the next 2 sections of your business plan:

5. Company Background
6. Company Structure

The section on Company Structure should include any resources, equipment or systems you have or will require in order to deliver your products or service. It is quite likely that you’ll be using some of the funding to create the Company Infrastructure.
There is one more essential section that any lender or investor will expect and that relates to risk. You need to show that you’ve considered areas of risk and how you might mitigate for them. I tend to refer to this section as:

7. Business Analysis

In this section you should include your S.W.O.T. Analysis (An assessment of Internal Strengths and Weaknesses and External Opportunities and Threats) and a Sensitivity Analysis (An assessment of how far certain parameters can move for the business to remain viable).
If they’re interested in evaluating the opportunity, they’ll need to take a closer look at the numbers.
So, they’ll expect to be able to view your projections for Profit and Loss, Cashflow, Balance Sheet and a Sources and Use of Funds Statement. This we’ll refer to as:

8. Business Financials

Finally, if you’ve referenced any material or wish to include any supporting information it’s better to avoid cluttering the main body of your document and add it all in a section at the end:

9. References and Appendices

And that’s it. For a lot more detail about why this 9-section structure works and exactly what to include in each section, you can read my book:

The Heart of Business Success – How to overcome the Catch-22s of growing your business

To obtain your copy, please visit: http://www.theheartofbusinesssuccess.com
Good luck!

Writing a small business plan should be guided by some standard general principles. The plan will especially be useful when it comes to seeking funds for the enterprise. The tone of the plan should be appealing enough to attract prospective lenders. All the same, so much in the content of the plan will be determined by the type of funding that one is looking for. All this is about the target audience.

The outline of the plan needs to be standard depending on the target audience. Think through the audience carefully so that you can determine which plan to adopt. Once you are done with the outline, gather the necessary information on what should be covered in the plan. You need to describe the nature of the business, the scope, the number of years in operation, number of employees and names of partners or proprietor. If possible, also include the market growth and customer profiles.

The next bit is one that reflects on the financial position of the business. It also indicates how much the enterprise is asking for. The financial projections should be realistic and should be backed with solid data from your accountant if they are to be deemed as the correct position of the enterprise. A budget on how the enterprise plans to spend the amount acquired through the funding should also be included in this bit.

All the above details should then be captured in an executive summary. The essence is to capture the key points in each major section of the plan. Here, the payback requirements on the loan should also be highlighted. Review and edit the whole document, keeping in mind that this is the only shot you have got to make a good impression.