Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Stephen King serves as President & CEO of GrowthForce , the leading outsourced accounting and bookkeeping service provider for businesses. I'll cut to the chase: The business strategy you outline as a startup should not be the business strategy you continue using as a growing business. And neither should well-established companies allow their business plans to become static. As your small business grows and other forces of change—such as the economy, market and your industry—impact your operations, supply chain and market demand, you need to regularly revisit your business plan to ensure you're continually aligning your strategy with your current goals. This way, your plan remains relevant and keeps your company and all of its leaders on track. Knowing When To Reassess Your Business Plan When you reassess your business strategy, you'll reconsider your goals, operations, target audience, core … [Read more...] about Is It Time To Reassess Your Business Strategy?
Business
Sentoria plans private placement to raise funds for property development business
- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 30): Sentoria Group Bhd aims to raise as much as RM15.31 million via a private placement, mainly for working capital requirements of its property development business. The proposed exercise will entail the placement of up to 113.4 million new shares — representing 20% of its 557.68 million issued shares — at a price to be determined later, the property developer and resort operator said in a filing. However, Sentoria said that based on an illustrative issue price of 13.5 sen a share — a discount of 9.46% to the five-day volume-weighted-average-market-price of its shares up to Sept 20 of 14.91 sen — it expects to raise up to RM15.31 million from the fund-raising exercise. Of the proceeds, Sentoria said it has ring-fenced RM15.12 million for working capital requirements — RM12.1 million for operating expenses of its property development business, and RM3.02 million for its resort operating business — while the remaining RM190,000 is … [Read more...] about Sentoria plans private placement to raise funds for property development business
Dow Drops Over 450 Points, Markets Sink Following Flurry Of Worrisome Economic Data
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Fueled by a drop in big technology stocks and pandemic darlings, the market tanked Thursday as investors backed off of Wednesday’s cautious optimism, with several macroeconomic indicators highlighting recession concerns and fears of more hawkish monetary policy. Key Facts The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.5%, or 458 points, reversing its 540-point gain a day prior, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq fell 2.8% and the S&P 500 2.1%. Investors reacted negatively to employment data revealing a tighter-than-expected labor market, interpreting it as fuel for the Federal Reserve to pursue further interest rate hikes. Several other economic indicators further spooked the market, including surging mortgage rates, a declining U.S. economy and the British government digging into its controversial economic policy. “Labor market conditions will likely keep the Fed on track to aggressively tighten … [Read more...] about Dow Drops Over 450 Points, Markets Sink Following Flurry Of Worrisome Economic Data
Americans Now Paying 15% More On Mortgage Payments Compared To Last Month As Rates Surge
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Americans are paying 15% more on mortgage payments now than six weeks ago, according to data released Thursday by real estate brokerage Redfin, as the market continues to bleaken for prospective home buyers amid a mortgage-rate spike. Key Facts The typical monthly mortgage payment on the median asking price home is $2,547, the highest level since Redfin began tracking the metric in 2015. That is a 15% increase from August 14 and a 50% jump from this time in 2021, when the typical payment on the median asking price home was $1,698. The rise is largely due to mortgage rates surging as the Federal Reserve hikes interest rates: The 30-year fixed mortgage rate hit 6.7% Thursday, a 16-year-high, up from 4.99% in the first week of August and 3.01% at the same time last year. Key Background The housing market is already feeling the pain of the Fed’s aggressive actions to bring down inflation, … [Read more...] about Americans Now Paying 15% More On Mortgage Payments Compared To Last Month As Rates Surge
Are You Gambling With Your Agency Partners? Four Lessons To Build Strong Partnerships
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Bruno Gralpois, Co-Founder & Principal, Agency Mania Solutions , Author/Speaker, Thought-provocateur, Client/Agency Guru. There’s no place like Las Vegas to help you understand the inner workings of gambling. If you visit Sin City and don’t hold some cards, play at a slot machine or toss some dice, you are missing out on what the gambling experience is all about. According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, over 32 million people visited the city last year, and gambling activities in Las Vegas reached a record $13.4 billion in revenue in 2021 alone. It seems impressive, but it’s quite small in comparison to the level of spending in advertising and marketing—with an estimated $250 billion spent in advertising alone in 2020 in the U.S. The partnership between agencies and clients is essential to success, yet too often, I see clients taking chances with their agencies and risking losing it … [Read more...] about Are You Gambling With Your Agency Partners? Four Lessons To Build Strong Partnerships
Overcoming The Biggest Challenges To Hiring Staff For Startups And Scaleups
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Left a warzone to build a successful life. Global Headhunter & Coach. Director of Forte ICT . Entrepreneur who finds great talent & coaches. Around the world, startups are facing challenges in attracting and retaining talent. There is a skills shortage, and those workers with technology skills, specific product knowledge and experience in sales and marketing are in increasingly high demand. According to internal polling by my company of 125 senior decision makers, nearly two-thirds of startup and scaleup employers say sales and business development are the most important skills for achieving business objectives. Development (including front-end, back-end and mobile) is the next most common skill (53%), followed by marketing, branding and public relations (47%). The United Kingdom, for example, has an estimated 1,600 fintech firms , and this industry is expected to grow exponentially despite … [Read more...] about Overcoming The Biggest Challenges To Hiring Staff For Startups And Scaleups
A CRE Executive’s Outlook On Market Optimism
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin President at CRG , A Real Estate Development and Investment Firm. A variety of unprecedented events over the last few years have impacted markets around the world. There have been growing concerns about inflation across the commercial real estate sector, but the overall economic outlook is positive. However, one element that still worries industry participants is the rise and uncertainty of interest rates. It should be no surprise that inflation has increased as a result of supply chain disruption, manufacturing slowdowns, unanticipated spikes in demand and the U.S. Federal Reserve pumping money into the economy in an attempt to alleviate these market issues that arose from events like the global pandemic. Overall, rising interest rates have been used as a tool to stifle demand, in the hopes that slowing it down will also slow price escalation. Manufacturing And Real Estate Amid Economic Uncertainty At the … [Read more...] about A CRE Executive’s Outlook On Market Optimism
The U.S. Education Sector: Building Healthier, Safer And Sustainable Environments For The Future
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Stefan Schwab is CEO of Building Robotics, a Siemens company that combines the brands of Comfy and Enlighted . The pandemic has highlighted the need to rethink traditional working and operating models for a multitude of industries and presented opportunities for organizations in the public and private sectors to reconsider how they evolve their environments. State and local reopening requirements, Covid-safety protocols and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals have changed considerations from an energy-efficiency standpoint for buildings and operations. Now, they have a focus on energy efficiency, student and employee experiences, and additional environment, social and governance (ESG) related concerns. We can learn a few things from the U.S. education sector. Funding The Future Of Education The education sector is taking this sea change seriously, with the pandemic prompting them to … [Read more...] about The U.S. Education Sector: Building Healthier, Safer And Sustainable Environments For The Future
Education Department Excludes Subset of Student Loans From Relief Plan
On Sept 29, 2022, the United States Department of Education updated the guidance for the Biden administration's student loan forgiveness plan. Under the updated policy, borrowers with privately held federal student loans are no longer eligible to receive loan forgiveness. Here's what to know. Key Takeaways Borrowers with federal student loans not held by the Education Department, specifically privately held Federal Family Education Loans (FFELs) and Perkins loans, will be ineligible for one-time debt relief. According to NPR, a Biden administration official estimated that roughly 800,000 borrowers would be directly affected by this change. The Education Department hasn't issued an official statement explaining this change, but legal experts have hypothesized that it may have been done to appease private lenders managing old FFELs. Federal Family Education Loans & Perkins Loans Are Out Back in August 2022, President Biden announced his three-part plan to … [Read more...] about Education Department Excludes Subset of Student Loans From Relief Plan
What Is the Rural Energy for America Program?
The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) encourages the transition to renewable energy sources in rural and agricultural areas. Created by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, REAP offers grants and guaranteed loans for developing clean energy systems and installing energy-efficient infrastructure such as lighting, insulation, cooling, and more. Key Takeways The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) offers grants and guaranteed loans to agricultural producers and small businesses in rural areas. REAP funds can be used for renewable energy systems or energy-efficient infrastructure upgrades. Grants are available for up to 25% of the total project costs. Loans are available for up to 75% of the total project costs. How REAP Works REAP is a combination of grants and loans available to agricultural producers that earn at least 50% of their income from agricultural operations or small businesses in rural areas that have 50,000 residents or fewer. … [Read more...] about What Is the Rural Energy for America Program?