How to Calculate Mileage for Business

The efficiency and knack of calculating mileage expense is indispensable for receiving adequate compensation. Even in the case of small entities or self-owned businesses, calculating business mileage can prove to be the thorn in the bush for smooth functioning. Business mileage is simply the term used for the traveling done for work or job-related errands. Obviously, it excludes all the private/personal travel or traveling to-and-fro, from the workplace to your residence.

How to Calculate Mileage for Business

The following tips clarify how to calculate mileage for business and get due compensation for the same. These are the simplest and the most crucial records of any business travel.

  • Keeping records of the miles put in, by noting the starting and ending mile reading.
  •  The expenses incurred for repairs or maintenance made during the course of travel for business requirements
  • The toll and parking charges and gas charges
  • Diligently recorded date, time and purpose of travel.

All these details must be systematically maintained in any of your spreadsheets, PC excel sheet or even a simple clipboard exclusively used for this purpose. Thus, every single time a business entails traveling, make sure that the above factors are always recorded.
Read the rest of this entry »

, , , ,

No Comments

Effective Methods of Brand Management

In today’s fiercely competitive market, companies are known by their brands. McDonalds, Coke, Toyota, etc., are just few of the examples of how branding can change the fortune of a company. Brand management should be a high priority for every company that aims to develop a brand identity and create a loyal base of customers. With the advent of social media, new avenues of brand management are available to companies, and today, there is an increased interaction between consumers and companies. Several researchers who have followed the right way of brand management, have stressed on the need for investing time, effort, and capital to create a unique identity for itself. Let us take a look at some of the effective methods of brand management.

Initiatives for Effective Brand Management

Know your strengths and capitalize on them
Every company is unique and has its own strengths and weaknesses. It is very important for a brand to know its strengths – the qualities that set it apart from others. Rather than embarking on a holistic approach towards brand management, a company should pitch its products in such a manner that it reflects the company’s outlook. For instance, Adidas, one of the largest footwear companies in the world, goes by the tagline – “Impossible is nothing”. Given the fact that the company mainly caters to the sportspersons, its brand is built on a strong message of perseverance, determination and positive attitude. This is one of the prime reasons why its adverts feature top sportspeople.

Deliver on your promises
It is very important that you deliver on what you promise to your customers. Advertisements, marketing campaigns and promotions would be of no good use if your product is not up to the expectations. It takes a lot of time for a company to build a brand and leniency on your part can seriously hamper all the efforts. It is important that you as a company stay true to your word and deliver quality products to your customers.
Read the rest of this entry »

, , , ,

No Comments

Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Part of the romanticism of entrepreneurship is the thought that entrepreneurs are creative, innovative, go-getters, risk takers, driven. All of that implies a high self-esteem and determination. In reality, having a clear understanding of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship allows managers of institutions and corporations, as well as individual, manage each area differently to get the best results.

People like creativity simply because it is fun. We reconnect with the pure pleasure of getting something that did not exist before. When we create we forget our problems, we are just being, the child comes out, we connect with ourselves and it simply feels good. Our energy pours from the inside to the outside and leaves our imprint, the object of our creation becomes an extended part of ourselves. Creativity also lives in a time and purpose vacuum. The worst enemy of creativity is a good idea.

People like innovation because it implies progress. When we innovate, we have a structure. Innovation becomes change. To change we need the reference, the constraints, the structure, the present, what is there. When we do things differently, we are also creating, but we create with a purpose, fun stops until we reach our goal. Thus, innovation has less power as a self-expression than creativity.

Then we come to the field of entrepreneurship, one of my favorite topics. Entrepreneurship is more about creating wealth than it is about creating a company. It is closely linked to creativity, entrepreneurs MUST have something NEW to offer. It is related to innovation, entrepreneurs MUST find new ways of getting in the market, making something new, doing things differently.
Read the rest of this entry »

,

No Comments