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TAS
MARKETING
233 Whitepine Creek Road, Trout
Creek, Montana 59874
The Voice of the TAS
Industry
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Volume 2 -
Number 6
"TAS
Tips"
 "TAS Tips is an
e-mailed newsletter that covers all kinds of topics and
information for the answering service industry
including: coming events, informative Internet
information, businesses for sale, used equipment for
sale, valuable TAS insights, future projections,
obituaries, quips & quotes, TAS group promotions,
Blast from the Past, guest contributors with their
TAS Tips and of course... lots of humor. For as the late Steve
Allan said, "Humor is the intellects way of having
fun". |
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The following
Poster was found in a Montana history
book.
If you were around in 1919
and came upon
the following poster...........
...would you
quit drinking?
Submitted by Richard
Bensman
Corporate Message
Service
Savannah,
Georgia |
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THE TOP 5 MISTAKES IN SMALL
BUSINESS TRANSITION PLANNING
By Paul
Delfino
DATE:
02/10/2010
Ninety percent of US businesses
are family owned! Yet only 30 percent of family-run companies
succeed into the second generation and only 15 percent make it
to the third generation. (Baylor University Institute for
Family Business)
The US
Small Business Administration has published an excellent
resource by Nancy Bowman-Upton titled; "Transferring
Management in the Family-Owned Business." This work aptly
describes a complex dual system of business and family. Each
system has rules but conflicts abound as both have contractual
issues, loyalty considerations, and emotional stress
points.
Over the
years we have observed and aided entrepreneurs in the
transitioning of their life work. There is no standard formula
or set template for this process as each industry, business
definition, owner(s) and family have varied considerations.
However, there are a number of common mistakes we have
observed that can be avoided to increase the odds for
success.
FAILURE TO
THINK PROCESS NOT EVENT - Transition planning is an
evolutionary process of wealth preservation, people
development, and leadership migration. It will not be done in
a day and more than likely the related contractual and
financial considerations will span years. Take on the journey
in bite size pieces which can include: Selection, Training
& Testing, Preparation of the Entity, Extraction and
possibly Future Monitoring.
FAILURE TO
LINE UP A TEAM OF EXPERTS - In our many presentations about
Merger & Acquisitions we continually emphasize the need to
build a Team of Experts. Transition planning involves, estate
planning, tax planning, and legal/contractual oversight. You
or your coach should build and guide the team to insure there
is a common understanding of the end goal and a definition of
success.
MISJUDGING
FAMILY MEMBER DESIRES & TALENTS - Do family members really
want the business? Have you asked? Do family members have the
technical and business skills to run the business in the
future? Are you an objective judge? Assumptions here and
paternal/maternal perspectives can be the beginning of a
nightmare and financial ruin.
MISJUDGING VALUE - Transitioning is a
sale or a gift. It always has a value associated with it that
affects the owner, new owner management, and taxes! Be sure to
begin with a proper valuation and have your documentation in
order. These include and are not limited to: five years of
financials, Pro-forma's, customer lists, vendor lists,
legal/corporate documents, contracts and intellectual property
rights.
WAITING TOO LONG - We often end
our presentations suggesting to entrepreneurs that, "every day
that you hold your business - you have made a decision to buy
it." Not planning your exit now may handcuff you and your
family into decisions and an investment that will be looked at
as your failure in the future.
Ron Beilin & Paul DelFino are the
principals of the consulting firm Opportunity Inc. For nearly
15 years, they have assisted entrepreneurs in growing their
businesses, responding to economic downturns, and merger and
acquisition activity. You may contact them at
www.opportunity-inc.com. | |
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Specializing in
Transition Planning by providing the TAS Owner with Business
Valuation Services.
(800) 369-6126 ~
TAS@TASMarketing.com |
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One Owners solution for "Paid Time
Off"!
We
moved to what I call a PTO program over a year ago and the
staff loves it. We
have 3 accruals that all add hours to the PTO account that
each employee has:
 -
Vacation is accrued as a % of hours worked.
The % increases at each anniversary up to a maximum at 6 years
of service.
-
Attendance bonus is also accrued as a % of hours
worked - but only if they have no call-offs (I'm
oversimplifying a bit).
-
Team bonus - each of our 3 offices has a target
to reach that is a function of hold times. If they beat
the target for the pay period, each employee gets another % of
hours worked. Missing the Attendance bonus will
automatically cause them to miss this as
well.
Once
hours are in the employee's account, the different types are
not relevant. All hours are combined.
The
hours are shown (including "non-earned" hours due to poor
attendance) on a stub attached to each paycheck. (I show
the number of PTO hours that they have missed for the pay
period and year-to-date on this stub.)
New
employees don't qualify until fully trained on all aspects of
the job which, of course, varies by candidate. This
provides incentive to move along at a good
pace. They
can take their PTO hours at any time - if they want, each
payroll, or they can save for a vacation or for holidays or
car repair, etc.
We do
not have set schedules, so they present me with a calendar of
times they are available for working a month in advance and I
schedule from that. If they want a week off or several
weeks off, not a problem. They only get the PTO time when
they request it.
Pro: staff love the
flexibility
Con: takes about an hour or two every
payroll to administer (spreadsheet), it is confusing to
some employees until they actually see it on their
paycheck.
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| LIVING WILL
 Last
night, my kids and I were sitting in the living room and I
said to them, 'I never want to live in a vegetative state,
dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle. If that
ever happens, just pull the plug.'
They got up,
unplugged the Computer, and threw out my wine.
Submitted by:
Richard Volberg |
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 I would
never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving
family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged,
I've become
kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my
own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie,
or for not making
my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't
need, but looks
so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to
be messy, to be extravagant.
Too many
dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood
the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it
if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and
sleep until noon? I will dance with myself
to those wonderful tunes of the 60 &
70's, and if I, at the same time,
wish to sweep over a lost love
...
I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched
over a bulging body, and will dive
into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the
pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get
old.
 I know I
am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just
as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important
things. Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can
your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a
child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by
a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and
understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine
and sterile and will never know the joy of being
imperfect.
I am so blessed
to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to
have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on
my face.
 So many
have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair
could turn silver.
As you get
older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what
other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even
earned the right to be
wrong.
So, to
answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I
like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever,
but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting
what could have been, or worrying about what will be.
And I shall eat
dessert  every
single day.
MAY OUR
FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM
THE
HEART! |
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Answering
Service relies on Experience, Human Touch
By
Mark Bollin, Special to the Green Valley News
 When
retired Air Force pilot and Boeing employee Jim Howard and his
wife, Janet, moved to Green Valley from Seattle in 1987, they
were looking at franchise opportunities.
During the
process of researching the likes of Baskin-Robbins and several
other potential franchises, they discovered another
need.
"It seemed like almost every business we called
for information and assistance had a terrible time handling
our requests and giving us the information or contacts that we
needed," Howard said. "Then it hit us - why not start a
first-class answering service?"
Kachina
Telecommunications was born. Driven by a spirit of "whatever
it takes," Kachina delivered the area's first professional
answering services, first Western Union office, first private
mailboxes, and offered packaging and shipping services to
boot.
Throughout its 23-year history, technology has
created many new opportunities and efficiencies for the firm,
but its success still depends upon a basic foundation for
efficient communications ...
person-to-person.
"Technology has allowed us to
increase the speed of communications management and the
documentation of messages, but it is still the
person-to-person human touch that makes it all work," Howard
said.
"Integrating Web hosting and site development
into our suite of communications services is a natural part of
our evolution. It allows us to integrate all aspects of the
communications process for our customers while maintaining
confidentiality, speed and reliability," Howard said. Many of
Kachina's clients, both large and small, are in the medical,
insurance, real estate and home services fields throughout the
country. According to Howard, the trend to outsource customer
communications offshore is turning around.
Keeping up with evolving technologies, and
required certifications (Kachina is HIPPA certified) while
maintaining the personal touch is a challenge that Howard and
his staff thrive on.
This is a nice example of how a local news
story can benefit our
business.
Contact: Jim Howard,
Kachina Telecommunications at 520-625-6300, www.kachinacom.com. |
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~Quote of the Day~
"Always leave enough
time in your life to do something that makes you happy,
satisfied, even joyous. That has more of an effect on
economic well-being than any other single
factor."
~Paul Hawken
...on the
lighter side
How important does a person
have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of
just murdered?
Why do you have to 'put your two cents
in'... but it's only a 'penny for your thoughts'? Where's that
extra penny going to? | |
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| "TAS Tips" Newsletter... |
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"TAS Tips" does not itself endorse or guarantee the
accuracy or reliability of information, statements or opinions
expressed by any individual or organizations posted in this
newsletter.
Steve
Michaels of TAS
Marketing is available for
consultation
TAS
Marketing, 233 Whitepine
Creek Road, Trout Creek, Montana 59874.
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