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By introducing sound environmental management practices and reducing your environmental impact overall, your business can profit from cost savings through efficiency or productivity gains.

Your business can also profit in a number of other ways including:

* receiving assistance and grants from the government
* spending less on raw materials, energy and water
* receiving recognition through numerous environmental awards
* finding new market opportunities for "green" goods and services
* improving workplace safety through reduced use of industrial chemicals and reduced waste.

You can also increase your benefits through achieving environmental best practice. You can follow voluntary industry codes of conduct or the international environmental standard ISO 14000 series.

What to do...

* Read the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts' Profiting from Environmental Improvement in Business information kit.
* Learn about how you can follow best practice by visiting our Codes of conduct page.
* Visit the Standards and labelling page to find out how to include your green products on supplier directories.
* Find out what environmental grants and assistance you may be eligible for by visiting our Grants and assistance page.

updated 4:47 a.m. PT, Fri., Aug 28, 2009
If you've been hitting the snooze button lately on weekday mornings instead of hitting the shower — or find yourself taking the long way around to avoid passing by the corner office, you may just be working for a TOT, that is, a "Terrible Office Tyrant."

TOTs are bosses who act strikingly similar to children, oftentimes toddlers in their Terrible Twos. Why does this happen? Because we're all human, and behind the professional facade are grown kids who act out and can't moderate their power. Unfortunately, at some point from 9 to 5, they just cannot allow the child within to stay there. So in the workplace, these tykes ruin your day and wreak havoc on office productivity.

A TOT can also be a little lost lamb — a clueless or helpless child, afraid to reveal the slightest incompetence. Still, their mood swings, fickleness, or endless questions can make you want to crawl under your desk, or put your e-mail on permanent "out of office reply." Regardless of which type of TOT you are working for, TOTs are a distraction, leaving you to wonder whether you work in a schoolyard or a business.

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The key is how you manage them.

The first step is spotting a TOT. At first glance, your boss's childish behaviors can be mistaken for a sporadic outburst. But after a while, you'll observe a pattern. Fortunately, by recognizing the parallel between out-of-control kids and bosses, you'll discover that the same basic techniques often work effectively for both.

With some keen insights, you can metaphorically place your TOT in the back car seat (just don't enlighten your boss with the analogy). You can maneuver around the most challenging and counterproductive behavior of the day — or hour — with your newfound empowering tools, some practice, and a lot of diplomacy. You can tame your TOT and thrive in your career.

CEOs are not particularly fond of TOTs either. Childish managers sap productivity and hurt the bottom line. I advise CEOs to TOT-proof their company by making it safe for success — so that employees can make mistakes, communicate, and innovate. Where TOTs lurk, so does turnover, absenteeism, loss of customers, poor employee recruitment and retention, and profit erosion.


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Conversely, a firm dedicated to being "TOT-free" is successful, progressive, worth investing in and working for, as evidenced by countless lists of desirable, profitable places to work and most admired companies.

So how can you tame your TOT? Here are the five hallmarks of a Terrible Office Tyrant, and and tips on managing them:

Tantrums
Your sales team falls short of the projected quarterly figures. So your TOT throws a tirade that makes one thinks of a 2-year-old sprawled on the floor after being told "no!" Assessing the situation rationally and opening a constructive dialogue is not in the cards for your tantrum-prone TOT. These bosses cannot manage difficult situations where they are powerless, especially if your work led to the problem, or if you're in their line of fire.

What to do

Determine the best time of day and day of the week to approach your TOT: not right before lunch; Monday mornings; stock collapses or other setbacks.
When you sense the fireworks are happening, don't hang around for the show. If you are dragged in, let your TOT vent at first; never fight a tantrum with a tantrum.
Consider the acronym CALM: communicate, anticipate, laugh, and manage. Keep the lines of communication open; anticipate problems and solutions; use humor (it is the great diffuser); and manage up by being a positive, proactive problem solver.

SECTION 1: THE BUSINESS PROFILE
Description of My Business
(Session 1): Describe your product or service.


Targeted Market and Customers
(Session 1): Describe your customer profile and why customers want or need your product or service.


Growth Trends In This Business
(Session 1): Is the market for your product or service growing or shrinking?



Pricing Power
(Session 1): Explain the unique qualities or circumstances concerning your product or service that will enable you to maintain profitable pricing.



SECTION 2: THE VISION AND THE PEOPLE
(Session 2): Describe convincingly that you are passionately committed to your new business and have the realism to make inevitable hard choices.


THE PEOPLE
Work Experience Related to My Intended Business
(Session 2): Describe your work experience in the business you plan to start including a list of your skills and knowledge, which will be required in your business.


Personal Background and Education Credentials
(Session 2): Describe yourself, including your education.



SECTION 3: COMMUNICATIONS
Computer and Communications Tools
(Session 3): Furnish a tabulation of each piece of equipment you intend to use including a description and the budget for each. You can use the following as a guide.
Resource Requirements:

Communications
Enter a description and budget for all communications equipment.

Telephones
Enter a description and budget for all telephone equipment.

Pagers
Enter a description and budget for all pagers.

Facsimile
Enter a description and budget for all fax equipment.

Computers
Enter a description and budget for all computer equipment.

Internet
Enter a description and budget for all necessary Internet providers and access.


SECTION 4: ORGANIZATION
Business Organization
(Session 4): Explain the form of business organization you intend to use and why it is best for your business.



Professional Consultants
(Session 4): List the names of your lawyer, accountant, insurance agent and any other professionals.



Licenses
(Session 4): List what licenses you will require to go into business.



SECTION 5: LICENSES, PERMITS AND BUSINESS NAMES
Due Diligence Procedures for Licenses, Permits and Business Names (Session 5):
List the following:

DBA: List the name you intend to do business as.

Zoning: Indicate if the zoning if appropriate for your intended office location.

Licenses: List the appropriate licenses you will need at the local, state, and federal level.

Local:

State:

Federal:

Trademark: Indicate your trademark intentions if any exist.



Sellers Permit: List any sellers permits that you may need.



EIN: Indicate if you will obtain an employers identification number.



SECTION 6: INSURANCE
Insurance
(Session 6): List the forms of insurance coverage including costs are anticipated.



SECTION 7: PREMISES
Location Criteria
(Session 7): Outline your location criteria.
space requirements
future requirements
site analysis study if needed (attach)
demographic study if needed (attach)
lease check-off list (attach)
estimated occupancy cost as a % of sales
zoning and use approvals



SECTION 8: ACCOUNTING AND CASH FLOW
Accounting
(Session 8): Furnish, as a separate exhibit of your starting balance sheet and projected income statements for the first six months to one year.


Cash Flow Planning
(Session 8): Provide a separate exhibit of your one year cash flow analysis including estimated sales, all costs and capital investments.
Provide a checklist of all expense items for input into your cash flow projection.


Analysis of Costs
(Session 8): What are all of my costs: fixed, variable, product, delivery, etc.


Internal Controls
(Session 8): Explain your: Intended internal controls and cash controls, check signing policy, strategy for controlling shrinkage and dishonesty and control of incoming merchandise.


SECTION 9: FINANCING
Financing Strategy
(Session 9): Provide a chart or spreadsheet showing all of the sources of your start-up capital. Explain any government assistance or loan guarantee programs you intend to apply for.
If your business is for use with potential lenders, include a cash flow projection and projected income statements to show sources of repayment of loans. Be conservative in your forecasts.

List your sources of referrals to lending institutions. (Your accountant, etc.)


SECTION 10: E-COMMERCE
E-Commerce Plans
(Session 10): Describe in detail how you plan to use the Internet in marketing your product or service.


E-Commerce Budgeting
(Session 10): Provide a detailed breakdown of the costs involved in crating, operating and maintaining your e-commerce activities.


E-Commerce Competition
(Session 10): Describe how your best competitors utilize e-commerce and your strategy to improve on their practices.


SECTION 11: ACQUISITIONS
Due Diligence Procedures for Acquisitions
(Session 11): List the following:
Your consulting team: Attorney, accountant, banker, broker, etc.

Verification of seller's revenues: how you plan to authenticate.

Sellers records to be inspected: Financial statements, income tax returns sales backlog, cash deposit records, utility bills, accounts payable and receivable, backlog, financial comparisons of similar businesses, etc.

Inspections and approval of leases and contracts.

Appraisals, as appropriate.

If a franchise, interview with randomly selected franchisees.

Finance plan for acquisitions: include sources including seller financing.

Market conditions.

Value of goodwill.

Method of purchase: stock, assets, etc.


SECTION 12: MARKETING
Marketing Plan
(Session 12): Describe your overall marketing and sales strategy including how you plan to get and retain customers.


Advertising and Promotion Plans
(Session 12): Describe your plans and budgets for advertising and promotions.


Purchasing and Inventory Control
(Session 12): See "how to buy" checklist.


Training Policies
(Session 12): Describe your plans for hiring and training your sales associates.


The Competition
(Session 12): Describe your strongest competitors and how you intend to compete.



How I Plan to Take Advantage of Competitors Weak Points
(Session 12): List your competitor's shortcomings and how you can capitalize on them.


SECTION 13: GROWTH PROGRAM
Expansion
(Session 13): Describe your growth: You might include development of profitable pilot operation, sources of financing, cash flow, accounting system in place, incentive compensation plan for managers, benefits package and policies, economics of scale.


Handling Major Problems
(Session 13): Describe scenarios of adverse conditions and how you intend to respond to them. For example how you would plan to handle a 25% reduction in sales, or new competitions, etc. Prepare a cash flow projection based on lowered expectations and
Prepare a cash flow projection based on lowered expectations and show how and where you would reduce costs to maintain liquidity.


SECTION 14: INTERNATIONAL TRADE
Due Diligence Procedures for International Trade(Session 14): List the following:
Export Counseling: List your sources of counseling including your export legal counsel.

Export Readiness: Describe the economic reasons and justification for your plans. Outline the personnel, budget and procedures you plan to implement.

Agent/distributor Agreement: Provide a draft of your agent/distributor agreement and the agents/distributors you are considering to do business with.

Analysis of Competitive Considerations: Explain the due diligence resources to be used in the evaluation opportunities including appropriateness for your business.

Evaluation of Country Risk: Explain the resources to be used in the evaluation of country risk (is the country in good standing?) including potential sources of financing.

Describe your plans to insure protection of your intellectual property rights.

Describe your marketing and advertising plans.

Evaluate potential problems regarding product adaptation to standards and measurements.

Describe the licensing requirements for export or import of the product or service you plan to market in international trade.

What is International Trade?
International trade can be defined as either the buying (importing) or selling (exporting) of goods or services on a global basis.

Thanks in great measure to the Internet, many starting businesses can enrich their prospects of success by incorporating IT into their overall business plan. In some cases, a business can be enhanced by incorporating IT marketing to supplement a domestic operation. In other cases, a business can depend solely on international trade. Let’s review some examples:

Exporting
Quality Naturally Foods, Inc., in the City of Industry, California, manufactures prepared bakery mixes for its sister companies Yum Yum Donuts and Winchell Donuts. These and similar mixes are now sold to outlets in Japan. The added volume has reduced costs of production which has benefited all customers.


Amazon.com, the preeminent online marketer (and inspiration for thousands of online entrepreneurs) has a home page toolbar called “International”. Amazon says: “Around the World, wherever you are, get what you want—fast—from our family of Web sites.”
Read Transcript Importing
Good Tables, Inc. of Carson, California, formerly manufactured furniture in its California plant but was losing sales due to cheaper foreign made products. The manufacturing was moved to Mexico in a “maquiladoras” factory.

Funrise, Inc. Woodland Hills, California, has become a world leading marketer of toys. Design, packaging and production are outsourced, primary to vendors in China.

Hollow Corporations
International trade is especially appropriate for the rapidly growing number of “hollow corporations.” Session one of this course refers to a hollow corporation as a business without a factory and with a minimum number of employees in which manufacturing is performed by outside suppliers. A hollow corporation might depend on outside suppliers for virtually all of its products, such as an American toy company importing product from China. Or, it might depend on outside suppliers for selected components in its overall product line, such as The Boeing Company. (Boeing is using Japanese firms for components of the new 787 airliner.)

Session: 14
Finding overseas markets or suppliers and dealing with shipping complexities are only two of the challenges facing small firms seeking to participate in international trade. Entrepreneurs should be cautioned that international trade involves many complexities above and beyond the basic disciplines necessary for operating a domestic business.

* Warning Label

* What is International Trade?
o Exporting
o Importing
o Hollow corporations

* Is International Trade Appropriate for Small Business?

* Advantages and Disadvantages of International Trade

* Online Resources

* Common Mistakes Made in International Trade

* Importance of a Business Plan

* Suggested Activites

Session: 13
A growing business needs to have appropriate expansion policies in place, plans to motivate key employees and know-how in handling common business problems. Here's the advice from been-there-done-that experts.

* Rules to Follow Before Expanding

* Starting with a Pilot Operation First

* Problems in Expanded Business not Present in a Start-up
o Delegation of responsibility and authority
o Monetary incentive plans

* Ways to Motivate Key Employees
o Leveraged profit sharing plan
o Unleveraged profit sharing plan
o Commission plan

* Key Elements for Profit Centers
o Overall considerations
o Long-range financial planning

* Common Business Problems
o Uncontrolled cash flow
o Drop in sales or insufficient sales
o Higher costs
o New competition
o Business recessions
o Incompetent managers or employees
o Dishonesty, theft
o Basic rules for handling serious business problems

Session: 12
You are furnished with check-off lists to maximize your marketing results and avoid the most common mistakes made in opening a business.

* Opening for Business
o Before you start checklist

* Marketing
o Pinpoint your customers
o Recruit the "good" employees
o Train your employees thoroughly in marketing skills
o Check list for hiring and training of your marketing team
o What and how to buy
o How to buy checklist
o Marketing tools
o E-commerce
o Promotion and advertising
o Mailing lists

* Most Common Mistakes
o Checklist to avoid pitfalls

* Suggested Activities