Small Business Startup Checklist Establishment of a small business and successfully running it is definitely by no means a small achievement. It is a commendable achievement as entrepreneurs are the backbones of a country’s economy and its growth. Proper planning and understanding the significance of critical factors and determinants affecting a small business paves way for the smooth functioning of your enterprise. What are the prerequisites for running a small business? Any plan or idea to be transformed into a product or a service needs to be categorically put into experimentation and subject to inquiries. Prepare a detailed project report With the help of an external expert consultant get it appraised Let the product be innovative which has hitherto not hit the market, for instance flying cars Plan your geographical area of operations Go for a detailed market survey through questionnaires and giving out free samples Try to gauge the pulse of your target customers Launch your product at the right time Plan your marketing strategy regarding price and promotions Fix up proper capitalization that would meet your financial requirements. Definitely you have to bring in initial working capital of your own and don’t rely solely on bankers for the entire funding. Asset management, fixed capital and working capital management must be absolutely preplanned. Man power requirements -Right person for the right job and the appropriate number of persons needed to complete a job has to be planned. Their recruitment, selection, training and development forms part of the package. Location and Layout Most important criterion is the location and layout of your manufacturing facility. It should facilitate easy movement of materials to bring the product out to the market in the shortest possible time. Avoid bottlenecks or try to resolve them for smooth production. As we all know technology feeds on itself and more the delay, more competitors and better products throng the market. Keep in mind the end product should always reach the buyer or the consumer at the right time. Plan your re order level, delivery schedule and lead times in accordance with the orders in hand.   Picture Courtesy : Yourcityenterprise.com   Production Inputs Smooth supply of production inputs, uninterrupted supply of power, copious water supply, the nature of the soil( if your product is agro based), proximity to the market and transportation facilities have to be given due importance. Your product has to be compliant in such a way that it should not pollute the environment. So a proper waste disposal management system should be designed right at the start of your operations. Book-Keeping Proper book keeping and maintaining your accounts will please the tax authorities by which you create goodwill for your company and also keep your credit management under controllable limits. Any product centered around the consumer will be a hit and that is “marketing”. If you plan your success formula from your product that is “selling” that might not always be successful. Your distribution channels should be continuous with unbroken links and strong. The kind of self confidence that you exuberate makes you a reliable person and in the long run you become iconic. Technology Updates Businessmen have trained the customers to expect something new everyday, because such is the power of technology and the competitor force. So it is better to keep yourself updated with the latest technology available in the market. Take your product to your customers in a convincing manner by which it proves to be a win-win situation for both sides; profit making and customer satisfaction for the entrepreneur and buying products the money’s worth and the real benefits of the product for the...

Design of an Ideal Plant Layout Approach to proper layout: When a new plant is erected, a good deal of expertise is used by management for executing the design of an ideal plant layout. A comprehensive approach with regard to the placement of machineries, location of stores, inspection cabins, tool rooms, maintenance wings, receiving and shipping departments, toilets, canteens and other handling equipments, is necessary for achieving quick and smooth production at the least cost. There is no set pattern of layout for all plants. What is suitable for a giant plant will not be fit for a small factory. What goes well with a processing industry may not match a job industry. But, the basic principles governing a plant layout are more or less the same.   Cost of Production: The all time concern of big industries is the ever rising cost of production. Their priority would be mass production or continuous production to factorise the economy of scale. This is possible where industries are involved in producing highly standardized products. Industries involved in the production of customized or specialized products, catering to premium customers, cannot go for mass production since it is not a feasible option. They have to dedicate separate lines of production for different products. Invariable of the type of production, all industries need to cut down their costs wherever possible. The only possible solution is to design a suitable layout that facilitates uniform and minimum movement of materials thus avoiding wastage, minimization of production delays and avoidance of bottlenecks. An ideally laid plant layout reduces manufacturing costs through reduced materials handling, reduced personnel and equipment requirements and reduced in-process inventory. It is amazing how industries in Japan have mastered the art of employing Just-in-time concept, which focuses on continuous improvement and increases the rate of return on investment by reducing the in-process inventory and associated costs. The importance of plant layout would be better appreciated if one understands the influence of an efficient layout on the manufacturing function. An efficient plant layout would definitely incorporate the following aspects: Economies in handling-cut down material handling costs that account for 30-40 percent of the manufacturing cost Effective use of available space-especially in urban areas, where every inch of available space is an asset. Minimization of production delays-on time delivery schedules and speedy execution will help. Improved quality control-to reach expected standards of production Minimum equipment investment-by planned machine balance and location Identification and rectification of bottlenecks-don’t allow materials to pile up at any place of production, don’t allow workers to be lethargic, keep the machines in the best of condition to speed up operations. Better production control-facilitated by a planned layout Better supervision-a good plant layout enables the supervisor to have a hawks eye on the entire shop floor Improved utilization of labor-process flow should be planned in such a way that workers should be equipped all the time without any lull Improved employee morale-by providing better working conditions, employee facilities, increased earnings, reduced accidents etc. , Scope for Expansion: A good plant layout must also have scope for expansion or revision in future. Even best layouts become obsolete over a period of time, so revisions ranging from minor alterations to a complete dismantling of the existing structure and installation of a new layout become necessary from time to time. Manufacturers, who are keen to survive the global competition, must consider revising their layouts which should fall in line with technological and market...