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A wise person once said, “In a pure white piece of paper, you will not notice its purity if there is one tiny black spot. All your attention will be drawn to the black spot, and everything else that’s white will lose its purity.”

He’s not Deepak Chopra but he’s my sixth grade teacher, but he’s still wise in my book.

So what can one bad person do to a company? He can literally bring the company down because of his illegal dealings or unethical business practices.

What happened to Enron is something that can happen to any company because Enron, just like any other company, is comprised of people with different values (or lack thereof) and principles (or lack thereof). Imagine these things happening to your stable company of 30 years that generations of your family worked hard for:

With Madoff in jail, he brought with him the lives and dreams of people who believed in him. People in power and authority like that of Madoff and Enron executives should have a sense of social responsibility.

Really, almost anything in this world is in chain reaction – and one decision can cause an executive to lose his job, that can make his unit close, that can lay-off all his staff including that father with a brood of 3 – well, you know the rest, I don’t want to be too melodramatic.

Especially executives who can manipulate and control from operations to finances, one bad apple can really cause the company to crumble down to the ground.

Source: International Business Development Strategy - Keys to Success

Since starting his own business, my brother has been so busy that family activities have to be squeezed in to fit his schedule. I know he’s a hard-working and determined person so I know his business is in good hands. I’ve been thinking about this business-thing but somehow I know I got to muster up a lot of courage of technical expertise to really make it. I don’t have dreams (yet) of making it grand but I know pretty soon I would be able to make it (okay, maybe not that soon).

The ever-optimist that I am, I know I can do well in business – but not on my own. There are indeed things where two is better than one (and I’m channeling Taylor Swift just now). In business, I know its all about teamwork (and my brother and I make a pretty good tag team – I think).

Teamwork (with good team players) is needed in all industries and businesses for many areas like:

While there are self-employed and rising entrepreneurs that take on the heed of profiting businesses, I know that a good team makes for good business. SO I have to brush up on my management and people skills before heading it off (literally). I have my own skills but I sure could use the expertise of others. So if you’re thinking of making it on your own, you may go ahead but to head into the horizon and expand your wings, you would need the help of others to keep you up.

Source: International Business Development Strategy - Keys to Success

Adulthood and independence are such big words that I have no choice but to face now (or maybe just act it up).

Another option I am considering is to set-up my own business. My brother has his own biz, and I know it takes so much more than just having financial investment and a lot of maturity (which I still have to check if I have both). While getting a job may be challenging (and I still have to figure out whether I’d work full time or part time on different jobs), what I do know is that going solo on a business has its own perks.

Being your own boss will really change your perspective. You will be more disciplined, and there are no chances that you’d be scolded for being late or for missing a deadline (if you’re not being so hard on yourself). You are free to implement any ideas you think might help without seeking approval of others or how you want it implemented and when.

The financial gain will also be rewarding. Because you are not limited to a steady paycheck where taxes, loans, and absences are deducted from your salary which is subject to increase – well, depending on company policy or whether the boss likes you or not. (See, it’s really good to be your own boss – give yourself a raise anytime).

Social and professional contacts will deal with you directly. It’s always good to get your clout on almost any industry to get yourself good long-lasting mutually beneficial relationships.

Handling financial matters may also improve. Having your own business means creditors may be able to understand your needs better and see how they can profit from your business as well. When you have good records, it’s easy to get loans that can get your business, and you, better ahead.

Business failure is inevitable. Every business owner is at risk every single day of operation to any factor that leads to failure if you don’t treat it with caution. One mistake, may it be a financial decision, marketing stints, customer service delivery or product malfunction (Toyota, anyone?) can really send any company spiraling down. No matter how experienced managers or executives are, the economy and customers can simply favor a competitor anytime, and your business is gone.

Being your own boss may also mean working longer hours by being both the boss and the employee. As you are ultimately responsible for every aspect of the business, you will sometimes work being the marketer, the accountant, the customer service agent, and maybe at times, you will also be the delivery man.

While you’re not glued to a fixed salary, there may be weeks or months that your business will not earn as much because it’s just not the ‘peak season’ for your company.

And after all these insights and information, I am still undecided. Making this life-changing decision can’t be made in a whim. Right now, I think I’d have to look at the listing above again and analyze and study the risk (might as well start thinking as a businesswoman now).

Source: International Business Development Strategy - Keys to Success

It really is not good to be making enemies. Though, sometimes, you have to admit that we all can’t help it.

Earlier I received a phone call from a local company asking me about my friend. I thought she was in trouble, but the person on the phone told me it was for a background or character check. The good thing is, I have good things to say about her. The bad thing is, she didn’t tell me she made me one of her character references. She should have saved such surprises for my birthday. So even if one passes all the geeky exams and dreadful interviews, a background check or character check is still being done. It’s a fair process for both the company and the aspiring applicant for the employer to carry out such delicate and yet ‘for-security-purposes’ procedures before hiring them (Enron, anyone?).

Before hiring an applicant, companies do a background check to further validate what they know about him. So before sending in your application, make sure you know what happens and what they want to know before they hire you. While you may have aced the test (geeky much?) they might find out something you would not want them to know during these background checks.

What are they really after anyway?

If I have my own company, I would perform background checks as well. It is meant for the protection of both parties, as it can prevent costly lawsuits to happen in the future.

And no, I did not get my friend into trouble, else she’d blame me if she won’t get that job and I bid her all the luck.

So as they say, make love not war; and make friends, not enemies. ‘Nuff said.

Source: International Business Development Strategy - Keys to Success

There are things that people talk about like whether the chicken came first or the egg, or why it even crossed the road and there are questions that leave no room for chickens at all - which is the stronger sex? – men or women. For the latter, women have proven time and again that they can be good in their own rights in a way men can be.

In business, there are successful global corporations that were founded by women. While women are naturally intuitive, it takes a lot of muscle to create mega-companies.

The first company founded by a woman is Liz Claiborne Inc. Known for her exquisite fashion and savvy business sense, Liz Claiborne partnered with husband Art Ortenberg and Leonard Boxer to form the company. Not only is Liz Claiborne, Inc. recognized for being the first company founded by a woman to have made the Fortune 500 list, it also revolutionizes the way we shop. Liz Claiborne’s retail sales went up from $2 million in 1976 to $1.2 billion ten years after.

Liz Claiborne also transformed the way retail management operates. Because areas then were segregated, where shoppers had to go to different areas for shopping (e.g. shirt area and pants area), Liz had her collection in one area where customers can easily find and create a coordinated outfit. Retailers and merchandisers around the world are thankful for this concept. With Liz Claiborne, it indeed helped into growing the business globally.

Also landing in the Fortune 500 is PC Connection founded by Patricia Gallup. With hard work, in every sense of the word, the company that started in 1982 with a capital of $8,000 for the computer supply business grew to earning more than a billion since being publicly listed in 1998.

Drew Barrymore combined star power and entrepreneurial hands when she and Nancy Juvonen founded Flower Films in 1997. The company is now worth more than $600 million, thanks to hit movies Charlie’s Angels and Never Been Kissed. The outfit is considered a force to reckon with in the movie industry.

The Baby Einstein series for toddlers, now being released by Walt Disney was founded in 1997 by Julie Aigner-Clark. In its first few years of operation, Clark’s company exceeded sales of $10 million. The series is a hit for babies and with her management, the series had wide distributorship, eventually catching the attention of the Disney Company.

While others may think that it takes superhuman powers to grow a company, women entrepreneurs also follow the same mantra of hard work, creativity and financial savviness. A lot of women take inspiration from these business giants and aspire to follow their path. And maybe the most important of it all, is that these women are determined not to let go of their aspiration.

Source: International Business Development Strategy - Keys to Success

A day that starts at 8 AM and ends at 5 PM is the type of life every employee knows. Between those hours would probably be composed of countless phone calls, shooting emails, annoying questions, annoying customers, and a boss who’s running down your neck. All of these are made tolerable with paychecks paying the bills and the kid’s education.

When you realize that that is not enough and you’ve gotten the experience and enough capital to put up your own business, this is the part where we tell you to think twice - or maybe a hundred times.

You know that setting up a business and being your own boss has its rewards risk – and its not just money (the recession is just one).

The attitude and the personality that was able to withstand the angry boss and the occasional irate customers are the same attitude and personality that you need to have – only a hundred times as much this time.

Being the person who would be running a company, whether a medium-scale company or a mega-corporation, is someone who should know how to play the field. He should be someone who knows what’s going on in his chosen industry. He is someone who’s had extensive experience being a follower and being a leader as well.

And even if you have the technical expertise to succeed, managing your own business requires a steady, mature, responsible and rational person out of you. You should know when to be authoritative when you have to, and you should know how to relate as a person and sometimes as a friend to your staff. Or there could be times, you’d have to cut-off an employee – would you be able to handle that?

Managing your own business is no small deal, but it doesn’t require you to be superman though. If you will really commit yourself into it, you should know that the long-term payoffs can really turn your life around (and even the lives of your employees, and other contacts as well).

As you may have noticed, all of the things mentioned above are things one can learn and develop; however, the defining line would be your attitude – it’s what will define the success or failure of your very own business.

Source: International Business Development Strategy - Keys to Success