The vast majority of small businesses now use social media and view them as critical to the success of their business, according to the Social Media Marketing Industry Report, which interviews more than 3,500 US entrepreneurs.
Facebook Dominates the Marketing of SMEs on Social Media
More than 93% of respondents use Facebook as a marketing method, compared to 79% on Twitter. Also, 62% of respondents believe they are increasing their investment in Facebook during the year. Instagram and Pinterest remain the social networks with the best growth, doubling their traffic from 2014 to 2015.
YouTube remains the preserve of big businesses, while 71% of companies with 100 or more employees use it compared to 38% of self-employed workers.
B2B Companies Use Social Media Differently from B2C Companies
LinkedIn is the most used platform for B2B companies, while B2C companies are targeting Facebook to reach the mass of consumers present. This is very logical since B2B companies are primarily looking to reach buyers, marketing people, and other users who use LinkedIn a lot to expand their network of contacts. At the same time, Facebook makes it easy to get the majority of consumers around the world.
Small Businesses Do Not Measure Most Results of Facebook Marketing Efforts
For many small businesses, no effort is made to measure the relevance of Facebook marketing. While 92% of small businesses agree that social media is essential to their business and that most people are marketing to Facebook, the majority have no idea if their marketing efforts on Facebook are giving them anything. Is. The results can be as broad as increased brand recognition or improved customer service. Ultimately, the problem is that many small businesses do not even ask themselves whether the expected results are achieved. Some do it without purpose, which is even worse.
Most small businesses plan to increase their activities on Facebook this year. Even if they are unsure of their effectiveness, most small businesses want to improve their investments on Facebook this year. Even though Facebook has been around since 2006, it is not surprising that most small businesses are still wondering how to use it to make it an effective tool for their business.
Most Small Businesses Spend More Than 6 Hours a Week on Social Media
Because of their many responsibilities, small business owners pay a lot of attention to the time it takes to maintain the various social media in their business. For many companies with 2 to 10 employees, the time spent per week is between 1 and 10 hours, with an average of 6 hours.
Brand recognition is the most important benefit for small businesses.
The effect of getting more visibility via social media is the most significant benefit for small businesses. While this is much more difficult to measure than traffic or bounce rate, small business owners consider it the essential benefit of social media. The other significant benefits, still according to small business owners, are increased website traffic, customer loyalty, and the development of admirers.
The Increase in Website Traffic is a Particularly Important Benefit
A tool like Google Analytics (or any other web analytics tool) will allow you to measure your social media’s impact on your website’s traffic. An important fact is that the greater the use of social media (and the length of time the company uses social media, too), the more significant the impact of increased website traffic. Like most marketing tactics, social media takes time to deliver concrete results.
Social Media Reduces Marketing Spend for Small Businesses
Social media has developed a reputation for reaching a large, low-cost audience. Although since 2014, it has been much more expensive, for example, getting a large audience on Facebook, most small businesses still believe that social media allows them to reduce their marketing expenses.
Direct Sales of SMEs on Social Media Increase Over Time
The goal of any marketing tactic is to increase the number of sales or leads. Measuring sales obtained via social media is still more challenging than, for example, using a Google AdWords campaign or organic SEO. One thing is sure: 70% of companies that have been using social media for more than five years are convinced of the increase in direct sales.
LinkedIn and SlideShare are Underutilized, Especially in B2B
If you are not targeting the public, use LinkedIn and SlideShare immediately to get to know you. Build firm profiles on LinkedIn for your most important employees, join groups on LinkedIn, and be sure to put all your presentations on SlideShare.
Visual Content is Much More Effective
Visual content is much more attractive than text content only. The increase in engagement on Facebook is in the order of 65%, according to Measured. In short, start thinking about video computer graphics and get out of the ordinary.
Finally, SMEs need to be agile when spending their marketing budget, and taking risks on smaller platforms can be very profitable. Your success rate can only increase when all your actions are based on internal data or research. With strong partners who know what they are doing, you can get more than exciting results on social media.
About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.
Today, a smart factory is a factory that has adapted to the principles of what has come to be called Industrial Revolution 4.0. It is how all processes are digitalized and part of technological advances, especially from the so-called ERP and business control and management software.
What is an Intelligent Factory?
An intelligent factory consists of one that has first incorporated digitization as a flag. It supposes a factor by which complete control of all the production processes, sectors, and departments involved in its activity can continue. It applies to human resources, machinery, warehouse, stock control, production chain, distribution chain, etc.
An ERP or business management software can gather all the information related to the production of a business space. With this information, it is possible to make better decisions and, in general, to improve the whole business’s efficiency significantly.
For example, knowing the workings of the machines, their time stops, failures in production, consumption, and many other variables can help us adjust their performance as much as possible.
Control of the times
The operators and the machinery comply with times that can be easily adjusted thanks to their knowledge and the control of downtime, breaks, or inefficient periods. With this, we can increase productivity and the quality of work for the operators themselves, making their tasks more dynamic and motivating.
Correcting faults in the production chain
The production chain is the backbone of any factory. That is why you should have great control over it and all the processes involved in it. An ERP is a tool that can allow us to correct failures simply and effectively, thanks to obtaining detailed information on the production chain. It will enable us to detect anomalies and errors in the supply chain in a minimum time to improve them, restore them, or delete them if necessary.
Improves the coordination and quality of communication
Another of the points that we must influence to get an intelligent factory is communication and coordination between different work teams, departments, and sectors of our productive space. In this way, we must ensure a continuous flow of information and be as organized and systematized as possible.
In this sense, the control and management software allows us to package the information efficiently to be transmitted and shared between departments and achieve better articulation and excellent performance.
Versatility, flexibility, and training
These three are some of the essential features that an intelligent factory should have. Versatility has to do with the ability to offer new answers according to the circumstances—flexibility, with obtaining new limits regarding performance through continuous improvement.
Finally, there is the question of training. It is a characteristic related to the previous two, which depends greatly on the circumstances of our factory or productive space.
It is precisely where, again, an ERP can fulfill an essential function thanks to its modular nature. It allows us to make the most of it specifically because it works by modules and will enable us to create an exclusive scheme for our company and sector. With this, he assures that the other two qualities, the versatility and flexibility of the same, are left overly covered.
Reduce costs
Thanks to all the points we have discussed and what ERP must do, they allow us to save on production costs. We minimize the time, waste, defects, and general waste of all kinds in our production. However, along with this, they can also make our business save a lot in losses thanks to the fact that they allow us to improve the quality of our future thanks to making better decisions in less time. In short, they make us much more competitive.
About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.
Smart Strategies for Choosing the Best Restaurant Location
Restaurant location selection is the strategic process of evaluating and choosing the optimal physical site for your restaurant based on comprehensive analysis of demographics, competition, accessibility, and financial viability to maximize customer traffic and long-term profitability. The right location can determine whether your restaurant thrives or struggles, making this decision one of the most critical factors in restaurant success.
As someone who has worked with hundreds of restaurant owners over the past two decades at Complete Controller, I’ve seen firsthand how location decisions can make or break a food service business. Did you know that contrary to popular belief, only 17% of restaurants fail in their first year—not the 90% myth everyone believes? In fact, 51% survive past their fifth year, outperforming many other small businesses. This guide reveals the strategic framework my clients use to evaluate potential sites, avoid costly mistakes, and choose locations that drive sustainable growth through data-driven decision making and modern analytics.
What is restaurant location selection, and why does it matter?
Restaurant location selection is a data-driven process of evaluating potential sites based on demographics, traffic patterns, competition, and financial viability to maximize customer acquisition and profitability
The right location provides consistent foot traffic, aligns with your target demographic, and creates sustainable competitive advantages in your market
Location directly impacts visibility, accessibility, and customer convenience—primary drivers of spontaneous dining decisions and repeat business
Strategic site selection reduces operational risks, optimizes marketing ROI, and creates the foundation for long-term business scalability and growth
Poor location choices lead to higher marketing costs, reduced profit margins, and significantly increased risk of business failure within the first two years
Understanding Your Market: The Foundation of Strategic Restaurant Site Selection
Before evaluating specific locations, successful restaurant owners must develop a comprehensive understanding of their target market and ideal customer profile. This foundational step prevents costly misalignment between location characteristics and customer expectations, creating a solid platform for your restaurant’s success from day one.
Demographic analysis forms the cornerstone of effective restaurant location analysis. Understanding the age, income levels, lifestyle preferences, and dining habits of your target customers allows you to identify geographic areas where these demographics concentrate. For instance, fast-casual concepts targeting busy professionals need proximity to office districts with high concentrations of workers earning $50,000+ annually, while family dining restaurants require locations near residential areas with households containing children.
Conducting a comprehensive restaurant market analysis
Market analysis extends beyond basic demographics to include spending patterns, dining frequency, and competition density within your target area. Successful restaurant market research examines both macro-economic factors affecting the entire dining industry and micro-economic conditions specific to your local market. This dual approach helps identify opportunities where broader industry trends align with local market gaps.
A compelling study from Boulder, Colorado tracked restaurant success rates from 2000-2010 and discovered that locations with high concentrations of apartment dwellers and university students aged 18-24 showed significantly better performance than traditional suburban areas with single-family homes. This data challenges conventional wisdom about prime restaurant locations and highlights the importance of matching your concept to actual demographic patterns rather than assumptions.
The Science of Restaurant Location Analysis: Demographics and Traffic Patterns
Effective restaurant site selection requires systematic analysis of quantifiable factors that drive customer behavior and business performance. Demographics, traffic patterns, and accessibility metrics provide objective criteria for comparing potential locations and predicting long-term success potential.
Population density analysis reveals the customer pool available within your restaurant’s trade area, typically defined as the geographic area from which 60-80% of customers will originate. Higher residential density generally correlates with increased customer potential, but the relationship varies significantly based on restaurant type, price point, and local competition levels.
Mastering restaurant demographics analysis
Age distribution analysis identifies whether your target demographic has sufficient representation in the area to support sustained business. Restaurants targeting young professionals need areas with substantial 25-40 age populations, while concepts appealing to retirees require different demographic concentrations.
Educational attainment levels often correlate with dining preferences:
Higher education areas show increased demand for diverse cuisines and organic options
Professional degree concentrations indicate a willingness to pay premium prices
Student populations provide volume but require value-focused pricing strategies
Mixed education levels suggest opportunities for varied menu offerings
Foot traffic measurement provides concrete data about customer potential, but effective analysis requires understanding traffic quality, not just quantity. Business district locations may show high weekday traffic but limited weekend activity, while shopping center locations demonstrate different patterns based on anchor tenant performance and seasonal variations.
Starbucks exemplifies data-driven location selection by requiring specific criteria: neighborhoods with median household incomes of $60,000+, proximity to office buildings, traffic counts of at least 25,000 vehicles daily, signalized corners with multiple access points, morning commute side placement, and dedicated parking for 20+ vehicles. This systematic approach has contributed to their consistent success across thousands of locations.
Competitive Intelligence: Analyzing the Restaurant Market Landscape
Comprehensive competition analysis prevents market oversaturation while identifying opportunities for differentiation and market gap exploitation. Understanding competitor positioning, performance, and customer satisfaction levels provides strategic insights for positioning your restaurant concept effectively within the local market.
Direct competition analysis examines restaurants offering similar cuisine, price points, and dining experiences within your trade area. Successful competitive intelligence extends beyond obvious competitors to include indirect competition from grocery stores, food trucks, corporate cafeterias, and convenience options that compete for the same dining occasions.
Identifying market gaps and differentiation opportunities
Successful restaurants often thrive by identifying and filling specific market gaps that existing competitors have overlooked. Chipotle demonstrates this strategy brilliantly through their small market approach, targeting towns between 7,600 to 35,000 people including college towns. This strategy avoids oversaturated metropolitan markets while capturing stable customer bases with less competition.
Menu analysis of local competitors reveals opportunities through:
Unique offerings not available elsewhere
Superior ingredient quality or sourcing
Innovative preparation methods
Service style gaps between existing options
Price point opportunities between current offerings
Location Infrastructure: Accessibility, Zoning, and Operational Requirements
Physical location characteristics and regulatory compliance requirements significantly impact both customer experience and operational efficiency. Accessibility, parking availability, and zoning compliance form the foundation of location viability and determine long-term operational sustainability.
Zoning regulations establish the legal framework within which your restaurant must operate, affecting everything from operating hours to alcohol service permissions. Understanding local zoning ordinances prevents costly legal complications and protects your investment from regulatory surprises.
Navigating restaurant zoning regulations and permits
Commercial zoning classifications vary significantly between municipalities. Some areas restrict restaurant types, seating capacities, or operational characteristics. Mixed-use zoning often provides flexibility but may include additional requirements for noise control, waste management, or parking provision.
Critical permit considerations include:
Health department approvals and inspection timelines
Fire safety compliance and occupancy limits
Liquor license availability and restrictions
Signage regulations and visibility allowances
Outdoor seating permissions and requirements
Financial Analysis: Lease Negotiation and Location Economics
Location costs must align with revenue potential to create sustainable profitability. Comprehensive financial analysis examines not just base rent costs but total occupancy expenses, build-out requirements, and revenue potential to determine location viability.
Industry benchmarks indicate successful restaurants maintain total occupancy costs between 5-8% of gross sales revenue. Premium high-traffic locations may justify up to 10% of sales for rent, but anything above 8% requires exceptional volume to maintain profitability. This ratio provides a critical evaluation metric when comparing location options.
Strategic lease negotiation for restaurant success
Rent-to-revenue ratios provide benchmarks for evaluating location affordability. Successful negotiations focus on factors beyond base rent:
Tenant improvement allowances to offset build-out costs
Percentage rent structures that align landlord and tenant interests
Assignment rights enabling future sale opportunities
Co-tenancy clauses protecting against anchor tenant loss
Technology and Data-Driven Location Selection Strategies
Modern restaurant location selection leverages technology platforms and data analytics to improve decision-making accuracy. Geographic information systems, demographic databases, and predictive analytics provide unprecedented insights into location potential and risk factors.
Location intelligence platforms combine multiple data sources for comprehensive site analysis, including demographic profiles, traffic patterns, competitor locations, and economic indicators. These platforms enable rapid comparison of multiple potential locations using consistent analytical criteria and objective performance metrics.
Mobile location data reveals actual consumer movement patterns and dining behavior, providing insights into where your target customers currently spend time and money. This data helps identify locations with high concentrations of your ideal demographic and reveals travel patterns that affect restaurant accessibility.
Implementation: From Analysis to Action
Converting location analysis into actionable decisions requires systematic evaluation frameworks. Successful implementation balances analytical rigor with practical considerations, including timeline constraints, funding availability, and operational capabilities.
Create a decision matrix weighting various location factors according to their importance to your specific restaurant concept. Demographics might receive 30% weight, competition 20%, accessibility 25%, and costs 25%, adjusted based on your unique priorities and concept requirements.
Conclusion
Smart restaurant location selection combines analytical rigor with strategic thinking to identify sites that align with your concept, target market, and growth objectives. Throughout my years working with restaurant entrepreneurs at Complete Controller, I’ve observed that those who invest time and resources in comprehensive location analysis consistently outperform competitors who rely on intuition alone.
The strategies outlined in this guide provide a framework for making location decisions with confidence, but each restaurant concept and market presents unique considerations requiring customized approaches. The restaurant industry continues evolving with changing consumer preferences, delivery service growth, and economic shifts that affect location priorities.
For comprehensive financial planning and analysis support for your restaurant location decision, visit Complete Controller to discover how our expertise can strengthen your location selection process and set your restaurant up for long-term success.
Frequently Asked Questions About Restaurant Location Selection
What is the most important factor in restaurant location selection?
Demographics and target market alignment typically represent the most critical factor, as the right customer base must exist in sufficient numbers to support sustainable operations, though success requires balancing multiple factors including competition, accessibility, and financial viability.
How much should restaurants spend on rent relative to revenue?
Most successful restaurants maintain total occupancy costs between 5-8% of gross revenue, though prime locations with exceptional traffic may justify up to 10% if increased sales volume compensates for elevated costs.
What role does foot traffic play in restaurant location selection?
Foot traffic provides customer exposure and impulse dining opportunities, but traffic quality matters more than quantity—the traffic must include your target demographic during appropriate dining hours to generate meaningful business impact.
How do I analyze restaurant competition in a potential location?
Competition analysis should examine both direct competitors offering similar cuisine and price points, and indirect competitors including grocery stores, food trucks, and convenience options that compete for the same dining occasions and spending.
What zoning considerations affect restaurant location selection?
Zoning regulations determine permitted restaurant types, operating hours, alcohol service permissions, and operational restrictions, making zoning compliance verification essential before committing to any location to avoid legal complications and operational limitations.
Sources
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Cornell Hospitality Quarterly. (2014). “Why Restaurants Fail: Part IV: The Relationship Between Restaurant Failures and Demographic Factors.” Retrieved from socialsciencespace.com
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Deliverect. (2024). “7 Key Considerations For Restaurant Location.” Deliverect Blog. Retrieved from deliverect.com
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Fishbowl. (2024). “How to Increase Foot Traffic to Your Restaurant.” Fishbowl Blog. Retrieved from fishbowl.com
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Lightspeed. (2024). “10 Best Practices for Picking the Perfect Restaurant Location.” Lightspeed Blog. Retrieved from lightspeedhq.com
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About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.
Jennifer BrazerFounder/CEO
Jennifer is the author of From Cubicle to Cloud and Founder/CEO of Complete Controller, a pioneering financial services firm that helps entrepreneurs break free of traditional constraints and scale their businesses to new heights.
Brittany McMillen is a seasoned Marketing Manager with a sharp eye for strategy and storytelling. With a background in digital marketing, brand development, and customer engagement, she brings a results-driven mindset to every project. Brittany specializes in crafting compelling content and optimizing user experiences that convert. When she’s not reviewing content, she’s exploring the latest marketing trends or championing small business success.
The last few years taught us to expect the unexpected, but none of us expected the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pre-pandemic life we knew is a thing of the past, and new methods and techniques are taking over from personal business relationships. We must rethink and readjust.
The Covid-19 pandemic spared nothing, and business is no exception. With malls closed, businesses shut down, and people staying home, small businesses must rethink their strategies. Every business must reestablish its model to conduct effective business.
The world moved quickly during that time, and businesses that adapted eCommerce techniques were the ones that survived. Time has proven that there was one business that flourished during this time, and that was E-commerce.
Succeeding in E-commerce
Developing an online presence
The success of eCommerce depends highly on the online availability of the business. A strong presence is essential for online business, or customers cannot find your product. However, establishing an online presence is not as easy as it seems. This is because the prospect of establishing an eCommerce platform is a challenge.
Before the pandemic, small businesses were only generating small sales. Rapid economic changes flipped the scenario of companies as entire communities went into lockdown, and small businesses rushed to expand in other markets. Fortunately, many platforms gave them various solutions to run eCommerce business models, often with little to no cost.
Find the right market
Establishing an online presence in E-commerce is one thing; finding the right market is also essential. There are various ways to achieve this feature, either by making a website or using social media platforms. The initial step is to conduct market research to find client preferences and target niches.
Besides social media and websites, you must remain available on other platforms, such as affiliate sites and online markets. Online markets offer immediate access to traffic you need to make your business successful.
Market research gives you an idea about the techniques and methods that attract your customers. However, there is a drawback in using online marketplaces: you have no access to customer information to use for customer engagement. There is another way, and that is to establish your private label and gather customer data accordingly.
All these factors depend on the dynamics of the market and the audience present. Mature marketplaces offer smooth selling processes and strong power of international sales. The challenge here lies in sorting out the products and listing them accordingly.
Do not forget that social media platforms can bring you several followers to become your potential customers if appropriately nurtured. All these platforms have leveled the playing field for small businesses and eCommerce marketers. This market can overtake corporations and business giants in a quick sweep.
Establish communication with clients
Communication is necessary for every business to establish a loyal customer base and conduct business. It is not about finding a client and shipping them a product. You must ensure that you get feedback about your service and the product offered. There is a loop that needs to be followed, or else you will miss out on your chance to conduct a successful business.
A clear communication channel is the need of the hour if you want to succeed in your eCommerce venture. Due to hurdles, most small businesses find it hard to establish proper communication with clients. You must overcome those barriers and ensure that your customers easily reach you, or else it jeopardizes your business entirely.
Final Word
Running an eCommerce business in this pandemic situation is not easy. However, you can reach your target market with the proper techniques and methods. There is a need to conduct market research before diving headfirst into the venture.
Keep your strategy updated with all the new techniques and methods to ensure that everything stays smooth and fulfills your customers’ requirements. E-commerce is a valuable platform that can cater to every market without needing a brick-and-mortar presence.
About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.
For financial dreams to come true, it is enough thoughtfulness and caution in money-related matters. Managing personal finances means controlling expenses, planning for the future, and investing wisely.
How to Manage Money
Based on the most popular tips of successful investors, we can formulate the golden rules of personal finance management:
Spend less than you earn
Save slowly but steadily
Prioritize financial goals
Don’t accumulate debt
Ensure Risks
These are the basic principles of financial success; you can use them for personal financial management and operating an organization’s finances. Let’s now talk about each in a little more detail.
Analyze Your Emotions About Money
We are all used to measuring cash in numbers or percentages. But things are a little more complicated. Money is colored emotionally. Each of us has our attitude towards them. Therefore, speaking about money, it is not enough to arm yourself with a calculator; you also need to listen to your emotions. If you’ve never done this, consider your feelings about money and write down the first ten associations.
If you understand your attitude to money, your fears, and your dreams, you can communicate with them and manage them more effectively, which means it is easy to achieve financial goals. If financial planning does not cause undue stress, your financial path will be positive, safe, and efficient.
Be honest with yourself. A lot of people have conflicting emotions about finances. Negative money associations and joyful emotions are something we learned in our earliest years as we soaked up how our family discussed, spent, and saved money.
Set Financial Goals
How do you start managing your money? The answer assumes what level of financial literacy you have and at what stage of the movement toward your financial goals you are now. In other words, why do you need money, how do you use it, and what tasks do you solve with it?
As you can see, these are completely different goals of financial management. If you live paycheck to paycheck, the best strategy is to learn the principles of saving and how to save. If you already have free funds that you can afford not to spend for a long time, you can start exploring investment tools (buying shares, etc.).
An excellent strategy to inspire yourself to get serious about financial management is to write down everything you want to achieve in life, from buying a house to paying for a prestigious education for your child or a cruise to Tahiti.
Make a Budget
Keeping an equilibrium between income and expenses is difficult if you are not in the habit of keeping a budget. It is essential to spend less than you earn. It will help if you manage your monthly or daily costs. The funding will guide you toward your financial goal.
The first step in budgeting is to add up all your expenses. Be specific and thorough when you count them. It is challenging and inefficient to do budgeting in your head, contrary to the belief of many beginners.
Divide expenses into categories and look at the exact costs per month. Some classes, such as car or country house spending, are challenging to predict. But it is quite possible to analyze them and understand the average figures.
Soon, you will see that some expenditure items are straightforward to manage because they are always about the same spending. Some articles appear irregular but hit your budget. It is essential to understand here that it is impossible to consider everything. Don’t forget to include expenditure items such as savings for short-term and long-term financial goals. And don’t give up.
In other words, to assure that there is enough for everything and still some left. There are several such strategies. We have collected the most popular ones for you.
Budgeting ruble to ruble. This analysis is when you accurately take all income and expenses to the ruble. And once a month or a quarter, lay out your funds by item, including savings. This strategy, which considers every ruble, is beneficial for visually seeing where your money went when you did not consider it.
Budgeting 50/30/20. It divides your income into parts and helps to direct money to specific goals. For example, you send 50% to daily expenses, which you cannot do without—30% for financial purposes—and 20% for savings.
Digital Budgeting. Your finance app keeps track of your spending and monitors your progress toward your pre-set goals. The complexity and danger of this method are that you must provide the application with complete information about all your financial transactions.
Cash only. Using only cash is an excellent way to stay on budget and not overspend. Take as much money as you need for daily expenses: groceries, gas, entertainment, etc. Designate an envelope for each category. Once the envelope is empty, you can’t spend more, so anything that doesn’t fit your budget will have to wait until the next month.
About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.
Finances are always a hot topic because it is how our world runs. Long gone are the days when people would overspend their cash leading to a bleak financial future, right? Or does this still happen?
Regardless, it’s important to understand the fundamental process of opening an account where money works for you. A certain required balance in a savings account would bring you more money effortlessly on the agreed term! You must have figured it out; we are talking about the high-interest rate bank account. Financial advisors regard saving as education since it teaches self-discipline, cultivates the rational sense of managing finances, and expands the vision—people who practice this lead to the road to success.
Higher yield accounts pay you comparatively higher interest than traditional saving accounts. This is because the Central bank determines the interest rate. The increase in interest rate is due to slow inflation and safeguard the currency. As a result, the interest rate is typically greater than 0.50%.
You should secure these funds inside a financial institution, savings, credit, or credit union account. Nevertheless, it’s wise to figure out how to make more than all the 0.25% to 1% interest these institutions shall provide on their standard bank deposits by investing most of your money in higher-yielding products.
Shop for the top rates
Thanks to technological advancement, we have been given multiple bank and credit union alternatives on the palm. However, opening a high-interest account separate from your standard bank is essential if you wish to exceed inflation.
As a financially literate individual, you ought to evaluate the profit you may acquire from the savings account with multiple banks. Then, conduct a comparative analysis to determine the best financial institution to invest in. Afterward, analyzing the market value of the return of high-yielding accounts potentially gives a clear picture.
Identify the optimal institution suiting your requirements
Once you have collected the varying interest rates from a prominent financial institution, sit down and make an unprecedented decision on which one to invest in. Fortunately, if you have discovered the higher and more reasonable interest rates at your primary bank, you must initiate the process.
The final step in this journey is measuring any charges for the account requirements at your chosen bank.
Is the minimum balance required for the account? Is the marketed interest rate restricted to proportions within a specified range? Are there any unavoidable charges?
Complete the account application
It’s time to fill out the application for your high savings account after you’ve picked which bank to employ. It requires 10 minutes. Moreover, you are mandated to supply the institution with
Full name
Address
Phone number
Email address
Social Security Number (SSN)
Nevertheless, if you aspire to open a joint account with your spouse instead of an individual, you must provide identifying information for the second candidate. However, you’ll probably be required to do myriad queries concerning your background. Your application will be approved in most cases if you respond to questions correctly.
Fund your new account
Transference from another bank is the most common practice to finance a new savings account. Some may offer you to unlock a report immediately and then finance it. Other banks may allow you to submit a physical check or digital deposit of a review or perhaps even pay the initial payment with a credit card.
Furthermore, you may have to wait a few days to open your account at some banks and credit unions.
Establish beneficiaries
It’s time to choose who will possess your bank account amount if you die or pass away. Every single account allows you to name a principal beneficiary, and many also let you name additional beneficiaries. However, who you select as beneficiaries for this account is entirely up to you and your circumstances.
The applicant should link any additional transfer accounts
Once you set up a transfer of your initial investment, you must have one outside bank account associated with this new savings account. Most financial organizations allow you to join several external bank accounts. It is beneficial if you bank at multiple locations. Commence when you think of other charges you’d like to link for transfers, available when needed. In addition, the setup takes two days.
Abide by the terms and conditions provided by your bank
Note whether you must determine the minimum balance following the federal restriction of no more than six withdrawals every statement cycle. Sometimes, accounts are entirely free with no strings attached. Others have a more complex strategy for avoiding monthly fees that you can use.
About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.
A bad attribute witnessed in the history of humans is the vicious cycle of overconsumption that ultimately leads to overspending. Nevertheless, the urge for instant gratification has added fuel to the fire. The lack of financial illiteracy has birthed a black hole in our lives that strongly gravitates toward our wealth and leaves us with a hopeless end. Even with accessible financial information, we cannot excel in every economic arena. A financial advisor can help here who would assist you in changing the way you manage money. This article has piqued your interest. You have been persuaded to find a financial advisor; however, this one question, how to pick one, has stumbled upon you. No worries; this article is here to provide you with valuable information. Let’s begin!
What Does the Financial Advisor do?
In this unpredictable life, a financial advisor serves as a safety net. They protect you from financial setbacks and help you turn your financial wellness and objectives into reality. It allows an individual to lead a financially independent life.
Furthermore, financial advisors provide their clients with expert advice based on market research and recommend the correct services to meet their requirements.
Most importantly, can you afford the charges of a financial advisor?
Robo-advisors are inexpensive and provide automated suggestions on investment management. According to financial experts, you must proceed with the excellent notion if you can save at least 20% of your annual income. If you do not have adequate funds to pay their fees, no financial advisor will be interested in working with you.
All that glitter is not gold
An organized, shiny, and luxurious office does not demonstrate the expertise of a financial advisor. In addition, they may add up various titles to appear impressive, but analyze if they are registered or licensed with the regulatory authority. Some titles are easily purchased for marketing purposes and are not granted by a regulator. It’s imperative to look over this matter and not solely rely on a title to determine their competence.
Now, ascertain your individual needs
Why do you need a financial advisor? What type of advice do you seek? When finding a suitable fit for your objective, it’s essential to determine the need. There are at least eight kinds of financial advisors.
Investment advisor
Certified financial planner
Financial coach
Broker
Financial Consultant
Wealth advisors
Portfolio and investment managers
Robo-advisors
Once you have figured out the category, it will allow you to decide to pick the right financial advisor.
Look into their qualifications
Competent financial advisors appropriately embody their industry knowledge and use soft skills to interact effectively with their clients. A good way to interpret their capability is to assess their qualifications. A professional financial advisor will be satisfied to show you their certification to prove their relevance and legitimacy.
Analyze their market depth
In a talk with an experienced financial advisor, we asked what people generally look for when selecting a financial planner. He responded, “People find out and evaluate our market depth before working with us. They figured out how many clients we had previously handled and their success ratio. How did our advice help them, and did they achieve their financial goal? Thanks to the internet, the world is evolving, and people are getting more informed.”
As a responsible individual, you must consider the experience of a financial advisor before deciding on one.
Does your potential financial advisor have the heart of a teacher?
Did you guess the name? David Ramsey! Yes, we quoted this attribute after conducting thorough research. And this point makes sense. If your financial advisor doesn’t understand your needs, this can result in a disaster. He must possess the heart of a teacher and answer your questions patiently. Also, consider these questions: Does he resonate with you? Comprehend your requirements and give advice tailored to that. Is he capable of building a long-term relationship with your most important thing?
Utilize your negotiation skills
Don’t accept the fee stated as a gospel; conduct your market research. Communicate with them if you believe you should pay a relatively higher minor. Make them comprehend your demands and leave room for theirs, too. However, it depends on your negotiation skills and how you manage it and do not perceive it as a verbal fight.
You ought to actively research and find what is best in your interest. The outcome is, however, rewarding and substantial. Finding an advisor is not a piece of cake. It mandates countless efforts and verification. To prevent fraud and give them access with a joyful heart, you ought to seek them out.
About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.
Find out how long the fund manager has been in business. Is he able to furnish references? What credentials does the advisor possess? Check out the type of counsel you’re dealing with. Is it a big or little office? Will several employees work for you, or will you only deal with one person?
Do it yourself or not?
Wrong judgments regarding sophisticated financial items like investments, mortgages, and life insurance can cost you a lot of money. Do you have a basic understanding of these complex financial products? Then, it’s a good idea to get advice from a financial counselor.
Furthermore, financial product suppliers have a responsibility of care. They are not authorized to sell you a sophisticated product that does not suit you under the Financial Supervision Act.
If you want to buy a product like this without guidance, the vendor will put you through a knowledge test. With this, he determines whether you have sufficient knowledge to plan.
Choosing the type of advisor
Banks and insurers are primarily providers. They supply financial products. They can also act as advisers or mediators if you inquire about their possibilities. Do you do business with them? Then you must show the costs of the product and the advice separately. Usually, employees of a provider only advise on products from that provider.
Decide on the horizon and psycho type
Point of no apparent importance. And the significance here is oh so fabulous. It would seem, what is there? After all, no one has a goal to invest at a loss, regardless of the horizon. So it is, but misunderstanding one’s horizon leads some people to losses.
For example, a person wants to invest in stocks but expects a positive return in a month. And, without waiting, he sells at a loss, gets disappointed, and forgets about the stock market, like a bad dream.
Expand your horizons and knowledge about the world
I’m not talking about economic or financial models (I have never used them in practice), but more superficial things. Well, for example, my favorite story with Intel. You use a computer with an Intel processor and know it’s good company.
Develop critical and systemic thinking and the skill of working with information
Critical thinking is the ability to question any incoming information. It is also an understanding that any information not confirmed by facts is just shaking the air. It is the ability to verify data in original or reliable sources or with one’s hand. This skill helps to get closer to the truth in case of conflicting information. This filter allows you to separate valuable information from background noise and fakes.
Have confidence in what you buy and think about the future
I see an iron principle for any investor: there is no certainty in choosing a business and no peace in case of a drawdown. I’m not talking about speculators and traders who earn according to entirely different rules. What will serve as your source of confidence is up to you. My source in the statement is that business is a system. If I see a stable and promising strategy, I will buy it. The system can be expressed in historically effective results (Facebook), a systematic approach to doing business (Danaher), and competitive advantages (ISRG).
Calculate the yield in dollars
Calculating the yield is necessary for whatever your denomination is. Depending on the denomination, your product could be more or less than the dollar.
Do not think that there is a secret
What a sin to conceal, I once thought. There seemed to be a person, course, or book that would teach me how to invest. Someone is looking for the secret of how to love, get a good job, or not get sick. All of us are united by the search for the magic button “happiness” (“loot” in the case of investments).
Admit mistakes
I don’t even know if I should add something here. It’s probably easier to tell a personal story. I started learning about investing at the end of 2017, after the liquidation of the business. I was attracted by the opportunity to diversify investments qualitatively.
About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.
Assets are anything that can be sold and is worth at least some money: an apartment, a car, a house in the country, deposits, stocks, bonds, etc. Assets may or may not bring returns. You can put up with this (as in the case of the apartment you live in) or increase the return on assets (as is the case with finding better investments). Your debts, loans, credit cards, and other financial obligations are liabilities. You can’t sell them and get cash for them. The more liabilities you have (in the form of consumer loans), the closer you are to bankruptcy.
Loan Repayment Rules
So you have a clearer picture of all financial obligations. You may close some of them with the sale of assets. If this is not possible, let’s see what can be done with loans using various ways to get rid of debt. Several options are available here.
Snow avalanche method
The Snow Avalanche Method is the most accessible and understandable way. Its essence is to be the first to close the debt with the maximum interest rate; that is, you should direct all additional money first to its repayment. Then, focus on the next highest-rate loan and close it. Thus, we first repay the most expensive loans to service. Economically, this is the most efficient way.
Snowball method
It consists of paying off loans from the smallest in terms of debt to the largest. When the minimum debt is closed, the amount intended for payments begins to be used to repay the following loan. Here’s what you need to do.
Sort the debts by the total debt amount – from minimum to maximum. This sorting of obligations is a different feature: we sort not by interest rate but by debt.
Start making the lowest possible payment on each debt.
Estimate how much you can contribute above the minimum payment on the first, smallest debt.
Start paying off your first loan by making the minimum required payment plus additional money until you pay off the entire debt.
As soon as the first debt is repaid, add the additional money (the minimum and other payments you made paying off the first debt) to the minimum payment on the second debt and start paying off the second debt on the list.
Refinancing
The procedure allows you to combine several loans. Refinancing can be done at the bank where you took one of the loans (or opened a credit card) or at any other that agrees to give you a new loan.
Restructuring
Restructuring differs from refinancing in that the procedure concerns one loan and takes place in the same bank with which you already have a valid agreement. It is possible if:
Your income has decreased significantly – for example, you have lost your job, or your salary has been reduced
You went on maternity leave or paternity leave
You have lost your ability to work and cannot earn money due to an injury or illness.
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is the incapacity of the debtor recognized by the court to fully satisfy the requirements of creditors for monetary obligations and mandatory payments.
As a borrower, you can initiate a procedure if:
You know that you will not be able to fulfill your obligations on time (lose your job, become seriously ill, etc.), regardless of the amount
The main advantage of bankruptcy to eliminate the debt burden is writing off all debts by selling the property. You would not have to pay the remaining debt even if the proceeds from the sale of the property were not enough to pay all the creditors’ claims. At the same time, creditors cannot demand the debtor pay more than he owes. They cannot take only housing and necessities.
Collectors
A long delay on a loan can lead to the bank’s transfer of the debt to a collection agency. At the same time, fines and penalties will continue to accrue for late payments on the loan.
If you still have to communicate with collectors, then remember that when speaking with a debtor, the law requires them to:
Introduce yourself (name the surname and name, organization and its contacts)
Confirm their authority by submitting documents on the transfer of debt
In no case use violent actions against the borrower
Collectors can call you twice a week and at a strictly allotted time. Disturbing debtors are prohibited from 8:00 PM to 8:00 AM on weekdays only.
Most importantly, the faster you pay off your loan debt, the quicker you will get rid of the obsessive attention of debt collectors.
Total
Let us briefly formulate the main ideas of the article. It is necessary to understand that you can manage your assets and liabilities.
To do this, they must first be known and taken into account.
If there are assets, the yield is lower than the loan’s interest; you can use them to pay off liabilities (except for the financial security reserve fund).
There are several options for optimizing the credit burden or getting rid of debts: early repayment, refinancing, restructuring, or bankruptcy.
Communication with collectors must be within the framework of the law, according to which they can call you no more than twice a week and at a strictly allotted time.
Do not fall for the bait of fraudulent lawyers who offer you to get rid of all debts for 30-50% of their value.
About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.
Setting up and running a business is a tough job. It involves significant challenges and hurdles that need to be crossed to stabilize a business. A business can be run in two ways: as a sole proprietorship or as a partnership. Both have their pros and cons.
A sole proprietorship is when a single entity runs the business and can enjoy all the profits. Also, this entity alone endures the losses as well. Running a business this way can seem incredibly beneficial but has some significant disadvantages. The owner is the only one responsible for the liabilities of the company; in case a business fails to pay off the debt, the creditors have the potential to seize their assets. It is also exceedingly difficult to attract investors and raise capital; when the owner dies, a business fails. Due to these reasons, many people consider running a business under a partnership to avoid these problems, but even a business partnership has flaws!
There are different types of partnerships, such as general, limited, and limited liability, each with advantages and disadvantages. As this article covers the burdens of a business partnership, the cons of each have been highlighted!
General Partnerships
General partnerships provide equal rights and responsibilities to all partners. Each partner has the right to act on behalf of the whole business.
Ambiguous Authority
A disadvantage of a business partnership is that the authority limits are vague and unclear. Even though the responsibilities are divided among the partners on the outside, both partners seem to have authority. It can lead to situations where one partner may sign an agreement, and the other must live by it even if they do not want to. When two partners disagree on a common thing, it gives rise to arguments and instability in a business.
Risks of Instability
With a business partnership, high risks of instability get attached to a business. If one partner files for bankruptcy or dies, the company becomes unstable, resulting in dissolution. The case worsens if a profitable business suddenly shuts down because a partner has retired, quit, died, or filed for bankruptcy.
Lack of Flexibility
When there is no agreement about transferability, the default rule is that without the consent of all other partners, a person’s stake is not transferable. It is a significant hurdle in achieving transferability. Also, if partners argue over the transferability issue, the process stops.
Risks of Management Disputes
Management disputes are bound to occur without a written agreement regarding which partner will oversee what aspect of a business. A general, unstructured partnership is more likely to end up in chaos. It is not an issue in a limited partnership but something that must not be overlooked in general partnerships.
Taxation Problems
Even though a business gets subjected to income tax benefits with partnerships, some serious taxation issues emerge. Each partner must pay tax like sole traders by submitting a yearly self-assessment. It can get worse if the business is very profitable, as higher taxes are imposed on people if it generates more than a specific number of profits.
Shared profits
When a business runs under a partnership, the losses must be endured by all the partners, which reduces the impact of losses. In the case of profits, even though profit must be shared among the partners. It can be a problem for people who put in more effort than other partners and do not receive the deserved outcomes. Without much effort, partners can benefit from one partner’s hard work.
Limited Partnerships
It is a type of partnership that is like the general type in many aspects. The difference lies in the fact that in a limited partnership, there must be at least one general and at least one limited partner, which plays the role of a silent partner.
Termination of Partnership
One of the significant threats to a business in a limited partnership is that when one of the partners dies or retires, the partnership is terminated. It makes a company unstable and can lead to a business shutting down.
Excessive Taxation
When a business is run under a limited partnership, the chances of excessive taxation are high. Only a little can be done to save a company from excessive taxation if it is run under a limited partnership.
Unprotected Assets of a General Partner
The general partner remains under threat as their assets are unprotected. If a business fails to repay the business debt, the general partner’s assets can be sold by a creditor.
Limited Liability Partnership
Limited Liability Partnership or LLP combines a partnership and a corporation. In such a partnership, no other partners are held accountable for the actions of other partners. The share is decided, and an agreement is signed, which helps in the smooth running of a business, but even this type has some disadvantages.
Complexity and High Taxation
The formation of LLPs is complex, so many states do not allow the formation of such companies. The conditions will enable the building to impose heavy taxes, making it difficult for a business to run smoothly.
Legal Recognition
Many states do not recognize these types of businesses as legal entities and self-employment taxes are imposed on the partners. Also, these types of companies are not given the same credibility as the other businesses.
Reviewing each partnership type’s cons is best before setting up a business under a partnership. Until or unless a plan is drawn up for how each of the legal matters will be handled, a partnership must not be chosen. It reduces the risks of a business getting dissolved or completely chaotic!
About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.