WHILE the slow economy has left many small businesses scraping to get by, some enterprises are finding opportunity in the carnage. They include an entire industry devoted to distressed companies. When things are booming, this sector is like the lonely Maytag repairman, who doesn’t have much work to do.
Skip to next paragraph
Tom Strattman for The New York Times
A BUSY MAN Wil Davis of Ontario Systems in Muncie, Ind., which tracks accounts receivable.
Other businesses are not as clearly countercyclical, but they offer products or services that are increasingly in demand. And those that are really nimble can capitalize on the sudden needs of consumers or fellow businesses.
Here are stories of five small businesses that are thriving in hard times.
STANDING UP FOR WORKERS Outten & Golden, a New York law firm that exclusively represents employees, will add three lawyers to its staff of 28 professionals this year to accommodate business attributable to the economic downturn.
Contributing to the increase is what Wayne Outten, a founding partner, calls transactional work — helping employees who are moving into and out of jobs to negotiate with their employers.
For those who have been laid off, there may be opportunities to enhance severance packages — for instance, perhaps their employers could be persuaded to keep them on the payroll long enough to qualify for retirement, medical or stock benefits.
Employees also seek legal help when they voluntarily change jobs, rather than being forced to leave. Not only should they get job details in writing from their new employers, but they must also comply with commitments to the old ones. Potential considerations include agreements with former employers not to compete with their former companies, solicit their customers, clients or vendors or take other staff members with them.
Mr. Outten said that mass layoffs accounted for a drastic increase in another part of the firm’s practice — that is, lawsuits under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, a federal law that requires companies to give employees at least 60 days’ notice of a plant’s closing or reduction in force. The firm is pursuing about a dozen cases against businesses that have not complied with the law.
TRACKING ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE The early stages of a downturn benefit Ontario Systems, which has its headquarters in Muncie, Ind., said Wil Davis, president and co-founder. That is when consumers start to get behind on their bills and businesses seek help with the laborious and time-consuming task of tracking and pursuing their accounts receivable. Among other things, Ontario, a 450-employee company, provides software and technical support for managing extended-payment plans and segmenting accounts when multiple parties share an expense.
Hospitals are a growing market for Ontario’s products, especially because consumers are shouldering a bigger portion of their own health care costs. Job losses and rising prices for everyday necessities make medical bills a low priority for some patients, and hospitals must try harder to collect. In that niche alone, Ontario had a 30 percent increase in the first quarter, compared with the same period last year, Mr. Davis said.
But he estimated from past experience that in another six months Ontario Systems itself would start to feel the negative effects of a recession because, ultimately, creditors realize that chasing people who do not have the resources to pay them is futile, Mr. Davis said. Once that happens, creditors will not spend much money on bill-collecting systems until the economy picks up.
HELPING COMMERCIAL BORROWERS When Ann Hambly started 1st Service Solutions in Grapevine, Tex., in January 2006, she planned to help buyers of commercial real estate — multifamily apartments, office buildings and shopping centers — who wanted to take over the sellers’ mortgages, rather than get new loans.
Little did she realize her good timing. With the subprime mortgage crisis and ensuing credit tightening during the last nine months, buyers may now have no other financing choice than to assume or take over the sellers’ mortgages. Increasingly, borrowers also seek her aid in modifying loan terms (for example, decreasing the principal payments and extending the maturity date) to cope with setbacks.
Translate the article above into Indonesian.
Langganan:
Posting Komentar (Atom)
KATA-KATA DIBAWAH INI DIGUNAKAN UNTUK MENGISI TEMPAT YG KOSONG PADA TEKS DI ATAS
BalasHapusTargeted, subscribe, accomplish, delegate, submit, bring, expose, known, attracts, write, read,send, borrow,publish, sell, return, produce, thank, add, viral,search,hyperlink,apt, surfers
WHY WRITE ARTICLES TO PUBLICIZE YOUR BUSINESS?
Fill the blanks with the words given above.
by Judy Cullins
________________________________________
Reach 1000 to 500,000 1)………. buyers every day Online. That's the best reason I know. Get exposure for contacts, customers or clients. The second best reason is that it's free. You 2)…………….. to ezines, then submit your short Online articles to your audience. The third reason is that it takes little time to 3)…………….., maybe 9 hours a week. If you don't want to do it yourself, you can 4). ……………………. it to your computer assistant.
Six More Reasons to Write an Article
1. Writing articles 5)………. free publicity. When you 6)……………….to 10 opt-in ezine publishers and 10-20 Web sites that want your articles, you 7)………… yourself to thousands, even millions if you get your information on the right site. Submitting them is free, free, free.
2. Submitting articles is 7 times as effective as any other promotion because when you submit many articles, you become 8)………….as an expert. These articles with their proper signature box at the bottom bring 10-50 new subscribers each time for you own ezine. This box also 9)…………… people to your Web site, where, if you have proper copywriting with marketing pizzazz, you will sell many products and services.
Start writing two or so, keep them until you have ten to submit. Then 10)…………. one a week. When you have submitted 20 or so, you will become a household name. Ezine subscribers and sites will publish them People who visit the site or 11)………… the ezine will also ask you if it's OK they use your article. Of course it is!
They will 12)………… your articles to their business associates, who, if they produce an ezine or have a Web site, will also 13)…………….. your article. Make your articles 250-800 words long. Or, write tips under 500 words.
Author's Tip: Be sure to send a 14)……….. you each time someone emails you saying they want to publish your article. Respond to each one first, thanking them, then asking for permission to add their email to your ePublishers email list. Offer the benefit that it's straight to their email door. Ask for a 15)……….. email with "Yes, ePub" in the signature line. Add their name to your growing list. I know have 150. To these I send out a new article once or twice a week. That's what is called 16)……….. marketing.
3. You receive global attention when other Web masters feature your articles. Because you have to list key words and an introduction for each article for the Web sites, your rank goes way up in the 17)…………. engines. You book coach's is # 2 on Google, Yahoo and 35 others. Her URL is listed on 900 other sites in a 18)…………. bringing hundreds of new visitors.
4. The more exposure your articles get, the more you are perceived as the expert in your field, and when potential clients visit your site, they are more likely to read your sales message on your service or products--and eventually buy!
5. Your articles could attract authors in your field who need free material for their book. Debbie Allen, shameless promoter, took three of mine for her latest Internet marketing book. She is a great promoter, so I know my articles will bring me new business eventually through word of mouth.
6. Remember, people go the net to get free information. If you give that freely, they are more 19)……… to become clients. Remember also, that because other Web site owners and ezine publishers don't write only their own articles, they are constantly looking for your how-to articles. You can be published in hundreds of them!
Article writing and submitting is my best publicity and promotion effort so far. I now have 110 articles and 50 tips circulating the net and now offer them in categories by autoresponder, so people can get exactly what they want instantly. The categories include: writing/publishing, Online promotion, Web site Marketing and Copywriting, and now tips under 300 words. What are your categories?
Start writing short articles now, and see how this great exposure to eager Online ezine readers and 20)…………. will bring your business success. =============== Judy Cullins: 20-year author, speaker, book coach Helps entrepreneurs manifest their book and web dreams http://www.bookcoaching.com/products.shtml Send an email to Subscribe@bookcoaching.com FREE The Book Coach Says... includes 2 free eReports
B. continue the following article with your own words at least 75 words
At my campus
Everyday I go to my campus except Sunday. I go to my campus at 8 0’clock. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
C. based on the question on Part A, please explain in Bahasa Indonesia the content of the
article above
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..