Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Modernizing the Patient Experience within Reproductive Medicine: Part 1- Nothing Can Replace Great Customer Service!


I spoke on a panel at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine a few years ago on the Patient Experience and the ways that would make it easier to reach people who need Assisted Reproductive Technology to build their families. As I was putting together my power point (By the way I hate doing power points but apparently that's what people want when they attend seminars!) I thought that the information I was giving to clinics can and will work just as well for Surrogacy, Egg, Sperm, and Embryo Donation Agency owners as well as Reproductive Attorneys , Mental Health Professionals, Adoption Agencies and Pharmaceutical Companies.

I am going to blog about all the great information that came out of this panel here on The Business of ART topic by topic. Please feel free to comment and add your own ways you feel would be helpful to patients suffering from infertility and/or using some form of ART to grow their families.

So ideally these Top 10 Customer Service tips are something that you and your staff are already doing. Do you have anything to add to this list? Is there something that you can improve on? How are your communication skills? How about your staff? Is their attitude 'customer friendly'? This is the first step to making your company better than anyone else's!



Friday, August 14, 2020

Setting Up The Surrogacy Agency: The LLC


I am going to cheat on this one and give you an article from About.com. I had a business attorney to go through all the in's and outs regarding an LLC and that's what was decided upon. It'a up to you to decide what's best.

The Limited Liability Company, or LLC
BY: Scott Allen

The Limited Liability Company, or LLC, has in recent years become the most popular legal structure for small businesses wishing to incorporate. The exact requirements vary slightly from state to state, but setting up an LLC is a relatively simple process that can usually be done in an hour or less, depending on the complexity of your organizational structure.

Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 1-4 hours, depending on complexity of company

Here's How:

Obtain a copy of your state's LLC Articles of Organization form from your state's Secretary of State office. When you contact them, also find out if the state in which you are incorporating requires you to post a notice in the newspaper. Also find out any specific rules regarding business names.

Choose a name for your business that complies with your state's rules for LLC business names. The main part of the business name is generally very flexible, but each state has a list of prohibited words, such as "Corporation", "Incorporated", "Insurance", "City", and others. Your legal name must end with an LLC designator, such as "Limited Liability Company", "LLC", etc. Also, the name can not be the same as another LLC on file in the state in which you are filing.

Fill out the LLC Articles of Organization form. This is usually a relatively simple process, as the only things you need to notify the state about regarding your LLC are items such as name, its business purpose, principal office address, the "registered agent" for receiving any legal documents, and the names of the initial members. You do NOT have to specify at this point the ownership distribution or management structure, just the names of the LLC's members.

Publish a notice in your local newspaper of your intention to form an LLC (if required by your state - don't waste the money otherwise). This should be done prior to filing your Articles of Organization. Currently this is only required in Arizona and New York. Check with your state's Secretary of State to be certain.

Submit your Articles of Organization form to your Secretary of State along with the appropriate filing fee. Fees range from $40 to $900, depending on the state. Be careful: some states may have a corporate tax which is separate from the filing fee but must be paid at the time of filng. For example, California has only a $70 filing fee, but an $800 annual tax.

That's it, you're done! At least legally, that is. Now wasn't that easy? While you're done in terms of legal requirements, there's still a very important piece missing: the LLC Operating Agreement. However, the Operating Agreement is not required by the state, and can be created after the legal filings are done. If you are the sole owner of the LLC, you probably don't need one at this point. However, if there is so much as one other owner, it's best to make a written agreement of the terms.

Create an LLC Operating Agreement that spells out the financial and management rights and responsibilities of the LLC members, such as: who contributes what if the LLC needs additional capital, when and how profits from the business will be distributed, under what terms members can leave the LLC, etc. Even (or perhaps especially) among friends and family, leaving these questions unanswered can create strains on both the business and personal relationships down the road. Put it in writing!

Tips:

Although not legally required, you should probably work out the details of the Operating Agreement well in advance of filing the LLC Articles of Organization. You may find that someone doesn't want to be a part of it once they know the whole deal, or perhaps that you need to bring someone else in. Work it out in advance.

You can hire an attorney for this, but really, unless your organization is fairly complex, you can do this yourself.

Unless you have a compelling reason otherwise, it's generally best for small businesses to incorporate in the state in which it will principally be doing business. There are some tax and organizational advantages to registering in certain states, however. Delaware, Nevada, and recently Wyoming are the most popular for out-of-state corporate registration. Consult with an attorney or research it on the web further if you are in doubt.


Saturday, August 1, 2020

20 Survival Strategies for Your Small Business


As a business owner or manager, during the last 18 months you have been faced with shrinking profit margins and fewer customers lining up to purchase your once thought to be “hot products or services.” The question of how to survive these seemingly tough times usually results in answers such as…”we have to lay off more workers” or, “…let’s close the office located in Suburbia”.
    
The problem with this approach is that…when the economy rebounds, you will be looking to re-hire those very people you laid off in the first place. Unfortunately, you may discover that they have moved on to other jobs, gone back to school, or start their own businesses. You have then put yourself in a situation where you have to now hire and train a new employee or hire a more experienced worker who can “hit the ground running”.
Laying off employees during economic downturns should be a “last resort”. Well, at least not until you have explored all other avenues, namely trying the strategies I have outlined below. I will even go one step further. If you have already implemented some (if not all) of these strategies, or have made them an integral part of your company’s operating culture, chances are you have not cancelled your long-planned vacation to the Bahamas.

Additionally, although these key strategies can be adopted by businesses regardless of size, they are primarily geared towards Small Businesses. The definition of a small business will obviously vary by industry and, more importantly, it may depend on the business owner’s personal assessment. Regardless, you can find out the classification of your business as defined by the Small Business Association (SBA) by going to http://www.sba.gov

Survival Strategies

1. Schedule Weekly Budget Meetings. The assumption is that you have a budget. You may be surprised at how many small businesses either (a) don’t spend the time to develop a proper budget or, (b) don’t have a regular budget review process. Use the meeting to challenge managers and supervisors to find ways to reduce expenses in their respective departments (and reward them). Have the managers call in via conference calls if you have satellite offices in various parts of the country or globally. Make sure they are prepared with arguments to justify the budgets of their various departments and plans on how to cut costs.

2. Set up a Profit Committee/Task Force. This should be employee-driven. Challenge them to contribute ideas but, more importantly, reward them for good ideas that actually get implemented.

3. Revamp your performance reviews. Are the employees (especially Senior Managers) objectives aligned with company goals (i.e. increase sales, reduce expenses, improve customer service)? Are the goals more than simply rhetoric or “feel good” words? Simply put, are the objectives specific enough and…can you really “MEASURE” the progress?

4. Review your “Turnover” ratios. Profits are quickly eaten up by idle inventory a late-paying customers. Incorporate these items as a part of your budget review process. Work closely with your vendors to reduce case packs, or get simply get rid of items that don’t sell! Offer to settle with your late-paying customers or arrange for installment payments on outstanding receivables. Getting something is better than nothing in tough economic times.

5. Rely on the leverage you have with your vendors. Partnerships should be more than just “talk”. Negotiate better terms, i.e. try to increase “days to pay” for your invoices. Even taking an extra 5 days per month on a base of business valued at $1 million annually can earn your business extra interest of over $3,000, after taxes. That’s real money!

6. Change your Payroll Cycle. If you are on a weekly payroll cycle, consider moving to bi-weekly. If you are paying bi-weekly, consider moving to semi-monthly (15th and 30th). Perform a cost-benefit analysis to make sure this makes sense for your business. You can reduce payroll processing costs which can be significant especially if you have a fairly large employee base.

7. Get on the “green” bandwagon early. Become more energy efficient. Who knows…you may even qualify for tax breaks. Get employees in the habit of turning off lights when they leave conference rooms. Installing sensors for rooms or areas used infrequently may be something to think about. Turn off computers and unplug office equipment at the end of each day. According to the government’s ENERGY STAR program, 40% of the electricity that home electronics use is consumed while the products are turned off. I would imagine this applies to office equipment as well.

8. Meet with your banker. Set up a meeting right away. Not only will you be building a critical relationship (one that too many managers neglect), but ask them for ideas. They have the benefit of seeing what works (or doesn’t) for other businesses so feel free to pick their brain. Best of all…it’s free advice! Discuss things like…putting extra cash in Money Market accounts, CD’s etc. See if you can move your operating account to an interest bearing checking account. While the interest earned may not be “earth shattering”, it is still money earned without doing anything different. If there is a limit on the amount of checks that can be written in such an account, analyze the fees that the bank may charge vs. the interest that can be earned. Pay bills electronically and offer direct deposit for your employees to reduce any check writing fees. Also, are you carrying too high balance of a balance in your checking account? Work with your accountant and take a look at your cash flow to see if some of that idle money can be earning interest elsewhere.

9. Trim your travel budget (if you still have one). Telephone and/or Video Conference will save you tons of cash. Also, are the seminars and conferences you attend every year really paying off? Maybe attending 2 instead of 4 will reap the same benefits.

10. Renegotiate contracts. Bring in service providers (telephone, software, etc,) and consultants to discuss current contracts and reduce fees. Take a look at your leases (office equipment, rent, etc.). Also, are you taking full advantage of any “hidden deals” and/or discounts? Have you been paying attention to the invoices in an effort to avoid “overcharges”? Take advantage of the economic downturn. No one wants to lose a customer at this point. Where appropriate, bring other providers in to bid for your business. Caution: don’t hire them simply because they are cheap!

11. Tax strategies. If you invest a lot in equipment and are incurring high business equipment taxes Explore states with business-friendly tax codes. There are benefits to setting up an “equipment holding” company in a low tax state. Business losses and write-offs may also result in your business qualifying for various tax breaks and deductions. Talk to a good tax attorney about how to maximize these and other tax deductions for your business.

12. Budget for “reserves”. In other words, have a “contingency” or “miscellaneous” account as a line item in your budget. A good starting point would be to set aside 5% – 10% of all your total expenses for unforeseen circumstances. Keep in mind, if we could predict the future, we would all be millionaires. Incorporating the “reserve” account as an “expense” item is simply good business policy.

13. Look at your health insurance benefits. If you haven’t spoken to your Insurance Rep in a while, now would be a good time. You should be reviewing your policy every six months anyway. A slight change in your workforce level can have a significant impact on the employer (and employee) is your contract coming up for renewal? Can you break the contract without incurring any fees? You may be able to find a good deal out there without sacrificing coverage.

14. Conduct annual invoice audits. Look closely at the invoices received from your vendors. If you don’t have a good system for monitoring the invoices before they are paid, you may be surprised at the number of duplicate or erroneous payments that can occur. An extra “0″ added to a $1,000 invoice results in a $10,000 payment and a $9,000 mistake. Incentivize your employees when they discover these errors. For example, if they recover monies, split it with them. It’s a “win-win” deal!

15. Go after abandoned customers. If a competitor closed its doors, that should spell “O P P O R T U N I T Y”. The customer may be cutting back, but when things get better or they find a new job, they will be back. You will want to make sure you are well positioned to fill the gap left by your competitor.

16. Explore new sales markets. As strange as it may seem, an economic downturn is the perfect time to look for opportunities in new markets. Territories once shunned (especially overseas) now deserve a second or third look. Again, get ideas from your employees.

17. Stay involved in your community. Don’t cut back on your sponsorship of community events and charitable donations. The money spent on the uniforms for the Little League Baseball team is “big deal”. People remember this stuff. Those people are potential customers or good referral sources. Actually, its worth much more than the tons of money you spent for the sign at your local Major League Baseball stadium. You know…the one that nobody notices!

18. Do you twitter? Do you have a presence on the social networking sites? Yes, I do mean Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. Are your employees set up on LinkedIn? Even if you are a “Mom and Pop” type businesses, consider paying one of your tech savvy employees 15 or 20 cents extra a week to post updates and monitor these sites for you if you do not have the “know how.”

19. Part-time and Independent Contractors. Before you consider laying off, explore the possibility of reducing hours or changing the status of an employee to “Independent Contractor”. The employees will still appreciate having an income and, at the same time, you will save money on payroll taxes and/or health insurance contributions you were obligated to.

20. Finally…be honest with employees. Don’t tell them today things are great, and then tomorrow start laying off. On the other hand, if things are really tough, let them know. If you build an honest relationship and take the time to let you know how much you appreciate their effort, they will “go to bat” for you during the tough times. If you do have to resort to laying them off, they will understand even if it hurts. Chances are, if you have implemented the other 19 strategies mentioned her and made them an integral part of your company’s culture, your employees will be the ones saving your company from going under in an economic downturn.


Author: Donald Harper
Article Source: EzineArticles.com