BBB December eNewsletter

Blair Looney

The

PERSONALIZED BUSINESS PROFILE ON BBB.ORG

You can customize your BBB Business Profile to reflect the description of your business, products/services, refund policies, hours of operation, and service area. Add multiple photos, company logo, and videos, to create a unique and long lasting first impression! Photos, videos and links are critical for marketing on the internet.

BBB DYNAMIC SEAL

If you have a website, you need a BBB Dynamic Seal! It assures your customers that your company meets strict BBB standards, and that yours is a site they can trust! Apply for a Dynamic Seal by contacting Tish at tish@ccie.bbb.org.

BBB GET-A-QUOTE

Is a lead generating program consumers may access through our website to request price estimates for products and services. We send the actual proposal to Accredited Businesses that could fulfill the request for an opportunity to gain a new customer.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS

Take full advantage of BBB Customer Reviews. Ask your customers to post their review for you! We review the submissions to make sure they are truly your customer before they are posted.

BETTER BUSINESS TOOLBOX

The Business Management Platform for Out-Call Service Providers. Toolbox applications drive success for service providers through functionality, simplicity, and price.

BBB BUSINESS TIPS:

How to write a business plan

If you’ve got a great business idea, it’s wise to lay the foundation with a solid business plan. A well-developed plan acts as a guide to starting, managing, and growing your new business. In some cases, they can even help you get funding for your startup. So, how do you write a business plan? And what components will help ensure your business is successful? BBB recommends the following tips:

Start with an executive summary. Start your plan by outlining the purpose and goals of your company. Include a summary of your business objectives, products, and services, along with a realistic description of market opportunities. Use this section to justify your probability of success by giving readers a quick overview of the competitors and your advantage over them. In addition, outline your potential for growth and any funding you might require. Be concise but cover all the main points. Your executive summary will serve as an outline for the rest of your business plan.

Follow up with your company description. This section provides an overview of what your company is and why it will be successful. Use this chance to detail the problems that your business solves and explain your competitive advantages. Provide relevant examples of opportunities in your industry, explain your ideal customers and their needs, and provide a plan for how your business will fix these pain points.

Explain your products and services. In the “products and services” section of your business plan, you’ll dive deep into what you will provide for customers. You don’t need to get too technical here. Simply explain what you will offer and why your products and services will stand above the competition. List any patents, trademarks, or copyrights you own (or have applied for) in this section.

Outline your market opportunities. Without market research, you’ll have no real proof your business can succeed. Do research to understand what the current market looks like in your area and what opportunities are open to you. Find out the size of your market, whether it is growing, what the demand is for your products or service, and what customers expect to pay.

Discuss your sales and marketing strategy. This is your marketing plan. Use this section to outline how you will promote your product or services and how you will make sales. Get specific about your marketing budget, how you will measure your marketing efforts, and what advertising or public relations activities you’ll need to get the word out. You can include any marketing materials you already have in this section.

Analyze your competitive advantage. Delve into the strengths and weaknesses of your current competitors. Check out their websites, physical stores, and marketing efforts. This is a chance to learn from what other businesses are doing right and take advantage of their weak points as you decide on your own business strategies. Get specific in this section, especially if you’re looking to get outside funding. Investors will read this section carefully, and it’s unlikely they’ll be convinced if your only plan is to run “the same business, but better.”

Develop a plan for operations. In this section, give the details on how you plan to care for facilities, hire employees, obtain permits, get insurance, train employees, handle inventory, etc. What will your business look like on a day-to-day basis? What steps are needed to fulfill your customers’ orders? Be specific as you explain, taking your industry, customers, and market sector into consideration. Even if you aren’t seeking financing, this part of your business plan will come in handy later when questions about operations arise.

Introduce your management team. In this section, discuss the experience, skills, and resources your team of managers will need. If you’ve already put your team together, introduce each member, explain their role and title, and list reasons they are highly qualified to care for their responsibilities. Keep focusing on what each person adds to the business instead of fancy titles or credentials. Include the salary level qualified candidates will expect and/or the salary of each manager who is already actively working.

Reveal your financial analysis. Financial projections are what determine the risk level of your budding business. If you are looking for outside capital, this section will meet with plenty of scrutiny. Do your research before putting your financial analysis in writing. Include a balance sheet to describe what funds your company has right now, a profit and loss statement with projected expenses and revenue, a cash flow statement to show how cash flows through the business, an operating budget, and a break-even analysis to show when you expect your business to become profitable.

Include an appendix. If you have additional information to add, such as resumes for key employees, business licenses, photos of potential products or facilities, other financial documents, etc., you can include these in an appendix section.

News & Media

Puppy Scams

In the current digital age, it is no surprise that the first step in many people’s search for a new pet begins with the internet. Alas, even the most careful online search is likely to put a consumer in contact with a potential thief.

Q: I’ve heard that stores are now charging “return fees.” Is this true??? I know nothing in life is free, but this just seems like some nickel and diming by stores. It can’t be that much trouble, can it? I’d like to hear your thoughts on this. be purchasing from a third party, research their return policies before you buy.

A: To clarify, this is a change primarily made by online retailers, as opposed to in-store returns. While it might not seem like much, the process of shipping items back to retailers can be costly both in terms of shipping as well as labor. Since the pandemic began back in 2020, online shopping has skyrocketed. With that, as you might imagine, is a presumably equal increase in the amount of return shipments as well, which no doubt add up to no small sum. Because of this new policy, I would encourage folks to be cautious about online shopping for those that like to “impulse buy” as they day. Also, since the holidays are coming up, make sure and thoroughly decide on whether or not to make certain online purchases.

Going forward this holiday season, I would like to recommend the following tips from BBB when it comes to online shopping:

Check store policies before you buy. This is the number one way to avoid an unsatisfactory return experience. Usually, retailers in the United States are not required to have any specific refund, credit, or exchange policy. Search the retailer’s website for their return and refund policy to determine your options. If the retailer doesn’t have one, consider it a red flag.

Verify the seller. Some online retailers allow third-party sellers on their platforms. So, if you are purchasing from Amazon, for example, double-check to see if the product is coming from Amazon or a different seller. If you discover you’ll

Read consumer reviews. Search consumer reviews for any experiences with returns or refunds. If you find several customers had difficulty returning or receiving a refund, know that you run the same risk. You can look at reviews on the seller’s website but be sure to check other sources, too, like BBB.org

Save your order confirmation number and receipt. Keep these documents and store them in a safe place for the time your purchase is eligible for a return. You may need them when dealing with customer service later.

Check before returning an item to the store. Many stores allow you to return something you bought online to a brick-and-mortar location – but not every retailer and not every product. Some retailers only allow certain items to be returned in-store, while others must be returned by mail.

Lastly, Search BBB Scam Tracker. If you’re suspicious about the situation, search BBB Scam Tracker to see if anyone else has reported a similar situation. The NEW BBB Scam Tracker enables you to search by email, URL, phone number, and more at BBB.org/ScamTracker.

A Weekly Column in the Fresno Bee where CEO & President, Blair Looney answers questions asked by consumers looking for advice.