Protecting Your Brand: Legal Steps to...

by VENDIREX on 11/14/2014 - 01:30 pm |

Tag: Brand Management

When you have created the perfect brand for your business, the next step that you must take is to legally protect that brand. If you do not, chances are you will quickly see knock-offs of your company name and logo appearing, especially overseas.
1. Hire a Trademark Attorney
A brand is legally known as a trademark. You must file specific paperwork with the government to secure your absolute rights to this name and logo. This can be a very long and painstaking process if you try to handle it alone. 
The government is very specific about what can and cannot be protected by trademark, and in some cases it takes legal action to force the government to approve your name or logo for trademark protection. Once you have established trademark rights, you are protected, and no one can use your name or logo.
2. Reputation Management 
The next thing that you will want to do is establish a plan to protect the reputation of your business and brand. It is very important that you monitor the Internet and other media sources to make sure that no one is discrediting your name, or using it for other purposes. For example, if your company portrays that it uses only all natural products, you do not want to find your brand being associated with processed or unwholesome products. Also be sure the designers and website developers with whom you work are reputable and accountable.
3. Register with The Trademark Clearinghouse
One of the largest branding issues that businesses face is the ability for anyone to purchase the same domain name with a different ending (extension). For example, if your site ends in .com, someone may purchase the .net version in an effort to clone your brand. It happens more often than you may realize. Known as the TLD (anything to the right of the dot in the domain address) there are currently 22 different versions of web address extensions. Shortly, there will be over 1,400 as the Internet expands its offerings later in the year. 
Registration in the Trademark Clearinghouse will allow you to protect your brand by offering you the first chance to purchase these domain names before they go public. Additionally, business owners registered with the Clearinghouse will also be notified if anyone tries to purchase a domain name with their brand in the address.
Currently, these are the only options that businesses have in protecting their trademarks. Businesses must remain diligent in watching for brand abuse, carefully read contracts with those who are developing their images - and they should take legal action against anyone who tries to steal or forge their brand. Only through legal action will future thieves think twice about this type of cloning or theft. While it seems a bit complicated, it is worth the efforts. A brand can make the difference between a company being successful or failing. Your brand ...

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Time and Attendance Systems for Your ...

by VENDIREX on 11/12/2014 - 09:38 am |

Tag: Time and Attendance

Properly tracking payroll is one of the most critical functions of your business, and it is notefficient to attempt to perform this task by utilizing old-fashioned methods such as handwritten time cards. After all, a single mistake could be very detrimental for one of your employees, and you could also end up getting into legal trouble if people are not paid and taxed the appropriate amount each time. Fortunately, there is a variety of time and attendance systems available that can help businesses of all sizes track everything from basic hours to sick time. Get a fee quote here
How Does a Time and Attendance System Work?
Each of these systems has its own specific perks, but you can expect accurate record-keepingthat reflects every swipe of your virtual or physical time clock. It is also normal for these systems to give you the ability to track holiday pay, vacation time, sick time and overtime. Additionally, you can select a system that will compile attendance records for each employee, and this will make it easy for you to have the necessary paper trail if you ever need to discipline or terminate someone for excessive tardiness or absences.
How Can I Track People in the Field?
Many time and attendance systems are now equipped to sync up to a mobile application that gives employees the ability to punch in and out by utilizing their smartphone. This is especially beneficial if your company sends a lot of people into the field on a regular basis. In fact, it is even possible to take advantage of GPS technology so that you can determine exactly where each employee with a smartphone begins and ends their workday. This is a fantastic way to make sure that people are accurately recording their hours, and it can also be used to ensure employee safety because this method will make it much easier for you to find people if something goes wrong while they are in the field.
Is it More Cost-Effective to Pay People by the Hour?
Some businesses believe that they do not need a time and attendance system because they primarily pay people a salaried wage. However, it is important to carefully consider whether or not salaried employees are actually costing you more money. It is also not unusual to have salaried employees track their hours via a timesheet or by punching in and out daily so that you can ensure that they are still putting in a full day's work. In some cases, following this process will make it abundantly clear that an hourly rate would actually be more cost-effective. The reality is that people who are working for an hourly wage are less likely to attempt to leave early, and you can also temporarily reduce expenses as needed by cutting their hours when you have less work available. Regardless of whether you choose to make everyone hourly or salaried, it can still be extremely beneficial to use a time and attendance system, espe ...

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Loan Factoring and Your Business

by VENDIREX on 11/11/2014 - 09:50 am |

Tag: Factoring

Many businesses will occasionally find themselves in a position where they need to quickly increase the amount of cash they have on hand in order to acquire raw materials. This can become problematic if the company is not able to obtain a traditional loan, especially if the materials they need are a necessity to complete a project that they have already accepted. Fortunately, there are some alternative methods available for temporarily increasing cash flow, including factoring. Get Free Quotes for Factoring
What Exactly is Loan Factoring?
Factoring is not actually a loan, so the phrase loan factoring is a misnomer. Instead, this process, which is sometimes referred to as accounts receivable financing, enables companies to receive a fast infusion of cash by selling their invoices to a factoring company. These third-party commercial financial businesses will purchase outstanding accounts receivables that have a due date within the next 30 to 60 days. In other words, if you have an invoice pending for $5,000, you can choose to receive a portion of that money now to keep your business running instead of waiting for your customer to make a payment in 60 days.
What Terms Do Factoring Businesses Offer?
It is typically possible to complete the setup process for factoring in five days or less, and you will most likely receive money within 24 hours of the paperwork becoming finalized. The company that agrees to purchase your invoices will give you an advance rate based on a variety of factors, such as the credit history of your applicable customers. In most cases, you will be able to receive between 80 to 95 percent of the outstanding balance. Keep in mind that you do not assume any debt via factoring, and this unrestricted access to funds provides a much higher level of flexibility than taking out an actual loan. Additionally, you will receive the balance of the invoice, minus the factoring company’s fees, once your customer makes their payment.
What Type of Factoring Options Do I Have?
There are two main types of factoring: non-recourse and recourse. It is important to have a firm understanding of the difference between these two so that you know exactly what is required of you. If you agree to recourse factoring, you will remain responsible for making sure that the invoice or invoices in question are ultimately paid. For example, if you get an advance on a $1,000 invoice, you will need to pay that money back to the factoring company if your customer defaults on their payment.
Non-recourse factoring allows you to sell your invoices without taking on any of the credit risk that is associated with unpaid accounts receivables. This means that if your customer makes the decision not to pay their bill, the factoring company will pursue them for payment and end up eating the cost if they are unable to collect. ...

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Equipment Leasing Weekly Recap

by VENDIREX on 01/12/2015 - 10:25 am |

Tag: Equipment Leasing

 





This week topic is equipment leasing. For some, this is a new topic but for others this is something they have been doing for years. We wanted to put together a few articles that would help both the rookies and the veterans alike. 
Let's start out with an introduction.
http://www.vendirex.com/article/equipment-leasing-buyers-guide--introduction.html
This article will give you a good start with links to other articles and a brief discussion on pricing. This article is a good place to get started. 
Sometimes it's best if we ask the question "why should I lease"? 
http://www.vendirex.com/article/equipment-leasing-buyers-guide--why-lease.htmlLet's face it everything has an upside and a downside. In this article, we try to answer the "why should I lease" question. There are many reasons why. Some you may have never thought of before. Take a few minutes to scan this article, it's worth the time. 
Next let's address the evaluation process. 
It's good to have an understanding of how to judge a provider. In this article, we take a look at this process and walk you through questions or concerns that you may have. We will review the different kinds of leasing companies and review how to pick the right leasing company for you. http://www.vendirex.com/article/equipment-leasing-buyers-guide--evaluating-providers.html
 
 What type of lease is best for you?
Here is a review of the types you will encounter. http://www.vendirex.com/article/equipment-leasing-buyers-guide--types.html This article is great if you want quickly to take a look at the different types of leases. It is always a good practice at least to review the types of leases just in case something comes up that maybe a better opportunity for your case. 
 
Recap and review.
It's always a good idea to arm yourself with a little knowledge, or a quick review, before you head out and get committed to an equipment lease. Just to help round out this weekly recap here are two more articles that would be good  reviewing. 
Here are some tips: http://www.vendirex.com/article/equipment-leasing-buyers-guide--tips.htmlHere is one on choosing a lease: http://www.vendirex.com/article/equipment-leasing-buyers-guide--choosing-a-lease.html