A Joint Initiative Between     Heart of Wisconsin     Business & Economic Alliance and     Community Foundation of     South Wood County

Home About Us B2B Club Breaking News Contact Donate Events / Programs Feedback Ideas Incubator Industry Clusters Links / Resources Progess Funds Progress Teams Public Art / Murals Publications		Breaking News April 3, 2006 - Club to host evening meeting By: Steve Lewallen, for the Daily Tribune Editor's note: The Daily Tribune will regularly publish columns updating Community Progress Initiative activities and the work of its groups in local communities. How would you, as a businessman, like to learn more about the subjects that all businesses face today? The Business 2 Business Club discusses all of these subjects including marketing, budgeting, planning, insurance and much, much more. The B2B Club has been meeting at noon on the first Wednesday of every month since June, 2005. But, as the coordinators of this club, we felt that we might be missing some people who can't make the afternoon meetings. So, we have decided to host an evening meeting so that even more people can attend. This evening "Encore" meeting will take place at 6 p.m. April 24 at the Elks Club. At this meeting we, along with presenter Bob Miller, will revisit the topic of budgeting. Our past meetings on budgets have been our most well-attended. This is an exciting topic and one that can change your business. We are just finishing up the first quarter of the year, so if you don't have a budget yet, that's OK. It's not too late to get started. Unfortunately, most businesses don't take the time to put together a budget. The only time they know if they make money is at the end of the year when their accountant tells them the results. I regret to say I was one of them. I would work hard all year long and wait on pins and needles to see if the company made or lost money. I truly thought a budget wouldn't work for me. I couldn't control the amount of jobs we did in a week, month or year so I didn't make a budget. One day, a friend asked me if I had my budget ready for the next year. I explained to him that a budget just would not work for me and my business. A smile came over his face and he asked if I would like to go see the Packers play the Bears at Lambeau Field. Without hesitation I said yes. He then asked if I would like to watch both teams play without keeping score, and with no time limit. I was bewildered. It would be a waste of time to watch a game played without keeping score. He said you do that every day you operate your business without a budget. You aren't keeping score; you don't have a goal to work toward, nor do your employees. They are your team and they want to know if they are playing on a winning team or not. So I worked hard and put together a budget, and I found that I could truly control my costs better. Making a budget takes some time, but it is well worth it. Your budget will guide you through the next year, and if you check it with your monthly profit and loss statement, you can stay on top of your business, versus your business staying on top of you. Please join us for this Encore Business 2 Business Club Meeting at 6 p.m. April 24. All those who attend will receive a single drink ticket. If you have any questions regarding the Business 2 Business Club, please call the Heart of Wisconsin Business and Economic Alliance at 423-1830. Hope to see you then! Steve Lewallen is co-chairman of the Small Business Cluster.
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