Using a Free Home Design Service to Select Your Home Furnishings

There are two reasons for using a home design service: either to select the best furniture design and fabrics to suit a room’s existing decor, or to furnish a room from scratch using new furniture and furnishings, including carpets, drapes and wall coverings. The latter is the less common, due largely to the costs involved, although there are still many people that furnish a room, if not an entire home, from top to bottom.This is particularly the case if you have purchased a new home and want to decorate it to your own tastes. In such cases you can choose your style, begin with the wall-coverings and carpet, and then seek furniture to suit – or do it the other way around. Would it not be best to combine the two and use a furniture design service to select your furniture and home furnishings so that the results looks natural, well matched and balanced?Sure it would, and what could be better than using a free home design service offered by one of the top home furniture firms in the country? There are many furniture companies that offer a design service, and can also provide the furniture, fabrics, accessories and accent pieces to meet the requirements of their designs.Benefits of a Free Home Design ServiceEach design they offered would be focused on your specific needs, whether it is for one room or your entire home. Even if you want to furnish a room with your own major pieces, a furnishing design service such as this can recommend the occasional furniture such as individual rockers or coffee tables, and even offer help with the accent pieces such as mirrors, vases and so on. In fact, you can make use of a free home design service even if only to choose the most appropriate fabric for your sofas and chairs to match your existing room décor.Yes, you could do it yourself, and you would likely do a good job in your own eyes, but are you sure that your taste would impress your visitors – or your neighbors? Of course, not everyone bothers what the neighbors and in-laws think, but surely it is best to have a look at what professional designers can come up with before going your own way? You are under no obligation to take their free advice – and it is a free service that many furniture stores offer.A clash of floral designs in the drapes and the furniture fabrics can look very discordant, while a fabulous plain fabric for your sofa that matches your carpet and drapes – an even the wall-covering – could make all the difference between a beautifully designed and furnished room and a disaster!Using a Free Floor PlannerNot that you would ever make disastrous decisions, but why not see what is possible before making your mind up? ‘Act in haste, repent at leisure’ is what they say, and nothing was ever truer. You might be surprised if you take advantage of one of the many furnishing design services available online. In fact, you could combine that with a floor planner that allows you to fit furniture thumbnails into a scale diagram of your floor.Measure up your room and enter the measurements into the floor planner, also known as a room planner. You then get a scale plan of the floor, into which you can fit your choice of furniture. Most furniture websites that offer this form of room planning also provide scale thumbnails of each piece of furniture. So if you choose a sofa, for example, you can place it where you want it to go, and then add coffee tables and other pieces of furniture to check how they fit in.This type of design system is brilliant for sectionals: you can choose your sectionals to make the best possible use of the space in your room, including these awkward alcoves, corners and L-shapes. You will know in advance that your choice of furniture will fit perfectly, so you have no need to return anything that you cannot fit in! You can be certain that the correct traffic space is available between individual pieces – this is particularly important if a wheelchair is involved.If you use that service with a free home design service to select your home furnishings, you have the best of both worlds: professional designers helping you with the style and the fabrics, and the online free floor planner making sure that your choices will fit nicely into your home. Not all online furniture suppliers or outlets will offer you both of these options free of charge of course, but it sure helps if you can find those that do.

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The Primary Cause Of Business Financing Frustration

Finding proper business financing is not easy at the best of times for most small and medium sized business owners and managers.There are a number of reasons that collectively explain why the business financing market can be so difficult to understand and navigate.But probably the single biggest reason is the lack of useful information about how the business financing market actually works.Business financing information and education sources predominantly come in two forms: 1) Text books; 2) Major bank advertising.If you’ve ever read through a educational finance text book or taken a business financing course, you already know how difficult it can be to apply the theories, principles, and strategies to a small or medium sized business.Our formal education system provides limited information as to how the market place works, how to plan for financing requirements, how to manage periods of growth, decline, transition, start up, etc.Sure academic books and courses can go through all these areas in great detail, but is the information practical, real world, something you can relate to and apply yourself as a manager or owner of a small or medium sized business?In most cases, the answer is a resounding NO.Most finance text books speak to big business financing dynamics that are not easily transferable to small and medium sized business scenarios.Outside of the formal education system, the next great source of business financing information is the information provided by the major banks, which they tend to make available to you by the boat load through their broad based marketing campaigns.Unfortunately, the information by itself seldom helps you determine if a particular institution would be able to provide you with financing, or what would be required to qualify for a loan.The good news is that business financing sources continue to grow in numbers as more and more lenders carve out a particular piece of the market to service.In order to take advantage of these alternatives, you need to have a solid approach in place when seeking business financing.Here’s a short list of things to consider>>> Develop a solid, ongoing, understanding of both your personal and business assets, income, and cash flow.Regardless of the business financing model, these elements will always come into play to some degree.Being able to demonstrate a solid understanding of your business financials is also an indication of your ability to manage the underlying business.>>> Monitor and manage your personal and business credit.Small and medium sized business financing is focused on both personal and business credit histories.Regular reviews of both personal and business credit reports from the major credit reporting agencies are important to avoid errors and credit practices that can severely damage your borrowing power.>>> Develop your marketing position.Yes, seeking business financing is a marketing exercise.When applying for business financing, you’re marketing your business to lending sources and they in turn are marketing their business financing programs to you.Think of the lender as a customer to better understand what they’re looking for. Then, develop a business proposal that addresses all their potential needs and concerns.>>> Research Lending SourcesThere are lots of business financing sources. But there is also lots of variation in the types of business applications each one is prepared to consider.Broad based lenders rely on credit history and net worth. As you get more specific in terms of financing application and industry, lender programs become more narrow and can be harder to locate.You need to consider things like industry, sector, and geography when looking for business financing sources.Financing consultants and business loan brokers can be an excellent source of information to aid you in this process.>>> Qualify The LenderBefore you make a formal application, find out if the lender has the programs and lending track record to meet your specific needs.Too often, the lender is doing all the qualifying.>>> Compare your optionsDepending on the scenario, there can be several financing strategies that could work for your business.Make sure you take the time to compare before making a decision. The extra time spent could save you considerable time and money in the long run.>>> Start TodayRegardless of what your business financing needs are right now, you should regularly invest time staying on top of your business financials, monitoring your credit, and researching financing sources that fit your industry and potential future requirements.When the time comes to acquire capital, your proactive efforts can make all the difference in getting the capital you need with terms and timing that are acceptable to your business.

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Listing a Business For Sale

Listing your business for sale is an experience that most business owners are unprepared for. Too many small business owners liken the experience of selling a business to that of selling a piece of property. Any experienced business broker can tell you differently though. This article will touch on some of the key factors that suggest a prudent move is to properly plan before you list your business for sale.Business Performance Needs to Show Improvement
If your business has been stagnating and the profitability declining then a buyer may not be very interested in purchasing it. Spend the months (or years) it takes to show a prosperous and growing company. If sales are on the decline determine why. Perhaps you must refocus your sales efforts or add new products to your mix. If your margins are retreating then examine all of your expenses to determine if there are any savings that can be realized.Get Your Financial Information in Order
Spend the time and money it takes to have accountant prepared financial statements. Do not look at this exercise as an added expense but, rather, an investment. When it comes time to sell your business then you will have better luck with the buyers and they will have greater traction with the bank when they go for the acquisition financing.Documenting Processes Takes Time
A business where the success is dependent largely on one person has what is referred to as key person risk. These are businesses where the enterprise will suffer if the key person walks away from the company. These types of organizations sell at a discount since a buyer may have challenges to transferring the company goodwill to themselves after the sale. Try to eliminate this situation if it applies to your company. Document procedures and train your customers that there are other people and resources in the business that they can turn to.Get Machinery Up to Date
Keep track of all of your equipment maintenance. Repair or replace broken or obsolete equipment. If you would not be interested in buying it ask yourself if a prospective purchaser would?Clean Out Unsalable Inventory
Go through your inventory and so a thorough count to get an accurate amount. If you have obsolete or inventory that is damaged or unsalable then dispose of it.Tax and Legal Planning
Talk to your professionals to get proper tax guidance before you list. The way you structure your business for sale may have a large impact on your net tax payable after the sale. Also work with your attorney. If you have any legal issues pending such as lawsuits or employee disputes then try to have them resolved before you list.These are but a few factors to consider before you actually start the process of selling your company. There are certainly more, as every business is unique. Work with a business broker and other professionals to talk about the things you can do immediately that will help pave the way to a successful sale.

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