First impressions last a lifetime, and the perceptions formed by your new employees are no exception. Find out the eight steps you can take to ensure your new hires make the transition smoothly and happily into your workplace.

Most employers focus a lot of time and attention on the recruiting and hiring process: finding qualified applicants, interviewing, checking references, and ultimately, crafting an acceptable offer. But, your job does not end once the new employee has been hired. The smooth assimilation of new hires is an essential ingredient for reducing performance problems and turnover. And, further complicating the process, you must make sure that all necessary paperwork is completed to ensure compliance with the growing maze of employment laws.

Unfortunately, too many organizations become overwhelmed by the paperwork demands and neglect the fundamentals of the orientation process. A better approach is to focus more on welcoming and integrating new hires into the workforce and to pay special attention to laying the groundwork for improved performance and retention. Below, we provide eight tips on how to coordinate both orientation and new hire legal compliance into an organized process.

Engaging a New Team Member An effective orientation program makes the new hire feel comfortable and introduces the employee to the organization’s culture, supervisors, coworkers, and work expectations. Employees who get a positive first impression and “buy into” your culture are more likely to develop loyalty, cooperate with coworkers and supervisors, offer ideas, and take a personal interest in your organization’s success. While every employer must adjust its approach based on size and management philosophy, the following eight steps provide a guideline to help you cover the right bases.

1. Make the new employee feel welcome and part of the group before work begins. Often, there is some lag time between the date the employee accepts your offer and the first day of work. You can make your new employee feel more a part of the group during this period by having his supervisor touch base with him, for example, to brief him on the people he will be working with and any special projects that are in the pipeline.
2. Be ready for the new hire’s arrival on the first day. Little things can go a long way to help overcome first-day jitters. For example, start by alerting receptionists and security guards to the new employee’s arrival. Make sure the new employee’s workspace is ready and that keys and any necessary entry codes are provided. Assign an e-mail address and computer password, if applicable, and add the employee to your internal contact lists. In addition, have top officials take the time to meet each new hire, or at least send a personal welcome note.
3. Provide an overview of all operations. This step should include a review of the corporate history and organization chart, a discussion of important products and services, and a tour of the immediate physical facilities.
4. Communicate information about the organization’s goals and culture. The orientation process (free policy download) is an ideal time to educate new hires about your organization’s mission, market presence, culture, competition, and plans for growth.
5. Provide detailed information about the new hire’s position and performance expectations. New employees should be given a clear outline of their job description, classification or title, and duties. In addition, the supervisor should provide written training and performance goals with appropriate benchmarks and expected completion dates.
6. Assign new employees meaningful work. Many employers make the mistake of giving new employees “busy work” when they first arrive, such as reviewing training manuals or shadowing other employees. This approach is intended to “ease” the employee into the job, but often backfires by making the new hire feel unchallenged, or even unneeded.
7. Inform the employee about the organization’s policies, procedures, and benefits as soon as possible. For most organizations, the employee handbook is the source of much of the information needed to be informed about benefits, hours of work, pay policies, and work rules. Most employers also require new employees to sign a receipt acknowledging they received and read the handbook and that they understand they are “at-will” employees, if in fact that is the case.

   Some policies, such as sexual harassment (free policy download), equal employment opportunity, drug and alcohol use and testing (free policy download), and safety, are so important that you may want to conduct special training for them. (A few states, such as California and Connecticut, require sexual harassment training, so check state law.) In particular, new employees should understand how to make complaints under these policies.

   You also should review information in the handbook regarding benefits and provide appropriate summary plan descriptions. In addition, if the employee will be participating in your health insurance plan and COBRA covers you, you must provide an initial COBRA notice to the employee and any covered spouse and dependents.

   If you have a policy requiring new employees to take a physical exam or undergo any medical tests, these typically should be conducted prior to the employee’s first day. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), you may conduct any type of medical exam at the post-offer stage if all entering employees in the same job category must undergo the examination. However, once the employee has actually started work, the ADA requires that any medical exam be job-related and consistent with business necessity.

8. Complete necessary paperwork. The first day often is also the most convenient time to have a new employee fill out required forms. Some forms, such as the employment eligibility verification (Form I-9) and withholding allowance (Form W-4), are required by law. The Form I-9 should be completed within three business days of the employee’s first day. The Form W-4, designating the employee’s number of withholding exemptions for tax purposes, should be completed on or before the first day of employment. If the new hire is under 18, you also may need a certificate of age and a work permit issued by your state to verify the employee may work in the particular job. Other forms may be needed to administer your policies, such as those for benefits enrollment and beneficiary designations, direct pay deposit authorization, and employee emergency contact information.

   You also must complete state-required new hire reports for all new employees. Under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, which establishes a “parent locator service” to help enforce child support obligations and child custody and visitation orders, you must provide information on your new employees to your state “new hire directory.” Most states provide new hire reporting forms, and many employers give the forms to their new employees to fill out and then submit them to the state. (You can find helpful information on each state’s reporting requirements from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Administration for Children and Families on the Internet at [http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cse/newhire/employer/contacts/nh_matrix.htm]

Nurture Your Newbies There is no question about it – finding, training, and replacing employees is expensive. HR experts estimate that turnover costs from 30% to 50% of an employee’s first year salary. Some suggest that this cost is closer to 100%. Clearly, most actions you take to retain new employees are worth the effort, and an effective welcome and new hire integration process can help ensure a better retention rate.

Remember, these actions do not have to be elaborate or difficult to be effective. None of the eight tips suggested above are expensive, although they do require careful advance planning for successful coordination and implementation. Your goal should be to provide a professional setting and make the new hire feel as comfortable as possible.

Learn more: http://www.ppspublishers.com/articles/new-hire-orientation.htm

Author: Robin Thomas, J.D.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Wordpress plugin Guest Blogger

Many people think that the access to Canadian Government funded R&D incentives is limited to manufacturers and research labs. It is exciting to discover that small businesses in the food industry (like bakeries and restaurants) are also prime candidates who can and should take an advantage of this amazing funding program!

The SR&ED program aims to reimburse companies for their experimental development expenses. The goal is to make creativity and innovation affordable in the Canadian business environment and foster future development.

The program is highly relevant to small businesses, where a refund of $20K-$70K could mean a world of difference. The actual refund amount depends on proper identification and qualification of eligible expenditures.

What can possibly qualify a bakery or a restaurant for governmental R&D incentives?

1. Recipe changes that improve taste or quality
2. Improvement of nutritional properties (low-fat, low calories)
3. Elimination of allergens, preservatives, artificial dyes
4. Increase of a product shelf life
5. Equipment or appliance modifications
6. And more…

In order to stay competitive, food producers must respond to changing tastes and demands. Experimenting with new ingredients, modifying products to suit recent diet fashion – all these activities often qualify as shop-floor experimental development.

Working on new ideas takes time, wastes materials and requires equipment modification. The SR&ED program allows retrieving these expenses:

1. 68% of qualified payroll costs
2. 41% of sub-contractor expenses
3. 22.6% of capital expenditures

The refund has no strings attached – the owners are free to spend it anyway they like – buy new equipment, avoid eliminating a job, or give everyone a big bonus – the decision is yours!

Using the extensive experience of trained engineers (like our team), business owners have the opportunity to review their potential for qualification, and complete the application process in a few hours, and with no up-front costs.

Discovering that your business is eligible for SR&ED funding makes a world of difference – on the bottom line, as well as future planning!

Author: Mark Sorkin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Programmable Pressure Cooker

On the average list of fundraising ideas you will find many suggestions. However, you need to look at several factors before you determine how effective these fundraising ideas will be for your purpose.

1. Is the product easy to sell?
Is it something your customers really need? If the product is a necessity item, sales are more likely to be much higher and more frequent. You will have regular, repeat sales all year round.

2. Is the product unique?
Is the market already well catered for with the type of fundraising product you are considering to sell? If the product is new, consumer interest will be much greater.

3. Can the product be labelled specifically for you?
This gives you more opportunity to promote and advertise your organization.

4. Is it a product your organization’s members would be interested in buying?
If the product you are selling is an item your own members would not buy, you should reconsider keeping this on your list of fundraising ideas.

5. Is the product profitable?
Some fundraising products offer profit margins of only 25-50% and the unsold portion goes to waste, reducing your returns. But if you make your own products, the profit margins can be as high as 500-1000 %.

On the top of your list of fundraising ideas you should consider making your own range of cleaning products, toiletries and cosmetics. These products fulfill all the above criteria for making a successful, long term and highly profitable fundraiser.

These are everyday necessity items, used by you, your family, your friends, your members, businesses and the general public. Unlike most products on the average list of fundraising ideas, the market is not saturated.

These fundraising products can be labelled with the logo of your organization or any other design to benefit you.

Cleaning products, toiletries and cosmetics have a long shelf life, minimizing wastage and thereby maximizing profits. They are exceptionally easy to make from home or workshop – no special equipment or qualifications needed.

Because you are the manufacturer, you can make only what you need, and all the profit is yours.

Cleaning and cosmetic products make a great stand alone business for individuals or couples, as well as being a prefect addition to the list of fundraising ideas for organizations.

Author: Sam Stein
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Duty tariff

Many people think that the access to Canadian Government funded R&D incentives is limited to manufacturers and research labs. It is exciting to discover that small businesses in the food industry (like bakeries and restaurants) are also prime candidates who can and should take an advantage of this amazing funding program!

The SR&ED program aims to reimburse companies for their experimental development expenses. The goal is to make creativity and innovation affordable in the Canadian business environment and foster future development.

The program is highly relevant to small businesses, where a refund of $20K-$70K could mean a world of difference. The actual refund amount depends on proper identification and qualification of eligible expenditures.

What can possibly qualify a bakery or a restaurant for governmental R&D incentives?

1. Recipe changes that improve taste or quality
2. Improvement of nutritional properties (low-fat, low calories)
3. Elimination of allergens, preservatives, artificial dyes
4. Increase of a product shelf life
5. Equipment or appliance modifications
6. And more…

In order to stay competitive, food producers must respond to changing tastes and demands. Experimenting with new ingredients, modifying products to suit recent diet fashion – all these activities often qualify as shop-floor experimental development.

Working on new ideas takes time, wastes materials and requires equipment modification. The SR&ED program allows retrieving these expenses:

1. 68% of qualified payroll costs
2. 41% of sub-contractor expenses
3. 22.6% of capital expenditures

The refund has no strings attached – the owners are free to spend it anyway they like – buy new equipment, avoid eliminating a job, or give everyone a big bonus – the decision is yours!

Using the extensive experience of trained engineers (like our team), business owners have the opportunity to review their potential for qualification, and complete the application process in a few hours, and with no up-front costs.

Discovering that your business is eligible for SR&ED funding makes a world of difference – on the bottom line, as well as future planning!

Author: Mark Sorkin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Latest trends in mobile phone

In order to figure out how to keep the right employee, we must first understand that attitudes have completely changed in today’s world. An HR director for a very large, well-known computer manufacturing firm told me a while ago that when she sees more than three years at the same job on a resume, she immediately assumes that the person is complacent and that their resume gets stuck at the wrong end of the list.

What?!

Could it be? Is this the end of loyalty and longevity being viewed as a good thing?

The average resume I see today has a new job for every 1½ to 2 years! It is unbelievable to me that these people ever get hired! Yet, here was my insider at the computer firm telling me that HR personnel are being trained to view people who stay longer than three years at a company as complacent and lacking in ambition!

I personally say, “BALONEY!”

But if you’ve been reviewing resumes lately, you’ll see that the trend is certainly toward a more “transient” attitude, and that many skilled people are moving around frequently from job to job.

So what does this mean to you?

First of all, you should know that according to many studies I’ve seen, the average cost of replacing an employee is upwards of $35,000 PER position, every time you do it! This includes advertising for the position, loss of sales and productivity while the position is empty, and further loss of sales and productivity while the new trainee is trying to get up to speed – which sometimes can take a year!

Add to that the cost of uniforms, taxes, insurance, the typically expensive “new guy” mistakes, and the administration time required to get everything in line, and you have a big investment in each of your team members.

Even though this trend is unfortunately real, I recommend you consider fighting it! First of all, don’t give in to hiring the “professional basketballs” or “job hoppers!”

Once you’ve made that commitment to yourself, staff, and business, there are many ways to increase the odds of a particular new hire lasting longer, and becoming a more permanent employee.

Putting Out the “Feelers”

Does your ad look like all the others out there? Be more specific and seek a personality that fits! Think about your offer and compensation: does it speak to the personality that you’re looking for? For instance, I offer insurance benefits that are paid for a percentage of the entire family. I find family types are more stable, so I want to attract them!

When you screen (on the phone or internet) before the interview, ask questions related to the person’s values. Try to determine if they are more or less like the best employees you currently have on the team!

Make sure to project the culture of your HEALTHY workplace: make it clear and verbalize to the new potential hire, that we do not allow in-fighting, gossip, or game-playing; set an example of enthusiasm, dedication, and positivity; recognize individuals and teams within the organization when they achieve; pay them well and offer great benefits; test your own policies to make certain they help protect the culture you wish to develop and don’t conflict with it!

And when you do make an offer, make sure to get a commitment! As we all know, depending upon the time of year that a person comes on-board, they may experience the first few weeks or even a month or so of a seasonally slow time, and if they don’t stick around long enough, they may never realize how good it can be when the entire year is over, and the dust settle over their total income picture. I always ask each candidate if he can give me a minimum of a 1 YEAR commitment, and I never hire anyone who will not look me in the eye and give me that promise.

Superior Service Advising (TM)

One of the easiest ways that you can make a big difference in your shop is to change your notion about what makes a good service advisor, because it’s not their knowledge of cars. No, some of the best service advisors in my shop I hired with absolutely no automotive experience at all because their primary job isn’t to know how a car works.

In our shop, anyway, their job is to provide excellent customer service, and to take the time with every customer so that they can make an informed decision about a recommended repair.

Yes, knowing about cars is important, but that information can be taught. Having excellent customer service skills, on the other hand, can’t be taught as easily.

I meant what I said about hiring people with no automotive experience though…it works. Case and point: in the past, I hired some of my best service advisors away from their jobs as a gas station attendant, a Burger King Assistant Manager, and a Grocery Store Produce Manager.

I’ve also found that when I hire for customer service specialists over seasoned automotive industry advisors, they’re much less likely to “burn out” quickly because they’re used to providing great service to even the most unpleasant customers.

When You’re Hiring Technicians

When you’re thinking about hiring a new technician, however, make sure you’re getting the most highly qualified tech you can find. For example, the first question we ask in an interview is “Are you ASE certified?” If they’re not, they won’t become a tech in our shop. The following are the 22 questions we ask in every technician interview:

1. Are you ASE Certified?
2. Are you presently employed?
3. How long have you been at your current job?
4. How long were you at your last job?
5. How many hours can you bill per week?
6. What type of work are you best at?
7. What type of work is toughest for you?
8. How much $$ do you have invested in tools?
9. If I offered you a chance to work here, when could you start?
10. Are you a happy person?
11. Are you from around here?
12. Are you a family kind of guy?
13. Which job have you had that you enjoyed the most?
14. Why did you enjoy it the most?
15. Which job have you had that was the worst?
16. Why was it the worst?
17. Have you ever had a good manager?
18. What was good about him?
19. Have you ever had a bad manager?
20. What made him bad?
21. What makes a shop successful?
22. How could you help us become that shop?

The idea here is to get the interviewee to open up and talk. So do not just read through he question and accept a “yes” or “no” answer; it’s important that you use these to open up a dialogue so you may begin to get a “feel” for who this person sitting across from you might truly be, and how they might fit within your organization. If you just coldly ask questions and record answers, you might as well not ask them at all.

Remember also that some people interview very well, but are not nearly so cooperative and helpful once they are hired. One of the ways I avoid being caught up in that is to make certain that every reference is checked, and that all references are from previous employers, not “guys they worked with in the past.” Who CARES how many other techs or service writers a guy can convince to say nice things about him? I am ONLY interested in what the previous bosses have to say.

We all know that the previous employers are not supposed to reveal anything in the reference call, but there’s a KEY to getting the truth out of them! It’s all in how you ask, and it’s up to you being able to read between the lines. For instance, I don’t ask if the candidate is eligible for rehire, I ask “If you could only have one [technician/service writer/bookkeeper] would this person be likely to make it into the position?”

The hesitation — or outright laughter — is often all the answer I need to know that there was something much less than perfect about this supervisor’s experience with their former employee. Many times it’s possible to get the previous employer to open up if you do a good job of building rapport with them over the telephone before asking the key questions anyway.

Hiring the right people doesn’t have to be difficult — and it goes a long way towards making your shop successful. As long as you begin the process knowing exactly the type of person that will help make your shop successful, you can help prevent staff turnaround and save thousands of dollars in the long run.

IF you’d like to learn more about hiring the right people, I invite you to contact me anytime. My shop does upwards of $3 million every year with 6 techs and an apprentice, and the people that I’ve hired are a big reason why we’re able to sustain those kinds of numbers.

Drop me an email if there are any further questions that I can answer about hiring great people for your shop; I’m happy to answer all emails personally. You can reach me anytime at coach@autoprofitmasters.com, and can learn more about hiring the right people at http://www.autoprofitmasters.com.

Author: David N. Rogers
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera Information

Many people think that the access to Canadian Government funded R&D incentives is limited to manufacturers and research labs. It is exciting to discover that small businesses in the food industry (like bakeries and restaurants) are also prime candidates who can and should take an advantage of this amazing funding program!

The SR&ED program aims to reimburse companies for their experimental development expenses. The goal is to make creativity and innovation affordable in the Canadian business environment and foster future development.

The program is highly relevant to small businesses, where a refund of $20K-$70K could mean a world of difference. The actual refund amount depends on proper identification and qualification of eligible expenditures.

What can possibly qualify a bakery or a restaurant for governmental R&D incentives?

1. Recipe changes that improve taste or quality
2. Improvement of nutritional properties (low-fat, low calories)
3. Elimination of allergens, preservatives, artificial dyes
4. Increase of a product shelf life
5. Equipment or appliance modifications
6. And more…

In order to stay competitive, food producers must respond to changing tastes and demands. Experimenting with new ingredients, modifying products to suit recent diet fashion – all these activities often qualify as shop-floor experimental development.

Working on new ideas takes time, wastes materials and requires equipment modification. The SR&ED program allows retrieving these expenses:

1. 68% of qualified payroll costs
2. 41% of sub-contractor expenses
3. 22.6% of capital expenditures

The refund has no strings attached – the owners are free to spend it anyway they like – buy new equipment, avoid eliminating a job, or give everyone a big bonus – the decision is yours!

Using the extensive experience of trained engineers (like our team), business owners have the opportunity to review their potential for qualification, and complete the application process in a few hours, and with no up-front costs.

Discovering that your business is eligible for SR&ED funding makes a world of difference – on the bottom line, as well as future planning!

Author: Mark Sorkin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty

More and more companies are viewing temporary employees as an efficient and cost-effective way to recruit and test the abilities of workers before bringing them on board full time. Temp-to-hire placement is a strategic recruiting tool which saves time by allowing a staffing partner to test and pre-screen candidates for you, will save the company money during the trial period because all the employee taxes and some benefits will be paid by the staffing company, and allows the company to evaluate the candidate in the field before making that full-time commitment.

During a traditional interview process, the recruiter evaluates the candidate’s responses to determine their potential:

• Will they be able to follow directions accurately?
• What kind of attitude will they display in the workplace?
• Will they fit into the culture of the company?
• Can they multi-task?
• How will they interact with their team members?
• Can they work under pressure?
• Will the quality of their work be able to stand intense scrutiny?

In a temp-to-hire situation, these questions will be answered during the interview process. The employer will then have the dual opportunity to view the employee’s day-to-day work habits and style.

Grisela Rodriguez, Director of Human Resources and Administration for the American Academy of Diabetes Educators, has been utilizing the temp-to-hire choice for years. She says, “It’s really an opportunity to put the candidates to the test and find out if they really know what they say they know. In addition, even though the employee may have all the mechanical skills, the fit is just as critical. You need to get a good feel for their day-to-day work habits, skill level and productivity, by watching their behavioral style as they communicate internally, making sure they follow-up on assigned tasks, and most important, by being sure they can stay consistent on all these measures will prove the employee is a good fit.”

Another reason for temp-to-hire is that many department heads are not interested in recruiting and believe they don’t have the necessary interviewing skills. They may not know how to read between the lines and listen to what the person is saying or they may not be able to probe for essential information to help make a good hiring decision.

The following describes a few reasons of why hiring temp-to-hire has become much more common in these challenging economic times.

• The company saves money on the cost of advertising online or in the local newspaper.
• The company also saves money on payroll administration and fringe benefits until you make the decision to bring the temporary employee on full time.
• Human Resources doesn’t spend an inordinate amount of time searching for the candidate through online job sites, reading through the resumes and going through the initial series of interviews.
• The company may have some budgetary restrictions, you may not have 110% confidence in the candidate of choice, there may be a shortage of potential candidates, or perhaps you are uncertain about the length of the project.
• Due to recent layoffs and downsizing across the country, employers can now find a pool of talented and skilled workers looking for employment.
• And employers are not liable for unemployment insurance expenses if the employee doesn’t work out. Unemployment insurance is paid by the staffing firm.

Why would a potential employee consider working in a temp-to-hire position?

Temp-to-hire employees are finding work as administrative assistants, customer service representatives, marketing managers and also as accountants, project managers, and even doctors and attorneys. They are more mature and well-educated and are working as temporary and contract employees because it offers them the opportunity to understand the company’s culture and working environment before actually making any commitment.

“If it turns out I’m not going to be a good fit for them, then it’s probably not a good fit for me.”

So says Nick Jasinski, a new customer service representative at Schwartz Brothers Insurance. A recent graduate from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Nick wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to do after he graduated. He started submitting his resume online at CareerBuilder.com in addition to Monster.com and was getting only a few interviews. Some prospective employers expressed their concern about his lack of day-to-day business experience.

Reading through Crain’s Chicago Business, he saw list of 20 staffing firms in the area, and sent his resume to all of them. In a short time, Nick was going on two to three interviews a day and was hired by Schwartz Brothers in a temp-to-hire position. “At first, I was nervous, but it didn’t take long for me to fit in. In fact, it is so busy here there is never a dull moment! And I’m continuing to learn new skills.”

There are, admittedly, a few downfalls in temp-to-hire placements.

The temp-to-hire employee knows the position may not work out for any number of reasons and could eventually lose the job. They may continue to look for employment and, as a result, receive a better offer which means the employer will have to start the process all over. The loyalty and total commitment the employer desires may not be 100% during the normal three-month testing period.

Temp-to-hire positions generally rule out the population of people who are currently employed. It is unlikely that a potential candidate searching for a new opportunity will want to leave a full-time position for a temp-to-hire placement.

But when employees working in temporary positions find they are being considered for a full time position, it becomes a win-win situation. It’s good for the employer because they have an opportunity to experience the employee’s work and attitude first hand and determine whether the employee will be a good fit. And it’s good for the employee because over time they will have a much better understanding of the company, the business environment and whether they can see themselves having a passion for the company enabling them to make a significant contribution. Even though a company may not been looking to fill a direct hire position, if the temporary employee working on a project exhibits excellent skills, work habits and an interest in the company, there’s a good chance they will be offered a permanent position.

Temp-to-hire placements …

• create assets for your company,
• improve productivity and morale, and
• ultimately protect you from poor hiring decisions.

Author: Mimi Jeter
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Benefits of electric pressure cooker

On the average list of fundraising ideas you will find many suggestions. However, you need to look at several factors before you determine how effective these fundraising ideas will be for your purpose.

1. Is the product easy to sell?
Is it something your customers really need? If the product is a necessity item, sales are more likely to be much higher and more frequent. You will have regular, repeat sales all year round.

2. Is the product unique?
Is the market already well catered for with the type of fundraising product you are considering to sell? If the product is new, consumer interest will be much greater.

3. Can the product be labelled specifically for you?
This gives you more opportunity to promote and advertise your organization.

4. Is it a product your organization’s members would be interested in buying?
If the product you are selling is an item your own members would not buy, you should reconsider keeping this on your list of fundraising ideas.

5. Is the product profitable?
Some fundraising products offer profit margins of only 25-50% and the unsold portion goes to waste, reducing your returns. But if you make your own products, the profit margins can be as high as 500-1000 %.

On the top of your list of fundraising ideas you should consider making your own range of cleaning products, toiletries and cosmetics. These products fulfill all the above criteria for making a successful, long term and highly profitable fundraiser.

These are everyday necessity items, used by you, your family, your friends, your members, businesses and the general public. Unlike most products on the average list of fundraising ideas, the market is not saturated.

These fundraising products can be labelled with the logo of your organization or any other design to benefit you.

Cleaning products, toiletries and cosmetics have a long shelf life, minimizing wastage and thereby maximizing profits. They are exceptionally easy to make from home or workshop – no special equipment or qualifications needed.

Because you are the manufacturer, you can make only what you need, and all the profit is yours.

Cleaning and cosmetic products make a great stand alone business for individuals or couples, as well as being a prefect addition to the list of fundraising ideas for organizations.

Author: Sam Stein
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Programmable Multi-cooker

Many people think that the access to Canadian Government funded R&D incentives is limited to manufacturers and research labs. It is exciting to discover that small businesses in the food industry (like bakeries and restaurants) are also prime candidates who can and should take an advantage of this amazing funding program!

The SR&ED program aims to reimburse companies for their experimental development expenses. The goal is to make creativity and innovation affordable in the Canadian business environment and foster future development.

The program is highly relevant to small businesses, where a refund of $20K-$70K could mean a world of difference. The actual refund amount depends on proper identification and qualification of eligible expenditures.

What can possibly qualify a bakery or a restaurant for governmental R&D incentives?

1. Recipe changes that improve taste or quality
2. Improvement of nutritional properties (low-fat, low calories)
3. Elimination of allergens, preservatives, artificial dyes
4. Increase of a product shelf life
5. Equipment or appliance modifications
6. And more…

In order to stay competitive, food producers must respond to changing tastes and demands. Experimenting with new ingredients, modifying products to suit recent diet fashion – all these activities often qualify as shop-floor experimental development.

Working on new ideas takes time, wastes materials and requires equipment modification. The SR&ED program allows retrieving these expenses:

1. 68% of qualified payroll costs
2. 41% of sub-contractor expenses
3. 22.6% of capital expenditures

The refund has no strings attached – the owners are free to spend it anyway they like – buy new equipment, avoid eliminating a job, or give everyone a big bonus – the decision is yours!

Using the extensive experience of trained engineers (like our team), business owners have the opportunity to review their potential for qualification, and complete the application process in a few hours, and with no up-front costs.

Discovering that your business is eligible for SR&ED funding makes a world of difference – on the bottom line, as well as future planning!

Author: Mark Sorkin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Smart cooker

Many people think that the access to Canadian Government funded R&D incentives is limited to manufacturers and research labs. It is exciting to discover that small businesses in the food industry (like bakeries and restaurants) are also prime candidates who can and should take an advantage of this amazing funding program!

The SR&ED program aims to reimburse companies for their experimental development expenses. The goal is to make creativity and innovation affordable in the Canadian business environment and foster future development.

The program is highly relevant to small businesses, where a refund of $20K-$70K could mean a world of difference. The actual refund amount depends on proper identification and qualification of eligible expenditures.

What can possibly qualify a bakery or a restaurant for governmental R&D incentives?

1. Recipe changes that improve taste or quality
2. Improvement of nutritional properties (low-fat, low calories)
3. Elimination of allergens, preservatives, artificial dyes
4. Increase of a product shelf life
5. Equipment or appliance modifications
6. And more…

In order to stay competitive, food producers must respond to changing tastes and demands. Experimenting with new ingredients, modifying products to suit recent diet fashion – all these activities often qualify as shop-floor experimental development.

Working on new ideas takes time, wastes materials and requires equipment modification. The SR&ED program allows retrieving these expenses:

1. 68% of qualified payroll costs
2. 41% of sub-contractor expenses
3. 22.6% of capital expenditures

The refund has no strings attached – the owners are free to spend it anyway they like – buy new equipment, avoid eliminating a job, or give everyone a big bonus – the decision is yours!

Using the extensive experience of trained engineers (like our team), business owners have the opportunity to review their potential for qualification, and complete the application process in a few hours, and with no up-front costs.

Discovering that your business is eligible for SR&ED funding makes a world of difference – on the bottom line, as well as future planning!

Author: Mark Sorkin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Programmable Pressure Cooker