The Successful Land Surveying Business

BY TONY NETTLEMAN

Essentials

Documents such as business plans and mission statements are byproducts

Dreams, goals, and tasks give you direction

Without a course, you will be on the wrong path and never know it

Business PlanYour Roadmap

Executive Summary: Write this last. It’s just a page or two of highlights.

Company Description: What do you do? What differentiates your business? Which markets do you serve?

Product or Service: Describe what you’re selling. Focus on customer benefits.

Market Analysis: You need to know your market, customer needs, where they are, how to reach them, etc.

Strategy and Implementation: Be specific. Include management responsibilities with dates and budgets. Make sure you can track results.

Web Plan Summary: For e-commerce, include discussion of website, development costs, operations, sales and marketing strategies.

Organization & Management : Describe the organization and the key management team members.

Financial Analysis: Make sure to include at the very least your projected Profit and Loss and Cash Flow tables.

http://articles.bplans.com/writing-a-business-plan/A-Standard-Business-Plan-Outline

Market Analysis

How large is your client-base?

How many competitors do you have in each sub-industry?

What geographic area will you operate in?

How much are your competitors charging?

…can you make a profit?

Goals Are

S Smart

M Measurable

A Attainable

R Relevant

T Time-Specific

http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/06/setting-business-goals.html

Key Financials

Receivables: client invoices

Payables: vendors, equipment suppliers, rent

Assets: Survey Equipment, Vehicles, Real estate

Budgets: monthly, quarterly, annual, long-termActual vs. Projected Profit and LossCash FlowBalance Sheet

http://articles.bplans.com/writing-a-business-plan/A-Standard-Business-Plan-Outline

Small Business Accounting Software

Desktop Robust

Mature

Scalable

Not Cheap

Web Accessible Everywhere

Sometimes Free

No Hassle

Taxes

The IRS is the worst creditor ever!!!!

The tax code being broken is not necessarily a bad thing

Maintaining an accurate book keeping system alleviates major work when April 15th arrives

Many businesses are required to file documents quarterly

Relationships

When you agree to perform services for a client, you are entering into a legal contract -- you promise to do the work, and the client promises to pay you for it.

Depending on the type of survey work, many clients may be one-timers expecting you to provide a product, not a service

Ever get skunked? Clients change their minds, get angry about where you placed a pin or just plain don’t pay you.

Without some kind of proof, good luck.

ContractsGet It In Writing!

Thing Happen: clients don’t know what they want, change their minds, don’t like your results or are just deadbeats

No matter what you do, disputes will arise.

Protect yourself, get it in writing?

ContractElements

A "Meeting of the Minds" (Mutual Consent)

Offer and Acceptance

Mutual Consideration (The mutual exchange of something of value)

Performance or Delivery

Good Faith

No Violation of Public Policy

http://www.expertlaw.com/library/business/contract_law.html