Running a business is difficult: a business owner needs to understand finance, contracts, torts, and how to maintain great relationships. Let us help you succeed!

1. The Successful
Land Surveying
Business
BY TONY NETTLEMAN

2. 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

3. Business Plan
Your 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/AStandard-Business-Plan-Outline

4. Market Analysis

How large is your client-base?

How many competitors do you have in each subindustry?

What geographic area will you operate in?

How much are your competitors charging?

…can you make a profit?

5. Goals Are

S Smart

M Measurable

A Attainable

R Relevant

T Time-Specific
http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/06/s
etting-business-goals.html

6. Key Financials
Receivables: client invoices
Payables: vendors, equipment suppliers, rent
Assets: Survey Equipment, Vehicles, Real estate
Budgets: monthly, quarterly, annual, long-term
Actual vs. Projected Profit and Loss
Cash Flow
Balance Sheet
http://articles.bplans.com/writing-abusiness-plan/A-Standard-Business-

7. Small Business Accounting
Software

Desktop


Mature

Scalable


Robust
Not Cheap
Web

Accessible Everywhere

Sometimes Free

No Hassle

8. 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

9. 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.

10. Contracts
Get 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?

11. Contract
Elements

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/busi
ness/contract_law.html