Prices At The Pump Effect Businesses From Tomorrow

Motorists leaving cars at home as petrol prices hit a new record: Families are being forced into drastic economies unseen since the height of the credit crunch because of the soaring cost of filling a tank, the motoring organisation said. Drivers in many parts of the UK are already paying more than the previous peak of 119.7 pence a litre ($7 U.S. Gallon), set in July 2008. But for discounting by some supermarkets, especially in the North, the national average would have already hit a new high.

The record is expected to be broken on Wednesday, when the latest wholesale rises filter through to the pumps. According to the latest figures produced by the Automobile Association, average petrol prices across the country hit 119.46 pence on Tuesday - a whisker away from the record. Diesel, meanwhile is costing 120.14 pence a litre. This is already having an impact on behaviour according to a poll of 15,000 motorists carried out by the AA. It showed that 48 per cent of drivers were using their car less. Another 34 per cent were siphoning cash from other parts of their family budget to pay for petrol or diesel.

Now the average motorist is paying £4.80 more to fill a car than at the start of the year, when petrol was costing an average of 109.88 pence a litre. The rise since Jan 6 last year, when pump prices were at their lowest in recent memory, is even more dramatic. Then filling a 50-litre tank with petrol cost a motorist £42.95, now the bill is £59.70, an increase of £16.74.

According to Edmund King, the AA's president, petrol sales have fallen in recent months. "Over the weekend, some retailers who put prices up 2p a litre, in line with the increase in duty and other costs, brought them back down. Such is the knife-edge between what drivers can and cannot afford to spend on fuel," said Edmund King, the AA's president. The RAC also voiced concern about the soaring cost of filling a car. "It's now when, not if petrol prices hit record levels" said Adrian Tink, the organisation's motoring strategist. "The latest fuel duty rise has put us on the edge of the record and the ominous rise in oil prices over the last few days will definitely push prices over it.

"This is a dark time for motorists, with the worst affected virtually paying £6-a-gallon for fuel. These rises are indiscriminate in who they hurt, from families to businesses to consumers - these rises hit us all. "The real fear is that, if oil prices continues to rise, we'll have a perfect storm of high fuel duty, a weak pound and an increasing oil price - that could be disastrous. It's time that something was done by both the energy companies and the Government to protect motorists."

Tips to Improve Your Gas Mileage:

Drive sensibly. Speeding, rapid acceleration, and braking wastes gas. That kind of behavior can lower your gas mileage by as much as 33% at highway speeds and 5% around town roads.

Follow the speed limit. Gas mileage decreaes quickly at speeds above 60mph. Every 5mph you go over 60 is like paying an additional $0.15 for every gallon of gas.

Avoiding idling for long periods of time. Idling gets 0 miles per gallon. Cars with large engines usually waste gas more so than cars with smaller engines.

Remove any excess weight from your car especially heavy items. An extra 100 pounds in your car can reduce your MPG by as much as 2%.

Use cruise control when on major highways. Cruise control helps you maintain a constant speed and will save you gas.

Keep your engine in good shape. Fixing a car that is out of tune can improve its gas mileage by 4.1% on average. Results vary depending on how well done the repair is and what kind of repair it is. If your car has a bad oxygen sensor then your gas mileage can improve as much as 40%.

Check air filters regularly. Replacing a clogged filter can improve your car's gas mileage by as much as 10%.

Keep your tires properly inflated. Under inflated tires can lower gas mileage . Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.

If you can leave for a work a little bit earlier and leave a little bit later you can avoid peak rush hours. During rush hour you will be more likely to sit in traffic and waste fuel.

By following these tips you can use the gas you buy much more efficiently which well help reduce how much money you spend at the pump.

Check Gas Prices Online: 11 Handy Tools - Crude oil prices keep breaking through record high prices, and it is quickly reflecting itself at the fuel pumps. About the only thing you can do is try to find the cheapest prices, but you can waste as much in gas driving around as you will by finding it, and that’s where gas pricing location sites come in handy. Just log in and see where the best prices are, and save yourself all of that driving around. We’ve covered the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom for you, so start price hunting! Click here to see here & below.

Window Cleaners Small Business Tips for 2010

10 Small Business Tips for 2010: Who better to offer New Year’s advice to small business owners than small business owners themselves? Savvy and determined entrepreneurs across the country share their experiences every month with the Discover® Small Business WatchSM, and their collective wisdom from the past year could save their peers a lot of time and trouble in 2010.

“Trial and error is a great learning tool, but the tolerance for mistakes by a small business owner in challenging times can be costly,” said Ryan Scully, director of Discover’s business credit card. “That’s why it pays to learn from the past and use those lessons to succeed. The sooner America’s small businesses are thriving again, the sooner we’ll all be much better off.”

• 10 Tips for 2010

1. Start Preparing Your Taxes Now: Organize tax information early or it can distract you from running your business: 46 percent of small business owners say that finding and organizing the documents they need to prepare their taxes is very or somewhat difficult, and 77 percent of small business owners find the tax preparation and documentation process very or somewhat time consuming, which only takes them away from tending to their bottom lines.

2. Cut Personal Expenses: Find ways to cut costs outside of the business, because you’ll likely have to take home less pay and even go into your savings: 69 percent of small business owners say that current economic conditions are forcing them to reduce the amount of money they take home from their businesses, and 61 percent think they are very or somewhat likely to use their personal assets in the next year to keep their businesses afloat.

3. Think Green: Small business owners think the following business segments have the best opportunities for post-recovery growth, in order of importance: green industries, business services, technology and energy.

4. Have a Long-Term Plan: 43 percent of small business owners who have been hurt by the current economy say that it will be more than 12 months before their businesses rebound, followed by another 24 percent who expect that it will take six to 12 months to be in the clear.

5. Don’t Focus on the Money: Only 12 percent of entrepreneurs say that “making more money” is the biggest reason they became a small business owner; while 46 percent say they are motivated by having “more flexibility with their time” and by “being their own boss.”

6. Use the Web: 32 percent of small business owners who are part of an online networking community say that their biggest benefit from social networking is “getting new business leads.” Moreover, 47 percent of 3,000 consumers surveyed say they are more likely to use a small business that has a Web site.

7. Rely on Yourself: Don’t overextend yourself by borrowing too much in the beginning: 64 percent of small business owners say that they did not need financial capital to start their businesses. Among those who did need the capital, 45 percent received it from their personal savings, and another 16 percent borrowed from family and friends.

8. Focus on Sales: One way to stay on course is to keep a sharp focus on sales: Owners say that sales generation is the biggest issue facing their businesses today, followed by taxes, operating costs, health insurance, access to capital and inflation.

9. Stay in Touch with Family: 31 percent of small business owners say that they are very likely or somewhat likely to borrow money from family and friends in the next 12 months in order to stay in business.

10. Stay Healthy: Preventive medicine and taking care of yourself are important, given that 65 percent of small business owners report that it is somewhat or very difficult to obtain affordable health care for themselves and their employees.

Click below for more..

Regular Cleaning Services

A Telegraph Business Club film on Regular Cleaning Services: Regular Cleaning Services has grown to become a major player in the competitive market for cleaning services in the City of London, West End and the Home Counties. The Chairman, Terry Carrigan, founded the company in 1969. He initially used money earned by cleaning windows to supplement his income at the Post Office; then, as his reputation grew and he obtained more work it became a full-time venture. Just five years later he extended into office cleaning. Over the last three decades the firm has grown organically to become one of the largest privately owned players in the market.

The same principles that helped Carrigan in the early days still permeate Regular Cleaning Services today. The emphasis is on getting the service right. Honesty, hard work and concern for both the clients and the cleaners employed by the firm are the values that underpin Regular Cleaning Services. The facts speak for themselves: many employees have worked for 20 plus years at the firm and many clients have continued to employ Regular Cleaning Services for 15 plus years. Those values also helped Regular Cleaning Services to grow. Today it provides a full range of day-to-day general commercial cleaning and specialist cleaning services fundamental to the safe and efficient operation of corporate buildings.

"Whatever the type of building and however it is used, one way to guarantee peace of mind is an efficient cleaning programme," states the Regular Cleaning Services website and that, in simple terms, is what they do. They plan the operation, they ensure that they have the necessary resource in place in the shape of a capable motivated workforce and they ensure the work is completed to the agreed standard. Satisfaction is affirmed through regular client liaison. The firm has an impressive portfolio of clients from the insurance, legal and financial sectors and London’s major property managing agents, as well as shopping centres, health clubs and media organisations within their portfolio.

Based in purpose built offices in South East London, it has been ideally placed to take advantage of years of economic growth and dynamism in the City of London, West End and M25 area. The offices include a fully equipped training room and on-site stores facility. From this base, Regular Cleaning Services offers a one-stop-shop solution with general commercial, specialist, and window cleaning services, as well as support and washroom services. The firm itself points to the quality of the service it provides. Management are trained to pay attention to detail, to carefully listen to what the customers want and to ensure they deliver a consistent high standard of work. All of these factors have helped RCS to maintain enviably high rates of client retention.

Unlike most of the major players in the cleaning market, Regular Cleaning Services is a privately owned firm. With no external shareholder interests to be considered and the owners directly involved in affairs, it believes that this has allowed it to deliver a more personal service than competitors. This, together with a flat management structure allows for sharp incisive action and it prides itself on being able to deliver a pro-active and flexible approach that services the individual needs of each and every contract.

The company operates to an ISO 9001 accredited Quality Management System which underlies the basis of its service delivery. Performance is reported on and discussed with clients at scheduled meetings; services are carried out and audited in line with cleaning specifications and they operate a Help Desk to capture and deal with any enquiries and issues that may occur. The firm can also take advantage of the many years of experience it has gained in the business. Staff training and high employee retention rates provide clients with peace of mind. Great importance is placed on ensuring that the staff are fully inducted, are trained in the skills required and understand the importance of carrying out their work safely.

Nowhere is this more significant than the window cleaning division. Strict adherence by the operatives to the company’s rules and constant monitoring and audit by the company Health and Safety Manager have all helped to maintain its exemplary safety record. Also adding to client comfort is the fact that all employees are fully vetted and understand the importance of maintaining confidentiality. Recognising the importance of this area, their recruitment process actually exceeds legal requirements and they are also able to provide enhanced levels of vetting to meet with individual client requirements.

It has taken a lead role in ensuring that its services are conducted with minimum impact on the environment. It regularly meets with its suppliers of cleaning chemicals and washroom consumables to source the most suitable products to get the job done without adversely affecting the environment. All aspects of the service provision are carried out with the intention of reducing the carbon footprint of both Regular Cleaning Services and the client. Looking ahead, all the foundation stones seem to be in place and with an enthused management team continuing to apply the core values of honest hard work, attention to detail and desire to deliver service excellence, the firm appears well placed to achieve greater growth.

Article produced by Regular Cleaning Services, which takes sole responsibility for the content.

Stategy for Business Mastery

Kevin from Toronto of 'Paneless Perfection' has out done himself again. If you've been following his on-line podcasts of how to market yourself professionally, he has now written a book entitled the "naked window cleaner." It takes you through the steps and shows you the "POWER" strategy for Window Cleaning Business Mastery.

Every Monday evening from 6:00 - 6:15 pm EST, you can tune in to discover “live” weekly video tips, tricks, and strategies to take your window cleaning business from wherever it is right now to where you wish it could be, faster than you ever dreamed possible. The new time is 11 p.m. on Mondays in the UK. Kevins stuff is that good, I've featured him previously here & here.