Day: February 18, 2010

For many people, an interesting and varied choice often means a career within the electrical industry. Often (and more correctly) referred to as ‘Electro-Mechanical Engineering’, we’ll simply refer to it as the Electrical Industry for the sake of simplicity here. Equally we’ll focus on those credentials that fit the UK domestic and commercial sector rather than those from around the world. Since there is such a wide list of choices in the electrical industry, we’ll start by looking at the main themes first and then come back to any ‘add-ons’ later.

Essentially, we see two distinct forms of entry into the electrical market. The primary route is the apprenticeship which is considered the more traditional and then we have the second phase for those who are joining at a later stage. There are two sets of people for consideration firstly the ‘Junior Entrants’ and secondly the ‘Mature Entrants’.

Mature Entrants who join the industry later on do so with the aim of working for themselves, usually as a one person business. However, people who join as junior entrants like the fact that they can join a recognised firm to pick up the bulk of their practical and work based skills. Often a young apprentice will be in their first job since leaving school, and will therefore have a host of ancillary skills to learn during their first few years as a working adult.

The distinct types of entry have differing styles of training – NVQ’s are the key factor for all junior entrants. There is a particular requirement to attain the NVQ qualifications as part of the overall program. As a result students often have to find their own work programmes to give them the relevant testing and course work covered by most apprenticeships.

By working independently and without the need for NVQ assessments, many Mature Entrants can concentrate on those areas that provide the biggest profit and offer the largest practical solutions for themselves. Having said that, the mature student does aim to gain the necessary skills to do the job, whilst at the same time reducing their training costs at all times. Whilst this may seem to reduce the overall qualification set, this meets the trade requirements for the areas involved, and thus provides a quicker and more direct commercial route to the market.

In terms of typical earnings, we have two clear routes – those relating to employment and those for self-employment. Whilst we will focus on full time employment, there exists the issue as to whether self-employed people are doing this full time or part time. The aptitude and talent for getting things done can affect the levels of salary as well as any experience or knowledge gained.

Although starting wages for ‘Junior Entrants’ are around 13k p.a. they can rise above 30k p.a. but this does depend on their level of experience. On the other hand experienced self-employed electricians have been known to earn around 70 thousand or more within the UK. Irrespective of this salary level many self-employed people also need to manage extra business costs such as tools, clothes and vans. Self employed people also have to allow for added expenses. Whilst there is lots of available work, a severe skills shortage means electricians are very much in demand. Working 7 days a week is totally achievable for most people if they want it. It should be understood that the 70-100k figures that we see thrown around in newspapers are not easily achieved, and would either require working long hours or having assistants (or both.)

In light of the above, it is often understood that there is wild variance between the working expectations of Junior and Mature Entrants. Most of the work for Junior Entrant electricians will be on a simple 9-5, Monday to Friday basis. The Mature market is however often reliant as to when their client base is available, especially in the domestic sector. And yet, a huge number of self-employed electricians operate during the main part of the working week by focusing on office and small business systems.

Once a career in electrical work has been chosen, a Junior Electrician is often at the mercy of their employer when it comes to learning new skills and expertise. Then again, the mature entrant can even go outside of the electrical field to gas work or plumbing work for example. If they are working mostly in the domestic market, this makes it easier for them to take on larger jobs across a range of disciplines (without having to sub-contract.)

One new, fast growing area – one that invokes a wide array of skills sets and is new to the industry overall – is that of the ‘Green Engineer’. The curiosity of both Junior and Mature electricians to this new industry is well founded especially when considering the power of the UK and the EEC markets in areas of growth and governmental projects.

Written by Scott Edwards. Browse around Electrical Training or CLICK HERE.

Becoming a publicly traded company is an exciting and rewarding experience. The following sets forth the method, steps, fees and estimated timetable to go public on the OTC Bulletin Board (OTCBB) ‘from scratch’, or through a self-filing and discusses the 1934 Exchange Act responsibilities after a company’s registration statement has gone effective (after the company has become publicly traded):

Prior to filing the registration statement, a company that wishes to go public must first obtain an audit of the Company’s financial statements for the past two fiscal years. For most companies, the financial audit can be completed in about a month and costs typically range between $5,000 and $25,000, depending on the complexity of the company financials.

A public company will also need shareholders. To that end, if additional shareholders are needed, the company going public will need to complete a self-underwritten Regulation D, Rule 506 offering in which the company sells shares of its stock to investors for real consideration. This is not a difficult task, so long as you have a properly prepared private placement memorandum (PPM) and you follow the relatively simple rules of Rule 506. The price per share and number of shares offered can be determined by the Company, but most registered broker-dealers that will eventually submit a Form 211 for an OTC Bulletin Board quotation prefer to have a minimum of 400,000 shares distributed among the investors.

In addition to the minimum number of shareholders requirement, a company must have free-trading shares, called the ‘float’, in order to go public. Upon completion of the private offering and the financial audit for the prior two fiscal years, an S-1 Registration Statement must be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) to register the shares sold in the private placement, thus creating the free trading shares. The completion of the S-1 process with the SEC will make the Company a 1934 Exchange Act reporting company, which is required in order to obtain a quotation on the OTC Bulletin Board. The SEC will review the S-1 and provide comments within 30 days from the filing date. Comments from the SEC typically relate to the terms of the offering, the company’s business and its financial statements. It usually takes between 2 to 3 months for the SEC to approve a registration statement on Form S-1 and for the S-1 to become effective. However, the actual amount of time will depend on the level of review and number of comments given by the SEC and the corresponding response time by the Company in filing its amendments.

Shortly after filing the S-1 registration statement with the SEC, a market maker must be ‘engaged’ to file a Form 211 application with FINRA for the purposes of obtaining a quotation of its common shares on the OTC Bulletin Board. It is important to note that market makers cannot receive compensation for making a market in a stock, thus typically you must have connections to accomplish this. The timetable for approval of the Form 211 process is approximately 3 weeks to 5 weeks. However, the Form 211 will not be approved until the S-1 is approved by the SEC since the approval of the S-1 provides the “free trading” shares necessary to obtain the OTC Bulletin Board quotation.

The completion of the entire process to become a public company typically takes approximately 3 to 4 months from completion of the private offering and financial audit, however, the actual time could vary based on the factors discussed herein. If done right, with planning, hard work, the proper foresight, and a good firm guiding you through the process, going public is a truly exciting and rewarding experience.

Go Public With Your Company, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!

With legions of halfwit, template loving business plan wannabe writers polluting the web it’s no mystery that companies are having a tough time getting funding. It use to be that when a company was ready to get down to business for serious expansion they would call a consultant that would help them bring all the pieces together in a strategic fashion and then this consultant would take their extended industry knowledge in combination with the unique concepts of the client’s business and he would author a business plan.

This business plan would include everything that the venture capital firms, angel investors, private investors and institutional lenders would need in order to make a quick, no nonsense decision about whether to fund the company and how much equity they would get in return.

Today with the cancerous cloud of predatory consultants seeking out startup business prey to suck dry that businesses are too broke and exhausted to move forward with a solid consultant after they have been through the costly obstacle course and fun house of mirrors set up by wannabe consultants who reel in their prey with a few big words and industry terms and at the end of the day, they are going to put your business plan together with some cracked template software that spits out overly generalized business plans that receive laughs and snickers before being tossed in the trash by investors and venture capital firms.

If you want a real business plan, call a consultant that is completely submerged in the venture capital industry and has experience with plugging businesses into the capital machine. An consultant will first give you a consultation so he can assist in any corporate structuring or turnaround issues that need attention before the business plan is together. After the company’s structure is complete with executives, solid management, strategic partners, advisory board and board of directors, there is still one more thing to do before the business plan. You must decide what mechanism you’re going to use to raise capital. Are you seeking debt or equity investment or both, how much equity you will give away for the amount of cash you’re seeking. How many shares does your corporation currently have and so on. You’ll most likely need to put together a private placement or consider taking your company public on the otcbb. After all this is done then it’s time to write the business plan.

Don’t shoot yourself in the foot, don’t write the business plan yourself, when you’ve found a consultant, here are the topics that should be covered in the business plan (this knowledge will help you audit their work before you even hire them). The table of contents should read, at a minimum, like this: executive summary with objectives, keys to success and strategic advantages; Market, Market: Growth and Development Analysis with Industry Analysis and Location Based Services; Current company position with Company overview and vision, key successes to date, technical achievements and commercial position, include info about your technology platform. Talk about your management team, product and services offering, competition, market entry/ Five Forces Analysis, barriers to market entry, comparable business model, target market needs, target market characteristics, market demand drivers, PEST analysis, SWOT analysis, marketing implementation and strategy overview and tactical components, process development map, financial model and projections.

There you have it, the process to follow before the business plan is written and the concepts to be covered in the business plan so that you get the attention you need from investors and the money you deserve for your business.

For Corporate Consulting or Investor Finder Services, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!

Businesses often require some form of shipping needs, especially if they don’t work 100% locally and need to get their goods out around the country or even the world. Fast freight is often needed to get packages to their destination on time.

Business owners of all types are faced with the need to get their products shipped within deadlines. Some companies have particularly harsh deadlines that require immediate shipments due to products that may be perishable or in high demand. if you need things shipped quickly, then express freight can usually get it to its destination on time.

Packaging and preparing the night before is the easiest way to make sure things run smoothly. When each package is ready with the proper papers and stickers attached, you can rest assured that it will leave your warehouse or business floor as soon as possible. Shipping later on the day it is expected to leave may result in delays -which are a risk you do not want to take.

In fact, having your shipment ready ahead of time is probably the best advice for those that need to deliver packages. If it is not ready the second the driver arrives, then you are at a big risk for having to wait an additional day. In the world of transporting goods, this can be fatal to your time constraints.

A third party logistics company can help you ship heavy and over-sized goods quickly. If you need to regularly ship machinery then you should go with a company that specializes in that type of service for companies. This will be safer for your materials and possibly cheaper than using other sources available.

Small boxes that weigh under a certain amount can be shipped through major mail delivery services. This includes FedEX and UPS, and in some cases the US Postal service. However, these types of carriers all have restrictions. You may need to use a “less than truckload” service if your delivery is under a certain weight. This is more efficient and cheaper than paying oversize costs for other companies. “Full truckload” carriers are trucks that are completely filled with over-sized products that you need shipped. These are costly but one of the only ways to easily get your goods to their destination in a timely manner.

Closing Comments

There are so many variables to think about when preparing a shipment. Look around for the best prices and be prepared to look for services that are fast and efficient. There are numerous options for small businesses and larger businesses, so choose what suits yours the best.

Learn more on Freight Terms and Truck Shipping Tips.

Breitling is a famous Swiss manufacturer, offering some of the most wonderful watches in the world. The Breitling Football timepiece watch has countless functions, including a timer which is very useful for soccer games. This genuine timepiece is appreciated because of the huge face, manual winding mechanism and its many additional functions. An authentic Breitling watch has a steel case, plastic glass and Arabic numbers with markers. The strap is pure leather, soft to touch and yet highly impervious to constant wearing. Complications include the chronograph Breitling watches are famous for but also the bi-directional revolving bezel and subsidiary seconds. This model is a preferential choice among watch collectors. One engaging fact is that each snap case has the first factory label, with reference number and model.

With Breitling watches, you know that you are offered the best. Swiss-made timepieces with Swiss-born ingredients. Breitling Cosmonaute is just many of the examples that would be given in order to demonstrate the refinement and elegance of this brand. Made of eighteen karat yellow gold, this watch has the same manual winding mechanism, sapphire glass and a beautiful black dial.

Added functionalities include the chronograph but also the inner rotating bezel. Being a limited run, this actual watch is a favorite of many folks. The blue 24-hour dial, the luminous hands and the yellow gold plated buckle transform this Breitling watch into an impossible to resist offer. And if you like vintage Breitling watches, you can always find some pretty attractive selections online. You are even offered a warranty service for a period six months.

Omega is another well-liked brand among watch fans. Online, you will find accessible prices for the Omega Speedmaster pro watch. This is a real beauty, having steel case, manual winding and moon phase as complication. The dial is black and you’ll definitely enjoy the luminous hands and markers. There is also the Omega Flightmaster timepiece, made of 18 K yellow gold. Features for this watch include gold buckle, mineral glass and gold dial with Arabic numbers.

As complications are the things that define a luxury watch, the Omega watch presents a chronograph, subsidiary seconds and rotating bezel. One of the most attractive features is represented the flightmaster emblem, engraved on the back. Both the crown and the bracelet of this watch are authentic, 100% original.

IWC is also known as the International Watch Company, a Swiss watch manufacturer with years of experience in the field. Virtual stores offer some of the most incredible prices for watches like the IWC Fliegher Chronograph or the limited edition Miami Vice Portuguese. The first has a steel case, automatic movement mechanism and sapphire glass. Even though they are not new, some of these watches have never been worn and are un used. This particular model of watch from IWC has Arabic numerals, black dial and steel bracelet. Apart from the chronograph, other complications include the minute register, date and weekday hand. With IWC, you get an incredible timepiece just like with other important names including Jaeger-LeCoultre or Girard Perregaux. It just goes to prove that all Swiss-made watches are meant to last and create a lasting impression at the same time!

For more information, go to Casio Digital Watch to read all about us.