Trying to build up the courage to take some risks in your business? On this page you’ll find free business assessment tools that will help you. They were inspired in part by reading “Shadow Divers” by Robert Kursonwill, which I’d recommend you read.

It will provide you with a compelling illustration of just what extreme risk looks like. A quick business assessment of this venture would have had large red letters marked “danger!”

What is Deep Wreck Diving?

Deep wreck diving is among the most perilous of human activities. These brave adventurers risk their lives – and often lose – in pursuit of glory, riches and perhaps simply to test themselves.

But what does deep wreck diving have to with business & corporate growth?

The business owner who considers such a risk is betting on his/her ability to win or, in the event of a loss, starting over. Is that you?

Important Questions: What are the risks?

This is one of the most important questions regardless of whether you’re doing a free business assessment or paying for one. In the case of deep wreck diving, for example, the risks are huge:

• Strong and very unpredictable currents,
• Limited visibility in which to get lost both inside and outside the wreck,
• Sharp edges and heavy objects on damaged/decaying ships and
• The almost inconceivable pressure on the human body when depths beyond 100’ below sea level are explored.

Every 33 feet you descend into the ocean increases the pressure on your body by one atmosphere. 95% of diving in the ocean is recreational and takes place in depths of less than 50’. Divers report that at 130’ the body starts rebelling, and at more than 200’ – where this story takes place – hallucination and even worse set in.

As if those problems aren’t enough, returning to the surface must be done very slowly – often up to an hour- with rest/recovery at specific depths in order to allow the body time to adjust. Those who return rapidly to the surface often do not survive.

Important Questions: What are the rewards?

What’s the Return on Investment (ROI) on such a venture? Financially, it would depend upon the value of goods salvaged from the wreck. The reputation or Brand impact for your Company would be measured in the ability to convert success into future business. The Personal Satisfaction from such an undertaking may also influence your go/no go decision.

THIS Opportunity

These divers report having explored the sunken U-869 60 miles off the New Jersey coast beginning in 1991 for 7 years! It was a boat that simply couldn’t have been there according to the war records of the Allies and German military. It was enticing yet far more difficult – 230’ below sea level – than other deep sea wreck explorations attempted by anyone. As a business owner, your assessment template should be based on the idea that you don’t consider something like this unless you truly understand the risks and are willing to take your chances.

How they did it

Meticulous planning, a very experienced team, operating as safely as possible and avoiding bad weather were just some of the keys to success. You can’t leave persistence out of the equation however. Lesser adventurers would have given up on this quest years before this team did. As you look at your own team, do they have the right stuff to attempt a major move? This is not a good time to perform an inaccurate assessment.

The Result

The divers ultimately did solve the mystery of the U-Boat. 3 diving companions lost their lives. The surviving families of the crew of the U-Boat were told of the fate of their love ones. Valuable items were recovered but the divers primary satisfaction came from solving the big mystery… by taking the big plunge.

Are you considering a big plunge? Think deep. And take this free business assessment that we developed just for you.

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You CAN set a higher bar, strengthen your sales team, your sales processes and drive higher sales in a matter of months! This straightforward PowerPoint presentation,“Build & Turbo-Charge Your Sales Team”, gives you a practical step by step checklist on what to do to make it happen.

Rank your current status A, B or C on each item. If you score an “A,” keep up the good work, if you score a “B,” focus on it & figure out how to do better. If you score a “C,” get some help re-engineering it or out-source it. Sell more right NOW! I’m allergic to long sales cycles… and you should be as well.’

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According to Laura Hillenbrand, author of “Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption” two factors are “defiance and irrepressible spirit.” If this story and that of Ms. Hillenbrand herself don’t inspire you, please check your pulse.

It’s the second best-selling story by the author of 2001′s “Seabiscuit: An American Legend” and what makes HER story triply impressive is that Ms. Hillenbrand suffers to this day from chronic fatigue syndrome. In the past twenty years, she has rarely left her home and for long periods of time, her bed was her world. In honor of Ms. Hillenbrand’s ability to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds, I’ve elected to work in her medium, the written word, and not record a video this month.

Louis Zamperini was a juvenile delinquent, turned world class runner who joined the Air Force, his plane crashing into the ocean and there ensued a gripping tale of survival followed by torturous years in a Japanese POW camp. Mr. Zamperini has been places that would break the best of us. Somehow, he remained unbroken. Studying Zamperini for years led Hillenbrand to the conclusion that a combination of defiance and his irrepressible spirit saw him through.

What do you want to accomplish this year and next? Just how difficult are the obstacles? Perhaps a touch of defiance can help. Do you have a bit of a rebellious streak that you can channel into positive results? And isn’t an irrepressible spirit going to lead to better outcomes, no matter how dark things may be from time to time?

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Raising capital is very difficult but there are best practices that greatly improve your probability of success. Many entrepreneurs are frustrated and disappointed by the process, not understanding the critical success factors that make all the difference.

Here’s a quick primer on how to get what you want… by giving investors what they require.

Use it as a guide to constructively assess where you stand so that you can effectively exploit your capital-raising strengths and to mitigate your weaknesses and become “investment grade.”

I’m happy to provide you with more pointers in my presentation “How to Raise Capital“.

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Investing in the assistance of outside advisors is a key decision for you. Your time is very valuable and you want to make sure that you get a high ROI.

The most important decision you’ll make is WHO to engage. And to make that best decision work for you, you want to approach it with a good understanding of business consultant prices and how to assess how much you should be willing to pay.

What determines the price?

As in most industries, business prices are determined by a number of factors, none more important than the reputation and track record of the consultant.

Generally speaking, if the track record is there and can be verified by satisfied customers who have been the recipient of tangible results, your ROI will be secure. If they’ve performed before in similar situations, there is a much higher probability that they can perform for you.

Other factors besides reputation and track record weigh heavily as well. Rates vary by

• Size of customer,
• Markets served,
• The degree of specialization,
• The potential value of the work and
• The marketability of the consultant.

Let’s take these factors determining business consultant prices one at a time.

Larger companies tend to pay higher consulting fees than smaller companies. The consulting firms that serve them have high marketing costs and overhead and therefore have a higher rate structure.

Certain markets allow higher rates and this is closely tied to the level of specialization. For example, heavily regulated industries such as financial institutions and technology generally prefer to work with consultants who have specialized in understanding their issues.

Specialization can also be a differentiator that rationalizes the price you should pay for business consulting services. For example, there is a strong demand for intergenerational consultants to help companies understand their multigenerational workers better in order to motivate and retain them.

The potential value of the work is a key determinant of price. If your potential gain from every additional sale is $100,000 profit, you will pay more for consulting advice that wins that business than another company who gains $100 from an additional customer.

Unfortunately, the ability of the consultant to market themselves is another key variable in determining price. I say unfortunately because ultimately what you care about is getting results, not in being wowed. Unless they are a pure genius who stands out dramatically from the crowd, consulting fees will be higher for those who market themselves well.

So, how much should you pay?

The key to making a good decision is to calculate the ROI on each consultant you interview and choose the one that delivers the highest ROI. You’ll have to make some assumptions to do this but that is the rigorous thought process that gets you the best result. Its not the business consultant prices in isolation that matters, it’s the RETURN on them that’s the key!

With a now thorough understanding of how prices are determined, ask the consultant to provide you with an ROI projection. A simple ROI calculation would be to take the total incremental earnings you will receive because of the assistance of the consultant and divide it by the total cost of the consultant.

A better calculation is to time-adjust and risk-adjust the rewards and the cost using a net present value calculation.

So, calculate your ROI on your consulting options, choose wisely and prosper!

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We can implement strategic plans for non-profit organizations. For strategic planning we should follow some strategic planning steps. Strategic planning process / Strategy can be implemented in long run as well as short run. For Strategic planning one should deploy clear strategic planning techniques. The strategic planning goals are based on business objectives, vision, mission, financial and non-financial perspective.

Strategic Consulting concentrates on rejuvenating business and strengthens the fundamentals through strategic planning. Strategic consulting deals with analyzing the business competitor behavior, examining the market trend, determining the business process, creating strategic planning framework, understanding the consumer perception and leveraging the strategic plan with optimal technology. Business strategic plans are not same for all business or organization. It varies from one business systems to other business systems.

Strategic business consulting focuses on understanding the company requirements in relation to companies objective. Strategic consulting provides an in-depth analysis to help your company to redefine its business strategy. Consulting strategic plan to expand business operations. Proper Strategic business planning & consulting helps the corporate to achieve the strategic planning goal.

In strategic consulting process, focusing on strategic plans is the key to success. Strategic consulting should proved innovative and logical business solution to the company. Strategic consulting firm use different business strategy for long term planning and short term planning. Strategic consulting company should understand the consumer expectation, identifying the necessary resources.

Strategic consulting has the capability to deliver business strategic plans for start-up business, developing business strategy and business plan to increase the performance, building the business architecture, reducing operational cost. Strategic consulting and strategic planning is the two vital concepts in strategic management.

Ramki is with Axsellit Technologies. Axsellit Software delivers professional, benefit-enriched business solutions with an unbeatable performance-to-price ratio. Axsellit Technologies provides Strategic Consulting and Balanced Scorecard Software.

-Ramki M