We are in crisis, it is no secret as sales have declined in most businesses. You can console yourself that your competitors are thinking like you or you can take action on the matter and find ways to make your business more profitable, or simply to rescue him from this bad situation that could lead to the closing. Some ideas to save your business.

1. Savings

No need to go to college to know how to make a business more profitable is to reduce costs, although typically this measure is not enough. We must reduce costs while increasing sales.

a) Analyze the costs to be eaten portion of the budget and renegotiated anything can be negotiated: If the premises or ship where you have your business is rented and many years have you been paying rent, the landlord renegotiate the rental price. If you’ve paid so far carefully, he will know to understand the situation to be aware that these days to find a “tenant” formal and solvent is complicated. Renegotiated without fear.

b) Analyze your electrical system: The price of electricity has skyrocketed. Time for you to limit the consumption of electricity in areas of little use and acquire other types of lighting products and low consumption.

c) Do not print if not necessary: If you want to do for the environment, do it by saving your business. Save on office supplies, however little the amount, is added economy. (Printer ink, paper, etc …) Read the full story

Credit cards and debit cards have been around one million and amounts payable to a resident of Costa Rica through them represent 2.6% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), or the close of ¢ 486 billion colons, as stated by Dr. Jorge Enrique Romero Perez, Professor Humboldt 2010, he held talks on this matter, on November 8, in the courtroom of the Faculty of Law.

Romero, who also Rodrigo Fabio Award 2010, an analysis of the New Rules of debit and credit cards are accepted in the country since March 30 this year, mandated by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and share some of the developments that are provided.

Novelty is that regulates credit cards and debit cards, which do not occur with the old regulations, which only applied to credit cards.

He also stated that customer information should be as complete, accurate, fast, reliable, timely, simple, clear and direct. In case of doubt, Article 4 states that interpreted in support of the weaker party in contract electronic card is the card holder.

Abuse or harassment of collectors for card payments are not allowed in the new document and only charge you for it in the contract the debtor is considered (according to Article 35).

Speaker said that because of high delinquency in the country, the publishers are becoming stricter in limiting the use of the card in cases where arrears exist.

Summarized the debate in Italy, with the label “Beyond GDP” is almost as old as the economic discipline, or at least the national economic accounting. Angus Madison (“Monitoring the World Economy”, OECD 1995), who died recently, but certainly the largest specialist in the past six decades, has managed to rebuild the national economic accounting major (reconstruction, therefore, the global economic accounts) from 1830 or so. Before then, the techniques for collecting and processing data were not sufficient to allow even a rough estimate of what was produced and consumed in the economy of a country: it may concern that, according to the meticulous work of Madison, in 1830 more than 40 % of global GDP was produced and consumed in only two countries – China and India before the industrial revolution, in a world dominated by the economy of subsistence, it is natural that much of the production was for self consumption and, consequently, GDP was essentially the basis of population.

In my career, I was interested in technical / statistics related to national economic accounts only at the beginning of my career in the World Bank even then, many countries in Africa south of Sahara, subsistence agriculture accounted for about half of the GDP of a country and, consequently, the GDP was largely a function of population and of its production for own consumption (not always easy to estimate). In recent years, I returned to these themes as the implications for economic policy in countries with high levels of development and income that is technically and statistics. Read the full story

It has become an indispensable part of many portfolios and a symbol of the developed capitalist economy, but there was a time when credit cards were a means of payment available to very few.

The author of the blog stories of our history has decided to recall its origin, for which we must go back to 1950, in the place you are all thinking.

New York was actually where the idea of realizing a document that extends credit to its owner. It happened in a restaurant in the capital, very close to the Empire State Building, which the famous businessman and director of Credit Corporation “Hamilton”, Frank Mc Namara, had dinner with two other people, including his lawyer, Ralph Sneider. During the meal the three businessmen debated the liquidity problems faced by some of its customers. The capricious fate was that just when it came time to pay, McNamara had to call his wife to bring him cash, since he had forgotten his wallet.

After the rush, the entrepreneur vowed never to go through something so disgraceful like that, which, however, served to create a new company soon after baptized with the inspiring name of “Diners Club”. This new entity would act as an intermediary between customers and banks, providing a credit card offered at various facilities, for the first-, and adjusting accounts later with the second. Read the full story

In Mexico there is still a low level of financial literacy, and the proof is that 30 percent of people who have some type of financial product known use, revealed the National Commission for the Protection and Defense of Users Financial Services (Conduce).

In conference, the president of the Conduce, Luis Pezos de la Tore, said that one of the main causes of this problem is that the progress of the banking has not gone hand in hand with financial literacy.

This financial literacy should ensure the correct use of products and services offered by the country’s financial system, he added.

He said that in recent years, the process of financial inclusion in Mexico has allowed the adult population; about 60 percent use at least one type of formal financial services.

However, he stressed, to ensure that this becomes a real advantage for people and not a risk, should be accompanied by financial education. Read the full story

We all know that today the market is full of risks, although there is no greater threat to your economy to be fired from a company due to poor management of its creator. If you are tired of the fear of dismissal letter, pressure and mismanagement of your bosses or just wanted some time to set up your own business, not all disadvantages, let’s discuss the advantages.

Why undertake in times of economic downturn

People unconsciously try to calm a dream, putting the odds, when really, as we have spoken many times, the disadvantages of many, are advantages that can benefit a few.

* Space cheaper: When to seek an office, store or shop, the floor space is much cheaper than a few years ago. That’s the downside of the real estate investor, but is the advantage of the new entrepreneur.
* Great deals: not only make some providers epicedian quad, if not those for example in real estate. Companies that have closed and do not know what to do with their furniture. Probably the end of that furniture is finished in the trash unless someone buys. Who says real estate office, also said delivery trucks, vehicles, computers. No doubt, you can decorate, furnish and equip your office for less than you ever imagined. Read the full story