Handle Bulk Vegetable Oil The Smart Spout Way

If you've got a restaurant, you probably deal with a lot of oil. Between changing the oil in fryers, making dressings and sauces, and cooking on the line, the only person moving more oil in the neighborhood is the local mechanic. And, like any restaurateur, you probably buy the stuff in bulk containers so that it's a little easier to handle and a little cheaper to buy. And we all know how annoying those bulk containers can be to handle. They're, well, bulky.

The Smart Spout is exactly what it sounds like: a smart idea that makes a restaurateur's daily life a little easier. It's simple, functional, and easy to use. What does the smart spout do? It allows you to pour bulk fryer or vegetable oil easily without spilling. Simple as that. Anyone who has stepped on oil on the floor in a commercial kitchen can attest to the dangers even a small spill can create.

The Smart Spout fits 1, 17.5, and 35 gallon bulk oil containers. It swivels so that oil can pour freely in any direction. It comes in red and green so you can tell fryer oil from ingredient oil. It's washable, sealable, and reusable.

The Smart Spout reminds me of old gasoline cans. 20 years ago they had a screw cap and that was it. Then somebody got smart and invented a pour spout so you didn't spill gas everywhere, which is both costly and dangerous. Now every Jerry can in the world has a spout.

I don't know if every bulk vegetable oil container in the world will have a spout one day, but they should, for the very same reasons every gas can now has one. If you deal with those bulk oil containers, make your life a little easier.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gregory_Scott_McGuire

5 Reasons Why Your Boss Hates You

I was with a group of recently appointed IT managers and we struck the conversation thread of our relationships with our boss. I just love it when people begin to talk about the subjects that matter to them.

The group shared their thoughts on how they have suffered from a bad relationships with their boss, and more to the point, how their relationships turned sour in the first place. It was such an interesting (and enlightening) conversation that I am sharing with you what I learned.

I distilled the conversations down to 5 reasons why your boss might hate you (although there maybe more, these are the biggies)

You are a Threat
If your boss believes you pose a threat to their job then they could turn nasty. If you walk around with a halo on your head (put there by your peers, or even your manager's peers or superiors) then this could be perceived as dangerous to your boss.

This goes beyond the belief of your boss that you are after their job. By building up a strong profile inside your organization, which I fully recommend, it is likely that you a pedestal is also being built underneath you. If your profile creates support and sponsorship by senior members of your organization, then the likelihood of being knocked off is reduced, but there always remains the potential of being sniped off by a jealous boss.

If you suspect that this is the case, then you have a choice - continue as you are and live with the glory and the threat, or share your halo with your boss by ensuring that they always get 10% of the credit. (Number is arbitrary!). You do this by always mentioning their support and guidance as you achieve greatness.

You are Too Political
Politics is a banner of many behaviors, but roughly I am suggesting that your manager may get pissed off with you if you don't consistently align with the truth and behave like 'all things to all people'. Politics has its place, but over-emphasis on truth-economies can create distrust between you and your manager. Think about it: if they see you as a skilful player with your peers, then what do they read into your relationship?

If you're in a politically charged environment (despite best will, this does happen) then it's always best to disclose your political game plan with your boss. Even if they don't play too, at least they know what you're trying to achieve. Create a version of the truth that you both align to and will work together to achieve. Personally, I prefer work without politics, but if you must engage in politics then it's important to have the support of your manager.

You are Not Political Enough
The flipside to the above, and probably a more likely situation. The higher you climb the pole, the greasier it gets.

Your manager may be playing many angles and operating in grey-areas to achieve an outcome... only for you to come along with an honest and transparent communication to destroy their game-plan.

My feelings towards this are clear - this is your manager's fault and if they don't involve you in the game (or at least tell you where the goal-posts are) then that is their problem. Nevertheless, your lack of awareness, or refusal to play, can build up bad feelings which are likely not to be expressed. Your boss's hatred of you will seem irrational and may be sensed but not directly manifested.

There isn't much you can do in these situations. Sometimes, a direct challenge might work but the same political behaviour will be applied in your manager's response.

Lack of Rapport
Rapport is the X-factor in a relationship. When two people have rapport, they get along very well and the relationship flourishes. This happens when you and your manager perceive situations, and people, in similar ways and you make similar decisions and judgments based on that perception. Communication is effective. There is cohesion. It's a foundation of trust.

What about the lack of rapport? The opposite of the above is true. Relationships die at the point of inception when two people can't communicate effectively or agree on anything. When two people have two parametrically opposite personality traits, then building rapport is almost impossible. If you are a positive person, but your boss is negative, then it will be tough. If you are introvert, but your manager is extrovert, then it will be tough. Get the picture?

I don't recommend trying to be a person you are not, in order to overcome this. You will come unstuck at some point, and to be frank, you will be miserable and stressed. The best way forward, when faced with this problem, is to just keep working at it. A lack of rapport will diminish over time providing that you and your manager are trying to achieve the same thing. It will be a bumpy road - so expect that - but eventually it will smooth out.

You Don't Do What Your Manager Expects You To Do
Have you become upset when a mechanic didn't fix the problem with your car? How about when your credit card company didn't switch off payment protection, even when you ticked the option? It's the same when you don't do what you said you would do. Your manager gets pissed.

In modern organizations, strategic goals are cascaded from the most senior executives to junior employees. Your manager's objectives are dependent on you achieving your objectives... and so on. If you don't achieve your goals, your manager doesn't too.

Worse still, your manager's reputation can be drawn through the mud. Your failure could be a direct hit on your boss's credibility. If this failure is caused by forgetfulness, or bad judgment, or incompetence then you can expect your manager to be upset with you. Persistent failure like this can lead to total hatred!

A more dangerous ground to tread on is when you're going hell for leather for a goal that is different to the one your manager expects. It's dangerous because the point of realization that your expectations are different is towards the end of the project or assignment. You might get into this situation if you and your boss haven't built rapport.

This situation may be a deliberate coup by your manager if they're playing political games or if they perceive you as a threat. Unless your objectives are clearly understood in the same way between you, your manager has a ticket to call foul at any point.

Truth is, managers rarely resort to these shenanigans, but much more common is a surprise moment a long way into an assignment when both of you realize your mistake of a difference in expectation. This is why it's vital that you and your manager agree specifics, with little (or no) room for different interpretation. Especially so if your performance management, and your bonus, depends upon it.

I believe that total alignment of expectations is the only way to avoid pissing off your boss, and indeed achieving what they expect from you. I recommend you take a look at your current assignments now and check with your manager that your intended output is what he or she expects.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Simon_Stapleton

Raising Money - Venture Capital Vs Angels Investment

Contrary to what you are seeing in the press with the credit crunch and looming recession there is simply too much money in the World at the moment; too much capital seeking too few investment opportunities. Remember the 1930s depression created more Millionaires than in any other era (ever) and now will be no different. A large amount of high net worth individuals are seeking to diversify their portfolios away from traditional investments as a defensive hedge against stock market volatility. Historically and in times of recession the two best investment classes that have outperformed traditional markets have been commodities and private equity. So if there is so much capital available in the world today, why is it so difficult to locate the capital you need?

The most probable answer to your question is that the amounts you are seeking are way too small to tempt Venture Capitalists or Hedge fund managers. After all it is relative. If a VC has tens of millions of pounds to invest into private equity why invest into 100 or 200 start-up companies? Who could possibly manage and foresee all of these investments and entrepreneurs? Its hard enough to manage one sometimes! So relatively speaking, investing in you would most-likely prove cost-prohibitive for them even though arguably they would receive more value overall.

The Hunt - VCs vs Angels
Venture Capital firms are one way to raise a serious amount of capital but as you may imagine there are pitfalls. The main one being loss of equity far beyond the 51% mark. Further the final vote on 'the right of sale' will also most probably be a mandatory right for them. Since VCs main motivation is 'ROISAP' (return on investment soon as possible) VCs will always have a frantic desire to flip every deal as quickly as possible. And they will not care where that return comes from, yourself or an outside party as long as they receive a massive bonus for the risk and skill for what they have invested.

More appealing to an entrepreneur starting-up is to seek a business angel investor interested in the line of work you are involved in as they will either take an equity position and some level of debt (or typically a combination of the two) in exchange for their investment. They will also take a seat on your board of directors, which they will use as a platform to monitor their investment and to provide invaluable advice. Sometimes they can actually take an active role in the organization and get it kick started into high gear. This freedom can afford an organization the ability to swiftly hire key employees and develop its business model to the point where it is ready to seek larger scale, second-round financing at a much more reasonable cost-to-equity due to the proven track record within the organization.

Other benefits to the entrepreneur include access to the expertise and business networks that the angel investors may be involved with. In addition to this, the growing trend of angel investor syndicating means that an individual entrepreneur can raise significant capital (significantly above the £500K mark) in a single financing deal without the need to negotiate separately with each investor.

Health Warning:
Venture capital money is not for the faint-hearted. Too often, it is only for the desperate - unless your desire is to build a business with an exit strategy in mind from day 1. There is nothing wrong with such a goal in the short term, as the returns can be staggering, but expect to make them many - many more millions than your side - that is if you even get that far. A great many other original creators have been squeezed out long before the 'D-day - big pay day'.

Angel investment therefore represents an invaluable source of alternative funding. And one that is far more attractive and realistic for a start-up entrepreneur. Benefits for both the Entrepreneur and the Angel can be great provided of course that the expectations are well drafted and thought out from day one and the funding agreement is structured to meet the demands of both sides.

The main difference between a business angel and a venture capitalist is that VC funding will come with legal agreements that will be inevitably always be Venture capitalist biased with terms that almost are utterly unfair and unjust, whereas, Angel investment will be far more flexible. It's not uncommon for some Angels to even shy away from using corporate solicitors when drafting agreements for funding. The reason being that if a high net worth individual should choose to invest in 8 - 10 companies, the total legal bill could turn out to be over £50,000.00 (assuming a lean estimation of £5K per company which is low!) - money that could be used to fund crucial working capital or further expansion.

Executive Summary
Receiving successful venture capital funding can provide a lot more than just money to the start-up. They can bring a wealth of managerial talent and experience that can advise you on external growth and how to jump over major pitfalls.

This professional advice can be a massive boost for a young company looking for every competitive edge. Another major benefit of VC Capital is that their network of contacts could end up making all the difference in a successful exit (or not).

But always remember what being funded by a VC actually means. After they have invested millions into it and regardless of whether or not they actually hold a controlling interest in your company they will be in control of your organization and will have a lot of power over how the company runs and how they will get their money out. You will be forced to go down directions that you may not be too happy with.

The Plan
More often then not, it's best for an entrepreneur to start up on their own or with the help of an Angel Investor (or syndicate if the investment requirement is too large to be funded by one individual). After running and evolving the business, the next best course of action is turn to VCs when you believe you are ready to take your company to the next level and will need a serious amount of capital to do so. Before even considering approaching a VC, you will have to demonstrate that you have a degree of success in your past, which is where the first round of your funding and management of your cash flow will come in handy.

When you do decide to approach venture capitalists and if by some miracle should they agree to back you, then it will be crucial on your part to seek-out the best legal advice that you can afford for the ensuing negotiations. One sentence or even a phrase within the initial contract can determine your success or failure. VCs are consummate professionals, and you will have to become one before playing in their league.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ilesh_Vyas