ATTENTION SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS:

Cash Flow Plus, Inc. is sponsoring the Ultimate Marketing Plan Workshop, presented by Glenn K. Garnes, founder of the Village Connector Community News, on Wednesday, October 27, from 6:30 to 8:00 PM at the Saucy Salamander, 2661 Riva Road, Annapolis.  Tim Manley, the owner of Cash Flow Plus, has invited Mr. Garnes to share this marketing plan workshop with local merchants in the area.  The things you will learn  will save your business money in this difficult economy while gaining you greater access to a larger number of customers.  You will learn how to leverage your marketing efforts by creating an effective marketing plan that will attract local consumers to your local business!

Attendees who take part in the workshop will be given an opportunity to test-drive the Village Connector Community Marketing System at NO CHARGE ($900 value) for an entire year – it’s our way of thanking you for sharing your evening with us.

Don’t miss the opportunity to learn how you can increase your business at no cost even in a sputtering economy. Space is limited and you must register in advance to attend. If you are interested in learning more, contact Tim Manley via email at sales@cashfloplus.com or call 877-876-3791.

Cash Flow Plus, Inc., is happy to announce that Brian Brown is on board and will be in charge of the IT Division!  Brian will be focusing on information technology solutions for electronic payment processing, including software-based programs, point-of-sale systems, and inventory systems.

A native of Pennsylvania, Brian attended Penn State University and majored in electrical engineering.  His career has spanned sales and business development positions with Cingular Wireless, service management with Heartland Payment Systems, and installation and maintenance of Bluetooth systems for automobiles under his own company. Brian is an avid sailor and lives on his boat in the Federal Hill area of Baltimore. Welcome, Brian!

Cash Flow Plus is currently offering the opportunity to use the iPhone as a mobile credit card terminal!  Coupled with a Verifone card reader, the iPhone 3G is the ultimate mobile processing solution.  With wide-ranging and reliable reception and a sleek design, the iPhone keeps you in touch with your employees, gives them access to applications that can make them more productive on the road, and – best of all – it provides you with a way to accept credit card payments AT ANY TIME.  It turns your cell phone into a true multi-tasker for your business! With this device you’ll receive qualified rates and obtain immediate authorizations.

For a limited time, Cash Flow Plus will set you up with an iPhone 3G and a Verifone card reader for a three-month trial period!  See how it works for your business and if it’s a good fit for you.  If you’re not satisfied, return the phone and card reader to us with no further obligation.   It’s that simple.  Contact us at 877-876-3791 for more information or to start using the iPhone 3G to accept payments today!

Cash Flow Plus values you as a member of our family of merchants.  We are collecting input from our merchants to see how and where we can better serve you.  Please take a few moments to jot down what you value about your relationship with Cash Flow Plus. For your efforts, your input will be entered into a drawing to win a $50 gift card. Send us your response by Monday, September 20, and we will draw the winner on September 23. We will compile all of the responses into an article that will be published both on our web site and in our next newsletter.

Please submit your responses via email to karen@cashfloplus.com or by posting a reply to our Facebook Fan Page www.facebook.com/cashflowplus.  Thanks for your participation, and we look forward to hearing from you!

In today’s economic environment, banks are no longer able to lend money to small businesses as they have in the past. Banks are absolutely flooded with applications from consumers and businesses, and at the same time they are facing record defaults on their existing lending. This leaves the banks with a mountain of applicants and a shrinking reserve of money to lend. Businesses that used to qualify are being instantly denied. it’s just the plain truth. Fortunately we can help!

Cash Flow Plus has allied with a company that can assist you with obtaining funds for your business needs almost immediately! For more information or to request a free funding analysis, visit the main page of our web site and click on the link for Unsecured Business Loans and Lines of Credit.

Cash Flow Plus is excited to announce that we can now provide next-day funding for your credit card transactions! We can also provide you with one consolidated statement for all Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express transactions. In the past, American Express transactions always arrived on a separate statement. Now you can see those transactions in the same place as the others – no more separate statements to wade through every month!

For more information, give us a call at 877-876-3791.

In a struggling economy, sometimes the small local businesses suffer the most. While it might seem like you can get a better deal on some purchases by ordering online from larger companies, it will help you and your community in the long run if you choose to shop with local merchants.  Here are some reasons to buy local:

• Shopping locally helps keep money in the local economy—money spent in locally-owned businesses has up to three times the impact on the community as money spent at corporate chains.
• Shopping locally keeps non-chain shops flourishing, which increases the diversity of the community.
• Local businesses offer a more refined expertise and base of knowledge about their product than large chain stores.
• Local ownership means that important decisions are made locally by people who live in the community and who will feel the impact of those decisions.
• Independent area businesses pay more local and state taxes than do mega-corporations, keeping the tax flow community-based.
• Supporting local businesses by shopping locally helps fund and maintain jobs in the area, preventing outsourcing and the outflow of economic wealth.
• Local stores are a place to socialize!
• Local businesses compete with one another for business, which gives shoppers many options.
• A healthy local shopping district brings in more local businesses, which grows the local economy.
• Local business owners are more invested in their communities than large chain stores.
• Thriving local shops reduce fuel requirements and eliminate the monopoly and high pricing of supermarkets.

*Source: blogcatalog.com

At Cash Flow Plus, we are constantly searching for products and services that will enhance the efficiency of your business.  One such system is a computerized point of sale (POS) system for the retail and restaurant industries. By combining POS computerized cash registers with bar code scanners, inventory control software and wireless handheld inventory tracking devices, you can measurably increase control of your business while cutting costs and increasing profits.

A computerized POS system provides a significant advantage over conventional cash registers by allowing you to:

• Speed Customer Checkout: With a barcode scanner and computerized cash register, you can checkout a customer in half the time required with a conventional cash register.
• Increase Accuracy: Checkout is more accurate because the price of every item is specified in Cash Register Express.
• Reduce Theft: By using a computerized cash register, you can reduce theft by an average of 2½% because every piece of inventory in your business is monitored.
• Control Inventory Shrinkage: By comparing on-shelf inventory to your computerized reports, you can monitor breakage and non-theft inventory that “walks” out of your business, as well as track new items as they arrive. Computerizing reduce inventory shrinkage by up to an additional 2½%.
• Manage Inventory Levels:  Computerized inventory reports allow you to track trends and seasonal sales to order more efficiently.
• Monitor Your Margins: Inventory reports can help you recognize and stock more products that bring greater profits and fewer products that carry lower profits.
• Keep Track of Your Customers:  Your best customers are your present customers. Customized mailings based on computerized contact lists can help keep your customers coming back.

Want more information?  Give us a call!

Cash Flow Plus strives to keep our merchants up to date on changes in the electronic payment processing industry.  One such change was recently announced, and by increasing your diligence when processing transactions, you will save your business money!  When processing a MasterCard transaction with a corporate or business credit card, issuing banks now require that you include the tax amount in the transaction. In the past, merchants were able to bypass this by simply pressing the “enter” key.  You will no longer be able to do this; however, by including the tax amount and processing the transaction properly, you will qualify for the lower rate and will not be downgraded. Visa transactions traditionally did not allow the merchant to bypass the tax amount entry.

Cash Flow Plus is offering the following events to our merchants this month:

Learn how to market your business more effectively in your local community! Join us for a brief presentation on a new community marketing system in Annapolis on Thursday, February 4, at 8 AM at the Eggcellence Breakfast Brunchery, 2601 Housley Road, and in Prince Frederick on Monday, February 15, at 9 AM at 141 Central Square Drive. If you want to super-charge your marketing in 2010, don’t miss this!

Everyone pays energy bills, and they continue to rise. Find out  how you can lower yours with no hassle! Attend an informational  meeting from 6:30 to 8 PM at the Saucy Salamander, 2661 Riva Road, Annapolis, on any of these Thursday evenings: February 4 & 18, March 4 & 18.

We’re joining forces with the  Calvert County law firm of Davis, Upton, Palumbo & Keffler, LLC to present a business forum on the topic of identity theft and PCI compliance—topics which ALL merchants should be concerned about! The seminar is free and will be held on Tuesday, February 23, from 9 to 11 AM at the Springhill Suites, 75 Sherry Lane, Prince Frederick. A  light breakfast will be available.

The seminar will cover the dangers of identity theft and fraud, review business obligations of protecting personal identifying information, outline Federal and State requirements, penalties and potential liability for non-compliance, and requirements  of PCI compliance. To reserve your seat today, please call 877-876-3791 or reply directly to this email. Seating is limited, so call today!