What is a secretary?

A secretary desk is a type of furniture more often found in homes than offices, despite the name. The basic design of the compact, but tall, secretary desk consists of a set of drawers topped by a fold-out desk, with a set of shelves or a hutch perched on top. The essential design is quite old; intact antique examples from at least the 1500s suggest that the desk was widely used at that time, and possibly before. Modern offices tend to use a differently styled desk design with more room to spread out and slightly less private storage, but many people keep a secretary desk at home to use as a small workplace or as a family organizing area.

The base of a secretary desk is a sturdy set of large, flat drawers. On top of the drawers, a hutch with shelving, usually enclosed, is installed, with an area underneath the hutch for small nooks and other storage areas located in the back of the desk. A folding section encloses the open area underneath the hutch when not in use, and flops out to create a desk space when it is needed, usually supported with wooden runners underneath it to keep it steady. A variation on the secretary desk uses a roll top mechanism to secure the desk space, and generally does not include a fold out section.

The footprint of a secretary desk is relatively small, because the base of the desk is not as wide as the potential available workspace. However, the desk is quite tall to accommodate all of its features. The folding nature of a secretary desk means that it cannot be used to spread out long-term projects, but does make it easy to secure information by locking the folding desk area, drawers, and or hutch. A secretary desk also provides ample organizing space in a variety of different formats, so the user can store flat files, books, miscellaneous documents, and small, oddly shaped items.

In a modern office, a secretary desk is not terribly practical, but when one considers the original function of a secretary, it starts to make sense. Traditionally, secretaries managed correspondence and sensitive documents; a secretary desk is ideally suited for filing and arranging correspondence, as well as securing works in progress. The folding desk area readily fits letter paper and writing utensils, which can be tidied away when the work is done. When the secretary's services were not needed, the desk would not take up excessive space in the office environment, and would look neat and orderly, as well.

What is an accountant?

An accountant is an individual who performs accounting tasks for individuals or companies. The exact material that an accountant handles varies depending on the size of the company and the accountant's specialization, but generally includes financial records, taxes, and responsibility for the issuing of financial reports. An accountant is one of the primary figures in a business that he or she works for, whether it is a multinational corporation or a small family owned business. Requirements to become an accountant vary upon specialization and nation, but generally include certification through a professional agency and a basic college degree in accounting and finance.

In a small firm, an accountant may be responsible for keeping all financial records. These records include payroll information, accounts payable, accounts receivable, retail sales, and information regarding investments held by the company. These accounts are kept organized in ledgers which are used to asses the financial health of a company. Ledgers are always kept up to date, and may be consulted by managers and high ranking members of a company when they are making major business decisions.

In larger firms, accountants also perform internal audits, to ensure that the financial records of the company are accurate. Because of bias concerns, an internal audit cannot be handled by an accountant who regularly handles the material concerned, and many companies hire outside accounting firms to perform audits. When this is the case, the company should not be contracted to handle any of the company's other financial material, as this may represent a conflict of interest.

In most cases, an accountant will choose to specialize in a particular field such as audits, book keeping, or taxes. In other instances, an accountant may acquire a wide range of skills to better serve his or her clients. This is common with certified public accountants who handle the books for several small businesses at once. In both instances, the accountant must have strong math skills, as well as an education in accounting.

Depending on the type of accounting being performed, certification by the state may be required. State certification is usually required for accountants who perform audits and other sensitive accounting tasks, while it is not as vitally necessary for accounting clerks who work under certified accountants. Commonly, an accountant is also a member of a professional organization of accountants, and takes advantage of meetings and seminars to keep up with advances in the field.

What is Marketing?

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What exactly is marketing and why is it important to you as an entrepreneur? Simply stated, marketing is everything you do to place your product or service in the hands of potential customers.

It includes diverse disciplines like sales, public relations, pricing, packaging, and distribution. In order to distinguish marketing from other related professional services, S.H. Simmons, author and humorist, relates this anecdote.

"If a young man tells his date she's intelligent, looks lovely, and is a great conversationalist, he's saying the right things to the right person and that's marketing. If the young man tells his date how handsome, smart and successful he is -- that's advertising. If someone else tells the young woman how handsome, smart and successful her date is -- that's public relations."

You might think of marketing this way. If business is all about people and money and the art of persuading one to part from the other, then marketing is all about finding the right people to persuade.

Marketing is your strategy for allocating resources (time and money) in order to achieve your objectives (a fair profit for supplying a good product or service).

Yet the most brilliant strategy won't help you earn a profit or achieve your wildest dreams if it isn't built around your potential customers. A strategy that isn't based on customers is rather like a man who knows a thousand ways to make love to a woman, but doesn't know any women. Great in theory but unrewarding in practice.

If you fit the classic definition of an entrepreneur (someone with a great idea who's under-capitalized), you may think marketing is something you do later -- after the product is developed, manufactured, or ready to sell.

Though it may feel counter-intuitive, marketing doesn't begin with a great idea or a unique product. It begins with customers -- those people who want or need your product and will actually buy it.

Entrepreneurs are in love with their ideas, and they should be. After all, why would anyone commit their energy, life savings, and no small part of their sanity to anything less than a consuming passion. Because entrepreneurs are passionate about their idea, product, or service, they innocently assume other people will feel the same. Here's the bad news -- it just doesn't work that way!

People have their own unique perceptions of the world based on their belief system. The most innovative ideas, the greatest products, or a superior service succeed only when you market within the context of people's perceptions.

Context can be many things, singly or simultaneously. To name a few, you may market to your customers within the context of their wants, needs, problems solved, or situation improved. Entrepreneurs need to be aware of many other contexts, such as social and economic trends or governmental regulations, which we'll discuss another time.

People don't just "buy" a product. They "buy" the concept of what that product will do for them, or help them do for themselves. People who are overweight don't join a franchise diet center to eat pre-packaged micro-meals. They "buy" the concept of a new, thin, happy and successful self.

Before you become consumed with entrepreneurial zeal and invest your life savings in a new venture, become a smart marketer. Take time at the beginning to discover who your potential customers are, and how to effectively reach them.

Without a plan, your entrepreneurial dream is really wishful thinking. While a marketing plan can be a map for success, remember that the map is not the territory. A strategy that ignores the customer isn't an accurate reflection of the landscape.

A good marketing plan can help you focus your energy and resources. But a plan created in a vacuum, based solely on your perceptions, does not advance the agenda. That's why market research, however simple or sophisticated, is important.

Just keep in mind that research attempts to predict the future by studying the past. It reveals what people have done, and extrapolates what people might do -- not what people will do.

Planning is imperative, research is important, but there's no substitute for entrepreneurial insight. After all, as Mark Twain wrote, "You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus".