So you’ve decided it’s time to get a website for your little business but you’re not sure what’s involved? Here are five things you need think about before you take the plunge:
What is your business goal for this website? In other words, how is having a website going to contribute to your bottom line? Are you introducing a original product, hoping to expand into a unusual market, or maybe you objective want to be positive potential clients can glean you on the Internet. Knowing before hand what your goals and expectations are will go a long plan toward building an effective website.
Content is king. Do you have some? Photos, lists of services, pricing–you have all the basics, but what makes your business original? Fast turnaround, exceptional customer service, your many years of experience in the field? Or perhaps it’s your innovative use of technology, or your luxurious facilities. These are the things that convert a website visit into an email or a phone call. No matter how delicate your website is, it can’t turn your visitors into clients unless you show people what makes your business special.
What is your budget? Know this going in and stick with it, but do your homework first and make distinct your budget is realistic. Web designers charge anywhere from $200 to over $1000 for a little custom designed spot. Like anything else, you get what you pay for.
Time. How much time can you devote to keeping your website up to date? We’ve all visited websites that suffer from Vacant Lot Syndrome. Their copyright date smooth says 2002, and it seems like nobody’s home. Doesn’t inspire you to want to do business with them, does it? Keeping your site unusual and up to date is the best way to ensure a return on your investment. Whether you purchase some maintenance hours from your web designer or update the site yourself; if something is happening in your business, it should be happening on your website too.
Choose a designer with care. Review their portfolio–have they built other sites you admire, and do they offer the services you need? Talk to them on the phone to get a sense of their business style. Make sure they understand your business and your expectations for your website. Get a quote and contract in hand before writing a check.With a little preparation before you start, you’re bound to have a website that’s an asset to your business!
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Filed under Small Business Phone Lines by on Jan 31st, 2012. 
Ask any small business owner for a list of their biggest troubles or most aggressive goals, and there are undoubtedly a few things that will be on every entrepreneurs list. Almost all small business owners suffer the same basic hurdles as they work to gain their portion of the market. These hurdles are most commonly: Staying in touch with what competitors are doing, staying in touch with customers, effectively marketing goods and services, and finally, staying organized and communicating their ideas and needs to vendors, investors and customers.
Luckily, small businesses are returning to the landscape in full force as big corporations continue to struggle in a lagging economy. This shift from mass-employment to entrepreneurship has spurred on many low-cost and easy to use advances in technology that make today’s small business just a little bit easier to manage and grow. Here’s a list of my approved geek-chic tech gadgets you cannot live without to abet your miniature business get a leg up on the competition (and maybe even make some of those ample box stores a little jealous).
Getting Smart With SmartPhones
Smartphones have taken the pocket-toting media world by storm with their ability to store music, take photos, observe YouTube on the bus and play games on airplanes. But have you considered putting your smartphone to work for you?
I fell in love with the Motorola Droid and HTC Droid earlier this year, and just as other small business owners can attest, when you learn to use the apps effectively they can make business a whole lot easier. Jam packed with thousands of application options, I’ve got a short list of my personal favorites where it comes to managing a petite business.
First, the instant access to the internet on Verizon’s 3G network makes comparison shopping a breeze. It doesn’t matter whether you find your supplies at a warehouse in the industrial district, or pick up your fare at garage sales, using Google – or better yet scanning product bar-codes – to see what prices are being charged elsewhere will give you a leg-up when it comes to negotiating the best prices. Another great feature is the ability to check your business mail while on the go. No need to hunt for WiFi or lug around a laptop when you can read and compose e-mail with a device small enough to fit in your pocket.
My next accepted feature, particularly with the Motorola Droid, is the easy to use GPS and navigation system. All it takes is a car-dock and a few taps of the cloak to bag you going in the right direction without having to purchase a separate GPS unit. Great for small business owners who are always working in new territory, the ability to map and navigate on the go saves a ton of time and aggravation.
Facebook and Twitter Marketing Tools
One of the biggest leaps in runt business technology is the ability to connect with customers, vendors, clients and investors without having to leave your desk. Social Networking is a original marketing concept that is taking businesses by storm because of its ease of use, low cost and tangible results.
Not only is setting up an account for your small business easy, it’s most often also free. Unlike traditional marketing campaigns that advertise on a broad scale hoping that consumers are listening, social networking gives small businesses a platform to announce new products, news and announcements directly to customers where they are paying the most attention.
Don’t have a big marketing budget? No problem. I have spent the last several months playing with marketing on Facebook and have discovered that there are multiple strategies that work for small business owners trying to attract the attention of consumers. First, if you’re willing to learn the ins and outs of Facebook and Twitter, you can attract customers to your page simply by interacting with them yourself and being available to answer questions and comments in real-time. If instead you want to integrate a true marketing campaign, Facebook Ads allows you to tailor fit a marketing campaign to you that can be as broad or dialed-in as you want. I was able to create marketing campaigns that only reached people within 50 miles of my business, within an age range that I determined, that had a set of keywords that I chose, and the end result was a campaign that resulted in over 30,000 impressions for a little over $11.
Skype Connectivity
Skype is a concept that has been slow to bleed into the business world, viewed by many as simply another method to chat online with friends similarly to how Yahoo and MSN chat have been used in the past. Skype is now starting to turn the heads of microscopic business owners as they continue to add recent features and capabilities that can be integrated into businesses for free that were once only available to sizable businesses with expensive infrastructures.
Not just for internet phone service any more, Skype now also allows small businesses the opportunity to exercise V-Calls for free. Reducing the need for rented meeting spaces, travel and time away from customers, V-Calls allow small businesses to video conference over a high quality video system that is detached and detailed enough for displaying charts and graphs as well as talking “face to face”.
Skype has also introduced Conference Calling services, a product that has previously been too costly for many runt businesses. Using conference calling allows business owners to connect simultaneously with customers and business partners when working on large projects and conduct phone meetings with multiple employees or vendors at once. For a negligible fee, conference calling can even be used with landlines and mobile phones so you don’t have to manage getting everyone set up with Skype before the meeting.
Traditional chat is also available, as well as file sharing, screen-to-screen sharing for presentations or providing customer aid, and a laundry list of other products. The wide variety of useful tools available for free or very inexpensive rates makes Skype a perfect communication tool for small business.
Going Paperless
Keeping organized between meetings, sales presentations, accounts payable and receivable and all the other day to day activities of a small business can be a daunting task, and the technology sector has responded with inexpensive ways to stay organized and keep small businesses Green.
One of the many great Green-Tech products that come in handy when working in the field are Digital Notepads. Although they look just like any other clipboard, digital notepads like the ADESSO CyberPad automatically saves everything that you write on the surface. Great for keeping track of meeting notes, digitizing sketched designs and inspired doodles, the ADESSO CyberPad dramatically reduces the amount of paper that you have to keep track of. Instead of having stacks of paper on your desk with notes and sales records that have to be manually entered into the system, digital pads save every pen stroke as an e-file that you can later download to your computer.
As exiguous businesses continue to pop up everywhere, these great tech gadgets are certainly some you cannot live without and will benefit to propel you ahead of the pack. The best tool that any business owner can have is the ability to change and adapt to match customer needs. More than ever customers are looking for businesses that are easily accessible, have a firm hold on what is going on in the industry they represent, treat them like people and not customer numbers, and marketing in a way that is friendly and non-intrusive. Applying the technology mentioned here, as well as other tools and services designed for small business will relieve your business to not only stay afloat, but to prosper.
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Filed under Small Business Phone Lines by on Nov 25th, 2011.
Finding a small business lawyer isn’t the same as finding a personal lawyer; you need an attorney who specializes in small businesses and has sufficient experience to represent you. It is also a suited idea to further specify that you’d like a small business lawyer who has worked with small businesses in your industry to maximize your success. Above all, you need an attorney who can devote adequate time to your miniature business and who can satisfy all claims that might be filed against you.
One of the best ways to find the suitable small business lawyer is through referrals. When an attorney comes highly recommended by a client, you can usually trust that he or she will be right for your business. You can also get referrals from other professionals you consume, such as your accountant, your banker or your marketing consultant. Often, small business owners rely on attorney referral services, but you have to realize that those businesses are paid to effect referrals — they aren’t necessarily based on objective experience.
If you can’t pick up a referral through a friend or trusted professional, your next best bet in finding a dinky business lawyer is to use the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, which can be accessed through Lawyers.com. This directory contains not only listings for attorneys all over the U.S., but also a rating system that is based on the reviews of other legal professionals.
Once you have garnered a list of acceptable prospects, you’ll need to interview each runt business lawyer and find out exactly where their differences lie. Some attorneys will have higher fees than others and some will be more available with their time. Depending on the nature of your small business, you’ll need to make an educated decision based on your need and your available monetary resources.
The most important characteristic of the right small business lawyer is a willingness to respond your questions at length. If the attorney is rushed or doesn’t seem to have time to answer your questions, you’re better off taking your business elsewhere. Many attorney-client contracts are filled with legal jargon that can be difficult to understand, so your small business lawyer should be willing to explain everything to you.
He or she should also be open about fees, including retainer fees and other deposits or monthly payments. Talk about any expenses you’ll need to cover, such as phone calls or photocopies or traveling. The right small business lawyer will be open and unprejudiced with you from the get-go, so look for signs that the attorney is avoiding your questions or trying to evade full disclosure.
Once you’ve narrowed the candidates down to two or three, your final decision should be based on personality. The right small business lawyer will “mesh” with your company culture and will manufacture you feel at ease during conversations. Choose an attorney with whom you have a strong rapport and to whom you wouldn’t mind seeking advice. After all, he or she will be your legal counsel.
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Filed under Small Business Phone Lines by on Nov 6th, 2011.
The New Year can be a golden opportunity for diminutive business owners to turn their struggling or failing business around. If you spent 2008 crying over a bank account that seemed perpetually empty, rejoice! I’m going to show a few simple changes to make to your business that will slash your expenses and increase your sales. All while making your company more profitable than ever before.
Incorporating your Ten Resolutions into a single document is key to making this change. That document of course, is the Business Plan. You can’t sustain it in your head and you certainly can’t sustain it “somewhere” in your computer. Create a plan and effect it down on paper. A paper document can be posted above your desk and will always be visible, which will assist to preserve you on track. Within this plan, we’ll write ten resolutions that will make 2009 your best year to date.
To start, you need some basics. What were your expenses last year? Collect out your old receipts, cancelled checks, notes, tax returns and anything else you have that will detail where your money went in 2008. Total up your expenses. How much went to sales and marketing? How worthy to employees? What did you pay the power company, how much to your landlord? Break it all down into separate categories. Rent, utilities, taxes, accounting fees, gasoline, etc. Now you’re ready to commence.
Resolution 1. Decide upon your sales goals. How much money do you want to make? A monthly and yearly sales goal will bring focus to your company and harness wasted energy. You’ll use this energy, to focus your efforts on bringing in the dollars needed to meet your goals. So go ahead and write down your monthly sales goals. Add these twelve sales goals up, and you’ll get the yearly sales goal. Now you have specific goals to try and attain. Congratulations, your company now has a direction!
Resolution 2. This resolution will deal with your Cost of Sale. Put simply, this means the amount of money you will expend on labor and on your supplies and materials to complete a job. Keep in mind that only those dollars paid to labor and supplies and materials related to completing a specific job count as Cost of Sale. Wireless phone bills for example, are not Cost of Sale items since a cell phone is outmoded for other company business like marketing or shipping. Sixty hours of labor at Mrs. Jones’s house and 185 pieces of lumber are examples of Cost of Sale items.
Resolution 3. Figure out how worthy you’ll have to utilize each month on your General and Administrative expenses. This includes insurance, gas, telephones, uniforms, advertising and anything else that is not Cost of Sale. There are fixed costs that don’t change from month to month. These are things like rent, car payments, salary payments to employees who are not paid hourly and marketing and advertising budgets.
Now survey at your Cost of Sale number and your General and Administrative Expenses number. Add these two together and you have your Total Expenses. If you then subtract your Total Monthly Expense from your Monthly Sales Goal number, you can see how much profit you’re expecting to obtain. Eye opening can be an understatement! Perhaps for the first time ever, you can identify why you haven’t made money despite your hard work!
Resolution 4. This one is particularly important. Adjust your monthly sales goal numbers so that you near out to a profit every month. This will usually mean raising the number considerably. Your banker will be happy. You’ll be happy too. So what are you waiting for? Raise those sales goals to start keeping more of the money you effect every day.
Resolution 5. Set a marketing budget. Marketing your business is a science of it’s own. How much will you spend every month to promote yourself? Some companies will spend ten percent of gross sales, some only one percent. When you decide what is most pleasant to your business, write the number down and stick to it every month. You now have control of your marketing dollars.
Resolution 6. State a half hour aside every week to track your progress. Look at the numbers on your business plan. How close to your sales goal are you for the week? How much have you spent of labor? Do you have to adjust things to keep your company on track? You may find that sales are too low and your salespeople will have to spend more time knocking on doors and less time sitting in the office! Expenses too high so early in the week? Cut labor hours, avoid stocking up on your weekly supplies, do what you have to in order to bring those Cost of Sale numbers down!
Resolution 8. Keep your understanding visible. Make sure that your thought is printed out and posted in a visible place. If you can’t see it, you can’t manage it! Too many times a grand idea is jotted down on a memo pad and then shoved into a desk drawer where it’s forgotten. The cold hard numbers you’ve detailed and put down on paper should be staring you in the face throughout the day.
Resolution 9. Decide what additional expenditures you need to view for, and then fabricate allowances for them in your Busness View. Keep in mind that at points throughout the year you will need to budget for additional expenses to facilitate business growth. If you want a secretary by March, you’ll need to factor that increase in labor costs. Will this new employee need a desk? A computer and a phone system? Write it down within the Business Plan you’re creating. When March comes, you will be prepared to spend the money necessary.
Resolution 10. Reach your monthly sales goals by the twenty fifth day of each month. Why would you do this? Simple really, if you meet your goal by the twenty fifth each month, by November you will have reached your Yearly Sales Goal. So in December you’ve in effect given yourself an extra month to boost sales. Attaining this goal regularly will also allow some cushion for slow periods of business throughout the year, strikes, natural disasters, etc.
The New Year can be a immense year for your business. It will take consistency and dedication to sticking with the 2009 Business Plan. But if you can do it, you’ll find your bank anecdote swelling, your headaches vanishing and your company growing solid. Make 2009 the first of many good years to come.
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Filed under Small Business Phone Lines by on Oct 10th, 2011.
- Pursuing your passion and turning it into cash earning business
- Low start up cost
Faced with the reality of retirement in the next few years. I started thinking, am I totally ready to retire, or do I want to do something else. Maybe you not retiring, but just want to supplement your income, or you might be a cease at home mom, whatever your reason, being your absorb boss, and finding your passion, can be personally and financially rewarding. I had some ideas rolling around my head, on things I wanted to do to start my own business. But to better get a handle on what I needed to do, and where I was going to find the money to operate a business. I talked around to different people, who I knew started their own business and was successful. Here are some tips that I learned.
People start businesses to make money doing something they love doing. How much money you make depends on how grand you want the business to be. Since your just getting started, you want to start out small, and gradually build on it.
Laying the ground work and researching is important. Make determined it is something you know how to do, and make sure you can do it well. It helps if it is your passion and you adore doing it, then you can do it everyday. You want to be sure it is marketable, and there is a need for the business in your area. You want your business to turn a profit. Start out expressionless, and keep it simple, so it can raise the funds to keep it running as it becomes a suitable venture.
I spoke to a friend of mine, her mother and brother started a Sewing Business. Her mother a steam stress from Trinidad, and her brother who also knows how to sew, and is a artist. Started their business down in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. They made mostly wedding gowns, and prom dresses, alterations. This is good if you are good at sewing. You could utilize your Sewing skills in starting this home based business. They also did a lot of tailoring. They did their research, and found a small storefront place, and invested in two sewing machines, and all sewing equipment they would be using. They also advertised, in the local yellow pages, and reach up to using their own website.
Wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses and even prom dresses. Most women who are planning their wedding, want dresses made to their specification. They like duplicating a lot of designer styles, which may cost them a fortune if they had to buy, straight from the designer. Some brides, bring a picture, of if they could draw, they can bring the design to you, to peer if you can duplicate the gown. If you are good at sewing, this is a good way of earning a honorable income. You could also do alterations of suits, and dresses, pants. There are customers out there. People who may need zippers sewed into a outfit, there are always people out there who have some item of clothing, that can use the help of a tailor or seamstress. In this case, a sewing business can work. You can spread the word to dry cleaners, who do not do their own alterations, give them a business card, so they can refer clients to you. This business you can also do from your home. Which will keep the cost of renting a big facility. A sewing machine, and keeping on hand some fabrics, are some of the things you want to do, while starting this business. Who knows, if you’re a good designer, you may well be on your way of launching
your own signature to the fashion world.
I also met someone who is good with interior decorating, but she likes to mainly sew window treatments. She is righteous with sewing but prefers sewing cushions, and pillows to match. Even though today, there are many stores, who specialize in the window treatments, you would be surprised to know that there are a lot of people, who still want them custom made. Having the ability to obtain your gain pillows and window treatments, is a good craft to make some money.
Sewing, home based business requires little in the way of financial investment. If you do dressmaking, and window treatments, you will need a good quality sewing machine and an over locking machine. A good iron and damp cloth will do objective as well as having a expensive pressing machine. These tools of your trade should last for many years and will find what they cost you many times over. Designating a room, in your house or apartment, that can be dedicated to sewing, that is great but in reality, you can run a sewing business from any room in your place. Having storage spot, to keep fabrics, and other tools needed for your sewing business can be done in a closet space, organized and designated for your business. Your start up costs will be for tools, accessories and advertising.
Of course, advertising is essential to any business that is just starting up. Circulating fliers, or buy advertising space in local newspapers, or you can put up a website and all sorts of other things which are fairly low cost. A good way of becoming known is by telling your friends and family members. Find local magazines, Newspapers and other local places such as wedding planners, a local florist. Having satisfied customers will benefit from repeat orders and your reputation will become known by word of mouth.
Starting a House Cleaning Business, has its advantages. As it may not be a business that you like doing, it is also a business that many people will gladly pay for the services. I know I hate cleaning, and can well employ the help. Deciding whether this business will be a one person operation or you are going to set it up for more of a commercial business, then you have to consider people who you need to hire. You should decide exactly on what kind of house cleaning service you will offer. If you are starting out on a limited amount of money, you probably want to start out by yourself. Keeping a limited number of clients, and days that you plan to do this service, is important. You do not want to over schedule, and tire yourself out. But keeping a limited number of clients is helpful. Cleaning can be hard work, being in good physical shape helps. So pacing yourself is important, if your doing this venture on your own, I would suggest to give you at least two days to rest and recuperate.
On deciding what type of cleaning service you are providing. Keep in mind are you just going to vacuum, mopping and waxing floors, dusting. Acquire a list of things you will not be doing. Like Laundry, cleaning carpets, and other heavy duty things. Pricing your cleaning service is a good view to know before hand.
If your money to invest on the business is limited. Then you may want to initiate on just having the basic cleaning materials and the use of your car. If you feel you want to expand, then consider your options of getting a loan. If you want to venture in cleaning offices, then you may want to keep the business to one small company to work for. This will allow you to work from Monday to Friday. When you become more ambitious, comfortable and want to expand by building a company that caters just for office cleaning. You will then need more employees, and provide vehicles.
After talking to a few people who provided just “Maid” services, doing domestic house cleaning. They were able to provide a flat rate like 65.00-75.00 for household. Each week. Many of their customers, paid for the much needed services. And business has been successful.
Many small business like Doctor’s offices, or just small business starting out, out source their answering services. It not only makes things easier for them out sourcing their answering service, but of cost effective also. Many clients retract to talk to a “live” person.
Answering service is low cost, and very easy to do. You can get a good income, depending on your quality of service, and professionalism. You will have to decided on the level of service you will be offering. It can be full time, or part-time, 24/7 hours of normal business hours. You will also have to decided whether you want to do it during the week, or week-ends. You will have to decide what your hours and days will be, that you want to work before taking on any clients. You would want to take on a limited amount of clients for the beginning. You will have to add additional phone lines to provide adequate service. If you are taking on several clients, then maybe adding on a switchboard maybe more cost effective. But these are things you will have to check out with your local telephone company. Answering the phone in a valid manner, having good diction and grammar are a plus.
There are independent small business that may not have a budget for a full time secretary. They will contract out for Secretarial Services./Virtual Assistants These services can be specialized, or offer a broad range of administrative services. Some of the broad range of services you can offer:
Typing Manuscripts
Letters
Transcription Database management
Data entry
Internet research
Email CSR
Writing resumes
Scheduling appointments
Write proposals
Grant Writing
Bookkeeping
Billing
Word processing
Marketing.
Computer, Internet access, fax machine, printer phone. Are among the basic equipment will be needed. Having basic administrative skills is important to providing this service. Excellent typing skills, excellent with computers, word processing, spreadsheet applications, photo shop, business management skills, and proficiency with the Internet and Internet applications. To market your skills, building a website,with your profile, and contact information. Advertising by sending a flier or brochures, and sending to prospective small business companies in you local position. Are all good earn of advertising.
The International Virtual Assistants Association (ivaa.org) provides training, referrals and a certification exam. By signing up, and becoming a member. They provide you a list of business owners, looking to partner with legitimate Virtual Assistants.
Because the Internet is all about information, people often witness out help and information on a particular subjects. You would be surprised how well they look for tutoring services as well.
Tutoring courses on line, can help individuals who eye help in English, math, writing and the list goes on. As a former teacher, or teacher who is looking too make additional income. Can offer
these services, both on the Internet, and by one on one personal help. Specializing on a area to tutor. Academic, non-academic. Offering workshops, and on line tutoring. Having your own website, and being apart of an affiliate program will generate clients. Doing one – on one tutoring sessions. Advertise through your local schools, Church’s, and other community organizations, or bulletin boards are ways of advertising.
Writing/editorial services. Is a another home based service you can do from home. Editing papers for students, writers who are in need of editing their manuscripts, or articles for publication. Ghost writing services for those in completing novels and manuscripts.
A computer, and printer. Fax machine. Are basically all that is needed in providing this service.
Also use of the Internet for researching..
One home base business that is becoming popular is Elder Care. The home-care service provides several service to seniors over 65 who are self sufficient and remaining in their homes.
Some do shopping for seniors, along with helping with bathing dressing, and providing transportation. Some come in and prepare meals. Some home care givers may have a nursing background. You can also apply for certification with the national association for home care.(Nahc.org.)
Research the need for home care, starting with your community. Calling churches, rehab facilities. I recently talked with a women who retired from working in the health care industry.
She offers her services for those seniors who do not drive any more. By taking them to their
doctors appointments, and doing their shopping and running errands. She schedule’s her clients with these services during the week-days. She has a client who lives with her daughter and son-in-law. When her daughter and family is on vacation, They usually call on her to provide care to their mother. By checking in on her daily, and making sure her meals are cooked.
Starting a wedding planning service is a kindly home base business that will take off. If your
a good organizer and love to opinion receptions, this service is one that will earn you a good serious income. And if you like planning exotic wedding, in exotic places. There is much need for your expertise out there. Many couples are always looking for different and exotic places to get married. To network, try the Association for Bridal Consultants Conferences. (Bridal Assn.com).
You will working with caters, florist, hair stylist, and cake makers. Having a computer, and ample organizational skills, and of course what all entails a good wedding.
Starting a personal Organizer service is a business that saves time and money. You can encourage organize business, to paper management, closets, basements, and homes. A good place to look, if you’re a good organizer is the National Association of Professional organizers. (Napo.net).
There are other resources (chamber of commerce.com). To start up your business, so that you can create a portfolio, try organizing a friend, or neighbor, and catch pictures and use for your advertising.
Here are some tips about pursuing a home base business. Talk to others who are already running a business from home. Go to your local library, or just look on line or search your local new papers in your community. Whatever home base business you will want to start, draft up a budget. Do a business plan, make a list of what all you will need for a start up cost. Network with those who are doing a similar home base business.
There is a Service Corps of Retired Executives. Go ahead and visit their website. At score.org. Their website will give you all the information you are seeking on business related topics.
They provide seminars, workshops, and resources you can tap into for running a successful business.
Whatever your entrepreneurial niche is, or you may have other ideas not mentioned. Go ahead and put your ideas to work for you.
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Filed under Small Business Phone Lines by on Aug 14th, 2011.