You have decided that you are going to start your own small business. It's an exciting time and there is a lot to do. One of the critical "To-Do's" that should be on your list is your website and office technology needs. Why?

First, understand that your website is only a small part of your company's technology needs. Your email addresses, color schemes, logo and back office functions are interconnected to your company's web page. The minute you decide you are going to launch your own business is the day you need to begin creating and implementing your company technology needs.

​Must haves from day one: 

• Company email addresses - email addresses that use the company email web address are a must (ex. Jane@mybusiness.com) It looks professional, and will help you keep all of your company communications organized. No switching between email accounts. Also, consider that it is difficult for many people to switch to a new email address. Email programs remember the last used email address and will often revert to the one you used. 
• Office functions - having your email, document storage, forms, and other functions that use technology need to be in place as you begin your business. This keeps your organized as well as motivated!
• Branding - critical to any business is branding. Branding let's your customers know they are doing business with you. Pick your color schemes, design your logo as soon as possible in the start-up process and begin using them right away. This starts the process of building brand recognition among your customers and others you will do business with. 

Second, avoid these: 

• "Under Construction" - Nothing more disappointing than completing a web search only to find an empty web page. Cute graphics saying your business is coming soon are no consolation.  You know what your business is, and going to be, say it through a company website. You can withhold payment and ordering methods while you get your business started. Having your web site in place with as much information as possible also helps the search engines to begin learning about your business, making searching easier for customers in the future. Work with your technology provider to hold specific pages not ready for customer viewing until you launch the business. 
• "Free websites" - Avoid creating a website using free website construction options that are branded with their logo. These may signal to customers that you are not serious about your business. Start with a clean, professional website. It is the window in to your business and many of your customers will visit your site prior to coming in or giving you a call. 
• Inconsistency - We always talk about how important consistency is in many areas of operating a small business. It's important as your customers want a positive, and consistent experience. So begin early in the business development phase with your company messaging, branding, and reflect it all in your website, email addresses, and company communications. 

Again, think of your company website as only one small part of your business technology. It should tie in to your email, forms, and other communications related to your business. Starting it early in the business development and launch process will pay you dividends in the long run. Profit in your pocket!!!

Outsourcing functions to operate your small business makes sense in some cases. As a small business owner, it is often difficult to let go of specific tasks, the thought of paying someone else to do something you feel you can do. Here are a few ideas to consider when trying to determine if outsourcing makes sense: 

• Lack of expertise in a specific knowledge area - One of our colleagues is a great graphic artist, creativity is her specialty. Unfortunately, and she admits to it, balancing her accounts is not something she enjoys, nor fully understands adequately. If you lack expertise in a specific area you will probably find yourself spending an inordinate amount of time working on that task which costs you money and worse, you are more prone to errors. 
• Cost effectiveness - We often think that doing something ourselves saves money. Not always true. One business owner had her employees assembling product packages. Something the manufacturer would do for an added cost. Her thinking? "I don't pay for it if we do it." When considering the cost per hour for employees and then compared to the added cost from the manufacturer, it was cheaper to pre-order product packages ready to go. 
• Improve your business operations - Not all outsourcing ideas will save money. They can greatly improve your business operations that make owning and operating a business much easier for you and your employees. Consider the time savings, and how obtaining expertise in a specific area can help grow your business. Consider it an investment, rather than a cost savings. 

These two ideas to consider make great business sense. Often small business owners continue to complete the work themselves. Here are some areas to consider for outsourcing: 

1. Accounting - Tax laws are complicated, ever changing. Hiring a competent accountant will help you with the daily financial operations, ensuring you maximize your tax filings, and will save you money. 
2. Virtual administrative assistants - Virtual assistants are a great benefit to consultants and businesses with only one or two employees. Chances are you don't need full-time assistance and with the various options available for virtual assistants you can pay for what time you need or use. Having someone answer your phone while you are at an appointment, making travel arrangements, and confirming appointments will also make your life much easier, allowing you time to focus on the work. 
3. Web and IT Services - Maintaining a web site to support your business can be challenging if you are not familiar with technology. Using "templated" websites, or "free websites" can negatively impact your business's reputation. Having someone to monitor your website, ensure it has a clean professional look, and they update it regularly will help keep your business looking fresh, active, and successful. There are services available for less than $25 a month.
4. Using cloud based services - Using cloud based services for email, business office functions is a passive way to outsource. Purchasing software products off the shelf may not always be the best option. Consider cloud based products to allow you anytime, anywhere access. Services such a G Suite is like having an IT professional on staff that is protecting your data, ensuring your software is always up-to-date and working properly. 

Outsourcing can make a lot of business sense to improve your business in several areas. Outsourcing will help you grow your business, increase customer satisfaction and provide you with time to focus on aspects of the business that are important to you. 

Establishing rapport with a potential client or with customers will provide many benefits for a small business. Establishing rapport allows the individuals to gain each others trust, and remain open to their ideas which translates to word-of-mouth advertising, and repeat business. For most small business owners, establishing rapport with their clients and customers is a great way to build trust in their business. 

Consider someone that you do business with that has established a good rapport with you. Bet you feel comfortable, even glad to interact with them. My local dry cleaner is a great example. Over a period of a few visits he made a point to learn a little about me with simple questions, "Do you have far to drive to work?", "Do you need suits for work?". Each time I return he asks about my work, or commute, or family. I enjoy dropping off and picking up my dry cleaning even though our interactions are only a few minutes out of the day. Using rapport building, I've learned about him as well. 

Building rapport is easy and only takes a few minutes. Here are a few steps to building rapport: 

1. Take a minute to "chit-chat", get to know the individual - Use your visual observation skills to identify topics that may be of interest to the individual. Maybe it's a trophy in their office, or you can see they are stressed or in a hurry. "That's a nice trophy." Or, "It appears you are in a hurry today, how can I help?" Conversation starters can include the weather, or asking about their company. 

2. Pay attention, listen to the other person - Practice active listening. You practice active listening by really listening. You can paraphrase what they said or comment on what they said to you to let them know you are listening. "Wow, sounds like that trophy took a lot of hard work on your part." Let's face it, most people will like others who seemed interested in them. Listening, asking questions about the person, and responding to show you are interested are great ways to establish rapport. 

3. Mirror the other individual - Use the same gestures where appropriate, use similar language to theirs. This shows you are on the level with them and use of body language clues shows you are comfortable with them and are listening. 

4. Look for shared experiences - Often in conversation someone may share an event, or action they have recently taken. If you've had a similar experience, share it with them. Don't try to upstage, just relate. One business owner shared that when she took time to chit-chat with a customer/client she often found they had something in common. If they didn't she would say, "I've never had that experience. What was it like?" 

Building rapport only takes a few minutes, some concentration, and the benefits are great. You will not only make your client's/customers come to trust you, you will gain some friends as well!!!

Consumer trends have been changing with the influences of improved product delivery, ability to research products before buying, technology to find and purchase their products.

For small business owners, looking for ways to make shopping more convenient for their customers is one way to support and grow sales. 

• Product delivery - Many retailers offer fast delivery of products. Depending on where you live, same day delivery or two day delivery are becoming more common. For small businesses there are opportunities using existing delivery services to ship products to customers near and far. Incorporating online purchases for quick in store pickup is another convenience to consider adding for your customers. 
• Product information online - Providing product information online is one way to grab customers as they search the Internet looking for detailed information before they buy. How big is the product? What does it do? What do other customers think about the product? Are all questions that consumers regularly turn to the Internet to find answers. 
• Photo's & Video's - You don't have to be a skilled photographer or videographer to add excitement to your web pages. Snap a few photo's of your products, or make a brief 2-3 minute video talking about the product/service to share the excitement of your product and/or service offerings. Using a youtube channel can also help you with embedding video and reaching a larger customer audience. 
• Incorporate shipping information - Using the primary shipping providers you have opportunities to embed information about shipping cost estimates, and potential delivery dates to help your customers complete their purchase. 

Providing as much information as possible will increase sales as customers can make an informed buying decision. It takes a little time with great returns. 

We are often asked, what does it take to be successful as a small business owner, just the basics.

One word answer is "consistency". As a small business owner you need to be consistent in all of your business services, practices, and most importantly, good customer service. You want your customer to have a consistent experience every time they visit you. They want to know that when they have a positive experience it will be the same every time they do business with you. 

Their experience needs to be consistently great!!!! Remember, consistency will help you grow your business through word of mouth advertising and gaining repeat business.