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. 

Only a few days before the new year is here!!!! Following are a few ideas, tips to help you prep for 2019: 

Get Organized:

• Create New "Paperwork" Folders - Whether creating folders for hard copies, and/or folders on your computer, create your 2019 folders to start the new year. Identify general categories such as; Finances; Advertising; New Products/Services; etc. Creating these folders will keep you organized in the new year. 
• Holiday Clean-Up - Schedule a few minutes each day to file documents, emails, and complete other tasks to clean up your desk and your desktop. Workspaces are another area to focus on. Organizing equipment, tools, and supplies will reduce the time required to complete tasks in the new year.

Create a schedule:

• Say no to procrastination - There's a lot to do, but putting off even the simplest of tasks only creates more work in the new year. Get those 2018 receipts together, clean up workspaces and prepare for the new year. Encourage employees to do the same so everyone can return from the holidays with a renewed energy. 
• Set deadlines to complete year end work - Setting a deadline to complete your year end tasks will keep you motivated to complete the work. Setting the deadline before the holidays will ease your stress when at home with friends and family during the holiday season. 

Prep for a fresh start for the New Year:

• Inventory your supplies, materials and products - Completing an inventory will help you with your taxes and create a new year inventory from which to start the new year. (Hint: You may find some great deals on supplies during the holiday season to stock up for the new year)
• Make strategic purchases - Retailers often offer great deals during the holiday season. Review your technology needs and look for opportunities to replace aging computers, and equipment. Check with your tax advisor to see if making investments will help with your taxes. 
• Review your strategic plan - The end of the year is a great time to review your  business strategy. Identify what is working, and what is not working to help you grow your business and your bottom line. Review successes from the year and recognize your accomplishments and those of your employees.

Happy Holidays!!!!! 

Meetings are an important part of getting work done, sharing information, and ensuring everyone is on their tasks. However, we often see there are too many meetings, and the majority are not productive - actually they are counter productive. 

Things to consider about holding meetings: 

1. It costs money! - Think about a meeting you recently attended. How many people were there? Then estimate how much each person makes an hour and add that up. Also consider time for IT support, admin work scheduling the meeting, and other tasks that must be accomplished to conduct the meeting. It all adds up to a realistic cost. 

2. It takes time away from other work - There are meetings that are important, but consider you are  taking employees away from their daily tasks to attend a critical meeting. 

3. Technology has greatly improved communication - There was a time, before cell phones, online chat, email that meetings were critical to improving communication. 

So when do you hold a meeting? 

• Brainstorming - you have a problem that requires a group of people to help identify a solution. Meetings that are problem-oriented, solution focus are often worth the time and effort. 
• Share information that requires feedback of those attending - Maybe you have a new process and you require feedback from employees to ensure they understand it. Good opportunity to hold a meeting. 
• Training - Time to roll-out new processes, procedures, or policies. Conducting training not only helps employees understand what is expected, it gives them the opportunity to ask questions, and for you to gain feedback. 
• Project kick-off meetings - These are important as it allows you to clearly identify the project and the expectations of each team member. 
• Social Interaction meetings - It is a great idea to periodically get people from the same working group in a meeting to help meet social needs. A group lunch, holiday get-togethers and team building have a great purpose. 

​There are other good reasons to hold a meeting, but ensure they have a specific purpose, a deliverable that you can point to after the meeting is over.

When not to meet?

• Meet to Meet - Monthly or weekly recurring meetings without any of the needs above being met are not a good reason to meet. 
• General Update Meetings - Sounds like a good idea. Holding a meeting so everyone knows what everyone else is working on. But, does this information provide concrete steps for others to take once they learn about others tasks? 
• Staff Meetings - Generally these are not a good idea. They were before the advent of technology to improve communications, but today, you need to consider that most people attending a staff meeting interact daily through email, text, online chat and one-on-one conversation. 

The next time you consider calling a meeting together ask yourself a few questions; "What will I learn from the meeting that I could not learn some other way?", "What is the deliverable to expect from the meeting?" Yes, you should have something to show from your meeting. (See our blog articles on agendas such as "Effective Meeting Agendas." Most importantly, "How much will it cost in money and lost time from work and is it worth it?" 

One of our clients contacted us with a big problem...lack of productivity of their small business (total of 6 employees). We quickly evaluated the organization: 

• All employees had the knowledge, experience and skills required for their jobs. 
• Producing high quality products was at the center of the business culture. 
• Employees knew the expectations the organization had for productivity and knew they were struggling to meet them. 

So what is the problem????? [Head scratch]  

• Let's observe them on a typical work day....Oh NOOOO!!!! 

Here is what we observed - Employees were meeting 4-6 hours a day (except on Fridays), often with the business owner to discuss "business". No meeting was less than one hour!!!!

Meetings with employees are important to any business if they are focused on the value they provide. We've seen several clients caught up in the "meeting circle". Before you call a meeting, consider: 

1. Is there a decision that must be made that requires input from others? - If yes, then invite only those employees that need to be included in the meeting. 
2. What does the meeting agenda include? - If you find yourself, making up topics to fill the time, or a lot of "updates" listed on your agenda, then consider using email to provide the information. Face-to-face meetings to deliver bad news is the one exception. Don't deliver bad news by email!  (For meetings, other than standing meetings with a defined purpose, create an agenda. Click here for more on creating meeting agenda's)
3. Identify the time required for the meeting and stick to it - Many decision based meetings require 15-20 minutes. Set an agenda and begin and end on time.
4. Reduce meeting times, and frequency wherever possible - NOT EVERY MEETING HAS TO BE A SET LENGTH!!!! Meetings do help productivity only if there is a clear purpose, goal, and objective. Reducing meeting times, and frequency will allow employees to focus on their work. 

Here is our meeting schedule: 

• Every morning - via video conference or in the office a ten minute meeting at the start of the day with all employees to share any help they need from others. Every one is limited to a minute or two. Employees can ask for help from another, such as; "I need the domain address for our Acme client to set-up the email addresses. Will it be available today?" Response: "I will get it this afternoon." (Often we use a group email to accomplish the same goal.)
• Once every two to four weeks, if needed, we hold a one hour Sit Rep (short for situation report). Each employee has 2-5 minutes to provide an update on their work progress that is relevant to others. These meetings often last less than 40 minutes and they are great for acknowledging employee accomplishments. 
• "One-on-One's" - Weekly, or only as needed, a 15-30 minute meeting between the team leader and each team member alone. The goal, only the team member talks, discussing what they need to get their job accomplished that was not covered in the "Every morning" meeting. More often than not, these meetings take place every two-three weeks at the discretion of the team member or team leader if they see a need. 

This format averages 6 meetings a week requiring less than 1.5 hours a week on average. Productivity stays UP!!!!