Choosing A Name For Your Small Business

How to Choose a Web Developer For Your Business

How to Choose a Web Developer

Unless you know what to look for, choosing a web developer can be a very difficult task. Because there are no licensing requirements for web developers, and the barriers to entry are almost nonexistent, the web development market has become flooded with individuals and companies of all skill levels and capabilities. This whitepaper provides tips for what to consider when choosing a web developer.

Tip #1: Look for Specialization

Many web developers claim that they can do it all. The truth is that most web developers are primarily either graphic designers or programmers. The fields of graphic design and programming are fairly specialized and it is uncommon to find people who are able to do both well. When looking for a web developer, we suggest asking the professionals to designate who will be designing your web site and who will be doing any custom programming. If it is the same person doing both pieces, we advise paying even closer attention to their portfolio.

Tip #2: Look for a Strong Portfolio

The sites that a web developer has worked on are typically strong indications of the type of work that you can expect from them for your own web site. When reviewing a developer’s portfolio, keep an eye out for aspects that you want incorporated into your own site. If you are looking for a bleeding edge design, then look for those types of designs in their portfolio. If on the other hand you are looking for complex programming, make sure you tell the developer that you would like examples of those types of sites.

Tip #3: Expect a Focus on Marketing

In the early days of the Internet, simply having a web site was enough because not every company had one. Today however, a web site is an important aspect of marketing for small businesses. Make sure that your web developer will perform search engine optimization on your web site and that they will help you increase your rankings in search engines.

Tip #4: Understand Who Will Host Your Web Site

How a web development company hosts the web sites that they create is an important but often overlooked aspect of choosing a web developer. Many web development firms simply act as a reseller for a company that performs the hosting. The danger with this is that if you experience problems with your web site or email it sometimes isn’t clear who is responsible for fixing the issue. This can result in finger pointing between the web developer and the company involved in hosting the site when a problem occurs. This can be especially problematic with complex web sites that perform e-commerce or other custom functionality. Make sure that you understand who is responsible for assisting you with any hosting or email issues that you have before signing on with a web developer.

Tip #5: Think Long Term

There are several long term considerations that should be considered in your decision of which web developer to use. Make sure that you understand how ongoing maintenance will be charged and at what point your initial project ends and the maintenance phase of your relationship begins. It is also important to make sure that if your web developer will register a domain on your behalf that they put it in your name or the name of your business. This ensures that you can gain complete control over your domain in the event that you need to make a change to your hosting without the assistance of your web developer. Additionally, make sure that you have a copy of your web site. We’re always surprised at the number of people who spend many thousands of dollars on a web site but don’t have a copy of it in their own hands.

Tip #6: Request References and Actually Call Them

Once you reach the point where you have a web developer that you want to use, we recommend that you request references and actually call them. This will be one of your best indications of how the developer maintains and manages client relationships and it provides one last measure of safety before you begin your project.

Crabb: How will this pan out?

Crabb: How will this pan out?
Don’t think it’s obvious that the three independents with the balance of power will automatically support the Coalition. Annabel Crabb explores their murky political relationships.

Read more on Crikey

Contact Centric vs. Account Centric CRM: Which Small Business CRM Software Is Right For You?

When choosing CRM software for your small business, it is critical that you understand the difference between Contact Centric CRM and Account Centric CRM. This is one of the biggest mistakes companies make when choosing CRM.

This article is a bit on the technical side, but well worth the read.

There are two basic paradigms for CRM systems: Contact centric or Account Centric. In Contact Centric systems, the primary organization is around independent contacts. In Account Centric systems, there are two levels to the basic organization: a company or account layer to which multiple contacts can be related.

CONTACT CENTRIC

In a contact centric system, the database is organized around individual contacts. So, if you have dealings with 3 different people all from the same company, you would have 3 different contact records and in each record would be the company name.

There may be ways to relate different contacts together, but these will be in the “workaround” class.

A Contact centric organization makes sense if you are dealing with individuals and you do not need to do such things as look at an organization’s combined history. It is very difficult/clumsy to track company related information separately from contact information. For example, if you want to track information about a company (e.g. sic code, # employees, annual budget, etc.) separately from contact related information (e.g. favourite hobby, home phone number, spouse’s name, etc.). there isn’t an easy way to do that:

- Under which contact do you store the company information,
- Which contact becomes the primary record,
- Do you store the information under both contacts…which makes updating difficult.
- Do you create a “contact” record to serve as the company record and somehow relate the contacts to it?

ACCOUNT CENTRIC

Account centric CRM systems have a layer above contact, the organization or account, that can tie multiple contacts together. This has the advantage of being able to track company-related information entirely separately from contact-related information. This approach is usually easier to:

- See all opportunities for an account/company.
- See combined history.
- Do address updates.
- See the organization and all its contacts in one view.
- Report on company vs. individuals easier.

MY RECOMMENDATION

If you’re working in an industry where you only need one contact record per account, you may want the simplicity of contact centric. However, if you are going to want to track multiple contacts per account then contact vs. account centric becomes a very important consideration and you should give heavy weighting to systems that are truly account centric.

Know more about small business consulting

Many people are the impression that they do not really need small business consulting services, because after all their business happens to be so small that it has only a couple of people working for it. But they do not small-business consulting that a small business has about as many hassles as a large and streamlined business. A person who is managing a small business is going to face extremely tiresome challenges, and that is the reason why small business consulting services can help a small businessman clear these obstacles and hurdles very easily. First of all, when you go in for choosing a firm specializing in small business consulting, you have to look at the size of the firm. An experienced firm which happens to be smaller in size is going to be more helpful in finding out customized solutions for your problems. But that does not mean, just because you happen to be a small business, that you cannot take the help of a large firm if it happens to have consultants who are experienced in your particular field and business niche. Many of these small business consulting firms already have the basic standardized requirements and specifications ready with them for immediate implementation upon your small business.

It has been seen by small-business firms manage to give you a more personalized service, because they are interested in a long-term relationship with you in matters of small-business consulting. This consultant is going to make sure that he guides his client, in such an expert manner, that they become quite well acquainted. But that can only be done when there is a good communication bond in which both consultant and client can talk to each other about what needs to be done with the business so that it can be made more profitable. Small-business consulting is definitely not a professional going by the book idea. The consultant has to know everything about the business of the client, so that he can implement his ideas and plans upon the business successfully. Small-business consulting services also make sure that there is a periodic review of all the work done, and the level of approval and satisfaction of the client gauged accordingly. This is going to be very helpful for a person to make a decision whether she wants to stay on with the same small-business consulting company or move on to another consultant who can give him better and more efficient services.

A good small-business consulting service is going to make sure that not only is this service going to be cost effective, but the end result is of high quality. Many consulting services are dependent upon word of mouth, and they cannot afford to have a disgruntled client badmouthing their services and consultants. On the other hand, a client has to make sure that he chooses the best small-business consulting service, which gives him exactly what he wants, at a cost effective price.

Women & Men: If you could create your dream dress or suit, what would it look like….?

Ok, if you were going to royal ball or a huge sophisticated party (no alcohol) and you could wear anything you wanted……..what would it be?
Go ahead…..use all imagination and find some detail within….

Here is mine,

I would wear a cream with gold thread broquet fabric dress (this fabric is a little weighty and has almost a slightly embossed or waffled texture from a pattern being stitches into in which creates an elaborate quilted appearance, it makes for a great structured bodice of a gown and a very reagal and timeless look that Grace Kelly might have worn when she was princess or like Jacky Kennedy may have chosen as a cocktail dress or formal. Mmmmmm……love suits made of it too. The gold thread on my particular fabric adds a subtle luster or sparkle and over all…..this single fabric has the appearance of many layers and complexities…. The dress would be structured bodice with as few seams possible, as not to break the visual flow of this complex looking fabric…. It would have a strait across neckline (imagine a tube top but with a fold at the top edge like a sort of lapel across the top edge) there would be 1.5 inch wide straps and the back would have a long and smi narrow opening from the top back to the low back (pretty darn low but not scandalous) On one side of this opening….there are small fabric covered buttons (same broquet fab) they are quite close together like the buttons on a Victorian dress or shoe. These line just one side of the opening (this creates something unexpected as they are not in center back and only on the right side of back, creating a visual draw to one side ) The opening is laced back and forth like a ballet slipper, with creamy colored silk piping trim……The silk is so fine and shiny, It almost looks like is is made of liquid pearl….
The skirt is very full and wavy, and so….. 1950″s, coming just below the knee. Of course it would take about five miles of netting to make this heavy fabric flare out at the skirt (But lets live a little!) It is worth all the trouble to construct it. For shoes…I would wear pearly, Champagne , vinyl strappy criss-cross shoes with a beautiful white diamond and pearl combo vintage costume jewelry earring clipped on the the side of each shoe for a touch of ahhhh……. Mmmmm…..I can see it so clearly in my mind. And if I wanted to really throw the symbolic icing on the cake, And lose the fear of going too far here, I would wear elbow length gloves made of the softest polished cotton that was mostly mat with the ever slightest silken sheen and vintage glass pearl buttons running along side seam (the gloves are pearly white and slightly brighter than the laces on the back of the gown and the pearls lean more to butter or champagne color. In case you had not noticed, I have a passion for fashion that is overwhelming at times . But I also have my priorities. I do not live for fashion but I love it! and designing it and putting together fun outfits that express or provoke a thought or emotion or memory of something ….Another time, another place. It is all about how it makes you feel, not where you bought it or whether it has some rich business guys name on it. I have a dress I bought from a souvenir shop in Mexico. just cotton with a halter tie and an embroidered pattern on the waist. Very cultural look. It only cost 20 or 25 dollars and it makes me feel so nice when I wear it. It could have cost a penny and I would love it far more than a shirt for 50 dollars… No matter how casual or fancy…..or inexpensive a piece of fashion, If it makes you feel beautiful and confident and fits your personality and inner beauty, then you will exude Radience and beauty. Less can be more and more can be more….Whichever way you truly love, rock it out from the inside out and never put fashion above who you are. You could wear a sack and be the most beautiful girl in the room or a guy with no inclination towards fashion and still be the most handsome guy in the room because you do not have to look any certain way to feel good and that shows and that is all that you really need in fashion. What you believe and how you feel and who you are. if you are a kind and good person who does not need diamonds and silk or a Rolex or Armani suit to be happy…..Then what else matters when it comes to what to wear? At the end of the day, the clothes mean nothing except that perhaps you get much enjoyment out of expressing yourself through this art form….And I understand that feeling beautiful or handsome brings confidence and that brings joy but stop and think for a moment what it really means to you….If you were in outer Mongolia teaching English to children who would be profoundly effected by your effort to help them….Would they care what you were wearing? would you care? See, thinking about the deepest and most reel things…..makes us remember where fashion belongs on the priority list. Living with that in mind brings real
Thank you (Supermodel) and (Tougher than I look) great name by the way….Your dresses sound gorgeous! The reason I went into all that is because I tend to flow with my feelings a lot and I have long wondered if I should love fashion so much cause I also am a minimalistic person with certain values and wishes for society to be less burdened by the superficial side of fashion and beauty and I fight with myself for which side I am on (but gosh! I am both and that’s ok ) Life is good and I love fashion! It is more to me than a symbol in society and I can live without it too……but life is more fun with it and it is up to each, how we see and use it. Thanks for making me think about that. Now a realize that I do not have to fight between my love of it and my values….I can have both in balance.
Take care!

Wedding Gallery do you like it ?

Hi, I am a web designer and I am starting a small business for weddings. After your wedding photographer takes pictures I am able to create your site , you choose domain name. And I will take care of registration, web hosting + design. I have 12 styles. And would like to know what you think, please help me to improve it by your feedback , do you like it ? and why? or you do not like it ? and why? This is not an advertisement, just trying to get honest answers , so that I can improve it. Thank you so much. web site name is http://wedgallery.com

short story – your opinions?

I have finished it, but here are the first few paragraphs, is it interesting enough to continue reading,

Along the hot dusty road, weaving endlessly into the horizon, a middle aged woman of flaming hair, its fiery red matching her own temperament strolled ever so slowly. Her faded denim jeans were worn thin and in her hand she swung a guitar case in which her heart lay. A modest smile played along her thin lips, as she hummed a tune, a tune unknown to any but her, the tune of that in her guitar case. The woman heard behind her then, a loud voice beckoning to her.

She turned around, as a tall man approached, breathless with a suitcase. His crisp white shirt was tucked neatly into his new jeans and his dark hair was plastered from the intense heat to his head. His suitcase also looked new and he dragged it along the dusty road – big mistake.

‘Excuse me, how far is the bus stop?’ he asked as he tried to catch his breath. The woman chuckled and replied that it was not too far along. They walked together in silence for a moment then the man started to introduce himself but was interrupted by the woman.

‘I know who you are, you are a love sick man who is going to the city to meet his beloved-typical,’ she laughed. The man looked at her in surprise and she answered that his suitcase was much too big for a quick business trip and too small for a long one, but then it was probably the flowers in his hand that gave it away. The man smiled back but confusion still clouded his eyes.

‘Well actually I’m meeting a friend, my ex wife actually, her uh fiancé cheated on her – and no not with the maid of honour or best friend – just a random, anyway she is just really depressed and called for me yesterday,’ he said sadly but the fiery haired woman’s eyes glistened with mischief and she raised an eyebrow.

‘Hmm, your ex wife, you are dropping everything to go to her, I’m guessing you still love her,’ the man looked away and nodded so the woman continued with her observations.

‘Let me guess, she cheated on you, and ran away with the guy leaving you love sick and depressed,’ she said expectantly and watched the man’s reaction carefully, but he was quite composed.

‘How can you guess things like that, you don’t even know her,’ he replied calmly. The woman was cautious in replying that his ex was a typical spoilt woman who tramples on the feelings of everyone to get what she wants. The man cleared his throat and asked if she had proof.

‘Well she called you didn’t she?’ the woman flicked her hair back and swung her guitar case triumphantly when the man, defeated stayed quiet, but then he eyed her guitar case, and she noted his attempt in trying to change the subject.

‘Is that guitar heavy,’ he asked with full concentration on the guitar case.

‘Why do you think there is a guitar in there,’ she replied absent mindly, and once again the man was left quiet and quite confused until he built up the courage or words perhaps to speak.

* * *
It ends with her finding out that he was the one who cheated on his ex, and she was basically wrong about her, his ex also ended up having a pretty rough childhood – the woman feels bad. She apologises and he is going to get on the bus but she shows him whats in her guitar case – he finds out that she is like the women that she was describing. It is filled with letters from someone she left but loved and regretted later on. I chose not to name the characters, so as not to personalise it to the lives of the characters if that makes sense.
If you have any opinions or things i could fix up so far, please any help would be great, thanks

Business Studies Ice Cream Survey ?

the questionnaire is ONLY 25 questions

2. Do you like ice cream? (if no then thanks 4 taking your “time” in completing the questionnaire)
Yes
No

3. What kind of ice cream do you prefer? (please rank favourite 3 preferences, 1 being the highest)
Normal (ice cream)
Sundae
Sherbet
Gelato (Type of Italian Ice Cream)

4. Do you prefer your ice cream soft or hard? (soft ice creams are usually the machine 1s e.g 1s at McDonalds)
Soft
Hard
Don’t Mind….

5. What is your favourite ice cream flavour? (please RANK favourite 5 preferences, 1 being the most favourite 5 being the least)
Vanilla
Chocolate
Strawberry
Caramel
Peppermint
Fruit Flavours
Butter Scotch
Other? (please specify)

6. Do you like (ice cream) toppings? (if no please go to question Yes
No

7. If yes, which toppings do you prefer from the list below? (you may choose more than 1 option)
M&Ms/Smarties
Flake
Sweets
Nuts
Coconut
Marshmallows
Whip Cream
Dried Fruits
Sauces: chocolate, toffee, strawberry

8. What do you prefer to have your ice cream in/with? (please only choose one option)
Cup
Cone
Waffles
Crepe
Other? (please specify)

9. What makes you buy an ice cream? (please one choose one option)
Flavour (Taste)
Price
Texture
Brand Name?
Impulse Purchase (unplanned/spontaneous buying)
Other? (please specify)

10. Do you prefer choosing your ice cream from a menu or from display?
Menu
Display

11. How often do you eat ice cream?
Everyday
2-5 times a week
Rarely
When the weather is hot?
Other? (please specify)

12. Would you be interested in promotional offers in an ice cream shop? (if no, please go on2 q 14)
Yes
No

13. If yes, what kind of promotions would most appeal to you as a consumer? (please choose 1 option)
Buy 1 get 1free
Free (ice cream) toppings
Discount offers! 25% off
Other? (please specify)

14. Which type of promotional adverts catch your eye?
Billboards
Magazine Adverts
Newspaper Adverts
Posters in outlet stores

15. In what way do they appeal to you? (open question- your opinion would be greatly appreciated e.g. font colour, glossy pages, image etc)

16. What business name do you think would be most suitable and appealing for the new ice cream shop?
Scoop Mania
Scoop of Heaven
Diary King
Ice Cream R Us
Other? (please specify)

17.Currently,what is your favourite ice cream brand in Abu Dhabi? (if your not in Abu.D then feel free to state any other choices)
Baskin Robbins
Ben and Jerry’s
Hagan Daz
London Diary
Other? (please specify)

18. Why is this brand your favourite brand? (open question)

19. Where do you normally buy ice cream? (please only choose one option)
Cinema
Corner Shop
Ice cream stands
Beach
Mall
Other? (please specify)

20. What items would you like sold in an ice cream shop? (please RANK the options 1 being the highest)
Chocolates
Cakes/Cookies
Sweets
Crisps
Hot Beverages
Cold Beverages
Other? (please specify)

21. Do you think that a play area would be suitable for children in order to attract a lot of them?
Yes
No

22. As an adult/teenager what choices of furniture, décor and interior designs would appeal to you in an ice cream shop? (please only choose one option)
Plain Design
Modern Style
Ethnic Themes-Islamic?
Different plain random colours
Fashion- Hollywood

23. According to you, what thing are needed to provide a good service to the customers? (please rank in order which 1′s are the most important to you 1 being the most important)
Good customer service
Cleanliness
Quality of the products
Attendance (how quick your order is taken etc….)

24. How much are you willing to pay for a small ice cream cup/cone? (AED = DHS/DIRHAMS/UAE Currency *if you don’t live in Abu Dhabi then imagine it as Rands or your country’s currency)
1-5 AED
6-10 AED
Other? (please specify)

25. How much are you willing to pay for a medium ice cream cup/cone?
6-10 AED
11-15 AED
Other? (please specify)

26. How much are you willing to pay for a large ice cream cup/cone?
11-15 AED
16-20 AED
Other? (please specify)

Thanks so much!! (*,)

Pbx Phone Systems for Small Business

Importance of a Good Communication System

A dedicated telephone system plays an important role in improving the business communication between entrepreneurs and clients. One such system that can endow a professional corporate image for SOHO businesses is the virtual VoIP system. PBX phone systems for small businesses help save huge capital expenditure as well as increase business productivity.

Several factors such as the number of extensions required and the capability to support existing equipments and phone numbers have to be considered while choosing PBX phone systems for small businesses.

Feature-rich Hosted PBX Telephone System

Hosted IP telephone systems make use of state-of-the-art technologies and are implemented in a virtual manner. These systems provide the same functionalities of expensive premise based PBX systems at a much lesser cost.  The inbuilt features in a virtual telephone system include dial by name, dial by extension, auto attendant, caller ID, call screening, call transfer, call forwarding, music on hold, voicemail, fax mail and so on. With the find me follow me call forwarding facility, calls can be routed to the appropriate persons regardless of their current location in real time. This system allows you to program a list of phone numbers where you may be available. Thus you can receive the calls at your residence phone numbers or cell phone numbers when you are away from the office. The unattended calls will be forwarded to a voicemail system.

No Hardware Needed

Hosted PBX phone systems for small businesses can give access to each and every employee as well as multiple departments through a single number. You are not required to purchase, install or maintain any hardware or software on your premises when you opt for virtual VoIP phone systems for your small business. Furthermore, you will not have to request the service of technicians to upgrade or carry out the maintenance at regular intervals, as the hosted phone service providers maintain all the equipments at their site and perform all the necessary repairs there itself.

Disaster recovery is another key feature of hosted telephone systems. Any damage to the public telephone network cannot disrupt the functioning of a hosted PBX system as all functionalities are provided over the internet. The restoration is very easy in the case of virtual phone systems.

Why health care reform is needed for small business owners

The attention of public has been concentrated for a while now on the ongoing debates on what the health care reform will bring. By now we are all familiar with the horrifying facts about the number of Americans without coverage, and the fact that almost 50% of 47 million currently uninsured are employed or dependent on small companies. Small business, being the major job creator in the States, has a critical place in the health care reform debate. The utterly poor state the small businesses find themselves in when it comes to health care coverage is what’s causing them to constantly re-question the proposed reform. The main issue for all companies, and especially the small ones are raising health care costs which repeatedly lead to job losses in many industries. The fact that health care premiums have doubled in past nine years speaks for itself. Small businesses pay 18% more per employee than large companies for the same health insurance policies. The reason being they have a smaller risk pool and have to pay higher broker fees and administrative costs per employee. That is the main reason why only 49% of firms with less than 10 workers offer health coverage. The money spent on health care coverage could be spent on much needed investments, research and development, but instead the innovation that small business brings is standing frozen. The small percentage of small firms that do provide coverage are cornered to cut costs elsewhere which at the end keeps them from growing.

The promise from the White House is that the proposed health care reform would reduce the current burdens on small business. One of the principals that would be used to achieve this is an “insurance exchange” which would allow small business to purchase health insurance choosing from some kind of small business plan that would provide better coverage at lower costs than they could find in the current small group market. According to the current draft legislation, many small businesses that provide coverage for their employees would receive a small business tax credit as a way to encourage coverage. Also, the creation of an insurance exchange would provide better options for employees of small firms that do not offer health insurance. Health insurers also would not be allowed to screen potential enrollees for pre-existing conditions. At the end, the proposed reform would boost creation of new companies and increase the number of workers willing to work for small firms, and would also reduce the “job lock” phenomenon in which workers hesitate to leave a job with employer-sponsored health insurance out of fear that they will not be able to find affordable coverage and instead of starting a small business more and more entrepreneurs will be selling a business.