Building your Website

When building your own website there are a few things to consider. If you know nothing about web design, you will need to pay someone to design it exactly the way you want. Make sure you use a reputable source so you are not wasting your money. Be very picky about choosing your domain name. Make sure it is short, sweet and memorable. One popular site you can visit to check what domains are available is This is also a good site to see who owns a particular domain you are interested. If the owner is not using the domain, you can offer to purchase it from them.

Probably one of the most important factors in an internet company is choosing a very good web host. If your web site goes down, you are completely out of business. When searching for a web host company make sure they have secure server capabilities, fast servers, lots of space, unrestricted CGI access, SSH and FTP access, web-based administration, access to raw server logs, full email services, power and daily server backups, and no minimum contracts. You may want to test their technical support and see if they offer services, scripts, and software. Inquire about their downtime and how long they have been in business. Make sure you are not being charged for the extra services.

When a customer visits your website, you want them to see professionalism, knowledge and fast connections. If your visitors notice advertisements from your free or low cost web host server they will perceive your site to be unprofessional and very small time. Slow connection speeds will definitely lose customers and cost you much money. So, choose your web host server carefully and you will be well on your way to creating a website that will attract all types of visitors.

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Tried For A Bank Business Loan, Lately?

If you’ve tried to get a loan from the bank for your business lately, you know it’s no slam-dunk. The promos for SBA loans and loans for minority or women owned businesses sounds great, but when you get nose-to-nose with a banker it’s another story.

Some of the reasons that make it seem so difficult are that many lending officers feel that they’re lending you their money instead of the bank’s. They take almost personal responsibility for maximizing repayment.

Another is that they are particularly suspect of new ventures. Since 4 out of 5 or 80% fail within the first three years, many lenders require a three-year history of doing business.

Lastly, with all the bank merging and acquisitions that have taken place the decision-making process has been moved far off-site from the local branch. Add all of these reasons up, and you had better be prepared to razzle-dazzle the banker.

Here are some tips to make lending you more attractive to the bank. First, start with a two-part presentation. Initially submit a brief overview of your loan request. In this overview include:

• Excerpts from your business plan about your business concept, management team, and financial projections.

• Credit history overviews of the principals of your business.

• Brief answers to key lender questions of how much you’ll need, how you’ll use it, and how will you pay it back?

This should be a two to three page document and can be considered a mutual qualifier. It determines if the bank has any interest in lending you funds before you spin your wheels for hours in front of the loan officer. You may want to end the document with your phone number so that the banker can call you back for an appointment or discussion.

If you’ve dazzled the loan officer sufficiently and have obtained an appointment to meet with him, then it’s time to prepare the “big guns”. The ammo you’ll come prepared with will be three years of personal tax returns for all the principals of your company and the existing business. Include credit reports on all principals, a complete and impressive business plan, and collateral and capitalization information.

This sounds like a lot of information and will require immense effort, but that’s why business ownership isn’t for everyone.

In addition to being prepared with all that paperwork be prepared for any off-the-wall questions the lender might throw at you. Take time to think about and originate a 30-second commercial about what you plan on doing and how it will benefit them and the business.

Be prepared to explain away any credit blemishes that show up on the credit reports before the banker has an opportunity to worry about them. Be sure you’re able to show “cash-flow” understanding and awareness, without which any business is doomed. Plot your most realistic estimated cash flow and bank account balance. Make sure the bank balance never goes negative, and for a good touch show the loan repayment as a separate line item. This shows the banker that you understand priorities.

Collateral may be needed to satisfy the lender’s angst about repayment of the loan, and unfortunately most small businesses have too few assets to satisfy this need. Many entrepreneurs are forced to pledge personal assets such as their home to allay the bank. This may seem scary, and it is, unless you’re really sure of your success.

It sounds like a daunting task, but with some preparation and determination it can be done. It’s not as easy as all the ads you’ve heard, and just the fact that you are starting a “woman-owned” business won’t cut any ice with a banker, but all of life is a gamble isn’t it?

After all, that’s why you’re an entrepreneur instead of a corporate lackey isn’t it? GO FOR THE GOLD!

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At Bat In the Second Inning!

A growing number of us can now expect to live close to or past 100 years, so 50 has become midlife. Today instead of approaching midlife with the obligations of work and family, baby boomers are looking to a second half they pretty much design as they wish. For many of them, the results don’t look much like what their parents and grandparents called retirement.

Whether because of layoffs or because they’re weary of their jobs, many are considering new possibilities for their post-50 years and that includes starting a business of their own. Many of these business endeavors combine their passions and talents into a revenue-producing career. This marriage fits their goals in ways a salaried job rarely could. Some work full-time, but some work part of a day, week, month, or year. Many are pursuing work similar to what they did when employed, while others are staking out entirely new careers.

The obstacles that post-50s face in starting a business are not substantially different from those anyone else faces when becoming self-employed. Without exception, most consider their age as an advantage in communicating credibility to clients and customers.

What a difference from the ageism experienced by so many on the job! No wonder the U.S. Small Business Administration is finding the ages of start-up entrepreneurs is trending older.

I know of a friend who after a 30-year career as a journalist found his work shifting from working on articles to working with administrators. The bureaucratic and political hassles that came with the job of editor of a consumer magazine were no longer what he wanted.

Figuring there was a good chance he’d live to 90 or beyond, he started thinking about what he wanted to do with the next third of his life. Luckily he’d developed a passion for pottery in his 40’s and the more he did it, the more he liked it. So when offered a chance to retire early at 63, he jumped at the chance to turn his hobby into a second career.

His biggest challenge was to find ways to market his work, and he found doing studio sales several times a year worked for him. He and his wife purchased a 20-acre home in Virginia, and remodeled a four-stall barn into a studio workshop and living quarters. Three years later, between the studio sales, galleries that carry his work, annual crafts shows, his Web site and some great publicity his business is growing well.

Best of all he loves what he does and envisions doing it until they carry him out. He sees no reason for not having another 30-year career after his first. More and more “old gray mares” are following the same path. So if you’re nearing or are 50, you are coming up to bat in the second inning of your life. Why not hit it out of the park!

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I Need Your Help, Please!

I’ve been writing to you for some time now. I’ve tried to give you the benefit of my entrepreneurial counseling, and have touched on many topics. We’ve had articles on customer service, positioning yourself in your niche, marketing, advertising, giving your customer what they want, and even some tips for you about the Internet. I hope you found them helpful and interesting.

The time has now come for me to find out what MY readercustomers want, or rather what you as my reader wants. I may not be a well of unlimited information, although I think I come close, but I AM FREE! What better deal could you get?

What I need to know from my readers is what has you stumped in your business? What do you want to learn more about? What problems do you have that could be alleviated if you only knew how to solve them?

In other words, what I’m trying to do is to make this column work for you. Give you the information that will help you in your business. The only way I can do this, is if I know what you want from this column.

In order for me to help you, I need you to help me. For this purpose I’ve set up a very special page for my readers on the Internet at: www.YOUR LINK HERE.com

There you will find a short form to fill out, this shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes, and hopefully we can turn this column into a helpful tool by working together.

You’ve heard me say, more than once, in order to be successful you have to know what your target market wants – not just what you’re offering. This is the point where I must live by my words. I want my readers to look forward to reading my column because they know it is going to help them in their business.

If you think about it for a minute, you’ll see that this is a “win-win” situation for both of us. For you because you’ll have a source for solving some of your business problems which in turn will increase your profits. For me, because I’ll know what you need and are looking for from this column.

I enjoy helping fellow entrepreneurs to become successful, and up until now I’ve been using the “shotgun” approach. By that I mean that I’ve covered subjects that were helpful to any business person and of general interest. Well, now it’s time for me to trade in my shotgun for a laser pistol.

I want to be of help to you in your endeavor by zeroing in on subjects that you want covered but don’t have the time to research on your own. After all, you’ve got to work at earning a living from your business and don’t have the luxury of time to do your own research. That’s where my column comes into the picture – let my fingers do the walking for you.

Ultimately, if you win then I win. So please take a few minutes and go to www:YOUR LINK HERE.com and tell me what you want. Let’s work together to work better.

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Are You Building A Wall?

Americans throw away enough paper in a year to build a wall 12 feet high from New York City to Los Angeles. This fact is from earth911.org, a public service Website that focuses on recycling issues. Now that’s a lot of paper!

Despite the hype that computer makers fed us a few years ago, the computer has NOT decreased the paper used in most offices today. According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors Clean Your Files Day Program, the average citizen uses 1 ½ pounds of paper per day. The average office employee uses 10,000 sheets of paper per year according to

the Environmental Defense Fund.

Now that’s just the figures on paper. What about the ink cartridges and cell phones that are tossed into landfills each year. No matter how you slice it, recycling today is big business.

Whether it’s glass, paper, plastic, steel, ink cartridges, computers, magazines, cardboard boxes, cell phones or another material, recycling products reduces waste and cost, and saves energy and resources. So why isn’t your business utilizing a recycling program?

Many small business owners feel overwhelmed when asked about recycling, but it needn’t be daunting because there are a lot of resources available. Many of them are just an Internet click away. Some that you might look at are:

There may also be businesses nearby you that have “been there and done that” and may be willing to share advice, strategies, plans, and programs. Why reinvent the wheel when you can duplicate it?

Here are 18 steps that will help start your recycling program, and help your business become a good corporate citizen:

1. Make the decision to start. Believing that a recycling program is positive and beneficial to the business must exist as the foundation.

2. Get “buy-in” from other manage-ment and employees.

3. Decide if you need a “designated” recycling coordinator. This could be a volunteer who feels strongly about the subject.

4. Find a mentor or model. Find a business similar in size that has a successful program and ask for help.

5. Create a program plan. This should include goals and measurable objectives.

6. Know what can be recycled – what to collect and what to toss. There are regulations as to what can and cannot be recycled.

7. Understand recycling and educate the team. Tell your employees why you want to recycle, why it’s important and what’s expected of each employee.

8. Determine a collection method. Decide from the beginning whether recyclables will be commingled or separated by source.

9. Make recycling convenient and easy. Don’t skimp on collection bins, for example. If a bin is easier to find than a trash can than your program is bound to work.

10. Choose a method for removal. Here in Santa Clarita we’re fortunate to have our own trash companies alert about recycling and willing to assist citizens.

11. Establish program guidelines. Keep it simple and foolproof for employees.

12. Launch your program and get team “buy in”. Make it fun. Schedule a kick off program, or even a company-wide contest to name the program.

13. Implement! Now it’s time to put the program into practice. Purchase and place bins, label recycling areas/bins. Make sure you place signs about what is recyclable and what isn’t in the same vicinity as the collection bins.

14. Promote and market your program. Keep the momentum going among your employees. Some companies even offer incentive programs to recognize individuals or departments for their efforts.

15. Evaluate the program periodically. Analyze your program’s effectiveness and let team members know the result. How much waste is being saved? Is it reducing costs? Are supply expenses lower?

16. Keep it going and build on the program. If you started with just paper, now extend it to plastic/ink cartridges, for example.

17. Publicize successes. Internally promote the program with workers via a newsletter or email. Externally, use it for a PR boost by sharing results with local and trade publications with a Press Release. Hey, great advertising!

18. Close the loop. Buy recycled content products for your business, reduce waste in the office, and reuse materials when possible.

The start of a new business year is the perfect time to start a recycling program in your business. It’s just what’s needed to re-energize holiday-worn workers, and make them feel like a part of your company’s planning team. Happy Recycling!

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