When do you need support? Is it really between 9 to 5, or is it after hours? Well, usually when I call for support, I get a message like this: ” These offices are now closed……dribble, dribble.”

I am usually busy during the day, dealing with my customers, on the phone, and generally running my business. At five the phone goes silent and I start my admin work, or look for new products to use in my business. If it wasn’t for the internet all I would get for my support or information needs, is the aforementioned dribble.

Winweb has been offering chat-support for four years and 24 hour, 7 days a week live online chat support for 2 years, and it is completely free of charge. Admittedly it is only 1st level support and emergency 2nd level support, but it has made allot of difference. Our services are numerous, and that can be daunting for clients. Not only have we been able to help our clients, but we are learning first hand were the difficulties lay.

It is all easy for us, we created the applications, and it has to be said as a vendor you become “system blind”. Now our clients receive the help they need around the clock, and we receive help from our clients with our “system blindness”.

As far as our AccountsOffice, is concerned, it also stops you using your accountant for software support. They will have to charge you, and you could most probably spend your money better with your accountant then for software support.

Great solution for everyone, it’s a proverbial win-win situation.

I always wondered why not every vendor is offering 24×7 live support, free of charge? Maybe this would be a way to offer real customer support for your clients too?

If you are interested in this issue further please also go to our forum and help us to improve our service even more.

Tags: Accountants, Accounting, Business Infrastructure, Business Start Up, Home Business, IT, Micro Business, On-demand, SaaS, Selfemployed, Small Business, smb, sme, sme-blog, Software as a Service, Virtual Assitants, Web Technology, WinWeb

Many companies export their products. But are many more who could but don’t. Why? Well, sometimes it’s because the product or service is, for one reason or another, thought to be unsuitable for foreign markets. Much more often though, it’s because it is simply not commercially viable for the company concerned to set up the required export infrastructure.

To see why this should be the case, consider the two traditional options open to potential exporters.

The first of these options is to establish a proprietary infrastructure complete with remote offices and administrative support. The cost of doing this, for obvious reasons, varies enormously, but a typical SME will need to budget the very minimum of £100,000, and almost certainly more. It is not a trivial sum.

The alternative is to use a distributor. This is less expensive in terms of capital investment and ongoing cost, but carries a price of a different (and equally damaging) nature: the effective loss of the territory and control of customers. Either way, getting into export is a risky enterprise.

And, as if these considerations weren’t worrying enough for companies looking to move into export, there’s the fact that new exporters can often run into financial trouble because they greatly underestimate the time it takes to start selling in new markets. Recent research commissioned by Winweb shows that 64% of exporters think they can reach new markets within six months. However, international trade commissioners who provide help to exporting companies, say it usually takes significantly longer than this. Underestimating the time, and thereby the cost, for setting up in another country has a significant financial impact on an exporter’s core business.

Now though, there’s a way of addressing all these issues. It’s an approach which lets SME’s hit the ground running - in terms of an export sales operation - by providing a proactive distributor, working in the exporter’s interests, backed by comprehensive, streamlined and efficient administrative support infrastructure. It’s a system which offers everything a company would expect from a local office, including a local address, telephone and fax number, call answering and order handling, development of distribution channels, marketing, PR and sales services, bookkeeping, cash flow, website, online shop and much more. This can be done by using SaaS - Software as a Service technology in connection with VAs - Virtual Assistants.

The benefits to exporters are enormous. With their own local infrastructure, exporting companies have full access to their own clients, and total control over the marketing activities used to develop their awareness of the products on offer. At a single stroke, companies will increase turnover per customer and decrease costs - the kind of scenario companies everywhere are looking for. This approach offers:

• Customer and product registration
• Customer care and 1st Level Support in the local market
• Complete business admin infrastructure
• Direct sales channel through online means
• Even finding the distributor for the products.

By using a VA - Virtual Assistant, you not only gain the local services, but also a representative with local business knowledge, but also local customs and traditions. David Maister writes also about this form of emotional intelligence.

Combine this with our OnlineOffice and you have a perfect ExportOffice.

Tags: Business Development, DHL, E-Commerce, Exporting, On-demand, Outsourcing, PayPal, Barclays Bank, SaaS, Small Business, smb, sme, sme-blog, Software as a Service, Virtual Assitants, Web Technology, WinWeb

While I talk about accountant types, some accountants are out there doing it.

One of them is Stuart, of 3CA in the Lake District. In his latest post he is asking the question: “Who is running your business?” He has this advice for his clients:

1. Make sure you plan what will happen in your business rather than allow the bank to set the rules.
2. Make sure you know “at a glance” what the business owes and what it is owed. Not forgetting that it is not enough to be owed the money you must make sure your customers pay on time.
3. Ask your accountant how he can help. If the answer doesn’t include phrases such as “cash flow”, “good records”, “regular meetings to discuss your progress” go and find a “business advisor accountant”.

Yesterday he had a great post titled: Why you need an accountant who is “aggressive”. In this post he had the following advice for small business:

Believe me, more than ever , it is VITAL that you have an “aggressive” accountant.

Great stuff, it is good to see that all is well for small business in Kendal, Lake District.

Hopefully we will be able to find more business advisor accountants, like Stuart, to help small business when we launch our accountant directory in July, we are at seventy plus accountant partners and counting.

Tags: Accountants, Accounting, Business Development, Business Infrastructure, Business Mentoring, Business Start Up, Finance, Home Business, Micro Business, Selfemployed, Small Business, smb, sme, sme-blog, WinWeb

The Internet has previously been considered a holy grail for wealth and massive revenues. Although that perception had to be amended, it is still true that your web site can provide you with additional income. However, not every product or service is suitable to be sold online. Always remember that your customers will judge the experience, not only the product. This means if your delivery system is not efficient or your delivery costs are too high people are unlikely to buy from you again. Having said that, most products and even services can be sold online and today’s sophisticated systems, such as Winweb Shop, make the set up and maintenance of your online shop very easy.

Frequently Asked Questions about selling online

a) How much does the set up of an online shop cost?
Set up and maintenance cost for your online shop differ vastly depending on which supplier you choose. You can ask your hosting company to provide you with an online shop facility. Also, it depends on whether you want to accept credit card payments or only allow users to browse your catalogue and then call you to order. Winweb OnlineOffice provides all single parts you need to set up your online shop through one interface.

b) Take credit card payments for e-commerce with our partner PayPal?
Yes, there are different ways of accepting credit card payments on your e-commerce site. You can either list your products on your website, provide a telephone number and process every order manually, or (taking advantage of Internet technology) you can accept credit card payments securely online. Winweb can handle the entire process securely for you. You only need to decide what to sell online. Winweb E-payment lets you take credit card payments directly into your bank account.

c) How can I drive customers to my website?
There are different methods of advertising your website. Start by mentioning your online shop on all your business stationery, in your brochures, etc. You need to optimise your site for search engines and register it with them and sending well written announcements to relevant press is also a must. Depending on your product you can also announce your store in newsgroups, place flyers in local shops, at the dentist or wherever your clients are likely to see them.

d) Can I compete with the huge number of suppliers already online?
Yes. You have to make sure that you target the right market and identify your competitive advantage. This might be local knowledge, customised products or better customer service. If you had your business for some time you will know what sets you apart from competitors. Play on these strengths when you set up your online shop. To start off you will give your existing clients a new channel to interact with you. Work with them and ask them what they like and dislike about your product, service and web shop.

e) Is selling online profitable?
Again, the Internet is not the solution to all your sales problems. It has to be seen as an integral part of your business strategy. If you product is not suitable for selling online you shouldn’t force online sales. How ever, if you plan your shop properly and calculate the costs involved, prepare for increased demand and monitor your ROI (return on investment) closely, your online shop can provide a substantial amount of income.

f) How long does it take to set up my online shop?
Setting up your online shop doesn’t take much time. It depends, however on the nature and number of products you wish to sell. You need a description, price and picture of each product. Ideally, you should also have customer testimonials.
If you use a template system, like Winweb Shop, entering the single products and modifying the look and feel of your shop is a very straight forward and quick process.

g) How much control can I have over my own online shop?
The online shop you choose should give you the level of control you need. Of course you should be able to add or remove products and change prices or discounts anytime. How much control you want to have over the actual design and look of your shop depends either on your programming skills or the amount of money you want to spend designing your shop. The Winweb solution is very flexible when it comes to product management. It also is directly linked to your accounting system, which means every transaction is automatically booked.

Checklist for your online shop

• Which products / services do you want to sell online?
• Will you sell only to UK residents, other countries or worldwide?
• How will you send your goods to your customers?
• For each product: 100 word description, 500 word description, professional picture, price.
• Terms and conditions for your customers?
• Who in your company will look after fulfillment of online orders?
• How much business do you expect to come through the website?
• What is your return and refund policy?
• Where will you promote your new shop?

Tags: Business Development, Business Start Up, E-Commerce, Exporting, Home Business, Micro Business, Office/IT, PayPal, Online Shop, SaaS, Selfemployed, Small Business, smb, sme, sme-blog, Software as a Service, Web Technology, WinWeb

Now I hear you all shout he’s an accountant; what does he know about branding, well probably as much as anyone running a small business, I know it’s important and can be used very successfully to set you apart from the competition.

I have decided to use Coca-Cola as my example. Coca-Cola is probably one of the most well known and successful drink brands out there with the red and white Coca-Cola logo being instantly recognizable.

So, what makes Coca-Cola a great example of branding, simple, it has a product range that sells, but that’s not enough to keep you at the top, over the years they have added to the range but at all times keeping their strong brand identity that is Coca-Cola.

Now imagine my surprise when at the weekend I read that Coca-Cola is about to launch a new drink in the UK, but this time with a new look, not the traditional red and white we are used too, no this time they are launching a drink aimed at a young male audience and for that they need something different, something more, well something more manly I guess.

Coca-Cola Zero, it’s a ‘zero’ sugar drink aimed at a young, male audience who view Diet Coke as a ‘girls’ drink.

For Coca-Cola Zero they have ditched the usual can colour schemes, yes they have kept the red Coca-Cola logo, after all it’s a well known brand label why would you change that, but this time its on an all black can, giving a more masculine look to their product.

Branding, it something that makes you, your company or your products instantly recognizable.

Do you have a brand identity?

Start with a company logo, then build your brand identity on the back of this new look, you don’t have to be Coca-Cola to do this.

Tags: Business Development, Business Start Up, Home Business, Marketing/PR, Micro Business, PR, Branding, Selfemployed, Small Business, smb, sme, sme-blog

Building your first website can be a daunting enterprise. You have seen really good websites , but have a tight budget. This article explains some of the most common mistakes and how to avoid them.

1. No clear objective

Most businesses have a website, ‘because everybody has one these days’. Although this statement might be true, the reason for having a website should be that it can perform several useful functions:

• Information about your business is available to everyone anytime
• Communication with your clients and prospects can be simplified (not only because they know where to find your phone number)
• You might be able to offer extensions to your products online
• Strengthen customer relationships with add-ons, tips & tricks, manuals, etc

All this means that you should only have a website with a clear function. Do you want to use it as additional promotional platform? Do you want to win new business with it? Do you want to speed up support? Think about what the main function of your website should be and plan the design accordingly. Don’t ‘just quickly’ put a couple of words together, put it on a grey background with a logo and potentially damage your business reputation more than helping it. If you need a website fast, why not try one of the free and easy to use templates from Winweb?

2. Cheap, rather than useful domain

Once you have decided to have a website, you might as well do it right. Don’t save money on your own domain name. At Winweb, for example, your own domain is part of our basic web hosting package. There are still some businesses who try to save money by having their site on another domain. Although this is a good way to get online fast, be honest, which web address is easier to remember, http://businesspages.hostingsite.co.uk/~kplumbing, or www.kensington-plumbing.co.uk? Your image is also significantly enhanced by your own clear and simple domain. And yes, sometimes your domain is not available anymore, which is unfortunate. If that is the case, avoid being too clever or make it too complex. If your company is called Kensington Plumbing, don’t be tempted to use something like www.knsngtnplmbng.com, but try www.ken-plumb.co.uk, or www.k-plumbin g.co.uk, or something similar people can relate with your business and remember easily.

3. Distracting gimmicks

If you were introduced to the Internet in the early 90’s you will remember the vast amount of personal home pages packed with animated images of folding envelopes, digging ‘under construction’ signs, flashing, d ripping, curling lines and buttons and all sort of other gimmicks that look ‘cool’ the first time you realize they are possible. Now, if you like showing off your latest gimmicks on your personal home page, that’s absolutely fine. Your business clients, however, will not be impressed. They are at your site to find out i f you or your products and services can help them, not whether you spend a lot of time collecting gimmicks. Also, too many flashing images distract. You want to guide your visitors through your website and make sure they learn what you need them to know about your business. Guide them through your website, don’t leave t hem in a jungle of animated lines, buttons, icons and cartoons.

4. Too much design, too little content

When you create your first website, it is very tempting to get distracted with what other companies have , the vast amount of information that is already out there and overusing hyperlinks ‘because you can’. If t he description of your product takes four A4 pages in your brochure, cut it down to the basics for your web site. Give people the information they are looking for. If you need more space, consider offering a PDF version of your brochure as a download. Research indicates that if visitors have more than 4 clicks to get to the information they need, they give up and go somewhere else. Don’t be afraid of having less than 10 pages on your website. Give people the exact information they were looking for. On the Internet quality is king, not quantity.

5. Neglect navigation

Sometimes you spend so much time designing your website, that you know all the pages by heart. This can lead to neglecting the navigation. Just because you find every page and to you layout and navigation is easy, doesn’t mean that an outsider won’t get lost. You understand how your products and services belong together, new visitors don’t. Consider having a navigation bar which is in the same position on every page, also site maps and search functions should be available on every site. Make sure you test your website with someone who has never seen it before and (if possible) doesn’t know much about your products. Maybe you can even ask a friendly client to have a look at the test version and get their comments. After all, they are the reason you build the site in the first place.

6. Hidden contact details

For some reason some web sites forget the outside world. You write the copy, source the images, program your website and everybody is happy. What, however, if someone wants to get in touch with you? Your website is unlikely to give all the information a (potential) client needs. Also, existing clients might use your site as first contact point if they have a question, need support or want to extend their contract with you . Make sure your contact details are very easy to find, whichever of your pages your visitors might currently be looking at. Another important point is to mention not only your email addresses, but phone numbers an d address. It is often more comfortable to speak to a person, than send and email to an impersonal info@YOURCOMPANY.com.

7. Online version of your brochure

True, your website should represent your company and if you have already spend considerable time and effort to make sure your brochure achieves this, it is very tempting to save the hassle of recreating everything for the web. However, there are significant differences in the way people read a printed brochure and the way they use the Internet. For once, the screen size is usual smaller than A4, which means the copy and images you used in your brochure won’t fit on one screen. If there is an incentive to scroll down, fine, but people online usually don’t have a lot of time or patience. A brochure can be read on the train, or during a tea break, a website usually has to be a lot more concise and to the point. Of course you should bring t he same message across as your brochure, just be aware of the different format. Don’t just copy your brochure, but design for the web.

8. Large graphics and animations

It is very tempting to use a lot of imagery, be it pictures of products, people, maps, etc. Remember, however, that the majority of people don’t yet have a broadband connection. Even if you use small images, but several on the same page, it will take a long time before the page is displayed the way you designed it. Another mistake is to create your site using only images. The benefit is that you can control exactly how the pages look, however a lot of your visitors might not have the time to wait for long downloads and choose your competitor’s site instead. Also, information and keywords mentioned in images cannot be read and indexed by search engines. Keep it simple and if you want to use images, make sure you test your site using a slow Internet connection before you set it live for everybody to see.

9. Separate online from off-line effort

In order to impress visitors with your website you have employed an agency or the neighbors’ son who is really creative and knows the latest technologies. All too often this means, that your website doesn’t fit in with your other collateral. Make sure that your existing brochures, stationery, etc. and you website have more in common than your logo and contact details. Use a set colour scheme and maybe you have a company font you always use, or you have certain images that identify your company. Make sure that your existing customers instantly recognise your new website as yours.

10. A site nobody knows exists

Too many companies concentrate on getting their website off the ground, that they forget to tell people about the site when it is finally available. Make sure your website is mentioned on everything you produce, i.e. business cards, stationery, packaging, advertising, e-mail signatures, brochures, exhibition stands and material, etc. There is no point in having a website if nobody knows it is out there. The next step is obviously ensuring that your site is featured on major search engines, your entry in the yellow pages and possibly top 10 lists of your industry’s publications or association newsletters. Why not try Winweb’s search engine opimisation service?

Tags: Business Development, Business Start Up, Home Business, Micro Business, Outsourcing, Selfemployed, Small Business, smb, sme, sme-blog, Web Technology, WinWeb

The influence of the Internet on business is changing almost daily. Not only do more companies build their own websites, but they start to understand how to improve communication. Still, too many people consider the Internet as an additional advertising platform or sales channel. Of course, the World Wide Web can perform these functions, but a much more important prospect is often overlooked.

Think about it. You are used to working with the computer. Now you also have a mobile phone, so you can be reached anytime. The next step is a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), which allows you to carry data and in formation without having to carry a laptop. The trend is already visible: Access to vital business information anytime, anywhere. The Internet seems the ideal platform to achieve this goal. The benefits are clear:

• Data accessible and editable anytime, anywhere

• Data constantly backed up in remote location

• Integrated online tools avgoiding data duplication

• Sharing of data between multiple users

• 24 hour access to data for customers and suppliers

• One interface for all your communication

With the speedy development of mobile phone technology it will very soon be possible to access all your business intelligence not only through a PC but also through your phone or PDA.

Winweb OnlineOffice was designed to use the flexibility and accessibility of the Internet for business intelligence. Your small business can now benefit from a sophisticated IT system without the cost of setting up your own in-house solution.

Tags: Accounting, Business Development, Business Infrastructure, Business Start Up, E-Commerce, Home Business, IT, Micro Business, On-demand, Outsourcing, Selfemployed, Small Business, smb, sme, sme-blog, Software as a Service, Web Technology, WinWeb

CNN Money’s article 5 deadly mistakes when starting a business puts reasons for failure as follows:

1. Too little cash
2. Thinking small
3. Skimping on tech
4. Underestimating the importance of sales
5. Losing focus

How many professional accountants can truthfully say they are qualified to address all the issues CNN identifies? Sales in particular is an issue that doesn’t sit well with professional accountants but every time you undertake work for clients, like it or not, you’re selling. If you can’t provide answers to all these questions do you know people who can?

Above everything though, understand that if you struggle with enunciating answers, imagine how tough it is for a startup entrepreneur to successfully negotiate business roadblocks? I sometimes wonder how many partners really know what it’s like to bring a fresh idea to market as a good or service? Here are my answers for my business:

1. Got to be prepared to carry at least 3 months startup costs and preferably 6 months
2. My audience is global, maintaining and growing that is central to this site because the issues experienced by practitioners are reflected in other parts of the world
3. No danger there - I’ve probably got too much technology on occasion
4. Monetizing the ideas I have is my biggest pre-occupation outside content delivery. Some things are working, others not but there is enough opportunity for me to develop new sales ideas.
5. It happens - I sometimes stray miles away from what I hope this blog offers. But I’m fortunate that people who come here tell me when I’m losing the plot and help me get back on track.

Technorati Tags: accounting, startups

I spent Friday and Saturday at TiEcon 2006, a Silicon Valley gathering of close to 4000 Entrepreneurs and their "ecosystem".  I’m posting some of my notes on my personal blog, and in case I feel it fits the theme of The Small Business Blog, I will repost those notes here.

Jeff Clavier’s bootsrapping panel is certainly on of those: Small Business owners at several stages (early, established, already sold) and investors discussed startup issues.   (note: I am obviously publishing this, as well as other TiEcon posts after the fact, but have done only  very basic editing, and some linking, essentially posting my original live notes)

Panelists:

• Fred Durham, CEO CafePress
• David Hornik, General Partner August Capital
• Kanwal Rekhi, Angel Investor
• Tony Schneider, CEO Automattic
• Tim Tuttle, VP AOL Video (having sold Truveo to AOL)

David Hornik: best way to grow a company is without VC money - now that’s something to hear a VC say…

Jeff Clavier: Agrees, but sometimes  competitors force the entrepreneur to want to accelerate business which in turn leads to a need for VC investment.  

David adds another case when you need VC investment, citing a  payroll company he invested in: in that type of business customers expect a robust infrastructure, not just a  program, and building out the infrastructure is capital intensive.

Toni:  Background:  Oddpost, Yahoo,  Automattic - this being his 4th startup now, and he’s just recently "switched sides" to True Ventures.   Classic bootstrapping worked for him better than VC funding.  Too much VC investment can create a "fat model", entrepreneurs may find themselves trying to use VC money to "create a market" where there is none.  Oddpost - could not raise money,  since  everyone thought they were crazy to be a "me-too" on the crowded email market.  They got some corporate customers (licencing deals) , eventually took VC money, but ended up not touching it, since Yahoo acquired them  4 months after the funding.   At Automattic they raised intentionally little, could have raised more, but does not favor that model.  Organic growth, go find customers, start revenue flow works better. 

Jeff:  Automattic is  going up against well-funded blogging companies, why is the "lean model" better?

Tony: Wordpress is Open Source, combine that with the Silicon Valley effect: start an Open Source project, people will find you.  Want to be lean, organic, likes the craigslist approach: 15-8 people run a huge service.   Jeff Clavier compares them to MySQL’s Open Source - viral growth effect.   Tony: MySQL goes after the corporate market, it  needs Marketing,  while we have a consumer product, and our products are  blog-related, and bloggers are natural marketers.

Jeff: Often the original Founder is an engineer who needs a business savvy partner, or at least advisor, how do you get started in finding the right business guy?

David:  Teaches a class on IP at Stanford B-school.  Recently saw a flyer, showing the original Sun Founding Team.  It said: "Do you wanna be like them?  I am an engineer… looking for business partner"  Cool poster, but generally it’s safer to find them "organically", living your life, networking, having coffee.  
                      (Warning: this is the Commercial: I am   available )

Toni: more business people are looking for technical parners then the other way around, they tend to be better at networking, while the techies are sitting at home writing code.

Fred Durham:  Don’t start by looking for a patner. Go find customers first before partners, since you’ll never get it right on your own without customers. 

Tim Tuttle: Found his first business partner through determined search on job boards. 

After the warmup / introductory questions Jeff quickly switched to taking questions from the audience.

Question on picking the right business, focus on one out of several options:

Toni: Early in life he was a trainee at Autodesk.  They had 9 original Founders, all engineers, all with their own ideas. Since they could not predict which one would take off, they pursued all for a while, eventually dropping all but on.  But generally it’s good to have a singular focus.

Jeff, as moderator demonstrates the importance of focus when he forces the next questioner to pick only one of two questions he wanted to ask.  After all, that’s what entrepreneurs have to do, too.
Question: How much money/equity to give away to ?   

David: Equity is a zero-sum game.  Early stage entrepreneur normally forgets this,tends to give away too much.  Raising money is a market mechanism  If the market is one, i.e. only one source is willing to fund you, that one source will determin the price.  Price of equity is  more easily determined in an investment situation then with partners.  What’s the value of participation? Depends… Give away as little equity as possible without feeling a jerk.

Fred: interrupts: Give away less than that, it’s  OK to feel a jerk. 

Kanwal: Don’t give partners / employees what you feel they’re worth  upfront, you can always do that later.

Tim: Don’t take money from friends.  Business and Friendship rarely match. (Oops, I know .. been there, done that...)

Question:  When do you give up pursuing a dead business? 

Fred: I failed many times, walked away relatively unharmed. Advice: run early. Get on a different horse. 

Tim: When you and the children need  a tent to live in, it’s a pretty good infication that it’s time to give up.

Question:  Specifically to Tim and Fred. How did you get initial traction once you have the product?

Tim: Raised little money, spent most of it on viral marketing.. 

Fred: Co-founder sent 100 invitations (spam) to random webmasters.  He got 20% response rate.

David:  A portfolio-company used quizzes. 

Toni : design product to be word-of-mouth compatible.

Question:  Entrepreneur ended up "in the tent" in 2002 starting again now.  Trying to release little bits of software to get customer feedback instead of writing plans. Is that a good approach?

Tony: Just be careful that the core is polished enough to put in front of  people without turning them off.

David: Don’t ask me as a VC what to do.. If your VC knows more about your business than you do, than one of you is an idiot.

Fred: Switching cost is huge, don’t easily jump to the next more attractive idea.

Question:  Inventor of ready-to-launch web application to save marriages. (huge audience laughter, apparently the entrepreneur crowd is in need of being saved….  Hey, if I am not married, what can you do for me?)  Finalist of Berkeley Business Plan Competition..  He just needs a VP Marketing to launch, but listening here made him realise he should be hunting for a CEO (Wow!).

David: You don’t want my money NOW, get it out, launch, create buzz, displayt ads - you will get called by VC’s.

Toni: You don’t need a VP Marketing to launch a product. You will need one later to take it above $10M.

Question on chances of a little startup vs. established players.

Kanwal  Uses Cisco as example: they won’t pay attention until you’re large, then buy you. 

Tim: Truveo: big guys wanted to build better video search, but they couldn’t, so they bought us.   Now that I am part of a big com I understand why.  (Audience laughter…. someone on the panel remarks Tim probably missed  AOL’s PR training )

Question:  Legal issues., when to involve lawyers.

David: Cites strory of a great business, raised big interest in the Valley.  Later it turned out the Founder built the products on his employer’s computer and time - BAAAAD.  Advice: get lawywers involved early - try to find ones who are excited about the business and pre-fund their contribution until you can pay later.

Tim:  Strongly disagree, lawyers are a pain in the ass, put it off as long as you can.  

I don’t remember the context but two notable quotes from Fred:

"The only thing you want to do is to separate people from their money."

"Nothing will focus your mind razor sharp better than losing money, especially your own"

Tags: tiecon, tiecon2006, conference, entrepreneurship, technology, innovation, venturecapital, vcfunding, bootstrapping, startups, angelinvestment, marketing, forum, paneldiscussion, smallbusiness, smb, sme, zoliblog

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You can read it in all the papers at the moment, that it is important for business to be more environmentally friendly. The Environment Agency is running ads with the following message:

Are you fully up to date with your environmental obligations?

If you are a small business in the UK, the chances are that you may not be!

There is certainly a need for all of us to do what ever we can to help the environment. The Environment Agency is offering advice on the regulations on their website, log on to www.netregs.gov.uk. But is this really a fair statement?

Here is the thing, our clients are doing more for the environment than they probably realize themselves. If you consider the number of small businesses run from home alone make a big difference, for example all these business people do not travel to and from work / office on our over-stretched road network.

Our clients take this even further by using our SaaS solutions and Live services, this allows them to positively impact our environment and help their cost structure at the same time. By creating virtual office networks with their

• accountants, accessing their information online,
• coworkers, also working from home utilizing SaaS - Software as a Service,
• virtual assistants, also using the SaaS infrastructure to provide time shared live services,

small business has a tremendous impact on the environment. At the same time saving hundreds of £’s and many hours of time every month.

So not only do our OnlineOffice clients benefit from all the SaaS benefits, no they are helping the environment at the same time.

Tags: Accountants, Business Development, Business Infrastructure, Business Start Up, CPA, Environment, Home Business, Homesourcing, Micro Business, Outsourcing, SaaS, Small Business, smb, sme, sme-blog, Software as a Service, Virtual Assitants, Web Technology, WinWeb