The intentions of small business owners vary tremendously; some entrepreneurs want to conquer the world, building a global brand, where as others want to run their business in a way that allows their family to live comfortably, while working on something that they love. Whether the aim of your business is global domination in your sector, or to run a lifestyle business, putting your business on the map is essential.

So, what do I mean by putting your business on the map? Whether your target market it local, national or international, the only way you are going to get customers and make profit is by making sure that people know about your business. Here are a few ways to get your business known to your target market:

- Research: Find out about your target market. Find out the age range, gender, and interests of your target market. It can be helpful to draw a profile of your typical customer in order to enable you to focus your marketing activities specifically towards this market; this can be particularly useful if you are not within your target market yourself. The more you know about your customers the more you can think like them and then make sure you tailor your products, and marketing, accordingly.

- Use the Internet: Long gone are the days when a simple magazine advert or television ad would make a mark with potential customers. Consumers are now saturated with advertising. Information overload is a typical occurrence, so more and more people turn to personal recommendations, or website reviews to make product choices.

The Internet can be used in many ways, as many of my readers will know, a website is absolutely imperative. People use Google to search for products on both a local and national scale, if your business isn’t online then you are missing out on the 80% of people who turn to the Internet to find businesses to help them. Use Search Engine Optimisation techniques to help your business website to rank well in the search engines.

Social Media is also a vital way to reach potential customers, both locally and nationally. Networking online is a great way to reach new customers, and can build brand awareness that would otherwise cost a great deal of money. By being yourself in various social media arenas your brand will build up a personality; and people like to buy from people.

- Talk: Talk to your customers, potential customers, inactive customers, competitors, employees… There is no one that you should not be talking to as a small business owner. Talking not only makes people aware of your brand, and give customers the knowledge that you care, but it also helps you to learn exactly what people want and need from your business.

- Customer Service: When talking about putting your business on the map, customer service may seem like an alien thing to mention. However, customer service is vital to ensure that your small business is put on the map for the right reason. People talk to others about their experiences with companies; so make sure your customer service is up to scratch so that when they’re talking about your business they’re doing so for the right reasons!

These are just a few ideas about how to put your business on the map, written with bootstrap businesses in mind. If you have any more ideas leave a comment!

For the latest information about SME Technology, follow me on Twitter or become a fan of WinWeb on Facebook. I look forward to connecting with you!

Last week, here in the UK, our 18 year olds who have remained in full-time education received their ‘A-Level’ results; these are the results that ultimately decide whether or not the young person will be allowed in to the University of their choice, have to go through a system called ‘clearing’ to find a different University place, or if their dreams of attending University are lost.

For more young people than ever, not reaching their expected grades and therefore not attaining a place at University is becoming a reality. With 6 applicants fighting for every place in clearing, this is becoming big news. The pressure on young people to attend University is great, with no real alternative being offered to bright, intelligent and motivated young people.

Is a University degree essential in order to be successful? For many employers it is the easiest way to distinguish the capabilities of potential applicants, providing a playing field on which their relevant skills and abilities can be assessed. However, just because someone has a degree does not mean they will be more competent at carrying out a job as someone with years of experience doing that work, instead of attending University.

Throughout the education system there is considerable emphasis placed on attending University, with the end goal being to achieve a good job, working for someone else. There is little mention of the option of working for yourself, with the end goal being to have your own business, with or without attending University.

Of course, telling all young people that they can create a company that will rival Apple and expand allowing them to make millions would be unrealistic, and whilst it is great to inspire ambition, and that should certainly be part of it, I am more concerned with exploring the option of lifestyle businesses with our young people.

Young people should be given all the options; attending University, getting a job, gaining technical skills, or starting their own business. Young people need direction, and focus, and many consider starting their own business an unobtainable pursuit.

The truth is, however, that as University places are being snatched up in days, and the cost of University is increasing, alternatives need to be sensibly and beneficially, relayed to our young people. We don’t need to tell them that they could be the next “Richard Branson”, but instead that it is possible to build a business for yourself, that will work for you and the lifestyle you wish to have.

The fundamentals of business start up and financial planning would obviously need to play a part, but with the economy as it is these are useful skills for all young people to have. And besides, what would be wrong with instilling a bit of entrepreneurial spirit and ambition in to our young people?

For the latest information about SME Technology, follow me on Twitter or become a fan of WinWeb on Facebook. I look forward to connecting with you!

Entrepreneurship and small business have been making news recently; with banks being tackled to lend more to small businesses, and television shows such as Dragons’ Den dividing the nation over the way small businesses are portrayed and helped. My views on such television programmes are one for another day, but for now all this has highlighted a real sense of enterprising throughout the UK.

In a time when unemployment is high, and job security seems like a long lost friend, it is easy to see why over half a million people are starting their own businesses every year. But what is the best way to start a business? Quit the day job and take the plunge, or build up steadily until you have the security you need to enter fully in to the world of the self-employed?

This is a question that is very much based on individual circumstance; I, for example, started my first business whilst at university and have been doing so ever since! But, at the same time there are many successful entrepreneurs out there who have worked in a job all their lives and at some point turned around and said “enough!” and have started out on their own well in to their working life. If this describes you, I would love to hear from you.

There is no ‘right’ way to start out in business. You can buy all the books, and read all the blogs, but starting your own business is something that has to be driven by you; your drive, enthusiasm and vision for you business. Of course, there are external pressures on us all, and mortgages to pay and families to support have to play a major role in how we develop our businesses.

That is why I will always say there is no iron-clad correct way for a business start-up to progress. A business has to grow in accordance not only with demand, but also in line with how the business owner wants it to develop. For some, diving in feet first and spending every waking hour on their business, building and expanding and constantly reaching for the next goal, is the only way to do business. I guess these people would fall in to the 9-5 camp, in that their business is their day job, but I know from experience 9-5 is a mere fraction of a small business owners’ day!

Other small business owners, for various reasons, take a gentler approach and test the water, building up their customer base alongside their current job or while looking after children and running the family home. These people are the 5-9ers. Although, yet again, that time frame does a disservice to these people as a lot of business owners I know are more 5-12ers! For some, this is a way to build their business to a point where they can launch and go it alone; but for others this is how they want their business to be. Something that can fit in with their lives, not run it, and provide enough of an income to make them comfortable, not rich.

People start their own business for many reasons, and it is not always to work every hour under the sun (and through the night!) to build a hugely successful business. There are many different businesses, and many different types of entrepreneur. Each deserves as much respect, help and admiration as the other, whether they work 9-5, 5-9 or anywhere in between on their business.

Owning your own business is about creating a life that is right for you and those around you. 9-5 or 5-9? It makes no difference at all – success is in the eye of the achiever.

As a great believer in the power of small business I can’t stress enough the importance of engagement, conversation and collaboration in the small business world; as the old saying goes “two heads are better than one” and even more than that is a bonus!

Big businesses have many employees, often a board of directors and shareholders who they can take advice, direction and input from. In a small business, however, this is not necessarily the case and this can often be to the detriment of the business. Collaboration is vital to moving forward, and that is why I believe it is vital for small businesses to talk to each other.

Over the next few weeks I will be introducing some exciting new projects I am working on to enable small businesses to collaborate, take advice and talk to each other. I encourage you and your business to get on board and become involved in each of these projects, helping you business to grow and thrive.

Success for small businesses must come from working together – rather than working as individual entities small businesses must collaborate. When working as a freelancer, home business or small business it can be hard to generate this level of collaboration and conversation; especially when your business takes up a lot of time leaving little time to network.

When working day in day out on a small business it can often be hard to see different ways to take your business forward. Speaking to other business owners, or reading blogs detailing the experiences of successful business people, can be a great way to further your business and increase the productivity of your small business.

I will be speaking here over the coming weeks about ways that your small business can engage in conversation and collaboration both with other small business owners as well as successful business people. I really hope you’ll join me!

For the latest information about SME Technology, follow me on Twitter or become a fan of WinWeb on Facebook. I look forward to connecting with you!

All of us are only human; and that includes you and I. This is true however much, as small business owners, we may want to think that we are super-human and can do it all, the practicality is that we simply can’t. And, moreover, if we do try to do it all it can end in disaster.

It is important, when running your small business, that you focus on what drives you – your passion and your strengths. This is the best way to move your company forward and to help your business to succeed.

The best way to work out the strengths and weaknesses within your business is to carry out a SWOT analysis (I talk more about the reasons for doing this here). Once you have considered your strengths and weaknesses you will be better able to focus on the things you are good at, and outsource those that are your weakness.

Outsourcing is a great way to reduce your workload; not only does it enable you to find people who are experts to complete the work required, but it also means you are not having to talk on more staff when the necessity for work is fluctuating.

Keep the fundamentals for your business within your company, and make sure that you are in control at all times, but being in control doesn’t mean having to do everything yourself! Outsourcing is a great way to allow you to regain control over areas of your business, and personal, life that had perhaps been neglected due to the sheer workload involved in running your own business.

At WinWeb.com we understand just how beneficial outsourcing can be for small businesses, and that is why we are now offering a variety of Business Support Services, carried out by my team. Meaning you can relax knowing that your business is in safe hands!

We all start our own businesses because we have passion and drive, this can easily become lost in the day to day monotony of paperwork and tedious tasks, yet employing full or part-time staff can be expensive and risky. Outsourcing offers the perfect balance, to help you regain balance!

I am very quick to promote working from home; whether you are self-employed, a freelancer or telecommute, I believe that working from home can be the lifeline that many small businesses need.

Having said that, working from home can prove difficult for many people, with a number of pitfalls coming in to play. In this blog post I’m going to look at a few of the main problems caused by working from home, and offer you some solutions to these common problems.

Problem 1: My productivity is reduced working from home.

This is usually a problem to do with focus, and for this there are a few easy to implement solutions. Primarily, have a designated workspace; somewhere you go specifically to work. Make it comfortable but work-orientated. This is your workspace, when you’re on a break, or on lunch, leave this area. That will help you maintain focus while you should be working.

Don’t try and climb a mountain in one go. One reason for decreased productivity is trying to achieve everything all at once. Break down your tasks in to manageable chunks, focus on one at a time and tick them off as you go.

Problem 2: Working from home has an impact on my whole life.

This problem is usually caused when there is no real distinction between work life and home life. For some people this element of flexibility works well, for others however it can cause unhappiness and tension within families.

The main way to solve this problem is by having designated work hours, as you would if you were commuting to an office. If you set yourself regular hours and stick to a schedule your work will rarely have an impact on your family.

Make sure that when you have finished for the day you don’t end up returning to work. It can be all to easy to just quickly check an email, or write a quick blog post – but if this is impacting negatively on your home life these are habits you need to break.

Problem 3: My household is too distracting.

This is a problem that is very easy to empathise with! The children are noisy, the dog won’t stop barking, or your partner continually interrupts, all of these things can accumulate to making it nigh on impossible to work.

Make sure you set clear boundaries for the other people in your household; shut your office door and let them know your timetable of working hours. Where possible fit your work schedule around you family, perhaps meaning you take a 20-minute break when the children come home from school and are eager to speak to you. You working from home has to work for your whole family.

If you are distracted by your telephone or personal email account, turn them off! Even if it’s just for a couple of hours you really will be amazed at how much you can get done.

I believe that working from home really can work for nearly all small business; if you have a problem that stops you working from home leave a comment and I’ll see if I can help!

For the latest information about SME Technology, follow me on Twitter or become a fan of WinWeb on Facebook. I look forward to connecting with you!

When you’re in business you often hear the phrase “people buy from people”, but just how important are people, and personality, in running a successful business?

On Monday, Gordon Brown the British Prime Minister announced that he is to step down as leader of the Labour party. What was his main problem? Policies, recessions and unemployment aside, people lost faith in him and the moment that happens, whether you are a businessperson or a politician, you are in trouble.

A series of blunders led to Gordon Brown’s downfall; allegations of bullying, public gaffes and the icing on the cake was Labour losing the General Election. But it was the nuances of his character that left him being criticized and deemed as cold, unfriendly and awkward.

If Gordon Brown had a better public persona would the general public have forgiven him these blunders? It is difficult to say but in small business we can learn a lot abut the importance of public relations through this story.

I, for one, have encountered a rude, curt or abrupt salesperson and gone out of my way to not purchase something from them. I know people who have left one job in favour of another simply because their boss was difficult to get along with, unreasonable or simply unappreciative.

This doesn’t mean you always have to be nice to be successful in business, we all know there are times when tough decisions have to be made, but having a personality that blends in to the ethos of your company is vital. Once you have developed this micro-culture within your small business employees and customers will know exactly where they stand and what to expect.

A great deal of small business success can be attributed to developing a company personality. This is considerably easier if, as a small business owner, you have passions, belief and a purpose behind your business. It is your ethos, values and priorities that will become the lifeblood of your small business. Make sure they are positive.

Creating a personality for your business isn’t about cracking jokes and being the life and soul of the party. It can be anything from creating an environmental awareness within your company, through to flexibility for your employees. It’s not about being nice; it’s about being approachable, respected, open and considerate.

Under Gordon Brown Labour lost their personality and strayed from those that so fervently supported them in previous years. This election proved that. Don’t let the same happen to your small business. Your company’s personality should be representative of the thoughts, values, experiences and character of the small business owner.

So, what’s the personality of your small business?

Election 2010, with all the live debates, bickering and electioneering, has resulted in a ‘Hung Parliament’. The press has been warning us of the dangers of a Hung Parliament, and the Politicians have been telling us to tactically vote in order to prevent it from happening. It seems, however, that the General Public have been unable to come to a clear conclusion about which party should rule our country.

So, what is a Hung Parliament? In Great Britain we have a ‘First Past the Post’ political system, meaning that the country is divided in to various constituencies, each of which holds a seat in parliament. In order to have a majority government, a political party must hold 326 of these seats in the houses of parliament. A Hung Parliament occurs when a political party, whilst still holding more seats that the other parties, fails to reach an overall majority by holding the 326 seats that are required.

In the event of a ‘Hung Parliament’ there can be a coalition formed between the current government and other minority parties, or the political party with the most seats can form a minority government. Neither of these solutions is good for the country; a coalition government works on bargaining and deals, where as a minority government, as they hold a minority in the Houses of Parliament, will struggle to have policies passed.

Both of these solutions can create instability for the country, and weaken us economically. Fiscally, our International credit rating would drop in either situation, and in an uncertain climate the impact of this is so far, unknown. In reality, very little change may happen within the country as there is no clear majority within Parliament. A coalition government is somewhat more stable, with more powers to pass policies, and works successfully in countries like New Zealand.

What is to come for Great Britain in the wake of this General Election is unknown until it becomes clear where our leaders will go next. BBC News declared this as a “time of uncertainty” and we, as a country need nothing more than certainty right now. I am deeply concerned about the impact that this election result will have on small businesses. At this time we all need to pull together, offer advice and support and keep focused on our business goals.

The WinWeb.com Small Business Competition that I mentioned in my last blog post has made me think about the way entrepreneurs work and the effect that a surge of entrepreneurship could have on the economy, worldwide.

In the UK alone, SME’s account for 99.9% of all enterprises, providing 59.4% of private sector employment and 50.1% of private sector turnover. In fact, small businesses alone accounted for 47.9% of employment! (statistics from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills).

In this time when unemployment is rising, and the economy is weak, investment in SME’s could help reduce unemployment and bring a healthy boost to the economy.

If small businesses alone provide 47.9% of employment within the UK, giving small businesses more opportunities, easier access to funding, and greater support could not only pay for itself but also increase the GDP of the UK.

But, this change in thinking does not just have to start with adults. Children in our schools, teenagers and young people, need to be given inspiration and a “can do” attitude – the attitude of the entrepreneur. If we can instill in our children, and generations to come, the ethic and attitude that allows them to think that it is possible to achieve and be successful, while at the same time teaching them about the realities of running a business, then we could create a generation of entrepreneurs, and build the economy, and country, on a “can-do” attitude.

Increasing the number of SME’s within the UK will increase employment levels and have a great impact on GDP. But before we can do this we need to capture the spirit of the entrepreneur and rid generations of the “can’t-do” attitude.

As Barack Obama said: “Yes, we can change”. Entrepreneurs can change our country, change our economy and change the world.

Are you onboard?

This weekend I watched a debate on BBC televisions’ ‘The Big Questions’ about working mothers and their cost to small businesses. There were two very definitive sides in this debate; the small businesses saying they can’t afford to pay maternity allowance or cover when mothers have to look after their children, and women on the other hand arguing that to refuse a woman a job on the grounds that she may become pregnant is against the law.

Both of these positions are so absorbed in the problems associated with women working that they struggle to find, or even attempt to find, a solution that works from women, employers and, perhaps most importantly, children.

A lot of money is invested in educating women; through school, university and even beyond. Yet as soon as these women have a child they are placed on a ‘has-been’ pile with their skills and talents lost. And people claim our country has a skills shortage? How hideous when there are hundreds of thousands of talented, intelligent, hard-working women who would love to return to work if they could fit it around their family. This is not only detrimental to individual businesses but also to the country, and economy, as a whole.

The only way to solve this problem, for both small businesses and parents, is to change the way we as a society view and carry out paid work. This problem could have a silver-lining if people were willing to think outside the box and embrace a new way of working.

At WinWeb.com I promote a work/life balance for all my employees, and for those with young families this works extremely well- and the same could be said for my company. By allowing people to work this way I have found a pool of talent that others have overlooked. Can your business say the same thing?

Both arguments on ‘The Big Questions’ were missing the point. In order to reach a suitable solution both sides need to work together. By changing the way we work, creating an infrastructure that allows parents to carry out tasks from home to suit their families, nobody has to lose out. In fact, I believe working from home significantly increases productivity so, if anything, small businesses can benefit from allowing their staff to work flexibly; by giving a little you will get back a whole lot more.

In this technologically advanced world there is no reason that work cannot be carried out within the family home, allowing mothers to work and bring up their children, being there when they are needed. In modern society there is no need for this to be an issue of either/or. I know, from experience, that it is possible to have it both ways.

Being in employment and raising a family do not have to be mutually exclusive activities. As a society we need to change the way we view work, change the way work is carried out and introduce a bit of flexibility in to the workplace. The Supporting Parents in Business campaign is looking to raise awareness of the issues faced by working parents, and small businesses.

Would you be discouraged from employing a woman with children? Are you a woman who would like to work but feels you are being discriminated against? I’d love to hear your stories, please get in touch. Together, we can readdress the balance, and end this futile and fruitless debate.