Archive for Home Business

Reach New Markets with a Global Audience

You don’t need to limit your goals to being a little local business. With the power and potential of the Internet, you can be seen and discovered by millions across the globe. Where once the prospect of your company doing business globally would have been daunting, the Internet age makes it simple!

For more tips and information about getting your business online, visit the Small Business section of the Avallach Technology blog, or get in touch for a chat, some straightforward advice, and absolutely no bull.

Gather Information From Your Prospects

More often than not, visitors to your site will likely be interested in what you do, at some level or another. However, it could be a case of right place, wrong time, and when they ARE ready to buy your service, they wind up on another site, buying from another business.

By offering some incentive, you can entice your visitors to leave their contact details (even if only a name and email address). If they do this then you can be confident that they have a reasonable degree of interest in what you do, and by following up on this interest you will be able to develop business you might otherwise have lost.

For more tips and information about getting your business online, visit the Small Business section of the Avallach Technology blog, or get in touch for a chat, some straightforward advice, and absolutely no techno-babble.

It’s Expected and Looks Professional

In today’s connected world, people expect you to have a web site in the same way they expect you to have a phone number. A clean, fast-loading web site will make you look the part and instills confidence in your prospects.

Remember, if your business does not have an online presence, you can be sure at least one of your competitors has benefited from that!

For more tips and information about getting your business online, visit the Small Business section of the Avallach Technology blog, or get in touch for a chat, some straightforward advice, and absolutely no Apple Macs.

Open For Business 24 Hours Per Day, 7 Days Per Week!

As a small business, your premises (or mobile phone) are only available for prospective clients for a limited amount of time each day. Even if you are available to take calls 14 hours every day, that’s still only a little over half the time available to you!

By contrast, your web site is available whenever your clients (current and future) want information form you. This is particularly valuable if you do business outside with people in other timezones.

A web site delivers 24/7 convenience and works for you, even while you sleep.

For more tips and information about getting your business online, visit the Small Business section of the Avallach Technology blog, or get in touch for a chat, some straightforward advice, and absolutely no pressure sales tactics.

I’ve seen it in a couple of places now, most recently on the Australian micro/small business forum site http://www.flyingsolo.com.au/. What am I talking about? Oh yeah, the aggression shown by Web Professionals as soon as someone offers up low cost alternatives to hiring a high-end web design agency. In the latest instance, someone had written a great article on how a small business owner could get an online presence for around 100 dollars, if they were willing to invest time and effort doing the work themselves.

It’s a perfectly valid thing for a small business owner to contemplate doing if they have these three things:

• Lack of budget
• Some time available
• A willingness to learn a few “techie” things

Now that profile matches quite a few budding entrepreneurs I’m sure, so the article was a great idea.

What got me was one of the comments, which started out with a completely unbiased “what a load of bollocks”. Further reading revealed the person making the comment to be a web professional, and he went into the usual thing that pretty much elevates web development to the heights of building a top-of-the-range Porsche from scratch.

Well I say “poo poo” to this gentleman’s “poo poo”. This is the way of the IT industry I’m afraid; 20 years ago customers would pay ridiculous amounts of money for serial cards, relatively miniscule hard disks and PCs in general. The cost has fallen dramatically, and the idea of needing a particular brand of peripheral for a particular model PC is but a fading memory. Software is the same; people used to be able to charge large amounts of money for solutions that can now be achieved using the latest Microsoft Office. It’s what happens when something becomes popular and widespread, costs fall and those who previously elevated themselves to lofty positions slowly start to head back down towards the rest of the crowd.

For what it’s worth, I have no wish to demean or devalue the work done by skilled web designers, developers and graphic designers. These people are still in demand, and will always be able to charge premium rates to create unique web sites. However… the typical micro business, small business, tradesman, sole trader or consultant needs a solid web presence that can get their business “out their”, is fast loading, looks professional and is relatively clean and easy to navigate. This is achievable without spending 1000s of dollars to get a web design consultant to create a masterpiece.

What of SEO?

Now this is one HUGE can of worms, and I’ll be careful to point out that there’s a lot of people doing a lot of good work in getting their clients listed in the search engines. But think about it for a moment, the more people go down this route, the more sites you will be competing with, and the more it will cost to get above them in the search results. Be careful as well of people who will tell you “we get you on page 1 in a week, or your money back”. This kind of promise is going to be in relation to paid search listings – e.g. advertising with Google Adwords and paying for clicks and impressions based on keywords.

SEO is very important to highly automated online businesses, online marketers and so on. But let’s think again about a typical micro business (taking in all the terms I mentioned before, including tradespeople). They need (in fact everyone needs) to be tapping into a “low tech” style of web promotion; including the URL on business cards. signage, bumper stickers and any marketing literature. The fact is that people today expect you to have a “www dot something” and are very comfortable with the concept of visiting an online resource based on a link seen in an offline medium.

The typical micro business operator is likely to start out building a local client base, and building the business through various offline advertising avenues and networking. When you think about the number of business cards, flyers, brochures and newspaper ads that will be published, the potential becomes clear.

But no, some “professionals” prefer to tell people that they need the black magical arts of SEO, that only a true web “wizard” knows the correct incantations to brew up an effective web site. They have a point to a limited extent, but when you read and hear these things, try to smell the fear behind the words. The fear of the mass market and commoditisation.

The article in question can be found here

As you may know, our flagship service offering is Express Webz, offering real web solutions for those with small budgets. Express Webz is based on a foundation of genuine value-for-money and an ongoing commitment to provide old-fashioned service to small businesses and clubs.

The Express Webz model includes low setup and ongoing monthly fees. In return, Avallach Technology provides Express Webz clients with services including:

Set Up

• Set up of web hosting space, domain and email addresses
• Provision of services for the above (if required) - can keep existing hosting provider if technical specs are met, will need to be checked
• Installation and setup of content publishing/management software
• Selection and installation of an appropriate site theme as a starting point
• Theme tweaked and matched to style and colours of logo and marketing materials
• Work with the client to build initial site content – e.g. About, Contact, Services, Home pages

Ongoing

• Update site software with latest releases and security fixes
• Take and implement requests from client for page changes/additions/deletes
• Ongoing support – e.g. helping the client to become proficient with making updates themselves
• Re-submission of site to search engines to help keep the site indexed
• Monthly courtesy call or email to client to maintain contact and ensure satisfaction with service
• Assist where possible with technical issues, questions and strategies.
• Help identify appropriate additional, budget-friendly, services – e.g. SEO or Marketing

As you can see, we basically set out to become the IT/Internet partner for typical small businesses, sole traders, clubs and organisations.

If this sounds like you, check out Express Webz today and tick off one more item on your ever-increasing TODO list!

Since writing the post “Future Business”, it’s amazing how many references I am seeing to similar concepts. It seems there are a lot of us thinking along similar lines, and this adds weight to the argument that change IS coming.

I have just read a series of 5 short articles, starting with this page

Now, no matter where you stand in terms of politics, economics & personal beliefs, I think it is becoming clear that the world IS heading towards a major change in society. According to “The End Of Capitalism”, the 2 most likely contenders are increasingly desperate measures as a way of clinging on to power, or a more sustainable model based on local networks.

The second option is exactly the type of thing I believe is needed. A return to the scale and approach of cottage industry, local networks of small businesses providing core strength to local communities.

As an aside, I find it interesting to consider that these changes could easily happen in the next few years  and that this will bring us increasingly closer to the date Dec 21 2012. Putting all the excessive claptrap about “end of the world”, there are many who are pointing to 2012 as being the end of an era, and for some kind of change to occur.

Coincidence perhaps, but food for thought, and in any case some sort of change IS coming – you can feel it.

In recent times, there has been a trend towards globalisation, large multi-national corporates, and big business snapping up smaller rivals. This is something that seems to have picked up pace with the so-called “global financial crisis”. Many believe we are heading towards a “new world order”, effectively controlled by a small number of large financial institutes.

That may or may not occur, but I personally cannot see how the whole world can operate that way exclusively. There will always be a need for tradesmen, local specialists, corner shops and so on. This gives a clue to the type of economy, and the type of business activity that I believe can, and will, bring back the boom times (notwithstanding my view that boom and bust cycles only exist if you allow them to!)

Small business can, and perhaps MUST, play a central role in the “revival”. This is not a new idea, nor is it a revolutionary one. The world in 2010, and beyond needs a different economy from the “Gordon Gecko” philosophy of the 80s, and from the increasing globalisation of the 90s and 00s.

You don’t need to go too far back to find times when small businesses and cottage industries provided not only an economic backbone, but provided the infrastructure for strong communities and societies. This is the way of the future, and will perhaps be essential to the long-term survival of modern society, perhaps even our species.

Creating strong networks of small businesses provides a tightly connected, self-supporting foundation to any town, village or city. But in this technological age, things don’t have to stop there. Small businesses can now harness the power and reach of the Internet to forge alliances and build networks on a global basis. At an even smaller scale, home business operators can build similarly global networks from the comfort of their own homes!

The net result is a collection of strong links which, when combined, lead to flexible, adaptable and highly resilient networks. Contrast this with the potentially fragile nature of a seemingly stable, global company (as we have seen in recent times).

But there is more to this than pure economics; society itself will benefit from this way of working. Connections and relationships will be encouraged at a local level in several ways. Not only amongst the business operators themselves, but between businesses and their customers. Instead of purchasing products and services from “Faceless Multinational Inc”, people will see a return to dealing with a local expert who can not only sell them something, but can offer support, advice and assistance.

Globalisation is without doubt here to stay, certainly in terms of financial institutes. But as large corporates merge they become bigger, they become less agile, and the changes expose more and more gaps in all kinds of markets. Big business cannot cater for individuals in the same way that other individuals can, and this is likely to provide the spark for something of a small business rennaissance.

Are you ready for the opportunities that will present themselves?

Technology, and the Internet in particular, is a very powerful thing, so powerful in fact that it can turn confident, professional people into gibbering messes. While that might sound strange, I’ve seen it with my own eyes. The fact is that if you add “technology” into the mix, people react very strangely, even those people who force themselves to live well outside the comfort zone.

Why is that? My opinion is that it’s partly because computer technology used to be completely unapproachable for the average non-technical person, but also because this belief has been perpetuated by people with a vested interest. It doesn’t take too much effort to find people selling basic technical services at premium rates. While there is a place for technical experts, the Internet is becoming more and more of a commodity and these high-charging experts are starting to seem more and more like over-charging tradesmen (you know, the plumber who wants to charge you $250 just for driving around to your home, etc.)

Now don’t get me wrong, there are certain web projects that necessarily demand a high level of artistic ability, a highly customised solution, and people will quite rightly pay top dollar for the designers and developers on those projects. Where the issue lies is the way people are charged these sort of premium prices for relatively simple web sites.

Another reason for this is the prevalence of “old school” thinking. Web site creation its roots in classic design processes, with costings based on estimates and/or actual time spent. As such, web site developers tend to approach these things with a “how long will this take me, and what do I want to earn per hour?” mentality.

This is further compounded when you consider the lifetime of a web site, and costs that will be incurred by asking the web designer to make changes, to add content, and to add functionality. People don’t stop and consider the prices being quoted because they have a fear of the technology, and therefore place a high value on those they deem to be experts.

Sadly, this leaves many small businesses without a web presence, or at least without a web presence that helps their business. They get put off by the prices quoted, and often defer the creation of a web site when they could probably benefit from having one right now.

The thing is, it doesn’t need to be like that at all – these days it is possible to acquire everything you need (web hosting and domain name primarily) for as little as $5 per month. There are masses of free resources online that can help you learn how to create a web site, there are books, and there are even online content management systems that make the job very easy indeed.

Now some people will still prefer to bring in an expert; perhaps they don’t feel confident enough in their own abilities, maybe they just want to be sure that all the steps are carried out or, as is often the case, they simply don’t have time to learn the skills and/or manage the site.

In these instances, hiring a web developer makes perfect sense, but it doesn’t have to cost a fortune, and your site does NOT have to be loaded with Flash content and large graphics, nor does it have to be a potential candidate for the Turner Prize. For the majority of small/home businesses, the key requirements are speed of loading and no-nonsense delivery of the marketing message. Slick advertising is great for large corporates building their brands, or for specialised sites where visual impact is a must, but the average small business needs a simpler, more direct approach.

This is where the Avallach approach comes in; unlike many, more traditional, web developers, we don’t charge thousands of dollars for a basic 5-page site, in fact we don’t charge thousands of dollars for any site. Our solutions are based around a model that comes from the world of online software and applications; initial setup costs plus a monthly subscription.

The solutions themselves are based on a clearly defined process that we follow, starting with an examination of your requirements through to implementation of your web site AND ongoing site management.

Our clients see, time and time again, that it IS possible to have a professional, fully managed web presence without blowing a huge hole in your business’ cashflow.

If you’re in business (or run a club or organisation) and you’re looking to make the move online, choose Avallach as your partner on the journey and that decision will pay reap rewards for a long time to come.