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The Small Biz Tech series celebrates the ways in which small businesses utilize different technologies for accounting, communication, collaboration, marketing, sales, and so much more. This month, we feature an interview with Mike Camery, Mountain Man Nut & Fruit Co. Franchise Owner.

Tell us about your business.

I own a Mountain Man Nut & Fruit Company franchise in the Phoenix, Arizona area. Mountain Man offers 300+ types of chocolates, trail mix, crunchy snacks, candies, imported confections, nuts and seeds, jerky, yogurt confections, dried fruit, gourmet popcorn, and holiday gift baskets. I also carry locally-made products like Laura’s Gourmet Granola and Made by Bees honey. I visit workplaces in the Southeast Phoenix area on scheduled dates and usually set up in the lunch room. There is no cost or obligation for the company. Employees love the convenience of being able to shop for snacks and goodies during break time.

Why did you become an entrepreneur?

Ever since I was a kid I think I sub-consciously had an itch to do something on my own. My Mom reminds me that when I was around six or seven, I decided to walk across our street to a construction site and start selling ice water and lemonade (this was before bottled water was available in stores).

As I got older and worked for various companies, that itch continuously resurfaced. Finally, in 1995 after experiencing a few layoffs and several periods of working 60 – 70 hours a week for someone else, I decided to purchase a Mountain Man Nut & Fruit Co. franchise.

What are some of the challenges of being a small business owner?

Some of the challenges I face in my business are: the constant change in raw goods pricing, rising shipping costs, maintaining and keeping current customers, establishing new customers, finding good, reliable help that has the same spirit I have, and self-motivation.

What are some of the rewards of being a small business owner?

As there are many challenges in being a business owner, there are also many rewards. I have a great feeling of accomplishment and self-worth. I feel very satisfied when I provide a customer with something better than he expected. I enjoy being in contact with other business owners who have the same entrepreneurial spirit. The hours I work are for me and not for somebody else. The list could go on…

What technologies do you use to run your business?

I use my website, smartphone, and Square for debit and credit card processing.

How has technology helped your business?

The website has obviously given my business more exposure and it is a great reference even for current customers. My smartphone is an awesome tool as it allows me to do much more work on the go instead of being tied to my desk. I am able to check and respond to customer emails in a very efficient timeframe, therefore increasing sales. It also serves as my Internet connection, GPS, and credit card processor.

What are your must-have technologies?

My website and smartphone are essential. And, for my type of business, the Square card reader and payment processing application allow me to swipe, process, and deposit payments into my business account. The rate is much lower than other mobile payment processing options.

Do you have any items on your technology wish list?

Apple Ipad 2

What websites do you visit to find information about running a small business?

Phoenix Business Journal and Dave Ramsey are at the top of my list. There are a multitude of others that I haven’t take advantage of yet.

What advice would you give to new entrepreneurs?

• Research your desired market and then research again.
• Always plan on extra expenses – unexpected expenses always arise.
• Set clear and defined goals and put them on paper. This helps the best when your days don’t seem to be going your way and you feel discouraged.
• Take your business seriously, but try to have fun.
• Capitalize on social media and networking events (I say this, even though I don’t take advantage of these as much as I should).
• Be humble – don’t assume that you are the only option your customers have to choose from, regardless of your product or service.

Share your Small Business Technology Story

• Do you run a small business?
• Do you use technology to help manage your business?
• Would you like to be featured in the Small Biz Tech series?

Super! Please contact me at loribarber@golimbo.com to share your story.

The New Year is a great time to do a quick audit to ensure your technology is secure and effectively supports your business needs. Here are a few key areas to audit.

Data Backup

Are you backing up your data regularly? Do you have a recovery plan in place?

System Access

Do you use strong passwords, e.g., letters, number, and characters? Do you periodically change your passwords?

Virus and Spyware Protection

Do you have an antivirus program on every computer? Is the software configured to run regular scans?

Productivity

Are you leveraging technology to help you be more productive? There are many free and low cost options for communication, collaboration, data management, and more?

Website

Do you update your small business website with fresh content that is useful to current and potential customers? Have you reviewed your website for outdated content and broken links?

Resources

Here are some ideas for affordable small business technology solutions.

How do you use technology to run your small business?

Do you have a technology wish list for the new year?

Announcing a new series: Small Biz Tech

Small businesses have a big impact on our economy and our lives. Technology helps small business seek new customers, manage day-to-day operations, and maintain customer relationships. In addition, small businesses have developed many of the wonderful technologies we use every day.

The Small Biz Tech series celebrates the ways in which small businesses utilize different technologies for accounting, communication, collaboration, marketing, sales, and so much more. The first post will profile Mountain Man Nut and Fruit Co. Franchise Owner Mike Camery. Mike uses Square with his smart phone to accept payments at customer locations.

Share your Small Business Technology Story

• Do you run a small business?
• Do you use technology to help manage your business?
• Would you like to be featured in the Small Biz Tech series?

Super! Please contact me at loribarber@golimbo.com to share your story.

I am a volunteer dog foster with Desert Labrador Retriever Rescue. The organization is holding a fund raising event on October 29, 2011: Corks and Collars – an afternoon wine tasting and silent auction at Armitage Bistro. I am donating a small business website as one of the silent auction items.

Small Business Website Package

The small business website package has two options: an HTML or WordPress website. This page outlines what is included. If you have questions, please feel free to ask Lori Barber. (Website must be redeemed by 11/1/12.)

Included:

· HTML or WordPress website
· Custom design (e.g., colors, fonts) based on your specifications
· Up to ten (10) pages
· For WordPress website: training on how to update content

Not included:

· Domain name registration and website hosting
· Stock art / graphics
· Premium WordPress theme and plugins (if selected)

Web Designer Tasks – web designer to complete the following:

· Create design for website (colors, fonts, etc.)
· Create up to ten (10) pages and populate with client-provided content and images
· Set up Google Analytics account and install tracking code on website
· For WordPress website: research and suggest theme (there are free and premium themes – premium themes cost $35 – $50), install and set up WordPress (install theme, add plug ins), style theme according to client specifications, conduct training (how to update content)
· Test website on multiple browsers

Client Tasks – client to complete the following:

· Purchase domain name and hosting account (I am happy to provide recommendations)
· Provide logo (in image format, e.g., jpg, png, etc.)
· Provide all website content (in Word document)
· Provide or purchase graphics for all pages (I am happy to assist with research and selections)

Optional Add On Services – available at an additional charge

· Additional pages or features not included in the package (as outlined above)
· Content writing
· Wordpress blog add on to HTML website (WordPress websites can include a blog)
· Search engine optimization
· Social media consulting

You are ready to start writing the content for your new small business website but may be wondering where to begin. Here are some tips to help you get started and produce content that will make your website stand out to customers.

Brainstorm Content Ideas

Write down all of the topics you plan to include. Every website is different, but many small business websites contain the following pages: Home, About, Services or Products, Contact, Resources.

Start to Write Content

Next, start to fill in the details. Don’t worry if you don’t have cohesive paragraphs at this point, just focus on the main ideas. Here are some ideas for what to include on the most common website pages.

• Home: Short summaries of key content that will attract interest and encourage visitors to take action such as buy, register, contact you, and visit other pages. It is sometimes easier to write this content last.
• About: The About page could feature your company history, mission, vision, and values. Also include any awards or charitable activities. Add a short biography of each employee that highlights his/her professional background and experience. Don’t forget to include employee photos.
• Services or Products: This page will describe your services or products with an emphasis on why customers should choose you. If you sell products, include photos and prices.
• Contact: The Contact page typically contains the following: address, phone number, fax number, emails, and office hours. If your business has walk-in customers, include a Google map of your location.
• Resources: This page contains links to industry-related resources. Example: if you are a travel agent, include links to the passport office, travel warnings, and favorite sites for travel gear. If you do link exchanges with other websites, you can put the links on this page.

Search Engine Optimization

Consider search engine optimization (SEO). If it is important for you to appear on search engine result pages, conduct your keyword research and include keyword phrases in your content. For more about SEO, see SEO for small business websites.

Include Calls-to-Action

Make it easy for people to take action, e.g., make a purchase, request a quote, or sign up for a trial. Write short, concise action statements. Ensure your website designer makes your calls-to-action stand out visually on the page.

Fine-Tune Content

Fine-tune the content: organize it into paragraphs and edit.

• Your content should be: descriptive, concise, informative, interesting, and useful.
• Look out for potential pitfalls: avoid being too wordy, avoid putting too much content on one page, write out acronyms that visitors may not understand.

Consider User Experience

Make it easy for people to find the content they seek. Use short, concise section titles and sub titles; don’t have giant blocks of content like a book. Also link to related pages on your website.

Proofread Content

Proofread, Proofread, Proofread. Check for spelling and grammar errors.

Get Feedback

Solicit feedback from as many people as possible. Ask family, friends, colleagues, and customers to read the content and provide feedback. Here are some questions you can ask: Are there any things that don’t make sense? Is anything missing? Are there any spelling or grammar errors?

Ok – are you ready to start writing your small business website content?

This article is part of the www 101 Series, a series of articles for people who are new to the Internet and are looking to learn the basics.

Are you embarking on a project to create a new small business website? As you work on your website, you are likely to encounter unfamiliar phrases. To help you save time, I have created a glossary of common website terms.

Domain Name

A domain name is also called a website address or URL (in case you were wondering, URL stands for uniform resource locator). The domain name is the name people type to get to your website. It consists of a word or series of words followed by a dot (.) and an extension. Examples of common extensions are: .com, .net, .org, .gov. You can purchase a domain name from an authorized domain name registrar. There are many options; my favorite is Go Daddy. The typical cost starts at approximately $12 per year.

Website Hosting

Your website is made up of a bunch of files. You will need a place to store those files so people can see them on your website. That’s what a hosting account does. Typically, you identify the amount of storage space you need and that determines the price. For a small business website, you won’t need a lot of storage space, so you can probably select the smallest, lowest cost hosting option. You can pay on a monthly or annual basis. I recommend buying your hosting account and domain name from the same company so it is easier to manage. (My favorite is Go Daddy.)

Website Analytics

Website analytics contain data about your website’s traffic and visitors. Examples of the data you can see are: number of visitors per day, which pages were viewed, traffic sources (how people found your website), amount of time people spent on your website, and so much more. A popular, free website analytics service is Google Analytics. Read more about Google Analytics.

Landing Page

A landing page is a page on your website that is intended for a specific promotion or audience. This page is typically not on your main navigation menu. You direct people to this page through links in emails, social networking websites, or other websites. Here’s an example… Let’s say you are an attorney and you are conducting an estate-planning workshop next month. You would create a landing page for the workshop with details and a Call-to-Action (see section below).

Call to Action

A call to action is a prominent section on your website, e.g., button or graphic, that encourages visitors to perform a desired action such as make a purchase, complete a registration form, or sign up for a free trial. When the call to action is successful, you have a conversion (see section below).

Conversion

A conversion is when a visitor comes to your website and performs a desired action such as make a purchase, complete a registration form, or sign up for a free trial. When you create your marketing plan, you may set a goal to have a certain number of website visitors and a certain percentage of conversions (conversion rate).

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Unlike placing a classified ad in the newspaper, when you launch a website it may not (and usually doesn’t) automatically display on search engine results. To help improve your chances of displaying when people search on Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc., it is necessary to optimize your website. SEO involves a variety of activities like incorporating keywords and link building (see sections below). Learn more about small business search engine optimization.

Keyword

A keyword is a word or group of words that people type into a search engine search box to find a website. For example, if you live in Los Angeles, California and want to find a hair salon, you might type the following keywords: hair salon Los Angeles, hair salon LA, hair stylist Los Angeles, Los Angeles hair cut. One of the things you can do to optimize your small business website is to identify the keywords that your customers are likely to type and then use them in your website.

Link Building

Link building involves exchanging links with quality websites. When you do a link exchange you put a link to the other site on your website and it puts a link to you on its website (this link is called a back link or inbound link). Effective link exchanges can help your SEO efforts and provide helpful resources to your visitors. However, it is important to learn more before you jump in and just start exchanging links with anyone and everyone because there are some practices that can have negative SEO effects.

Organic Search Results

Organic search results contain websites that have not paid for an ad (see Pay Per Click section below). These websites display because they are optimized, e.g., they utilize the words (keywords) the person typed in the search box, have effective inbound links (link building), etc.

Pay Per Click (PPC)

Pay per click is a means of paid advertising in which you pay when someone clicks on your link. One of the most widely known PPC options is Google Adwords. The websites that display in the shaded area on the top and right side of the page are PPC ads. PPC advertising is not like putting an ad in the newspaper. Just because you create an ad, it doesn’t mean your ad will display in the search results. There are several factors that determine if an ad displays such as your keywords and bid per click.

www 101 Series

As you embark on your small business website project, you may also be interested in the other posts in the www 101 series.

Are there any other website concepts that you would like to read about? Feel free to leave a comment or email me and I’d be happy to assist.

Now that you have decided to use WordPress for your small business website or blog, it is time to pick a theme. Selecting a WordPress theme can be great fun, but to some, it may be overwhelming. Do you pick a free theme or buy a theme (premium theme)? Where should you start your search? How do you decide among the thousands of options? Hopefully this guide will help…

Factors to Consider when Reviewing WordPress Themes

Type of Site

Is your site a website, blog, website/blog, or ecommerce store? Look for themes that are designed for your type of site. You can find themes tailored toward different types of sites such as retail, corporate, creative, magazine, etc.

Cost

There are many wonderful free themes available. There are also some spectacular low-cost premium themes. The cost to purchase a premium theme typically ranges from $30 – $100. In my opinion, the cost to purchase a premium theme is so low that it really isn’t a factor in my decision making process.

Process to Search for a WordPress Theme

Here’s how I approach my search for a WordPress theme.

Customization

It is possible to customize just about every feature of a WordPress theme (your website designer can do this). But this involves time… Some things are easy to customize such as colors, fonts, and background image. Other things take longer to change, like the layout. So, I tend to start my search by focusing on the features that are harder to change.

If you are going it on your own and don’t know how to read and write code, look for a theme that allows you to do basic customizations. Some themes include a section in the administration console where you can easily upload your logo, change the background color, and other basic design features.

Layout

I typically start with the layout in mind: number of columns (one, two, three, or four), location of sidebar (left or right) or no sidebar, and header area (size of header area, type of header, e.g., large image or logo only).

Design

Although you can customize many features, it saves time if you find a theme that aligns with your the type of business and branding. Many themes are designed for specific types of functions, e.g., service, travel, magazine, creative portfolio, etc. If you are adding a blog to your current website, you should style the blog to match your site’s design. In this case, look for a theme that will be easy to customize.

Try a Few Themes

Select your top options and try them out. For free themes, login to your WordPress Administration console, install the themes, and then activate them. For premium themes, most websites have a free demo where you can check out a few pages.

Sources for WordPress Themes

Here are some great sources to find WordPress themes.

WordPress (click the link for the filter and tag interface)
After you set up WordPress hosting, you can search and install themes from the WordPress website on your Administration console.
Elegant Themes
Press 75
Shopify (ecommerce)
Theme Forest
Woo Themes
WPcorner

Are you ready to look for a WordPress theme?

Hopefully you now have some guidelines that can help you pick the perfect theme for your small business website or blog. Good luck and have fun!

Technology can add tremendous value to your small business by streamlining tasks, saving time, and improving communication. There are many free and low-cost options for accounting, bookkeeping, blogging, communication, collaboration, CRM, data backup, marketing, security, and social media.

Accounting and Bookkeeping

Billing Boss
Send free online invoices

FreshBooks
Low cost bookkeeping and invoicing service

Blogging

Blogger
Get a free blog (but you can’t use your own domain name)

WordPress
Free blogging platform – purchase your own domain name and hosting account (I use WordPress for this blog.)

Communication and Collaboration

Box
Low-cost document sharing – supports most major document types (Word, Excel, Pdf, etc.)

Google docs
Create and maintain online documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more
(I’ve had mixed experiences with Google docs. In graduate school, I used Google Docs for a group project and it was very effective. But later I used Google Docs in the workplace and it was frustrating and ineffective. I think it can be a good tool if all collaborators are organized and follow the same protocol.)

Go to Meeting
Low cost monthly service for online meetings, training sessions, and webinars

Skype
Free and low cost phone, video, and instant messaging services for computers and mobile devices

CRM

Salesforce
Affordable online CRM

Microsoft CRM
Powerful online CRM – costs a bit more, but it is a great option

Zoho
Affordable online CRM

Data Backup

I know you backup your small business data – right? If you don’t back up your data, please do it now. There are many low cost options.

Carbonite

Mozy

See more options and recommendations from PC Magazine.

Marketing / Market Research

Survey Monkey
Create and send online surveys – free and low cost options
(I used a paid plan for my Master’s thesis and it was great – the system tabulated all of the results and I didn’t have to do any math.)

Electronic newsletters: add a sign up form to your website or blog; send promotions, coupons, and more.
Constant Contact
iContact

Security

I know you protect all of your computers from malware, spyware, and other bad things – right? If you don’t, please install an anti-virus program now.

See free and low cost options and recommendations from PC Magazine.

Social Media

Connect with customers, reach out to potential customers, and connect with other entrepreneurs.

Social Networking: Twitter, Facebook

Videos: YouTube, Vimeo

Create your own online community on Ning

Manage your social networking accounts with Hootsuite
(I use Hootsuite to schedule posts on Facebook and Twitter.)

What are your favorite technologies?

Do you have a favorite small business technology? Please leave a comment and share your recommendations and tips…

What is WordPress and is it right for my small business website…?

WordPress is a free (open source) content management platform that you can use for a blog, website, or both. It is one of many options available to create a small business website. So how can you decide if WordPress is the best solution for your small business website?

WordPress may be a good option for your small business website if you…

• Need to quickly create and launch your website
• Have a limited budget
• Want to maintain your own website, e.g., update content and add functions
• Intend to combine a website and blog in the same URL
• Seek ecommerce capabilities
• Don’t require a highly customized website

Elements of a WordPress Website

• Domain name – I recommend Go Daddy
• Hosting account – I recommend Go Daddy’s Economy WordPress Hosting
• Theme (template) – free or purchase – use as is or customize the colors, fonts, etc.
• Plug-ins – software programs that enable you to easily add features (most are free)
• Content – your text, images, and videos

Essential WordPress Plugins

Each theme contains different features and functions. For example, some themes include a featured post widget and some don’t. So the plug-ins you install will vary based on the theme you select.

• Anti spam for comments
• Database backup
• Featured posts (if not included with your theme)
• Google Analytics
• Related posts (if not included with your theme)
• Subscribe to RSS (if not included with your theme)
• Search engine optimization
• Social bookmarks
• Social sharing

Favorite Plugins

• Anti spam: Bad Behavior and Invisible Captcha
• Contact form: Contact Form 7
• Database backup: WordPress Database Backup
• Google Analytics: Google Analyticator
• Search engine optimization: All in One SEO Pack and Pingler
• Social bookmarks: Sexy Bookmarks and Add This Social Bookmarking
• Social media: Tweet Meme and Digg Digg

Getting Started with WordPress

If you are comfortable using computers and seek a do-it-yourself option, it is possible to set up and create a WordPress website without having a technology background. The only limitation will be if you wish to customize the theme’s appearance, e.g., colors, font, etc, because these must be done in the stylesheet (code). Even if you are really into computers, it will take some time to learn the features and how to manage the website in the Admin console. If you wish to save time, a web developer who has experience using WordPress can do all of the set up and teach you how to manage your small business website.

So what do you think? Is WordPress right for your small business website?