Small Biz Survival: February 2009

As promised, guest author Emily Wilska is answering your questions about organization. Remember, organization does not mean perfection!

By Emily Wilska

Our first set of small business organizing challenges comes from Tim (not his real name), who owns a one-man web design company. Tim is in his 40s and has recently been diagnosed with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). He’s now taking medication to help control the symptoms of ADD, including distractibility, but he finds he still struggles with disorganization in a few areas. Here’s what Tim told me about his challenges.

Challenge #1: Finding a Time/Task Management Method or Tool That Works Well

Tim told me that he’s tried Daytimers, to-do lists (online and paper), and “what seems like hundreds of ‘GTD’ [Getting Things Done, a task management system developed by David Allen] applications and websites,” but hasn’t found anything that sticks. Some of these tools he’s used off and on for years, and others he’s used for a few weeks at a time before moving away from them.

Tim reports, “Lists seem to work best, but managing a notebook (or Daytimer) and pen when I'm out and about is a pain. My Windows Mobile-based phone doesn't have a very good note-taking app, so I usually end up sending myself an email, which may or may not end up on my ‘master’ to-do list. I have an account on Evernote.com, but there again, if it's not right in front of me, it's out of sight, out of mind. I've begun using Evernote mainly to log mileage to/from client meetings, and to track my workout results, as I can send that info to the site via their mobile client.”

My Suggestions

Tim, don’t feel the need to find one tool that can do it all. It sounds like you have found a few different methods that are imperfect but promising (sending to do reminders to himself from your phone and using Evernote to track mileage and workouts). Using these methods in combination will likely be easier to manage than trying to find one master tool or program.
To increase the chances you’ll remember to include tasks you send yourself by e-mail on your master list, choose and use a standardized subject line for these messages (such as “TO DO” or “Add to list”) so they’re easier to identify in your Inbox. You might also consider creating a filter in your e-mail program so that all messages with this subject line are delivered to one folder, rather than being blended with the other messages in your Inbox.

Challenge #2: Creating a Functional Workspace
Tim says that space and paper are also “huge problems.” He has a 6x6 workspace in his master bedroom with a desk/shelf combo, a separate bookshelf, a small table, and two file crates stacked with a cutting board on top. “Every available horizontal surface has paper and stuff on it,” Tim reports. “Filing is done via the ‘make one big stack of all the clutter and sort it out later’ method. The crates have hanging files in them but getting to them is difficult because of the simple lack of space to move around.”

Things have gotten better over the last few weeks, Tim says: he now has two bins on the shelves in front of him for things like receipts, and has been trying a tickler file (see http://organizedlife.blogspot.com/2006/09/creating-and-using-tickler-file.html for a tickler file overview) for current projects. Still, he says, his workspace could use some decluttering.

My Suggestions

I’m glad to hear about the bins and the tickler file, Tim. It will take some adjustment, but if you can commit to using them regularly for the next several weeks, they’ll either become second nature or you’ll realize that they really don’t work for you and can try other solutions.
Consider getting a basic file cabinet. You should be able to find a solid, sturdy model that’s relatively inexpensive, and having an easy-to-access place to store papers and files will make it MUCH easier to keep your desktop clear. (In general, the harder any organizing system is to use, the less likely we are to use it, which is why your file crates aren’t working so well: it takes a lot of effort to get at them.)
Continue to use your file crates to store archived folders, extra office supplies, or anything else that belongs in your workspace but that you don’t need to access often.

Challenge #3: Breaking Down Big Tasks
Finally, Tim tells me that while To Do lists in general are helpful, he sometimes struggles with how to deal with tasks that have more than one component. For example, he says, one of the items on his list is “XYZ Services—finish Jobs section.” The Jobs section, Tim explains, “is a portion of the client's web site…, and finishing [it] requires a number of tasks that I had previously made a list of.”

“As new tasks come along,” he says, “I'm wondering if I should continue to create separate job-related task lists and add an entry onto the master list, or if I should always use the master list for everything and not go beyond that.”

My Suggestions

Tim, I’m a fan of smaller to do lists that can capture in more detail the sub-tasks involved in a larger task or project. These lists make it easier to keep tabs on all of the things you need to do in order to call a project complete.
In terms of what to put on your master task list, I’d suggest picking one or two items from each smaller list. For example, rather than writing “XYZ Services—finish Jobs section”—which you won’t be able to cross off your list until you complete every last one of its sub-tasks!—you’d list a few tasks from that project list. This is a great way to track your progress and to revel in the satisfaction of NOT seeing the same looming tasks on your to do list day in and day out.

Share Your Challenges
I want to thank Tim for being willing to share his organizing challenges with me—and, by extension, with all of you. Now I’d love to hear about your challenges. Share your organizing frustrations with me either by e-mail or by leaving a comment on this post. Be sure to include a way of getting in touch so I can contact you for more information.

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Agi Lurtz shares her lessons learned

Agi Lurtz spoke at the Oklahoma Entrepreneurs Conference. She is the founder of Online MedSource. Due to last minute changes at the conference, Agi didn't get to use this presentation she outlined. I talked her into sharing it here. I'm so honored she said yes!

My name is Agi Lurtz…

I am what is known as a serial entrepreneur.

The first time I heard this term, I immediately connected it with being a serial killer, and then quickly realized that this was not a negative term, nor was I out killing businesses… so it was a good thing.

Besides starting several new business ventures, a serial entrepreneur for me just means my mind is always thinking, cooking up new ideas, new business strategies and new possibilities. It truly never stops.

I have started 7 businesses over the last 18 or so years. Some ran concurrent with other businesses I owned and a few even coexisted. One or two were just a natural fit for what I was doing at the time, most ran their course, served their purpose and I either close them or sold them. Of all of entities I began, almost half are still going strong today.

My current and most passionate business endeavor is OnlineMedsource.

The idea came to me during the many years I served as a caregiver for my parents until they died.
My mother was diagnosed and died within only 5 months. But I had just given birth to my now 21 year old daughter, so caring for a newborn and my 67 year old mother was a challenge. However it was also a labor of love.
My father was a different story… My care giving years for him spanned 10 years in all. After my mother passed, my father, who did NOTHING for himself before she died, literally had to learn how to boil water. This coming from a man who is listed in every Who’s who in the world as the world’s leading authority on Saint Thomas Aquinas. The situations was so serious that my youngest brother had to move back home to help him through these times.
In any case, my father had a series of strokes in 1999 and 2000. So driving was out for him. This meant I would take a ½ day off work each week to take him to the doctor. Each time carrying his meds and taking notes to share with my siblings (I am the second youngest in a family of 7 children) it was through this process that I felt there had to be a better way for patients and their physicians to communicate.
When I realized the tens of millions of people who were also serving in the role of caregiver, I set out to find something that could help. When I found there to be nothing available, I decided to roll up my sleeves and do it myself.
That thought started in 1999 and became an official entity in the state of Oklahoma in 2001 and has been growing ever since.

The reason I tell you my story is this… here are the lessons I learned while creating and building the last 7 businesses.

You must love your idea,

Be passionate about it,
Know you are the ONLY one that should carry this idea through,
Believe you can do the very best job possible, second to none and
Know in your heart that it is the right thing to do,
It should makes a positive difference in the world and
Should never, never be done solely for the sake of money.

If you are passionate enough, it MIGHT make up for the fact that you cannot do what is required to make this happen,

best scenario - you to be able to handle the primary function of the business yourself, otherwise you are always at the mercy of the expert you will need to take care of that for you. I.e. If you are a technology company, can you build or program what is needed to create this product or service?

Nothing beats a GREAT, no make that spectacular business plan.
Learn from past mistakes and get help!

I chose to take on a business coach this time

Best move I’ve ever made in my entire business career.
A true business coach will help you to see the necessary steps to build a solid foundation,
Grow the business
Allow you to work on the business instead of in the business.
It is an investment worth 10 times what it may actually cost you.

Here are a few more things I now know to recommend…

If at all possible, find a business incubator and start your business there…

The rent is less
It’s month to month
Everything but phones are included-
You have access to all the equipment you’ll need

FAX
Copier
Shredder
Binding machines, etc.

You have access to the help and advice you’ll need
The tax benefit is tremendous, both now and up to the next 10 years, even after you move out.

Investors…

Investors will be

Family
Friends
Angel Investors
Venture Capitalists
YOU

No matter what type of investment money you might receive, take this advice from someone who now wishes they had been given the same advice…

Do your research; be sure your idea is not only a good one, but a viable business with true marketing capabilities. Don’t just think that a good idea will be enough. Besides the more effort you put into research and documentation, the more likely you will have investors interested in working with you.
Get a business coach
Put together a true team of business people, whether it is a board of directors, advisory committee, or just smart business friends, this is one of the most important steps you can take.
Follow your business plan
Check your plan every 6 months or MORE and adjust it accordingly.

Remember, a business plan is a road map of sorts, but it is also a living document. It must grow and change with all the variables that can happen in business, even the ones you have no control over. Especially the ones you have no control over…

Always look for ways to improve…

Your product or service
Delivery of your product or service
Pricing
Cost cutting without diminishing quality
Quality control
Marketing
Public relations
YOURSELF

Then document every step…

As you grow, daily, weekly monthly and annually, document every step, every process, so anyone coming aboard can step right into the position. This is also helpful when you when you have to do something you have not done in a long time or don’t have to do very often. Nice to have a step by step manual of sorts. Do these as you go, it takes very little extra time and saves your countless hours, dollars, headaches and heartaches.

If I truly followed the steps above, then bankers, investors, family and friends would be more likely to throw money down on this or any venture.

Other Money Sources-

Banks

Grant Money

Matching funds, such as Oklahoma’s TBFP fund

If I knew then what I know now, here is what I would do differently…

If I keep up the process, constantly strive to be better and rewrite my business plan often, then I’m far more likely to succeed and exceed even my own expectations.
I would be more careful in who I hire and how I hire.
I would be more diligent about making every effort to grow and market my business.

And last, but should actually be first, ask yourself: What is my goal with this business?

Is it to make a living, or even a good living?
Make a difference in the world or at least my little corner of the world?
Is it to someday sell this business or leave it for my heirs?

If “C” is to possibly someday sell the business, then everything you do now should be with that ultimate goal in mind.

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Dipping Your Toe Into the Social Media Pond

In this hyper-connected world in which we presently exist, I am still amazed at just how many small business owners have been hesitant to embrace new technology and marketing methods.

To be sure, small business owners find themselves in a very unique situation, in fact, most of the business owners that I know (myself included) are tasked with doing everything from scrubbing toilets, to managing customer service, to accounting and facilities maintenance. Truly, it can be a monumental task.

On top of that, throw in a shaky economic situation, rising utility costs, and a lower profit margin and some might begin to wonder what on earth ever drove them to pursue entrepreneurship as a career and lifestyle choice in the first place.

So, why on earth would anyone want to add social media marketing into an already manic schedule? (I know it certainly can seem overwhelming!) The honest answer is:

When it is done properly, social media marketing for small business works!

In my day-to-day interactions with other business folk, many people that I speak with are telling me that their numbers are way, way down from previous years. And I always try to remember that great innovation and growth are sometimes born out of adversity and tough economic times. Preferably, small business owners would start to use social media before a financial crisis hits, but no matter what your current situation, just ‘getting started’ today (not tomorrow!) is the most important thing.

The beauty of leveraging all of this social media ‘stuff’ for business promotion is; it does not have to be expensive, complicated, or overly time consuming.

In fact, it has been my experience, through my own small biz D.I.Y. social media activities that over time it can provide such benefits as:

improved brand awareness
increased search engine rankings
quantifiable cost savings and increased profits
enhanced networking opportunities
the chance to help others and continue learning

If you have previously been hesitant to jump in, but now find yourself willing to embrace online promotion and social media, i.e. dipping your toe into the social media pond, here are five action items that can help get you started.

List out (or think about) your business goals and how you would like social media and online marketing to help you achieve them. Your goals can be anything that you would like them to be. Some common examples are ranking well on Google, bringing in more customers and increased sales.
Agree to commit half an hour a day towards your social media goals.
Create a Flickr account under the name of your business and upload a few photos. Make sure you tag them properly and add a nice description.
Seek out some forums that are in your business niche – from liquor stores to high end shoes and B and B’s, I am quite certain that an online forum exists that encompasses your business. Find them, register, read through some posts and try to be helpful and not spammy if you reply. Also, find relevant blogs and leave a few comments.
Write a blog post. You don’t even have to publish it, but it will get you to start thinking about what type of information you could publish online that would help to educate your customers.

As a small business owner myself, I realize that finding additional time during the day is NOT easy. And at some point, your social media activities must bring measurable results.

If you remember one point from this post, please let it be the following:

When it comes to using social media for small business promotion, sure, anybody can do it, but not everybody does it.

It’s not difficult but it does take a certain amount of consistency. You can do this!

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How do you use Twitter for tourism?

14 comments

We started the discussion of How NOT to use Twitter for tourism businesses. Now let's discuss how TO use Twitter for tourism businesses. I'd love to hear your advice and experience, to these questions raised by a new visitor in the comments:

So pleased I found this helpful blog post. I'm a tourism consultant and just opened an apartment on the coast in Wales but I'm new to Twitter. Really useful comments above especially from Ken Yeung, thank you so much. 2 question though:

1) is it ethical to search and 'intercept' people looking for holidays in my part of the world and then @ them with details of my place?

2) should I have 2 twitter accounts, one for my consutlancy stuff, the other for the accoommodation?

As I say, I'm learning, want to get it right so any advice gratefully received. Great community this!

Andrew Lloyd Hughes

What do you think? What experience can you share?

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The Four Ps of Marketing

If you took a basic marketing class, you may remember the Four P's of Marketing. But have you thought about applying them in your business today? Let's do an introduction to the Four P's, and see if you come up with any new ideas for your business.

You can think of marketing as everything except making your product, or doing your service work. The Four P's of Marketing are Price, Place, Promotion, and Product.

Product
"But you just said marketing was everything except the product!" It's everything except making the product. Marketing includes your choice of products and services, and how you decide what to offer.
Have you talked with your customers lately to see what product they want? How can you help them solve their problems?

Price
Setting price in a small business is something of an arcane art form. I've found standard formulas for setting prices, but they require a lot of data that many small businesses don't have or don't track. That means you fall back on doing your own thinking. Do you want to be the most expensive? Can you beat everyone else's price? Do you want to? Would raising your price help raise customers' perceptions of your value?

Eric Granata shared his story with raising prices.

The raising prices trick can work. I used to keep prices low on one of my CafePress shops because I figured I'd sell more if the prices were reasonable. Once I raised prices, sales increased AND I made more from each sale.
I'm not saying it works in every case, but it's worth considering.

Place
You are targeting people within certain geographic bounds. That may be your local area, defined by a rough circle on the map. It may be people in towns of a certain size, spread all over the map. (If you are targeting everyone, everywhere, then you aren't targeting!)

It may be international. If you have personal contacts around the world, you may be able to do some global business. I have several clients from outside the USA. That started because I traveled abroad, and made friends. You might start the same way.

Promotion
Here's where you get the word out. Promotion includes your paid advertising, but also a lot more. Do you have a website? Are you active on any online networking or social sites? Do you participate in local events? Are you handing out coupons or stickers? Do you offer a loyalty club? Publish a newsletter? Hand out pens or keychains with your name on them? Speak at the Rotary Club?

Promotion is everything you do to reach out to new people and make them aware of your business. If you have the other three P's lined out, spend most of your marketing time on Promotion, finding ways to connect with more people.

Chris Penn compared it to marketing pizza.

They thought that making a quality product was marketing and wondered why their stores were empty day after day after day. “But we have an awesome product!” “Maybe we need a new color palette for the inside of the store!” “Maybe we should move the register closer to the door!”
They’re rearranging toppings on the pizza instead of figuring out how to get people in front of the pizza to at least take a bite. They’re staring at the pizza, wondering why no one is buying it and eating it.

Growing with the Four P's

For more about how the Four P's can spark growth, read my article this week at US News Outside Voices.

Photo by Becky McCray

This article is part of the Small Biz 100, a series of 100 practical hands-on posts for small business people and solo entrepreneurs. If you have small business questions you'd like us to address, leave a comment. This is a community project! Get the whole series by subscribing to Small Biz Survival.

Most Profitable in 2008

According to a Feb. 2, 2009 article by Doug Caverly, staff writer for www.smallbusinessnewz.com the most profitable small business in 2008 was most likely your family DENTIST! He got his information from www.Sageworks.com and Anita Campbell, who listed the top ten profitable types of small business. The top three were those dentists (with a net profit margin of 16.92 percent), accountants and bookkeepers (15.57 percent), and firms providing financial investment services (14.51 percent).

Businesses that provided or were tied to legal services, support activities for mining, oil and gas extraction, religious organizations, personal care services, insurance carriers, and bars all saw profit margins of above seven percent, too.

So if I were looking to start a new small business in this economy, I think I would visit Anita Campbell’s web site and take a good look at her list. And, as Doug points out in his article, those same categories would be a good place to look for new customers; after all, they are making a profit in their businesses and may actually have some disposable income!

Big discount for SOBCon09

Today, Liz and I have launched the "Blog It, Earn It" discount promotion - it's a chance for folks to get a $200 discount off the $795 full conference price if they put up a post about what the "ROI of Relationships" mean to them.

Terry Starbucker

Hurry, and get the important details from Terry.

I'm already registered, but I wanted to point out that after SOBCon08, a group of us started our Business Advisory Group. That has real ROI from relationships!

Be honest. Haven't some of your most profitable business moments happened just because of relationships?

I'll be at SOBCon09. So will contributor Jon Swanson. How about you?

Photo credits.

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Put a pat on the back in the Brag Basket

7 comments

Each weekend, I open the Brag Basket. It's designed as a fun place for you to share your projects and accomplishments. But you can also cheer for other people, give shout outs, congratulate, and even give someone a well-deserved pat on the back.

The Brag Basket is open for everyone, whether from a small town, a big city, or anywhere in the world. (But it's true that I love small town brags!)

Will you put something in the Brag Basket this week? You can brag on a friend, your own project, yourself, others, anything! You don't need special permission, and you don't have to be from a small town. Just leave a comment right here. There's no deadline, so you can brag anytime during the weekend, and I'll open a fresh Brag Basket each Friday.

I'll be out of pocket this weekend, so you'll have to cheer for each other in the comments!

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I wanted to give him my card

You are thinking business card, right? I mean after reading that title?
Nope. I'm talking about giving someone my gift card, for coffee.

This week I almost ran out of a coffee shop to give a frustrated customer my giftcard for the place because they hadn't been served well. The store's mistake and I wanted to pay for it?

Yep.

Of course, I didn't. I had just put $20 on my card and I wasn't that committed. But if it had been $10 or less, I would have.

You want more of the story I bet, why a customer cares enough to help a store out. Of course, if you don't care, you can click somewhere else. And I'll try to be brief.

Still here? Have some coffee.
I walked into a local branch of a major coffee chain this week. (I know I should apologize for that, since this is a blog about small businesses, but I won't. You want to know how to get people like me to come to your place.) I meet with a friend in this store a couple times a month. Free wifi, free refills, not crowded, good service.

Except this morning.
As I was walking to my seat with my coffee (half-caf, black - I'm really cheap), I heard a worker say, "are you still waiting?"
A man sitting at a table answered: "Yes. I've watched seven other people get served." He stood up. "I can't wait any more. I've got to go."
"Was that whole milk?" she said, suddenly working on his drink.

Walking to the door he said, "Never mind. I need to leave."
The guy at the counter said to the other worker, "did he pay?"
"Yep, he was just waiting for his drink."
As the man was at the door, the guy at the counter said, "we'll make it right next time. Tell us and we'll give a coupon and a free coffee."

With that, the customer was gone. His walk suggested that he didn't care about next time.

That's when I wanted to run out the door and give the customer my card. I wanted to say, "They aren't like that. They are always helpful. I have gotten free drinks here before. They are friendly and helpful and prompt and everything else employees are supposed to be."

As I said, I didn't want to give up $20 for that point. And, if I'm honest, I guess I was waiting for someone else to do that, someone who got paid to do that.

As I listened through the morning, I discovered that the counter guy only had three hours of sleep the night before because of a power outage. I discovered that the store may have had a power outage, too. I discovered that the morning had been hectic, that they were feeling frazzled, all of them. I knew that there were other stresses as well.

But the guy made it out the door without a drink that he had paid for and without immediate action to fix it. His next appointment will know the story. And the next one after that. And so do you.
A trip to the parking lot, an action rather than a promise, would have changed the story.

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Grants for Small Business

Not very often can you find actual grants for small business, although there are a few grant contests out there. (Read more about the lack of grants at Do Small Business Startup Grants Exist?)

Today, I have an outstanding, legitimate grant contest to share with you, Intuit's Small Business United contest. You enter by sharing a real life business story and a tip for small business owners. (Given the recent flap over Terms of Service at Facebook, I will remind you that you give Intuit the right to use that story by entering. Read the rules.)

Fifty finalists will receive a $5,000 grant and a Pure Digital Flip Video™ camcorder. From the finalists, four first prize winners will get picked to receive an additional $10,000, and one grand prize winner will receive an additional $25,000. Of course, Intuit is also throwing in $2,500 worth of their own products and services to the first prize and grand prize winners. That's a pretty cool grant package, as it adds up to $315,000.

Ratings from the community will count for 40% of your score. The other 60% comes from creativity and quality. And let me tell you, I'm honored to be one of the judges, along with Anita Campbell, CEO of Small Business Trends, John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing, and Donna Ettenson, vice president of operations of the Association of Small Business Development Centers.

Deadline: Get your entries in by March 23, 2009, then watch for the finalists by April 1, and winners in May.

Whether you enter or not, you can get all sorts of inspiration by reading through the gallery of stories.

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What now for small business

In this economy, what is the best use of my funds? Marketing, expansion, keep under the mattress? What? It's the question that small biz is wrestling with. Do I hide under the covers, or do I make a run at real growth? And how...
Submitted by Tony Katz, via Twitter

First, how sound is your business? If your business is in trouble today, your money is probably better off under the mattress, than poured into your business.

If your business is sound, what is its real potential? Can it grow? Does it have the potential to go big in this climate? I don't think you can answer this question yourself. You need some outside perspective. No one can truly say they have experience with this economy, but someone out there has enough experience to offer you some of their best thinking. You might have to look well outside your industry to find the right person, but it's worth the search right now.

Are you in a damaged or dying industry? Now is not a great time to be investing your money into a print newspaper. How is your local economy? If you're local economy is in the tank, can you really buck that trend?

How's your attitude? Are you positive enough to make it through the onslaught of bad news?

How do you deal with failure? Can you afford financially and emotionally to fail at this?

I believe it comes down to you. Are you good enough to go for it?

Consider this old insurance company award, from New York Life, from 1931. It was for their testimonial program. They were two years into the Great Depression, and at least nine years from the austere recovery that started in 1941 and far from the post-war boom. They didn't sit it out. They were moving forward. New York Life survived, and Irvin Bendiner kept that award until the day he died.

So I offer you a litmus test:
When I tell you you can't, when I say you aren't good enough to make it work, how do you react? If you are afraid I'm right, then take a cautious tack in your business. If you get angry, worked up, and feel challenged, you may just be the one who should go for it.

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Looking for new revenue

Looking for new revenue? If you haven't yet, start with existing customers. 2nd best? Referrals. 3rd best? Network. 4th isn't worth it. Kevin M. Huff, @kevinmhuff on Twitter

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Hundreds of business ideas free for the taking

"Ideas are a dime a dozen. The money is in the execution."
Jon Dale

To back up that idea, nine people each came up with 111 ideas, and published the resulting list as Hamster Burial Kits and 998 Other Business Ideas. The quality of the ideas is variable, of course. While you won't leave the list with a workable business, reading these ideas may help spark a new idea of your own.

You can also check out our 20 ideas for small town businesses.

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Shout out in the Brag Basket

7 comments

Each week, I open the Brag Basket. It's designed as a fun place for you to share your projects and accomplishments. But you can also cheer for other people, give shout outs, congratulate, and even give someone a well-deserved pat on the back.

The Brag Basket is open for everyone, whether from a small town, a big city, or anywhere in the world. (But it's true that I love small town brags!)

Will you put something in the Brag Basket this week? You can brag on a friend, your own project, yourself, others, anything! You don't need special permission, and you don't have to be from a small town. Just leave a comment right here. There's no deadline, so you can brag anytime during the weekend, and I'll open a fresh Brag Basket each Friday.

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Organization does not mean perfection

We all want to be better organized, so I'm thrilled to introduce our newest guest blogger, Emily Wilska. She is going to be answering your questions on organization!

By Emily Wilska

If you've ever paid a late fee on a bill because you misplaced it, lost out on a client opportunity because you didn't have a way to keep track of whether or not you'd followed up, wasted time searching for something in your office or shop that you knew you had but couldn't find, or simply wanted to run screaming because it felt like you'd never make it through your To Do list, you've experienced how disorganization can have a negative impact on your business.

My name is Emily Wilska. I'm the owner of The Organized Life, a company that provides organizing services for business and residential clients. Though I'm based in San Francisco, which is neither a small town nor a rural community, I strongly believe that the basic techniques for getting and staying organized are the same no matter where (or who) you are.

In the course of my work with business clients, I've found that, in order for any business--large or small, in any industry--to be truly competitive, efficient, and successful, it needs to overcome whatever organizing obstacles stand in its way. It's rewarding and exciting for me to help business owners get organized so that they can focus their time, money, energy, and talents on what they truly excel at: running their companies and practices.

Organization, in my definition, doesn't mean perfection, a totally clean desk or workspace, an iron-clad daily schedule, or a lack of creativity. It means clearing out whatever you don't need--things, tasks, or processes--and creating simple, effective, customized systems and habits that allow you to easily do what you need to do, access what you need to access, and achieve great things.

I'd love to know about the organizing challenges you face in the course of running your business. Every other week, I'll help one Small Biz Survival reader tackle the disorganization that's keeping him/her from thriving in business.

Want some organizing help? E-mail me at info@organizedlife.org with your name, your location, a description of your business, and details on the organizing challenge you'd like to overcome. You can also comment here, but be sure to include an e-mail address so I can contact you for more info if needed. I'll give my recommendations in a post to Small Biz Survival, so if you'd like to remain anonymous, let me know that when you e-mail me.

I appreciate the chance to be a guest blogger on Small Biz Survival, and I look forward to helping your businesses thrive!

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Two small biz online events today

Two great small business events online today (Feb 10, 2009). Take advantage of these opportunities to learn and share.

1. SOBCon09 Comment Box Conference

12 Hours An Expert Every Hour and Q and A for 12 Hours
When: Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Where: Successful-Blog.com
What: New Post and Speaker Every Hour
11:00 a.m. - 10 p.m. CT (GMT -6hrs)
Watch the clock in the sidebar.

When and Who:
11:00 - Liz Strauss on How to Build a Personal Development Network
12:00 - Mark Carter on Saving The World With Social Media
1:00 - Lucretia Pruitt on Twittering the Way that Works Best for You
2:00 - Andy Sernovitz on Amazing Word of Mouth for Your Blog
3:00 - Mary-Lynn Foster on Interviewing Tips
4:00 - Easton Ellsworth on Visionary Blogging Improvements
5:00 - John Haydon on Social Media and Trust Online
6:00 - VickyHennegan on Writing for the Web
7:00 - Becky McCray on Successful Entrepreneurship
8:00 - Shannon Paul on Internet People and What They Do
9:00 - Angela Maiers on Literacy and Learning in the 21st Century
10:00 -Terry Starbucker on Pitching Social Media to Clients — 5 Key Questions for Potential Clients

Vicky H explains it this way:

The virtual conference at it's most simplistic sense is a conversation between you and the attendees in the comment box. The attendees post their questions in the comments and you post your answers in the comments. This is very similar to Open Mic.

2. SBBuzz on Twitter

Here's the scoop from our friend Michelle Riggen-Ransom:
We're very excited about a fun new Twitter project we've schemed up called SBBuzz. Similar to format to Sarah Evans' popular #journchat sessions, we'll be using Twitter to enable an organized, open weekly discussion between small business owners, techies, social media folks -- really anyone who is interested in learning more about how small businesses can use some of the new technologies out there to promote and grow their business.

We'd love it if you could help us get the word out, or even join us tomorrow on Twitter from 8pm-10pm EST (follow us on Twitter @sbbuzz and hashtag is #sbbuzz) More information can be found on our project site: http://sbbuzz.biz/

To make it easy, we've even written a pitch in 140 characters - feel free to share!
"Come join innovative small business owners discussing how to make technology work for business http://sbbuzz.biz"

Feel free to write us if you have any questions. And thanks for being so supportive of our small business over the past year. We look forward to helping other small business owners join the conversation -- it's too much fun to miss!

Best regards,
Pamela O'Hara and Michelle Riggen-Ransom

Photo by Becky McCray
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Inventory basics for small businesses

An anonymous commenter asked us to confirm that inventory does not affect profit and loss statements, but does affect cash flow.

Inventory is product you buy to resell, so yes, it affects your cash flow. You spent money to purchase it. You collect money when you sell it.If you are preparing Cash Flow Statements, you'll show inventory purchases as a cash outlay.

Inventory purchases are not a regular expense. The money you spend to purchase it does not go on your Profit and Loss Statement. (Want a refresher on the P&L? I explain more, in Do you get accounting?)

The total inventory you own is an asset, and it goes on your Balance Sheet.

Inventory also gets its very own financial calculation, Cost of Goods Sold. It represents the amount you paid for the items you sold. That gives you a good number to compare with your sales to see how much money you made. It's usually figured once a year, and is a required section on your income tax return in the USA.

Here's the formula to calculate it:

Beginning Inventory + Purchases - Ending Inventory = Cost of Goods Sold.

All those numbers will be the wholesale cost that you paid for your inventory items.

This calculation is one reason why you must count your inventory at the beginning of each year. You'll need to know where you started in order to figure the cost of goods sold.

Special thanks to the anonymous commenter for suggesting this topic! What small business questions do you want answered? Ask away!

This article is part of the Small Biz 100, a series of 100 practical hands-on posts for small business people and solo entrepreneurs. If you have questions you'd like us to address in this series, leave a comment or send us an email at becky@smallbizsurvival.com. This is a community project!

Photo by Becky McCray.

Brag Basket is wide open

Pick up new business from the government

Each year, the federal government spends more than $400 billion in goods and services, 23% of which is slated for small business owners and 5% for women business owners. However, in recent years, the government has fallen short of this goal, awarding just 22% of contracts to small business owners and 3.4% to women business owners in the most recent fiscal year.
Source: American Express OPEN/WIPP press release

We've talked before about how small business can benefit from government contracts. It's not just huge federal defense contracts. It's state and local governments; it's services and products. You might be surprised that you're business fits exactly what some agency, like the Oklahoma Department of Commerce (pictured), is looking for.

Workshops
In Oklahoma, Rose State College is hosting a "boot camp" conference to help small businesses get started with contracting.

The Government economic stimulus package is going to provide abundant opportunities for small business. Diversify your client base with government contracts. Learn how at the Procurement Academy Boot Camp on April 14, 2009 and then meet with members of federal, state and local governments and learn more about upcoming opportunities at the National Government Procurement Conference on April 15 and16, 2009. Email us for more information: VArmstrong@Rose.edu

Check around your area. See what training is local to you.

Online resources
Ken Larson is giving great advice at Small Business Federal Government Contracting. He's a SCORE volunteer, writing amazing articles with in-depth info.

WIPP (Women Impacting Public Policy) have launched a Procurement resource site with news, podcasts, and more resources focusing on women owned businesses. The info is actually useful for any small business looking into government contracting.

In person help
Many small business service providers have a procurement specialist or program. In Oklahoma, we have regional Bid Assistance coordinators. They charge nothing to work with you one on one to get started with contracting.

Your story
Have you added to your business with government contracts? Have a good or bad story to share?

Photo: Oklahoma Department of Commerce, by Becky McCray

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Introduce Yourself - Nancy Sherman

If you're a rural small business person, I want you to introduce yourself. Today, meet Nancy Sherman.
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We all have limited time – we are busy living our days taking care of family, working, trying to enjoy our lives (at least a little bit), yet there are only so many hours in the day. And if you’re a small business owner, those hours become fewer and more precious. With this economy the way it is, it becomes even harder to find any time to devote to growing our companies. We are so busy working in our businesses that we don’t take the time to work ON our businesses. However, if we don’t spend at least some time on that very thing, we will soon find ourselves without that which we are working hard to preserve.

The saying, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there” is very true. People need to have a plan (map) and follow that in order to get where they really want to be – in both life and in business. That’s what The Work Place Initiative is all about. An organization for small businesses in southcentral Michigan, WPI works with new and emerging entrepreneurial companies to help them find their map to growth and success.

How? Education, peer support and networking are the fundamental prongs of this organization. By learning from experts about issues such as marketing, PR, taxes, the use of social media, etc., small businesses find themselves with a wealth of information on topics that may be useful to their own processes. As well, the companies can share their goals, actions and past histories to help each other when needs arise.

There are three aspects to WPI: the educational forums meet monthly. A guest expert comes in and shares thoughts on topics of interest to the businesses in the community. A second component is the referral group: by learning about each other’s business, these companies are able to reach out to their own network of clients, family and friends with information about their colleagues’ businesses. A pay-it-forward mentality becomes apparent: by helping others, we are actually helping ourselves. And finally, INSIGHTS, the cornerstone of WPI, brings into play Napoleon Hill’s concept of Mastermind Groups where a small group of businesses come together to share their thoughts and ideas:
"No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind."

Nancy Sherman, the Director of the Initiative, is a business professional with 30 years of experience. Successfully having run a consulting/administrative company in Washington, DC since 1983, she started the Initiative there in 2004. Since then, she has moved back to her roots to help care for her aging parents, and is starting over again in rural Midwest America. With degrees in psychology, sociology and counseling, Nancy cares a great deal about seeing businesses in the community grow and prosper. Her goal for 2009 is to help at least 50 small companies in her district open, grow and sustain themselves to the next level of their success.

Belief in the value of businesses and the sharing of thoughts and knowledge are what has put WPI on the map for small business growth. If you’re in southcentral Michigan, check out The Work Place Initiative and come on over to a forum someday.

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Rural small business people, want to introduce yourself? Send me up to 500 words and two photos, max.

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Two online reviews sites relevant to small towns