As small business grows, it accumulates forms, lists, procedures and other resources which become the backbone of the company’s functioning. Over time, these important documents become scattered and soon people begin asking, “Is this the most recent form we should use?” “Is this the latest list?” “Where is the certification we just updated?”

Coherent use of resources is essential to your work, yet bringing about coherence can be a daunting task, especially if the resources have been allowed to grow uncontrolled. But it’s not impossible. It just takes a well-chosen method and a quiet afternoon.

Start by Organizing the Paper

The most primitive, but effective method of achieving document coherence is to create a big, fat 3-ring binder with tabs dividing the resources into categories. Obsolete pages can be culled, and gaps in the collection can be easily noticed.

This hard-copy can be an easy reference, as long as the path/filename of the corresponding digital version is displayed on the document. This can be an important first step, especially if many of the resources are hard copy, as opposed to digital.

Binders are also great if there is a certain type of static (not often changed) information which needs to be easily accessed without the user being chained to a computer. An example would be out on a factory floor where the worker needs to quickly check the drill bit size required to accomodate a particular screw. Don’t bother that guy with a computer. But even that information should be digitized so the clean-hands bunch can find it.

Decide: In-House or Web-Based Distribution

For our computerized world, after reviewing the hard copies and organizing them, you will now need to make an important decision: Will your resource site always stay local (operating on your computer or local network only) or, will there be a chance that you might want to post it on the internet, for use of employees when they are remote?

Ramification: If you will only operate locally, the resource site can link to any file in any network or shared folder. If you post to the web, all resources and the site itself need to be in one master folder, so that it can be uploaded to a web host with all links intact.

At my company, we decided to prepare for posting remotely. Our people are increasingly traveling and they will need the resources.

Select, Update and Move Resources

This created a useful process for building the site. Each resource could be reviewed one-by-one, then moved to the site folder. In fact, we converted many of them to HTML during the process, so they would render on the screen rather than act as downloads.

Name your master folder something like “resource-site” (avoid spaces in all folder names and filenames). If you have a network, place the folder at the highest visible level of your folder structure and give all appropriate employees access to this folder.

Use Subfolders for Organization

Create a few subfolders under this master folder which organize the forms and documents into categories, such as “Sales,” “Accounting,” “Products”, etc. Then start the process:

1. Open the resource file

2. Check it and update it.

3. If you want it rendered, or viewable in the browser, convert it to HTML if you can. Try File/Save As/ and select “HTML” or “Web Page” as the file type. Save it directly into the folder you just created under the folder named “resource-site”.

4. If you want the resource to be offered as a download from the resource website, simply move it to the new folder using Windows Explorer or “File Save As”.

5. As you go, if you find multiple versions of the same form, dispose of all obsolete files.

6. Obsolete the moved file from its previous location by either deleting it or adding “-OLD” to the end of the filename.

7. Notify co-workers of the change you made via email and remind them weekly that resources are being moved to a new location. When they add resources, they must do so in the correct location, or better yet, submit it to a person designated as the site webmaster.

The work you have done to this point will bring about a marked improvement in company performance. Now, take it to the next level. Get it online.

Can the Browser Display it?

The word “online”, in this instance, means accessible via browser software, such as Internet Explorer of Mozilla Firefox. In some senses, browsers are universal interfaces. Browsers will do something with any file type. For instance, Browsers readily display HTML, TXT, JPG, PNG, GIF file types.

If a “plug-in” or “viewer” software is installed into your browser, then the browser will be able to display these also, but not necessarily modify them. Examples files which can be commonly viewed after installing a plugin: PDF, DOC, XLS.

If the browser can’t display the file type, it will offer the file to you as a download. Don’t think of this as a limitation, but rather a design parameter. It can come in handy when you want to deliver a fresh form to a user, and force the user to save it in a new location. Examples of files not readily viewed in a browser: Autocad formats such as DWG or DXF.

Create the Resource Site Using Excel

Here’s how to create an online resource site which will allow access to your important documents and forms through a browser, using Microsoft Excel. For this example, I used Microsoft Office Excel 2003.

Open a new workbook in Excel. Place your company logo at the top by clicking “Insert/Picture/From File” and selecting your logo. If the picture needs modification such as resizing, right click on it and select “Format Picture”. Then you have a world of options.

If you think your resource site will have many links, use the tabs in Excel to correspond to your major categories. These tabs will carry over to the web page version. If not, just work with one page. You can add tabbed pages later.

Set the Width

Decide how many columns of links you will want to display. If it will be one column only, widen column A so that it stretches about 800 or 900 pixels wide. If everyone is using wide screens, you can go up to about 1100 pixels wide. For all purpose use, I believe 900 pixels is better. Do your work on monitors similar to ones your co-workers will use to get the best visual feedback.

If you want more columns, drag the columns so they are equal and add up to 900 pixels. These columns will be where you will place your links.

At the top of each column, but beneath the logo, enter main categories of resources you will be presenting. In cells below these headings, type names of each resource you want to link to. These will be the names of the links you are building. You don’t need to enter filenames to describe your resource, just a simple understandable resource name.

Take some time with this step, it will be an exercise in organizing your thinking and your company’s organization.

Sort the Resource List

You can use Excel’s Data/Sort capability to alphabetize the resources.

Build Your Links

Right click on a link name, then click “Hyperlink”. In the dialog window, at the upper left corner, click “Link to Existing File or Web Page”, then navigate to the file in your computer or network.

Select the target file. Where it says “Text to Display” you should see the name you already selected for the resource. You can change it there if you like.

Click “OK”. The link name on your page will now display in the familiar blue underlined text.

Easy, isn’t it? Do a bunch more. Don’t worry about making mistakes. Everything you do can (and probably will be) edited and corrected.

Then click File/Save As. In the dialog box, navigate to your resource-site folder. Name the file “resource-site”. Where it says “Save as type”, select “Web Page”.

Do not save it as an Excel Workbook.

Before you save it, you will have a choice of whether to save the entire workbook or only the selected page (”Selection:Sheet”). If your Resource Site is only one page, select accordingly. If you only have one page with content, Excel will only produce a one-page site, even with “Entire Workbook” selected.

If you are using multiple tabbed sheets in Excel for your Resource Site, select “Entire Workbook” and the tabbing function will be preserved in the site. Having the tabbing available on your resource site is a very nice feature.

Give Your Site a Title

You can also click “Change Title” to use a different title for display in the title bar of the browser. Select a title which will tell your story in the title bar. It adds credibility when the browser title shows “Acme Resource Site” as opposed to “Resource Site.html”. Your title bar will show your web page file name if you don’t specify a title.

You can now click “Save”.

You are a Webmaster!

Open your browser. Click “File/Open” or “File/Open File” (depending on the browser), and browse to your Resource Site file. Click “Open”. If you see your Resource Site rendered on the screen, you just published a website!

Technically, since it is not hosted on the World Wide Web but rather in a closed system, some might argue that it is not a “web” site, but I won’t tell if you don’t. If you upload the same folder to a web server and pointed a URL at resource-site.htm, it would be undisputably a website.

Fine Tuning

One at a time, click on the sample links you posted. Observe how the file opens. This can vary from user to user depending upon the browser and add-ins, also known as plug-ins, the browser has installed. Based upon these variables, results may not be consistent across your entire user base, but it should be close.

When I create sites using Excel, I review the results of my work in two browsers simultaneously, Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. They display differently, especially in the location of graphics. For consistency, you may need to left-justify your logos and images.

To edit, have same resource-site.htm file open in Excel and both browsers at the same time. Make your edit in Excel, click “Save”, then refresh both browsers. You will see your results immediately. Make your corrections accordingly. After a few rounds of this, you will have a great Resource Site.

Teach your people to set their browser home page to the resource site, and you now have a company-wide Resource Website.

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Complete program at: fora.tv Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai speaks on the relationship between scarce natural resources and global conflict. —– Wangari Maathai on “Unbowed: A Memoir” Wangari Maathai, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, is the founder of the Green Belt Movement in her home country of Kenya, an environmental group that has restored indigenous forests and assisted rural women by paying them to plant trees in their communities. Since 1977, it has planted more …

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Mark Meshulam helps small business with
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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Create a Resource Website for Your Company

We Buy Your Business

For some, planning a business exit can be a predictable, methodical process. We know the competition; we understand market demands, know when we want to sell and might even know the actual date. But for far too many business owners, the business exit comes as a harsh reality and often unplanned event.

Protecting your business and assets against the dreaded six D’s of an unplanned business exit can give whole new meaning to the term “Disaster Management”. While every business may experience unexpected pitfalls, careful planning to ensure risk exposure is minimized can assist in keeping you in the driver’s seat when it comes to managing your company. Familiarize yourself with the six D’s of an unplanned business exit: debt, death, disability, divorce, departure and disaster. Know the enemy and look to address all six D’s in your operating and buy / sell agreements.

The Six D’s of an Unplanned Business Exit

Debt:No one goes into business and plans on it not succeeding, but 40,000 businesses fail every month in the United States. When debt exceeds revenue, it is critical to exit timely in order to minimize loses. Understanding limitations and protecting critical assets are key to successful divesture.

Death:Many businesses are solely dependant on their owner’s abilities, relationships, and passion to drive success, and when there is a death of an owner or partner of a business, it can have significant impact to a business almost immediately. While no one wants to consider their own demise, the strength and longevity of a business relies on being able to plan for such a critical loss even if it means downsizing or reorganization. The survival of a business in relation to key individuals needs to be evaluated and exit strategies planned accordingly.

Disability:Unbelievably, death is not as likely to end the business as a disability. A disability to a business partner can put a significant drain on cash flow, daily workloads, and excess down time, all of which can be devastating. Insurance and financial planning towards alleviating such an impact needs to be carefully evaluated especially when dealing with small business start ups where funding and resources are limited.

Divorce:No one wants to plan for a business or personal divorce, yet while Pre-nuptial agreements may be gaining in popularity many people never look to manage such impact to their businesses. What happens when the partners cannot get along? Or worse, you inherit another partner due to a personal divorce settlement? Exiting the business might be the only alternative you are provided.

Departure:It does not sound as bad as death, but it can wreak the same results. A partner, key employees, or other resources decide to go to the competition, retire, burn out, or win the lotto. When they leave, how does this impact your business going forward?

Disaster:If the five D’s above where not enough to impact your business, there are no limit to the other disasters that may occur that were never planned on: robbery, sickness, employee theft, employee turnover, natural devastating events, etc. In today’s post Katrina, 911 world the impact of the chaos theory is enough to keep even the best business minds awake at night. Plan for the worst; strive for the best and know when to get out if need be.

For the typical business owner, each one of the six D’s has special demands on the family, income, taxes, and control of assets. An agreement, commonly called buy/sell agreements, can be used to plan for the impact associated with the dreaded six D’s. A successful sustaining business exists as a separate entity from personal concerns and risk can be reduced by developing mutually fair and equitable agreements prior to these events occurring.

Business is an evolution and travels a diverse path. While some may look on an unplanned exit as a failure others may see an opportunity for growth and freedom.

www.WeBuyYourBusiness.com

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Yung Berg Ft Casha – The Business Lyrics If you know exactly what I wanna do Then I’m a give the businees to you See I ain’t neva met a girl That’s getting down like you And I ain’t neva met a girl That put it down like you (Ay ay ay ay ay) Say thug in yo life That’s what you need shawty Anything you want It’s guarenteed for my Boo boo boo boo boo And I ain’t tryina go hard For what I need shawty I’m tryina tell you exactly what I need from You you you you you Cause you know I wanna [Chorus …

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While living in Ukraine, music was Milana Leshinsky’s life. But when she moved to the United States in 1992 and discovered the world of Internet marketing, Milana started singing to a different tune. By launching an Internet-based venture, she reinvented herself as a successful entrepreneur, author, and advisor to life and business coaches.

That is why Milana is featured, along with other successful, self-employed entrepreneurs, in a new book, “The Official Get Rich Guide to Information Marketing on the Internet” by Robert Skrob and Bob Regnerus. The book, out in September 2008, is the sequel to last year’s “The Official Get Rich Guide to Information Marketing.” Milana’s transition from music to an Internet info-marketer began when she started doing web design for an insurance company and a newspaper. But it was only after Milana was hired by coaches to develop their websites that the budding entrepreneur started to hit high notes.

“At first, I didn’t even know what a ‘coach’ was,” Milana admits. “But after a third time a coach came to me for a website, I took notice and started to investigate this industry.” Milana started a membership site for coaches using all the materials she gathered during her research and her business took off. “One of the clients who hired me to do a website was a coach who asked me to be part of her team,” Milana recalls. “Later, I wrote an e-book, “How to Grow your Coaching Practice on the Internet” and she wrote the foreword for it.

Her partnership gave me a lot of credibility.” Milana’s “doorway into the industry,” however, was a website called Tele-Class.com by the late Thomas Leonard, a key player in the field of personal and business coaching. Milana advertised monthly tele-seminars on this site, eventually creating a membership site and a program called “7Habits of Most Successful Coaches.” “I noticed that successful coaches had products, names for themselves, processes and follow-up sequences,” Milana says.

“So I gathered all of these factors into a program and I coached people who had sites that didn’t generate business. I critiqued the site and worked with the clients to create content to rework it.” Milana had clearly found her niche but, she says, she needed a “breakthrough” to get to the next level of her business. She found it during a mastermind session, “Infopreneur’s Think Tank,” with Sterling Valentine, which led her to telephone based, multi-day events called “tele-summits.” This was the win-win solution not only for Milana, who didn’t like to attend live conferences, but also for her clients, because they had an opportunity to participate in training programs without having to spend time and money to travel.

“With Sterling, I created a global event for coaches,” Milana says. “Before, the word ‘tele-summit’ didn’t even exist, so that was my big break.” How big? Milana’s first eight-day tele-summit netted $60,000 – with more to come. “That was huge for me, but the chain reaction happened afterwards,” she reports. However, that chain reaction resulted in Milana’s site being flooded with too many products, so it was hard to market. In fact, websites cluttered with too many graphics and too much useless information are counterproductive, Skrob notes.

“The more choices you put in front of people, the longer it will take them to make a decision and the less likely they are to be happy with the choice they make. When the number of options gets overwhelming, people often respond by making no decision at all.” So Milana hired a consultant who suggested folding all her products into one – a home study course called Coaching Millions, based on her book, “Coaching Millions Business Building System.” The other part of Milana’s venture is her “Coaching Business Mastery,” which includes a home study course and an implementation program. A streamlined landing or opt-in page was essential to Milana’s continued success.

“These pages are the best way to welcome potential customers to your website, and they allow you to establish the right type of relationship with your visitors,” Skrob says. “An effective, well-written landing page builds trust and establishes your credibility. The more visitors you convince to opt in, the more sales you’ll make.”

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Surprised that no one had done this, I decided to bring Avenue Q full circle and create a parody of “The Internet is For Porn” with Sesame Street characters. Enjoy!

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Learn more about Bill Glazer, business Information, how to grow online business on the Internet. Please visit www.internetinformationmarketing.com for further detail.