How to Ensure Your Employees’ Productivity

The last thing any employer wants is to have a workforce that puts procrastination over productivity. Unfortunately there are just some employees who are going to push against that envelope at every chance they get. It’s one thing if you have someone who works best under pressure and can still turn out a fantastic product reliably in a short time frame. It’s another if that someone is simply easily distracted or doesn’t mind producing a lackluster product and would rather spend time playing games on Steam.

So what do you do? How do you make sure that your employees stay on track?

1. Monitoring Software

Some companies will install monitoring software that will allow them to “log in” and see what any employee is doing at any given time. If you have some particularly problematic employees, this might be a good way to “catch them in the act.” Another good way to go is to use Network Monitoring Tools that track and record details like traffic, resource allotment, etc. This way, even if someone minimizes a window when you walk by (or in case you “log in”) you can see how much bandwidth they are using. If you know the volume of resources they should be using, telling who is spending more time surreptitiously watching YouTube will be obvious.

2. Regular Reviews

Performance appraisals (some employers choose to call them, simply, Performance Reviews) are a great way to improve employee productivity (nobody wants a bad review!). The trick is to have them regularly. Most employers will only do them once every twelve months because, frankly, most employers hate doing performance reviews more than the employees! It’s better to have them at least every six months. If you have the time or your employee pool is small enough, having them every three months can keep productivity levels high. It also helps you maintain contact and keep tabs on how your business as a whole. It is helpful, particularly if you are going to have them more often, to strive for an informal and conversational style. Encourage feedback from your employees as well as asking them to accept the feedback you give to them.

3. Provide Helpful Tools

There are lots of different productivity apps out there that you (and your employees) can use to help manage time, stay on task and increase productivity. Embrace the technology and implement it on all of your work-related machines. Foot the bill for the better, and more expensive, apps so that your employees don’t have to.

4. Offer Great Benefits

In addition to basic health care benefits, other benefits like company cars (or gas allowances), free childcare (or as close to free as you can offer it), paid kid sick days and allowing employees to telecommute when they need to can all help improve your employees’ productivity. Why? Who would want to risk losing a job with all of those sweet benefits? Further, those benefits help your employees relax while they are on the job. That relaxation feeds into their desire to give their best performance at work. Everybody wins.

There are lots of ways to incentivize your employees to stay on task and to be as productive as possible. The hardest thing is not deciding whether or not to offer those incentives but which incentives you want to focus on.

Kelly Jane Brown is an aspiring writer, entrepreneur and student at UCLA.

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Five Technology Must-Haves for Your Startup

Each year, nearly 20 percent of small businesses stop operating temporarily, and this interruption results in significant revenue loss for 68 percent of owners. Of those, 40 percent will never resume operations, Capstone Technologies reports. As a small business owner, it’s vital you invest in technology that you can rely on. Implement the latest tech solutions that will grow with your company, help you maximize your resources and facilitate a healthy and vibrant business for years to come.

Consult With a Tech Professional

If you can afford it, purchase a technology consultation from a professional who specializes in your field or type of business. Consultant fees are approximately $100 per hour and include an assessment of your company’s needs today and into the future. You can find a referral at Microsoft’s Small Business Specialist Program. Common small business technology decisions you would discuss with a consultant include:

Hardware processing speed and storage capacity
Analog and Internet-based telephone systems
Customer service and professional services software
An in-house server for website hosting and data storage or outsourced and cloud technology
Mobile phones and tablets
A business network
Wireless Internet service
Security software
Bring your own device (BYOD) consultation
Website design and Internet marketing technology

Internet Access

High-speed Internet service is the most reliable and cost-efficient online access model. Most systems are similar; however, some regions only offer a few options, and a consultant or review website will help you compare. A broadband service is the fastest and includes:

Fiber optic service (FiOS): the fastest, but has limited availability
Cable broadband: the next speediest option, but may operate more slowly during peak Internet times, because the connection is shared with other users in your area
DSL: relatively fast, but slower as the distance from the server increases

In a rural area, you may need to use satellite Internet such as Hughesnet Gen4, or a mobile wireless system such as Clear.

Computer Hardware

A basic computer needs approximately 4GB of memory, an 80GB hard drive and a 3GHZ processor. An 18-inch or larger monitor is an inexpensive upgrade that will help employees avoid tired and strained eyes.

Data Storage

Cloud technology for data storage can save your business a lot of trouble in the case of an emergency or server crash. It is safe, easily accessible and inexpensive. Most services allow you to limit access to files and come with sharing options that enable users to edit and replace files. It also tracks user activity for added security. Dropbox has a business version with low fees and graduated data capacity options.

Portable Digital Devices

Smartphones, tablets and laptops are prevalent in today’s business world. You may decide to save money and allow employees to use their own phone or other mobile device, but there are some potential legal ramifications, such as unlawful use with “sexting” and other forms of unsanctioned communication that your company could be liable for. If you do allow BYOD, make sure you establish a firm BYOD policy.

Website with Mobile Options

A high-quality website is a significant investment. It is probably the most important communications and ecommerce tool you have. Hire a professional website development team with a solid reputation. Ask them to explain the features you need and the latest design advancements, including responsive design (design that resizes the site for viewing on mobile devices). Mobile search is growing—Google reports that 67 percent of users search and make purchases from mobile devices.

A basic website can range from $5,000 to $10,000, while a responsive design website can range from $15,000 to $25,000. Responsive features cannot be added to a standard website later, but if you cannot afford a responsive site, you can purchase a mobile website that costs as little as $13 per month. A mobile site is a simplified version of your website with large buttons and fewer columns for the mobile user’s ease of use.

Jack Wilson manages multiple corporate design projects by day, while fitting in some part-time freelance writing by night.

5 Strategies for a Carbon-Neutral Startup

The fact that the business industry is trending towards actively incorporating more sustainable business practices is no secret. Consumer interest and the possibility of increased profit margins are demanding it. Making an effort to reduce harmful emissions, curb energy consumption, and eliminate waste has turned out to be excellent opportunities for small businesses to build customer loyalty and lower operating costs at the same time.

Start measuring. Start saving

One way to dramatically decrease the carbon footprint your business will develop over time is to get serious about your energy consumption from the start. One way to effectively maintain low operating costs is to effectively manage how much energy your business consumes regularly.

Fortunately there are energy monitoring systems available that provide in-depth tracking of how much electricity your home or office consumes daily and can provide you with actionable data, accessible from anywhere, that helps you make smart business decisions concerning your energy needs.

Cut costs by using less paper

If a typical office worker uses approximately 10,000 sheets of paper each year then going paperless will naturally help lower your operating costs and improve your environmental standing. So before you go out and purchase tons of paper or start printing invoices and customer data consider one of the many paperless options available that make retrieving, sharing ,and transferring files and information more convenient and also boosts employee productivity and the overall efficiency of your business in the process.

Is “work from anywhere” right for your business?

There is an increasing trend of companies that are promoting a “work from anywhere” culture in to their structure. With the help of technology, accomplishing work-related tasks from a mobile location is not just easy, it’s pretty commonplace. Employees can easily participate in video conference calls, respond to emails, and complete sales on the go. All of these options make it possible for savvy business owners to lower the expense of maintaining office space and at the same time allow more flexibility with employee schedules.

Take advantage of Software as a Service (SaaS)

Taking advantage of internet-based software and cloud applications can also greatly reduce the impact your startup has on the environment. For example, using Quickbooks online for your accounting needs and Adobe Creative Cloud for your design needs eliminates the need the need to purchase multiple software licenses in order to grow your business.

Many businesses are finding value in software as a service (SaaS) products, and not just because they can significantly reduce operating costs. Many small business owners are jumping on the bandwagon because these platforms can significantly reduce carbon footprints by all but eliminating IT support costs since hardware and software maintenance for your business applications is outsourced to the vendor.

Buy recycled and reuse often

Taking advantage of recycled office supplies is another highly effective way to launch a more sustainable business. Items like ink toner, cartridges, and most paper products can be recycled at no cost to you. Even outdated electronics can be recycled, regardless of brand or condition.

Because the materials used don’t have to be harvested or refined a second time adopting a policy of reusing items like binders, paper clips and bubble mailers and also purchasing office supplies made from recycled materials will definitely have an appreciative impact on your bottom line.

Although many of the carbon offsetting initiatives in use today undoubtedly require a financial investment upfront, they will nevertheless pay for themselves in a relatively short amount of time and increase the flexibility and productivity of your business along with it.

Zoe Maldonado is a blogger for TechBreach and enjoys writing about all things mobile and electronic and spending time with her very active twin boys.

How to Get Inspiration from Your Family

There was a time when people were born into occupations. Craftsmen spent long apprenticeships learning a trade, inside and out. Though times have changed, businesses born from family traditions are still thriving all over the world.

These businesses are special because they have roots. For my family, it was baseball. My dad took our love of baseball and turned it into J&B Baseball Cards. My dad was willing to invest his hard-earned money in something I was passionate about, and his example was instrumental in my decision to start my own business as an adult.

What You Have to Offer

If your family’s hobby, tradition, or “secret recipe” is something others find valuable and would pay for, it could lead to a profitable business. You’ve lived and breathed it your whole life, so you probably do it better than anyone else. Here are some examples of small family businesses I’ve seen that have the potential to be lucrative:

Homemade Goods: We had Amish neighbors who were amazing cooks, and they had a nice little side business selling their food to the public. Artisan goods are hot right now, and it’s easy to get involved with your local farmer’s market to sell jams, jellies, pies, etc.

Pet Services: We recently bought a puppy and have been learning how to train him by watching video tutorials. It’s a tough job, but if you love animals, you can run a side business training puppies, walking dogs, or even grooming pets.

Landscaping: My best friend learned the hard work required for a business from his father, and when he was 16, he fell in love with landscaping. Now, he’s one of the best landscape designers in the Midwest. If you know what grows well in your region and don’t mind hard work, landscaping can be a profitable family business.

Admittedly, these are more small businesses than global, scalable startups. But, with a little thought and innovation, it wouldn’t be hard to turn your family hobby into a global brand. It worked for Wal-Mart, Mattel, and Whole Foods.

Why It’s Viable

The key to viability is demand from others combined with the ability to provide a solution to a hungry market. There are two distinct advantages to creating a startup from a family tradition:

Experience: Research conducted by Anders Ericsson indicates it takes 10,000 hours of dedicated practice for someone to become an expert at something. When you start a business from a family tradition, especially if you’ve been immersed in it since childhood, you’ve dedicated the time necessary to learn and experience it deeply, and that puts you a step ahead of the competition.
Budget: Tight budgets are a reality for almost every startup. However, when you have the experience of a tradition, you can avoid major expenses, such as research on the trade itself. You already know the pitfalls to avoid and have likely determined the most cost-efficient materials or resources.

How to Get Started

The good news is that people want to buy local to support family businesses in their community. If you’re ready to try your hand at a tradition-born business, follow these three tips for success:

1. Start Small: Try to make your first dollar in the early stages, and don’t invest thousands in building something you’re not sure others want. Make your offering available to the public, make a small investment, and see where it goes.
2. Keep Quiet: It’s natural to want to tell people when you’re excited, but be careful about deluging people with your enthusiasm. Some people may try to discourage you, but it’s important to believe in yourself and your idea.
3. Have Fun: When you make something a business, you can lose sight of what you loved about it in the first place. Don’t forget to have fun. Involve your family in certain areas so they’re a special part of the business. I include my parents in stories and reports, and they love feeling like a part of our company’s success.

Starting a business is hard, but the more you pour yourself into something, the more likely it is you’ll commit to it and succeed. There will be challenges, but when you survive them, you and your business will emerge stronger. Carry a family tradition into your work, and you’ll truly see roots take hold.

Joe Barton is the founder of Barton Publishing and other websites that promote natural health through teaching people how to cure themselves using alternative home remedies (using simple grocery store items, herbs, vitamins, exercises, and more) instead of expensive and harmful prescription drugs.

How To Craft Your Startup’s Culture

Embarking on a startup is such an exciting experience simply because of the vast possibilities. Your ideas and goals will take on a variety of shapes and forms, and watching everything unfold is half the fun.

Still, while the excitement lies in the experience, it is still up to you to set the stage. When it comes to crafting your startup’s culture, being thoughtful, introspective and assertive will serve you, your customers, and your team well. Here’s how to take those first few steps.

Understand Your Vision

You cannot get what you want without first knowing what you want. While it may be hard to put your thoughts and feelings into words, you still have to try. For example, define what attitudes you want in employees i.e. thoughtful, informative, enthusiastic.

Define the experiences you want customers to have i.e. educating, fulfilling, comforting. Once you plot out your feelings in black and white you can start to build pathways to reaching those desired results.

Do Not Compromise Your Values

As the leader of a startup, there is no question that you will be living, eating, and breathing your work. Because of the inevitable black hole that people tend to fall into in order to get things off of the ground, be sure to keep your values as your guiding light.

Before you open for business, have a conversation with yourself that reaffirms your moral and ethical ideals. Business strategies, working relationships, and conflict resolutions are all going to require you to think on your feet. Be sure to draft a working plan on how you would like to deal with things (while defining your nonnegotiables) first so that in the heat of any moment, you will know in your heart what you want to do.

Match People and Personalities

Once you draft the ideal environment be sure to fill it with people who will excel in your unique climate. As time goes on, the people that work for you will end up being in closer contact with your customers than you yourself, so you need to ensure that they will carry out the desired plans and actions you’ve set in place.

While you do not have to match each other’s personalities, you certainly can’t clash and above all, every person on your team (including you) needs to carry out the attitude you’re going for in every decision, interaction and move made.

Praise and Celebrate

Crafting your culture will not mean much if you do not continue to instill it in real time. One positive way to do this is to reward people with incentives for carrying out the ideals of the business while making a successful X (sale, connection, discovery).

If you want people to adopt your culture as their working lifestyle, incorporate some feel good emotions by finding your own way to celebrate successes. Celebrations all too often get overlooked in businesses, but those moments of pause and praise can give people a chance to really root in. Define what is worth celebrating in your special world (birthdays, holidays, milestone accomplishments) and make the effort to connect as a team through those festivities.

Keep in mind that your culture is the air in your startup’s lungs. Values and beliefs need to be reiterated day in and day out by means of communication and living by example.

About the author: Kelly Gregorio writes about topics that affect small businesses and entrepreneurs while working at Advantage Capital Funds, a merchant cash advance provider. You can read her daily business blog here.

What Investors Really Want to Know

Venture capitalists (VCs) make you work hard for their money by inundating you with question after question about your fundraising process, your company goals, your founding team, among other things. Many of these questions will seem reasonable. Some will seem ridiculous.

But no matter the question, you must have an answer. And your answers better be good.

Behind all of this interrogation, there is one key underlying question: what makes you different? Regardless of the variation on the theme, your potential VC is really asking why your business — as compared to others vying for their money — is worth their investment.

If you’re ready to join the ranks of funded entrepreneurs, you need to be prepared to answer this key question. How?

Begin with a thorough competitive analysis

You need to be able to paint the big picture in broad strokes, providing a comprehensive overview of the competitive market, including potential risks, success factors, and barriers to entry.

Build your value proposition

What is your unique value proposition — and how can you prove it? Identify your customers (or potential customers) and their needs. What pain point are you addressing and what’s your proposed solution?

Once you’ve done your competitive analysis and built your value proposition, you’re ready to make the case for what makes you different, weaving your unique selling points throughout your entire pitch. Make sure to consider the following when crafting your response:

Offering. Specifically, what product or service are you providing that nobody else does? Even if there are many competitors with a similar offering, how can you distinguish yours? Is it a difference of perspective? Cost? Ease of use? Target the little (or big) things that prove the uniqueness of your offering. There needs to be a hook somewhere; find it and use it.
Approach. What makes your business model or marketing strategy stand out? Detail your market penetration potential, including potential sales and distribution channels. You want to show that you have a plan for making money, a plan that is adapted for your particular company — a plan that will work (even where others may have failed).
Technology. If it’s your state-of-the-art technology that makes you different, push this point. Be prepared to show off the technology that is the engine powering your business. Note that if it’s your technology that makes you stand out, you also need to be prepared to discuss future tech developments to show your competitive advantage won’t be lost somewhere down the road, post investment.
Team. Sometimes it’s the people at a startup who make it stand. If this is your company strength, sell it. Who are your key players? What were their previous successes? As any successful serial entrepreneur can tell you, an all-star team (or even a team with one lone shining star) can be a powerfully effective selling point.

It really all boils down to what makes you special. VCs meet so many entrepreneurs; they are the audience for an endless litany of pitches. Unfortunately, this means VCs are often bored and somewhat jaded. They are looking for a spark, for the magic. And they won’t dig to find it. That’s not their job.

It’s your responsibility to bring to the forefront what makes you stand out. Ultimately, you want to thoroughly convince the VC, that, if they take the leap of faith to invest in you, you are going to execute on your vision in a way that you—and only you—are in the unique position to execute on.

David Ehrenberg is the founder and CEO of Early Growth Financial Services, a financial services firm providing a complete suite of financial services to companies at every stage of the development process. He’s a financial expert and startup mentor, whose passion is helping businesses focus on what they do best. Follow David @EarlyGrowthFS.

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.

A Startup Guide to Energy Efficiency

The best time to start thinking about energy efficiency and cost saving for your startup is as soon as you start detailing your business plan. Build energy saving steps into your plan early, and start saving money on day one. If you wait until the business is moving down a path of wasting energy, you’ll spend a lot more time and money getting back onto a cleaner path.

Begin creating energy-efficient policies and procedures so your staff will know you are serious about saving energy. Reinforce and reward energy-saving behaviors. It’s easier starting this way than trying to change the company culture later.

This also gives you an opportunity to think about your energy usage plan. If you’re in an energy-deregulated state, choose an energy provider that meets your preferences. If you consider yourself a “green” company, this is the chance to associate your business with one of the renewable energy resources available in your area.

Start a List by Starting Simple

A startup has enough things to think about, so they should start simple when it comes to energy management. Start with the lights in your office.

Take advantage of the natural light coming in through the windows. Keep the lights off throughout the day if there is enough natural light for people to do their work. Change the light bulbs in the office to energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). Where you need more lighting or spot lighting, use halogen lights or LED clusters.

Install motion sensors where it makes sense in the office. Areas such as restrooms benefit from motion sensors, so the lights aren’t on for long periods when there are no people present. Get your office lighting on a schedule. Make sure the lights are off during evenings, weekends, and holidays when people aren’t there.

Be on Schedule

Depending on the type of business you have, a startup schedule can be very important. Food Service Equipment and Supplies suggest a food service business can save a lot on energy costs by creating a schedule of when to turn on cooking surfaces. A broiler that is only used at lunch and dinner doesn’t need to be turned on at breakfast. Put the kitchen on a schedule on opening day, so the staff gets accustomed to the procedures.

Track the Temperature

Monitor the HVAC system and thermostat. Again, the environment only needs to be comfortable when people are present. If you open windows to allow fresh air in, adjust the thermostat so you don’t lose energy dollars out the windows.

Make sure doors and windows seal properly when closed. Doors should have automatic closures on them. Your HVAC expenses could be some of your highest costs. Be sure to fine-tune your heating and cooling schedule so you’re not wasting money.

Be Well-Equipped

The U.S. Small Business Administration recommends using equipment with the Energy Star rating. To receive this rating, products must prove they can operate 10-15 percent more efficiently than the non-rated devices.

Plug desktops, monitors and printers into power strips so they can be turned off while not being used. Minimize printer and copier use. The startup phase is a good time to try to be a “paperless” office.

Peggy Smith

Peggy is a sustainability specialist from Arizona who writes about solar energy and green living.

Rookie Mistakes Startups Make All Too Often

When an entrepreneur is preparing to launch his first business venture, he works hard to avoid making critical mistakes. But there have been plenty of instances where business rookies made blunders that almost cost them their financial futures. If you are a business rookie, then you can smooth out your startup by learning from the mistakes of others.

Not Delivering on Promises

Image via Flickr by hz536n/George Thomas

Business rookies think that making big promises is the best way to get people interested in a new business venture. But if you do not deliver on those promises, then it could cost you dearly. In 1958, Ford marketed the Edsel as the “futuristic automobile of the future.” The anticipation was so heavy that people waited weeks just to see the new design. When it was finally released, the Edsel did not deliver on any of the marketing hype that preceded it, and it cost Ford money and severely damaged the company’s reputation.

Not Scouting the Competition

In the 1970’s, Betamax and VHS were competing to see which would be the home video format of choice. Sony was pushing the Betamax, but the bulky Betamax machines and limited tape recording time were no match for JVC’s VHS format. Sony made the mistake of not doing a comprehensive analysis of the competition before releasing its product. It is a mistake that too many rookie business owners make, and it can stop their business cold.

Not Incorporating

When you incorporate your business, it becomes its own legal entity and offers you protection from legal action. If you are not incorporated, then a customer could sue your company, and you could lose your home, your car and everything else. If you are incorporated, then you have a level of protection against legal action that can help to protect your personal assets from exposure.

Not Getting Good Money Advice

New business owners have a lot on their minds, and they need to focus on their business to make good decisions. To try to save money, rookie business owners will often neglect getting financial advice from experts because they think it is too expensive. The truth is that good financial advice can pay for itself. You can follow Fisher Investments on Twitter @FisherInvestUK to get good money advice that you can use.

Not Making Wise Decisions

The DeLorean Motor Company started building luxury cars in 1980, and their cars quickly became sought after status symbols. In 1983, founder John DeLorean was recorded telling a government informant that he thought a suitcase full of cocaine was “as good as gold,” and everything changed. It was later revealed that entrapment charges against the officers conducting the investigation allowed DeLorean to go free, but the damage was done. As a business rookie, you need to always think about your business, and make the right decisions for your company and your own future.

A business rookie is always learning important business lessons that should help him become a better business professional. But it is always a good idea to try to avoid making the big rookie mistakes that could cost you the business you have built, and everything you own.

What Do You Do With Your “Aha” Moment?

Eureka! Bingo! Aha.

The “aha moment:” the very second you know that what’s in your head makes sense. Sometimes this “aha moment” means more, though. Your aha moment is that idea that makes your eyes light up and your “free time” turn into daydreaming and/or planning sessions.

Everyone has ideas, but not everyone has an “aha” moment. But, those that do have some pretty special stories.

Though I didn’t know it the first time we shook hands, Brandon Twitty, Founder and President of Dead Inventory Management System (DIMS), is a Marine. “Tatted up” a bit, he gives the impression of a Dwayne Johnson, The Rock, mixed with a young Rocky Balboa at first glance.

“In my eyes, there are two types of ‘aha moments,’” he says. “One is, ‘yeah, I’ve got an idea, and yeah, it’s going to work.’ The other is, ‘I don’t care about anything; I don’t want another job, and this is what I want to do.’”

Most people would still consider the United States to be the wealthiest country in the world. There’s another thing that Americans are usually famous for too: waste. Witnessing firsthand this now commonplace aspect of American life, Twitty saw the opportunity lying in front of him (and all of the other employees of his former company, for that matter) quite literally being thrown in the trash.

What exactly happened, though? He explains, saying, “I was there on a Saturday, and I saw all these guys walking and wheeling away big boxes of [automation parts]. I’m an automation engineer, and I can write programs for automation lines. I knew how to program these machines. But these guys were coming back with nothing, and I knew that the only thing down there was the dumpster. ‘What did you do with all that stuff?’ I asked them. They said they threw it away. So I went and got it and sold it. That was valuable stuff.”

I asked him if the company had a problem with what he was doing, to which he responded with a nonchalant, “No, they don’t care. They do it every four months.”

After asking around the company a bit, he was able to hit the nail on the head. The reason his and other companies around the world throw perfectly good, usable products away: it’s a hassle. Companies could list the products on eBay, but it took too much time. They could keep the inventory in a corner and try to sell it later on, but it takes up dollars and space in the warehouse. Nothing was easy, and nobody wanted to take the time to do it.

Boom. Cue “aha” moment number one.

Twitty programmed a scanner to scan all the extra items in the warehouse companies wanted to sell. “You scanned the item, the scanner took that information and pulled all of the necessary data from the web, and it created a listing for that item. It basically created a full eBay listing in three to five seconds.”

For any of you who have ever tried making any money off of eBay, you know it’s impossible to list items that quickly and that efficiently. Now imagine doing an entire warehouse full of items. I’ll take the scanner.

The second “aha” moment came more like a slowly-realized epiphany.

When Twitty was asked why he thought he could get away with this, his answer was simple.

“I’m a Marine; I’ve been through hell and back. Then I was working 80 hours a week – every week – and I didn’t go home until I got the machine I was working on up and running again. If we had orders to fill before the end of the year, I was there on Christmas Eve…The work wasn’t worth the pay. I knew that I could do all of this stuff by myself,” he said. So he did. Aha.

“As an entrepreneur, you realize you can’t do it all by yourself. So it’s important to have a good team to back up your ‘aha’ moment, and I think I’ve got a good team,” Twitty finished.

(Note: Since then, DIMS has now moved to a cloud-based system for their own online marketplace: www.manufacturersinventory.com.) DIMS was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in St. Louis, MO, where they became part of the Spring 2013 class of the St. Louis-based Capitol Innovators accelerator program. Check out www.deadinventorymanagement.com for more information or follow them on Twitter (@DIMSystem and @mfrinv).

Tyler Sondag is a startup connoisseur with a hand in anything and everything you could imagine. Hailing from the ever-developing Northwest Mississippi, an alum of Saint Louis University and currently a transplant to St. Louis, Missouri, one of his main missions in life is to get and keep young people engaged in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Easy Ways To Save On Electronics As A Startup

Starting your own business is a risky venture. Technology is everything in this day and age, and getting the right equipment for your office is expensive. Here are some easy ways to save on electronics for your startup.

Bring Your Own Device

Image via Flickr by DennisCallahan

Incorporating a BYOD policy is a wise idea. With a BYOD policy, employees will use their own phones as work phones. This will save you a ton of money because you won’t have to buy phones, activate them, and sign them up for data plans. With the BlackBerry 10 OS, people can separate their phone profiles into personal and professional sides, so you won’t get confused with apps and information on either side. You can also use mobile management software so you can keep all of your employees in sync.

Another area where you’ll save money by having a BYOD policy is with office phones. If you’ve got a BYOD policy, you have employees with cell phones — there’s simply no need for an office phone. By not having an office phone, you’ll save hundreds, if not thousands.

Buy Used

Most retailers offer used or refurbished electronics at deep discounts. Take advantage of these deals. They’re under warranty and guaranteed to be as good as new. Check discount stores and online sites such as Craigslist for used furniture. On Craigslist, you’ll often run across people that are just parting with their furniture because they’re moving, so you’ll be able to strike up a good deal.

Search for Deals

Image via Flickr by analogkid281

If you have to have an item and can’t find it used, you’re going to have to search for deals. Sites such as RetailMeNot, Groupon, and CouponShack host deals from around the web, so before you buy anything from any website, check with these sites first. You may end up with free shipping for a percentage off!

Another way to look for deals is with Google Alerts. With Google Alerts, you can have Google send you an alert whenever a product drops in price. This is perfect if you’re waiting for an item to go a few dollars lower before dropping the money on it.

Move to the Cloud

Cloud computing isn’t really anything new, but its popularity is soaring. By moving your servers to the cloud, you’ll save your company thousands of dollars annually. The up-time with a service such as Amazon is likely going to be much better than your current provider, and you can use Amazon for storing data and backing up files. This is ideal for employees that want to work out of the office as they can simply log in, download the files, contribute, and upload it again for the next person to work on. With cloud storage, there’s no need for a centralized office!

If you don’t know what you’re doing, you’ll quickly sink a ton of money into your startup and it’ll fail before it even gets a chance to start.

Have you tried some of these tips? What other tips did you use?

DJ Miller, a graduate student at the University of Tampa. He’s an avid gadget geek and spends most of his time reading or writing. He is a huge fantasy sports fan and even runs his own blog for fantasy help.

Why Niche Conferences Provide the Best ROI for Startups

It’s easy to assume bigger is always better — especially when you’re a small business trying to grow. When it comes to choosing a conference to attend, though, it’s not size that matters as much as niche.

By choosing conferences that have the most industry-specific content and the greatest networking opportunities for your business — as well as making a deliberate effort to meet people before, during, and after the events — you can maximize the ROI of each conference you attend, even if it’s not a monster like TED.

Large vs. Niche Conferences

Huge conferences try to appeal to a diverse pool of potential attendees, casting very large nets and offering a wide range of topics. This is great for a conference trying to sell tickets, but not for small business owners in need of specific, applicable content.

Small business owners with limited budgets need content and opportunities that meet the exact needs of their businesses to make an event worthwhile. Many niche conferences offer great educational panels and workshops for a lower ticket price than some of the big-name conferences, and it’s often easier to connect afterward with speakers.

Another advantage niche conferences have over larger, broader conferences like TED is the type of people they attract. The attendees of smaller conferences tend to be CEOs, presidents, or business owners. Having a pool of decision-makers to mingle with makes niche events networking goldmines.

How to Capitalize on Your Conference

To ensure a conference experience is a valuable one, there are steps a business owner should take before, during, and after:

Before

By doing your homework on each conference’s speaker lineup and event itinerary before you buy tickets, you can get a detailed view of the exact topics covered. Make sure the content, workshops, and speakers connect with the type of business you are and touch on the issues that are important to you.

Investigate the reputation of the organization hosting the conference. A lot of conferences look and sound attractive, but they turn out to be big pitchfests. Make sure the conference you’re attending is committed to providing you with useful material — not just providing its speakers an opportunity to sell their products and services.
Seek out social proof by talking to those who attended the year before. If the conference is new, research the speakers to make sure they’re knowledgeable.

During

With the proper approach, each session can provide value. Just keep asking one question: How does this apply to me/my business?

Listen to the questions others ask. There might be a way to apply the answers given to your own business. Don’t hesitate to connect with someone who asked an interesting question later on, either; sometimes, the most valuable insights emerge from discussions sparked in panels.
Take notes in the moment. I keep a single sheet of paper in the front of my notebook to log my “biggest takeaways.” These are the ideas I want to tackle right away once I get home, but I might lose track of them if I don’t write them down on the spot.
Stay socially active. It’s common for conferences to boast having the coolest parties and networking opportunities, but no amount of “cool” can automate the networking process. You still have to put yourself out there to make connections.

After

The day you get back is crucial. While it’s tempting to dive right in to answering your backlog of emails, right after the conference is when you’re the most motivated to take action on anything you picked up.

Pull out your “biggest takeaways,” and use them to lead a brainstorming session with your team. Decide which ideas are the best for your business, as well as how you’ll implement them.
If you don’t have a team, take out your calendar and designate a time to focus on each idea on your “biggest takeaways” list. This can keep you from losing the momentum and motivation you gained from the conference.

Although big-name conferences may hold a lot of appeal, it’s important to remember that great things come in small packages when you’re deciding where to put your hard-earned money. Look for niche events where you can really connect — you’ll get more than you ever bargained for.

Lena Requist established herself as a powerful force in business before joining ONTRAPORT as COO in 2009. The organization’s own event, Ontrapalooza, is later this fall, Lena has a passion for helping female entrepreneurs and is the founder of a virtual Women in Business group, where empowered women can share their strengths, struggles, and triumphs with each other. Connect with Lena on Google+ or Twitter.

Speaking of conferences, do you have your ticket for Everywhere Else Tennessee?

Three Lessons to Learn from Up-and-Coming Entrepreneurs

What makes so many up-and-coming entrepreneurs so wildly successful?

If you thought it was age, connections, or just some stroke of luck than think again because these modern entrepreneurs have something valuable to bring to the world even if it isn’t apparent to those outside of its understanding.

There is something about their work ethics, passion, and drive to explore the options that allows them to capitalize on trends, innovation, and markets long since dominated by dying companies.

1. Low barriers for action

Eyal Lichtmann sums up, quite perfectly, why agile entrepreneurs are able to make such a big impact:

“Find a niche. Go for it. Everybody has a dream, but only dreams plus action equals reality. There is no guarantee of success, but there is a guarantee of failure if you do not try … Dream big… then focus on the details.”

Traditional businesses are often govern by bureaucracy which places too many hurdles in the way of innovation and agility; smart entrepreneurs go with the flow, set out on big goals, and put in the time, energy, and resources to see a project to completion even if it hasn’t been analyzed to the 10^th degree by some “quality assurance” department.

2. A transparent, agile process

Eric Reis of the Lean Startup book/idea has two very important concepts about business that many traditional and overreaching businesses seem to miss the mark:

· Our goal is to learn as quickly as possible

· Don’t believe your own propaganda

Small and big businesses that were formed on the traditional approach such as outlining a detailed business plan, setting structure, and creating a tough product production process become bogged down with the ability to adapt their products based on customer feedback. Likewise, spikes of success can lead to having a false sense of security in the industry and market when in reality the product is already marching toward doom because it has been outclassed by an up-and-comer.

The thing you want to take away from this is that you must always pay attention to the customers and snap on a moment’s notice to make the changes that will keep them sealed to your brand.

3. Unity through creativity (not tyranny)

A boss should be a leader – not an individual that overly demands and controls every aspect of a project.

Businesses stagnant and waning in their industry, more often than not, are ruled by bosses that have an iron grip on their creative and talented team. The nit-picking and micro-management stifles creativity from those that are fully trained to complete a task – they were hired for their talent but the boss becomes their toughest hurdle.

The business that are doing great, agile things are the ones that allow for creativity thinking, flexibility in their work, encouragement from their peers and bosses, and give all the appropriate tools and resources to tackle an objective in the manner they see best fit.

Because these entrepreneurs act like leaders, rather than bosses, they are able to create and innovate in their industry where others fall flat.

Kelly Jane Brown is an aspiring writer, entrepreneur and student at UCLA.

13 Pieces of Startup Advice You Never Thought Of

Question: What’s your most unorthodox/funny/strange-but-good advice to other startup founders?

Get a Vacuuming Robot

“When you’re in startup mode, you’re not thinking about cleaning. The downside is that your environment really affects your productivity, so having a clean home office is crucial. Consider hiring a cleaning service or getting a vacuuming robot to make sure that you’re working in the best conditions so you can produce your best work!”

– Nathalie Lussier | Creator, The Website Checkup To

Working Out Will Save You Time

“I’ve found I’m so much more efficient after I work out that I always gain productive time, not lose it. Seems counter-productive for many, but my startup founder friends who don’t exercise regularly find it harder to stay focused, tougher to be creative, difficult to maintain a good diet, and are just less happy in general.”

– Derek Flanzraich | CEO and Founder, Greatist

Clean Your Employees’ Mugs

“As a founder and leader of your startup, you want to demonstrate to your team that everyone has to play multiple roles within the company — and some roles will be cool, others not so much. On Monday mornings, I like to go around and ask team members whether they need their mugs cleaned. Sure, I like to clean, but also I like to demonstrate that I am not above playing the role of a dishwasher.”

– Eric Bahn | Co-Founder, Hustle Con Media

Make a Championship Belt

“Create fun ways to reward employees. I give my employees a championship belt to place on their desks when they do something exceptional for the company. You will be able to get top performance from your employees by showcasing unique rewards.”

– John Hall | CEO, Influence & Co.

Decorate Your Work Space

“Boring work spaces make boring and less productive employees. Finding decor that you can afford and will motivate your staff might be tricky, but it is a proven fact that work performance is enhanced when employees are inspired and energized by their surroundings. Inspiration comes in many forms, so make sure your decor is consistent with your business goals.”

– Erika London | Co-Founder, iAdventure.com

Get Barefoot in the Park

“Think about it: a person takes off his shoes when he gets home and gets comfortable, which is the exact atmosphere that helps early-stage startups succeed. Early employees need to feel at home at the office, and they need to bond with their teammates like family. Don’t allow shoes at the office, and employees will stay later in the night and build a closer bond with their teammates.”

– Jun Loayza | President, Ecommerce Rules

Work in Corporate America

“This may sound weird, but it’s true. It’s wise to learn and make your mistakes on somebody else’s watch before risking everything on your own. And if you don’t have the right business skill set to start, launching your own company is going to be an uphill battle.”

– Alexandra Levit | President and Founder, Inspiration at Work

Encourage Daily Siestas

“Approximately seven hours after waking in the morning, we experience an energy drop that prevents us from working effectively. This is the perfect time to have a post-lunch, 20-minute catnap; studies have shown that midday napping can significantly improve performance. Some employees might feel uncomfortable napping during the work day, so lead by example and take a nap every day.”

– Emerson Spartz | CEO and Founder, Spartz

Get Over Yourself!

“Get over the fact that you are going to turn off a lot of people while running your startup. That includes your family, friends, prospective investors, prospective customers, media, etc. Once you do that, a great majority of the weight you carry while trying to run your startup dissipates.”

– Carmen Benitez | Co-Founder and Managing Director, Fetch Plus

Don’t Try to Boil The Ocean

” It’s a great visual analogy, and it perfectly encapsulates a major challenge for any startup founder. You’ve got to take the challenge on, one gulp at a time.”

– Brent Beshore | Owner/CEO, adventur.es

Give Time to Other Startups

“I’ve spent 10 hours a week over the past two years “advising” startups — formally or simply as a sounding board or beta tester. It’s great to have tunnel vision with your product, but supporting others has a few incredibly positive effects. You’ll meet very interesting and skilled people who can help you, and you’ll uncover clever ways to solve your own challenges.”

– Aaron Schwartz | Founder and CEO, Modify Watches

Take a Vacation

“Really, take one. When you leave your team to execute on their own, you’ll see where all the holes in your company are, and then you can work on patching them. You should be able to leave your company for a few weeks without them needing you.”

– Bhavin Parikh | CEO, Magoosh Test Prep

Don’t Live With Co-Founders

“Don’t live with your co-founders. When you’re part of a startup, you’re likely spending 15-20 hours a day with your co-founders. It’s inevitable that they will start to irritate you. If you have to spend your precious four hours of free time with them too, you can add their snoring problems to the mix!”

– Patrick Ambron | CEO, BrandYourself.com

At this national startup conference (that even you can afford) You’ll get great startup advice too!

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Been There, Done That: A How-To Guide from a Real-World Entrepreneur

Small businesses represent more than 99.7 percent of all employers in the United States. How do you get yours off the ground and running? While I was taking Indie Peace from concept to company, I learned a few things—some the hard way.

Great idea, maestro!

You’ve identified a niche and are poised to meet a need. You’re prepping to deliver a wonderful product into a market you hopefully know like the back of your hand. Feels good, doesn’t it? The tips may provide some lift to your business wings during your entrepreneurial flight and ensure sustainability along the way. Good luck!

1. Warm up your wings before you leave the nest—or crash like a rock.

There are thousands of risks in starting a new company. Reducing those risks as much as possible beforehand is vital. It’s an unknown road, yes, but without the unknown, we don’t really have an entrepreneurial adventure on our hands. Foresee the ups and downs of your journey; no one else will do it for you, and it will also help you feel less stressed as you navigate uncharted territory. The clever predictions you’ve forged from your upfront due diligence will serve you well.

Sustainability is the operative word here. Once you get going, don’t stop. Anyone can start a company, but few can sustain one. The key is seeing every possible outcome and determining the required pivot you must make along the way. Remember, this is a journey, not a destination. What do the first two years look like? What are the major milestones? Do you have all you need to meet your goals? Validate your revenue model for roadblocks. Create a journey map for your business that highlights the first major achievements.

2. Welcome the opportunity to punch holes in your business—from everyone.

Entrepreneurial wisdom can be found in the strangest of places, but be careful where you seek it. Great advice can carry the side effect of fear, so maintain your energy throughout and let nobody dampen your flame. Most times, good advice from friends or family is exuberantly given from a personal obligation to see that you don’t fall on your face. Don’t let them take the wind out of your sails.

The worthiest advice can be given from those with defeatist attitudes and the worst advice can sometimes come from those who are most qualified to give it. The least qualified can sometimes be the best for challenging your assumptions early on. They also bring an added layer of creativity, as they’re not informed on the traditional roadblocks in your industry.

Validate what you see as real threats and have a system for solving them. Punching holes in your business will serve you extremely well. Leverage all the minds around you to mitigate risk while putting your pride aside.

3. Form your board of advisors: The Specialists.

Once you get past the embryonic phases of your business concept, one of the quickest and easiest ways to sidestep landmines is to form a team of advisors, ideally consisting of successful entrepreneurs who have made the journey at least once, and leverage their expertise and experiences often. Believe it or not, most entrepreneurs love helping other businesses. They miss the startup phase and like to join in the conversations. Start with one or two people that you can call at anytime for advice. Ask family members and friends to refer you to people they know. Look for “specialists” with knowledge in a specific area, such as obtaining funding or taking a new product to market. You don’t need anything formal and your “board” never even has to have official meetings. In fact, my personal board of advisors has never gathered together to meet since we’ve been in business, but I know I can call on each one of them to advise within their specialty. They really enjoy it.

4. Find your tribe.

Find the local, entrepreneurial tribes on the same journey as you and get involved. Attend all the events and discover the ones for you. Try entrepreneur.Meetup.com, Cofounderslab.com, LinkedIn entrepreneurial groups, and spend some time on Google searching for entrepreneur societies and small business groups in your city. If you cannot find anything, create your own. The university or college near your city will probably have an entrepreneur institute on campus. Contact the director and see how you can get involved.

Co-working facilities are my favorite places to connect locally. They cater to entrepreneurs and host mixers and business pitch nights to share ideas and contacts, and are great places to meet all types of local mavens; I met my developer at one. The most important thing is to be involved; after that, the possibilities will present themselves.

If your tribe is not present locally, find them digitally. Ask your social network to make recommendations.

5. Consider a doing well by doing good business model.

Many times, sadly, businesses are formed purely for making as much money as possible. Consider ways your company can give back versus take away; a business that assists in the collective cure versus the disease. Embed something you care about into your product or service. Don’t simply form a business to make something as cheaply as possible and sell it as expensively as possible. Create a product or service that will make you smile when you go to sleep at night. This will sustain you in your business and be the primary source of your passion.

This also makes it easy for you to grab people’s attentions and elevate their eagerness to help. New businesses usually cannot afford a lot of public relations (PR) and marketing. Here’s the great gift to building a business of purpose: people want to help the “good guys”—especially in the digital sphere. Enhance your original idea accordingly. What do you care about? How can you and your business give back? For instance, in Indie Peace’s case, we support organic farming practices in the U.S. by only buying organic cotton grown on U.S. soil. All of our garments are exclusively made from organic cotton, so we eliminate herbicides, pesticides, defoliants, and fungicides from our environment and water systems. One shirt purchased versus non-organic eliminates 4oz. of pesticide use. Perhaps there’s a way you can give a percentage of sales to a charity you love.

Unless you’re creating a new market or disrupting one, you must find a way to separate your company from the “noise.” Enhance it with a social or environmental impact model. Be the small business you would like to see more of in the world. This may be tougher in the beginning, but in the long run it will generate more positive PR and social media buzz. Entrepreneur Magazine ran a two-page spread on Indie Peace—free PR I likely wouldn’t have received without our environmental mission.

6. Sell the idea that your business is great in 30 seconds.

Nail down a succinct description of your business that you can communicate in 30 seconds or less. Know it by heart. Whether you’re taking to an investor, an advisor, or a random person at a football game, it’s essential that you describe your business consistently and effectively. This also helps sharpen the way you describe your company to press, video, social media, etc. You’ll use it more than you know, so really know your company and its reason to exist.

7. Create a business plan that you actually use.

Unless you need capital, you don’t really have to have a formal business plan. Business plans tend to be stagnant documents that are read once and then forgotten. Instead, create a living “planning document” that is continually updated and revised as needed, with next steps and actionable line items that can be instantly assigned as tasks to be performed. Keep a good two-page executive summary on your company that you constantly update and are able to send out to those who express interest. Find a cloud solution that allows you to store your business work in a central location and assign out tasks with ease to others working with you. This makes it easily accessible to anyone on your team and more apt to evolve with your business. It’s great for instantly adding new team members to the conversation as well.

8. If you need capital, multiply whatever you think you need by two, and then assume you won’t get it.

Raising capital may be the biggest challenge for businesses. It was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my business. Many entrepreneurs don’t want to ask for the amount of capital they really need because they don’t want to scare off potential investors, but then end up underfunded and unable to sustain the business. It also signals to the investor that you don’t know the industry and the operational requirements for your company. Break the real number out and try to raise it in tiers.

Make 100 percent sure that if you miss an investment round, you can still keep your company in business. Funding is a moving target; it usually won’t happen when you think it will. It’s vital to have strong insulation by assuming you won’t raise the capital at the intended time. There is no way to put a timeframe on when investment will occur, but you do know when your own money will run out. When you estimate the month you need to secure the next round of working capital, add another 8 months to that and find a way to keep things moving until then. See where you can cut some up-front costs to add this investment padding.

Start with a short list of where you can go to raise the first round of capital you need—friends, family, bank, etc. Learn the art of crowdfunding. Learn all the platforms (Kiva.org, Kickstarter.com, indiegogo.com, Fundable.com, Peerbackers.com). The recent Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act encourages funding of small businesses by making it easier to raise money from many small investors instead of a few large ones. It can help you bridge the gap in funding for things like prototypes before you get to larger investors. What happens on crowdfunding sites is also valuable for validating whether or not your concept really has wings. When you’re ready to approach larger investors, divide whatever you think your business is worth by 1.3. Entrepreneurs are notorious for overvaluing their companies. This keeps you on a level with what the investors will be thinking.

9. Compete in business competitions.

Search online for new business competitions; they’re easier to win than you think. I won two of them for Indie Peace and it helped us in a multitude of ways. Always keep this on your shortlist of funding options. There are usually fewer entrants than you might expect, and if you are coming in with an environmental or social impact model, your odds increase. Moreover, these competitions provide great marketing and PR.

10. Weatherproof your business.

Set up your business to function even if there is an economic downturn, or if you do not secure investment at the intended time. Have backup suppliers. We have Indie Peace to the point now where we don’t need investors, but when we first started out, our business model relied heavily on investment rounds being achieved. This put us in dire straits when the economy tanked a few years ago. Investors were hard to find, boutiques were going bankrupt, banks were frozen, and suppliers were in the danger zone as well. Determine what your initial needs are and then take all of them off the table and figure out how the business works on the alternatives you’ve selected.

11. Develop a multi-channel strategy. Pick the right megaphones.

Take advantage of multiple online channels for promoting your business, but pick the right ones. Get to know all of them: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, Stumbleupon, etc. There are endless choices and new ones appearing every day. Find a company similar to yours on each channel and study the moves they make. There are thousands of megaphones out there—let your voice be heard, but spend time in the right places as a lot of time wasting can occur here. As with anything, measure your effectiveness. What does success look like for you on these platforms?

12. Automate you and all there is to do. Focus on the important stuff.

Take advantage of the small business productivity applications available in the cloud—they’re some of the best things to happen to solo entrepreneurs. They’ll help you automate basics such as accounting, invoicing, file sharing, and tasks management. Plus, most of them have pay-as-you-go programs that grow with your business and keep costs manageable. Plus, the less time you spend on tasks, the more time you can devote to learning how to develop your business. You know all of the things you have to do. Find a comprehensive cloud solution that lets you get more of them done in less time with fewer headaches, and as your business grows you can easily plug in new team members. An all-in-one cloud solution helps you run lean, mean, and organized.

13. FLY FLY FLY.

There’s much work to be done and you must ultimately decide the point where concept must meet tactical execution. It’s go time or not. The odds are either in your favor or not. What are odds really, other than the direct correlation between your own entrepreneurial due diligence and ability to create alternatives around the roadblocks? Thank God for entrepreneurs and their relentless ability to adapt. You’ll drive on through the night and that’s what slaps the odds in the face.

14. Do the work.

Be a business even when no one is watching, because success and character are built when no one is watching. With no one breathing over your shoulder checking in for status reports, distraction is everywhere. Act like you go to work by setting your own hours and sticking to them. Dedicate work times and let no one or nothing affect them. Know each day what you are going to accomplish and actually accomplish it. Have a dedicated workspace away from your “outside work hours” spaces. As an entrepreneur, you are taking success into your own hands. Staying organized and on-task is vital. Be careful to watch your effect on the business. Sometimes the business owner is the biggest problem.

15. Unplug and unwind.

I still struggle with this today. Establish time for yourself unrelated to your business. You’ll find that some of the best new ideas and inspirations pop up when you’re not working. Remember to keep your head up and enjoy life along the way. You only have one life to live – live it well.

Lawton Ursrey is the CEO and Founder of Indie Peace, an environmentally responsible apparel company, and Product Marketing Manager of Sage One, a simple, online accounting application for small businesses.