Margret Sloan

A friend of mine wants to start a small business using the internet to sell handcrafted items and asked my opinion on creating a website and finding a web host. I have a funny feeling her approach of asking my opinion was a thinly veiled request for me to do it for her. But I have a lot on my plate right now and I would prefer to point her in the right direction and introduce her to professionals who can do a good job for her.

Starting any new business requires watching your pennies and making the most of the resources available to you. Starting an internet-based business requires the same thing, and there are many good people and companies anxious to earn your business. The hard part is finding the right ones.

If you want to start with a web hosting company, you need to know what features and services are most important to your purpose and process. There is a nice website that serves as a directory of web hosting services, called Top 10 Webhosting worth reading through the information they have and the charts they’ve put together for the readers. By taking some critical information on each of the top web hosting companies and making an easy to read and understand chart, this site lets you compare the different features and rates and then make an informed decision. The “Best web hosting list” and an explanation of why they are the best is just a click away.

Real estate agents and brokers have the need for a very specialized database, with information relevant to their industry. Agents need to keep track of critical documents, such as offer letters, contracts and closing statements. Most agents use some sort of database to keep track of clients and prospects, and often merge those names and addresses into letters, envelopes and postcards as part of their marketing campaigns.

A successful agent is very busy and keeping organized and efficient is critical to their success. Computers have been a great tool for agents, but until now finding software specific to real estate agents has been hard to do. Now there is help for real estate agents with a software package called Agent Organizer. If you have an interest in software for real estate agents, take a look at the website for Agent Organizer and see if this new program meets your needs. You can try it out for free for 15 days so if you decide to buy it you will know what to expect and how to use it.

My daughter-in-law, Cheri, has decided to go back to work to help with the family finances while my son is launching his construction business. I know how hard it is to start a business on a shoestring, but as some of his projects get through the critical phases the money will start coming in and they will be in good shape.

Cheri used to clean houses while she was in college, and is looking into buying a franchise with a company called Maid Pro. She feels that a franchise will help bring name recognition to the business and they will help her with the marketing and advertising. She has looking at Cleaning Franchises for a while and has the money saved up to buy the Maid Pro franchise rights if she decides that is what she wants to do. I’m glad she is approaching this as a serious business venture and not just a temporary way to make some extra money.

One of her thoughts is to use only environmentally friendly cleaning solutions and promote the green aspect of cleaning homes. There is a growing interest in all things green and I think that’s a great idea. I’m not sure the franchise program supports the green concept, but if that’s not a problem, she has found a good way to start her new business.

Looks like we will have two budding entrepreneurs in the family!

They say that a well run business will appreciate its employees and value its clients or customers. One good, inexpensive way to demonstrate a company’s appreciation is the use of recognition programs. A good recognition program not only praises an employee for business achievements but also for personal milestones, such as birthdays, employment date anniversaries, and even encouragement during setbacks, such as serious illness or surgeries. Acknowledging these milestones or personal moments with a premium quality greeting card is the perfect way to express that you care and appreciate your employees.

Our Human Resources Manager ordered a collection of all occasion cards from gallerycollection.com and had them custom imprinted, but we also pass them them around to the rest of the staff for personal notes and signatures before presenting them with a flourish or small ceremony to the recipient. The Business Birthday Cards are a nice way to help celebrate employee and client birthdays. I also like that the envelopes are a classy, deckle-edged heavy stock, and they are made of recycled paper.

Many people who travel have the opportunity to consider hotels that are green when choosing where to stay.

For your next out of town trip, search for green hotels on sites that only include legitimate green businesses, including Responsibletravel.com, The Rainforest Alliance, The International Ecotourism Society, and Best Green Hotels.

Before making the reservation check the hotel’s website or call to find out if it has an official environmental or sustainability policy. A good policy should go beyond washing towels every other day to save water. It should address both the hotel’s environmental and cultural conservation practices in detail. If the policy looks too generic or the hotel representative can’t answer your questions, find a different hotel that deserves your business.