So you just started a new business and you know every new business should have a good website – but you don’t know the first thing about website design. Anyone can claim to be a small business website design expert, but only the design companies that implement the following are worth talking to.

Here are the 10 golden rules of small business website design.

1. An easy-to-remember web address – The web address is not the place to be too clever – you want to make the site easy for potential customers to find. Avoid numbers, which confuse web surfers and dashes, which can be problematic for SEO. Also, go with a .com domain because that’s what people are most familiar with, as Ron Wright, the founder of business Web design and online marketing firm Accentrix, told Entrepreneuer.com.

2. Clear navigation - It’s tempting to want to differentiate your site by using fancy Flash presentation and one-of-a-kind web design, but doing so might make it difficult for your customers to find what they are looking for quickly. It’s best to use standard practices when it comes to site navigation – use drop downs with clear headings that appear on every page, include a site map, and make sure the search bar is easy to find (the top, right-hand side of a page is a good rule of thumb to follow).

3. Contact information - What good is your business if nobody knows how to find it or get in touch with you? Include a page with your address, phone number and e-mail address and make sure there’s a prominent link to it on your home page. ”The best place for the contact information is the top left or top right corner of the home page,” John Zhuang, of Web-design and SEO-optimization firm Winning Interactive told Entrepreneuer.com. “It is also a good practice to include contact information in every page of the website in the footer or side bar or even in top right corner, which helps the visitors to find it more easily.”

4. FAQs - The beauty of the internet is that customers can learn information about your product or services on their own time – even if that’s at 2 in the morning. Including a page with frequently asked questions will allow them to quickly find information they’re seeking day or night without having to call or e-mail your business. It’s also another chance to help identify your brand on the website.

5. Customer reviews and testimonials - Honest feedback about your product or service will not only help costumers decide if its what they’re looking for, but it will also make your business more tangible. Customer reviews often offer information or insight into your business that you might not have thought to include in other areas of the site.

6. Social links - If you’re a smart business owner, chances are you’re already marketing your products and services on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, FourSquare, Pinterest and the like. Build up your followers and reach customers where they spend their time by including icon links to  your various social media efforts. Include sharing features on your content pages so visitors can easily “Like” a blog post, Pin a picture, or Tweet about a cool product you have.

7. Information capture form – Even if your business is only open during the day, Monday through Friday, new customers are visiting your website 24/7. Give the impression that you’re always open by including a form on the site that new and existing customers can fill out to ask questions, seek quotes or provide feedback. You’ll get the added benefit of collecting valuable information (e-mail addresses, phone numbers, etc.) from the people who are interested in your brand.

8. About us - Customers love being able to put a face to a business – so make sure to add information about the people behind your company, its history and what drives it. It will help differentiate your site from others like it and make your business seem more legitimate and relatable.

9. Call to action - After customers have found the information they needed on your site, tell them what to do next. Sign up for your newsletter, request a free estimate, follow you on Facebook – anything to get them to engage more with your business.

10. Useful content – Beyond information about your business, give your site visitors a reason to come back. You can become the go-to source of information about your field for customers by providing original, well-written articles or blog posts. Think beyond the specific product or service you offer for ideas on what might be of interest to your site visitors. If you run a local farmer’s market, offer a harvest calendar and recipes; if you run a temp agency, keep a blog about office life trends. This will show them you’re not only passionate about your business, but also about your customers.

Find more information on small business website design on Business.com.

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Even as a small business, you have important and critical elements to protect, including files, computers, goods you may sell, and many other assets. You might think that a business security system is expensive or overkill, and is really only needed for big businesses, but the reality is that business security systems come in many different sizes. Plus, they don’t just protect against thieves, but may safeguard against fire and vandalism as well. You never know when trouble can present itself, and it’s important to keep your business from being vulnerable.

So which security system is right for your business? It depends on what you want to protect. There are many different options for each type of security system, which means you’ll be able to keep your company safe without breaking the bank. Additionally, some security companies may have offerings that protect you from every angle, so it may be cost effective to purchase an entire security package from one vendor.

Check out these four different kinds of security systems to understand how much you might spend to protect your business:

Type of Security System: Video Surveillance

What it Protects: The office or building that houses your business, both inside and in the surrounding area outside.

Why You Might Need It: You might consider a video surveillance camera (or a few of them) if you want to see what’s happening at your business around the clock. Many systems allow integration with the web or mobile devices, so you can see what’s happening even when you’re not at work. This type of security system would allow you to watch your customers and see what’s happening with your employees. It also helps you have video proof of activity if you ever need to file an insurance claim for theft or damages.

Depending on your needs, you could contract with a vendor company to have them install video cameras and help you set up the software necessary to record through them. Or you could turn to the web and buy the security cameras and accessories yourself.

How Much it Will Cost: Do-it-yourselfers can expect to pay anywhere from $300-$750 for cameras that you’d have to install yourself. You might even consider using a home security system if your place of business doesn’t have a large square footage. Most professionals vendors charge monthly fees as well as initial installation or equipment charges. This could add up to as much as $1500.

Type of Security System: Intrusion Detection Alarm

What it Protects: Everything inside your office, building or store. Protects your business from burglary, vandalism, or dangerous intruders.

Why You Might Need It: You probably don’t want to wait for a loss or disruption to happen at your business before getting an alarm system. These types of systems not only discourage burglars, but they also discourage employee theft, or – on the flip side – ensure your employees’ safety.

These systems usually include a bunch of different devices that detect entry, such as motion detectors and glass breaking sensors, and are monitored by a third party vendor that gets alerted when unauthorized access occurs. These monitoring centers are available 24 hours a day, year-round. When they get notified of an intrusion, you’re usually called seconds later to confirm whether police should be dispatched.

How Much it Will Cost: The price for the installation of business alarm systems can vary depending on the size of your office or building. There are typically monthly monitoring fees tacked onto the initial installation fee. The price for this could be as low as $100 for a small office or building with only one entrance. As you add more options (and more square feet), your installation and monthly fees will increase, costing you upwards of $2000.

Type of Security System: Computer security system

What it Protects: Your business files and documents, sensitive customer information, software that helps your business run smoothly, and other critical information that you have on your computer system.

Why You Might Need It: Hackers are targeting small businesses more and more, so it’s essential to protect your company from viruses, spyware, hackers, and other threats. Additionally, with so much work being done through your computer, you’re looking at thousands of dollars in losses when you add up the hours of lost productivity, interruptions in conducting business, and potentially even a significant loss of your customer base if it was their information that was compromised.

How Much it Will Cost: At a minimum, invest in a firewall and antivirus software that stops viruses at the gateway into the network. This can be incredibly cost effective for small businesses, with subscription fees as low as $30-100 per year. You can also safeguard your information by keeping it hosted virtually through online services. Many of these are free.

Type of Security System: Electronic Access Control Systems

What it Protects: Certain departments or rooms that shouldn’t be accessed by all employees.

Why You Might Need It: Access control systems let authorized employees get in and out of various rooms in your business while keeping sensitive or proprietary information out of the wrong hands. These types of systems can actually be quite simple, with a keypad entry mechanism for one single door, or a large networked system that involves swipe or access cards throughout your business location.

This type of security system might be important to your business if you work in certain industries or handle sensitive information. For instance, if you work with government contracts, it may even be required of you to keep certain information locked away from employee access. Other benefits of this kind of system include safeguarding against terminated employees or replacing lost keys.

How Much it Will Cost: Costs for electronic access control will vary depending on the type of hardware used and the number of doors you need to have access installed on. Costs may range from $1,000 and up per door.

Photo source: delcoalarm.net

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Interested in the life of a web entrepreneur? Josh Silberstein, CEO of Health Guru Media, started his company in November 2004 in New York and has gone through the checklist of steps of everything you need to start a business and launch a successful web company: Key partnerships? Check. Venture capital funding? Check. Rapid growth? Check.

Health Guru provides health videos on a range of topics from diet and fitness to pregnancy issues to various health conditions. Read on for Josh’s small business success story:

Tell us about your business.

Health Guru is the largest provider of health video on the web, with well over one billion cumulative streams.  We built our business around a simple premise – that the only way to create an enduring media business in an information vertical like health is to effectively combine credibility, ease of understanding, and genuine engagement.  Health Guru’s content has lived up to these expectations though, and we’ve consistently been ranked #1 in VideoMetrix (for Health) in the key engagement metrics (minutes/user per month and per session).

We have built on our initial success by expanding not just on the breadth of our library, but also on how we use video to serve our users.  We’ve moved beyond the standard video clips and developed a series of high-value platforms to serve a variety of use cases in the vertical.  These platforms include:

• Video Q&A – A clean and simple environment, focused on a particular topic (i.e. Fibromyalgia), that includes 100 to 300 video clips (25 to 45 seconds in length) each featuring a doctor directly answering a specific question that’s relevant to chronic sufferers
• Video Quiz – A product in which the user, in addition to answering questions and seeing whether they’ve gotten them right, has the opportunity to get the right answer presented to them immediately, on video, by a doctor, following each question.
• Other platforms include Video Survey, Video Slideshow, and our soon to be released interactive Video Diagnostic Tool.

Health Guru also focuses on working with partner health sites.  We’ve developed a syndication technology that complements our content and product offering that enables a quick and robust implementation.  Partners get access to our full library of 3,500+ videos, a full CMS to manage the implementation on their site, access to our sales dollars, and the ability to traffic their own ads and utilize their own content through the system.

Health Guru is growing rapidly – sales nearly tripled last year and are on track to more than triple again in 2012.  We have just under 50 employees, and expect to hire another 15 people this year.  We’re proud of our culture, which is both fun and effective, and attribute a significant amount of our success to having employees that are as dedicated and happy as they are talented.  In the past 18 months, we have only had one employee decide to leave the company.

We are venture backed and our investors include Village Ventures, Castile Ventures, Dace Ventures, Long River Ventures, and Granite Point Capital.  We’ve raised more than $12 million in equity capital to date.  In addition to our venture investors, our Board of Directors includes Thomas Harrison, the Chairman and former CEO of DAS Global (which is the largest division of Omnicom) and Donald Hackett the former CEO of DrKopp.com (which he took public in 1999) and 1-800-Doctors.

How did you get the idea for your business?

It came from a simple observation.  Back when we started, verticals like music, sports, and entertainment were seeing incredible growth in video consumption on-line.  But when you looked at the verticals that had historically commanded the highest CPMs from advertisers – health and finance in particular – the opposite was true.  Viewership was growing slowly, distribution channels were immature, and few people were committing resources to developing the right content.  That observation led us to believe that if we could solve the underlying issue in the information verticals (namely, the lack of engaging content) that we could develop a franchise in one of the most valuable verticals on the web.

Why did you start this company?

There was a need in the marketplace.  Users wanted health information to be simple and accessible, but the caliber of the content available was so offensively boring that it was impossible to watch.  We believed that if we could develop a solution which was an effective source of information and fundamentally engaging that we’d have the opportunity to serve this need and win a vertical that we suspected would eventually have tremendous economic value.

What’s your favorite thing about running your own business?

The ability to really do things.  When we have a big idea, it doesn’t get hung up in committees or approval processes – we go do it.  That keeps everyone excited about what is coming next.

What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in growing your company?

We started our business early in the lifecycle of online health video.  As recently as 2010 the majority of our key clients (pharma) didn’t even have pre-roll creative.  The same early start that has given us the depth of knowledge and experience needed to succeed now meant that for many of the intervening years we were operating in a market where the advertising demand had just not yet developed.

Where do you see your company in 5 years?

I believe that we’ll be the central player in the health video vertical.  As the health vertical as a whole shifts to a video-centric mentality, I believe that our leadership in health video will translate into a leadership position in the online health vertical as a whole.

Final words of wisdom for anyone wondering how to get started….

Churchill said it best:  Never give in–never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

However, a somewhat less than literal interpretation might be more appropriate given the fact that his quote referred to World War II…

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Small business owners wear many hats. Chief executive. Market researcher. Accountant. Financer. Salesman. Customer service representative. Janitor.

In addition to all these different duties, managing an entire human resources department might just be the straw that breaks the overtaxed camel’s back.

Enter HR outsourcing. Now there are external companies that can handle some — or all — of that day-to-day HR work so that you can dig yourself out of that mound of paperwork.

And your business wouldn’t be alone in taking advantage of such services.

In 2004, the Society of Human Resources Management conducted a survey that found 6 out of 10 organizations outsource one or more of its HR functions.

Among the most common functions that are partially outsourced (meaning the organization and vendor co-manage that function) are administration of health care  and pension benefits and payroll. The most common functions that are completely outsourced are background checks, employee assistance programs and flexible spending accounts.

According to the survey, the most common reasons for outsourcing were to save money and reduce operating costs (56 percent), to control legal risk and improve compliance (55 percent), and to gain access to vendor talent and expertise (47 percent).

For small businesses that don’t have the staff or resources to handle the more complicated sides of HR (legal matters, health insurance, payroll, etc.) outsourcing not only frees up valuable time, but it also puts these tasks in the hands of pros.

There are several benefits to outsourcing some of your HR functions, according to CPEHR.com — not the least of which is allowing you to focus more on growing your business.

Benefits include:

• Reducing employment-related expenses like workers’ compensation insurance premiums, health insurance costs, employment practices, liability insurance, legal fees and HR systems and infrastructure.
• Minimizing employment risks. HR vendors are staffed with experts in a wide array of areas — including state and federal labor laws — which can help business owners in the event an employee files a lawsuit.
• Improved HR efficiencies. Most of the functions of the HR department — payroll, tax filing, health benefit administration, etc. — are necessary tasks that don’t add to the company’s bottom line.
• Training opportunities. Some vendors offer management and employee training on everything from harassment and safety compliance to dealing with difficult employees.
• Benefits. Vendors can help businesses offer a broader range of insurance and other benefits to employees, like 401K retirement plans and flexible spending accounts.
• Improved performance. Vendors can help employers write clear job descriptions and effective performance reviews while giving employees access to personal payroll, vacation and anniversary data, which leads to greater transparency, more employee satisfaction and improved performance.
• Better focus on business. Not having to focus on day-to-day HR duties allows a business owner to focus more on core values and growth.

Learn more about HR outsourcing on Business.com.

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Ladies and gentlemen, this is not a shocking statement: “According to statistics, most consumers have a problem with telemarketing calls.” You’re probably one of them, right? They call during dinner, leave uninteresting or completely untargeted messages, and have no understanding of the word “no.” In one year, the Federal Trade Commission gets nearly 18,000 complains about telemarketers, and the Direct Marketing Association receives another 4,000 marketing-related complaints per month.

Yet outbound calling to cold or even luke-warm lead lists remains a promising way to market your goods or services. In a recent poll conducted by SCi Sales Group, telemarketing was second only to email marketing as the most effective channel for qualifying leads. When asked by B2B Magazine, marketing professionals stated telephone follow up was the most effective lead nurturing technique.

For professionals to believe in the power of telemarketing, they must be having success. Businesses are doing it right, and for you to be successful, you must follow their lead in proper planning and preparation.

Here are 12 ways to execute a telemarketing campaign that even the employees making the calls can believe in:

1. Set your goals. What is it exactly that you’d like your leads to do? Are you looking to warm leads into a pipeline or do you want them to take a certain action, like buying a product or registering for a service demonstration? When the goals of these calls are clearly laid out, it will dictate the other steps you must take to execute an effective campaign.
2. Know your target market. In the past, anyone could pull out the phone book and start dialing down the list, but we don’t have to convince you that there’s a lot more to building an effective list (see that point below). Take the time to put together one or more customer personae that spell out what your ideal customer would look like. Where would they live? What do they purchase? What is their lifestyle?
3. Define a lead. Know what criteria you want someone to fulfill before you consider him or her a lead. You may have a great conversation with one person, but if he’s no closer to buying, he shouldn’t yet be considered a warm opportunity. Ask yourself these questions: Do they need your product? Can they afford it? Are they likely to buy in the foreseeable future?
4. Create a phone script for telemarketers to follow. The key here is to keep it simple. You don’t want a generic script that doesn’t apply to your target market, so be sure to use trigger keywords that will resonate with the potential customers. Come up with your compelling offer and prepare rebuttals for the times when you run into objections.
5. Build your list from worthwhile sources. Buying lists from brokers is an easy way to get thousands of names and numbers in your hands. But buying these lists blindly from someone that doesn’t know or understand your business can be a costly mistake. You’re wasting your employees’ time. and agents can easily become discouraged with constant rejection from poorly-sourced prospects.
6. Hire quality salespeople. The success of an outbound calling campaign lies within the people making the calls. You’re not just hiring someone to dial for dollars; you want a proven sales team who can convey passion about fulfilling your prospects needs and can thrive when challenged.
7. Set phone guidelines. Describe how many calls you’d ideally like to put out there in a day. You’ll need to specify the number of times each number should be called, and on what kind of schedule (morning, afternoon, evening). You must also consider the pros and cons of leaving a message should your prospect not answer.
8. Train your agents. Training individuals to recite the script you’ve provided isn’t the beginning and end of telemarketing training. Your representatives must be comfortable enough and savvy enough to be able to banter with a prospect regardless of what is on the script. They must be comfortable handling objections with grace while maintaining a friendly and conversational nature. This is something that will come with time and continued learning, but there are ways to role play and challenge them before they get on a call that will help them prepare for such situations.
9. Track your results. You don’t just want to track quantitative results – number of calls made per hour, number of sales made per agent, etc. You also want to track the qualitative results, including prospect feedback that is useful for future scripts, upselling opportunities, and trends in call times.
10. Make adjustments. Don’t wait until the end of your campaign to make adjustments. Make script changes based on your prospects’ feedback as you go along. You might also consider giving different agents different scripts to test them against each other and see how they perform.
11. Follow up. Be sure that you use the appropriate software that allows you or your agents to follow up promptly and in the manner expected by the customer. Data should be kept on which type of prospects do and do not respond positively so that future interactions are relevant and timely. If you’ve scheduled an appointment or sent over a pertinent whitepaper, be sure to keep track of that correspondence. Any in-person exchanges or meetings should also be accounted for.
12. Build momentum. Use your failures and successes as a benchmark for how you should be doing things. Telemarketing campaigns shouldn’t be a “one and done” effort. You probably already know that building a sales pipeline is a lengthy process that requires constant follow-up and ongoing engagement. It’s suggested that telemarketing campaigns reach optimum “opportunities per day” after 14 weeks.

Have you embarked on a telemarketing campaign for your small business? How did it go? What best practices would you share?

Photo source: datadirect.com.au

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Business equipment leasing is a useful option for companies at any stage of the game – from small startups to larger corporations – who lack the extra capital to purchase it or that simply don’t want the long-term commitment of ownership. A good example would be a business owner whose equipment needs to be upgraded every few years, according to an article on Forbes.com.

If you’re planning on leasing your office equipment, you won’t be alone – it’s estimated that up to 80 percent of businesses lease their business equipment, according to VendorSeek.com

According to Entrepreneur.com, obtaining a lease for under $100,000 is usually no more complicated than filling out a credit application. For higher amounts, the company needs to go through a more thorough credit check and it must supply more information about its finances.

Leasing has little to no upfront costs, which means you can save much-needed cash at the outset. Plus, leased equipment can be used as a tax deduction and usually has more flexible terms than a standard business loan. Just make sure to get quotes from multiple leasing companies to ensure you’re getting the fairest deal available.

Of course, on the flipside, you will always pay more over the long run for leased equipment then if you buy it outright. Even if you stop using the equipment, you’ll still be required to make payments on it per the stipulation of the lease, despite the fact that you won’t necessarily own any of the equipment at the end of the lease. (At the end of the lease business can return the equipment, begin another lease, purchase the equipment for a price agreed upon at the start of the lease, or purchase the equipment for its fair market value.)

There is a variety of office equipment that can be leased and different variables to consider before leasing it, including:

1. Furniture - Consider the type of work your employees do, how often your business will host clients, the size of your office and the furniture you already have before deciding what kinds of office furniture you need to lease. Dealers suggest bringing a simple plan or diagram of the space along with examples of the existing decor to find the best matches for your needs. If possible, look for furniture dealers locally so that you can inspect the furniture in person before committing to it. Be sure to read over all the terms thoroughly – especially those involving furniture damage and return. Inspect all furniture carefully for existing damage and ensure you won’t be charged for it when returning the furniture.

2. Computers - Computers can become obsolete quickly – so leasing can be a responsible choice for business owners. Typically. computer leases are for three years, which fits into the life-cycle of this technology, according to an article on technology.inc.com. Look for experienced suppliers who have a full range of products for you to choose from and are known to be reliable. Find out if you can finance your equipment on an operating lease basis, which will give you a tax incentive because you aren’t assuming the liability of the equipment. Before signing a lease agreement, find out if you’ll be able to terminate the lease early or if there are penalties for prepayment in the event that you need to upgrade sooner than the life of the lease.

3. Telecommunications – The cost of purchasing telephone service for a company can be overwhelming – startup equipment includes phones, routers, switchboards and more. You’ll want to get quotes from multiple telephone leasing companies to ensure you’re getting the best deal. Need advice on where to start your search? Try Direct Capital, Infinit Technology Services or TMN Financial Services. Find out what fees you might be assessed if you need to upgrade your equipment before the end of the lease. For example, some companies will charge you for disabling your old system  and installing the new one.

4. Electronics (copiers, faxes, scanners, printers, etc.) – Some companies charge on a per-copy basis and might require a monthly copying minimum, according to buyerzone.com, so make sure to do an accurate assessment of your copying needs before leasing. If you estimate you’ll make fewer than 700 copies per month, consider buying a small copy machine from an office supply store. Read the service agreement carefully to understand which parts and labor will be covered by the leaser and what you are responsible for repairing or replacing. Also, make sure to read the terms for emergency repairs. If possible, request an in-house demonstration of the equipment before committing to a particular machine, or visit the dealer to learn how they work.

5. Vehicles - Getting a commercial vehicle lease has significant tax incentives for businesses – everything including up-front costs, monthly payments, insurance, maintenance and repairs can be deducted. Before heading to a dealer, make sure you understand what type of lease will be better for your company – a closed-end lease or an open-end lease. Typically closed-end leases are used for individuals more than businesses. With this type of lease, the leasing company assumes the risk if the residual price is less than originally estimated, and the consumer is free to walk away from the vehicle with no strings attached. For open-end leases, the lessee assumes the financial risk and is responsible for paying the difference between the estimated lease value and the actual market value at the end of the lease. Have the dealer show you deals that focus on the residual value and money factor from several banks to ensure you’re getting the best terms,  according to Kiplinger.com. Make sure the maximum mileage allotted per year (typically 10,000 – 12,000 miles for closed-end leases and more than 12,000 for open-end leases) is enough; if it isn’t, find out if you can negotiate a higher limit in exchange for a higher monthly payment.

Learn more about business equipment leasing on Business.com.

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Between 1997 and 2011, the number of women-owned businesses increased by 50% and today solely account for the employment of more than 7.5 million people. Contributing to this growth is Christine Perkett, founder and CEO of PerkettPR, Inc., a social PR, marketing and digital communications company. In 1998, Christine saw the opportunity to start a small business and differentiate her services from other traditional firms by putting special emphasis on providing senior-level talent to all clients, all the time.

Christine gave us some insight on the wonderful experiences and opportunities she’s had as a small business owner, including increased flexibility and the ability to work with talented people throughout the country (her staff is entirely virtual). She also lays out challenges she’s faced both in day-to-day operations and in growing her company.

Tell us about your business.

PerkettPR is a social PR, marketing and digital communications company that provides services to companies worldwide, across industries including tech, higher education, healthcare and consumer products and services. We’ve serviced clients around the world, including Mindjet, WebEx, Constant Contact, Photobucket, Sermo, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Conduit, Tumri, Life is Good and many more brands. Founded in 1998, we’re a boutique agency offering a senior-level team, all the time, for all clients.

Why did you start this company?

I saw a fundamental flaw in the way that traditional PR firms were servicing clients. One of the most common complaints about agencies is that they conduct what’s called “Bait and Switch” — which in our industry means sending in the senior account team to pitch the business, and, once won, staffing it with junior executives. When senior executives plan a strategy and junior executives execute it, there is always a breakdown in solid execution. At our agency, we don’t hire entry-level account executives and we don’t put prices on our employees’ heads. Instead, our pricing is based on the tasks we conduct. In order to service clients at our agency, you must have a minimum of five years experience. And, the majority of our staff has an average of 10 or more years of experience, so clients always have a team of seasoned professionals — both in the pitch meeting and on their day-to-day account team. This model makes a significant difference in the timeliness, breadth and consistency of our results for clients.

What’s your favorite thing about running your own business?

The independence, which allows me to take chances, push innovation and take risks that you can’t always do when employed by someone else. If I have a crazy idea, I can tell the team I want to try it. Of course, if it doesn’t work the onus is on me as well…

What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in growing your company?

HR is always the biggest challenge. I’m a natural people pleaser and it’s been a challenge to me over the years to realize you can’t keep everyone happy. It just doesn’t go with running a business. However, we do strive very hard (and have been nationally recognized in being successful doing so) to create a positive and fun culture — one that survives ups and downs. One of the things I’m most proud of is the positive relationships that I’ve maintained with employees who have come and gone (both voluntarily and non voluntarily). They can’t all be maintained, but most have and that makes me proud.

There is, of course, always the challenge of dealing with companies that break contracts. I’m stubborn and I don’t take kindly to those who don’t keep their commitments. I always pursue what’s owed to us (it’s my job to protect my staff and company and fight the uncomfortable fights) and I’ve always come out on top. It’s a pain to have to take the aggressive and long route, but I will, and I do.

Another challenge is when a client fights your counsel. Isn’t that why they hired you? For example, in 2007, we brought Chris Brogan in to a major client meeting to help train the client on the power of social media for not only their marketing efforts but for their product development (they sell marketing software). They looked at us like we had three heads. They argued with us that social media was not for business. It’s five years later, and they’ve not only worked directly with Chris and other social influencers, but they’ve written a book on the power of social marketing. If they had trusted our counsel to begin with, they would have been light years ahead of their industry colleagues in social marketing. If you hire a PR or marketing firm, you are saying you believe in their expertise and counsel. Sometimes you find clients competing with you rather than working with you — and that’s frustrating.

The best part of growing my company has been the collective success we’ve built as a team to stand out in a very crowded market. PR firms are a dime a dozen, so when we are recognized by journalists and influencers — with awards such a PR Source Code’s Top Communicators, Hubspot’s Most Powerful Women on Twitter, or TechCrunch Crunchies — it’s a pretty cool feeling. I know it’s my team that’s constantly getting results and working hard to create positive buzz not just for our clients, but for our agency overall.

Funniest or most interesting customer story?

One of our startup clients was acquired by WebEx. We had to go in and pitch the marketing team and we hired an actor to be a silent WebEx mime in the pitch. I’m not sure what we were thinking, but it was pretty creative. I also loved the time we won a very long RFP over about a dozen other agencies. We went in with a Lego model of their logo as part of our pitch.

Where do you see your company in 5 years?

Still a small-midsized agency delivering superior customer service and innovating in the PR and social marketing space … as well as related products. We’re developing our first product now, and I’m excited to unveil it to the market soon.

Of all the ways you’re marketing your business, what has been most effective?

Networking, networking, networking. That’s never changed: it’s only gotten better and easier with the advent of social media. But you have to be smart about it, not spammy. It’s about building relationships  and maintaining them when you don’t need something. (We’ve had amazing luck with marketing events, Twitter and Linkedin.) And, of course, the absolute best way to market our company is through delivering consistent and amazing results for our clients. Not only do they come back to us when they move to new companies, but they tell others who then also become clients.

What’s your must-have office product / service / tool and why?

Mindjet. Granted, they’re a client, but the visual collaboration — exchanging ideas, assigning tasks, designing project workflow — is a must have for a virtual environment like ours. It brings us closer and makes our brainstorming way more powerful.

How did you get the idea for your business?

I worked in a traditional PR agency and I saw client after client frustrated with the business model. I also met with a lot of startups who couldn’t even get PR agencies to call them back (it was the mid 90s and agencies were turning away business). I thought, if I can put together an agency that immediately stands out (through an all-senior team), I can help these clients who have money (VC money then!) and need help but can’t even get on the radar of credible agencies. So I quickly built the credible agency that would service them from startup to acquisition or IPO.

Did you put together a business plan? If so, what did you learn from doing it?

I had a loose business plan, but it wasn’t as thorough as the one I helped write for my then-husband’s startup. He founded a sales software company (later acquired by RightNow Technologies) and I wrote the business plan with him and his founding partner in a tiny apartment in Beacon Hill. I learned that VCs like business plans, but not as much as they like a working product with customers. It’s the whole chicken and the egg conundrum. Today, startups are lucky with things like Kickstarter and AngelList around as funding options.

What mistakes have you made along the way?

Mostly, not moving fast enough on the tough decisions. Waiting too long to fire people and clients that I knew had to go. Caring what they think. Worrying too much about competitors instead of focusing on our own business. Not taking care of myself first: just like parenting, you have to be happy and take good care of yourself first in order to lead the clan successfully.

Is there anything you would do differently if you were starting over again?

I wouldn’t hire as many family and friends as I have. And I’d treat myself better — then take care of everyone else. But overall, I’ve had a pretty good run so far, and I’m nowhere near finished. I’ll continue to learn and to grow, both from successes and mistakes. That’s the great thing about entrepreneurship.

Final words of wisdom for anyone wondering how to get started….

Trust yourself. Take action. It’s like that old saying about taking a multiple choice test. Trust your first instinct and don’t overthink it. Nike sums it up best with “Just Do It.” Also, remember that everyone has an opinion. Again, like parenting, you can listen to all the opinions but in the end you have to make the decision based on what’s best for you and your company. You know what that is better than anyone.

Photo source: PerkettPR, Inc.

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Finding the right sources of capital in order to start a small business can be confusing. It all sounds so easy on paper: “Get VC funding,” “Self-fund your startup with savings,” or “Ask friends and family to back you.” But when you get down to it, each “obvious” option has a lot of other information behind it that you have to research.

Business loans are another option for small business funding. They also sound easy enough to obtain, but as it turns out, borrowing money is not as straightforward as it seems.

In general, small business owners are hesitant to turn to their friendly neighborhood bank for a business loan. A recent study found that 76% of those surveyed described the process of getting a small business loan from a traditional lender as either “difficult” or “extremely difficult.” Small business lending has loosened a bit this year, but it’s important to know what your options are so that you can perfectly tailor your application to the type of loan you need and to lay out exactly how you plan to use the funds.

Consider these 4 types of business loans to figure out which one is right for you:

1. Working capital loans

Working capital loans are short-term business loans designed to bring extra cash into the business to use for growth and expansion, and for handling current day-to-day expenses such as advertising, payroll, inventory purchases, or renovations. It also covers the cost of dealing with emergencies or handling debt.

Conditions: Like personal loans, working capital loans require that you as the business owner have a sparkling personal credit history. Funding in this way also requires a significant amount of paperwork and processing can take weeks or even a few months to complete.

Benefits: Working capital loans are effective because they finance the everyday operation of your business, and at extremely low interest rates. You’re likely to secure something between 3-7%, provided you have a great credit score.

How to Apply: Working capital loans are typically available through large, national banks as well as smaller regional or statewide banks. You might also consider looking into working capital loans available at your local credit union or through a third party direct lender. For the best chances of securing a working capital loan, trying to first turn to the bank that you already do business with. They’ll not only have access to a lot of your financial information, but they’ll be able to assess their own risk by reviewing your existing banking and credit habits.

2. Small Business Administration (SBA) Loan

SBA loans are government-backed loans available to small businesses from private sector lenders. These are secured, meaning you acquire working capital by using company or personal assets as collateral. There are three different SBA loan programs:

1. The 7(a) Loan Program offers financial help for businesses with “special requirements,” such as those that export to foreign countries, operate in rural areas, or qualify as having another qualifying “special purpose.”
2. The Microloan Program provides small short-term loans to small business concerns and some non-profit childcare centers.
3. The CDC/504 Loan Program offers loans to small businesses with long-term fixed-rate financing for the purposes of expansion or modernization.

Benefits: Depending on your needs, each SBA loan has its own unique benefits. For instance, a 7(a) loan could help you purchase land or buildings, cover new construction, purchase equipment, furniture, and supplies, or acquire an existing business.

Microloans may be used as working capital, to purchase inventory, supplies, furniture, and fixtures, or to buy machinery and equipment.

The 504 Loan program offers you both short-term and long-term benefits, including 90% financing, longer loan amortizations, fixed-rate interest rates; and overall savings.

Conditions: There are a number of conditions under which SBA loans cannot be issued, including  a partial change of business ownership, a change that wouldn’t benefit the business, or to repay delinquent state or federal withholding taxes. Loan terms vary depending on the size of the loan, the planned use of the money, and your needs as a small business borrower.

The maximum term allowed for a microloan is six years. Interest rates are usually between 8 and 13 percent.

How to Apply: Each program has specific eligibility criteria and an application process. Visit the SBA.gov site for information on how to apply for an SBA loan and for checklists that help you ensure you have everything you need to put together a successful application.

3. Accounts Receivable Factoring

Accounts receivable factoring is also known as receivable financing. This type of business loan is used to convert sales on credit terms for immediate cash flow. For example, if you provide outsourced marketing services to large enterprise clients, you might sell your existing, uncollected invoices (which you are waiting on payment for) to a third party for an advance payment. This third party, called the factor, provides you with the full or partial amount and then turns around and collects on the sale from your customer. This type of financing is more likely to be used to buy your small business some time while you look for more long-term and sustainable ways of financing.

Conditions: Be aware: this receivable credit line can be costly and, as such, you should exhaust all other efforts of financing before turning to it. Once you factor in a discount fee, interest rates between 10-25%, and other charges, you could end up paying much more over time. Also, your financing is determined by the financial strength of your customer, not you as a seller of goods or services. Most invoices that are over 90 days old will not get financed, and those invoices that are paid out quicker will afford you more beneficial terms.

Benefits: One of the greatest advantages of this type of business loan is that it allows you to cash in immediately on your future sales; you won’t have the majority of your capital tied up in inventory or unpaid invoices. It’s also incredibly beneficial to outsource your accounts receivable management to another company, freeing up your focus for productive work on your business. This funding is also quick financing. You’re not forced to provide a business plan or tax statements.

How to Apply: Most companies that offer accounts receivable financing are commercial lenders, not banks. To apply for accounts receivable financing, you’ll be required to fill out an application and hand over your articles of incorporation paperwork, provide your company’s most recent accounts receivable and payable reports, and supply a master customer list as well as an example of your typical invoice.

4. Friends & Family Loan

We’re all familiar with this option. But there may be things about when and how to do it that surprise you…

First, it’s always a better business practice to put the loan in writing, and to state a specific interest rate and repayment plan. Otherwise, you open the door to unfortunate misunderstandings that can chill your relationship. Also, you want to have documentation of the loan’s terms in case the IRS decides to audit your business.

Conditions: Borrowing from loved ones carries risk. We’ve outlined the benefits and drawbacks of borrowing money for your company from your parents, and a lot of these tips hold true for other family members and close friends who may lend to you. The reality is that many people may not have extra money to part with, or if they do, they may not be comfortable parting with such a large sum on something they have no control over. Be sure to “over communicate” the value you bring to your customers, and indicate if and how your friends and family will be able to participate in your business.

You should initiate the process of providing a written promissory note that states how much money they can expect you to pay back and under what interest rate. With this note, you’ll also want to specify a repayment schedule in writing.

Benefits: Money borrowed from friends and family can come with the best low-interest repayment plan you’ll ever get. This is one of the more significant reasons to borrow money from friends and family vs. banks and commercial lenders. You may also be extending your salesforce or workforce when you borrow money from those you know: when they’re financially invested (in addition to being personally invested as someone who loves you), they may take it upon themselves to help you succeed and reach goals.

How to Apply: To show you’re serious about requesting funding from relatives, you may want to approach the subject formally, armed with your business plan, projections, outlines of how you’ll use the money, specifications on your friends and family’s involvement in your business, and suggested loan terms.

Do you think business loans are the right option for you? What types of business loans have helped you get off the ground?

Photo source: solarnet.tv

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There are many things that differentiate one small business from another: industry, target customer, goods and services offered, location, and goals, just to name a few. But one thing that unites us all is the need for solid internet connection. Between establishing and maintaining your website, emailing customers, vendors, and partners, and marketing your small business online, it’s essential that your internet service provider is reliable and affordable.

For most small businesses, you have a number of options: dial-up, DSL such as services provided by household names like Verizon or ATT, broadband wireless, cable modem, and integrated services digital network (ISDN).

Which internet service provider is right for your small business? Check out your options:

Dial-up:

Dial-up internet service is likely one of the first connection types you experienced when access to the internet became widely available. This connection runs through a standard telephone line, connecting the computer modem to a specific telephone number. This connection — though quite inexpensive and only requiring a phone line, cable, and a modern computer — may not be suitable for your small business if you plan to use the web to play videos or music, download large files, or access other high-bandwidth applications. The dial-up speed is simply much slower than what other options can provide you.

DSL:

One of the most common, faster internet options is DSL. DSL uses a regular telephone line just like dial-up, but transmits the data on a digital frequency, not a standard analog frequency. Because the data does not depend on the analog telephone line used for talking on the phone, you’re able to use the phone and internet at the same time, and doing so won’t disrupt the internet connection. As such, DSL is a 24-hour internet connection, allowing you to leave your computer connected to the web all the time. This service is more expensive and much faster than dial-up, but the convenience and of having an always-connected, high-speed internet connection is worth the extra expense.

Mobile Wireless Broadband:

As a small business owner, you might find yourself needing to access the internet anywhere, and while most smart phones could help you perform certain smaller tasks, the use of a laptop would aid in getting more things done more quickly. Say your family is vacationing at an unequipped lakehouse, or you spend the day traveling from one state to the next by train. Mobile wireless broadband can connect you to the internet without needing to be directly connected to a telephone line or modem. By purchasing a PC card, laptop card, or USB equipment to connect your computer to your cell phone, you’re then connected to the internet via cell phone towers no matter where you are. While generally more expensive than the options above, these connections offer a portable convenience that others can’t.

Cable Modem:

Cable modem services are provided by the same companies that offer cable television service in your town. For instance, Comcast is a household name you may recognize, but there are also many smaller, local companies that offer cable modem services to connect your company to the internet. Cable modems are generally available over a wider area than DSL, but if there are a large number of cable modem subscribers in your area on the same network, your internet speed may slow down, which can negatively affect downloads, data or multimedia streaming, or access to high-bandwidth applications.

Satellite Internet

If your small business is in a rural area, far from the cables and telephone lines of other internet service, you might consider looking into satellite internet access. Satellite can be used in remote areas in the same way you might subscribe to satellite TV. For best speed and service, you need a completely clear view to the sky from your office or building. Also, be aware that “fair access policies” often limit connection speeds or certain bandwidth-hogging activities so that performance is “balanced” for all in the area. When this happens, you’ll experience a significant delay in speed when uploading content or information to the web. Also, if you rely on VPN to connect to your company servers, you’ll find it challenging to get anything done quickly. That said, satellite internet is the kind of service used by cruise ships, so if you find yourself wanting to sail the world while still providing goods and services to your customers, satellite technology makes this possible.

What kind of internet service provider do you work with? 

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SCORE, a nonprofit association that helps foster startups by providing mentorship and planning tools, says that the value of completing a business plan is not the finished product, but rather the process.

“The act of planning helps you to think things through thoroughly, study and research if you are not sure of the facts, and look at your ideas critically. It takes time now, but avoids costly, perhaps disastrous, mistakes later,” the introduction to SCORE’s business template says.

Having a clear picture about the purpose of your business, its goals, and how it will operate is critical not only for your understanding of these issues, but more importantly to get potential lenders and investors to buy in.

Thankfully, you don’t have to go to business school — or hire someone who did — to create a business plan. You can download a free business plan template and customize it to your needs.

Where to find free business plan templates

1. SCORE – The nonprofit business mentorship program offers free templates for both startup and established businesses, as well as planning tools for nonprofits.

2. BPlans.com – This site offers a free, basic template to download, and if that’s not in-depth enough for you, then you can buy their Business Plan Pro software or use LivePlan, an online business plan creator with built-in formulas for financial planning, videos from experts, and the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues.

3. Office.com – The Microsoft Office site offers a gallery of templates, including business plan checklists, financials, presentations and marketing.

4. Free-Plan – Offers a comprehensive Word-based document that contains a detailed framework for building your business plan, including sample text, tables and charts, as well as a manual with section-by-section assistance.

5. U.S. Small Business Administration – This site allows you to fill out a template online, with tips for what to include in each section. After completing the template, you can generate your business plan and save it to your computer as a Word document.

6. VFinance.com – With this site you can download a free business plan template targeted to your industry, plus you’ll get $75 toward three months of professional posting of your plan for potential investors to view.

7. BizGym.com – This online business planner allows you to fill out a template on the site section by section, tracks your progress on the plan, and allows you to share the plan once its completed.

Tips

• Write your executive summary last, after you’ve done the work of researching and thinking about your business.
• Explain the fundamentals of your business in two pages or less. Make it enthusiastic, professional, complete and concise, advises SCORE.
• If a section of the template doesn’t apply to your business, don’t worry about filling it out.
• If you’re having trouble filling out your template or have questions about creating a business plan, SCORE has mentors that can give you free advice in person or via e-mail. Or, look for feedback and advice from groups like the Small Business Network  on LinkedIn.
• As evidenced above, there are plenty of options for free business templates, so don’t feel like you need to pay for one, unless you can’t find a template that thoroughly addresses your needs. Software like Business Plan Pro or Plan Write Business Planner can provide you with further customization and assistance.
• In addition to completing a business plan checklist, look for a due diligence checklist from potential lenders or investors to make sure you have a better understanding of the types of information they need.
• Many sites, including Bplans.com, Entrepreneuer.com and toolkit.com, offer free samples of business plans categorized by the type of company for you study before starting your own.
• According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, a good business plan is a living document that should be reviewed and updated regularly.
• Before getting bogged down in the details of business planning, make sure you have a clear vision and set of values for your company. This creates a roadmap for you to follow in the rest of your planning.

Learn more about planning your startup on Business.com.

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