by Gina Blitstein

Opportunities to build your business are everywhere, so it's important to focus in on those that are the right match for your type of business, its size and growth potential.  While you want be prepared to jump at opportunities as they arise, you don't want to waste time and energy going after projects that are not a good fit for what your business offers. There's no sense trying to shove your round peg of a business into a square hole of an opportunity.

If your women-owned business is considering pursuing large government and/or corporate contracts, opportunities abound. According to the National Women Business Corporation, most government purchasing agencies and many corporations have programs for doing business specifically with women business owners. Certification as a Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) ensures the purchasing agents for these companies that a business is in fact woman-owned.

Let's examine the potential advantages of getting your business certified as a WBE. The certification offers numerous growth-building benefits to women-owned businesses. According to the Women's Business Enterprise National Council, the nation's leading third-party certifier of WBEs for the private sector, these include peer recognition, networking opportunities and access to information that can enable you to expand your business.

The most important information they provide is, perhaps, access to a list of "supplier diversity and procurement executives" at thousands of major U.S. corporations and other entities that accept WBE certification. These contracts can be lucrative to businesses that provide products and services these organizations need. Although WBE Certification is a powerful marketing tool, it only makes your business eligible to bid on these contracts - it does not automatically entitle you to them.

Before the dollar signs show up before your eyes, it's wise to take time to determine whether your business is a good candidate for certification - let alone prepared for going after these major contracts. While there are many benefits to being certified, it's not the best use of resources for every business.

The WBENC and WomenBiz.gov (a resource for women-owned businesses selling to the Federal Government) advise businesses to take these issues under advisement:

• Are you willing to do ongoing, detailed research to find bidding opportunities? They aren't going to fall into your lap - it will take some effort on your part to seek them out.
  

• Are you willing to invest time and energy into developing targeted marketing campaigns? You will need to convince the corporation or government agency that you are the right company for the job. 

There are many options you can consider when obtaining basic business software for your company. Many of the decisions you make regarding business software are based on both budget and need. Another important consideration when choosing software is scalability, that is, how many people will need to use the application. Yet another consideration is compatibility - both to the computer platform you are running and the way you and your team like to work.

When it comes to budget, there is no word that is more welcome than "free" when it comes to software costs. While there are many free applications and free versions of more costly applications that you can use for your business needs, always keep in mind the old adage "You get what you pay for" before jumping in to go the cheap route.

Here are some free software options for common software needs for a typical business.

Word Processing, Spreadsheets and Presentations - Open Office or NeoOffice.

Open Office (for PC) and NeoOffice (for Mac) are open source software meaning that the programmers who created them open up their source code to other programmers to help improve the product. They offer the software for free although they do ask for donations. Both products operate like Microsoft Word for word processing, Excel for spreadsheets and PowerPoint for presentations and can even open those file formats. While both products save files in their own format, you can also convert the files back into a format compatible with Microsoft products or other off-the-shelf software.

Photo Manipulation - GNU Image Manipulation Program or GIMP

If you have used PhotoShop in the past, you know how pricey the full software can be. Even PhotoShop Elements runs you at least $50. Many designers use GIMP as a free option for photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. GIMP works on PCs, Macs and also systems running Linux and several other options. A Web-based image manipulation option is PicNik.

Project Management - Deskaway

While most Web-based project management software solutions offer a free trial for 14 to 30 days, Deskaway is the only one that offers a fairly feature-packed free version that doesn't need to convert to a paid subscription model as long as you remain within the parameters they set. While Basecamp does offer a free version as well, the Deskaway version has several more features - such as time clocks and more reporting - in their free version.

Big File Storage - Mozy

Both PC and Mac users can use the online hosting service Mozy to store up to 2 Gigs of files with the Home User solution. As the site reads: No setup fee, no credit cards, no expiration, no hassle. If you are a one person shop and just need a little bit of extra storage space in an easily accessible space, Mozy could work for you.

Big File Transfer - YouSendIt

Anyone can use the service YouSendIt to send large files to people rather than attaching them to an email. YouSendIt will store the files up to 100 MB for a limited time and email the designated recipient with a link where they can go to download the file rather than clog up their email account with a monster file.

Long Distance Phone Calls - Skype

Get a USB headset for your computer and download Skype for free to connect using video and voice via the Internet. You don't need the headset (which will run you over $50 but under $100 although it does help to keep the sound clear on your calls. The only cost to either party is the cost of their regular Internet connection.

Some things to consider with free software and applications:

1. You may not get timely tech support.

2. You'll inevitably find some shortcomings in the free solutions that you'll either have to grin and bear or bite the bullet and pay something.

3. You may end up outgrowing the free versions rather quickly and be forced to graduate to a paid version rather than relearning a new software or system.

All in all, free does come with strings attached but it is nice to be able to be relatively productive even if your budget is zero.

by guest blogger Gina Blitstein

A mentoring relationship can prove a powerful tool to define and achieve your goals. The guidance and support a mentor provides is invaluable to keeping you motivated and on track. But does mentoring necessarily need to be a formal relationship? Consider finding “alternative” mentoring opportunities.

As defined in The Merriam-Webster WWWebster Dictionary, a mentor is "a trusted counselor or guide." Taking into account the broadness of that definition, you can undoubtedly find mentors anywhere and everywhere. Here are some suggestions for finding the guidance you would receive from a formal mentoring relationship in the “real world.”

1. Consider your friends and family. Right under your nose there are people who live and have lived successful lives and with whom you already share a unique bond of trust. Even if their field of expertise differs from yours, there is much to be learned by examining your father’s business philosophy or your aunt’s drive to achieve. Most likely they will be honored that you asked and therefore will be particularly forthcoming.

2. “Everyday People” can teach a lot. If only you open your eyes and mind, you’ll discover that you encounter people everyday whose characteristics can inspire you to greater success. They are not necessarily those who are doing what you want to do yet you can appreciate those qualities they employ that make them successful. Even if it is the people skills of a helpful receptionist or the efficiency of your favorite waitress, the skills that make those interactions pleasant can be utilized in any career. Success is success and the building blocks are the same. Only the specifics vary from field to field.

3. Social Networking Sites. Twitter and LinkedIn can be more than leisure time-sappers and productivity hogs. You can find and network with others whose accomplishments can inspire you professionally. These sites are great resources for discovering others in your current field or the field you are considering. Even a casual relationship with like-minded professionals can provide some honest guidance from a supportive community.

Think about a teacher or coach from your past who inspired you to excel. What methods were employed to bring out the best in you? In urging you to succeed, he or she undoubtedly modeled the desired behavior for you. This technique led you to feel admiration for him or her as a mentor and ultimately inspired your thoughts and actions.

It really comes down to examining and interpreting the interactions we have with everyone we encounter throughout the day. This analytical approach can help you see the myriad of possibilities for guidance all around you. All you need do is accept them for what they are.

Of course this method of “self mentorship” is no substitution for an actual mentor relationship. It is an adjunct to an overall mindset of personal and professional growth. In future articles on this subject, I will delve into some particular non-traditional mentoring relationships in detail.

Where do you find your inspiration?

The terms “bailout” and “stimulus package” appeared to be permanently added to the American lexicon last year.  As a small business owner, you may think the government’s economic intervention may have little to do with you; after all, aren’t bailouts for big banks and major industries?

Not necessarily.  As the government tries to decide how best to handle the current economic situation, more and more business experts are calling for federal assistance for small businesses.

According to a story that aired recently on National Public Radio’s “Marketplace,” groups like the National Federation of Independent Businesses and the National Small Business Association are pushing for a stimulus package that will help small business owners make it through the crunch intact.  Small business advocates are calling for a temporary payroll tax cut and tax deductions for business investment, as well as funds from the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) targeted at small business lending.  

Even if there is no small business-specific stimulus package, entrepreneurs in certain fields may stand to benefit from other federal economic ventures, such as H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  An article in the January issue of National Defense Magazine points out that, while small businesses face a variety of challenges in obtaining government contracts, any stimulus packages that have to do with infrastructure will likely result in additional federal dollars making their way to small businesses via expanded contract opportunities.

If the stimulus bill passes, those opportunities do seem likely to appear.  USA Today reported in December that federal spending is expected to reach an historic peak this year, with the government accounting for $1 out of every $4 spent in 2009.  Under the Small Business Reauthorization Act of 1997, 23% of that money is supposed be spent on small business contractors.  That mean billions of additional federal dollars will go to certified small businesses this year — not as “bailouts,” but as contracts.

For more information on H.R.1, the proposed economic stimulus package, visit http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:H.R.1:

Marketplace link
National Defense link