Archive for Small Business
Free Web Sites For Small Businesses
In line with our goal of helping small and home business startups, we will shortly be offering free web sites for qualifying small businesses based on our ExpressWebz platform.
Full details will be made available at launch time (scheduled for end of May 2010).
The ExpressWebz Service
As some of you know, our flagship service offering is ExpressWebz, offering real web solutions for those with small budgets. ExpressWebz is based on a foundation of genuine value-for-money and an ongoing commitment to provide old-fashioned service to small businesses and clubs.
The ExpressWebz model includes low setup and ongoing monthly fees. In return, Avallach Technology provides ExpressWebz clients with services including:
Set Up
- Set up of web hosting space, domain and email addresses
- Provision of services for the above (if required)
- Option to keep existing hosting provider if technical specs are met
- Installation and setup of content management software (CMS)
- Selection and installation of an appropriate site theme as a starting point
- Theme tweaked and matched to style and colours of logo and marketing materials
- Work with the you to build initial site content – e.g. About, Contact, Services, Home pages
Ongoing
- Update site software with latest releases and security fixes
- Take and implement requests from you for page changes/additions/deletes
- Ongoing support – e.g. helping you become proficient with making updates themselves
- Monthly courtesy call or email to maintain contact and ensure satisfaction with service
- Assist where possible with technical issues, questions and strategies.
- Give advice on marketing and SEO strategies
We basically set out to become your IT/Internet partner, where "you" are (typically) a small businesses, sole trader, club or other organisation.
If this sounds like you, check out ExpressWebz today and tick off one more item on your ever-increasing TODO list!
Future Business
In recent times, there has been a trend towards globalisation, large multi-national corporates, and big business snapping up smaller rivals. This is something that seems to have picked up pace with the so-called "global financial crisis". Many believe we are heading towards a "new world order", effectively controlled by a small number of large financial institutes.
That may or may not occur, but I personally cannot see how the whole world can operate that way exclusively. There will always be a need for tradesmen, local specialists, corner shops and so on. This gives a clue to the type of economy, and the type of business activity that I believe can, and will, bring back the boom times (notwithstanding my view that boom and bust cycles only exist if you allow them to!)
Small business can, and perhaps MUST, play a central role in the "revival". This is not a new idea, nor is it a revolutionary one. The world in 2010, and beyond needs a different economy from the "Gordon Gecko" philosophy of the 80s, and from the increasing globalisation of the 90s and 00s.
You don’t need to go too far back to find times when small businesses and cottage industries provided not only an economic backbone, but provided the infrastructure for strong communities and societies. This is the way of the future, and will perhaps be essential to the long-term survival of modern society, perhaps even our species.
Creating strong networks of small businesses provides a tightly connected, self-supporting foundation to any town, village or city. But in this technological age, things don’t have to stop there. Small businesses can now harness the power and reach of the Internet to forge alliances and build networks on a global basis. At an even smaller scale, home business operators can build similarly global networks from the comfort of their own homes!
The net result is a collection of strong links which, when combined, lead to flexible, adaptable and highly resilient networks. Contrast this with the potentially fragile nature of a seemingly stable, global company (as we have seen in recent times).
But there is more to this than pure economics; society itself will benefit from this way of working. Connections and relationships will be encouraged at a local level in several ways. Not only amongst the business operators themselves, but between businesses and their customers. Instead of purchasing products and services from "Faceless Multinational Inc", people will see a return to dealing with a local expert who can not only sell them something, but can offer support, advice and assistance.
Globalisation is without doubt here to stay, certainly in terms of financial institutes. But as large corporates merge they become bigger, they become less agile, and the changes expose more and more gaps in all kinds of markets. Big business cannot cater for individuals in the same way that other individuals can, and this is likely to provide the spark for something of a small business rennaissance.
Are you ready for the opportunities that will present themselves?
Blinded by Science?
Technology, and the Internet in particular, is a very powerful thing, so powerful in fact that it can turn confident, professional people into gibbering messes. While that might sound strange, I’ve seen it with my own eyes. The fact is that if you add “technology” into the mix, people react very strangely, even those people who force themselves to live well outside the comfort zone.
Why is that?
My opinion is that it’s partly because computer technology used to be completely unapproachable for the average non-technical person, but also because this belief has been perpetuated by people with a vested interest. It doesn’t take too much effort to find people selling basic technical services at premium rates. While there is a place for technical experts, the Internet is becoming more and more of a commodity and these high-charging experts are starting to seem more and more like over-charging tradesmen (you know, the plumber who wants to charge you $250 just for driving around to your home, etc.)
Now don’t get me wrong, there are certain web projects that necessarily demand a high level of artistic ability, a highly customised solution, and people will quite rightly pay top dollar for the designers and developers on those projects. Where the issue lies is the way people are charged these sort of premium prices for relatively simple web sites.
Another reason for this is the prevalence of “old school” thinking. Web site creation has its roots in classic design processes, with costings based on estimates and/or actual time spent. As such, web site developers tend to approach these things with a “how long will this take me, and what do I want to earn per hour?” mentality.
This is further compounded when you consider the lifetime of a web site and costs that will be incurred by asking the web designer to make changes, add content, or to add functionality. People don’t stop and consider the prices being quoted because they have a fear of the technology, and therefore place a high value on those they deem to be experts.
Sadly, this leaves many small businesses without a web presence, or at least without a web presence that helps their business. They get put off by the prices quoted, and often defer the creation of a web site when they could probably benefit from having one right now.
A Better Way
The thing is, it doesn’t need to be like that at all – these days it is possible to acquire everything you need (web hosting and domain name primarily) for as little as $5 per month. There are masses of free resources online that can help you learn how to create a web site, there are books, and there are even online content management systems that make the job very easy indeed.
Now some people will still prefer to bring in an expert; perhaps they don’t feel confident enough in their own abilities, maybe they just want to be sure that all the steps are carried out or, as is often the case, they simply don’t have time to learn the skills and/or manage the site.
In these instances, hiring a web developer makes perfect sense, but it doesn’t have to cost a fortune, and your site does NOT have to be loaded with Flash content and large graphics, nor does it have to be a potential candidate for the Turner Prize. For the majority of small/home businesses, the key requirements are speed of loading and no-nonsense delivery of the marketing message. Slick advertising is great for large corporates building their brands, or for specialised sites where visual impact is a must, but the average small business needs a simpler, more direct approach.
This is where the Avallach approach comes in; unlike many, more traditional, web developers, we don’t charge thousands of dollars for a basic 5-page site, in fact we don’t charge thousands of dollars for any site. Our solutions are based around a model that comes from the world of online software and applications; initial setup costs plus a monthly subscription.
The solutions themselves are based on a clearly defined process that we follow, starting with an examination of your requirements through to implementation of your web site AND ongoing site management.
Our clients see, time and time again, that it IS possible to have a professional, fully managed web presence without blowing a huge hole in your business’ cashflow.
If you’re in business (or run a club or organisation) and you’re looking to make the move online, choose Avallach as your partner on the journey and that decision will pay dividends for a long time to come.