Small Business Success Index 5

Index Score^*		Grade
SBSI INDEX	73	C-
Capital Access	67	D+
Marketing & Innovation	65	D
Workforce	76	C
Customer Service	88	B+
Computer Technology	75	C
Compliance	92	A-
*Index score is calculated on a 1-100 scale.

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Sneak Peek at the Future: Network Solutions Small Biz Tweet Chat

January 10th, 2011 :: Rieva Lesonsky

By Rieva Lesonsky

Take a sneak peek at the future: Join me for Network Solutions’ Small Biz Tweet Chat!

I’ll be participating in a free tweet chat, hosted by Network Solutions, on Wednesday, January 19, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 EDT.

Join me and find out all about what 2011 has in store. We’ll be talking about:

Demographic Trends:

Find out what key markets you should engage with in 2011, and the “3 B’s” you need to know about: babies, boomers and brides.

Internet Trends :

What you need to know to create a competitive website, plus how cloud computing and mobile technology can power your business in 2011.

Trendspotting :

Learn how to identify big trends and still reach a niche market, plus how to become your own “trendspotter.”

Find out more about the Small Biz Tweet Chat or register.

Tags: trends, TweetChat
Posted in Events, Tweetchat | No Comments »

What’s New at Network Solutions

December 7th, 2010 :: Shashi Bellamkonda

This December, Network Solutions has a few great opportunities to help you take your small business to the next level. In addition our leadership tweet chat with Terry Starbucker, we have some fantastic online deals for you this holiday season. Read on!

Leadership for Small Biz Tweet Chat Dec. 9 with Terry Starbucker (@starbucker)

If you are a small business owner, you need to read Terry Starbucker’s blog, Ramblings from a Glass Half Full. From hiring, to firing, and everything in between, Terry offers sound advice to help hone your leadership skills with executable tactics. For a quick look, check out last week’s post on Solutions are Power where we re-capped some of his recent articles. We are so fortunate to be hosting Terry as guest tweeter for our upcoming #netsol small biz tweet chat.

Register on Eventbrite: http://netsolleadership.eventbrite.com/

Here are the details:

Who: Terry Starbucker, top leadership speaker and blogger

What: #netsol tweetchat, just log into twitter or tweet chat and follow the hashtag, #netsol

When: December 9, 1-2:30 pm EST

Where: Twitter

Why: To understand how to be a more effective leader, and to answer the following questions and more:

How do I become a leader instead of a micro-manager?
As a leader, how can I be an effective communicator?
How do I increase my odds of hiring someone worthwhile?
What are some simple non-verbal tactics I can use to become a better leader?

Image courtesy of Terry Starbucker

December Deals

We all know what December means… It’s time for the holidays. Here at Network Solutions, we are big into giving too, and this year we are especially giving thanks for our Facebook fans. Facebook is one of our favorite ways to engage with you, our customers, and hear your small business success stories.

Network Solutions is offering exciting deals to get your Web presence moving forward, and they all start on Facebook. We are encouraging you to join our small business conversations on Facebook with some fantastic offers:

- $1.95 Domain names—to redeem, visit www.facebook.com/networksolutions and click on the Offer tab

- $1,000 Network Solutions Gift Certificate Sweepstakes—the grand prize winner will be able to boost his/her Web presence with $1,000 worth of Network Solutions tools and resources.

5 additional winners will receive Network Solutions “Large” Hosting packages.
To enter, visit www.facebook.com/networksolutions and click the Sweepstakes Tab.

Tags: Events, terry starbucker
Posted in Events, Interviews | 1 Comment »

From the GrowSmartBiz Conference: Proven Strategies to Convert Web Visitors into Customers

November 17th, 2010 :: Monika Jansen

One of my favorite sessions at the GrowSmartBiz Conference on November 5 was a Technology Track panel discussion that offered valuable, no-nonsense ways to convert Web visitors into customers. Thanks to Jennifer Shaheen, President of the Technology Therapy Group, Melinda Emerson, the Small Biz Lady, and Walt Rivenbank, VP of the Mobility Applications Consulting group at AT&T for such great information!

Their strategies are fairly easy to implement, but they will require some time. Here’s what to do:

1. Check Google Analytics to find out whether your Web visitors are staying.

If you don’t have an account yet, get sign up for one today (it’s free, natch). One of the things Google Analytics looks at is your website’s bounce rate. If people are visiting your website but not staying long and not moving from one page to the next, it’s not good. It means you are probably not supplying them with the information they are looking for and you are definitely not converting them into leads, let alone customers. It also means you need to update your website.

2. Have a clear call-to-action (CTA).

Update your website by offering a consultation, white paper, how-to guide—anything that is both educational and valuable. As Melinda Emerson, the Small Biz Lady, said, “Give away your best stuff.” But you’re not giving away anything for free! Before they get that free consultation or white paper, ask them for their name and e-mail address. Your web designer/programmer can help you set this up.

3. Be sure your CTA is easy to find.

Don’t hide your CTAs! Add them to every page in the form of a big button that is hard to miss (it need not be a garish eyesore, just prominent). If you have a shopping cart, make it a really big button that is easy to click on.

4. You have 7 seconds to convince your Web visitors to stay.

Your website is your home base and most visible online presence. Because you only have 7 seconds to grab the attention of your Web visitors, your home page must be especially well-written. As you are writing—or re-writing—your website content, also keep in mind that your website is not a book—people do not read it from beginning to end.

5. No handouts.

When you give a presentation or workshop, do not hand out information that elaborates on your topic. Instead, ask attendees to visit you online at your website, Facebook page, or Twitter account to receive some great information that they will find useful (really sell it!). You can, however, give them a one-sheet (a one-page brochure) that acts as a CTA. It should only include some information to pique their interest. Your goal is to get them onto your website or connected to you via social media so you can continue to engage with them and convert them into customers.

Photo Courtesy Shashi Bellamkonda

Tags: call-to-action, GrowSmartBiz Conference, lead conversion, lead generation, social media, website design
Posted in Grow Smart Business Conference, Marketing, Search Marketing, small business, social media, Technology, Web Design | No Comments »

GrowSmartBiz Conference: How to Multiply the Effects of SEO With Great Content

November 15th, 2010 :: Monika Jansen

One of the Marketing Track sessions I attended at the GrowSmartBiz Conference had a great title–Stories, Content, and the Search Engine Sword Over Your Head–and delivered useful information in spades. No matter how new or established your business, this session was a great way to learn exactly how to improve your search engine optimization efforts and results.

Ben Cook, the SEO Manager at Network Solutions, moderated the panel of 4 pros, including Tinu Abayomi-Paul, principal of Leveraged Promotion, Dr. Alan Glazier, founder and owner of Shady Grove Eye and Vision Care, Deborah Ager, principal of ClickWisdom, LLC, and Liana Evans, CEO of LiBeck Integrated Marketing. (You might be curious as to why there’s an optometrist on the panel. Dr. Grazier has successfully implemented SEO at Shady Grove Eye and become a prolific blogger in the process.)

Here are their tips on using great content to boost your website’s search engine optimization:

Write for your audience! To produce great content specific to your audience, you need to understand what they search for when online. Use Market Samurai, a keyword analysis tool, to help you figure what people are searching for. Then you will be able to write content that addresses their needs.

Use long-tail search terms in your content. Long-tail search terms are the descriptive keywords people enter in the search box when they’re conducting research online. For instance, “children’s navy blue cotton jacket” rather than “children’s jackets”. The more pages your website has, the more content you’ll have, and the more chances you’ll have at being found for long-tail terms.

Content type is important. Blogs, videos, and podcasts are great for search engine optimization, thanks to plenty of chances for back linking (aka, links from other sites). All search engines, including Google and Bing, measure how often content is linked and how many views it gets, so the more varied your content, the better.

Make it easy to share content. Twitter makes sharing content and getting links easy as your content is spread from one person to the next. On your blog, make sure you add “tweet this” and “like” buttons. Google rewards websites that have links back to it from both new and established websites.

Optimize video and podcasts. Because search engines cannot read videos or podcasts, add a transcript.

The importance of the URL. You can create custom URL shorteners for branding purposes (I had no idea!). Awe.sm is the first company I found in search results that does this. Also be sure that your blog’s URLs contain the title of the blog post rather than numbers.

Photo Courtesy Shashi Bellamkonda

Tags: GrowSmartBiz Conference, Marketing, podcasts, search engine optimization, small busines, video marketing, website content
Posted in Branding, Grow Smart Business Conference, Marketing, Search Marketing | No Comments »

From the GrowSmartBiz Conference: Customer Service as a Differentiator for Small Businesses

November 12th, 2010 :: Monika Jansen

‘There is a general cultural of bad customer service in this country.”

Barry Moltz began his presentation, Customer Service Is the New Marketing, at the GrowSmartBusiness Conference on November 5 with the above statement. As a prolific author and sought-after speaker on entrepreneurship (he has started three companies and founded an angel investing fund), Barry focused on the incredibly important role customer service now plays in a company’s growth and success. (His engaging and entertaining presentation was based on his newest book, BAM! Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World.)

As he alluded to in his presentation, small business owners have a competitive advantage over large companies because we consistently deliver exceptional customer service to our clients. I can only name three large companies that have built their cultures around customer service: Apple, Zappos, and Nordstrom. (Maybe this is a trick question, but are there any others you can add to the list?)

Following are excerpts from Barry’s presentation, per my furiously scribbled notes:

“In a world with no boundaries, the only sustainable competitive advantage is excellent customer service.

‘There are a lot of myths associated with customer service. These myths have to be busted, because the customer is not always right. Under-promising and over-delivering is not a customer service strategy. Unhappy customers are not part of doing business. Customers do not only care about low price….

“Good customer service is whatever a customer says it is in a particular instant on a particular day. Instead of asking, ‘How can I help you?’, ask ‘How can I make your day better?’

“To ensure your customer service is as good as it can be, put together a customer service manifesto to clearly explain what your customers can expect from you. It should include the following:

Deliver on what you promise
Listen to your customers
When things go wrong, be reachable
Resolve issues in a reasonable amount of time
Admit mistakes
Empower employees to resolve issues
Make it easy to stop doing business with you (in direct contrast to cell phone and cable companies, as Barry pointed out)
Don’t charge nuisance fees or surcharges
Treat your customers with respect and dignity
Don’t change the rules without prior notification (cough—credit card companies—cough)

“To get useful feedback from your customers, ask the following four questions:

Why did you choose to do business with us?
Did anyone do a good or bad job servicing you?
Do you plan to use us in the future?
Can you tell any friends, colleagues, or business partners about our business?”

Tags: competitive advantage, Customer Service, differentiator, GrowSmartBiz Conference, Marketing, small business
Posted in Customer Service, Grow Smart Business Conference | No Comments »

There's Something for Every Entrepreneur at the GrowSmartBusiness Conference Nov. 5

November 2nd, 2010 :: Rieva Lesonsky

By Rieva Lesonsky

Being a small business owner is hard work. There’s lots to know, even more to do, and never enough time to accomplish it all. That’s why it’s essential to get as much information as you can from other entrepreneurs and industry experts.

If you’re in the Washington, DC, area you can do just that on Friday, November 5, by coming to the GrowSmartBusiness Conference hosted by the Washington Business Journal and Network Solutions.

There’s something for every business owner (including nonprofits), no matter the size or stage of your business. You can attend sessions in any one of four tracks and find out how to (among other things):

Use social media to grow your business
Get funding
Attract and keep customers
Be innovative
Navigate the “mobile world”
Get started in business today
Hire smart

We all know most entrepreneurs don’t like to follow the rules, but I think you’ll want to know about the 6 rules for tech success, and the 10 rules of business cards. I can’t wait to share 3 big trends that you can start cashing in on almost immediately. One of our speakers is even going to share the “5 minutes that can change your business—forever.”

I know you’re busy; all of us business owners are. But getting away from the office, meeting new people, and hearing different perspectives is as important to growing your business as almost anything else you do.

Come join me Friday, November 5^th at the Renaissance Hotel. I promise, you won’t regret it.

Posted in Events, Grow Smart Business Conference | No Comments »

10 Reasons to Attend the GrowSmartBiz Conference on November 5

October 19th, 2010 :: Monika Jansen

If you didn’t make it to last year’s GrowSmartBiz Conference, you absolutely must make it a priority to go to this year’s conference, which will be co-hosted by the Washington Business Journal and Network Solutions on November 5. The conference was expanded to include a trade show, and it will take place once again at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, DC.

Based on my experience at last year’s conference, here are 10 reasons to attend this year’s conference:

10. Great networking opportunities. Last year, I got to meet a lot of interesting people (here’s one), as this event attracts hundreds of executives from various industries throughout the region.

9. You will learn a lot from small business owners. All of the small business owners and executives who spoke last year shared their knowledge and experience on issues that affect us as we try to grow our businesses. And some of them are very funny (especially Ramon Ray of SmallBizTechnology, who said he thought Shashi was Network Solutions for the longest time).

8. Meet the vendors you’ve been meaning to contact. The trade show aspect is a really great opportunity to meet product and service providers who can help you grow your small business.

7. Pick a conference track. Last year, all attendees heard great presentations on a handful of topics, but with only an hour for each session, the surface was barely scratched. This year, you get to immerse yourself in one of four topics to gain a much deeper understanding of that area. Choose from Marketing & Innovation; Government, Small Business Finance, and Non-Profit; Technology as a Tool for Your Business, or Entrepreneur Bootcamp.

6. Breakfast and lunch. The food was really good last year.

5. Meet the NetSol bloggers! All of us bloggers (yes, including Shashi) will be at the event. Because I work remotely, I loved meeting everyone last year, including some of NetSol’s marketing people.

4. It’s not expensive. The cost to attend is only $79 per person this year, way down from last year’s rate.

3. You get out of the office for the day! Last year’s conference was on a Tuesday, and because of the simple fact that this year’s conference takes place on a Friday, it’ll be more fun.

2. This year’s event is bigger. More vendors, more speakers, and more topics.

And the number one reason to attend this year:

1. You will leave inspired. Sounds a little too Oprah Winfrey, I know, but when I left last year, I had learned a lot, and I was honestly excited not only about being a small business owner, but confident that I could grow my small business (and I have!).

Tags: GrowSmartBiz Conference, networking, small business owners
Posted in Events, Grow Smart Business Conference | 1 Comment »

GrowSmartBiz 2010 Conference is on Nov 5 so Save the Date!

August 11th, 2010 :: Steven Fisher

Coming this fall is the second annual GrowSmartBiz Conference being held on November 5, 2010 at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, DC. Last year Network Solutions launched this conference and it was MC’d by Alex Orfinger of the Washington Business Journal. This year the Washington Business Journal is partnering with Network Solutions to make this a bigger and even better event than last year.

We listened to your feedback and this year we also plan to have multiple content tracks to really take this event up a notch. If you are interested in reserving your booth space before August 27, call 703-258-0800.

Register Now!

Our GrowSmartBiz registration site is up and running! Tickets are $79 per person and if you want to bring a group of 10 the cost $69 per person or $690 for the group. You can register at

http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/events/2010/growsmartbiz/

If you are curious as to the quality of content, here are some videos from the 2009 GrowSmartBiz Conference.

This is an event not to be missed. We will be announcing more in the weeks ahead so fill out the form below and we will let you know the details as they are announced.

If you are curious as to the quality of content, here are some videos from the 2009 GrowSmartBiz Conference.

Tags: Alex Orfinger, GrowSmartBiz, Network Solutions, small business
Posted in Grow Smart Business Conference, small business, Videos | 1 Comment »

Have You Made Your .CO Pitch? Deadline for the .CO PItch Contest is 6/14

June 10th, 2010 :: Steven Fisher

So, have you pitched your idea for a new business, blog or website yet? The deadline is approaching and the contest winners will be announced soon. You still have time to get in your entry by June 14, 2010 and you could win $50,000 and the ideal .CO web address* to make it a reality.

Recently, we announced the global launch of the .CO domain and this .CO pitch contest. As a quick refresher, the site Pitch.CO has a contest asking for your best business idea pitch and you can win $50,000. Here are the details:

Pitch it

Whether you’ve got a full plan ready to launch or just a few half-baked ideas drawn on the back of a napkin, it’s time to make your pitch! Clear your calendar for 30 minutes, get ready to focus and put your best pitch forward. Don’t worry about making it perfect – just have fun and make it happen. You’ll need the following details:

A 60-second video or an image that will inspire

Nothing gets people inspired like hearing a great new idea directly from you.
A catchy title for your idea

Half the battle in any contest is getting people to pay attention. How will you do it?
A little plan

This is where the rubber meets the road. How does your idea come to life (in 1,000 characters or less)?
Your ideal .CO web address

This is your chance to get the .CO web address you really want – choose wisely.
Tell us about you

Charm the voters and judges with a little story about yourself and your background.

Promote It

Once you enter the contest, use our easy promotional tools to start marketing it everywhere. Share it with your friends, update your status, tweet about it, call your relatives, tell a stranger, whatever it takes to get people to vote for your entry on Pitch.co! The top 30 vote-getters will be advanced to the finals where they will join a maximum of 8 pitches selected by the judges. You can learn more about the great panel of .CO pitch judges on the .CO Pitch Site. Voting ends on June 14, 2010 at 11:59pm EST.

Win It

Grand Prize (1)

$25,000 in cash
$25,000 in web design/development services
1 ideal .CO web address to build it on*

Runner Ups (5)

$500 in cash
1 ideal .CO web address to build it on
*Subject to the .CO Launch and Registration Rules

Enter to Win!

So let’s get started! Go to http://pitch.co/submit or click on the button below. Good luck!

Disclaimer: Any .co domain including those mentioned in your contest entry may be registered by any member of the public after the sunrise period ending on June 10, 2010.

Tags: Business, Marketing, Website
Posted in Entrepreneurs, Events, small business | No Comments »

Get Your Biz On! First Ever Women Grow Business Bootcamp this June in DC

May 21st, 2010 :: Steven Fisher

I am happy to share the news that Shonali Burke, Editor of Women Grow Business has put together the first-ever Women Grow Business Boot Camp for women entrepreneurs in the DC metro area.

The goal according to Shonali is to “bring the smarts of our online community offline – to help you grow – or start – your business”.

Did you know that according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s last report (2006), the number of women-owned businesses in the U.S. grew 20 percent between 1997 and 2002. In fact:

Women owned nearly 30 percent of “nonfarm” businesses in the U.S.;
Fourteen percent of women-owned firms employed more than 7.1 million people; and
Wholesale and retail trade accounted for 38.3 percent of women-owned business revenue.

One thing’s for sure from this data: we women are bent on rocking business!

Event Details!!!

The first-ever Women Grow Business Boot Camp, which will be held from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 19, in downtown DC.

If you’re a woman entrepreneur in the DC area (or want to be one), I hope you’ll attend this half-day, FREE workshop where you’ll hear from women business owners, many of whom contribute to and/or have supported Women Grow Business since its inception.

I mean, it’s not every day you get a chance to meet Kathy Korman Frey aka @ChiefHotMomma and our keynote speaker (W00T!), as well as powerhouses like Marissa Levin, Patricia Frame, Shana Glickfield and many, many more.

What you’ll learn

Speakers will share their experiences in growing their businesses, and after the keynote, you’ll split into four breakout groups to learn more about four key areas of growing your business:

Money, Honey: the financial and infrastructural side to your business
Legal Eagle: the legal, IP and related issues we need to be aware of
What’s the Buzz?: marketing your business, including using PR and social media
Are You Being Served?: defining, reaching and retaining your ideal customer

We’re going to repeat these tracks after a short break, so that you can move to another group and learn about another area (and the speakers will change as well).

So by the end of the workshop, you should come away feeling empowered, armed with practical tips, and have done a ton of networking… at least, that’s what we hope you’ll come away with.

It’s on a Saturday, so hopefully that will make it easy for you to carve the time out of your busy schedules. And did I mention it’s FREE? Thank you, sponsors Network Solutions and the Intellectual Property Group and Diversity Committee of Steptoe & Johnson LLP.

Sign up!

You can register here, and do share the word with those you think would be interested… and maybe we can even come up with a flash mob of our own. Whadja say?

About Women Grow Business

A Network Solutions-hosted blog community, Forbes named Women Grow Business one of the 20 Best Marketing and Social Media Blogs By Women earlier this year. Rather than rest on our laurels, we hope the Women Grow Business Bootcamp will provide a rich learning environment for women business owners… and those who want to join their ranks.

Tags: Business, Network Solutions, shonali burke, small business, women, women grow business
Posted in Events, small business | 1 Comment »