Free website creators
Ten years ago, creating a good website demanded an obscure, even downright weird set of skills. Basic HTML was easy enough to learn — I remember picking up the basics over a long weekend, preparing to move a set of technical documentation into a HTML-based online help system. But getting websites to behave themselves in...
Quick, free image editing
What do you do when you need to quickly modify an image for a business document or presentation, and you don’t have access to your regular photo editing application or, even more commonly, your Photoshop guy. (Ours is called Rodrigo. Hi, Rodrigo!) I found myself in this situation the other day, helping a family member...
What list goes with which list and where does it all go?
I’ve been exchanging emails with my brother all morning about organization. He asked if I had some favorite online applications that I use to keep me organized. I pulled open my del.icio.us bookmarking account and realized I really had too many. Now, I have to admit, I have moments of being a very organized person...
By Bplans
Grow and Expand – The Right Way!
Once a business is up and running, and things seem to be going well, people often wonder whether they should grow and expand their business. Anita Campbell has a good small post about Knowing When It’s Time To Expand, although she says “I wish there were a magic answer. If there is one, I don’t...
Listen to the people who actually do the work
I just read a fascinating article on pbs.org about the sad demise of Business 2.0 magazine. I think the most interesting thing about the failure of the magazine is Time Inc.’s complete lack of understanding of what made Business 2.0 work. Time apparently implemented a new strategy that lumped all the “business” magazines together, and...
Breathe life into Excel
Crystal Xcelsius has released a free version of their software that helps users create dynamic flash dashboards from excel data. This is a great tool to help turn boring financial presentations into interactive and engaging PowerPoint. You can even post your final creations to your web site. Free Download We’ve used the standard version of...
By Noah Parsons
SWOT and Teamwork
SWOT is probably the best tool there is for taking a strategic look at a company. It’s named for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It’s a very good first step towards analyzing any company, or developing business strategy. I recommend the SWOT be part of every planning process. It’s also an excellent tool for gathering...
By Tim Berry
Gather Your Team
Especially when you’re growing an existing business, you want the planning process to pull your team together, develop commitment, and accountability. Managers have to believe in a plan to implement a plan. They also have to believe that results will be tracked, and that managers will be held accountable for disappointing results and will be...
By Tim Berry
