Why Every Small Business Needs A Website

 It's safe to say that we live in a world where it's assumed that pretty much anything can be found online. Whether it's to figure out where you've seen a familiar looking actor in a movie, check out the menu of a new restaurant you're going to or just to find out general information about a company, most of us turn to the web. Let's face it, many people don't even a copy of the Yellow Pages anymore and the ones that do aren't running to find it when they need to find out about a business. These days when someone is looking for something or more like looking for you and your business, they go online.

So does this mean all businesses should absolutely have a website? Yes, whether you own a business, work for yourself in any capacity or provide paid services to the public in some shape or form, you need to have a website.

Common misconceptions determining if a business needs a website

First off, the size of your company doesn't matter. Regardless if you're a one-man show or a have hundreds of employees, size truly has no bearing when it comes to the benefits of getting your business online. Many small business owners often think that since majority of their business comes from local clientele, having a website isn't really necessary. Some of these small, local businesses have been in business for a very long time and have been doing extremely well without a website. In many cases that's absolutely true and I can't fault them for thinking that way, but I can only imagine how much even better they could be doing if they actually did have a website.

Another prevailing thought is that it doesn't make much sense to have a website if your business isn't actually selling something online. Whether you have an actual tangible product that you plan on selling online or not is irrelevant. These are all huge misconceptions because the bottom line is that it comes down to exposure. Developing a website for your business is the easiest, most efficient and affordable way to get your name out there. Let's take a look at how having a website for even the smallest business can be beneficial.

Benefits of having a website for your business

For any business, staying relevant among today's tech-savvy consumers is paramount. Not only does a website help promote your business but it serves as a means for you to be found by customers. Once you have a website you immediately stop being invisible to all the potential customers trying to find you online. And whether you know it or not, being invisible as a business in this on-demand, information age is costing you money.

Here are some key benefits to having a website for your small business:

You create another marketing tool.

Do you have a business card for your company? Obviously that's a no brainer, of course you do. Just like how you would make sure you get business cards made for your company, creating a website should also be an obvious must-have. A website will be one of your most powerful sales and communication tools for your company, allowing potential clients to quickly and easily find out more about the products and services you have to offer. Think of a website as a brochure for your company that is constantly kept up to date and always available to anyone and everyone.

You create a place for information and communication.

Besides being a sales vehicle, a website is your company's home turf so to speak for everything having to do with your business. It's the primary place where people will go for trusted information about your business, to voice concerns and have their questions answered. Whether it's your current customers, the ones you hope to attract, potential employees or even business partners, a website is your business's greatest communication tool. Even if it's two o'clock in the morning, if someone wants to know something about your business, they will look for answers, and your website will be the place they go. Also, any information about your business read directly from your own website is valued more as opposed to information ascertained about it from somewhere else like another website.

You add legitimacy to your business.

Having a website automatically creates legitimacy and validates your business in the mind of clients. To the public this creates confidence that you're a real, functioning company that is currently doing business. Conversely, if someone looks for your business online and sees you don't have a website their confidence in your business will wane to say the least. This might imply to the average web user, that you're not a serious business, can't afford a website or that your company is old-fashioned.

Allows you to keep up and stay ahead with your competition.

If you're a small business and you're competing with other small businesses in your local area, many of them might be in the same boat as you and don't have a website. That's all the more reason for you to get one and stay a step ahead. But if any of your competitors do have a website and you don't, you're losing business to them plain and simple.

Having a website though can help level the playing field between your business and with the bigger companies that you normally wouldn't be able to compete with. One of the nice things about the internet is that a potential customer can just as easily find your small business's website as it can with a website belonging to a huge national chain. Imagine you're a local hardware business that is a few miles away from a Home Depot. Now, if a local customer searches online where in the area they could purchase a certain home improvement product, wouldn't you like your chances that they might stumble on your business if you had a website?

Best bang for your buck advertising tool.

A website provides more exposure for your money than any other form of advertising. For the average small business owner, the cost of a local radio or television commercial is just not affordable unless it is aired when vast majority of the targeted audience is sleeping. Local newspaper ads can be reasonably priced, but doesn't have the reach or impact they once did. Print news is an industry that's been on the decline since most people are getting their news for free online. With a website, there are no space constraints in detailing and marketing your products, and you are able to interact and truly engage with your customers something that really can't be done with these other forms of advertising. Also in terms of cost, after the initial investment to design and build the site, the annual expense for hosting and maintenance is a fraction of the outlay many small businesses throw at local advertising throughout the year.

Conclusion

So after all that, does it still mean every website should have a website? And the answer is still yes! But it doesn't mean that it has to be an expensive undertaking. A website doesn't need to be big, highly technical, or break the bank in order for it to benefit your company. Even the simplest website that is professionally designed and contains well thought out content can easily benefit any business. But before you can even think about designing your site, you have to take the first step, which is realizing that your business does in fact need one.

Steps to Successful Entrepreneurship

I used to listen to my dad's advice when I was a little girl. He always said that when I grow up I should start my own business because nobody really gets rich just by being an employee. He repeated the same context over a period of time until it penetrated my system. I understood very well that he wanted me to break free from the hassles of corporate world and use my skills and talents in the progress of my own business. In one research, I learned that there are so many things to consider before starting a business. At this point business planning is a determinant factor of the success of every business venture.

Business Planning: Where to begin laying out the plans?
The very first thing to consider in business planning is establishing the goals and expectations of the business. You must ask yourself what is the reason of the business venture? Here are the common reasons of neophyte business people: Freedom and Independence, Respect from peers and family, Power, Self-fulfillment, Livelihood, Change of Lifestyle, and Money. In business planning, consider what motivates you and what drives you to sustain in that venture. Your goals are essential guide to where you are heading in your business enterprise.

Business Planning: What are the key questions to ask?
When you have determined your reason for entering into the business world, the next step in business planning is to ask. Ask these following series of questions:

What kind of business? You should be able to assess yourself if you have the knowledge on the kind of business you want to start. The degree of knowledge and experience you have is a great tool in managing your own business. If you don't have any knowledge or experience to the kind of venture you want, you might as well start learning about them. After all, you don't want to go to battle without any weapon. Your knowledge about the business is your best weapon. In small business planning, you need to know the ins and outs of the business from ground up.

When and where to start the businesses? The timing and the location your business are also very crucial part in the success of your business planning. Know the people in the area and identify their needs or potential wants. Just imagine putting up your business where there are hundreds of similar businesses offering the same products and services in that area. Although healthy competition is good, putting up the same kind of store among hundreds of similar stores will saturate the area and create redundancy. To make your business stand out, put up in places where there are less stores offering what you have and when you do that make sure you also have a compelling offer to the customers that they can't simply resist.

Other additional questions in the steps of business planning that must be addressed right away are the following: Who are involved in the business? Who is the target market? How to start the business? How much is the capital? What are the strategies to use in jumpstarting the business? What is our business plan? What is our Marketing Strategy? You must also include in the business planning the legal documents that you need to accomplish in order to operate in that area smoothly. Some businesses start off as a hobby like jewelry making, crafts making or antique refinishing business and do not require much registration papers but as your business grows, the IRS will eventually question the documents somehow.

Business Planning: Determining the Nature of Business
You can choose from the various kinds of businesses that you can offer to the people. As part of your business planning you must identify what is the nature of your business. It will come handy to know your business from time to time when consumers ask.

Service. You sell your skills to consumers. i.e home repairs, pool cleaning, massage

Wholesale. You buy in bulk and sell them by piece with a marked-up price.

Retail. You sell products directly to consumers. i.e convenience stores, grocery, dress shop.

Project Development. You gather resources to make profitable product or service and deliver to the customers as fixed-price project.

Manufacturing. You put together parts and components to create products for the consumers or other businesses.

The steps in this article are just the baby steps in becoming a successful entrepreneur. Along the way, you will have to learn the curves as you operate your business. There will be more trying times that will eventually lead you to prosperity. For the meantime, you can focus in finalizing and executing your business plans. It is in the business planning stage that the growth and direction of your venture will follow. A good business planning is the solid foundation of lasting business enterprise.

Starting a Business Does Not Require Personal Money

Have you heard the stories, "I can't open a business. It takes too much money, and I'm already broke," before from people wanting to start their own businesses? You may even be one of those people that believe you do not have enough money to start a business. Starting a business is expense, you are correct, but unsecured business credit can help you start a business without ever dipping into your personal checking or savings account. That's right - here is how you can start a business without risking anything personal to you...Unsecured Business Credit!!

Unsecured Business Credit: How Everything Stays Separated

Your personal credit and assets are linked to your personal identification number, better known as your social security number. When you apply for a personal credit card or loan, the lender asks for an asset (your home, car, etc), and they secure the guarantee to your social security number.

The funding you need to start a business, whether that be through loans or credit cards, does not need your social security number (or a personal asset, for that matter) when you apply. Instead, you are asked to provide your EIN, or Employer Identification Number, as a form of identification when you apply for an unsecured business credit loan. An EIN is a nine digit number the IRS issues your business for tax and credit building purposes.

This number separates everything related to your business from everything related to your personal life.

Unsecured Business Credit: But, Wait, I Am Not An Employer

You still have the capability to apply for an EIN even if you do not have employees under you. Sole proprietorship does not disqualify you from receiving unsecured business credit. You can open your business as a sole proprietorship and change it later to a corporation and your unsecured business credit will not suffer. As long as your business is created and registered, you should be able to apply for an EIN. An EIN does not cost you anything, and it is the single, most important thing you can do for your business.

Unsecured Business Credit: Get Out There And Start Your Business Today!

An unsecured line of credit for your business is the easiest and safest way for you to get the money you need to start your business. You will no longer need to worry about having enough money or putting up your means of transportation to start a business. You can go out there, and start your business today without ever having to worry you may come home to a boarded up house!