Click for info on the Networked Economy Conference
How to make your small business more efficient
Don't sweat the small stuff

So here you are, in your own office, with your company name on an awning outside. You're on the phone with your tax advisor while wondering how to manage the sales department. Wait a minute ... you are the sales department. Your nephew, who now comes in twice a week: Is he a part-time employee or an independent contractor? You've got product stacked to the ceiling and three clients to see today, and that nephew is 20 minutes late for work -- again. How will you find time for everything on your to-do list?

If only you had more time, or money ...

Time is money. Using the Net to take care of such nuisance chores as mailing packages, sending faxes, and ordering supplies can save you a fair bit of time. Enough, perhaps, so that you can finally begin writing that business plan.

Information is money. You can research your market, investigate the competition, keep up-to-date on new developments in your field, read business and trade publications, and check government regulations.

Money is money. You can download free software and maybe even save on taxes. Heck, why not look for venture capital or a business loan while you're at it?

Advice is not money, but it can spur you on when you're too darn tired to think or too uncertain to take the next leap. Better still, those consultations via newsgroups and Web message boards are free! (If you're a small-biz consultant, you might want to seek advice about a new line of work!) You can also offer your own two cents to some starry-eyed beginner trying to remember the difference between income and profit.

Speaking of profit, why not sell on the Net? Sure, you can create a Web page, but you can accomplish a lot on the Net without one, with free listings or some modest advertising.

Hey, you're not president of the company for nothing.

-- Judy Bryan, a writer and editor living in San Francisco, also writes on music and the arts.

Here's How - Click for more!
Click for more!


Here's How - Click for more!
Judy Bryan and Heather Jones tell how
to get it done on the Net:
How do I research my market and check up on the competition?
How can I announce my product or service?
How does the actual sale take place?
How do I get help with legal issues and regulations?
Where do I find tax and accounting information?
How do I mail a package or fax something?

Snappy Picks

Small biz
Biztalk
A Business Researcher's Jumpstation
Apple Computer's Hats Off to Small Business
Entrepreneurs on the Web
Small & Home-Based Business Links
Smart Business Supersite: Start-Ups
The Small Business Connection
Working Solo
Your Small Office
NAFTAnet Home Page

Help from the Feds
IRS
Library of Congress
U.S. Department of Commerce
U.S. Small Business Administration

Ship it out, phone it in
United States Postal Service
UPS
Airborne Express
DHL Worldwide Express
FedEx
AT&T
MCI
Sprint

Setting up shop
Idea Cafe
Quicken Financial Network
The SeaQuest Home Page: The Small Business Resource Center
CNET: Shareware.com
Smart Business Supersite
Starting Point: Business
Working Assets
World Business Solution Marketing Manual
AT&T Toll-Free Internet Directory
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Tax Information Sites on the Net

News/magazines
CNN
Entrepreneurial Edge Online
Inc.
Home PC
Business Week
The Wall Street Journal
USA Today

Virtual watercooler
alt.business
alt.business.accountability
alt.business.hospitality
alt.business.import-export
alt.business.insurance
alt.business.misc
misc.business.consulting (moderated)
misc.business.credit (moderated)
misc.business.records-mgmt
alt.business.internal audit
misc.taxes
misc.taxes.moderated

Classifieds, malls, regional and business directories
Zia Classifieds
Recycler.com
The Classified Advertising Network
Excite: City.Net
BizWeb
World Access Internet Navigator


Go to full Snap Guide list

Have advice for us? Drop a line to Snap Guides.


Help | About NetGuide Live | Feedback

Home | What's On Now | Search+Browse | Explore | Net Know-How | News/Reference

Copyright © 1997 CMP Media Inc.