Nearly half of small-business owners are not completely satisfied with their current domain name, and with hundreds of millions of Websites already online, chances are great that someone else has already snapped up a small-business owner's first choice domain name..."It has never been more important for small business owners to understand and leverage the power of a good domain name. The right web address, built on a global, credible domain extension, can make it easy for people to find, remember and refer you customers—and to drive your business forward." In the next year, the Internet is expected to change dramatically, with hundreds of new domain extensions launching, such as .nyc, .green, .app and .movie. Small-business owners who understand the distinctions among the different domain extensions, and can make the most informed choices, will be best positioned to survive and thrive online...

Ashok Ramachandran's insight:
Choose your domain name carefully. You may be able to get the right one if you are flexible in your choice of extensions.

Zurmo is a web based platform independent Open Source CRM application primarily focused on solving day to day business challenges by streamlining sales processes, enhancing sales productivity and much more by providing better user experience than traditional CRM systems. It is an alternative that is mobile, social and gamified.

Zurmo's primary objective is to provide an easy-to-use, easy-to-customize, highly flexible CRM application that can be adapted to any business use case. Its innovative feature set has increased user adoption and transitioned an otherwise dull system to an engaging, enchanting, and fun system that end users enjoy using.

 

Open Source Software (OSS) have their share of benefits – an advantage of lower total cost of ownership (TCO) as there are no licensing fees, no vendor lock-in, there is no one to "discontinue" the software.

Ashok Ramachandran's insight:
Check out this well-designed CRM with its social features. The Gamification motivates users and makes CRM fun. To make installation easier you can try the Bitnami package.

Windows doesn’t include a built-in PDF printer, but it does include one that prints toMicrosoft’s XPS file format.  You can install a PDF printer to print to PDF from any application in Windows with a print dialog. The PDF printer will add a new virtual printer to your list of installed printers. When you print any document to the PDF printer, it will create a new PDF file on your computer instead of printing it to a physical document.Use a Program’s Built-in PDF Export

Some applications have added their own PDF-export support because Windows doesn’t have it natively. In many programs, you can print to PDF without installing a PDF printer at all.

 - Google Chrome: Click the menu and and click Print. Click the Change button under Destination and select Save as PDF.

 - Microsoft Office: Open the menu, select Export, and select Create PDF/XPS Document.

 - LibreOffice: Open the File menu and select Export as PDF.

Ashok Ramachandran's insight:
Printing is expensive by itself - cost of paper, ink and printer maintenance costs all add up. But, the bigger cost is in fiing that printed paper and finding it when you need it. Use the tips here to Print to PDF instead. Consider the free open source PDFCreator featured elsewhere on this site.

Social media is one of those things that small business owners know they need to do, but they are not quite sure how to find the time to do it. Here are the top ten tips for effective social media management:
1. Have a plan.
2. Don’t worry about perfection.
3. Focus on one tool at a time.
4. Show up consistently.
5. Use your own voice online.
6. Set a time limit. Every marketing activity needs to have a time limit.
7. Turn off notifications.
8. Schedule new content posts. Optimally, this would be on a weekly basis to start.
9. Review analytics. Every marketing activity needs to have a result.
10. Set an expected return on your investment.

Ashok Ramachandran's insight:
Follow these tips to make the most business use of your time on social media.

As small business owners, the mobile phone is one of our most important tools. So important, that we may forget that “anywhere and everywhere” is not our office. And as your business grows, it’s not just your own behavior with a cell phone you have to think about. You also have to make sure your employees exhibit professionalism, stay safe and present a positive public image of your business while using mobile devices. So, hit the pause button for a few minutes to review our 10 rules of mobile etiquette for small businesses:

1. Move 10 feet away if you must take a call.
2. Avoid checking that smartphone in meetings.
3. Return calls within 24 hours.
4. Know where NOT to talk.
5. Speak softly and carry a big stick.
6. Ditch that wild ringtone.
7. Avoid speaking about private matters in public places.
8. Plan ahead for good reception.
9. Keep your mind on your driving!
10. Secure your mobile device with a locking password.