The Potential and Risks of Outcomes-Based Budgeting

I just received my newsletter from the National Council of Nonprofits. One article stood out, "The Potential and Risks of Outcomes-Based Budgeting." It's news worth following. I copied the article below, complete with links.

The Potential and Risks of Outcomes-Based Budgeting

Whether a political fad or a budgeting solution for the future, state governments across the country are applying the lens of “cost-benefit analysis” to re-evaluate past and current spending priorities. The approach allows “policy makers to compare options and identify those that most effectively achieve outcomes ... at the lowest cost to taxpayers,” according to Sue Urahn, Director of the Pew Center on the States. Washington State reportedly has gone the furthest in identifying evidence-based policies by utilizing a model developed by the nonpartisan Washington State Institute for Public Policy that evaluates all available research and multiple factors to help legislators prioritize budget decisions.

 

Illinois is actively engaged in implementing a “Budgeting for Results” program, and the state association of nonprofits, Donors Forum, is providing significant nonprofit input. In a recent letter to the Governor, Donors Forum shared preliminary findings from its forthcoming nationwide research that examines national models for Budgeting for Results, as well as the most important lessons Illinois can learn from other states. To ensure a strong and reliable network of bedrock community services, the letter urges the Governor to adopt principles that focus on transparency, engagement of nonprofit and philanthropic expertise, and creation of outcomes that are least harmful to the people and communities of the state.

Elizabeth Warren - worth sharing one more time

“There is nobody in this country who got rich on their own. Nobody. You built a factory out there - good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory ... Now look. You built a factory and it turned into something terrific or a great idea - God bless! Keep a hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.”     - Elizabeth Warren

happy holidays everyone

"... the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead or lame,

and on each end of the rifle we're the same... "

May the blessings of a forgiving universe embrace us all, now and always.

Snooter-doots - an eco-sustainable gift of choice

DIrect from their website, "Snooter-doots™ are whimsical, handcrafted, art-dolls inspired by nature, featuring vegetables, bugs, fish, birds, fantasy creatures, and edibles. We are earth-friendly and sustainable! Snooter-doots are knit by hand from renewable wool and other animal fiber yarns before they are felted."

I couldn't believe I found such a great gift! Who could resist the idea that a handcrafted doll was not only unique in appearance and composition, but has it's own personality (the website says so) and it's own name and birthday. AND you can adopt one by visiting the Snooter-doot website (http://www.snooter-doots.com). It's worth visiting this website even if it's just to read the Snooter-doots story.

They even make a geoduck named Georgie. Cuter than his real-life model for sure.

 

Illinois is kidding ... not

I saw this video and had to watch it twice just so it would sink in to my thick head. Please share this everywhere you post. And while you're at it, support the #Occupy movement.

time is limited don't waste it

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become." (Steve Jobs)

affordable online collaboration

There are all kinds of cloud spaces for all kinds of collaboration. From meetings to webinars and filesharing to software development, it's "out there." We're all familiar with the leaders in online meetings and webinar software; GoTo, WebEx, Live Meeting, Adobe Connect, and others. Did you know there are less expensive, robust, and reliable options available for less cost?

Our team of curious collaborators checked out a variety of free and fee-based services this month to bring you some affordable and effective solutions that add value to your business processes. Here's what we found...

yaM:
yaM is an easy-to-use conferencing application that integrates nicely with Google Apps. Scheduling a meeting is as easy as importing your Google contacts. yaM uses your contacts as a participant list and you can add others, too. Our Google calendar shows up on the "Calendar" tab allowing us an easy way to identify open times for a meeting.

Our favorite feature wasn't ease of use or the clean interface or even the integration with Google apps, but the "All Action Items" tab. All action items from the test meetings we conducted are listed on this tab. Great for anyone who doesn't take notes during a meeting and forgets what was assigned to them.

Downside? It's a beta release and we all know what that with beta products we can't predict the final product or final cost. But in the meantime it's a winner.

YuuGuu:
According to the product description YuuGuu users can "share screens, hold web conferences and work collaboratively with anyone on the Google Talk IM network all via the Yuuguu application".

You will need to download the desktop client to initiate meetings. We found this application to be a bit clunky. It wasn't as easy to navigate as others we tried. As for price we found it to be a bit pricey in comparison to other applications we tried that offered many of the same features.

AnyMeeting:
This is a free collaboration space that is ad-supported. We spent some time setting up the profile, color scheme, and links to embed in our website. We then launched a meeting that went very well. The video was smooth, audio was clean, and files were easy to upload and share. After this success we launched another meeting and one user asked why there were so many ads.

While we were pleased with the functionality of AnyMeeting and thought the profile section along with the administration end of the software was easy to use and very professional - given that it's free - we didn't think to test the user view. Unfortunately, the user sees what the screen AND a list of ads long the right side of the window. When we tested it from a participant's perspective we decided it was too distracting to use as a professional meeting and webinar tool. In our opinion AnyMeeting would be a top-runner if it allowed for reasonably priced subscriptions that would remove the ads.

Vyew:
Vyew is also ad-supported, but the ads are small and unobtrusive. They are located in the upper right corner of the participant's window so they are seen, but don't distract from the focus of the meeting. It also doesn't take away from your professional look.

More than the minimal ad presence Vyew offers inexpensive, full-featured subscriptions to meet the needs of a single owner business to full-fledged multi-million dollar organizations.

The feature we found most appealing is the "anytime" meeting feature. Even if the presenter is logged out invited guests can stay and continue to collaborate or return at a later time to add to the work. Vyew truly allows you to "meet and share content in real-time or anytime."

JoinMe:
JoinMe is a lean screen sharing application with full-featured meeting options available. This is a LogMeIn product offering users the ability to share screens and collaborate for free. It looked like a great app for conducting a presentation for up to 250 users quickly and easily. The free version even has an app for iPhone and Android. Upgrade to the Pro version and there are meeting scheduling tools and more.

Unfortunately, JoinMe didn't work out very well for us. Three eparate attempts to create an account using three independent email addresses failed. Looks like we'll stick to Skype for teleconferencing and screen-sharing.

Truth be told you'll have to decide for yourself what best meets your needs, but for our money yaM and Vyew really caught our attention.

collaboration tools & what to look for

Work groups are spread far and wide these days. This has been a growing trend for the last few years and is just about the only way I work anymore. As an independent consultant and a small company I found using online collaboration tools essential to getting things done quickly and effectively without the burden of travel costs. Clients have often asked how I determine which tools to use for collaboration, conferencing, and mobile computing. The three most important aspects of an application or product I plan to work with are ease of use, affordability, and reliability.

Ease of use is an important consideration, especially when evaluating a collaboration platform in which users of varying skill level will be participating. If the features are difficult to find when you need them or another user cannot navigate their way around the work area it's safe to say the application is not easy to use. It's a good bet that anything you try will work in Internet Explorer, but you want to ensure the application functions equally well in Firefox, Safari or other popular browser. Ease of use includes the availability of a mobile app for your droid or iPhone. The key to success is understanding that ease of use is proportional to a user's level of frustration. The lower the frustration level, the easier the tool is to use.

Reliability is critical to successful integration of collaboration tools into your group's work. If the software has glitches causing it to freeze, requires you to download software in order to function correctly, or any number of inconveniences that interrupt your work flow you may want to consider another solution. If the solution you're using doesn't work well or smoothly your client, customer, or team may begin to think you might not be the one for the job.

I recommend the "try before you buy" method of purchasing a solution. I've had great success determining reliability of a service during the trial period. Taking software for a test drive is also useful for determining how easy it is to use. For example, an application I used had a nasty habit of immediately starting my webcam when our group wanted to use the voice feature for teleconferencing so I had to unplug my webcam before connecting. Another product I used, and dropped quickly, continually locked up my computer and caused the connection to drop regardless of ISP or computer configuration. These meeting wreckers were things I discovered during the free trial.

Cost should not be the number one reason you choose or eliminate an application or other product although cost is part of the decision and should not be taken lightly. Groupware solutions range in price from free to over $100 per month per user. You want to pay a reasonable amount for a good product you can rely on. My preference is to use open source, web-based tools for collaboration, data storage, and productivity. Open source software is affordable, usually innovative, and for the tech-savvy a great platform for tweaking tools to suit your particular needs.

There are numerous conferencing and presentation tools available; Citrx' GoTo Meeting, WebEx, RealTalk, Zoho Meeting are just a few. Even skype allows for desktop sharing during a conversation. None of these however allow for true, real-time collaboration the way Google Wave or SAP's new offering, StreamWork does. Though now discontinued, Google Wave was promoted as a hosted conversation. In many ways Wave is email raised to a higher plane. SAP StreamWork is a true collaboration space that provides multiple users with real-time, simultaneous access to the data.

SAP is known for their enterprise solutions, but StreamWork is an easy to use, reliable, and pleasantly affordable, spelled free, collaboration platform for smaller companies. It has a series of modules you can move around your screen. Any of the group participants can drag and drop agenda items. You can link dedicated folders from a Box.net account thereby utilizing less storage space on the SAP servers (and saving costs, too). Using integrated planning and evaluation tools makes StreamWork a valuable tool for project teams. If anyone from the group is unable to attend a meeting they can log into StreamWork at another time and quickly catch up. This robust, easy to use, and clean web-based application works just as well for a company my size as for large multi-nationals.

Additional web-based applications I include in my collaboration toolkit are Skype for general international communication, DimDim for webinars and presentations, RTM for simple task management, Box.net for document storage and sharing, Zoho Project, Google Apps, and Second Life. There are more, but these are the mainstay of my "corporate" infrastructure and all of them save time and money thereby increasing effectiveness, efficiency, and ultimately profitability.

vision for a new economy

David Korten is one of my favorite visionaries. He posted a direct call to action piece on his blog yesterday. In it he says we have yet to have a much needed conversation about the 2008 Wall Street debacle. He calls for a meaningful conversation that goes beyond finger-pointing. Here's part of what he said.

"We have yet to engage in a much-needed national conversation that addresses essential, yet unasked, questions. For example:

• Do Wall Street institutions do anything so vital for the national interest as to justify opening the national purse strings and showering them with trillions of dollars in order to save them from the consequences of their own excess?
• Is it possible that the whole Wall Street edifice is built on an illusion that has no substance yet carries deadly economic, social, and environmental consequences for the larger society?
• Might there be other ways to provide necessary and beneficial financial services with greater effectiveness and at less cost?"

To read the entire article go to Yes! Magazine and begin following his series on "Agenda for a New Economy."

PersonalBrain reigns in personal data

We all have them. Post-it notes pasted everywhere or maybe it's a pocketful of random notes on paper scraps, receipts, and napkins. Each and every one of them filled with important numbers, reminders, to-do items, sketches of the new office layout; all of them very important. Then we empty our pockets or gather the post-its only to discover we can't remember who's number that was, or we missed the due date for that to-do item.

It's exhausting to manage all those bits of data and to add insult to injury none of them have a relationship to any other bit of data. It becomes daunting when we factor in our inability to manage paper documents and reports. The lack of good information organization has a dramatic impact on our personal and professional effectiveness. Did you know that over 70% of office trash is paper. The Boston Globe reported that 15% of all paper documents handled in the workplace is lost and 30% of our time is spent trying to find it. We lose over six weeks a year searching for lost paper.Our organizational methods for electronic data aren't any better.

There are many systems and tools available to help organize and manage our paper and electronic data. I've tried more of them than I care to admit often spending hundreds to be disappointed in them. I don't recommend trial and error, but I do emphasize careful consideration of potential new tools. Here are some thoughts on two great tools that when used together create a stress reducing double-header; David Allen's Getting Things Done system and The PersonalBrain. This isn't a campaign to sell either the GTD products or The PersonalBrain Software. Frankly, both can be used for personal data management and organizational effectiveness without costing anything.

GTD is not new, but if you're unfamiliar with it be sure to check out David Allen's GTD website and blog. The site offers free downloads of useful articles.If you use Outlook for your email and calendar consider the GTD add-in for Outlook. There is a wealth of GTD information available with a simple web search. The PersonalBrain is less prominent in the data management conversation.

The developers of the PersonalBrain call it “the ultimate digital memory.” This is an easy to use, dynamic mind-mapping software application that is non-linear and non-hierarchical. It applies visualization to your information, creating a digital map similar to paper-based mind maps you may be familiar with, but is so much more powerful. It allows you to create a network of information that is organized in a way that reflects the way you think so finding data is easier and the relationships between things is clear. Your ideas are no longer forced into a single folder or copied multiple times for various projects. Combined with basic GTD concepts Personal Brain becomes a powerful brainstorming, project management, and data storage system.

Still like carrying around paper? Seems I see more and more people carrying little leather-bound notebooks. These items are varied, attractive, and can be purchased just about anywhere. I think they're a bit expensive so, I use a pocketmod for daily note taking. You can get your own fold-up notebook at PocketMod.com. This website is set up for you to design and then print a pdf of a single-sheet, paper pocket notebook. Design it, print it, use it. I suggest designing it with GTD in mind. At the end of the day put it in your Brain. Now that's managing data effectively.

collaboration using SAP StreamWork

Work groups are spread far and wide these days. This has been a growing trend for the last few years and is just about the only way I work anymore. But I'm a small company and using online collaboration tools were essential to getting things done quickly and effectively without the burden of travel costs. Over the years I've watched how larger companies have begun adopting the tools I've been using since 2006 or seven or eight. This is exciting as it encourages developers to continue designing and improving the software we need and want.

My goal has been to use open source and, when possible, free web-based tools for collaboration, data storage, and productivity. Some of my favorite apps have been Skype for general international communication, DimDim for conferencing and presentations, RTM for simple task management, Box.net for document storage and sharing, Zoho Project, and, recently, Google Apps. There are more, but these have been the mainstay of my "corporate" infrastructure... until yesterday.

Yesterday I was introduced to SAP's online collaboration platform StreamWork. It took Google Wave, melded it with Zoho Project, enhanced and polished it, and won me over in one online meeting with several colleagues. I liked what Google Wave tried to create, but it wasn't smooth enough for the nongooglites of my circle. Besides, it was often difficult to explain "hosted conversations" to anyone not accustomed to collaborating outside of the conference room. Now with Wave retiring soon I was excited to see SAP offering a robust, easy to use, and clean web-based application that works just as well for a company my size as for large multi-nationals.

I was so impressed with StreamWork that I mapped out how to migrate my project management activity from Zoho. Yes, for those of you who have followed me here and on Twitter, I am at long last moving away from Zoho Projects (although their application bundle is still noteworthy). I believe Zoho had a lot of the right ideas several years ago, but has been unable to keep up with user demand for easier access and management of the data and projects hosted there. I have had to listen to my clients beg for simple things such as bulk file uploads, nested folders, sharing documents across projects, and allowing real-time group work on data or decision-making. So far StreamWork seems to have it all and what they don't offer they've partnered with others to provide.

To learn more about StreamWork go to http://streamwork.com. Post a comment. Let me know what you think. What's your collaboration tool of choice?

a new year and new opportunities

So often we make resolutions to change this or that about ourselves and our lives. Recently, I read an article about doing things "just for today." I'd like to recommend we all adopt the attitude that we are going to do something "just for today."

Just for today I am going to post an entry to a blog.

Just for today I am going to drink coffee at home and not at the coffee shop around the corner.

Just for today I'm going to do some filing.

At the end of today I look forward to saying, "Today I posted to a blog, drank my own coffee, and filed enough of that pile to feel like I made a dent."

Happy New Year.

business isn't usual in Second Life

Linden Labs launched its Second Life virtual world in 2002. Since then it's become a phenomena with more than 15 million residents. While many still view Second Life as a gaming environment many more are realizing its potential for project collaborations, business opportunities, and professional development.

Think I'm kidding? Here are current statistics:






Can SL, and other virtual worlds like it, be a platform for business? SL is a popular spot for virtual conferences, training, study groups, consumer research, and more. It's no wonder that big businesses like Sony, Dell, IBM, Target, and others created destinations in Second Life.

But are they successful? Most haven't been able to make significant revenue gains with residents. When we evaluate traditional business models we can readily see why they've been unsuccessful. It's impossible to run an old-world model in a new world. If Henry Ford hadn't closed his plant to refit it for assembly line production of the Model T in 1927 we might not have a Ford Motor Company today.

Many have speculated why many of these corporate titans are closing up shop and moving out of SL. I think the bottom line is that virtual environments require interaction with the user. Second Life is built on the idea of one-to-one connections and the sharing of information. It's more than customer service, it's a matter of rethinking how we engage consumers.

scribefire is the best thing since blogging began

I enjoy blogging. I have several blogs and the process of posting to them has been clumsy. Any time I wanted to post I would have to log in, post, tag, and then move on the next one to log in, post, tag, and... You get the idea.

Recently, I had an "ah-ha" moment when I downloaded ScribeFire. I use a number of Firefox add ons, but to come across one that allowed me to manage all of my blogs - including post tags - from one window at the bottom of my browser, well, it was like moving from a bicycle to a moped. I felt liberated.

It means I can spend more time writing and less time posting. Consider this, blogging is a great marketing tool. Using WordPress, Blogger, or a php-based blog of your own design (if you happen to be that talented) is one of the best marketing strategies available to increase your exposure on the internet and attract new customers and clients. More people read blogs than newspapers. Sharing your knowledge and skills on a well constructed blog is invaluable to building credibility and revenues.

ScribeFire can be found at http://www.mozilla.com/firefox along with a number of other handy little tools that make life a lot easier than clunking through Internet Explorer. You may also want to give these Firefox add ons a try:

• Firefox Showcase - displays a window with thumbnails of open browser tabs. This add on makes finding the page I want to read easy and keeps me sane considering I tend to have 2 dozen or more tabs open at a time in 3 or more windows (commonly referred to as browser clutter).
• Session Manager - Often I want to save my surfing results. Whether it's research for a book or a collection of food reviewer websites I can save the session for later use with this add on.
• FireFTP - With the click of a button I have an FTP tab without losing the rest of the work. FireFTP is easy to configure and manages multiple accounts.
  
• IE Tab - I may not like Internet Explorer, but like Windows it's a necessary evil and sometimes websites just don't look right in anything other than IE. This add on switches the tab view from FireFox to IE and back again.
  
• Morning Coffee - This is one of my favorite add ons. This add on lets you group websites you regularly visit by day and opens them simultaneously with a click of the coffee cup. For instance, my Sunday group is a collection of news sites and blogs.
  

If you're not a FireFox user I'd suggest switching. It's easy to download and install. It's fully customizable to your surfing habits. It's even portable on a smart drive.

I began using FireFox in 2003 and haven't opened IE since. The feature that sold me on this free browser is the bookmarks file. It's stored as an HTML file. No more losing favorites during an upgrade.

For more on blogging download this free report from GReat Kreations; Blogging 101

maximizing your computer's life expectancy

Too often we buy a computer, stick it on the floor "out of the way" and then use it. We turn it on and leave it for days at a time or we turn it on and off daily. How often do you think about the dust collecting on the fan?

Dust is the number one cause of overheating and hardware failure. Smoke, pets, kids, coffee, lunch while you check email, and more contribute to PC problems. That's why we should remember that regular maintenance is just as important to the longevity of our computers as it is to our cars and our personal health.

Before you do anything you should make sure you have a soft dust cloth, LCD anti-static cloth or LCD cleaner & soft cloth, can of compressed air, vacuum, rubbing alcohol, cotton swabs. Remember to turn off the power to your computer before you begin any cleaning or maintenance.

Also, unplug all peripherals and cables from the computer. All "tools" can be purchased at an office supply store and/or a drug store.

The first thing on the list is dusting. Wipe your PC with a clean soft dry cloth to remove dust from the case, your work area, and the case of your monitor (not the screen, that's what the LCD cloth is for). Next, open the computer case and remove the "dust-bunnies" that have nested there. Use the compressed air to clean out the remaining dust making sure the nozzle is 4 to 6 inches away from main board components. Be careful not to disturb jumpers or dislodge cables in the process. and don't use a standard vacuum cleaner to clean the dust out of your computer case. When finished close the case and position the computer back in place, but leave it unplugged for the time being.

Cleaning the monitor is considered a delicate operation and should be done with care. Don't use Windex at all and don't spray the LCD cleaner directly on the screen. Spray the LCD on a clean cloth and then gently wipe the screen or use an anti-static LCD cloth.

Your keyboard gets a lot of use. It collects dust, oil from our fingertips, spilled beverages, and crumbs from lunch while we're checking email. You can use a standard vacuum with a brush attachment to clean the keys. Using a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol is a good way to clean accumulated grime from individual keys.

Your mouse needs cleaning, too. If you're using a mouse with a ball assembly gently remove the ball cover and remove the ball. Use a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to clean dust from the rollers. The compressed air is also a good cleaning solution for removing dust inside the mouse. Once completed reassemble. For an optical mouse use compressed air or follow the manufacturer's guidelines.

Now you can connect all peripherals, cables, and the power cord to the computer. The best cleaning tip is to clean your computer on a regular basis to keep it humming.

dreamweaver versus nvu... the winner is

For those of you not familiar with it, Nvu (pronounced en view) is an open source web authoring system and it's brought to you by the same folks that developed Firefox and Thunderbird, both of which I have been using for years. Nvu is available for Linux, Windows, and Mac.

I began my html "career" using a simple text editor on an old Mac SE and at some point in the 90s began using programs like Mozilla Composer, FrontPage, CoffeeCup and now I use a pricey version of Dreamweaver for HTML and PHP editing. Well, that was until last week when I decided to give Nvu a chance to prove itself.

Prove itself it did. This compact yet powerful WYSIWYG editor has all the features of the big boys with the flexibility and stability of its Mozilla cousins. Nvu is a multi tabbed work environment allowing you to not only work on multiple pages, but also switch from WYSIWYG editing to working with the HTML source code and even previewing the page as it would be seen in a Firefox or Mozilla browser.

An added feature is the ability to see the HTML code with tags highlighted. At first I was stumped as to how this might be useful then it occurred to me that in Dreamweaver, as in FrontPage, stray tags are often added by the software or are left behind during editing. This is a great way to edit tags to ensure the best presentation of your page in any browser.

Simply put, you don't need expertise in building web pages to create professional, complete, and easy to manage sites with Nvu. If you've been searching for another stable open source application to add to your arsenal download Nvu at http://nvudev.com.

By the way, it's customizable with extensions and themes just like Firefox and Thunderbird. A little personalization goes a long way with this kid.

money is made of paper

Recently, my daughter attempted to put a stop to my granddaughter's desire for every item on the store shelves by saying, "Money doesn't grow on trees." In her inimitable 5 year old style my granddaughter quite seriously replied, "Mommy, money is made of paper and paper comes from trees."

While a child doesn't understand the value, or worth, of money we, as adults, should. Especially as business owners. Unfortunately, all too often, I have to have a heart-to-heart with a client about their organizational spending habits and fiscal responsibilities. Most recently, an organization I've been trying to help develop chose to purchase an item that was neither necessary or affordable. It was so far out of their budget that in order to make good on the payment they cut a half-time staff position. That is, they let an employee go. It was also the end of our working relationship.

I cannot emphasize enough how important fiscal responsibility and good judgment are to business success. Here are some tips to help you appreciate that money, like the trees it's made from, is not in unlimited supply.

• Be organized because if you aren't you'll spend more time and money than you actually have. Create good filing systems so important documents can be saved and easily retrieved. Have policies and procedures in place so expectations are clear. Use a good accounting software and a bookkeeper.
  
• Fiscal responsibility is vital to financial success - if you can't manage a dime you'll never be able to manage a dollar. Have a budget as part of your strategic plan. Review financial reports regularly as part of your management decision-making process.
  
• Invest in the tools and training that will increase your chances for success.
• Maintain a paper trail. That is, make sure there is sufficient documentation to substantiate your decisions and their outcomes.

I just received a call from a board director of an organization in need of a little help. Apparently, the only board documentation they have to direct their processes are the original Bylaws. He told me he was concerned that the board could not fulfill its fiduciary responsibilities appropriately because they only met once a year, didn't keep minutes, didn't have an indemnification clause in their bylaws, and lacked policies and procedures. Further, it hadn't had an audit done in several years and the IRS took administrative action regarding their exempt status.

This situation occurs more frequently than you might imagine. When I talk with clients about building their organizational capacity this is exactly what I'm trying to help them avoid.

Susan Powter, a health and fitness guru from the 90s, stressed that in order to be healthy you have to eat, breathe, and move. To succeed in business you have to plan, act, and monitor.

internet entrepreneurs

The importance of small business as an integral part of the American economy is often overlooked. Did you know that small businesses create 75% of new jobs? Did you also know that over 90% of employers are small businesses?

Entrepreneurship is widely regarded as a core component in American business culture. It's a driving force for job creation and economic growth. Even in the face of high failure rates we are opening businesses at an unprecedented rate. Approximately 1 in 12 people in the U.S. start their own business each year.

Six key factors were identified by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) study that increase chances for entrepreneurship: level of perceived entrepreneurial opportunity; individual motivation or skills necessary to take advantage of the opportunity; the availability of financing, facilities, employees, suppliers, tax concessions, etc; demographic make-up of the population; the acceptance of differences in the level of income among individuals; respect for start-ups

While opening restaurants, starting manufacturing firms, and going into professional private practice still contribute greatly to economic growth, internet entrepreneurs have become one of the most dynamic forces in the economy. Low start-up costs and easy access to large markets make the internet as alluring to risk-takers as the gold rush days of a hundred years ago.

But don't let the ease of creating a presence on the internet lull you into thinking that's all it takes to be successful. It takes just as much hard work, long hours, and commitment to succeed on the internet as it does to open a corner store. Having a basic business plan, marketing plan, and budget in place increase your chances of success. Remember, the internet isn't the wild west.

a little encouragement

The other day I was engaged in a conversation with someone who wanted to start their own business, but was afraid they didn't have what it took to succeed in a highly competitive world. While we discussed all the nuts and bolts of business plans, taxes, marketing, and more I couldn't help hearing Eric Bibb's song "The Cape" playing softly in the recesses of my mind...

Life's a leap of faith
Spread your arms
Hold your breath
and always trust your cape

open source

I'm a big fan of open source software. The idea of collaboration and access appeals to me. It's a building block of the work I do with my clients. It's my "style" so, naturally it's an integral part of the way I want to see the world.

For small businesses and the newbie entrepreneur I often share open source as an alternative to high-priced, proprietary software such as Norton Antivirus, Microsoft Office, and QuickBooks Accounting. While these are good products, they're expensive and likely to suck the user into an annual cycle of buying new versions at increasingly higher costs.

And those costs increase not only in terms of product purchase price, but in system conflicts, system bloat, learning curves due to functionality changes, sometimes even in forcing the user to buy new equipment altogether just to "keep up."

The #1 question I'm asked is, "What else can I do?". Sometimes the answer is easy. For a single user working from home I recommend AVG Free Edition Antivirus instead of Mcafee or Norton. I recommend OpenOffice as a dependable and full-featured alternative to Microsoft Office.

When it comes to accounting software I recommend any business owner speak with their accountant before using any of the applications available. There are a number of things that should be considered as you evaluate various accounting packages.

Some of the considerations are, how big is the business, what type of business is it, are you, but business owner, doing the bookkeeping or is there a bookkeeper, what software does your accountant support (might make your life easier when it comes to taxes or audits). For a complete discussion about this go to GReat Kreations.

Having said all of that, here are three of the best and most popular open source accounting packages available:

OSAS Open Source Accounting Suite - OSAS is award-winning accounting software for Windows, Linux, UNIX and Mac users. OSAS can be used by churches, charities, and small corporations. The main features of this product include separation of duties, General Ledger Accounting, Cost Center Accounting, Budgeting, Donation Accounting and Reporting.

GnuCash Financial Accounting Software - GnuCash is personal and small-business financial-accounting software, freely licensed under the GNU GPL and available for GNU/Linux, BSD, Solaris, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows. Designed to be easy to use, yet powerful and flexible, GnuCash allows you to track bank accounts, stocks, income and expenses. As quick and intuitive to use as a checkbook register, it is based on professional accounting principles to ensure balanced books and accurate reports.

Grisbi Personal Accounting - Grisbi is a personal accounting application running under GNU/Linux and Windows, released under the GPL licence. Grisbi can manage multiple accounts, currencies and users. It manages third party, expenditure and receipt categories, as well as budgetary lines, financial years, and other informations that makes it quite adapted for associations (except those that require double entry accounting).