Whether you sell beauty supplies or manufacture widgets, a carefully executed technology plan can help you build and grow your online presence and ensure that your brand is easily recognized. Social media marketing can help local and global customers find you. 

Today’s technology solutions are more affordable than ever so leveraging them to your best advantage can help your profits soar.

Where to start? 

The first step is to ensure that your technology plan is consistent with your overall business strategy. Have you defined your current objectives? Do you want to increase visibility? Do you have a website? How to people find you? Are you depending too heavily on very expensive Yellow Page advertising and ignoring the Internet?Perhaps it is time to streamline your accounting processes and reduce administrative costs with the right software.  Whatever your overall objectives are, investments in technology should ultimately make it easier for customers to find you and do business with you. Do you have an online store, for instance? Is it easy for a customer to order online, pay for their product and be assured that their order will be delivered promptly? 

A common checklist of technology-related needs for small businesses might include: 

• Financial and bookkeeping software such as Quicken.
• Website. If your desire is to let people know how to locate you, a simple brochure website will work well. If you are selling products or services online, you will need an e-commerce or WordPress website, depending on your needs.
  • Domain Name. I use and recommend GoDaddy or DomainsPricedRight for domain name purchases, but NOT for hosting. Be sure to purchase most extensions of your domain name such as dot com, dot net, dot biz, etc., to ensure that your name and brand is protected. Each domain name will cost about $11 annually.
  • Hosting for your website. I use and recommend HostGator for hosting. Depending on the plan you need, your cost range from $4.95 to $12.95 per month.
• Shopping Cart. 1ShoppingCart incorporates all of the tools your business needs to market and sell online in a single, easy-to-use web-based solution. If you need an affiliate program, you can build that in your shopping cart. The basic plan (I don’t recommend anything below this plan) will cost $59 per month and the professional plan, which includes affiliate marketing, is $99.00 per month. You can also make application here for a payment gateway through Authorize.net or PowerPay so that you can accept credit card payments on your website.
• PayPal account for accepting payments if you don’t currently have a payment gateway. This is free and you will only pay a fee when a payment is made. You will be able to use your PayPal account in place of a payment gateway if you prefer.
• Newsletter or email marketing software. Two excellent tools for this are Aweber and Constant Contact.
• Social Media Profiles. KnowEm Username Check allows you to check for the use of your brand, product, personal name or username instantly on over 400 popular and emerging social media websites. Grab your name and secure your brand before someone else does. They offer free and premium plans.
  • LinkedIn Profile
  • Facebook Fan page for your business
  • Twitter Account

Today’s technology can give your and your small business a decisive competitive edge. By leveraging the Internet, your small business can get more done and complete effectively in a global marketplace.

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To ensure your wishes are carried out in accordance with your will, you should carefully consider who will be in charge of ensuring that your wishes are properly carried out. When making this decision, you will need to fully understand the duties of an executor.

There are many duties and responsibilities  and some of the more important tasks required of the executor include:

• Find the latest will and read it.
• File a petition with the court to probate the will.
• Find and safeguard business interests,  the residence if left empty, valuables, personal property, important papers.
• Inventory all assists and arrange for appraisal for those for which it is appropriate.
• Determine liquidity needs. Assemble bookkeeping records and review investment portfolio. Sell appropriate assets.
• Pay valid claims against the estate.
• Assemble all of the decedent’s assets.
  • Locate the safe deposit box and take possession of the contents.
  • Consult with banks, savings and loans in the area to find all accounts of the deceased.
  • Check the home and office for cash and other valuables that may be hidden.
  • Transfer all securities to his/her name (as executor) and continue to collect dividends and interest on behalf of the heirs of the deceased.
  • Collect all life insurance proceeds payable to the estate.
  • Find, inventory and protect all real estate deeds, mortgages, leases and tax information.
  • Provide immediate management for rental properties.
  • If there are out-of-state properties, provide ancillary administration.
• Taxes
  • File income tax returns for the descendent and the estate.
  • File Federal estate tax return and state death and/or inheritance tax returns.
• Prepare statement of all receipts and disbursements.
• Pay attorney fees and executor’s commissions.
• Distribute specific bequests and the residue; obtain tax releases and receipts as directed by the court.

As you can see, the person you appoint to be your executor will need to be willing, able and competent to ensure that your wishes are responsibly carried out.

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About Theodore Henderson

Theodore Henderson, DTM - Distinguished Toastmaster -- Theodore is a business coach who transforms the business lives of individuals who want to use biblical principles and Christian faith as a guide of success for all of the key areas of their life; spiritual, social, personal, family, and business. He is passionate about speech and communication and the application of biblical principals to business and personal success.

Theodore is a Distinguished Toastmaster who leverages his dynamic corporate background to help clients identify and target their niche, discover how to make bold, dramatic shifts in their entrepreneurial life by building a bridge from where they are today to where they want to go.

Find Theodore on the web at Theodore Henderson.com and The Wisdom Compass

(c) Copyright - Theodore Henderson. All rights reserved worldwide.

In all the hustle and bustle of the wedding planning, have you taken the time to determine what your investment strategy will be?

Here is  a quick bullet list of the things that you and your fiance or recent wedded spouse should take into consideration.

• Identify your goals. People can enter into married bliss at various stages of life. No matter your age, or if you are marrying for the first or second time, both you and your spouse will have a set of goals that you want to achieve together. For instance, do you need to save for a down payment on a house? Do you need to build up a college fund for your children? Or do you want to begin building up resources for an early retirement so you can relax and enjoy life? This is the time to define those goals and begin working towards them together.
• Discuss your debts and assets. One surprise neither of you wants is to find out that your mate is deep in debt. If there are financial issues, you need to know about them from the beginning so a plan can be crafted that will reduce or eliminate the debt. Once you have that out of the way, you can begin your long-term investment plans.
• Determine if you have the same or wildly different investment styles.  While you probably have much in common with each other, it may well be that one of you is quite aggressive in terms of saving or investing while the other is more cautious or conservative. This is “need-to-know” information so you can determine what your investment strategy will be.
• Build and grow your emergency fund. One of the best and earliest investment moves that you can make as a couple is to build a fund that contains 6-12 months worth of living expenses in a liquid account. With the current economy, this is more important than ever! If one of both of you becomes jobless your future could become fraught with stress and anxiety. Guard against that by aggressive savings in the early days of your marriage.

Give yourself a wedding gift by making the right investment moves right from the very beginning of your marriage.  By doing this early, you will give yourselves a gift that will benefit you for years to come.

So plan your investments as carefully as you planned your wedding and enjoy your lives together.

Theodore Henderson