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The True Value of the Small Business Consulting Community

The Small Business IT consulting community is a dynamic and exciting community to be active in at this time. Many different opportunities are gaining some serious momentum in this underserved marketplace in Canada. The Small Business marketplace will be the fastest-growing segment in the information technology market. Currently, approximately 97% of the businesses in Canada have five hundred employees or less, which equates to a fantastic market to specialize in.

Microsoft launched their Small Business Specialist program in the summer of 2005 at their annual partner conference. Since that time, a number of information technology consulting firms have taken advantage of this program to commence their consulting practice. The Small Business Specialist program is designed to promote Microsoft’s offerings to small business. It establishes SBSC members as leaders in the small business IT consulting marketplace that has been thrust into the spotlight for growth potential.

The Small Business Specialist program serves as a best resource for IT professionals to access information, promotions, partnership opportunities and assistance to service a small business oriented client base. Groups have emerged on international, national and regional levels that assist the small business specialist in obtaining not only technical but also important business assistance. In addition, each year SMB Nation brings together the small business consulting community to network, learn, share and play.

The small business consulting community has grown out of the leadership of corporations like Microsoft, SonicWALL, and Symantec. It has also grown because of people like Harry Brelsford of SMB Nation and several other leaders in the community. Their leadership has provided Small Business Specialists with additional resources to sharpen their craft long before the official launch of programs from corporations like Microsoft.

The SMB community is open to sharing experiences, ideas, concepts and best practices so that emerging IT companies can seek knowledge to develop and grow. “I like focusing on a market segment where I can really get to know my clients and have a direct, tangible impact on their businesses,” claims Jeff Anderson, General Manager of Red Deer’s Bulletproof Networks, the city’s leading Small Business Specialist. Business development, however, is often overlooked by those text book technicians who have decided to start their own businesses. Learning from others in the SBSC community allows the small business consultants like Jeff to learn two or three markets and become the expert specialist in that field in order to have the potential to gain new business clients.

New service offerings are demanding small business consultants start planning now on how to bring them to their client base. Clients today are in search of options that are evolving and they must be presented in a manner and language that they understand. Managed services, remote monitoring, software and hardware as services are starting to gain some traction in the market and as a new offering they need to be available from their SMB consultant. Small businesses want a company that they can trust. “When you and your peers are representative of 97% of the Canadian marketplace, it makes sense to be working with the very businesses that share the same concerns and deal with the same issues you do. Who better to give them the right tools to succeed?” states Elisabeth Vandervelt of Conamex International, an award winning Microsoft Small Business Specialist in Montreal.

Today’s small businesses need innovative solutions to keep them competitive in the fast paced, on-demand, we-needed-it-yesterday and downtime-is-not-an-option environment we call today’s business world. SBSC members have the luxury and the ability to have direct interaction with decision makers therefore sales cycles are generally shorter while the demand for services has never been higher.

Another luxury in the small business community is the ability to share work with each other across regional, national and international boundaries. Many firms are partnering locally to provide a one stop shop for their clients who need a specialized service or coverage in other locations where their clients may have a remote user or branch office. Partnering in the SBSC community is critical to the success of the small business consultant’s business since it gives small firms the reach and abilities of a much larger IT company and can be the their advantage over their competition in today’s marketplace.

The Small Business Specialist can rest assured that they have the pride and recognition of a job well done combined with a community to back them up. All of these positive aspects provide an overwhelming sense of accomplishment for participants in the SBSC program.

I reflect back to when my youngest son was in Beavers and their leaders consistently reminded them of the Beaver motto, the same motto that is the cornerstone of the SBSC community and all other small business consulting groups: Sharing, Sharing, Sharing! Share your successes with others; help others who are struggling; and share of yourself to make our community strong.

 

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Small Business Attorney

Have you ever wondered about what a small business attorney is? Well, if you have, then welcome! A small business attorney is a person that went through years of schooling to get his or her degree in business to be able to learn and grow as a businessperson.

Small business attorneys have all sorts of duties. They find information about how to start a corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship, franchises, general business law, and taxation. They can study their processes and regulations in order to assist people in a more explainable manner. Small business attorneys give individuals the tools and advice in order to help their business grow. With that being said, if you want to start your own business, think about creating a partnership. When creating a partnership a person can find the assistance they need from a small business attorney and the attorney can help out with the important filings that you need for a small business.

There are of course other orders that have to be met by the state of California in order for businesses to be accepted. Among them are that corporations and companies file a form called a “statement of information”. Your small business attorney can help you out by explaining to you which forms you need to use in order to file your papers. The attorney may also tell you that you can fill out the papers at the secretary’s main website.

Small business lawyers concentrate on many factors that have to do with businesses. They know about sole proprietorships, partnerships, LLC’S, corporations, nonprofit corporations, business contracts, hiring workers, and risk management for your business. Small business attorneys deal with and cover many of these situations no matter what type of company it is.

A small business is considered small based on certain standards that have to do with various industries in relation to the state of the economy. The laws and the rules that your business has to follow depend on each state, the legal formation of your business, and the nature of the product and service your company offers to people. Since the laws change year after year, there is no way of keeping a checklist as it may have old laws and regulations from the past.

That is why if you are planning on starting a small business of your own it is best if you obtain a small business lawyer in order to have a clear sense and not fall into any serious business trouble that you may have if you do it on your own. A small business lawyer does not only give you advice and counsel about the laws that have to do with owning a small business but they also represent you when any legal problems occur.

You have probably heard, in the past, about the many different types of insurance that exist today. But have you ever heard of a process called insurance claims? An insurance claim is a request made to an insurance company. It can be any type of insurance but, mainly, it is a person asking for payment based on the regulations of the insurance policy. In other words, insurance claims are then reviewed by the company for their acceptance and then once that is finished it is finally paid to the insured or the requestor.

Insurance can cover everything from death benefits on life insurance policies to routine health tests for your well being at your local doctor. On the other hand, claims are filed by third parties for the insured person. There are many types of insurance available, for example, health insurance, disability, auto, life, home, and car accident.

The main function of business law is to cover all laws that govern any business and commercial transactions. It is also thought of as being a civil law that revolves around both private law and public law. Within business law there is something called commercial law, which has two elements; a principal and an agent. This mainly has to do with things like carriage by land and sea, merchant shipping, fire, life, insurance accident, bills of exchange and partnership.

Other countries have made their own civil codes that communicate statements of their own commercial law. In the United States, commercial law is part of the United States Congress and its power to control interstate commerce. A lot has been taken care of in order to better the unity of commercial law in the United States.

 

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The Four Stages of ‘Change Curve’ Small Business Owners Should Know

The ‘Change Curve’ is a helpful tool for small businesses to understand the stages of personal transition each employee undergoes. Kubler Ross developed this model to explain the grieving process (Shock and Denial, Anger and Fear, Acceptance and Commitment).

This model helps small business owners predict how employees will react to a change, and advises how to help and support the employees through their personal transitions.

An organization does not change just because of new systems or processes. It changes because people within the organization adapt and change. Only when people within the organization make their own personal transitions can the organization benefit from the change.

The Change Curve model

The ‘Change Curve’ model helps small business owners understand the stages of personal transition and organization change. This model comprises four stages that employees go through as they adjust to a change.

Stage – 1: Shock and denial

Stage – 2: Anger and fear

Stage – 3: Acceptance

Stage – 4: Commitment

Stage – 1: Shock and denial

This is the first reaction that small business owners notice in their employees – they react to the challenges to the status quo. This reaction is seen more in experienced and established employees because these employees are indifferent to new systems and procedures. They feel uncomfortable because of the fear of the unknown, fear of doing something wrong and lack of information. They feel threatened and fear failure. Under these circumstances, they normally take it as a friction rather than an opportunity.

What do the employees need here?

Employees may experience this stage multiple times. To get over it, employees need information, need to understand what is happening in the organization and need to know how to get help from the organization.

Note: This stage affects particularly those employees who have not experienced any major change before.

What should the organization do?

At this stage, it is the responsibility of the owners to communicate with their employees and educate them about the benefits that they will gain by adapting to new systems – personally and professionally. Remember not to overwhelm your employees by flooding them with loads of information at a time, or they may even be more confused.

Stage – 2: Anger and fear

This is the second stage that is seen in the employees. As employees react to a change, they start expressing their anger, concern, resentment or fear. They may resist the change actively or passively. This stage could be dangerous and if the organization does not manage it carefully, it might result in chaos.

What should the organization do?

At this stage, the small business owner should handle employees’ objections carefully. Since reaction to change is personal and emotional, it’s impossible to prevent it from happening. Therefore, the organization should try to address the employees’ experience and iron out the issues as early as possible.

Note: As long as employees remain at Stage – 2 of the Change Curve by escaping progress, the change will be unsuccessful.

Stage – 3: Acceptance

This is a turning point for employees as well as the organization because the employees have stopped focusing on what they have lost and have started accepting changes. They begin exploring changes, and get a real idea of what’s good and what’s not and how to adjust themselves accordingly.

What should the organization do?

This stage is critical – it takes time for employees to learn and accept things. Therefore, don’t expect your employees to be 100% productive during this stage. Give them time so that they learn and explore without much pressure.

Stage – 4: Commitment

At this stage, there will be a commitment from the employees in analyzing and embracing the change. They start rebuilding the way they work and this is the stage at which the organization starts to see the benefits of the change.

Benefits of the change

At this stage the organization will see the benefits of putting in effort for the welfare of their employees when they were in a grieving stage. The positive effects of the Change Curve are now more evident through its productivity and profit.

The Change Curve is an effective model for small business owners while managing employees. Locating an employee on the change curve will help the business owner decide on how to effectively communicate information to employees and to know what kind of support they require. This helps them take necessary measures and protect both the business and the employees.