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Many green business women are putting their bookkeeping, telephony, and project management software "in the cloud" by using online services such as Basecamp, Huddle, or Zoho Projects - some people are able to manage their projects using basic Google Docs or an internal website, but most professional teams need more "oomph" through a paid service.
Here are 7 items that I consider a "deal-breaker" for project management in that they must be available and a core feature of the tool:
1) Security
With so many different people logging in to access different levels of the project details, it's important to have digital safeguards to your project details: all access to the files should be controlled through user sign-in and standard encryption. Some would also consider physical security such as around-the-clock monitoring, videotaping, and sturdy facilities to be an additional component of security.
2) Asynchronous communication
You may log in 3 hours before your designer, who may be coming online 3 hours before the developer. With tools like instant message, wiki-type pages, and discussion boards, it's important to keep in touch on specific project points and have a documented chain of decision-making.
3) Task assignment/task management
Who is responsible for which task? When was the task scheduled? When is it marked as completed? With multiple tasks and multiple workers, a good task manager (and subtask manager) will help keep everyone on the right track.
4) File management
Spreadsheets, presentations, PDFs, original images, or scans all have a place during file management. These might be project specifications sheets, images, or internal documents - with project management software that has a file manager, you can keep all relevant files in one place.
5) Import/Integration
Many times, a team (including the client) has files spread out across tools like Google Apps or Microsoft Project. Zoho offers this ability to integrate existing data into their dashboard - consider standardizing your process and tools for everyone working on the project.
6) Calendar and tracking
As target dates approach, a task can be evaluated against its timeline and either checkin meetings or status meetings can be planned against the project deadline. Calendaring access with reminders can help people keep up-to-date.
7) Roles and permissioning
Based on the user's sensitivity or level of clearance, certain pieces of information may or may not be available to them; for example, a manager needs the "nitty-gritty" but a designer just needs their piece. Project management software typically offers an admin or super-admin level of access (to see the project as a whole), a team member level (for those who have assigned tasks), and a client level, for general information about milestones.
Because so many of us are now working remotely or across different time zones, the importance of having a central project management system will help keep the process running smoothly and each of your customer projects on target.
Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/usacehq/6941773392/sizes/c/in/photostream/
Long gone are the days when a smile and a handshake would suffice to cement a business partnership, customers could be counted on to give you a chance to amicably resolve a dispute (rather than heading straight to a lawyer), and people knew that coffee was hot (without a warning label to tell them so). The truth is that we live in a society where plenty of people are out to make a quick buck, and they're looking for ways to squeeze that dollar out of your business over any misstep (actual or perceived). So when it comes to the issue of liability you need to make sure that your small business is protected. And here are just a few things you should know.
For starters, liability is not something that only high-risk businesses have to worry about. Sure, you should get yourself a beefy insurance policy if you run a sky-diving operation, you teach swimming lessons at your house, or you supply firearms for movie sets. But what if you are a freelance writer or graphic designer working out of your house? What if you are a craftsperson selling your one-of-a-kind wares on Etsy? Or what if you recently opened your own independent bakery? Do you face the same liabilities as higher-risk businesses? And should you shell out major money for liability insurance?
In truth, you probably don't need the same level of coverage as those who take the lives of their customers into their hands each and every day with high-risk services (or potentially harmful goods). But that doesn't mean you can ignore issues of liability altogether. You could still be at fault for all manner of incidents, and even if you aren't to blame, that doesn't mean customers, clients, and business partners can't file suit against you in the hopes that a judge or jury will find in their favor regardless (welcome to our jacked-up legal system). So do you need to protect yourself? YES!
Okay, so the next pertinent question is how to go about doing so. The first step you need to take is forming a corporation. Most commonly, small business owners opt to create an LLC (or limited liability corporation). This will protect your personal assets from coming under attack in the event that your business faces a lawsuit. All debts, including payouts associated with legal liability issues, are the sole responsibility of the corporation, which means that your personal assets (your home, for example) cannot be seized in order to pay these debts. Only your business holdings are at stake.
But you should also consider liability insurance (you may want to start by checking out a website like Publicliabilityinsurance.org - online quotes are easy to obtain and you'll find tons of information to help you decide which policies will best suit your business). If you operate a storefront or some kind of physical location (warehouse, office building, etc.) you should get general liability insurance at the very minimum to cover accident, injury, and issues of non-payment (amongst other common claims). And if you sell goods you might want to consider product liability insurance to cover faulty merchandise. But professional liability insurance will go the extra mile, covering errors, negligence, and other types of malpractice. You might not need all of these policies to protect you, but you'll no doubt figure out which ones apply to your particular small business.
When you think about pollution, you probably picture the carbon emissions spewing from cars and factories to create the smog that notoriously blankets major urban centers. Or you might call to mind the run-off from mining operations or the chemical spray of crop dusters. But there are many forms of pollution, and e-waste has been identified as one of the fastest rising components of solid waste in landfills. You might wonder how this fits in with pollution; after all, the plastic and glass that make up electronics will just sit there forever, right? Although it will take these items quite a while to decompose, the problem is that they are filled with hazardous materials that may seep out much sooner, from metallic elements like lead, mercury, and chromium to toxic chemical flame retardants. So you can see how dumping your old computers in a field somewhere could pose a serious problem.
When responsible businesses choose to recycle these used electronics, there are many benefits to both the earth and the company itself. The most obvious boon is that the hazardous materials contained within computers will not seep into the air, the soil, and the supply of clean water. The toxic chemicals they contain can be safely removed and either recycled for future usage or properly disposed of. In addition, there are many materials commonly found in computers that are eminently reusable, including natural resources like gold, silver, and copper, as well as some plastics. When these parts are recycled and reused, it means that less waste is clogging up our landfills and that new manufacturing (with its attendant pollution and waste) is less necessary.
Of course, there are other good reasons to recycle old computers, as well, especially if they are in working order. The company that wisely disposes of their equipment through resale or donation could avoid any costs associated with the recycling process. While many trash companies will charge for massive amounts of e-waste recycling (resulting from a complete system overhaul for a large office facility, for example), you might actually be able to make some money here rather than spending it. You may opt to sell your equipment to employees at a steeply discounted rate as a way to remove it from the premises without having to pay for pickup and disposal. Your staff will get a great deal on computer equipment that was likely top notch just a couple of years ago (and potentially better than what they have at home) and your company coffers will see a credit instead of a debit.
Another option is to donate them to a charitable organization or a public school. This way, your old computers can find a new home, help some people in need, and virtually enjoy a second life away from the landfill. As a bonus, your company can claim the donation as a tax write-off, hopefully saving you some money in the long run. It might not be enough to cover the cost of your system upgrade or even pay for a month of your Sky Broadband service, but it's certainly better than paying for e-waste disposal.
Michael Fertik, a internet entrepreneur and founder of Reputation.com, has a passion for helping businesses and consumers control their online lives. You'd be amazed at what can be found on the internet: your name and birthday, your address and mortgage payment amount, your children's names, and more.
"Scammers, stalkers and identity thieves prey on private data. Equally harmful are things we call negative content — a bad review of your business, a nasty comment on Facebook, an article about something from your past that’s simply irrelevant now — that could damage your personal life or your livelihood." - Reputation.com
If you're online, you're posting to social media, commenting on blogs, sharing links, or uploading pictures. Consider taking these five main steps to safeguard your online "persona":
1. Oncer you're finished, always LOGOUT of whatever tools you're using.
2. Never post banking or financial details that can be used to identify you, as much as possible. Talk to your bank over the phone if you receive a suspicious e-mail. Never post your date of birth or address in a public profile -- it's usually not needed.
3. Only "connect" or "accept friend requests" from people that you know well and with whom you feel comfortable sharing information. Depending on privacy settings, people who are mutual friends to you may also be able to see your posts, so consider being very conservative about who is in your "circle".
4. Photos or video of you in an illegal, embarrassing, naked, drunk, or some other compromised situation shouldn't get "out" into the wild. It helps if you are never in a situation where this media would be captured, either by you or someone else!
5. All your social media posts and almost anything you post online could feasibly be used against you. Consider toning down your posts and providing less personal information, simply for the sake of greater privacy.
The experts like Michael Fertik, who co-authored Wild West 2.0 (Amacom, 2010) and contributes at BusinessWeek about reputation management, can give you even more advice.
Photo http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosieobeirne/4090198632/sizes/m/in/photostr...
You not only work hard to ensure that you do less harm to the environment through the operation of your business venture, but you also strive to take eco-friendly strides in your personal life. However, taking on a green attitude can sometimes feel like going on a diet, and not the type where you simply cut back, but the kind where you have to deprive yourself of things you love in order to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Some people go for the "everything in moderation" mentality, which allows for life changes with a lot less stress. But if you have decided to take a hardline stance when it comes to the environment, you might find that you are out of luck when it comes to many activities that you used to enjoy. So here are just a few fun diversions that will let you blow off some steam without emitting any harmful toxins into the atmosphere in the process.
Now, when you think of games, the activities that come to mind are likely things like Monopoly or softball. But you don't have to support the type of mass manufacturing that goes into making board games (or the animal products needed to create sporting goods) in order to have a good time. For one thing, nearly every sport has products made from alternative materials (footballs haven't been made from a pig's bladder for centuries). But you may not want to support the type of plastic and rubber manufacturing that goes into creating these newer items. Luckily, there are tons of outlets geared towards giving used sporting equipment a second life (like "Play it Again Sports" type places). So if you're into outdoor games like softball, soccer, or roller hockey, you can find all the gear you need without having to support new production.
But what if you're not exactly an outdoor enthusiast? If your idea of a good time doesn't revolve around chasing a ball and getting sweaty, there are other options for eco-friendly diversions. One that requires no equipment (aside from your imagination) is charades. Although you can't play it on your own, it works just as well with two people or ten. And you can find ways to green up a board game you like by making your own eco-friendly version. Pictionary, for example, can easily be made more Earth-friendly by using recycled paper or even downloading a drawing app on your iPad. Of course, you can also look for games that are made in an environmentally conscious manner, like Bioviva (ages 8 to adult), which is manufactured with recycled materials and printed with vegetable-based inks.
In all honesty, though, nearly any type of game can be made more eco-friendly if you simply purchase the pieces second-hand. For example, you don't need to join a cue club and hit up billiard halls that use a ton of energy. If you love pool games you can look on Craigslist for an antique billiards table, balls, and cues. Do you love video games but hate all the electricity needed to run your TV and game console? Switch it up with an old-school pinball machine. You might have to get creative in order to have some eco-friendly fun, but there are tons of options for the greenie on the prowl for a new way to play.
The organic market in the United States is growing exponentially. With such an uptick in sales and with more and more consumer understanding of the benefits of natural, green, organic, sustainably-created, values-oriented brands, there is of course a rush by more established or "mass-market" brands to join this market.
Companies that we know and love like Honest Tea, Organic Valley, and Method, as well as emerging brands with a strong local focus like Bearded Brothers snack foods and Soulstice Spa nail polish, are competing for the consumer's attention.
What can a green businesswomen do, when either stocking shelves, finding new products to highlight, or choosing a supplier?
Here are some ways to work with an "authentic" brand.
1) Check the mission statement.
Many of the companies in the green space will have a mission, vision, and values statement. Examine it and make sure it fits your own values.
2) Organic certification.
There will be a certification badge from a third-party authority. USDA is the most common but you can also trust certifications like Oregon Tilth or Certified Naturally Grown.
3) Third party assessments.
B Corporation status, 1% for the Planet, Greennii, Green America, and many Green Chambers of Commerce offer an exterrnal asssesment process to make sure a company is keeping on track with environmental sustainability recommendations.
4) Find out the owner.
A small, locally-owned, mom-and-pop type business is very different than one owned by a Fortune 500 company. Find out the primary owner of the business: you may be surprised!
5) Charitable and community outreach.
What kind of outreach does the company do to help the green and sustainable movement? Who are their charitable partners? Reviewing their corporate social responsibility plan or there existing philanthropic efforts (both as a company and by the owners/founders) will give you a good sense If it makes sense to ally yourself with this company.
With the multitude of providers out there, I do recommend you to find a local company, run by another "green woman in business" who shares your values. I encourage you to review the GreenBusinessWomen website and submit your own business if you match our vision and values.
Or check our Member Directory to do business with someone in your local community.
Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/communitiesuk/5550680634/sizes/z/in/photost...
Organic, green, and clean are here to stay. In the 2012 Organic Industry Survey, the Organic Trade Association reports that in 2011, the United States organic industry alone reached $31 billion in sales. However, not all green, organic, and holistic products are manufactured directly in the United States. For some products, the cost of creation is more efficient when processed in a facility out of state or out of the region; alternatively, offshore company formation may make sense for tax purposes, privacy purposes, or other shareholder needs.
Here are four main steps to review when checking the status of an exterior company in an offshore financial center:
1) Stability of the market?
How is the country governed - is it a democracy? does it have elections? What is the history of civil unrest or potential for difficulty in the country? Choose a country with a history of continuity, security, and stability.
2) Economic outlook?
What is the credit rating for the sovereign nation? Is it an "investment grade" country that you or your investors feel secure putting your money into? How is the banking infrastructure? What is the current Gross Domestic Product of the country? Do they have a recent history of growing trade, both importing and exporting goods?
3) Language needs?
If you are a native English speaker, some English-speaking options are Panama City, the Philippines, India, and some Caribbean nations. Consider language needs and communication requirements between you and your local liaison. Make sure that there is adequate trained staff in the country you're reviewing.
4) Cultural needs?
Consider cultural factors: does your executive team and your offshore team feel comfortable interacting with each other? Some gender, age, sexual preference, and other societal norms may be troubling or too "different," depending on the country.
For green businesses, there is a pressing need to develop a good product or service and get it to the LOHAS market in an efficient and expeditious way.
While not a good solution for everyone, the ability to offshore all or some of your company's needs may be one that's worth reviewing.
Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/86931652@N00/4332574434/sizes/m/in/photostr...
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