Not long ago, the idea of running a small business with colleagues and clients dispersed around the country ”“ indeed, around the world ”“ seemed impossible. But thanks to the evolution of Internet-based “virtual businesses,” some of the nation”™s fastest growing enterprises exist entirely in cyberspace.
The virtual business movement has transformed how millions of small, successful firms operate in America. Under the virtual model, business owners outsource nearly everything ”“ including people and partners who may be anywhere ”“ to create their company. The technologies and web-based services to tie it all together are becoming more sophisticated, but less expensive all the time, helping fuel the move to virtual existence.
But while the absence of a traditional office might change how you manage your business and the people who work for you, it doesn”™t eliminate the need for doing so effectively. Staying connected and working in unison is vital to virtual success. Cell phones, email, follow-me-anywhere messaging and shared workspaces on the Internet can keep it all running smoothly.
With people interacting only electronically from remote locations and little if any face-to-face contact, you will need to make an extra effort to foster trust and bonding between individuals involved. Talk by phone, use web conferencing and try to meet in person on occasion.
Leverage the strengths that a virtual business affords, including flexibility, such as offer short turnaround, low overhead to keep costs lower than the competition; and competence by touting the credentials of your virtual partners. The moral of this story is: Don”™t take the “people” out of your business life.
The Microsoft Small Business Center at www.microsoft.com/business is a portal site that offers nearly everything you”™ll need to get up and running. This site, previously known as bCentral, has been reinvented as a suite of small business tools and services such as web marketing, payment processing, online catalog creation, shopping cart, list building, banner ads and search engine submission.
Yahoo Small Business at http://.smallbusiness.yahoo.com and Hostway at www.hostway.com can assist virtual small businesses with securing domain names, Web hosting, marketing and site design, and other needs. To keep your internal collaboration processes up to speed, WebOffice at www.weboffice.com and HotOffice.com both specialize in services for sharing calendars, document exchange and tracking, and multi-location online conferencing.
Ross Weale is an assistant director with SCORE. Reach him at rweale@optonline.net. SCORE is a nonprofit whose volunteers provide free counseling and training to small-business owners. Call 1-800-634-0245 or visit www.score.org.
