Wyoming Entrepreneur.biz Blog

CCR Profile Set-up

Central Contractor Registration (CCR) has introduced a new process for their online registration for businesses engaged in government contracting. This new process requires all users to create a User Account. This user profile requires updating registrants to convert their DUNS number and TPIN into a User Account Login. The login requires a user name and password to gain access to the CCR update and renew process. Additionally, new registrants will convert their DUNS number and be lead through the process of creating a User Account. CCR has provided a User Account Guide on their website that walks you through the process. However, if help from a real person is what you are after; do not hesitate to complete our Online Request for Counseling and one of our professional counselors will get in touch with you directly. Please comment on this blog letting me know what you would like to hear about in the future.

PSP - Personally Subtle, Globally Significant

So what is your PSP?  Well first, what the heck is a PSP?  I attended the “Building a Culture of Sustainability” presentation by Judah Schiller of Saatchi and Saatchi S at the 2009 SHRM conference; great conference BTW.  I learned that PSP is a “grassroots effort” to encourage employees to incorporate sustainability into their personal lives.  This strategy recognizes that change begins at home with ideas that have a personal benefit to individuals, subtle things that make them happy like saving money or personal well-being.

 

Personal Sustainability Practices / Projects or PSP is a vehicle for helping employees become “healthier and happier” by adopting a small action that brings sustainability and benefits into that individual’s life.  For example, swapping out traditional incandescent light bulbs for Energy Star light bulbs (money savings) or riding your bike (I do that!) or walking to work (health benefits) rather than driving a vehicle.  These are little things that can easily be modeled or encouraged and even rewarded by an employer.   It’s not uncommon for these simple personal practices to mushroom into bigger ideas for the employee’s organization – one Wal Mart employee asked if the vending machines had to have the lighted fronts?  This simple question sparked the removal of the bulbs from the machines saving a boat-load of energy and of course, big bucks for Wal Mart!  Imagine what creative ideas your employees might have!

 

Help your employees (or your employer) “connect to a higher purpose; one that involves themselves, your co-workers, your family, your community, and your planet!”  Share your PSPs with us. 

 

Learn more at Strategy for Sustainability and watch a cool 1.5 minute video or get details at What is the Personal Sustainability Project?

Twitter, Tweets, and Your Business

If you've heard the words "twitter" or "tweet" recently (and the odds are you have) and felt completely out of the loop, don't worry. Twitter is by no means a new phenomenon, but only really hit its stride in the past year and has finally entered the mainstream. In 2008 alone, it grew from 500,000 users to nearly 4.5 million.

In its infancy, Twitter was perceived as yet another way for people craving attention to broadcast useless tidbits about daily life - "Just saw Transformers 2! So great!" Admittedly, when I first learned of Twitter I dismissed it as something I would never use in any way, let alone as a professional tool.

But, as with any new social media craze, entrepreneurs soon recognized an opportunity to harness a new tool and use it to their advantage. Now, every major media outlet, corporation, business guru, etc. has a a Twitter account and you can rest assured they don't use them to update their followers on mundane details about trivial events.

Twitter has become an extremely powerful information sharing tool - look no further than the recent protests in Iran. People there were able to give updates on a minute-by-minute basis and Twitter became every bit as informative as any news channel.

Perhaps the best part of Twitter is that it's much easier than most assume. Simply go to the website, create an account, search for somebody (wyendotbiz, for example), and sign up to follow that account. Every time they Tweet, your homepage, or phone if you'd like, will receive an update. These Tweets will often include brief tips, links to interesting articles, or other information.

So, lets focus on using Twitter for your small business. If you own a bookstore, wouldn't it be useful to let  your customers know of your upcoming midnight sale for the new Harry Potter book? Or what about offering the followers of your coffee shop's Twitter page a discount: "Mention this Tweet the next time you're in the shop and get $1 off your bill!" Perhaps one of the loyal patrons of your restaurant is considering that new place they've heard so much about. A Tweet informing them of your specials this evening might entice them to do otherwise.

These are very basic examples, but the point is that Twitter can be very useful as a marketing and promotional tool. Also, it's quick. Since Tweets are limited to 140 characters, you are forced to be succinct. You can keep your customers informed about your business in a matter of minutes.

Twitter is no longer seen as a hub strictly for gossip and irrelevant opinions; there are also numerous ways that entrepreneurs can use it to promote their business. It may not be a necessity for every business, but it certainly can't be overlooked as an entrepreneurial tool.

Anybody already doing this? Have you seen results?

 

Go Green, Travel Green and save money for your business!

Are you one of the many business travelers in Wyoming? Do you spend a lot of time in hotels and on the road? Do you participate in “Going Green” practices? We all should!

During my travels in Wyoming I have become aware of possibilities for traveling “green.” After some research, I found ideas for making business travel more eco-friendly. Reducing the impact we have on our environment as individuals and businesses, we not only save money and resources, we help keep our state and our world beautiful.

Try these tips to Traveling Green in Wyoming:

1.  Make sure that the travel is even necessary! With the current challenges in the economy, use technology in lieu of travel whenever possible.  There are many options for virtual collaboration and training that enable you to work with clients and partners around the world from the comfort of your own office.

2. When airline travel is necessary, pack as lightly as possible; take only the necessities. This saves fuel and extra baggage charges. Also, try to stay away from travel size toiletries unless you can refill them; small containers create excess trash.

3.  Consolidate trips by either carpooling with a co-worker or traveling with a business partner. When two trips are close together, combine them. Why not? It saves on time, money, and the environment. This can be especially rewarding if you can find a way to combine business and pleasure trips.

4. Try driving the speed limit; relax and enjoy the trip.  You will reduce the chance of an accident, increase your gas mileage, and save money! Each 5 mph a vehicle travels over 60 mph, costs an extra 20 cents per gallon in gas. Learn more by visiting www.treehugger.com.

5. Look for hotels that are incorporating green practices. Although this may be a fairly new concept in some areas, the more people who ask hotels about their commitment to sustainability when making reservations, the more they will engage in the concept. In return, this will make their business more profitable, up-to-date, attractive, and benefit the environment.  No matter where you stay, we can “Green our Stay” by maximizing our resources; take shorter showers, unplug electronics when they’re not in use, or use the same bar of soap at the sink and in the shower.

Resources are limited and although we can’t just put an end to all business travel, we can act responsibly in the “Going Green” concept. These are just a few efforts we can make while traveling. For more green travel tips visit “Go Green Travel Green” at www.gogreentravelgreen.com. Go Green! Save some Green!

What are some other ideas you may have to travel green?

Q: What are some simple, quick-return action steps I can take to market my business to the government?

One of the most common questions I get as a Procurement Counselor is how to conduct some simple yet effective marketing to the government. It is important that contracting officers and purchasing agents know about your company and the products or services you provide. This way, when they have the need, they will be able to contact you. Here are four quick ways to achieve this.

The first thing you want to do is get your mandatory registrations completed. This process begins with calling Dun & Bradstreet at 866-705-5711 to get your Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and then completing the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) at www.ccr.gov. In addition, you will need to complete the SBA Profile accessible only at the end of the CCR. These registrations will make your business searchable by product, services, NAICS codes or region. Also, complete the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) at www.orca.bpn.gov so they can pay you after you have completed the contract.

 

Next, you will want to create a government specific business card. This card will have your DUNS number as well as your contact information. Additionally, it should tell the contracting officer that you have your CCR updated and that your ORCA is complete. Distribute this card to the person responsible for procurement in every government office. How do you find them? Call and ask, they are happy to hear from you.

 

Once you have this card, take the next step and convert it to an e-business card that you can email to contracting officers. This is especially important for offices that coordinate a large volume of products and services like the 90^th Contracting Squadron at F.E. Warren AFB. When someone contacts them to find a provider of a product or service, they search their immediate resources saved on their desktops first. You want to be one of those resources.

 

Finally, do your best to show up at conferences, expos and other events where the contracting officers are likely to be. We all go there to work and their work is to find product and service providers. You can contact your local Small Business Development Center (www.wyen.biz) or Procurement Technical Assistance Center (www.gro-biz.com) to find out about these events.

Web Analytics

There is a disconnect between people who are looking on the internet for specific information and web developers that make it hard to find.  People want to do business with you and give up because of a difficult website.

I attended a web analytics conference in May.   It was all about conversion and web measurement.  How will you know if your website is doing its job unless you can measure it in some fashion?  I knew about Google Analytics but I did not know that there is a whole emerging field surrounding analytics that includes not only static web pages but product pages, check outs, forms, surveys and now the ever popular social media including the fastest growing way to reach folks…video.

Everything can be measured; the amount of time people are spending on an interactive page, where and when they left, how much of a video they watched, and how much of a form did they fill out before they got disgusted and left.  All of this information is needed so that a website can be re-worked and customers will stay on your site, resulting in higher revenues.  The key is to not only gather analytical data, but to act on it.  Transform your website into one that will lead to conversions and a richer ROI.

If your website is not doing what you want it to do, I suggest studying up on analytics so that you can have an intelligent conversation with your web developer to see what changes could be made.  The Wyoming Market Research Center offers a website analysis service at no charge to

Wyoming

folks.  Contact us at 307-766-5405 or visit our website at

http://www.wyomingentrepreneur.biz

Podcasts for Business Learning

It took me a while to get used to listening to podcasts, especially while driving, but with long commutes without any radio signal, I've started replacing music to accompany me on the road with free podcasts that I download from iTunes. What I like about podcasts is that you can quickly gain a myriad of perspectives on an industry and learn about new sites, resources and tools.

Here are some of my favorite podcasts, most of course related to my own industry - social media marketing - but all well-produced and informative.

Listener Beware: Don't try to jot down the URLs and other notes while driving. You can always visit the podcast's web page where they usually list links to all resources mentioned.

Managing the Gray - C.C. Chapman is one of my personal podcasting and blogging heros. His shows are heartfelt and thoughtprovoking, touching on the changing ways of marketing and public relations.

Media Driving - Jay Moonah podcasts are musings on all aspects of media and marketing, and they are short, sweet and quite informative.

Six Pixels of Separation - Mitch Joel is an offbeat thinker, writer and podcaster who has interesting perspectives and includes listener commentary in his shows.

Grammar Girl - If you want to improve your grammar or answer some of those grammar questions that have plagued you forever, turn to Mignon Fogarty. She's the master of bite-sized audio podcasts with "quick and dirty tips." Check out her podcast empire of great podcasts (disclaimer: mine included - see below) at Quick and Dirty Tips Network.

Marketing Over Coffee - Christopher Penn and John Wall tend to be rambly but there is so much great information and excellent viewpoints going back and forth that it feels like you're a fly on the wall as they chat over coffee.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I also have a few podcasts of my own including:

 Digital Marketer - This is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network, and I love being a part of this professional, well-oiled podcasting machine. My podcast covers the intersection of work and technology.

Cybergrrl: Living a 2nd Life - I'm a huge fan of Second Life for business, keep regular office hours, consult clients, hold events. You can find out about what I do, how I do it and why through this podcast.

Social Media Goodness - This is a new podcast I've started to talk about social media specifically geared toward nonprofit organizations however anyone can listen and benefit, especially if new to social media marketing or on a budget.

Yank and Limey - This is an even newer podcast that I'm doing with Nik Hewitt, one of the virtual team members for my company Conversify. We riff on geographical differences and gender differences as we discuss social media tools and work/life online.

What are YOUR favorite podcasts and why?

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Guest Blogger: Carol Stark "Is Your Business Filling Up Your Local Dump?"

Today's guest blogger is Carol Stark, CHMM, Environmental Scientist II, Solid and Hazardous Waste Division, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.

http://deq.state.wy.us/shwd/

Is Your Business Filling Up Your Local Dump?

Do you know that there are 51 landfills in Wyoming, and about 42 of those serve populations less than 10,000? Do you also know the monetary and environmental cost of running landfills is causing some of them to close (due to an increased awareness of operating costs)?

As a small business, you can make a difference in the longevity of your landfill. Cardboard, paper, metals, fluorescent light bulbs and nickel cadmium batteries can be recycled. Ink cartridges can be refilled; recycling ink cartridges is a sustainable business practice because it saves you money and also eliminates the packaging that would normally be thrown in the trash. Electronic waste (office equipment, such as computers, electronics, copiers, etc.) can be diverted from the landfill by donating to schools or computers for kids programs. Ask your computer repair shop for the nearest business that donates to Computers for Kids. Cell phones can be donated to other non-profit organizations. For leftover paint, call the nearest Habitat for Humanity; some will take unused paints. Donating to a cause is good business practice and can be great publicity.

For a list of recyclers in Wyoming, go to the Wyoming DEQ website at http://deq.state.wy.us/shwd/recycling. A fast search engine for listing the nearest recyclers, by type of material to be recycled, is at http://www.earth911.com/. If you can’t reuse or recycle a certain material, remember to ask your local landfill what they can or cannot accept.

The Social Media Storm

In my job I end up on email lists from a wide variety of organizations that I have accessed while researching for clients. One email that hit my in basket caught my attention with the following blurb.

"Social media is conditioning your customers to respond to marketing that engages them on all levels – professional, social and personal. This layered approach to marketing creates a message that is like a ball of string that slowly unravels to reveal the core, and at that core is the vital ingredient for successful marketing today – you."

Since we've been spending a lot of time at WyEn.biz working on social media I was hooked.  The link took me to an article by Jeff Korhan who lays out an excellent background and reasoning why small companies need to be paying attention to social media.  To summarize, he thinks that today's consumer is looking for companies that engage them on three levels: professional, social and personal.  If you rely on the old tried and true style of marketing, this means that customers may be looking elsewhere for information about your business and your company.  I'd recommend reading the article.  It can be found at:  http://www.lawnandlandscape.com/three_essential_layers_social_media_storm.aspx?sid=237403&key=1865723550

This makes sense to me -- how about you?  Any experiences with Social Media?

Business Conference Calls? Try Skype - Free up to 5 Participants

Are conference calls a major avenue of communication for your business?  Because our network is spread out all over the state, we have many meetings via telephone.  We have recently started using Skype, a very economical communication alternative! 

Skype works using VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), the technology for transmitting voice conversations via the Internet. Skype subscribers can call other Skype subscribers, from computer to computer, free of charge.  And, subscription to Skype is also free.  In other words, you don't even have to use up your cell phone minutes.  Conference calls are also free, for up to five participants.  All you need to "Skype" is a microphone for your computer.  You can pick-up the sound via your computer speakers or purchase a headset that combines the microphone and speaker functions.   

For very reasonable fees, you can call from your computer to most any landline in the world.  Unlimited calling in the U.S. is $2.95/month.  Unlimited calling worldwide is $12.95/month.  The application also can do video conferencing, be forwarded to your mobile phone, do instant messaging and more. 

Skype was initially released in 2003.  The company was acquired by eBay in 2005.  As of the first quarter of 2009, there were 443,000,000 user accounts.  Skype is now the largest international voice carrier, according to networkworld.com.  

My first Skype conference call is on Thursday.  I'll let you know how it goes . . .