Looking for a growing niche in the economy to grow an online business? Look no further than your neighborhood. Many small businesses are looking to examine the opportunities presented by the Internet and e-commerce; however, they do not have thousands of dollars to spend on software and hosting plans. That is where the small business entrepreneur enters the picture.
The sole proprietorship offers the small business person the opportunity to explore e-commerce without the higher costs of larger organizations. There are some basics to remember when dealing with the small business person:
- The small business person does not understand the Internet and e-commerce. This is a very important concept to remember, because many small businesses will create requirements that conflict with the purpose of a web page. Flashy ads should be kept for print advertising and not constitute the entire page.
- Do not make promises you cannot keep. Take for instance the small business person wants to place a short video clip on his or her web site. Do not promise to perform the service only to find out they want you to create, edit and present the video. Up-front pricing is another good method for avoiding conflicts.
- Validate all materials. Validation will ensure the web page is viewable in ALL browsers and not ostracize someone using an older version. Remember, viewers of a web site are customers.
- Justify your expenditures. Do not supply the small business with tools they do not need or cannot work on their own. It is not fun to receive a call at 2 AM from a customer because he or she cannot figure out how to make a change on their site. (Remember: Many small business owners are going to expect you to support your work 24/7 and do not want to pay an hourly rate for you to make modifications.
- Present the small business owner with ALL the materials. A problem with many information technology providers is insecurity. Holding back passwords and account information may result in a court case as the small business owner sues you to obtain the information he or she purchased from you. If you are worried about the small business person making a "mess" of their web page, then place in the "Rights and Responsibility" a clause that explains to them you will only restore the site to the way it was presented to them when first posted.
These are just a few of the more important aspects to remember when dealing with the small business person.
Thoughts?
Mike Kniaziewicz, MIS
