NFIB

TeamSpirit
10/ 01/ 2002

by Rachel Adelson

Even the smallest businesses tap technology to communicate and organize themselves—just like the big guys, only smaller.

Small business strategist Evelyn Goldstein of Silver Spring, Md., will set up "bridge calls" that let clients conduct group meetings by phone. For one business, she created a private e-mail subscription list using Yahoo Groups (groups.yahoo.com), in which about eight people trade about 20 e-mails a day. Other tools include instant messaging, such as ICQ (http://www.icq.com).

Goldstein studies where workflow breaks down and sees whether technology can help-perhaps through information posted on a group intranet or in a private Web site area. For example, Saraf Software Solutions of Fairfax, Va., uses a corporate intranet to give employees programming tools such as test templates. For everyday file swapping and sharing, CEO/CTO Neeran Saraf says even a four-person company can set up common files, using simple tools such as Microsoft Windows' Network Manager and then staying on top of coordination.

The more information flows in and out of your business, the more organized you must be. Use your e-mail software to organize your messages by setting up mailboxes and filters. "This is Organizing 101," says Goldstein. "You have to get a handle on it." She also cites the current craze for Kiplinger's "Taming the Paper Tiger," which uses the computer to cross-reference paper and quickly find it via a keyword search.

Finally, Carmen Larsen, CEO of Chevy Chase, Md.-based IT consulting firm AQUAS notes that small businesses often install software that seems economical at the moment, but may not support multiple workstations as the company grows. "Make sure," she advises, "especially on office software, you agree on what you get and use it as your main line. Even for software versions, think in terms of enterprise software versus your special niche."

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InboxOverload

108 minutes: The average amount of time executives say they spend reading and
sending e-mail

Source: AccountTemps

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This article originally appeared in the May/June 2001 issue of MyBusiness Magazine, NFIB's member magazine.

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