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Anita Campbell, Editor
Past life: CEO, corporate executive, tech entrepreneur, retailer, general counsel, marketer, HR ... (more)
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November 1st: Torsten Jacobi, CEO of Creative Weblogging, joins host Anita Campbell. Sponsored by Six Disciplines. Show details.
Sunday, November 30, 2003
Stock Options and Small Business
The Small Business Survival Council claims that proposed rules requiring stock options to be treated as an expense would hurt small business.

Commenting on proposed accounting standards in the United States and at the international level, the Council's Chairman, Karen Kerrigan, writes:
    "...small businesses may end up paying the price for this controversial 'reform' enacted to clean up the actions of a few bad players. Stock options are used by businesses to attract and retain talented employees. They're an important tool for many small firms, particularly in the high-tech sector.

    ***

    Mandated expensing makes little accounting sense; will not give investors accurate or reliable information; would incorporate flawed models for valuating options; and will destroy broad-based plans, according to those who say there's a better way to financially capture stock option activity."
This article was originally printed in the American City Business Journals. For more information, read the full text of the article which appears on the Small Business Survival Council's website.

By Anita Campbell | Permalink | |
Saturday, November 29, 2003
Silicon Valley Expansion Cycle
Silicon Valley is starting to party again.

Signs of growth, investment, spending and success in Silicon Valley are starting to pick up again, according to an article in the December 8, 2003 edition of Forbes magazine.

Workers are job-hopping, PR firm billings are increasing, banking business is up, venture money is flowing, and -- oh -- tech companies are throwing parties once again.

But unlike the late 1990's, this time around it is not likely to be a huge run-up. "It's not a bubble but more like a carbonated beverage with lots of little bubbles," says Jonathan Feiber of Mohr, Davidow Ventures.


By Anita Campbell | Permalink | |
Friday, November 28, 2003
Microsoft says Linux No Good for Small Business
At a recent conference in Australia, a Microsoft executive charged that Linux software does not address the needs of small business as well as Microsoft's products, due to the inherent lack of integration.

While addressing a small and mid-market solutions team at a conference on November 25, Microsoft small business sales VP Steve Guggenheimer stated:
    "People sometimes talk about Linux in the small business space, but you'll never get so many pieces together on one server with Linux. Obviously, to integrate so many pieces together on the same server will cost a lot of money and won't serve your business needs."
He went on to say that with Microsoft, customers could buy a package of applications already integrated to perform necessary functions, but with Linux they would have to mix and match "three, four or even five" applications to do the same job.

Furthermore, customers buying multiple different applications to use on Linux would then probably have a lot of extra integration work to ensure that the applications worked together. By comparison, the Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 is an easy-to-use, already integrated package.

Guggenheimer later that day in an interview stated that small business people were business people rather than technical types, and the total cost of choosing Linux was for them likely to be high.


While all the Linux and "open source" devotees out there will disagree, the words of the Microsoft executive ring true for the small business market. The fact remains that most small businesses expect their information technology to work for them quickly and seamlessly.

Outside of businesses in the IT industry, most small businesses do not have the time, money or expertise to integrate multiple applications that are pieced together from various sources and make them "talk" to one another. Small businesses want software that is simple to install and run, and that integrates easily with other software packages.

By Anita Campbell | Permalink | |
Thursday, November 27, 2003
Internet Plays Key Role in Real Estate Industry
The Internet increasingly plays a key role in the real estate sales industry, and this trend is expected to grow.

According to a recent article by real estate professional John Mudd, more and more homebuyers are using the Internet in some portion of their buying process, either to locate property for sale or to educate themselves.

By the same token, real estate professionals are leveraging the Internet to locate and educate potential buyers.

He writes on Blogcritics.org:

    ...Internet homebuyers are quickly becoming the majority of homebuyers.

    Most Internet homebuyers still work with a Realtor, and they do rely on their services and expertise when it comes to area information, property information and closing services, plus relocation services, but they also seek quite a bit of information on their own, whether or not they're working with a Realtor.

    ***According to the "Internet Versus Traditional Buyers Survey," traditional homebuyers decreased from 72 to 55 percent from 2000 to 2003, while Internet homebuyers increased from 28 to 45 percent, and still appears to be growing.

    What does this mean for the real estate industry as a whole?

    Well, it means that instead of cold calling to get listings, real estate professionals of the future are going to get most of their business from Google positioning and other electronic communications, other than SPAM, which is likely to become more regulated in the near future.
Smart real estate professionals, brokerages and other small and midsize businesses in the real estate industry will try to understand this trend and take advantage of it.


By Anita Campbell | Permalink | |
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Entrepreneur's Board of Directors Guide
Check out the extremely detailed guide to help entrepreneurs set up a Board of Directors. It is available online at the Telecommunications Development Fund, a venture capital firm for companies in the telecommunications industry. (The guide applies to a corporation in any line of business, and not just to telecomm firms.)

This guide is quite practical. It is designed for small businesses that are setting up a Board for the first time. It assumes the entrepreneur has no experience with a Board of Directors, and covers:

    1. Why have a Board?
    2. How do I "control" my Board?
    3. Who should be on my Board?
    4. How do I recruit members of the Board?
    5. How does the Board operate?
    6. How much should I pay directors?
    7. Should I have directors' and officers' (D & O) insurance?
    8. How do I change the composition of the Board as my business grows?
    9. Should I have an advisory board?
    10. How do I avoid disaster?
It even includes helpful how-to's such as: criteria for selecting directors, a sample board meeting agenda, and a primer on the basics of taking corporate minutes.

VC firms can seem forbidding to entrepreneurs, and not very mentor-like. Most have not done much to train entrepreneurs, certainly not in any formal way. Could this be an example of a nascent trend by VCs to mentor and educate entrepreneurs?


By Anita Campbell | Permalink | |
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
More Women Starting Businesses
A recent poll by the National Association for the Self-Employed shows that more women are starting their own businesses.

Startups by women grew by double digits annually from 2000-2003. This represents a significant increase in growth since the 1990s. The number of women-owned startups out numbered men-owned startups by almost 2-to-1 in 2003.

Lifestyle appears to be driving more women to become entrepreneurs. Women want greater independence and balanced lives, including more time with family. Many are opting to set up shop at home. Technology advancements and accepted workplace norms that enable people to work virtually anywhere are encouraging this trend.

Other nuggets from the survey:

    - More women than men report that their businesses are part-time. One in five women work part-time -- double the percentage reported by men.
    - Women report self-employed income that is significantly lower than men's, partially because of the part-time nature of their enterprises. Average income for women surveyed is $38,640 versus $54,260 for men.
    - Yet, women are more committed to sticking with their startups than men, even if more attractive opportunities came along. Over 26% of the women surveyed would not consider closing their businesses even if a desirable job appeared. Only 17 percent of men said they would remain so committed.

Now, this survey may be news to some. But I'll bet most of the women out there aren't in the least surprised. These results are completely consistent with the anecdotal experiences of women.


By Anita Campbell | Permalink | |
Monday, November 24, 2003
Microsoft Investing Billions in Small Business Software
According to the Reuters news agency, Microsoft is planning to invest $10 Billion (US) over the next five years to develop software for the small and medium-sized business market. That includes $2 Billion (US) invested in this market space this year.

Microsoft's SMB strategy chief said that Microsoft is taking a long term view for the market that includes 40 Million businesses worldwide. It expects its investments to turn profitable in 2005.

Microsoft's definition of the companies it will concentrate on are those with 2,000 to 5,000 employees, and maybe up to 8,000.

Of course, those are not exactly companies most would define as "small."


By Anita Campbell | Permalink | |
Sunday, November 23, 2003
Sellathon to Help eBay Sellers With Visitor Stats