Realising Designs web design Canterbury Kent, Canterbury based web designer Kent, Hosting, Domain names, Graphic Designer, Illustrator and Sketch artist.

VentureNavigator offer free and impartial business advice, allowing you to test your business idea and get some constructive criticism.  The service is funded by the UK Government and more info can be found on their website: www.venturenavigator.co.uk

If you work on various projects or collaborate often then bubbl.us might be right down your street.  This free on-line application allows you to create mind maps, brain storm and collaborate with others very simply.  Once done, you can save your work, embed to external websites or convert your work to an image – handy!

Are you and your business on LinkedIn?  If not get involved and grow your network.  You can view James’ profile here: www.linkedin.com/in/JamesMatthewMontgomery

With job losses affected 1 in 3 and unemployment reaching near to 2.4 million (source: BBC) it is vital for small businesses to keep track of their accounts and credit, to avoid being stung by bad debts.  Cash flow has always been paramount to business survival and none more so than now… and without that cash you might has well of not got the job, or even worse you paid out non-recoverable expenses.  If you are having problems or want to just make sure your doing all you can then you can get the free Business Link guide here (PDF).

Quite a common question is whether to display a photo of your employees or yourself on your website.  My answer has always been that it’s a matter of taste and is more relevant in trades and industries for which the ‘trust’ factor is essential.  That said, none of us can really do much about how we look, but the choice of photo is always essential.  Here is a quick poll to see what you all think:

[polldaddy poll="1448082"]

I have now opted to include my photo, as the addition of the Facebook connect will likely display it in more places than ever.

Starting up a business and looking to get yourself ’suited and booted’ with your big-brand software? Before rushing out and spending that money, you may want to have a look through the following free programs. While it may be the case that the free alternatives do not have all the features of premium products, for a large number of users who only scratch the surface of each product’s features, they should work very well.  The items below are just a sample of free items out there, but hopefully they will be of use and might save you a little money.

Office suite

Writing letters, proposals and doing your books (yawn) may be your most typical activities, and are all covered by the excellent OpenOffice.org. What about compatibility with clients and other machines with Microsoft Office? Fear not, the Writer program for example allows you to save it a variety of formats including its native ODF Text Document (*.odt), but also as Microsoft Word 97/2000/XP (*.doc).

Visit www.openoffice.org

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Many have taken the poor economic climate and job losses as a motivator to start that business they always planned in the back of their mind, perhaps while day dreaming at their desk or doodling on a beer mat.

Arguably smaller more versatile companies are better positioned to apply short term strategies to ride the downturn, whereas larger companies can become hard to manage effectively and can creak under the strain.  Others lose their way such as Woolworths, creating other sizable knock-on casualties.  To make things more positive than the doom and gloom of the moment, being your own boss is liberating and can allow you the creative freedom to bring your ideas to the market.  Flexible hours are mentioned in books, though in reality it may often be that when the work needs doing – you do it, but if it’s for your own development it often seems easier.
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“Kent’s largest business exhibition and conference enters its fourth year. Last year there were a record number of exhibitors (over 350) and 3,700 attendees.” Kent2020.co.uk

Kent 2020 Vision offers a great opportunity for Kent’s small businesses to network, get advice and get tips on surviving tougher economic times. The event is held at the Kent Showground (Detling) on 2nd April 2009, with a pre-conference to get your networking skills polished on 23rd March (Maidstone).

Registration is free and can be done via www.kent2020.co.uk and for those of you who like coffee – unlimited all day. We will be there all day, so if you know and spot us then come say hi.