It’s not uncommon for a business to be run virtually these days. Meaning that employees are in different geographic locations collaborating via the Internet. However, there are times when it may be necessary to be in “the same place at the same time” so-to-speak, and times when it’s necessary to view information simultaneously.

Our featured guest in this episode of Small Business Trends Radio is George Langan, CEO of Expresso. With humor and interesting anecdotes, George sheds light on how to collaborate with others in multiple locations over a single Excel spreadsheet so you always have the most up-to-date version.

Here is a sampling from the show:

• It is now possible — to collaborate with others by uploading spreadsheet documents into online software and sharing it with others in various locations.

• Data security — with online services obviously an issue that is top of mind for many. With a service like Expresso, a number of securities are in place such as data encryption, password protection, authorizing specified users, etc. Many tools are in place to protect your data and maintain your security and privacy making your online experience worry free.

• Customization — is available for additional security measures, superior control and convenience. You can give people the ability to “view only” a spreadsheet, edit a spreadsheet, and/or download and copy a spreadsheet — you are in complete control of how much access you wish to give someone to your spreadsheet. By setting alerts that notify you when someone has downloaded the spreadsheet, you can now be made aware that your data has been removed from the system and when. Watching, tracking and tracing are additional security measures that give you peace of mind when utilizing the system.

George is an insightful guest and shares many suggestions and tips for making the most out of your online collaboration experiences while protecting valuable data and information when doing so.

Click the player below to listen to the full interview of George Langan, CEO of Expresso.

Listen Now:

 Stop Spreadsheet Anarchy [27:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted by Staci Wood | Comments (3) | Permalink

This week’s Podcast Review is about the Escape from Cubicle Nation Podcast.

Description: Advice, support and encouragement to stop being a corporate prisoner and start your own business. Hosted by Pamela Slim.

Comments: Short but sweet podcasts with Pamela providing a monologue on a wide range of relevant small business topics.

No fancy production values, music or fancy bumpers and commercials. She dives right into the topic. Her voice is good for audio, she communicates very effectively her points and says goodbye and best wishes.

The website has good notes on each show, RSS subscriptions and download capability as well as instant play. Here is a short list of some of the show topics:

- What to do when you hit the “starting a business is too hard” wall
- How do you know when it is safe to call yourself an expert?
- Striking a balance between being rich and being famous
- How to go from vague idea to concrete business concept
- Cash flow is king

and dozens more are available via the show archives or use the handy search available on the website.

Pluses: I really love the instant content, the brief length and the authenticity and honesty that comes through in Pamela’s comments. She is not afraid to be direct on just about any topic, very refreshing.

Minuses: My only complaint is that I wish more content would come out more frequently.

Recommendation: Own a small business, want to start one? Then you must check out the Escape from Cubicle Nation Podcast.

Posted by Steve Rucinski | Comments (3) | Permalink

BabyPlus is the story of one woman who “liked the product so much, she bought the business.”

Our featured guest in this episode of Small Business Trends Radio is Lisa Jarrett, CEO of BabyPlus. Lisa explains how she launched the BabyPlus product globally. Today, over 100,000 families worldwide have it.

A biologist by training, she discovered a prenatal education curriculum that she had read about in a medical journal. After becoming a huge fan of the curriculum and using it during her three pregnancies, Lisa acquired the rights to the BabyPlus Prenatal Education System.

Word of mouth has been invaluable to grow the business. BabyPlus is now sold in over 200 retailers in the United States and in over 60 countries internationally. International sales account for 20% of revenues. The product is still experiencing rapid growth with May 2007 sales alone showing an increase of 300% from May 2006.

Lisa shares some of her lessons learned:

• No big ideas yourself? Spot the potential in someone else’s idea — The initial idea was not Lisa’s. Rather, it was her ability to envision the potential in someone else’s idea and shape that potential, that turned BabyPlus from obscurity, into a globally-available consumer product.

• Find a good product design firm — Lisa describes how the product had to be completely re-designed from the rudimentary version she used initially. She found a good design firm based on word-of-mouth recommendations. The design firm then assisted in finding a manufacturing firm in China to fabricate units at competitive price points.

• Get a business mentor sooner rather than later — There is a learning curve associated with any new business. And as a mompreneur she had a family to raise and a busy husband. A business mentor may be able to help accelerate the pace of business growth.

These and many other insights are in this episode. Click the player below to listen to the full interview of Lisa Jarrett, CEO of BabyPlus.

Listen Now:

 How A Mompreneur Took A Product Global [26:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted by Staci Wood | Comments (3) | Permalink

I’m pleased to announce that the Small Business Trends Radio Show is moving to a new time — and a new broadcast station.

We are also taking this opportunity to make a few adjustments to the show format. Here are the changes:

• New time –We will be broadcasting live at a new time: 1:30 pm EST until 2:00 pm EST (New York time) every Tuesday. This is a shorter show, because we heard from you that you are time-starved and “shorter is better.”

• New broadcast network –Small Business Trends Radio will be broadcasting on the BlogTalkRadio platform.

• Two co-hosts –Our host, Anita Campbell, will be joined in the shows by co-host/Executive Producer Steve Rucinski. Having two hosts will add variety and interaction. We will still have a business expert or other interesting guest featured in each show, of course.

• No commercial interruptions — Previously we had 20 minutes of commercials in a 60-minute show. We heard loud and clear from you — “get rid of the commercials!” So we’ve cut out commercial interruptions during the show. We may include one or two sponsor spots at the beginning or end of the show, but we promise to make them (1) brief, (2) relevant, and (3) informational rather than salesy. What you will NOT hear is “we have to break to take commercials.” We hope you find this change more enjoyable.

• Listen live – To listen live you need to be near your computer and have your speakers or headphones turned on. Go to the Small Business Trends Radio page at BlogTalkRadio at 1:30 pm EST, and click on the “Click to Listen” button.

• Call in to the live broadcast –We can take live callers during the shows and we would love to hear from you. The call-in number is:

  (646) 716-8886

  Please use this call-in number only during live show times. You also can send chat messages during live show times.

We sincerely hope you enjoy these changes.

Don’t have time to listen live? No worries. You can still download and listen to the podcasts. Just come back here to the home of Small Business Trends Radio for new shows. Or subscribe to our feed. None of that has changed.

Posted by Staci Wood | Comments (3) | Permalink

This week’s Podcast Review is about the Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Podcast.

Description: An audio component of Stanford Technology Ventures Program. The Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP) Educators Corner is a free online archive of entrepreneurship resources for teaching and learning.

Comments: Using a mix of audio and video this Podcast is a capture of the Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders sessions held at Stanford University.

Sometimes interviews, sometimes a panel discussion, sometimes one speaker, this series of Podcasts has some really high-powered entrepreneurial content.

Occasionally the audio is a little less than optimum but it does not detract from the quality of the content. Here is a sampling of the topics covered:

- Social Networking 3.0
- Adventures of a Startup CEO: No Guts No Glory
- The New Adventures of Old VC’s
- Nine Lessons Learned about Creativity at Google
- From Harvard to the Facebook

I counted over 50 such high quality topics and podcasts available.

Pluses: Nice website, instant play (even a dedicated section for this), RSS subscribe buttons, brief but decent show notes that display when you click the show title. The real power with this Podcast are the guests and their experiences and insights openly shared.

There is also a great category list of the content in the left column of the website which helps you navigate.

Minuses: My only comment here is that the length of some of the shows is longer than some listeners may care for.

Recommendation: If you want to continue your education about entrepreneurship and business today than you really can’t beat the Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Podcast.

Posted by Steve Rucinski | Comments (3) | Permalink

Video and PC Gaming is a popular pastime. But what does that have to do with small business? Well, many of the requirements to attain success are needed in both worlds. Strategizing, meeting deadlines, collaboration, playing to win and taking risks. All are attributes of success in sales - and in gaming.

Our featured guest in this episode of Small Business Trends Radio is Paul Johnston, President and CEO of Entellium. Paul explains how Entellium has made this connection and developed a new approach to small business software that helps simplify the sales process and increase overall productivity through a new software affectionately named Rave CRM.

Here is a sampling from the show:

• Eighty percent — of employees under the age of 34 have had experience with video or PC gaming. The average salesperson is between the ages of 25 and 35 - competitive, fast-moving and risk takers – attributes found in gaming that sales reps also desire in business software.

• Video Games — reveal your capabilities to you and, in order to advance, you must use them successfully. Competition is the drive and your stats are available for all to see. Video and PC games are designed to create success. And it is possible for business software to be designed in the same manner - to create success.

• Mirrored gaming — features such as presenting information visually, rather than in text lists, and using a star rating system are all gaming trends that users respond to positively. Features that can prove successful through the use of CRM software that incorporates these attributes.

• CRM — or customer relationship management is a business tool to help you acquire leads inexpensively, offer success through repeated processes, and assists in servicing your customer. CRM does this by following a repeated process, managing work flow, and empowering your sales force to be successful by harnessing their passion to help them achieve their objective.

Paul shares the many valuable insights that Entellium has gained by studying the gaming habits of younger individuals that achieve successful levels in the video and PC gaming world. And stay tuned at the end of the program for Today’s Trend: Sound bites of Wisdom from Successful Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders at the Inc 500.

To listen to Paul’s insights, click the player below to listen to the full interview.

Listen Now:

 Putting The Whiz Into Small Business Software [53:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted by Staci Wood | Comments (3) | Permalink

This week’s Podcast Review is about the Marketing Edge Podcast.

Description: Advice and insight on marketing, public relations, podcasting and communication from Albert Maruggi, a veteran of radio, television, politics and the corporate world.

Comments: Music, great sound quality, humor and great content is what you will find in the Marketing Edge Podcast. Like us, this podcast is one of the longest running business podcasts available.

Covering the full gambit from traditional marketing topics to all of the Web 2.0 and social media categories this podcast leaves nothing to chance. Well planned and well designed to serve the audience quickly and effectively. Some sample show topics are:

- Viral Envy: Yeah, me too
- YouTube gives us voice: Now will we listen?
- Multimedia search & viral video essentials
- Audio and video: Positioning for the future

and much more. The shows are done just about weekly, average 10-15 minutes and length and are perfect for rapid learning and getting to the point of the matter.

Pluses: Instant Play, good website, great mix of blog posts, audio and video. RSS easily available and and iTunes button as well.

Lots of tags and Digg links, categories and archive links are available and easy to identify.

Minuses: I wish there was a better index to show topics organized by marketing domain. There are search, categories and archives but I have to work a bit to get to the marketing issue I want to explore.

Recommendation: If keeping current on today’s marketing is important to you then I highly recommend you give the Marketing Edge Podcast a listen.

Posted by Steve Rucinski | Comments (6) | Permalink