Building Out Your Small Business

Just as on the Internet no one knows you’re a dog, no one needs to know that you’re not a mega-corporation. Technology really can level the playing field between your small business and Mega-Global Co. But which technologies? There are so many choices and so many pitfalls that you might be inclined to just throw up your hands in despair.The process doesn’t have to be that complicated. There are several key decisions you can make that will catapult your business toward success, without your having to spend a lot of money.

To help illustrate those options, we approached this from the perspective of a business that, let’s say, recently received several large contracts and now needs to expand its operation to meet that demand. Before hitting CDW for a shopping spree, though, the first step should be developing an overall purchasing strategy. Without that, you may end up hurting yourself in the long run. Once that strategy is in place, then you can identify the few key purchases that could largely determine whether you increase productivity or actually take a step back. — next: What You Need

What You Need

PCs Dell OptiPlex 745 www.dell.com

Lenovo ThinkPad X60 www.lenovo.com

Apple iMac www.apple.com

Software Microsoft Office www.microsoftoffice.com

Google Apps www.google.com/a

Adobe Acrobat Connect www.adobe.com

Citrix Online GoToMeeting www.citrix.com

www.salesforce.com

Intuit QuickBooks www.quickbooks.com

Phones Motorola Q www.motorola.com

Cingular 8525 www.cingular.com