Small business owners now have another way to seek guidance from industry experts without even leaving the office.
Chattanooga State Technical Community College has launched Build Your Own Biz, an online business consultant created to provide mentoring and support for the small business owner.
The Web site located at www.buildyourownbiz.net is a one-stop-shop for the latest information on such topics as business branding, hiring employees, daily operations, how to budget money more effectively and boasting customer service and sales.
Build Your Own Biz is a special outreach initiative of Chattanooga State. College President James Catanzaro conceived the project as a way to partner with business owners.
“Business owners, especially those starting companies, must be committed to long hours and hard work,” said Jeff Olingy, vice president of economic and community development, Chattanooga State, in a written statement. “When we were designing Build Your Own Biz, we knew entrepreneurs did not have the time to navigate a complex Web site. So our principal task was to craft an online resource that provided pertinent, actionable information in a format that was straightforward and user-friendly.”
Ginger Duggan, specialist, business development for Chattanooga State, said Build Your Own Biz is probably best suited for small-to-medium-sized businesses that have been in business for a year or longer.
“Startups are so strapped for time and resources,” she said.
Small businesses with 50 or less employees that don’t have their own human resources, marketing and finance departments will benefit the most from the Web site, Duggan said.
The Web site contains no advertisements and all information has been legally reviewed.
Information on operations, customer service, finance, human resources, sales and marketing are available through slideshows with voiceovers, downloadable worksheets and videos.
A user can download such documents as a sample job application, an outline of how to write a business plan or a cash flow statement. Users also can see much of the information presented through videos including how to conduct a successful interview.
News and information is typically updated every two to eight weeks.
Users also can submit five business-related questions a month that will be answered within two business days.
Typically, adjunct Chattanooga State professors who are currently working in business answer the questions, Duggan said.
“What we feel is one of our biggest strengths is that we can co-brand it,” Duggan said of the Web site. “We can customize it for a specific business. We can customize it with the information that they want to share within the company.”
Some companies have used the Web site as a promotional tool, she said.
Chattanooga-based First Volunteer Bank purchased exclusive rights to utilize the Web site as a resource for its small business customers.
Build Your Own Biz currently has nearly 350 users, mostly in East Tennessee.
Yearly subscriptions are $500. Build Your Own Biz also offers a free 45-minute test run of the Web site.
Revenue generated from the Web site goes to educational programs at Chattanooga State.
Erin Edgemon can be reached at 869-0812 and at eedgemon@murfreesboropost.com.
On the Web:
www.buildyourownbiz.net
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