Most every business aspires to be a well-oiled machine. Yet, passion and determination can only take a small business so far. Sometimes you need a little help. Sometimes you need a makeover.

Good thing then that Mosaic Technologies and the National Association and Business Owners and Entrepreneurs (NABOE) have partnered to provide one deserving business in Montgomery County, MD more than $50,000 in products and services.

From branding and websites to accounting and technology services, your business will receive a full package of tips and tools that can give your small business the boost it needs to get your cogs up to snuff.

Sisarina believes in helping our community and as a small business ourself we understand the challenges faced by our colleagues. We are proud that Sisarina is just one of the many local business donating their services to the Extreme Office Makeover. Sisarina will be providing a full CMS-based website to the lucky winner with all new graphics, social media capabilities, a news section that feeds to the homepage along with many other features that you can update yourself!

What are you waiting for? If you’re a business that’s been in operation in Montgomery County, MD for at least two consecutive years (as of November 30) and have at least three employees (home-based businesses are not eligible) you can apply.

Applications will be accepted through November 30, 2009, with the winner to be announced in February 2010. Every company that enters will receive a free technology analysis valued at $250.

Learn more at www.extreme-office.com.
 

You have newly designed site, courtesy of Sisarina. We thank you for choosing us and we ensure the usability of PICO, our integrated content management system. However, there's more work to be done. With Sisarina's custom CMS, uploading documents, photos and images is a breeze, but how can you manage their quality so as to best represent your company and brand?

Sisarina offers a few easy ways to help you, even if we didn't build your website.

Post a PDF

It's customary that most documents posted to your site should be in a Portable Document Format (PDF). Not only can you guarantee that your content won't be misuse, you can also make sure that your customers and clients can access the document. Not all users have access to Microsoft Word, Excel or other specific document formats. PDF readers are standard on most computers and can be easily downloaded. Be sure to provide a link to a PDF reader, like Acrobat, for convenience.

Using PDFs can also be a great way to maintain your brand. Always include your logo and company information within the document so that users can have your contact information handy.

Most desktop PCs come with capabilities to create PDF from within the Microsoft Office Suite. As well, there are free tools you can use to create PDFs, like GoogleDocs and www.cutepdf.com

Make Your Photos Beautiful

You don't need to have Photoshop to enhance your photos. Try using free web-based photo editing platforms, instead. Because it's web-based means that you can access it anywhere.

Aviary offers multiple design platforms from which to create and edit photos and images. You can also upload photos to edit directly from Picasa and Flickr, as well as any website. If you're familiar with Adobe's Creative Design Suites, you'll have no trouble finding your ways around Aviary Phoenix. If you're new to photo editing, Aviary provides support and training via forums and tutorials.You can auto-correct your photo or do it manually, using layers or adjusting the brightness or contrast, among others. www.aviary.com

Speaking of Photoshop, another great free web-based tool is Adobe Photoshop Express. It lets users upload photosf from your desktop or photo-sharing site and select the desired visual enhancement. It auto-corrects it on the spot. www.photoshop.com

Create Consistent Content

With Sisarina's CMS you can create new content quickly and efficiently. But making your content speak to your audience can be tricky. However, once you learn how to identify the characteristics of your content, you can begin to write content that can attract visitors and business.

Take the time to identify the following:

• audience: Who is your targeted customer? How old are they? What kind of experience do they have? Have they used your product before or are they new to the industry?
• company: are you an authority or resource? Are you conversational or matter or fact? Do you like to tell stories or provide the facts?
• message: are you promoting education? selling a product? encouraging new behaviors?

Once you have identified these characteristics, it will be easier for you to create content that speaks for your organization. It will help you guide the words you use, the way you explain things, and how to provide information.

Anyone who knows Sisarina, knows she that she is a strong woman and embodies self-reliance and determination. While Sisarina has the luxury of being an imaginary friend, many young girls need real life encouragement and mentorship.

Luckily, girls have Erika Parkhurst. She is the brains behind the Young Women’s National Conference, an endeavor that aims to empower girls to become more confident and connect with other women leaders.

If you know a young girl aged 14-17 years old, please encourage her to attend the Young Women’s National Conference on October 24, 2009 in Washington, D.C. Girls will be treated to a full day’s agenda of motivational speakers, workshops and an opportunity to meet strong, successful women leaders.

All girls aspire to be strong and true to their identities, but may get pressured by friends, boys and the media. At the Young Women’s National Conference they will learn valuable skills to assert themselves as leaders in their community.

Registration is $25 and there are limited spots available. You can sponsor a girl or make a donation. Learn more at www.ywnc.net or follow them on Twitter @ywnc.

At Sisarina, we work hard to be role models to others in the community, that’s why you’ll find us co-hosting the Networking Session for 9th & 10th grade young women and at the Mentor Reception, meeting confident young women and future leaders.

On a windy September Monday morning in late August, Melanie Spring, Principal & Project Director for Sisarina Inc, was interviewed on MD-16 TV by Steve Dorfman at We Mean Business. The topic was 'How Your Branding is Already Affecting Your Business' and the conversation was light and easy. This interview originally aired on Sept 7 & 9, 2009.