I am so excited to announce that I’ve just released my very first ecommerce template today! If you’ve read my blog before, you’ve already seen a sneak peek of this new design. It’s been a long time coming and there have been many interruptions, so I’m glad to finally have this ready! I plan to get some other templates that I’ve designed coded and ready to go to add to my collection.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter or “Like” me on Facebook to find out when new templates are released!

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Here’s a website that I recently launched for Robin: www.Adminiprise.com.

I really love how this website turned out! This is my first custom child theme built upon the StudioPress Genesis Theme Framework. Also, this website is featured in the StudioPress showcase! Check it out!

Want to know more about Adminiprise and the services Robin offers? Read on!

Who is Adminiprise?
Adminiprise is an administrative consulting firm based in Columbus, OH, made of myself as owner and consultant, as well as a team of professionals who provide myself and our clients with technical and office support. We’re an independent company (not a temp agency or a franchise) that serves as an outsourcing option for business owners needing administrative support.

What services do you provide?
We have two focus areas for the services we provide. For business owners, we provide executive administration and project assistance, with services ranging from word processing and publication design to marketing assistance and client relationship management. For aspiring entrepreneurs, we provide hands-on consulting to help them establish a sound business concept and move that concept toward reality. We help them with business plans, small business branding, marketing and more.

Why did you decide to start a business?
Aside from the fact that I’ve always enjoyed administration, I started Adminiprise because there are too many small businesses out there who, sad to say, just don’t look good. They use clip art for logos, have inconsistent forms and materials, use home phone numbers for business, and don’t project a very professional image, many of them because they don’t feel they can afford to incorporate other methods. I wanted to use my skill set to help individuals project a strong, professional image regardless of their business mission or budget and to help them operate efficiently. I also wanted to create a career for myself that didn’t have limits and that would not force me to choose between work and family.

How did you get started?
I started out by completing random projects for friends and members of my church – business cards, flyers, forms…I even designed and burned discs for a CD release. I continued to do odd jobs while working full time and going to school. I didn’t initially plan to turn administration into a full time career, but after much prayer and discussion with my husband, Adminiprise was the result. I continued to work an outside job until I had enough income to let it go.

What would you have done differently in the beginning?
I should have networked more. Finding the time to network has been challenging, not to mention the fact that I’m a bit shy. But networking is the true foundation to growing any business – not just in sales, but in partners as well. If I had networked more, I believe I would have found reliable professionals with the expertise that I lack (like yourself as a web designer) much sooner.

What advice would you offer to someone just getting started?
Do what you love, love what you do, and don’t think you have to do it alone.

I am also working on a brand new website that will be devoted to the premade website templates. I hope to show you soon! I am having lots of fun creating a new design that is a little different in style (even if a little girly).

For now, here’s a sneak peek into the very first template I will release. It will be a Limited Design template which means it will only be sold a maximum of eight times before it is retired. This is a great way to have a semi-custom design for a not-so-custom price.

If you are interested in purchasing this template now rather than waiting for my new website to launch where it will be featured, please contact me.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this new service and about my first premade website template, so give me a shout!

Lately, some of my clients have been asking about Facebook and how to utilize it in the promotion of their small business, so I thought I would share a couple tips for those who aren’t as familiar with fan pages and how to create them.

What is a fan page?

A Facebook fan page is a public profile that enables you to share your business and products with Facebook users.  You can have a public fan page that is viewable by everyone while keeping your personal page private – all from one Facebook login.

How do I create a fan page?

First, go to www.facebook.com and sign into your account.  If you do not have one yet, sign up – it’s free!  Next, there are 2 easy ways to get to the place where you can create your fan page.

1. Go to Facebook’s Create a Page page.
2. While viewing any fan page, scroll to the bottom and look in the bottom left corner for the “Create a Page for My Business” link.  Clicking this link will take you to the Create a Page page linked above.

Next, choose the correct category for your business, write the name of your business, and then certify that you are authorized to create the fan page by checking the box and signing your name electronically.  You must use your full Facebook name (i.e. if you use your maiden name in your Facebook name, you must type that in your electronic signature).

Now you have a fan page for your business! And now you can use the “Suggest to Friends” link (under your photo in the left sidebar) to invite your friends to become your first fans.

What is the benefit of having a fan page?

The first point that comes to my mind is accessibility. I have visited websites where there is a link to the company’s Facebook page, but really it’s a link to the person’s personal page. I get frustrated and disappointed when the link leads to their personal Facebook page that is set to private. I have no problem with the page being set to private as I have mine that way, too. My disappointment comes from wanting to know more about the business, but not wanting to send a friend request because I don’t really know this person and I don’t necessarily want them seeing my personal Facebook page. However, if people set up fan pages for their businesses, it allows the general public to view information about their products and services while still keeping their personal information and photos private.

The other benefit of having a fan page for your business is exposure. Social networking is very useful in getting your name/brand “out there.” You can link your Facebook fan page to your Twitter account and your Wordpress website and more. If you keep your page fresh and new, you will give customers a reason to come back again and again. And hopefully they will share your products and services with their friends!

Do you have a fan page?

I sure do! I must confess, though, that I just created it while writing this post, so I haven’t taken the bubble wrap off yet. I do plan to develop the page and make it more interactive and visually appealing in the near future. Take a look – and if you want, become a fan!

Today I would like to introduce you to a site that I launched a couple weeks ago: Business System Solutions, Inc. (BSSI). They are computer consultants who make I.T. easy for small and medium sized businesses in the central Ohio area.

The goal for this redesign was to make the entire website more user-friendly and easy to navigate. Also, BSSI wanted to be able to manage the content of their website without waiting for someone else to do it, so using Wordpress as a CMS was a natural choice.

Be sure to check out their new website at www.bssi.biz!

If you need a website that is easy to update and easy for your visitors to use, contact me today to get started.