Get Blogging

Table of ContentsChapter 1: What is Blogging and Why Should I Care?Chapter 2: Starting a BlogChapter 3: Perfecting Your PostsChapter 4: From Hobby to BusinessChapter 5: How to Legalize Your Blog and Minimize Liability

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Chapter 1: What is Blogging and Why Should I Care?

These days, everyone and their dog has a blog. There are literally millions of blogs on all manner of topics. Some are personal in nature, while others cater to business topics.

A blog is simply a website with regularly updated content on a subject. There might be a blog about Pomeranians, pickles or Pinterest.

Businesses of all sizes are now blogging as a way to reach their target audience. As a small business owner, your brand should be blogging. It’s a fantastic--not to mention cost-effective--way to display your industry expertise and help people find you online.

Let’s say you are a lawyer. You help people file bankruptcy. If someone is searching online for information about bankruptcy, they’ll find dozens of blog posts in their search results. If one of those posts happens to be yours, you’ve effectively guided people to your blog simply by writing content that helps them solve a problem or educates them on a topic they want to know more about.

Once that searcher becomes a regular reader of your blog, you start to build trust with him. He begins to consider you the go-to source on all topics relating to bankruptcy. And when he’s ready to file, you’ll be at the top of his list of lawyers to hire, simply because he connected with you by reading your blog.

Benefits of BloggingAs in the bankruptcy example above, blogging gives you credibility in your industry. You’ve got tons of competitors, all probably equally well-versed on your field. You can stand out by creating a blog that demonstrates your knowledge on your topic.

Here’s a great example: Marcus Sheridan runs a pool company in Virginia. He took a unique approach to marketing his company: he set up a blog, aimed at being “The Most Educational Pool Blog in the Country.” He absolutely succeeded in his mission. No other pool company was blogging about types of pools, sizes, and shapes, and his blog got a phenomenal number of hits, many beyond the geographical area he was aiming for! His blog now ranks among the top search results for “pool blog.”

Your job, should you choose to accept it, is to become the leader in your own industry. You do this by providing great content through your new blog. More on that later.

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Another benefit of blogging is the search engine optimization boost you get. If you use keywords throughout your blog posts, people will find your posts when they search those keywords on search engines like Google. The more people that click the link to your blog, the higher up Google will move you in search results for that keyword.

But What Do I Write About?Many small businesses don’t ever start blogs because they can’t imagine what their little company would possibly have to say to the blogosphere. That’s a shame, because there are actually an unlimited number of topics you can write about, regardless of what industry you’re in.

You don’t have to come up with all your topics right now; we’ve got a section to help you with that. But start thinking about your customers and the kinds of content they care about. Read other blogs (even those written by your competitors).

You’re likely already providing the kind of information you’d share in your blog when you talk to customers. Think back to recent conversations where you answered questions a customer had. Don’t you think there are other people with the same questions online?

Getting StartedReady to start blogging? We’ll start you off with a little technical expertise (nothing you can’t handle), then provide you some guidance on what to write about and how to share your blog content online. Then, after you’ve had success with your blog, you can go on to read about turning your blog into a business and legalizing it to protect your personal assets. Let’s begin!

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Chapter 2: Starting a Blog

Now that you’re convinced you need a blog, let’s get down to the nitty gritty technical details. But don’t be scared off! Setting up a blog is actually very simple, and if you don’t have the time or interest in setting it up, you can hire a web or blog designer to do it for you.

Choosing a PlatformThere are a few key blog platforms you’ll want to consider. One isn’t better than another; it’s simply a matter of choosing the platform that has the features you’re looking for. Since you’re just starting out with your blog, you’ll probably want a free platform:

• WordPress• Blogger

Later you may want a platform that delivers a little more power, such as:

• TypePad• SquareSpace

And if you’re looking for a nontraditional approach to blogging, check out these “mini-blogging” sites. Rather than your content being the only content on the site, these are more of a community of folks sharing anything from blog posts to photos and videos. You can even launch a blog on these sites in addition to your company’s standalone blog.

• Tumblr• Posterous

Why You Want Your Own URLWhen you’re setting up your blog, you’ll likely be asked if you have a domain name chosen and purchased already or if you want to use something generic, like myblog.wordpress.com. You definitely want the first option.

Using the domain name the blog platform gives you appears a bit unprofessional, as if you didn’t care enough about your blog to pay the $10 a year to get your own URL. People notice these things! And given the fact that you’re trying to brand your small business, why wouldn’t you spend the nominal amount to get a URL that points to your brand’s name or keyword?

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If you fold your blog into your primary website, this won’t be an issue, as you will host it at www.yourwebsiteurl.com/blog.

Lions and Plugins and Widgets. Oh My!Once you get into your blog platform, you’ll notice a section on the site for plugins and widgets. These are cool little tools that help you do more with your blog. There are plugins and widgets to help you get better SEO, block spam from your comments, and make your blog load faster, just to name a few.

Here are the must-have plugins you should install for your website:

• All in One SEO: Easily lets you create a title for your post page as well as a description and keywords to help search engines find your content.• Share Buttons: These icons are placed at the bottom of each post and allow readers to share your content on different social media sites.• Thank Me Later: Automatically send an email to first-time commenters on your blog. You can invite them to sign up for your RSS.

And widgets, which are typically installed on your blog’s sidebar, also have great features that enhance your blog:

• Feedburner: Lets readers subscribe to your blog updates via email or through a blog reader.• Text Widget: Customize the text with HTML for promotions, news, or updates.• Facebook Badges: Share your business’ Facebook page on the sidebar of your blog.

Ready to Write?Creating your first blog post is simple. Just click “Create New,” and you’ll see what kind of looks like a Word document. Just start typing! You can bold or italicize words, just like in a traditional document, as well as add photos or videos.

Play around with the different icons above the text box to learn what others do.

Choosing the Blogger(s) for Your BlogAs the owner, CEO, or President of your business, you’re the natural choice for blogging for your company. You’re passionate about the business, and you have a unique perspective that readers will be interested in.

However, it’s not realistic to expect that every business owner is interested or able to write the content

for his blog. In that case, look to your staff to find a writer or two. Someone in your marketing department would be a good fit, and should have the communications skills required to write great content. You might also choose someone from another department to provide additional content and a different perspective.

You can also look outside your company to find a blogger. Marketing and communications firms and freelance writers often blog for companies, and can be cost-effective ways to market your brand. You typically pay per post they write, or a flat fee for a set number of blog posts each month.

You may elect to have more than one voice on your blog. Having different people write can provide more than one perspective, which will keep your blog content interesting. For example, you as the owner might blog about the company’s vision, while someone in marketing could write how-to tips, and someone outside the company could contribute industry news for your readers.

How Frequently Should You Blog?One of the big questions newbies to blogging have is how frequently they should update their blogs. There’s no set answer to this question; it will depend on your availability and willingness to regularly deliver content. Keep in mind that the more frequently you do blog, the more Google will like it. Search engines like fresh content, and providing a steady stream of it (using targeted keywords; more on that later) will keep you moving up search results.

The key is being honest with yourself. If you decide to blog every day, but there’s no way you can fit that much writing in your schedule, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Be realistic about how often you or your other contributors will be able to write, and make that your goal.

Some bloggers publish posts multiple times a day! Go easy on yourself and start with two or three posts a week, then see how well you can keep up with that schedule.

CorpNet Nellie’s Blogging Tip

Make it easy on yourself by blogging ahead. Simply write your posts and schedule them to be published in the future. Try to stay at least a week or two ahead of schedule; this will free you up in the event your calendar gets too busy and you are unable to blog!

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You may find it useful to create an editorial schedule for your blog. This outlines what topics you’ll write about and when you’ll write it. It can help everyone stay organized to know what’s coming down the writing pipeline. More on editorial calendars in a bit.

Figuring Out What to Write AboutAnother problem that paralyzes people is figuring out what to write about. How on earth can you consistently come up with dazzling content for your readers??

Right now, get out a pen and paper, or start a fresh document on your computer. Write out topics that you think your readers (or customers) would be interested in reading. Consider: what do customers constantly ask you about? What topics do you cover on your Frequently Asked Questions page?

Look at your competitors’ blogs to get even more topic ideas. You don’t want to plagiarize, but getting general ideas for your own blog is fine.

Here are a few general ideas to get the wheels churning for your business’ blog:

• How to posts (how to fix something, how to create something)• Frequently asked questions• Your opinion on industry trends• Company news• Tie-in to national news (maybe use the latest news from the White House)• Top 10 tips• Response to a blog post on another blog• Video blog

CorpNet Nellie’s Word on Content

A really well-written post will be shared by others, so focus on quality over quantity. It’s better to have one fantastic post published a week than five mediocre posts.

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Remember that your audience consists of potential customers and existing customers. What sort of information do they want? What are your customers constantly asking you about? These subjects make great blog topics.

What you don’t want to do, however, is constantly blog about your brand. Self-promotion doesn’t really have a home on a blog. A blog is designed to provide useful information to readers. They’ll learn to trust your brand if you deliver that, and then they’ll buy from you. But start posting about how great your company is over and over, and they’ll run for the hills!

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Chapter 3: Perfecting Your Posts

You’ve got the basics you need to start blogging, so now let’s focus on making your posts even better and sharing them to increase your readership.

Using KeywordsKeywords are a necessary component for your blog, and one you’ll need to spend a little time developing. Using targeted keywords (those your ideal client is searching for on Google) will help you appear higher in search results, and they’ll help those people find your blog.

Research what keywords you should use on your blog. Start by determining what your blog is about. Let’s say it’s about starting a business. Now, who is your audience? In this example, it’s people interested in starting a business and entrepreneurs. What words are these people searching for to find content like yours?

Use a keyword tool like Google’s Keyword Tool to find out which keywords are the most popular and which fit in best with your content. Do this when you first launch your blog to get general keywords, then do it for individual blog posts to zero in on the topic you’re covering.

Use your keywords naturally throughout the blog post. Don’t overstuff them! (That means don’t use them in every single sentence, or even every few sentences) Aim for three to five keywords per post, then also use them in your All in One SEO plugin for the title, description, and keywords fields.

Creating an Editorial CalendarAs we mentioned a few paragraphs ago: scheduling your posts in advance can save you time and make you more efficient at blogging. You might write one post at a time, or you might sit down for a few hours and knock out all your posts for the next month.

Using an editorial calendar can help you see the bigger picture in your blogging strategy, and can help you stay organized in terms of which blogger is writing about what topic. Take into considerations seasons and holidays, and schedule posts that relate to them as appropriate.

Certainly you don’t have to preschedule every post; instead, leave room for breaking news or other more timely blog content. You can tie in your posts to local news for higher visibility on your blog. For these, you can shift other content down the schedule so it gets out in a timely manner.

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This year, the Olympics have been mentioned on thousands of blogs worldwide. This provided a great opportunity for bloggers to tie in the global event to their own content. So a small business blogger might write about small business strategies we can learn from the Olympians. Because there has been so much coverage of the Olympics, and because it’s a topic of interest to many people, this post will be more likely to be read by more people.

Your editorial calendar can be on a spreadsheet or digital calendar. You might even schedule different days of the week for different topics. For example, you could have an editorial calendar that had:

• Marketing Mondays• Wishlist Wednesdays• Franchise Fridays

CorpNet Nellie’s Blogging Calendar

On CorpNet’s blog, we strive to provide different types of posts each day:

• Marketing Monday• Social Tuesday• Wordy Wednesday• Small Biz Thursday• Friday Roundup

Sharing Your ContentOnce you’ve started regularly posting to your company blog, you’ll want to share what you write in several different places. Start with your social media channels.

There are tools that automatically post any new content from your blog to your Facebook and Twitter profiles. There are apps built into Facebook for this purpose, so just find one and install it to your business’ page. And Twitterfeed does the same for Twitter, as well as Facebook and LinkedIn. Using tools like these save you a huge amount of time in manually sharing each of your blog posts.

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You should, though, from time to time, share links to your blog manually so that you can change the message, ask a question or find another way to engage your social media followers and get them on your blog.

CorpNet Nellie’sTips on Shortened URLs

Because long blog URLs can take up a lot of precious space on Twitter, opt for a shortened URL to condense it and leave you room to comment. These sites let you shorten URLs for free:

• Google• Bitly• TinyURL

You can also share your blog content in your company newsletter each month. Here’s a great trick: post only half of the article in your newsletter, then link to the original blog post to drive traffic to your blog!

Use bookmarking tools like Digg and BizSugar to get your blog posts in front of an even larger audience. Everyone who likes your article can vote for it, moving it toward the top of the list of the content on these sites.

Ask your peers to share your content, Like it on Facebook, and vote for it on social bookmarking sites. You’d be surprised how much exposure you can get, just by asking for a little help.

You can also share your posts on forums that appeal to your audience. Just make sure your post is relevant to the thread you share it on.

Guest PostingWriting guest posts on other blogs is a great way to reach even more potential customers. By writing for a site or blog that gets high traffic, you’re effectively getting introduced to that site’s readers. And because you get to include a link to your site in your author bio, you’ll get even more links back to your site or blog.

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Ready to start guest posting? Start by reading blogs that appeal to your audience. Some blogs are written by a single blogger, while others include a network of contributors. You’ll have more success with the latter, but don’t be afraid to reach out to a single blogger about contributing to her site.

Write a well-crafted letter saying why you like the blog, and propose writing a guest post or two. Provide a few bullet points of ideas for content to make it easy for the blogger to make the decision.

Some blogs will have a page outlining guest post submission requirements, which makes your work even easier. Make sure to read this thoroughly before sending an email with unnecessary questions.

CorpNet Nellie’s Guest Post Warning

PLEASE read through a blog before pitching it as a guest blogger. There’s nothing more offensive to a blogger than having someone propose to write about something completely off-topic for the blog! And search to see if they already have content on the topics you’d like to write about.

Make sure to share your posts (as well as others on that site) to help amp up traffic to the site. If a blogger sees you taking the initiative, she just might invite you to write another post down the road.

Understanding Content SyndicationThere’s some buzz around content syndication these days, which simply refers to whether or not a blog permits other blogs or sites to redistribute and publish its content. On the plus side, syndicating your content gets your name on more sites, and more eyeballs for your content. On the minus, Google tends to not rate content that’s duplicated on other sites as highly in search results, so it could dilute the SEO for your own blog.

Not every blogger republishes content correctly. Anywhere your content appears, you should have a link to the original source (your blog) and an attribution. Like this:

From the original post, “Embracing Your Small Business Obstacles” on The Startup Starting Line.

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If your content isn’t attributed in this way, it’s just plain stealing. Contact the blogger of a site that doesn’t attribute your content (or who republishes it without your permission) and ask that she use this format to link back to your site. We’ll cover more about legalizing your blog in a few chapters.

You can syndicate your own content by republishing it on other channels, such as Tumblr, or Amazon, if you’re an author.

If you absolutely do not want other people reposting your content, put a copyright footer on your blog, or take other measures to retain the rights to your content.

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Chapter 4: From Hobby to Business

While you started your blog as a way to market your brand, you might find yourself in the situation where your blog becomes its own business entity. Or maybe you loved blogging for your small business so much, you decided to create a separate blog on something you’re passionate about, and it grew from there. In either

scenario, you’ve got to make a decision: will you keep your blog as a hobby, or will you turn it into its own business?

How to Tell if Your Blog is a Business

• Is your blog making money, through ad revenue or other channels?• Are you accounting for the income you’re making from your blog?• Do you consider the income your blog makes separate from your existing business’ revenue?• Are you concerned about liability issues with your blog?

If you said yes to any of these, you should consider turning your blog into a full-fledged business.

The Business of BloggingFor many people, blogging complements a business. But for others, blogging is the business. Knowing when to make the transition to taking your blog more seriously is key. Here’s why you should consider the conversion:

• You’re required to report any income you receive, including that from a blog• Building it into a business means more opportunity for you• You can earn money from advertising, rather than selling products• It’s great passive income• Becoming “official” means advertisers will want to work with you more than if it’s just a hobby

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How to Make Money From Your BlogIf you’re reading this section and are considering converting your hobby blog into a business, you probably already know how to make money on a blog, but you never know: you might find new inspiration for more ways to add to your blog’s revenue.

• Pay-per-click ads, where you are paid each time someone clicks• Pay-per-impression ads, where you are paid for each thousand impressions• Visual ads; come in banners and squares• Sponsored content; advertisers provide blog post content• Reviews; you review a product or service in exchange for compensation• Affiliate codes; when people click a link connected to your account and buy, you receive a portion of the sales

Transforming to a BusinessMuch of the conversion to a business is in your mindset. Now that your blog is its own business, what sort of processes and procedures will you include? You should have a plan for how frequently you’ll post, what other writers will contribute, and what your policy on advertising is.

Create advertising rates based on the number of visitors you get to your blog. And knowing your site’s demographics and analytics is key in drawing in new advertisers, so keep those numbers up to date.

Taking Yourself More SeriouslyNext, you’ll want to consider turning your sole proprietorship into a Limited Liability Company or a Corporation. We’ll go more in-depth into the benefits of each type of business entity in the next chapter, but suffice it to say: having a blog that’s growing in popularity increases your personal risk. If someone were to sue you over something you say on your blog, your own personal assets could be in danger unless you register as a separate business entity.

Invest in good accounting software and start tracking your expenses and income that stream in from your blog. You’re required by the IRS to report this income, so track it all! When you file your taxes under whatever type of business entity you decided on, you’ll need to have your records in order.

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CorpNet Nellie’s List of Blog Expenses

All of these are expenses you can write off for tax purposes for your blog.

• Website hosting• URL registration• Blog design services• Freelance writers• Purchasing stock photos• Advertising your blog on other sites• Attending conferences to promote your blog

Congratulations if your blog has grown to the point of becoming its own business entity! At this point, it’s probably best if you keep it separate from your other business, in terms of expenses, income, taxes and employees.

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Chapter 5: How to Legalize Your Blog and Minimize Liability

It can be hard to imagine that your little old blog might cause any legal issues, but you’d be surprised at what turns into a legal battle these days. You might unintentionally plagiarize someone else’s work, or be accused of slander. You might blog about a product

that hasn’t been released yet. Any of these situations could get you in hot water. Without taking measures beforehand, these could mean big headaches for you.

Why Disclosing is a MustBack in 2009, the FTC set up guidelines requiring blogs to disclose any advertisements or sponsored blog content. This means that if you ever write a blog post that an advertiser paid for (maybe a review of his product), you are required by law to disclose that it’s advertising so that your readers know it’s not a typical post.

There are other areas, though there aren’t yet laws, where having a sense of etiquette on your blog can keep you out of trouble. For example, when you use a photo in a blog post, you should only use what’s called Creative Commons photos, meaning that you have permission to use the image on your blog. You should also attribute the source of the photo, including the person who took the photo and the link where you found it.

All About Cease and Desist OrdersIf you take content that was not free to reproduce, you may be sent a cease and desist order. This is a legal document requesting you to stop the illegal activity you’re doing (in this case, using content you weren’t authorized to take from another blog or website). If you do not remove the content in question, legal action may be taken against you and your company, and you may have to pay fines or lose your blog altogether.

If you find content you’d like to share on your blog, the best thing to do is ask the blogger who owns rights to the content. 98% of the time, you’ll find a blogger who would be happy to have his content shared elsewhere, assuming you attribute it back to him and his website.

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CorpNet Nellie’s Sources for Creative Commons Photos

You can’t pull a photo from just anywhere for your blog! These sources provide images you can use without paying. Just remember to attribute!

• Creative Commons (includes Flickr and Google Images)• Stock.xchng

You also need to cite your sources for any statistics or quotes you pull from a book, website, blog, magazine, or newspaper. You may not have been trained professionally as a journalist, but this is just good journalistic integrity, and it applies to blogs too. Link to the site where you found the information originally.

Why You Should CareLet’s say you’re sued for slander by a competitor that feels you were badmouthing him on your blog to the point of causing him to seek legal action. If you operate your business as a sole proprietor, when he sues you, you’re personally being sued. Your personal assets, including your house, are put at risk, and if he succeeds, you may lose your property and even your business.

But if you operate as an LLC or a Corporation, you remove your personal liability from the equation.

You might wonder if you’re more at risk as a small business with a blog as opposed to one without a blog. You are. Simply because your blog exposes your brand to so many more people (and not all of them nice), your risk increases when you start writing one.

Take this into consideration when first starting a blog, and decide what you want to do to protect yourself.

Your Recipe for Minimizing Your Liability When BloggingStep 1: Add in 1 cup of disclosure

Any ‘material relationship’ you have with an advertiser or brand must be disclosed. A material relationship can include:

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• Receiving cash, free samples, free products, or other compensation in exchange for writing a product review or blog post.• Advertiser-sponsored content. An advertiser might give you copy to post in exchange for compensation.• Other partnerships with brands you write about.

Here’s an example. Let’s say you have an office supply store, and your pen supplier has offered to compensate you for a blog post about his new products. He gives you some free pens, and maybe a nominal amount of money. You write the blog post talking about how great his pens are. If you don’t disclose the fact that the company is compensating you for the content, you risk being in breach of the FTC’s requirements, and you risk substantial fines.

If you’re not sure what constitutes a material relationship, err on the side of caution and disclose anyway. Beyond FTC penalties, disclosure is good practice, as it helps you continue to build trust with your audience.

Step 2: Sprinkle reviews among your regular contentBecause you’re blogging as a marketing tool for your brand, in no way should all your content be product reviews or other sponsored posts. Make them the exception, not the norm, and you’ll keep your readers happy.

Step 3: Eliminate outrageous claimsIt’s sad that companies still make crazy claims like “I lost 50 pounds in 2 months.” Trust us: you don’t want your blog associated with anything that can’t be proven to work. Focus instead on results that consumers can generally expect, as there are also guidelines for these sorts of claims. If a brand wants you to make these claims, walk away. It’s not worth putting your blog and your brand in jeopardy.

Step 4: Form an LLC or corporationEven if your business operated just fine as a sole proprietorship prior to blogging, now might be a good time to consider changing to another type of business entity.

While you may think you should incorporate in order to lower your taxes, the main benefit of incorporating or forming an LLC has to do with separating your personal and business finances and minimizing your personal liability, which is more at risk now that you’re blogging.

With an LLC or Corporation (S Corp or C Corp), your personal assets, such as property or a

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savings account, are protected if your blog or brand is sued or fined. On the other hand, if you’re sued as a sole proprietor, you’ll be sued personally. This means that your personal assets are all at risk.

Here’s a breakdown of the two business entities.

Limited Liability Company (LLC). Your personal assets are shielded from business liabilities just as they would be in a corporation. As an LLC, you would not file separate taxes from your business; company profits and losses flow through to you as the owner, and are subject to your individual tax rate. The LLC is great if you want liability protection, but minimal formality (no exhaustive meeting minutes or paperwork). It’s also the perfect structure for a business with foreign owners since anyone can be an owner of an LLC.

S Corporation. An S Corporation is great if you qualify: the IRS places limits on how many owners an S Corp can have, as well as who can be an owner. All owners are taxed based on their percentage of ownership. An S Corp is a separate legal entity from you, so the corporation is responsible for debts and liabilities. Corporate tax rates are typically lower than individual tax rates.

CorpNet Nellie’s Interesting Fact

Did you know that creditor judgments can actually last up to 22 years? This means that if you’re sued today, your personal assets will still be vulnerable for up to 22 years.

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ConclusionNow that you’ve read this guide, we hope you’re enthusiastic about starting a blog for your brand. Blogging is a fantastic way to connect with existing customers and find new ones, so we wish you luck in your blogging efforts!

If CorpNet.com can ever help you in starting a business, incorporating or forming an LLC, please let us know. CorpNet.com has helped thousands of small businesses like yours form a business structure. And please follow us on social media!

Twitter: @CorpNet and @CorpNetNellieFacebookLinkedInYouTube

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About the Author

Nellie Akalp is an Internet entrepreneur, mother of 4, and CEO of CorpNet.com, her second incorporation filing service based on the simple philosophy of truth in business and her strong passion to assist small business owners and entrepreneurs in starting and protecting their business. Through the various “Do-It-Yourself” and “Business-Startup” services she has founded since 1997, she has formed over 100,000 corporations and LLCs for small business owners.

Her last company, MyCorporation.com, was acquired by Intuit in 2005. Today, she and her husband, Phil, operate CorpNet.com where they help small business owners incorporate a business, form an LLC, or file a DBA, in any state, and in any county across the U.S.

As CEO of CorpNet.com, Nellie is a strong advocate in educating small business owners and entrepreneurs about the importance of protecting their personal assets and enjoys discussing legal and business issues concerning everything from business startup through (hopefully) acquisition. She is also responsible for overseeing and managing the daily operations of the business. Nellie is also a small business expert contributor at a variety of small business outlets, including: Small Business Trends, The Business Insider, Mashable, and AMEX OPEN Small Business Forum.

To learn more about Nellie, view free guides starting a business, incorporating a business, or forming an LLC, receive a special discount, or see how she can help your business get off the ground quickly and affordably, visit her small business corner or follow her on Twitter @CorpNetNellie.