Member Profile

Jason Agard

Senior Associate Editor, Business.com
Santa Monica, CA, USA
Member Since: 09/15/2006
Status: Work.Com Staff
About Me:

Industry: Information Services
Size of Business: 51 - 100 employees
Years in Business: 2-10 years

Affiliations:
none listed

Business Interests:
none listed

Total Guide Views

1 6 1 0
Overall Rating: N/A
Guides Written: 9
Comments Posted: 15
Comments Received: 0
Favorite Guides: 5

Guides I've Written

  1. Competitive Intelligence (CI)


    How to find business intelligence about a competitor or run a business background check on a potential client
    Guide Rating: 8.0 out of 10. Saved by 1 person.
  2. WMS Software


    Take stock of the benefits of Warehouse Management Systems software
    Guide Rating: 7.8 out of 10. Saved by 1 person.
  3. Knowledge Management Software


    How to find an information sharing and organization solution that works for you
    Guide Rating: 8.3 out of 10. Saved by 0 people.
  4. Employee Scheduling


    Keep your business efficient with an employee scheduling system that works for you
    Guide Rating: 7.8 out of 10. Saved by 0 people.
  5. Nissan Parts and Accessories


    How to repair, tune up, or trick out your Nissan with aftermarket products
    Guide Rating: 8.0 out of 10. Saved by 0 people.
  6. Dodge Parts and Accessories


    How to repair, tune up, or trick out your Dodge with aftermarket products
    Guide Rating: 8.0 out of 10. Saved by 0 people.
  7. Beyond Bank Loans: How to Finance a Commercial Truck


    Go beyond bank loans to finance your commercial truck purchase
    Guide Rating: 0.0 out of 10. Saved by 0 people.
  8. Taking the Ouch Out of Internal Audits


    Simplify the internal audit process and use it to improve your company
    Guide Rating: 0.0 out of 10. Saved by 0 people.
  9. Expanding Distribution Channels


    The more products you move, the more profit you earn
    Guide Rating: 0.0 out of 10. Saved by 0 people.

My Comments

  • It seems like every time there's a minimum wage hike, concerns abound that the result will be squeeze on small business which will affect the economy as a whole, but I can't help but suspect that it must be counterbalanced if not outweighed by the fact that some 15 million people are getting a raise. Plus, I seem to recall reading that some over 90% over small businesses pay at a rate higher than the minimum anyway.
  • Great tips, Scott! I'm going to have to pick up a two-compartment business card holder. Really interesting links, too, especially the one to the guy who wears a nametag all the time. Fascinating.
  • I bet a lot of business owners just call up their local security service with no idea of how to even evaluate the service they're about to be paying for, or how to effectively coordinate with their guards. Nice to get some insight from one who clearly knows of what he speaks. Thanks, Geoff.
  • Good stuff! With all the hype about blogging and podcasting and search engine optimization, I often wonder if too much of the focus might be being drawn away from the rock-solid fundamentals, like the subject of this guide. Seems to be that the owner of just about any site with any traffic at all could benefit from reading this closely. Twice.
  • Great tips, Rob. This certainly is a daunting area for a lot of people (particularly baby boomers). With the real noephyte in mind, I wonder if perhaps you have some insight on how to figure out what platform or language will suit a given business' needs, i.e. PHP vs. java, et. al? You've got some great links about what to do then, but this seems like a fundamental question a lot of people could probably use some help with.
  • Microsoft Excel - 10/06/2006
    I'd also recommend ASAP Utilities,, a free add-in which automates many common tasks performed in Excel.
  • Resume Search - 10/05/2006
    Those looking to hire freelancers should also make sure to check out the Guide to Finding Freelance Projects.
  • Great insights, Brian. Web-savvy businesspeople who are considering whether a blog will benefit them have a lot to think about and act on here. Regarding the less tech-fluent, though, I wonder if you share the sense I get that despite all the media buzz about blogs and bloggers, a lot of people out there (many small business people included) are still a little fuzzy on where the true power of the blog lies. I would direct those people to check out a newsreader (I recommend Bloglines) and subscribe to a couple of blogs to see what all the hype is about.
  • Jay, I couldn't agree more with your "don't run before you walk" point. I suspect a lot of classic, brick-and-mortar businesses are intimidated by the ever-shifting landscape of website design possibilities out there. But for those kinds of businesses, even the simplest of sites is worlds better than no site at all. The pressure to include a bunch of fancy functionality only unnecessarily confuses the issue.
  • Here's a great site for "tech smart" Web-based software apps, which are much cheaper and every bit as robust as their PC-based predecessors. http://www.37signals.com
  • For personal time and stress management, David Allen's "Gettings Things Done" system is all the rage these days. http://www.davidco.com
  • Traveling Smart - 09/22/2006
    I hear positive buzz on travelzoo.com, too, though I don't personally know anyone who has used them for business travel.
  • I wonder what percentage of small business owners think that their mission statement would just be "Make a lot of money." I also wonder if businesses that DO have a mission statement perform better over the long run. Maybe there's a study out there about this sort of thing?
  • Wendy makes some good points here that I sure hope businesses will pay attention to. My pet peeve is any retail business with a website that that doesn't prominently list its business hours. Maddening!
  • Has anybody else see all the ads PA has been running in last couple of years, trying to attract business from the tech sector? They make it seem like there's tons of gov't assistance available.

My Favorite Guides

  1. Small Business Blogs - 09/15/2006


    Discover trends, get advice and find out what other businesses are doing
    Shara Karasic, Work.com Community Manager
  2. Online Networking - 01/26/2007


    5 Ways to Break Into Online Networking
    Ivan Misner, Ph.D.
  3. Writing Great Web Site Copy - 09/15/2006


    Internet copywriting tips that boost sales and increase traffic
    Linda Formichelli
  4. Free Business Software for Windows - 10/05/2006


    How to get great software for your business without spending a penny
    Justis Weller
  5. Getting the Most Out of Work.com - 10/04/2006


    What you need is on the Web or around the corner. Work.com will get you there fast.
    Jake Winebaum
Work.com