comment now for a free theme with your "wordpress business + mentoring package" for the first 3 commenters

I have had so many requests from small businesses for websites that I can no longer ignore that it is an important part of what We-Learn offers. So I am pleased to announce that I have put together a couple of great packages for Wordpress installations focused on small business. But in true We-Learn style there is an emphasis on empowering organisations to DIY their own websites.

Here is how the Wordpress Business + Mentoring Package works and how we can do it so fast:

• I get together with you in my office or yours and we nut out how you want the site to look
• We build the theme together using web design software called Artisteer and I upload it and install the new theme along with some plugins to your hosted wordpress installation. (To do this you need a hosting provider that supports PHP and allows you to install a database. I like using cPanel because it is easy and quick to do a Wordpress installation especially with Fantastico installed.)
• As I install the plugins I show you how to do it and get you to do some yourself
• I mentor you and get you to put the content in yourself with my assistance so that you are learning to operate your CMS
• We get the framework and the look and feel sorted in 2-4 hours then you go and do the rest yourself
• You have access to me for a month after via email, Skype, twitter or phone to iron out any problems you have along the way

This package is designed to empower business owners and provide them with skills and knowledge to manage their own site.The mentoring includes tips and tricks on how to incorporate web2.0 and Social Media into your business and website, analysis of your business to see what plugins would best meet your business needs.

To learn more about what the service offers and to see the prices go to our self managed sites page.

So to celebrate the new product I am offering a free theme design for the first three people to commenter. This is a saving of $200.00! All you need to do is go to the comments section and post a comment to let me know you are interested in the package. I will use the email address that you put in the email field in the comment form to contact you to discuss how I can help you out.

If you know anyone in busness in Adelaide (or anywhere else for that matter) who you think might be interested in this service, make sure to retweet this post to them (or let them know some other way )

I know it was quite some time ago now (November 12 and 13, 2009 to be precise) but Edayz09 was a huge part of my year and provided me with masses of learning opportunities that will help me and my business well into the future. This week I have been doubting the effort I put in over that time and wondering if I would ever see any real return on investment for the time and money I put into the event. Of course it was just a pessimistic moment of self doubt but I thought it might be a good idea to take stock of the what I did for the event and what I gained and give back a little something to the community as penance for my self doubt. (more on that later)

Edayz, for those of you who do not know, is THE e-learning conference for South Australia. Like many of these events it is the product of the hard work of a few dedicated people led by the amazing and talented Marlene Manto. I was lucky enough to be on the working committee in ‘09 and this gave me a first hand look into the inner workings of the event. As a participant at a conference you never get a picture of the scale of these things. The planning (as far as the working committee is concerned) for Edayz09 started in February last year and lasted all the way through to our final Edayz wrap up meeting in December. Each of the members of the working committee took on different jobs throughout the year and all their efforts culminated in what was reported to be a thoroughly successful event. The working committee was not your typical sit around a talk type committee. We were active in the entire decision making process and were given quite a long leash in completing our tasks. For this reason my experience was invaluable.

So if everything was so valuable and successful what was my gripe? Well, We-Learn was a sponsor for the event and I was getting a little despondent that I was getting no solid returns on my investment of time and money. I had flyers in the conference bags, I presented two sessions, I networked, I sweated (it was bloody hot in Adelaide across those two days) and I have received not one call from “company xyz” to say “we saw you at edayz and we want you to be part of our 2 million dollar project”.  Yes I know, a very short sighted and narrow minded feeling given the other things I have gained both professionally and personally out of the experience. I must confess I did do a small amount of paid work on the Edayz09 website and for this I am grateful. But really my gains have been far greater than can be calculated or attributed to tangible ROI. The biggest gains have been the alliances and friendships formed with the members of the committee, the learning I achieved, and overall increase in visibility of my personal brand (which at this point in time is intrinsically linked with my business brand).

The experience of contributing to such a huge undertaking as edayz will be something I will have forever. The lessons I learned will continue to benefit me and my clients for the rest of my working life and perhaps beyond. So, much like e-learning itself, trying to put a ROI on my time and efforts for edayz is so intangible that the energy expended in such a calculation would be, and in fact was, a complete waste. I have read many articles about ROI for e-learning and learning in general but I am yet to be convinced it is possible to acheive a figure that is meaningful in any way (I will probably get shot for that statement).  ROI for learning is all about intangibles. Sure you can put dollar figures on this and that but attempting to calculate a figure that actually means something is in my opinion futile.

So having said that, to make amends for wasting my own time in attempting to validate what was obviously a hugely beneficial experience, I am making available the Moodle theme I designed for the Edayz site, based on the Central Blue theme. I make no promises or assurances that it will work for you and if you download it and use it and it breaks your Moodle I hold no responsibility for the consequences. Having said that you can see a working version of it at the Edayz09 site and a screen pic of it below.

edayz moodle theme

click above to download the edayz09 moodle theme

By the way, kudos to Kerry J for her nomination for an Edublog award for the awesome work she did for Edayz creating the podcasts and videos. If you havn’t done so already you should listen to Professor Martin Westwell’s Friday Keynote as well a host of others by going here.

My twitter mate Sarah Stewart has asked me for some tips for setting up a consultancy business and I have been asked the same question from a few of my colleagues. These are not the only or even the most important but for me they have meant I have been able to go it alone and still keep the family fed. So without any further ado, here are my 7 tips for starting a consultancy business in no particular order:

1. 

   Anyone For Coffee?

   Self Promote.

   Shameless self promotion is essential, especially in the early days. Do it online, do it at parties and do it as often as you can. Let’s face it, you need to get food on the table and if you don’t love your own work how can you expect your clients to.

2. Network Face to Face.

   Meet with everyone and their dog. Go to every event you get invited to and invite yourself to those that you don’t. Have coffees with everyone and pay for them whenever you can.

3. Network Online

   Use twitter. Use it wisely and use it often. Get onto Facebook and link to your site, who knows which of your friends may need your services. Join LinkedIn. Network network network (but be sensible, balance your networking and your self promotion…. you know what I am talking about)

4. Borrow Money

   It takes time to invoice and it takes time for clients to pay (thankfully mine have all been great, touch wood). This aint no salaried job. You need to have cash and you need an income. Bankroll your business however you can but make sure you have at least six months worth up your sleeve.

5. Ask for Help

   If you don’t ask you don’t get and you will be surprised at the sort of assistance available to new businesses. Go to seminars, learn new things, look for government funded business assistance. I went to the North West Business Development Centre to get some advice and now they are one of my clients! So this links in with point 2.

6. Update Your Website

   I say “update because” if you are reading this you have a website….right? If you don’t then you need one, NOW. Even if it is a static page with a phone number on it on a free hosted blog you need to have a website. It is dirt cheap to get your own domain and hosting. My hosting provider Just Host has been great and I recommend it to my clients because I have experienced value, ease and access. Potential clients will look for you online and if they don’t find a website there will be questions raised. But updating it regularly is essential too. You want people going back to it so they remember you and what you do.

7. Share

   Use YouTube, Slideshare, Scribd and Google Docs or whatever to share your knowledge. It gives you great traffic to your website, credibility to your brand and is good fun to boot. What’s more getting your brand on other people’s sites is hard to achieve but by sharing your knowledge using these social tools you might be surprised and find your knowledge and content turning up in all sorts of places.

2009 was a big year for me. I finally went out on my own and started my own business after being made redundant. At times it has been a struggle but largely the sailing has been smooth. I thought I would get 2010 off to a positive start by reflecting on the successes of 2009 and at the same time give some link love to some of my clients who have supported me so well over the last six months.

Subrosa Solutions

The projects at Subrosa, a registered Training Organisation (RTO) in Hindley Street focussing on Security, are both interesting and challenging. My role here has largely been instructional design but I spend a lot of time having to think outside of the box because Monika is so innovative in her thinking. Subrosa have been involved with e-learning for quite a few years now and for this reason they are always thinking of new ways to implement their ideas.
This year we will be looking at expanding on the successes of 2009 by extending the Moodle courses (Certificate II in Security Operations and Certificate III in Investigative Services) with more Articulate learning objects, Youtubes, and Moodle activities. We will be taking a very close look at e-assessment (in an innovative way that I need to be a little hush-hush about) and also working on streamlining the Subrosa suite of web offerings.
Please contact Subrosa to learn more about their Training and Investigations solutions.

Smith and Georg

Dave and Linda are the key people with whom I work at Smith and Georg, a RTO situated in Forreston in the Adelaide Hills. Smith and Georg won an Innovations Grant in 2009 and I was the e-learning consultant for their project. My role was predominantly focussed on mentoring the team through the hurdles of installing, developing and populating their own Moodle installation.
The ChemNet project proved to be an extremely valuable learning experience for all involved with Professional Development being one of the major outcomes. The course, which contains plenty of video and dynamic learning objects, is still being developed and is undergoing some student trials now but it is looking like being the best online Chemical Certification course in Australia.
If you know someone who is needs Chemical Certification send them over to Smith and Georg.

Quality Automotive Training

Tom from Quality Automotive Training, a RTO in Adelaide’s South, decided to make the move into e-learning this year and have jumped ahead in leaps and bounds. Initially brought on board to install and develop their Moodle installation, I later took on the role of mentoring them through the processes of DIY Moodle. Barry at QAT has taken to his new extended role of e-learning course developer with absolute passion. Aided by the use of objects from LORN, the courses are looking polished and engaging and will be huge for their VET in Schools students.
Please contact Quality Automotive Training to learn more about their training solutions.

I took the opportunity today to finally change my website from Joomla to Wordpress. When I first put my site together in Joomla it was a steep learning curve and I never really got to terms with the “articles” “categories” way that that Joomla worked.

Whenever I put sites up for clients I have found Wordpress to be much more user friendly as a CMS. The other great aspect of Wordpress is the sheer ease of adding plugins and widgets. My philosophy when it comes to building sites for clients is centred on creating sites that the client can completely manage themselves. For this reason I tend to recommend Wordpress as I believe it is the superior CMS based on usability and it also makes an ideal starting block for many small businesses.

I welcome any comments on this assertion especially as this is my first post on the new site and it marks the start of my New Years Resolution to start practicing what I preach and get some serious blogging happening again.