Welcome to our February newsletter!

Please click on the links below for the latest small business news and initiatives.

Burglaries and backup at ESBEC

Protecting your PC from attack

The Eight Dimensions of Service Quality

Annual Australian Businesswomen's Network (ABN) Expo Day: Saturday 6th March

Women in Business Mentor Program - apply now for March intake!

Managing Your Cash Flow - Training Workshop 2nd March

How do I manage the risks to my business? Workshop 10th March

As Small Business Operators we are all Project Managers: Workshop 17th March

Burglaries and backup at ESBEC

Welcome to this months newsletter.

We finished up 2003 with a major disruption to our office. Two weeks prior to our Christmas holiday we were broken into and all our computers were stolen. Thank goodness that we had a disaster recovery plan and backup in place.

We also had the assistance of our IT consultants, Craig and Tony from Bluefly Computer Technologies who went the extra yard in assisting us over this difficult period. We were insured so I am pleased to advise that the office is now fully operational.

A lesson learned that I would like to pass on to all our clients is to ensure that you are doing regular backups. On another note I also ask everybody to ensure that they have virus protections on all computers and remember to update on a regular basis.

Our computer network receives on an average over 80 notifications of viruses quarantined per day. A firewall, virus protection & spyware are a must for every business. I am happy to talk to anyone who needs assistance in this area or see Craig's PC protection tips below.

I am putting in place a whole range of workshops, networking events & business training. These events will be placed on our website during the month. This month I draw your attention to our Women in Business Mentor Program commencing late March, Introduction to Business Planning workshop & Cash Flow Management workshop.

If you have not registered your business on our business directory please consider doing so. From March we will be directing enquiries for referrals to our business directory.

David Baumgarten

Centre Director, Eastern Suburbs Business Enterprise Centre

Protecting your PC from attack

Protecting your computer against malicious activity requires a three pronged approach. The major threats come from viruses, unauthorised intrusion attempts and spyware. Viruses come in many flavours and are, these days, commonly transmitted via email.

The recent MyDoom virus was a very successful email virus, reportedly infecting millions of computers around to world by tricking users into opening an attachment which carried the virus code.

Spyware is generally code which is often loaded onto your computer, seemingly without your permission. Those pesky browser pop-ups asking you to install this "special" viewer or "download enabler" often contain spyware code.

Spyware can monitor your activities and capture information about you and your computer. Spyware is frequently poorly written code and can often lead to your computer becoming unstable or unusable.

Unauthorised intrusion attempts, generally called hacking, occur when you are connected to the Internet and someone tries to access, or take control, of your computer. In each of the above cases, you can defend yourself and protect your data with the right tools.

For viral attacks, use a commercial antivirus product such as Norton or McAfee and make sure you keep the virus signatures up to date.

For unauthorised intrusion, activate the Internet Firewall in Windows XP. Alternatively, purchase a commercial product or download one of the many very good and free personal firewalls such as ZoneAlarm from ZoneLabs (www.zonelabs.com).

To protect against Spyware, download one of the free spyware scanning products such as Spybot or Adaware. Each of these are available from www.download.com. Remember to keep the spyware signatures up to date and scan at least weekly.

Craig Colman, Bluefly Computer Technologies

www.bluefly.com.au

The Eight Dimensions of Service Quality

Last month we looked at the Ten Commandments of customer service. This month we are looking at the eight dimensions of service quality. The quality of the customer service given by an organisation can be considered under eight headings:

• Time - how long must a customer wait for service?
• Timeliness - service delivery at the agreed time
• Completeness - has everything that was ordered been delivered?
• Courtesy - in customer contact
• Accessibility and convenience - is the service easy to obtain?
• Accuracy - is the service performed right the first time?
• Consistency are all services delivered in the same manner to all customers?
• Responsiveness - do customer service staff have the authority to react quickly to unexpected problems?

As a management tool and a way to measure if your business is delivering service quality for each dimension, ask a random selection of customers to make a written statement against each dimension of service quality. Now use this as your service improvement plan.

(Extract from "Managing Effectively" by James Saville & Howard Reid, Prentice Hall).

Next month we will look at approaches to develop customer service.

Annual Australian Businesswomen's Network (ABN) Expo Day: Saturday 6th March

Program Coordinator and ESBEC Member Amy Lyden from Bow Wow Meow has asked me to advise all our network of the above event.

It's going to be a full day extravaganza including presentations from Australia's most successful entrepreneurs, including Sonia Amoroso, owner of Cat Media and Winner of the 2003 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.

There will also be practical workshops providing tools for success, an extensive exposition showcasing business services and products, and invaluable networking opportunities with like-minded business women.

I note that two of the speakers have an association with ESBEC . This will certainly be a day that no businesswoman can afford to miss!

More details can be found at www.abn.org.au/expo  or call 1300 720 120.

Women in Business Mentor Program - apply now for March intake!

"I would definitely recommend new businesswomen to do the course. It's a wealth of information, a centre for support and it can even help you save thousands of dollars when decision making."

Diane Costa, Marketing Mechanics

The Women in Business Mentor Program assists emerging women business owners (Mentorees) to grow their business by linking them with experienced business people (Mentors).

Using a combination of mentoring and practical sessions, the program assists women to improve their business skills and confidence, foster networking and successfully manage business growth.

To find out more information, view case studies and download an application form, see the Women in Business Mentor Program page on our website.

Managing Your Cash Flow - Training Workshop 2nd March

Managing cash flow has become one of the most fundamental tasks for a small business operator. Without cash flow most businesses will not survive.

This practical 3-hour workshop helps you to identify cash flow issues and develop skills to deal with them before they become a problem. The workshop has four parts:

• Understanding the cash flow cycle
• Why businesses have cash flow problems
• Financing options
• Cash flow management principles

Participants in this workshop should be owners/managers or have a financial responsibility within the business.

For more details and to book online visit our Training Calendar or send an email to reception@easternsuburbsbec.com.au

How do I manage the risks to my business? Workshop 10th March

Risk is the potential for things to go wrong. In small business, a number of risks can arise and this seminar will help you identify and manage risk. Topics covered include:

• Identifying risk
• Risk and managing a small business
• Measuring risk
• Types of risk in the workplace
• Risk mitigation, control and management
• Risk monitoring
• Doing smart business at low risk

For more details and to book online visit our Workshop Calendar or send an email to reception@easternsuburbsbec.com.au

As Small Business Operators we are all Project Managers: Workshop 17th March

Small businesses today carry out a range of projects ranging from planning to implementation and delivery of services. Managing a project is a skill set that is in high demand, especially in small business environments.

In my position I meet many people. One of the many issues that always arises is how to manage a project successfully. This crash course will cover the following topics:

• Project basics
• Defining project management
• The project manager's roles
• Tools of the trade
• Timelines and deliverables
• Project control management
• Small business success and managing projects
• Conclusion

For more details and to book online visit our Workshop Calendar or send an email to reception@easternsuburbsbec.com.au

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