SBA Offers Free E-Commerce CD - Internet/Web/Online Service Information

Home Office Computing, Jan, 2001 by Lee Wertheimer

HELPING ENTREPRENEURS GET UP AND running is a daily occupation for the Small Business Administration (www. sba.gov)--and these days, that process often includes an online storefront. So the SBA has teamed with a pair of small-business Web sites to distribute a free CD-ROM with tools for creating an e-commerce site, plus advice on how to use it to make money.

The disc, entitled "Build Your Own Business Web Site for Free," is designed to help small firms get online by teaching them how to develop Web pages and online stores. It was developed in partnership with AllBusiness.com, a portal site that offers resources ranging from 250 legal forms and other business document templates to discount buying and barter channels, and with Bigstep.com (www.bigstep.com), which offers free hosting of business sites with up to 12MB of online storage space.

The CD is organized into six sections, with an animated Macromedia Flash presentation hosted by the vaguely James Bondian character Mr. Business to educate viewers about available options for building, maintaining, and marketing their business online.

The topics--Getting Started, Homework and Preparation, Building a Basic Site, Building an Advanced Site, Building an E-Commerce Site, and Marketing Your Site--combine a book's worth of content from the AllBusiness.com site with Web links for additional information.

You can pick up the CD-ROM at SBA offices, a list of which is at www.sba.gov/services, or request a copy from AllBusiness.com's customer support at 877-743-9242 or service@allbusiness.com.