Now sure… there are weekends off, the evenings during the week, and potentially, a great life in between… but are you free? Yes, we are free to do what we want for the most part. Make our own decisions, decide to turn left or right, and so on. But when that alarm goes off at 5 AM, we have no choice. If you step outside to go to work, and see that its the most beautiful day of the year…. you have no choice. And because you have no choice at this one time in the day, you also have no choice for the next 8-10 hours, including commute time, but you have no choice the next day. Only 2 weeks in the year, do you have 100% freedom. Thats 4% of the time…. Are you ok with these terms? Do you think you have what it takes, to jump outside the rut, and the same PLAIN WAY 98% of Americans choose to act and live (or sacrifice) their own and their loved ones lives? WE CAN HELP

We help you determine your true interests and what would make you happy (Are you ok with a desk job your whole life? Don’t you deserve to make more for yourself and maximize your potential in life? Do you want to be in some cramped up office, doing work that doesnt interest you… Or working from the comfort of your own home? Overlooking the beach? ) Contact us if you would like FREE help.

1.  Domain Name - Example:  www.yoursite.com

What Is It? This is where it all starts. Your domain name. Domain names are cheap and can be purchased at several sites. There is some technical expertise needed for some of the process, so we recommend either letting an expert make the purchase for you, or using a company which will walk you through the process.

How Much Are They? Depending on what site you use, most domain names run about $10 per year.

What Else Should I Know? One key thing to note is that the ending for a domain name can be different. The most common ending is, .com .  However, there are several more which are becoming increasingly popular, such as, .net, .biz, .org, .info, etc. There are pro’s and con’s do buying all of these for yoursite.com.

Con’s: Cost. If its $10 per domain, and you want to tie them all up, it will cost you $10 X the number you want. If you dont get them all, somebody can sneak in, and fake being you to steal your traffic. Example: Lets say thegreenoutfitters.com, only purchased .com. As business picks up, and traffic increases to your site ($$), somebody could see that information, and buy the .org (or any other extension). They can then start using thegreenoutfitters.com repuation and success, by making it seem as if they are the original site, but they are a completely different company all together.

Pro’s: If you buy them all, you have total control and ownership over www.yourname.com (or any other extension)

Suggestion: If you can afford it, buy the main ones. How would you like to own a McDonald’s, only to have your business doing well, and another guy named MkDonald’s sets up shop right next to you? (This happened, I believe in Detroit, about a year ago). If you can’t afford them all, dont sweat it, and buy them as your business increases.

2. Web Hosting

What Is It? Hosting, in a nutshell, is how your website gets put on the world wide web. You can open wordpad right now, and create a document (just type something random, like TEST). Save it to your desktop. Now, change the ending of the file (.doc, .txt, etc) to .html . Now, double click on that file, and it will open up, just like a website, and you should see your writing. This is where things start getting confusing, but to keep things simple, hosting is where this file would be stored (instead of on your desktop), so anybody on the internet can access your page. HTML code, and other scripting, is what creates a unique website, links, graphics, etc. on your site, but more on that later.

Once you have a host for your site, they store all of your data (images, code, scripts, pages, etc) on servers, which are then able to be accessed on the world wide web (www :).

How Much Are They? Hosting comes in all different shapes and sizes, and unfortunately, there are a lot of dishonest people out there. For this reason, we offer hosting services. Depending on the size of your site and needs, we have plans as low as $5.00/ month. It is this, mixed with a domain name, that makes having a website as your business front so attractive. No space to lease, utilities, tennants, parking lots, etc.

What Else Should I Know? The main difference between hosting services, are the extras that come with your hosting service, the stats (technical stuff), and the reliability of your host. You can find out our details XXXX

Suggestion: We recommend using our hosting services. Here’s why:

• We are completely green: All of our servers are cooled and powered by wind power, generated in Texas. Read more on that XXXXX
• We get great prices, and pass those on to our clients. Our prices start at $5. Check out our prices and features.
• We offer customer service, for when and if you need any help, or have any technical difficulties.

3. Site Building

What Is It? This is where you take that text document (from the example before, test.html), into a full fledged website and add your graphics, unique information, ideas and products or services.

How Much Are They? This is where things can get pricey. There are several programs, some FREE, that you can start using today, with no knowledge of html or code or anything, and design your site on your own. The other end of the spectrum, is paying coding experts and having them design your site for you. Some coders and web designers charge as much as $5,000.00 and up to design custom websites. We offer 3 main packages, as well as specific requests in between for any budget and skill level, starting at $50. Check out our packages XhereX.

What Else Should I Know? A lot of business owners get stuck here. Lets say, for example, your business is selling shoes. You dont have a lot of start up money, so you opt for our Xcheapest packageX. This package allows you to design your site yourself. So, you start designing, and tweaking, and getting new ideas, and making things better. This alone, has caused many a business to never take flight. People get so consumed with editing and creating their site (its easy to do), that they never actually publish it (especially perfectionists). Not only that, but you can get so bogged down by it, that you stop selling shoes, and getting away from the things you are good at. For this reason, we suggest you let the experts handle it, at least to some degree. There are pro’s and con’s for having somebody build your site:

Con’s:

• Some people charge ridiculous prices, just because they can. They take advantage of peoples lack of experience with this stuff. For example, saying the site will take them 30 days to build it, where its only 2 days of work, and they charge you 15 times what you actually need to spend.
• Some people are just shady. There are a lot of scammers out there, promising the best price for great sites. You have heard the rest…. they take a downpayment, and either never get started, or start making excuses for why they need more money, and havent met deadlines.

Pro’s:

• Price – If you find somebody you trust and that is skilled, you can have a great custom site built, for an affordable price. Again, dont forget what starting a business off-line is like (builders for your building, hiring employees, buying equipment, utilities, etc, etc). On-line is way cheaper either way, but you still have to save where you can.
• Time – A reliable and dependable site builder can make the whole process very easy and quick. No learning HTML code, scripting, graphic design, etc. Let the experts handle it.

Suggestion:

• Check out our packages and pricing. We offer flexibility and have great prices, that are nearly impossible to beat.
• We also offer consulting services, if you want to use another builder or other services. Lets face it, maybe a friend or colleague just had a great experience with somebody. You may want to give them a try. Check out our consulting services and you can use us as your project manager, to make sure you are getting what you paid for, within a reasonable time frame. There are plenty of stories out there of people pinching pennies and not using a project manager, only to spend double or triple what they should have (which is usually several times more than our services).

Before we even get to green our office, we should do a bit of general self assessment in preparation:

• Organize and record our work routines
• Organize and record the structure of our office files & inventory
• Organize and record the hierarchy of assignments and duties
• Have a system in place to monitor working deadlines and stay focused on the most important things.

By doing these things, we not only can see what a difference being green thumbs in the office can make, but your overall business and routine can become more organized and streamlined. This in turn gives you efficiency, which is the name of the game. By taking suggestions or researching for better systems, you can actually get way more done in the same amount of time, or better yet, get the same amount done, in less time, and LEAVE EARLY, whether thats physically, or just mentally.

Maximum Effort, Minimum Power - Some simple tips to go a long way in greening your work life. The most important component of greening your office is to conserve energy. Most of our offices these days are using computers and other similar electronic devices, printers, fax machines, external hard drives. When away from your desk or done for the day, turn these machines off or put them in standby mode. Other simple ways to conserve energy are to do the simple things like using CFL light bulbs, take advantage of sun light when possible, shutting down kitchen or break room appliances after office hours. It should be your office doctrine to turn it all off after work. Many countries around the world, and a growing number in the United States use siestas or extended breaks in the middle of the day, when power and other utility usage might otherwise be at a peak. This does immeasurable things for your health and mind as well.

Another important aspect to greening your office and work is to be digitally inclined. In doing your research assignments, reading emails and storing files, it is best that we don’t print documents. Rather, store all of these files in your computer. Get an external hard drive to store lots of information, and to create a back-up of important documents. Some find this difficult, being used to using hard copies, but as a start, we can gradually change this practice by enabling our mind to understand how much of a difference it can make. Trees are cut to produce paper and everyone has seen the numerous articles, books, television programs, etc. that explain why our forests are so important to our environment and livelihood. Some other devices to store and back up important data are flash drives (USB), CDs, DVDs, floppy disks, and mass storage services that are becoming more and more popular.

Not every thing can remain or be done digitally, so be a recycled paper lover. Not only is recycling all paper extremely important, but it is recycled paper is also important for purchasing. Just like many green items, paper made from recycled materials is becoming more popular and better quality. Also be sure to use the backs of used documents for scratch paper or less important uses. This can also be done with photocopying documents.

Redecorate the workplace. In the office, you can make use of recycled decorations and furniture made from re-used materials. Don’t put too much paper and other documents on your desk. If its there, your more inclined to use it. Displaying plants to brighten and green things up can also result in a happier more calm atmosphere. Most people would be utterly astonished by how much more they can achieve and efficient they can become by reducing clutter and waste.

If these practices are applied in the workplace, we will definitely have an improved output in our work, helping us to better manage our deadlines, and contribute to the conservation and preservation of our planet. This is by no means a complete list, but a great start.

Every day, in our own simple way, we can gradually change this earth and make it a better place for all of its inhabitants.