Open Source Business Solutions

So we talked about the cost benefit of open source business solutions. Other benefits to you are:

1. You get to keep total control over your site.

2. You can make changes instantly.

3. You can upgrade the template of your website at the click of a mouse (saving hugely on redevelopment fees every time you want to change the look of your site)

4. You can add functionality and scalability without adding extra cost or changing web platforms.

5. You or your admin staff can do it all very easily once you have the basic training.

With so many advantages you wonder why small businesses are not taking up such a cost effective solution. The biggest objections to in-house website creation is time away from core business activities as well as lack of knowledge about how simple making business websites have become.

The latter is very easily solved when you realise the high fees you pay for your web developer are for them searching out your template and pointing and clicking a mouse to configure all the elements. This is something that can be done by your or admin staff with step by step video tutorials that exist to train you as your build your website. So there is very little down time in training.

As for time away from core business activities. If you have ever worked with a web developer you know that it is not as easy as handing over everything to them and waiting for a great website to be built. Your time is needed. You need to write the copy or at least the brief for the copy if you pay someone else to do it. You need to put time into collecting the graphics, logos and photos.

All the web developer does from there is copy and paste and load up these elements. This is the very technical skill of pointing and clicking a mouse could cost you anything from $40 - $150 (depending on what country you reside in).

You can either take that time you would be putting in anyway, and direct it to toward actually building your website or have your admin staff do it for you or hire a temp to do it following the video tutorials. Even with the hourly rate of admin temp staff, you'd come out ahead of web developers fees.

Open source business solutions are revolutionizing the way websites are designed as well as providing real web solutions to small businesses who simple won't see the return on their investment by employing expensive web developers. A professional video tutorial series that shows you how to configure your Joomla open source website from beginning to end will cost you around $150-$300. You or your staff can use it. As staff members change no time is lost in retraining them to administer your website as you have the video tutorials to do that for you.

Your template will be either free or $5-$65. Your back end is completely free, ecommerce shopping cart - free, so your website could be up and running in the next few days for as little as $150-$365 plus the salary of whom-ever you get to do it. Still under $1,000 or even $500 for very affordable and attractive open source business solutions .

See my other lenses on Small Business Solutions and the Simple New Web System for more information on using video tutorials and open source to build business websites.