You’ve Got Business

Once the toy of consumers dabbling in the Internet, America Online wants to become the tool for small business.

The company late last year launched AOL For Small Business, designed for its three million small business subscribers who have fewer than 10 employees – and another three million who are aspiring entrepreneurs.

The new site, available exclusively via AOL 8.0, aggregates essential business tools and services, like e-mail, instant messaging, research sites and custom services to help entrepreneurs better manage their businesses and resources, says Chris Croll, vice president and general manager for AOLFSB. It was created following focus group and advisory committee sessions with AOL Time Warner executives, small business advocates, chambers of commerce and other small business organizations. The result is a service tailor-made to suit small business needs.

“Now when you log on, you’ll have a more relevant experience,” Croll says. “This will help save time and money and connect people with their customers.”

Some 50% of small businesses aren’t online, but could benefit from online marketing efforts or even the discounts from AOLFSB partners. AOLFSB has partnered with Office Depot, FedEx, Kinko’s, Monster.com and Sprint Corp. to provide member discounts on a variety of services. The company also partnered with Verisign to provide a domain with an alias e-mail (bob@bobsbusinessite.com) and a simple Web site for as little as $49 a year. For under $100, entrepreneurs have a domain, an alias and a simple site – without giving up their AOL address.

“They always feel like they’re operating out of their garage,” Croll says. “You can really legitimize your business.”

While subscriber e-mail can be accessed remotely, AOLFSB is not available by AOL Anywhere, or www.aol.com, Croll says. If you’re working from the road, an Internet café or a client location, you cannot access any of the services from a terminal that doesn’t have AOL 8.0 installed. AOLFSB costs $23.90 a month for unlimited, dial-up access. Broadband access costs $54.95 a month, and allows up to seven employees to be logged onto the corporate account at the same time. The site is www.aolforsmallbusiness.com.

Croll envisions a more robust product in the future, with customer feedback buttons and more premium services. Already, AOLFSB users enjoy priority customer service via e-mail and telephone with representatives specially trained to meet the needs of the small business audience. A second phase should debut early in 2003, she says.

Probably what AOLFSB delivers is simplicity, Croll notes. Of those small businesses with Internet access, few have internal IT or computer experts on staff. The service was designed to be as easy to use as the flagship AOL brand, she says.

“They’re either too intimidated or it’s not relevant to them yet. They’re experts at their business. We’re their silent, online business partner,” she says. “At the end of the day, the value of the Internet is about communication and connection. Small business owners are very crafty and inventive. If you just give them the tools, they can do incredible things on their own. We’re trying to be an enabler delivering a more satisfying, relevant experience.”

Jeff Zbar, the ChiefHomeOfficer.com, is a speaker, writer and expert on alternative officing. He is the author of Teleworking & Telecommuting: Strategies for Remote Workers and Their Managers (Made E-Z Products, 2002); Safe@Home: Seven Keys to Home Office Security (FirstPublish 2001) and Your Profitable Home Business (on CD-ROM from Made E-Z Products). Visit his Web site to subscribe to Home Office Success Stories, his free electronic magazine on home business and teleworking.