I started a new business

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I have finally started a new business. I am hoping for it to grow into something that will allow me to cut my umbilical to the corporate world that I am involved in now as I do not think that I can work for someone else the rest of my life...

Check out my new website and please offer constructive criticisms. I created it with MS Publisher, but I do plan on redoing it eventually when I get someone to some graphics for me. It's a decent start.

http://www.coppercitycomputers.com

My father had a telephone business in the 80's called Copper City Telecommunications, so building off that legacy. It is a side business for now, but I hope that with a lot of effort, I can turn it full time in a year or so.

I have to figure out the best way to market the thing now and get it noticed on the web and in town.

So, all you other small business owners, what do I need to do now?

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[+3] - Robert Gentel - 08/09/2009[quote="McGentrix"]I have changed the red and made the logo more artistic.[/quote] I hope you don't mind my continued criticism, but the logo needs a fundamental overhaul. It isn't so...

@McGentrix,

McGentrix wrote:

Check out my new website and please offer constructive criticisms.

Personally, I find the red background rather hard on the eyes. The blue is hard to read for the e-mail info etc.

Other than that...... good luck in your endeavour.

1 Reply

@Intrepid,

I like the red and blue, and see a relation to copper with both of them. But then I like color a lot in house decor, etc. More serious is the thing about being hard to read, but I've wacky eyes and have trouble with reading a lot of websites, etc., and didn't have trouble with yours, McG.

Anyway, good luck!

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@McGentrix,

Congrats, McG! I haven't checked your website yet, but to your question of what to do now... get ye some customers!

Running your own business is tough but rewarding. I don't do it myself but I help my husband with his. It's a lot harder than just taking a job, but it allows him to do what he loves and have some freedom. Hopefully it will do the same for you.

On a side note, I'll be interested in your take on health care when/if you cut your ties to the corporate world.

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Ok, I like the red but it would be nice if you could mute it a bit. Other than that it's a great start.

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@FreeDuck,

Well, once I get all the paperwork finalized, I plan to join the Local chamber of commerce. They offer small business insurance for decent rates. I will be needing to make a decent wage by the time I cut my ties.

Thanks all who have replied thus far. My wife thinks it's too red as well. I can probably make the font a tad bigger to ease any eye strain, but then I look at it under high resolution.

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@McGentrix,

I truly wish you the best of luck McG. I left corporate America about 20 years ago, and overall, I couldn't have made a better decision. However, unless your wife has health insurance from her job, you should check into what it will cost you leave your benefits behind. To replace a fraction of my corporate healthcare would cost $12,000 a year, plus another $4,000 a year in disability insurance to make sure if my husband or I get sick our bills will continue to get paid during our illness. $16,000 is a lot of computer repairs. Just a thought from someone in the reality of it.

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@FreeDuck,

I agree on muting the red a bit if possible, though not hugely. On the "blue", I took it as a greenish kind of blue (didn't look that hard) - and it reminded me of the color of the patina copper acquire.

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@McGentrix,

Chamber of Commerce rate is what I'm quoting.

The red is a little strong, but not bad. Fonts - bigger would be better.

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@McGentrix,

Suggestion: Offer a low cost workshop for people who just want to learn how to manage their computer better. I suggest you teach it under Adult Ed. at a local community college. Most colleges send out Adult Ed brochures to every house in the area they service. Many people flip through these brochures as they drink their morning coffee. It would get your name into every house and at no cost to you. You will probably be offered about $100 to design and present the class. Not much, but the free advertising is the real benefit.

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@McGentrix,

The red does seem a bit vibrant to my eye, but then I've got the light off in my cube and haven't reported the burnt out fluorescents above my cube. I'm not a big fan of high intensity colours for webpages.

The logo looks like it's kinda hanging there in isolation - not connected to any of the pages - mebbe give it a colour that 'goes' with the pages you end up with?

Good luck with your new business. It's challenging, but an exciting challenge.

Maybe hamburgboy/hamburger will drop by with some advice. He taught courses at the local college for the Federal Business Business Bank for some years, and worked as a consulting advisor to some folks as they started small businesses in Eastern Ontario.

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@McGentrix,

Wonderful and I will join in with the red and white letters seem to be a little must but I have no taste at all in those kinds of matters. I love black backgrounds and white letters so you can see how bad my taste happen to be.

Hope you do very well indeed now about a computer hardware problem of mine on boot up...................<grin>.

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@McGentrix,

When you switch from one (sub-)side to the other - that red in between is a bit annoying.

Otherwise I like the website, especially because it's not "flashy" like many others.

All the very best for your new business - and hoping for a good start!

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@McGentrix,

There seems to be too much empty space on the right. I agree that font should be bigger, the photo too.

The logo should be polished up a bit I think -- looks a bit too home-made right now. A little jagged, for example.

I think the red works OK as a background but would need more on top of it -- more photos (especially color), text boxes, that sort of thing.

Good luck!

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Again, thanks for all the input so far!

I am not a graphics person and I do not want to steal graphics from other websites. I actually made my logo in MS paint... I think I spent more time designing that and getting it into a format that would be visible then I did creating the whole website... The photo is of an actual computer I worked on once. He had cats.

I do intend to get more graphics eventually and from the responses here and at home I may change my color scheme. Tone it down a notch at least. Eventually I will do the website with an actual web design program. I am learning to use Adobe Dream Weaver and that will improve the design. I can't figure out how to center the web page for larger monitors in Publisher.

Keep the input coming though, I need all the reassurance I can get!

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Hope your business is successful.

Cycloptichorn

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@McGentrix,

If the website is going to be your main marketing tool I think it is worth the investment to hire a professional artist/webmaster to do the design and then you take over the maintenance. Nowadays people judge a company by it's website, it's a first impression and can attract or repel customers before you have any other form of communication with them.

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@McGentrix,

McGentrix wrote:

He had cats.

Can you align the text to the right as opposed to the left? That may work -- the blank space would be more in the middle instead of to the right. Might mess up the bullet points but could be a temporary, easy fix.

edit: nevermind. I was looking at the "Customized systems" page when I said that, from other pages it's clear that it has something to do with the centering and aligning the text one way or another wouldn't help.

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McG, we go back a long ways...a lot of wrasslin' in the political threads.

You've always been a warm and sincere poster to me.
I wish you all the success in the world

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All the best of luck to you, McG.

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I started a new business

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