Well, if you don’t know by now, I am a firm believer in networking…offline and online alike.

Before, starting my online business, I co-owned a floor cleaning/restoration business with my husband, Morr Services, Inc.. Even with an offline business, I recognized how essential being online and networking would add to the publicity for the cleaning company. It created:

• More buzz about our company
• Questions from potential customers that would could add to our monthly newsletter **another tip…low cost create a monthly newsletter and have a “Question/Answer” section and ask people in your networking session to email their questions and state that if you pick their question, you will add a brief bio and their url in the section–create content for you, free publicity for them***

So, here is a brief article that I wrote last year about networking groups.

Local business networking groups
I would like to discuss with you about getting involved with local business networking groups in your area.
Here are the pros for joining:
1) Increase exposure for your business
2) Get to know other business owners - ***you never know when they may need you or you may need them
3) Get recognized and known for your expertise - the more you are known, the better you have the likelihood of being selected
4) Grow your business through collaboration - become friends with your competition, it is best to get some profit, then none.

Places you can contact for your local networking:

• Chamber of Commerce - try to see if there is something that you might be able to offer them or barter with them to decrease the fee *sometimes this may work
• City or County Offices - the fees for membership to these associations are *usually* cheaper and it provides closer demographic clients/partnerships/vendors/mentors
• Free Networking International - their website—I know you are thinking why am I giving you a website but this is a website that will lead you to local networking in your area and there are not any membership fees.

SPECIAL TIP**If there isn’t a local networking group you like… then form a networking group yourself. For instance, I noticed that there wasn’t a networking group for the industry that I am in currently (floor cleaning/restoration) so I am planning on creating a group. I would recommend contacting others in the industry to see if the interest in there for establishing a group, and if there is…go for it. Collaborate with others about time, dates and location for the meetings. Set up weekly or monthly meetings as is best suits the group.

Online Networking Groups

One of the great things that I have found about since working with my husband in our business is ….online business networking. The reasons for going online are similar to the reasons for local networking; however, there is one more advantage…national or global exposure.

Places you can join easily and inexpensively**I think these are mostly free:

• Yahoo or Google Groups - **special additive here - if there isn’t ones you like for your industry or if there isn’t one that “speaks” to your expertise, then you can start one yourself.
• Ryze - There is some wonderful networks on Ryze that will help spread the word about your business and share your expertise to others. See my previous posts about networking. Or you can sign up for the HER Mastermind Network
• Craig’s List -this is FREE to create a listing and you can offer your skills to gain possible clients and there is networking groups as well.
• Squidoo - *I have one (not so thorough) lens on Squidoo for my husband’s floor cleaning business,Morr Services, Inc. however, I have heard from others that it is a great way to expan your network
• Industry specified forums

You are probably wondering…”Now, Teresa, how in the world can a powerpoint presentation help with promoting my business?” Well, I am here to tell you just how to do that.

However, before I get to that, I would like to do a post on how to create a PowerPoint presentation. (yes, I think this is going to be a 3 or 4 part series of posts)
I need to start at the beginning and tell you just what a powerpoint presentation is:

A PowerPoint presenation is a series of slides that you create by using Microsoft Windows PowerPoint software.

1. First, open the software on your computer
2. Go to file in the upper navigation bar
3. Click on the save as and then name the file that you are about to make
4. Be sure to save the document in a file on your computer you are going to remember

On to your first slide you will need to start with a title

• Click in the title box in the slide and type a title of your choice
• You can click outside of the box to see what the title will look like
• If you don’t like the size or color, you can change it
• To make these changes - you can click and drag over the word to highlight it
• Once highlighted, go click on format in the menu bar and then click on font (there is also a “A” font icon on your toolbar)

+ Then you can go in and change the color, size and type of font for your title

• Then you will wish to do the same with the main text box
• Click in the box and you can start typing your information in the box

****Tip here—It is best when doing a PowerPoint presentation, not to make the text in paragraphs…do it in a outline of your main points.

Well, that is the first slide…not to bad, right?

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Oh, I forgot about a few creative additions to add your own unique “spin” to your presentations…. designs, layout and images.

Designs - PowerPoint actually provides some templates within the software that you can use.

1. Go to “Format” on the menu
2. Click on the Slide Design on the drop menu
3. You will get a window on the right hand side of your computer
4. On the top of this window, you should see a list, Design Templates, Color Schemes, and Animation Schemes

Let’s start with click on the Design Templates

+ You will see quite a few picture samples show up at the bottom of this window
+ Click through each of them and when you do, you will see it will change your slide on the screen
+ Save the one you choose. (It is a good idea here to save the complete file - go to the file on the top navigation bar and click on the save button)

Color Schemes

+ Click on this list and then like the design templates, click through until you find one you like and then be sure to save it

Animation Schemes
+ Click this label on the list and this offers to have the slides
Fade in/out
Wipe Left/rigth
Spin in/out
(other fun things you can choose from)
+ Close this window by clicking the X in the upper right hand corner

Next, let’s talk about the layout

• Click on the format then slide layout
• Another window will come up like the last one
• Click though and see which layout you would like with your presentation
• There are text layouts, context layouts and text & content layouts to choose from

***Save the presentation again once you pick a layout you like (however, this can be changed again if you would like)

Ok…next, is images for your Power Point presentation. Images are great to add creative and “life” to your presentation. Now, this can take some time to search for just the right picture, however, I think that this is one of those steps that people forget about when doing power points and then they can have a flat presentation.
* For images, go to the insert on the menu,
* Scroll down to picture, file or clip art. There is also a place to click if you have a picture on your scanner or camera that you would like to insert into your slide.
* Once you pick the place you are “grabbing” your image from, go ahead and add it to your slide. *another tip -your images, can be moved around each slide also, you just need to click and drag the image to place it where you would like it to be on the slide.

See, that is what you do to create a Power Point presentation.

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Uh, there is also notes. The notes can be added by clicking on the window on the bottom of the PowerPoint presentation, you should see a small window the has the word “notes” in it. Here is where you are able, as the presenter, to add the quotes or examples you would like to use for your presentation.

I will continue next time with these items to add to your presentation to increase the proper presentation to be delivered over and over again to your audiences.

Boy, I think that is enough for this lesson…I will continue next time…see, this is fun stuff!