You’ve probably heard of Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia and the 8th most popular site on the internet.  The main idea behind it is that anybody can contribute knowledge by adding a new article or editing an existing one.  This idea has allowed Wikipedia to grow enormously quickly, with broader content and faster updates than traditional encyclopedias.

Have you ever thought of setting up a mini-Wikipedia within your company?  This is a great way to organize all sorts of information.  You can share it with other people, especially newcomers, and anybody can update it, so it’s easier to keep complete and accurate.  No more digging up old emails to find information that might be obsolete.

With an internal mini-Wikipedia, you can collaborate and keep information on almost anything:
- A checklist for the order-taking process
- Ideas for new products to carry
- A list of advertising opportunities
- Your quality inspection guidelines when receiving products
- A list of employee expenses to be reimbursed by the company
- A selection of customer testimonials for marketing purposes
- Phone numbers and email addresses for everyone within your company

Here are two websites that allow you to do this for free, while controlling who has access to the information:
- PBwiki
- Google Sites

Try it out, and enjoy improved information sharing within your company!

Using barcodes to enter products can be quicker and more accurate than manually typing in item codes. If your products already have barcodes on them, then all you really need is a barcode scanner and some software. If not, you can first make your own barcodes.

If your products are going to be sold in other retail stores, you’ll need to use standardized formats and pay to make sure your barcodes are unique. We won’t cover that in this article, but you can find more information here.

Otherwise, if the barcodes are just for your business’ own use, it’s pretty easy to print them yourself. Barcodes are just a special way of writing letters and numbers so that a scanner can read them. You can make up your own letter/number codes (e.g. ABC1234) for each of your products. Then, use some software like IDAutomation’s free version of their barcode label printing software to print them as barcodes onto some sticky address labels, like those Avery sells in office supply stores. You can then peel them off and stick them onto your products, and you’re all set.

If you want to print barcodes directly onto your packaging or other materials, you can instead get a barcode font and use that to type barcodes into your designs in Microsoft Word, Publisher, Adobe PageMaker, etc. IDAutomation also offers a free Code 39 barcode font. There are different types of barcode fonts and symbols - Code 39 is the simplest type, but perfect for your company’s own use. Other common types you might come across are UPC-A in North America and EAN-13 in Europe.

Don’t let all the barcoding jargon scare you away - it’s quite easy to get started and you can really speed things up for your business.

If you keep products in stock, you’ll need to know how many you have. How can you keep track of this? The first thought that comes to mind often involves pencil and paper or Microsoft Excel. However, if you invest a little more time into setting up an inventory software system, your business can continually benefit from the following 4 things:

1. Automatically update inventory as you buy and sell - There’s no need to make an invoice and then come back and update your inventory later on; do both in one step.

2. Use history to find errors - Do you have less in stock than you expected? Get a detailed history of inventory movements to help find out if it was an honest mistake or if something was lost or stolen.

3. Automatically re-order - When you run low in stock, get suggestions on what to re-order, and automatically make purchase orders for your vendors.

4. Share with others more easily - Do you work with other people who also need to check and update inventory? Set up two or more computers and let everyone always have up-to-date information.

We designed inFlow Inventory to give you these four benefits, and much more. You can download the Free Edition and start entering your inventory or import it from Excel right now.

Do you know someone in a small business that might want to improve their inventory handling?

If you sell products, you may want to take advantage of their barcodes to let you take orders and receive goods faster and more accurately. If you’re selling a product, just scan what you’re selling, then print out an invoice and have your inventory automatically adjusted.

It’s much easier and cheaper to get this going than most people think. All you need besides your computer is a barcode scanner and some compatible software.

A basic barcode scanner sells for about $100, and you can get used ones for even cheaper than that. Don’t be overwhelmed by all the choices out there; a basic USB barcode scanner will work with just about any computer and will suit the needs of most small businesses. Your biggest decision will be whether or not you want to pay more for a wireless scanner.

Your local computer stores may also carry barcode scanners, or here’s a few possible places you can buy them online:

· International Pre Owned Barcode

· Barcode Superstore

· Barcode Discount

You also have various options for the software. If you run a retail store, a point of sale (POS) system may suit your needs. You can also buy add-ons that add barcode capability to Quickbooks. Or inFlow Inventory is a complete small business system that lets you manage inventory and take orders using barcodes. It even has a Free Edition you can download and use with no time limits.

Do you know someone who might want to start using barcodes in their business?

Next time you need to invoice a customer, the quickest thing to do might be to open up Microsoft Word, find an invoice template, and fill it out. But by investing a bit more time into setting up some business software for invoicing once, you get the following 5 benefits as free side effects forever:

1. Save copies automatically - Instead of printing and filing extra copies of your invoices every time, have them automatically saved for you.

2. Quickly search old invoices - Is a customer calling and asking about an invoice? Instead of fumbling through papers to find it - search electronically by customer, date, or invoice number and find it right away.

3. Track payments - Track payment status right with the invoice instead of keeping separate books.

4. Get reports on sales history - How much money did you make last month? How did your sales in April compare to March? Get these answers right away, without tedious calculations.

5. Automatically track inventory - If you sell products, why enter your invoices in Word and then update your inventory somewhere else? Have it all done for you in one package.

What can you use to get all these benefits? Two common choices are the Quickbooks Accounting Software and Microsoft Office Accounting. Or we designed inFlow Inventory to be a better choice for both non-accountants and people who stock and sell products. You can download the Free Edition right now, which allows you to send out unlimited invoices for free!

Do you know an entrepreneur who might want to improve their invoicing habits?