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Unclaimed money

There's a frightening amount of money unclaimed and awaiting collection, about $458 million at last count. Are you one of the 500,000 Australians who’s owed something? Find out here.  

How to write a mission statement

This video by Dan Heath over at Fast Company shows you exactly how the mission statement of a small business goes from tasty to terrible in one brainstorming session.




Just how much are meetings costing you?

This basic, but very effective tool easily gives you the answer. Simply tell it how many people are in attendance, their daily rate and the clock starts ticking. Very, very scary! 

Any procrastinating writers here?

Thought so. This little site is a corker. Select how many words you're trying to write, your deadline and punishment mode and you'll get some pretty sharp reminders if you start to slack off.  



Need a financial health check?

Superannuation advice, budget planners and tips for saving are all on offer at the Understanding Money website. This Government operated site provides real back to basics information on how to, err, understand money. 

Font of all knowledge

Not sure what your default font should be? This site is sure to help. Simply paste in some text, choose from hundreds of different fonts and take your pick! 


Feeling demotivated?

The motivation industry has had its day in the sun. How's this for a contradictory view? Despair.com's demotivators claim to 'increase success by lowering expectations.'

Office pod

We want one. Well half a dozen, actually. These office pods have got to be the coolest little workspaces we’ve seen. They look so yummy in the garden.

18 smokin' hot business cards

If you’re just starting up or looking to redesign your business cards, here is a wealth of inspiration from our friends at Freelance Switch.

Wordle on the street

This cool free tool at www.Wordle.net generates funky looking word clouds based on your website or selected text. You can even try different colour schemes and layouts.

Hot or cold?

Stay up to date with the climate debate on this site. Great for those pro action and sceptics, it lists calls to action and dissenting voices from around the world.

Are you free?

If you struggle getting small groups of people together for a meeting, this little gizmo may help. It certainly saves on the email tennis.

Get help from the crowd

The Flying Solo forums are where you can talk and network freely. If you're looking for help, seeking a referral, or just itching to share some news or knowledge, there's a mob of supporters here.

Someone trying to empty your pockets?

SCAMwatch will help you recognise, report and protect yourself from scams that target you or your small business.

Want to get your articles out there?

ArticlePR features a free list of article submission sites or article banks, to which you can submit your articles in order for them to be distributed far and wide.

Keep it simple, silly

More often than not, a soloist’s life is about multi tasking and coping with complexity. If this sounds like you, our friends at Freelance Switch have some worthwhile tips: 10 Ways to Simplify Your Freelance Life.

Calling all Flying Solo fans!

If you're an active networker or involved in any small business groups, we'd love you to get involved in our snappy little promotional program. Find out more.  

Who's following you?

Twitter fans may like Twittersheep, which tells you which kinds of folk are following you. Give it a go! 

When it all gets too much

When it all gets too much. A big thanks to web developer, Simon for this little gem. Apparently it’s where he heads when clients drive him nuts.

Save (on) your energy

Make It Cheaper provides a free service that helps you ditch and switch energy providers. There’s a handy blog with money saving tips, too.

Have you read our manifesto?

If you've yet to read Flying Solo the book, have a read of the Soloist's Manifesto to get a feel for what it's about. Alternatively, browse some reader reviews.

Anatomy of Australia’s micro business owner

Flying Solo’s Understanding Micro Business, 2010-2011 – Australia’s largest micro business survey takes the pulse of this critical business sector. Download the results now.

 

Get projects over the line

If you admire 'The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People' (and who wouldn't?) and recognise you need some assistance to get over the finish line, this online goal tracker may well appeal.

Text for dummies

Ever wondered where to find that dummy text used by designers? The answer is here. Given it's a practice that's been around since the 1500s, this may not be the original source!

 

Impress your TED friends

There's no doubt that TED is a wonderful resource and we love it, but FORA is pretty awesome too. Enjoy a short movie with your morning tea.

Please help us spread the word!

If you enjoy your time on Flying Solo, you may like to tell others. Here are a number of ways you can do just that. The larger we get, the greater the combined wisdom. Thanks!

What say you?

Have you ever sent a Tweet?
56% - Yes
40% - No
2% - Huh?
Have you ever sent a Tweet?
 

Become a member

Join Flying Solo and start promoting your business in our member directory; post comments on articles and dive into the lively forum discussions. It's quick, free and easy. Join the community now!

Profile | Melissa Norfolk

Melissa Norfolk

Name:
Melissa Norfolk
Forum profile:
MelissaNorfolk
Melissa Norfolk

Melissa Norfolk

Professional speaker and internet consultant

Melbourne, VIC | www.technologypresentations.com

Internet expert, Melissa Norfolk, speaks to business, school and community groups about online marketing, email newsletters, effective use of the internet, finding what you need online and internet safety.

She is Founder and Managing Director of innovative internet marketing company the Norfolk Internet Group Pty Ltd. Melissa has grown the company from a single person, sole trader business to a company with two divisions: MN Web Design and MN Technology Presentations. The company provides keynote presentations and workshops on effective use of the internet as well as web design and email marketing advice. Now employing four staff the business has grown rapidly over the past five years.

Melissa Norfolk

The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice because we fail to notice that we fail to notice, there is little we can do to change until we notice - R.D. Laing

Articles by Melissa

Google Analytics: Measuring online marketing

06 Sep 09 | Melissa Norfolk

One reason online marketing is so great is that it’s measurable. Plenty of other advertising involves spending loads without being able to judge how many people have seen or acted upon your ad. Read more

Comments: 14

16 tips for marketing your email newsletter

23 Jul 09 | Melissa Norfolk

If you write a regular email newsletter, you need to make sure it effectively promotes your business and helps you grow your database. And that people are reading it, of course! Read more

Comments: 5

Online marketing tips for local businesses

29 Mar 09 | Melissa Norfolk

Often I hear “my web site doesn’t work because I only service local clients”. Here are online marketing tips for soloists to effectively market their local business on the Internet. Read more

Comments: 12

How to make money from business blogging

03 Feb 08 | Melissa Norfolk

Business blogging takes a big time commitment, but it could be worthwhile if it generates more customers and dollars. So how do you make money from business blogging? Read more

Comments: 22

Should your business sell products online?

11 Dec 07 | Melissa Norfolk

Who is shopping online, when and what for? This review of shopping trends this holiday season will help you decide whether e-commerce is the way to go for your business. Read more

Comments: 18

Deliver your message with a podcast

14 Aug 07 | Melissa Norfolk

Podcasts are rapidly growing in popularity and have the potential to provide many benefits to your business including raising your profile and updating clients. Read on to find out whether it is time for you to stop typing and start talking. Read more

Comments: 12

Interactive websites: What is Web 2.0?

19 Jul 07 | Melissa Norfolk

We've all heard of Web 2.0, but what does it mean? I think of it as the Interactive Internet. It encourages collaboration between users and is driving the trend towards more interactive websites. Read more

Comments: 12

Business blogs: Can a blog help your solo business?

12 Jun 07 | Melissa Norfolk

Many businesses are now adding business blogs to their website to better communicate with their target market and build traffic to their website. Can a blog help your business? Or is it simply a fad? Read more

Comments: 54

Business growth: A home office or commercial office space?

15 May 07 | Melissa Norfolk

When you experience business growth, is it better to stay in a home office, or move out? Late last year I moved my business out of home and into commercial office space. It's time to update you on what this has meant for me and for the business. Read more

Comments: 12

How to boost website traffic and sales

15 Mar 07 | Melissa Norfolk

The first step to boost website traffic and sales is to get listed in the search engines. Unsurprisingly, Google dominates this field, and is likely to yield the largest amount of traffic to your site. Read more

Comments: 20

How an audio message can improve your website

15 Feb 07 | Melissa Norfolk

Adding an audio message to your website helps your site visitors gain a better understanding of your products or services. Plus audio creates a bond and rapport with your website visitor, which makes them feel more at ease with you and your offering. Read more

Comments: 16

How to make visitors stay on your website

05 Dec 06 | Melissa Norfolk

The problem of how to make visitors stay on website looms large in the solo business community. No matter what your site’s purpose, you need loyal visitors. Capturing and keeping them means ensuring they are so happy nothing can steal them away. Read more

Comments: 12

Five reasons to grow your business

02 Nov 06 | Melissa Norfolk

For the soloist, once business starts to take off, there comes a time you need to decide whether to grow your business or keep it simple. Will you take on staff? Will you remain at home or move to bigger premises? Read more

Comments: 8

Tips for a better website

03 Oct 06 | Melissa Norfolk

If you make reference to your website in your business marketing, perhaps via a Yellow Pages ad, now is the ideal time to spring clean and create a better website. Read more

Comments: 3

Email marketing: Making the most of your opt-in email newsletter

05 Sep 06 | Melissa Norfolk

Publishing a simple opt-in email newsletter (or ezine) as little as once a month is guaranteed to help you increase sales. Follow these email marketing tips to maximise the impact of your newsletter. Read more

Comments: 8

Website statistics: Digging deeper into your webstats

17 Aug 06 | Melissa Norfolk

In an earlier article on how to read your website statistics reports we looked at the terminology of website statistics or webstats. In this article, we look at how webstats can give you greater insight into how visitors are using your website. Read more

Comments: 3

Seven tips to multiply your online sales

04 Jul 06 | Melissa Norfolk

When putting your products onto your website, don't sit back and expect the orders to roll in, instead create an online sales strategy to generate interest in your online offering. Read more

Comments: 2

Australian copyright law: How to protect your work

30 May 06 | Melissa Norfolk

What would you do if you discovered your work had been reproduced without your permission? Here we look at the basics of Australian copyright law, including how to protect your work and what work can't be protected. Read more

Comments: 5

How to read your website statistics report

18 Apr 06 | Melissa Norfolk

Do you know which figures are the most important on your website statistics report? Or perhaps you've never seen a website statistics report and are wondering “what are website statistics?” Read more

Comments: 14

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