BGGE Blog | Free and Low Cost Resources for Success

Welcome to BGGE Blog - My New Company Blog

2011-11-16T03:08:00.001-06:00

Actually BGGE Blog isn't really new. I just changed the header, template, title, and description to match my website - www.bgge.com. I will retain my old blog posts.

When the old blog - "What's New" - was launched, I had just started a major revamp of my 800-page site, so most of my blog posts were site updates. But eventually many of those blog "site updates" needed "updating" too as a result of numerous website page changes and deletions during the two-year revamp. I took on this task in the spring of this year. But in the middle of this, my web host service provider introduced an integrated blog, so I began moving my blog articles and site updates to my website. Just what I wanted, or so I thought.

Over the next few days, I will finish the layout of my new blog, resume updating my older posts, restore old articles, and tell you why I abandoned and then returned to Blogger. In the upcoming weeks, I will be adding current site updates, micro-business news & articles, business & personal productivity tips, “free & low cost” product reviews, free-stuff alerts, and an occasional commentary on the challenges & triumphs of an aging freelance entrepreneur working from home.

I hope you find my new blog informative and useful.

My Website Spring Cleaning "To Do" List

2011-05-08T14:25:00.001-05:00

Like my house, it is time for some major "spring cleaning" at BGGE.com. For the past two years, I have been doing a major revamp and was constantly updating page content. But in the month prior and during tax season, I only had time to do minor tweaks to the site.

Now that peak of tax season is over, I now have time to work on my long Spring Cleaning "To Do" list. Here are a few things I plan to do in the next few weeks:

Tweak page content, articles, & old blog posts*
Update gift shop inventory
Revise site FAQ's, policies, & directory listings
Remove unnecessary photos, widgets, & hidden pages
Review affiliate partners & remove any unrelated banners
Become more active on social networking sites

Always appreciative of client feedback, let me know how you feel about any changes.

*Missing blog posts will be republished soon.

BGGE.com Re-launch Celebration A Hit

2010-07-26T04:06:00.000-05:00

I would like to personally thank all my clients, prospective clients, and guests who visited BGGE.com in May and June. Your feedback was invaluable.

While most visitors who emailed me expressed how much they liked the design and free resources found on my site, many others provided specific suggestions to improve it. For example, gift shop customers want to see more office/home decor items added to the online cataglog and the "free gift with purchase" offer extended. However, there were mixed feelings about having to log in to make a purchase.

During this period, many webmasters made inquires about adding their site links to BGGE. Although I already have linking policies in place, I am thinking about reducing the number of directories offered. Directory maintenance is very time consuming.

All suggestions have been added to my "to do" list for consideration.

BGGE.com Announces June Relaunch Celebration - Free Gifts

2010-05-12T14:58:00.004-05:00

After months of research, planning, and development, I am pleased to announce the relaunch of my website - http://www.bgge.com/ - on June 24, 2010. An online Relaunch Celebration is scheduled for June 24, 2010 to June 30, 2010. This relaunch announcement coincides with the official reopening of BGGE Gift Shop. So from now to the end of the relaunch celebration, customers can take advantage of a "free gift with purchase" special offer. I am working day and night tweaking the layout, adding content, and updating inventory. Feel free to stop by and give me your input.

BGGE Gift Shop Now Open For Business

2010-05-02T11:16:00.001-05:00

I have been working night and day uploading product descriptions and photos to BGGE Gift Shop catalogue pages. With some tweaking of the Gift Shop Store Policies, BGGE Gift Shop is officially open for business. With new products arriving daily at our distribution warehouse, I will be adding updating the catalogs on a weekly basis.

As we head toward the vacation travel season, I expect the business travel catalog to be quite popular - especially since customers can save up to 70% off retail. However, as a veteran retailer, I know it sometimes hard to predict consumer shopping patterns.

BGGE Gift Shop Channel Layout Complete

2010-04-20T14:08:00.000-05:00

The layout for BGGE Gift Shop is finally complete. A lot of off-line work - product selection, pricing, store policy revisions, etc. - was necessary before setting up the catalog pages and shopping cart.

The shop index page provide links to store policies, order processing, shipping policy, payment options, shop news, etc., as well as my recommendation for other gift sites. I will also feature genuine free offers from online retailers.

BGGE Gift Shop Products - Product are being added daily in the following categories: Business Travel Gear, Corporate Gifts, Event Party Packs, Office Decor, Office Supplies, & Security Products. One or two more categories may be added at some future date. Most of the gift shop merchandise will be deeply discounted - some items will sell at 70% or more off suggested retail price. Orders will now be shipped from our warehouse in Texas by UPS & USPS. Previously, products were shipped from California which meant higher shipping cost to customers on the east coast.
BGGE Gift Certificates are now available for purchase using the Buy Buttons. They are not a shopping cart item since shipping will not be charged. Gift certificates can be purchased in various denominations - $5 to $1000, and are are only redeemable at bgge.com. BGGE Gifts are perfect for a company's reward program. A page dedicated to this will be published in the next few weeks.

BGGE Education Edge Out - Career, Student & Time-Out Merged

2010-03-08T16:28:00.004-06:00

Originally the BGGE Education Edge channel featured a student center, career center, and time-out section. Geared toward non-traditional students, most self-help tools and links in theses sections were general in nature.

Today, in keeping with the new entrepreneurial theme, the student and career centers has been completely revamped and merged into BGGE Business Toolbox.

Business Career Center - Featuring hundreds of pages with samples to help fine-tune resumes, cover letters, & interview skills, the "Do-It-Yourself" Career Center provides articles, links, & other tools for both job-seekers and employers.
Business Education Center - A segmented guide to help entrepreneurs plan & prepare for business school, or find optional business courses, training, & workshops. You'll find tools, checklist, tips, articles & more to help you decide on the best educational path.

BGGE Education Edge's time-out section has been merged into BGGE Webmaster's Service Center. It still includes e-cards, arcade & flash games, movie & music previews&amp, reviews, and news headlines, but is now being showcased for what it is - free sticky content. Hopefully, BGGE Webmaster's Service Center will be the place where webmasters (and other entrepreneurs) come to take a time-out and/or get ideas for integrating sticky content into their own website. They can even submit their website link free.

BGGE Business Toolbox Channel Overhauled

2010-02-15T07:26:00.004-06:00

The layout of BGGE Business Toolbox channel has been completely overhauled. It is now a comprehensive network of directories featuring many free business tools & resources for BGGE's "newbie" webmasters and entrepreneur.

This channel should also appeal to other novice and veteran entrepreneurs because most of the sub-channels within this section allow them to submit their site link for review especially if they offer free and low cost products, services, and resources.

Currently, BGGE Business Toolbox consists of six major sub-channels:

Business Ads & Promotion - Featuring AdLandPro free business ads, this section also contains some of my favorite links to other FREE business classified ad sites; business networking communities; and website promotion, traffic boosting, & traffic exchange sites.
Business Articles - A comprehensive collection of small business articles written by contributing authors in various fields offering tips, advice, ideas & general information on how to help start, grow or manage a small business. Most articles will be geared toward micro-business or home-based business owners.
Business Forms & Templates - A directory of sites offering FREE forms & templates. Eventually, I plan to feature downloadable custom productivity templates designed by me.
Business Opportunities - My favorite free or low cost work-at-home opportunities, links to other business opportunities, paid survey sites, & more.
~~Business Owners' Directory~~ (BGGE Retail Outlet Directory) - A human-edited, online shopping directory with categorized and searchable listings offered by small business merchants alongside some of the top online retailers in one place. updated 11/19/2011 - changed to Free Stuff Directory
Business & Resource Directory - A human edited listing of our link partners who also offer free & low cost, products, services and resources to novice & veteran entrepreneurs.

Tax Season is Here! - Lower Tax Bill for BGGE Tax Clients

2010-01-15T01:45:00.008-06:00

Today - Friday, January 15. 2010 - is the first day to electronically file your 2009 tax return with the IRS. For the next 2-3 weeks, I expect to be extremely busy. Historically, more than 50 percent of BGGE Tax Service clients will be dropping off their paperwork during this time.

This year, I am offering a "flat rate pre-pay special" on student, individual, & business returns - $40, $50, & $75, respectively. Normally, this is the base cost for preparing a Federal and State return with electronic filing. Because any extra cost associated with additional forms & schedules and "new client" set-up fees will be written off, some clients will see up to a 25% savings off their final tax bill by taking advantage of this special. Of course, some restrictions apply.

For me personally, this tax season begins on a really sad note. I actually just returned home this morning after spending some time with family following last week's unexpected death of my aunt. Although in mourning, I will still provide accurate tax preparation with the lowest tax liability for my clients.

BGGE.com January Relaunch Postponed

2009-12-13T08:14:00.002-06:00

It is with deep regret that I have postponed the official relaunch of BGGE.com due to additional research, website copy modifications, and preparations for the upcoming tax season. Originally planned for January, the official relaunch celebration will now be held in the second quarter of 2010. Remember BGGE.com remains live during the website revamp, so visit us today.

BGGE Bookkeeping & Tax Service Layout Complete

2009-12-02T06:41:00.001-06:00

The basic layout for BGGE Bookkeeping & Tax Service channel is complete. This channel currently includes four sections - Benefits of Outsourcing, Pricing & Quotes, DIY Bookkeeping/Taxes, and FAQ Bookkeeping/Taxes. However, plans are already being made to modify & integrate various elements on each page to make navigation simplier.

For years, I have operated a freelance, drop-off bookkeeping and tax service to clients in NE Alabama from my home. After upgrading my Quickbook software, I decided to offer remote bookeeping and accounting, as well as provide a "taxes by mail" service, to US individuals and businesses, nationwide. "You can't help but love the internet".

Many of my clients are "shoe box" organizers, so I have been developing spreadsheets and other type documents to make it easier to submit their financial information to me. After some testing for "ease of use", I will publish them later on my site.

BGGE Custom Web Design Channel Layout is Complete

2009-11-21T06:25:00.004-06:00

The BGGE Web Design Channel consists of four sections. The landing page in this section includes some portfolio screenshots with testimonials. There are three sub-channel pages:

- How to Get Your Business Online / Why Do You Need a Business Website
- Web Design FAQ's
- Web Design Order Form / Request a Quote

BGGE Web Design provides an affordable way for freelancers & novice entrepreneurs to establish a professional on-line presence without the delay from having to learn coding or how to use the not so "easy website builder" provided by their hosting provider. From the information that is submitted, I will customize their website with their company logo and colors and develop website content that is both search engine friendly and appealing to their target audience.

After the design phase of a website project is complete, I will launch a free, 30-day industry-specific, marketing campaign. After that, they have the option to take over future website updates and promotions or pay for a low-cost monthly maintenance/marketing subscription. Throughout every phase of the web design project, they will also receive free personalized business coaching. Most of my new clients start with a 3-page business card website for only $100, but usually request additional pages before the project ends.

October Spotlight: Businesses that Give Back - Iwon.com

2009-10-11T19:01:00.003-05:00

IWON is an exciting games and sweepstakes destination site that gives away cash and prizes on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis - in addition to instant win opportunities that occur 24/7.
IWON Team Challenge lets you double your fun by joining a team and playing for your favorite cause. Become a member of a national charity team that plays for a cause near and dear to your heart, or join a member created team. You can even start your own team! IWON will match the coins you earn and put them toward a collective team total. The winning teams from the national charity and member created categories will win donations worth thousands of dollars for their causes!

BGGE.com has a new look and focus. Relaunch - January 1, 2010

2009-10-05T05:55:00.006-05:00

BGGE.com has a new look which reflects its new focus - free or low-cost business products, services, and resources for novice entrepreneurs. With a strong emphasis on quality, BGGE also appeals to veteran entrepreneurs and the discerning consumer.  The official relaunch of BG&G Enterprises is planned for January 1, 2010.

At the end of 2007, I realized that BGGE.com had grown into a 800 page one-stop shopping "monster". Not only was the site hard to maintain, I was beginning to feel the economic pinch due to dwindling sales.  A two-year review and overhaul of the online product and service offerings have resulted in a website that is more reflective of my home-based business.

Currently, BGGE is divided into seven main channels - Bookkeeping & Taxes, Custom Web Design, Business Gift Shop, Free Business Tools, Free Webmaster Service Center, Free Education & Career Resources, and About Us.  Not only is the site smaller, it is easier to navigate and update. Visit often as I continue to revamp the individual pages. Feel free to post a comment in my guestbook.

By the way, I feel a complete overhaul of my blog is also needed.  So, I am starting from scratch. In the future, not only will I be providing updates about "what's new" at BGGE, but I also plan to provide tips on what to-do and what not to-do based on my personal successes and failures throughout this "new" entrepreneurial journey.