The Health Wisdom Blog™ (by OrganizedWisdom)

The Getting Results Toolkit: 41 Essential Tools You Need To Build a Green Start-up and Go 100% Virtual

We've been getting a lot of email and calls since we first published 20 Benefits of Building a Green Start-up by Going 100% Virtual and since BusinessWeek wrote about our approach of building a more efficient company by not having an office in the article To Expand Your Business, Go Home.

The most frequent question asked is how does OrganizedWisdom run your business this way and what tools do you use to operate such a large team so efficiently without an office?

Over the past 2 years, we've worked hard to test and assemble a powerful set of tools and services that help us run OrganizedWisdom and manage a rapidly growing company with 20 team members and hundreds of Guides dispersed across more than 15 states and 2 countries.  We call this The Getting Results Toolkit(TM) and we thought it would be helpful to share it with other entrepreneurs and start-ups in the Health 2.0 space who want to find a smarter, more efficient and fun way to build a successful company.

We hope you will comment and send us your own suggestions for tools and services you've discovered.

Setting Up Your Virtual Office: The Getting Results Toolkit

It's amazing how drastically things have changed even in the past 24 months.  There are hundreds of new Web services and tools designed to help you operate and manage your business in radically more efficient  ways.  And the best news is that many of these resources are either free or have low-monthly fees that are easy to cancel at anytime.

We can tell you from first-hand experience that these resources have helped us build an extremely efficient operation (all without an office), and one that is focused exclusively on building a quality service and a metrics-driven business focused on results. 

The way we are building OrganizedWisdom is truly transformative for us. It keeps us focused on results, helps us reduce costs and be more efficient, and let's us devote our resources and energy into R&D and innovation.   

Setting Up Your Command Center

Since we operate with no physical office, the first step is making sure each team member has their own Command Center and "home-base" of operations.  Preferably one that is portable so they have the option to work from anywhere they want. 

We've learned that the best way to get results from a virtual team is to empower each person with the responsibility of setting up their own personal command center in a way that works best for them.  Happy and comfortable team members equate to better results.  We don't dictate what equipment people use, we just focus on the goals and results, and let everyone decide on their own how to best arrange their work environment.

To give you an idea of the hardware that has worked best for many of our team members, here's the equipment we recommend:

• iPhone with unlimited service/data plan
• MacBook, MacBook Pro or iMac (I'm waiting to upgrade to the new MacBook Air for ultimate portability)
• Dual 17 to 20 inch monitors
• Wireless keyboard and mouse
• Headset with quality Mic
• Web cam (most new computers already have this)
• Portable Skype Phone and/or Speaker phone that works well with Skype or Vonage
• Big desk
• Quality ergonomic chair
• Verizon WiFi Card/Service (for those team members who travel frequently or want to be able to work from multiple locations).

Keeping Your Business on Plan

Managing your company's goals effectively is the most important part of running a business that wants to Go Green Virtually.   It's essential that every team member knows the organization's goals, their team's goals, and also the specific goals and actions they are responsible for.

We use an elegant new application called PlanHQ to manage, communicate and update our team.  We track all of our goals using this system, and use it for all of our action management so we can easily keep track of who is doing what, the status of each project being worked on, and the due dates associated with each initiative.  We like using PlanHQ because it is not a project management tool.  It is an action management tool and it focuses on helping your organization build your plan around you most important goals rather than a random list of to do items.

Enabling Your Team to Collaborate

We use a variety of new systems that enable our team to collaborate in asynchronous time and in a manner that tracks all changes automatically.  These tools make it possible for multiple people to work on the same projects at the same time, or at different times, as well as make it easy for people to edit, add, and contribute.  Specifically we use Basecamp to collaborate on projects, Google Docs to collaborate on files, reports, and anything that involves writing.  We use Google Sites to assemble larger groups of documents.  We use wiki's to update web-based training materials and build our knowledge base. And we use ConceptShare to collaborate on design projects and presentations. 

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

The hardest part of not having a physical office is building a connected culture for your team.  In an office environment you can easily hold group meetings, walk up to people and check in on them, and meet face to face everyday.  We don't have a water-cooler for people to stand next to.  We don't have a kitchen to celebrate birthdays in.  We don't have a brick and mortar wall to post our goals on and rally the troops.

But new communications platforms and Webcams and group chat, have enabled us to create a work environment that is actually better.  By setting up communications channels that connect the whole team, provide for one on one interaction, and let people see one another no matter their location, we are able to connect the team effectively.  The best part is that by not having an "office" we have cut out all the distractions that come with people constantly interrupting each other's work flow.  And you'd be surprised at the camaraderie you can build via IM, email, and Web cam.

The key is to leverage both group communication tools as well as private communications systems.  It's also important to have a system that makes it easy for people to check in and catch up on what everyone else is doing.  To do this we use a group chat system called Campfire.  This is our office space.  We have group chat rooms set up for our Main Office, for Special Projects, and for Management.  Each team member checks in everyday and can chat, ask questions, and read the transcripts for the day to see what is going on.  This saves an extraordinary amount of time because there is no need for multiple conversations to take place for people to be updated.  It also helps with knowledge sharing.  And the transparency helps create a more connected team all working toward the same mission.

When we want to host group video chats, we use a new service called ooVoo.  We can have up to 6 video windows on our monitor at once and host meetings with our team members across multiple time zones with ease. We also use an amazing FREE service called FreeConference.com to host group conference calls.

For one on one communication, you can't beat the phone.  We also use GTalk/AIM and Skype. (It's not unusual for me to have 6 to 10 separate chats going all at once).

Your Corporate Network/Platform

At previous companies we used to have to hire network administrators and IT staff to manage our corporate network.  Not anymore.  This frees us up to invest in our technology resources focused on our product.  We use Google Apps, Gmail, Google Calendar and host with services like Dreamhost and Amazon Web Services.  And some of our team uses the new MobileMe service from Apple to stay in sync.

Managing Contacts, Sales and Business Development

Check out these tools we use to manage our contacts, deal flow, and sales. SalesForce.com is the most robust online CRM service, but we opt to use HighRise for our contacts and sales communications tracking.  We use Pipeline Deals to monitor our deal flow.  And since OrganizedWisdom is partly an advertising based model we use Google Ad Manager and AdSense to manage and monitor sales.

Stop Wasting Time Managing Paperwork

We have automated the most time consuming aspects of our HR and Legal administration. We use an amazing service called EchoSign to manage, organize and store all of our legal documents.  This keeps us extremely organized, helps us run a tight ship, and makes it easy to collect e-signatures.  Best of all we don't use any paper!

We also have an extremely progressive health benefits package that lets our team members choose what care they want.  We simply provide a monthly stipend to our employees and they decide how best to spend it on their health and well being.  We use an amazing service called ZaneBenefits to manage this for us.  This solution saves our company time and money and gives our team members exactly what they want: choice and control over their health care. (We'll be writing a lot more about this topic in separate posts).

We've also streamlined our accounting and finance using services like Paycheck Records, QuickBooks Online and Freshbooks for invoicing.

Transform Your Corporate Communications by Opening Up and Blogging

We use this blog (via TypePad) to keep our team, our investors, our advisers, the press, other bloggers, and our users up to speed on our company.  We use it as a platform to show off new features, share achievements and milestones, welcome new team members, and discuss important industry trends.  Our company blog has become an invaluable resource for us and has helped us cost-effectively transform our marketing and public relations strategy.  We find that the more transparent we are with our various constituencies, the more value we get back in the way of feedback, support, new ideas, as well as new opportunities.

We also use Facebook Groups, Twitter, a Group Email List Powered by Python, a Forum, and a shared Google Reader.

There are several other tools we use regularly, but this list is more than enough to get started, transform your business and set you on the path to Going Green Virtually. 

We hope you share this post with others who you think will benefit from the lessons learned.  And please send us your ideas. We'll add them to our Getting Results Toolkit.

20 Benefits of Building A Green Start-Up And Going 100% Virtual

One of the best decisions we've made since we launched OrganizedWisdom Health two and a half years ago was to build a green company and get rid of our brick and mortar office.

We call it "Going Green, Virtually."

That's right.  No office.  No commute.  No paper.  We don't require team members to punch a time clock. No spending wasted hours in traffic driving to work just to sit in a desk much farther away from one's home and family.

And as a result of Going Green Virtually, the benefits have been enormous. In fact, we believe it's one of our key ingredients to our rapid growth, dramatic increase in productivity, agile innovation cycles, and team member happiness.

Since we officially made this transition to Going Green Virtually over a year ago, we have debated the merits of our decision many times.  We've often asked, would we be more productive if we were all sitting in the same room everyday?  Would our team members be better off commuting to and fro? Would our ideas be better?  Would we attract better talent? Would we have more or less expenses? Would our business be more successful?  Would our product be better? Would we be more happy?

The answer to every question each time we assess our operations is simply, no.

The fact is, on the rare occasions when we do need an office, we still have access to great space and conference rooms because anytime (usually once a month) we can use one of our investor's offices. We use this space for strategic brainstorms, to white board in person, or to host investors or interview new team members.

We're not only proud to be building our company this way, but we believe that there are countless benefits to growing our company this way.  We see the way we are building OrganizedWisdom as the wave of the future in terms of how start-ups will be founded and great companies grown. And it's becoming clear that much larger companies are going to have to learn to operate this way too. For all of you entrepreneurs out there, here are 20 major benefits we've seen so far by Going Green Virtually.

1. Access to the world's very best talent pool: We can hire our team members from anywhere that has great Internet access.  This essentially means we can hire someone in the mountains, the woods, and cities and towns large and small.  This means we can hire globally. We are not confined by the city our main office is in to find the best talent.  We don't force people to relocate when they join our team. We don't have boundaries for where we can hire. We just work to hire the very best people, period.

2. Increased productivity: We don't waste time monitoring what time people come into an office.  Our technology, collaboration tools, and goals are designed to focus on productivity, not merely time spent. Our system gets better because it's not about how much time something takes, it is about how efficient and productive it is.

3. Metrics based goals: Because we are productivity focused, we are forced to make sure every goal is measurable.  When every goal is measurable, then chances are it is more clear what needs to be done.  This make it easier to keep your strategy and team focused on the goals that really drive the health of the business.

4. Less interruptions = less wasted time: Offices breed politics, disruptions, excess meetings, etc. We still have group chats in Campfire and on IM, but we've noticed many of the distractions that come with office life are replaced by things like being home when you kids get home from school or being able to make yourself lunch at home. Being virtual replaces the negative interruptions with meaningful interruptions.

5. No commute: This saves everyone of our team members probably at least 10 hours a week and lots of money on transportation, parking, and food costs.  People can use this time to spend with their family, get more rest, on hobbies, and even on being more productive.

6. Flex time: We let our team members work when they are most productive and set their own schedule. We monitor production, not a time clock. We trust our team members to do a great job and as a result they do an even better job.

7. Huge cost savings: There's huge cost savings for the company AND for our team members. They don't have to spend money on gas, tolls, parking, less car maintenance, food away from home, after school daycare, etc.  We don't have to spend money on expensive office space, chairs, desks, equipment, energy, and on and on. To us it's a no-brainer.

8. Rapid innovation cycles: Because we use collaboration technologies and new communications tools we are able to work in smaller teams and innovate more rapidly.  There is no big bureaucracy to slow us down. 

9. No more meetings:  We don't do meetings.  We publish goals and metrics.  We have an ongoing group chat. We build a team run knowledge base and community forums which get smarter with every input. We don't travel to meetings and take our team members away from doing what really matters: building a great service to help more people. We'd rather spend our time doing and less time talking about doing.  Again, because we are metrics focused, people already know what to do.

10. No searching for office space: For those of you entrepreneurs in San Fran or New York you know how much wasted time and energy goes into finding and setting up an office. Imagine never having to do this again. Imagine not ever growing out of your office space. Pretty great dream huh. It's a reality when you go green. It also enables us to focus on innovation rather than operations.

11. Ability to scale quickly: Because we depend on bits, not location, we can scale up or down instantly. This makes us nimble, efficient, and ready for growth and opportunities within minutes not months.

12. Diversity: Our team members come from all over. They live in the community we serve: all over the US. Often time, especially with media, Internet and content companies there's an unintentional bias influenced by the might of a city like New York or San Fran.  Growing up in Iowa, I know that often times the coasts just don't get it:-)  So we're happy we get to bake in a much more diverse perspective and cultural outlook into our product then that of one particular region.

13. Global operations: Again, because we are not constrained by a brick and mortar office, we can leverage resources from overseas whenever it makes sense.

14. Forced to learn new technology: We are an Internet and technology company.  By being forced to practice what we preach, we are early adopters at every turn.  This keeps us ahead of the pack and helps us keep finding new ways to save time, energy, money and increase productivity, quality, and team happiness.

15. Tap the power of part-timers: Lots of people don't want to or can't work full-time jobs, but they have an interest and passion in working part-time.  We get to work with these people too.

16. A 24 hour work cycle: The web is open 24 hours a day and so are we. We don't have the same constraints because our team members are in multiple time zones already.

17. More time with friends and family: One of the best advantages to building this type of business is the ability to be there for your friends and family more.

18. Happier employees: Because our team members don't have to commute, relocate, waste time on the train, can work when they are most productive, and can spend more time with their families, we have happier employees.  Happier employees = more loyal and productive team members.

19. We're Going Green Virtually! We're trying to do our part to help the environment and our team members anyway we can. People don't have to buy gas, we don't use paper, and we don't have a big office to waste energy on.Let's get thousands of companies to do this!

20. Share your thoughts: If you've gone green already please post your feedback on what's worked (or hasn't worked)...

Technology has truly changed everything over the past few years.  We feel blessed that we get the opportunity to build our business this way, and proud to share our wisdom as we grow and evolve.

We hope you'll consider Going Green Virtually soon too.

(Here's a link to our careers page at OrganizedWisdom.  We're always looking for the best team members to join us).

How To Avoid Internet Health Scams - 5 Tips To Protect Yourself From Malicious Health Info

One of the main reasons we decided to build OrganizedWisdom Health is to help people get health information they can trust -- and weed out all of the Web sites that may be malicious, spam index, or out right quackery.

We just published an article on this topic over at Internet Evolution.  You can read the full piece here titled, "Quack Alert: Avoiding Internet Health Scams".

Here are five quick steps informed consumers should take to protect themselves from malicious health information:

1. Start your medical researching at trusted Health Search engines like OrganizedWisdom, Healthline, or Healia.
2. Use trusted health sites that have been certified by accreditation directory URAC or feature HONcode seals on the homepage.
3. Check the source of the information to see if it is sponsored or trying to sell something.
4. Tell your doctor about the online health resources you typically use and ask him or her to recommend medical resources.   
5. Ask your local politicians and representatives to strengthen laws against medical fraud and resources for enforcement.

Finding the best medical Web sites

The American College of Physicians published a useful article this month in ACP Hospitalist listing some of the most useful health Web sites that patients and medical professionals are now using to get health information.

Jessica Berthold's article, Smart surfing: Finding the best medical Websites, points out that "patients aren't the only ones doing the Web surfing. A 2006 article in Postgraduate Medical Journal found that 71% of health care professionals use the Internet regularly for medical or professional updating, and 63% recommend Web sites to patients. The issue for many physicians is not whether to use medical Web sites, but how to find the best ones."

We were happy to be included in the list of useful sites featured on the list patients are using including:

• WebMD Health  is an interactive site with information on more than 90 disease and lifestyle topics, and more than 140 message boards.

• Daily Strength  has support groups for people with more than 500 medical conditions.

• EverydayHEALTH is a general medical news site, with health calculators, polls and discussion boards.

• The HealthCentral Network  is a clearinghouse of community-focused Web sites sorted by specific conditions (e.g., MyDiabetesCentral.com, MyHeartCentral.com).

• OrganizedWisdom  selects and organizes user-generated health content from the Web.

• Revolution Health is a comprehensive, interactive site with articles, discussion boards, disease information and more than 125 consumer-friendly health tools.

We've put our own list together of useful resources our health guides use to find great health resources to create WisdomCards.  We are constantly adding to this list so feel free to send us suggestions.

White Paper Provides Strategy to Help Drug Firms Leverage Social Media Safely

Over the past year and a half, we have met with marketing executives, compliance officers, and lawyers from more than 20 of the world's top pharmaceutical companies to discuss how they could and should be using social media to join the conversation and connect better with patients.

We felt there was (and still is) a significant opportunity for them to leverage the power of social media to share information and education to try and bridge the massive divide that currently exists between Big Pharma and the people who buy their products.

But meeting after meeting, we would be met with resistance to the effect of, "We don't do social media; We don't want to lose control; We can't use blogs..." and so on.

Being the resilient entrepreneurial types that we are, we pressed on determined to convince these companies that a healthy dose of transparency and openness would go a long way in improving relations with customers. We even developed a presentation called Pharma-Friendly Social Media to try and bridge the gap between these companies and their customers. Still, it was always an uphill battle trying to get these companies to start listening and communicating to their own customers. (If they listen, they might learn about adverse events, which is a big no-no.  Then they have to file lots of paperwork and disclose issues that may impact their drugs, etc.).

One of the biggest challenges was that the FDA has yet to issue guidance on how to conduct monitoring and marketing practices in social media so pharmaceutical companies are unsure how to proceed. And as we quickly learned, no one wants to be the guinea pig with new innovations in the pharmaceutical industry. And for good reason, Big Pharma must be cautious, conservative, and follow the letter of the law.

It is unclear when or if the FDA will issue guidance on the many new issues that have come up as a result of social media, the Internet, and online marketing. Until the waters settle, we recommend each company take baby steps and get involved. Bring your marketing teams and compliance teams together to figure out how to take the first steps.

And step one should be reading this new White Paper just co-authored by Fard Johnmar from Envision Solutions.

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Craig Newmark, Founder of CraigsList Shares Site's Secrets To Success

It's easy to see why Craig Newmark and the community posting site he founded in 1995, CraigsList.com, have become so successful (7 billion page views this month! ): a simple vision, consistent follow-thru and the golden rule.

One of the great advantages of being located in a place like New York City, is you frequently get to meet people like Craig and learn from their wisdom and experience.  I was lucky enough to attend Craig Newmark's discussion today at NYU as part of the iBreakfast Series.

Here are some of the nuggets of advice and knowledge he shared today that will be useful to anyone building a community-focused company, product or service: