IRVINE, California, September 21 /PRNewswire/ --

- Sage products and services help new small businesses get started on the
right foot and established businesses fight back in an unpredictable economy

In today's tough economy, small businesses require software that
encompasses more of their management needs, instant access to information
that is relevant to their business and its challenges, and easy-to-use ways
to keep their existing customers loyal and attract new ones. Sage is
delivering these types of operational systems to help more than 5.8 million
small and mid-size businesses around the world thrive. Enriched offerings
from Sage such as HR411 for Peachtree by Sage, online business communities
like MyBizCounts.com and SageSpark.com, and automated e-mail tools within
ACT! by Sage contact and customer manager are just some of the examples of
how Sage is helping small businesses in North America ride out the recession.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090921/NY78620LOGO )

Building A Solid Foundation for New Small Businesses:

Davidson Chocolate Company, which opened its doors in August 2008 just as
the economy was beginning to tilt in the wrong direction, invested in smart
automation to make sure they had the best chance for success.

"When we first opened, I managed our finances with a bunch of
Microsoft(R) Excel(R) sheets linked together, but that took forever and never
gave me the visibility I needed into our business," said Sue Elliott, Owner,
Davidson Chocolate Company. "With Peachtree, I can easily drill down to
analyze our activity - to see where we've been and where we're going."

Davidson Chocolate is also using online resources to brush up on their HR
skills and save themselves time and money in the process. "Sage gives me
access to HR411.com which has been a great source to help me come to grips
with employment issues. Using it makes me feel like I have this great support
network to rely on that's there just to help me be successful."

As corporate downsizing and business cutbacks continue, more and more
individuals are striking out on their own to form businesses(1). Based on US
Census figures, more than 10 million Americans are self-employed, up from
about 8 million in 1980(2). The number of "non-employer firms" -- businesses
without employees on the payroll -- recently surpassed the 20 million(3)
mark, up from 15 million in the late 1990s,(4) and is expected to grow
further.

Online Resources Offer Sage Advice for Entrepreneurs:

New businesses- or those considering a business- need a place to
kick-start their thinking. Traditionally, friends, family, and business
contacts have been the main sounding boards, but new online resources like
www.MyBizCounts.com and www.SageSpark.com, provide helpful information and
communities for small business owners to exchange best practices and discuss
common issues companies face.

Fiona Walsh, a business coach and SageSpark.com blogger, with clients in
Canada, the United States, Europe, and Australia, perceives an increasing
trend of people building small businesses on the side while keeping their
regular day jobs.

"With all the robust technology currently available it's getting easier
for small businesses to take care of the operations side of their venture,"
said Fiona Walsh, president of FM Walsh & Associates, Inc. "However, over 80%
of the entrepreneurs that I have coached are financially illiterate and do
not have basic financial systems in place."

Walsh offers the following advice to would be entrepreneurs:

- Have a clear idea of what your business offers and how your product or 
      service differentiates from others in the marketplace
    - Write a business plan and follow it
    - From Day 1 - have basic financial tools in place such as invoicing, 
      cash-flow and receipt management

"SageSpark.com, which includes BillingBoss, a no cost invoicing tool that
enables small businesses to get paid quickly and easily in 7 different
languages, does a good job of covering the basics," adds Walsh. "Really, at
the end of the day, self employment is the only true form of modern day job
security."

Focus on Customers for Long-term Success:

In a slow economy, protecting customer relationships is vital, and
contact management software enables the easy cultivation and maintenance of
those precious relationships for small businesses. Hilleary Waters of Capitol
Publications Inc. is succeeding with the help of ACT! by Sage while much of
the publishing industry struggles. Her company has been using ACT! for more
than 10 years to keep track of publication schedules and advertising details.
Waters uses ACT! E-marketing features to create e-mail campaigns that notify
customers when Capitol's monthly online edition of "Life On Capitol Hill" is
available, and an iPod touch(R) with the CompanionLink mobile data synch
add-on for ACT! to keep track of client details when she's away from the
office. "The level of detail we can capture about our subscribers and
business associates, along with the accessibility and portability of this
data has made ACT! an indispensable marketing tool," explains Waters. "ACT!
is helping us make good decisions and manage related activities so we can
succeed in a competitive market."

Sage provides a complete range of business management software and
services for small and mid-sized businesses, including those with
industry-specific needs, such as manufacturers, nonprofits, healthcare
practices, and construction and real estate companies. Sage's range of
solutions supports business start-ups, growing businesses, and mature
businesses, providing support for the life of a business. Information is
available at www.sagenorthamerica.com.

About Sage North America

Sage North America is part of The Sage Group plc, a leading global
supplier of business management software and services. Sage North America
employs more than 4,100 people and supports nearly 2.9 million small and
medium-size business customers. The Sage Group plc, formed in 1981, was
floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and now employs 14,500 people
and supports 5.8 million customers worldwide. For more information, please
visit the Web site at www.sagenorthamerica.com.

(C)2009 Sage Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Sage, the Sage logos,
Peachtree, ACT!, and the Sage product and service names mentioned herein are
registered trademarks or trademarks of Sage Software, Inc. or its affiliated
entities. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

(1) Challenger, Gray and Christmas, "Challenger Job Market Index," July
30, 2009

(2) US Census data:
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/tables/09s0581.pdf

(3) US Census data: Nonemployer Statistics for All Sectors, 2006:
http://www.census.gov/epcd/nonemployer/2006/us/US000.HTM

(4) US Census data: Nonemployer Statistics for All Sectors, 1997:
http://www.census.gov/epcd/nonemployer/1997/us/US000.HTM