Small Business Solutions

We all know how technologies like VoIP, video-chat and online fax make it easy to have a virtual office. Stay at home and set up video-conference when it’s time for a meeting. But here’s a new spin on that: Virtual internships.

Some problems with this immediately jump to mind. When I did an internship, one of the great things that I took away was an idea of how an office worked. Although I was given small, basic level assignments as befit an intern, my supervisors made sure that I was also given insight into the project as a whole and the way the business was run. I was allowed to sit in on meetings that weren’t strictly relevant to me and listen in on conversations with clients, even if I wouldn’t be working on their projects. It was those things, just as much as the work I did, that taught me about the field I was thinking of entering. I just don’t know if you can get those things over the phone and from scheduled video conferences.

Once again however, the question depends on the purpose of an internship. Learning about the field before you enter it is the primary goal for some interns, but not all. Others simply want to build up their resume before entering the job search. This does that, since after even a virtual internship a student can prove that they have handled certain tasks.

Another option is to combine virtual internships with another kind of training. Columbia University for example, provides time management and virtual communication training so that students can get the most possible out of their virtual internships.  Some companies take on regular summer interns, but allow students to continue the work throughout the year from home or college campuses. These students have been able to get a look inside the company and can also add a consistent job to their resume and sometimes even get hired full time by the company once they have finished their degree.

At the end of the day however, even a straight-up virtual internship has advantages, primarily for students who may not be able to afford commuting or living far away from their home or dorms. Although this may not be the ideal internship, it is still better than what would have otherwise been available. Virtual internships are also an opportunity for adults who may already be supporting a family, to learn about a new field or set up their resume for a career switch without leaving their jobs.

Bottom line, I think I have to chalk up another point to modern technology. It’s important to be careful not to confuse an in-house internship with a virtual one. The advantages are not the same and serve very different purposes. But they even the playing field. When the job market is tight, every advantage is important to job seekers and those advantages can come at a cost. I can’t argue with a resume booster that requires nothing more than hard work.

I hate paperwork. I know: who doesn’t? But I differentiate between paperwork that gets filled out at the bank or doctor’s office and paperwork that ends up in my pile of unsorted papers at home. If I can check things off, sign it and hand it to someone else to deal with, I’m a happy camper. It’s when things get stuck in my home office that the problems begin.

Besides my tendencies to procrastination and disorganization, I also run into the simple problem of lack of machinery. I’ve been asked to send signed documents, but without a fax machine or scanner that involves an extra errand to a copy store. With the aforementioned tendency to procrastination, that usually means the task will be carefully avoided for the next month, until the paperwork is now out of date and the process has to start from the beginning.

Yesterday, Mashable posted an article with a number of solutions to this problem. These included a number of mobile apps to let you scan documents by taking pictures of them with the camera built into your smartphone. Not only would this solve my equipment problem but these apps are full of great extra tools that might also help with organization. Here are just some of the great things they do:

• Integrate with Dropbox, Mobile.me, Evernote, Google Docs
• Digitize and touchup handwritten documents
• Scan business cards and import the information to your contact lists and LinkedIn account
• Image editing
• Text search within a PDF
• Online fax
• Categorize receipts and coupons and even create expense reports
• Secure email

It’s this kind of thing that makes me consider getting a smartphone. But for those of us who weren’t lucky enough to get an iPhone as a gift this holiday season, Mashable did suggest one more option. Doxie is a portable scanner which looks like a shiny black stick with a slit through the middle to run the page through. It uploads directly to the Cloud and can be accessed by most computers and mobile devices.

Whether or not this kind of thing is enabling my procrastination habit, I have to cheer for it. Here is yet another technology that allows me to avoid changing out of my slippers.

If you check out the VoIP reviews on Consumer-Rankings.com you’ll see some pretty impressive features. Some providers offer toll free numbers, hold music, conference calling and even free fax services. These professional features can make you feel like you’re talking to an important executive in a downtown office, when in fact it’s a small business owner sitting at home in his pajamas. The technological beauty of it is, you get the same service and small business owners don’t have to scrape together rent for a fancy office.

Now a bigger business is turning that around. Plantronics, a California company that makes wireless headsets, has set up their office on the assumption that telecommuting technology can replace coming in to work in the morning. In fact, in their new Santa Cruz office, they haven’t even bothered putting in enough desk space for everyone employed there. Instead, there are giant screens all around the office.

The office is designed so that telecommuting can easily replace any interaction you might have at work. There are rooms set up for small meetings, large meetings and “focus rooms” for working alone.  There are even screens in the cafeteria, I assume so that employees can join their coworkers for lunch.

Plantronic’s European division made the switch to encouraging telecommuting when government orders came in telling them to reduce their carbon footprint. It must have worked out for the best because the Santa Cruz office is doing it in order to make employees more efficient and let them work in the environment that is most comfortable for them.

At first, this sounded great to me: I could get errands done when I needed, work out in the middle of the day and waste no time traveling. On the other hand, mobility makes it difficult to draw the line between work and personal life. Although for me personally, the bigger fear would be that putting on shoes would start to feel like an imposition.

In 2011, one could say that fax machines are a thing of the past; and they would have a point. Who wants to use so much paper anymore? That’s why so many businesses are switching to online fax services or E-Fax. E-fax is a service that allows you to send and receive faxes through the internet (digitally) without the use of an actual fax machine. For companies trying to keep up with the technology today or a company that’s going “green” this is a great service to have. I’d like to take this one step further. How about having your E-Fax service connected to your mobile devices? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to send a receive faxes while away from your PC?

A Smartphone, net book, tablet or laptop are all mobile devices that come with 3G and/or wifi. Once you are connected to the internet with these devices, you will have the ability to send and receive faxes through these mobiles. Why is this so important? The first reason is because we are not always at the office or near an actual fax machine and sometimes thing are pertinent. Having E-fax on your mobile device provides you with the liberty to work from home and be away without the stress that you can’t be reached. Say you have a client that needs something urgently but still uses a classic fax machine. They can send you a fax from their analog source (classic fax machine) and you can receive the forms digitally. Secondly, it’s a cost efficient way to communicate with your customers. With a conventional fax machine, you need paper, ink and toner which can add up. You also won’t have an extra phone line to pay for. Since E-fax is sent digitally through the internet, it won’t take up your phone line as it would with a classic fax machine. You are still able to talk on you mobile while receiving or sending a fax. Having your online Fax Service “mobilized” is something you won’t regret because it will save you time and money. Isn’t that the bottom of business?

It is no secret that the mobile industry is changing the world as we know it. This is already obvious when it comes to the world of technology but there are many industries that are completely low tech and are now seeing the effects of mobile technology. Some examples include the billing, sports, gaming, travel, and even the translation industry. One more market that is now beginning to see the effects of mobile is foreign exchange. What was once a completely real life hand to hand transaction is now taking place online and Forex brokers reviews are now starting to talk about mobile trading and how it is changing the market.

Many Forex brokers are now trying to separate themselves by offering full-fledged mobile trading for their traders. The advantages of this platform are obvious. The trader can now open and close positions and does not need to be confined in their home or office but can trade on the go. This also provides traders with a more flexible schedule since they won’t be required to stay near a computer in order to trade Forex.

Mobile trading platforms come in all shapes and sizes but can be categorized into two basic groups: web-based mobile platforms and native mobile applications (aka apps). Both web-based and native mobile applications have advantages and disadvantages, and traders should choose their mobile trading platform based on their own preferences and trading styles.

The following are some key advantages of the two types of mobile trading platforms:

Web-Based Forex Trading Platform
Advantages:

• Trade from any web-enabled device irrelevant of location
• Personal settings and information backed up virtually
• Software is always up to date with no need for manual updates

Disadvantages:

• Slower performance and response time
• Cloud backups may cause security issues
• Fewer customization options and updates pushed to you from the server

Native Mobile Trading Platform
Advantages:

• Higher performance
• Information stored locally for extra security
• Highly customizable

Disadvantages:

• No flexibility with the application installed on one device
• Updates must be done manually
• More prone to bugs

It may be impossible to say which type of mobile trading platform is better and it depends on the preference of each individual trader. One thing that Forex brokers reviews are saying with full certainty, is that the world of foreign exchange trading is not what is was three years ago and is also not what it will in three years from now, thanks to modern mobile technology.

Hillel Fuld is the Content Manager of DailyForex.com. DailyForex is a leading site in the foreign exchange industry and provides traders with up to date Forex news, analysis, articles, and tips. In addition, DailyForex offers professional reviews of the web’s leading Forex brokers, which enables traders to make a more educated decision when choosing a Forex broker.

Are you a web designer or webmaster looking for a bit of extra revenue?  Actually…aren’t we all looking for a bit of extra income?  If you’re a web designer or webmaster, reseller hosting may be just what you’re looking for.  Reseller hosting is an arrangement in which you purchase a large web hosting package from the web host of your choice, and you break down the storage, bandwidth and disk space into smaller chunks which can be sold to your clients.  And, while reseller hosting may sound like a get-rich quick scheme, it isn’t – you’ll need a bit of technical knowledge and the ability to convince your clients that hosting through your company is a savvy decision.  Read on to determine if reseller hosting is the logical next step for your small business.

Reseller Hosting for Webmasters

If you’re in the business of building websites, you’ve probably found that after the initial building of the site, a client becomes merely a sporadic source of income instead of a constant source of work.  Reseller hosting will keep you connected to each client on a regular basis and will provide you with residual income long after the initial project is complete.  Although your income from reseller hosting client won’t be significant, the combination of a few sales of hosting packages will provide noticeable results on your overall income.

In addition, if you’re a savvy businessperson, you’ll be able to sell parts of the web hosting account separately to your clients.  Many of your clients, especially those who aren’t specifically web savvy, will be willing to pay you for reports that come standard with most web hosting packages, because it will prevent them from having to access the reports and analyze the data independently.  Likewise, you can make even more money by selling additional site security packages, domain names or other add-ons with each web hosting package.

Reseller Hosting for Web Designers

As a web designer, you probably know about the basics of building a website, even if you’re not an expert webmaster.  By taking your knowledge of what it takes to build a website, you’ll be able to explain to your clients why they need hosting services, and why buying them from you will be easier than buying a web hosting package directly from the hosting company.  While you probably won’t be using the host directly, you can take advantage of this arrangement by having reselling hosting services that can directly benefit you, such as those with a site builder that you can use to easily edit your pages.

Choosing a Web Host for Resale

Many web hosts offer reseller programs that can enable you to make money easily while providing your clients with quality web hosting.  Before you make a deal with a specific host, consider the pricing and packages that they offer as well as your projected needs.  If for any reason you’re not able to sell part of the package, you’ll want to minimize your loss.  On the other hand, if you’re able to sell more than you’d originally planned, you’ll want to be working with a web host that will be flexible enough to meet your needs.

Good luck with this new part of your business!

This is it. You are on your own – no longer an employee, but a small business owner or a freelancer. It’s exciting and scary at the same time. Finally, you get to do all things you wanted to and fulfill your dreams. On the other hand, job security gets a whole new meaning.

There are many advantages about being a business owner, and some disadvantages, as well.  Here’s a quick look at what to expect.

Pros

1. You are your own boss - No more annoying authoritative figure that hovers over you all day long. No need to pretend you respect a person that’s a total failure. No one to boss you around but yourself.
2. Flexible time - You set your own meetings, there’s not set time in which you need to get up and get to the office, and you can decide when you’ve had enough work for the day.
3. No office politics and quarrels - No more fighting about where to go to lunch, or what music you can hear in the open space. You are now master of your domain and get to decide how things are done.
4. Lower expenses - If you are working from home, which a lot of small business owners are, then you save a lot of money on commuting, eating out and formal clothing.
5. Choosing your clients – As an employee in a company, you pretty much take the clients given to you, no questions asked. As a business owner, you get to choose those you want to work with. You can even choose NOT to work with a specific client, if you consider them to be too much trouble.

Cons

1. Income isn’t a sure thing - When you were on a salary, paid by someone else, you basically knew how much you earned each month, and could plan your budget accordingly. As a freelance or a small business owner, income depends on the amount of projects you have and your own marketing efforts. Being independent means that you have periods of feast or famine, and you have to be prepared for that.
2. The work day is never really over - Although your time is much more flexible now, you can still find yourself working late hours and answering phone calls on the weekends. You will find yourself thinking about work and projects a lot more than when you were an employee.
3. You can’t slack around - There’s no one to take the blame for you when a project isn’t finished on time. You have to have a work discipline and finish your tasks on time – and there’s no one to tell you to do that. It’s not easy to avoid distractions and procrastination, but you have to do it anyway.
4. Bureaucracy -  Meet the authorities! Now you don’t have a choice and you have to deals with aspects of bureaucracy you’ve never met before. Hiring an accountant or a lawyer might help, but you can’t always afford it and many times you’ll have to deal with the authorities yourself.
5. You can’t stop marketing yourself - It’s not easy to sell yourself, but you have to do it. Basically, you have to do it all the time, because you need to make sure you have a constant flow of projects to insure an income. A lot of people find this task problematic and difficult. There are many ways to market yourself these days, with the help of the internet, and it’s easier than it used to be. Still, you can’t stop marketing yourself when you own your own business.

Running a business isn’t easy. You have to work hard, be efficient and do many things yourself, to cut on costs – especially if you are a freelance or running a small business.

There are many internet sites that can help you run your business more smoothly. Here are some of the best financial management tools online.

#1

FreshBooks is a very popular site for online invoicing. Using this site, you can send and manage all of your invoices online, track expenses, re-bill clients and even manage your accounting issues through the site. The site is free to try, and it’s very successful among freelancers and small business managers.

#2

BillMyClients.com is a very good invoicing and billing service. Whether you’d like to do it yourself or have them do it for you, it’s an optimal billing solution.

The site’s most popular plan allows you to quickly and easily create and send an unlimited number of detailed invoices to your clients via e-mail for $11.99 per month. For an additional fee, they’ll send a hard copy to your client via the US Postal Service as well.

#3

Zoho Invoice is a very useful, low cost invoicing system. With this site, you can create, send and track invoices, deal with foreign currencies in quotes and invoices, use their invoice templates, and run reports on your activity.

A basic account, with 5 invoices per month, is absolutely free. The basic plan, which allows for 25 invoices per month, costs $8.

#4

Bill4Time is a time tracking software, designed to handle time and expense tracking and billing, project management, document filing and scheduling for firms who bill for their time.

The Bill4Time software helps you get more organized, be more productive, and bill more time. It has features like remote access, backups, security, and automated e-mail alerts.

#5

XE Currency Converter

This is a rather basic financial tool, but can really come in handy if you are working with foreign currency.

Exchange rates fluctuate a lot, so it’s a good idea to have a resource like this handy for a quick calculation before sending out a quote or bill a client. XE is free to use, which is also a great advantage.

Web applications make our lives easier – they can be accessed from almost anywhere, they are usually cheap or free and they are mostly very easy to use.

Using good web apps can really help you save time, money and effort. If you are a small business owner, web apps can turn things around for you, and enable you access to very sophisticated management tools and other aids.

2009 presented us with some marvelous web applications. We picked 10 of them for you to take a look and enjoy.

10 Great Web Applications – 2009

1. PhotoSnack - PhotoSnack offers a great and easy way to create slideshows. This web app lets you create photo slideshows and online photo galleries for free, and also offers you multiple ways of sharing and publishing your photo slideshows.
2. Adobe BrowserLab - This useful tool from Adobe is designed to make the life of web developers much easier – with it, you can preview and test your webpages on leading browsers and operating systems – on demand. You get full screenshots and can customize your test settings.
3. Office Live - This Microsoft web service enables you to store up to 5GB, share with anyone, and collaborate on a single document. You can view Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint files from your Web browser.
4. DimDim - A free web conferencing service,  that lets everyone everywhere to communicate using rich media in real time. Dimdim is easy to use and completely free, so web meetings are made available to everyone.
5. Color Scheme Designer - A wonderful tool for designers and web developers. This web app has increased precision and color space conversions, better preview, enhanced scheme creation system, unique scheme IDs and permanent URL of the scheme.
6. PDF to Excel - A very useful conversion tool. Use PDF to Excel to quickly and easily create highly-editable XLS files, making it a cinch to re-use tables and spreadsheets from PDF files in Microsoft Excel, OpenOffice, Google Docs, and WordPerfect Office.
7. Creatly - A tool for creating online diagrams. Create fast, professional looking diagrams with Creately‘s large library of objects and easy start templates. Now you can draw anything easily.
8. 247Webmonitoring - Even if you have the best hosting service, you need to keep an eye on your site’s up-time. This web app will monitor your website 24X7 from their servers and notify you whenever your site goes down, so that you can quickly address the issue and keep your customers happy.
9. Preezo - If you can’t afford PowerPoint, this is the solution for you. Preezo enables you to create professional quality presentations using an ultra-fast Ajax user interface.
10. Live Mesh - With Live Mesh, you can synchronize files with all of your devices, so you always have the latest versions handy. Access your files from any device or from the web, easily share them with others, and get notified whenever someone changes a file. Very useful for people who are always on the go.

Few would argue that the primary goals of a virtual PBX are to provide a small business owner with a professional telephone answering service and to reduce the costs associated with other useful telephone services. But in developing and marketing today’s virtual office services, many companies have masked these fundamental goals by offering a laundry list of ‘fantastic’ features that may detract consumers from determining which services they really need. As savvy consumers and business owners, however, it is our obligation to see through these marketing ploys, so that we don’t overpay for services we really won’t use.

Still, while many virtual PBX features may seem extraneous, there are some ‘extras’ that can be surprisingly useful. Here are 5 virtual office features that can contribute greatly to the professionalism and efficiency of any small business.

1. Call recording. Even if you think that you’ll never need to record a call, you may be amazed at how useful this feature can be when making verbal agreements- and making sure that they are implemented properly.
2. Calling cards. You may not be traveling a lot (or at all) for business right now, but even for the once a year that you go on vacation, having the ability to use your virtual PBX service from anywhere can really be useful, and can save you money on your travel phone bills.
3. Call logs. While you may not be concerned about using your call logs to keep track of your minute usage, call logs can be useful for looking up lost or misplaced phone number of people that have called in- or that you’ve called and need to contact again.
4. Call handling rules. Sure, it’s nice to forget about work when you’re away from your desk. Unfortunately, small business owners often don’t have that luxury, as a missed call can mean lost business. When set up properly on your virtual PBX, call handling rules enable you to reroute your business calls to your cell phone, your home phone, or any other phone that you desire, so that you are always available when your clients need you.
5. Email and SMS voicemail delivery. It may be easy to press the play button on your answering machine, but that requires standing near the machine. With email voicemail delivery, you can receive messages from your virtual office service wherever you have internet access, which is incredibly convenient for small business owners who don’t spend much time sitting at their desk.