Small Business Solutions

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.

Congratulations, you’ve decided to open up a small business! Whether it’s your first foray into the business world or you’re an experienced entrepreneur, you’re probably already thinking about startup expenses and the costs associated with financing a small business.  With so many factors to consider, small business finance can be extremely stressful (if not downright overwhelming).  Fortunately, there are many new services and technological advances that can keep small business expenses to a minimum.   Here are five of our favorites- we hope that they’ll help you launch a successful and financially stable business.

1. Virtual Office Services. Most businesses require a voicemail, a fax machine and a telephone plan.  They may also require multiple extensions, an auto-attendant (automated “receptionist”), conference calling and other upgraded phone service features.  With a virtual office package, all of these services can be purchased for a low monthly fee.  If you want to create a professional image without spending a fortune on individual services, a virtual office should be on your list of necessities when financing your small business.
2. Do-it-Yourself Websites. These days, every business needs a great-looking website.  And, while you can hire an expensive design and programming team, there are also many websites that enable business owners to build their own website at a significantly reduced price.  Do-it-yourself websites can support everything from ecommerce platforms to artistic portfolios and can enhance the professionalism of any enterprise.
3. Online Backups. The last thing any business owner wants to worry about is losing vital information in a computer crash or chance act of nature.  Keeping an online backup is a great way to protect your business’s important information.  If your company doesn’t have many files from its inception, you can begin with a free online backup service, and expand to a paid subscription when you’ve amassed enough files.  This can be a great way to save money while making sure that your data is protected.
4. Reliable accounting. If you’re the creative genius behind your business but aren’t strong in the math department, you’ll need a reliable accountant that can help you keep your facts and figures together.  Depending on the scale of your business, you may want to hire an accountant who can explain the necessary processes and filings with you.  If, however, you are starting as a solo enterprise, you can take advantage of online accounting software that can keep your books balanced and, hopefully, ensure that your company will become profitable.
5. Stationery and printed materials. No matter what type of business you’re in, you’ll probably need some sort of printed materials.  Personalized receipts, business cards, and even shopping bags can help a business markedly advance its branding efforts.  And yet, while personalized and printed items can be expensive, they don’t have to be.  Ordering these items online can save the business owner money and time, as it eliminates the need to travel to and from the printer’s office.

Is there another business expense that you considered a critical when financing your small business?  We’d love to hear about it!

Creating a website these days is easier than ever. Web hosting has become affordable and sophisticated, and there are many web development technologies to choose from.

Content Management Systems (or CMS) are becoming increasingly popular. There is a larger variety of  CMS to choose from, and you can use these systems to create complex, bit sites, with tons of content.

What is a CMS?

A CMS is a software or we application, for creating and processing documents and other content (such as images, video and audio). A content management system is frequently a web application used for managing websites and web content. Often, content management systems require special client software for editing and constructing articles. There are many open-source and proprietary solutions available.

In short, a CMS enables you to fully control the content of your website, making it easier to manage and update it.

The Advantages of CMS

There are many advantages for having your site built with a CMS. Here are some of them:

1. Full control: With a good CMS, you can do anything on your site: add or delete pages, create a blog, add photo galleries and easily update the content of your site.
2. Access from anywhere: If you are using a CMS, all you need to update your site is an internet connection and a browser. There’s usually no need to install software on your computer.
3. Search engine friendly: Popular content management systems, such as WordPress, Drupal and Joomla are very popular with search engines, and make for higher ranking sites.
4. Frequent updates: When it’s easy and fun to update your site, you’ll do so more often. Search engine love updated sites.
5. DIY: Many content management systems are very easy to install. You can build your website all by yourself.
6. Great support: Since many CMS are open-source, they have a huge community that constantly updates the system, creates plugins and add-ons and offers friendly support when you encounter difficulties.

Although everything is digital, and we present our business mainly through our web sites,  a lot of importance still lies on your business card. In a way, your business card represents you and functions as a reminder – it reminds the person you gave it to, that you talked to them and want to do business with them. Many business owners and freelancers use business cards, and they can help you in the marketing of your company. Don’t underestimate the power of the business card and what it can do for you. It portrays the personality and image of your business, and that’s very important.

Business cards come in many shapes and sizes, and there are a lot of unique designs out there. It really depends on your imagination, the skills of your designer and the amount of money you are willing to spend on it.

There are many design possibilities – shape, size, colors, paper type, the information you should print and much more. It’s not easy to decide how to make a good business card, but here are a few tips for you.

Business Card Tips

1. Don’t forget the basics: Before the design and the colors,  just make sure that your name, title, company, address, phone and fax numbers, e-mail, website URL and logo are on there.
2. Check and re-check: Proof-read your card as many times as you need before you send it to print. One mistake in one digit on your phone number, will make a stack of business cards useless.
3. Make sure your card can be scanned: Many people don’t keep the cards, but scan them into their computers. Makes sure the design is clear enough to scan.
4. Stick with the standards: Creating a unique and different business card might make an impression, non-standard cards can’t fit into binders. This way it’s harder for the receiver to keep the card, and they just might throw it away.
5. Consider including your picture: Your picture on the card may help people remember you better.
6. Don’t over-crowd: Your business card should include all the information about you, but it shouldn’t be too crowded with detail, and you should leave some white space for scribbles and notes.
7. Avoid flimsy cards: A thin, feeble card will signal that you put little thought and effort into creating it. Use high-quality cards with a glossy or matte finish for a sharp look. Choose a heavy paper, too.
8. Use both sides: This might make the card a tad more expensive, but it will also give you more room and the ability to use two languages if necessary.

IttyBiz has written an interesting post about Marketing for Small Businesses. Read the post, answer some of the questions and try to find the way to make the right decision for your business.

Here are some interesting question you should ask yourself:

1. What do I love to do so much that it doesn’t feel like work?
2. What could I write in my signature line that would make that person desperate to click my link or call my
   number?
3. What personality traits do I have going for me in my quest to help my right people?
4. What could I do to be interesting to the media?

Read the full post at IttyBiz

A new phishing scam targets the customers of many hosting services. Under the pretext of a system maintenance, the emails are linked to phishing pages which try to collect login information. The emails tell the user, that due to maintenance activities, all FTP data must be updated. Those who take the bait are led to a website formatted to look like a page from cPanel, the widely used website administration program.

The attack is apparently meant to harvest FTP logins for webmasters. Once the logins have been collected, the accounts are then accessed and the sites used to host phishing pages targeting users of online banking sites and other financial services.

Over 90 popular shared Web hosting services have been abused through these automatically generated emails. The message is identical in all of them, but the named company differs.

If you are a webmaster and have received one of these emails, please be sure to contact your hosting provider to reset your passwords immediately. Never give your password or login to a page you don’t recognize. Also, this might be a good time to change passwords and choose some strong ones. Here is a good password generator that will ensure your password is strong.

Small business owners scored a large victory recently when Apple announced that it would now allow VOIP service on its 3G network. Strictly speaking, this means that anyone who uses 3G VOIP won’t be using their allotted cell phone minutes when making phone calls. Instead, they’ll be using their VOIP minutes, which are likely to be unlimited (or, at the very least, to have a higher monthly allotment). The ability to use 3G VOIP can be helpful for any small business who use a lot of monthly cell phone minutes – especially those who already carry a 3G mobile device. It may also make it possible for small business owners to spend money on an iPhone because they will know that they will be able to use 3G VOIP service which will enable them to choose a less-expensive monthly plan.

The downsides of 3G VOIP systems are multiple, but are likely to subside in the coming months as 3G VOIP becomes increasingly popular. Firstly, most 3G VOIP systems allow users to speak only with others who have chosen the same 3G VOIP service. Users of Skype 3G, for example, can only speak to other Skype users. The same holds true for fring. Still, as more and more mobile users begin to use VOIP over 3G, it will likely be that many people have a growing number of friends on their 3g VOIP network. And, because many of these services are free, users can choose the service that most of their friends are registered for, and change if necessary.

Another disadvantage of 3G VOIP is the complexity of the setup, which is not nearly as straightforward as setting up a VOIP system in your home or office. Still, this should not discourage people from making use of this money-saving technology. There are many online tutorials that clearly explain the setup process, and many creative teenagers looking to make a quick buck that will be happy to help you out.

There’s no question that if you’re looking to reduce your monthly cell phone bill or to use your cellular phone more for business-related purposes, using VOIP over 3G can be a worthwhile solution to consider. If you’re not in a rush, you may want to wait a few months to see how the technology develops and advances before investing the time in the installation. But if you are eager to get started, you can easily find some great options that will enhance your business productivity without harming your budget.

Thinking about getting a VOIP phone for your small business, but still not sure?  Why not take a step back, and consider the hidden benefits of having a virtual office service or even just a VOIP phone; the ones that don’t pertain directly to your business but can still be a tremendous asset in your life.  There are so many ways in which running your business is stressful, time consuming and challenging- if the perks can present distinct advantages to your home life, why not enjoy them?  Of course the hidden advantages of having a virtual office may not be immediately obvious, but that’s why I’m here to help point them out.

My favorite benefit of having a virtual office is the inexpensive or free international calls to many countries, depending on the plan you choose.  This may not sound like a necessary feature if your business is domestically-based, but if you have friends or family overseas, you can use your business VOIP service to connect with loved ones without overpaying.  Why wait for a tragedy to strike before reaching out to those you care about?  With the ability to make free international calls to loved ones, you’ll restore that part of your life that you may not have even known you were missing.

Another distinct advantage of having a virtual office for your business is the ability to receive and send online faxes, even if you don’t have a fax machine in your home.  While many individuals don’t see the need to invest in a fax machine for their own home, there are often times in which it is necessary to share data for personal use.  By investing in a virtual office service for your small business, you’ll be able to utilize the online fax services from your home as well- so you’ll no longer need to stand on line at the copy shop in order to send or receive a fax.

Surprisingly, having a toll-free number can also offer a unique advantage for family use, because it can be used by children who need to call home and may be out of area, such as away at sleep away camp.  Why send your child to camp with a cell phone, when you know they can call you from any landline or pay phone?  Similarly, calling card abilities can enable your child to call home from for free from anywhere- even if you don’t have a toll free number.  Having calling card abilities which enable you to use your VOIP service to make calls from anywhere can be extremely useful for those who travel regularly and aren’t excited about using up their cell phone minutes while they’re away from their regular phone.

There’s no question that virtual office services offer fantastic services for small businesses- but the advantages to the business owner’s family should not be overlooked.  Why spend money on these services at home and in the office, when your virtual office services can be easily used for occasional private use?  Even the comfort of knowing that you have these services available is extremely worthwhile- and you may be surprised at how often you actually enjoy them!