Business Resources
Often people starting or building their business ask me for advice on this and that—especially about creating a website or blog. (I’ve also posted info about dissolving a corporation. Good things often come to an end!)
If you’re starting an awesome food product business, make sure to check out Foodzie for ideasand the “starting a food business” resources and stories I’ve compiled.
Following are various business services I’ve personally used over the years. Or, if I haven’t used them but they’re good options I explain why. Additional suggestions welcome—and to be sure I will be expanding this resource section.
This blog is hosted on BlueHost and I’m happy to consult with you to get started.
Setting Up Shop
Affordable Business Cards and More from VistaPrint:
FREE Business Cards!
80% OFF Premium Business Cards & FREE Return Address Labels!
Instant Temporary Business Card Maker: Businesscardland saved me when I needed cards within a few minutes. Luckily I had the business card paper on hand. It’s very easy and generates a PDF to print your cards out.
Buying Computers:
Want a Mac? Get free ground shipping on all orders over $50!
or Save up to $100 on a New Mac and Printer!
Phone Calls:
With Skype for Business
international calling is free when you call Skype-to-Skype using a microphone and your computer. With Skype Out and Skype In it’s also cheap to call and receive calls using your Internet connection.
You can also set up conferences and chats.
Faxing:
It’s affordable to get and send faxes by email as well as a toll free number. It’s a good deal when you buy 2 months get the 3rd FREE at MyFax.
I tried them, and it’s especially helpful for fax blasts.
Business Coaching
There are many business coaches to help you plan your company and get motivated. I personally know Starla Sireno and can recommend you check out Fearlessness, Inc. as well as workshops in the San Francisco area and elsewhere. Download for free:
The 5 Biggest Entrepreneurial Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
Passion for Business Coaching offers classes from planning through marketing.
SCORE “Counselors to America’s Small Businesses” brings you valuable insight from retired executives - at no cost - through the Small Business Administration.
Creating and Hosting Your Website
The following sites let you buy a domain name as well as use a wizard to set up your website. Or completely customize the site. Some also offer a “1-click” set up of services such as blogs.
Want to start selling right away?
Open an eBay Store or simply sell on eBay!
For informational sites or e-stores compare Web Hosting packages from Yahoo!
Also BlueHost is a company I’ve used, offering easy web hosting for $6.95 along with a free domain. They also make it easy to set up a blog or a social network like Drupal and Joomla with “1 click.”
For e-book downloads and affiliate programs 1ShoppingCart is a popular solution that also integrates email marketing at an affordable price.
Want a custom design and special functionality? Find designers, writers, and developers on Elance— which has been around for years as a resource for finding freelance talent.
Only need a social networking site? Check out Ning and KickApps, which let you create a community with forums, photos, videos and more. These are great for non-profits.
Contact Susie for help setting up your website or social network.
Only need a blog? Check out Wordpress.com or Blogger. You can pay for an upgrade to customize the design or choose from a variety of offered designs. There are pros and cons to using a “hosted blog service” such as those mentioned and managing a blog yourself, as I do with this blog and some others.
Please contact me for immediate input and I’ll be writing about this soon.
In brief, my pros of each service are:
Wordpress.com: Very well search optimized, many more templates to choose from.
Blogger: You can place Google ads on your blog very easily. More power over modifying templates yourself, if you know how to code.
Customer Engagement and Support
Get Satisfaction is the new, easy way to connect with customers who can provide ideas, discussions, and problem reports in an open transparent way that builds customer loyalty.
Marketing: Comparing Email Newsletter and List Signup Services
I have experience with four popular email services: Constant Contact, Vertical Response, iContact, and AWeber. Some observations:
AWeber
AWeber has powerful features especially related to website signup and auto responders that keep pinging a customer or prospect with information or reminders. I’ve seen a lot of coaches and other service businesses relying on AWeber.
Pricing: Their pricing per month for the value you get with the auto responders seems like the best deal to me. You can send unlimited campaigns. If you’re doing a “tip of the day,” the auto responder would really come in handy.
Caveat: 1) Make SURE to create a password only for their site, as if you cancel the account they ask you for your password. 2) If you want to upload a list of contacts, they send an email to each person asking if they opted in. The other services use your word that your list is an opt-in list.
Constant Contact
They’ve been around for many years and has matured with many email template options, surveys, and more. They have a deal for Email Newsletters - 60 Day Free Trial
.
Pricing: Constant Contact prices per-month, based on how many people are in your online list of contacts (i.e. how many people you’re mailing). Posting your newsletter on the web costs $5 per month, and is only viewable by people on your list; it is not indexed by search engines. If you have a static HTML site you could pretty easily save your newsletter and post them on your own site.
iContact
iContact is good for managing your email lists and newsletters. Get your free trial now!
