12 Websites You Need To Be Using As An Entrepreneur

Written by Chris on September 9, 2008 – 1:00 pm -

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What’s up guys? There are literally thousands of websites and services out there that help entrepreneurs and small business owners to run their business, promote and market themselves, and control the chaos. However, deciding which ones to use is the problem. Here is a list of some of the best services out there that you need to be using or at least looking at for your small business.

Twitter
Twitter allows you to update your followers with what is going on, what you are doing, and what you want to talk about. Limited to 140 characters, you have the opportunity to reach a wide audience with your messages. Following people and having followers is the key to success on Twitter -  you need to build your audience. The micro-blogging platform is free and super easy to use via the web or text messaging. Join, start following, advertise your business, services, or products and watch your business grow.
Website: http://www.twitter.com
Cost: Free

Facebook
What - you’re not on Facebook? What the hell are you thinking? Start a profile for yourself, start a page for your business, and start adding your friends. Use Facebook as an avenue to connect with customers on a whole different level. You can also find your friends from college, high school, and former workplaces. Interact with your friends and start talking up your business. Refer people to your business’s Facebook page or group and get them to join it. As people start joining, others will see the notice on their feeds that their friends are joining your group - which may entice them to join themselves. This is a great way to grow your audience and potential customer base. The social aspects of Facebook are also great - upload and share pictures, links, stores, and more.
Website: http://www.facebook.com
Cost: Free

FreshBooks
Looking for a good and easy way to invoice your clients, track your time, or track your expenses? Then check out FreshBooks! The free service will allow you to add a few clients and the paid version will allow for more, but basically you can send invoices to your clients through email and share documents with them as well. The service is great for someone like a web designer or developer that needs to share documents and information constantly with their clients.
Website: http://www.freshbooks.com
Cost: Free or $14/month and up

Basecamp
Project management and collaboration can be a tricky thing when you are small and just starting out. When you are working with a lot of other people on a project, it is key to keep everyone on the same page. Basecamp from 37Signals will help you do that! Basecamp will allow you to customize your management area look and feel, share it with your customers or team members, and share all kinds of documents and information. Anything from 37Signals is a helpful tool for your business, so check out their other services as well.
Website: http://www.basecamphq.com/
Cost: 30 day free trial or $25/month and up

SmartyPig
If you are looking to save up some of your businesses income and hold on to it for a big purchase of new equipment or other needs for your business, then you need to look in to SmartyPig. SmartyPig allows you to set up savings goals and have money deposited into a savings account direct from your bank account each month. I use them for mostly personal savings goals, but business savings goals are definitely a great idea. The people at SmartyPig are awesome and offer great support, so I strongly recommend them - the best part? It’s free!
Website: http://www.smartypig.com
Cost: Free

LinkedIn
If you don’t like Facebook because you feel there is too much info free for searching and not enough privacy, check out the more professional social network, LinkedIn. LinkedIn has been around for a good while, maybe even longer than Facebook? LinkedIn allows you to connect with collegaues, classmates, and other professionals in similar industries…or just random people like Facebook. However, LinkedIn is focused more on the professional side of social networking and growing your connections. You can have people endorse you to help you grow your presence and you don’t have to really worry about any crazy party pictures of you doing a keg stand showing up on your managers Facebook feed (wouldn’t that suck?).
Website: http://www.linkedin.com
Cost: Free

Google Analytics
I could not create a list of useful websites without having at least one Google product on it. Analytics is an awesome visitor tracking program that Google has developed. All you need to do is slap a few lines of code on your site and let it be. Analytics will automatically start tracking your sites visitors - telling you where they are coming from, how long they are staying, what pages they are visiting, and much much more. The best part? Like most things from Google, it is free! There is no reason that you should not be using the program to track your site traffic and evaluate what is working for you.
Website: http://www.google.com/analytics
Cost: Free

YouTube
Social media is a huge part of the web 2.0 revolution and is attracting many more people and businesses to the internet. One way to take advantage of social media and viral marketing is through uploading videos that you create to free video sharing websites such as YouTube. YouTube allows you to upload any video you make (as long as it is under its file size requirements) and share it with your friends, embed it in your website, or post it on other websites such as Facebook. YouTube offers an amazing way to find new customers and visitors for your website. By displaying your website name, logo, or web address in your videos, you will see some traffic come from YouTube…as long as the video is good and people are watching it! If you’re looking to brand yourself and your business, start making some videos and posting them on YouTube!
Website: http://www.youtube.com
Cost: Free

Mint
Looking for a good free way to manage your finances and keep track of your spending? Then you should check out Mint. Mint allows you to link pretty much any bank account, credit card account, and online payment account (like PayPal) to your Mint account and see a summary of your spending and your total income/debt. You can then see trends as to what you are spending the most on and what you need to cut back on. Mint also provides you with different opportunities to save money by switching banks or credit card offers.
Website: http://www.mint.com
Cost: Free

StartupNation
StartupNation is a community website for entrepreneurs featuring step-by-step advice, videos, podcasts, and many resources. The website also features a pretty active forum. StartupNation is definitely a site to keep an eye on as you work on developing your business and have questions you want to try to get answered.
Website: http://www.startupnation.com
Cost: Free

Young Go Getter
Young Go Getter is an active forum for entrepreneurs. You can definitely get the help you need from this group of dedicated people with their knowledge spanning a wide array of industries and technologies. If you have questions about an industry, looking for some help, or just want a place to hang out, then check out YGG.
Website: http://www.younggogetter.com
Cost: Free

Young Entrepreneur
A community of entrepreneurs and want to be entrepreneurs exceeding more than 5000 members strong, YE is a site to visit and visit often. Although some of the content may not always be the most relevant or it may be ’spam’ posts, if you have the time to sort through and find the good stuff, then it is worth it. I talked with the creator a couple weeks back and he says things are in the works to make YE much better in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out! This group of helpful people can definitely be a benefit to you and will help you in any way they can!
Website: http://www.youngentrepreneur.com
Cost: Free

And finally, of course, Dorm Room Biz is always one of the best places to get help as a student entrepreneur!

What are your favorite websites to check and resources to refer to when you need some help?

Tags: 37 Signals, Analytics, Basecamp, facebook, FreshBooks, Google, LinkedIn, MySpace, smartypig, twitter, Viddler, web 2.0, YouTube
Posted in Blogging, Business Ideas, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Monetizing Websites, Reviews | 12 Comments »

Keeping Focused in IT

Written by Bobby on April 4, 2008 – 12:21 pm -

It is very safe to say that the modern work industry is not only fast-paced but also an easy place to find yourself distracted. Below are five helpful tips that help me throughout the week.

Don’t Take On Too Much At Once
This is something we’re all guilty of. We want to jump out, show we can take on a heavy workload and get the job done. What we don’t realize is that after time it takes a threatening toll on our health, focus, and ability to perform. Pay close attention to the amount of time you have and the amount of time it will take to complete the tasks you take on. Remember - sleep and time outside the office dictate how stressed you get in the long run!

When Stumped, Dont’ Google Solutions First
What? We live in a digital age and I’m not recommending to hit Google first? That’s correct! Yes - there are a ton of message boards out there you can find through Google that have probably come across the same issue that you’re having. Sadly though, by going this route first you put yourself into dangerous area for procrastination.

If you’re stumped, try walking away from the situation for five minutes or so to catch your thoughts. Then, once back in the office, try drawing out your project and how you think it should work. Trace your steps and go into more detail on the task at hand. Weirdly enough, this has usually helped me find areas that I may overlook to being caught up in finishing a project.

Coordinate
Sometime’s it is tough to build a routine in the IT industry. If you can, try to implement certain elements of your day into a set schedule. Maintenancing your e-mail early in the morning, reviewing your calendar for tomorrow’s activities in the late afternoon, finishing projects in the early morning can all be effective ways to combat procrastination and loss of time. Try tackling projects early on in the day while you are the most awake and energetic. Finish your day off with the least important activities or the ones that require the least amount of energy.

Read Up!
It’s rather nice to keep up with all of the news in your related field. Although it may not relate to your company at large, a lot of what happens in the industry can either help or disrupt you in the long run. Keep up-to-date with whats going on. As cliche as it sounds, knowledge truly is power.

Retouch Your Skills
In this industry, it is impossible to use your entire skillset in one single day or week. I’ve found that retouching certain skills, techniques, or software can maintain your knowledge of the respective area. Who knows, you may even learn more about it than you knew before.

As you can see, these are 5 random points of advice. The IT industry is truly growing and with that comes with responsibilities that will only grow in time. Keep your mind healthy, knowledgeable, and free to think and you will find much more comfort in your abilities and career.

Bobby Hash is a Systems Developer & Business Analyst for The Results Companies / CAI.
For more information, check out www.bobbyhash.com.

Tags: Google, IT, Management, Productivity, Time
Posted in Motivation | 2 Comments »