At the end of last week, quite a few emails came through announcing updates to a few of my favorite home business tools. The two I will talk about in today’s post are both free small business tools I use and have reviewed here in the past with exciting new features.

Thumbtack Improvements

Thumbtack keeps getting better and better. The leads they have been sending over have picked up in frequency over the past month or two. In a notification last Friday, they mention they you can now accept credit card payments from your Thumbtack clients through their system.

Here is how this works: They send you a lead. You send your lead a quote. Your lead can accept your quote and authorize a credit card using Thumbtack’s new Book It Now feature. Or, you can choose to send your Thumbtack client an invoice though the Thumbtack system once your work is complete. The client can then pay your invoice online using the same system. The money collected is then sent to you via direct deposit, PayPal or check.

This may prove to be a valuable alternative to those that prefer not to use PayPal.

Mozy Now Offers Syncing

Mozy is a service that I have used for years. Having lost everything on my computer in the past and having gone through more than one computer since I started working virtually, this is one of the home-based business tools that I won’t ever go without. And for my needs, I have never paid a cent for it.

Mozy now has a feature called Stash. Stash is a syncing feature that allows users to sync files on up to five devices (computers, smart phones, and tablets). Users will also be able to access the sync folder via the web as well. No more emailing files to yourself. No more USB drives. No more having to utilize yet another online service for remote access. Syncing is done automatically as you work.

Any user who signs up for a MozyHome account before April 15th will have access to this feature free of charge.

MozyHome Pricing

• Up to 2GB of storage is always free. No payment information required for signup.
• Up to 50GB on one computer is $5.99/month.
• 125 GB on three computers is $9.99/month.

If you will require a paid plan, you can get 10% off MozyHome with promo code STASH..

What home business tools can you not live without? 

It’s been a big week over at Intuit. Wednesday, they announced their new GoPayment reader was ready to be shipped to GoPayment users. If you have a small business that makes face-to-face sales – crafters, direct sales reps, daycare providers, etc. – this reader will allow for smartphone credit card processing on the go.

This device plugs into the audio jack of your Apple, Android or other compatible smartphone. Information is encrypted to ensure safety. The app is free and the reader is free. You can choose from two plans depending on your sales volume:

• Pay-As-You-Go has no monthly fee, 2.7% swipe rate and 3.7% key rate.
• High-Volume is $12.95 per month, 1.7% swipe rate and 2.7% key rate.

No setup fee, no monthly minimums, and no tranactions fees for either plan.

Never Miss a Sale. Try Intuit GoPayment and take Credit Cards on any Mobile Phone

Next up – QuickBooks Online is my accounting software of choice. I have used it for several years. I have clients that use it. It’s a great online product for tracking your business income, expenses and invoices. For a Limited Time, Get 50% Off QuickBooks Online for One Year! Offer ends January 31st, so Act Fast!. You only have a few short days to take advantage of this sale. Don’t miss it!

A couple of great business deals were in my inbox this morning. We have a StudioPress discount code and more.

StudioPress

The price of the StudioPress Pro Plus All-Theme Package will go up on Tuesday, January 31, 2012. Until Monday, you can get all 44 StudioPress child themes, plus every child theme design they make in the future, for only $299.95.

Starting today, you can get 10% off your Pro Plus purchase by using the discount code TEN.

Mavenlink

Mavenlink brings complete end-to-end project management to the cloud, giving you a single source to manage your projects, collaborate with clients and colleagues, track time and expenses, share documents, and synchronize with Intuit QuickBooks. Sign up before February 6 and get Mavenlink Expert Plus 50% off forever.

Celebrate the GoDaddy Bowl on January 8th, 2012 with a new $5.99 .com domain. This is the perfect time to snag a new domain as .com URLs will go up in price on January 15. Tackle the web today!

Contracts are imperative to freelance success. If you aren’t already aware of that, you will be the first time a client tries to skate off without payment or restructure a project entirely under the original payment terms. Getting a contract signed can be time-consuming under the wrong circumstances however. Contracts are lost in cyberspace. No one uses fax anymore. You sure don’t want to wait for postal delivery. Utilizing a service that captures electronic signatures can make managing contracts a lot easier.

You may already be familiar with EchoSign if you are on the receiving end of many contracts. Several companies that I work with in both my blogging and home business worlds use this system. Lucky for us, it is extremely affordable.

Features

EchoSign will allow you to import or upload your business contract from your computer, Dropbox, Evernote or Google Docs. If you simply need an I-9, W-4 or W-9 for a new employee or contractor, you can use the forms they have available in their Document Library.

Contracts or other forms can be emailed from within your dashboard. You can choose whether you want an e-signature or fax signature, password protection and/or form fields.

EchoSign will track the process of your document. You will be able to see when the recipient views, signs, declines and/or forwards your document.

Once the document has been signed, a copy is sent to both parties. EchoSign will also keep a copy in your account.

You can integrate your eFax number.

You can store your personal electronic signatures.

You can keep your frequently used documents in your personal digital library.

EchoSign Apps will integrate the system with some of the web’s biggest leaders; Salesforce, Google, Zoho, DropBox, Evernote, eFax and more.

It also works with most smartphones.

Cost

Free: One user, up to 5 transactions per month, the last 5 documents are archived

Pro: $14.95 per month, one user, unlimited transactions per month, last 500 documents are archived

Additional upgrades are also available.

For freelancers that focus on contracting long-term clients, the free plan may be perfect. If your home business concentrates on one-off projects, the Pro plan may be necessary.

EchoSign’s free plan requires no payment information upon registration. You can upgrade/downgrade your plan at any time.

Have you used EchoSign to acquire electronic signatures and for managing contracts?

Truly free project management tools are often hard to come by. Many of the free online project management posts I come across are referencing companies that simply offer a free trial of their services. The options below all have at least a free limited version available if they are not free entirely. All are also web-based.

Zoho Projects

• Task Management and Milestones
• Integrates with Google Apps
• Invoicing
• File Sharing
• Email Collaboration
• Import MS and Basecamp Projects
• Reports
• App for Mobile
• Calendar

Pivotal Tracker was created by software developers. Many features may be unnecessary for most freelancers.

• Simple to Use
• Integrates with Lighthouse, JIRA, Zendesk, Get Satisfaction, Bugzilla and more
• Paid plans allow real-time collaboration

Free: Up to 5 projects, no collaborators

Paid: $7 to $175 per month based on number of collaborators and projects

Mavenlink

• File Sharing
• Email Integration
• Invoicing & Time Tracking
• Custom Branding
• Work History
• Integrates with Google Apps
• Team Collaboration

Free: 3 Active Projects, 500 MB Storage

Paid: $39 to $79 per month

TeamLab

• Task Management and Milestones
• Time Tracking
• Mobile Version
• Reports
• Team Discussions
• Cloud, Open Source or AMI models
• Import data from Basecamp, Google Docs, Zoho or Box.net

Free: Always

Teambox

• Integrates with Google Docs and Dropbox
• iPad and iPhone Apps
• Time Tracking
• Task Lists
• File Sharing

Free: Up to 3 Projects and 50 MB Storage

Paid: $12 to $99 per month based on number of projects and storage needed

Producteev may be considered more of an online To Do List than free online project management.

• Unlimited Tasks
• iPhone, Gmail and gadget apps
• Syncs with Google Calendar
• Import from Remember the Milk
• Attach files to your tasks
• Send alerts to email or Instant Messenger
• Social Aspect – earn badges for being the most “producteev”

Free: Up to 2 team members and 100 MB of storage

Paid: $5 to $30 per month based on storage and members

Do.com is a “social” project management tool.

• Instant notifications on your iPhone, iPad or browser.
• Set up tasks, projects and notes
• Integrates with Google Apps

Free: For now. Premium services may be available in the future.

DeskAway

• Project Management
• File Sharing
• Integration with Google Apps
• Basecamp alternative with BaseEscape

Free: 1 Project, 3 Users and 25MB of Storage

Paid: $25 to $99 monthly

It is very rare to find a WPMU Dev coupon code. Right now you can get a one-year subscription (reg. $419) for only $100 through SocialSpark. This will give you access to over 300 WordPress plugins and themes, plus around-the-clock support. Grab your membership to the most popular premium plugin site on the web while they last.

TalkO’Clock is a new start-up, only coming onto the scene in July 2011. The company calls it a “social alarm service.“ This unique service allows users to place or receive reminder, wake-up call or greetings from anywhere in the world. At first I was a little nervous about this service. I was concerned about random strangers calling me, and I was worried about my privacy. After reviewing the service fully, those things are covered.

Overview

TalkO’Clock is the leading voice-based social discovery platform. It is a free global service, available from any place in the world. It is social networking, but with real voice instead of text. Users make a request, set their goal – whether it’s a wake-up call or reminding about something, and then they get a call exactly at the time they had appointed. One of the things that make the project actual social media is that users not only get calls, but are able to call other users themselves.

What’s the Cost?

This is a free service. The only charge that may be incurred is for an incoming call depending on your phone plan.

Why Would I Give My Phone Number to Strangers?

The people calling will not have access to your number, nor will you be able to see theirs. All calls are routed through TalkO’Clock’s system. Your privacy is protected.

Will 400 People Call Me?

No. Once a caller chooses your request, it is removed from the open listings. If no one is available to make the call, the trusty robot CallOBot will pick up the slack.

What If I Don’t Want Strangers Calling Me?

You can work the system several ways:

1. While you cannot choose the specific person that calls you, you can designate language and gender.
2. You can choose the automatic service which will have CallOBot call you rather than a human.
3. Or, you can add in your Facebook Friends. Soon you will be able to add friends of friends.  If you don’t want to speak with a stranger, you never have to.

How Would I Use This Service?

Once I become immersed in work, all concept of time is lost. I frequently forget webinars for which I have registered, making important personal calls, etc. Even Outlook reminders no longer work. But, I really don’t need to hire a personal assistant to keep me on schedule. This voice-based social discovery service will have someone, or the automated system if I prefer, give me a ring to remind me at no charge.

This post was brought to you by TalkO’Clock. For more information on partner relationships, please see my disclosure. If your company is interested in sponsoring a post, please visit my Advertising page.