My Small Business Toolkit
For Bloggers
31 Days to Build a Better Blog – If you have a blog, you should have this eBook. Written by Darren Rowse from Problogger this is a step-by-step plan to making your blog the best it can be. There are 31 tasks taking you down to the guts of what makes your blog great, or makes it a bust.
Hostgator- Hostgator is super easy for the beginner. You don’t need to be a web designer, nor spend the money hiring someone. They make it simple. If you’re familiar with WordPress blogs, you can build a WordPress static website with Hostgator’s one-click WordPress install.
The Keyword Academy – Find, Implement, Optimize and Make Money with the right keywords. This is a fabulous course with a 30-day trial.
Mom Blog SEO – If Keyword Academy is a little intimidating, try Mom Blog SEO. This is an easy to understand, 30 day program that can help any new blogger (not just moms) get the most out of their SEO efforts.
CreateSpace - Ready to publish your first book? CreateSpace can help. If you are a do-it-yourself-er, you can get your Print-on-Demand or Kindle book published and listed on Amazon and other distribution channels for around $10. If you need help with design or other elements, they have those services available for an additional cost. This is a cost effective way to get your book out there.
For Small Business Owners
CorpNet – If you are looking to form an official business entity and don’t know how, leave it to the professionals. They can get it all taken care of for you, leaving you the good stuff.
RingCentral Fax – Most online businesses need online faxing. RingCentral is simple and affordable. They also offer Call Fowarding and several other online business tools.
Skype – Unlimited Calls to Landlines – If you only have a cell phone, or your landline long distance is outrageous, Skype is the way to go. They allow you unlimited calling for C-H-E-A-P. It’s great for all those online seminars you’ll be attending.
Proposal Software for Winning Business Proposals: Accurately quote your projects, create winning proposals, negotiate your contracts, multiply your profitability, brand yourself as a top professional and close the sale. Proposal Kit helps you demonstrate that you are the right professional for your customers. It’s the mission-critical tool for how to write a proposal on a moments notice. Proven for over a decade to be fast, easy, customizable and accurate.
VistaPrints – Now that you have that business name, website, fax and phone let the world know with business cards and postcards announcing your arrival to the online world. VistaPrints is one of the best known and respected printers online.
Shelancers – If you’re starting a freelance business, my best advice is to get a Shelancers membership. This is the catapult to a successful freelancing business.
QuickBooks Online – You need a way to invoice your clients and track income and expenses for tax purposes. QuickBooks has a package to fit any size business, and includes tutorials, making it easy for any accounting novice.
Mozy – You’ve seen the commercials, you haven’t thought you needed to backup your files, but you do! Trust me. I’ve already had to use Mozy to recover lost files. They give you your first 2 MB free and that may very well be enough if you’re just starting out.
There are several other amazing things that I use that you will find throughout my blog. Whether I sent you here after contacting me directly or you found this list on your own, I wish you most success in your online business endeavors!
Let’s Network!