Starting and running a business can be expensive, but you don’t want to skimp! Staying competitive means you have to have the right tools. Check these out to same money and stay FABULOUS!!
- Open-Source: in the tech community, open source usually equals free to low-cost. Open source equivalents to most business is available! Before you spend the money on the commercial version, look for an open source equivalent
- Office Suite: Every business needs word-processing, spreadsheets, presentation capabilities, but may not have the $’s for Microsoft Office ($199 +) ,OpenOffice is an equivalent that is 100% free & compatible
- Professional Logo: Big businesses spend thousands of dollars having a brand developed professionally, having a piece of clip art or just words does not work. Professional logos can be gotten for $50 – $500. Three options are Logo Tournament ($275+), The Logo Company ($149), Logo Nerds ($47+)
- Image Editing: Entrepreneurs often must do SOME graphic design work on their own. Adobe Photoshop ($699)is the standard AND a bit pricey, GIMP is an open source equivalent.
- PDF File Creation: Sometimes you want to send a document & have the content & format set; PDFs are the way. Adobe Acrobat Pro ($449)is the standard, Cute PDF is a free alternative & their pro version is VERY affordable ($50)
- Back Office IT Infrastructure/Network: As your workforce grows you need a company INTRANET to share information & manage project. Google Apps for businesses offers an entire suite of products. Used by organizations of all sizes, it can be customized for ANY BUDGET & company size (free version & low-cost versions available). Features include: Email Mgmt & Servers, Calendar Sharing, Document Collaboration, file storage, web-site hosting & more
- Business Phone Line: Its important to maintain a professional image & keep a division between personal & professional calls. Paying for a business land-line can be expensive, there are options! Google Voice – get a free phone number for business use only. Ring Central get a full-service phone, fax, & PBX at very affordable rates.
*Please note some of these links are referral links to recommended service providers
Kania "TechnoDiva" Kennedy is a graduate of Duke University and holds her B.S.E. in Electrical and Computer Engineering. A life long fan of technology and "gadgets" she has always been the "goto" girl when technological things need to be "hooked up" or "figured out."
Connect
