Business Resources
Business, Advertising and Marketing Resources
Various online promotion resources from advertising, hosting, copyright services, transaction processors, forms, documents, services, etc…I use these services myself. In some cases I receive a referral fee (full disclosure) this does not change my opinion of the service offered. If you have any problems, or any great experiences, please let me know.
List and Mail Management
Handling a mailing list does not have to be a hassle. Reliable E-mail deliverability is the name of the game.
Get Unlimited Autoresponders & Newsletters and E-mail templates. A stunning 99.34% email delivery rate and Free support. Try Aweber and get hassle free list management.
Logo Design and Development
A number of options for aspiring business people.
LogoYes: LogoYes is the original do-it-yourself (”DIY”) logo website. Enables you to create your own professional-quality logo and matching business cards online in a few minutes. No design experience or special software is required, and the process is fast, easy and affordable. Seriously- anyone can do it. I have been testing the java based editor and it really is drag and drop.
The Logo Company: A minimum of 3 unique logo design choices for you to choose from. You own the full copyright to your new logo design outright. Done in three business days or sooner. As many as 5 designers work on your initial choices for maximum creativity and choice. 100% “Money Back Guarantee” right up to your acceptance of the final logo design. You get the editable source file in vector format (Adobe Illustrator), transparent background versions, gray-scale versions too. Starts at $149. No clip art used.
Low Cost domain names, low-cost hosting, all kinds of site promotion and very handy automated copyright services. Good for beginners maintained by a friend of mine. Remember unless you register your sites, you won’t be able to claim damages for infringement. Usually offers free Adwords for Google advertising credits or other promotions- depending on your package.
Credit Card and Transaction Processing
If you want to sell digital goods try Payloadz. Also they will cut and ship your goods via CD-ROM- customers pay $5.50 for this service. You can mark up if you wish.
If you want to try selling low cost digital goods consider the new PayPal micro-payments option- designed for transactions under $2.00 USD. You will need to mix and match Payloadz with a new PayPal account for for ebay folks or if you are not heavy into auctions better with a PayPal merchant account if you have a PayPal account now- you will have to open up one with a new bank account just for the Micro Transaction option. The advantages? You only pay 5% + .05 per transaction. Great for low-cost digital goods like research, short white papers, e-books, music, art, etc. Thus a $2.00 piece of art will run you 0.15 in fees. In addition Payloadz has a built-in, but somewhat limited affiliate system.
While we are on auctions you might consider ProStores (eBay Company) now offering a one month free trial . They offer an Express, Business, Advanced and Enterprise version. Really designed for auction minded people. Lots of shipping functions built in.
1&1 Webhosting offers a number of low-cost hosting deals for linux and windows boxes. I know the guys behind their core team and they are very knowledgeable and friendly too boot.
LivingDot- I have tested this hosting service on recommendations of others and have found it to be quite robust and excellent for new bloggers or professionals. They specialize in Word Press, Movable Type (I don’t recommend Movable Type) and also have their own proprietary software for photos and a ton of pre-installed script wizards and you can host multiple domains on one account. They just do blogs and do them well. More on their services later, but I use them for many projects and recommend them.
Corporate Services & Forms
Jobs- edgio is moving out fast with a new concept. It’s the electronic version of the ultimate insider’s network. Use it to connect with the most dynamic programmers, designers, entrepreneurs, executives, venture capitalists and others who are deeply interested in the new web, and looking for their next career step. Post job listing here.
Incorporate online, form an LLC, S-Corp, etc. Of course you can do this yourself, but if you are not into red tape- outsource it. For many small business endeavors you can save a lot on high-priced attorney fees.
Business forms- Including over 1,250 essential letters, contracts, board resolutions, plans, checklists, policies and spreadsheets. Very comprehensive library of business document templates. French and English Versions.
Collaboration
Basecamp HQ: Manage projects, make to do-lists, share files and collaborate on any project.
Highrise HQ.com Track contacts, manage leads, set folllow-ups and assign tasks with Highrise.
BackpackIT.com Organize your business and share a calendar, notes, to-do lists and files with your team.
I don’t do business without my Skype. You can get 3 months for the price of 2 on all 3 or 12 month calling subscriptions from Skype until 1st June.
Auctions and Specialty Stores
Ebay- find, need it, sell it, use it. I am not sure there isn’t anything you can’t buy here. There are plenty of things to avoid though.
CafePress- find about any design you want as well as sell about any design you want.
Creative Music and Video
Royalty Free Music For your loops and royalty free music needs.
IStockPhoto: I use and recommend this whether you sell art, photos, etc or need to buy them. I buy because I am not so great at photography.
Agent and Bot Blocking
Botsense Scraper and Bot Blocker- free beta tool to help stop scrapers and other annoying and nasty agents from harvesting from your site. Robots.txt is simply not enough.
Small Ad Network Runs
AffiliateFuel I have used this firm for a long time. Reliable, dependable, nothing overly slimy and honest people. I am picky- I don’t care for some of the e-mail sign ups, but they have some decent offers and reliable for a specialized action network or test run.
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