Just a quick post to highlight Paul Boag's great article over on ThinkVitamin entitled The 5 hidden costs of running a CMS. I've blogged about problems with content management systems before so it's good to know that I'm not the only one who feels this way. I won't say that CMSs are always a bad idea but I do think business managers should read this article before making snap decisions and thinking that a CMS will solve all their problems.
I few months ago I left my full-time job to start a small web development business of my own... so far so good. Things are going well and I'm learning a lot about business aspects that were foreign to me just a short time ago.
Along the way I've met a lot of folks interested in becoming more serious about their freelancing gigs and/or starting small companies of their own. This post is intended to be a quick resource list for people like that. I quickly learned that I couldn't do everything on my own but thankfully there are lots of websites out there that will help you get the ball rolling quickly.
Freelance Switch
Blog, forum, podcasts, job board, etc. A veritable one-stop-shop for all sorts of information related to getting serious about freelancing. Add it to your Netvibes account today.
MyCorporation.com
When it's time to file the paperwork to register your business as an LLC, get an EIN number, apply for a trademark, etc., these guys can help you sort through all the legal jargon much cheaper than hiring an actual lawyer.
Freshbooks
Once the work comes in you'll need a way to log your hours, track your expenses, and most importantly, invoice your clients. Freshbooks provides an amazing web based service that allows you to do all that and more for a very affordable price. I would be lost without them.
Mozy
If your computer crashes and you lose a client's files they will NOT be happy. Make sure you have a backup plan in place. Mozy is a robust, secure solution that also happens to be cheap and simple to setup.
DropBox
Still in BETA at the time of this post but DropBox looks to be one of the most easy-to-use ways to synchronize files between computers.
Google Docs
An incredibly simple way to share and collaborate on documents with your partners, employees, or clients. It also happens to be free. Watch a great video on Google Docs.
FreeConference.com
Love them or hate them, conference calls are unavoidable in this business. FreeConference.com lets you setup professional conference call lines for free. No need to buy an expensive phone system.
Microsoft Partner Program
If you're an ASP.NET shop, consider becoming a Microsoft partner. You'll get access to news, training materials, and discounted software like the Microsoft Action Pack.
Zazzle
Easily print your new company's logo on a t-shirt, mousepad, coffe cup, etc.
FileTaxes.com
Already so big that you're hiring freelancers of your own? FileTaxes.com can take care of sending the 1099 forms you'll need for tax purposes.
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Those are some good resources to get you started. As I become more involved in all things business related I may post a follow-up with anything new I've learned. If you feel I've missed an obvious resource, place it in the comments below.
In the last month or so I’ve dealt with a PC with a fried motherboard, a SNAFU that prompted me to switch hosting companies and rebuild the blog, and a corporate IT department which permanently erased an entire SourceSafe database. So I thought I’d write a quick post about the importance of backups.
If you work in any kind of corporate environment you no doubt store your files on some sort of network drive or server which gets backed up onto tape every night. But what about your home computer? Or what if you run a home-based business?
Having backups of your files, and your client’s files, is paramount when running any kind of web business and it’s also important for your personal photos, documents, MP3s, etc, etc. Should anything go wrong, you’ll want to get things back up and running as soon as possible.
CDs and DVDs are a huge hassle. External hard drives are great as long as your office doesn’t burn down. An automatic, inexpensive solution that stores your files online for easy retrieval is the ideal solution. That’s where Mozy comes in.
Mozy is a service that takes your important data and backs it up for you automatically to an online location. It runs in the background and will continually ensure that your most recent data is stored securely online in the event of a problem. Restoring files from these online backups is a snap via an easy to use web interface.
Mozy provides both consumer and business solutions for just a couple dollars a month; a small price to pay for the piece of mind of knowing your data is safe.
Check out Mozy for your personal files and Mozy Pro for your business.
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